Disclaimer: oturaN nwo ton od I
It's a girl thing
Palace, East wing
Ino and Tenten knelt next to Captain Junei on the stone floor. Eyes respectfully down, Tenten tried to control her urge to pull at the fraying threads on her pants. The one bright spot of her day so far was getting back into her regular ninja gear. No more long black pyjamas for her! Really the view the public had of ninja was a little bit scary.
Ino had tried to point out that if Tenten had passed her ANBU tests (here Captain Junei had immoblised Tenten's legs with a pressure point hit before Tenten could rip the flirt's hair out,) she would have had to wear what amounted to long black pyjamas anyway. Tenten had testily informed Ino that an ANBU uniform was nothing like the costumes they'd been wearing. Ino had replied in the afirmative, ANBU uniforms were much less forgiving on a sugar high diet. Here Ino had given a significant look at Tenten's ever present bag of sweets.
Captain Junei had let them battle it out for a while, watching with interest the exchange of locking positions, dirty hits, and embarrassingly, hair pulls.
An exploding tag got their attention but left their clothes a little worse for wear. Ino of course had a change of outfit, Tenten had been left beating ash marks out of her only top. Luckily her pants were black and any marks didn't show. At least she didn't think that a good wardrobe made a good kunoichi.
Tenten cast a superiour look at Ino kneeling beside her, just as her shoulder twitched in pain.
Barbie has a hell of a shoulder block. Tenten remembered begrudgingly.
While Tenten was busy rehashing the morning's events, Ino was busy thinking about her teammates.
Sure, everyone thought that Shikamaru was some super genius and she was the first to admit that he wasn't the dumbest person out there. But his lack of motivation was going to get him killed one of these days.
And Chouji! He was a nice guy...too nice. He was apt to believe anything a person said.
For example, someone had told him that wearing that stupid scarf would make him look thinner. It took her years to prove to him that it only gave people another handhold on him. Why did he think she only wore tight clothing? She'd refused to acknowledge Shikamaru's eyeroll at that statement. She was sooo over Sasuke.
Shikamaru, brains, Choji, brawn, her, motivation. Without her, her team was a two wheeled tricycle, and who ever heard of that! For the hundreth time Ino wished badluck onto whoever was supposed to meet them here. They'd been waiting half an hour already, her knees hurt, her butt was numb, and she wanted her teammates back. Casting a grumpy look at Tenten waiting calmly beside her, Ino felt her elbow twinge again.
Bitch has an excellent armlock going on. Ino thought grudgingly.Their eyes met briefly and both humphfed and looked away, secretly nursing their hurts.
Finally an official looking person came into the little room.
His greying hair gave him a respectful, distinguished air, kind of like a well groomed favourite grandfather. The kind you ran to whenever something went wrong, the kind that always knew exactly what to do. Ino liked him immediately.
Tenten looked at his easy smile and his clean smooth hands. His voice was low and pitched to soothe worries. He looked like a politician, talk one way, move another. Greasy fingers in every pie, yet nothing ever came back to him. Except kick backs. Tenten hated him immediately.
He was followed by a younger man a little older than Ino and Tenten, who was carrying a pile of papers and looked terribly anxious to please. Ino liked him immediately.
Tenten noted the timid smile, the way the papers jittered in his hands, and the way his eyes fawned after the older man. Tenten hated him immediately.
"Welcome my friends." The man rumbled.
The three kneeling bowed their heads even lower.
"As requested, Lord Dai, the Hokage of Konoha has sent guards to ensure the safety of his lordship." Captain Junei said smoothly even through his ANBU mask.
"Konoha's loyalty is ever swift and sure." Lord Dai said, equally smoothly.
The young man gave a foolish grin at the pleasantries exchanged. Noticing him, Lord Dai stepped aside and gestured to the young man.
"My assistant, Dai Toma." Lord Dai said, dismissing the young man's presence immediately.
"Dai-sama." Captian Junei said politely.
"Here are your written orders, they are not difficult. With the Kami's help her Highness will soon be returned to us." Lord Dai said, with almost perfect sincerity.
The three bowed their head and dissapeared from the room.
Sleeping Quarters, North Wing"Wow, we can see the gardens from here!" Ino said, dumping her bag on a bed and peering out a window.
"If you're finished oohing over the flowers maybe we can get down to business." Tenten said curtly.
Ino rolled her eyes.
"For your information, I was checking out the surroundings for security reasons." Ino said taking a seat as the Captain entered.
"Yamanaka, your teammates are safe." The Captain said briefly, he tossed her a scroll.
"Here is the ransom demand for their false identities."
"I don't see their new teammate's name here." Ino said, proud that she hadn't stumbled over the word teammate.
"Asai was not assigned to this mission, apparently there have been some problems working her into the team." The Captain said nothing else, but Ino felt a guilty burst of happiness in her chest.
"So what are our mission parametres?" Tenten asked, trying to fake interest.
Tenten didn't have any real worries about Ino's teammates, Shikamaru was smart and well respected by the older shinobi. Chouji's family were well known for being fierce fighters when their backs were to the wall, and both were highly skilled. Her main worry was how many more humiliations was she supposed to endure before she was given the green light to go back to her normal duties?
"You are to visibly protect a member of the royal family." The Captain said flicking a quick look between the two kunoichi.
"Not the Lord himself?" Ino asked curiously.
She'd tucked the copy of the ransom away, without an immediate concern for her teammate's lives she felt it was her duty to fulfill her new mission with everything she had.
"The Lord feels himself adequately defended. Especially as the last member of the Royal Family under Konoha protection was successfully kidnapped." The blandness of the Captain's words was not reflected in the grim faces of the two kunoichi.
"Konoha's been made to look bad hasn't it." Tenten said, cracking her knuckles nervously.
The Captain nodded.
"Two of our Shinobi have failed to complete a mission. Though their client is still alive they have not assured her safety. This reflects badly on Konoha."
"So I guess Hokage-sama has her hands full trying to find them huh?" Ino asked, feeling the smallest twinge of guilt over her previous bashing of Tsunade-sama in her many letters home.
"Are we allowed to investigate?" Ino asked hopefully.
Tenten snorted, but quietened with an apologetic nod when Captain Junei gave her the look.
"Your duties are clearly outlined in these scrolls." He tossed matching scrolls to each kunoichi and stood up to leave. "My duties are a little broader so I won't be able to keep an eye of you two all the time. Try and make Konoha proud this time."
Turning on his heel he strode out of the room.
Tenten rolled open her scroll immediately, but Ino went back to poking around the room. Quickly memorising the contents, Tenten decided to give Ino the benefit of the doubt and assume that Ino had been doing something more than just being nosy. When Ino sat down again, Tenten flicked her fingers.
So? How's the room? Tenten signed.
Ino perked up, and smiling brightly, she flicked her fingers back.
All clear. Didn't find any bugs or big security breaches, but eh it's a residential room. It'll need a little work. Ino's fingers flew through the complex signs.
Ino was proud of her signing capability. Most shinobi her rank knew only the basics, she knew enough to pass a Jounin test, perphaps even ANBU. All thanks to Shikamaru and his insistance that his team learn how to sign like pros.
Tenten grimaced as her brain tried to remember all the complicated signing that she'd memorised for the Jounin tests. It irked Tenten that the blond twit could so easily use them. She'd put in long hours of practice with her team, and still didn't have Ino's skill level.
So? Orders? Ino signed impatiently.
We've got to meet our client soon. Tomorrow we have a...a ceremony that our client attends so we have to be prepared. Tenten's fingers stiffly formed the symbols.
Ino nodded.
Do you think they'll find the guys quickly? Ino signed. Do you think they'll keep us up to date with things?
Tenten hesitated.
Don't get your hopes up. Our mission is very clear. Tenten signed finally.
Ino sighed.
I'll trap the roof. Ino signed.
Tenten nodded and turned to occupy herself with the wall between them and the next room.
Palace, North WingIno sighed silently as she found herself again on her knees and waiting. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful to be given this chance to earn back active status, but she had a burning desire to be doing something to find Chouji and Shikamaru. Instead she was trying her damnedest to show how perfectly she could follow orders.
Neither raised their heads as the door finally slid open and someone entered the room.
From her position on the floor Tenten noted that their client did not wear the heavy ceremonial robes of a member of the Lord's family.
"Well, I didn't think we'd see each other so quickly!" A young man's voice said.
Not knowing what to reply and not daring to raise their heads Ino and Tenten kept silent. Tenten felt her eyes roll almost of their own accord as the young man's feet shuffled in place as if he were embarrassed.
"Oh, are you not aloud to speak to me?" The young man asked, kneeling down.
"No sir." Ino said. "I mean, we were not ordered not to speak to you...sir."
Tenten felt that if her eyes did one more roll she'd sign up as an acrobat in a circus.
"Oh good, please sit more comfortably, I'd love to speak with you." The young man, grinned as both Tenten and Ino obeyed.
Tenten's eyes managed not to roll again , though it took a massive effort from her.
Great, Lord Dai's assistant, we get assigned the assitsant of some greasy pawed politician.
In his place Lord Dai's assistant looked absolutely delighted.
"I must say it is an honour to have two real live shinobi assigned to protect me." He dropped his head slightly into a small bow, barely a dip of the head.
"You must tell me immediately if you think my behaviour is in any way dangerous or ill-advised."
He looked sincere but then Ino could count on one hand how many clients had ever thought to really listen for their own safety.
The young man looked at them again waiting for a response.
Tenten bowed quickly, her forehead almost brushing the ground.
"Of course sir, we will tell you right away." She lied blithely.
"I suppose we should introduce ourselves that way if I ever need one of you, then I can call you by your name and not by... hey you! Ninja girl!" The young man smiled, obviously he thought his little joke funny.
Tenten forced a grimace of humour onto her face. Ino let a smile light up in her eyes before bowing politely and without really lifting her head higher than was polite she introduced herself and Tenten.
"My name is Koko, and this is Kuma." Ino said, ignoring Tenten's scowl of dissaproval.
Ino shrugged her shoulders as her teammate made a very crude but subtle hand sign and cast a polite waiting look at the young man.
The young man cleared his throat and bowed lightly to the two kunoichi.
"My name is Dai Toma. The honourable Lord Dai is my great uncle and my direct superior. My family sent me to learn the family trade in politics, but I rather think I'm doing a bad job of it." Toma said, giving a small grin.
I like him. Ino signed.
I don't. Tenten signed back.
"I think animal names are very nice." Toma said as the silence stretched.
"Thank you sir!" Ino said brightly realising they were being rude. "May we begin preparation for tomorrow's ceremony?"
Toma smiled and signalled for some tea to be brought.
"Of course what would you like to know?" He said looking earnestly at Ino.
"Where will the ceremony be sir? We will need to get a layout for the area if we are to protect you." Tenten said in a business like tone of voice.
"The ceremony takes place in the public throne room. It's to celebrate the youngest princesses' marriage. Lord Dai will also be there." Toma looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I suppose there won't be much for you to do tomorrow, Daimyo Yo will be there, so his guard will also be there." Toma smiled again.
Tenten felt her shoulders slump. A dummy bodyguard posistion to placate the paranoid Daimyo, it was going to be so good to get back to regular ninja work. Even listening to Lee spout his motivational speeches would be bliss.
"Oh, well we shouldn't let our guard down sir." Ino said. "We Konoha ninja's are proud of our work!"
Toma snapped his fingers.
"Of course you're ninja from Konoha!" He said as if only realising it.
Tenten resisted the urge to bang her head against the polished wood floor.
"I don't suppose you knew the two ninja who were accompanying the Lady Nori?" He asked eagerly.
Ino let out a sigh and lifted huge eyes brimming with tears.
"They were my very dear teammates sir, I fear that they will come to harm for they would give their lives to protect Lady Nori from all harm, I worry they have already given their lives."
How does she do that? Tenten thought amazed. One moment she's normal the next she's pulling on guy's strings like a harp.
"Oh I'm so sorry, but I and my great uncle are doing all in our power to find the Lady Nori and your teammates." Toma said waving in the maid carrying a tray of tea.
Over the next half hour, Tenten sat, amazed at the way Ino manipulated Toma into revealing everything he knew about the case. Without a single drug, or punch, or even threat, Ino managed to get Toma to tell her about everything, even the current hiding place of Lords Ren and Saku. Shikamaru's and Chouji's covers.
Bowing as they left, presumably to review security issues for the next day, Tenten noted the subtly placed guards all around the palace.
Told you this was a jip job. Tenten signed, because otherwise she'd have to sign something complimentary about Ino's information gathering techniques.
I don't care, it just makes it easier to work on the side. Ino signed back. Did you hear what he said about the litter bearers?
Yeah, and? Tenten signed, turning towards their rooms.
There's something about it that doesn't seem right. Ino signed back one handed, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.
Think about it later, I did think of one reason we might have been given this mission. That idiot's a gold mine of information. We just have to keep his mouth shut. Tenten signed, ending the conversation as they neared a more public area.
Giving a quick nod in Tenten's direction, Ino dissapeared into a crowd of noble women.
Praying that Ino would leave well enough alone and just stick to their mission, Tenten headed towards the Throne Room to at least make a show of preparation.