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Authors note at end of Chapter.

Ch. 4

As soon as the women had left us in front of the door all hell had broken loose. A multi-layered genjustu rolled over us and took me longer than it should have to break.

When I came to Gai was fending off a ninja with a strange symbol on his headband, a musical note. I had never heard of a village with this symbol.

Finally free I jumped right into the fray.

The ninja was strong for having a short stature, but he was not holding up as well to Gai's fierce attacks and his genjustu didn't seem to working at all. I don't think whoever sent him had expected a Jonin of Gais caliber to be along on this mission, but it was hard to fight in a hallway without destroying everything.

"Give me the intel and I might be persuaded to let you both go!" Gai sent him crashing out the hall window and into the street below as a response.

"We need to get him out of town," I followed Gai through the window. "If you can get him back into the trees the way we came in fifteen minutes I will have the forest trapped, we need to take him alive."

"You can count on me my blossom! I will give the unyouthful scoundrel a good workout."

As civilians ran out of the way I raced back into the trees pulling ninja wire and some tags from my pouch. As soon as this fight was over I was going to get some answers. Why was a ninja from an unidentified village after intel from the leaf, and where was our contact?

…..

True to his word Gai had the sound ninja in the trees and springing my traps left and right before finally getting tangled in a web of wire. Gai was on him and had him knocked out instantly.

Gai got the guy properly tied up and sat against a tree as I secured the surrounding area. He was just beginning to come around as I jumped back out of the trees and approached.

"Now what could you possibly find so interesting in a delivery of a copy of Icha Icha to a border scout?" The look on the captured ninja's bruised face was priceless.

"Ah…what!?" He spluttered a bit more, "No, there is supposed to be important intel destined. Now where is it?"

Laughing I pulled out the 'intel', a brand new copy of Gais eternal rivals favorite book. "No intel, just a book. Now then," I sat cross-legged in the soft dirt and began to weave a genjustu into my voice, "you are going to tell me something, I need to know what a ninja like you is doing in Fire country, and I need to know why you are trying to interfere with an official mission."

The more I spoke the glassier his eyes got. Before he could speak however, the mystery ninja began to scream as if something was burning him.

I jumped away as he began to thrash on the ground. "What the heck!? Gai can you knock him out again?" But it was too late; he fell over face first foaming at the mouth, poisoned. "I don't think it's safe for us here anymore Gai-san, we can comb the surrounding area and the next town over to see if our contact is around. If we can't find him we are going to have to turn in this as mission failure and contact compromised. For now I think we need to find a place to make camp." I sealed the ninja's body in a scroll and leapt into the trees, there had been a good spot a couple miles out of town that would make a good camp.

Gai followed behind silently. This mission was not going well at all.

….

After two days of searching we finally located our contact, dead and hanging from a tree in what looked like spider threads. We quickly cut him down and stored his body before heading back to pack up camp. There was nothing left for us here.

The run home was silent. My first mission in years and it turned out to be a dismal failure. I was going to be stuck back on the bench for a long time.

After giving my oral report to the Hokage and turning over the two body scrolls I made my way to my mother's shop, Gai still trailing behind me.

It was still early so the shop was empty when we entered. "I'll be out in a minute!" She called from the back.

"It's just me mom."

After a few minutes of silence she came out with a huge tray of fried dumplings and a pot of tea. "From the tone of you r voice I take it didn't go well. Oh," She looked up at Gai, "I don't think we have been formally introduced. I am Ishida Hana, Saki's mother."

Gai returned her bow. "Maito Gai mam. I have just returned from a mission with your daughter."

"She used to bring her mission partners by when they returned. It used to be those two Nara boys and that Sensei of theirs. The man was so polite, but then he was from a clan so wha…"
"Mom," I interrupted. If there was one thing I didn't want to talk about it was sensei. "We won't be staying long. I've been away for a while so I'm sure work has piled up at the office and I need to prepare for a meeting with the Hokage about a policy payout. Thank you for the food. I'll come see you again."

I made a hasty retreat out into the street dragging Gai behind me.

"Saki-san, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine Gai-san. I really do need to go though, usual time tomorrow?"

"Of course."

I almost didn't hear his reply as I was already turning and heading towards my office. For once I was not looking forward to a meeting with Gai. I knew he had to be disappointed. I had not held up my end of the fight very well and then the prisoner had died before giving up any information. Intel was supposed to be my thing and I had failed.

…..

When I made it to my office my mailbox was full and I had memos for appointment slid under the door. Maybe I should look into a secretary.

I organized my paperwork as tea brewed and prepared to get down to catching up.

Winter was coming to a close and that meant the year's latest graduates.

I hadn't been lying when I said I needed to prepare for a meeting with the Hokage. Little Naruto's payout was due at the time of his graduation and that was supposed to be with this round of graduates.

Ugh. I was not ready.

The next couple of days went by a little strange. I met up with Gai in the training grounds as usual but he was not acting like himself. He kept staring at me with this befuddled look on his face and hardly spoke unless it was to explain what we were going to do. He didn't hold back of course, Gai would never hold back in training.

Finally on the third day the silence came to an end when Gai declared he was falling behind on something and could I help him.

Confused I agreed. Looking back on it later, I should have run the other way; it would have at least saved me a few hours of being drug around like a rag doll.

After a run literally around Konoha we finally located his eternal rival Hataka Kakashi hiding in an alley behind a book.

Still confused I followed Gai as he proclaimed that it had been almost exactly nine months since their last challenge.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" He barely pulled the book off his face to uncover his one eye.

I had heard of Kakashi of course, who hadn't. He was younger than me but graduated early. We had never run any missions together before I had been benched so while I knew of him I didn't know him. But here he was, Gai's eternal rival.

I was drug from my internal mushing as Gai crushed me into his side in a one armed hug. "Gai…breathe…"

"MY ETERNAL RIVAL! AS OUR CHALLENGE YOU MUST STEAL AWAY FROM ME THE PRINCESS WHO WILL BE PLAYED BY MY SWEET BLOSSEM SAKI-SAN!"

Kakashi's now interested eye landed on me as I struggled against Gais unyielding grip for air. I had not agreed to this!

"I didn't know you had a "sweet blossom", hmm…, very well then," Kakashi put his book in his pouch and began to brush off imaginary dust, "One minute head start."

Gai took off. I was almost glad I didn't have the air to scream.

…..

Several confusing hours later I was seated across from Kakashi in a small tea shop miles away from a searching Gai.

"So you're the sweet blossom. I guess it's nice to finally meet you. I've been away for a while on a mission so we could not meet before now."

"Umm…does he really call me that to other people?" I began to fidget in my seat; this guy was so above me in skill I looked like a fresh faced academy student. "So you are Gai-sans eternal rival. He talks about you a lot. Gai has been helping me out a lot lately. I've been trying to get back into missions." I began to pick at a splinter on the table. "I'm not ready though."

"Oh? He told me about the mission you know. I saw him the afternoon you got back. Spoke highly of how you handled yourself. You were faced with an unknown and did well."

"It was still a failure. My contact was dead, probably before we even left Konoha. I didn't learn anything about who killed him or what he wanted. How was that a mission well done?"

"You returned. Your teammate returned. No one was injured. You walked into a situation that was already far out of your control and did well. For a C-rank turned B it wasn't all that bad." He looked up and out the window before giving me an eye crinkle. "Now my time is growing short but I do have one more thing to say. Gai has a good heart, please don't damage that. If your intentions are less than romantic let him know now before he gets attached."

He vanished just as Gai came busting in the door; before I could even reply.

"I have found you my blossom! Now where is the scoundrel that dared to take you?"

"Gone Gai, I think he felt your presence and vanished before he could take a beating." I replied dramatically, "But thank you my valent prince for coming to save me!" I stood and left enough for both our drinks on the table, the jerk had skipped out, before pulling Gai out into the street.

"Next time you want to rope me into a challenge could you give me more of a warning?

Smiling we ambled back to my apartment in a pleasant silence, my thoughts still on Kakashi's parting words. What did I feel for Gai? I know he is my friend and I thought him handsome, but was there something more developing? Just the thought of a romantic relationship took the smile from my face. If I let someone in like that again what would happen?

I didn't want to lose someone I love again, not after I had lost so much more than anyone would ever know. For the first time in a while I was afraid of what my own future would hold.

Author's' Note

So good news, I've been put back on eight hours for a while. I don't know how long that will last so we shall see.

As for Saki's sensei, it's a sore subject to her that will be revealed later. If anyone can guess though you can have a virtual cookie. :D

As I said earlier I'm not good with action stuff so I tried to gloss over it the best I could. I still feel it wasn't very good though. Sorry about that.

I'm going to try and start including more Canon in the next few chapters. Little Naruto is about to graduate.

Enough rambling! I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if anything is glaringly wrong with it.

Love to all my favs, follows, and reviewers. You make the fandom world go round.