Chapter 2
Kana easily caught up with the rest of the group. Together the group made it to the village, without being followed or found by any other rival ningas.
Kana talked the whole time about what she was going to do when she got home to Ari, who found it rather annoying after a while.
"I want a hot bath and a nice long nap. And after that, I'm going to fix something up to eat," she bragged.
"Isn't Rin-Oba-Chan comming to your house today? You should probably clean it up for her or she'll make you move in with her." Ari stated.
"I forgot that she said that she was going to pay me a visit! She did tell me that if I kept living like a slob, she was going to make me move in and keep me under her thumb. Mute and Nuke probably wouldn't like that very much. They hate being restricted, which is probably why I can't keep the house clean." Kana shighed before continueing. "It really does get annoying after a while," she finished.
Suddenly, two black streaks of lightning came, attacking Kana. She was licked and nuzzled by them, as they jumped around her. She grabbed the nearest one, wrestling it ot the ground.
"Mute! Nuke!" she squealed as she tussled with the two fur-balls.
Shadow, Muke and Nuke's mother, stepped into the open. Kana picked her arm out of Mute's mouth (she had been holding it gently) and climbed to her feet to her feet. Shadow's graying muzzle split into a smile as she saw all three of her charges. Kana went over and gave Shadow a hug around her neck. Shadow licked Kana's face and wrapped a paw around her back. Mute went over to join in the welcome.
The only distinct difference in the way Mute and Nuke looked was their front paws. Nuke's left paw was a pure white, while Mute's right paw was the one that was white. They also had different ways of handling situations. Mute was always the more aggresive one of the two, while Nuke was more gental in situations. Both would rather fight than roll over and die, and had a "Kill-or-be-Killed" instinct, but they both also handled the fight in their own way. They were like sisters to Kana and hated to be seperated from her.
Karuna clicked her tongue impatiently at Kana. They all needed to report back on th mission and fill out the required paperwork for filing. Karuna also needed to make a report on Kana's fight, so that conflicts with other villages were avoided.
"My apologies, Karuna-san," Kana said meekly. Nuke went over to Shadow, licking Kana's hans as she passed, but Mute stood with the intention of following. Kana opened her mouth to tell Mute "no" but Karuna interupted her.
"Kana, just let her come! We don't have time for any arguments for crying out loud. Just get your butt in motion." "Yes, Karuna-san"
Mute gave a low, happy sounding growl as she followed behind Kana to the Head Ninja's house. Kana also seemed rather happy, or she was at least smiling. Most people found it hard not to like Kana. She had a friendly nature and a warm, kind smile that just seemed to attract people to her. Her wild side only made it so that it was guaranteed that it would never be boring around her. But she hadn't always been like this. When she first started meeting people, she had a hard time responding to them, she didn't know how to interact. In those days she had been shy and quiet, preferring to spend most of her time at home. But with the help of Rin-Oba-Chan she started getting better with other people. Then Kin had asked Kana if she had wanted to go shopping and that turned into a beautiful friendship. Because of Kin's blatant openness about stuff, Kana was a little afraid of her at first. So Kin solved that problem herself. Kana eventually made friends with allot of people at school, including Hanabusa, Yuzuru, and Ari. The five always hung out together, and had helped Kana "enter the world" as they would say.
When the group reached the Head's house, Kana and Ari went to report about their assignment to their record keeper. Karuna reported to their keeper, and then asked Kana to recount the battle for her.
"Are you sure the only serious injury was the collar bone?" Karuna asked.
"Yeah. Other that that, the only thing they can actually complain about is a few bruises, couple of sprains, maybe an achy joint or two. I don't think we'll have any problems though because I don't think they want to admit that some of their male graduates got their butts handed to them by a girl under graduate though." Kana replied.
"If your sure than you can go home. Enjoy your bath." Karuna said, opening a nearby cabinet and pulling out a sheet of paper. Kana bowed respectfully and then left, Mute following her lead.
They reached their house at the edge of the village, just as it started to snow. Kana brushed snowflakes from her hair and eyes, then entered her house. "I'm home" she yelled to the house in general, before heading off towards the washroom. She started the water and then quickly cleaned her room, for when Rin-Oba-Chan came. She finished just as the water was ready, then got in to take her bath.
When she got out all fresh and wearing a baggy tee-shirt with baggy pajama pants, about a half hour later, she went into her bed room for to take a nap, only to find that Nuke had taken her just cleaned room, and, in five minutes, she had completely destroyed it. Kana groaned loudly, then she looked at the bed. Nuke had taken all the pillows and blankets and had pulled them into a sort of nest around her. Kana noticed that Nuke had done this in the middle of the bed, so that there was no way for Kana to sleep on the bed unless she could comfortablely fold herself in half. Kana sighed and then pulled a few pillows out from under Nuke, along with a blanket and threw it down onto the ground, then settled down to take her nap.
About a half hour later, which to Kana only felt like ten minutes, Mute was waking her. Kana groaned, then heard a faint knocking on the house door. She clambered to her feet sleepily, took notice that Nuke was missing from her "nest", and then shuffled into the front hall and opened the door.
A girl with bare feet was standing on the step in a powdering of snow. Kana stared at Kin before saying "I don't want to know," and closing the door.
But Kin was faster. She stuck her foot in the way of the door and shoved her head inside, snow falling from her short black hair with blond highlights. "No! No! No! You'll want to hear about this. I promise." Kin said slightly breathless and in a fast pace voice. Kana gave a resigned look and stepped aside to let Kin in. Kin continued talking "... I can see you just woke up. Ari told me that you were probably sleeping but I still had to see you. I see you still have that gaudy tee- shirt and ..."
Kin would have continued to talk, but Kana had grabbed a sock lying nearby and shoved it unceremoniously into Kin's mouth. Kin pulled it out with a disgusted look on her face. "Please tell me that was clean." she said in a wavering voice. Kana just smiled.
" Eww! That is gross!" Kin groaned throwing the sock at Kana. It landed on her head and Kana burst out laughing. "Don't worry, it was clean. I keep it lying around for when you come over like you did today, all excited and talking way too much." Kana said with a smile. Kin faked a frown and lightly punch Kana's shoulder. Kana acted hurt but then the two of them smiled. Kin sat down at the crowded kitchen table and Kana got them both a glass of water, and got down a bottle of aspirin for herself. "Headache," she explained as Kin gave her a questioning look.
"Any way, do you want to know what happened?" Kin asked as she accepted the glass of water. Kana swallowed the pills before she responded.
"You're going to tell me whether I want to know or not, so my opinion doesn't make any difference." Kana replied. "But I'm glad I'm taking the aspirin now; otherwise I'd need it later."
Kin gave a joking hurt look but then smiled and launched into her story. Kana could pick up that it involved a recent shopping trip a cute boy and Risu, who considered herself to be Kana's rival, even though she wasn't even in Kana's league. Kana sighed, Risu had been flirting again, as usual. She was determined to prove herself better by getting a boyfriend before Kana. Kana drifted out of the story, no longer paying attention, and sank into her own thoughts. Suddenly, Kin must have noticed that Kana was no longer listening, because Kin stopped talking. Kin watched Kana for a moment or two, and when she decided that Kana was listening again she asked Kana about the fight.
"Has anyone ever told you that you lack subtly?" Kana asked.
Kin sighed. "That and the ability to shut my mouth. I hear that from my mom all the time." she replied. "It's probably a skill I should really learn. Anyway, what happened? All I heard was that you and Ari were assigned to help resupply the reckon group that was recovering the lost scroll or something, so how did you end up in a fight? Karuna is supposed to be the best at doing these kinds of missions without getting caught."
"Maybe someone tipped off the castle, or maybe Karuna was just unlucky or something, I don't know. All I know is that we got ambushed by a bunch of water genin, who now have had the distinct pleasure of having had the snot beat out of them by me." Kana replied.
"Maybe the bad luck was you. You do tend to find trouble everywhere you go." Kin suggested jokingly.
"I don't find trouble. It stalks me. I don't do much more then stand around and somehow something goes wrong and I get blamed." Kana sighed.
"In other words, you're cursed and so if anything starts to go wrong around you, get away before you're affected." Kin said without really thinking.
"You got it." Kana sighed again. Kin realized what she had said and started to apologize but she noticed that Kana wasn't paying attention anymore. Both of Kana parents had died and then her sister abandoned her, and who knew if she was even still alive, all before Kana's first birthday. Kin decided that she needed to change the mood and then smiled as a thought came to her.
"You child, need a shopping trip!" Kin said, standing up suddenly and pointing a finger at Kana.
Kana looked stunned and then outraged and amused. "You just want an excuse to go back to the mall. And what's with this 'child' business? I happen to be a full six months older than you." Kana said loudly.
"Yes I do. Anyway, come on. I'll buy you something." Kin said. A wide grin spread onto Kana's face. It looked innocent enough but to Kin it was the epitome of malicious and evil.
"Uh-oh. Kana, I know that look. Kana, no, don't do this! Bad Kana! Don't look at me like that." Kana spluttered nervously.
"What look?" Kana asked, giving her head a slight tilt to make the smile look even more innocent, her grin growing. "I think your right Kin. Maybe I should go with you to the mall. I've been wanting to buy something lately. Just wait for me to get changed."
Kin groaned. "So much for my allowance." She grumbled as she slumped over and laid her head into her arms.
Kana changed quickly, with a speed that only came to ninjas. She shoved on a jean miniskirt with leggings, followed by a long-sleeved shirt with black and weight stripes. She then pulled on a short sleeved red hoodie on top. She quickly checked her hair and makeup in the mirror, then ran out to join Kin. Kin was selecting a pare of Kana's shoes. Kana pulled on a paire of black boots and Kin selected a pair of high heels. Then, together, they hurried on to the mall.