Asuma Junior woke up late to the smell of food cooking. His late night patrol had ended at four A.M. He worked his tongue around his dry mouth and grimaced. As a new jonin he and his team got stuck with more than his fair share of crap missions. He stretched and tried to work the kinks out of his neck. That was how it worked though. As he advanced and got more name recognition, he'd get assigned better missions, and then, if he became in really high demand, he might even be able to pick and choose. He smiled to himself. Who knew, maybe in a couple of years he'd be chosen to lead a team of fresh faced genin from the academy.
He climbed out of his bed and did a quick series of calisthenics to work the soreness from his muscles and to wake himself up a little bit. When he was done he smelled himself and grimaced. He had gone to bed wearing the same clothes that he had worn on his patrol, and as a result, he now smelled pretty ripe. He stripped, showered, changed and went downstairs.
Kurenai greeted him with a huge smile. "Hi there sleepy head! You must be starving!" She slid a huge plate of food in front of him.
Asuma toyed with the idea of making some excuse and heading out the door, but his mother looked at him with such a proud happy grin on her face that he sat down. "You didn't have to do this Mom," he said picking up his chopsticks and trying a bite. "I could have gotten something on the way to pick up my next assignment."
Kurenai shook her head. "Nonsense! Your father was always starving when he came back from a mission, and you're just the same. Some quick, picked up meal from a hot food stall would never be enough." She looked up at him and smiled. "Besides I wanted to make you something special. Something to celebrate your tenth successful mission as a jonin."
Asuma quickly looked down and started shoveling food into his mouth. He couldn't sneak anything past his mother though. She knew him too well. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's nothing Mom. The food is really good. Could I have some tea please?"
Kurenai leaned forward on the table. "What is it?" she asked.
Asuma sighed. "This is my fourteenth mission Mom."
Kurenai smile slipped. "Oh… I must have… Well, all the more reason for us to celebrate now, yes?"
Asuma smiled back at her. "Of course it is." A few days ago, his mother had been on one of her downward swings then and hadn't even bothered to get out of bed.
The food was good. His mother's cheerful mood was even better. He had learned to cherish such moments. He was helping her clear the table and put the dishes in the sink, when he decided to take the opportunity to slip some of his extra pay into the engraved silver box that his mother used as the household cash reserve. He cracked open the lid and slipped an extra five thousand ryo inside. He was bringing the last of the bowls to the counter and congratulating himself on his stealth when his mother turned to him. "I don't need you to pay me rent you know. You're my son. I'm more than happy to let you stay here."
Asuma looked down. "I know Mom... I just... feel better knowing that I'm helping you out in some way."
She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "You are helping me out. Just by staying here." Asuma smiled. "In fact it would help me more if you would agree to take some assignment that would keep you in the village more." She sighed. "I wish you didn't have so many late night patrols. I worry about you so."
Asuma's smile stayed on his face but his eyebrows twitched. Not this conversation again. "It's fine Mom, every jonin has to go through this. In a year or so, I'll have made more of a name for myself and there will be a new crop of jonin so I'll be able to move up the ladder a little."
Kurenai smiled mysteriously and turned back to the sink. "Well, I still have half a mind to have a talk with Hinata. I'll bet that she could convince her husband to say a few words in a few ears. That should get you into some different assignments."
Asuma groaned inside. He knew his mother meant well, but these days she was so far removed from the pressure… so far removed from the jockeying for position, friendly, and yet still cut-throat competition of the Jonin ranks of Konoha. She'd been retired for so long that she really had no idea what it was like anymore. If word ever got around that his mother interceded on his behalf... He'd be done. "Mom it's fine. Really. I don't mind paying my dues." He really hated having to go over this with her every single time. He was going to make a name for himself as a shinobi and no one not even her was going to stop him. "Besides everyone says that the night patrols are good practice for when you start getting assigned to the infiltration and assault missions." He looked up at Kurenai defiantly.
And regretted it. She wouldn't look him in the eye. Her bottom lip was trembling. "I know," she said with a breathy sigh. "I just get so worried about you."
Asuma stepped closer and awkwardly gave his mother a hug. "I know Mom." He gave her a reassuring pat on her hair, and smiled. "Don't worry, everyone says I'm showing great promise. Uncle Konohamaru says I'm ten times the shinobi he was at my age."
Kurenai snorted. "That's because at your age, Konohamaru was only interested in girls."
Asuma gave a small laugh. "He still is Mom." He held his mother by her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Nothing is going to happen to me Mom. You don't have to worry."
Kurenai gave him a look. "Your father used to say the same thing to me before he went out on missions," she said in a cold voice. Asuma cringed.
Kurenai noticed his flinch and gave him a quick hug. "I'm sorry. Don't mind my ramblings, I just... a little bit anxious when you are out on a mission." She squeezed him a little tighter. "You're all I have left." She held him for a second and then quickly pushed him away. "I'm sure that you have much more important things to do that to listen to your old mother." She turned her back on him and busied herself about the sink.
Asuma turned to leave and hesitated. "So… What were you planning on doing today Mom?" He asked with an almost imperceptible quaver. Her answer would help him gauge where her current mood was. It would tell him whether or not she was headed back into a depression again.
"Oh, I don't know," she answered cheerfully. "There were some things that I wanted to pick up at the market. After that I thought I might stop by the Hatake house, see if Anko wanted to do anything.
Asuma held in his sigh of relief. "I'll be headed through the Emporium plaza today… Would it help if you gave me a shopping list?"
Kurenai shook her head. "Oh no. It's fine. I'd like to get some air."
Asuma smiled. Great news, she wanted to get out. "Okay. Bye Mom! I'll see you tonight." Kurenai gave him a little wave as he walked out the door.
Asuma exhaled and rolled his head to ease some of the tension out of his shoulders. As he had gotten older his mother had gotten gradually worse. When he was little, his mother had been 'super-mom'. In a way she had to be. She had to do missions and take care of him. It seemed like she was capable of anything. But now, here he was, at nineteen years of age, a jonin, a man.
It wasn't too hard for him to figure out that his mother was just counting down the seconds until he left her as well. He often found her trying to convince him to stay in little ways. She would try to be extra helpful, try to show him how easier his life would be if he would just bide his time and stay at home a little bit longer.
The worst part was, Kurenai always realized what she was unconsciously doing after the fact, and she managed to embarrass herself almost as much as she was embarrassing Asuma Jr.
Asuma took a deep breath and stared down at his boots as he walked. He often walked around the village, lost in thought, and he never worried about accidentally walking into someone. He was a big man, like his father had been. People instinctively got out of his way.
His Father…As usual, he thought about his childhood, and wondered how it might have been different if his father was still around.
Asuma Jr. hadn't had a bad childhood. It was just… different. Whereas most of his peers had two parents, he had many.
He had heard the stories from his mother. Neither the Sarutobi nor the Yuhi clan were that enthusiastic with the proposed marriage between his father and mother. The clans were both hoping for different pairings to solidify other alliances. There was just one little problem.
Kurenai was two months pregnant
Well! Neither clan was about to let that sort of scandal occur. So both Asuma Sr. and Kurenai found to their delight to be entered into a marriage contract and engaged to each other post haste.
Only Asuma Sr. never came back alive from his mission.
Both clans were very comfortable ignoring that little issue. "There will be no illegitimacies in our clan!" one of the elders in the Yuhi clan declared. However once that was all settled, everyone seemed more than content in ignoring Kurenai and him.
Thankfully it didn't matter much. His mother still had her position as one of the premier genjutsu users in Konoha, so her continued employment, and therefore money, wasn't that big an issue. Whenever she was away, little Asuma Jr. found himself with offers from any number of other families to come and stay with them for a while. The Nara's, The Akimichi's, the Uzumaki-Hyuga, the Hatake's, the Inuzuka, the Aburame. His mother and father had a lot of friends. There were a lot of shinobi they had worked with over the years and each of those families felt some sort of bond with little Asuma.
Except… Asuma found as he grew older, he wanted more of that clan contact. He had a surname. Sarutobi. But what did that mean? He could read the history books as well as anyone else. He had heard the stories of his father and grandfather from their friends and students, but what was the rest of his clan like? What were their lessons? Their rules? Their secret teachings?
When he was alive, Asuma Sarutobi Sr. was considered the 'black sheep' of the clan. He was boisterous and loud while they were reserved, physical where they were studious. It was no wonder that he and the clan had gone their separate ways.
It was no wonder that as he grew up, Asuma Jr. found himself gravitating more and more to the man many referred to as the 'new black sheep' of the Sarutobi clan.
Asuma politely knocked on the door and waited. He glanced down idly at the two sets of boots strewn casually by the entryway and shook his head in puritan disapproval. He whistled a quick tune as he counted down the seconds, and then he knocked a second time, louder than the first. A few minutes after the second knock the door slowly creaked open and Konohamaru leaned outside.
He squinted at the bright sunlight for a second. He ran some fingers through his mussed up hair and then focused on Asuma. "Hey!" he said with a goofy grin, "Asuma! What can I do for you?" He opened the door wide.
Asuma cleared his throat nervously and tried to resist the temptation to look inside his much older cousin's apartment. He failed. He made a quick note of the various articles of clothing making a trail into the bedroom. "You wanted me to get you for the jonin meeting at 2 P.M.?"
Konohamaru frowned groggily at him. "You're a little bit early aren't you?"
Asuma sighed and shook his head. He held out his arm and pointed to his wristwatch. 1:40 P.M.
Konohamaru's eyes snapped open. "Crap!" He dashed back into his apartment scrambling into his bedroom. "Sorry Honey," he said sweetly to someone who murmured a question. "I've got an important meeting I just have to get to. I really hate to do this to you but can you just let yourself out? Thanks." He spun around and dashed into the bathroom. A fraction of a second later the sink was running as he splashed himself with water and brushed his teeth.
Asuma heard movement in the bedroom. He turned and quickly pretended to be studying something on the other side of the street. The bedroom door opened and shut and then there was the padding of footsteps.
"Oh! Hello," said a surprised sultry voice. "Are you Konohamaru's roommate?"
Asuma turned trying to hide his embarrassment. A hastily dressed, very buxom kunoichi from the Hidden Stone village was looking him up and down. "I'm, uh, actually his cousin," he said, swallowing. "Sorry to... um... bother the pair of you but we… um... have a mandatory jonin meeting at two."
The kunoichi shook out her long brown hair and gave him a winning smile. "I don't mind one bit," she said, eyeing him up and down. "The men sure are handsome in your family." She leaned forward. Asuma very carefully studied her face and made sure he did not once look at her exposed cleavage. "You tell Konohamaru that I had a wonderful time," she purred, prodding him with one finger. "You tell him that I will gladly meet up with him the next time he comes to visit the Hidden Stone village, okay?" She winked once at Asuma and vanished out the door.
The water stopped running and Konohamaru hoped out. He was struggling to get out of his old boxers and into some clean ones and yet somehow he still managed to sprint into the bedroom. "Gods kid! Next time," he called out to Asuma as he scrambled to get dressed. "The next time I'm running this late, don't even bother to knock, just come right in and get me!"
Asuma grunted in a polite way. He had barged in on his 'Uncle' once. Konohamaru had been entertaining a female guest whose tastes ran to the… exotic. Asuma wished he could have scrubbed his eyeballs afterwards. Never again would he just barge in.
Konohamaru appeared from the bedroom fully dressed, hair combed, with his trademark blue scarf and easy smile in place. He nodded once to his nephew and then sauntered out into the street. Asuma sighed, pulled the door shut for him and followed.
They walked side by side for a bit. Konohamaru would smile and nod at each woman who crossed his path. Some of them gave him cold stares, some of them smiled back, but he greeted and tried to chat up each one as if she was a long lost friend.
"So," he said, as they turned onto a less crowded street. "What did you think of her? She was really something wasn't she?" Asuma shrugged. Konohamaru smiled dreamily and continued. "We were like ships crossing in the night. She was here for one day, dropping off some diplomatic nonsense to the Hokage's office. I offered to show her around. A night of dancing, a few drinks and presto!" He waggled his fingers at his younger cousin and grinned. "A night filled with magic. But now..." Konohamaru sighed. "We go our separate ways… I wonder if we'll ever meet again," he said downhearted.
"Passing not crossing," said Asuma.
"Huh?" asked Konohamaru.
"The phrase is 'ships passing in the night.' Not crossing."
Konohamaru dismissed this with a single wave. "Whatever. It doesn't matter." He stretched and grinned wide. "I will say this though... that Hidden Stone kunoichi gave a great…"
"STOP!" yelped Asuma. He held up one hand. "Do not finish that sentence Uncle. I do not want to know anything about what you did, or did not do last night."
Konohamaru looked hurt. "What? I was going to say she gives a great backrub. I can say backrub can't I? That won't offend your tender sensibilities.. will it?"
Asuma gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes... It's okay for you to talk about backrubs."
Konohamaru nodded. "Good, because hers were amazing. First she used one hand down low while the other one massaged and squeezed me just behind my head. Then she used both hands to stroke me up and down. Finally she started to work me really hard down at the base, and just when I thought I couldn't take it any more she…"
"Okay, stop," said Asuma coldly. "I don't want to hear anymore."
"What?" asked Konohamaru his face a mask of pure innocence. "I'm only talking about a backrub. Anything dirty you're inferring here is coming out of your perverted little mind, not mine." Asuma grumbled something incoherent in reply. "Besides," said Konohamaru grinning, going for one last little jab. "that's just me describing her backrubs… Imagine what she was like in bed!"
Asuma made a disgusted noise as Konohamaru sighed happily. "Ah, she's the girl of my dreams," he crowed.
Asuma slowed his pace and looked at him sideways. "She's the girl of your dreams? What happened to Kumiko from the Hidden Sand?"
Konohamaru shrugged. "Well, you know what they say, what happens in Suna stays in Suna."
Asuma kept up his stare. "Wasn't there also Asuka from the Hidden Rain Village?"
Konohamaru gave a wistful smile. "Ahh… When it was cold and wet outside she was always willing to take me somewhere warm and cozy… And believe me, in Amegakure it is always cold and rainy," he said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Asuma's frown deepened, but he forced himself to press on. "Wasn't Umeko from the Hidden Cloud also supposed to be the girl of your dreams?"
Konohamaru shuffled through a little dance step as he walked. "Mmm.. She was electric on the dance floor and off."
Asuma sighed and rubbed his face. "Not to mention all those fine kunoichi from the Hidden Leaf who are all vying for your attention?"
Konohamaru shrugged. "I guess it just means I have really big dreams. Besides, can I help it if I'm so popular with the ladies?"
It was true. He was lean, handsome, a superb shinobi, and was also recognized (somewhat reluctantly, by the Sarutobi clan elders) as a member of one of the great clans of Konoha. He had an easy smile, a cheerful demeanor, and most importantly of all, a very laid back, casual attitude towards dating and relationships in general.
In a uptight village like the Hidden Leaf, where most of the village elders still treated asking someone out for ramen like the couple was moving in together, he was a breath of fresh air. He was the definition of cool. If you didn't want to go out with him, he'd smile and shrug, "Hey, that's okay." When you were out with him, there were no expectations. He just wanted to have fun and enjoy the evening with you. If you wanted to end the evening with a handshake, he'd smile and shrug, "Hey, that's okay." If you wanted to end the evening with an enthusiastic snog fest on your parent's front porch, well that was okay too. As the rumors began to spread, more often than not it was the kunoichi who were seeking out Konohamaru.
As Konohamaru entered his twenties, he began to acquire a bit of a 'bad boy' image amongst the elders of the various clans. This only served to capture the imaginations of many women. In a time when young women expected to have more of a personal say in their marriage prospects, (That is, it was a time when many young kunoichi of a marriageable age found themselves saying: "If the Hokage's wife can beat the living snot out of her father to be with the man she wants, why can't I?") many were overjoyed to hear the name of the darkly handsome, swaggering Konohamaru Sarutobi bandied about as one of their options. Several of the lesser houses were so glad to find a potential match that both they and the aforementioned young lady could agree on, (It was also a time when many clan elders found themselves making careful, albeit nervous note of what was referred to as: 'The Uzumaki-Hyuga marriage incident' and the length of time it took Hiashi Hyuga to recover from his injuries.) that they were practically throwing their eligible daughters at him. If all that wasn't enough, his growing reputation as the Don Juan of Konoha had piqued the interest of several of the more adventurous kunoichi from other lands.
There was even a rumor that the Lady of the Land of Flowers had approached the Sarutobi clan, tentatively asking about Konohamaru as a match for her eldest daughter. After all Konohamaru was the presumed successor to the Sixth Hokage. 'Presumed' mostly because Naruto-sama was getting so tired of the sheer number of complaints he was hearing from upset lords, clan heads, and elders that he was trying to browbeat Konohamaru into changing his public image.
Strangely enough, despite all the grumbling and disapproval from the older generation, none of the women he dated seemed to complain.
Now in his thirties, it was becoming clear that Konohamaru didn't really view dating as a means to an end. While some women gave up on him, others viewed this as a challenge and pursued him all the harder. Still others just sat back and enjoyed the ride, so to speak.
Six months ago, Konohamaru was sent on a goodwill visit to the Hidden Mist Village. He returned a week later all smiles and beaming over the wonderful time he had. His return was immediately followed by a particularly long letter complaining about his lack of restraint and decorum, and and several even longer love letters from various noble's daughters, that were hand delivered by an extremely upset and embarrassed ambassador of the Hidden Mist Village. It was said that the Sixth Hokage had read the letter and then had stood up in the middle of the council meeting and had publicly stated on the record: "Look Konohamaru, I'm not going to name you my successor until you clean up your act. I mean what the hell? You're thirty-two years old! Isn't it time you settled down? Or at least tried to date one woman at a time?"
Konohamaru had just grinned at him. "I always date one woman at a time these days Boss! Experience has shown me that if there's more than one involved, neither one of those lucky ladies gets the full effect that is Konohamaru Sarutobi!" He then proceeded to spend the rest of the meeting chatting up the Hidden Mist ambassador's aide. To everyone's chagrin, she went out with him that night.
Konohamaru smiled and gave Asuma a nudge. "So… something's got your undies all twisted up this morning. You usually could care less about who I'm seeing." He gave Asuma a sly grin. "Has someone set you up to give me the usual talk about settling down? It's Naruto-nichan again isn't it?" He studied Asuma for a second and his smile faded. "No… That's not it." He scratched his chin. "I don't think it has anything to do with me at all…"
Asuma shook his head. "It's nothing. I'll deal with it."
Konohamaru slapped him on the back. "If it was 'nothing', you wouldn't have to deal with it." He flashed a quick smile. "Seriously kid, what's bothering you. Is your Mom okay?"
Asuma smiled. "Mom's fine… It's just that…" He hesitated and looked at his cousin twelve years older than he was. Old enough that when they were little, Asuma always called him 'Uncle Konohamaru'. The nickname had stuck. "Well, I guess it is kind of about my mom," he confessed.
One of the things Asuma liked about Konohamaru was that he always knew when to tease and when not to tease. His face was serious as he nodded. "Go on."
Asuma took a deep breath and steadied himself. "I'm nineteen years old, I'm a jonin and I still live at home. I have my mom making my breakfast in the morning and doing my laundry." He sighed heavily. "Be honest Uncle... Is there something wrong with me?"
Konohamaru shrugged. "Do you want to live at home?"
"Well… I… That's…" stammered Asuma.
Konohamaru nodded again. "I know kid. You're kind of a weird situation. It's okay at home, and you feel like your mom needs you but at the same time you want your space." He sighed. "You know what the worst part about being young is? You always feel like you're falling behind everyone else." He glanced up at Asuma. "But do you know what? In this life, there is only one person that you are competing against. Do you know who that is?" Asuma shook his head. "Yourself. That is the only you have to beat." He smiled and began walking again. "You if you feel like you have to stay… Stay. If it's time to go, then don't let anyone else keep you there."
Asuma looked down. "Yeah but my mom…"
"Your mom loves you. For twenty years now she's been taking care of your sorry ass," Konohamaru said, grinning. "I'm sure that it's about time for her to have a break."
Asuma closed his eyes. "The last time she got depressed she stayed in bed for three days," he mumbled. "She's been getting worse. She needs me to take care of her."
Konohamaru shook his head. "Nope, that's not your job. If she's getting worse, it's your job to take her to the medical-nin. It's the doctor's job to make her better."
Asuma kicked at the street as he walked. "But what if she needs me and there's no one there to help?"
Konohamaru flung out one arm to stop him. "Oh, that's a different story... if your mom needs help, I expect you'll be there to help her. Just because you want your own space doesn't mean you're moving to the moon! You can still be her son and have your own life too. He smiled and gave Asuma a little pat. "In fact as of right now, I order you to help your mom when she needs it. If you didn't… We'd have to have a long painful talk," he said cracking his knuckles.
Asuma smiled a little. "What if I'm not ready to leave yet?"
Konohamaru started walking yet again. "If you're not ready, then you're not ready, and don't let anyone, especially not some jerk-off ,know-it-all like me tell you otherwise." He gave Asuma a smirk. "When the time is right and the stars align… Believe me you'll know."
They walked in silence while Asuma mulled his 'Uncle's' advice over. The road got busier and busier as they approached the Emporium. The street frontage changed from houses to small businesses to large stores. Asuma idly wondered what it would exactly be like to be out on his own. The shinobi life meant that many children had to grow up quick if they wanted to grow up at all. All of his teammates and most of his colleagues were living on their own. Some were even married and starting families of their own.
His thoughts burst like a soap bubble as Konohamaru nudged him. "Hey," his older cousin asked him in a conspiratorial tone, "as that charming young lady was saying her goodbyes and leaving my apartment this morning, she… um... didn't happen to talk to you did she?"
Asuma rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes, she said if you were ever in the Hidden Stone Village that she'd like to see you again."
Konohamaru's face broke into a grin. "Hey that's great!" He paused. "Did she happen to say anything else?"
Asuma shook his head. "No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Absolutely sure?"
Asuma gave Konohamaru a very suspicious glance. "Why do you keep asking?"
Konohamaru sighed. "Well, I was kind of hoping... she might have introduced herself to you... or something."
Asuma shook his head. "Nope, she didn't mention it." He took three steps and then froze as the realization hit him. "Wait… Are you saying you didn't even know her name?" he asked incredulously.
Konohamaru looked away bashfully. "I know she told it to me at the beginning of the night. I'm pretty sure it began with an 'M' sound."
"You don't know her name," stated Asuma flatly.
"It was Michiko, I think. Or maybe Mia?" Konohamaru screwed up his face in thought. "Mookie?"
"I can't believe this. A minute ago you were telling me she was the girl of your dreams!"
Konohamaru gave him an affronted look. "Hey a lot happened since we introduced ourselves, okay? Drinks, dinner, dancing... more drinks." he waggled his fingers. "Various recreational activities…"
Asuma shook his head disgustedly. "How can you insist these relationships you're having are meaningful if you can't even remember her name?"
Konohamaru smirked evilly. "Well, I know for a fact that she remembered my name. She screamed it out last night at least four times."
Asuma was trying to think up the best way to admonish his Uncle for that last statement, when a voice called out over the hubbub of the marketplace in full swing. "Sarutobi-san!" it rang out.
Both Asuma and Konohamaru turned to look. Asuma stiffened as a cold shiver passed through him. Most ninja get very uncomfortable when hailed by name by the ANBU. She stood there glaring at the pair of them from behind her ceramic wolf mask.
Konohamaru grinned. "Now there's a name I won't forget any time soon," he murmured under his breath. "Ookami!" he said with a wave. "How have you been? It's been far too long."
The ANBU stared at him so intently that Asuma involuntarily took a step away from his cousin as not to be caught in any retribution. The ANBU took another step nearer "Konohamaru-san. There's an emergency meeting of the Hokage's council in a hour. You have been ordered to attend."
Konohamaru smiled dreamily at her. "An hour huh? Perfect! Since it looks like I'll have to skip the jonin meeting, I have some free time now. However shall we spend it? Can I treat you to lunch?"
The wolf mask tilted to one side. "Maybe you should spend it looking for your lady friend from the Hidden Stone Village? She's only now just leaving by the western gate."
"You're keeping tabs on me? I didn't know you cared!" Konohamaru asked gleefully.
Asuma could feel the wave of anger coming off the kunoichi. "It's part of my job to take note of all foreign shinobi within our village. What you choose to do with Midori Seikon in your free time is your business." She unclenched her fist and turned her back on them. "The Hokage himself asked me to find you and make absolutely sure you understood that you were required to attend this meeting. It is about a matter of dire importance." She vanished in a puff of smoke.
Asuma sidled back to his grinning cousin. "Uncle," he asked very quietly, "Who was that?"
"That, my boy, was the dream girl to end all dream girls."
"She sounded like she wanted to rip off your head."
Konohamaru shrugged. "Eh… It's just a game we play."
Asuma had seen firsthand some of the 'games' his Uncle played, but the kunoichi's unbridled animosity had felt… personal. "Do you… know her well?" Asuma asked hesitantly.
"We met during the Kurokaze attack. I've seen her about here and there." Konohamaru sighed. "She's beautiful, dark, mysterious and deadly. A wonderful combination."
"You saw her without her mask?" whispered Asuma.
Konohamaru nodded. "Once."
Asuma looked at his cousin again. "Did you ever… Date?"
Konohamaru smiled. "No… And that's the best part of her appeal. She rebuffs my every advance. She blocks me at every turn." He got a dreamy look in his eyes. "She's the tallest mountain, the holy grail, the unreachable star…" He sighed and started walking.
Asuma had to walk fast to catch up to him as he headed through the Emporium. "So what are you going to do now? Go find Midori?"
Konohamaru smiled and shook his head. "Naw…there's no rush. Thanks to Ookami, I can look her up the next time Naruto-nichan sends me to the Hidden Stone." He smiled at Asuma. "Well… I have an hour, and I smell. So right now, I'm going to take a bath." He smiled and smacked Asuma on the shoulder. "Sorry kid… Looks like your have to face the big bad jonin meeting without me." He stopped at the entrance to the bath house. "Later," he said waving, and walked inside.
Asuma turned away and started walked across the Emporium to get to the briefing building up near the Hokage Plaza. As he was crossing he noticed most of the crowds were surreptitiously watching a young teenage boy approaching a girl by the fountain. He was very hesitant, taking a few steps forward and then back. Asuma spotted a chunin in the crowd and sauntered up to him. "What's going on?" he asked quietly.
The chunin smirked but never took his eyes off the boy. "The Uchiha kid is going to try to ask out Neji Hyuga's daughter again! Everyone's waiting to see how he's going to mess it up this time!"
Asuma frowned at the silhouette of the Uchiha boy and felt a pulse of raw anger flow through him. He turned his back and hurried away so as not to be late to the jonin meeting. As he ran, he muttered a curse for the boy and his whole family.
