And they're off to the mission! Kakashi, Shizune and Hanare left the Hidden Leaf one day ago. They're still in Konoha's surrounding forests. But where will they go to?
They had finally found some place minimally safe to stay for the night. You could hear crickets singing. There was the sound of leaves driven by the wind, rippling with the current, a slight movement of peace and calm. All this gave Hanare the most relaxing feeling nature could hand her.
They were all sat in circle, next to the tents they had upped earlier, in the sunset. To enjoy this tranquilizing feeling, Hanare closed her eyes. Physically, it wouldn't do much of a difference. But psychologically? No one had the minimum idea…
Being blind, she had keened all her other senses, and with them, she would be able to "see" things. But it still wasn't the same as actually seeing. But she had picked the positive sides of this: there are things you can actually see better than others if you're blind. Did that "others" understand that? I don't think so, she immediately said to herself, not realising she had spoken out loud and had made the other two look at her, confused.
For example: blind people could see Nature another way. The others were able to actually see an image of the panorama. But was that all? Was that all that Nature had to give? An image?
No. And that she was sure of. Since she was blind, she had learned to see things other ways, including Nature, so every time she closed her eyes and smell, felt, taste and heard the Nature, she would actually have a way better image of Nature. In her mind.
This entire line of thinking was interrupted by Shizune.
"I'm going to find some wood. It can get really cold here."
Kakashi and Hanare, who was now attentive to the real world, nodded. She took advantage of Shizune's absence to talk to the White Fang's son.
"Kakashi?"
The man stirred up and looked at her. Hanare wasn't facing him; she was just looking at somewhere in the forest; to her, an empty and black space.
"What is it?" He finally said. She sighed.
"About Rin…" She hesitated.
Hearing her beloved's name, his face became obscure. "Why do you insist on that topic?"
"Why? I'll just pretend I didn't hear that. I think you really know why. What happened to her? I mean, really."
"I already told you, didn't I?" It seemed like every word was an effort for Kakashi. Rin's memory was far from erased from his memory. Would it ever be?
"And you think I would believe in that?" She was talking extremely calmly. It almost seemed weird.
"You believe in what you want. There's no other truth to tell."
She discovered where his voice was coming from, exactly, so she was now facing him. Even if he didn't look at her, her grey blind eyes continuity stabbing him were transforming that conversation into a living hell, for him. To put it worse, the matter they were talking about wasn't helping either.
"I don't know why you insist in hiding the truth, but I'll find what it is about Rin's death that you don't want to reveal." She continued with her calm tone.
"I'll say it again: I've already told you the truth; I killed her." This three last words killed him inside while he said them. And after.
"How can that be?" Her tone was now a lot more aggressive. And then calm again. "You loved her."
"Look, I'll see about Shizune. She's taking a while, isn't she?" He quickly said, in order to escape from that massacring situation. He disappeared in the woods.
A lot of feelings came to the surface. She really felt like she didn't belong there. It was so horrible to feel apart. A tear slipped down her face, but she quickly wipe it. It was now time to reconstruct things and get integrated. Right?
She stayed there, waiting and thinking.
/-/-/-/
Kakashi and Shizune were returning to the tents place with the wood. He was a bit apprehensive; not really in the mood to see Hanare, right now. But what could he do?
They were almost there, when a blonde monkey appeared right in front of him, suddenly, with his legs supported on a branch of a tree.
"What's up, Kakashi-sensei?!"
"Naruto?" Kakashi's eyes grew wide, but then he put a smile on his face. That really was what he was needing right now. "Humm… Your face kind of looks funny, upside down…" Kakashi laughed.
"Huh?" Naruto made an I-don't-believe-this-guy face. "Really? Is that what you have to say?"
The White Fang's son's eyes grew wide again. "W-what do you mean? What do you want me to say, Naruto?"
"Oh, I don't know! Maybe, how are you? Or what are you doing here, no?"
Shizune grinned. That situation was kind of funny, really.
"Huh? How are you? What are you doing here?" The sensei asked, ironically.
"I'm fine, thanks, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said with a smile. "I'm on a mission with Shikamaru and Ino, and we found a lady on our way, by chance, and it happened she knew you." He seemed angry, now.
"Oh yes. She's Hanare, from the Lock Village."
"And why did you let her alone? You're such a rude man, Kakashi-sensei."
"Is that the way you treat your sensei?!" Kakashi was indignant.
Naruto nodded. "Yes, because you really were impolite."
"Do you at least know the reason we let her alone?"
At this question, Naruto had no answer. "Humm… humm…"
The White Fang's son grinned. Checkmate. "We went to get some wood to make a bonfire."
"Oh…" Naruto let out. This time, Shizune also grinned.
"By the way, weren't you with Shikamaru and Ino? Where are they?"
"Making company to… humm…"
"Hanare?" Kakashi proposed.
"Hanare, yes!" Naruto nodded.
"Let's hurry, then." Shizune said. The two males nodded, and so they went.
/-/-/-/
Shizune, Kakashi and Naruto found Hanare, Shikamaru and Ino talking about something they didn't get because they stopped as soon as they sensed their presence. Shizune decided to ask.
"Hey! What are you guys talking about?" She started to arrange the wood for the bonfire.
Ino grinned and answered. "Hanare was telling us about your mission." Shikamaru remained quiet, wisely.
"The… mission?" Shizune looked at Hanare with a look of interrogation, even knowing she couldn't see it. She wondered what exactly the blind girl had said to the kids. Kakashi also seemed quite worried. Hanare sensed this, and decided to calm them down.
"Yes, about the S-ranked criminal…"
Both Shizune and the white-haired sighed in relief, subtly, of course. I'm not stupid, you know? Hanare thought. She really wanted to say it out loud, be she would have to wait until the kids were gone. She decided to continue the conversation. "So, now it's time for you, kids, to tell me about your mission, isn't it?"
Naruto got excited about the idea of sharing their mission with someone who was actually interested.
"We're going to the Hidden Waterfalls!"
"Takigakure?" Hanare was starting to get interested.
Naruto nodded.
"So are we!" She suddenly said, happily. Shizune and Kakashi were confused.
"We… are?" Kakashi let out. The blind girl nodded.
"We may find some clues about the criminal, there. Remember?" Hanare faked.
"Humm… I don't know, humm…"
Shizune interrupted him. "Yeah, that's a good idea, Hanare." The medical ninja wasn't faking.
"It… is?" Kakashi was more and more muddled.
Shizune nodded. "Yes. You know why, right?"
"Humm… Of course I do…" Kakashi said, not sure of himself. This all thing sure needed an explanation!
Naruto was annoyed because everyone totally lost the interest on his mission. He no more was the centre of the attention! Ino also talked.
"Can we camp next to you, then?"
"We can actually travel together, right?" Hanare said. Shizune nodded, smiling.
"Cool!" Ino was excited about the idea of having three great jounin protecting their backs. It was kind of relaxing.
Kakashi wasn't getting it. He was completely out of it, actually. The White Fang's son looked at Shikamaru, who hadn't talked yet.
"Troublesome…" The chunin muttered.
Kakashi truly agreed, so he nodded. This didn't smell good. Such a quick decision? They would be caught in no time!
"Damn it!" He mumbled to himself. Yet, Shikamaru had heard it. It seems someone is also thinking just like me. He thought.
Plus, they're hiding something…
And this is it: Chapter 4!
Shikamaru's understanding something, there. What could it be?
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:D