"Cooperate." She hisses.
"No, listen." He pleads.
She sighs. "You know I work better alone."
He reaches for her hand. "This time you don't have to."
"Alone." She grounds out, and believes that he has nothing more to say.
She turns away from him and his hand is left in the air.
How awkward.
"You wrote to me once, about a week or so ago." She begins and his breath catches in his throat. "I never did receive a re-take." She wonders aloud and he thinks she's provoking him.
"I didn't think you would have the time." He replied apologetically.
She rolls her eyes. "And apparently I have enough to pursue a mission with children."
"They could use a teacher like you!"
"A samurai teaching shinobi how to survive?" There was no doubt about how ludicrous the idea seemed to her. "I think I'd sooner finish the mission myself."
She wonders why it must be him who comes to her pleading for such a thing. Has he been reduced to nothing more than a mere messenger? Or is this what he does in his free time, get to know what the village has in store for her and ensure that she complies?
"It's a simple mission, an escort mission to Torigakure." He explains.
She blinks once and breathes through her mouth, before retorting, "And do you know how far that is? Terribly far. It would take me days, but with children I might take weeks."
"They could learn. You could teach them."
She wonders what would make him think so, but supposes it was because of her reluctant acceptance of the Hokage's offer to teach, to set-up a make-shift school of her own within the village as a sign of trust, of acceptance. But in her mind, it was a very political offer, to strengthen Konohagukure's shinobi by employing a foreigner to reveal all that would otherwise place the samurai above them.
But Hagakure, Tetsu no Kuni, and the island of Shizoku see no need to protect their art from the clutches of shinobi. The times has passed, and even the shinobi have taught their art of ninjutsu and genjutsu to samurai. It would only be fitting that the samurai do the same.
And later on, there would no longer be a distinction between the shinobi and the samurai. The unified world so desired by the lot of them would finally be possible.
"I could, but I opt not to."
"Why must you be so stubborn?" He sighs, sinks into the chair across from her.
"I am not of this village."
She has said that far too many times to count, but if he were counting, she would have said that twenty-two times since they has become something akin to friends.
"But you are an ally. You have declared so the other day."
And he has said that fifteen times already, still thankful that she still sees herself as such.
"An ally, not a teacher."
He doesn't understand her thinking, and explains, "You've several kenjutsu students already, young and old alike."
"And this is vastly different. Being sent on missions to ensure the safety of children as their teacher is not part of my profession."
Ah.
"It will be!" He says a little too loudly, but it doesn't startle her. His next statement, however, does. "The Hokage expresses her liking towards you."
"And I am supposed to feel the same?" She raises a brow. "I would apologize to her, but not to you."
He thinks it useless to persuade her with such. "Again, I ask, why must you be so stubborn?"
Her stare hardens and she asks coldly, "And why must you pester me so? Is my job something of interest to you?"
"Yes." There is no hesitation in his answer.
"Well, good for you." She replies, the irony thick in her tone, "Seems you're the more optimistic one of us."
"I did not mean it that way." He apologizes.
"Then what else could you mean? Am I such an interesting subject of shinobi teahouse discussion?"
She laughs mirthlessly and becomes unsteady in his resolve.
"Please. I only wish to understand what is making you hesitate so much…" He itches to reach for her hand, but does otherwise.
"Hagakure is far, and I no longer have ties as strong to it as I did before the war. If I were to return there, it would be permanent. You would likely never see me again."
So she wants to go home?
"We could visit." He suggests, using the friendly term "we" to refer to him and some near-invisible acquaintances.
She huffs. "You shinobi think of yourselves as water, whilst we samurai believe ourselves to be rock."
"A man of wood and a woman of steel." He thinks aloud.
"What?"
"The haiku." He says shyly, but doesn't allow his face to fluster as he recites;
"He, a man of wood
meets with a woman of steel-
how lovely she is."
She nods in acknowledgement. "Quite the image you have there."
He replies moments later, "We have spent much time together and I feel I've known you enough to think so."
She didn't expect their conversation to be an outward confession of his feelings, not does he expect to see an embarrassed, if not flustered, expression gracing her steely features. He finds short amusement in it, that one as fearsome as she is still human like him. That she could somehow reciprocate the same feelings.
She blinks several times and she regains the cold edge to her voice, admitting, "How kind of you to think such things."
"But it is true." He gathers the courage and takes her hand in his, and looks at nothing but the shape of her hand. "I think we have grown to enjoy each other's company."
Her hand twitches in his and he feels cold.
"I would like to think so, but we have our responsibilities." She says, but doesn't removes her hand from his, finds a sad comfort in his warmth. "You are an ANBU and I wish to return to Hagakure."
"I wish for you to remain here." He holds her hand firmly.
She thinks how childish he is to say such words, but nonetheless appreciates it. "I will, but not for long."
"How long?"
"I cannot say."
He releases her hand and she forces herself not to think of how his fingers would fit in between hers.
"The children are eager to have you be their guide to Torigakure." He returns their conversation to before.
"Then you guide them." She suggests, a humored glint in her eye, "It's almost the same thing, except you know nothing of kenjutsu and I am a far better combatant."
"Konohagakure wishes your cooperation."
"And have I given anything but?" She questions him, eyes hard and expressed cold. "You wishful shinobi think that samurai are so easily swayed by words."
"I will work on my haiku, then." He smiles.
"Terrible work." She replies with a grin of her own. "I'd rather you quit already."
He gives it three days before writing her a new one, a re-take. It is late in the afternoon and he meets her in the training grounds, under the shade of an old tree. He recites;
"As you breathe cold air
I shake, a tree in the wind
how are you so cold?"
She laughs. "Better."
He smiles at her approval, but frowns as he says, "You didn't take the mission."
She breathes audibly through her nose. "If I did? What then?"
"I would thank you."
"You are ANBU. Surely you understand."
Death is their profession, after all.
"If I were to accompany children," She continues, "It would mean nothing to the gravity of what I have done and what I must continue to do."
He thinks her words could only mean one thing. "When are you leaving?"
"The Hokage wishes to reestablish relations with Hagakure." She says. "A week."
"And you will return?" He coaxes.
"I do not know when." She admits.
He smiles. "I wish you a safe journey."
"It's already a given."
"Then I wish for your safe return."
Whether it was to Hagakure or to Konohagakure, she does not know, doesn't dare ask. But she reaches to grasp his free hand with hers, leans her mouth to his cheek, and presses a chaste kiss to his skin.
"How kind of you." She whispers.
And then she is gone, taking the haiku along with her.