Hah hah! I'm back, somehow that would ring stronger if I had more things typed up already rather than floating around my computer in note and scene form... Still Ino and Tenten are coming to the end of their little adventure which will remove at least one thing from my list of things to do.
Standard Disclaimer: Not mine yadda yadda, but I like to think I'm contributing a small amount to the continued popularity of these characters.
It's a girl thing
Lady Aikousha was as sharp as a needle and twice as deadly Ino decided after the old lady crisply told them that ninja should know better than to wear a formal kimono while on a mission.
Tenten had scowled, and her hand clutched her meditation stone hidden inside her silk pouch-purse. Ino had bowed politely and swallowed the desire to glare until she looked almost calm. Raising her head Ino flashed a smile and said sweetly.
"We're just the decoy."
Lady Aikousha gave her a sharp look.
"You are the idiot girl who got herself photographed and published in the Fire Standard."
Ino's teeth clicked they shut so fast.
"You there, boy." Lady Aikousha tipped her head at Toma who was shifting uncomfortably.
"Go into the other room and organise some tea, don't come back until it's ready."
Toma stared at the imperious old lady, but a quick narrowing of her eyes had him scrambling to his feet and walking quickly for the door.
Once he was gone, Lady Aikousha turned her gaze back on the two kunoichi.
"Don't worry, he'll come to no harm here."
Tenten nodded, her hand still gripping the stone spasmically.
"With the amount of guards you have, a squad of ninja couldn't get through." She agreed.
"They are presents from my beloved nephew the Daimyo, and ocassionally they are useful for something." Dismissing her words she drew a scroll from her sleeve.
"I believe the decoys that were kidnapped with Lady Nori are friends of yours."
With a flick of her wrist, Lady Aikousha opened the scroll and lay it flat on the ground in front of her. She snapped her fingers and a second door opened, a maid came in and placed a slate and brush within easy reach. Rubbing the ink stick into the water already on the slate Lady Aikousha dipped the brush tip into the ink and dabbed it onto the scroll.
"This is a pass for the place they are holding Lords Ren and Saku, the idiots."
Tenten cocked her head, but before she could ask anything Lady Aikousha was continuing.
"I'm giving this to you because they are my sons, and even if I will love them to my dying breath, they are the biggest idiots to walk under the sun."
Lady Aikousha delicately placed the brush back into the ink slate and looked seriously at the two silent kunoichi.
"This is indeed something...unexpected Aikousha-sama." Ino managed to say before their stunned silence stretched too long. "But I don't understand what this could possibly have to do..."
Lady Aikousha silenced Ino with a look.
"You are the two young ladies who thought to interrogate the litter bearers, and then managed to speak with Masako, without her remembering a thing afterwards."
Tenten's mouth dropped open.
"B-but how..?"
Lady Aikousha's lips gave a hint of curving upwards into a smile.
"Beware an old courtisan with too much time on her hands and no more children to arrange weddings for. You two outpaced my own investigations but if you wish to proceed further you'll need to speak to my sons."
Ino grinned. Lady Aikousha gave her a look and Ino stopped.
"I remember your father young Yamanaka. He passed at court many times when I was younger and prettier."
Ino blanched and Tenten stiffled a giggle.
"He used to speak with an aging woman and amuse her greatly at a time when amusement was rare." Lady Aikousha sighed gracefully.
"My father married young." Ino protested.
Lady Aikousha smiled gently and raised a placating hand.
"I know, it was one of the things I liked about him."
She tipped her head towards the sound of footsteps and rolled the now dry scroll closed, giving it to the maid she rearranged her kimono.
The door slid open and Toma entered followed by a maid carrying a tray of tea.
"Ah, Dai Toma come and sit down, the days are long and an old woman needs company every now and then."
Toma knelt down and looked curiously between the girls and Lady Aikousha.
"Your two young guards are charming, but wasted here today. I wish to discuss many things with you this morning and some I fear are not suitable for their ears. I suggest we ask them to wait in another room."
Toma looked flustered and Tenten decided to save him, if only because Ino looked ready to burst a seam if she didn't get out of the room quickly. Tenten gave Ino a look that said, 'control yourself', then bowed towards Toma.
"Toma-sama, we await your decision."
Toma seemed to straighten up and he nodded with authority.
"Yes, I agree with Aikousha-sama. It would be better if you waited in another room." He gave an imperious flick of his fingers and turned his attention to the tea being offered.
Tenten and Ino exited the room as politely as they knew how.
Outside they were met by Lady Aikousha's maid, who led them swiftly down a corridor to an outside garden. Tenten and Ino were having trouble keeping up with the rapid woman and Tenten wondered just how she managed to move so fast while wearing such tight clothing.
Crossing the garden Ino stumbled and Tenten had to grab her elbow to stop her from face planting into the ground. Grumbling in annoyance Ino straightened herself and continued after the maid. Tenten took up position behind her realising that if Ino was being this clumsy it was because she was completely focused on saving her teammates. It was good to know that Ino wasn't always all about herself.
For her side, Ino was promising herself that she would come up with something that looked like a formal kimono, but had much greater freedom of movement. It helped to keep her blood pressure from skyrocketing by thinking that she might be only a few steps away from saving her teammates.
Arriving in front of a closed door the maid bowed and left. Tenten blinked as she realised that they weren't that far from the rooms of Lady Aikousha.
I guess the Daimyo figured their mother could keep them out of trouble. Tenten signed as Ino twisted the hem of her sleeve.
Ino didn't reply, she gave a sudden explosion of breath and pushed back the door.
Both girls jumped sideways as a simple dart trap was tripped by Ino's move. Berating herself for getting sloppy, Tenten drew two kunai from her wide sleeves ready to move. Ino had fallen into a ready stance her hands half-lifted to form her signature seal. Easing forward Tenten glanced at the door frame and noted the position of another trap wire. Using the tip of her kunai she peeled the wire end free from the trigger and followed the wire to an explosion tag hidden behind a genjutsu.
Careful, ninja. Tenten signed to the waiting Ino.
Ino nodded and eased forward herself. Seeing the first room was empty, Ino took the scroll from Lady Aikousha and opened it. Holding it like a sheild she advanced into the room.
"Lady Aikousha has asked us to speak with her sons." Ino said improvising.
Tenten eased after her, eyes everywhere at once. It was almost enough, Tenten felt the presence behind them and spun calling a warning to Ino, but the door had already slid shut and the genjutsu begun.
Moving together back to back, Tenten and Ino gritted their teeth. The room became dark and the edges dissapeared but nothing further.
"A holding jutsu." Ino breathed.
Tenten relaxed a hair. A holding jutsu wasn't immediately dangerous, unless you stayed so long you starved to death, but she'd already been caught napping twice, she wasn't going to let it happen a third time.
A horrible thought occured to Tenten causing her stomach to drop two floors.
What if this is all a trap to get Toma? Tenten signed awkardly because she didn't want to drop her kunai.
Ino frowned.
We better pray not. But I swear if we get out of this and nothing goes too horribly wrong, I will listen to Shikamaru more about planning and tactics, I swear I will.
Making her own similar promises, Tenten tightened her grip on her kunai.
You ready? Ino signed turning to face Tenten hands up.
Yeah.
Interlacing her fingers Ino bent her considerable will onto the malaxing her chakra correctly.
"KAI!"
The short sharp command was followed by a push of chakra that Tenten felt as it rippled out.
The genjutsu wavered but only parts of the room reappeared. Ino frowned harder, her fingers pressing together even tighter.
"I said, KAI!"
Ino's chakra surged out in a wave swamping the genjustu and it flickered out.
The girls gave a sigh of relief thinking it was over.
"I do remember giving you two strict orders to guard Toma-sama, and to do nothing else."
Ino cringed mentally, it took all her will power to turn around and face Captian Junei. Cursing silently, Tenten sheathed her useless weapons and turned aswell.
"Imagine my surprise when I see not just one but both of my subordinates crossing the inner gardens of Lady Aikousha's rooms and heading for the guarded, secret room of the Lords Ren and Saku."
Tenten felt her face heat up and clenched her fists. Ino bit back tears and stamped down on the fear crawling in her belly to stand up straight and fix the wall with a blank look.
"Imagine my anger when they fail to detect two out of three easy traps."
Tenten imagined that the meditation stone currently in her purse, was in the palm of her hand. Her thumb started to follow the circular pattern carved into its smooth surface.
"Imagine my speed in sending them both back to Konoha."
Ino's teeth were clenched tight enough to crack, but she wasn't going to say a word this time, she had nothing to say. Whining about wanting to help her team wasn't going to excuse breaking orders and leaving their client unprotected.
"Tenten," Captain Junei said, his voice hard with contempt, "for someone who had hoped to pass her Jounin exams missing two traps is inexcusable. Your close combat instincts are insufficient for the Jounin level."
Tenten wanted to snap that she wasn't trained for close combat but Captain Junei's flat look kept her quiet.
"Jounin work alone if necessary, and therefore are not allowed such weaknesses in their abilities."
"Yamanaka," Captain Junei turned towards the furious blonde, " your inability to control your emotions and put the good of the mission in front of your own desires is catastrophic for a ninja. Your years as a teammate of Nara Shikamaru, one of the best strategists that Konoha has to offer has obviously not improved your ability to plan ahead, nor to think of the possible consequences of your acts."
Captain Junei slid his ANBU mask back into place.
"By tommorrow morning I want both of you on your way back to Konoha for judgement."
He dissapeared without even a puff of smoke. The girls stood silently for a moment trying to rein in their dissapointment, humiliation and anger. Tenten was the first to move, she slipped her hand into her purse and pulled out the mediation stone. Its heaviness was reassuring and she brushed her thumb over the pattern seeking comfort in the repetitive movement. Ino straightened her kimono sleeves and pulled herself upright to a perfectly straight position. Without giving an outward sign she started forward at a sedate pace, leaving Tenten to follow along quietly.
It didn't take long for Lady Aikousha to call them back into the room. Behind her the same maid knelt eyes lowered to the ground.
"You're being sent back to Konoha." Lady Aikousha said slowly.
Toma looked surprised and replaced his teacup. Ino nodded once her eyes fixed on the tatami mats underneath her.
"I'm sorry, I only wished to help I should have thought that my nephew might have put more guards around them than just mine."
Tenten shook her head briefly.
"It was our mistake."
Ino bit her lip. She remembered promising Sakura to be careful, she remembered promising Shikamaru and Chouji to return quickly.
Tenten felt a headache coming on. Just the thought of losing her shinobi status was threatening to make her sick. Just thinking of all the training and years lost because she'd lacked judgement at one or two crucial moments was killing her.
Toma shifted drawing attention to himself.
"I could make a request to my Uncle, ask him to order them to let you stay."
Lady Aikousha's eyebrows drew together ever so slightly.
"This is an internal discipline issue, Konoha would pre-empt the request and send two others if you insisted but they would not let these two stay."
Toma's face dropped.
"Then you're really going to leave."
"We're sorry we failed you Toma-san," Ino said her voice quiet but steady.
"No! You never did, look I'm still alive. And I had fun, and now my Uncle doesn't sigh everytime he sees me and my mother she's so happy..."
"We forgot our mission, we put personal goals in front of the good of Konoha." Tenten's voice was flat and harsh.
"You put your friends in front of a pointless mission that was designed to flatter royal ego and satisfy politics." Lady Aikousha said crisply.
"And they have made you two, two very dangerous young women." She continued.
Ino's eyes narrowed, her mind picked up a thread of thought.
"They're going to demission us no matter what happens now." Ino said slowly. "Whatever else we do, they're going to demission us, anyway."
Tenten was trying her hardest not to let go of her temper. It was crucial that she not snap and start a fight with the blathering blonde. Yes, vitally important that she not use the idiot as a target.
"And there's nothing worse they can do to us." Ino finished.
Tenten paused in her hatefest.
"So we have nothing left to lose." Ino breathed, suddenly feeling free.
Ino turned to face Tenten and bowed low enough to touch her forehead to the floor. Tenten was so surprised at the move of humility that she almost dropped her meditation stone.
"Tenten, I beg of you to help me find my teammates."
"How? We only have until tomorrow and we've lost our only lead." Tenten said shifting uncomfortably as Ino continued to stay bowed before her.
"We still have what Masako told us about the kimono being sold. If we went to the theatre tonight and asked around we might be able to get somewhere." Toma said, slapping his fist into his open hand.
Ino sat back up and looked thoughtful.
"That's right." She looked curiously at Lady Aikousha. "I was wondering why the official investigation was taking so long to piece things together."
Lady Aikousha gave a tiny grimace.
"That my dear is politics."
Tenten rolled her eyes, Ino had apparently forgotten that she hadn't actually agreed to help them with anything. Typical Ino, girl seriously thought the world revolved around herself.
Of course, she'd never be able to look her own team in the eye again if she didn't try and pull some sort of victory out of this debacle.
"So what's our next move?" Tenten asked looking sideways at Ino.
Ino started a little as she realised everyone was looking at her. Even Lady Aikousha had an expectant look on her face. Thinking a moment, Ino made her choice.
"We'll have to go with our first lead, the theatre troupe with the yellow fan kimono. It would be good if we could speak with Lords Ren and Saku, but I honestly don't know how we'd achieve that in so little time and with the guards being on high alert now." Ino gave a little sigh of relief as Lady Aikousha gave a small nod of approval.
"I think I have an idea about getting to the Lords, if Aikousha-sama is still willing to help." Tenten said with a deep bow towards the older woman.
Lady Aikousha's face was carefully still, but Tenten thought that she could sense humour coming from the old woman in waves.
"I wouldn't dream on passing up on what will probably be the most entertaining thing I've done in years." She said with a small dip of her eyelids towards Tenten.
"And me?" Toma asked excitedly. "What can I do?"
Tenten looked blankly at him, her plans didn't include him. Ino however was already three steps ahead.
"Toma-san, we still need to find this actor who wears the yellow fan kimono. The best way I think is to continue with our plan of organising an outing to see one of their performances tonight."
"Tonight maybe too late." Lady Aikousha said softly. "However I do know that a group of suitable young men are going to an afternoon performance that will be held in the East district's Greater Theatre."
The same maid appeared at Lady Aikousha's side, a scroll and inked brush at the ready. A few brush strokes later, Toma was on his way with a personal letter of introduction and Ino.
With a feeling of trepidation, Tenten faced Lady Aikousha
"So, young lady, what is this plan of yours?"
I'm quite excited tothink I might actually finish one of my stories! Now I just have to get Genius moving faster.