"I'll come back Shizu-san."
"Why?"
"To get you out of here."
"Why would you do that?" she asked, puzzled. However, he had already spirited himself away with that uncanny ability of his. She looked around at the small, secluded alley where she had spent the night. The dark red brick walls looked grimy and wet from pipes going in and out of the buildings around her, and the straw mat she was laying on did little to cushion the dusty, rocky ground beneath it.
She continued to think on what he had said. Why would he come back to this place for her? Although he had given her the nickname "Shizu", they barely knew each other. He had taught her how to survive and defend herself over the four years since she started living on the streets, but she assumed it was only a whim of his, with no real reasoning other than their similar fates.
Finally she mumbled, "Hn, Mamoru can do what he wants, it has nothing to do with me." Then she rolled back onto her side and pulled her flimsy cover over her shoulders to sleep for a while longer.
-1 Week Later-
Mamoru looked down at Konohagakure from the treetop where he now stood. He had been gone for five years now. His mission now complete, he was back in his ANBU uniform. He had left as a ten year old, specifically trained for the task only he could do, as ANBU's youngest member at the time. Now he was fifteen and finally coming home. After drinking his fill of the familiar view, he began to quickly make his way to the Hokage's tower.
-Later-
"Third Hokage, sir," Mamoru said, bowing slightly, "it is truly a pleasure to be home again."
"Welcome back, Washi-san. Congratulations on a successful mission." The Third replied, although Mamoru noticed that the smile he gave was weary and didn't really reach his eyes. Mamoru knew how the Kyuubi had recently attacked the village, and how Yondaime Hokage had sacrificed his life to save everyone.
"Hn. Washi? I haven't heard that name since the last correspondence I had with my ANBU captain six months ago."
"Well, you should get used to it, your next ANBU mission will begin in two weeks. Until then, you are free to use your time to re-assimilate yourself back to village life or what have you. Good luck and good work. Remember, report here two weeks from today, 9 a.m sharp. You are dismissed."
"Yes sir, Hokage-sama." Mamoru exited into the hallway and headed down the stairs. He headed toward his apartment which he had been told had kept up throughout the years. 'I really need to sleep in my own bed, I think I've actually forgotten what that feels like' the ANBU thought to himself.
He reached the street, where his feet automatically began the walk home, his mind too busy thinking of his own pillows and sheets to notice the once-familiar sights passing by around him. He didn't stop until he reached the front doors of the apartment complex, he quickly exchanged greetings with the landlord, who gave him the key. Once he made it inside his room though, all thoughts of long hot showers were forgotten as Mamoru promptly and unceremoniously flopped on the bed, deep in sleep.
-END CHAP 1-