"What the hell's goin' on up there?!" Iruka was hearing banging against wood, then a slew of swear words in what appeared to be in a different language.
When he dismissed the morning class at noon, Iruka decided to check out what was going on before the afternoon class came. He strolled through the thin crowds, savoring the warm sunlight that bathed his face. Down here, no one really seemed to notice the banging and the cursing. Then again, ninjas, mostly Chuunin and Jounin had an acute sense of hearing. He left the ring of buildings on the outskirts of town where the grass started to come up greener and more fully. Out there, there was one apartment that he and some others had fixed for someone, but Iruka forgot who.
He was minding his own business as he was walking towards the apartment, when a huge hunk of wood went soaring into his head. It gave a loud THWACK before falling to the ground.
"Aie-ya! What was that?!" He rubbed his head furiously from the dull pain.
He heard some banging from behind the apartment, and saw the gate swing open, the wood quaking against the vibration it got from crashing into the side of the building. In a flash, Iruka hid behind some if the nearby bushes, and watched as a teenage girl came storming out, sucking on her fingers.
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"Tenlo hange mequista!" She spat as she went back to her front door, "Dun kan me hadriek!" Of course, no one had a clue as to what she was saying besides herself. She could turn it into a code if people were interested in learning it.
She jammed her key into the lock, turned the bronze knob, and slammed the door behind her.
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"This girl has one hell of a temper." Whistled Iruka, coming out of the bushes.
Well, now he knew what the commotion was all about. And he was late.
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After wrapping her fingers in band-aids, she got her things together to her solo mission: A small bundle of super sharp thin needles, rope and a handmade blowgun.
"Bye, Karma. Food and water are by the sink if you're hungry. I'll be back before dusk." She closed the door behind her, tying the Hitai- Ate leaf headband around so that the metal part was protecting her heart. She was going on a C- ranked mission, and she needed to be armed for the task.
"So, all I have to do is bring him back, is that right?" She had asked the Hokage when he assigned her a mission.
"Well, alive, that is."
"Of course."
"Well then, good luck. Are you sure you want to do this alone?"
"I don't want to risk anyone's life but my own."
He had nodded, agreeing to let Aki go solo.
Well, Aki hoped she wouldn't kill anyone on mistake. She had never done something like this before, but the persona of the Naruto realm was starting to take hold of her. She had almost forgot where she had come from.
But to hell with that for now; she had bigger fish to fry. She pulled out a sheet of rice paper with a photo of her target with his charges against Konoha from inside her vest. She took a moment to study him.
His name was Kanishishi Otomaru and was wanted for theft, unauthorized entering of Konoha, and the killings of three Anbu. He was at least 6.1 and looked to be in his early twenties. He had a thin but raised scar running from the corner of his left eye down to the lower part of his jugular. Aki scoffed at the picture: if you want to commit crime, don't leave noticeable marks behind. It was an obvious unwritten rule of committing crimes that she had learned by watching so many detective and James Bond movies. From the looks of it, he was a gambling man, and was willing to pay the cost to get his job done, whatever it may be. But Aki had her theories about criminals, if that's what they were called here.
Theory 1: There are 2 types of criminals: Professionals and Wannabes. Both are dangerous, but on certain levels.
Theory 2: Wannabes can be as difficult to catch as Professionals, but it can be vice- versa as well.
Theory 3: Crime is a two way street.
Theory 4: Criminals are softer on kids because of their unthreatening appearance, but sometimes it can go rock bottom.
Theory 5: Obvious marks make criminals easier to catch.
Theory 6: Criminals can and WILL make mistakes.
Theory 7: Criminals will ALWAYS be caught.
Aki would have to think of some more, but those guidelines were sufficient enough to help her out on this task. Wanted for the death of three Anbu. Jesus, she didn't think it would be this hard! Oh well, couldn't go back now. She read underneath his charges to where witnesses had seen him, and those who met their untimely demise who spoke little before breath had left their bodies.
Has been seen:
* Near West Sector bathhouses
* Anbu HQ: 2x
* East Sector bathhouses: 4x
* Saké Bar: 10x
* South Sector bathhouses: 12x
So, this dude was nothing more than a drunken pervert! Aki sighed as she shrugged to herself; oh well, it was a C- ranked mission. She counted the times he had appeared at the places, and calculated where this guy would be next. Either at South Sector or the Saké Bar, but her chances lied more in the bathhouses. She grinned, a cunning plan already forming in her mind. And anyway, she always preferred the dark for such things.
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It wasn't much to ask; just a glimpse and the occasional saucer of saké
were all he ever wanted in his lonely life. Nobody liked him, and he didn't like anyone, just their shapes. So he had killed three Anbu, big deal. Those were just his orders, nothing more. He just wanted to get his payment so that she could get his hands on a bottle or two, and enjoy some eye candy before he had to be summoned for another killing. It wasn't in his nature, but he was willing to get his hands on money, even if it was blood money.
Kanishishi Otomaru silently left the cover of the shaded trees, and risking being seen in the lamplight, he carefully slid the bathhouse door open a crack, just enough for his pupil to see through. His eyes watered in delight as he watched the bathing girls splash water at each other. He kept his eye on one particular girl; she was so beautiful. Her long hazel hair glimmered with the water that ran through it. He literally melted into a puddle just watching her lather herself under the hot spring waterfall. It felt like years when the girl he had been staring at decided to get out and change.
She wrapped a towel around her body and over her shoulders to catch the dampness of her hair, and walked rather fast to the door. Kanishishi didn't recover in time when the door slid wide open.
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"What?" asked the girl, looking behind her as she slid the door open.
She shrugged and turned back to walk out. No one was there.
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Kanishishi was hiding behind the nearest tree, his legs practically vibrating from the aftershock of almost being caught. That was close, he thought, wiping the sweat off of his brow. He looked around to see the girl walk into a changing house, and he silently crept towards the door that was left ajar. Just his luck! He watched as she slowly dried herself off, and put her clothes back on. She walked to the door, slid it open and closed, and disappeared into the trees.
Kanishishi did not want to lose sight of this girl, for even dressed made him tingle with pleasure. He got up from the side of the changing house, and followed her when he couldn't see her anymore.
"Huh? Where'd she go?" He looked around, unaware of the figure that closed in on him.
PHT!
Kanishishi fell to the ground, a steel needle sticking out of his neck. Aki stood above him, shaking her head.
"God, I felt so violated, but I guess that measure had to be taken." She plucked out the drugged needle, and bound his wrists and ankles.
"He's too heavy for me to lift, but not for Aoihoshi." She cut her finger on a nearby thorn of a bush. She hated doing this time and again. She'd think of a way to avoid it.
In a gentle tornado of blue smoke and chakra, the giant stingray appeared in front of her.
"Greetings, Aki." He bowed his flat head.
"Hey, Aoihoshi. How's the fin?" She saw that there was still a raised scab where the kunai had struck him during Aki's escape from Gato's headquarters.
"Oh." He waved his fin slightly, "It's almost there. But it still stings."
"Well, when we get back to my place, I put some Numbweed sap on that, okay? But I need your help with something." She pointed at the unconscious Kanishishi.
"Sure." His slid his barbed tail through the bonds, and lifted Kanishishi Otomaru effortlessly into the air.
"Thanks." Aki leapt onto his smooth back, and they were both off into the starry night sky.
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"She did it." The Hokage was shocked at the display of a giant stingray placing a limp body onto the steps of his office.
Aki gave a jaunty salute before flying off back to her apartment.
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Aoihoshi landed next to her building, and lowered his left fin to let her down.
"Wait here." She ran to the back where the fence was, and vanished for a few moments.
Aoihoshi lay there quietly, looking up when he heard Aki crash into something and swore in her tongue again. She came back a moment later with something that looked like poison ivy, but with thicker leaves. She plucked two off, split them half way, and smeared the sap over the scab that was still throbbing with pain. Instantly, Aoihoshi lowered himself to the dirt in relief.
"Thanks, Aki. It was paining me so much. I didn't know when you would summon me before I went mad with the pain." Aki stroked his eyebrow.
"Meiki sanba." Aoihoshi looked confused, but Aki had only taught him one phrase so far.
"Means, "You're welcome"." Aki wiped off what little sap had gotten on her hands quickly; she didn't want them to go numb for hours.
"What language is that?" It sounded strange to Aoihoshi's hidden ears.
"Oh, it's one I created myself."
"What's it called?"
"Wasagian. It was for a story I had written, but it kinda went downhill after a while, but I've practiced the language ever since. You take care of yourself, alright?" Aoihoshi nodded, and vanished in a light flurry of blue feathers.
Aki grinned, and went upstairs to bed.
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Aki stared down at the bills that rested in her hands.
(This is all I get, after the embarrassment I went through last night!? Geez…) well, at least it was enough to buy a second set of wood, this time oak.
After working on a new designed frame, she decided to take a break, and walked through the trees, stopping occasionally to take in the sounds and smells of the place. She had done this when she went to summer camp and participated in a nature program, which was really the only cool thing in her life at the time. She found a nice sunken boulder by the road into town, and lay down on it, playing with her chakra.
"Escuse me?" said a small voice.
Aki turned her sideways head to look at a small boy, a stuffed bunny rabbit hanging in his arm.
"Are you the one they call Ryu?"
"I didn't know I was called that here."
"Are you a magician?"
"Well, kinda." Aki sat up, looking down at the boy.
Smiling, she twirled her fingers, and created a small rainbow chakra bunny.
"Bunny!" The boy watched as the chakra bunny leapt from Aki's open hands and hopped around him.
He squatted down, and the bunny hopped over and sniffed his nose. He reached out to pet the bunny, but when his fingers touched, it exploded into a shower of red sparkles.
"Bunny?" He looked disappointed, and Aki thought he was about to cry.
To her luck, he didn't. Instead, he curiously picked up one of the vanishing sparkles, and studied it with wide eyes. Aki held her pointer fingers to the ground, and in a clipper motion, she had created a shower of purple chakra flowers and butterflies that danced around him. He giggled and tried to catch one, but each burst into diamond showers.
"So you were the one who made the pretty fireworks one night." Aki remembered the dragon.
"Yes. That was me."
"Who was that dragon thing?" The boy was sitting on the dirt, his rabbit slung in between both arms.
"That was Kurai. In his world, he was the God of all things." And from there, she began her story. It was a lame one she had made in the 5th grade, but over the years, she cropped her story to make it better. It was the only short story she could ever write in her life.
As she spoke, she formed Genjutsu images with her chakra to describe and animate scenes. Special effects? Pft, that was unheard of here; all she needed was her imagination and she was set. By the time she had finished her story, a rather large group of little kids had surrounded her, each staring at her was silent awe as they watched her create the stories with her hands.
"Junshi, where are you?" called a motherly voice when the story finished.
The boy with the rabbit moaned.
"Oh, mommy, do I have to go?" He was too into Aki's story.
"Yes, it's suppertime, and your father has been worried as to where you were all day! Come on." He got up rather reluctantly.
"Junshi, huh?" said Aki, walking up to him, "Tell ya what. I'll be here tomorrow, and I'll tell you a new story. How's that?"
The boy brightened up with a smile, and he soon left with the rest of the boys and girls that ran back to their parents for the night. Aki's smile vanished when she saw the affection between parent and child and looked away, the dusk covering her eyes in shadow.
She sat on her roof that night, petting a snoozing Karma that had joined her. She looked at the waning moon, her mind lost in thought. God, she hated when this happened. Would her people be wondering where she had gone? Or was she "erased" back home? Neither gave her comfort. She looked down at the town, lights slowly going out in each apartment. She ran her fingers through her long loose hair, the moon glistening against her slick brilliance like porcelain.
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"Okay, sketch 2 better work!" She was holding her new glider, the same weight strapped in.
"Work, dammit, work!" She revved back the glider, and let it loose.
It's flight time: 1.3 seconds
"Aw, goddammit, why won't it work?!" She went down to collect the pieces.
It turns out that the wood was of poor choice, and it hadn't been curved again. How was she supposed to do it!? Beg?! Negotiate with it?! She felt like banging her head against the nearest object, which, at the moment, was her hammer, but that was just a little too hard for her skull to handle.
Maybe it was because of her uninspirational mind at the moment that she messed up on sketches 3-6. Each was an increasing disaster, until she was almost flat out broke had it not been for the solo missions. She had an increasing pile of bounties growing in Konoha, and was soon asked to take out fully-fledged Chuunin that were wanted people. She was startled at the offer, but she'd do almost anything to get her hands on the oncoming bills that kept pouring into her hands as each man was brought back, stupefied and bound.
Sketch 7 was not to be a disaster; it was her lucky number.