The next morning brought nothing for Atsuko to do. Gisuke would be continuing his medical training for a while, and she couldn't find Yukina. Genma's bed was empty at the hospital, so he must have healed enough that they couldn't keep him tied down.
While she would have enjoyed the company, she could do this on her own. Taking some food and water with her, she went to an empty training ground and got to work.
First she tried the rag again. Her fingers were a bit stiff since she'd fallen asleep with it in her hands and never let go of it. It remained dry. Undaunted, she wrapped it around her wrist and went into her normal exercises to warm up. She'd taken Genma's advice to heart. If she wanted to be a reliable strong shinobi, she had to keep her skills up. Throwing shurkiken and kunai knives in various patterns on the trees, she moved from exercise to exercise, keeping up her precision and speed as she pushed towards her limits.
Finally out of breath and out of weapons, she leaned over, breathing heavily. Her body was hot with perspiration and tingled with overuse. Unwrapping the rag, she clutched it in her hands and demanded that the water come. Apart from the dampness from her sweat, nothing happened.
She tried to summon the water until her breath came back, then she retrieved her weapons and went through it all again. Maybe if she went past her limit, the water would flow once her conscious mind let go and instinct took over.
By late afternoon, she hadn't make any progress. The only solace she could take was that her throwing techniques were just as good as when she'd aced her Academy exam.
Throwing herself on the ground, she lay looking up at the darkening sky. Rain was coming. She could smell it, the feel of cool wet air on her tired limbs. A few drops fell, then became a steady rain. She blinked against the drops but didn't move. She felt the water strike her limbs, felt the water slide down her skin. Water soaked through her clothes, her shoes, her headband. Her hair plastered to her face. Closing her eyes, she focused on the smell of the rain, wet earth, thirsty trees. She focused on the sound of the raindrops hitting the dirt, on the leaves, her skin, the metal of her headband. Opening her mouth she tasted the cool water, let it hit her tongue. Inhaling she absorbed the water, letting it join with hers.
As the raindrops became smaller and fewer, the storm faded, its watery burden released. Atsuko lay with her eyes closed until all the beautiful smells and sounds faded to evaporate under the evening sun. Its heat dried her skin, bringing warmth to the welcomed cool she'd become accustomed to. She opened her eyes, then squinted at the bright sunlight. The dirt dried, the leaves giving up what moisture they couldn't absorb in a faint memory of the rain from before.
Almost disappointed by the bright return of the sun, Atsuko picked herself up off the ground. The rag was soaked now, she discovered, but for the wrong reason. She wrung it out on the ground and wrapped it around her neck, the cool wetness of it a pleasant reminder. Gathering her knives and supplies, she headed back towards the village.
=/=
The next day was another mission for the three of them. Shirakumo hadn't returned from a higher S-level mission, but with Gisuke and Yukina, they would have no problem getting rid of a pack of thieves.
Early in the morning, just after dawn, the three of them met at the gates. Atsuko felt better about this mission, knowing she'd put in some good training on her days off and she was looking forward to spending time with her team. None of them had seen each other for days and Atsuko had missed them. Not that she would admit it, of course. Gisuke would sigh and Yukina would make a big noisy deal about it.
Gisuke was already there by the time Atsuko showed up. He pushed his glasses higher up his nose with one finger.
"Morning," Atsuko said, giving him a half-wave when she was within earshot.
"Good morning," he replied. He sounded perfectly awake and calm, while Atsuko rubbed at the sleep still in her eyes. She'd have to train like that more often if it was going to make her tired after just one day. Her body had to get used to that or she'd never be able to catch up in skill. "No Yukina, I see."
Atsuko snorted. "Give her a minute. It's still technically on time."
Gisuke exhaled loudly. "Right."
"How did your training go? Weren't you working on your medical jutsu?"
"Yeah." His tense, upright attitude relaxed. "I can control my chakra even better and I can be more precise when healing."
"Do you study with the Hokage?"
"She's too busy with her duties and training Sakura. Sakura is far more along than I am, and far better at it. I study under Shizune and sometimes Sakura, depending."
The corner of Atsuko's mouth twitched. She'd met Sakura a few times, and knew her to be one of Naruto's team members. Thinking of Naruto sparked her desire to master her latest challenge and she tugged on the dry rag around her neck.
"Are you training on more techniques?" Gisuke asked, pointedly looking at her.
"Yeah, I found out I have an affinity for water so Genma-sensei is having me work on producing it. It's not going well, but it's only been a day."
"Hmm. I always wondered about affinities and how each person connects to them. I never seemed to have one. My chakra control pushes me towards my limited genjutsu and naturally helps me with healing, but my elemental jutsus aren't that great."
"It balances us out, then," Atsuko said, nodding towards the red-headed figure running towards them. "Maybe you can thread the water and the fire."
Yukina landed between them, out of breath but with a huge smile on her face once she saw Gisuke's frown. "I'm sorry," she said in an exaggerated tone. "Did I make you wait?"
"Not as long as I expected," Gisuke said. "You must not have been paying attention to the time or you'd be even later."
"Psh." Yukina waved a hand. "What's a few minutes?" His lips tightened and she laughed. "Morning, Atsuko. You ready for another mission?"
"You bet I am." Atsuko grinned. "Missions are far more exciting than training."
"Truth." Yukina gestured grandly at the road in front of them. "Medical geniuses first."
Gisuke rolled his eyes and began walking, Atsuko falling in behind laughing.