S M i L e
Chapter Three--Mission
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Mutsuko woke up earlier then she would have liked. The sunlight filtering through the drawn blinds was barely bright enough to light the corner of a dark room, and yet there she lay, wide awake. She turned on her side, hoping that repositioning herself would make it easier to sleep.
She was wrong.
Her eyelids were springs or something, because whenever she closed them, they just flew right back open, leaving her staring at her open closet. Her light brown eyes flickered across all the neatly order clothes that she never got the chance to wear. There were date-type dresses and pants; then there was the formal wear and the summer wear. Everything was neatly organized because it had rarely been touched since it was put there. Life as a ninja didn't leave too much free time. There were so many things that the young Jounin wanted to wear, to do, that she hadn't really been able to because of the lifestyle she chose. She never even considered that she chose the wrong career though. She loved what she did. It was energizing; it was fun; it was important. Konoha was a trusted village with trusted ninja--well, as trusted as a ninja can be. Mutsuko always felt good about herself and her job when she could say that a life was saved because of her. There was nothing like it. She admitted that sometimes she would say she would rather be a Special Kunoichi instructor, but when it came right down to it, she wouldn't give her job up for the world.
Slowly, the kunoichi dragged herself out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. Only a few beams of light shimmered there, leaving all but a couple ribbons of space left in darkness. Mutsuko didn't even bother turning on the lights; she merely continued moving around in her zombie-like state, collecting the needed items to prepare a bowl of cereal for herself.
The light slowly grew, leaking through the window and filling the spacious kitchen with sunshine. Mutsuko barley noticed, however, as she was so preoccupied with eating. In the mornings, when she was tired and couldn't sleep, this took a lot of concentration. Her hand barely made it to her mouth and the food would occasionally spill down her front, as it did this time.
The doorknob started to noisily turn, catching the ninja's attention. She slowly turned and watched as her apartment door creaked open and someone stepped inside.
"Good morning!" the visitor exclaimed, far too perky for so early in the morning.
Mutsuko grunted some sort of inaudible response and proceeded with her eating. The visitor laughed seeing her.
"Do I have to feed you?" she exclaimed. Not bothering to close the door, she rushed to the table, ripped the spoon from Mutsuko's grip, and began feeding her.
"Kotori," Mutsuko grunted. "Kotori, I can feed myself."
The violet-haired woman scoffed, dropping the napkin she used to dab the milk from the brunette's face on the table. "I'm starting to doubt that, truly I am."
Mutsuko glared. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I just wanted to wish you good luck before you went! And to say good-bye! I won't see you again for a while, correct?"
"It shouldn't be too long," Mutsuko replied. "I mean, it's a B-ranked mission, sure, but...no, it shouldnt be too long."
"I hope so! Who will appreciate my tea when you're gone? I mean, my apartment will be so empty! "
"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure Asuma and Genma will stop by," Mutsuko indifferently replied.
"Speaking of those two, you really should find them and say good-bye before you head off."
Mutsuko cocked a brow. "And why would I do that? It isn't as if they do that to me."
"Yeah, well...I think they'll be worried about you. You know, since they..." she stopped short, her lips thinning.
"They what?" Mutsuko asked, placing her bowl and spoon in the sink.
"They're your friends. And they have reason to worry about you. I mean...seriously! Look at you!"
Mutsuko looked down at her shirt where there was not only milk and cereal, but chocolate stains and other unidentifiable food marks. She grinned sheepishly. "Okay, so I don't know how to keep food in my mouth...but that doesn't mean they need to worry about me!"
Kotori shrugged. "They do though, I'm sure."
Mutsuko cocked her head to the side. "Why?"
"You know, for someone so smart, you really are oblivious," Kotori sighed.
Mutsuko shrugged. "It's a gift."
"A curse is more like it," mumbled Kotori. She got to her feet, smiled brightly at her brunette friend, and waved. "Well, I am going to get going now! Good luck with the mission; I'll see you when you get back?"
"Unless something happens!" Mutsuko sang, just as she did before the beginning of any B or A ranked mission.
And, as always, Kotori replied with a stern, "I'll see you when you get back."
Without another word then, the purple-haired young woman hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. Mutsuko sighed and fell down on the couch, trying to decide what to do. She still had a couple of hours before she had to meet up with her subordinates and go to collect the mission from Hokage-sama. Packing would be simple--she already had a bag pre-packed that she just had to add a few things to. She always had a bag ready. Whenever she came back from a mission, she would restock and leave it sitting in her closet. If anything special was needed for a mission, she would merely add it; it was so simple.
Everything was taken care of. She had taken a shower the night before--not that it matter; she would just get dirty on the road, anyway. She had eaten; she and Kotori had said good-bye. There was nothing left to do but get dressed. Unless, of course, she took her friends "advice" and went to tell the guys she was going.
Not that she really saw the point in doing that, but it was something to occupy her time. She needed something, otherwise her mind would wander and she would lose track of time.
Time...
Mutsuko glanced down at her wrist where, as usual, the broken watch was. A sigh escaped her mouth as she stared. She really did need a new watch; one that wouldn't distract her whenever she looked down; one that actually had hands that moved; one that would fulfill its purpose--to tell its wearer the current time.
"I'm far too sentimental for my own good," Mutsuko muttered, tearing her eyes away from the beautiful watch. "I should just get rid of it."
Her hands hovered over it, ready to tear it off her wrist and throw it to the ground, but just before her fingers could unfasten it, her muscles tensed.
Come on, Mutsuko, she cried inside her mind. Take off the watch.
No matter how much her mind told her to, though, her body wouldn't allow it. And, in the end, it was left on. The brunette took a deep breath and went to her room to get dressed.
As was routine, she pulled the pale short orange dress over her black cami. It was a fairly revealing dress; she had started to notice recently. It ended mid-thigh, hugging every curve she had, and the chest-al region was covered by fish-net, giving off a whole lot of cleavage. It was very different from what she used to wear--a long sleeved, blue belly shirt under a flimsy, hooded vest and white shorts. But on her twenty-fourth birthday, she had decided that a change was needed. One gets tired of wearing the same thing virtually ever day for five or six years. So she got herself a present, and apparently, it was a present for a lot of other people, too.
Not that was going to make her change. She liked the outfit, and if other people liked it, too, well...good for them!
Sighing, she shook her head and pulled on her pale yellow socks; they ended nearly where the skirt of her dress began, leaving very little of her legs showing. Next, she tied the bright orange fabric around her waist, making a bow, and threw the longer, ragged, bright orange fabric around her neck--a scarf. And to finish the ensemble, she slipped her hands into her very long, green and pale yellow gloves.
"Perfect as usual," Mutsuko said, grinning to herself. She then skipped off to finish getting ready, grabbing her katana as she hurried out the door.
Mutsuko hummed to herself as she took a leisurely walk around the already-busy village. This was what she had decided she would do. She would while away the hour or so that she had, doing absolutely nothing but humming and walking. If she happened to run into either of the guys, so be it, but she was not going to go looking for them. They understood that she had a team to teach and couldn't always be there to tell them where she was going. It wasnt as if she would even if she didn't have the three Genins--she wasnt like that--but they would understand. They would never expect her to do such a thing. They would probably think her ill if she did.
"Why would Kotori even suggest that?" Mutsuko asked herself, taking a break from both her humming and walking. "And what was that whole thing about them worrying about me? Like they would do that!" She laughed. "They know I can take care of myself! Kotori is just being weird...er than usual."
Yeah, she agreed with herself, continuing onward.
She smiled happily to herself, walking all by herself for a few more minutes before someone came up from behind her, draping his arm over her shoulder.
"Remember when we ate dinner there?" he whispered in her ear, pointing at a cute little restaurant decorated with lace and hearts.
"Yeah," she laughed.
"Remember what a good time we had?"
"Oh yeah."
"Think they would let us back in?"
Mutsuko barked a laugh. "After what happened there? Not a chance! Don't you remember being kicked out on our butts? The owner practically chased us back home!"
"Yeah. And whenever we even passed by she would shout at us!" the man laughed.
Mutsuko slowly looked up and smiled at the man--Asuma. "We had some good times, didn't we?"
"Those were probably the most interesting years of my life," he replied, smiling softly back.
"Yeah," Mutsuko shortly replied, ducking her head back down. She didn't want to think about that. Not that it had been a bad part of her life--she had loved it. But it was over. Just...over. Sometimes it was difficult accepting that, and thinking about it just made it even harder on her. It was time to move on.
She seemed to have a problem with doing that.
"So, what are you up to today? Training with the kids again?" Asuma asked. He started to pull a cigarette out of his pocket but stopped, seeing the look on Mutsuko's face.
"Not exactly. We're actually going on a mission. I'm just wasting my time, waiting for it to be time to leave."
"Really?" Asuma asked, surprised.
Mutsuko furrowed her brow. "Yeah, really...Why would I lie about it?"
Asuma shrugged. "I don't know."
"Right...Say, what time is it?" The brunette leaned over and looked at his watch. Seeing the time, she grimaced.
"Time for us to get going," she answered for herself. "Bye Asuma! I'll see you when the mission is over!"
As Mutsuko ran wildly off, Genma, hands thrust in his pockets, approached Asuma.
"What's up with her?" he wondered.
"Oh, she has to get going to a mission," Asuma replied.
"Oh. I didn't know."
Asuma looked up, surprised. "She didn't tell you?"
Genma cocked a brow. "No. Why would she have? It isn't like we keep tabs on each other or anything. We arent dating." He laughed. Then, with a nod in the smoker's direction, he continued on his way, with Asuma smiling happily to himself.
Mutsuko pounded loudly on the door to Hato's apartment. "Come in!" the Omoi boy sang.
Mutsuko slipped into the apartment and smirked to herself as she watched Hato rush around his apartment to get ready. It never ceased to amaze her how fast the lazy boy could go if he wanted to.
As was the routine, she took care of putting away whatever Hato left out--this time the milk and cereal--that Hato would have otherwise forgotten about. It happened every time, though sometimes Hato would decide to do things differently and confuse his sensei. It really didn't matter, though, what order he did things in. Mutsuko would always find a way to help the thirteen-year-old get ready.
You know, Hato," Mutsuko began as she closed the refrigerator door. "I really do wish you'd stop saving your hurried moments for at home. The Twinjas and I would really appreciate it if you were on time for once."
Rounding the corner, Hato snorted. "Like you're always on time, right?" He hastily shoved his fisherman style hat on his head before his sensei could catch a glimpse.
She jokingly pouted. "And of course I missed the hair! Why is it that only Seiko gets to see it?"
"Because she steals it off my head, that's why," Hato growled bitterly, causing his sensei to laugh.
"Maybe I'll actually be around sometime when that happens. I don't understand why you always wear the hat; don't you think the girls would like you even more if they could see the hair?"
Hato smirked, slinging hid back over his shoulder, and said, "I don't need any more attention from the girls. If I did, they'd be killing each other."
"My aren't we modest," Mutsuko laughed; she opened the door for her pupil and waited for the boy to pass out into the hall before closing and locking it with the key Hato had given her.
It was as they were walking that she realized that she had stupidly left her supplies at her apartment. "Can we stop by my apartment before we go meet the other two?" she inquired of Hato; the boy looked over his shoulder at the brown-haired sensei.
Shrugging, he said, "Sure, why not? I mean it's on the way, isn't it?"
Mutsuko smiled at her pupil and then, after a few strides, was walking right by his side. She was barely taller than him, and eleven years older, which disturbed her sometimes. She took comfort in the fact that she was stronger than him though. But one day, that too would be taken away from her; she was sure of it. All of her students would probably surpass her. When she first realized this, she was a little bit upset, but after a while she decided that that was a good thing. It would mean that she taught them well enough that they were able to realize what they could do.
"Here we are!" Hato exclaimed, breaking his sensei from her trance. She smiled at him, found her key, and let herself in.
"Come on in, Hato! Sit down for a minute!" she called, racing to her bedroom. In the back of her closet, after much rummaging, she found her bag. She pulled it out, checked to make sure everything she needed was there, and then hurried back to the living room, where she found Hato lounging about on her sofa.
"You and Genma," she laughed, slinging her bag onto her back. "You just love that couch."
Hato grinned, hoisting himself up. "It's a good couch."
"Yes, it is a good couch," the brunette agreed. "Come on! The twins are probably waiting for us!"
That got Hato moving. "I can't let them be first again!" he exclaimed, jumping up and racing off. Mutsuko laughed and hurried off after him.
The young woman was wrong; the twins hadn't arrived in the usual meeting place first. They weren't waiting for once; Hato and Mutsuko were. Once the twins met up with them, they headed off to the Hokage's office to receive their mission.
Hato bolted ahead, leaving the other three to chase after him. And that was not fun to do, considering the fact that there were so many stairs. When they finally made it to the top, they found Hato chatting it up with the Hokage, both ignoring all the other people seated at the long table.
"Konichiwa Hokage-sama," Mutsuko greeted, bowing slightly.
"Konichiwa Hokage-sama," the Noriako twins said in turn, bowing as well.
The old man drew the pipe out of his mouth and looked over at the three who had just entered.
"Konichiwa Mutsuko-san. How are you doing Seiko, Sakai?"
Seiko answered for the both of them, saying that they were doing well. The two continued politely conversing for a moment or so until Hokage-sama looked over at Mutsuko and said, "I assume you are here to receive your mission, correct?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama," Mutsuko-sensei answered. She stepped forward towards the long table to receive the scroll that would show their assigned mission. As she did this, her subordinates began talking to another team that had just entered the room, Gai's team.
Mutsuko cringed when she heard the familiar cry of the man, hoping that he wouldn't see her. He had always given her the creeps, and the way his pupil dressed up just like him disturbed her. Not that he was a bad kid; she had heard that he was great, but, still...he could at least wear something of his own. Something less disturbing.
Mutsuko glanced back at the group and watched curiously as Sakai and a brown-haired girl she recognized as Tenten talked to one another. What her other two subordinates were doing barely interested her right then. Something was going on there. Tenten was smiling a lot as she and Sakai made small talk with one another. And if she was seeing things correctly, Sakai was acting slightly differently; barely noticeable, but different still. He was fidgeting slightly and looking away a bit as he spoke to the girl; he never did either thing unless uncomfortable.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Mutsuko heard Tenten ask the Noriako boy.
"Nothing really. I was just wondering what our mission would be. If only Mutsuko-sensei would hurry up!!"
"Oh get over it already!" Mutsuko moodily countered; Tenten laughed.
Something told Mutsuko that Sakai was anxious to get away from Tenten as well as get to the mission.
Mutsuko tuned them out as she continued settling what was going on with the Hokage, making sure everything was straight and she knew what she had to do. She couldn't help picking up something that Hato said though.
"Maybe Hokage-sama could set aside a mission for you guys, too. Mutsuko-sensei told us that's what she had him do."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Mutsuko, referring to the explanation, whispered before turning to her team. "I didn't 'have' him do anything, baka. Hokage-sama kindly offered to set one aside and I accepted. That is all. Now come along, my darling subordinates. We have to get going."
"But what's the mission?!" Hato whined, quickly following after the young woman then calling good-byes to everyone.
Tenten called out a good-bye to Sakai, Mutsuko observed with a smirk. Only Sakai.
"You'll see in a minute," Mutsuko impatiently said. "Now stop complaining." That wasnt an easy thing for the blonde to do, but he listened.
The four walked along until they reached the ground. Then Mutsuko opened up the scroll, cleared her throat, and began the explanation.
"Noriako Sakai, Noriako Seiko, and Omoi Hato are to be guided by Warai Mutsuko--me--on this B-ranked mission." She cleared her throat again before continuing, squinting her eyes in order to read the Hokage's messy scrawl. "We are to travel to the Lightning Country to guard a high-power against ninjas from...the Cloud Village, actually. This person will be found at the Town of Kusubana. The name of this high-power is Fujitaka Onpu. With him will be is fourteen-year-old daughter," she said after glaring at Hato for urging her to move along.
"Supposedly we're only supposed to protect him while he's taking care of business in this village, but you know these people--they're fickle. We'll probably be they're after that as well," Mutsuko finished up.
"Wait...this Fujitaka guy...he's already in the Lightning Country?" Seiko, confused, asked.
"Hai."
"Well couldn't something happen to him while we're on our way?"
"I'm sure he's already got that all figured out, but whatever. Now we really must be going. If you have anymore questions, ask as we go."
"Got it!" they exclaimed, grabbing their bags; they were eager to get going.
"Nom keep in mind," Mutsuko began. She stared over her shoulder at the three young teens, a grim expression looking foreign on her face. "This is a dangerous mission. There are ninjas involved--and no doubt, they are older than all of you. I want you to be careful. There might even be some ambushes along the way. Always be on your guard!"
"We know, we know!" Sakai said impatiently.
Mutsuko noticed that they still looked fearful as they backed away from Konoha, staring at the gate. She was quick to add, ""I won't let any of you die--got it?" She was dead serious.
The three exchanged looks and nodded firmly, expressions of eagerness coming back. They were ready, Mutsuko knew it and they knew it. Nothing was going to stop them now that the mission had begun.
Mutsuko smiled, satisfied, as she looked back at the village. They were on their way.
a/n and that is all I have of THAT one. It really isn't much for this story, which is upsetting because I have so much planned for it--as I do with the others. But no Naruto mood means no Naruto fanfic writing which means disappointment for everyone involved--and YES, that includes me. I feel bad, but right now I need to concentrate on other things
hee hee. I hope you liked. so, what do you think is with the watch? and with Asuma? hm?
I love Asuma and Genma, and hopefully, soonish, it will have a whole lot more STUFF going on between them. oh! and this story probably won't have a sequeal as the others do (maybe eventually, I dunno) but for a long time now I have been planning for it to have a prequel. yay! then you'll understand a whole lot more stuff a whole lot better, even though I will explain most things in this.
anyway! thanks for reading!