Author's Note: This chapter is going to be published at the same time as the next one for the sake of not breaking up this arc since the two chapters were originally written as one.
Chapter Note: Avurin finally gets a B-Rank mission! (This Chapter's Song: Bulletproof Heart by My Chemical Romance)
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The next morning, Avurin found herself in a familiar situation. Arms were tightly wrapped around her midsection and a face was buried against the nape of her neck, breathing softly with light snores. She smiled to herself as she felt the arms around her tighten for a moment, Kakashi readjusting his face as he pressed his cheek against the back of her neck. His breathing hitched as he nuzzled closer to her, pulling her as close as possible. She shifted her arm to tuck it under the pillow her head was resting on and sighed. She wasn't going to try to escape from him this time, especially not after what had happened a couple of weeks ago. She didn't want Kakashi berating himself during their training over behavior that he seemingly couldn't control.
She had to admit that she also just enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped up in the warm embrace that she had been craving for weeks. While she had tried not to be affected by Kakashi's absence, she had to acknowledge that she had been fighting herself not to think about him each day she was forced to take a boring D-Rank mission with more time on her hands than she had expected when she came back to the village. While she enjoyed the outings with her friends, she always found herself missing a certain silver-haired Jonin that hadn't left her side throughout the entire mission in The Land of Waves. She didn't consider herself codependent, but she felt reassured and comfortable when Kakashi was with her. His absence had brought light to that fact about herself that she hadn't noticed during their mission.
She didn't want this to just be some fleeting fascination with the man that had crashed into her life and brought her home two years later during a chance meeting. She liked Kakashi, yet she could acknowledge that she truly didn't know too much about him. She knew some things that others likely didn't know, such as where he'd gotten his Sharingan, but those little facts could be chalked up to his frustration during the night that they had fought over her hiding her past. The time they'd spent together only added up to about three or four weeks of constantly being in each other's presence and everything they'd done in that time was not considered traditional.
Bonds through traumatic experiences were a well-known concept among shinobi, mostly being between teammates where one had saved the other in a life-threatening battle, but those relationships often ended with one or the other party becoming distant and less interested after the fascination had worn off over time. Some relationships formed from those experiences lasted, however it was something to be wary of. Especially with how invested he was in her and how out-of-character it was for him, judging by the reactions of their friends.
Throughout her short time in Konoha, she'd heard the common gossip about Kakashi. He kept to himself, never really showed any intense emotions - even on the battlefield, his friend circle was extremely small, and while several kunoichi in the village were interested in the mysterious man, he never took anyone home or showed any interest in relationships. Overall, he was not a cuddly, flirty, emotionally-involved person, which was the exact opposite of what Avurin had come to know from him. While she had saved his life two years ago, the form of bond based on trauma was very unlikely to form for a front-line shinobi that had served in the Third Great Ninja War, had been a Jonin since he was still a child, and had lost almost everyone that was close to him at one point. If anything, she expected someone like Kakashi to be shying away from such an emotionally-loaded situation. However, as he'd explained to her the previous night, his instincts had other ideas and while he may have been able to control them for years, apparently they had given way when he'd laid eyes on her.
"Good morning…" Kakashi mumbled from where he was practically burrowed into her neck. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Good morning. I thought we were training early today?" she asked. She felt him sigh and a hand that was around her waist lightly stroked her hip.
"Mah, I said we'd be training today. Nothing about it being early." His voice was a low drawl as he took his hand away and rolled over onto his back, finally relinquishing his hold. She pulled herself into a sitting position and smiled at him as he laid there with his eyes closed, one arm thrown over his face. Without really thinking, she started carding her fingers through his hair. He hummed and leaned into the touch which brought out a laugh from her.
"Well, come on, sleepyhead. We have some training to-" She was cut off by a sharp pecking noise at her window. Kakashi was instantly alert as he got out of the bed, walking to the window where a messenger hawk was patiently waiting. As he opened the window, Avurin's eyes narrowed at the innocent hawk, wondering if the letter it carried was actually addressed to her or if someone knew that Kakashi had stayed the night. Kakashi shut the window with the scroll in his hand as the hawk flew away, back to its station. It wouldn't have given the scroll to him if it wasn't intended for him, so someone knew he was here.
"It's addressed to both of us," Kakashi told her as he walked back to the bed, untying the string around the scroll. Her brows furrowed together as she stared intently at the scroll.
"What could a letter addressed to both of us be for? It looks like a summons by the Hokage." Avurin muttered as Kakashi opened it without any hesitation. Glancing over it, he sighed and gave her a weary smile.
"It is. We're being summoned to the Hokage's office for a mission. It looks like you might be finally getting that B-Rank you were hoping for." He smiled more genuinely as he passed the scroll to her for her to confirm what he was saying. There weren't any details regarding a mission, it simply requested their presence in the Hokage's office immediately. By all means, it looked like a typical mission summons.
"Sounds like we need to get ready!" she laughed as she jumped off of the bed. She was still dressed in her clothes from the previous night and she could smell the stale alcohol on her shirt as she ran to the dresser to get a change of clothes. She shooed Kakashi out of her room as he rolled his eyes with a smile as he complied, taking his shirt and flak jacket with him. She got dressed quickly, opting for the official Chunin uniform that included a black long sleeve undershirt with the Konoha red emblem on the upper arm and the Chunin vest she'd been reinstated when she started taking missions again. She stuck with her black cargo pants for her missions, finding that the more pockets she had, the better.
Wrapping her ankles in white tape to finish the typical uniform, she quickly tied off the tape and put on her kunai pouch, ensuring Icha Icha and her storage scrolls were safely tucked into the pouch, before practically bolting out of her room. Sure enough, Kakashi was ready to go and waiting for her as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her weapons, grinning the entire time. Kakashi smiled back at her through the mask that she was quickly growing to despise as he held the door open for her, leading her out into the yard of the compound.
"First one to the Hokage's office gets the rights to Icha Icha Paradise for the mission!" Avurin shouted behind her as she ran across the yard, quickly flashing over the gate and running towards the city. She knew better than to look back for Kakashi, he would do anything to have that book back in his hand and was likely already gone. She utilized every speed-based jutsu she had, flashing across the rooftops of the buildings in the city as she raced to the Hokage's office.
As she closed in on the tower, she saw that the window was open to the Hokage's office and made a quick decision to utilize it. She couldn't let Kakashi have Icha Icha back so soon, could she? Smirking to herself, she leapt up to the window and perched herself on the edge, trying her best to hide her heavy breathing from the exertion as she smiled at the Hokage.
"Did I win?" she asked. The Hokage glared at her before sitting up straight at his desk and coughing once into his fist.
"No, Kakashi is already here," he informed her in the most diplomatic voice he could. She glanced into the room and saw the man in question lounging back on the couch as if he'd been there for hours. He smiled at her through his mask and gave her a quick two-fingered salute.
"Dammit! Here, you pervert!" she shouted as she grabbed Icha Icha Paradise out of her kunai pouch and launched it at his head. He caught it with a look of pure glee and tucked it into his own pouch.
"I didn't pin you for a sore loser, Avie. You made the rules, I simply followed them." Kakashi teased as she climbed into the office, taking a place in front of the Hokage's desk to stand at attention the way she knew she was supposed to. As Kakashi joined her, she snorted.
"I'm not a sore loser, you're just a jerk when you win. You couldn't have gotten here that much sooner than I did." she shot back with a half-hearted glare. Kakashi just chuckled as they turned their attention to the Hokage who was patiently waiting for them to finish, looking completely and utterly tired of listening to the banter between the two.
"I see you two are doing well. I won't question why the messenger hawk only needed to make one stop before returning or why Kakashi is actually on time for a mission summons." A pointed look was thrown in Kakashi's direction but the Jonin just shrugged, completely unbothered with the implication while Avurin felt her face grow heated. The Hokage took the moment of silence to continue.
"I'll get straight to the point. Avurin, you are being assigned a B-Rank mission as a personal request from myself with the agreement of the council. This particular mission was created with a member of the Okita family in mind due to information that has been stored in the archives for several years. We originally abandoned the topic after the death of what we believed was the last of the Okita family. However, with your return, we have decided to reopen the file and assign an investigative mission." Hiruzen began. Avurin nodded along but could feel her stomach sinking as she wondered what B-Rank mission could involve the Okita family, likely with the involvement of her Kekkei Genkai. Kakashi stiffened next to her and she could tell he had come to the same conclusion.
"Avurin has very little training with her Kekkei Genkai and doesn't intend to use it for missions if that's what the council is pushing for. With no disrespect, I won't stand for a mission to be placed on her that will require the use of her jutsu. As the one who brought her to Konoha and accepted her conditions for returning on behalf of Konoha, I would like to interject that requesting a mission of that nature would go against her wishes and conditions for returning." Kakashi spat, arms crossed and his anger barely reigned in. Avurin put a hand on his arm, the effect instantaneous as Kakashi's shoulders dropped, no longer practically bristling in anger.
"Let's let him finish and find out what's going on. He just said that it's investigative. I'll make the decision when we hear the details. Calm down." she stated firmly and Kakashi just gave her a small nod, his eye still focused on the Hokage who was patiently waiting to finish the mission details. Avurin nodded to Hiruzen who nodded back with a sigh. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"Thank you, Avurin. This is an investigative mission and we do not expect you to have to use your Kekkei Genkai. That wasn't why you were chosen for this mission. We have records of an estate near the coast facing the Land of Whirlpools that belonged to the Okita family that we would like you to investigate in the event that there is any information on your family that you can utilize personally. All we expect on our end is to know whether there are any missing nin in that area, possibly using the home as a shelter or base. It's been abandoned for decades, possibly longer than you've been alive and we have reason to believe there are some missing nin in that area. That is why Kakashi will be joining you for this mission." He glanced in Kakashi's direction, the man staring out of the open window with his arms crossed, likely upset with his own assumption.
"I expect Kakashi to protect you and clear the area while you investigate your family's home. Effectively, you will be designated as the captain for this mission and Kakashi will simply support you throughout the mission. If you find anything of personal use there, please report to me directly with any information you are willing to provide. However, I must stress that clan secrets are clan secrets and the Okita family is a clan of Konoha, therefore you are under no obligation to share those secrets as long as they do not put Konoha in danger. Anything that would put Konoha in danger, however, must be reported. Do you accept the mission?" Hiruzen asked, an eyebrow raised in Avurin's direction. It was extremely rare to have an option to accept a mission, especially a personal one that appeared to be for her own benefit. She quickly nodded.
"Absolutely. Kakashi will be a great help on this mission and we'll report what we find, whether that's any missing nin or information that helps me with my Kekkei Genkai. When should we leave?" she asked as Hiruzen handed her the detailed scroll with the exact location of the estate and other mission details.
"I would recommend leaving as soon as possible. Since it's still early, leaving today would put you on schedule to arrive at the estate in 3-4 days time. I expect this mission to be thorough, take your time as you investigate. If you find any missing nin that are beyond Kakashi's capabilities, send a message and I will send Anbu reinforcements to handle the situation, allowing you the time you need to thoroughly investigate the estate safely. This mission is classified as a B-Rank to satisfy the council regarding your ranking and abilities, however please treat it as an A-Rank if things get difficult. I will expect you back in two weeks." He nodded his dismissal and Avurin bowed low, the significance of this being her first B-Rank mission since returning to Konoha was not lost on her.
"Thank you very much, Lord Third. I hope this will be an enlightening journey for me." She quickly turned back to the door of the office and Kakashi followed her out into the hallway. She glanced at him and smiled shyly, holding out the scroll with the mission details. "If you want to familiarize yourself with the route, I'll let you take the lead. I haven't traveled in that area and you have more experience so clearly, you'll be the Captain on this one." He gently took the scroll and pinned her with a stern look.
"You are the Captain on this mission, Avurin. This is a mission intended solely for you to investigate a personal lead for yourself. I'm simply here to accompany you and keep you safe. You will be leading the mission." His stern look quickly morphed into a very comforting smile. "However, I'll lead you to your family estate if you'd like. I do have to protect you so being on point will be the best option anyway. Do you need to pack anything before we leave?" he asked. She shook her head. She had brought her last-minute mission storage scrolls with her when it was implied that she'd be going on her first B-Rank mission.
"I have what I need for the mission and I get the feeling you do too. I say let's get a head start! If this is the estate I'm thinking it might be, there will be several clan secrets there that my dad never got to tell me or show me. Let's go!" She felt her smile grow as she turned to leave the Hokage tower, running down the stairs with increasing speed, knowing Kakashi would keep up. As she was running down the main street of the village with Kakashi in tow, some villagers turned their heads and whispered to themselves.
She'd made the village's top gossips flap their lips for the last few weeks and while not everything that was said was good, she couldn't care less. The return of an Okita in the village brought some tension, especially once someone caught wind that she was the first in several generations to possess the Okita Kekkei Genkai. Some villagers had outright refused to speak with her or make eye contact, others had welcomed her back as if she was a long lost family member. She knew who her friends were and that was what mattered.
The village gates appeared in front of them within minutes of leaving the office, Avurin practically hopping with excitement as she checked in with Kotetsu and Izumo. They had been formally introduced during one of Avurin's outings with Kurenai and Asuma and she found the two gatekeepers to be great friends in the village during their rare downtime.
"Good luck!" Izumo said as he stamped their outgoing paperwork for leaving the village.
"Have fun with Kakashi!" Kotetsu leered from next to his best friend and Avurin threw a warning glare at him.
"I'll kick your ass when we get back, pervert!" she yelled as she grabbed Kakashi by the arm and pulled him away from the gate. They took to the trees quickly and Avurin set a comfortable but quick pace before Kakashi took the lead, directing her to the East.
"You said that you may have an idea of what's at this estate we're headed to. Did your parents mention it?" Kakashi asked after several minutes of jumping from tree to tree, finally comfortable enough to speak freely. Avurin nodded and smiled.
"Yeah, my dad mentioned it once or twice. All he said about it was that my great-grandparents lived there until their deaths before I was born and that one day he'd take me to see it. Of course, he didn't know that I was going to develop the Kekkei Genkai, but he mentioned that it was important for me to know the history of the clan. I'm hoping this is the estate he was talking about. He never got to take me…" her words trailed off and Kakashi didn't say anything as she collected her thoughts. "Anyway, if it is the estate he wanted to take me to, it's a good thing the Hokage isn't expecting us back for a little while. There is likely some very important information there." Kakashi nodded and gave her an eye smile.
"Well, hopefully it's empty and in good condition. You'll have plenty of time to dig around and I'll be there to make sure you don't get interrupted. The Hokage was right to assume that it's possible there are missing nin in the area so we can only hope everything goes smoothly. I'll handle them if we come across any." Kakashi told her, his tone taking a dangerous edge to it, one she could only describe as bloodthirsty at the prospect of killing anyone that would try to harm her. Normally, she would bristle and retort that she could take care of herself, yet she already knew Kakashi would do everything he could to return her to Konoha without a single scratch on her. She also knew she couldn't do a damn thing to stop him.
"I trust you."