A/N: *cowers behind computer desk* Oh my god... I am so sorry for not updating. You don't even know - school has been absolutely kicking my ass. Like, kicking, punching, and burying it alive. But it's Winter Break now so I promise I'll make it up to you! I'm going on a trip later this week to Washington DC (yay! presidents and history! wootness!) and I'm bringing my notebook so I can spend the whole time writing everywhere I go. Okay? So please don't kill me? ENJOY THIS LOVELY LONG CHAPTER!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it. Yosh.
Chapter 6 - Of Frightening Beginnings
The morning that followed must have been just about the most depressing morning of my life. I didn't even have the energy to get up - I just rolled over and stared despairingly out the balcony window from the couch. Some kind of horrible devil bird was squawking it's little head off and my hands were itching to go outside and strangle it, (Seriously. I've never felt so murderously towards any living thing in my entire life as much as I was toward this bird) but everything felt so heavy. I really might as well have been a little less active than a chunk of lead, but a small, rotting corner of my brain was nagging me to take my depression in stride. Surely I would need to get up and eat, right? Or clean? Or unpack? Or strangle a bird? It felt like I should be doing something, but my body was just too plugged with grief. I closed my eyes and sighed. A distraction is what I needed. Something productive that would chip away at the rock in my stomach...
Creative Outlet: Switch on!
...
Any second now...
Alright, I guess pep-talking was a stupid idea considering the situation. I could really preach all I want about relieving the horrible pit of loneliness, but it wouldn't drag my ass off this couch.
'If I can find something productive to do,' I thought to myself quietly, 'Then I'll find a way to make a cheeseburger tonight.'
A light bulb went off in my head and my feet swung themselves off the furniture.
Ha! I win!
I gathered my balance quickly and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I made my way towards the bedroom. It was really strange, I realized, having my own apartment. Nice, since I didn't have to worry about about people going through my shit (when I eventually haveshit, that is) but strange. It made me feel... responsible. (Insert eerie shiver). Anyway, hopefully they would have some sort of appropriate article of clothing I could wear into the village - they had some funny people here but I'm pretty sure it still wouldn't fly to walk around in a robe. I made a point not to look anywhere near the ceiling as I strode purposefully to the closet, swinging the door open a little more violently then I probably should have. Or course it was completely empty anyways, so I was ultimately forced to waste a good twenty minutes of my life dissecting the entire apartment for clothes. I sped around the room at lightning-speed, throwing things around and digging through little inconspicuous cabinets, muttering curses to myself.
"Dear mother of crack," I finally panted, collapsing back onto the couch and kicking my feet up onto the coffee table. "They had the sense to fill up a fridge in case the guest got hungry, but left the closet empty! I'd seriously rather be dressed and hungry than bloated and naked." I shivered. "This sucks."
The more I thought about it later, of course, it was actually very sensible not to provide clothes. I mean, what if it didn't match the guests' style? Or got ruined and had to be paid for? Or was the wrong size? But at the moment I was just trying to justify those poor, wasted twenty minutes so just ignore me. What was I thinking about again?
Anyway, I glared through my eyelashes at nothing in particular while I assessed the situation. I could probably make a sash of sorts with the bed sheets, but that would be like walking around in a toga (which was stupid). I had an old bobbin of thread in my backpack from Home-Ec. class, but without a needle it would be useless-
(Snap!) The bags!
Those ugly bags that I loathed and despised for their impractical weight for a whole day and hadn't even thought about properly until I had to drag them through my little goose-chase yesterday! (Shiver.) Never again... But the bags! Surely Jiraiya would have left me a T-shirt that wasn't assaulted with bacteria, right? I shot up from my seat a little too quickly and flipped over the edge of the couch, landing ungracefully on my head, but recovered quickly enough and scrambled over to the deserted duffel's. I poked one suspiciously, just to make sure it didn't contain something that moved (although if it was in fact something that moved, I mused, it would almost certainly be dead by now) before carefully reaching over and unzipping it a little, leaning my face back for any possible surprise attacks.
It was just then that an eerily familiar poofvibrated into existence over my left shoulder and a tap of feet landing on wood echoed throughout the room. My heart stopped beating and I was suddenly a statue carved out of ice. What the fuck...
"Kaya-san. I am to escort you to a formal meeting of the Konohagakure council-"
"Oh God, it's JASON!"
The freaky masked man tilted his head quizzically as I screeched a battle cry and used my meager strength to fling the nearest flingable object at his head. He dodged it without even a flinch, of course, but that didn't keep me from throwing myself behind the coffee table and hyperventilating in panic.
"Don't touch me! I know ten different forms of Tae Kwan Do and can break your spine with my pinkie toe and-" A gloved hand clapped over my mouth as Mr. Mask crouched stoically down to my height. Now that I looked closer, the mask sort of resembled more of a teddy bear as opposed to a murderous hockey mask - but it was a very threatening teddy bear so we don't have to talk about it. A slightly more impatient male voice muffled out from under the face-concealer once more.
"I assure you that I am not this one named 'Jason'. Please cooperate - I am to immediately escort you to a formal meeting of the-"
"Oh my, you didn't have to sneak up on me, Teddy!" I patted his head fondly and his shoulders slumped in defeat. I grinned. "I have nothing to wear. Do you think you could take off your Jason mask and 'Serial Killer' me some clothes?"
Teddy pointed silently over to the corner we had previously occupied. Blinking, I looked over his shoulder to see the choice, pitiful looking flingable object lying haphazardly on the floor, now toppled over with its contents bursting out. My first thought was that I had absolutely hopeless aim, but after a second I was able to gape in realization.
Huh, a smile crept onto my lips,So Jiraiya has some taste after all.
"Kaya-san. It is not wise to keep the council waiting-"
"Oh shove it Teddy, I'm done. If ninjas wore pantyhose I swear yours would be ridiculously far up your ass," I stepped out of the bathroom and twirled around, immensely glad for the first time that my lecher of a sensei paid attention to women. "What do you think?"
The pants were simple black cargo's with lots of pockets that stopped about mid-calve. There was also this black and white leg-band thing that had been pinned on to like, every article of clothing accommodated to the lower extremities, but it still looked pretty cool. Alright, it was totally cool - a gang symbol, perhaps? Did I have homies I didn't know about? But that's not the point. Anyway, the shirt was just a plain white tank-top that hugged my belly. I didn't typically wear things that 'hugged' anything so it felt sort of odd, but I had to say - it was cute, simple, inexpensive, and inconspicuous. What more could I ask for?
Teddy didn't even turn around. "You are presentable. Please step forward so we may leave."
I puffed up angrily, "What do you have against me? You're the one that almost gave me a stroke!"
He didn't even budge, staring (or what I assumed to be staring, at least) at the door in apprehension. I suddenly felt very nervous.
"Hey..." I crept forward shyly and reached up to tap his shoulder - he didn't even look like he was breathing. "Is this council really that scary?" I imagined a dark, shadowy group of people in cloaks, sacrificing a young maiden looking remarkably like me over an angrily churning volcano.
Finally he shifted, turning to meet my gaze with tense, painted beads of eyes, "They are powerful, yes. You must not speak out of line, Kaya-san. It is not your place to do so."
And with those short words, it suddenly hit me just how important this would be - that whatever this council was would very well decide whether I would stay in this village or not - even more so, whether I lived or died. I couldn't simply charge in there and demand to know who and where that Naruto kid was and make myself all cosy and settled. I couldn't afford to be off guard. A grim determination washed over me and I set my expression as hard as I could without looking ridiculous.
"Alright Teddy," I held out my hand for him to do his stupid teleport-thing. "Let's do this.
I could only vaguely hear the resounding 'poof'explode from out bodies as we popped into existence. The room was dim even though it was day, but I still had to blink and try to compose the pinwheels I had for eyes. I didn't have long to catch my breath or stumbling feet before Teddy bowed out from my side and a door was shut. Crap, I thought as I scanned the room, trying desperately to adjust to the new environment. I could just make out a window with the blinds drawn and a table with three quietly assessing figures seated at its perimeter. I squinted. I'd expected a big court room with a looming jury or something, but the air was just as hellishly tense as it would have been in my suspenseful fantasies.Crap crap crap crap cra-
"This is her, Sarutobi? Such a little thing - looks like a fool."
I was suprised that the voice was that of an elderly woman, but more so offended. I'd only been in the room for like, what? Five whole seconds? I wrestled down my irritation and swallowed, bowing low from what I would tell was a scrutinizing glare, determined to show what I could offer.
"Good morning, your - er - Councilwoman," I stumbled politely, trying my hardest not to further her harsh first impression. I may be loud, unfocused, and decidedly inappropriate in some situations, but I am no fool. Bitch.
The woman's eyes, which I could only just distinguish now in her solemn, droopy face, narrowed suspiciously. I internally grinned. Mhmm.
"Indeed..." came another elderly, and if possible, even more solemn male voice. It really made me wonder if this entire government was made up of retirement-home breakouts. "And your name, young woman?"
I straightened my spine and tilted my chin up with a confidence I didn't have. "Kaya, Sir."
"Kaya Sur?" Came the old woman, frowning even deeper. "I am not familiar with this surname. Are you of foreign origin?"
"Oh! No, I didn't mean-" but I was silenced by a warning glance from the Hokage - his presence still made me self-conscious. "Er- yes. It's a small village in southern country..." I finished quickly, clearing my throat. "You've probably never heard of it. We're very inconspicuous."
"I see. And what brings you to the aspiration of becoming a shinobi of Konohagakure? Have you no kin in this village of yours?"
It took all of my strength not to fidget. "I lived with my father, ma'am. He passed away-" I closed my eyes in what could have passed for grief. God forbid, "- not too long ago. I want to become a ninja to protect my little sister. I was attempting to train myself when Jiraiya sensei found me. I promise with all of my heart I will become a strong asset to your shinobi force - if you'll have me, that is." There. Simple, believable, totally cliched, and all utter lies, lies, lies. I'd always hated lying. I'd like to say it was because I'm a good person or a holy saint or something like that, but truthfully (no pun intended), it was mostly because I'm lazy. Seriously, lying is a hell of a lot of work. You have to go through all the trouble of keeping it; so much time wasted. It's totally not worth it. I should probably have thought out that they might want me to prove my story, but surprisingly, Councilwoman changed topic before I could.
"You say young Jiraiya-san found you? He has trained you, yes?"
I really wasn't comfortable with that question - I typically liked to have all the blanks filled in before I stepped into a situation, and there was definitely a generous lack of information in my knowledge of ninjas, but it was now or never.
Also, it occured to me that these people must be really old to refer to Jiraiya as young.
"Briefly," I replied, still trying to keep my legs steady and my speech articulate. How could such old people be so intimidating?
The two elderly councils shared a grim look that I didn't quite understand and nodded to each other. The Hokage smiled assuringly my way and relief washed over me. Was it over already?
"Just one more thing," the old woman stood, her companion following her lead as she took a step toward me. I mentally flinched at her powerful presence but kept my posture steady. It wasn't that hard considering my feet felt like large blocks of cement anyway.
She leaned forward and stared my right in the eye, "Be aware that you will be watched, Sur-san. You are at the disposal of this council. You belong to us now." And with that, the two elderly rulers swept by me and out the door, leaving me to stare, wide-eyed into space.
A moment of silence settled around us, almost emphasizing the dramatic exit. After a while the Hokage cleared his throat and smiled kindly, snapping me out of my stiff trance.
"Kaya-san. how old did you say you were?"
My shoulders relaxed a little and I unclasped my hands (which I didn't remember clasping, by the way) while I regained some of the blood in my face. "Thirteen, Sir."
"Ahh..." he tapped his pipe thoughtfully, his Kage-hat tipping over his face a bit. "I suspected as much. I'm afraid that teams have already been assigned for this year's nin-graduates, as you've already been informed, so for the time being I've decided to place you as a fourth member on one of the standard three-man teams as opposed to sending you to the academy with the younger children..." He paused and wrote something down on a scroll I hadn't realized was there while I shifted uneasily, "Though I must warn you, your new sensei is a bit... eccentric..."
"That's okay!" I piped up immediately at the clearing atmosphere. "I'll take whatever you can give me, Mr. Hokage!"
He looked up at me carefully and chuckled softly. "Very well, then. I've placed you on team..."
I leaned forward anxiously. What team would I be on? Would I be able to meet that Naruto guy? Would he know a way for me to get home?
"...Gai."
...
I blinked. That definitely didn't ring any bells. Wait... Guy?
I raised my hand timidly. "Uh... Mr. Hokage - I'm a girl."
He looked confused for a second, then exploded into rich laughter. It was a deep, gravelly, throaty sound that made his pipe fall out of his mouth and caused me to shuffle my feet, embarrassed. I always tried to be respectful to people in power (excluding perverts like Jiraiya and creepy masked teddy-bear stalkers) - especially someone as obviously great as the man in front of me - but it was odd to see him so carefree. Then again, I mused, he was Jiraiya's sensei...
He suddenly straightened up and glanced at the clock, replacing his pipe and turning to face me.
"Gai is the name of your new sensei, Kaya-san - and if he received my message, he should be here with his genins in about ten-"
BOOM!
The door of the conference room was suddenly on the floor and a plethora of incensed fog crowded the doorway. I yelped pathetically and threw myself behind the Hokage's chair.
A monotonous, muffled voice carried through the smoke, "...that was completely unnecessary."
The shuffle of feet indicated another presence. "Lee! What in the world was that?!"
A louder, much clearer and boyish voice bounded out from behind them, "My dear Tenten! It is essential we make a dramatically youthful entrance in order to welcome our new friend-"
"LEE!"
I yelped again, biting my tongue and burring myself beside the Hokage's feet under the table, hiding my face between my hands in fright. Who the fuck are these guys?!
The Hokage sighed and rubbed his temples as the booming voice continued to... well... boom on about manners and conduct. I'd tuned back in to reality just in time to catch the sounds of weeping men and an inconspicuous cough. My brain couldn't exactly process this, so I decided to group it in as a delusion caused from lack of sleep. And stress. Lots of stress.
"We're sorry, Hokage-sama. Lee's just excited," said the girl again. There were sounds of shuffling feet and clothes ruffling - I assumed she was bowing.
"Of course, Tenten-san," the Hokage replied, looking down at me and shaking his head. "However, it is probably best if you speak a little less animatedly. It seems you gave Kaya-san quite a fright."
The shuffling and fidgeting in the room stopped immediately. "She's here? Where is she?"
He leaned down and patted me encouragingly, signalling me to stand. I squeezed my eyes shut and rose slowly, turning to face the strange crowd. Here goes...
Silence. Then, "She's so... little!"
My eyes snapped open. "Hey! I am not little - I'm a good five-foot - woah."
I stared. I stared for a good long time. Green was my first thought. Two forms stood side-by-side by the suddenly uncovered window, shedding brilliant sunlight onto the vibrant color. Huge bug eyes, shiny bowl-cuts, Brazil- sized eyebrows, and teeth so white they almost offset the balance of facial color-schemes. It wasn't hard to figure out that situation (if you could look long enough without going blind, that is). "Eccentric" sensei and
a) Son.
or
b) Freakishly obsessive student.
Joy.
The other boy was relatively normal looking. Except for his hair, which was way too long and tied loosely behind him. And his face looked like a porcelain doll - he almost looked like a girl if I squinted. And his expression was completely blank (scary). And he had no pupils. As I said, relatively normal.
Then there was the girl, who I automatically clung to.
"Sorry to bother you," I whispered as I used her as a human shield, "But the weirdness is too much."
The girl giggled, her brown buns jiggling atop her head as I shifted further behind her, three sets of eyes probing me uncomfortably. She turned herself to face me so she could scrutinize me herself.
After a minute, she smiled and reached out her hand, "I'm Tenten. It's nice to meet you Kaya-chan!"
I smiled back timidly. "Nice to meet you too. Uh..." I turned to the others awkwardly. "...hi."
The boy in the green jumpsuit immediately jumped to my side, "Kaya-chan! It is my most sincere pleasure to welcome you into the arms of Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast!" he pointed at me dramatically. I flinched. "You are indeed..." Pause. Then, out of nowhere, little clouds of fluff poof-ed up around us. "SO KAWAII!" and I was promptly crushed into a bone-shredding hug.
"Ah! Let- let go!" I grunted, my lungs constricting painfully. Holy crap this kid was strong! And I was entirely sure I didn't want to know what 'kawaii' meant.
My face had tinted purple when I felt two ridiculously large hands pry me away from green-town like a limp rag-doll and hold me in the air by my shoulders.
"Yes, young Kaya! Welcome to team Gai!" came Big-Green's boom, adding to my barely-conscious vertigo. I was sure all this spinning could not possibly be good for my health.
"Lee! Gai-sensei! You're hurting her!" Tenten pleaded worriedly. As if on cue, my head rolled back limply and I forgot how to support it's weight with my neck.
"Oh! Gai-sensei, we must be gentle with Kawaii-Kaya's slight frame!"
"I... I'm not-" I was suddenly dropped back to Earth. "-Oomph!... slight."
"Gai, please be careful with your new student," the Hokage said nervously, lifting his hands in an anxious gesture. "She's had a rough few days, so just take it easy."
The Green Man smiled blindingly and lifted his gigantic hand into a dramatic thumbs-up, "Have no worries, Sarutobi-sama! Young Kaya-chan will experience the gentle waves of warmth and welcome lift her into the current of youthfulness!"
Two strong, but slightly less gigantic hands lifted me vertically into the air again and held me over what I assumed to be Green-Boy's shiny head.
"So we shall begin training immediately!"
"Hey! What about gentle?!" But it was too late. My last glimpse of the conference room contained a helpless looking Hokage waving awkwardly and two appalled looking teammates as I was abruptly fwooshed out of the building. I could already feel a big headache coming on.
After an unnecessary amount of begging and shouting about youth, the Tenten girl had finally convinced the Lee-kid to put me down and walk like normal people, using the argument that stretching out our legs before training would help me warm up. She was quite pretty, I'd realised as soon as we started a casual conversation , me trying to ignore everyone else for the sake of my mental trauma capacity. She had really nice features, but didn't bask in them like some conceited beauty queen. In fact, she was probably the prettiest tom-boy I'd ever met, which only made me like her more. The only catch, I realized once we'd arrived at the training grounds, was that she threw around weapons like a homicidal maniac. Seriously.
Gai-sensei had told me to sit and stretch by some beat up old stumps I assumed were used for kicking practice while Green-Kid and Tenten sparred, quite literally tearing up the open clearing.
I watched, dumbstruck mid-stretch as Lee did some kind of triple-impossible-gymnastics move out into the sky as Tenten threw one of those funny knife things at him. I lost my balance and fell over when she pulled a crossbow.
"Dear Lord," I whispered to myself, awed as I rubbed the dirt off my face. "Where does she put it all?!"
I'm pretty sure I developed a tumor when she conjured a gigantic scythe.
Lee jumped into the air as Tenten swung the blade at his feet, "Ah, Tenten! Your choice in weaponry is as fine as ever!"
He charged at her with a kick so fast I couldn't even see it. She blocked it almost easily with the handle and sent him flying backwards. He flipped with agile grace and landed lightly on his feet like nothing happened.
"Thanks!" she flipped the blade face up and slammed the handle mercilessly into the ground, causing an effective trench in the soil. Lee rolled out of the way. "I got this one last week! The handle's made of pine and the blade's so thin! It's completely lightweight!"
They continued to converse casually as they faught, moving with impossible speed and sending me into a full blown panic. I watched, stricken as they continued to attempt murdering one another.
"Gai-sensei!" I whisper-yelled to him. He stood up from his count of five-hundred-and-something sit-ups to acknowledge me with way too much enthusiasm.
"What is it I may do for you, young Kaya?!"
"Aren't you, like- eep!" A crash from behind me made me bury my face in my hands. "Aren't you afraid they're going to like, kill each other?!"
I ducked in time to dodge a stray arrow. Gai laughed heartily.
"Oh Kaya-chan! Have no fear, I have trained my students to fight and win! They are in no danger of each other!"
Perhaps he didn't notice the frightening diversity of sharp objects flying through the air a few meters away.
I crouched down and hid behind a boulder hopelessly. An asylum. You all belong in an asylum.
A few minutes went by when all I could manage was a squeak of fear here and there at appropriate intervals, letting the crazy people do their thing. It didn't last forever, of course. Soon enough, an eerie growl made its way to my ears. I looked up to fine Freaky-Eyes glaring down at me from atop the rock, chilling me to my very core.
"Uh... sup?"
He continued to glare at me menacingly, leaving a lengthy, suspenseful pause before answering, "You're interrupting my meditation."
I was almost suprised at his deep voice (I was half-expecting it to be high and womanly) but was a little more pissed than anything.
"Eh? I haven't even said anything!"
I could have sworn I'd seen a vein pop out by his left eye, but it receded as quickly as I'd noticed it. Suddenly he scowled at me, baring his (perfect) teeth and all.
"Your chakra bothers me." He turned away again, wiping his face completely blank. "Go away."
I stared at his back, astonished. Was this kid on his fucking period or something? Suddenly the ninja wars going on in the clearing was of no big concern. I twitched and felt my face heat up angrily as I stubbornly (albeit clumsily) climbed up the rock, plopping down annoyingly close to him Indian-style and burning holes into the side of his face with my stare. His expression never faltered, but the small tensing of his shoulders was enough to alert me of my small victory.
"Oh really?" I leaned in even farther, forcefully pushing down the warning bells going off in my head. "And am I bothering you now?"
His eyebrow twitched and I had to fight down an evil grin.
Oh the advantages of playing bipolar!
I was just about to declare my win when a clipped, monotonous voice caught me off guard. "Your breath smells terrible."
I spluttered stupidly, face flushing an angry red while inconspicuously leaping away from him and trying to check my breath. After a few seconds' success, I pointed at him accusingly, "IT DOES NOT! You're just being an asshole!"
There was silence for a long time and I realized I was being stared at. Not only this, but it seemed that Lee and Tenten had called off their fight quite some time ago. Shit, I ducked my head quickly and started mumbling incoherently. So much for first impressions... Someone coughed and I looked up to find three veryamused ninjas. Tenten looked like she might just explode into laughter.
Gai coughed again as Neji went back to meditating, completely unperturbed, "Yes, well... I think it is time we put young Kaya's skills to the test! Lee!"
"Hai, Gai-sensei!" I cried out when Lee's voice came from behind me and promptly oomphed when I was (once again) lifted into a bone-crushing embrace and carried into the clearing.
"Agh - hey, Kid!" I choked as he finally put me down, looking down at me the way a five-year-old might look at a puppy. "I need air to breath. Along with my lungs, actually. Both would be nice."
"Forgive me, Kawa-Kaya! I forget you are so fragile - I will go easy on you for our first spar!"
I blinked. Did Green-Kid just... give me a nickname? And did he just say-
"BEGIN!"
It was late afternoon when the Hokage was able to finally recline at his desk peacefully, allowing himself a moment of peaceful leisure time to look out the window and admire his beautiful village. He was just about to lift his piping hot cup of tea to his lips when the door burst open loudly, causing him to jump in surprise and spin around in his seat, alarmed. There I stood, panting like crazy with my hair disheveled and a variety of bruises and scratches coating my skin. I charged in immediately and slammed my fist on the wooden desk, demanding furiously I be put on another team.
Okay, that's not entirely true. I'd actually had to wait at the front desk for a full two hours and poke cautiously at my various wounds until Crazy Suka finally came to disdainfully escort me to the Hokage's office. Then I'd had to politely knock and try to fix my hair and clothes so that I didn't look like a complete psyco before creeping through the double-doors carefully as to not disturb whatever he was doing. However, for theatrics' sake, we'll say I charged in and demanded furiously to be put on another team.
"Kaya-san, please calm down," the Hokage said sighing as he layed down his untouched tea and looked up at me patiently. Something told me he already had a pretty good idea what went down. "What is this you say about being changed teams?"
"Mr. Hokage, Sir! They tried to kill me! One second he was like, hugging me so hard my brain was popping out my ears and the next he's all - WABAM! And then I was like, 'Ahhh! Stop chasing me!' and he was like 'Youth! Kawaii! Punch kick BAM!' and-" I inhaled deeply to try and calm myself, pacing up and down, disturbed. "I would never bother you like this Mr. Hokage and I know you've seen enough of me today but this is something I'm veryconcerned about!" I turned to him, my eyes wide and frightened. "I don't think I'll leave my next training session with all of my limbs attached!"
He said nothing throughout my panicked ramble, simply nodding his head appropriately and closing his eyes as he considered this. It frightened me a bit that none of this came as a surprise to him. "Very well... I thought it might turn out this way. I probably should have considered your own experience level when sticking you into a slightly older age group." He finally looked up at me, a hint of a smile creeping onto his wise face. "I had a backup plan, however. Have no worries, Kaya-san. You will be assigned a new team by tomorrow." He looked down to a pile of papers on the far side of his desk, me leaning over discreetly to try and read, only to slump back dissapointedly when it was in kanji. "Although, please do take into account that this will be the last time I can move you around, young lady. There are many people in this village I must take care of - I don't have the time to attend to your every request."
I looked down, ashamed. "Of course, sir, I understand."
He nodded his head and sat up straight, smiling his kindest smile, eyes twinkling bright. "With that said, I will now place you on..."
I looked up.
"Team Seven."
That rung some bells. And suddenly, I had a nagging feeling I wouldn't get around to making that cheeseburger anytime soon.