Chapter 7
Anomie didn't go near the red light district after that. She didn't know if she could come back from that place again, and she was afraid of what would happen to her if she did. She feared the enviable fate of not going back just as strongly as going back. In Kemuri, Oiran were known to be dragged back and beaten for escape attempts. Kino no Hashi was one such girl who escaped one to many times and when the higher ups finally found her, she was pregnant with a child and died during the abortion.
She doubted after the Hokage's 'generous' donation to the Yūkaku house of Konoha, however, that they would go looking for her. All she could think about was getting better. She wasn't allowed to visit Rin or anyone as her abilities got unstable as days past. The Hokage said it was for the best in the mean time, and while she understood, she didn't enjoy it.
"Monkey," she greeted, and the Anbu sighed at the slightly offensive tone in the young girl's comment. 'Monkey' began to regret his mask, as being called Bird or Fox would have been less demeaning than all the rather witty jokes the white haired girl was able to come up with.
"Don't call me that," the Anbu ordered, watching as the girl shrugged.
"What's your real name then?" She asked, and saw the Anbu member visibly stiffen.
"..." He didn't answer, slightly surprised that after a month, the girl never cared enough to ask his name. He was starting to believe he could get through the training without ever telling her.
"Is it against the rules?" She asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.
"...Saru."
For the first time in all their meetings, Saru saw the girl laugh. It was childish and feminine, coming out in a mocking tone that caused her shoulders to visibly shake.
It wasn't every day that you met an Anbu member whose name matched the mask. Obviously, Saru wasn't pleased as his fist collided with her stomach, shoving her back before she had time to defend.
"Your stance is weak. Spread your feet apart and get lower to the ground," Saru stated as he made a bored, almost lazy, stance and waited for her to regain her breath.
"Yes, Saru-sama," she hid it well, but he could still see the mockery in her eyes. He attempted to control his annoyance, as he felt her Chakra surge. In a mere moment she raced towards him, her leg rising to kick his face. He grabbed her by the calf and spun her around, causing her body to slam into the wall, where the Third Hokage could no doubt hear. Said leader had allowed them to train in his own training ground, just in case he needed to...intervene.
Anomie's fighting abilities were weak, but her Kekkei Genkai was destructive and could effectively kill without warning if she accidentally lost control of it.
But Saru wasn't particularly afraid of the girl whose punches felt weaker than even the average Genin.
"Do you want to take a break?" Saru asked, watching as the girl had trouble standing up after the toss. She dealt with pain surprisingly well, but she obviously wasn't used to it on such a level.
She wiped the bit of blood that had begun to drip from her cracked lips before her Chakra surged in her body, so strong that Saru could almost taste it. Her speed increased for a mere moment, making his eyes slightly widen as he avoided her swift punch, making it hit the wall behind him and crack under the pressure of her fist.
She slowly removed her hand, with small difficulty and cradled it into her chest as she stared at the indent it had caused with a small murmur of, "ow."
"You surprised me," Saru commented and she glanced towards the Monkey, dropping her bloody fist to her side.
"I don't need a break," she stated simply, and he noticed her fists were slightly clenched at her side.
"Is there a reason you are trying to rush your training?" He asked slowly and saw her bite her lip, hard enough to draw blood.
"My friend's teammate died...I am not allowed to see her until..." She trailed off, obviously too proud to say anything more. Saru frowned from beneath his mask, but nodded nonetheless.
"Alright. If you think you can handle the strain on your body...I'll push you," he agreed and she glanced his way, her eyes hardening until he couldn't see the previous emotion she had released just moments ago. It was as if her expression evaporated and all that was left was pure...nothing.
"Push ahead, monkey," she commented, and he frowned. There it is. "If I manage to hit you, can I get a reward?"
"Whatever," he sighed, and dodged her attack effortlessly. He immediately noticed that despite his instructions, she had a very elegant way of fighting. Although, it relied too much of grace, making her strength wean.
It almost looked like dancing.
He supposed it wasn't wrong; she just needed to improve her strength to get it perfect. It helped that she never needed to be told something twice, and had to respect that way her body memorized everything perfectly.
The potential was there; she just needed a strong impact on her attacks.
He supposed that was why he was chosen.
His knee slammed into her stomach, slamming her back into the ceiling. She lingered for a moment, and he noticed her Chakra had physically stuck her there before it let her go and she fell back down. She back flipped and landed on her feet the moment she fell before wrapping her arms around her stomach in pain. It was rather comical in a sad sort of way, and Saru was slightly amused at her pained expression.
"What do I win?" He asked, earning a scowl to head his way.
"I'll get you bananas next time I see you," she muttered, forcing her arms to her side as she stood up straight.
He couldn't even say anything to that because, damn it, he liked bananas.
"Again?" He asked, and watched carefully as her stomach began to turn into smoke. She was wearing a tube top with mesh underneath, so it looked rather strange to see her body a quarter transparent just underneath the mesh.
She looked to be in less pain, and as her form regained its shape, the dark bruise that would have formed, vanished.
His eyes widened as she rushed at him, her body spinning to kick his chest. His form flickered behind her and shoved her forward, expecting her to fall on her face. Instead, she regained her footing and flipped forward, kicking his chest just before she landed on her feet.
"My prize?" She stated, practically feeling his shift in mood go from monotone to annoyed.
He sighed, slowly nodding. "What do you want?"
She pursed her lips, as if she was thinking, which he highly doubted as she tended pick her prize far before even making a deal. Saru was slightly annoyed that her reflexes got the better of him, but a promise was a promise.
"I want to see Rin," she said slowly, and his shoulders visibly tensed.
"Dangerous."
"I've gotten better. And you'll be there if anything happens." She retorted, and he sighed.
"I have to go too..." he muttered, not seeing the amusement in watching over two girls catch up.
"I can barely go to the bathroom by myself," she said with a small shrug, not putting much emotion behind her words.
"You're not ready," he said simply, watching as her once softening expression harden.
"I suppose you know best," she said smoothly.
He didn't comment, even if her slightly defeated gaze made him guilty. He refused to let some child guilt him into anything. He was stronger than that. He'd been in Anbu for six years. He was Hyūga fucking Saru.
»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««
"Rin," Anomie greeted while Saru sighed, defeated, on the rooftops.
The streets weren't very crowded, especially after the latest attack so close to Konoha, causing almost everyone to inside their homes. This calmed Anomie down a great bit, as she caught up to Rin, who was currently walking back to her house. She almost immediately noticed the bags under Rin's eyes and the tiny lack of life that she had the last time they talked.
"An-chan," Rin's lips raised in a smile, the life slowly springing back to a shadow of what Anomie had seen before. Rin's arm motioned for a hug, but those outstretched arms slowly dropped when Anomie stood still. Rin's smile slightly disappeared, but a tug of it still remained in an almost sheepish mood. "I heard what happened."
"So did I," Anomie said, a part of her wanting to go for that hug. But she knew she was unstable and she didn't want to hurt Rin, so that thought kept her arms clenched to her side.
"I was going to visit the memorial statue, do you want to come?" Rin asked, her voice coming out awkward.
"Are you sure?" Anomie tried to look calm, but a part of her wondered if Rin would have been upset with her. Rin's expression slightly brightened, and made no hesitation to grab Anomie's hand. For a moment, the Anomie's feared that her body would lose shape and attack, but nothing happened as Rin gently tugged her to follow.
"I missed you," Rin admitted, after a moment of silence as the two girls walked hand in hand down the dirt path. Anomie wasn't certain what to say in return and she mostly worked to calm her Chakra from doing something stupid.
But that stupid something never happened, and they made it safely to the memorial stone where names scattered, neatly carved.
Anomie didn't really know Obito well, but her eyes found his name almost immediately while Rin gently set down a bit of flowers that Anomie hadn't noticed she had. They were the same color as the flower she had given Rin, so long ago, and Anomie found herself smiling at the memory, wondering if it was still there, striving and feeding off Rin's Chakra.
"Was it painful?" Anomie asked, and Rin's shoulders froze. She had only heard that the boy had died, but no one told her how or why. She figured, albeit a bit late, that asking Rin this was pushing it, but tact had never been Anomie's strong point.
"He..." Rin's shoulders shook, but before the girl could cry those tears stilled by pure power of will. "He was a hero. The Hokage in the end...he was smiling..."
Anomie couldn't say anything to that, and a part of her wanted to cry as she remembered the boy's smile, grinning with his goggles on his forehead. No tears came, and her palm hovered over Rin's back, but the moment she noticed her hand start to lose its shape, she dropped it to her side.
She felt the Chakra of Saru, slightly surge, signifying for her to hurry up.
"I have to go," Anomie stated and Rin's eyes connected her hers.
"Will you be away long?" Rin asked, her lips quirking into a small smile. Anomie had no definite answer, as her shoulders tensed. "Will you be okay?"
"I think I will."
"I'm not surprised. You are pretty strong. When you turn into a strong ninja, let's spend a day together, like old times."
"In the mean time...don't be reckless," Anomie ordered, and Rin smiled.
"I have Kakashi still. We make a good team."
That didn't stop Obito's death. Anomie wanted to say it, but figured the timing was wrong so she merely settled for nodding.
"An-chan," Rin's voice was soft, and her smile was bright. "You look happier. I suppose before...you always looked troubled, but now you look...I don't know...free."
Anomie found her gaze softening before she slowly nodded. "I suppose I am." She couldn't say much more, as it felt like a small insult to Obito's memory so she settled for a smile. It came out awkward, as Anomie wasn't used to it. Rin's arms wrapped around the girl, so suddenly that Anomie almost feared that something bad was going to happen, but nothing changed and her body remained in tact.
"I'll see you soon, and then things will go back how it used to be," Rin promised, and Anomie slowly nodded, dropping one arm returning the hug.
By the time Anomie started heading back, Rin was still by the stone, talking animatedly like Obito could hear. Who knows, maybe somewhere, somehow, he could and Anomie was certain that the love struck boy was focusing on every sound. It was a little sad that Rin never got to hear his confession, but she supposed, in a way it was for the best.
Just as she reached the edge of the clearing, she her eyes connected with white fluffy hair and a familiar blue mask. Kakashi's gaze was a bit more stoic than usual, and it was strange to see one eye covered by his headband.
His eye widened slightly at her presence, and she nearly found herself asking if his other eye was okay. She stopped herself and kept walking until she was in front of him.
"Rin's up ahead," she stated simply, and she decided to ignore the eye and not ask about it.
He nodded, and the silence got quite awkward, but surely not as awkward as it could have been if she had ignored him entirely. A part of her began to wish she had as the annoyance spiked from within her. She was usually pretty charming and could make conversation out of anything, but being face with Kakashi's abnormally stoic expression, she was at a complete loss. On one hand, she could act like they weren't at a gravesite and make a crack at his hair or something stupid. Either that, or she could ask how he was doing with the death of his comrade.
She didn't like either option so she settled with plan C, waiting for him to speak.
She was relieved when he did, but it wasn't really a conversation that she was ready to explain.
"Your Chakra is..." He murmured, he didn't look particularly surprised; in fact, he didn't look much of anything really.
What could she say? Yeah, turns out I have a Kekkei Genkai that can actually kill people if I throw a hissy fit. How's your eye?
"I'm going to be a Shinobi," was all she said, and found that all her comments that were about to come to voice were incredibly offensive. She settled with a gentle, sort of forced smile. "I hope to get as good as rumors say you are."
She felt relieved when she saw his gaze get a glint of that familiar arrogance. "Don't get your hopes up."
She scoffed, practically feeling Saru's impatience. Poor little monkey. "Have you read the book I gave you?" She asked with a sly smile as she leaned back and forth from her heels to toes in an almost childish manner. It was probably too childish an action for when one is talking about porn.
Kakashi's face was unamused, "I threw it out."
She let out a show of mock hurt, "Come on, Kaka-kun, you didn't even give it a chance? I picked it out with you in mind."
He raised a single eyebrow, or both, she couldn't actually tell. The silence was slightly peaceful this time, and he was rather thankful she didn't bring up Obito. He didn't actually want to talk about it and would probably wait until Rin left the KIA stone until he paid his visit. She probably knew that, considering her warning on Rin's presence.
"Well, it's not like you really needed any other gift. You're so hard to please," she complained, although he could tell she wasn't serious. "Do you even have hobbies?"
"I do," he didn't mean the comment to come out offended, but it did because he was offended.
"Oh?" She didn't bother asking what they were, on the grounds that she didn't really care that much. "Well, you need better ones." She wanted to tap him on his shoulder, but thought better of it and settled for crossing her arms and making small talk. Partly it was because it would piss off the monkey in the trees, and partly it was because talking to Kakashi made her feel slightly giddy, in a annoying, agonizing way. "Because you're so high strung. Do you ever have fun?"
"Do you?" He didn't mean it to come as a snap, but it did. He searched her face and found that it hadn't changed, which was slightly annoying as offending her was still just as difficult as before.
"I'm having fun right now," she answered honestly, her tone blunt and causing him to scowl. She couldn't see the scowl, but she saw a tiny movement underneath his mask that made her imagine it was there.
"Shut up," he all but grumbled, feeling to see if Rin's Chakra was still in the area.
"Kakashi," he looked up at her sudden shift in tone, coming out oddly serious. "For future missions, make sure Rin doesn't do anything...stupid."
He could tell what she meant, but he didn't reply. He was unsure how to reply and the meaning of her request felt oddly nostalgic and reminded him of the crushing rocks and broken smile of Obito's last request. Protect Rin.
It seemed liked the weight of the burden crashed down on his shoulders and Anomie's eyes narrowed as she saw him stack the weight himself. "She'll have your back too, you know...keep you from doing anything reckless. If bad things happen, unless you are the instigator, it won't be your fault." Anomie's sigh caught him off guard as she took a step closer, careful not to touch. "So find a hobby that makes you smile, whether that be reading porn," he frowned. "Or getting something to eat. I've always found that taking a moment out of a day to treat yourself is what you're supposed to fight for in the end. Unless you fight just to fight for the fun of it or fight for your friends. Whatever."
The way her eyes stared into his made his shoulders to stiffen, although he quickly frowned to stop the movement as he met her gaze once more. "Something tells me you take too much time for yourself."
He wasn't expecting her to laugh, but she did. He hadn't heard her laugh very often, as usually she always had a sly smile or an annoying smirk, but her laugh wasn't so bad. She skipped next him, tempted to shove him in the shoulder but didn't as she walked past him, turning around to smile in his direction while he looked over his shoulder. "Maybe I didn't in the past, but I will now. Stay safe, Kakashi."
He watched her turn around and continue walking away. Her parting words made him slightly freeze, as he hadn't heard it in more than a month. He had grown used to her seeing the team off at the gate and wishing their safety, so hearing it again made him feel oddly relaxed in a strange way.
He didn't linger on it as he sensed for Rin's Chakra, finding it nowhere in sight.
Wasting no more time, he quickened his steps until he could kneel down next to the stone where Obito's name dwelled. Next to it was a fresh vase of white flowers, swarming with the residue of Rin's Chakra. It was oddly comforting.
"I suppose I'm late." He whispered, pressing his hand against Obito's name.
»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««
"You took forever," came the Monkey's voice as he dropped down from the trees. He didn't sound pleased, but gave up when he saw Anomie's uncaring expression.
"Thank you," and even though she didn't sound sincere, Saru could vaguely tell that she was.
"I promised just Rin," Saru reminded, and heard Anomie's slight scoff.
"I'll get you a banana later."
"If I don't get a fucking banana this time..." he muttered under his breath, too proud to let her hear him. He didn't want to deal with anymore of her comments.
»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««
Anomie let out a wheeze as she dropped to her knees, for the eighth time she got kicked in the stomach and she still hadn't built immunity to it. She wasn't sure why Saru couldn't aim anywhere else, like maybe break her arm or something. At least that way, she wouldn't have to force herself to keep from vomiting.
Saru didn't look particularly unchanged or out of breath, even though she was panting her ass off. When she heard that she had exceptional stamina, she had thought that meant she wouldn't pant or get very, well, tired. At least not so soon, but she had never practiced Taijutsu in her life, and its strain wasn't similar to...other activities.
She also wasn't used to feeling particularly violent, but the urge to punch the monkey mask off Saru's face didn't disappear. It was odd, and the emotion made her puff into smoke for a mere moment before her form returned. Sadly, the damage was done and she was naked.
Saru had already turned around, something that was like second nature to him at this point. One day, she'd like to learn how to not be naked, but that day wasn't now.
"How about we switch to Ninjutsu," Saru suggested just as Anomie nonchalantly adjusted her tube top, both hands holding her breasts so they were snug. Saru caught that and only stared, obviously waiting for a sense of modesty that the girl obviously didn't have. Figuring this out, he sighed.
"Ninjutsu sounds fine," she commented, and he held out a small slip of paper that she only stared at in bemusement.
"This is special paper that is grown with special Chakra," Saru stated, and she frowned at his belittling tone. "It will tell us your affinity once you expose even the slightest bit of Chakra to it. If your affinity is fire, it will ignite and turn into ash. Wind, it will split in two. Lightning, it will wrinkle. Earth, it will turn into dirt and crumble away. Water, it will get damp." He tossed her the paper, which she caught carefully.
Not being one to waste time, she pressed her Chakra into it, almost jumping when it broke into flames before turning to ash. She looked up to Saru, whose arms were crossed with an almost annoyed stance.
"Damn it," she heard him mutter.
"Do you have something against fire affinity?" She asked, and saw his shoulders stiffen. With his mask, she couldn't gauge his expression.
"They usually grow up to be assholes," he retorted, and she leaned against one hip, not offended, but rather amused.
"It's good for you. Fire means smoke which goes well with your talents," he stated, brushing off his earlier insult.
"What's you're affinity?" She asked, although, judging by her tone and expression, he doubted she really cared.
He took out another tiny paper, and it split in two. She watched, obviously unamused.
"You could have just said wind," she stated, although, she thought it was kind of ironic that his affinity could cause her death so permanently. According to the Jiraiya, sooner or later she could overcome that fetal weakness, but to do that, she needed perfect Chakra control and balanced emotions. Both of which were bullshit.
"Fire release is probably your best chance in surviving since it is strong against wind attacks, so you should consider yourself lucky," came Saru's comment, sounding like he had just read out of a textbook. "What type of fire technique do you want to learn? My knowledge on them is fairly limited, but I know enough."
How the hell should I know? "Don't care. Something cool," was her only, lazy, reply.
"We will go with something easy, rank E," once again Saru's tone was belittling, but she decided to ignore it considering he was going to teach her. She didn't know the ranks of Jutsu very well, but she could assume by Saru's condescending tone that it obviously was something a child could learn. "It's called, Katon: Ichi. It's where you build up your Chakra into your index finger in the form of heat until you get a small flame."
She frowned, "you're kidding."
"I never joke about Ninjutsu," he replied, and her eyes slightly narrowed at his obvious amused tone.
"What use is this?"
"It's the building block of all fire Jutsu. Essentially, it can cut through rope and glass. Very good for escaping."
"So it has no combat use."
She could practically see his smirk from beneath the mask.
"Get started. If you can't do this, I'm dropping you as a student," he warned and she frowned, lifting up her hand and in a mere moment, a tiny flame grew on her pointer finger. "I'm impressed that you can do that much."
At his rude comment, she snapped her fingers, sending out a jolt of fire that lightly blew up in his face. He slightly jumped, but it was more of a prank rather than something she could fight with.
"Alright. I'll teach you something else," he raised his hands in mock surrender that managed to make her a bit more angry, however she didn't show it. "Tora." He ordered, and she made the appropriate sign in a mere instant.
He was still vaguely impressed at just how fast she memorized everything he threw at her with speed that would eventually outclass his with more practice. He decided not to tell her this as building an ego so quick in the training is not only annoying but he didn't really like complimenting her in the first place.
He repeated the seals and she obeyed. "Those are the hand signs for Katon: Yojin Bunshin no Jutsu. It's a basic Bunshin wherein the user will call forth, in corporeal form a clone of you, crafted from flame. It's relatively weak and will only have a tenth of your ability. I suggest using it for distractions or pranks rather than something to fight along side you. Use it strategically, instead of brutally."
He watched as she repeated the seals, her expression never changing, even though her body was still slightly bruised from their last sparring moment. For the most part, she had a relatively decent control of her Chakra, but it cost her almost all her patience and made her once perfectly situated mask to crumble as she fell to the ground.
After two more months of training, she found herself unable to stand. She was...exhausted and she almost wanted to cry as her heart beat so fast that she could hear it in her ears. As she looked down, she saw her hands were covered in burn marks as they dug into the grass. She glanced up at Saru, finding him watching with crossed arms.
"Take a break for a couple days," he ordered and watched, as she slowly stood up, her form unbalanced and her face slightly red with exhaustion as she wiped the gathering moisture from her brow. She felt disgusting and her heart was beating to the point where she wanted to fall back down and sleep.
"No. I..." Her voice came out oddly emotional, which wasn't something she was used to, as she had never even broke down in front of Rin or anyone, and yet she felt like crying now. "I have to get better."
Saru sighed, his body flickering in front of her, which was rather lazy considering he could of just as easily walked. "You're pushing yourself too hard, and while I admit you're improving steadily, you won't get through much more as you are now."
"I have to get stronger and more in control," she stated, her voice returning to its even pace as she shut down her emotions. Doing so was getting easier as of late, and she was able to almost physically step back from those thoughts.
She heard Saru sigh from underneath the mask, but other than that he didn't say much. They both knew why she wanted to get powerful. It wasn't to fulfill some inner desire to be strong or help with the war, even if her abilities would be useful.
She only wanted to see Rin and even Kakashi. She wanted to make sure they were all right.
She wanted to make sure Rin was happy, that she was smiling, that she was eating, and that she hadn't burned down the kitchen again. That was all she wanted. Rin was her motivation and her strength. Everything she had was because Rin saved her life in more ways than one.
She was thankful to Kakashi as well, but she could go at least another month before really missing him.
She even missed Gai, for what that was worth. She hadn't spoken to anyone. All she did was train and eat and sleep. She supposed it could be worse, as Saru wasn't the worst company she could have, but she had never really missed someone before so the emotion was raw and odd.
"If you don't rest, your body will give out and you won't be able to do anything," Saru warned, and she only stared. "You are out of Chakra and frankly, your speed isn't very good today."
"I have Chakra pills," she stated and he sighed, as if he were talking to a child.
"I am going to knock you out in five seconds," Saru warned as her hands shakily reached for the pills.
"Don't be such a downer. I'm fin-" she didn't finish her sentence as her body slumped forward and crumbled into his arms before he could even knock her out. He sighed, glancing up towards the sky and wondering, why me?
He had to commend her progress. Her strength had increased more everyday and now he actually felt her punches in the morning. He didn't see it in the beginning, but the Third Hokage had been right...
She was leaking with untapped potential and without a day of missed training, she could be at least Chūnin strength after another four months.
Sadly, she was also stubborn and monopolized his entire day. Saru was tempted to drop her right there, but decided against it as he body flickered away.
»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««
It wasn't until spring that the sakura blossoms sprouted from the once dead trees. Thousands of little petals spread upon the branches, some falling to the ground like pink snow drops. Against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, the blossoms looked almost mystical and they fell into Anomie's palms as she rested underneath the tree.
Sakura trees didn't exist in Kemuri, so feeling the smooth breeze run through the branches and through her hair made her feel calm. She was able to forget her impatience, forget her bruises that decorated her skin in pink spots. She was able to forget the burn marks that adorned her hands in painful marks.
It wasn't too long ago that her skin had been perfectly smooth, pale and untouched by the sun. Konoha's atmosphere seemed to change it so now her fingers were dry and her lips were chapped on most days, as she hadn't the money nor the choice of taking care of her skin since leaving Rin's house.
She wasn't allowed in crowds and she wasn't allowed to hear the laughter of the children, running to academy in a rush of early morning. She didn't realize that she would miss it, but she had gotten spoiled on the air of Konoha. It was peaceful, untouched by the true plagues of war. The part where children stopped laughing and people started rioting and disease and plague ran through the ranks.
In the poor districts, she was certain that it couldn't remain completely untouched, but with Anbu and the Uchiha keeping the peace, it never got out of hand. Sometimes she wondered if she'd wake up from this dream, opening her eyes to the hands of some old man's hands, cupping her while she stared blankly into the corner of a peach colored room.
It was around this time of year that she joined her first mission. It was simple, but it made her feel nervous at the idea of leaving the village. It was a simple mission. Nothing special or particularly dangerous about its description, initially.
"You think I'm ready?" She asked, watching as Saru adjusted his mask and she caught a glimpse of his pale skin and full lips before the mask was in place. From behind her, she heard the sounds of the Falcon, adjusting her mask while she dug in her locker. It was messy, not any different from the last time Anomie had seen it, not that the Anbu woman particularly cared when everyone said to clean up.
Saru glanced her way, leaning his side against the lockers as he slowly nodded, before crossing his arms over his chest. "If you succeed in this mission...you'll officially be a Shinobi of the Leaf."
Anomie didn't like it, but a sense of pride surged in her chest without her permission. She made sure not to show it on her face as she remained sitting on the bench, one leg propped up so her arm was resting on her knee. Her black boots were high, reaching past her knees and stopping just underneath the mesh and panties that did little to cover most of her lower half. She wore black leggings underneath, but they were see through in some lights, doing little for modesty, and more for flexibility. Her arms were covered in fingerless gloves that reached past her elbow while a tight fitting corset covered her chest, just over the mesh.
She supposed it wasn't the most...covered of outfits, but it was flexible and easy to get back on if she lost her form. Unlike most outfits that she saw in display, this wouldn't be hard to quickly change into if she ended up naked in a forest. She doubted at this point, anyone would really mind since she had been fully naked in front of Saru and Falcon many times.
The mission was explained in simple terms, and she supposed if she were new to the horrors of war, she would have reacted more to the obvious order of assassination to the Iwagakure squad that had taken to raiding close to the borders of the Land of Fire. A part of her wondered if this was the group of Ninja who had slaughtered her village, but she had no desire to ask.
She didn't know much about Falcon's skill set, besides the obvious ability to track any enemy, as the woman had only trained Anomie in Genjutsu, so she hadn't seen any of her abilities first hand. She did feel safe with Saru, even though his Chakra affinity could kill her if she didn't pay attention.
Overall, she was oddly comfortable among the two, even when she covered her face in the Cat mask that the Third Hokage had appointed her to four days prior. Being a part of a team didn't scare her as much as she thought it would and the mission was starting to make her oddly...excited.
Stamina and speed-wise, she ended up being slightly faster than her team, which worked well for her as Falcon had a tenacity for hiding her Chakra far better than Saru and Anomie combined.
Jumping through the trees was mostly a silent affair, although the Falcon did fill the silence with small murmurs of directions as she tracked the Iwa Ninja. A long time ago, Anomie doubted she would be able to run so long, but the amount of Chakra she had pulsing through her veins made sure to keep her legs from aching and her breath from laboring. Saru's training most definitely helped as the man knew how train someone, much to her surprise.
Anomie wasn't certain how long they had been running, as the tracking was up to the Falcon in their team. She still waited for the moment where she would be able to rest since the sky had begun to darken considerably from the morning they set out. She was fairly certain that the darkness would be good for her abilities and Falcon was a sensor ninja, however, she wasn't completely certain about Saru.
Anomie wasn't very good at sensing Chakra, as those lessons had been put off in replacement for Taijutsu and a more extensive study on the human body. It was Anomie's speed and said knowledge for anatomy that got her in the Cat division in the first place. She supposed she might as well be good at something while Saru stuck to beating things senseless, mostly her.
"Do you feel that?" Falcon murmured, coming to an abrupt stop as she knelt down to press her ear against the bark of the tree while the slit eyes of the falcon's mask peered out cautiously across the darkening forest.
"Enemies?" Saru asked, just as he froze, his hand hovering to the twin daggers that remained strapped in black scabbards on his back.
Falcon made a couple hand signs, signifying the amount of nin in the area before her eyes narrowed on Anomie, making a motion of her hand rotating. Anomie nodded, her Chakra disappearing inside her as she swiftly jumped onto the top branches, hidden by the leaves as her light body balanced on one of the thinner branches and the heels of her shoes scrapped against the bark. She was silent as her eyes peered from the cat slits in her mask.
Her heart was beating in her chest as the anxious pounding made her feel slightly sick. She calmed down the fear as she heard the sudden clash of metal from underneath her; signifying Saru had landed a hit from the surprise attack.
She took a calming breath, closing her eyes and opening them after a small moment of silence. She made a motion of Jutsu, before her eyes narrowed and she set the forest on fire.
Her eyes were set on the Iwa Nin who was currently jumping off the burning branches and making seals that looked very much like water signs. She braced her leg on the branch and shot out of the trees in a mere instant, her body turning to smoke and mixing in with fire while her clothes fell to the ground. The smoke of her entire body went into his body through his eyes, nose, ears and mouth, filling his head before she halfway exited his body and part of her upper half took solid form. Her hands shivered as they snapped his neck, taking no hesitation to escape and speed through the fire to the next enemy.
She couldn't see or feel anything but the enemy as she poisoned and flooded his mind in smoke. She heard the scream, but couldn't be bothered to stop as she brought him to his knees. A part of her felt elated as she felt his heartbeat start to slow as she blocked further oxygen before escaping his form and breaking his neck, half her body transparent as she made her way through the ranks.
She was shivering by the time the screams stopped and her naked body dropped to the ground, flickering between corporeal and smoke.
She heard Saru's warning as a kunai came speeding her way. Instead of making its mark, it slipped through her body as a small portion turned transparent before going back to normal. Her eyes narrowed, losing her shape as she sped towards the ninja's panicked body from the upper branch. The smoke made a tornado motion over his face as he tried to raise his arms to create a hand sign.
Anomie didn't allow that as she felt her entire form take over his body. She raised a kunai to his chest and plugged it in, feeling the pain just as she exited his body and felt nothing. He weakly attempted another sign, despite the kunai in his chest. She turned into smoke and floated back into the flames.
By the time the battle was done, the forest floor was covered in blood and the trees were burning. She narrowly managed to slip back into her clothes and lay down on the grass, surrounded in flames as she got control back in her body.
She saw Saru's hand near her face, and she weakly grabbed it, allowing him to pull her up while Falcon pressed her blade through the last ninja's throat.
The Iwa ninja were weak this time around and couldn't have been more than Genin. By the time the battle was done, Anomie began to realize that the ones who were dead were no younger than her. Her hands were clean, not one spec of dirt or blood, and yet she saw blood when she closed her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Saru asked as broken branches fell behind him, burning to ground. She couldn't speak as she watched one of the Iwa ninja, who couldn't be more than 13, heaving as he tried to breathe from one of her attacks. She watched as his breaths became staggered before it finally ceased all together. Smoke floated from his open mouth and slowly conjoined into her body and forming into her chest as her Chakra called it back, despite the small breeze of wind that barely made it past the ashes and fire of a burning forest.
She couldn't say anything as his face shined behind her eyes when they closed.
She didn't feel anything. No guilt. No sorrow. And a large part of her body could still physically remember his last breath.
It didn't make her sad or nostalgic. It didn't make her happy. She felt...calm.
And in that moment she found where she belonged.
Author's Note
This chapter is the stirring wheel's turn towards Anomie's more darker portion of her character. She's not necessarily evil, but she's also not an anti-hero. Not yet anyway. I do want her personality to be unique, but still fit well with Kakashi because I need him to be the one to fall for her first. Aha. It's always the girl who falls first in stories, which I like, but as a girl and a slightly damaged one, I'd prefer it this way since Anomie is a bit of a slut. Not that that's bad or anything, but she kind of is.
This chapter is called Purotea (プロテア) or rather Protea in English. Protea, King stands for change and transformation. It signifies daring and resourcefulness. It is symbolic of diversity and courage.
