Mutual Need

by Aralain

Chapter 2

The next time Kakashi ran into Gekkou Kita was outside a debriefing room in Interrogations Department a few months later. She smiled at him brilliantly as if they were the best of friends offering a big wave in greeting. With her demeanor, one probably wouldn't be able to tell that she'd just walked out of the debriefing room with Morino Ibiki. Only A-ranked missions and higher required a debriefing by the Interrogations Department. Apparently this wasn't just some run-of-the-mill kunoichi as he'd believed her to be. He'd decided that night in the bar to look into her but hadn't ever followed up having decided that Gai was the reason for her shocking speeds, but he wasn't so sure now. Gai had rarely been on the type of covert missions that required Interrogation's top specialist to see to the debrief.

"Cheer up Hatake-san," she told him, half-walking, half-skipping past him. She was an odd one that was for sure.

"Kakashi, you know Kita?" Ibiki's voice came from behind Kakashi as he turned to watch the strange kunoichi.

"Not really," Kakashi said. "She knows Gai."

"Knows is a bit of an understatement," Ibiki snorted.

"Understatement?" Kakashi asked, surprised. She'd been rather touchy with Gai which wasn't quite usual for the green-clad, bushy-browed jounin, but he hadn't suspected anything further than that. It hadn't occurred to him at all actually

"Never mind," Ibiki shook his head. "She's just as crazy as he is so I guess it's a good fit those two."

"What mission did she just get back from?" Kakashi asked. Normally, the question would be off-limits, but Kakashi had the highest of security clearances. As an ANBU Captain he periodically recruited new members and the track record of virtually any shinobi in the village was open for him. Still, Ibiki gave pause. He looked around carefully, before shrugging obviously deciding not to argue.

"Infiltration number 17. She says she is going for the big four, all the top shinobi villages," he sighed shaking his head. "Got captured this last time, but I think she did more interrogating than Suna's Interrogations Department."

"Infiltrations is one of my teams' specialties," Kakashi muttered, wondering why he'd never heard of her.

"That kunoichi lives for Infiltration," Ibiki said, with a smirk. "It's like a game for her, her favorite game."

"Who's on your debriefing?" Ibiki asked, glancing at the clock.

"Taki," he replied.

"I'll be sure he is headed this way," Ibiki said, walking past the copy nin who entered the room, glancing at the seat where the debriefed were to sit. There were a few drops of blood smeared on the handle causing him to frown. He sniffed. There was more blood. He walked around the chair to see some smeared there as well. She had been injured? He hadn't even noticed. Strange kunoichi…

BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK

Kita was simply exhausted. She finally allowed herself to limp once she made it to the safety of her apartment. She stumbled into the table beside the door as she tried to remove her shoes, cursing and straightening herself but not the table. She made it into the bathroom which was only a few steps in actuality but felt like a lot more effort. As she shed her chuunin jacket, she looked down at the dark blood staining her right hip. She peeled off her blue shirt and then folded her pants down a few times until the cut was visible.

Not fast enough… she hadn't been fast enough and knowing that hurt. It was a horrible feeling, one she was not used to and she didn't appreciate. She couldn't take her injury to the hospital though because that would mean admitting that someone was fast enough to hit her. Quickly she removed her pants and underclothes, stepping into the shower before it had truly warmed up.

She scrubbed herself clean of the memory of Suna. She hated that place but it just so happened that she was excellent at infiltrating that village. She'd never failed. She smirked. Well, some might disagree but she didn't get captured unless that was a part of the plan. Ibiki had scolded her quite nastily for her recklessness, but she'd gleaned some good information from the inexperienced interrogator. Unfortunately, next time they would realize who she was. She wasn't sure she wanted to try counter-interrogation in Suna any longer. She scowled at the memory of that kunai cutting through her. Who had that been? The kazekage, she thought with a shudder. She definitely needed to avoid Suna.

Her anger washed over her, replacing the fear and she sighed, turning off the water and stepping out of the shower. She dried off, glaring fiercely at the blood leaking down her leg and jerked a drawer open, yanking out a box and tossing it onto the counter. With unsteady hands she began to clean the wound out. It wasn't complicated. It was a deep laceration, but easily dealt with. She smeared an antiseptic upon it then reached in for a suture. Drawing a deep breath, she pushed it through her skin, her entire body shaking as she sutured the wound together with unpracticed, clumsy hands. Once she was finished with that, she covered it with a clean bandage and secured it.

She looked at herself in the reflection of the mirror, her face pale and eyes wide. She'd always been this way, Gekkou Kita. She was too small, too weak to be a shinobi or so they'd always said of her growing up such a sickly child. Hayate had never thought so though. Hayate always looked after her, taught her to excel and she'd found her strengths in time. As she dressed in a dark blue shirt and her customary konoha-blue pants she thought of her brother, hoping he was doing well on his latest mission. She knew he was though. Hayate had always done well. Hayate was a prodigy whereas she'd been ever the disappointment to her father in both build and temperament.

Her black eyes stared back at her as she swiped her hand through the still-fogged mirror. She looked every bit as tired as she felt, but the day was still young and she had a lot to do. Her mission had been long-distance running so she was very tired, but she would work on her sprints until she felt confident that this wouldn't happen again. She glanced down at her side before shaking her head and picking up a brush. She ran it through her long hair slowly, methodically.

"Hayate-niichan, hurry up and get home," she frowned, wondering why she was so worried this time. It wasn't unusual for him to be away on missions for months at a time. He'd hardly been gone a few weeks. Still, she could really use her brother right now. He could always put things into perspective.

Leaving her apartment, she felt lighter and happier under the sun. She took a moment to draw a deep breath of fresh air and start clean today. Putting the past behind her, she ran out over Konoha. She was alive and safe and ready to be better than she was yesterday or rather three days ago because that was when she'd been injured. She had to succeed.

Hours later, Kita wiped her hand across her forehead to keep the sweat from dripping into her eyes. The village was warm for the time of year, but she wouldn't be quite so hot if she'd let up a bit earlier. Her legs were screaming at her, but she took small measured steps, tensing her muscles experimentally. People stared at her as she randomly jumped into the air every few steps testing her muscles, but she didn't care in the slightest.

As she jumped, she looked to her right at a familiar feeling. She caught sight of him and a tired smile came to her face immediately. Slipping into the open building through the half-lowered curtain she walked forward quickly, grabbing his arm in a tight grip. "Gai-kun," she said. He grinned back at her, lifting his hand up to cover hers. Normally she would avoid bothering him during the day, but it was late into the evening now and he had not been speaking nor had his companion so she didn't feel too incredibly rude interrupting.

"Do you think we could train tomorrow? I am sorry to ask, but I feel as if my short distance speeds are waning and I need to maintain top physical form," Kita said, glancing at Gai's companion and wondering why she kept running into the black-eyed copy nin. Yamamoto's was a popular place and she could have guessed Gai would be here as he was often enjoying a drink of sake alone on a Friday afternoon following a long week of training, but she did not expect his Sharingan-wielding rival.

"Of course, Kita-chan. We shall make a challenge of it. If by the end of the day, you are not able to out-sprint me, I will run 100 laps around Konoha to make up for my poor ability as a mentor!" he exclaimed. Kakashi pulled out his book from Gai's side, turning slightly away and seeming to ignore the two of them.

"That's a lot of laps, Gai. I wouldn't want you to be too tired," she said, with a devilish smirk. "I suppose I will have to out-sprint you to keep you from that fate."

"Ah, well you shall try Kita-chan, but I assure you I have improved greatly since our last worthy contest!" Gai exclaimed.

"And yet you never quite match up," she grinned with a false cockiness. He would beat her, as he usually did. Only a few times, mostly by lucky chance had she overcome him in speeds. He grabbed her hand, pulling her down to sit beside him. She didn't resist, instead leaning against his shoulder and yawning lightly.

"Didn't you return from a mission today?" he asked.

"Ah," she nodded.

"Straight into training I see!" he said.

"What gave it away?" she muttered laughingly. She was decked out in training gear, complete with visible weights upon her legs.

"My dear Kita-chan, you're wearing training gear!" he replied, matter-of-factly to her rhetorical question. Kita met Kakashi's eye and they shared a humored moment from either side of the green-clad nin. Gai would never get the point of a rhetorical question.

"Kakashi-san, I have heard you are being instructed to take on a genin team," she said conversationally.

"I am," he nodded, not lowering his book.

"Rumor has it, you regularly fail a team each year. Do you take pleasure in dashing their dreams or are you just too lazy," she asked with a laugh. He stiffened, but the carefree way she said it made it clear she didn't mean anything by it.

"I will not take a team that does not understand the importance of teamwork," he said simply.

"I'll drink to that," she said, snatching Gai's glass and taking a long drink. She grinned cheekily at him, but he simply laughed, shaking his head.

"I will get you another then?" he suggested, standing. She nodded, smiling up at him.

"Of course, you wouldn't leave out poor Kakashi-san. It would be discourteous not to buy him a drink when you're getting me one," she reminded him. He grinned.

"Of course my lovely Kita-chan. I wouldn't dream of slighting my eternal rival in such a fashion!" Gai declared loudly, drawing attention from all around.

"You're even better at manipulating Gai than I am," Kakashi said, with a slight eye-crinkle. She grinned.

"Just because I suggest things and he agrees and they happen to be beneficial to you, doesn't mean you should tac such an ugly word to it," she told him jokingly, watching Gai order at the bar smiling distantly.

"He really enjoys your company, you know," she said in a soft voice. Kakashi chose not to respond. "He may not say so, but he's always looked up to you even admired you. I suppose it's hard not to." She turned to look at Kakashi who appeared completely unaffected by her words. She smiled though, knowing the truth. He was not quite so unfeeling as he would have others believe. She knew his type. Her own brother Hayate was a great deal like this man.

Kita raised Gai's glass, drinking once more. It was a bit sweet for her, but Gai did enjoy his sugary drinks. She smiled, glancing at him once more. He was talking loudly to Genma in what appeared to be an almost-unkind fashion, but she didn't move to interfere. The two of them were always at odds, not that she could really pretend she didn't understand why. Gai should know better. Gai shouldn't start fights with his subordinate jounin over stupid things.

"You were successful on your last mission?" Kakashi asked.

The young woman inclined her head. "So much so that I have been promoted," she added, but didn't elaborate. Gai glanced their way and gave her an enthusiastic wave when he caught her staring. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him.

"What type of relationship do you have with Gai?" Kakashi asked, getting straight to the point. She glanced at him in surprise. That had come out of nowhere. There was a short silence, but Kita was anything but shy.

"I'm not used to defining my relationships to overprotective comrades," she said, smiling and thinking for a long moment. She shrugged, but Kakashi was dissatisfied.

"That is no answer," he told her.

She cocked her head to the side. "Gai is…" she paused, frowning. "Gai is important to me." Kakashi's gaze was piercing and she wasn't sure what to make of it. It didn't seem angry, but she didn't know the copy ninja very well. He could very well be plotting against her behind that dark eye. "I'm not sure how to say this without sounding too coarse. We fulfill a mutual need." Kakashi's eye widened. She laughed at his shocked gaze. "You tell Gai I said that and I will hit you hard. As a matter of fact, he'll probably hit you first and much harder but I assure you that I'm no lightweight," she giggled.

"You and… Gai?" he clarified. She snorted.

"Don't sound so surprised. Gai is nothing if not practical," she said. She gave him a look as she felt Gai walking up behind her. She smiled at the green-clad jounin as he set down three glasses. She slid one across to Kakashi who was still staring at her as if trying to pull apart a puzzle. Kita shook her head, knowing if he didn't knock it off even Gai was going to notice. To distract the green-clad jounin, she took his hand under the table, lacing her fingers with his.

"Have I interrupted a riveting and youthful discussion?" Gai questioned exuberantly.

"Not at all. Apparently Kakashi-san and I have absolutely nothing in common. It was quite strange without you here," she said, lightly. She took her drink with her free hand, sipping it slowly.

"That is not quite true. You share a common specialty," Gai said. This was apparently news to Kita who looked at Kakashi curiously, but there was a keenness to her eyes that had him questioning that youthful glint. "Though I have to say Kakashi, Kita is without a doubt the best Infiltrations Specialist in the village."

"You have a specialty in Infiltrations now as well Kakashi-san?" she asked, frowning in surprise. He began to believe her though wholly believing an Infiltrations Specialist in anything they said was often the biggest mistake one could ever make. He inclined his head slightly. "Goodness, how many does that make? Can't you leave one or two to the rest of us?"

"Seven," he replied blandly, not expounding on what those were. She shook her head.

"Kita should be a full jounin soon. She had already been officially validated as Top Messenger Jounin as well," Gai said. She felt warmth spread through her at Gai's compliment. He was so sincerely warm and kind. He far outclassed her as a ninja of course, but he would never miss the chance to brag about her accomplishments. She tightened her hand around his larger one.

"Keep talking me up Gai-kun and Kakashi-san is going to confuse me for an extremely gifted shinobi," Kita told him.

"You are very talented Kita-chan," Gai scolded her.

"I'm too tired to get into an epic argument tonight," she replied drawing a chuckle from the green-clad jounin.

"It would have been epic," he agreed not-so-objectively, his dark eyes glittering mischievously.

"I am the best Infiltrations Specialist in the village though," she told him, though her eyes were on Kakashi instead as if daring him to argue. He didn't. Kita finished her drink, setting it aside and closing her eyes for a moment before releasing Gai's hand and standing.

"Gai-kun, it is time for me to call it a night," she said softly, glancing at Kakashi and bowing to him slightly. "If you'll both excuse me."

"I should walk you home," Gai said going to rise, but she placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning to kiss his cheek.

"First, I'm not going home and second, you haven't spent nearly enough time with your eternal rival these last months. Perhaps you can even get a quick challenge in?" she suggested, her twinkling eyes turning to Kakashi who scowled back at her.

Kita's walk towards Gai's apartment was interrupted by a black flash. She flipped backwards, whipping out her blade in the same motion. There was a sharp cling, a familiar cling. She laughed, shoving the figure back, sheathing her sword, and jumping for him. Her brother caught her in his grasp with a matching chuckle. When she pulled back and looked up at him, she noted the heavy circles under his eyes, the pale color to his face in the low light of a nearby street-lamp. He looked otherwise together though.

"Where were you headed?" he asked.

"I was planning on breaking into Gai's apartment and dropping this in his shampoo bottle," she said mischievously. She whipped out a very small bottle from her weapons pouch, waving it in front of him with a cheeky grin. He knew immediately what it was.

"Wasn't once enough?" he rolled his eyes shaking his head.

"It will never be enough! Not until I stop finding pink flower petals every other day from that damned man's attempt to make my apartment more youthful," she laughed loudly. "Oddly, they never seem to wilt." She gave her brother an incriminating look. She had quickly caught on that Gai had been continuing to stash the flowers throughout the house and remove the old ones. She was sure her brother knew something about it. Gai didn't know about at least two of her traps and Hayate was the only person that could help him with that.

"I have nothing to do with Gai's youthification," Hayate sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning back on his heels. He frowned down at her.

"What have you been eating?" he demanded.

"Oh knock it off. I can take care of myself, you know," she told him with a glare. Her smile weakened it though.

"You can't even keep a single jounin with a box full of Yamanaka's finest cherry blossom petals out of your apartment for a single day," Hayate mocked.

"HA! You do know something about it," she said, pointing her finger at him accusingly.

"If your apartment was not quite so bare and depressing Gai wouldn't-"

"My apartment isn't depressing! It is functional. I am hardly ever there anyway so I'm not sure why it matters!" she growled, crossing her arms. "I was trying to be glad that you were home, but now I'm not sure."

"'You're hardly ever there'?" Hayate asked, scowling at her with a murderous glint in his eyes.

"Because I'm so busy around the village," Kita recovered quickly, knowing he was jumping to the correct conclusion that she wasn't sleeping in her own apartment. "Unlike you, I'm important around here niichan." She huffed, raising her nose to him. He relaxed a bit, but there was still censure in his eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that Kita-chan," he muttered, going to walk past her and ruffling her hair along the way. She ducked him too late, but watched him go. She knew he had to report for debriefing, but she really wanted to spend time with him. She didn't need to tell him to come find her when he got released. She would be his first stop. She tucked away the little bottle in her hand, knowing she could always color Gai's precious bowl cut a ridiculous green color another time. There was a bit of sadness in her as she turned from his apartment towards her own, but it was a near-certainty Hayate would seek her out once he finished his debriefing.

Thank you. Will get very mature very quickly… probably next chapter though I'd have to check to be sure. Please proceed with caution if you are made uncomfortable by such content.