Both Team Aoba and Team Kotori met at Yakiniku Q's the night before their first exam. It was supposed to be to go over strategy, however it ended up being more of a social outing than anything. Half of their kids were already chunin and they were hopeful the other half would join them by the end of the exam.
Aoba casually brushed by her arm as he put another piece of chicken on the BBQ. He kept finding excuses to touch her throughout the evening. She gave him a look that she hoped conveyed not in front of the kids. The last thing she wanted was all six of their nosy students badgering them with questions when they were still trying to figure things out.
She could see the small smirk tugging on the corner of his lips in response. She viciously poked him with a chopstick when no one was paying attention.
After their students abandoned them for whatever it was teenagers did for fun these days, Aoba and Kotori made their way out of the restaurant. Aoba stuck his hands in his pockets, grumbling about getting stuck with the bill.
"You did offer," she reminded him as he pretended to be put out by it.
"Well, once they're all earning chunin salaries they should be able to afford their own meals," he joked.
They lingered on the street, not quite ready to go home themselves.
"Do you want to take a walk? I heard they decorated Senju Park with lights, it should be pretty," Kotori suggested.
Konoha was certainly putting on its best face for its foreign guests. Lanterns were lit along the path, giving it a soft, romantic glow. All around she could see couples had the same idea as them. She walked close enough that her hand brushed against Aoba's and her heart nervously fluttered when he grabbed it.
They were quiet as they walked through the park together, observing the different displays. Someone had strung pink fairy lights in one tree making it look like it was in bloom. There was another display, colourful wire were twisted into a few popular manga characters and lit up with lights.
Kotori noticed one of the teams from Oto off to the side, everyone giving them a wide berth. She carefully studied them out of the corner of her eye. The three students looked to be a few years older than her own. Although after a certain point, older did not necessarily mean better when it came to the chunin exams. Some of the oldest students were simply there because they couldn't pass year after year. Either they lacked the skills necessary or they lacked the leadership qualities looked for in chunin. Most shinobi became chunin between the ages of fourteen to eighteen these days.
Their jonin leader was probably giving them some last minute instructions. Her eyes nearly slid right over him as unremarkable before she did a double take. She could hear the rushing sound of water in her ears.
"Not so feisty now, are you?"
No, that was impossible. He couldn't be here in Konoha of all places.
"We have all night, sweetheart. No one's coming for you."
Kotori tried to control her breathing, but found she couldn't breathe. She felt like she was drowning. No. She tried to focus on her breathing, slow and steady breaths. She could feel the cool summer breeze and Aoba's hand squeezing hers. She was safe, here in Konoha. Nothing could hurt her in her own village.
"Kotori?" Aoba asked, sounding a bit panicked. His hand was tightly squeezing hers. "What's wrong? You spaced out a bit, did your birds see something?"
"I'm fine," she brushed him off. She tilted her head towards the group from Oto. "I know that jonin. I thought - I was told we got them all."
Aoba intensely studied the man's face. "Got all of who?"
Aoba didn't know. The realization hit her. She was not really prepared to have this conversation right now. While Aoba knew she was ANBU - it was hard not to know with the tattoo on her right arm - they didn't talk about her past. Aoba was in the regular forces and she couldn't exactly discuss details with him. She wasn't sure how much he knew about her past and certainly never mentioned it. Kotori took it for granted that those closest to her just knew, or could make assumptions, and didn't need to be told.
"I was captured on a mission and held hostage for three weeks. That man was one of the guards," she duly said. Better to just stick to the facts. Aoba was smart enough to know what enemies did to captured shinobi.
"You're pale and shaking - " he muttered, concern creeping into his tone. "Wait - was this why you left ANBU?"
She ignored the question, slipping into her ANBU persona and donning the metaphorical mask that helped her so often. There was something off about Oto and she was disturbed that one of her captors had shown up in Konoha of all places as a guest. She thought ANBU had vetted the Oto teams before allowing them to participate in the exam. How could they miss something like this?
"I need to let the Hokage know."
Aoba was looking a bit awkward. "Are you sure you remember properly? It's pretty dark out here - and torture victims don't usually have clear memories - maybe he only looks like - "
"Yeah, I think I remember the face of the guy who waterboarded me," she sarcastically snapped.
However now she was starting to doubt herself. Her memories of that time were sketchy at best. Kotori immediately dropped Aoba's hand, disappearing into the trees and dashing off towards the village. She needed to investigate this more.
"Why are you dragging me to Senju Park in the middle of the night?" Kouta grumbled as he dutifully followed along behind her.
"Consider it ANBU training," Kotori told him, trying to sound light hearted. "Patrolling the village, looking for suspicious activity."
"Oh Sensei, the only suspicious activity you'll find here is underage drinking," he snickered, before quickly adding, "Not that I would know anything about that."
She felt a bit guilty dragging Kouta into this without any warning. Her students had been just as affected over their captivity as she had been. However she did not want to bias him before asking his opinion.
Kotori pulled him behind a pair of bushes, crouching down as she created a chakra bird in the palm of her hand.
"I need you to take a look at this team from Oto and tell me if there's anything off about them."
Kouta nodded, using his mind transfer jutsu on her chakra bird so he could fly over and get a closer look. She caught him as he slumped next to her.
"This was easier when you were twelve," she muttered, maneuvering him so he was lying on the ground next to her. He was a lot bigger and heavier these days.
Then Kouta jolted back to life, abruptly sitting upright.
"Fuck! That's - I thought he was dead! I'm going to kill the bastard."
His pale blue eyes narrowed to slits as his hand went to the hilt of the katana sheathed at his side, ready to charge straight into a fight. His reaction confirmed what Kotori knew to be the truth.
Kotori caught his arm, stopping him from pulling it out. They were in the middle of a park full of civilians. ANBU would be on them within seconds if Kouta started a fight with a foreign shinobi. "Not yet. We need to find out what he's up to first."
"Why did you bring me out here then?" She could feel Kouta's curious gaze on her.
Kotori lowered her eyes, staring at a twig on the ground. He deserved her honesty, but she had spent so many years sheltering the kids from what had happened to her that it was difficult. "My memories from that time are a bit fuzzy. I needed to be sure before I accuse Oto of anything."
"Oh, I remember him," Kouta said, a steely edge in his tone. It was unusual to hear him sound so serious.
Fortunately the Hokage was still in his office at this late hour. Lord Third sat puffing on his pipe once she finished updating him. "Are you sure? You were quite heavily sedated during that time."
Kouta immediately spoke up in her defence. "I recognized him too."
Lord Third looked disappointed at Kouta's confirmation, as if he were hoping to dismiss her concern. "This is certainly troubling. Captain Panda, your team handled the clearances for the exam?"
Hinoki appeared from the shadows, her panda mask still in place. "It's not impossible that something like this could have slipped our notice. From what we could gather, Oto recruited shinobi from all over. Most were mercenaries, unassociated with the major villages. The majority of the genin were born in the Land of Rice Paddies, the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost. Oto is either close to the border if not in the Land of Rice Paddies itself. One of Gyoku's men could have sought refuge after escaping Hound's manhunt."
Lord took a deep drag from his pipe, deep in thought. "Well, let's see where this goes. Kotori-san, I would ask you to continue to monitor the situation. You will have access to the jonin spaces throughout the exam. Report back if there is anything suspicious."
"He's part of a criminal organization who killed - "
The Hokage cut her off in a tone that brokered no room for argument. "You need to let this one go."
"Excuse me?!"
They had lost three good people to this organization. Not to mention her kids had suffered from the experience. However, more selfishly, she wanted to see him dead because he had hurt her. For years she had nightmares that plagued her sleep. Certain situations could trigger her into a panic attack. Her sense of safety had been completely destroyed. Her entire life imploded as a result of this organization. The only small consolation that at least the men who had hurt her were dead. And now one of them resurfaced in her home. The very thought made her sick with both fear and anger. Kotori didn't want to give in to fear and so she only had anger left.
Anger that was building because once again, she felt powerless and the Hokage's office was too spineless to do anything.
The energy shifted around her, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Suddenly she felt like she was a schoolgirl again, about to be lectured for speaking out of turn.
"An alliance is built on shaky enough ground without demanding justice for every past grievance. You've been part of the ANBU long enough to know the missions your comrades undertake. Ibiki-san, Inoichi-san, your old teammate Aimi-san, how many do you think they've interrogated over the years? If we start making demands, Suna will make theirs and the peace we have worked so hard to obtain will come tumbling down. If you cannot handle the situation I will ask Aoba-san to step in to oversee your team tomorrow."
So Lord Third didn't want to upset the peace treaties between Suna and Konoha. That was fine. She had been an ANBU for long enough to know how to kill someone without anyone finding out. She wouldn't do it while Oto were guests in their village. But one day, she would bury that man six feet in an unmarked grave where no one could find him.
"Of course." She gritted her teeth, swallowing down her bitter rage. There was only one thing more important than her own desire for revenge.
She noticed Kouta was visibly shaking with rage. She put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a light squeeze. Kotori was a little surprised - and relieved - that he hadn't lashed out at the Hokage yet. The Hokage dismissed them both and she took him by the elbow, quickly pulling him into an empty meeting room. "Kouta-kun?"
"They killed my aunt and my teacher," Kouta fumed. "They hurt my friends. They hurt you, Sensei. This is bullshit that we're not allowed to do anything!"
She wanted to rage with him at the injustice of it. However exciting Kouta wouldn't help him in the moment. The thought that he might go off on some vigilante quest and end up reprimanded, or worse, worried her. Kouta was a chunin now and an adult in the eyes of the village. The consequences for going against the Hokage's orders would be a lot more severe. What would Ensui do if she wanted to go off? Probably keep her from doing something stupid, try and talk her out of it. That's what she needed to be right now for Kouta.
"Hey, look at me," she told him, waiting until he made eye contact. "I know, trust me, I want to see him dead just as much. One day he will get what's coming to him."
"It's not right, Sensei."
"I know it's not. But sometimes the only thing we can do is bid our time and wait for the right moment. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have involved you in this."
"No, you protected us when we were kids. Now it's my turn to help you."
She gave him a tight hug in response. Kouta was a good kid. They all were. If there was one good thing that came out of that horrible hell, it was becoming their teacher.
It came as no surprise when her team passed the first exam the next day. The three of them had executed their plan to perfection and remained calm during Ibiki's trick question at the end. As a result they would be entering the second stage this afternoon. As the official team leader, Kotori would be spending three days at the tower located in the middle of the Forest of Death. Jonin leaders were expected to be on standby for when their teams made it through. Best case, they would be receiving instructions before the third exam. Worst case, they would need medical attention. Some of the jonin leaders for the older teams couldn't be bothered. However anyone with underaged genin usually stuck around for the full three days.
Aoba felt immensely guilty for doubting her. He had shown up with flowers the day before to apologize and again this morning to try and talk her into letting him take over as jonin leader. Kotori could feel her annoyance radiating from every fibre of her being as he spoke. Now that he knew she had been tortured, he was creating her differently. Like he suddenly thought she was fragile. Kotori wasn't even sure if he truly believed her or not. She ignored him, adding extra ration bars to her mission pack. Knowing her students, Mimi wouldn't think to pack any.
"I'll go," Aoba told her. "I don't want you anywhere near that bastard. The thought of what he did to you makes me sick."
Kotori shook her head. Ryoku and Mimi were her kids and would be trapped in that forest with the teams from Oto. The least she could do was be there for them on the other side. She needed to set a good example for them. Kotori had broken the news to Ryoku and Mimi yesterday afternoon after their first exam. She didn't want either of them blindsided by the news, worried it would only distract them. They took it suspiciously well which meant Kouta had probably given them a heads up. Kotori worried they were plotting something.
Scratch that, she knew they were plotting something. Unfortunately her kids were very skilled at avoiding her attempts at eavesdropping.
"No, I'm going. They're signed up under my name anyway."
"But - "
"I'm not some delicate damsel who needs to be protected," Kotori bluntly told him.
She felt exhausted already. This was going to be a long three days. Kotori hitched her backpack over her shoulder and locked up her apartment. Aoba gave her a quick kiss goodbye. Not wanting to leave on a bad note, she kissed him back.
"I'll be fine. I'll see you in a few days," she assured him, giving a small smile. "I'll come find you as soon as they've made it through."
Kotori met with her team a little ways outside of the Forest of Death. Clusters of teams were making last minute preparations, scoping out the rest of the teams and receiving any final advice from their jonin leaders.
"There's a bunch of rookies this year, should be easy enough," Mimi said. She was standing on her toes, looking around at the other teams.
"Don't underestimate them just because they're younger than you," Kotori warned her.
Ryoku cheekily rested his arm on her head. All three of her students had now surpassed her in height. Something that amused them greatly. Kotori shook him off.
"Or smaller, right Sensei?"
"You know, there's a smudge of dirt on your nose, let me get it off." Kotori licked her thumb and proceeded to wipe the imaginary dirt, knowing this would annoy Ryoku.
As expected, he went bright red as a girl from Suna rolled her eyes and laughed at him. "Okay, Mom," he sarcastically said, pushing her away.
"Quit being so embarrassing!"
Kotori smiled. "Then stop using me as an armrest. The short jokes are getting old."
"That fact that you're the size of a genin never gets old."
"Hmmm, you know I think I missed a spot."
Ryoku quickly backed away, splaying his hands in a peace offering.
Kotori shoved her hands in her pockets, glancing around at the teams who had made it through. The two other teams from her kids' year, Team Yukari and Team Junpei, were also there. She could see Kurenai and Asuma's teams as well. Kotori casually positioned herself so that she was blocking Mimi's view of Kurenai's team. The last thing she wanted was for Mimi to spend the entire time antagonizing her cousin. Three days with the two of them locked in the Forest of Death with the freedom to go at each other? Kotori hoped they would take this exam seriously.
Then she noticed Kakashi's team. Kakashi was standing around, reading Icha Icha and looking like he wasn't paying attention. Kotori knew that was a rouse, no doubt he was eying up the other teams same as any other jonin in his position. Then there was his team themselves. They were quickly becoming the team to watch. Uzumaki Naruto had been the talk of the jonin lounge the day before.
He had managed to bullshit his way through Ibiki's test without answering a single question. Then were was Uchiha Sasuke, who attracted a lot of attention from being the only survivor of his clan. People were calling him the Rookie of the Year and he was seen as the one to beat. Kotori didn't know much about the kunoichi on the team, a pink haired little thing by the name of Haruno Sakura. However she wouldn't underestimate anyone trained by Kakashi. The simple fact that he was training them spoke volumes.
Kotori continued scanning the rest of the teams. After a few years, all the jonin leaders recognized each other from waiting around chunin exams. Every six months like clockwork they would wind up at the exams was her students' third time as she had waited a year and a half before entering them. She recognized a few of the older teams from Suna, Kusa, Ame and Taki. Finally she saw the teams from Oto. Two of them had made it through the first exam. There was one team that looked to be of a similar age to her students. Or at least, two of them did. A teenaged boy and girl stood with a third member wrapped entirely in bandages. He had a noticeably bad hunch. The second team consisted of three boys of no notable appearance. This was the team mentored by their former captor. This was the team that concerned Kotori the most.
Ryoku was eying them up with a look of pure loathing.
"Avoid the teams from Oto," she warned him. "Just focus on getting yourselves through the exam. We'll deal with them later, alright?"
He didn't answer her. Kotori could almost feel the brooding aura around him. Mimi scrunched up her nose, emitting a low growl. Even Daichi crossed his arms, his back stiffening.
"Are you even listening to me?"
"Yeah I heard you," he eventually replied.
It did not instil much confidence in her. However Kotori was forced to leave her team as Anko appeared to give instructions. She caught up with Yukari and Junpei and the three of them made their way to the tower. Kotori dumped her bag on one of the bunks with Yukari taking the bunk over hers. Junpei threw his stuff in the bed next to them. The rest of the Konoha jonin trickled in, claiming the other beds in the same room. None of them would be comfortable sleeping with so many foreign shinobi around, so there was always a silent agreement to do it in shifts.
After that it was a matter of waiting. It could be hours or it could be days before her students made it back to the tower. Kotori sat with a cluster of the other Konoha jonin, half-heartedly playing a game of poker as they waited. She kept her eye on the two Oto shinobi as instructed, but there was nothing interesting to report. One was napping on a couch while the other was standing up, leaning against the wall as he waited. They were unlikely to make a scene or discuss anything of real important in the middle of a tower surrounded by dozens of Konoha shinobi anyway.
After a few hours, Kotori decided to scan the forest with her birds. The tense feeling in her chest hadn't lessened and this was as long as she could force herself to wait before checking in to see how her kids were making out. She knew there was nothing she could do to help them, but it would make her feel better to see how they were getting along. Confirm that Ryoku had actually listened to her for once in his life and wasn't pursuing the Oto teams.
Only she couldn't find them. Or any of the teams for that matter. Her heart started racing she she mentally leapt from bird to bird, trying to find her team.
Someone bumped their elbow into her side, forcing her to return to the present. Kotori dropped the full house she was holding. "I fold."
Asuma gave her a funny look. "Really?"
"I've got nothing," she bluffed, not even noticing she had revealed her hand. Kotori abruptly got up and wandered off to the side of the room to better concentrate.
"Anything interesting?" Asuma had silently followed her.
"No, I can't see anything inside the forest." Kotori held the bird seal, scanning from bird to bird. All of her birds in the village were reachable, but every single one she had placed in the Forest of Death was missing. That was concerning. "I'll be right back."
She ventured to the top of the tower where she knew Anko and the other proctors were monitoring the exam. She knocked on the open doorframe, alerting them to her presence.
"Yo, Kotori!" Anko greeted her. She was sitting on the couch, her arms resting on the backrest behind her. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you. I took the liberty of clearing out all of your little birds from the forest."
"What?! Why would you do that?" Kotori's patience was already thin.
"It's time to cut the cord. Your kids need to complete this exam without knowing they can run to Mommy for advice."
"How dare you - " she seethed. She wasn't going to help them pass the exam, she was just going to keep an eye on it. "I've received special instructions to keep an eye on our guests."
"Our guests, in the tower, which you have full access. The exam, however, is mine."
Anko could be difficult to get along with on the best of days. Today was not one of Kotori's good days.
"You know I could help you with security - " Kotori tried a different approach. Anko responded better to honey than vinegar. Usually.
"Nice try. If I catch one of your birds in that forest I will disqualify your students. Consider yourself warned."
Irritated, she retreated to the observation deck on the roof of the building for some fresh air.
xXx
Kakashi wandered upstairs to the observation deck, his head in his book, while his ears listened to snatches of conversation around him. Truthfully he wanted some fresh air and to get away from all the other jonin leaders. The atmosphere in the lounge was tense to say the least. Gai only wanted to boast about his students and saw this as yet another challenge between them. Kurenai was fretting about her students, wondering out loud how they were doing. Asuma was pretending to be indifferent, but at the rate he was smoking he would deplete his supply and be in withdrawals by tomorrow. Not to mention Kotori. He had avoided the main lounge, feeling keenly aware of her every moment he was in the same room. Her voice, her smile, her very presence - it was addicting after being so long without. More and more, he couldn't get her out of his head these days even though he knew he should. Ever since seeing her that day, and now with the chunin exams, it was like she was everywhere.
Kakashi climbed up the last staircase to the observation deck - only to find Kotori was already there.
To the causal observer she seemed relaxed, staring at something off in the distance. It was impossible to tell if she was using her birds or not. However he knew her, had spent years watching her. He knew her body was coiled tightly. How many times had he seen her in that exact position? The urge to walk up to her and message her shoulders, to kiss the back of her neck until her stress melted away - however that was no longer his place. He was relieved that Aoba wasn't around and he didn't have to see the two of them together. Kakashi didn't think he could handle that just yet.
No doubt Kotori was worrying over her students. He had heard enough to know that Kotori's students were favoured among the Konoha teams to make it to the tournament and would most likely be promoted. Yamanaka Kouta had been named Rookie of the Year for his age group and it came as no surprise when he was promoted six months ago. Inuzuka Mimi was a powerhouse when it came to taijutsu, her speed and strength rivalled by only few in the village. Nara Ryoku was a talented and clever ninjutsu specialist. Kakashi knew Kotori had put her heart and soul into training those kids and it showed.
For a brief moment he allowed himself the silly little fantasy of what she would have been like around his own team. Kotori loved kids. Naruto and Sakura probably would have responded well to her. Naruto craved attention and Kotori would have gladly given it to the orphaned boy. Sakura needed a good female influence who could talk her down from her boy craziness. Even Sasuke could benefit from Kotori's empathy.
Instead they were stuck with him.
"I'm sure they're fine." Kakashi said the words before his brain could stop him.
He felt like a complete dumbass as she fixed him with a cool gaze. The full weight of those green eyes turned on him hit him straight in the chest, leaving him winded. Her beautiful green eyes were always brimming full of emotion and today was no different. The angry glint in her eyes told him to fuck off. But apparently he didn't know when to quit because once again he was speaking without thinking.
"They had you as a teacher, after all."
Kotori looked like she was working out how to give off killing intent.
"Is there something you wanted?"
Kakashi scratched the back of his neck, stalling as he tried to come up with a half-decent excuse for why he had initiated a conversation with her. The exam. The students. That was a good one.
"I don't suppose you've seen my students?"
She drummed her fingers on the railing. "No. Anko removed my birds."
That explained why she looked so tense. Kotori hated being without her birds on missions.
"I better get back inside."
"Kotori - " he called out her name, not ready for her to leave just yet.
She turned, tilting her head as she waited for him.
"I know this is too little and far too late, but I'm sorry."
Kotori almost thought she had hallucinated hearing him.
"What?"
"I'm sorry for how things ended between us."
The buildup of stress she had been feeling over the last few days finally reached its boiling point. From realizing her former captor was in the village, to the Hokage Office's dismissal of her concern, to having her students locked in that forest with an enemy team and Anko taking her birds away. Not to mention Aoba's disbelief and treating her like some sort of mental patient. And now Kakashi was turning up out of the blue and apologizing. She didn't mind being used to check on his kids. That was fine. They were all part of the same village after all. But this? Now?!
"You know what, you can take that apology and shove it right up your ass Kakashi. You've ignored me for years and you want to do this today? Fuck you. You want to feel guilty over what you did, talk it out with Obito like you always do and leave me the hell out of it."
He blinked, his posture not giving anything anyway, but Kotori knew him. She had spent years reading that single visible eye because he covered up so much of his face and she could see the hurt. And she immediately felt guilty for taking her anger out on him because bringing up Obito was a low blow and she knew it.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"I deserved it."
"You deserve to be told to go fuck yourself is what you deserve."
"Ah, you managed to fit that in too." He did that stupid little eye smile he always did.
She didn't want to smile back at him. She didn't want to feel the tension in her chest lessen. She didn't want to feel anything other than anger and fury at him. But she found herself shaking her head and giving him a half-smile before she could stop herself.
Kotori was about to turn and walk away when she saw birds take flight out of a section of the forest. Her students emerged from the thick canopy of the forest into the no-man's land surrounding the tower. And from the looks of it, Mimi and Daichi were seriously injured.