It took Rei no time at all to determine that Koichi had the potential to become a fast friend.
"So you just graduated, huh?" He approached her the moment that Niko Sensei gave them the order to find breakfast somewhere in the village and to meet back at the Academy front doors in an hour. "I thought graduation was scheduled for the end of July."
"It is." Rei reflexively took a step back when he got within three feet of her. "I graduated early."
"Stay together." Niko Sensei surveyed their surroundings one more time and, finding that they were still truly alone and unobserved, said, "I know that none of you need to hear this, but listen anyway. The village is dangerous. The outskirts even more so. The only time you should be alone is when you are in your homes. Understand?"
"Yes, Sensei," Rei uttered alone. The boys glanced at each other before nodding in affirmation.
"So, where to?" Koichi asked Rei as Niko Sensei left them to their own devices.
Rei was careful to keep several feet between herself and either of the boys. She'd just met them literally moments ago, and though they seemed friendly enough, that meant nothing yet.
"B barracks?"
Utakata's voice was so low that Rei barely registered it, but his golden eyes captured her attention. He gazed straight at her, as if he were playing her experiences over in his mind, as if he could see every second of her past. It turned her stomach. "Yeah," she muttered, turning her eyes back to the ground.
Silence covered them for several seconds, and Rei felt that strange combination of rage and embarrassment that always struck her when she remembered the last few weeks of her life. Even these boys that she'd just met knew what happened to girls like her. "But I was lucky," she said quickly, too loudly. "Niko Sensei made sure of that."
"Our group has been doing that for years." Koichi smiled brightly. Surprise battered Rei's chest when she felt a smile tugging at her own lips. "It won't be long now before we're able to put a stop to all this."
"By killing Lord Yagura?"
A slender, strong hand was clapped over Rei's mouth and another fit itself around her waist, jerking her off her feet and against a tree. She had no time at all to react before Utakata's face was just before hers, invading her personal space atrociously. Her heart was racing, and she forced herself to breathe, to figure out how to escape if he made a move to strike at her.
His flak jacket pressed uncomfortably against her ribs, and she could smell the floral scent of soap solution on his fingers. She opened her mouth to scream, but he pressed against her lips harder, smothering the sound completely. "Shut up," he hissed, looking around frantically. His hair brushed her forehead, and she grabbed onto the lapels of his jacket, ready to grab at his throat. Koichi was by them in half a second, kunai already drawn and surveying their surroundings.
After two or three tense seconds of nothing happening, Utakata dropped her. Her back slid against the rough bark of the tree, scraping her spine and tearing a small hole in her shirt. She caught herself without a stumble, and the moment she looked up, she was met with a sharp slap across her face. She reeled back with the force of it, crashing back into the tree. Her fingernails scraped against the same bark, and she held a trembling hand to her stinging cheek.
"That was the perfect way to get us all killed." Utakata's voice was a low growl, animalistic, and Koichi tucked the kunai back into his weapons pouch, frowning. "If anyone were to hear you say anything so direct, there would be no defending yourself against the accusations."
"I thought you'd already gotten the Curse Mark?" Koichi's eyes were huge, uncertain.
The boys' expressions were accusatory, both of them tense and ready to lash out at her if the need arose. She sank to the ground, leaning her sore back against the tree trunk. "I did." She opened her mouth to prove it, and Utakata's expression darkened.
"What is the benefit of your lie?"
Rei's mouth clamped shut and she looked at Koichi for affirmation. He'd lost the easy expression he'd had earlier and his eyebrows were raised in obvious confusion. "But… Niko Sensei wouldn't have lied to us."
That gave Utakata pause. Rei was still reeling with the information that they couldn't see her Curse Mark. "Go get some food and bring it back here," Utakata said without taking his eyes from Rei's face.
"You go get it," Koichi responded. "I'll stay with her."
Utakata quelled his irritation. "And if she attacks you? If she runs? If she shouts our plans to the whole village? Can you do what will be necessary?"
"Of course I can. But…" Koichi did not look away from Utakata's hard eyes for several seconds, then gave Rei one final glance before turning and leaving the cover of the trees. She was alone with a boy who was several years older than her and very clearly stronger than her. Her fingers tapped against the damp soil anxiously.
Utakata stood above her, arms crossed, never letting his gaze stray. The silence between them was already deafening, and after several agonizing moments, Rei found her voice. "It's really gone?"
Rather than answering her question, Utakata blurted out, "What did you do to me?"
Irritation prickled under her skin. "You're the one who attacked me."
He squatted in front of her, and she pressed her back harder against the tree, keenly aware of the small trickle of blood running down her spine. "Think carefully before you answer. What was that… sucking feeling that you gave off? When I grabbed you?"
"I…" Her voice failed her again for a moment, and she swallowed hard. "My chakra is different. Weird. That's why Niko Sensei helped me." Any other explanation was beyond her reach, and she looked back up at Utakata's face. The angry lines had faded only to be replaced with evidence of deep contemplation.
"Yes," he finally said. "That would definitely be true."
She endured his stare until Koichi finally returned with rolls, honeyed fruit, and a canteen of tea. They ate in near silence, only speaking when they were all ready to pack up and meet Niko Sensei at the Academy. "He has some explaining to do," Utakata muttered, and Rei couldn't help but agree.
The boys walked on either side of her, and though Rei was bewildered by whatever had happened to her Curse Mark, she had to admit that she was mildly flattered. She didn't think anyone had ever been nervous to be around her before. They didn't know that she probably couldn't do any damage to them.
Niko Sensei was already outside the Academy when they arrived, and he held a simply wrapped parcel under one arm. Rei watched as understanding dawned on his face as they approached, and he asked, "What happened?"
Koichi opened his mouth like he wanted to speak, but nothing came out, and Utakata just looked at Rei pointedly, crossing his arms. He was starting to annoy her. "Niko Sensei," she said quietly, picking up on their habit of looking around for anyone who might be listening. "My Curse Mark is gone."
"What?" He nearly dropped the parcel, but his training kicked in and he recomposed himself. "We'll talk about that on the way."
"To where?"
Reaching into his pocket with his free hand, Niko Sensei pulled out a meticulously folded piece of cream-colored paper and shook it open. "The east border of the village. A herd of goats was separated by a cougar and about twenty are still missing. We are to return as many as possible to their field by sundown tonight."
Koichi groaned loudly, throwing up his hands. "That's got to be a C-rank!"
"Actually, it's a D-rank," Niko Sensei said, and Rei bet that Koichi's cry of exasperation reached every ear in the Academy. "It's a good way to gauge our cooperation as squad mates."
"At least there won't be anyone over there to learn what we're hiding." Again, Utakata didn't speak with malice. Even so, Rei ground her teeth together and glared at him.
"But first," Niko Sensei said, extending the parcel to Rei. "You need to get properly dressed."
Today was truly a day like no other. She'd slept in her own apartment, she actually had money in her pocket, and she was getting a gift. No one had ever been so kind to her before, and she was able to completely forget about Utakata's unease as she unwrapped the brown packing paper from around a brand-new grey flak jacket.
The paper fell flatly to the ground and she held the jacket in front of her, blinking back the surprising sting of tears. "Thanks," she whispered, unable to stop staring at her new item of clothing. It was the first new thing she'd ever had.
"Put it on!" Koichi urged, venturing a step closer to her. "You're a Genin, aren't you?"
Her fingers fumbled with the straps on the side, but she slipped the sleeveless jacket over her head and buckled it into place, immediately comforted at the extra weight it provided. Her headband sat comfortably below the left shoulder pad, and she couldn't suppress her smile.
"And this is yours as well." The weapons pouch that Niko Sensei handed to her was smaller than theirs, but then, she was smaller than them. She buckled it around her waist and opened the top flap, nearly lightheaded at the sight of so many weapons. It was pre-packed with kunai, shuriken, flash bombs, paper bombs, and steel wire, along with a few odds and ends.
"With that taken care of, let's be on our way." With a sharp jerk of his head, Niko Sensei motioned them off in the direction they would travel. They walked in silence until nearly noon, Rei nearly trembling with joy, until they were near enough to the eastern mountains that the Headquarters Building couldn't even be seen for the mist overhead. The nearest houses had been out of sight for over an hour.
"I didn't know we'd be hiking today," Koichi said. None of them were out of breath, but Rei knew that she would be nursing some blisters on her feet when she got back to her apartment tonight. They stood at the base of the eastern mountains, and Rei understood immediately why the Mist was so safe from intruders.
The rocky mountains were foreboding to say the least. They were craggy, free of most vegetation, and looked to nearly touch the sky. Only a few select openings allowed people to pass through to other places, but those openings were heavily guarded by Shinobi.
The bleating of goats could be heard faintly, and Utakata sent a bubble overhead to discover their exact location. "While we wait, we need to talk," Niko Sensei said. They checked for a few moments to ensure that they were alone, then they sat in a loose square on the ground beneath an outcropping of jagged rock. "Rei, let me see your Curse Mark."
She opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out as far as it would go, and Niko Sensei shook his head. "Gone. I've been thinking about this and what it means the entire trip."
Utakata's eyes were on the sky, tracking the movements of the bubble. "What did you come up with?"
"Well, it's only a theory." He gripped his knees with his hands, meeting Rei's eyes with hard intensity. "Boys, you are not to spread this information. Understand?"
"Yeah," Koichi agreed readily, and Utakata gave the faintest of nods.
"So, Rei has a unique chakra. I suspect it may be some type of bloodline trait, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it seems to allow her to absorb someone else's chakra when her emotions are heightened." Utakata's head snapped to the side, his narrowed eyes leveling on Rei suspiciously. She gave him a fierce What? face, and he looked back to their squad leader. "Which could be very useful to our primary goal."
"Except that she sucks at most Jutsu," Utakata quipped.
He received three equal glares. "That's beside the point at the moment," Niko Sensei admonished. "Everyone sucks at Jutsu until they are properly trained. And as a former instructor at the Academy, I can tell you that students that come from the B barracks are not the top priority."
That weight settled over her shoulders again and she raised her knees to her face, setting her chin on her kneecaps and wrapping her arms around her legs. "How am I supposed to do anything against the Mizukage?"
They didn't seem surprised at her words this time, but both of the boys visibly flinched. "Rei," Niko Sensei said, "you are going to have to be incredibly careful of what you say. More so than any of us. The Curse Marks on our tongues will stop us if we begin talking about our mission, so it's a safeguard, but you don't have that. It looks like your chakra dissolved it, so we'll have to find another method. Until then…" His voice faded as he considered the grass before him. "There's a good chance that you'll need to stay in our command center until we can find a solution."
Panic. "Why?" Her hands fell from her legs to smack onto the ground on either side of her, steadying her body.
"It's a good idea," Utakata said. "There's no other way to be sure that the secret won't be revealed."
So many huge changes. "Did you leave any personal effects in your apartment?" Niko Sensei asked.
"What would I leave?" Rei asked, gesturing to herself. "I don't have anything. My stuff at the barracks was all borrowed. I was going to get a toothbrush and stuff before I went back today."
"Don't worry about that; we'll take care of it," Niko Sensei said. "Our priority is going to be to keep you safe and to keep our mission a secret." He stood and brushed the grass off of his pants. "Now let's go round up those goats."