Akane woke up at about four in the morning, her bedroom light on and her braid forming an uncomfortable ridge along the back of her skull

Akane woke up at about two in the morning, her bedroom light on and her braid forming an uncomfortable ridge along the back of her skull. She sat up, pulling the rubber bands out of her hair and kicking back the blankets. She was still tired and her hand still throbbed.

She flipped the ceiling light switch and went right back to bed.

Akane woke up again five hours later, this time because of the sunlight filtering though her curtains. She threw back her blanket and went to shower. Training sweat plus hours of inactively and non-showering equaled rank smell.

"Hey, mom," Akane yawned, zipping up her sweatshirt.

"Hey, honey. Listen, I've been blackmailed into brunch by some intolerable bitches-" Tayuya started.

"You tolerate them."

"-SO," Tayuya continued as if Akane hadn't said anything. "I need you to go to the market for me before it gets too hot."

Akane shrugged, "I don't mind."

"Good." Tayuya started towards the door.

"And, mom," Akane said. "It's May. It won't get hot today until about four this afternoon."

"I still want you to go early. They put out better vegetables in the morning; I made a list." She threw over her shoulder as she pulled on her jacket. "It's on the fridge."

Akane put on her sandals and grabbed some money from the cookie jar. The list, as promised, was being held to the fridge with a tiny, black magnet. She folded the dollar bills inside of the notebook paper and tucked it into her pocket. Since they didn't hand out baskets at the market, Akane dug the large, wicker one out from under the pile of scarves and gloves and knit caps in the coat closet (ironically placed behind the coat rack).

The market opened up really early, probably before the sun had even come up, and it was swarming with farmers and hunters, selling their game.

"Hey, little lady!" One of them greeted when he saw her examining the salmons laid out at his booth. "Finest catch around! Would you like some? Or how about some shellfish?"

"What kind of shellfish do you have?" Akane picked up a rather fat looking yellow-belly.

"Shrimp, scallops, muscles, and even a few lobsters," The salesman told her proudly.

"I'll just take these and some scallops," Akane said. She paid for the yellow-bellies and the miniature net of scallops he gave her, continuing to the next stand.

Tayuya had put a number of vegetables on the list, most of which Akane was able to get at one stand. It didn't look like anyone was selling fennel, but she did get sweet potatoes and butternut squash.

"Can I help you?" A very breezy sounding woman asked Akane. She adjusted the brightly colored scarf tied around her forehead.

"Do you have any flower seeds?" Akane asked, fingering through the handmade packets of vegetable seeds.

"Oh, yes, I do," The woman indicated to a basket perched at the top of her moneybox. "Are you looking for something specific?"

"Not really," Akane answered, moving to see the labels taped to the packets. "Maybe something that grows quickly and would look nice in a flowerbed."

"Oh, here. Why don't you try a bulb-flower?" The woman asked.

"I don't like tulips."

"But tulips aren't the only kind. I have peacock flowers and windflowers," The woman raised her over-plucked eyebrows.

"I'll try the peacock flowers," Akane leafed out enough dollar bills for three, as indicated by the chalk board, out of the left over money.

About thirty minutes later, when all the food items had been shoved into their proper shelves and pantries, Akane kneeled down by the flower bed wrapping partially around the enormous Sakura-blossom tree in her back yard.

Because of the time she'd been putting into training with Lee-sensei, her flowerbed had been a little neglected and was now showing signs such as grass shooting up through the dark dirt and some of the flowers needing trimming. Akane rolled up her sleeves and started up-rooting weeds that had grown particularly close to her flowers.

"Um, Akane?"

She looked over her shoulder to see who'd started talking to her. Tsubasa stood awkwardly a few feet away, hands shoved into his pockets.

Akane let her questioning look be her answer.

"I was wondering if you could help me," He removed one hand from his pocket and began scratching the back of his head, unintentionally ruffling his shaggy, black hair.

"With what?" Akane turned halfway to face him.

"You know about…girl stuff, right?" He somehow managed to look more uncomfortable.

Akane squinted at him, "Are you getting your period?"

Tsubasa groaned, letting out a deep exhale. "No, I was hoping you could help me with Yuu?"

"What about Yuu?" Akane was sort of interested now. Everybody, and I do mean everybody, had seen the two of them together since they were twelve. And it wasn't exactly uncommon to see them entwined together somewhere like the park or something; Both of them had the same lazy nature and relaxed attitude.

"I wanted to get her a birthday gift," Tsubasa said, "But I think I need some feminine help…"

"Why don't you ask Umeko?"

"I thought about it, but my cousin doesn't really know anything about Yuu," Tsubasa answered.

Akane quickly ran through the things she know about Yuu:

1. Is the first born of Anko Mitarashi and Kakashi Hatake

2. Is a vegan

3. Is constantly reading paperback books (it is unknown if these are pornographic)

4. Is very environment-loving

"Has she been talking about something she might want? Like a book or a C.D.?"

Tsubasa shook his head.

"Have you ever been in her room?"

"No," Tsubasa shook his head again.

"You're making this unusually hard," Akane told him. Tsubasa shrugged.

"Uhhh…can't get her sweets because she's a vegan and she probably has all the books she wants…" Akane said, more to herself. "What about a potted-plant for her room? Like ivy or a fern? I think they sell designed pots at the Yamanaka's flower shop."

"I'll see later. Are you ready for the mission tomorrow?"

Akane shrugged one shoulder, "Yeah, but was the briefing today?"

Tsubasa nodded, "It's just an escort, but Lee-sensei said to bring water-proof clothing because the area has a lot of marshes."

"Mm, thanks."


"When are you going to get back from the mission again?" Tayuya asked over dinner.

"Wednesday," Akane answered, "But we might get back a little later if there's a problem, like weather or travel conditions or something."

"Or if you get attacked," Naruto added, shoving a piece of fish into his mouth.

"The girl we're escorting isn't really that high up on the social chain; she doesn't have any major projects resting solely on her survival and she isn't royalty, so we shouldn't have any trouble with major ninjas," Akane said, stabbing a grilled scallop with her chopsticks.

"But you still have to worry about bandits," Tayuya pointed out. "And always be prepared for the worst, or chances are, you're going to come home in a wooden box."

"Don't jinx her, geeze! You should take some snacks like instant ramen or chips. You're probably not going to see a decent restaurant for a few days," Naruto nodded, seeming to agree with his own piece of advice.

"Did you pack enough supplies?"

"Yeah," Akane scooped up the last of her rice.

"You guys leave early in the morning right?" Naruto's words were muffled with his food.

"About seven, why?" Akane stood to wash off her plate in the sink.

"Do you have a med-nin on your team?" Naruto asked.

"Lee-sensei says Naoki has had training with healing chakra." She set her plate in the drying rack.

"I thought Hinata would teach Tsubasa some," Tayuya said to Naruto.

"If she has, then he hasn't said anything about it," Akane conveyed. She looked at the clock. "I better take a shower and get to bed if I want to be able to get up tomorrow."

"Check the fridge before you leave, I'll make you a bento."

"Thanks," Akane called over her shoulder.


Akane is usually dead to the world when she sleeps. But, she was vaguely aware of the long branches of the Sakura blossom tree scrapping against the balcony and the hum of the ceiling fan in her parents' room. Her curtains blocked out any street lamps posted along the jogging trail behind her backyard; the only light came from her digital alarm clock, the neon red numbers proclaiming it was four in the morning.

She stretched out on her back and strained to see if she could trace the brush strokes in the paint on the ceiling with her eyes, the room as dark as it was. It turned out her night vision wasn't that good.

Akane guessed Naruto would be up in half an hour, all heavy footsteps and groaning, ready to head over to the Konahona police station. He used to be a field worker, going on at least three missions a week and spending the rest of the time in the hospital, but switched over to the Konahona police force when he realized field work was giving Akane nightmares.

The alarm clock in her parents' room started going off. Akane recognized it as Naruto's because the buzz was to a low enough pitch that it wouldn't disturb Tayuya. It stopped abruptly.

The floorboards creaked and yellowish light streamed in through the crack under her door. It darkened as Naruto closed the bathroom door and she heard the shower head start to spit out water.

Akane watched the clock until it said 5:45 before she dragged her butt out of bed. Lee-sensei had dropped by the night before to brief her; he said they would meet at six-thirty. She could hear the television through her wall, a weather forecast saying that it would be pretty warm by ten.

Akane dressed in shorts and a lightweight tunic, her cold and water proof clothing already packed in her backpack. While the fire country was starting to heat up, the marshes around the waterfall village were just about coated in ice. She'd taken Naruto's advice and packed a few cups of instant ramen and energy drinks as well.

Lee-sensei had hinted that if they couldn't find dry land, they might be sleeping in a tree.

Naruto left her a note on the kitchen table, wishing her luck and giving her stealth tips. Right, like he'd ever accomplished anything without alerting at least two people to his presence. Akane folded it up and shoved it as far down into her back pocket as it would go anyway.

The sun had barely come up when she started towards the main building, where they were supposed to pick up Aya Kurosawa, their client.

"Akane," Lee-sensei greeted, "Is your hand better?"

She glanced down at the tight linen bandages wound around her knuckles, palm, and wrist. "The bruise is fading."

"Oh, it did not break?" Lee-sensei paused for a few seconds, "That is good!"

Tsubasa and Naoki arrived at the same time, heavy packs on their shoulders. Aoi nuzzled against the back of Akane's knee, begging for her to scratch him behind the ears. Akane rubbed her fingertips on the top of is head and behind his right ear.

"I almost forgot," Lee-sensei dug into his pocket, extracting a small, plastic box. He flipped it open and passed out earpieces, small microphones, and Velcro straps. "In case we get separated! They are all tuned to channel fifteen."

Akane shoved the piece into her left ear. She fastened the strap around her neck and clipped the microphone to it.

"I want one of you to be with Kurosawa-san at all times, alright?" Lee-sensei asked. They nodded in response to the first almost-command they'd received as of yet.

"Team six?" A jounin asked, looking at his clipboard, "Aya Kurosawa is waiting to leave."

Aya Kurosawa was rather tall and whipcord thin, dressed in what appeared to be a slightly toned down military uniform. She had long, black hair, pale skin, and completely colorless eyes. There was small rucksack hanging from her shoulders.

The report Lee-sensei had dropped off said that she came to deliver the paperwork for a new kind of soldier pill being manufactured in the Waterfall village. She arrived alone, even though her trip to the Leaf village would be much more dangerous that her trip back. Aya, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, simply looked at them and started out the door, stopping once to gesture for them to follow her.

When the gates were swinging shut behind them, Akane realized something.

Damn, she'd left her bento in the fridge.


I made this way longer than I intended, so chapter four is now chapter five and the rest of this is going to be chapter four. Sigh. I'm so happy at how many faves this thing has gotten (TEN!) and flames are welcome if you have any. I just got a new key board and I'm still getting used to it so sorry for any type-os. I wish I had an excuse for the grammer mistakes I over look... I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I made it sort of 'mellow'.

Sakiya