A/N: Yay, finally getting into some action. Once again, shout out to DimiGex for co-authoring this story with me.
It was late afternoon before the ninja stopped complaining about their slow moving travel companions. Which was good, because Fynta was ready to deck one of them. She liked Genma too much to hit him, but Kakashi and Gai were fair game. All three ninja had bounded into the trees and vanished from sight not long after walking through the gates of Konoha. Fynta and Elara had shared a glance, then began walking down the road. Eventually the ninja caught on and fell back to walk with the women.
"You know," said Gai, the exuberant man in the green jumpsuit with the enthusiasm of a used speeder salesman. "I'd be happy to create a workout routine for you. With enough hard work and passion, anyone can master taijutsu."
Elara beamed at the man she claimed reminded her so much of her beloved husband, Balic. "I would be most interested in hearing your advice, sir." Fynta nodded along with Elara, though she still wasn't exactly sure what taijutsu was. If it was anything like the Force, Fynta was perfectly fine without it.
"It starts with endurance," Gai gushed. "Endurance and leg weights." Fynta smirked at Elara's expression and wondered when the woman would go for her datapad. Leaving the two to discuss matters, Fynta sped up to put herself even with Genma.
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask as he listened to Gai chattering. Elara seemed eager to learn every fact that she could fit into her brain and Gai never tired of talking about training, they were a good match. The other pair was more worrisome. Not that he anticipated either Fynta or Genma being blatantly unprofessional while on a mission, but flirting could get in the way of their objective. Shaking his head, Kakashi pulled out a much worn orange book to pass the time while walking.
Movement caught Fynta's attention, along with the flash of vibrant color. Glancing over, she squinted at the book Kakashi held in front of his chest. She couldn't read the title, but the cover depicting a man chasing after a woman, was graphic enough for her to get the idea. "That looks like fun reading," she teased. It surprised Fynta that the uptight Kakashi would be into anything of that sort, maybe she'd misjudged him. The jonin eye-smiled at her, holding his silence.
Elara glanced up to see what the major was talking about, then shook her head and returned her attention to Gai. The man's theory for strength training was sound in concept but some of it sounded quite impossible. Perhaps later Elara could request a demonstration to better understand how the simple application of willpower and leg weights could so dramatically increase a man's speed and endurance.
"Kakashi," Gai grinned back at the silver-haired man. "Why don't you put that book up so we can race? We haven't had a test of strength in at least three days. We'll show these outsiders what Konoha shinobi can do."
"I don't know," Fynta cut in. "I'm rather intrigued by the book." She stood on her toes while they walked, trying to look over Kakashi's shoulder. Without turning to face her, he held the book closer to his flak vest.
Gai's brow furrowed. "Intrigued by my eternal rival?"
Elara cleared her throat, "The major is often intrigued by things that are better left alone."
Fynta smirked, and though she looked at Genma when she spoke, her words were clearly meant for Kakashi. "Is he shy, or just not fond of sharing?"
"Secretive, broody, and emotionally unavailable from what I've heard," Genma responded with grin that earned him a glare from the man in question. "Stand-offish, arrogant, and impossible to work with, from personal experience."
"I'm going to circle back and make sure we aren't being followed," Kakashi said, snapping his book shut, then leaping into the trees.
Turning her face towards the canopy, Fynta's eyes strained to see which direction Kakashi had gone. "See, now you've run him off and I'll never get a peek at that book," Fynta scoffed through her cheeky grin.
"Gai, would you be able to teach us to do that? Or does it tie into the chakra the medical ninja mentioned?" Elara asked, looking up into the trees as well. Of course she had seen Sith and Jedi use similar methods, but these men appeared to be neither. Just normal, human males. The doctor who tended to Theron had acted surprised that Elara didn't know what chakra was, which led her to believe it must be a common trait among the natives of this world, unlike the Force, which only manifested in a small number of individuals.
Gai beamed at the prospect of having someone to train and Elara made a willing student. "With enough hard work and sweat, anything is possible."
Fynta was intrigued for a new reason and Gai was the least secretive of her travel companions. "What else can you people do?" She asked. Even without seeing them in battle, there was clearly something different about the inhabitants of this world
"Are you implying there's something I can't do?" Genma grinned before Gai could answer. Then, assuming it was a serious rather than flirty question, he thought for a moment. "There isn't much that can't be accomplished with one type of jutsu or another."
Fynta nodded, though her curiosity was far from satisfied. Tugging at the collar of the flak vest, which was bulkier than the armor she was used to, Fynta motioned to the pouches on their belts. "You don't have blasters, but every warrior needs a physical weapon." She smiled and reached up to flick the needle-like weapon he never seemed to be without. "I'm assuming this is for more than making you look sexy."
Genma laughed and removed the senbon, holding it between thumb and index finger thoughtfully. "There's nothing wrong with looking attractive." He grinned. "I'd wager that you understand appearances are more important than weapons sometimes. You wouldn't be flirting with me if you didn't think it was going to work in your favor, would you?"
Fynta gave an innocent shrug, cutting her eyes over at the man in the bandana. "Are you saying that things might work out in my favor?" Genma laughed again, there was something familiar about his, though she couldn't put her finger on it. If Fynta weren't already married, this conversation might have taken a more interesting turn. Instead, she shifted seamlessly into her next question. "I've already been acquainted with those triangular daggers of yours. What else do you have? A girl's got to know how to protect herself in this light armor," she grinned, once more tugging on the flak vest.
After capturing the senbon between his lips again, Genma pulled out a shuriken and kunai. "Most shinobi fight with shuriken for ranged and kunai for close combat." Genma offered the weapons to Fynta and didn't insult her by warning that the edges were sharp.
"Shinobi are in peak physical condition, so we can hold our own in a fight, but every ninja has unique skills too. Gai is a close range fighter who excels at hand-to-hand. I function best in medium to long range, and Kakashi excels no matter where he is on the battlefield." He gave Fynta a smile after his explanation. "And what's wrong with our armor? I like it on you."
Fynta looked up from examining the blades, impressed that he'd put them in her hands at all, and couldn't help but respond in kind. "Alright hot stuff," she said, flipping the blades over to hand back to him. "Show me what you're made of."
Genma offered a roguish chuckle. "I'm not sure you can handle me." He tilted his head to the side, listening to a faint bird call that nearly blended into the other noise in the forest. Fynta raised an eyebrow at his challenge but didn't speak, sensing a change in the man's playful attitude. Genma spoke again, this time without meeting her eyes. "Why don't we continue this when we stop for the night?"
"Hm, night maneuvers. I'm sure I can manage," Fynta replied to save face, casting a wary glance back at Elara and Gai, who were also surveying their surroundings.
"Sirs," Elara interrupted when she found a suitable break in their banter. "Is Kakashi often gone this long? It seems unwise for one man to branch off on his own, no matter how skilled he may be."
Genma wasn't looking at either of the women, instead he had adopted a loose slouch that signaled readiness. The faint rustle of leaves that didn't match the wind was enough of a warning for the veteran shinobi. Genma pivoted on one foot, moving between Fynta and the forest as a kunai sailed from the canopy. He responded, spitting the senbon from his lips with enough force to deflect the weapon midair.
Fynta's body reacted on years of training without conscious thought. Still holding the kunai, she dropped into a lower position and flipped the blade around, taking up a defensive stance. "Dorne find cover," Fynta ordered in the same calm tone she used every time they were attacked. Elara obeyed, hurrying to the tree line in the opposite direction from the attack. Until she had a proper weapon, the best thing the medic could manage was to stay out of the way and aid any wounded.
"Friends of yours?" Fynta asked Genma with an upturned eyebrow.
"My friends don't usually try to kill me. Yours maybe?" Genma asked, pulling another kunai from the pouch on his hip and a second senbon as well.
Fynta glanced at the weapon on the ground and shook her head. "Mine would have shot us." Something metallic bit into Fynta's arm but didn't stick. She swore, realizing that attack had come from a different direction. What she wouldn't give for her blaster, but at least the fibermesh was proving adequate for now.
Genma was moving as Kakashi dropped out of the trees, rolling when his sandals hit the ground. The men met in the center of the road, shoulders bumping against either other as they watched the trees, while Gai advanced to cover Elara.
"I counted at least four. They're shinobi, not ones I recognize," Kakashi said in a soft voice.
"Where?" Fynta asked, eyes on the trees. It seemed the most logical place since that is where her guides had gone first. She remained still, waiting for more information before running blindly into a trap.
Kakashi glanced back at Fynta, then to Genma. "You gave her a weapon?"
"Seemed like the logical thing to do, we were under attack." Genma hedged. "Are they after us or them?"
"I didn't stay to ask once they started throwing shuriken," Kakashi growled. The first enemy dropped from the trees. There was no identifying headband to keep the man's hair from falling into his inky eyes. He flew through the seals, ending in tiger, and Kakashi reacted, hands a blur. When the fireball formed on their enemy's lips, Kakashi slammed his hands into the ground, creating a wall of earth between them and the flame. He sprinted up the vertical wall and leaped off the top, using the moment of surprise to throw a kunai.
Genma's raised his weapon to deflect the shuriken flying from the shadows. Fynta had taken a few steps back once fire entered the picture. That's a new one, she thought as Dorne reached out to grab the back of her vest. Fynta spun towards the unexpected contact to find Elara squinting into the tree line opposite them. The major crouched and followed the medic's line of sight.
A man of average build, brown hair, nothing particularly special, was slinking through the trees. With all the chaos on the path, Fynta couldn't be sure who his target was, only that he was an enemy. Taking one step forward, she exhaled and snapped her arm, sending the kunai sailing towards the assailant.
The man turned at the last second, avoiding a mortal strike but sinking the blade deep into his shoulder. Pulling her personal hunting knife, an item she was sure Kakashi wouldn't be pleased to know she'd had stashed away, Fynta ran at the man. She was nearly on him when their eyes met and he sprang upward, her blade narrowly missing his thigh. "Shabuir," she growled up after him.
Suddenly, there was a cry of dynamic entry and a whirlwind of green spandex and fists came between Fynta and the ninja, who'd dropped back to the ground behind her. Gai's outstretched leg caught the enemy full in the face, sending him flying. As stunned as Fynta and Elara were, this must have been a common occurrence because neither Kakashi nor Genma turned. "Don't worry ladies, Konoha's Magnificent Green Beast is here." Gai turned to the side, presenting a smaller target, and put one hand on his hip, stretching the other toward the enemy in a challenging pose.
"Oh my," Elara said, glancing at Gai before looking back at Fynta. His speed was unimaginable and the strength required to produce that amount of kinetic energy was staggering. Elara was considering whether or not Gai would allow her to perform a bone density scan when Fynta drew her attention back to the problem at hand.
"Dorne, you still have that modified injector?" Fynta hated guerrilla warfare, but if their attackers could be lured in close enough, she might have a plan. Without dwelling on what a massively bad idea it was, Fynta edged back out onto the path within speaking range of Kakashi. "Think you boys can use some of those tricks to round our guests into a tighter area?"
Kakashi and Genma had separated now that three of the enemy had shown their faces. Genma was using his senbon to keep one enemy away from the rest of the group while Kakashi fought the other two hand to hand, kunai flashing.
"Round them up for what?" Genma glanced over his shoulder to look at the two women and Gai, who was still waiting for his enemy to dislodge himself from the tree.
Elara dug in one of the pouches on her belt, grateful that they had allowed her to bring some of her medical equipment, and removed a device of her own design. Fynta flashed a grin at Genma before remembering he couldn't read her mind the way the rest of Havoc could. "I need a four meter blast radius." Not being able to use private comms annoyed Fynta. She didn't like the risk of tipping off their attackers.
After assuring himself that Elara was okay and involved with helping Fynta, Gai tapped his foot. "Where's your youthful passion?" In two quick leaps he was moving into the forest after his still dazed enemy.
After resigning herself to the fact that she would likely not see her creations again, Elara tossed the injector to her commanding officer. Fynta knelt, using her knife to remove the housing, then began tinkering with the wires inside. Genma had moved closer to hear the rest of her plan and Fynta couldn't say she blamed him. "I'll rig this to blow," she explained to Genma's back. "Get them together, toss it in, boom. All our troubles are over."
Elara sighed, having seen this all before, and grateful that she left the schematic aboard the Thunderclap should she ever need to build another one. "This would be a lot easier with my blaster," Fynta muttered under her breath while she worked.
Genma glanced back at the thing in Fynta's hand and nodded. Gai's enemy was back on his feet, scrambling away from the glinting smile toward the other enemies for support.
"Genma, Gai," Kakashi raised his voice to be heard over the sound of fighting. "Get Elara out of here. Fynta and I can finish them off." The silver-haired ninja shared a single glance with Genma, who nodded.
Fynta wasted no time in making the final adjustments on her improvised explosive before replacing the housing cover. "Dorne, go with them, we'll be right behind you." Moving from her sparse cover, Fynta hefted her blade while backing towards Kakashi. The two men he'd been fighting were watching him warily, bleeding. "How long do you need to make that thing work?" Kakashi asked softly, lips barely moving beneath his mask.
Fynta hefted the now volatile medical device in her hand, "It's ready."
"Can you trust me?" Kakashi's tone was strained.
Fynta looked over her shoulder, trust was a tall order. Then again, Kakashi was going along with her harebrained plan, so what the hell. "Do I have a choice?" She asked.
Kakashi reached for the device she held. Fynta hesitated, looking at the outstretched hand while keeping another eye on the advancing men attempting to encircle them. The memory of the incident with her Verpine was at the forefront of her mind. With a sigh, Fynta realized it didn't matter who dropped it, because she and Kakashi were now at ground zero. So, she surrendered the bomb over to Kakashi. "Just drop it? No hand signs?"
Fynta balked for the briefest moment. Hand signs? It didn't matter, she'd figure that out later. "No. Press the button, then toss. We need to get out of here fast when that happens, there won't be much of a delay."
"Got it," Kakashi took the weapon then closed a hand around Fynta's upper arm, spinning her back against his chest. The kunai in his right hand pressed against her throat as he held the weapon with his left. "She's the one you're after, right?" His gaze took in the advancing ninja. Fynta snarled in her throat but for once kept her mouth shut. Kakashi's question of trust rolled through her mind as she fought down the urge to strike out.
"Maybe," one of the ninjas said. "We just have to kill her though."
Kakashi shook his head. "Wouldn't your boss be much happier if you brought her back alive?"
Elara was balanced precariously on a tree branch between Genma and Gai. How she arrived up in the canopy of the forest was still a bit of a blur, but that was inconsequential as she leaned forward to watch as Kakashi trapped Fynta and offered the major to their attackers. Instinctively, Elara shifted forward again, desperate to somehow free her commanding officer. Genma's arm wrapped around her waist at the same time Gai's hand grabbed her shoulder, both men holding her fast.
The fireball ninja appeared to be in charge, so Kakashi turned toward him. "I bet he would reward you for taking her alive. They don't have any jutsu, so she's not really a threat." Fynta almost snorted, just catching herself, and promised to make him eat those words if they survived this.
"Why should we trust the Copy Ninja?" The man's eyes narrowed at Kakashi. "I know who you are."
Fynta squirmed in Kakashi's grasp as if trying to break free before leveling the guy with a flat stare. "Who the shab is your boss?" Then she cut her eyes back to Kakashi. "Can't be any worse than this bunch, famous or not." She had a hunch, of course. There was only one person in this world who could possibly know who she was, much less want her dead.
The men took another step forward, staying just out of reach of conventional weapons, and Fynta wondered what Kakashi was waiting on. There was a stab of panic as she considered the fact that he might not be bluffing after all, in which case, she would need to activate the bomb herself. Still, something in the way he'd asked for her trust stayed her hand. Looking back at Kakashi again, Fynta gave him what she hoped was a significant glare.
Sensing that the men were close enough, Kakashi opened his hand and dropped the smoke bomb he'd palmed when putting up his kunai to take the weapon from Fynta. Thick grey smoke filled the area. He released Fynta briefly, spun her around, then pressed the button. Launching himself forward, Kakashi lifted her against his chest and sprang for the trees. His sandals hit the branch as the explosion went off.
Fynta let out an involuntary gasp, then shut her mouth as the smoke plumed around them. Suddenly, her feet were no longer on the ground. Instinct urged her to shut her eyes but curiosity kept them open and Fynta's blood froze in her veins as she caught a glance of the men advancing towards a woman with a dark blonde braid just before the bomb detonated and they were all engulfed in flame. The image vanished, replaced by Kakashi's green flak vest when her feet touched down on a solid surface again. Fynta was vaguely aware of his arms around her, shielding her from the heat of the blast below.
After the noise faded and the heat had eased, Kakashi loosened his grip. Fynta wobbled unsteadily when she tried to look around Kakashi. There was nothing but a charred crater where the four men had been. When Fynta looked her rescuer back in the face, far too close for her comfort, she meant to thank him. Instead, the words that came out of her mouth were a lot harsher. "What the shab was that?"
"You're alive, aren't you?" Kakashi shot back, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears. Without waiting for her permission, he hooked an arm around Fynta's waist and carried them both back to the ground. When their feet hit, Kakashi released her and felt the prickle of vindication when she stumbled.
Regaining her footing, Fynta grudgingly forced herself to look at the carnage her explosive had left behind. There was no evidence of the other blond woman. "Sir," Elara called. She let out a puff of air when Genma deposited her on the ground, then rushed to Fynta's side. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, Dorne," Fynta replied, slapping the medic's hands away from her face with an old familiarity. Fynta's eyes never left Kakashi while she gathered her wits, eventually settling for a curt nod. "Thanks."
Gai grabbed Kakashi almost the same way Elara had with Fynta but slapping his hand away wasn't quite as effective. He spun Kakashi first one way then the other, eyeing him up and down and touching the fine points of his silver hair. "I'm fine, Gai," Kakashi pulled away. Fynta was amused to see she and the broody ninja had at least one small thing in common.
"Sir, I really must insist that you submit to a medical exam. You've never been exposed to an explosion of that magnitude without your armor," Elara continued, putting her hands on her hips and giving Fynta a look that meant she wasn't taking no for an answer. "At least, not while I've been your physician."
Looking over at Kakashi, Elara's brows drew together. "It would be wise for you as well, sir." Elara eyed the silver-haired ninja in a way that, were it from any other woman, Fynta would have called indecent. "I imagine your physiology is still basically human, despite your enhanced abilities."
Fynta just barely restrained her laughter.
"You hear that Kakashi? You're not a god among shinobi after all," Genma slapped him on the back, missing the grimace Kakashi's single eye showed at the contact. "Just basically human." Elara narrowed her eyes at Genma too, then threw her hands up in frustrated defeat. These men were not all that different from the ones in Havoc squad when it came to their personal health. The medic turned away from them muttering in Huttese. Fynta's eyebrows shot up, it had been awhile since Elara had been exasperated enough to use that harsh of a language.
Kakashi shifted away from Genma. "I'm fine. Now, since we've made enough noise to wake the dead, I think we should move before someone comes to investigate."
"He's not wrong." Fynta intoned. Bombs were a noisy business anywhere, but especially so in a sleepy forest like this. "Any medical screening can wait until later, Dorne. Deal?" The medic crossed her arms and nodded, making it clear to Fynta that this battle was not won.
Checking herself over, Fynta was pleased to see that both flak vest and fibermesh underarmor were intact and she hadn't lost any blood. As far as battles went, it had been rather tame, apart from the fire breathing humans, of course. She waited until everyone was moving again with Kakashi setting a faster pace this time to distance themselves from the scene of the attack, to approach the man. Fynta would have preferred to hang back with Genma, but Kakashi was the one with the answers she sought. Gai was hanging close to his side, looking ready to catch him if he fell. Seeing Fynta, he moved away, but his dark eyes lingered on Kakashi.
Taking a deep breath, Fynta cleared her throat. "I saw something shortly before the blast. What was it?" Kakashi turned toward her without speaking, waiting for her to continue. Maybe I'm going nuts, she thought, then pushed it aside. "There was a woman, standing in the middle of the men." Fynta couldn't bring herself to admit that the woman looked like her.
"You've seen the shadow clones that Naruto makes," Kakashi's tone implied that she should have been able to make the logical jump from there.
Fynta raised an eyebrow at the man, ignoring his tone in favor of getting answers. "Shab, you can make those things look like anyone?" It was comforting to know she wasn't insane, however, knowing that this man could copy her appearance made her instantly wary.
"We can as long as we know their appearance well enough to mimic it, though casting it on a shadow clone isn't as easy as casting it on oneself. Most shinobi can do it, even Naruto can." Kakashi shrugged. "It has its uses."
Instead teasing Kakashi about how he knew her appearance so well, Fynta exhaled, "I'll say." Kakashi wasn't the flirty type and if she was honest, Fynta wasn't feeling it at the moment either. There was too much information for her to decipher. So she fell in step with the famous Copy Ninja and walked in silence. Eventually, she'd ask about that too.
Kakashi realized it was getting late. They weren't even halfway to their destination, but pushing the women to travel at night was asking for trouble. Broken legs or sprained ankles most likely, and Kakashi knew better than to ask if the women would consent to being carried. "We should make camp for the night and get an early start tomorrow."
As much as it rankled, Fynta was forced to agree. No light and no night vision meant she and Elara would slow the men down even more. "Fine, but we start at first light."
Having had enough of Kakashi's charming silence, Fynta dropped back to join Genma. "Sorry I lost your Kunai, I'll make sure to replace it when we get back," Fynta winked, ignoring the eye roll from Elara.
Genma laughed and shook his head. "I have dozens more of those but there's only one of you. I'd say it's a fair trade."
Fynta smirked, "That line really work on the women around here?"
"I don't know," he leaned closer. "Does it?"
"Sir," Elara interrupted as Fynta opened her mouth to respond. She leaned around Genma to glare at the medic. "I believe Kakashi has found a suitable spot to make camp." Elara kept an eye on the major as the woman leaned back to continue her conversation with Genma.
Fynta flashed Genma a cheeky grin. "Well, I'm not exactly tired yet, perhaps you could show me a few of those tricks from earlier." Fynta paused just long enough to let half formed ideas ramble around in Genma's head before continuing. "I was particularly impressed with this," she said, thumbing at the senbon in his mouth. "You definitely lived up to your earlier boast."
"I live up to all my boasts," Genma chuckled. "I doubt you could learn how to use a senbon in one night, especially the way I do. Shuriken and kunai, maybe."
The smart thing would be to bypass his challenge, but that simply wasn't in Fynta's skillset. "I think you'd be surprised by what I can learn in one night."
Elara's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Sir, really," the woman scolded, clearly affronted by the direction their conversation had turned.
"I can teach you too, if you'd like," Genma offered, winking at the medic.
"What are we going to be teaching?" Gai asked, picking up on the conversation later than he should have.
"Genma will not be teaching the major anything for the time being, there are protocols to follow, sir," Elara said pointedly.
Fynta raised an eyebrow at her longtime friend, "Don't I outrank you?"
A coy smile pulled at the medic's lips and Fynta saw the trap after it was too late to avoid it. "When it comes to the physical wellbeing of the squad, no, sir, you do not." Elara lowered her voice but kept her tone harsh. "Given your history, it would be irresponsible to-""
"Fine, Elara," Fynta cut the woman off with a sigh. When Elara was like this, it was better to concede defeat. Sparing an easy smile for Genma, Fynta continued, "This won't take long."
Genma winked and rolled the senbon from one side of his mouth to the other like he had at the hospital. "Don't keep me waiting."