Heroine's Rest

Chapter 1: Crash Landing

I've decided to try something new this time. This chapter will be written entirely with my newly-discovered voice recognition software-should be an interesting trip.

A/N 2: Screwit. Trying to use voice recognition in a house filled with little ones... Is not a good idea. I'm writing the chapter normally.

Samus sighed, as she leaned back in the pilot's chair. "Any sign of Metroid Prime?"

Her computer buzzed for a moment, checking its scanners. "None. However, there is a strange signature in the general area... Scans indicate that it is similar, in composition, to your Phazon Suit."

The blue-suited bounty hunter frowned. "That is strange. I thought that suit was destroyed alongside Metroid Prime?"

"It could be residual Phazon in the Orpheon."

Samus nodded. "That's right, they had spacebound laboratories, as well..." After a moment, she shrugged. "No matter. I think it's time for some downtime. Suggestions?"

"The planet of Viridia is nearby. It's famous for being one of the least-populated planets in the galaxy, and for its massive carnivores."

She shook her head. "I just got done killing massive carnivores - Next."

"If it's sun and sand your after, there's Krrycha. Supposedly, the entire planet has a tropical climate, and many, many islands."

Samus raised an eyebrow. "A possibility. Population?"

If she hadn't known better, she could've sworn that the computer let out a weary sigh. "It's one of the most popular vacation spots out there."

"Next."

"There's just no pleasing you, is there?"

"Next."

"SR-"

Samus narrowed her eyes. "Don't even think about it. Next."

"The mountains of Tikkaer are said to be quite magnificent at this time of year..."

"Mountain climbing? Hmm." She thought about it for a moment. "Not this time. I want to relax. Next."

"The hot springs of Chonst? They're pretty picky about who they let on-planet, but I'm sure they've heard of you."

"You know what? I like that idea. Chonst it is."

"...Really?"

"No. Spending a week evading my fans is not my idea of a good time. Next."

"How about somewhere that hasn't been officially explored yet? There are a few nearby."

"...Trees. I want to see trees. Big ones. Remember, back on Arden? Trees like that."

"Scanning... Here's an old Federation report. Apparently, there was a planet that was surveyed from orbit - the surveyors never set foot on-world, though, because of the Developmental Allowance Act."

Samus smiled. The Developmental Allowance Act forbade anyone in the employ of the Federation from making contact with the inhabitants of a world that had not yet achieved spaceflight - In other words, no one there would have any clue of who she was. "Perfect."

"Calculating route... It should take us about a week to get there."

She nodded. "I'm going to go hibernate, then. Wake me if anything unusual happens."

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One week later.

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Samus yawned as she stepped off of the hibernation bunk. "We there?"

"Well... Yes..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Something I should know about?"

"I have good news, and bad news. The good news is, whatever attacked us seems to be content to let us crash, instead of destroying us itself. This raises our chance of survival to about 30%."

Samus blinked groggily, still shaking off the effects of hibernation. "Crash...?"

"That, I'm afraid, is the bad news. I was just about to prepare landing procedures for the planet, when something hit our engines. Now, all three of them are dead, and we're drifting..."

She sighed. "Into the planet's gravity well. Wonderful. Any idea what attacked us?"

"No. I did, however, catch that strange signal from earlier - Perhaps the two are related?"

Samus nodded. "Unless there's a pirate base nearby, I seriously doubt it would be any other source of Phazon - Not this far out. There isn't a pirate base nearby, is there?"

"Not that I can detect, no."

"Well, that's something." She sat at the pilot's chair, mind racing. "How long do we have until entry?"

"Approximately five minutes."

"Hmm." The problem is not the impact itself - it's the heat of entry. I need to figure out some way to cool... Well, that could work. The ship's cooling system functioned by circulating coolant through channels just below the ship's outer shell. It would work well for a while, but with the heat of unpowered entry, it would run out of unused coolant long before they actually touched down - Unless she could find a way to cool the used fluid, and cycle it back into the system. "Computer, can you open a direct port to the coolant system?"

"Certainly." A small hatch popped out beside the control panel, and swung open.

As she contemplated the hatch, the ship began to vibrate.

"We've entered the atmosphere."

Samus closed her eyes for a brief moment, and the Gravity Suit appeared around her. Taking careful aim, she began to power up her arm cannon, its tip glowing blue.

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In the cold depths of space, a black-clad figure floated, watching Samus's fiery descent into the atmosphere. With a silent smirk, it turned away. Now that the Hunter is dead... We can thrive.

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Samus grimaced as the cabin began to shake wildly, her Ice Beam flaring blue. She'd opened all of the ship's flaps, and had done her best to steer the ship towards a body of water. Now, all there was left to do was wait. With a final surge of power, she disconnected the Ice Beam, and strapped herself securely into the pilot's seat. As the ocean below grew closer and cloaser, she closed her eyes. "Suit, full lockdown. No motion, no intake." As she said it, the joints of her suit froze completely, and she heard a faint hissing noise, as it switched to the air supply within her chestplate.

I wonder...

The water loomed closer, like a massive wall of blue.

If I die, who will take my place...?

She could see the waves; they would crash near a bridge.

So careless of the Chozo, to leave everything to a single human...

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Haku stared at the fiery comet, momentarily distracted. Naruto reared back, and knocked him out, as Kakashi finished off his mentor.

Kakashi frowned. What the... As Zabuza's corpse 'thump'ed to the ground, the elite jounin watched the falling ship curiously. His eyes widened, as a thought struck him. "Team Seven! Off the bridge!"

Sakura nodded, and using chakra to strengthen her muscles, sprinted off of the bridge, dragging Tazuna behind her. Naruto picked up Sasuke and ran, leaving Haku where he lay. Just as Gato made his entrace, the ship struck the water nearby, emitting a massive cloud of steam... And creating a massive wave. As the wave rushed nearer the bridge, Gato beat a hasty retreat, barely managing to find solid ground in time. The rest of his crew, however, weren't so lucky - Most of them didn't even have the time to scream as a wall of superheated water crashed over them, sweeping them off the bridge and into the ocean.

Slowly, the waters began to calm, and as Kakashi watched, a purple-armored figure rose from the depths, floating gently on the water.

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Samus groaned, as her HUD flickered to life. A small chime sounded, and her screen flashed red for a brief moment.

"Warning: Energy critically low. Shutdown of life-support systems imminent."

With a quiet sigh, she struck out for the shore. Some vacation this is turning out to be... No ship, no comms, an unknown enemy after me, and my suit about to shut down... And I just know that parts of it are gonna be critically damaged after this. For all they did, the Chozo did not build these upgrades to last. She reached the shore just in time - the moment she stepped out of the water, her armor fell off, leaving her in her Zero Suit. Good thing I put on a layer under the suit. It was rather embarassing to have to collect my pay in a bikini. Samus shuddered as she recalled the aftermath of her first mission. It had taken weeks before her power suit was usable again, and she had, of course, lost all of the upgrades she'd collected on Zebes. This had started something of a trend, one that irritated her to no end. Still, that mission has led to many another profitable partnership with the Federation, despite what I was wearing - Or, more likely, because of what I was wearing. Sexist pigs.

She looked over to where her ship had sunk, and sighed. And of course, this is a world that hasn't discovered spaceflight yet... Which means that I'm stuck here. I might be able to salvage the beacon... Better to wait until my suit is working again, though.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice anyone approaching her, until a quiet voice said, "And who might you be?"

Samus jumped, and in an instant had her pistol pointed at the man... Only to find that his hands had already trapped hers, and had the gun pointing off to the side. She narrowed her eyes. Apparently, the survey team had recorded the native language - or languages - because her translator implant allowed her to understand him. That's something, at least. "Unhand me. Now."

Kakashi frowned, but let her go, taking her gun as he did so. "Who are you, and what was that... thing?"

As he spoke, Sakura came running up. "Kakashi-sensei, what hap-" She froze, as she saw Samus. "Oh."

Her sensei narrowed his eyes, Sharingan still whirling. "Sakura, I need you to go and make sure everyone's OK."

Silently, the young genin nodded, and rushed off. Kakashi turned back to Samus, who sighed.

"My name is Samus Aran."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "And the meteor?"

"My ship."

The jounin frowned. "Ship? That was no ship. Ships can't fly."

The bounty hunter gave him a wry grin. "Neither can mine, not anymore."

Kakashi gave her a good, hard look with his Sharingan. Well, she doesn't appear to be lying... Could one of the other nations truly have developed a flying machine? This is something Hokage-sama needs to know about. "To what country do you belong?"

"No country. I live alone - Or at least I did, before my ship sank to the bottom of the ocean."

Again, she's not lying... But how could an independant get her hands on such an advanced technology? It would take the resources of a major Hidden Village to fund that kind of project. "I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me. You're technically trespassing in the territory of the Hidden Leaf. I'm sure our Hokage will want to speak with you."

Samus frowned. Somehow, I don't think that was a request, and with my suit offline, I don't have much choice. "Very well."

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Later that night...

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Samus ate slowly, as she mulled over her situation. Pro: On a planet where no one knows me. Con: No way to get OFF said planet. Pro: Surrounded by nature. Con: Surrounded by natives. Suspicious natives. Pro: No one's gonna come bugging me about yet ANOTHER metroid infestation. Con: Without me to stop them, metroids likely to decimate Federation forces. Honestly, you'd think they'd've come up with an ice beam of their own by now-It worked well enough for me, didn't it? Pro: No smartass computer to talk back to me. Con: No smartass computer to talk to...

Her musings were interrupted, as Naruto tapped her shoulder. "Hey, are you a ninja?"

Samus raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"A ninja! Y'know, like Kakashi-sensei. That armor was some kinda ninjutsu, right?"

She shook her head. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

Naruto frowned. "Lady, you been living under a rock or something? Everyone knows about ninja..."

Kakashi interrupted. "Believe it or not, Naruto, there are countries with no ninja. The Land of Waves, for example." However, to not even have heard of ninja... That is rather strange.

Samus shrugged. "There are no ninja where I come from - There are warriors, certainly, and hunters. I am a hunter."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "A hunter? What do you mean?"

"I'm a bounty hunter. Fe - People post bounties, usually for criminals, and I find them, for a price. Some hunters will go after anyone if the price is right, but I only track crooks."

Kakashi frowned at the slip. There's something she's not telling us... If she's a normal bounty hunter, I'll eat my headband. "So, what brings you to the Land of Fire?"

The infamous bounty hunter colored slightly. "If you must know, I had been intending to take some time off here - I'd just finished a job, and I was looking for somewhere to relax for a while. This plan - place, looked like it would be isolated, and quiet." She gave Naruto a pointed look, and he grinned goofily.

Sakura snorted derisively. "You were on vacation? In the Land of Waves? No offense, Tazuna-san..."

"None taken."

"But, it isn't exactly the cheeriest place to visit at the moment."

Samus crossed her arms. "This wasn't my intended destination - my ship was shot down, by what I don't know. I chose this place to land so that the water would cushion my impact." At this, she got up from the table, and inclined her head respectfully to Tsunami. "My thanks for the food."

With that, she headed upstairs, to what she'd been told was the guest room. I haven't seen any buildings this low-tech since... Well, ever. Even the Chozo temple on Tallon had automated doorways... Opening the door silently, she entered the room, aware of a pair of onyx eyes watching her.

"You're the foreigner?" Sasuke gave her an inquisitive look as she spread out a mat on the floor. Wrapped from head to foot in bandages as he was, he'd been confined to the room, to rest and recover.

She nodded. "I suppose you could say that, yes."

"You a ninja?"

She sighed. "No, I am not a ninja. I am, however, rather tired. Good night."

"What was that thing that crashed near the bridge?"

Samus twitched. "I said good night. In most civilized cultures, this would mean that I am done answering questions." She laid down on the mat, deliberately facing away from the bed where Sasuke lay.

"I'm not done asking them."

She turned her head to glare at him. "Well then, I'm afraid you're just gonna have to get over yourself. Good night." Reaching into a hip pocket, she pulled out a small pair of earplugs, and popped them in.

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The next morning

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Samus sat on the roof, staring out at the waves. Why is it that adventure always seems to find me, even when I don't want it? As she watched, the genin filed out of the house, yawning sleepily. Their sensei was conspicuously absent, but Samus had a feeling he was keeping an eye on her from... Somewhere. Almost as soon as she had the thought, the silver-haired jounin materialized beside her, watching his students. Figuring that it was best to be polite, she inclined her head towards him. "Morning."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "So it is." With a small yawn of his own, he lowered himself to sit beside her.

She raised an eyebrow, as the trio of genin faded into the distance. "Aren't you going to keep watch on your students?"

"I am. This is a clone."

Samus frowned. "You don't have electricity, but you can make clones?"

Kakashi frowned. "I don't see what those two things have to do with each other. Besides, it's only in remote villages like this that electricity is rare - with Gato strangling their economy, they can't afford it."

"Gato?"

He nodded. "He's a businessman that took over the shipping industry of the Land of Waves. It being an island nation, this allowed him to get away with pretty much anything he wanted - Until Tazuna came along, with his plans for a bridge. I suppose I should thank you - The wave that your ship caused wiped out most of his army."

Samus laughed bitterly. "Well, it's nice to know my crash did someone good."

Kakashi mused for a moment. "Speaking of which, I should probably do something about the little creep. No telling what he might try once we're gone."

The infamous bounty hunter shrugged. "Guy like that's bound to be surrounded by guards - Even if I wiped out most of them, he's sure to have some reserves. What can four people do against a small army?"

Kakashi laughed quietly, the sudden sound startling her. "You really haven't heard of ninja, have you? Interesting. To answer your question, while he does have guards, none of them is a match for a ninja. Civilians can only do so much against our techniques."

Samus raised an eyebrow. "Techniques? What kind of techniques?"

He eye-smiled. "Well, obviously I can't reveal the Hidden leaf's secret techniques, but there are a few that any ninja can do - Wall-walking, for example." He held a ram seal, and walked calmly off the roof.

Samus frowned, and looked over the edge, to see Kakashi hanging by his feet with no visible means of support. "Interesting indeed. Some sort of adhesive on the sandals...? No, you wouldn't be able to walk if that were the case."

Kakashi laughed, and lifted one foot, tossing the sandal on it to one side. To Samus's disbelief, he did the same to the other foot, and remained standing under the eaves.

"I must admit, I'm stumped. How are you doing that? I know it's not magnetism - the roof's made of wood."

He eye-smiled. "Chakra, the lifeblood of a ninja. By combining mental and spiritual energies within the body, we can do things that civilians can only dream of like breathing fire, walking on walls, walking on water... Really, everything you could imagine. It's rumoured that some ninja have even learned to fly... Though that is, of course, unconfirmed." He gave her a significant look, and she sighed.

"I told you before, I'm not a ninja."

Kakashi shrugged. "I believe you. I also believe that there's something you're not telling us."

Samus crossed her arms. "Then ask, already. What do you want to know?"

"Where did you come from?"

"Well, when a mommy and a daddy love each other verrry much..."

The silver-haired jounin rolled his eye. "I think you know what I meant."

"...I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

She shook her head. "I just can't. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?"

"Where did you get that ship?"

"I bought it."

Kakashi frowned. "Bought it? From where?"

"Somewhere very, very far away. It wouldn't be on any map that you've ever seen."

"We of the Hidden Leaf have the best maps in the Elemental Nations-"

Samus pinched the bridge of her nose. "You mean, you have the best maps of the Elemental Nations."

His eye widened. "If you're saying what I think you're saying... Where else is there?"

She sighed. Fuckit. I already broke the rules by letting them see my ship - might as well go all the way. "Your planet... Is not alone in the galaxy. Not by a long shot."

Kakashi frowned. "You mean... You came from the stars?"

Samus nodded. "From the planet Zebes, yes."

For a moment, he was completely still, as he digested this information. Then, he pulled up his headband, revealing the Sharingan. "Please, say that again."

She raised an eyebrow. "I am from the planet Zebes. What is that thing, anyway?"

Absentmindedly, he mumbled, "Sharingan..." As he spoke, he drew a kunai from his pouch, and before Samus could stop him, stabbed himself in the gut. A moment later, he disappeared in a 'poof' of smoke.

The blue-clad bounty hunter sighed. Well now, the cat's out of the bag. Did I do the right thing, I wonder? She shook her head. Probably. He wouldn't've stopped asking until I told him, anyway.

A moment later, another Kakashi appeared before her, panting. "Change of plans - We're heading back to the village as soon as our replacements get here - should be by the end of the day."

Samus raised an eyebrow. "You know, I broke the rules badly enough by admitting where I'm from - I can't reveal the details of our technology. If I did, and the Federation found out about it, not only would I never get another job from them, I'd likely be hunted down myself."

Kakashi frowned. "Federation?"

She nodded. "It's the governing body of our galaxy - almost every planet belongs to it. They have very strict rules about revealing information to citizens of a planet that hasn't yet achieved spaceflight."

"I see."

Samus sighed. No, he doesn't. I guess I can't expect him to understand right away - it is a bit much to take in all at once. "I could possibly help, a little - the fact that you've already seen my ship, and I couldn't help it, would justify some sort of gift. I cannot, however, give you exact details - that's strictly forbidden."

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's out of my hands, now. I'm honor-bound to report this to our Hokage - it's his decision on where to go from there."

She frowned. "Hokage?"

The elite jounin nodded. "He's the leader of our village, and protector of the Land of Fire."

"Interesting. When-"

As she spoke, a woman in a tan trench coat appeared beside Kakashi, and eyed Samus curiously. "So, this the one?"

Kakashi nodded. "The mission's pretty much cleanup at this point - Zabuza's been dealt with, as has his apprentice and most of Gato's army."

Anko whistled appreciatively. "Momochi? Damn. So, definitely not a C-rank?"

He chuckled. "Not quite. Still, the bridge-builder has promised to pay us once the village can afford it - with the bridge built, there'll be room for businesses besides Gato's. And speaking of which... Could I ask a small favor of you? It's not in the mission request, but..."

She grinned. "Do what I do best?"

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Make the pig suffer."

Samus shivered at the slightly manic look in the other woman's eyes.

"With pleasure."

Whew! Been a while since I put that much into one chapter. This is another one of those ideas that's been bouncing around in my head for a while, so I was glad to get it out.