Authors Note!!
Okay, so I know it took FOREVER for me to update this. I've been pretty busy with vacations lately, and my parents haven't let me have much time to write. But, here it is! It's kind of filler, sorry, but I think it's my longest chapter yet! The next one will be even longer, I promise.
Thank you to my reviewers for all three chapters, there aren't many but they were great reviews, I hope you keep it up: moonshine86, StarsInTheRain, and Reidluver. Thank you guys for reviewing, it really helps!!!! A cookie for all of you.
I don't own Naruto or Fruit's basket!!!
Here you go:
Tohru laid awake, eyes open, staring at the white ceiling above her. She glanced over to the window, which now let in little streams of light. Sighing, she stiffly got up and started to get ready for the day. Once she had showered, put her wet hair in two ponytails, and got dressed, she walked out the door. Just before she closed it, however, she realized she forgot to say goodbye to her mom.
She ran back inside the apartment and knelt down at the picture on her bed stand. "Morning Mom. Sorry I almost forgot to say goodbye- I'll never do that again. I've got to go find Kyo now; we've got an interesting day ahead of us."
She could practically hear her mother answer back, "Have a good day then! Be safe," like she always used to. She smiled and practically skipped out of the door, feeling more optimistic about the coming days.
The medical ninja slowly stepped down the stairs and stopped in front of the same door she had knocked on every day. Although it was fairly early, Kazuma Sohma answered the door quickly. He smiled when he saw the small girl, but it was obvious that the man hadn't slept either.
"Tohru, it's good to see you. Come on in." Tohru stepped in and took off her shoes. Kazuma closed the door behind her, his long, silver ponytail whipping to the side.
"Thank you. Where's Kyo?" Tohru asked, looking around the small apartment.
Kazuma smiled a sad smile. "He's still sleeping I guess. I haven't seen him up yet. Yesterday was a rough one for him, and I'm not sure he's looking forward to today either."
"I don't blame him." Tohru said to herself while she walked toward Kyo's bedroom that was down the hall. She silently opened the door a little, peeking in, but saw no sight of Kyo's orange head anywhere.
"Yo." A voice sounded behind her. She shrieked and turned around, tripping over her feet and falling into the boy's arms. He smiled down at her and a water droplet from his freshly washed hair dripped onto her forehead.
"Sorry, are you okay?" he asked, frowning again while setting her upright.
"No, don't be sorry! I'm fine really!" She squeaked, brushing herself off. Kyo smiled and flicked the water droplet off her forehead. "You're up?"
He ran a hand through his wet hair, shaking it so that water sprayed everywhere. "Yeah, I didn't sleep much last night. I had a lot to…uh…deal with. What about you? You usually are never up at six o'clock."
Tohru smiled. "I didn't sleep either."
"Breakfast anyone?" Kazuma called from the kitchen. Kyo and Tohru looked at each other then set off into the kitchen.
"Oh no, you're cooking!? Are you trying to burn the house down?" Kyo yelled, racing into the kitchen with Tohru chasing after him.
Both teens stood in the doorway, wondering if the delicious looking rice, miso soup, and tamagoyaki (rolled omelets) that sat on the table were real. The smell wafting over to their noses was certainly the real thing.
"Wow, Kazuma-sempai. This looks great!" Tohru exclaimed, circling the table.
"Where did you hide the real Shishou? You can't cook!" Kyo yelled while smirking at his "father".
"I…might have asked our neighbor for a favor…" Kazuma said guiltily. "Go on, sit down. Tohru, you're welcome to eat breakfast with us." The three ninja sat down and happily started shoving down the food.
"Hey, Tohru?" Kyo said, getting the girl's attention once she stuffed some rice in her mouth. He was anxiously tapping his fingers against the wood table. "Listen; I've been thinking, and I think we should start the mission today. After breakfast."
"WHAT!?" Tohru yelled, standing up and slamming her palms to the table. "You don't really want to…"
"No. Tsunade called me back last night after I talked to Kazuma. She said that the mission just became even more urgent. Akatsuki is moving again, and they are going to want any information on Konoha they can get. The sooner we get started, the better. I talked to Shishou and he thinks so too."
Tohru looked over at Kazuma, who was looking at Kyo with sad eyes. She looked back at the orange headed boy and nodded. "I guess you're right."
As soon as they finished breakfast, Tohru went back up to her apartment to pack for the mission. She packed all of her ninja equipment: shurikan, kunai, paper bombs, and scrolls, into her Medical Konoha vest, securing it over her white shirt. Then she took all of her medical supplies and put them in another pocket. Last, she took her headband off of her dresser and tied it around her forehead just as Kyo re-opened her door and called her name.
"Ready?" he leaned on the door frame.
She turned around and smiled at him. "Yep! Are you?" He had his vest and headband on, his orange bangs covering most of the metal.
He pushed off the frame and smiled at her. "As ready as I'll ever be."
After walking the three flights down the stairs from Tohru's apartment, the two mission-bound chunin stood at the doorstep to the apartment. Kyo looked up at the towering building above him, and then turned away with Tohru. Just as they were about to walk away, a hand turned Kyo around and pulled him into a hug.
"Good luck, Kyo." Kazuma said, "Do your father proud on this mission. Protect Tohru and your home with all you have." He ruffled Kyo's hair like he was a little kid.
"Dad…" Kyo whispered. He had never really been close to his real dad, and Kazuma was the only parent figure he really knew.
Kazuma smiled and winked at Tohru, giving Kyo one last hug before his mission. Normally Kyo would have squirmed away, not up to the affection, but today he patted his dad's back.
"Goodbye, Dad." Kyo muttered, letting go of his dad and striding off, turning his back to his home. Tohru smiled at Kazuma and ran to catch up with him.
The walk to the gate was a silent one. For once, Tohru didn't know what to say to make Kyo feel better. She put her hands in the pockets of her shorts, and felt something hidden in the corner of the right pocket. She pulled it out, and opened her hand, pausing to look at it. In her hand was a small figurine of an orange cat that had one paw held up as if it were waving at her, its painted maroon eyes glowing in the sunlight. Attached to the back of it was a gold chain that was long enough to be a necklace. Tohru smiled as she kept walking, recognizing the cat as a birthday present her mother had given her. She always kept it with her, even on missions.
She glanced at Kyo beside her. He was looking downward, his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Kyo?"
He glanced up at her. "Hmm? What is it?"
"Well, I found something in my pocket that you might want to-"she was cut off by a voice behind her.
"Tohru, Kyo!" The voice chimed, as the dark haired man strode up to them, fully equipped with his ninja gear as well. "Where are you two off to?"
"Our mission." Kyo stated, staring at the jonin, whose smile faded.
"The Hokage decided that we should head out early." Tohru added.
"So that's what we're doing. We're leaving right now." Kyo finished.
Shigure's expression turned serious, an unusual expression for the jonin. "Well then, good luck. I'll see you when you get back then. Kakashi and I are on gate duty." He looked toward Kyo. "Listen, I have something for you from Lady Tsunade." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, green scroll. He stared at it for a moment, and then set it in Kyo's hand. "Make sure you open this the second before exploding the bombs. I won't guarantee that it'll work- but it's worth a try."
Kyo stared at the scroll in his hands. "What the hell is this thing, Shigure?"
Shigure smiled. "I'm not allowed to tell you. Like I said, I don't know if it will work. I would use it anyway though."
Kyo stared at it for a few more seconds, and then stuffed it in his pocket. "Thanks, I guess."
"Well, I guess you guys better get going then, eh?" Shigure smiled again, looking mischievous. Then he walked up to Tohru and gave her a huge hug, keeping a hold of her while he talked. "Now don't you get into trouble, alright? Come out of this alive or I don't know what I'd do." He finished dramatically.
"Sen…sensei…Sorry, but… I can't breathe." Tohru squeaked, half laughing.
Kyo was fuming. "Hey, you old pervert; get off of her!" he pulled the smirking jonin off and glared at him.
"Now that's the Kyo I know and love!" the jonin practically sung, as he turned his back towards the teens. Pausing, he turned back to Kyo, smile fading, who stood behind him. "See yah kid."
Kyo smiled a half smile at the jonin and turned away, shifting the pack on his back. "Hey, Shigure?"
"Hmm?" The jonin hummed, turning around.
"Tell Yuki…tell him I said bye, okay? Tell him I said not to screw up too bad on the ANBU exams, and to work on that jutsu of his." He was facing away from the jonin, staring off into the distance.
Shigure smiled. "Yeah, I'll tell him."
Kyo started down the road to the gate, walking at a swift pace. Tohru ran to catch up with him, turning to glance back at Shigure once they reached the gate.
The jonin looked back at her and Kyo with worried eyes. Tohru frowned and then set off again. After a few minutes, as they were about to lose sight of Konoha, Tohru looked over beside her to find Kyo at a complete standstill. She walked beside him, facing Konoha.
"Konoha is my home. It's hard to say goodbye." Kyo stated, taking a deep breath.
"Then…" Tohru started, looking at his troubled face, "Don't. Treat this as a regular mission: one where you could live or you could die. No one ever knows going out on regular missions. Say goodbye like you would on those kinds of missions. Anyway, maybe that scroll thing will help."
Kyo smiled, chuckling a little. "Tohru, you've always been the positive one haven't you?"
She smiled back. "That's me! Miss optimistic. Just listen to me and we'll get through this." He laughed and turned around, letting his gaze linger on Konoha before he turned his head.
He took a deep breath and started walking. "Come on Tohru. Stop spacing. We need to focus on the mission now."
Tohru waved her hand in Konoha's general direction and then dashed off to catch up with Kyo. "I wasn't spacing I just-"
"Yeah, yeah, don't give me that. I saw you."
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They jumped from limb to limb in almost complete silence for a few hours; it would take them a full 12 hours to arrive at the temple, if they moved all night. Since they left early in the morning, Tohru figured that they would get to the temple by nightfall. 'That's the perfect time for Kyo to use his jutsu.'
They had been running, or well, jumping, for about 6 hours and the sun was high over their heads, causing beads of sweat to run down their brows. The chunin had crossed the border out of the Land of Fire into the Land of Earth without being seen or heard. The trees grew thinner in that area, so they veered off to the right away from the road.
After another hour in the blazing heat, Kyo lifted his hand, signaling them to quietly stop. They knelt down on a mossy tree limb and looked down into a grassy clearing below.
A man with short, blonde hair sat below them in what looked like a camp. There was a small fire and behind it, a makeshift tent.
"He must be traveling." Tohru observed, noticing packs of clothes and food.
"Alone? Outside of the road? Either this guy is trying to get himself killed or something's up." Kyo commented, toying with some bark.
"Well, he doesn't seem to notice our presence while we are right above his head, so he isn't a ninja." Tohru added, trying to shift her position on the branch. "I think we should just move on and-"Tohru's shoes slipped on the moss and flipped her over right into the clearing below. She fell with a loud crash, her forehead protector falling to the grass below from the force, while Kyo silently cursed her klutziness.
"Oof." She muttered, getting up and brushing herself off.
The man, who had obviously been quite startled by the mysterious girl falling from the sky, stood up cautiously while holding a stick from the fire. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Tohru put her hands out in front of her and backed away slightly. "I'm so sorry. I…"
Kyo dropped down behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder and smiling. "My wife and I are traveling to a village nearby, Pismo, and got a little lost on the way." Tohru's eyebrows lifted at the lie. 'His wife?! Since when?'
He smiled sheepishly and Tohru noted that he must have looked at a map of the area, just in case.
"Yeah, well why the hell were you too in a tree then?" the man asked, still not backing down.
"We climbed up there to see if we could get a better view of the landscape. Then we just kind of went from tree to tree, they are pretty close together, until Tohru here fell." He inclined his head in Tohru's direction, and Tohru noticed that he had taken his head protector off. Kyo stepped forward. "I'm Kyo."
The man backed off now, setting the stick down. "The name's Shai Uneta. Sit down; you must have been traveling for a while."
Tohru looked at Kyo, who smiled and nodded. She gave him a very confused look and sat down across from Shai. Kyo, however, stayed standing.
"Sir, please, have a seat. You must be weary from traveling." Shai pushed, motioning toward the seat next to Tohru. "I have some leftover food here, you may have some."
Kyo nodded his head and knelt next to Tohru. "You go ahead and have some, dear. I'm going to go, uh, take care of some business." Shai chucked. Kyo leaned in and kissed Tohru on the cheek, just like a husband would do. Tohru felt herself automatically blush. "Don't eat the food, just stall until I come back, okay? Have weapons ready in case he does anything." He whispered into her ear, tone serious.
She nodded her head, sincerely confused but knowing that Kyo was serious about what he said.
After he kissed her cheek, he stood up, smile returning, and started to walk away. "I'll be back in a minute."
"A…Alright, dear." Tohru stuttered while letting her hand go up to her flushed face.
"How long have you too been married?" Shai asked once Kyo disappeared past the tree line. He took a wooden bowl, filled it with some rice that had sort of a yellow sauce on it, and handed it to Tohru, who did not eat it.
"Oh. About…uh… a month?" It was almost a question. Tohru was a horrible liar, but Shai seemed to believe what she said.
"Not long, eh? Well that's nice. Whereabouts have you too been living?" He took a stick and pulled out a knife to sharpen it. Tohru, feeling extremely uneasy considering what Kyo had said, reached into her pocket while he wasn't looking and grabbed a few shurikan, hiding them between her fingers.
"Oh, in a small town not far from here." She lied through her teeth, noticing the knife that the man now held in his hands. She could now feel the danger that lay in the air, she had to be careful.
They stayed silent for a moment while the man kept sharpening the stick. "Are you going to eat? You must be starving." Shai said, somewhat monotonously while getting up and walking towards Tohru.
Tohru grasped at the shurikan in her hands and got up as well, dropping the bowl to the ground with a thud. "No, I'm not hungry."
"Oh, well then perhaps-"the man started, but was cut off by a sort of slicing sounds in the air. He grunted and dropped to the ground, shurikan covering his back. Kyo stood behind him, panting and looking worn.
"Kyo, what-?" he cut Tohru off by dropping the other body he held in his hands to the ground.
"Ambush. I was lucky that time, not that it matters. I caught him from behind; I saw him crouched in a bush below us while you fell. They had sensed us all along. I suspect that there is poison in that rice as well." He started walking around the camp, picking up a scroll and reading it. "They were heading to the temple. I'm sure they would have contacted them if we would have kept going. I guess your klutziness helped us this time." He smiled, dropping the scroll.
"So I'm your wife?" Tohru asked, feeling a small blush form again. She silently cursed her face.
Kyo laughed. "Well, it was the first thing I thought of, alright? You're lucky I'm a good liar. It's a good thing your forehead protector fell off." He walked over and picked it up. "Here"
She took it and tied it around her head, feeling comforted by the familiar feeling. Kyo smiled and tied his around his forehead as well. "So, let's get going."
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Tohru and Kyo crouched in some leafy bushes, trying to peer through the dense leaves. Although it was completely dark outside, they could clearly see the looming sides of the temple shining in the firelight from the lamps that that ten or more men guarding it held.
Kyo took a deep breath. "Damn it. This is not going to be easy."
Tohru nodded her head, careful not to rustle the leaves. "Are you sure you can do this?"
Kyo looked down, staring at a patch of dirt. "No. But I don't have a choice. I'm going to give it my all and get this information." He looked at Tohru. "Are you with me?"
She smiled. "Of course. I'll never give up, you know that."
Kyo looked forward again and smirked, the look he always had before a good fight. "They're not paying attention." He started making hands signs. "Let's move!"
So the next chapter will be the dreaded mission! All of it, so it's going to be pretty long and hard to write. If any of you readers have any suggestions, just review (hint hint) and tell me! I'll listen I promise.
I know some of you have put this on story alert, so if you read this, and even if you hate it, please review!!!!!! I'll love you forever if you do. Haha.
