Avari flitted passed all the still buildings, their empty windows like eyes, staring endlessly into the night. She arrived quickly at the ANBU compound, slid her key into the keyhole, and slipped into the building and out of sight. She knew her was around this building as well as her own home, and slipped through the darkened hallways without having to turn on a light. When she turned down the last hallway before the training gym, however, a glow at the end told her that someone else was apparently up and moving at this early hour.
She dropped her hand to the kunai holster strapped to her thigh in a familiar practiced motion, and inched along the corridor towards the training gym. No one had a key but the ANBU members, and nothing had looked disturbed when she had entered, but her instincts and training had taught her to be safe rather than sorry. She got to the doorway, where she could hear the labored breathing and the thuds associated with the impact of fist to dummy. She moved her hand away from the holster, and turned into the lit room, and leaned against the doorway, her arms crossed, and her expression neutral.
The man in the room was indeed part of the ANBU. The dark haired heir to the Uchiha clan was busy punching and kicking the training dummy, methodically, and in the practiced, text book way they teach you in the Academy. He did not turn around, or break his set, but Avari knew he knew she was there, and she walked around him silently to start in on what was left of her own dummy.
One thousand kicks…one thousand punches; standard practice endurance training. She immersed herself in this; she reveled in the slight sting it brought her still tired muscles. She allowed her mind to wander as she pummeled the dummy, working all the kinks out of her body. The dream flooded her mind, bringing with it question upon unanswerable question, and she did not notice that the sound of impacts from behind her had ceased, or that she was in eminent danger of knocking the head off her dummy, until a hand entered her field of vision, and grabbed the dummy to steady it. Her eyes darted up to meet the dark orbs of Sasuke Uchiha. He seemed to read the questioning look there because he spoke up before she had a chance to.
"Look, it was about to come off anyway," He said, indicating this by flipping his wrist and bending the dummy's head off and away from its neck. It was just a dummy, but she grimaced slightly at the grotesque caricature anyway. She let out a long, low sigh and stepped back a bit from the dummy, turning her attention to Sasuke. "What brings you here so early?" She asked, studying him slightly. He looked a little more pale than usual, and there was darkness under his eyes that hadn't been present before. It was obvious that he hadn't been sleeping. He gave her a hard look in return, and she imagined that she could not look much better.
"I could ask you them same question," He said, arching an eyebrow, and shifting slightly to lean against the wall. He studied her out of the corner of his eye. Avari resisted the urge to smirk or say something sarcastic. "I asked you first." She said, keeping her tone flat but allowing the faintest hint of playfulness to flash into her eyes. He arched an eyebrow, but shrugged, in a conciliatory way. "Couldn't sleep," he said cryptically. "You?" Avari sighed.
"Pretty much the same as every time you catch me here so early. Couldn't sleep either." She said with a tiny sigh. She suddenly craved more coffee. "I'm going out for some coffee; you're welcome to come along, my treat." Avari offered, looking up at him as she started for the door. He thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Yea, but not your treat, mine." He said, and turned out of the doorway and into the corridor, and Avari followed him.
They exited the building into the delicate light of early morning. The sun wasn't high enough in the sky to burn through the night-time chill, but thankfully the wind had died down, and they didn't have to walk with their cloaks up around their ears. It was still too early for there to be many people up, but there was a slight trickle of people moving quickly towards their different places of work, the early birds of the city that opened up for the world each day. They ambled into a little coffee shop a few blocks up the street, shivering at the sudden temperature change. It was almost steamy in the little shop, the scent of fresh and spent coffee beans heavy in the air. Avari inhaled deeply, before stepping up the counter beside Sasuke to place the order. The clerk handed them the cups filled with the dark hot liquid, Sasuke tossed a couple coins onto the counter, and they left back out into the cold towards the ANBU building.
"Do you think this has anything to do with the squad Captaincy?" Sasuke asked as they re-entered the building, which was now completely lit up, though there was still very few people there yet. Avari shrugged. "I don't know…but the dreams started about three months ago. The Captaincy was recent. I'm not honestly sure what started them, but—" She cut herself off as someone passed, and they waited silently for the person to go out of earshot to continue. "But it's the same thing every time. Its getting a bit annoying honestly." Avari muttered, exasperated. Sasuke spared a bemused half smile at her before they entered the main chambers so Avari could pick up the task list for the week. Expecting it to be the usual dribble of guard duty and escorts, she pocketed the scroll and was on the way out of the room before a familiar voice stopped her. "I'd open it now if I were you…it might be worth your while." Kakashi spoke up, detaching himself from the wall and wandering over to them, nose in his book.
Avari ogled at him momentarily. "Dad, what're you doing here?" She asked. "Did they give you the day off of midget duty?" She asked, earning an eye-roll from both men. "It's an off day at the moment, and I thought I'd come down and check on you," He responded smoothly, tucking his book away and looking down at her. "Well, go on, open that." He said. Avari popped the seal and unfurled it, and…hit the floor. "S-rank…scouting mission to WHERE?!" She muttered. Avari turned on her heel and sped into one of the meeting rooms, waiting for Sasuke and Kakashi to enter before shutting the door snugly and locking it. Here, she thrust the message into his hands, suddenly looking agitated.
His dark orbs scanned the paper quickly, before narrowing dangerously. "We're supposed to go after them?" He asked, faintly incredulous, dropping the scroll onto the table and leaning against the wall. Avari sighed. "Cute. Really fucking cute. I haven't even been squad leader long enough to equip a team passed you. And Sasuke, you're amazing, but I don't think the two of us are quite ready to sneak into the Akatsuki compound, spy, and live to give the report later." She muttered, plopping onto the table dejectedly. Still she couldn't deny the slight quiver of excitement running down her spine. The idea of such an extreme mission, the chance to bring the Akatsuki to their knees, was exhilarating. The chance to fix the future of the Uchiha standing across from her was an added bonus.
"Well, that's not entirely true." Kakashi said, his eyes twinkling, showing the smile hidden behind his mask. He reached into his pouch and pulled out his old ANBU mask. Avari smiled gratefully up at her dad. 'Must remember to buy him something nice later,' she thought to herself. She rested a hand on his arm. "Thanks…you always know, don't you," She said softly with a grin. He shrugged. "Not always, but mostly when it counts," He replied.
"What are we going to do about the rest of the team…anyone we know well enough to trust on this mission is either on missions of their own, or not in the ANBU at all," Sasuke interjected, glancing up at her. Avari sighed, and sat back on the table again. No one said anything for a few moments, taking time to sift through and process possible candidates. "Shikamaru is lurking about here somewhere just sitting, isn't he?" Avari mused aloud eventually. "I'll go get him," Sasuke said, turned out the doorway and disappeared. Avari smiled after him appreciatively and turned back to Kakashi. "Do you know of anyone you would trust for this?" She asked, chewing absently on her lower lip.
Kakashi shrugged. "No one that would be right for this mission. Gai and Genma come to mind, but both already have duties of their own, and neither one has ever served with you on a mission. That…and I'd like to see who you come up with." He said, retrieving Icha Icha Paradise and disappearing behind it before Avari could think of something to say. She resorted to pacing, running her fingers through her hair distractedly until Sasuke returned with Shikamaru. Who looked oh-so-thrilled to be alive, as usual. Avari looked at him for a few moments before speaking.
"Wanna do me a favor?" She asked, smiling her best, winning smile. Shikamaru did not seem phased. "Depends on what it is and how long it's going to take," He said, stretching massively and taking a seat in one of the chairs. Sasuke leaned back against the wall and met eyes with Kakashi, with a look that clearly communicated amused anxiety. This was going to be a hard sell for Avari, very early in the morning. Avari sighed, and opted to hand him the mission scroll rather than try to negotiate; at least at this juncture. Shikamaru's keen eyes scanned the scroll, and when his eyes fell on the particulars of the mission, he let out a long, low whistle and tossed the scroll back to Avari.
For several long moments, the room was quiet save for the collective breathing of the group. "Well…?" Avari ventured. Shikamaru groaned. "WHY me, Avari? You know I don't like getting involved –" He started, but Avari cut him off. "You DO like getting involved. You just don't like staying involved. But you've got a good head on your shoulders, you're extremely intelligent, and I NEED you on this one. Truly. There aren't a lot of people I would trust to ask for help on something like this, but you ARE one of them. Please?" She asked, sitting down to be eye level with him. Shikamaru looked at her for a moment, before turning away. "Damn women…this whole thing is going to be such a drag." And then, "When do we leave?" He asked. Avari beamed at him, and at the other two in the room. Sasuke shook his head, smiling softly and Kakashi just chuckled into this book. Avari had to resist the urge to hug him. "Thank you, Shika…really, thanks." She said, extending her hand to shake his, which he allowed.
She stood up again, turning about to start pacing again. "Alright…one more and we're set, but who?" She muttered, looking around at the boys for an answer. "Lee." Shikamaru said after a moment. Avari stopped. "Oh…I'm horrible, I completely forgot him…Is he on mission with Gai at the moment?" She addressed this question to Kakashi. "I don't know, but I'll check," He said, snapped his book closed smartly and walked out of the room. "So, what's the plan?" Sasuke asked, crossing the room to take a seat beside Avari. She looked over at him, then rocked back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. "According to intelligence, their main base of operations is somewhere in the no man's land between Iwagakure and Kirigakure. We'll have to cross into their domain totally unnoticed, embed ourselves deep behind enemy lines, and stay there, unnoticed and cut off from the communication lines of Konoha for a week, and then make it back alive to tell about it. I'll have to have you guys look over the maps with me, when and if Kakashi can get Lee to help. I don't even want to start thinking about a plan until I have the whole team assembled." She said, holding his gaze momentarily. She hoped that he couldn't see the small flutter of panic that was beginning to swim madly behind her eyes.
If he saw, he gave no outward expression of it. He simply nodded and leaned back in his chair. The three of them sat silently, immersed in their private thoughts for the few tense moments before Kakashi reappeared, Lee hot on his heels. Avari stood up to greet him with an outstretched hand, but he bowed low before she could get the chance. "It would be my honor and pleasure to help you with this mission, Avari-chan!" He exclaimed, straightening up with such alarming speed that Avari was sure his momentum would carry him over backwards, but he maintained his balance and saluted with a swift movement of the arm. Avari had to resist the urge to stare blankly at him. "Lee, you're a life saver," She said, favoring him, and the others with a bemused grin. "You and Shika both. But you may want to have a look at this before you decide." She said, tossing him the mission scroll. Lee caught it, looked it over, and threw it back to her with a nod. "My answer is the same. It would be an honor to serve with you." He said with another salute. Avari smiled gratefully.
Avari walked around the table to a cabinet on the far side of the meeting area and pulled out a large scroll map of the country, and unfurled it onto the table top. She took out a marker, and circled an area of about 60 miles of empty, or rather non denominative land. "This is the rough area our intelligence has placed the Akatsuki base of operations in. Our mission, as you have been made aware, is to sneak in, and observe the enemy for the period of 7 days, take notes and records of their activities, and make it back alive to give the report to Lady Tsunade. It will take at least two weeks to make it there on foot. We will be gone and cut off from Konoha for over a month. It won't be an easy mission, and the chance of escaping unharmed is pretty much zero. What I need from each of you is input; helpful advice and skills that will keep this team alive and intact. You've all been chosen for your unique skills, and your familiarity with each other and myself. We won't be leaving for another week or so, but I must ask that you speak to no one of the nature of this mission. We'll regroup tomorrow to start making plans. In the meantime, I'd like you all to get in as much training and rest as possible. I'll need you all in top condition when we leave, alright? Any questions," She paused here, a little to see if they had any questions, but mostly to work the anxious lump out of her throat. As she had expected, none of the boys raised their hands. "Good then, for the moment, you're all dismissed. And…truly, thank you." She added, smiling around at them. They all gave their familiar signs of "you're welcome!" and Shikamaru and Lee got up, and as far as Avari could tell made their way in the direction of the training grounds.
Avari sighed heavily and slumped down in her chair. "I don't like this…" she muttered. "You did fine, that was a very good speech," Kakashi commented. "You're a bunch of guys," She muttered again, rubbing her head. Sasuke made a sardonic noise. Avari threw something at him, which he caught and dropped on the floor, un phased. "Seriously. This is an untried team on a dangerous mission, with a captain who is younger than them AND a girl!" she said as she rubbed her head, which had started to ache. "But, you have a lot on your side," Kakashi countered. "Like?" Avari asked, arching one dark brow at him. "Like, you've all known each other for quite a long while, you all have key strengths and abilities perfectly suited to this mission, and, above all," here Kakashi paused for effect. "Above all?" Avari coaxed, curiously. "Above all, your team respects you just as much as you respect them." Sasuke finished for him. They both looked around, and Kakashi nodded approvingly. "Exactly. We've all got your back, and we trust you with ours. And that, above all else, is what gives me the most faith that we, and you, will make this mission a success. Don't sell yourself short just yet." He said. Avari shook her head, but she was smiling. "In the mean time, why don't you two follow your order and get some training in. I have some paperwork for this assignment transfer to put in. I'll see you later tonight." He said, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Avari looked over at Sasuke. "Wanna?" She asked, eyebrow slightly arched. "Sure," He said, and held the door for her as they exited towards the outdoor training fields.
