It became increasingly harder for Naruto to ignore the apparent illness that Sasuke had. Kenshin had already come down with a normal flu, and was expected to get well in a couple of days. Sasuke, on the other hand, just wouldn't admit to being sick. The ninetails keeper stared as Sasuke, yet again, fell over with his buckets of miso and salt.
"You need help, Sasuke?" Naruto teased, half snickering. He would have sworn that bastard blushed right then and there.
"No, I'm fine." He got up yet again. Naruto sighed. It's not like he didn't see the cupboards-er, rather floors-of leftover supplies of food. What Kaoru had could feed an army. Yet still they had to buy bucketfuls of stuff, without even Kenshin to help! They just saw the dojo when Sasuke that bastard had collapsed again.
"Sasuke, too weak to carry anymore?" The boy taunted yet again. But this time Sasuke didn't stir. "...Sasuke?" Still no answer. Naruto hastely put down his buckets, and for the first time felt a chill up his spine. It was like a gaze, a cold, hard gaze which Naruto had seen all his life. Eyes which hated. A little more on the desperate side, Naruto shook Sasuke vigorously. "Sasuke?" His lip began to tremble. "SASUKE!" Only well too aware of the cold stares, he promptly heaved Sasuke up and carried him to the dojo.
Even Kakashi had to admit that Aoshi-san's tea was much better than Kaoru's. Since this wasn't exactly saying much, even he had to agree, Kakashi made a mental note to just say above average out loud instead for his own well-being as well. Aoshi-san had just helped Kakashi to his fifth cup, and the jounin was surprised at the politeness of this man. For a scarred man so hard to read, harder than Zabuza, he possessed quite a bit of etiquette. His gaze then turned to Misao. It was almost like seeing Zabuza and Haku all over again, a tamed Zabuza and a much weaker but happier Haku.
"Kakashi-sensei!!" Came a familiar voice from outside the dojo. He opened the doors, and his eyes widened. Naruto looked about broken. "Sasuke's really really sick!!"
Huh. Never thought he'd see Naruto supporting Sasuke, but hey, it was an improvement as the other one wouldn't cut in with a more or less stupid remark even if it killed him. Although it DID look like he was trying. Before he could take another step, Sanosuke cut in front of him, rushing towards Kakashi's two students.
'Damn the guy! Damn Sasuke! How many times did I remind him how much salt weighed and how sick he was? What the hell's wrong with Kaoru? She wouldn't even let me borrow a few hundred, yet keeps buying mountains of miso!' Sanosuke paced over to the fallen boy, and, after moving the metal protector away, pressed his hand on his otouto's forehead.
Sasuke's thoughts were detached and blurry. His forehead protector had been shoved upwards on his head by what seemed to be a block of ice. It pierced through his head, and cleared it momentarily.
"Dammit, he's burning! Kakashi, prepare the bed would ya?!"
"Don't order your elders around like that."
"Does it look like I care?! No! Ha!"
"...That gesture was unneeded and rude." Kakashi drawled on.
"It's not like anyone cares! I'll do it myself then!" The ice was then removed from his head. Sasuke's eyes cleared. That wasn't ice, that was Sanosuke's hand!
"Hmm...would he really do it himself, though...?" Kakashi thought out loud more or less to himself.
"ARGH!!" Megumi's body crashed to the ground while accompanied by Sanosuke's shout.
"Why, Sano, you should look where you're going!" She accused, and was promptly over towered by blankets.
"You're a doctor right? You've got another patient!"
"Sasuke, right?" Megumi sighed. The inhabitants of this place were hopeless, all of them when it came to illnesses. Sano blinked.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Even Megumi had to think Sano was cute when he did that.
"He showed all the symptoms two days ago." She hefted up the blankets from the ground. "But it's hard to care for two people at the same time with different diseases. I'll need someone to help me." Her gaze followed to Sano's now slowly becoming horrified face.
"Uh, yeah, haha, Sakura'd do that..."
"Is he going to accept help from a girl?" Megumi inquired forcefully followed with a rap on Sanosuke's forehead, and proceeded to point to her right. "Now. Carry Sasuke over to the room Kenshin is and I'll determine the severity of his illness." Sanosuke stared at her with a rather irritated look.
"~~~"
"Sumi, he has come down." A childlike voice whispered. The other flashed a forest green sign at him, followed by an AA on a board of the same color. He immediately stopped talking, and good thing he did, because the Class A Aoshi had just swished open the doors quickly. Aoshi paused.
"Hmm..I believe they must be the Colored," Kakashi said thoughtfully. There was a mild tension in the air, Kenshin in his futon, and Aoshi still looking out to the yard.
"...We have a case on our hands." Aoshi gently closed the door.
"From the ki-"
"Chakra."
"Oro, chakra, there must be seven of them surrounding here." Kenshin had never involved with the Colored before. They even used to be his ally, though he didn't pay much attention to them. They were reserved, and yet seven people were targetted-in this dojo! In Kaoru-san's dojo! He inquired who the people targetted were. Kakashi sighed.
"Well, there's me, there's you, there's Sasuke and Sakura. That's all I know so far..."
"Misao and I." Aoshi paused. "Sanosuke." _Now_ this made absolutely no sense. If they were just targetting the well known people, Sanosuke would have been brandished as a local town smallshot, and the two girls unknown at all. If it were all those during the major incident between Sand and Leaf, only the shinobi would be targetted. If it were those involved in the Ten Swords incident, then the shinobi would not be included at all. In fact, Aoshi was so loosely related to major incidents with Kenshin, he shouldn't have been involved either without Megumi included. Pieces which just didn't fit. And why not Kaoru?
The men pondered, and never could they find a link. The Colored never did anything without motive.
Hyuto spread out the scroll. The seven escaped to a forest, close to their home.
"Listen. We have one S, three A, one B, two C, and one D. We, while CS and AK is sick, must assign permanently as according to strength." One of the three boys stopped him.
"Um...what are we talking about again?"
"Well, it wasn't my fault they had to come up with such confusing codenames." Sato grumbled, wagging his overly large sleeves in the air. His partner, Hina, groaned to herself.
"Just remember the order of the strongest to weakest, S A B C D E, and the second letter is the person's first name."
"...that's too much..." Came the whine.
"Eh...just listen to me."
"To a GIRL?!"
"To the one who actually understands the system." Came the small reply. Sato growled his discontent, while Hina went back to the conversation of the rest.
"There are only eight of us, yet eight targets including an S? Who is the S?" Another asked. Hyuto's partner replied.
"SK was originally the Hitokiri Battousai. That is why he was our target in the first place. His mentality, from observation, is very unstable, but for now he is in a stoic mode. Although he is A, if berserked, he would become such the S, so that is why Akayo and Mizu will take care of that." The respective people nodded. One of the younger members spoke up excitedly.
"Me! What about us?!" He, Sato was it?, waved, the girl next to him burying her face in her hands.
"Once you are done with DS, you two shall move onto CM." Hyuto's partner replied. Hyuto looked slightly perturbed.
"This wouldn't work out, Kumi. They aren't very good at silent killing. Sakura sleeps so lightly, once I marked where she slept and the tearing of a single leaf woke her up. Akayo and Mizu should take care of her first." Kumi stared at him harshly.
"It must have been a coincidence."
"We don't have the time for coincidence!" Hyuto practically seethed. "In any case, SK would be a job for us, Mizu and Akayo should take care of DS and then the shinobi AK. He, with his eye, surely must be the most dangerous at the moment, and most sensitive to sound."
"Sharingan Kakashi of the Anbu. He will also take a pair's entire time. We can't waste time and our silent pair on a D." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Although perhaps we should switch Mizu and Akayo to him, while we take care of SK." Kumi smiled towards the youngest pair. They were two complete opposites, one with incredible strength but brashness, the other intelligent and careful. One would slice as the other cleaned up. "Alright, we'll first let you take care of CM, and if you have time, attack CS." The boy eagerly slapped his partner on the back, and she fell to the floor. The rest were assigned as appropriate.
~*~
"Aoshi, why leave so soon?" Rewrapping himself in his blankets, Kenshin opened the door to reveal the Aoshi who was walking away.
"...The wind is ill, my kodachis speak of excitement." He stated, as if quoting a poem. "Someone will attack me tonight." Kenshin smiled weakly.
"If I were not sick, I'm sure I would sense the same thing. The air is tense in here, Aoshi. Why not fight together?"
" . . . " The man paused, and turned back. "..If I must."
After Aoshi found himself a room, Kenshin laid down to contemplate. The tension was so strong that even Misao-chan had felt it, but Kaoru-san, who was undeniably stronger, had not. So it must mean Kaoru-san was not targetted. But still, there was that chance...
The rurouni grasped his sword's hilt, and tossed into his sheets, knowing he would not sleep that night.
'Ah...Saitou-san. I still remember the time when you told me you could've killed them if you wanted to. That I had failed. I failed then, perhaps, but this time I won't.' He tightened his grip on the sword. He whispered,
"I promise you. Saitou-san."
Late that night, the Colored waved the flag of assault.
"You need help, Sasuke?" Naruto teased, half snickering. He would have sworn that bastard blushed right then and there.
"No, I'm fine." He got up yet again. Naruto sighed. It's not like he didn't see the cupboards-er, rather floors-of leftover supplies of food. What Kaoru had could feed an army. Yet still they had to buy bucketfuls of stuff, without even Kenshin to help! They just saw the dojo when Sasuke that bastard had collapsed again.
"Sasuke, too weak to carry anymore?" The boy taunted yet again. But this time Sasuke didn't stir. "...Sasuke?" Still no answer. Naruto hastely put down his buckets, and for the first time felt a chill up his spine. It was like a gaze, a cold, hard gaze which Naruto had seen all his life. Eyes which hated. A little more on the desperate side, Naruto shook Sasuke vigorously. "Sasuke?" His lip began to tremble. "SASUKE!" Only well too aware of the cold stares, he promptly heaved Sasuke up and carried him to the dojo.
Even Kakashi had to admit that Aoshi-san's tea was much better than Kaoru's. Since this wasn't exactly saying much, even he had to agree, Kakashi made a mental note to just say above average out loud instead for his own well-being as well. Aoshi-san had just helped Kakashi to his fifth cup, and the jounin was surprised at the politeness of this man. For a scarred man so hard to read, harder than Zabuza, he possessed quite a bit of etiquette. His gaze then turned to Misao. It was almost like seeing Zabuza and Haku all over again, a tamed Zabuza and a much weaker but happier Haku.
"Kakashi-sensei!!" Came a familiar voice from outside the dojo. He opened the doors, and his eyes widened. Naruto looked about broken. "Sasuke's really really sick!!"
Huh. Never thought he'd see Naruto supporting Sasuke, but hey, it was an improvement as the other one wouldn't cut in with a more or less stupid remark even if it killed him. Although it DID look like he was trying. Before he could take another step, Sanosuke cut in front of him, rushing towards Kakashi's two students.
'Damn the guy! Damn Sasuke! How many times did I remind him how much salt weighed and how sick he was? What the hell's wrong with Kaoru? She wouldn't even let me borrow a few hundred, yet keeps buying mountains of miso!' Sanosuke paced over to the fallen boy, and, after moving the metal protector away, pressed his hand on his otouto's forehead.
Sasuke's thoughts were detached and blurry. His forehead protector had been shoved upwards on his head by what seemed to be a block of ice. It pierced through his head, and cleared it momentarily.
"Dammit, he's burning! Kakashi, prepare the bed would ya?!"
"Don't order your elders around like that."
"Does it look like I care?! No! Ha!"
"...That gesture was unneeded and rude." Kakashi drawled on.
"It's not like anyone cares! I'll do it myself then!" The ice was then removed from his head. Sasuke's eyes cleared. That wasn't ice, that was Sanosuke's hand!
"Hmm...would he really do it himself, though...?" Kakashi thought out loud more or less to himself.
"ARGH!!" Megumi's body crashed to the ground while accompanied by Sanosuke's shout.
"Why, Sano, you should look where you're going!" She accused, and was promptly over towered by blankets.
"You're a doctor right? You've got another patient!"
"Sasuke, right?" Megumi sighed. The inhabitants of this place were hopeless, all of them when it came to illnesses. Sano blinked.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Even Megumi had to think Sano was cute when he did that.
"He showed all the symptoms two days ago." She hefted up the blankets from the ground. "But it's hard to care for two people at the same time with different diseases. I'll need someone to help me." Her gaze followed to Sano's now slowly becoming horrified face.
"Uh, yeah, haha, Sakura'd do that..."
"Is he going to accept help from a girl?" Megumi inquired forcefully followed with a rap on Sanosuke's forehead, and proceeded to point to her right. "Now. Carry Sasuke over to the room Kenshin is and I'll determine the severity of his illness." Sanosuke stared at her with a rather irritated look.
"~~~"
"Sumi, he has come down." A childlike voice whispered. The other flashed a forest green sign at him, followed by an AA on a board of the same color. He immediately stopped talking, and good thing he did, because the Class A Aoshi had just swished open the doors quickly. Aoshi paused.
"Hmm..I believe they must be the Colored," Kakashi said thoughtfully. There was a mild tension in the air, Kenshin in his futon, and Aoshi still looking out to the yard.
"...We have a case on our hands." Aoshi gently closed the door.
"From the ki-"
"Chakra."
"Oro, chakra, there must be seven of them surrounding here." Kenshin had never involved with the Colored before. They even used to be his ally, though he didn't pay much attention to them. They were reserved, and yet seven people were targetted-in this dojo! In Kaoru-san's dojo! He inquired who the people targetted were. Kakashi sighed.
"Well, there's me, there's you, there's Sasuke and Sakura. That's all I know so far..."
"Misao and I." Aoshi paused. "Sanosuke." _Now_ this made absolutely no sense. If they were just targetting the well known people, Sanosuke would have been brandished as a local town smallshot, and the two girls unknown at all. If it were all those during the major incident between Sand and Leaf, only the shinobi would be targetted. If it were those involved in the Ten Swords incident, then the shinobi would not be included at all. In fact, Aoshi was so loosely related to major incidents with Kenshin, he shouldn't have been involved either without Megumi included. Pieces which just didn't fit. And why not Kaoru?
The men pondered, and never could they find a link. The Colored never did anything without motive.
Hyuto spread out the scroll. The seven escaped to a forest, close to their home.
"Listen. We have one S, three A, one B, two C, and one D. We, while CS and AK is sick, must assign permanently as according to strength." One of the three boys stopped him.
"Um...what are we talking about again?"
"Well, it wasn't my fault they had to come up with such confusing codenames." Sato grumbled, wagging his overly large sleeves in the air. His partner, Hina, groaned to herself.
"Just remember the order of the strongest to weakest, S A B C D E, and the second letter is the person's first name."
"...that's too much..." Came the whine.
"Eh...just listen to me."
"To a GIRL?!"
"To the one who actually understands the system." Came the small reply. Sato growled his discontent, while Hina went back to the conversation of the rest.
"There are only eight of us, yet eight targets including an S? Who is the S?" Another asked. Hyuto's partner replied.
"SK was originally the Hitokiri Battousai. That is why he was our target in the first place. His mentality, from observation, is very unstable, but for now he is in a stoic mode. Although he is A, if berserked, he would become such the S, so that is why Akayo and Mizu will take care of that." The respective people nodded. One of the younger members spoke up excitedly.
"Me! What about us?!" He, Sato was it?, waved, the girl next to him burying her face in her hands.
"Once you are done with DS, you two shall move onto CM." Hyuto's partner replied. Hyuto looked slightly perturbed.
"This wouldn't work out, Kumi. They aren't very good at silent killing. Sakura sleeps so lightly, once I marked where she slept and the tearing of a single leaf woke her up. Akayo and Mizu should take care of her first." Kumi stared at him harshly.
"It must have been a coincidence."
"We don't have the time for coincidence!" Hyuto practically seethed. "In any case, SK would be a job for us, Mizu and Akayo should take care of DS and then the shinobi AK. He, with his eye, surely must be the most dangerous at the moment, and most sensitive to sound."
"Sharingan Kakashi of the Anbu. He will also take a pair's entire time. We can't waste time and our silent pair on a D." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Although perhaps we should switch Mizu and Akayo to him, while we take care of SK." Kumi smiled towards the youngest pair. They were two complete opposites, one with incredible strength but brashness, the other intelligent and careful. One would slice as the other cleaned up. "Alright, we'll first let you take care of CM, and if you have time, attack CS." The boy eagerly slapped his partner on the back, and she fell to the floor. The rest were assigned as appropriate.
~*~
"Aoshi, why leave so soon?" Rewrapping himself in his blankets, Kenshin opened the door to reveal the Aoshi who was walking away.
"...The wind is ill, my kodachis speak of excitement." He stated, as if quoting a poem. "Someone will attack me tonight." Kenshin smiled weakly.
"If I were not sick, I'm sure I would sense the same thing. The air is tense in here, Aoshi. Why not fight together?"
" . . . " The man paused, and turned back. "..If I must."
After Aoshi found himself a room, Kenshin laid down to contemplate. The tension was so strong that even Misao-chan had felt it, but Kaoru-san, who was undeniably stronger, had not. So it must mean Kaoru-san was not targetted. But still, there was that chance...
The rurouni grasped his sword's hilt, and tossed into his sheets, knowing he would not sleep that night.
'Ah...Saitou-san. I still remember the time when you told me you could've killed them if you wanted to. That I had failed. I failed then, perhaps, but this time I won't.' He tightened his grip on the sword. He whispered,
"I promise you. Saitou-san."
Late that night, the Colored waved the flag of assault.