Title: The Instrument

Author: Keg369

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Joan.

Gear: AU Crossover

Pairings: not telling.

Author Note (please read): My English is not the best so please forgive me. I look over it as to the best of my knowledge. I am looking for an editor to force… I mean help me with my grammar flaws. I welcome criticism and suggestions to help me with my writing so please don't hesitate. However if you disapprove of a pairing or something similar and flame me you are wasting your time complaining. As I said before suggestions are more than welcome. Thank you and I hope you enjoy my story.

The Instrument

Joan tried her best not to crash she really did but, having grown up nowhere close to anything resembling a farm, driving a carriage with two cows, whom she'd named Bill and Ted, strapped to the front was not on her list of things she could accomplish.

She had crashed and fallen in mud cursing her luck. As the cows Bill and Ted looked on still attached to her now broken carriage.

"It's a wagon and Bill and Ted aren't cows their oxen an if you hadn't been trying to go so fast you wouldn't have crashed."

Joan's dark brown eyes locked on to a old man crunched over his walking stick he wore an old brown kimono with a black obi.

She wrinkled her nose at him and wined, "This is all your fault! And I'm so late what will I do! They'll give the shop to someone else! " She yelled from her place in the mud.

Her own kimono, which had once been blue with yellow lily's and matching obi, was now resembling the old mans. Dirty and brown.

"You can't even fathom how many times I've been told that 'its all my fault.' so spare me. May I remind you again that all you had to do was say no. Besides the Hokage will not give your shop to someone else its been paid for. You're task was to get to the village and get your shop set up. I never said to be there at noon that was you and your letter."

Joan rolled her eyes and picked herself up. "I've been studying Japanese culture for three months, hardly gotten any sleep do to insomnia, traveling on the 'wagon' from Hades, and now I'm all muddy. " The old man chuckled at her complaining "and besides yelling at you makes me feel better about my own faults."

He gave her a fatherly smile. "Don't worry the village is just a little further and your wagon problems will be solved soon."

With that he turned around and started hobbling away. Unable to help herself she jokeing yelled after him," Thanks for nothing."

The old man pause turned his head back to her "What about making you? Don't I at lest get thanks for that." Joan smiled at him to let him know she had been teasing but then again he had already known she was joking. The old men smiled again. "Of course I knew you were teasing and don't forget my little instrument no one can know." Joan's face lost its smile as fought the urge to cry as she nodded.

The old man smiled "That's my girl. Now be careful." He turned his head and began walking again he gave a backward wave and said without turning. "Some of your books are about to fall out!"

Joan rushed to the back of the wagon sure enough a small stack of books were tipping precariously about to fall out. She pushed them back in with care on the top of the stack was a new mothers guide to raising children. She gave a sad self-pitying sigh and soon became lost in thoughts of her mother a single tear left her eye.

"Miss are you all right?" Joan let out a scream the books that were still in her hands flying as she leaped away stumbling backwards and was soon reacquainted with her friend the mud.

She stared up in horror to find a young man eighteen or so looking down at her with an equally horrified look on his face.

"Miss! I apologize I didn't mean to scare you." He held out his hands to help her up. Joan felt her face turn bright red she was so stupid!

She took his hand when she was up and about she bowed to him, "Please don't be sorry! It was my fault! I was so frustrated with this stupid wagon…" she trailed off realizing she was babbling she straitened up to find him blushing. She tilted her head and looked down to find her kimono had come undone she had just flashed him.

This day could not possibly get anymore embarrassing. She hastily fixed her front as best she could without being able to untie her obi. She looked back up to find the boy pointedly looking away he was wiping his nose for some reason.

Joan was at a loss should she say she was sorry or would that just make it worse? The young man chose to ignore the embarrassing incident thank goodness.

He stood impeccably strait wareing a black body suit with a green vest over it, strange black sandals, blue headband with a metal plate in front with a weird swirled symbol engraved on to it. Joan vaguely wondered if he knew his headband didn't match.

"As I was saying Miss are you alright?" Joan striated her posture suddenly felt horrible.

Her checks reddened "Yes. Thank you very much but I'm fine."

She met his eyes, which were coal black. "If I may ask what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere by yourself?" His eyes were sharp and calculating searching her face she suddenly felt as if she were taking some kind of test.

Joan wasn't worried there was a village she knew she had written a letter to their leader The Ho… whatever he was called "I'm going to a village called Konoha. It's just a little further right?"

The boy's eyes became even more calculating "Even if it is why are you traveling alone?"

Joan was feeling more than put out after the day she'd had. Why was this boy playing games with her anyway he had come up to her. "Because I don't have anyone to be with me." She said it as calmly as she could the boys eyes didn't leave her face

" Miss may I see your fire country citizenship papers and your pass to get in to Konoha?"

Joan's blood ran cold she had the papers, they were the bag with her spare clothing and other random things. But why did he want them? Was this boy some sort of policeman? He looked too young. "Why should I?" she took a step back glaring at him the boy's own gaze intensified "I am a ninja of the village hidden in the leaves. My forehead protector is all I need to make such a demand. As a citizen of the fire country you should know that."

Ninja? The boy didn't seam crazy and she had been studying the Japanese for a reason so ninja's were like the police or army or whatever by the way he was acting. Ok how to get out of this one? "How do I know your not some kid who stole some poor ninja's forehead protector?"

Joan laughed internally at the expression of horror on his face but it was quickly replaced with a dangerous looking frown his eyes were even narrower than before. "That could never happen 'some kid' as you put it would never be able to steal form a leaf ninja. And I'm nineteen I am no kid."

He was nineteen only two years older than her but now wasn't the time to think about that. "Like I said how do I know." She glared right back at him crossing her arms over her chest cocking her hip.

The boy gave her a rather evil looking smirk. "You do not miss. But if you would rather be; bound, gagged, blindfolded, and taken to the leaf's interrogations expert to have your identity tortured out of you…"

Joan turned and walked around to the front of the wagon and pulled her bag down from the seat. Normally she wouldn't have taken his threat seriously but she had been told to be careful and when she was told to be careful it usually meant she was doing a task that was at lest somewhat dangerous. That and he also about a head taller and probably fifty pounds heavier than her there was no way she could take him if she tried to fight him.

Careful of the mud she pulled out her papers trying not to get her clothing dirty. She turned around almost slamming into him. How on earth did he get so close to her without making a sound?

She shoved the papers into his chest and he grabbed her wrist before she could pull back she began to protest but stopped when she realized he was ignoring her. With the hand that wasn't holding her wrist he took the papers looking them over.

He let go of her wrist took the papers in both hands. "What's your name?"

Remembering at the last minute so say it the Japanese way. "Girardi Joan."

He raised an eyebrow giving her a strange look. "What!" she was feeling rather defensive that was after all her real name.

He shrugged "Strange name I've never heard it before I wasn't curtain how to pronounce it." He glanced down at the paper again.

Joan sighed and ran her left hand threw her waste length dark brown, even more so with her friend the mud, hair. "Well now you have don't you feel special."

He glared at her he was really good at glaring he held the papers out for her to take. " I meant no offense Girardi-san. I had to make sure of whom you were. When you didn't arrive at the village at the scheduled time I was sent to check on your progress." Joan was starting to feel bad for being snippy.

He glanced at the wagon that she had quite properly wrecked. "When I arrived I saw your state of distress I had to be certain you were not an enemy Kunoichi before I escorted you to Konohagakure."

He had actually come to see if she was all right? She felt really bad. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to be snippy. I've just had a really bad day. Could we start again please?" The boys eyes softened a little he hesitantly gave a small nod Joan clapped her hand together happy to be forgiven.

"Thank you so much." She straitened and gave a much smaller bow no wanting to risk flashing him again. "Girardi Joan it's a pleasure to make you acquaintance…"

He looked rather bewildered at her sudden friendliness she gave him her best smile he heisted a moment longer before giving his own strait backed bow "Ebisu of Konohagakure and my rank is Chūnin." He said all of it with pride as if daring her to criticize him.

Joan tilted her head to the side, "Is Ebisu your last name or first name?"

Ebisu the Chūnin looked uncomfortable for a moment before saying in a firm voice "I have no last name."

Something about his eyes said it was a touchy subject and Joan not wanting to ruin the new beginning smiled and looked at her wagon and said, "So do you know anything about wagons?"

Two hours later

Joan glared at Ebisu-kun; they had gotten the wagon together and made it to Konoha with no problems. They had taken her wagon Bill and Ted to a stable storage like place. After telling the man in charge she that did have an inventory for her books and if any came up missing he would pay for them.

She insisted on changing before they went to see the boss man a.k.a. the guy she couldn't remember's name. Ebisu-kun had readily agreed even taking her to his home to take a quick shower and to change. That was an hour and thirty minutes ago.

No mater which kimono she tried on it never seemed right this was an important impression she had to make, the boss man could kick her out of the village, she had to put her best foot forward.

Which was why she had been wearing her best blue kimono. She didn't understand why Ebisu-kun was being mean "Girardi-san please you look fine in all ten. Just pick one we are already four hours late for the you're meeting with Hokage-sama." All of this was said threw clenched teeth he looked extremely frustrated.

Well to bad Joan was frustrated too she put her hands on her hips didn't boy's understand anything. "Ebisu-kun…" he looked puzzled at the use of Kun. "if you would just help me pick one we can leave. Besides it not like he knows we're here yet. So he doesn't know were that late. And don't call me Girardi-san it's too formal."

Ebisu-kun looked as if he'd swallowed a bug "I had one of the gate guards send a message to Hokage-sama so a search party would not be needlessly sent out." She sighed rolling her eyes why hadn't he said so in the first place. "Joan-chan?" he said her name as if he had trouble saying it.

She wriggled around a bit in the green kimono before turning to go change again, maybe the pink one, she was half way to his bathroom when he called out. "I like the red one the best Joan-chan." Her name came out smother more confident this time.

She turn around giving him a wining smile "See now that wasn't so hard thanks Ebisu-kun!" before he could reply she had run to change.

Out side the sun was shining, birds were singing, her new home looked beautiful. Joan would have taken the time to enjoy it but as soon as she had exited his bathroom he had grabbed her elbow and they were almost running towards wherever it was they were going to meet the big boss man.

She didn't even have time to properly look at the Mont. Rushmore look alike. She was having a hard time almost running in her kimono so after her third time of almost tripping she began to whine. "Ebisu-kun slow down or I'll fall and have to change again." She almost ran in to him when he slammed on the brakes so to speak.

His eyes searched her face before he let out a sigh "Alright I've probably already been confused for Hatake-san anyway." He let go of her elbow and she intern took his in a friendly manner he was after escorting her.

Ebisu-kun stiffened then relaxed and they began walking. Joan felt like learning more about her new friend "Hatake-san?"

Ebisu-kun sighed, " He is an irresponsible Jōnin who was recently excepted in to the ANBU. He's always late never once can I remember him being on time for anything. He is a slacker who thinks he is above the rules normal ninja have to obey. I have no wish to be compared him." Joan didn't know whatthe ANBU or a Jōnin was but they must be important she could hear the bitterness in his voice.

Ebisu-kun struck her as someone who followed the rules to the letter and took a lot of pride in that fact that he did so. The problem with too much pride though was it more often led to feeling superior she hopped Ebisu-kun wouldn't turn into a snob.

The thought that someone who broke the rules getting ahead more than likely didn't seem very fare to Ebisu-kun. "Why don't they stick him in the corner or something?"

Ebisu-kun stared at her before he burst out laughing several people on the street stopped to look. All thinking the same thing was that really 'tight ass Ebisu'?

When Ebisu-kun stopped laughing he responded "Hatake Kakashi was the student of the fourth Hokage he is a genius of the highest clabber. He made Chūnin at age six and is one of the strongest ninja Konoha has with or with out the Sharingan. Who would punish that? "

Joan bristled "So what my brother Luke's a genius and he still got spanked in fact we all just ignored him when he went into smart talk mode…" she trailed off thinking about her family again man she was pathetic. Not wanting to think about it any more she quickly ask Ebisu-kun. "So is your official job here to help wannabe shop owners when the show up late form wrecking their wagons." Forget the fact she was allredy two hours late before she wrecked.

The wreck got her thinking about Bill and Ted she hopped they were all right at the smelly stables that they'd dropped them off at. "Actually no it was turning in a report to Hokage-sama when he ask me if I wouldn't mind checking on you."

She looked at him curiously "Then what do you do?"

She watched in amusement as his chest pumped up in pride "I'm a teacher at the academy but soon I will been taking my exam to become a Tokubetsu Jōnin."

She didn't want to sound stupid but she ask anyway "Tokubetsu?"

He smiled at her and she felt better about not knowing. "Tokubetsu Jōnin are ninja who rank above Chūnin but below Jōnin. Tokubetsu Jōnin are ninja who, have Jōnin-level ability in a single area or skill. They are elite specialists in their areas and are often assigned as subordinates to regular Jōnin when their services are needed."

He answer was to the point an informative and he didn't make her feel stupid Joan bet he was a good teacher "So you're going to become an specialist teacher?"

He smiled and nodded, "I will take the Jōnin exam with the other Chūnin. Then take another exam to become classified as a Tokubetsu Jōnin."

" So why did you become a teacher?" she ask he gave her a thoughtful look.

"I want to keep Konoha safe and if we have poor Shinobi then the village is weak. So it's my dream to help us become the very best of all the hidden villages once more. "

She smiled at his dream it was a nice one. "What about you Joan-chan why do you want to be a shopkeeper here in Konoha?" Her smile sank slightly she thought about her answer. "You don't have to answer if you don't want." He said it stiffly regretting asking her in the first place.

"No. No I was just thinking of the best way to answer you. I was given the choice to come here and I said yes. I worked in a bookstore before and I've stuck with what I know."

He gave her a surching look "and were is home it said N/A on your travel papers?"

she gave him a sad smile "Home is someplace I can never return. So this will be my home now."

They stopped walking he smiled down at her leaving her statement about having no home alone. "Here we are the Hokage tower."

End chapter: next chapter we change point of views a lot.