For the past few days I've been perpetually cold and in a bad mood. Writing makes it better, so here we go:)
The plan is a little complicated:
Shiki's team, consisting Inomaru, Choumei, and the unassuming looking Haru, would 'sneak' into the circus' evening performance, get caught, and then express desire to join them. Since most of the performing crew seems to also consist of children, Kurenai seems reasonably sure that they would be accepted at least temporarily to lure in more children.
Shizuha's team, consisting of Hisana, Sora, and Hoga – who is adept at some basic medical jutsu – would wander around the missing-nin's preferred hunting grounds and let themselves get captured.
Once in contact with the kidnapped children, Hoga would offer first aid, while Shizuha's kikai would relay information to the chuunin squad. They'd then prepare for the breakout.
The rest would be handled by the older ninja.
The jounin squad would spring a surprise attack on the missing-nin, while the chuunin squad would initiate the liberation of the kidnapped children.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Hisana admits, only ten minutes after they set out.
"I'd be worried if you didn't," Shiki says, "you'd have to be an idiot not to be."
It's not only the fact that they're going up against proper ninja for the first time – that has to happen at some point after all – but also that her team is split up. She likes the thought of having Shizuha around, and she trusts Shiki to keep an eye on Haru, but it still doesn't sit right with her.
It's a long way to the border. They stop regularly, to conserve strength, but she'd rather they'd speed through it and just start the mission already. The more time they spend doing nothing but running, the more time Hisana's mind has to go into overdrive and come up with the most terrible scenarios.
What if the children are already all dead or sold?
What if one of them dies?
She's by far not the only one having these thoughts. Shizuha is constantly going back and forth between her and Shiki, orbiting them like a nervous little satellite. Hoga, who apparently also has no team, has started counting heads at every opportunity, obsessively trying to make sure that everyone is still there. Even Kohaku-sensei is constantly herding his pupils together, ill-tempered and snippy, but very careful to always have all of them in reach.
"If you die before we even reach our destination, I shall be very displeased."
When they reach the Land of Hot Water two and a half days later, Hisana's nerves are already rubbed raw.
Two scouts are sent out – Anko and Suzume-sensei – and they set up camp in a in a dense forest. So close to Hot Water humidity is increasing rapidly. It's a disgusting sort of weather that makes the clothes cling to Hisana's back and, now that the sun is down, makes her feel twice as cold. She's almost glad when Shizuha throws down a bag of clothes next to them.
"Your disguises. Tonight Hisachi and Hoga-san will get captured first. Tomorrow Shichi's team will approach the circus, and Sora-san and I will get captured. If everything goes according to plan, Sensei's team will come for us two days from now."
There are two kimonos in the bag, one dark brown and muddied at the hem, the other a muted yellow and mended unskillfully in several places.
Hisana takes the brown one, leaving the clean kimono and the only pair of tabi for Hoga, who is looking deterimined but a little green in the face. No reason to make it harder on the poor girl.
"Come on," she says beckoning Hoga away from the group. "Let's get dressed. Sensei?"
Even though her voice barely rises, Kohaku-sensei's head snaps up immediately.
"Can we use chakra this far out?"
He shakes his head.
"Not until the scouts come back. What do you need?"
She points to her muddy kimono and wriggles one incongruously clean foot at him. He throws her a bottle of water and shoos the girls along.
"Maybe you shouldn't clean the hem," Hoga says, voice quiet and tentative.
"That's not what I'm doing," Hisana grins, pouring the water onto the ground and rubbing her feet in it. "I'd be a strange village girl, clean like a princess."
The girl watches her in bemusement.
"Aren't you scared?" she finally asks.
"I am so scared," Hisana admits easily. "But my team is here, and two of my senseis, and my best friends. And did you see Yuhi-taichou face? I think she's taking the mission pretty personal. There's no way anyone is going to die out here."
It's true; Kurenai seemed fiercly angry at the though that someone has been hurting children in Fire Country. Of course fear follows no logic, so yes, she's afraid.
"I wish my Sensei was here," Hoga admits bashfully. "But she's still at the hospital and really angry with me."
"Why?"
"Because I volunteered for this. Sensei doesn't think I'm ready to go on missions. But taichou needed a genin medic, and there aren't many of us. Better me than Maki-chan – she still cries when she gets scared." Without being asked Hoga re-does the sloppy knot on Hisana's obi.
"I'll be in so much trouble when I come home."
"No way. She's only worried, not angry. I'm sure she'll be proud when you come back and tell her you did well."
Hoga smiles thinly.
"Maybe."
"Are you ready?" Shizuha's voice carries over from between the trees.
"We're done," Hisana confirms. "Just a second."
They stumble back into camp, Hoga clumsy in the unfamiliar shoes, Hisana wincing as yet another stone digs into her bare feet.
"Hey," Sora grins, "you almost look like a girl now."
"Almost?" she gasps disbelivingly.
"He means if you had boobs," Inomaru supplies helpfully. "If you had boobs you'd look like a girl."
"Do you want to die?" Choumei hisses aghast, apparently the only member of team 6 to retain a healthy amount of fear of her.
"T-that's not what I meant!" Sora assures her hastily and aims a kick at the Yamanaka. "I'd never say that."
"But you were thinking it!" she cries, half laughing now. "I can't believe you!"
"Us?" Inomaru grins, "You do know that Shiki's been taking bets whether or not you beanpole will ever grow some?"
"I planned on sharing the winnings," Shiki calls from somehere. "You can buy yourself a push-up with your share."
Next to Hisana Hoga snorts.
Suzume-sensei and Anko return not even an hour later.
"The circus is about two miles out, just outside Takahaba. The next show will be tomorrow, so that suits us just fine," Suzume-sensei informs them. "Team Shiki can sneak in, 'get caught' and then confess your ambitions to become a performer."
"Lay it on real thick," Anko advises, "Terrible parents, tragic childhood, whathaveyou. The rest of you brats has it even easier. They've been taking kiddies from all over the place, so we'd just have to put you somewhere just inseide town and bam!" She smacks her fist into her palm. "Trap snaps shut. Man, I envy you. We've got to bum around here for two days until we get some action. And then it's all 'blah, blah, watch for the civilians Anko! Blah, blah, don't break public property, Anko –'"
"Yes, that's quite enough," Kurenai cuts her off. "If you're bored you can check over our weapons tonight."
Anko pales.
"Y-you know what? I'm suddenly real tired, I think I should go to bed already."
She affects a yawn and dances off.
"So that's how you get rid of her," Suzume-sensei muses. "Good to know. There's a row of wagons right next to the performer's wagons. They're under a genjutsu, so we think that's where they're keeping the children. I couldn't risk a look inside, but judging by the size ther must be about six children in each wagon – that makes 18 children in total. They might split you up; don't loose your heads over it. We will find you."
Takahaba is not a big town. Or at least not in comparison to Konoha. Then again, Konoha is probably the biggest town in all the Elemental Nations.
Hoga and her will pose as sisters, they've decided. They look reasonably similar with their dark coloring and so they will only have to remember one cover story.
Yamanaka Inori brings them inside under a genjutsu and then leaves them to fend for themselves.
It's just before sundown and the streets are getting less busy. Half remembering the map Shizuha showed them, Hisana steers Hoga into the general direction of the redlight district. It's full of winding, dark alleys; a place where nobody would notice two girls going missing. It's an indication of what sort of town Takahabe is that nobody tries to stop them.
They dodge only some of the men wandering around, occasionally letting them grab at their kimonos and then kicking them in the shins, and generally make a spectacle of themselves.
"I hate it here," Hoga breathes, and Hisana is pretty sure that she's not merely acting.
"I know," she says, to both Hoga-her-sister and Hoga-the-kunoichi. "It won't be for long."
The girl squeezes her hand as if looking for reassurance, once, twice. They're being followed. She's not entirely sure yet if it's their target or just a pervert, so they slow down and let him catch up.
"Hey," a male voice calls, "are you two even old enough to wander around here?"
It's a young man, in his mid-twenties or younger. He looks unassuming, non-threatening, and his eyes are full of concern and indignation.
"Where are your parents?"
Hoga shivers.
"T-they … they … you can't make us go back!"
Hisana shushes her.
"We can take care of ourselves, is what she means," she says. "And we're old enough for a job. They told us they're always looking for workers here."
"Sweetheart," the man says carefully, "do you even know where you are here?"
"Does it matter?" she snaps and pulls Hoga behind her. "We need to eat, don't we? It's none of your business anyway."
"If you need food, I can feed you," he offers. "Just – this is not the right place for young girls."
He offers his hand to her and she stares at it in feigned suspicion.
There are callouses on his hand. Not the kind you get from field work. Kunai callouses.
"You'll feed us?" she checks. "No funny business?"
"No funny business," he promises. She takes his hand.
They don't go far. Hisana expected him to at least actually feed them – something laced with sleeping pills maybe – but his approach is far less elegant. He leads them only three streets further, before she can feel two more presences following them. She braces herself, and then someone pulls a bag over her head. There's a dull pain blooming on the back of her head.
It's not enough to knock out a genin, but she ceases to struggle anyway; next to her she can feel Hoga sinking to the floor. Someone throws her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and with a surge of chakra they're gone.
Eventually someone pulls the bag from her head and tosses her to the floor. Hisana keeps her eyes closed, just in case.
A door closes, then another one. Someone touches her arm.
"Hey! Hey, wake up – Nee-san? Are you ok?"
When Hisana opens her eyes it's dark. The only light source is a candle, high on a shelf above them. It takes a second until she gets used to it. The one shaking her arm is a little boy, scruffy and dirty and about Sasuke's age.
"Nee-san, can you hear me?"
"I'm ok," she assures him, rubbing her smartening head. "Just got a bump on the head. Hoga?"
No answer.
"Hoga?"
She really hopes they didn't get separated. The others would come tomorrow already, so it's not as if they'd be alone for long. But they're in enemy territory; being alone is never a good thing.
"Here," she hears the girl hiss. "They hit me really hard!"
Hisana shuffles over to where the noise is coming from and makes contact with metal bars. They're in cells, she realizes. About two square metres big; just enough for two or three children. Hoga's hand reaches through the bars and pats her hand.
"Are you ok?" Hoga asks.
Hisana nods.
"I'm fine."
"You know each other?" the little boy asks in surprise. "Two at once … they've never done that before."
"You've been here for long?" Hisana asks, squinting to make out the rest of the wagon.
The boy shrugs.
"A few weeks. Longer than most."
He gives her a grin that lacks quite a few teeth.
"Knocked them out myself," he says proudly. "They like the ones with good teeth better. You've got good teeth. Want help with that?"
"N-no thanks," Hoga declines for both of them. "We're not staying long anyway."
"What do you mean?" a shy voice comes from one of the other cells. It's a girl about their age. Her yukata is old and faded, and there's a smudge on her chin that might either be dirt or blood. There is a pause while the kunoichi check for chakra nearby.
"We are here to free you," Hoga finally announces and tries for a smile. Her lip is split, so it comes out more as a grimace.
"Good job you did so far," someone else hisses. It's a tall, reedy boy, sitting just behind the dirty girl. "Getting yourselves caught."
"Shut up, Daiskue," the toothless boy snaps. "Nobody's asking for your opinion."
They glare at each other and Hisana is briefly glad for the bars separating them.
"Please," Hoga tries, "don't fight. We're not alone, there are more of us. I'm a doctor – is anyone hurt?"
"Who isn't hurt?" Daisuke spits out and the makes a pained noise, as his cellmate kicks him in the shin.
"Be quiet already," she growls, a complete change from her earlier behavior. "All your doom and gloom is scaring Yuki-chan."
Only then Hisana realizes that there is someone else sharing the cell with Daisuke and the girl. It's a little toddler, maybe three or four years old, who is clinging to what's left of the girl's obi.
"Look Yuki-chan," the girl croons, "someone's come to save us. We'll go home soon, to kaa-chan."
"Kaa-chan," he croons back, shyly smiling at them.
"I'm Rui and this is my little brother," she says, bowing shallowly. "I apologize for my rudeness; my back is injured."
There's a small aisle separating them, but Hoga sticks her hands as far through the bars as they will go.
"Let me have a look."
Rui shakes her head.
"Thank you, but I'm not getting undressed with theses idiots around."
"What?" Daisuke mocks, "you think I want to see your skinny back?"
She aims another kick at him.
"You could have a look at Yuki-chan though," she says, leading the boy closer to them, "He hurt his hands."
Lying on the floor, Hoga has managed to twist her shoulders through the bars.
"Just a bit closer," she beckons the child. Yuki-chan smiles and reaches for her.