Chapter 11

"Ha! I beat you, loser!"

Emiko skidded to a stop and dropped to her knees. The race back to town had been very long, indeed; it was a wonder that the girl was still standing. "You couldn't even keep up. Admit it, Hiroshi. Admit that I won." She sprawled onto her back and gazed at the bright, blue sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight.

Hiroshi slowed his speed when Emiko tagged the Academy gate. He had never been the fastest kid, but he did have more endurance than his red-headed classmate. Therefore, he did not stop to rest when he caught up; all he needed was something to eat. "Alright, you won," he conceded. "I'll get you next time, though."

"Yeah, whatever," she replied. "Rematch on the way back, then. I'll even give you a head start."

"I don't need a head start!"

"You totally do."

Their conversation carried over the grounds. When it reached Kazumi's ears, all she could do was smile. Emiko and Hiroshi were finally behaving like normal, well-rounded children. While it made her happy to see them interacting, her thoughts never far strayed from Jun.

"I hope she's alright," Kazumi thought. "I wonder what she's up to right now…"

By the time she reached her students, they had already flocked to their preferred bench. They sat on opposite ends of the concrete slab, each absorbed in their own activities. While Hiroshi tucked into his bento box, Emiko fiddled with a stick. She used one of her kunai to shear the bark from its phloem.

"Emiko," Kazumi said, "is that the right way to use a kunai?" She dropped her satchel on the ground and began digging through its contents.

"I dunno."

"Yes, you do." She retrieved a thermos of hot water and two noodle cups. "You'll dull the blade. Make the right choice, Emiko."

The girl huffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine." She then tossed the stick into a nearby bush and crossed her arms. "Why do you have to be such a fun sucker, sensei?"

"Because that is part of my job." Kazumi grinned and joined her students on the bench. "Here," she said, unwrapping one of the containers. "This one's for you, Emiko. Be careful – the water's hot." She poured water over Emiko's noodles and handed the girl a pair of chopsticks. "Give it a minute. I don't want you to get burned."

Another squad of genin and their teacher approached. Initially, Kazumi paid it little thought; she was more interested in preparing the second noodle cup. Emiko's lunch smelled divine; because she had missed breakfast that morning, Kazumi was desperate for a meal.

"Arf, arf!"

There was only one squad – to her knowledge, anyway – that worked with ninken. Kurenai Yuhi and her kids were en route to the Academy, too.

"It's that weird dog kid," Emiko muttered. She pinched a helping of noodles and blew on them. "Never liked him. He always smells funny."

"Do you like anyone, Emiko-chan?" Kazumi filled her cup with water before capping the thermos.

"I like Jun. Oh wait – she's not here anymore."

Kazumi paid her student a sideways glance. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Kurenai addressed them.

"Konnichiwa, Kazumi-san." The members of Team 8 huddled around their teacher. Kiba, however, began making faces at Emiko. To be fair, the petulant, freckle-faced girl started it first. "How was your first mission?"

If Emiko hadn't been busy with Kiba, she surely would have answered that question. "Long story, actually," Kazumi admitted. "We'll have to catch up sometime."

"Actually…" Kurenai placed a hand on Hinata's back. "Hinata – why don't you, Kiba, and Shino have lunch early today? I'd like to speak with Kazumi-sensei privately."

"Okay," she agreed. Hinata started toward the lawn with Shino in tow. Kiba, however, did not accompany her; he was too busy with Emiko. "Kiba? A-Are you coming?"

The boy went cross-eyed and stuck out his tongue. Apparently, he hadn't heard his teammate. It wasn't surprising; ordinarily, Hinata's voice was no louder than a gust of wind.

"Keep doing that and your face'll freeze that way," Emiko teased. She stood up and flicked him on the forehead. "It'd probably be an improvement, though."

Akamaru growled and snapped at Emiko's fingers. Their little "game" was getting out of hand. "Kiba!" Kurenai's voice cut into their conversation. She held firm with eyes focused solely on her student. "Go with Hinata and Shino."

"Alright," he agreed. "Sorry, sensei…" Kiba grumbled and stalked toward his teammates. Somehow or another, Emiko always managed to get him in trouble.

Hiroshi nibbled at the last bit of his barbeque beef. He didn't dare get involved; whenever Kiba and Emiko fought, he stayed out of it. For that matter, he stayed out of any altercation involving that girl. At the very least, though, their tiff had been entertaining.

"Well, that was fun." Noodle cup in hand, Kazumi joined Kurenai at the edge of the grass. She spoke quietly to prevent her students from eavesdropping. "Always a joy with her…"

"I can see that." Kurenai glanced briefly at her squad to ensure they were on task. As expected, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba were happily munching away. "So," she said, "your first mission – what was it?"

"We…haven't exactly had one yet," she said meekly. Kazumi filled the silence by slurping a mouthful of noodles.

"What? Why not?"

"For one thing," she began, "my team hasn't exactly mastered the art of teamwork. That's the 'theme of the week,' unfortunately."

Kurenai regarded her with a blank stare. Initially, she did not reply; it seemed that she was trying to find the right words. Finally, she said, "How long are you going to wait?" Before Kazumi could answer, she added, "If they can't get it together by next week, I'd send them back to the Academy."

Apparently, Kurenai shared the same sentiment as Kakashi; though understandable, the 'sink or swim' philosophy was not one that Kazumi subscribed to. "Yeah, maybe," she said halfheartedly. "Oh – and we're down a genin. Hear about that?" She brought another helping of noodles to her lips. "Jun's parents removed her from the program."

"What? You're kidding."

"Wish I was." She took a bite of edamame and stirred what little remained in the cup. "Jun sprained her wrist yesterday. Her parents – from what I was told this morning – are asking for a formal apology."

"An apology? Tsk." Kurenai rolled her eyes. "Ridiculous."

"Guess I should reach out, though. Can't even attempt a mission without her."

That was the unhappy truth of it all. Without Jun, Kazumi and her squad were ineligible for assignments. It put her in a precarious position with both Kakashi and the Kobayashi family. Perhaps she would seek reconciliation sooner than expected.

"On another note…" Kazumi sipped on some chicken-flavored broth. "Where were you a couple nights ago? I thought that you and Asuma were going to meet me at Anago after work."

"Oh, that," she replied. A hint of red stained her cheeks. "We lost track of time."

"We?" How interesting. Kazumi tossed the empty container into a trashcan. She wouldn't press for information, but her curiosity was piqued; were the two of them an item?

Kurenai tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I did, I mean." An awkward silence fell between them. Kazumi's expectant gaze must have been unnerving. "But…when I saw him this morning, he said the same thing."

"Okay. I don't mind – I just wish I'd known sooner."

"Yeah," she said, "I heard about what happened at the bar, though." It was Kurenai's turn to prod this time. "So, are you and Guy…?"

"Nope – no. Definitely not." My, how the tables had turned! "That's a line I wouldn't cross anyway. Friends are one thing, but as far as romantic relationships…I don't mix business and pleasure." Kazumi pulled at the collar of her shirt to loosen it. "No." It didn't feel great to be in the hot seat.

Kurenai glanced at the position of the sun. Noontime had long since passed. "Well, I should get going," she said. "We have to brief the Hokage on our last mission."

"Yeah, no worries." Kazumi smiled at the members of Team 8. It was refreshing to see a group of well-behaved genin. "Good luck. Oh – and tell Asuma a big 'hello' from me."

"Will do." Kurenai said. "See you, Umi."

Once Kurenai left her company, Kazumi returned to her students. To her surprise, Emiko and Hiroshi were sitting right where she'd left them. As usual, Hiroshi was nose-deep in the latest issue of Calamity Classroom. Emiko, on the other hand, had found another stick to sharpen.

"Alright," she said. "Let's head back. I have one last thing to show you today."