Author's Note: this story goes out to fluffpenguin who wanted a pre-"first meeting" story where Kakashi and Mei, as enemies, have to work together. It kind of turned out darker than I think he intended, with not nearly enough snarky one-liners, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Sorry it's so late!
Boar and Ox looked at their captain. The three ANBU were crouched in the lush undergrowth typical in this part of Water Country. They could hear the crashing of the surf in the distance. Wolf scanned the scroll quickly in the fading light to be sure it was what they had come for. Nodding in satisfaction, the ANBU Captain handed the scroll off to Boar who slipped it into the pouch on his hip.
"Too easy," Ox said smirking under his white mask.
"No sign of the enemy Mist group either," Boar commented almost to himself. He looked between his teammates. "Think our intel was wrong?"
Despite the dense foliage around them, their heads were open to the sky. Even the tallest of the nearby plants didn't get any higher than their standing height. The sky began to sprinkle rain down on their heads. The light drops dotted their white masks.
"Or they got waylaid," Wolf muttered. "Either way it doesn't matter, just one less thing we have to deal with. But they may still show." Wolf stood up. "You two go ahead, get back to the village as soon as possible. I'll set a few traps by the pickup point and catch up with you later. I don't want the Mist ninja following us if they do arrive."
The other two nodded in agreement. With two skillful leaps, Boar and Ox were out of sight and moving through the undergrowth. Wolf turned back to look at the pickup point, eyeballing where he wanted to begin to lay his traps.
An hour later Wolf had finished his work and was following the trail of his subordinates. The rain had strengthened in the meantime. Wind beat the beach grass and fern leaves so that they danced. Wolf kept an eye out for anything that didn't shift properly with each gust.
The ocean waves were crashing onto the beach and nearby rocks, the wind hurling them further and further inland. Wolf followed the bush line along the coast back to their departure point rather than heading further inland. The effects of the weather were stronger along the coast but he was less likely to run into enemy ninja and had more options to flee. Even if fleeing into the water wasn't his best option in a land where the ninja specialized in water jutsu, it was still another option. Their mission required them to come and go without drawing attention.
The sandy beach that shifted under his sandals eventually turned into firm black stone. Wolf crept carefully between the rocks and stubborn plants that clung to them. He could still see the ocean thrashing against the rocks but he was far enough inland that it wasn't a danger.
Stepping from rock to rock, Wolf came across multiple crevasses that dropped away into darkness. The fissures in the stone looked like monsters with hungry mouths surrounded by black teeth. At high noon on a clear day he maybe could have seen to the bottom but with the overcast skies and rain, he was better off jumping over the seemingly endless pits.
The ferns and leaves continued to whip about under pressure of the wind. The rain beat down in huge drops, soaking the ANBU to the skin. As the sky grew even darker, thunder rolled. Wolf ignored the lightning.
Every moment the storm grew worse, making the silver-haired ANBU worry for his team. He hoped they hadn't started across the stretch of ocean to the mainland in this weather. In another part of his brain he started to consider options for his own shelter. He briefly wished that Cat were there to conjure up a house but then brushed the option aside with an inner chuckle. As stealthy as a two-story house was it wasn't his best option.
Just then, there was a great blast of wind. Wolf had to lean forward into the gust to compensate. Despite this, he still slid backwards on the slick rocks under his feet. He quickly anchored himself to the stone using chakra but before he could re-center his balance another gust of wind pushed him over completely. He immediately let the chakra in his feet dissipate so that he didn't break his ankles as he fell. Wolf twisted around and threw out his hands to catch himself. There was nothing there to catch onto. A crevasse, like the ones he'd been stepping or jumping over, was open and waiting behind and to the left of him.
Wolf was swallowed by the darkness with only the gray sky above to show where he'd come from. As the ninja fell, he twisted in midair and reached out with chakra coated fingers, hoping to catch the wall. As it turned out the drop wasn't that large and Wolf's fingers just barely scraped the wall of the crevasse before he landed on his feet. He instantly let his knees bend and rolled forward to absorb the impact.
Wolf of the Leaf had landed at the bottom of a very dark, wet breach in the ground. The hollow echoing of the rain and wind led him to believe that he was in a larger space, possibly a cave. The rain and runoff poured in from the gap in the entrance above, soaking the stone floor.
As the ninja straightened up his eyes caught a reflection of light further into the cave. Numerous engagements under the cover of night had taught him to react to the glint of an enemy's weapon in the dim light. He was not alone. His mind flashed through a series of scenarios, from this being a trap to the possibility of him having found a family of hermits. He froze and waited.
"Stay there," a calm, tired voice spoke out of the darkness.
Wolf's eyebrows rose behind his mask. He lifted his hands to show that there was no threat meant. He'd briefly hoped that it had been his own team that he'd stumbled upon. That hope was dashed upon hearing the other person speak.
There was a shuffling sound as if the speaker were moving toward him. Wolf was briefly concerned by the direction in which the sound was coming from. It sounded lower to the ground than himself. With only the two words to go off of it was hard to tell if the speaker was a woman or a child. Either way the person was using an upper register. Wolf shuddered inwardly and hoped it was a woman. A female enemy he could deal with; a child was…difficult.
With the weak light remaining, Wolf watched as a woman slid into view. She was using a sort of walking crouch, favoring her right leg. Despite this vulnerable position her green eyes were sharp. She held two shuriken in one hand while propping herself up with the other.
The woman was dressed in a loose shift with a rope belt. She wore no shoes. Her hair was long, dark, and twisted into a braid. Her skin was pale, making her face stand out in the dim light. Wolf thought that his mask must be doing something similar to his face considering her reaction when she got close.
Upon seeing Wolf's mask, the woman's eyes widened. However, she wiped the expression from her face and held the shuriken threateningly. Desperate, Wolf thought. She knows what my mask means but she's going to try to fight anyway, even in her current condition.
Before another word could be spoken, there was the sound of rushing water above their heads. Wolf looked up and then dodged as a surge of sea foam poured down into the crevasse. The ANBU backed up against the wall and began to climb up and out of the water using a crabwalk. Meanwhile the Mist kunoichi was desperately crawling away from the entrance. The knee deep water clutched at her garment and hindered her progress. It was too shallow to swim but too deep to be able to walk quickly. The low ceiling made walking on top of the water just as cumbersome.
When the torrent didn't continue, Wolf cautiously lowered himself off of the wall and back into the shallow water. He then followed the kunoichi to the back of the cave. Even though she was no longer focused on him, she could easily send her shuriken into his retreating back. Besides that he had no idea what other tricks she had up her sleeve. If she could do any water or earth style at all, he would be finished before he took two steps.
In the diming light, Wolf could make out three other figures deeper in the cave. The kunoichi made for the closest one. "Kaori," the woman gasped, shaking one of the forms. "Storm surge; help me."
Wolf didn't hear a reply but the other form instantly began propping herself up. Her head turned upward and the second figure, named Kaori, froze. "Who is that?" She immediately asked, eyes locked on the white mask with hollow eyes. The woman with the hurt leg didn't get a chance to answer. Another set of ocean water surged into the cave. The water level in the grotto rose again, creeping up Wolf's legs.
The first woman gasped as the water leapt up to the level of her hip. She was propping herself up against the wall and trying to pull the other two figures into a standing position. However, the two bodies were limp in her arms and didn't respond at all. The second kunoichi, tearing her eyes away from the dangerous mask before her, hurried to assist.
"Is there another way out of here?" Wolf asked promptly. As the sky got darker and they got further away from the entrance night vision was minimal at best. He couldn't tell if it was a cave or tunnel they were in.
"No," the first woman gasped. She struggled with her light-haired teammate to hold the other two figures' heads above the water.
Wolf immediately turned to head back to the entrance but there was another gush of water flowing in, pinning him to the stone. His mind flicked through his options until he heard something that derailed his train of thought.
"Mei?!" The woman called Kaori cried from her own position against the wall. Wolf assumed she was talking to the other kunoichi.
No, it couldn't be, Wolf thought. He mentally reviewed the profiles for the Mist team that had been sent to intercept them. The only thing that had stuck with him was that it was a hunter-nin team in disguise led by Terumi Mei. Terumi was one of the Mist's last bloodline-limit wielders. The price on her head was high, very high. The water level surged up to their necks. Wolf could taste the bitter brine soaking into the cloth mask that covered his face.
The kunoichi named Kaori screamed, "Leaf ANBU! If you don't want to die, I suggest you block that hole!"
Wolf frowned, the situation couldn't be much worse. Despite the fact that he now had to tilt his head up to breathe, he remained relatively calm. If the Mist ninja had had the ability to preserve their hiding place, they would have done it before he showed up or at least, when the cave had begun to flood. However, if he wanted to save himself he'd have to expend his own energy, weakening himself while preserving them. As the kunoichi pointed out, he had no choice.
The ANBU stepped away from the wall, the high water making his moves sluggish, and weaved hand signs underwater. He focused and began pushing the water back up and out of the crevasse using a simple water-style technique and a lot of control. The water level rapidly decreased and the four figures behind him slumped to the cave floor.
Once the water was down to a few inches around their feet, the task was to keep the new water out. Wolf was now standing under the entrance in the ceiling as another wave flowed over, completely covering the fissure above. After that wave failed to retreat completely the pressure of the water only continued to intensify. "I can't keep this up," Wolf barked.
The sound of the rushing water was deafening. Wolf didn't even hear the kunoichi approaching until they were right next to him. The one called Kaori was holding Terumi up with an arm around her shoulders.
"Step out of the way ANBU," Terumi said coldly and weaved some signs.
Guessing what she was about to do, Wolf backed up hurriedly. Some water slipped past his water wall as he repositioned. This wasn't a problem for a user of the lava style. The kunoichi built up chakra in her chest and ejected lava from her mouth, coating the entrance and turning the water above to steam. The lava instantly hardened, acting as a sealing door to the cave entrance. The temperature in the grotto rose several degrees but not to a life-threatening level. Wolf took an extra step back from the glowing igneous rock as a precaution.
After she was finished, Terumi slumped into her fellow kunoichi, panting. She was favoring her right leg heavily and Kaori lowered her to the ground. "Are you alright?" Kaori asked softly.
Mei nodded. The lava was losing its glow as it hardened and the light was fading fast. Wolf pulled his hip pouch open and removed an emergency torch. It was a testament to the women's exhaustion that they barely reacted. Kaori watched him with weary eyes but hardly moved besides that. Terumi didn't look up at all but flinched at his movement. He popped the top and lit the torch, the first round of seals activating at the tip. The glow lit up the cavern dimly, two pairs of eyes stared at his white Wolf mask.
Since he had their attention, "that's fine for a temporary fix, but we're going to run out of air, fast."
"I lied," Terumi said flatly.
Wolf blinked, his mask hiding his surprise. "What?"
"There is another way out of this cave. There are very small holes in the back that lead into a larger cavern. We'll get air from there."
Wolf instantly walked to the back of the tunnel, keeping a wary eye on the two slumped figures who rested nearby. He quickly found the entrances the Mist kunoichi was talking about. The largest one was the size of his hand. They were big enough for air but not for a person unless they had chakra enough to widen the whole. He had chakra but he didn't know the way out. If he left without them or killed them he could get lost and die.
If Wolf stayed, Terumi would regain her strength, kill him, and take her team to safety. He could burrow out of the cave but taking his chances in the ocean presented its own problems. The storm had only just started and could go on for hours. The turbulent water above would most likely smash him into the rocks before he even reached the surface. Even if he had time to wait the storm out, it could take even longer for the water to recede. It was too risky to try to open the lava door sooner than that. His only option was to wait for some part of their situation to change. He was uncomfortably aware that Terumi had all the cards and she knew it.
Wolf turned and looked back at the team leader. She was even more dangerous than he'd first supposed. As if reading his thoughts, a nefarious grin crept onto her pale face. In the flickering torchlight she looked like a demon.
An uneasy, unspoken truce formed. Wolf sat at the front of the cavern near the igneous rock hatch. The Mist ninja sat in the back near the air holes. Unfortunately for Wolf, he seemed to be sitting in a low section of the cave and some part of him was constantly wet.
The continuous sound of the storm overhead grated on Wolf's nerves. He wondered how his team was doing, if they'd made it somewhere safe.
Kaori tended to the wounded and sat down next to her friend. Finally Terumi spoke, "so what are we supposed to call you?"
It was obvious who she was addressing. The masked ninja was sitting and leaning against the cavern wall, one leg straight and the other bent. His pale hair hung lifeless and half-dried around his mask and ears. He was looking at the floor in front of him as if his life depended on it. The ceramic mask turned and looked at her when she spoke. "Wolf," he replied.
Mei arched an eyebrow. Her tone was bitter. "Wolf? Seriously? That's all you're going to say?"
"If you kill me, then later when the war ends you can tell my village that you killed Wolf. They'll know who I am and that's all that concerns me." He turned to look back at the opposite wall but Mei wasn't done.
"And if you kill us?"
"It doesn't take a genius to figure out who you are Terumi Mei. There are only so many who can use lava style." At this statement, Kaori elbowed Mei in the ribs. A clear, told you so expression adorned her face. Wolf continued, "I'm sure the Mist has your mission record and will be able to identify the rest of your team even if I can't."
"If they even bothered to write one," Kaori muttered. Mei gave her a sharp look in response. Kaori met her look with a glare of her own and the argument was put aside for another time.
After a moment or two of silence Mei spoke again, "why didn't you kill us on sight? I must be in your bingo book."
Wolf shrugged and repositioned himself. "Not necessary to my mission."
"And you'd get lost in the caves and die without us," Mei added, bringing attention to the status quo. As if Wolf could forget.
"Without some of you," he countered darkly, gauging her reaction.
"You wouldn't dare. We'd never show you the way if you killed our village-mates," Mei said savagely.
Wolf lifted his eyebrows, the action showing through as a tilt of his head. "You two may not, maybe. But what about them?" He nodded at the two unconscious ninja that the kunoichi had each been nursing in turn.
Mei's bravado immediately fell flat. She tried to recover but her eyes didn't hold the confident look they'd had before. She wasn't sure. "They would never betray us," she stated firmly but it didn't ring true.
"Just the same," Kakashi said lightly, "we'd better start making our way out now, so that we separate before they wake up." He leaned into the wall with a slouch, the picture of relaxation.
Mei cut him off. "And when we part ways we'll show our backs while you still have all your strength? Forget it. We're waiting."
Kakashi shrugged, "it's your risk, not mine. How's your ration supply?" He plucked a scroll from his pouch and unrolled it for them. It was a sealing scroll, apparently for food, that was completely unused. The Leaf ninja had enough meals to last him weeks.
Kaori resisted the urge to lick her lips. Mei coughed to hide the sound of her stomach gurgling. They hadn't eaten since yesterday. They'd had no chance to refill their supplies before heading out in pursuit of the Leaf ninja, only to run into more enemy ninja on the way. They were tired, hungry, and Wolf had caught them in their bluff.
Long term benefits were in the Leaf ANBU's favor because some of the Mist ninja may not recover at all. However, a very important short term advantage was with the Mist. "How long can you stay awake Wolf?" Mei asked, a venomous smile on her dark lips.
Wolf frowned behind his mask. He was hoping to force them into an early departure using paranoia to urge them on. However, Terumi was not so far gone as he would have liked. It was the waiting game then. "Long enough," he replied, not wanting to seem cowed.
The hours stretched on. Wolf shifted around, trying to get the rest of his cloths to dry while they were still on him. Even when the ocean water did evaporate, the white salt and other minerals remained on his clothes, irritating his skin and aggravating unclosed wounds.
His feet suffered the worst. There was still water on the floor at his end that couldn't drain away. He could get himself out of it by balancing on his feet in a squat but his feet always remained wet. The constant moisture chilled him in the stuffy cave. Wolf wasn't the only one who was suffering.
Some kind of wild beast clawed at the insides of the stomachs of the Mist kunoichi. When the time came, Wolf ate his evening meal facing away from them. Mei found this odd. If he wanted to gloat she would have thought he'd eat facing them. Probably doesn't want to reveal who he is, Mei thought. Maybe I'm not the only one with a bounty on my head.
As the evening wore on Kaori offered to take the first watch while Mei slept. Wolf did his best to preserve his energy while also staying fully alert. It wasn't a long-term solution but the tactic had served him well in previous missions. He used food, water, and any strategy he knew to keep himself awake. He mentally reviewed many manuals he'd memorized as a child, along with some newer reading material that he didn't dare to actually read in this situation. Changing his position every so often helped as well through the long hours. Ten more minutes and then switch to balancing on left foot, thirty more minutes and switch back, he thought to himself. The time ticked away, marked by the seals on the ANBU's torch igniting and wearing down in turn, around and around the handle. Wolf repressed a sigh of relief when Kaori woke Mei up for her shift. Halfway there.
"He isn't asleep yet?" Mei whispered softly to her friend. "He has to be tired; he's on a mission of some sort. He had to have traveled at least a couple of days to get this far, not to mention what he was actually sent here to do." Mei didn't want to think about him being a spy or assassin much less if he'd actually arrived in a squad. The Leaf ninja they'd been sent to apprehend had been two squads. It upset her to think about how often their country seemed to be infiltrated lately. But she didn't have time for that now and pushed the consideration aside for later.
"Every time I make a move he tilts his head, almost to show me that he's listening and definitely not asleep," Kaori whispered back. "You'll see it too when it happens."
Soon Kaori was asleep and Mei was sitting up observing the Leaf ANBU. After a couple of hours of barely moving, Mei still learned a few things. For example, when the sounds of the storm grew to such a pitch that even she could hear it, Wolf would tilt his head up ever so slightly to examine the ceiling. It was a subtle but puzzling thing. What was he so worried about?
Just as Kaori had observed, Wolf was vigilant all night. Every time Mei shifted or got up to relieve herself he'd glance over. The slight tilt of his mask was indication enough, he was watching them.
Mei knew that it would help keep Wolf awake and alert but she couldn't help it. She began to talk to him.
"Why Wolf?" Mei asked after several hours of silence.
The white mask turned to face her. "It was assigned to me," came the blank reply.
Mei cocked an eyebrow. "No other reason?"
There was a brief pause and then, "no."
That one word seemed to carry so much weight that Mei was shocked. She wanted to pursue the matter but couldn't think of what else to ask. She changed the subject. "So, what are you interested in Wolf? Since it's clearly not money."
She shifted her weight again to favor her right leg. It didn't seem to pain her as it had before, Wolf noticed. Perhaps they had more first-aid supplies than food. To respond to her question he made a questioning sound in his throat.
"Bingo bounties don't interest you?" She clarified.
"Not a requirement of my mission," he repeated.
"But it wouldn't hurt it," Mei pressed. She found this man curious, if irritating. What kind of a ninja wasn't interested in making money? If not for his village then at least for himself?
Wolf was quiet for some time, pondering. Mei remained silent while she awaited his answer. "My sensei always respected his enemies," Wolf said quietly. "It was as if he'd rather be friends with them than fight. If he had to fight them then he'd win. But selling their bodies to the highest bidder afterward?" Wolf shook his head in disgust. The ANBU didn't think he'd explained it very well but it was the best that he could come up with. Thinking of his sensei made him feel very serene. He suddenly wanted to sleep very badly and spent the next hour struggling to keep his eyes open. Meanwhile, Mei puzzled over his words for the rest of the night, ignoring the way the ANBU's head would dip and then jerk up abruptly.
Morning came and with it, one of the Mist ninja stirred awake. Mei and Kaori were bustling around him with water and propping the man up so he could drink. He still looked very pale and asked to be laid down again almost immediately. His eyes didn't seem to be focusing too well because he didn't even ask about their special guest at the far end of the cave.
It was only when the man asked for something to eat that Mei's smile became strained. After a mental exchange with Kaori via eye contact, she reached around to her back pouch that was hidden in her baggy outfit. For a moment Wolf thought she was going to kill the man. However, all she produced was a ration bar. The man was halfway through the pressed bar when he abruptly stopped chewing. He looked up at the two kunoichi, frown on his face. "This isn't the last of it is it? You have food for yourselves? And Daichi?"
"Of course," Kaori said quickly. "We're just trying to ration it so you don't get sick." Mei's face was pale but Kaori's was all reassuring smiles.
Relieved, the man finished the bar and soon after fell back asleep. His breathing was shallow but Mei was smiling at him. Then her stomach clenched. She grasped it with her free hand and closed her eyes until the dizziness passed.
"Mei?" Kaori asked but her friend waved her off. Then, biting her lip, Kaori asked, "what are we going to give Daichi if he wakes up?"
"When he wakes up," Mei corrected. She opened her eyes and glanced at their other unconscious teammate. "I-don't know." Mei sighed heavily. Then, "I don't feel well. Could you keep watch for a little while? I'm going to try to sleep."
Kaori nodded, moving to give Mei more room to lie down. However, Mei changed her mind. "I'm going to the bathroom first," she muttered. She got up carefully, stepping lightly on her injured leg. Kaori didn't notice her friend's pale face. She was searching her pack for the fourteenth time to see if there was any food she'd missed. Mei had only taken a few steps before she crumpled to the ground.
"Mei? Mei!" Kaori sprang up and hurried over to her fallen friend. She didn't see how Wolf had twitched at the scene.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Mei repeated. She was already pushing herself to her hands and knees, eyes closed. Kaori helped her sit down cross-legged and touched a hand to her forehead.
"Mei? Do you need some water?" Kaori was very afraid. If Mei, too, became incapacitated she was finished. She couldn't stay up for the entire night on no food. The Leaf ANBU may slit all of their throats and take his chances in the caves.
Mei accepted the water gratefully and carefully crawled to the corner they'd been using as a bathroom. When she returned she laid herself down on the cave floor. She turned to the blond, "just a minute, I promise."
Mei's minute long nap became an hour nap. Kaori didn't mind. That was, until Wolf interfered.
Kaori was spacing out a bit, trying to focus her tired eyes to count the endless cracks in the cavern wall, when Wolf cleared his throat with a cough. Her head shot up and she looked at the holes in the white mask. The wolf with hollow eyes was holding a scroll, a different one than any they'd seen before. "Here," he said and tossed it not directly at her but to the side of her.
Kaori flinched away from the scroll as it landed. Despite the fact that it hadn't exploded or produced any gas, Kaori still eyed it suspiciously.
"Open it," he prompted, sighing.
She gave him a look that clearly asked him if he thought she was insane.
His shoulders slumped. "I'd open it for you but I don't think you want me to throw the contents at you or get that close to your comrades. Open it."
Gingerly Kaori opened the scroll. It was a ration scroll. She looked at the neat labels with greedy eyes but then the idea of the enclosed food soured. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"There's nothing wrong with them," Wolf said flatly upon receiving her look.
"Prove it," Kaori countered. She squashed down the hope that had risen in her.
"Pick one, any of them, I'll eat it." Wolf's voice was amiable, or at least, more so than it had been thus far.
Kaori considered her options. If she woke Mei up, her friend would burn the food to a crisp instantly. Food offered by the enemy was not to be considered as such. Kaori's stomach gurgled. But they weren't going to last long without food. She glanced at Mei's sleeping form. Wolf had them in a corner and was offering a back door. Why? Everything she'd been taught at the ninja academy was screaming at her to throw the scroll back in his face.
Kaori had never been one to live her life by academy standards. She chose a seal and activated it. A preserved package of crackers appeared. She picked the package up and tossed it at Wolf who caught them neatly.
The Leaf ninja examined the package. "Not my favorite," he said dryly.
Kaori resisted the urge to roll her eyes or scoff. Still, she watched intently as Wolf began to turn. "No way, let me see you eat them," Kaori demanded, her voice rising. Mei turned in her sleep and Kaori stiffened. However, Mei soon resettled and the Mist kunoichi relaxed.
When Kaori looked back up Wolf was still sitting with the sealed package in his lap. He pushed the Wolf mask halfway up off of his face so Kaori could see his nose and everything below it. This part of his face was covered in a different, cloth mask made of black material. Seriously? What is with this guy? Before she had a chance to wonder anything else, Wolf opened the package, lowered his mask, and began to eat.
He chewed thoughtfully, working the dry crackers around in his mouth so that he could swallow. After his third cracker and some water Wolf asked, "do you want me to eat the whole package? I mean, it's your food."
Kaori held up her hand. Wolf resealed the crackers and tossed them back to her. After only a moment of hesitation, she gobbled up the crackers with the help of her canteen.
Mei woke up to hear the words, "if the rest of these were poisoned, Mei is going to kill you." The kunoichi blinked at her friend, then Wolf, then the open scroll which now had a second package of crackers and some dried meat sitting on top of it.
Mei shot up and then immediately regretted it. Her stomach clenched and the world appeared to be swimming. "Kaori, what are you doing?" Mei asked through clenched teeth. She waited impatiently for the room to stop moving.
Kaori gave Mei a moment to recover and then explained the situation. Mei remained unconvinced not to mention upset at her friend's reckless behavior. "Alright," Kaori whispered almost angrily, "I'll keep eating and keep my strength up. If I fall over dead in a couple of hours then you can kill Wolf in a fit of rage and have his good food to eat. Then you will be able to get Eito and Daichi back to the village. I, on the other hand, will become a cautionary tale that they'll tell at the academy about how you should never trust your enemy. Okay?"
"What if there's something in every scroll that's poisoned and only Wolf knows which one it is?" Mei hissed back, annoyed by Kaori's flippant attitude.
"Do you want him to taste test everything?" Kaori spat in annoyance.
"I'll do it," Wolf said positively from his corner of the room.
"Why?" Mei demanded, trying to look him in the eyes. All she saw was blank darkness through some holes in a porcelain mask.
Wolf shrugged. "Like I said, your deaths are not necessary to my mission. Unless you attempt to kill me before I leave this country, that will not change."
Mei shook her head. "We're at war."
Wolf looked her straight in the eyes. "Do you enjoy killing, Terumi?"
Mei was brought up short by the question. Of course she hated it, she hated it every day. However, the rules at the academy applied on the battlefield as well. If it's her or them, she'd pick herself every time. If there were people trying to kill her, they had to die before they got the chance. She'd never before encountered a ninja from an enemy country who didn't want to kill her on sight. If nothing else it would reduce the Mist's military strength if she were gone, not to mention the bounty her corpse would fetch. The Leaf ninja was a curiosity to be sure.
After exactly four hours of waiting and critically watching to see if Kaori became ill, Mei ate the Leaf rations. She started slowly, working on the crackers and meat that Kaori had opened earlier and only nibbled at. She knew that they were stale, probably months if not years old. She didn't care. It was the most delicious food she'd ever tasted. It was like solid ground under her feet after an exhausting swim. After she'd gorged herself, with four crackers and a piece of meat, they roused Eito so that he could eat. He was relieved when they held out the food to him, apparently not having lied about the ration situation.
Still, the kunoichi remained watchful of their roommate who sat quietly at his end. He'd given them food but he still hadn't slept. They both privately mulled over what they would do when he finally nodded off but this opportunity never came. Mei watched his head nod a couple of times during her watch shift but when she'd adjust her weight his head would snap around and look at her, his white mask shining in the light. The second night he stayed awake the whole night through.
"He can't keep doing this," Mei whispered to Kaori when she woke to find the Leaf ninja still awake. "He can only take so much. Eventually he's going to simply pass out."
"And then?" Kaori asked, afraid of the answer. Despite the fact that they were enemies, Kaori had developed a soft spot for the Leaf ninja. His food had taken away her best friend's hunger pains as well as her own. She couldn't help the way her heart warmed when she thought of that simple action. He'd held out a hand when they'd been in desperate need.
Mei frowned, unsure of what to say. Eito was recovering but Daichi was still unconscious. They couldn't flee quickly but she was reluctant to kill the enemy ninja to keep him from following, or worse, killing them. He'd only spoken of his sensei's ideals, not his own. The porcelain mask on Wolf's face was a constant reminder that he was one of their most dangerous enemies. If we'd been in our full Hunter gear, if he knew what we were, would Wolf have been so lenient?
The third night during Mei's watch it happened. Wolf got up to go to his own corner that he'd designated as the bathroom. Mei turned to watch him come walking back. She'd done it several times before, making sure that he didn't make a run at them. There was no warning. He didn't trip or stumble. Wolf simply fell forward without a sound and landed face-first on the damp stone floor. He didn't move. Mei's eyes popped.
Mei glanced over at her teammates; they were all soundly asleep. Cautiously she crawled forward until she was next to her enemy. She nudged his foot, then hand. When she received no reaction she reached up and carefully put her fingers to his neck and felt for his pulse. She couldn't believe it. There she was, a Mist Hunter with her hand on a Leaf ANBU's bare neck and she was doing nothing but feeling for signs of life! The absurdity of the situation made her want to both laugh and scream.
Wolf's pulse was strong under her fingers, his breathing deep. For the first time Mei looked at him, really looked at Wolf not as a faceless ANBU, but a person. A person who had shared his food with a starving enemy. A person who had a family and friends and a history. A person who chose not to end her own personal history even though it would have been better for his country's war effort and his own personal gain. A person who was now lying completely defenseless before her.
He was kind of skinny, Mei noted suddenly. Then she mentally edited lean in for the word skinny because she could tell he was well muscled, built for speed and assassination. He had pale hair that she'd at first assumed was white or possibly a graying blonde. However, his muscle tone and the skin she could see implied that he wasn't very old, possibly around her age. She smiled sadly. If he'd been in her grade at the academy she would have killed him without a second thought.
Mei stood, decision made. She walked over to where her team was sleeping and began gathering up their things. While she was at it she shook Kaori awake with a free hand. Kaori sat up, blinking at her. "Get up, we're leaving."
Hours later, Leaf ANBU: Wolf awoke on his side, alone, in a stone cave. He started up, panic and adrenalin flooding his system. He looked around but there was no one else to be seen. The Mist ninja were gone and there was a human-sized hole in the wall at the back of the cave. Next to his bedroll, which he'd been sitting against for the past few days, was a note. It simply read, "Wolf, follow our scent."
After considering the note for several minutes and wondering if it was a trap, Wolf summoned his ninja hounds. They all cautiously ventured into the vast system of caverns through the new hole in the cave wall.
Sure enough, the Mist ninja's scent was easy to follow. Pakkun looked back at his master as they followed the trail. "I thought you said these Mist ninja were Hunters?"
Wolf nodded.
Pakkun grunted, "careless of them. There's hair and all sorts of things littering this path. They may as well have put up signs. A pup could follow this."
Wolf grunted but said nothing else, considering Pakkun's words. They continued to be cautious but ran into no traps or obstacles. Eventually their path became very steep and narrow. "You'd better go for now," Wolf said. "I'll call you if I need you. Thanks."
Pakkun grunted and they all vanished in clouds of smoke.
Crawling through the last of the cave, Wolf was greeted by only the afternoon sun and sweet, fresh air. He was further inland in a dense forest. He stepped out into the light, breathing deeply through his two masks. Then Wolf set to work looking around the exit for clues to the whereabouts of the Mist ninja but the trail stopped dead at the exit. They were gone without a trace.
Something about that made Wolf smile but he kept it on the inside. Deciding that searching them out would be fruitless, he took his bearings and headed for the coast. He had a village to return to and a very interesting report to write.
Author's Note #2: Mei and her team were indeed supposed to be intercepting Kakashi's team. The reason she thought they were after two Leaf squads was due to the Mist's intelligence network being screwed up and not due to this chapter's lack of continuity.
Author's Plug: for those of you who don't know, I've started beta-reading for DimiGex's Altered Reality. It's lovely. Go read it if you like Kakashi/Rin pairings or just Kakashi getting thrown into alternate reality nonsense.
