Chapter 2: Meet the team! (3,164 words)
Roka skidded to a halt at the admonishing voice, "No running in the hallways!"
Right, this was a hospital, how could she forget? She could feel the dozens of unfamiliar chakra signatures, some bustling about, others stationary, one slowly fading out of existence… she shuddered and quickly turned her attention elsewhere, to the nurse who had reprimanded her. "Sorry…" Roka mumbled sheepishly.
"This is a Hospital, young lady!" The medic cut her off. "A place of healing! You should know better!"
"I-I know ma'am, I just needed to get somewhere quickly and-,"
"That's no excuse!" The nurse claimed angrily.
"There's a person dying miss," Roka cut her off. "Two floors up, five rooms that way. I can feel it, I'm a sensor."
The medic only spared a moment to blink in surprise before rushing off in the direction Roka had told her. Roka sighed in relief and resumed a quick trot to the academy.
Once out of the building, Roka squinted up at the sky, judging the time by the angle of the sun. Even through her tinted goggles, her sensitive eyes protested at the brightness. She squeezed them shut and proceeded to weave through the increasingly crowded streets, dodging and slipping, past and between the diverse emotive chakra signatures that brushed against her senses in a barrage of sensation, leaving her flustered and overwhelmed. There was a reason she mainly stuck to the less populated parts of the village and the SAF compound.
Roka was forced to open her eyes when she realized she didn't know where exactly the general academy was. Sure everyone knew that it was in an offshoot of the main administration building connected to the Hokage tower, and sure she knew where that was but the place had more doors than the hospital and that was saying something. It wasn't even like Roka knew how to get to the mission desk since the special D ranks that SAF kids could take for allowance money were handed out by their division heads.
After circling the huge building Roka had to concede defeat. Her mouth went dry at the thought of having to ask directions to the academy. If that wasn't an indicator of her SAF affiliation then Roka didn't know what was. Not that she was ashamed to be in the force but... people could be so mean sometimes. It was almost time though and she didn't want to be any later than she already was.
Roka screwed her eyes shut trying not to cry as she scanned the crowds for a chakra signature that felt like it was in a generous mood. It wasn't a sure fire way to find someone nice, she couldn't tell a person's personality based on their chakra, only get vague impressions of mood and character, but it would help. As Roka began to shake from the strain of so many people and emotions raging around her she felt it. Her face brightened as she sensed the solution walking right by her. She knew that chakra signature!
"Nobu-san!" Roka called out to the passing police officer. The veteran shinobi turned at the sound of his name and smiled when he spotted her, raising his stump arm in greeting.
"Roka-chan," He greeted as she ran up to him. "Good to see you out in the village proper for once. I thought I'd never see you again once I was released from rehab."
Roka flushed at the quip. "It's nice to see you out of the Physical Division too." She shyly responded. Playing with the cuffs of her gloves she added, "Will you still come and visit though?"
He laughed, resting his left and only hand on top of her head. "Of course! Now what can I help you with? You seem a little lost."
"I-I am." Roka admitted, embarrassed.
"Well maybe you wouldn't be if you got out of the SAF compound more." Nobu teased. "Where do you need to go?"
"The General Academy." Roka immediately told him. "I got an assignment!"
"Good for you!" Nobu enthused as he led the way. "Wait, isn't today team assignment day?" His eyes went wide as he looked down at the girl following beside him. "Roka-chan, did you get onto jonin-track?" At her hesitant nod he broke out into a grin. "Congratulations! That's amazing, and you should be proud of yourself."
"Y-yeah, thanks." Roka said, ducking her chin bashfully. "It's not that big a deal, plenty of kids get it all the time." She winced, muffling a squeak as he cuffed her on the back of the head for the comment- just like tou-san. Why did men have to have such aggressive affection?
"Hey, not every kid who gets onto jonin-track is a medical anomaly. You're what, the first in ten years? More? I'd say that's a pretty big deal!" Nobu said, ruffling her white hair. Roka really regretted walking on his left side that still had a hand.
Changing the subject she asked, "But what about you, Nobu-san? How are you liking being a part of the New Military Police?"
His hand thankfully left her head to mess up his own brown mane and Roka took the chance to fix her hair while he thought up an answer. "Well," He eventually started, "it's different, that's for sure, from being an active-duty ninja. Going from taking foreign missions to doing domestic work is going to take some getting used to, but no more getting used to than learning to do things one handed. It helps that the rest of the NMP know what I'm going through."
Roka smiled up at him through her mask. That's what she liked most about Nobu. He was so honest with his answers and didn't talk down to her because she was a kid, or because she was a medical anomaly. At seventeen and chunin, Nobu had recently lost his right hand on a mission, landing him a temporary slot in the PID for rehabilitation and a future in the police force. Honestly, Roka couldn't think of a better job for him; Nobu was friendly and kind, quick to diffuse situations with his words but quick enough to use his fist if need be. People liked and respected him, making Nobu a natural leader and authority figure. It was just a shame he had to lose his hand to be given a place in the Police Force.
Four years ago when the original Military Police had been decimated by the loss of the Uchiha clan, the PID had rallied together all their retired rehabilitated ninja with otherwise career ending injuries to keep the peace in the time of conflict. Thus the New Military Police was born and ninja like Nobu who were no longer fit for external mission work could continue to serve the village within the walls.
"Right through those doors, alright Roka-chan?" Nobu said, pointing out the entrance she needed to go through. "I should get back on patrol before Satoshi-san can get on my back. Good luck meeting your teammates!"
"Thanks Nobu-san! You're the best!" Roka called over her shoulder as she headed in. Once through the dual doors, Roka skidded to a halt, realizing for the first time that she had never been in the General Academy before. What would it have been like, she wondered, to go here instead of hopping back and forth between the academies for the sensory and physically impaired? She couldn't even imagine it.
Picking a random direction, Roka walked off down a hall, opening the first and unmarked door she came across. Nope, just a weapons closet. Roka made to close the door but paused. Wait, a weapons closet?!
She pulled the door open fully to gawk at the shelves and racks of weapons of destruction: windmill shuriken, chakram, nunchaku, Bo staff, kanabo, tonfa, sai, dual ended shuriken, trench knives, tekko kagi, karambit, kusarigama, ninjato, nine section chain whip, meteor hammer, rope dart, even a shakujo and model gunbai! General Academy kids got to learn how to use these? Roka had only gotten to see pictures of some of these in her 'Unusual Weapons' class at the SID. Roka's eye caught on a beautifully decorated tessen that made her palms itch and she had to force herself away from the tempting sight. Team assignments, she reminded herself. Pull yourself together and stop ogling the cool weapons! My umbrella beats all of these anyway. Roka reluctantly shut the door to the weapons closet and looked for other doors or signs that could point her in the right direction.
Okay, room 132. Hmm. Ah! There. Roka hurried over to the door she spotted and steeled herself to go in. No one was there. Confused, Roka looked around, noticing the strong scent of flowers, tea and something written on the board. Walking up to it to get a better look, Roka was only more confused when the blurry words cleared. 'Kunoichi class moved outdoors, meet at the second meadow.' What the hell does that mean? Roka decided to check the room number again and had to refrain from smacking herself when she did. Ugh! It's 184, not 132 idiot! She must have walked into the General Academy's equivalent of the PID's 'Cultural Studies' class for blending in with civilians. She wondered briefly, as she ran down the halls checking numbers and making sure to get much closer when she did, why they called it 'kunoichi class' if infiltration work was obviously for every gender.
Her musings came to a halt as Roka finally found herself outside of a door marked 132. She gulped. The two chakra signatures inside felt a mixture of impatient, bored and excited. She guessed she must be late. Roka took another moment to apprehensively feel and memorize the chakra of her two new teammates before taking a deep breath, steeling herself and opening the door.
The door to the now almost abandoned classroom creaked slowly open, and Sasuke turned a level gaze on the timid intruder. It had been a few minutes since class let out and he was eager to meet his new Sensei. Sasuke was however, severely disappointed with what he saw. Rather than their tardy sensei, it appeared that their final mystery teammate had decided to show up. She was covered from head to toe in a way reminiscent of how foreign civilians might picture shinobi, but whatever stealthy appearance her tinted goggles, black cloth mask, dark under armor and leggings might have afforded her was entirely negated by the obnoxiously colorful clothes she wore over it. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. Couldn't she just pick one look and go with it? Her yellow top, petal pink skirt, red gloves, blue toenail polish and, most offensive of all, purple parasol (with a strangely long handle) all screamed girly-girl, but it was layered over such an absolutely over the top caricature of a ninja costume as if that would make up for it! He saw with disgust that she wore a leaf headband over her forehead, thereby making the tips of her toes the only visible part of her skin, but more importantly, marking her as a ninja. She obviously didn't take the life of a ninja seriously enough if she dressed like that. Sasuke sneered. He already hated her. This girl with her white hair and ridiculous fluffy pink earmuffs could shove off.
"Well? Don't just stand there like a creep." He demanded.
Roka shrank into herself. It had taken all her courage to open that door- the door leading to an actual General Force classroom, to those two distinct chakra signatures; one so cold yet burning, the other warm and inviting, a hidden darkness underneath. But now, facing the sources of those chakra signatures, her teammates, Roka was frozen to the spot, pinned down by the dark one's judging stare. Oh god, he looked like a younger version of her nemesis if he still had eyes. Roka couldn't decide which was worse: being glared at by empty eye sockets or being glared at by these black, piercing, fathomless wells. She felt judged down to the very fiber of her being. She couldn't comprehend it; she knew that General Force ninja looked down on her kind, but…
Naruto turned to looked at the strange girl in the doorway "Who are you?" He blurted, "You look…." Naruto trailed off, not sure what she looked like.
Roka wilted. Of course he would bring up her looks. She searched her mind to find the least unflattering thing she had been described as to provide for the floundering teammate. "Like a fashion obsessed Aburame?" She supplied. It took all her willpower not to sigh. "I'm aware."
"Oh." Naruto blinked.
"Are you an Aburame?" Sasuke asked.
"No." She answered shortly.
"Who are you? You weren't in the academy." He accused. "I would have remembered."
Oh god, Roka thought. What do I say? "I- I was trained separately. At a different school."
"Whoa! Really?" Naruto exclaimed. "I didn't know there were other ninja schools beside the academy! Is it super cool? I bet you're really awesome, right?"
Desperate to get the subject away from the SAF, Roka asked, "How good are you at KonStan hand signs? I'll be using them when my voice gives out." She didn't mention that only happened when she was silently crying, like just then.
"Does that happen a lot?" Sasuke asked somewhat curiously.
She shrugged, signing, "Occasionally."
"Tch." Sasuke did not need a weakling like her holding him back.
Kakashi sighed. He really wasn't looking forward to meeting his genin team. He didn't even want to think about his issues with the boys…sensei, Obito… no. Those wounds were too sore. He wouldn't think about it. So he focused all his frustration on the thought of the kunoichi he was slotted with. The Special Accommodations Force? Really? It wasn't that Kakashi had anything against the SAF, but they were… well, to put it politely… oh, fuck it, they were the laughing stock of all 'real' shinobi and a bit of a running joke too. It was just his luck to get the first one (from the Medical Anomaly Division) to make it onto jonin track in more than a decade.
Kakashi had read her file, he could see what the instructors were thinking in putting her on this team… she was an amazing sensor and tracker, her taijutsu was above average as well as all other aspects of her shinobi skill set except ninjutsu, and being from the SAF knew a bit of medical jutsu as well… but still, why did it have to be him? Surely they could have found another jonin better suited for the job? Gai would be so much better at this than him. That's one competition Kakashi'd concede to hands down. Being from the SAF she'd probably need special treatment. What a drag, as a Nara would say. Apparently the girl was albino and had a very rare allergy to sunlight, causing her to break out in hives when too much skin was exposed to the sun. She also had incredibly good sense of smell and hearing and was sensitive to strong smells and loud noises. Well at least she isn't deaf. Kakashi thought rather uncharitably. Then, when Kakashi finally got a look at the subject of his inner grumblings innocently standing in the corner doodling on the chalkboard, he froze. No. That can't be right. The fates must be laughing at him. Obito's goggles, Rin's skirt and haircut, Kakashi's mask, and finally, his father's white hair… No. Kakashi reminded himself. He knew the reason for most of those attributes, and the ones he didn't were probably coincidence… but still, if she just changed the colors of her outfit- but nothing. She's just a little girl. Stop pinning your memories of the dead on her. Taking a deep breath Kakashi stepped through the door, ignoring the eraser that immediately fell on his head. Oh god, looking at them all together is even worse. He thought.
Frozen in his genin-induced flashbacks, Kakashi barely registered Naruto's laughter at his prank abruptly taper off with an incredulous, "Hold on! You too? What's with you people and masks? Am I the only person on this team with an actual face?"
Kakashi blinked out of his reverie. "Well, my first impression of you is that I hate you." He said honestly. "Meet me on the roof." Then his shunshined out of there as fast as he could to take a moment to compose himself, leaving his students a little stunned at his sudden absence.
"Well, uh, I guess we should go to the roof!" Naruto mumbled weakly.
"Tch," Sasuke grumbled. "Now you've done it. And I so too have a face."
"No you don't!" Naruto instantly replied. "It's made of rubber! Why else would you only have one expression?" He contorted his face into a cartoonish frown to illustrate. Sasuke scowled at him, only proving his point and causing Naruto to grin cheekily. Turning to the spot their last teammate used to be he asked, "Isn't that right? Hey! Where'd she go? Race ya to the top teme!"
Once Kakashi's genin, oh god they're my genin, my responsibility! Reached the roof, two huffing and puffing from their race, one cool from her walk, He clapped once. "Alright! Now that we're all here let's introduce ourselves. How about ladies first?"
"Murasaki Roka."
Kakashi waited a beat for her to continue. When she didn't he asked, "That's it? No likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future?"
"I like… bland food, and cloudy days. I dislike Ryu, sunlight and people who take things for granted. My hobbies are drawing, training and meditating."
"Any dream for the future?"
"My… dream?" She paused, having never considered such a thing (at least, not in so many words.) She used to wish her parents would come back for her, but that wasn't something under her control. Roka hunched over, hand on her chin in thought. "I…" Many things came to mind, things that Roka wanted; beating Ryu for once, being officially adopted, convincing the Hokage to put a giant sun umbrella over the whole world… but those were merely desires, they didn't count as a dream.
Once, she would have probably said becoming a Konoha shinobi was her dream, but the weight of the metal forehead protector proudly reminded her that she had already achieved that. So what does she dream now? "I dream… to someday repay the village for all it has done for me and my friends by being a useful asset to Konoha!" Roka smiled impishly under her mask. Yes, that is her dream: to repay Konoha, the village that took her in, gave her medical care, gave her a home, and to finally be useful.
Kakashi didn't look at her. He found it easier to think rationally if he didn't. So, staring over her head, Kakashi nodded. Well, it seemed the SAF definitely did its job entrenching loyalty and devotion to the village into this one.
Notes: And thus starts the new and improved extremely dysfunctional team seven. Tell me what you think and leave a review!
Acronyms to remember:
SAF= Special Accommodations Force
MAD= Medical Anomalies Division
PID= Physical Impairment Division, sometimes shortened to Physical Division or Physical
SID= Sensory Impairment Division, sometimes shortened to Sensory Division or Sensory
NMP= New Military Police
KonStan= Konoha Standard (referring to sign language)
Next time, on Welcome to the MAD House: Meet Roka's Rival!