Three men met in the hall.
"So, what is it you want me to do again?" The first, a man with silvery grey hair, a strap of cloth tied over his eye, sighed as hescratched the back of his head with a long yawn, then turned to the next page in his book, stifling a perverted giggle seconds later.
"I wanted you to train her in the fighting arts, but now, I'm not so sure...." The other man asked, sweatdropping.
"I see." A blond man replied, all the while looking upon the young girl, who to the his trained eye seemed to be all of thirteen, or fourteen years old.
Dressed in a black military skirt jacket…the type worn by the female S.O.F…complete with the thigh holster for small caliber pistols, teal green hair held back by gold clips, and the most unemotional, unfeeling eyes… like a blank sheet of paper…the older man thought, the young girl stood, motionless outside the entrance of the S.O.F. Training hall.
So familair...
Just like...
"So, I guess it is true then?" The first asked again, jarring him from his reverie.
"Yeah." The young man said, though it was easy to see he was losing his patience with this scruffy looking fellow. "I was asked by my older brother, to come see you, so you, could oversee her training."
The blond yawned, and this seemed to annoy the man with raven black hair even more."I get ya, although I don't know why ya brought her here; I've got sources that say she's quite the LFO pilot." The blond stated this with an air of indifference, already knowing what his friend would say.
"Naruto, there's more to fighting with an LFO, then just being able to manipulate the controls." This came out as a growl.
"I see you remember some of the old days…Unlike some of us." The blond man referred to as 'Naruto' said, smiling on the inside. "What did Kakashi always say to us back then, Sasuke?"
Surprised, the raven haired officer could not help but to smile, and it was genuine this time. "That within thirty days, we'll have forgotten everything he taught us, except that he was lazy, late, and put us in a lot of pain."
Laughing out loud, the blond slapped the man known as Sasuke on the back. "Alright then teme, lets see what we can do about teaching this young girl the art of 'putting hands of healing' on people."
Looking outside the entrance, Sasuke smiled; motioning for the young girl to enter the training hall.
A young girl, whose whose name was...
Eureka.
--
Eureka stood, still, outside the entrance of the building, watching as the person, whom she recently learned whose name was Sasuke, talking to who she thought to be an older man.
A little taller in height, and of the same build as Sasuke; wearing a black headband tied around his forehead, black t-shirt and khaki colored pants with trail running shoes…a sharp contrast to the crisp uniform of the S.O.F. Sasuke was wearing…arms and face tanned from being out in the elements; the blond man looked at her, a soft look in his eyes that bellied their intensity, as if trying to pierce through her.
He is different... Eureka thought. Although his eyes, they remind me of …
The older man began to laugh at something that Sasuke said, and slapping him on the back, formed what she remembered was called a "smile", and looking very intently at Eureka, nodded his head for her to come over to him and Sasuke.
Eureka, unsure of what the gesture meant, continued to stand still, and looking back at the two men, cocked her head to the side in a very inquisitive manner.
"Did I do something wrong?' Naruto asked looking over at Sasuke.
"Sorry. Eureka!" Sasuke yelled, his voice echoing through the large training hall. "Come here."
Eureka walked towards the two. Very unsure, the way she carries herself…and to pilot the archetype they way she does…Naruto observed as the young girl made her way into the Training Hall.
Jeez, this really took him back...
"Naruto, this is Eureka." Sasuke said introducing her.
"Hello, Eureka (you-reek ah)!" Naruto said still smiling, purposely mispronouncing her name and extending his hand. Sasuke was about to correct his former rival, but Eureka surprised him by speaking first.
"Its Eureka (eh'reck ah)…" she said, staring blankly at the hand in front of her.
Taking note of Sasuke's stupefied expression, Naruto said:
"I'm sorry. Let me see," He paused, contemplating for a bit.
" Ah, yes Japanese naming conventions. E's are A's, I's are E's, and so forth. Let me try this again. Hello! Eureka!" He repeated, correctly this time. "My name is Naruto, Master Instructor here at S.O.F. Pleased to meet you!"
Eureka stood there silently looking at the outstretched hand.
Sasuke spoke up, breaking the awkwardness of the moment.
"It's alright, Eureka; he's someone you can trust."
Looking up at Holland, she reluctantly took the offered hand.
Someone I can trust? Eureka thought.
Grasping Eureka's hand above her wrist with his other hand, Naruto noted how warm her pale skin felt, in sharp contrast to her personality. Very unemotional, her response, to my mispronouncing her name…Naruto thought, and now, looking into Eureka's eyes, not noticeable outside of the training hall, but now, being able to look up close….
Controlling his emotions, so as to not let Sasuke notice his surprise…and lest there be other eyes watching…at first what he took for contact lenses, Naruto now noticed them for what they really were.
Intriguing, He thought. Lavender, with a red ring around the pupil, but still unemotional, a blank page….like you are waiting for something, or somebody.
Looking over at Sasuke , then back to the girl whose hand he still held, Naruto leaned in, close to her ear, and whispered to Eureka, just loud enough for Sasuke to hear.
"You, my young lady, are not what you seem. Just like a friend of mine. You ever heard of her?"
There was no visible reaction, until the blond spoke again.
"Her name was Hinata."
Eureka's eyes widened, and stole a glance at Sasuke, who became very irritated all of a sudden.
Ignoring Sasuke, and still holding Eureka by the hand, still looking straight into those big, unearthly eyes, Naruto, for a moment, softened the intensity of his stare. And with a softness in his tone that took even Sasuke by surprise, Naruto said.
"It's ok, Eureka."
Eureka stared right back into the Master Instructors dark brown eyes, not able to look away…and for a moment recalled the eyes of another who had looked upon her with the same caring look.
Like how a father would look into his daughters eyes.
…Caring… Compassionate.
Someone I can trust….
Then letting go of Eureka's hand, and motioning to her and Sasuke, Naruto smiled again, and turned to the man behind him, who'd remained silent thus far, but finally closed his book. Coughing into his fist, through his mask, he went from silent observer, back into "instructor mode" called out in that voice.
"Alright Naruto, I'm sure you want to get back to your 'report'."
They both knew he'd be doing anything but.
"Yeah...He let the words trail off over his shoulder, made an about fact, and a hasty exit.
That loud booming voice that Sasuke remembered so well…
"Alright you two...Office!"
--
"They just went into his office, sir."
The "Observer" was watching, from a safe distance, so as not to be noticed, he hoped.
Silence, as the Observer listened through the concealed earpiece in his right ear.
"No sir" He replied, putting down the high powered view scope.
"Holland did not say anything that would give away what she really is."
Speaking into an encrypted transmitter/receiver the Observer continued his report.
"Although we might have a problem with the Master Instructor" He continued, choosing his words carefully. One did not last long around his superior by being "inept".
"He leaned close next to her; his hat tilted such, so that I could not read his lips."
Silence….
"No sir. Even accounting for the trappar interference, whatever he said it was too low for the sonic receiver to pick up."
Silence…
"I am not sure sir, Sasuke became rather irritated at some point, but the Master Instructor showed no sign if he noticed. Which I am sure he must have."
Silence…
"Very well, Lieutenant Colonel, I will stay on station here until they leave-Urk!" The transceiver fell from his ear as a pair of hands roughly seized him from behind! Before he could even cry out, he was spun to face with the master instructor himself, the latter of which now had the barrel of a pistol pressed to the head of the 'Observer'.
"A spy, eh?" He wore a look of spite, clicking the barrel and sliding a bullet into the chamber. A click was heard, and his hand now tightened on the trigger. "No, you're too noisy to be a spy. I'd have to say you're a snake in the grass."
He scowled.
"I hate snakes."
"Too bad for you, I don't think he's feeling rather merciful today." A silky female voice whispered in his ear, her long pink hair tickling at his nose. "It's a shame really, I would've liked to 'interrogate' you a bit."
"Sakura, stand aside." Naruto instructed, and the unseen woman did so, the grip on the man's shoulders shifted down, to a position that would allow a clean shot for the blond.
The soon to be dead man couldn't even scream, for a hand now clamped itself over his mouth.
"Oh don't worry, its a silencer. Nobody's gonna hear a thing."
A silent sound of rushing air.
The spy slumped over, dead.
Flashback next chapter! Its a reindition of the whole Eureka seven thing, just flip flop Renten and Eureka with Naruto and Hinata! Same goes with all the other Eureka seven cast, cuz I'll try to replace them with Naruto cast characters!