Sho sat on the edge of the porch that wrapped around his large home, pulling on his sandals. After a few seconds, Hoshu poked his head from the other side of the house and blinked at him. "Sho, what are you doing up so early?" The brown haired boy gave him a sidelong look.
"I could ask you the same thing," he pointed out.
"Just meditating. It helps me prepare for training." He approached and sat next to Sho, who scooted over a little from the teen's close proximity. Hoshu didn't pick up on that bit of hostility, but did notice the single-strapped satchel Sho had on his back. "You taking a journey or something?"
"Shinobi don't take journeys." After sitting for a minute in silence Sho sighed irritably. "My team and I have been assigned a mission. It will last a couple days, so I packed a few things."
Hoshu looked amazed. "You're just allowed to leave your home like this? Won't you say goodbye to your parents or Chinatsu?"
Sho gave the blond teen a sharp look. "First, it's Ms. Chinatsu if you had any manners at all. Second, why would I? I'll be back in less than a week."
"What if something happens to you on your mission?"
"Nothing will happen - knowing Murai-sensei it's just some useless D-ranked mission, anyway," Sho said. He hopped down from the porch, sandals crunching on dry leaves. As he walked away Hoshu got to his feet on the porch to watch him leave.
The blond teen clapped his hands together and bowed at Sho's back. "Have a safe journey, and permit the gods to bring you and your comrades home safely." Hoshu suddenly grinned, waving his hand in front of his face. "And then there's a whole bunch of things about good health and luck but I doubt you'll be in my sight for that long. Those prayers only seem to work when I can see the person I'm praying for."
He was talking to himself, at this point. Sho had already left.
Double-Team of Prince and Peony
"He's late?" Nanami asked, incredulous. "Murai-sensei is never late. Did something happen to him?"
Inari approached his teammates where they waited beside the academy, all three sporting some sort of bag. The blond boy scratched the back of his head and squinted with worry. "He didn't show up to get the papers to let us enter the Land of Rivers, or to confirm he was leaving. That's what my dad told me," he said.
"He could be in trouble. Let's go searching and-"
"And find him doing odd jobs about the village?" Sho shook his head. "I'll be shocked if he shows up at all with his shining track record as a sensei." Inari blinked at his male teammate. The brown haired boy usually never wasted his breath insulting people, so to have him spend a whole sentence putting down Murai was especially a rarity. "Besides, it's not like he's in any danger."
Suddenly, a crashing sound came from the front of the academy. The three genin tensed just as someone tumbled over some garbage cans, spilling himself and the contents onto the ground. Inari was the first to let down his guard.
"Murai-sensei?"
"Everybody packed?" the jonin panted, leaving the cans and running straight past his students. "Good. We're leaving, now."
"What's his hurry?" Nanami asked, taking off with her teammates after the fleeing Murai. They followed him into the winding alleyways made up of wooden fence line.
"Uh, Murai-sensei, the papers-" Inari began.
"I've got them; let's just get out of here before…" The jonin skidded to a halt abruptly as he turned a corner, making his students clamber to avoid bumping into him from behind. "Damn it!" He turned and shoved them all backwards. "Move!" he ordered.
Nanami looked over her shoulder as she did as Murai instructed, but no one seemed to be pursuing them. "Murai-sensei, what are we running from?"
He increased his speed, pulling far out in front of the three genin. "If I tell you to do something just do it," he snapped. Nanami glared at his back wordlessly.
As they ran, Sho heard feet on wood, but when he looked at the wooden fence there was no real disturbance. He narrowed his light eyes with suspicion. Inari came to run beside him. "You see something, Sho?"
"Maybe…."
Murai looked that way, too, and he bared his teeth in frustration. He suddenly leaped a sharp right, vaulting over one of the tall fences and leaving his teammates scrambling to a stop. "Murai-sensei? Wait!"
The jonin put all of his effort into evasion - weaving random paths through the allies, sometimes jumping over fences and other times backtracking when he came to a dead end. Still, he felt the overbearing presence upon him without it letting up once. Sweat slid down his temple and he ground his teeth together. If I'm caught, I'm dead! Cursing, he grabbed the top of one fence and rolled over to the other side.
He barely missed landing right on Kumamichi. "Whoa! Watch it, Grandpa," the feral boy snapped.
Murai frowned in confusion, stopping to look at first Kumamichi, and then Megumi and Naoto. Realization hit him too late as he heard someone lighting down at the end of the alley. Whipping out a kunai, he grabbed the nearest genin and whirled to face the person.
"Over here," Sho panted, skidding into view of an alleyway with his teammates following his expert Byakugan. From where they stood, their sensei's back was towards them, and Kumamichi and Megumi were on either side of him.
Kumamichi looked too shocked to react but Megumi looked her usual amount of annoyed. Murai was holding someone and Team Six could only assume that it was Naoto from the yelps of fear.
"Stay where you are! Damn it, don't make me kill him," Murai threatened. He directed someone his students couldn't see since his body was blocking the way.
"Murai-sensei!" Inari yelled, alarmed, but the jonin didn't seem to hear him.
Suddenly, there was a loud thud and Murai cried out as his head snapped back from a blow to the forehead. A kunai spun in the air before landing harmlessly on its side. Murai was knocked flat on his back, releasing Naoto who looked about ready to burst into tears.
Botan straightened from her throwing pose, hands clenched with excitement. "Wow, it worked! I was afraid I'd hit you with the pointy end," she giggled.
Team Six rushed over, the blond members hurrying to their sensei's aid. "Murai-sensei!" Megumi noticed the presence of her crush and visibly perked up, if only a little. Kumamichi only pulled Naoto away from where he'd been standing petrified with fear.
Murai laid spread-eagle on his back, looking up at the sky as a trivial amount of blood dripped from under his headband. His expression was of resigned damnation. "If you have any pity on me whatsoever," he told Nanami and Inari as they crowded over him, "you'll kill me now."
"Nichiren!" Before either genin could respond to the strange request, Botan pushed between them and flung herself onto Murai, squeezing him tightly. "I haven't seen you in such a long time. And look at you - you kept your promise to take care of yourself! You look so handsome, just like my prince should always be," she gushed.
"Botan get off of me!" Murai choked angrily.
She took a serene breath and rubbed her cheek against his. "No."
Inari and Nanami stood awkwardly, unsure what to do as their sensei was accosted at their feet. "So is he being attacked or isn't he?" Inari asked slowly.
Kumamichi scoffed, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "What, you've never seen two adults gettin' it on before?" Myu hid her nose with her paws in mortification of what her master had just said.
A few minutes later, both teams were standing before the mission distribution table. Murai's hair and clothes were at a complete disarray and his headband was twisted sideways. Botan stood next to him, hands clasped behind her back and gazing at him with adoration. His expression was not an amused one.
Kakashi grinned at all of them from behind his mask. "Hey, you should be getting excited! What's with all the long faces?" he asked the genin lined up before him.
"Well, we're not exactly sure what's going on," Nanami offered, shifting uncomfortably. She was standing next to Megumi, who had forced her way in between her and Sho. Though the dark haired girl kept her sharp eyes forward and completely ignored her, Nanami felt an inexplicable hostility emanating from the Hokage's eldest daughter.
The silver haired man blinked when he was interrupted from beginning his explanation by a squeal. Botan had thrown her arms around Murai and was nuzzling against him. "Aw~! I can't take it, you're just too cute not to hug!" she cooed.
Murai stared blatantly at Kakashi while the silver haired man's daughter squeezed him tightly. "Laugh, and you die."
Kakashi hid his smirk under his hand - unnecessary due to his mask - looking up as innocently as he could. "I didn't say anything," he mused.
"Out with it, what's our mission," Megumi snapped. Kakashi's smile dropped as he looked at her. Then he leaned forward and rested his chin on the back of his hand, all signs of his joking demeanor gone. His voice was low and solemn as he explained:
"Team Five and Team Six, you'll be formed together for a joint mission in the Land of Rivers. Over the last few months there have been incidences of murder throughout that country. They're believed to be connected because all six victims have been noblemen ranging from ages sixteen to thirty, all unmarried, all looking to do so in the future. The way the murders were committed, local officials are convinced that it's one man doing all of this and that he's probably a former ninja. Team Five, you'll be given free reign to travel about the Land of Rivers in order to investigate the six other killings. Meanwhile, you other four will be charged with guarding the son of the daimyo of Rivers, who the daimyo is convinced is next on the list. You all have to stop this murderer before he finishes in the Land of Rivers and potentially moves on to another land."
Kumamichi's feral eyes lit up and he showed off his canines in a grin. "Cool!"
"How can they be sure that it's a shinobi's work?" Sho asked. "Has anyone even seen this murderer?"
Kakashi shook his head. "No one knows what he looks like, not even a small description. You'll have to be extra careful because of that. As for the shinobi part…well, it's the way the nobles were killed that make us conclude he's at least a former ninja."
"How did they die?" As soon as the question left his mouth, Inari immediately regretted it.
"They were found usually in their bedrooms. There was no sign of any outward deathblow, except…." The elite jonin rubbed his throat absently. "Except for a human bite in the neck. There, the victims were drained copiously of blood. The bodies were bone-dry when they were found."
Nanami blinked. "Wait…are you saying the murderer…drank their blood?" she asked, suddenly queasy.
"That's what I'm saying," Kakashi nodded grimly.
The blond girl swallowed hard and stood stock-straight, though her whole body was trembling. Naoto wasn't doing much better. The other genin were either solemnly apprehensive, indifferent, or, in a certain Inuzuka's case, very much excited. "Vampire! We're dealing with a vampire!" he said, dancing in a circle.
"There's no such thing," Megumi spat. Kumamichi grinned, eyes half-lidded under arched eyebrows.
"Then why are we being given a mission to capture one?"
"It's not a vampire; it's some shinobi that's gone completely insane." Megumi made a 'tch' noise. "Thinking vampires are real - how moronic can you get?" Inari seemed to be the only one to look down at that moment, and he found his sister's legs were actually shaking a little.
Kakashi raised his hands, palms skyward. "Exactly! There's nothing to get so worked up about. You've got two jonin with you so it should be fine, right? … Of course," the jonin said, tone dropping low as he rubbed his chin, "the last group of genin sent to investigate from the Land of Wind wasn't so lucky."
Naoto drew back. "What group of genin?" he asked tremulously.
"Ah, I guess releasing that to the public would cause hysteria, so you don't know: six Sand genin and their two jonin went to find out about this nobleman-murderer back when he first started killing people a few months ago. The daimyo's people ended up finding them - dead, drained of blood, every single one of them. They were strung up in the trees as a warning to other ninja who tried to go after the murderer…."
Kakashi abruptly smiled, waving his hand cheerily. "But I'm sure you guys will be fine!"
Murai pinched the bridge of his nose as two third of the genin hid behind an irritated Sho and a grinning Kumamichi. "You are so full of it."
Mamoru stood across from Subaru in the dirt clearing. The pink haired boy pulled on a pair of gray gloves before putting one arm behind his back and the other held up towards his opponent in the familiar Rock Lee style. Subaru's hands remained in his pockets and Ukyo continued to slumber atop his head.
"Friendly sparring is one way that team members get to know each other," Lee called out from the sidelines. "You realize each others' strengths and weaknesses, and therefore get closer to them. You may even become the best of friends by throwing punches alone. Or, you could create a passionate rivalry. I expect the two of you not to go easy on each other. Begin!"
At the barked order, Mamoru bolted forward with intimidating speed. His fist reared back as he ran. Subaru leaped back at the last possible second, his teammate leaving a thundering crater in his wake. Ukyo suddenly sprang from his master's head and grew in size, tawny fur turning red. As the giant dog now went to pounce, Mamoru rolled sideways through the air to avoid the salivating jaws.
One foot hit solid ground and he was running at Subaru again. Ukyo intercepted and snapped air instead of a leg as Mamoru jumped straight up. Blue energy shimmered around the pink haired boy's foot as he spun to bring his heel down on the dog. Ukyo darted away as chunks of earth cleaved from Mamoru's monstrous attack. Neither boys changed expression from either flatly bored to mildly attentive.
Naoki sat with his back to the fight, munching on a few rice balls he'd managed to sneak before he'd been dragged away. Lee looked down at him. "Naoki, you should also be watching. It does benefit to observe as much as it does to experience first hand."
The boy looked over his shoulder. Mamoru had just swept all four of Ukyo's legs out from under him, sending the massive animal crashing into the dirt. The pink haired boy jumped over the dog, spinning into a Leaf Hurricane. Subaru blocked the bone-crushing attack with his arm, unfazed.
The savage snarl of an animal was Mamoru's only warning before Ukyo leaped at his back. Mamoru whirled and swung his fist, cracking it against the dog's shoulder and sending the beast flying. Then he turned back and met Subaru in hand-to-hand.
Naoki sniffed. "Eh. I've seen better."
"What is wrong, my friend?" Lee asked, crouching next to his student with a worried expression. "You do not seem to have any energy whatsoever when it comes to training. Have you been discouraged in some way?"
"Oh, not really. It's just that my cry-baby twin brother has it better than me without even trying, is all. He's not tired all the time, he gets to eat whatever he wants, his teammates aren't insane, he gets to spend every day with a sensei that's got the body of lust incarnate, and as I sit here stuffing my face he's off on some dangerous B-ranked mission about to go kick some bad-guy butt. So, maybe I'm just a tiny bit discouraged."
"The sarcasm in your voice is extremely noticeable." Naoki sent a moody glare at his sensei.
"Is it that obvious."
"Naoki," Lee sighed, shaking his head as he stood up. "Simply being jealous of someone for their better lot in life is not a quality that I will tolerate in any of my students. If you are so down-trodden, how do you ever expect to become better than your brother?" he asked.
"I never said I wanted to be better. And I definitely never said he was better than me," Naoki snapped, abruptly angry.
The jonin studied his student as Naoki stuffed the rest of a rice ball into his mouth out of pure stubbornness. Lee suddenly grinned. "All right, then! We will just have to find a way to motivate you, young friend," he decided.
Naoki blinked. "Wait, what?"
Lee clapped his hands twice, and Mamoru jumped backwards and away from Subaru. The pink haired boy punched his palm, bowing. Subaru just shrugged it off as Ukyo shrunk and hopped back onto his head for a nap.
The jonin faced the two with hands on his hips. "My students, it has now become our collective duty to show Naoki what it is to have the power of youth."
"What!" The Akimichi boy looked horrified. Lee picked him up by the arm and set him on his feet. When he tried to run, the jonin kept a grasp on Naoki's bicep. "Lemme go, you crazy-!"
"Mamoru, I want you to spar with Naoki today," Lee declared. He shoved Naoki forward, sending the brown haired boy stumbling for footing.
"Listen, you big moron! I don't wanna-" Naoki's words died when he heard the telltale gripping sound of Mamoru tightening one of his gloves.
The pink haired boy's eyes were still void of emotion as chakra formed around his gray-clad fist. "Yes, sir." Naoki wondered if hospital food was actually as bad as everyone said it was.
Nanami readjusted the bag on her shoulders, green eyes downcast with worry. "Our very first mission, and it turns out to be something so dangerous…."
Inari smiled reassuringly - though anyone who knew him could tell he was terrified too. "It's fine, right? Like Kakashi-sensei said, there are two jonin here to help us. And the way we've developed in training so far is pretty impressive, too. I don't think we need to worry much about it so long as we do our best."
"Do our best not to get…eaten?" Kumamichi grinned from his place between the two stricken blonds, cackling. "And this is your guys' first mission? Ha! Our team's been on dozens. You guys are such newbies compared to us, right, Myu?" he asked the pup on his head.
Myu whined and shook her head demurely.
"Petty missions a child could be assigned are not real missions, and therefore don't count. You've got about as much experience in the field as we do," Sho said with a huff.
Kumamichi narrowed his feral eyes in a pout. "You'd think that, huh? But those missions are just as important as the ones you get to pummel the crap outta people in. The little missions teach you basic tricks that can be the difference between life and death in a real battle," he pointed out.
"Is that what your sensei told you to keep you from whining for extra missions?" The question stabbed straight through the Inuzuka's solar plexus. Sho rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he muttered.
Naoto patted his teammate's back comfortingly as Kumamichi tended to his wounded pride. "Well, I don't think that's why Bo-sensei gives them to us," he argued timidly. He flinched nervously when Megumi threw him a glare from her place walking next to Sho.
"That's exactly why she gives them to us. Bo-sensei doesn't think we can do any better. She thinks those little missions can pacify us like we're just desperate for the money. That woman does nothing but keep us from getting stronger."
"No, I agree with Naoto," Nanami said as the Akimichi boy used the downtrodden Kumamichi as a shield. "Even if they don't teach you techniques useful in battle, those missions still teach you teamwork. Going into a mission, it doesn't matter if you're weak or strong, smart or dumb; if your team can't work as a unit for the simplest things you'll fail every time. Maybe that's why you've had dozens of those missions while we haven't had a single one," she said with a sniff.
"That's an interesting theory," Inari said quickly, squeezing his way between the glaring girls, "but let's not get on the subject. I mean, we should focus on the task at hand."
Kumamichi had mischievous life in his eyes once again. "Yeah, the blood-sucking vampire!" Naoto whimpered pitifully.
Just ahead of the genin, the two jonin walked side-by-side down the road. Botan glanced back at the troupe of genin with a little smile. "'Nami's really smart. Just what you'd expect from Shika-sensei's little girl," she giggled sweetly.
Murai wasn't smiling. "She preached teamwork one second, then drove a wedge into our teams the next. I don't call that smart," he muttered. He threw a glower over his shoulder. "Especially since none of them can figure out that that Sand shinobi story is total bull. Your old man would never send you on a mission like that."
"But he would send me on one with the man I love," she cooed, wrapping her arms around him again. Murai shook her off deftly.
"Knock it off; we're on business."
"But Nichiren…!"
"No."
"Can we at least hold hands?"
"What part of 'no' don't you understand?"
Botan puckered her bottom lip and sighed forlornly. "You won't even hold my hand; you're so cold, Nichiren," she murmured. Murai made a grunt of apathy. After a few more seconds, her pout was replaced with a smile and she slung herself around him again. "You'll warm up to me~."
Nanami watched the jonin tussle together, and for reasons she could not logically understand, she felt a sharp stab of something she'd never experienced before and was totally horrified for doing so now - jealousy.
The daimyo of the Land of Rivers was a frail old man by the name of Tetsuya Kagiwara. He was skinny but in a healthy way, and looked ten years younger save for his stark-white shoulder-length hair. His green eyes were crinkled and merry which matched his smiling mouth.
Teams Five and Six knelt before his throne-cushion now, Murai and Botan side-by-side with the genin lined up behind them. Luckily, the silver haired beauty had enough sense to keep her hands to herself in the presence of the highest-ranking man of the country.
"I'm so relieved just to see that you're here," Tetsuya laughed out of nerves. "The past few weeks of hearing about those murders…needless to say I was wary for my son."
River's daimyo was a widower of twelve years and was now too old to have more children. In life, his wife had blessed him with four daughters - all off and married to noblemen - and finally, one son. Mitsuzuka was nineteen with light brown hair and the same green eyes as his father. He was in the age range of the recent victims and - with the last murder taken place just miles from the daimyo's castle - naturally shinobi had been hired to safeguard the prince of Rivers. Mitsuzuka sat now at the right hand of the daimyo, those green eyes downcast and heavy with some emotion no one could read.
Tetsuya continued, "The team in charge of investigation has rooms prepared for them for the night, so you can start fresh in the morning. The list of crime scenes have been gathered for your use as well as potential witnesses and any evidence relevant."
Botan beamed happily. "Thank you, Lord Kagiwara," she piped.
Megumi clenched her fist on her knee, making no other move in her body or face. Still, it was enough for Naoto - who sat beside her - to notice. Ms. Megumi won't get to spend the mission with Sho, he realized immediately. Even though it had seemed impossible for such an angry girl, Naoto was convinced that she had feelings for the cadet-branch Hyuga. Naoto had become aware of it fairly early on, when Megumi would rush from the end of a mission or training to Sho's home for extra tutelage. Sho seemed to be the only person she didn't think of as stupid and openly loathe.
Naoto dropped his gaze to the wood floor he knelt on with a heavy heart, but said nothing.
"However," Tetsuya went on in his warm voice, "I would like the others to start right away with guarding my son. I can't take chances, you understand."
Murai dipped his head solemnly. "As you wish." The genin behind him knew he would've given anything to just say 'sure', but if a shinobi cell leader approached a dire matter with such levity, the Leaf Village would lose business quite quickly. Nanami stifled a snicker at her sensei's expense until Inari gently elbowed her side in a friendly but stern warning.
The daimyo dismissed Team Five and left the meeting room to attend to other business, patting Mitsuzuka's shoulder on his way to stand. The young man didn't move.
As he was walking out with his team, Naoto noticed with surprise that Megumi didn't even say good bye to Sho. The Akimichi boy frowned, and then ran up beside Megumi before waving back at Team Six. "Good bye, Nanami, Inari, Sho." He said the last name with slight emphasis and glanced at his female teammate.
"See you, Naoto," Nanami called as Inari waved back amicably. Sho looked back the same time Megumi did, and their eyes met. He gave a nod, but she turned straight ahead and strode out of the room. Naoto looked from her to Sho with a confused expression before following her.
Mitsuzuka finally stood once everyone except Team Six was out of the room, but didn't move otherwise. Meanwhile, Murai folded his arms as his students formed a semi-circle around him to hear what he had planned.
"We'll split into two groups. Hyuga, Mr. Courtesy, you'll stay inside with the prince; Hyuga gets first watch. Nanami and I'll take our post outside the castle to keep watch for intruders. I'll start the shift. Anything happens, report through communicator. If the threat's outside, you two stay and protect the prince. If inside, we'll come back A.S.A.P. You got it?"
"Is that really the best way to split up?" Nanami asked quickly, obviously alarmed. She realized how she sounded and flushed. "I-I mean, well-"
"There are two sensory-types on our team," Murai stated blandly. "Hyuga, and me. Mr. Courtesy is with Hyuga because creating clones is his specialty, and that means more bodies to shield our client. You're with me because your Shadow Possession can halt the murderer immediately should he appear."
"But with Sho's Byakugan, he'd work best outside," she insisted. If she was to be stuck with Murai, she at least wanted another person present so it'd be less awkward.
Her hopes were smashed as Murai spoke monotonously: "While your talents are at their best in a closed area, I use my sense of smell and hearing to sense chakra. Being in a building practically dipped in perfume would kill my olfactory, and with all the people in here, my hearing would be shot. I can determine human sounds from animal - I can't tell an ally's sound from an enemy's. Besides that, this mansion is full of unnecessary and difficult twisting hallways. Anybody could get lost in this place. Lucky for us, Hyuga can see through walls. And since Mr. Courtesy is technically the son of a leader himself, he can make conversation with the client to make things seem less restricted. That's more of a bonus. Any other complaints?"
Nanami's cheeks went bright pink at his apathetic tone. She'd known all of that and known it was the best possible strategy. However, she'd had no idea that Murai would shoot down every single target to make his argument water-tight. For once in her life, Nanami cursed logic. "No," she mumbled.
"Then shut up and get outside. I'm watching first, but you should familiarize yourself with the area before your watch." Murai glanced at Sho. "Check the place out before settling down, too. Get a feel for the normalcy of this place. Any shift in the castle's mood might be a warning sign. You hear me?"
"Yeah," Sho nodded.
"Be careful," Inari called to his sensei and female teammate as they left the hall, the blond girl rigid and a deep shade of red. He frowned as his crush-senses twitched, but he shook it off and turned to Sho. "You going to look around?" he asked.
"I was thinking about it…. Stay with the prince and I'll meet up with you later." Without even a word of farewell, the brown haired boy left to familiarize himself with the mansion.
Inari turned to face Mitsuzuka, who had been standing and watching them plan the whole time. Smiling sheepishly, Inari scratched the back of his neck. "Well, looks like it's just you and me, Lord Kagiwara."
Mitsuzuka seemed to stare past Inari, and the blond boy wondered if he even knew he was there. Then Mitsuzuka moved toward the exit. "I'm going to study." It'd been the first time Inari had heard the prince speak, and he found the voice thin and reedy.
Feeling inept, Inari hurried to walk behind the prince he was now supposed to protect.
Naoto threw himself down on a mat in the room designated for the male shinobi to rest in. Botan and Megumi were off in their room, which left the Akimichi boy with his feral teammate.
"Yahoo!" Kumamichi slid across the hardwood-floored room with the towels he'd found in the bathroom on his feet. With his running start, he crossed the longest part of the rectangle room and even touched the wall. "This place is huge! What a set-up, huh? If I could get locked up anywhere I wanted, it'd definitely be in here."
Myu avoided her boisterous master and grabbed a throw pillow with her teeth. Naoto's and Kumamichi's mats were side-by-side, and she trotted to Naoto's side of the rugs and curled up there to sleep. Naoto scratched her ear absently and she grunted with satisfaction.
Kumamichi slid so his shins hit the raised area the mats rested on, falling on his elbows onto his rug. He beamed at Naoto excitedly. "C'mon, c'mon, get up! I wanna try a trick and I need your help to do it," he said.
"We should be getting our rest, Kumamichi. We're leaving again tomorrow. If we don't get some sleep, we'll be dead on our feet by noon," Naoto said with a yawn. Myu nodded her head a little as she shifted to face the wall opposite the boys.
The raven haired Inuzuka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, we will." That moment of droning passed quickly, and his slit eyes were shining with calculated mischief again. "Let's go peek into the girls' room. Sensei's gotta have some sexy PJs, knowing that fox. She might even be putting them on as we speak," he added suggestively.
Naoto blushed profusely. "We can't do that!"
"Why not?" Kumamichi sat up, and Naoto saw that he was truly puzzling the reason of his refusal. "Bo-sensei is the hottest thing under the sun with clothes on, and you're not even curious about what's under the wrapper?"
"Don't say it like that. You make her sound like a piece of candy!" Naoto mumbled, turning away from Kumamichi and the lecherous thoughts he was suggesting.
"Can you blame me? That is one sweet piece of-"
"How old are you!"
Megumi threw herself down on a mat in the room designated for the kunoichi to sleep in. She buried her face deep into the pillow and hoped she'd never come back up. Probably my only chance to ever be on a mission with Sho, and I won't even get to spend it with him. I have to put up with a fat coward, a lecherous brat, and-
Botan burst out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped like a turban around her head and a white robe around her body. "Ahh~ I can't believe what a nice shower they have here!" she exclaimed dreamily.
A vein pulsated on Megumi's brow as she glared at the wall rather than face the woman. -and THIS idiot.
"Hey, hey, you should go try it," Botan said eagerly.
"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep," the dark haired girl said, turning onto her side so her back was towards her sensei.
Blinking for a moment, Botan crossed the room and settled down on her mat, folding her legs underneath her. She looked down at the lump curled up under the covers. "Are you okay?"
"None of your business, stupid," Megumi muttered.
"You seem a little…down. Come on, we're like girlfriends now! You can tell me anything, and I promise, I'll keep it a secret," Botan said. She settled onto her stomach and put her chin on her fists, swinging her feet in the air. "Go on, shoot!"
Megumi didn't even think about it: "No."
"What? Come on~!"
"Stop talking, airhead."
"You can't be that mean. I really wanna know! I could help!"
The dark haired girl paused, then murmured softly, "I doubt it."
Botan smiled a little and sat up on her knees, the turban slipping off her head and letting her damp silver hair drape over one shoulder. "Try me." She grinned with sly naughtiness.
Megumi came out from under the covers with her eyes down. She heaved a sigh that she'd been holding in for years. In the few moments to herself she felt her heart begin to race, thinking of her beloved Sho. After another couple of seconds to make sure that her voice wouldn't shake, she looked up-
-to a finger pointing into her face.
"You're in love!" Botan gasped.
Scarlet colored Megumi's skin like dye dripped into water. Her mouth hung open in morbid shock at what Botan had just done, thinking that the silver haired teen couldn't really be stupid enough to do that. But that silly look of half surprise, half excitement painted on Botan's face was too much of a confirmation: she was, and she just did.
The dark haired girl scowled lividly. "Go to hell!" She threw the covers over her head and scrunched up into a ball of fury and misery.
Botan hovered over her balled-up form with bright brown eyes and a gleeful smile. "You are! You really are! Ohhh that is soooo cute! Who is it. Tell me. I have to know. Kya~ we've got so much in common now! We're practically sisters, right?" she squealed.
Megumi glared abhorrently into her pillow as the jonin behind her squirmed on her mat with giggling hysteria. "I'd rather have Kotone, in all honesty…."
Murai lighted down from his combing of the manse rooftops on the west wall just outside of the estate. He glanced furtively where he stood with his back to lamplight, dark brown eyes scanning the fir and pine blackness around the castle. The air was crisp, cold. White mist curled around his nose and mouth, the only indication from his absolute stillness that he was a living creature.
Something didn't feel right. The forest in that particular area was too quiet, too void of animal activity. Though, at the moment, no odd noise reached his cold-reddened ears, and he smelled no source of chakra in the direction he was facing. Nothing was suspicious.
And that's what set Murai on edge.
Finally, still glancing about with caution, he bit the fleshy part of his thumb and drew blood. "Summoning Jutsu!"
Emerging from the cloud of smoke produced from the excess chakra expelled from the jutsu, a huge brown bear waddled up to Murai with many a groan. It looked up at the orange haired teen with large yellow eyes.
"Well, this is a rare occasion," the bear grumbled. "And what've you got for me to do this fine evening?"
"There's something wrong with the forest. I don't like it but I can't find anything wrong with it. Would you check it out, maybe ask if the other animals have seen a strange human skulking around?" Murai asked.
The bear grunted, jerking her head back in the short laugh. "Good to see you, too."
"Suzue, it's my mission," he said tiredly, flopping his arms at his sides in a helpless gesture.
"Hey, don't start crying, I don't know if I could take it," Suzue chuckled. She turned her enormous form, the stylized Leaf insignia on her neck rippling white against her dark fur, matching the blue tattoo on Murai's own throat. Suzue tromped into the forest with a bear's passive roar and Murai watched her until she was out of sight.
He sighed heavily with a fond shake of his head. Then the little joy in his face leeched out and he looked back at the forest. He shook his head again, shivering, and not because he was cold. "I really hate Kakashi."
