The soft pattering of the rain was soothing and the cramped shrine grew warm from their combined body-heat in such a small space.
Something small and cold dropped onto Kurai's nose. She twitched, but did not wake. Another cold thing splashed on her closed eyelid and she sat up with a start, reaching for her sword but instead slamming her elbow into the shrine wall. She swore, rubbing her elbow and looking around. So last night wasn't a dream. There was a leak in the roof and water had collected, dripping right onto her face. Katsuo was right opposite her, head back and his mouth slightly open. He was fast asleep. Asleep… "I… slept?" she murmured. "No way. No nightmares, no nothing. It's morning, so it must've been at least six hours." Damn I feel good! It was a giddy sensation, her senses all naturally refreshed and strangely at peace.
"Hoi… Katsu!" she whispered. Katsuo didn't move. She kicked him and he tried to jump to his feet. His head connected solidly with the ceiling and he went down again, cursing and clutching his bruised cranium. Kurai shrieked as one hundred and sixty pounds of pure muscle and man came crashing down on her. She jerked the door open, scrambling out and falling in the mud.
"Ohayou, Karai Kurai. What're you doing on the ground?" Katsuo asked sleepily, rubbing his head. Kurai had landed face-down in the muck. She levered her upper half out of the mud, her entire front covered in the stuff. She spat out a mouthful and croaked, "I'm going to kill you."
They made it back without further incident, giving their report directly to the Raikage. "You fell asleep." Inazuma repeated flatly. "On the job."
"Won't happen again, Raikage-sama," Katsuo replied breezily.
"And why are you covered in mud, Tora?" Kurai flushed scarlet. She'd managed to wash the worst off of her face, but some of it had gotten into her hair and then dried in ridiculous spikes.
"I fell, Raikage-sama," she answered tightly.
Inazuma leaned back in her giant chair; hers and the reflections of the two ANBU before her were reflected a thousand times over in the mirrored office. She fixed a stern look on her ageless face and pursed her lips, but was actually trying her hardest not to laugh. Oh how far her students had fallen! Proud and beautiful Kurai, charming and handsome Katsuo… It's a match made in heaven, she thought with a snort. Oh my. But, they managed to escape from the boss Summoning of all wolf Summonings… they're smart together, that's for sure. But it must've been so awkward! I've never seen Kurai blush like that!
"You may go and clean up. You won't be given any mission for the rest of this week," she straightened her papers and nodded to the two. "You are dismissed. The AnBu showers are open, by the way. You should really get cleaned up." If possible, Kurai's face had gotten even redder and Katsuo went cross-eyed for a moment. They were gone in a flash. When she was sure they were far away, Inazuma burst out laughing. She pounded the table with her fists, hooting and cackling like a howler monkey. That was priceless! Too good a chance to resist. She took deep breaths to compose herself, then linked her hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair. "I love my job."
"Oi! Where are you going? The bath-house is thatway." Katsuo pointed. Kurai's mouth was a thin white line in her face, her lips pressed tightly together and her jaw set at a grim angle.
"Are you trying something, Rock-head?" she asked, her voice laden with harmful patience. Katsuo stared at her stupidly.
"What the hell do you mean by that?"
"I'M NOT BEING IN THE SAME ROOM WITH YOU NAKED YOU MORON!"
Passersby stared and scuttled out of the way. "It never bothered you before! We've been doing missions together for years, you banshee!" Katsuo shouted back.
"But that was before you tried something on a freaking mission where we were very close to getting killed!" Kurai was going red in the face. They stood nose to nose, yelling their heads off. A few members of the civilian law-keeping force considered asking the two AnBu to not make a scene in broad daylight, but decided against it as they didn't like the threat of castration that the woman had hurled at the man.
"WELL I'M SORRY!" Katsuo bellowed. "PARDON ME FOR TRYING TO SAVE OUR SKINS!"
"YOU DON'T MEAN IT!" Kurai roared back, standing on her toes. "APOLOGIZE PROPERLY!"
"WELL WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? BEG FOR FORGIVENESS?!?!?"
Kurai took a few steps back. Very calmly, as if she had not being screaming her lungs out a few seconds before, she replied, "You can buy me dinner." Katsuo opened his mouth to make a sharp retort before his brain processed what she had said.
"I… what?" Kurai turned on her heel and called over her shoulder, "You can pick me up at seven tomorrow. Don't be late. Ja, matane."
"Umm… sir?" one of the law-keepers asked, looking nervous. "Sir, peopled are unnerved by-"
"Well I'll be damned," another one said, looking impressed. "Wasn't that Kurai Torakiba, the Raikage's niece? Nice goin'!"
"Tomorrow at seven," Katsuo repeated, making his way toward the baths. Suddenly, he grinned broadly. "Yes! I am sosmooth."
She sank gratefully into the hot water after she'd stripped off her gory and bloody armor. Now THIS is paradise.She thought lazily. Sleep, bath, and food. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so at peace. The birds were out, the sky was amazingly clear, and the day was slightly humid after the night's rain. "Oh, what've I gotten myself into?" she said out loud to the ceiling. "Dinner… with Katsuo? What was I thinking? It's a date! I CAN'T date, especially not someone in my squad." She growled in annoyance and submerged completely under the bathwater.
What made me do that? She wondered. The Kiss? I admit that was rather nice… a little TOO nice… but it was just the adrenaline and lack of oxygen, I think. She didn't believe that logical part of her brain at the moment. She opened her eyes underwater and blinked; her blood a dull roar in her ears. But… dating is something normal, right? Logic was cowed under the stern glances from Emotion. So we can be normal for an evening. He's nice enough, I guess. I haven't really spoken to him that much since we became chuunin. I was always out on missions and training my ass off…I'm not really sure how he got into the ANBU. For his Taijutsu, I guess, but kami knows he needs work on stealth and agility. She surfaced and chuckled. Of COURSE he does, compared to me. I'M a Torakiba. I basically part ca-
"Kurai hurry up!" she could hear her cousin Kagemaru pounding on the door. "It's been an HOUR. I'm sure you're nice and clean by now and other people would like to take a bath."
"Keep your shirt on, Kagemaru. I don't see you up to your knees in blood and guts!" she called back, getting dressed in a fresh white yukata. She slid the door open to raise an eyebrow at her taller and older cousin. "A lady needs her beauty time."
"Doesn't seem to be doing you any good." He retorted, sliding past her and shutting the door with a snap. Kurai stuck her tongue out at the closed door and sauntered off, pausing to watch Manami, Kagemaru's wife, walk back and forth trying to calm a squalling Yasutora.
Manami was very pretty, many agreed, with golden hair and a heart-shaped face. At the moment, her deep brown eyes were blood-shot and she shot a desperate look at her cousin-in-law. "I don't suppose the ANBU can quiet crabby toddlers?" She cried loudly over Yasutora's amazingly strong lungs. Kurai grimaced and held out her hands for the squirming little boy.
"Oi, now, Yasu," she had to shout to be heard. "You can't be a ninja if you're so loud. You want to be in the AnBu someday, just like your big auntie Kurai, right?"
"Oh dear god please no." Manami muttered, massaging her temples.
"So you have to be able to get down low-" she dropped to sit on her heels suddenly. Yasu stopped crying for a split-second then started up again. "-you have to be able to get way up high-" she jumped back to a standing position, tossing her cousin's baby into the air. He stopped wailing, gaping at Kurai as she caught him, his mouth a perfect 'o'. "-you must be agile-" she did a quick jig. "-and you must be able to do this-" she spun around and around in a circle. "-and not get dizzy."
For a second there was total silence. Then the joyous sound of a small child's laughter rang out. "Here you go, Manami," Kurai handed Yasutora back to his stunned mother. "Remember that, okay? The Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai can even silence crying children!" she struck a pose.
"Yeah, umm… okay." Manami wandered off in a bit of a daze.
But…Kurai resumed her pondering. Back in the room she lived in when off-duty, she threw open the doors of the armoire. It was sadly quite empty, save for a black dress and another change of black pants and a black sleeveless turtleneck. "I have nothing to wear." She stared, mouth hanging open. "I never noticed that before. Nothing. Oh my god… ohmygodohmygod." She struck her forehead with her fist. "Idiot! Why do you have no clothes?"
Because I'm always out on missions! And whenever I AM back here at the village, it's only for a day or two and I only need two outfits because I take EVERY FREAKING MISSION OH CRAP I'M A WORKAHOLIC. She groaned and hit her head against the wall. "Okay. Maybe I can borrow something from Manami." And have her and everyone else know you're going on a date? It's not a date! Whatever. Most of her stuff has elastic everywhere while she's burning off that pregnancy weight.Mother? Oh, now that's lame. In her inner-voice sounded both disappointed and disgusted. Borrowing clothes from your MOTHER? You're twenty-one, sweetie. Get a wardrobe of your own.
"Oh shit…" Kurai sighed. She slipped into her usual off-duty outfit and set up an elaborate henge of a rather nondescript brunette woman in a plain blue dress. "Under-cover it is."
She was half-way across town when a voice that was familiarly hoarse called to her. "Oi, Kurai!" she didn't turn around, keeping to a sedate walk. "It's Shizuka, yeah. Ugly henge, much?" the brunette woman turned around to glare at her team-mate. For some strange reason, Shizuka actually had a wardrobe… if the same magenta dress and shorts could be called a wardrobe. At least she wasn't wearing something as lame as her clan colors and crest.
"Not so loud!" the disguised Kurai hissed. "I'm trying to be incognito."
"Mm-hmm. With an ugly henge? No woman is that plain, un."
"I swear. You must be bipolar or something. First you're going on about how 'formal' I am, then you go and call me ugly!" Kurai cried in mock-disgust, slinging her shopping-bags over her shoulder. Shizuka looked as if she was about to say something teasing, but then stopped. Her slim shoulders drooped.
"Ano… sometimes, when I'm not paying attention, I open my mouth and out comes Aniki, yeah." She sighed.
"You miss him a lot, hmm?"
Shizuka scowled at the ground. "Yes, I do. Aniki was everything, you know? He taught me everything and he always worked so hard to come home between missions. I loved Aniki. Once, he came straight from Rain Country in two days just to see me. Well, it turns out not just to see me, as he was missing an arm, but yeah."
"How did he die?" Kurai cocked her head, curious. Shizuka, if it was possible, went even paler.
"There… was an explosion on the job, yeah," she replied airily. "He died happy, though."
The Torakiba decided not to press her friend. She'd never seen the quiet woman look so lost or uncomfortable before. "Anyway, while we're both out, would you like to grab lunch?" Kurai offered. Shizuka blinked, startled from her daze.
"Ah, no thank you. I have errands to run. But I'll see you around, yeah?" she waved and disappeared into the crowds.
Someday, I'll really ask about her Aniki, Kurai promised. He must've been a great man if he had anything to do with how she is today. I'd place my life in no other medic nin's hands but hers. But... she had a new thought. Maybe she's ashamed of him? Naw… but she never talks about him. Though she talks LIKE him, it seems.
Anyway…
I hope he's happy, wherever he is. Wish I could've met him.
She didn't know she already had, and their meeting had not been a joyous occasion.
A/N: ugh. So sorry. Just more drabble. DX
ZOMG WHO IS ANIKI!?!?!?
If you can't figure it out and have to ask me I will keel joo ded.
Sorry that this chapter is just ramble after ramble. I was trying to drag it out to AT LEAST 2,000 words. I succeeded to some extent. Just know that Kurai is confused about Katsuo and Shizuka is lost without her Aniki. WHY ARE MY CHARACTERS SO EMOTIONALLY DAMAGED OR DEAD?!?!
And… I thought I had a plot all set up, ya know? But no. It's gone. It no longer makes sense. DAMN IT SHIZUKA YOUR PRESENCE IS MESSING EVERYTYHING UP.DX But that's how it was for The Blood of Children, and that turned out well. So, ideas are welcome if there is something you would like to see. 3