Rescue Waho - Team Up
Beniyo
Beniyo was bored.
She wanted some excitement.
…but Rukia has to be 'Busy'.
It had been three days since Rukia said she had to check out.
What's a 'people-person' supposed to do for three days without people!?
"You could do your homework for once."
Shut up imaginary Waho, who asked you!?
…although even that was tempting at this point. Beniyo looked at the messy pile of books in the corner of her room.
…
…
…
Nah.
Instead she got up to go for a walk.
She found an off duty ninja, he was kind of chill.
She talked to a quartermaster, a complete asshole.
She helped some of the kitchen staff with some chores.
She got into an argument with one of the scientists.
She was about to walk into one of the clan kids...
Nope not dealing with that.
…and did a complete 180.
Then she was back in her room.
Alright, that took a while, how long did I spend?
45 minutes.
That had only been 45 minutes.
…it's still 4 hours until class.
She really wished Rukia were back, she'd even take the traitors Asuri and Waho at this point.
…
She wasn't desperate enough that class was fun yet.
Wait, is that Waho?
She hadn't seen her in ages.
I thought she'd gone up to the next class.
The thought brought a scowl to her face.
Look who's stupid now.
A little voice started speaking in the back of her head.
"I miss her, can't we be friends again?"
She wasn't desperate enough for class to be fun, but maybe she was desperate enough to try to patch things up with Waho.
Damnit Rukia… if this goes wrong I'm blaming you!
She caught up to her after class.
"Oy Waho!"
Waho seemed surprised for a second, and then she equipped a glare.
"Hm, if it isn't the idiot."
Beniyo felt a vein pop.
Rukia, do it for Rukia…
"Says the idiot who's dropped back down to my level."
Welp, looks like Beniyo ran out of self-control.
I tried.
"No need to worry on my account, I just thought I'd remind myself why I keep studying. The class's average IQ served as a wonderful example of the horrors of stupidity."
Beniyo stepped closer with a fist clenched at her side, grabbing Waho by the collar.
"Hey, I get that I'm stupid, but Rukia's also in that class, or have you forgotten that? She was your friend too! She's the only reason we're talking right now."
Waho scoffed.
"Please, she's a spineless little pet that you only keep around for the sake of your own ego-"
Beniyo pulled Waho closer, gripping the collar with both hands now.
"Take that back!"
Waho smirked.
"...or what?"
Beniyo snapped, and pulled a fist back to sock the other girl in the face.
Beniyo didn't even register what happened after, but suddenly, she was down on the ground, with Waho's hand pushing her face down to the earth.
What the hell?
Waho had never moved like that. How much had she been holding back?
Waho was going to say something, but…
5 minutes had passed since the end of class.
An elegant step was heard from the nearby classroom.
"Would you please keep your fighting out of the hallway? Unlike the two of you, I do have better things to do."
Asuri had entered the scene.
Waho motioned to speak.
Beniyo was faster.
"Waho's acting weird! She was, like, super fast and stuff!"
Waho scowled down at her.
"Maybe I just didn't want to waste any effort on you before-"
A hand was suddenly on Waho's shoulder.
"A pathetic lie from a pathetic imposter."
Imposter?
'Waho' got up and swiped the arm away, but soon after, their own fell limp.
"Waho was also well aware that my clan's style revolved around pressure points."
Waho backed away while Beniyo got to their feet and backed up Asuri.
"Asuri, what's going on?"
Asuri, elegant as ever…
"It seems Rukia was right about her imposter theory. Beniyo, meet…"
She turned to Beniyo, and gestured to 'Waho'.
"...the 'Asuri' you talked to after our first match."
Processing.
Processing.
Realisation.
That Bitch!
Beniyo was too young to actually know the word, but she'd heard the adults use it enough to figure out the instructions.
"I'll hold them down, if you beat the shit out of them."
Asuri scoffed, elegantly.
"Crude as ever."
She didn't say no, so that meant yes.
Beniyo ran up to grab the fake, while Asuri circled around.
Got her!
A puff of smoke.
Beniyo was now holding a rock.
"Where'd she go!?"
She looked around panicky.
"They seemed to have pulled off a substitution."
Right.
Beniyo turned back to her old friend.
"Look, I must have been a huge-"
Asuri held up a hand.
"While I appreciate the apology, we have bigger concerns."
Beniyo cocked her head.
"If that wasn't Waho, where is she?"
Processing.
Processing.
Realisation.
"Oh no! Come on, let's go check her room!"
Beniyo grabbed Asuri by the wrist and ran off.
…
Untouched.
Just like it had been the last time Beniyo had been there.
No one had seen Waho since their argument.
Did she go missing before she could even make it back to her room?
If something bad had actually happened to Waho…
"I've found something."
"What?"
She presented a card that had been lying on the desk.
Professor Busujima
"Am I supposed to think something about this?"
Asuri pondered for a moment.
"Busujima has a reputation for not dealing well with rejection. My family has informed me to warn them should I be made any offers by him. If that's the case…"
"He might have taken Waho! Let's go get her."
Asuri stopped her.
"We need help."
Beniyo looked back confused.
"Who? Rukia's useless for this kind of thing, and your clan's not going to want to get involved with this right?"
"As usual, your insight concerning people betrays your intelligence."
"Asuri!"
"I mean to say you're right, but there is someone we've both met who has assented every time they've been asked for help. Someone who isn't tied down by anything, isn't afraid to pick a fight with authority, and is strong enough to pull it off…"
Tatsuoki
Tatsuoki had thought that the quality of their training would have reduced without Hei to guide them these last three days.
That was not the case.
Once they got started, it was almost strange to realise how little Hei actually did in their training…
…or to say otherwise, it was impressive what Hei had pushed them to accomplish.
Tatsuoki was under no illusion that this was a coincidence.
Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime.
Poetry was great, and that's a hill Tatsuoki would die on.
Distractions aside, his grandfather always told him that a ninja had to see 'underneath the underneath.'
"I don't make promises I can't keep."
Ever since then, Tatsuoki had kept his eyes open.
For some reason, Hei couldn't stick around forever.
That's what Tatsuoki had found out. The other two suspected nothing.
This is probably a test…
Motoe and Funida wanted to make enough progress to impress Hei when he got back from whatever 'business' he needed to deal with. Tatsuoki was reluctant though, because then they'd prove that they didn't need him, and that he could leave with good conscience.
Maybe I can just not show what I've learned?
"Wind Release: Sil-"
The door opened, and all three stopped to turn to the door.
It wasn't Hei, but he'd seen the two girls before.
Asuri and Beniyo.
He'd thought their relationship had been broken.
"Yo, is Hei here?"
"Beniyo, we're here to ask for help, not a date."
"I didn't say anything like that! I just asked for Hei."
"It was the tone."
Beniyo turned back to us.
"Ignore her, do you guys know where Hei is?"
The other two had brought out their water bottles already. They were going to use the interruption to take a break.
I guess I can talk before water.
"Sorry, but Hei-sensei said he had to deal with some business 3 days ago. He didn't know when he'd be done."
Tastuoki could see the gears turning in the girl's head.
"Three days…"
Click.
Her face lit up.
"Oh my god, he must be Rukia's brother or something, now he's got to help! Right Asuri?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"C'mon, you've met Rukia. Someone that sweet could only exist with a super cool older brother, and they both had to disappear on 'business' three days ago with no due time!"
He did admit that Hei was a disguise…
Tatsuoki could definitely see him being the protective older brother type.
Is that why he started taking in strays?
Hei was starting to make a lot more sense.
"I don't make promises I can't keep."
Realisation.
He already had an obligation!
"Beniyo, I'm sure it's just a coincidence-"
"No, it might actually make sense."
It was at this point Motoe and Funida, who had been listening in, decided to join the conversation.
"Wait, Tatsu' you're serious?"
Tatsuoki nodded.
"With what Hei's admitted to us, it makes sense."
Motoe didn't actually get it, but Tatsuoki's word was enough for him.
"Well, we owe the boss, and if you guys are his sis' friends. I'm sure there's something we can do."
The two girls shared a look.
"So you see…"
[...]
"...so we need help doing a rescue mission."
Funida looked uncertain.
"Guys, I don't know about this. Isn't this a bit much for us? I mean Hei could probably do something…"
Tatsuoki could certainly agree.
Motoe stomped his foot on the bench between us with vigour.
"Are you serious!? Come on guys, they need help. Don't you remember what the boss told us? 'Soon you'll have to figure out what sort of ninja you want to be.' You know what I think?"
He held up a fist.
"That time is now! I don't know about you two, but I want to be a ninja like Hei, a super cool hero who helps the weak and beats the bad guys! You guys with me?"
We are 'the weak' in your description, you know.
…or at least, they were.
"Hell yeah!"
Funida and Tatsuoki gave Beniyo a deadpan stare.
"That speech was awesome and you know it!"
She pointed at the two completely unashamed.
Okay maybe it was.
They shared a look.
Motoe is going to go help no matter what at this point…
…and they had sworn to watch each other's backs.
Asuri
As always, Beniyo started getting along with the three boys as if she'd been their lifelong friend.
It was honestly something that Asuri envied.
She just jumped back into being friends with me too…
As if nothing had happened in the first place.
"We could convince them. Everyone would be friends again."
Maybe the girl had a point.
Maybe if Asuri had listened Waho wouldn't have gotten in trouble to begin with.
Asuri silently shook off the point. This was not the time to ask 'what if'.
No, now she had to…
"We walk in, beat up everyone, get Waho and boom, mission done."
"Yeah." "Wahoo!" "Right."
…shepherd these four idiots.
"Do you know how many ninja are defending the lab?"
The four froze mid cheer.
"The layout of the lab?"
Silence.
"Entrances and exits?"
Silence.
A sigh would be undignified.
These ants really can't accomplish anything without a queen to direct them.
"Since, you bumpkins clearly can't plan…"
[...]
"...are we agreed?"
They stared blankly, and nodded dumbly. Funida and Tatsuoki only slightly less so than the other two.
"Just in case, let's go over it again…"
…
"First, Tatsuoki and Motoe. You two need to scout the perimeter…"
The two walked side by side.
"You sure it was here Motoe?"
"I'm telling you, it was a real ghost."
Tatsuoki sighed.
"Rooms can't be ghosts Motoe."
"That's a lie! It appeared out of nowhere, right here see!"
Motoe pointed at a blank section of wall.
"There's nothing there."
"Okay, maybe it was further down…"
"...If you can, map out the area, and remember to be subtle."
…
"While they're doing that, Funida will stake out the main entrance…"
Funida ducked out of the unused room near the lab, peaking before ducking back.
"...We want to know of anyone who enters and leaves, and when they do."
…
"Beniyo, I have a special task that only you can accomplish…"
Beniyo strolled aimlessly.
"Man, that imposter was a real wimp."
She turned a corner.
"Kidnapping an 8 year old and running from two others? They must be really weak…"
A shadow stalked closer to strike.
Beniyo reached a dead end, and turned.
A ninja blocked the entrance.
Genin, aged 12~14.
Beniyo smirked.
"...once you manage to lure them out, I'll come behind and knock them out."
…
The two dragged the unconscious tied up body back to their meeting spot, where they encountered the other three.
Asuri stepped forward, leaving Beniyo with the knocked out ninja.
"Report."
Motoe practically vibrated in place, and pulled off a mock salute to go first.
"No guards outside. There's the main entrance that leads to the base centre, a side door that leads to a residential zone, and a back door that leads to a prison section. Only the main door could be opened from the outside."
Tatsuoki nodded to confirm.
Asuri turned to face Funida.
"The doctor has a permanent chunin escort, I saw them come and leave together several times, and never independently. From the two days I spent watching, the doctor was insistent on taking a lunch break. The chunin… is the one that told me to be a ninja."
Asuri didn't understand what that meant, but it was clearly something important based on how the other two boys reacted.
If they don't feel the need to bring it up, it probably won't be relevant.
"He had four assistants that worked in shifts. I think I saw one standing on the inside of the main entrance at all times to serve as a lookout. There's also a patrol that passes the area every 20 minutes. When they pass they check in to make sure things are alright."
"Yeah, we saw them too."
Tastuoki chimed in to confirm.
Asuri took it in, adding all the information to a crude map of the area they'd drawn out.
"Alright, here's the plan…"