[A/N: we interrupt this arc for some fun and games. Enjoy this single chapter of filler in true Naruto style.]
Nishira paced outside the entrance to a beautiful park, overflowing with the evidence of the presence of autumn, a gathering of leaves of rich colours crunched delightfully under foot, the faintest smell of decay lay on the wind. It wasn't the fountain or statue of a stern looking old guy looking benevolent and judgemental simultaneously that kept her from taking that first hesitant step into the park. Her gaze fell on the only two people occupying the place. Toma and Sekawa sat on a bench, a cord snaking from a yellow rectangle playing a clear cassette, the headphones split between them leading towards each ear. Sekawa's mouth emitted a genuine sound of delight. Something clenched painfully in Nishira's gut.
With a deep breath she took a step, and then another, towards her old teammates, until she stood before them. She stood there waiting for their acknowledgement, awkwardly dancing from foot to foot but Sekawa simply looked anywhere but at her.
"Okay, I totally deserve that." Nishira spotted Sekawa's face softening just slightly, the faintest raising of one perfectly sculpted eyebrow before doubling down in her dismissive frown.
"I'm here to apologize, I'm so sorry I haven't been a good friend. You deserve so much better."
Toma pursed his lips, and Sekawa deigned to turn her sharp face back to the intruder.
"You're interrupting our date."
"I get it. I royally fucked up. I'll tell you everything, I'll do anything. Whatever it is, name it!"
Sekawa responded to the last line with a devious smile that had Nishira's mind reeling from possibilities of what the gorgeous and sometimes incredibly petty person before her could imagine in her twisted and rage filled mind.
"Nishira, I know just the thing."
"Really?" Nishira opened a drawer of her dresser. The old wood sticking as she yanked it open enough to rummage through it. After a second, she pulled out a small swatch of fabric covered in printed strawberries. Nishira frowned before handing over the clean pair of panties to Sekawa, who snatched them from her grasp and held them up to see them, Nishira's cheeks aflame in embarrassment. "There. Are you happy now?"
"Oh, we're just getting started."
"What? You have my panties, what more do you want? You want the whole damn drawer?"
"No, even better. I want underwear from every jonin we can get our hands on."
Nishira felt the floor drop beneath her.
"Excuse me? Are you fucking insane?"
"No. I'm determined. The older chunin like to haze the new ones. The challenge that no one has done yet though is getting the most underwear from different Jonin. No one's been successful, except the occasional single pair. So, Toma and I want to assert our dominance and bring in more than anyone before."
"Okay, well you have mine, so are we even yet?"
"No silly, you're going to help us get more. Yours are only the first."
Nishira groaned.
"Let me guess. You want Kakashi's too."
"You bet, and Asuma's, Gai's, Kurenai's, Ebisu's, everyone we can get!"
"I can't ask them to give me those! That's ridiculous."
"Kakashi will cause he's sweet on you. The others we'll have to break in and steal them, and you're going to help us."
"You. Are. Insane!"
"No, Nishira, not insane. Hungry to win!"
Toma's face simply shone with adoration, as Sekawa emitted a laugh that resembled more like a cackle of the villainous variety.
"You want what?"
Nishira blushed furiously in the doorway to Kakashi's apartment, frowning and wishing that this conversation would be over soon.
"A pair of your boxers, please."
"Alright." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"Really?"
Kakashi looked to the blush that spread through Nishira's face and her pensive face.
"I wasn't going to ask why you want them, but now I want to know."
She bit her lip.
"I want them for Sekawa and Toma. Oh god, no nothing sexual, it's a chunin thing apparently to take them from Jonin."
Kakashi looked down at the plain black boxers in his hand before thrusting them towards her.
"Really? You're giving them to me?"
Nishira's hands held the fabric almost tenderly as he simply shrugged.
"You're making it up to your friends, I can't stand in the way of that. And," He gave a chuckle with a loose wave of his hand. "It's chunin tradition. I can't not help them."
Nishira looked guilty, squinting one eye.
"I have another favour to ask."
Nishira placed her thin tools into the lock of the door to an apartment. Sekawa's gaze looked up and down the dimly lit hallway. Toma kept watch outside.
"Hurry up."
Nishira looked up to her hovering form looming.
"I can't hurry if you keep talking."
"We don't have time for you to be a noroma, get it done."
"There."
The door opened when they twisted the knob. Inside they were greeted with a home full of delicate accents on all the walls, the window on the other side was blocked by a wall of green foliage, thriving in the sunlight. The smell of succulent flowers wafted under Nishira's nose, realizing that Kurenai's perfume was simply the natural flora that she tended to. The rug beneath their feet was a delicate pattern, interwoven and elegant, just like its owner. Nishira couldn't help but trail her hand over the folded throw blanket on the back of a plush couch, decorative overstuffed pillows sat in each nook, tempting her to sink into the cushions.
"Nishira."
Sekawa opened drawers in the adjacent bedroom, her hands pilfering through the garments without care. Nishira bit her lip in disapproval but knew that any protest would only make the situation harder to make amends. Sekawa pulled out a pair of sensible panties, grey cotton with a white waistband.
"Alright, let's go! We have a lot more places to go."
Toma gave a low whistle to Asuma's snug boxer briefs, looking appreciatively at the fabric that made room for his supposedly large package. Nishira had had the pleasure of opening the drawers in Gai's place, only to discover there were no drawer of undergarments to grab. The drawers contained more copies of his signature green bodysuit. Horror dawned on Nishira, as she dropped the suit as though it burned her skin. Sekawa looked at the crumpled fabric at their feet with a shrug.
"Makes sense, peak performance. I can respect that. Gai takes his training very seriously; it would make sense that he would make sure his gear is serious also."
Toma snatched it as they left.
"What? We need to prove we did it. Or else nobody would ever believe Gai sensei goes commando!"
They ran from the apartment, giggling the whole way. Stopping only once when they ducked around a corner to see an elderly lady with her wooden cane frowning at the ruckus they were causing in the apartment complex. The two of them started speed walking until out of the main door before booking it into the evening.
The thieves stole into a simple and clean apartment complex. Nishira did her part and began picking the lock to Ebisu's door. Sekawa came booking around the corner, her face in a careful concentration.
"Move, move! He's coming!"
Toma yanked Nishira's arm and pulled her along as they sprinted away before the looming figure of Ebisu came around the corner.
Even Nishira's apprehension faded as their meager collection grew with more stolen treasures. Only the faintest flicker of guilt remained as she'd bargained for Kakashi to entertain the jonin in question so Sekawa and Toma could set the new chunin record. He hadn't collected on the debt yet.
At last, when the homes had been burgled, they stole into the night with their prizes. Plopping on the tatami mats by the green chabudai, Toma dropped their findings onto the surface, Nishira laughed until she was breathless, her hands clutched her sides as the tightness in her belly pushed all the air, leaving her to emit a hoarse cackle. A warm voice called from the door.
"Oh Toma dear, you didn't say your little friends were coming over. Let me see if I can fix something up for you kids. You must be hungry."
"Thanks, Mrs. Nara."
Nishira kept her gaze on the doorway. The woman who had occupied the space just before was a charming lady, her hair piled in curls on top her head. She smiled so easily, with two dimples a constant on that wide face. Her love was undoubtedly expressed through food, feeding anyone who so much as looked in her direction. She looked back to Sekawa rubbing her hands maniacally over their spoils.
"We've done it, Toma. This will show 'em all."
"So, are we finally square?"
Sekawa looked to meet her gaze.
"Almost."
Nishira let out an exhausted sigh, wondering what errand she'd be sent on next.
"Tell us what happened in Iwa."
Her frown was only met with pensive looks from them, both fasces intent to hearing her response.
Nishira squared up and told them, sharing about her childhood at the temple, her mother's death, and her delivery to her uncle. Sekawa's jaw clenched audibly when Nishira explained his cryptic comments, but she didn't dare interrupt. Nishira continued to share how ANBU had found her in Enyama.
"I'm not sure what they saw, to be honest, but I know what caused it."
"What?"
Nishira thought about how to explain. Nobody had particularly explained it to her either. Her knowledge was all from her experiences only, but she owed it to them to try. She could hear her own voice speaking in a deadpan delivery that seemed unnatural even to her.
"It's a spirit trapped in me. The kami of a goddess spirit. Originally, it was sealed in my elder sister, but it drove her mad, I think. She killed herself. They said something about her being too fragile, but now having lived with it myself, I know how much real strength she possessed to withstand it. They sealed it in me even before her funeral. I was next to take over the temple and carry on the traditions. As you can see, I've done a fabulous job of it. After Iwa, we went to the temple to look for answers. It's more like a graveyard now, a shrine to the dead. Even if I wanted, I don't think I could revive the place, too much there. But the spirit is still in me." She placed a hand on her chest. "She's a vengeful spirit, wanting blood, fueled by rage, especially mine. Her powers are great, but at what cost? If I go too deep, I lose all control and sometimes my memory. But I guess ANBU wants to try and control it. The terms of my contract are I join ANBU, or they execute me. That's why they promoted me to Jonin so quickly, to keep me under control. I'm too dangerous not to be under supervision. I think they figure other villages would've captured me for their gain, so they're just doing it first. When they interviewed me, they had never even heard of my temple. There is no record of it anywhere, it was a well-kept secret. But honestly, I'm a danger to everyone, I hurt anyone who sticks around too long. Don't make that coddling face, I'm used to it. I'm a ticking time bomb. So, it's probably best if you avoid me, but I wanted to- oof!"
From either side of her, a warm body pressed close, wrapping her in their arms like a vice. All her breath expelled from her lungs as they squeezed.
"You're not allowed to go anywhere. You belong right here, with us."
Sekawa said it directly into her ear, her hot breath eliciting goosebumps all down her body. Toma gently kissed the top of her head.
"I second that, no leaving."
They remained still for a few moments, Nishira feeling a tightness across her shoulders she didn't even realize she'd had letting go as she slumped into the embrace and together, they splay on the tatami mat, Toma and Sekawa still gripping her tight, as slowly tears began forming and despite her wishes, streamed freely from her face. She gave a sob, strangled with a laugh.
"So does that mean I'm a partner now. Not to make things awkward but I'm not looking for anything serious and living with your mom is kind of a deal breaker."
This broke their hold on her, filling the air with easy laughter. Nishira wiped her tears and nose on her sleeve just as Toma's mom came back with a tray of something that tickled her senses with a rich spicy aroma that drew them back to the low table. And as they enjoyed the meal, it seemed that all was good with team twenty-two.
