Suna
Nane stood tall and looked over the sands as far as she could see. "Your kidding right?" She said, already imagining her skin baking right off of her body.
"Nope. But…." Nane held up a finger in warning as she glared at Kakashi.
"If the next words from your mouth, Hatake-san, are 'at least it is a dry heat', I will beat you, to death, with your own beloved book. I am not kidding."
Nane was fed up with the heat. Kakashi could see it. They had been traveling hard all day and the closer to the desert they came the hotter it had become. So far, there had been no issues. No enemy nin, not even a sprained ankle or a hang nail. Yuu had kept up with him well. Her only gripe had been heat. He couldn't blame her. She was from Snow country. He would probably have similar issues if their roles where reversed. He himself had been in Snow country last when he was still sensei of Team 7.
"We will rest here till night fall. It will be much cooler then." Nane sunk to her heels and pulled out her canteen. Taking a long drag she offered it to Kakashi. He took it and took a pull from it through his mask. It was ice cold.
"Yuu?" Surprise laced his voice.
"Tag." She said simply not even looking at Kakashi. Looking under the fabric of the holder, Kakashi saw the tag paper affixed to the metal. The writing clearly stated ICE.
"Ninja would pay you great amounts of money for these tags, Yuu."
"Then I would be spending ALL of my time making the damn things." She stood and stretched. Popping several vertebra, she sighed, and turned to Kakashi. "I only started making them because I had to get rid of chakra. I wanted something positive to show for it instead of just dumping it into the ground. So I stared to experiment. Some things worked and others don't. But, I have found, if you look at it in different ways, you can eventually get around the can'ts." She rummaged in her pack and brought out two meal bars. She tossed one to Hatake who caught it easily. Then sitting crossed legged, started to eat her own bar. She made a great show of sitting so that she faced away from the Copy Nin, so that he could eat his bar without choking on it and still conceal his face. Kakashi pulled his mask down and began to eat as well. Some how knowing she would not try to sneak a peak as so many others would try to do.
"How bad are the headaches?"
She shrugged. "Depends. If I catch it soon enough, fairly mild. " She stopped chewing for a moment. "Many early on were bad. For a time I really wished just to go and fall asleep in the snow and never wake back up. It was around that time that I slipped into a coma. When they realized it was an enormous build up of chakra causing the problems they tried a siphon." She held up a wrist for Kakashi to see. Around it was a band of some kind. "Fat lot that did. At first it helped, then my body recalibrated and started making more to over come it. Now, I HAVE to have one on. I take them off and the overload could fry my body. Catch twenty two, and back to square one." Nane took another bite of the bar. Kakashi finished his, pulled his mask up and sat down next to her handing back the canteen.
"Where does the weaving come in?"
"That is easy. Part of this package," she indicated herself with a wave," was that I could see chakra filaments. The Huuyga's can see and control the flow. The Uchiha's can track it. Me, I can pick it up and mold it." As she spoke she opened her hand and began to pull the threads to her. Kakashi moved his hiate up and opened the always active sharingan. He almost gasped as he watched her pull those threads from herself and shape them in a way that only she truly understood. Reaching into her bag she pulled a tag. The special paper readily accepted the pattern. ICE appeared. She reached over and handed him the tag. "For your canteen. It lasts about four days." Nane closed her eyes and rubbed them with her hands. Gods she was tired. Kakashi patted her on the shoulder noticing her fatigue.
"Take a nap, Yuu. I will keep watch." Nane nodded and lay down using her pack as a pillow. She was asleep before Kakashi had started to read from his little orange book.
Night had fallen when Kakashi decided to wake Yuu. After another meal bar they picked up their packs and headed into the desert.
"Now that is impressive. " Said Nane when they approached the entrance to the Sand Village. She had tied a scarf around her head to try to prevent some of the burning. Nane had also applied liberal amounts of sunscreen. Kakashi could still smell the coca butter base. "A handful of people could keep an army at bay with that." The high, natural stone walls were indeed impressive. Kakashi would agree, but the tactician in him knew that could be turned against the village as well.
As they approached several guards met them and asked for their credentials. Once verified they were allowed through the long deep pass that lead to the village. Nane loved the feel of cold as they walked. This area apparently never got enough sun for it to heat. Mid way a breeze could be felt. Nane closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Kakashi watched her from the corner of his eye. He wondered if the rest of her family had such a difficult time with heat. He had not heard any other jonin complaining or joking about the Yuu ninjas. Up until recently he had not even known about the weaver family and the ninjas that it produced. At the end of the pass Temari, Garra's older sister awaited them.
"Kakashi-sensei, Yuu, Please follow me. The Kazekage is expecting you."
Later, Nane sprawled, face up, on a bed, grateful for the cool breeze coming from the huge windows of their shared suite. Kakashi leaned against the doorway leading from his room to hers watching Nane.
"Not a word, Hatake. You are lucky I am not neck deep in a bath of ice tags. Though," she said as she rolled over onto her stomach, "that's not a half bad idea." He could see her mind working out the details. This was a very intelligent woman.
"Hatake-san, how does this heat not exhaust you?" Most of her words were muffled in the bed as she had collapsed face first into it.
Turning her head to breath she looked at Kakashi. He stood there in a tight sleeveless black shirt, mask and black pants looking as cool as the preverbal cucumber. Damn him. She thought. Ninja God. He should wear that more often. Women would swoon before him. Not that they don't already.No wonder he hides his face. Picking up her head, Nane landed her face into the bed again. She would have to be utterly dead not to see how handsome this man was. Even if she had entirely no chance with him.
"OK." She said, trying to change her mental topic. " I'm hungry. Let's find something to eat." Nane pushed herself off of the bed headed for the door where their shoes waited. "Are you coming?" Kakashi pushed off of the jam and followed her hands in his pockets.
"May I speak now?" Nane rolled her eyes and followed her nose as she opened the door. Food smells tantalized her promising something wonderful from the restaurant stalls just outside the inn.
"Only if it isn't about the heat."
"My, it is sandy." Kakashi caught his sandal as Nane winged it at him. He smiled and followed the ravenous redhead as she hunted for food.
On The Way Back
"Now, we will see what you can do, Yuu." Said Kakashi as he stripped down to that sleeveless black shirt, mask, and pants. He pulled out a set of bells that tinkled slightly as the air currents shook it.
" You're not serious?"
"Why do you always think I'm joking, Yuu. This is a time honored tradition passed from sensei to student. I even did this to my own students as it was done t.."
Nane looked nonplussed at the Copy nin as she listened to him. When she could take it no longer, Nane flicked her wrist and Kakashi watched the bells fly from him directly to her hand. All that he was left with was the string that the bells had been on.
"I win. Next test?" Kakashi looked at her in confusion. "While you talked I sent a thread to the bells. Once attached, I yanked." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Ok. So you caught me monologuing. We move to hand to hand then. My goal is to get them back. Yours.."
"Is to not let you." Nane back flipped to put some distance between her and Kakashi. Then fled out of the clearing.
Once she was sure she was out of his sight for the moment, the bells were placed in different places on her person. Would not do to make it too easy for the jonin. That being done, Nane opened her senses, eyes glowing green she scanned for chakra threads.
"That could be called cheating, Yuu." Said Hatake from behind her. He was close enough that she could feel the heat of him. As he reached out to grab her, Nane looked over her shoulder and seemed to melt. An instant later the water clone was a puddle on the forest floor. "Nice." Kakashi disappeared in a flutter of leaves just as several senbon and shirikens flew through the space he had just occupied.
Nane really wished she knew that transportation jutsu that the jonin and Anbu used. Not having that, she leveled the playing field with her own abilities. She could easily tell clones from the real thing. However, both were a real danger to her and the bells she carried. But at least she knew which to concentrate on.
I am really getting into this game. She thought to herself as she monitored the Copy nin's movements. She did not want to insult him with a snare tag or anything so ketch. Those were for baby nin's like Konohamaru. From her hip pouch she pulled out a tag. Boxed. With the barest of chakra flares she activated it and moved into position.
Where she watched Hatake, Nane could see him stop and look around. He must have felt the chakra I used. Quietly she moved to a new spot.
Now to draw him out. Carefully, she palmed the tag so he could not see it and moved into a clearing. She made herself appear to be unaware of his presence as she slunk through the patchy sunlight. Suddenly, he was there in front of her.
"I'm curious, Yuu. This seems a little elementary. Obviously, you wanted me to…." She drew her sword and attacked. Kakashi barely had a moment to dodge as he drew his kunai to block a vicious upswing slice. Hatake was surprised at how agile of a swordswoman Yuu was. He was kept on the defensive for several minutes, until he got the feel for her style. Then, on a down swing he dropped his kunai and caught her blade between the palms of his hands. Seeing her opportunity, Nane let go of her blade, and following the momentum of her body, tucked into a roll that brought her to a standing position just to Kakashi left. With her left hand she reached out and slapped the tag on his shoulder.
"Your it!" She said as she dove out of the way. Just as Kakashi dropped the sword the cube field erected around him. Imprisoning him in a chakra cell. When he touched the walls a charge forced his hand back with a snap.
"That is impressive! But you do know that there is a way to get out of here." Grabbing his right hand Nane watched as he formed Chidori.
"Crap! You're going to overload it!" Nane knew the resulting explosion would not be good.
"Hatake, stop! DISPURSE!" She yelled over the sound of birds. The cube vanished and Hatake charged her. He had known she would drop the jutsu. Anther point to Yuu, she knew the effects of the weapons she used.
When he was close enough to her, Nane grabbed his wrist and forced it upwards. Using her own lightning affinity she discharged and grounded the Chidori effect, neutralizing it. The next moment she found herself on the ground pinned by Hatake's knees at her sides and his hands holding her wrists near her shoulders. His eyes were wide and the sharingan swirled quickly.
"That, was not in your file." Nane smiled at Kakashi.
"A girl has to have some secrets." She replied weakly. Hatake held out an expectant hand. Nane played dumb.
"Mine." He said simply.
Nane looked him straight in the eye and lied.
"You think I hid them on me?"
"The inside of your shoe and your bra. I can go searching for them though if you like." Nane turned a little red at that thought. Kakashi smiled evilly.
"You win." Nane said as Hatake let her up so she could retrieve the two bells. I can go searching though if you like, would be a phrase that stayed with her for the rest of the night and well into her dreams. Damn Ninja God!
"Good job, though, Yuu. I was impressed." Said Hatake as he stood. "Since you lost, you get to make dinner."
When they returned to their campsite Kakashi settled down at the fire poking at it and feeding more wood to the banked coals. Nane rummaged in her pack. Finding what she searched for she threw two meal bars at Kakashi. Both hit him in the chest and fell to his lap.
"Bon appetit, Hatake." Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Nane shrugged.
"Believe me, you don't want what I cook. I am terrible at it normally and worse at camp food. This way the carbon content won't kill us." She smiled sweetly and once again turned so Hatake could eat in some comfort. Kakashi smiled as he leaned back from the fire into the shadows and began to eat.
"So, anymore 'surprises' that you may have omitted from your file, Yuu?" Asked Kakashi. Nane shrugged her shoulders.
"You have my file, Hatake. You tell me. Don't you have secrets that you don't want people to find out about?"
"Those kinds of secrets only the Hokage knows." Replied Kakashi. He started to think about the omitted portions of her files.
"Ditto." She said simply. He watched as she passed a finger under one of the siphon bands. He could tell it chafed her. Not physically but mentally. "I will take first watch." Then she was gone. Kakashi pulled his mask back up and closed his eyes.
Kakashi woke to voices. Instantly alert, he sat up and reached for a kunai that he kept ready. It was still night, but closer to dawn, and very quiet. He was sure he had heard something. Nearby he heard the voice again. It had been Tinane.
"Don't touch me! Stay back! No more tests, my head is hurting already. Don't make me…..I said STOP!"
By the time she got to the STOP, Kakashi was at her side. She had thrown off her blanket and at the last she sat up. Her eyes glowed brighter than the fire, yet she saw nothing of the waking world. One arm seemed to shield herself and the other flashed out. From her finger tips visible chakra flashed forward straight and true. It contacted the trunk of a tree across from them, and exploded it apart from the inside. The tree was ancient and enormous. Now it was falling onto their campsite. Grabbing Nane, Kakashi leapt as far and as fast as he could. The tree rocked the entire forest when it hit the ground. Kakashi shielded Nane from the shock wave and debris. When it was quiet again Hatake looked down at Tinane. Her eyes were wide, non glowing, and gratefully, awake.
"Um…Hatake..What just happened?" Kakashi sighed and let her up.
"Remind me to not get an apartment in the same building as you." Nane stood up and looked at the destruction. Their campsite was obliterated. The fire snuffed out and most of the gear appeared lost.
"I…I did that?" She said, horrified.
"Had I not seen it happen, Yuu. I would not have believed it myself." He turned to Nane. "Woman, you can be scary. What were you dreaming of?"
"Actually, Hatake-san, I really can't remember." Kakashi scratched the back of his head as they walked back to the destroyed campsite. Not far away a figure holding a strange glowing yellow crystal placed it in a felt bag then disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Wow, our stuff actually survived." Said Nane in amazement. Kakashi looked at the stump and their site.
"The way you blew apart the trunk caused it to fall that way. What should have been solid trunk was, at that point splinter. We were very lucky. Though now I would like to get you back to Konoha. Doing that while sleeping worries me."
"I second that. I've never done that before." She said, still amazed. "You said I projected it?"
"Oh, yeah. It could mean that you have the potential for a more offensive power." Kakashi shouldered his pack. Nane did the same.
"If only I could reproduce it while I was awake." She looked at her open palm. Then closed it.
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Ok, so I am still working out bugs try to bear with me. :) The first chappy is redone slightly. The names and places are still intact, just a little more stuff.
