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Chapter 20 - A Mission at Last

Amaya didn't want to move. She was too warm, too comfortable, to even think about getting up. Turning toward the warmth, she snuggled closer. The spicy-sweet scent of cinnamon filled her nose and she breathed deep. For a few more moments, the auburn-haired woman was content. But then her mind caught up with her senses.

She was lying next to Genma.

Correction.

She was lying on top of Genma….

"Shit…."

As if on cue, the Tokujo opened his eyes and smiled. "Good morning." Amaya tried to squirm away, but his arms held her in place. "Don't go. You're so warm."

She swallowed, unable to form words. Or thoughts. Being this close to him was distracting. Finally, though, she found her voice. "What're you doing in my bed?"

He gave a sleepy chuckle. "You mean my bed. You fell asleep after dinner last night, so I carried you in here."

She blinked at him. "Oh."

Genma raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That's all you have to say? Did you realize how exhausted you were?"

"I just...haven't been sleeping well," Amaya mumbled, trying to wiggle out from under his arm again, but he kept a firm grip around her.

" Oh no. You're not going anywhere. Why haven't you been sleeping well?"

"...Nightmares," was her reluctant reply.

"About?"

Amaya bit her lip. Flashes of dream and memory danced through her mind, mixing together until she couldn't tell one from the other. She trailed behind three Anbu, her teammates. They were to gather intel on a corrupt businessman who was selling faulty equipment to Leaf. Her team didn't stand a chance, slaughtered before they could put up much of a fight, as rogue nin closed in from every side. Wounded and left for dead, she lay on the ground, bleeding from a gash on her stomach. The body of one of her teammates rested a few feet away. She couldn't move, couldn't tear her eyes away from the dead stare. Then she heard Kakashi's voice, felt herself being lifted and cradled in warm arms…. She took a deep breath, banishing the images until only ghosts of feelings remained.

"Doesn't matter." The auburn-haired Jonin kissed him on the cheek. "I'm fine. Stop worrying so much."

Genma's arms loosened their hold. He smiled and lay his hand on her cheek. "I've always worried about you. I'm not about to stop now."

A cough from the open door interrupted them. Raido's voice drifted in. "Sorry to...uh...disturb, but the Hokage needs to see you as soon as possible, Amaya. Says he's got a mission for you."

She grinned wickedly. "Thanks, Rai. Just let me finish this blowjob and I'll be right out." The scarred Tokujo said nothing while Genma stared at her, unable to speak. Amaya pecked him on the cheek again, springing from bed, her smile returning as she saw Raido's blush. She pretended not to notice the look Rai gave his roommate who joined him in the hall. Gods bless them both; their expressions, one shocked and one dazed, were adorable.


"I was told you have a mission for me," Amaya said after bowing to the Hokage.

Hiruzen nodded. "A Genin team and their sensei haven't returned from their mission in Grass Country."

"In Kusa? They have their own village. Why would someone hire Leaf nin?"

"The client stated that he had enemies among the shinobi of his land."

"That's understandable. Who's the team's sensei?"

"I believe you know him. Kazuma Izashi?"

Amaya frowned. If something was preventing Kazuma from returning, the situation was dire. "Yes, he was one of my Genin teammates. What kind of mission were they assigned?"

"They were given a C-rank delivery, but we received word this morning that the client who requested the mission was found dead this morning. The package never arrived. We can only assume that whoever killed the noble must have attacked our ninja."

"And I am to be their retrieval team?"

"Yes, along with Haku. He's been notified and will be waiting for you at the gates."

"Really?"

"It is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission." The Hokage smiled as Amaya, her missive given, bowed, leaving Hiruzen to wonder just how long it would take his office to fill with angry councilors.


Haku, as promised, met her by the gates. No words passed between them until they reached the border of Fire and Grass, where they stopped long enough to replenish their water supply.

The younger shinobi turned to her as he screwed the cap back onto his canteen. "Amaya-sensei, you should know that, in the days since my test, I've begun to learn medical ninjutsu."

The oddly formal language drew her attention from the setting sun. They would have to find a place nearby to stop and set up camp for the night. "I can't tell if that was supposed to be an apology or a confession."

"A bit of both, I suppose." A small smile lit his face and she could see the excitement learning roused in him. "A medic-nin stopped me on my way home and offered to begin teaching me. He said the Hokage asked as a personal favor." He gave her a sly smirk. "Hokage-sama is quite good at dodging the will of the councils, isn't he?"

Amaya snorted. "Don't let his age fool you. His mind is still as sharp as a blade." Haku nodded, though he had only met the Hokage a handful of times since joining the village. "Easier to beg for forgiveness indeed," she muttered under her breath. She then addressed Haku again. "Well, if Lord Hokage ordered it, you have nothing to confess or apologize for. How much have you learned?"

"Not much, we've only covered the basics so far, but I can handle most minor injuries."

She nodded. "Good. We may need your skill. Let's find somewhere to camp on our side of the border tonight. We'll rise with the sun."


An hour later, the pair sat around a small fire in a dense grove of trees. The surrounding underbrush helped to conceal the light from unwanted attention and the thick canopy filtered the smoke into nonexistence. Four fish cooked over the flames.

"So," Haku said, watching the fish, "do you know the team we're to rescue?"

"The Genin, no, but the sensei is the Anbu I fought during my test. The Rabbit?"

"I remember him, but I thought Anbu didn't take Genin teams."

"They don't. He'll have some questions to answer when I find him." She'd been too worried to ask the Hokage what an Anbu was doing with Genin.

Haku was silent for a moment. "I wonder if I'll be put on a Genin team eventually…."

"Probably not, unless you want to. You want to become a medic-nin, and they do things a bit differently. If you're accepted into the program, which it seems you have been, you'd train with the other initiates."

"It's so strange to think that I'll be training with other ninja. For so long, it was only Zabuza and I. And even then, I usually practiced by myself."

"Well, as long as you're a shinobi of the Leaf, you'll never train alone again. The village is built around developing bonds and teamwork…. Do you miss Zabuza?"

"Sometimes." Haku shrugged. "But he was my reason for living for years, so I'm not surprised."

"But he was more than that, wasn't he? He was your friend, your father, your teacher."

"Yes, but he was rarely those things. Most of the time he was simply my master. I suppose it's those moments when he was my friend and father and teacher that I miss the most. I've found a new reason to live, but the rest of what Zabuza was to me will be hard to replace."

"Not replace. Think of it more like in addition to. The spot he held in your life was meaningful, and no one will take that from you" The fish were done, but Amaya let the subject go, hoping he would think on what she'd said. After dinner, Haku curled up in his bedroll while the Jonin stayed up a little longer. Watches were unnecessary; they were in no immediate danger here. At least nothing a few well-placed traps couldn't take care of. She summoned Mamoru, gave him Kazuma and his team's last known location, and sent him off in search of her former teammate. Lying down, she drifted off to sleep, praying for Kazuma's safety.


A cold nose in her ear woke Amaya an hour or so before dawn. When she jerked away from the unpleasant sensation, Mamoru rolled off her head in a tangle of tail and limbs. He picked himself up, glaring at his master. "Why'd you throw me off?"

"You stuck that cold, wet nose of yours in my ear. What did you think I was going to do?"

The summon turned away from her with a huff. "Nevermind. We don't have time for this. I found Kazuma, but he's hurt bad."

Amaya leapt to her feet, quickly rolling up her bedroll and blanket and slinging her nearby pack onto her shoulders. She turned to wake Haku, only to find him already up and reaching for his pack as well. With Mamoru's directions, they made good time, finding the injured nin about a half hour after dawn.

He'd managed to drag himself to a cave where he'd be less noticeable. Dried blood coated his clothes and the ground. His right arm bent at an unnatural angle while a nasty gash on his left shoulder was also caked in dried blood. What concerned Amaya the most was the hit he'd taken to his stomach. Pale intestine peaked through the gaping wound. Kneeling beside him, she felt for his pulse, finding it weak, thready. "Haku, see what you can do for him."

The young nin set to work. Amaya's stomach tightened; she couldn't stand here and watch her friend cling to life. If Kazuma died…. No. She wouldn't allow herself to think about that. Instead, she scoured the surrounding forest for any signs of the missing Genin. A kunai half-hidden by a low bush, traces of blood on a tree, and jumbled footprints were all she found.

She returned to find Haku holding a cool cloth against Kazuma's forehead. He held a finger to his lips and motioned for her to wait for him outside. "I was able to heal him — barely. If the wounds had been any deeper or if any of his organs had been damaged, I wouldn't have been able to fix anything. But he's not out of the woods just Yet. He has a fever that I can't seem to break no matter what I do. He mumbled something about his Genin after you left. Have you seen them?"

"No. I fear something happened to them, but we won't know until he wakes up." Amaya walked past Haku and sat next to the Anbu. Sweat glistened on his body, his skin flushed with heat. She took the cloth that rested on his forehead and dipped it into the small cookpot Haku had used to gather water. The liquid, while clean, was warm from the late summer heat. She glanced at the young shinobi who had resumed his seat at the injured nin's side. "Can you cool this water?"

He nodded, touching the water with a finger. Ice crystals spread through the liquid. Wetting the cloth again, the auburn-haired Jonin pressed it to Anbu's forehead. A sigh escaped the injured man. Amaya continued dabbing the cloth against his flushed skin, taking care to avoid the freshly bandaged wounds. She wished she could do more, but now everything rested on Kazuma's will to fight. Until he awoke, his Genin would have to fend for themselves. Amaya said a small prayer that they would be all right.