Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But once again, I get to claim ownership of the nasty characters: Niigata is all my fault.
"Four days," Hayate told him when he next woke. "And he won't leave." He gestured at the form of the oldest member of their team, splayed out over an armchair in the corner.
Genma tried to speak, and coughed instead. The soft breeze of oxygen being squirted into his nose from rubber tubing didn't make it any easier. Hayate leaned close to peer at his eyes. "You don't look so good."
He grimaced at his friend. Rub it in, why don't you? Someone opened the door, and a white-clad nurse was leaning over him, then slipping a needle into his IV line. Genma fell asleep again.
He opened his eyes in darkness, and panicked. Tied down, can't move, hurt alone they'recomingIcan't—a tiny hand slid into his own, and he stopped thrashing, paused in trying to escape the enemies that haunted his mind. A hand. He wasn't alone.
"It's been nearly six days." A strident voice floated through the quiet hospital hallways. "He's healthy enough to talk."
"The longest he's been conscious is ten minutes at a time," a worried voice responded. Two men came around the corner, one in the white uniform of a medic, the other in black and inverted shadow. His mask was unmarked ivory, a barely curved oval with two eyeslits the only features.
"I don't care," the ANBU snapped. "Just give me the medication."
The medic was nearly running to keep up with the other's long stride, but his face was grim. "ANBU-san, this is really not a good idea. Waking him up like this is not good for his recovery."
"That was an order," the blank mask said coldly. Then, "Get out of my way, Deer."
The short ANBU stood his ground, mask pulled down over his face. "Frog-san is sleeping, ANBU-san," he said firmly, blocking the door to the hospital room.
"Get out of my way." He lifted a hand, as if to hit the boy in front of him. Deer did not move.
"He's sleeping." The fist cracked down. Deer's head snapped sideways, the smack resounding along the corridor.
The medic flinched. "ANBU-san, please—"
Deer coughed, a dry sound that began quietly, then rose until he seemed to be hacking out his lungs. He didn't move out of the way. "This is insubordination, Deer. Get the hell out of my way, or I'll have to report you."
"Fuck you, Niigata," he coughed. "Genma's not ready to debrief."
"I'll decide if he's ready, Deer," Niigata growled.
The door slid open with a hiss, and Raidou's exhausted face peered out. "Hayate, what is going on?" A pause.
"It's Niigata," Hayate said tiredly, coughs subsiding. His voice remained scratchy.
"Out, Namiashi," the man said. "And get your fucking mask on."
"I'm not in uniform," Raidou shot back. "Go the hell away, Niigata. Genma's barely stable."
"He's been stable for six days, Namiashi. We need the report, now. I don't care if you are goddamn twins or whatever; move. Or do I have to have you removed?" His voice turned dangerous.
Raidou stepped away from the door, his blood-shot eyes angry. But he raised his hands out in a placating gesture. "No need for that. Come on, Hayate." He closed his fingers around the younger man's bicep. "But if anything goes wrong, Niigata, I'll personally eviscerate you." He grinned savagely. The scar helped.
The Intel agent snatched a syringe from the disgusted medic, and slammed the sliding door behind him. Inside, he quickly injected the clear liquid into the tube pumping fluid into the unconscious ANBU.
In a minute, Genma's eyes flickered open. His head hurt, his body hurt. Niigata snapped his fingers in front of his face, and Genma's gaze moved slowly to the featureless mask. Oh shit. Not this, was his first coherent thought.
"This is your debriefing, agent 0358-974-002, for mission KX-004-734-6210-A. We retrieved the scroll, so it was officially successful. Please describe the mission in detail."
Genma grit his teeth, and swallowed the impulse to curse the Intel agent out of the room. It wouldn't work. "I—" He coughed. Drew in a shaky breath. "I left Konoha in midmorning. Arrived at target around nightfall." Pause. "Obtained the scroll. Came home." Longer pause. He wanted Niigata to go away. Or he wanted his mask; he was too vulnerable. Niigata towered over him, blank mask, stark room—He wanted Niigata to go away, before he snapped.
Niigata sighed heavily. He liked Squad 14, went far enough to consider them almost friends, and he had been disturbed when the news of Genma's return had filtered into the Intel offices. But damn they could be infuriating. "I need a little more detail, Genma."
The injured man's eyes lost focus. He stared at a patch of wall behind Niigata's shoulder. The other agent waved a hand in front of his eyes again. "Shiranui."
"I entered the house two hours after nightfall, after recon," he said, voice empty of emotion. "Took out three guards, not ninja. Two chuunin were in the scroll room. I killed them both." Cough. Wheeze. "Scroll was easy to find. Planted the evidence like I was supposed to. Sustained minor injuries escaping."
"Why?"
Genma's eyes snapped back to Niigata's mask, and he glared. "Because I fucked up, okay? Someone sensed my chakra, or found the bodies, or—I don't know! Eight of them chased me out of the mansion; I cracked my ankle bad. Followed me into the forest, lost a few with a kage bunshin. Couple skirmishes, then they surrounded me." He stopped for breath, the violent intensity draining away. "Do you need to know more?" he whispered.
"Continue, please."
He closed his eyes. "I took a couple hits, killed a few, went down." Silence.
"Genma."
"What?"
"Keep talking."
Fuck you. "I killed them, okay? Exploded their fucking bodies all over the fucking place. Happy?"
"Then you came home?"
"Yes."
"This was an A-rank, Shiranui, but the danger level was rather low. You shouldn't have sustained such serious injuries. I was ordered to evaluate whether this was attempted mission suicide."
This time Genma didn't resist the urge to swear at him. Niigata waited the tirade out. "If I wanted to kill myself, bastard, I wouldn't have come back," Genma finally snarled. "Get the hell out of here."
Niigata stood up, gathered his notes, and left.
In the hall, he glared at the three ninja leaning against the opposite wall. Hatake was looking too casual, slouching against the white tiles with his vulgar book held open in front of his nose. Hayate was literally quivering, and Niigata knew the boy was glaring daggers at him under the mask. Raidou's evil look was not hidden by blank porcelain, and Niigata returned the expression from the safety of his own mask. This incident was not going to be soon forgotten between them. But he had to do his duty. And he wasn't going to leave as the loser. "You both are guilty of blatant insubordination and interfering with ANBU orders," he began, facing Raidou and Hayate. When he had finished his rant, he spun on his heel and stalked away.
He felt Squad 14's eyes burning holes in his back all the way down the hall.
"You can come out now," Genma said to the empty room. At least he had the sense not to let Niigata know he was here.
The little boy poked his head out from the nest of blankets in the corner of the room. "Hi," he said brightly, and crawled out of his makeshift bed.
Genma watched him warily. Naruto bounced over to the bed, and stood next to him, hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts. "You don't like that guy, do you?" he asked.
"Not right now," Genma answered dryly. He had made the connection between the hand in the dark, and the Kyuubi-boy standing in front of him. And he wondered why the Kyuubi-brat would have comforted him.
"So Genma-nii-san—"
His flinch was visible even to the boy. Naruto stopped talking. Nii-san. 'Genma-nii-san, look at me!' 'Genma-nii-san, come play tag' 'I love you, Genma-nii-san', 'Nii-san, don't let me die...Please, nii-san, I don't want to die.' Genma couldn't suppress the half-formed sob in his throat. For god's sake, shut up! he screamed at himself, at the voices in his head. Go away, just go away. He was crying, he had sworn to himself he wouldn't cry anymore. And the whiskered face was looking at him. Kyuubi—
Naruto retreated, bumping against the far wall, his lips quivering. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry!"
Genma levered himself up on an elbow, ignoring the agony the simple motion sent racing through his body. He wouldn't let Kyuubi—
Naruto was cowering against the wall, arms raised in front of him. And even through the haze of fear, pain and grief, lingering rage and the chemicals clogging his bloodstream, Genma saw the boy. He dropped back against the bed. "Fuck," he whispered. "Fuck it all." Hot, salty water slid down his cheeks. "Naruto," he said quietly. First time he had used the name, and he still wasn't sure if he liked it. "Naruto, I'm sorry."
The door opened. Naruto's eyes flicked quickly to the entrance, to his protector stepping into the room. Genma wondered if it was just too late, and couldn't dredge up enough emotion to care anymore. Naruto would do what he willed, and Genma had already screwed up too far to go back. Kyuubi container, innocent boy; Genma didn't understand. But he knew, and he closed his eyes in shame, that he had done something unforgivable. Naruto's face—maybe he should've tried mission-suicide after all. Then he could go see his brother. Apologize for betraying him. But Genma didn't even know which betrayal he would beg forgiveness for. Finding sympathy for the Kyuubi-container, or nearly killing the child?
A tiny hand slid into his own. "Genma-san."
Forgiveness is a complicated thing, and Genma had never quite grasped the concept. He hated the Village Hidden in the Rocks, and their people, with an unflagging intensity. They had given him scars that would never fade, and fear that would never leave him alone. He hated the Kyuubi even more, and always would.
But Naruto forgave him completely and immediately. And in his high, child's voice, he promised never to let anyone hurt him again. Ever. Raidou had stared in shock from the doorway, and Genma squeezed the little boy's hand. The only thing he could think to say was "I'm sorry."
The wind was blowing softly through the trees, the sun shining brightly on the peaceful morning. The air was warm, just enough that the breeze was a comfortable relief. Hayate lounged against a rock in on of ANBU's restricted training grounds, his katana on his knees, enjoying the cheerful chirping of birds and the soft swish of grass in the gentle wind.
He looked up as Genma limped into the field, leaning on a pair of crutches, his usual senbon hanging from his lips. Kakashi walked a pace or two behind, nose buried behind an orange cover. Excluding the crutches and the thick brace around Genma's ankle, it was almost a perfect moment. Genma paused to wave a hand at Hayate, then finished making his slow way over to the rock. "Hey, Haya-kun."
"Is the replacement here yet?" Kakashi interrupted.
Hayate shook his head, and rose gracefully to his feet, sheathing his katana on his back. All three were dressed in ANBU armor (though Genma's was brand new), masks hanging at their waists. "Neither is Raidou," Hayate added.
"He'll be late," Kakashi said easily. Genma glanced at Hayate, and they both smirked.
"Where is he?" Hayate inquired. "He's usually on time, though you wouldn't know," he added, jokingly.
Kakashi tossed him a petulant glance. "You're so mean, Hayate. He's dropping Naruto off at school."
Raidou stood at the gate of the Academy, holding tightly to Naruto's hand. The boy was tugging away, anxious to get inside. Raidou had bought him a new t-shirt for the first day of school, and they had registered yesterday. Raidou signed all the lines marked "parent/legal guardian," and threatened the chuunin with the Hokage when he protested.
"Be good, Naruto," Raidou admonished quietly. He had tossed a long sleeved shirt and a green flak jacket on over his ANBU uniform, hiding the unmistakable spiral tattoo and stark armor. He crouched down and gave Naruto a quick, one-armed hug, then a pat on the back. "You'll do great."
"Bye, Raidou-nii-san!"
"Naruto! Wait here after school, and I'll come pick you up. Don't leave with anyone other than me, Hayate, or Kakashi, do you hear me?"
"Yep, nii-san!" Raidou smiled indulgently as the boy raced off. Then he leapt to the rooftops, and hurried back to ANBU, because he was late to the meeting.
Naruto looked around the semi-crowded schoolyard. Children and parents stood throughout the courtyard, some drifting slowly towards the entrance of the building. Naruto noticed a cute girl with short pink hair, hugging her parents. Her father ruffled her hair, and then she was dashing towards the school. She passed another girl, with blond hair, and pointedly looked away. Then Naruto caught sight of a boy about his own age, standing uncertainly by the wall, and he jogged over. "Hey."
The dark-haired boy looked over, suspiciously. "Who're you?"
"Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name?"
"Inuzuka Kiba."
"Are you new here, too?"
"Yeah." He cast an annoyed glare towards the gate, where a short woman with wild, dark hair was leaning casually against the pillars. She smirked at him. "I don't want to be here, but my mom's making me come," he told Naruto. "I'm already a good ninja."
"Yeah, well I'm a great ninja," Naruto returned, "And I want to get better!"
"Hah, you? You're not a great ninja."
"What?! How would you know?" Naruto challenged. "Watch this!" He put his hands together in the seal Raidou-nii-san had showed him, and scrunched his eyes shut. "Hah!" he shouted. "Beat that!"
Inuzuka Kiba snorted. "That's lame. Watch this." He made two seals, and growled. His fingernails began to lengthen, turning to claws. "Hah yourself!"
"Well, this is cooler." Naruto ran at the wall, and managed to get three feet up before he tumbled off. "Bet you can't do that."
Their competition was cut short by a piercing whistle from the Academy. "New students, please come over here!" A young chuunin called out, waving an arm at the crowd of five and six year olds. "Class is about to begin."
Kiba and Naruto exchanged glances, then they both grinned. "Race you," Naruto challenged. They nearly trampled the chuunin as they pulled up short right under his nose.
"I thought school started tomorrow," Genma said, twisting around to glance at his captain. "I saw Quartermaster to pick up my new gear, and he said his daughter didn't go in until tomorrow. I think he's looking forward to it," he added dryly.
"The older students start a day later," Kakashi informed him. "Tenten's already been studying for a year. Oh, and Genma. What was all that about mission-suicide a few days ago?"
Genma's eyes widened. "Kakashi, you bastard, you were eavesdropping?"
"Yup."
The ninja glared at his commander, then turned the look on Hayate. "You too?"
"No!" Hayate protested. "But I couldn't stop him."
"It's my business, as your captain," Kakashi said imperturbably, eyeing the senbon Genma had clamped between his lips. The older jounin looked ready to spit it into his eye.
"Niigata and the Intel jerks are out of their minds," he snapped. "Something went wrong, I don't know what, but I certainly didn't do it on purpose."
"That's what I thought," Kakashi said, face serious. "If they get on your case again, tell me."
"I can handle it myself," Genma retorted. But the anger faded from his face.
"This is Squad business, Genma," Kakashi told him. "If you get pulled out by Psych, we're going to be short another man again."
The senbon stopped its easy motion again, and Genma's eyes flared. "Hatake—" he was cut off by the sudden arrival of their fifth member.
"I'm sorry I'm late, sempai," the young man gasped.
Kakashi started coughing, trying desperately to smother his laughter. Hayate blinked in astonishment. The boy's grimacing rabbit mask was a strange contrast of adorable and maniacal.
Genma's mouth dropped open. "What did you do to Quartermaster to deserve that?"
A/N: We have reached the Academy!