Diplomatic Immunity

Chapter Two: Teal Nails and Strawberries

Iruka looked up from his place at the mission desk to survey the room. A couple of people lounged on the battered couches, eating from bento boxes and drinking from styrofoam cups. He glanced at an open scroll on the desk, not able to stop himself from re-reading the line he had committed to memory over a week ago. 'Hatake Kakashi, S-ranked solo mission in the northern territories, return date classified.' Not gonna worry about him, he thought, forcing his eyes to skip down the list, scan other names, other assignments.

Tonbo was on a mission with Izumo and Kotetsu. Asuma's cell had just headed out the door for Wave Country. Gai and his team were on a two-week mission to inspect Konoha field outposts. Kurenai and her crew were doing joint exercises with Suna. Anko was on a mission in Tea. Raidou was disabled after his most recent mission - expected return to active duty in a week or so. With Sasuke... missing... Sakura apprenticing at the hospital, and Naruto studying somewhere unreachable with Jiriya, he wasn't going to be seeing a lot of friends in the mission room for a while it seemed. Maybe Genma would come by to lighten things up?

"Hey, Iruka-sensei. You look a little bored. Or spaced out." The long-haired special jounin with his backwards hitai-ate and his perpetually chewed senbon had somehow managed to enter the room and sidle up to the desk while Iruka was thinking about him, completely unnoticed.

"Ah! Genma-san. I... speak of the devil.. I..."

"You wouldn't be the first to call me a devil, but are sure you really want to?" Genma perched on the desk, leaning in, smirking that know-it-all smirk of his that kept the needle-shaped weapon jutting impertinently from his lips

"You... ha... You really remind me of Kakashi sometimes, Genma-san," Iruka leaned back and smiled, blushing a little.

"Oh dear, I think you're digging the hole even deeper now," Genma laughed. "Shall I grab you a shovel?"

"No I..." Iruka stopped mid sentence – something fascinating had just caught his eye. "Teal nails, Genma-san?"

"Like em?" Genma splayed his fingers along the desk's edge. "Raidou picked the color."

"They're uh..." loud, Iruka's brain unhelpfully supplied, alarming, silly...

"Loud. I know. But kind of fun." Genma grinned. "Listen, if you aren't afraid of having your nails painted, come on over for dinner tonight. Raidou's been getting a little stir-crazy being stuck home while his leg heals, so he's cooking. We have way too much for just the two of us, and I'm sure it's no fun eating alone every night until Kakashi gets back."

"Oh! I wouldn't want to..." he stopped himself, "That's very kind of you, Genma-san. I'd be delighted to." Iruka smiled happily.

"You know," Genma said in a conspiratorial tone, "I think we've known each other long enough you could drop the '-san' if you wanted."

"We're on duty, Genma-san. This is the..."

"Yeah, I know. It's the mission room." He mimicked Iruka's voice almost perfectly. "Actually, that's why I'm here. Heard I had a new assignment?" He quirked an eyebrow, remaining perched on the desk's edge. "And I know this may come as a shock to you, Iruka, but shinobi are allowed to be friends, even while on duty."

"Do you ever quit teasing, Genma-sa... Genma?" It felt odd to say the name nakedly like that. Especially the name of an older and higher-ranking comrade.

"I'm not teasing." Genma smiled, and it was a warm smile, genuine, with no smirk or scowl marring the open friendliness of the gesture.

It was true, they had known each other for a number of years, now that he thought about it. They'd met at the academy when Iruka was a new teacher and Genma was giving ninjutsu classes for advanced students. But Kakashi was really their common thread. Genma's buddy. Iruka's lover.

"Well... Thanks." Iruka looked down. That's why Kakashi likes him so much. He's a straightforward guy, when you come right down to it. It was good to have such friends. Amazing, really.

"Mission?"

"Oh! Of course!" Iruka jumped a little, and grabbed the scroll listing the jounin's and special jounin's pending assignments. He scanned it for Genma's name, then rifled through a small box, pulling out a blue patterned envelope.

"A-rank. May your mission be successful, Shinobi of Konoha." The ritual words overrode friendship, obliterated personal connections, made the assignment official.

"I thank you, fellow Leaf Ninja," Genma replied with all decorum. Then utterly spoiled the effect by waving the loud teal nails in Iruka's face. "See you at seven. Bring an appetite!" And disappeared in a little swirl of vapor.

ooo

Genma transported himself to a secluded balcony, leaned against the roughly plastered wall of the administration building, and used his senbon as a letter opener, breaking the seal on the mission envelope. The indigo-patterned washi paper told him it was A-rank. The assignment slip that fell from it was not nearly as pretty as its wrapper.

Mission RA1-279-48064 – Revision: 3

Date: 11/2 – Original Date: 10/1

Rank: A – Original Rank: C, B

Personnel: 010203 Shiranui Genma, Tokubetsu Jounin, 010800 Shizune, Jounin, Medic

Previously Assigned: 012484 Saito Magatsu, Chuunin – MIA, presumed KIA 10/08

011134 Mitsuwa Hisa, Chuunin – KIA 10/26

012036 Shiotani Houji, Chuunin – KIA 10/26

Objective: Make contact with Konoha operative at Amegakure University in Hidden Rain, deliver recording equipment, retrieve and transport microfilm to Konoha.

Secondary Objective: Obtain information about unknown jutsu responsible for deaths of previous teams assigned to this mission.

Cover: Transport diplomatic documents to Amegakure no Sato. Attendance at international medical conference by operative 010800

Notes: Two prior attempts at this mission resulted in the confirmed deaths by unknown jutsu of two Konoha Shinobi, and the presumed death of a third. Attacks occurred before contact was made with operative in Amegakure. Enemy unknown. Jutsu is highly lethal, appears to be wind or electrical elemental, able to cross at least 10 meters. If this or similar jutsu is encountered use extreme caution. Identify enemy, elemental, and seals used in accomplishing jutsu. Do not engage if escape is possible.

Briefing: 11/3, 0800, Admin0454

Well, Genma thought, at least I still get to have dinner with Raidou and Iruka tonight. And Shizune's good to work with. But an eight AM briefing? Ugh.

He returned the document to its envelope, rolled it up, and slipped it into one of the pouches on the front of his vest.

What he didn't think about, what he decided to put off considering until after the briefing, was the deaths of three comrades. Not people he had known well, though he'd had a couple of missions with Mitsuwa Hisa. It wasn't that he didn't care. In fact, if anything, it was the opposite.

ooo

"I'm home!" Genma called, strolling into the entry of the small house he shared with Raidou. He kicked his shoes off and stepped into the living room, shrugging off his vest and pulling the hitai-ate bandana off one-handed without untying it. He hung both garments on a wall rack, next to Raidou's.

"Hey," came Raidou's reply from somewhere out of sight.

Genma headed to the bedroom, intent on changing out of uniform for the night, since he'd undoubtedly be living in it for the next several days at least.

"Rai, where are you? Back here?" Genma slid the bedroom door open, stopped and stared.

"Raidou..."

"Hi."

Raidou was reclined on the bed, holding the book he had apparently been reading. His splinted left leg was elevated on several pillows, with an ice pack over his knee. His smile of greeting was a little shame-faced.

"What's that look for? You seem to be actually doing what the medics tell you to for a change. Did something happen?"

"Um... No... not so much, really..."

"Spill it." Genma pulled the black uniform shirt over his head and tossed it in a corner, then sat cross-legged on the bed, facing his partner.

"I... I just... it was hurting a little so..." The auburn-haired man looked away.

"What did you do?" Genma sighed.

"Walked to the store."

"Without your crutches?"

"No, with." Raidou still wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Well what then? You've walked to the store with me a couple of times since you got home without making anything worse."

"No."

"What then?" Genma pressed, then stopped, the light dawning. "Which store?"

"Eh... The... the one that carries imported stuff. I needed..."

"You fucking idiot! That's halfway across the village! What could you possibly have needed that would be worth..." Genma was stopped mid-rant by the sudden insertion in his mouth of something large... and sweet...

"It's from the Western Lands Country of Wisteria. A kind of sweet. Chocolate blended with hazelnuts, and I dipped strawberries in it." Raidou looked up hopefully, using his best 'don't be mad at me, see what wonderful things I can do for you' expression. (An expression he had learned from Genma, truth be told.)

"Whew dijoo ge srawbawies?" Genma asked, mouth full of the really quite amazing delicacy. He swallowed, licking the juice from his lips. "They're not in season."

"Yamanaka-san's greenhouse. He's forcing them."

"He knows you took them, right?" Genma could just imagine the row there would be if the precious fruits had been "liberated" without permission.

"Yes. Don't be so suspicious! He gave them to me himself. Said you were about to leave on a mission and he knew how much you liked them and they were ripe now and..." Raidou stopped.

"And..." Genma scooted closer to Raidou, curling up next to him on the bed, resting his head on his partner's shoulder. Knowing what was coming.

"And you're gonna tell me about this mission, right? Is it a bad one?"

"Might be. I don't know yet. Briefing's tomorrow."

"Oh." Raidou toyed with Genma's long hair, twining silky brown strands between his fingers.

"It's a reassign. Two prior failures. Three chuunin dead. You remember that woman Hisa?"

"The one who worked the genjutsu screen on that mission to Salt Country last year?"

"Yeah, her. She's dead." Genma's voice was flat. He leaned into the stroking, settling his own hand on Raidou's shoulder, hanging on.

"It's bad then."

"Yeah. She was good. Supposedly they were all hit with some unknown but really deadly wind jutsu. Or maybe an electrical. Don't know who the enemy is, either."

"Oh." Raidou kept petting Genma's hair, cradling his head in his large palm. There wasn't a lot to say, really, in these circumstances. They were shinobi. They knew the risks.

"Anyway, it's in Rain. The official cover is..."

"Transporting diplomatic documents," Raidou chimed in, making Genma laugh.

"Pretty lame, ne?" He grinned at Raidou, whose scarred face wrinkled with a returned, slightly lopsided smile.

"Hard to believe they're still using that old story, but I guess it works."

"Shizune's assigned, too. Just the two of us."

"Oooh, should I be jealous?" Raidou made an exaggerated pout, fluttering his lashes over warm brown eyes.

"Nope. I'm all yours. Especially since you feed me so well. Idiot." Genma grinned and patted Raidou's hurt leg gently.

The auburn-haired man flinched, then bent his head forward for a kiss, lips pursed. Genma happily complied.

ooo ooo ooo

Special thanks to my many beta readers and reviewers. Chapter three is in the works.