48 Chasing Emo

The Misfit Duo Brought Together Again

"And yet another escort mission brings the B-rank total to fifteen," mused Kotori as she once more treaded the path up to her home. "As nice as it is to be out on the job, it's just as nice to rest after hard work. I think a shower sounds nice right about now." She reached for the front door, key in hand to unlock it, but stepped back when it opened easily under her touch. A glance underneath a stone in the yard – the usual hiding place for her spare house key – showed nothing but empty dirt and, grumbling irritably to herself, Kotori went inside to see who her unwelcome visitor was. "All right, whoever you are, you have five seconds to get the hell out before I drag you out myself."

"When are you going to learn that violence isn't the answer, Tori-chan?" The faint click of the television being muted was soon followed by quiet footsteps as Taiki moved from the living room to meet Kotori in the entryway, twirling the missing spare key around his index finger. "Besides, I'm here to tell you about our new assignment."

Kotori snatched the key away from Taiki and returned to the yard to find a different place to hide it. When she returned she was irked to find him still standing in the foyer, watching her expectantly. "All right, what is it?"

"Well, for starters it seems that even your tender influences were not enough to prevent our favorite angst-muffin from turning to the dark side." Taiki easily dodged as Kotori threw one of her sandals at him in pique, catching the shoe and setting it neatly down next to his own on the tile of the entry. "Appeals to his sentimental side didn't work either – he left the village last night."

Unzipping her flak vest, Kotori inhaled a deep breath of relief at the release of pressure on her already tightly compressed chest. "And this matters to me why? I don't have any emotional attachment to him, and I'm sure as hell not going to run after him and try to drag his sorry ass back here."

"That has been noted and taken into consideration." Without being asked to do so, Taiki lifted Kotori's pack from her shoulders and set it aside as well. "Tsunade-sama has already assigned a group to the actual retrieval. The squad consists of Hyuuga Neji, Akimichi Chouji, and Naruto, with Nara Shikamaru leading. Additional information provided by two of this village's jounin states that Hidden Sound's elite fighter squad was dispatched to convince Sasuke to defect and that he is returning to Sound with them."

Kotori removed her vest and set it next to her pack, then reached her arms up above her head to stretch the knots and kinks of travel out of her back and neck. "All well and good, yet I'll ask again – why does this matter to me?"

Taiki withdrew a sheet of paper from his jacket and handed it to Kotori with a patient smile. "Considering how successful we were the last time we worked together, we've been asked to team up once more for an information-gathering mission. This time we'll travel to the Rice Field Country, locate Otogakure, and see where it stands in terms of resources and personnel after its recent failed attempt at war. The paper I gave you is the official order from the boss woman herself."

The redhead glanced over the orders once, scowled, and handed them back to Taiki. "So we're supposed to leave immediately to get there before Uchiha does?"

"That's assuming that the retrieval fails," responded Taiki, "but yes, immediately. Must you be such a pessimist?"

"I'm not being pessimistic, I'm being practical. Four genin led by a freshly-minted chuunin? I don't care how smart Nara may be – the others are still genin for a reason. So assuming failure may be a bit pessimistic, but to me assuming success wanders a bit too far into the opposite territory." This was met with a noncommittal shrug from Taiki, and Kotori made a quiet disgusted noise before continuing. "Can I at least take a shower and change my clothes before we leave?"

"I don't see why not. I'll wait in the living room until you're ready."

"Thank you." Kotori went upstairs briefly and returned attired in her bathrobe, then disappeared into the bathroom for a short time. She emerged about ten minutes later, toweling off her long hair as she moved for the stairs. A thought occurred to her as she set foot on the first step, and she turned to face the living room where Taiki sat on the sofa and once again watched television. "You know something, Taiki?"

"Hm?"

"If we bump into that – 'angst-muffin', I think you called him – before he reaches Sound, I'm going to kill him. No one who deserts their village and abandons their friends like that deserves to live." That said, Kotori resumed her walk up the stairs and left Taiki staring after her.

-------

"If you keep pacing like that, Naeko, I'm going to tie you up and put you in a corner," grumbled Satoshi, rubbing his forehead to ease the tension gathering there.

"I'm sorry, Dad – it's just that – " Naeko stopped for one moment, scuffed her foot against the floor in agitation, and turned to face her father. "It's just that there's always someone left waiting at home when these things happen. Part of me almost wishes I was out there facing whatever those guys are up against instead of just sitting here worrying."

"Even though the Sound Four pounded two of our jounin into the dirt, you'd still want to go after them?" A dry smile from Satoshi. "Seems kind of funny coming from the girl who spent a week catatonic after killing a few people during the invasion." Naeko blushed furiously at this remark but could find nothing to retort with. "Sometimes it takes just as much strength not to act as it does to fight, Naeko. I know how you feel about that kid, much as it baffles me, but it wouldn't be smart for you to go running off at this point. Stay here and make sure he has something to come home to – he's got enough to worry about trying to stop his friend from doing something incredibly stupid." Seeing that this did little to reassure her, Satoshi sighed and shook his head. "Fine, fine, take a break and walk it off. I can see already that you aren't going to get much studying done with your brains scrambled like this."

"Thank you! I promise I won't get into trouble." Naeko gave her father a quick hug and then dashed out of the workshop.

-------

Travel light, travel fast, travel alone, nothing more important than the mission ahead of you – that's the way I like it, Kotori thought, touching down on a tree branch barely long enough to cause the leaves to tremble before she vaulted to the next. Taiki followed a parallel path no more than ten feet away, but he was as far from her thoughts in this moment as if she'd left him back in the village. That's the way it should be. I don't like having to work with this one – he's only slowing me down.

That may be true, the Nekomata interjected, but there are at least two people out to kill us in case you've forgotten. We've made progress in working together, but until we've worked out our issues I don't think we have any right to complain if backup is offered.

Yeah, and you thought one of them was cute. An idle glance over her shoulder to make sure that Taiki hadn't fallen behind. Each time you think something is cute it gets me into trouble…

"Hey, Tori-chan?" Taiki had moved into conversation range and now hailed her attention. "Did you really mean it when you said you'd kill him if we found him?"

Kotori made an affirmative noise. "I don't care if he's one of two remaining members of his clan – such self-centered idiocy does not deserve a chance to reproduce."

Taiki snickered at this but chose not to pursue the subject. "Okay, so how are we going to carry this thing off once we get to Rice Field Country?"

"I thought you'd have it figured out by now," Kotori grumbled. "I mean, you're the brains of this group, right? I just distract people with cleavage and kill things."

This remark caused Taiki to stare at Kotori dumbfoundedly and almost miss his footing. She didn't just say that… did she? "I do hope you're being sarcastic."

"Have I ever been asked to do anything else?" She smiled bitterly and would have spoken further had something unusual ahead not caught her eye. "Look, a break in the trees. Doesn't seem natural either."

The pair reached a clearing in the forest, a slash of destruction cut through the greenery that gave even Kotori cause to blink. Severed sections of once-tall trees now lay scattered like so many wood chips, making travel through the area challenging at best. They had reached a point midway through when Taiki stopped, a pang of otherworldly sense alerting him to a casualty of the cataclysm that had leveled the forest. "Someone's died here. They were crushed by the trees," he muttered, looking around to get a feel for the cause of the alert.

Kotori gritted her teeth in barely-hidden irritation as she skidded to a stop as well. "It doesn't matter to us, Tai – we're running short on time!"

"Right… there." Taiki pointed to a section of the wreckage. "Look, Kotori."

Kotori realized that he would not move on until this matter was resolved and examined the indicated spot impatiently. She would have continued onward had she not noticed a half-concealed body, battered and bloodied by the trauma it had endured, and with a certain morbid fascination she pushed the obscuring debris aside to get a better look. "This is one of them, isn't it?" she asked Taiki, noting the dead girl's unusual clothing and bright red hair. "One of the Sound group."

Taiki nodded in confirmation and grinned. "You see? Maybe being optimistic isn't so foolish after all."

"One confirmed death does not equal success," Kotori shot back, dashing off through the clearing and beckoning her teammate to follow. "We're burning daylight, Tai. Let's get a move on!"

-------

Naeko was not surprised to see Takeshi occupying a seat at the counter when she walked up to the Ichiraku, and she tried to appear cheerful when he greeted her. "Imagine seeing you here, sensei! I'm surprised you don't put on weight considering how much you eat." She seated herself next to the jounin and ordered a bowl of pork ramen from Ayame, then sat back to wait.

"I do exercise, believe it or not," Takeshi replied, slurping back a thick clump of noodles. "Come to think of it, the same thing could be asked about someone else you know. Kinda strange not seeing him in here, isn't it?" He then realized how carelessly he'd spoken when he saw Naeko's face fall and hastily added, "Come on, Naeko. You know as much as I do that Naruto is virtually indestructible! He'll be just fine, and he'll be back before you know it asking why you got so upset over him."

"I keep telling myself that," was the mumbled response, "but part of me really has to wonder."

"I'm more worried for our other two." A stifled belch, then, "Word came down the pipe that Taiki and Kotori have been sent to gather information about Sound and its capabilities. Seeing how those two aren't on the best of terms, this cannot bode well."

-------

Rain had begun to fall by the time Taiki and Kotori reached the massive waterfall that marked the border between Fire Country and its smaller neighbor to the north. Kotori's quick eyes were the first to note the two statues carved from the cliffs flanking either side of the waterfall, passively recognizing one as an effigy of the First Hokage of Konoha as she surveyed the landscape. "And once again we're too late to catch any of the action."

"What do you mean?" asked Taiki, also looking around. He followed Kotori's gaze to the holes carved into the stone by all-too-recent violence and let out an awed whistle. "I would have loved to see what caused all of this."

"As would I, but we aren't here to sightsee."

Taiki rolled his eyes at this pragmatic reminder but still followed Kotori as she made her way across the large pool at the base of the waterfall. "I don't sense any death in the area, so that means that whoever fought here survived."

Kotori shook her head. "The Cat agrees but says that Naruto was lucky to have Kyuubi to depend on. I'm sure Naeko will be just thrilled." A second thought came to her and she smirked triumphantly. "That also means that unless someone else was successful in detaining him afterward, Uchiha is still free. I told you it was foolish to be so optimistic." She then resumed her examination of the terrain, muttering, "Even if we missed him here, we should be able to find what we need by following his trail. Looks like he'll be of some use to us yet." After concentrating briefly, Kotori found what she was looking for and set off again.

"Lucky us, right?" Taiki commented with an uneasy laugh that Kotori did not echo.

-------

Well, like it or not, we're in enemy territory now, thought Taiki, glancing out over the seemingly unthreatening landscape of forests and rice paddies as he walked alongside Kotori. They'd taken none of the obvious tools or accessories that marked them as shinobi, the only exception being their headbands which Taiki had insisted they remove and hide the moment they crossed the border. Now if Kotori would only relax, there'd be a lesser risk of us drawing attention. A glance over to his teammate showed that an air of feral tension had settled over the girl, every fiber stretched in hyper-awareness as if expecting attack at any moment.

Don't you think I'm trying? came the soundless reply. This place gives me the creeps. Their path led them deep into a forested area, the light between the trees growing dim as the sun inched closer and closer to the horizon. We're getting closer, so we might want to watch out for patrols.

Kotori was none too quick with the warning as she suddenly stopped and yanked Taiki to cover back behind a thick tree trunk. She faded her form into invisibility and thanked gods as Taiki did likewise, not even daring to breathe as a small group of four clad in the grey and camouflage of Sound passed down the path they had just taken. When it was safe to do so, the pair became visible again and resumed their walk, albeit more cautiously. That was too close, thought Taiki, although come to think of it, we could have used those uniforms.

Are you suggesting we track them back down and take them? Kotori inquired acidly. Let's find what we're looking for first and then worry about how we're going to get inside.

-------

"…and it seems that even after I got rid of the last one, there were still more following me. They weren't trying to retrieve me, or they would have moved by now."

Golden reptilian eyes narrowed as the mind behind them processed this new bit of information, and their owner finally spoke after some moments' quiet thought. "I did feel something… strange… just before you arrived, and this may be connected somehow." A short pause, then, "Don't worry, I'll send someone after them. They may be useful to me in one way or another."

-------

And that makes four! Dual soggy thumps marked where the two halves of the last member of the Sound patrol hit the dirt, cleaved apart by Kotori's giant blade. After dismissing the zanbatou she was quick to strip the clothing from one of the bodies and switch it out with her own, cursing the tightness of the normally-baggy blouse over her chest as she tugged it to fit. A glance over at Taiki showed him to be doing the same, exchanging his own distinctive garb for that of a Sound soldier. There, are you happy now? We'll be lucky if we can still even find the mullet-boy's trail with the time we've wasted.

We should be close by now, having already encountered an armed patrol, retorted Taiki, securing his hair closer to his scalp so that the tight mask of the Sound-nin would fit better. And I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired. We've been going at this all day and it might suit us better if we just got rid of these bodies and found someplace to stop for the night. Otogakure won't disappear overnight and I know I'll be a lot readier for whatever comes up if I've had a chance to rest.

Kotori may have voiced no protest, but her disgust could still be sensed as she helped Taiki hide the four corpses in some low-lying brush. Their old clothing was buried nearby, and after that was done the pair found a patch of relatively sheltered ground to lie down on. Even after Taiki dozed off Kotori found it hard to sleep and it was some time before her eyes drifted shut.

-------

"I personally would send a patrol out to deal with this kind of thing, but the fact that the last patrol was disposed of so easily bothers me…" One gloved hand reached up to re-settle a pair of round-lensed glasses as the dark gaze behind the lenses considered a set of footprints in the soft soil and the tell-tale signs of struggle just beyond. "I don't think I'll have to look far."

-------

Ugh – why does my body feel all tingly? Did I fall asleep funny or something? Kotori heard this half-lucid question from Taiki even as she became aware of the same sensation. It was all she could do to pry her eyelids open before the paralysis spread completely through her body, and she would have flinched if she'd had the capacity when she saw a familiar form bent over her. What's going on?

It's that guy from the chuunin exams, the guy with the information cards, Kotori replied, fishing for the name even as she studied the now-smirking face. Kabuto. He's one of the enemy? How could that be?

"I see that you remember me," Kabuto was now saying, and Kotori found that she had no choice other than to listen to his words in her current state. "I remember you two as well, and I think Orochimaru-sama will be quite interested to find out what kind of rats have been sneaking around in his territory." One of Kabuto's hands next came into view bearing a serum-filled needle, and Kotori soon felt its sting as the needle was buried into the soft flesh of her neck and the contents delivered into her system. "In case you're curious, I disabled a few neural connections while you were sleeping so that you couldn't move. Other sources tell me that both of you may be resistant to genjutsu, so I'll have to resort to knocking you out the old-fashioned way. Sweet dreams…"