~Chapter 10: Once A Home~


(Friday September 19 Konoha's Medical Clinic)

~Kurenai~

Kurenai weaved her way through the crowded waiting room of Konoha's Medical Clinic. Asuma's towering height was a blessing in times like this, but he was currently out on a mission with his Team Ten.

"I'm so sorry about the wait. It's been chaos around here," Shizune apologised from over her shoulder. "The younger medics are—"

"It's okay, Shizune," Kurenai said, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder as she stepped into the treatment room.

Thanks to the onset of morning sickness, she'd barely seen her own team as of late. Shino and Kiba hadn't spent more than one night in the village in weeks, and in between low-ranking missions, Hinata had picked up additional shifts at the hospital and medical clinic.

Truthfully, Kurenai had a soft spot for the Hyūga girl. It was becoming increasingly apparent how alike her student was becoming to herself. Hinata Hyūga would become a strong woman sure to teach, love and save the younger generations.

Maybe even...

"Baby is growing well, Kurenai," Shizune announced, discarding her latex gloves into the bin. "Do you have any questions?"

Naturally, Kurenai had reservations because she and Asuma were shinobi at the end of the day. She sighed, letting her hand drop to her belly. A baby—half him and half her—that they would shower with love and watch grow, learning and discovering who they were and where they fit into this big, wide world.

Their excitement overrode all their worriment.

"No. At least, not about the pregnancy," Kurenai answered.

Shizune had her head down, making notes in her file. "Anything I can help with?"

Kurenai waved her hand in front of her face, quickly remembering that she and the others agreed not to tell a soul about the bet. "No, sorry. Ignore me. I'm just...thinking out loud."

Asuma didn't seem fazed, citing something about a 'brother's intuition'. Honestly, she had no idea what sometimes went through that man's head. There wasn't bad blood, per se, between the Sarutobi siblings. Nonetheless, there was an unspoken tension that she'd attributed to Asuma's absent years. She'd never spoken to Nina about it. Who knows, one day, maybe she would. Kurenai had often witnessed—unbeknownst to Asuma—how the guilt of his teenage decision and the impact on his younger sister weighed on him.

It was pointless prodding for further clarification regarding his brotherly intuition and the bet. She trusted Asuma and respected the notion of 'Que Será, Será'—whatever will be, will be.

"Anyway, I best let you get to your other patients," Kurenai stated, sliding open the door.

"Mm, yes," Shizune agreed. "Sorry again for the wait."

"As I said, Shizune, don't worry about it. We all start somewhere," Kurenai dismissed and accepted the file that Shizune handed her on their way out.


(Konohagakure En-route to Amegakure)

~Nina~

Two hours of silence, two hours of tension, and already Nina could feel the hunger bubbling deep within her stomach. Skipping breakfast hadn't been a good idea. She laid her free hand on her rumbling belly; hunger burbled and grumbled undeath her palm. It was subtle, too quiet to be heard, yet strong enough for her to feel each rumble vibrate from her upper stomach down to her lower, increasing in intensity the longer they travelled. So, as soon as she'd spotted an apple tree a little way off to their left, she didn't bother asking for permission from Kakashi. Instead, she raced to the foot of the tree.

"They look delicious. I can't remember ever seeing one this red in Konoha," Nina marvelled at the overabundance of ripe-for-harvesting sweet fruit. "Want one, Hatake?"

"No thanks," Kakashi replied, sliding his back down the tree's trunk to sit and read.

"You know," she said with half a mouthful of apple, "it'd be nice to live in a place like that." Nina pointed to the ramshackle cottage ahead when she knew he was looking.

"A shack?" Kakashi queried dryly, going back to reading his book.

"How can you say that?" she snapped. "That's someone's home, Hatake."

He said nothing and simply shrugged his shoulders.

Biting into the apple, Nina tilted her head upwards against the tree's trunk. Thinking about it more, she struggled to imagine any warmth being able to penetrate the dreary confines of the room where Hatake resided or her own for that fact.

A home, a real home, was something they'd both had once but presently didn't. It wasn't right to call their apartments one. Last time she checked, Hatake's was a part of the complex designated for ANBU operatives. For a while, Nina, too, took up residence in one of the single quarters. However, as soon as she'd earned a stable income, she relocated to a one-bedroom apartment closer to Konoha's hospital.

~Kakashi~

Carried in the Autumn wind that rustled the tree's leaves, Kakashi's hound-like sense of smell picked up the unmistakable iron-esque scent. A dead leaf drifted from a tree overhead and landed near him.

It's time for us to move on.

Dusting himself off, Kakashi saw Nina wandering off towards the cottage. "And where do you think you're going, Sarutobi?"

"To thank the owners. It's good manners," she said from over her shoulder.

Kakashi followed, catching up to her in a few strides. When the wind blew again, he immediately grabbed Nina by the wrist, preventing her from knocking on the door. "No," he said sharply. She tried to shake herself free, but he only tightened his hold. The scent was even more pungent this close to the cottage. "Something isn't right about this place."

Nina's held hand clenched into a fist. "I know, Hatake,"—she turned away, her eyes trained fixedly on the weathered wooden door—"I can smell it too."

Kakashi sighed, relenting his hold on her. Asking Nina not to climb into a metaphorical death pit was pure stupidity on his part. Years of camaraderie should have told him that no force on this Earth would compel her not to.

~Nina~

"Shit," Nina muttered.

She slowly crept further into the building, keeping her steps small—her toes of one foot to the heel of the other. Slumped over the modest dining table was a middle-aged man. Through force of habit, Nina pressed two fingers to his jugular. Closing her eyes, she pulled her hand back.Blood pooled under the man's head; the surplus dripped from the table's edge.

Looking around, Nina then spotted a broken framed photograph up ahead. Stepping around the upturned furniture, she picked it up, mindful of the shards of glass that fell away.She quickly scanned ahead, finding that there was only one other door, diagonal from where she stood.

The photograph Nina held crumpled when she tentatively pushed on the already slightly ajar door.

Blood. So much blood.

Needing fresh air, she made her way out the way she came in. Staring ahead at the apple tree, Nina could tell Kakashi's eye was on her. It was as if she could feel his gaze tear through her bones, pulling away all her layers.

She cleared her throat, breaking the silence, "Based on the victim's blood coagulation, their deaths were a few hours ago."

"How many?" Kakashi asked.

"Three. Two adults, and..."—she looked down at the crinkled photograph—"a child."

In the next minute, Kakashi was pushing Nina forward by the shoulders. "Go wait at the tree. I'll be there soon," he commanded.

Breaking out of her haze, she registered why he'd asked her to relocate. "What? No!" Nina slapped his hands away. "There weren't criminals, Hatake," she stated, marching back into the house.

Fuck protocol.

Nina wasn't about to stand idly by and allow this family to have the same impersonal send-off shinobi showed criminals. They were innocents, undeserving of their fate. The least she... they could do, was to bury them. Together. At peace.

*A little while later*

~Nina~

Nina stared at her hands that she held under running water as she washed away the blood and dirt staining her hands. She hadn't expected whatever fresh hell this was. Despite her life spent as a shinobi, this—meaningless deaths at the hands of cowards with no cause—never got any easier.

She looked out the small window above the sink; the screech of a carrier bird pulled her attention to the outside. An investigation would be unlikely. Kakashi's scrawl on a small parchment scroll filed away in a cabinet or box was all this would become, and maybe a short annotation should another similar incident occur anytime soon.

Turning off the faucet, Nina pulled on her gloves and went outside. While she'd been inside cleaning and wrapping the victims in the unsoiled linen she'd taken from a cupboard, Kakashi had found a way to dig the three required graves under the apple tree. Unfortunately, the family's final resting places would be unmarked and unnamed, as neither she nor he could discern who these people were.

From under the lone tree, Nina watched Kakashi set fire to the house that was once a home.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with her, Kakashi held out his left hand. "Ready?"

"Mhm," Nina agreed, sliding her hand into his.

*An hour or so later*

~Nina~

Less than an hour from their destination—the inn—Nina squeezed Kakashi's hand seeking confirmation that he'd also detected a chakra presence up ahead. Her insides twisted in hopeful vengeance. She bit her lip, reminding herself that whoever had been responsible for that heinous crime was well gone, and she ought to keep her emotions in check.

Only an idiot...

"If it isn't Nina Sarutobi and Kakashi Hatake," a blonde-haired man chuckled, stepping out into the open from behind a tree. "Fancy running into two Leaf shinobi such as yourselves."

"Hmpf," Nina snorted, unamused by the flimsy taunt. If they'd travelled at their usual speed, Konoha was less than a few hours from here. Although most considered they were in times of peace, there were still wannabe thugs and rogue ninjas roaming the nations. She and Kakashi's reputations meant anyone they encountered either fled or attacked. Since their opponent had chosen to stay and knew their names, it stood to reason that he was highly skilled or debatably suffered from cocksure idiocy.

"Easy, Sarutobi," Kakashi warned, gripping her hand firmly. "Don't underestimate this kid."

Nina did a double-take. He was a kid, not much older than the likes of Shikamaru. He had slanted blue eyes and long golden blonde hair, which he wore drawn into a half ponytail with the rest hanging freely.

She couldn't shake the feeling she'd seen him before.

But where?

"I recognise him from the Bingo Book," Kakashi stated. "His name is Deidara. He's an S-rank missing-nin from Iwagakure. He possesses the explosion release Kekkei Genkai which he used when he was a member of the Explosion Corps."

"Kid? That's just fucking insulting," Deidara moaned. "I'll have you know I'm nineteen years old."

"Like we give a fuck. What are you doing here?" Nina demanded, stepping forward to push her kunai into Deidara's throat.

"Art," Deidara answered as a smile grew on his lips. "Art and some of the tastiest apples I've ever tasted."

Detesting the Deidara's mirthful tone, Nina dropped to sweep his legs out from under him. He quickly flipped backwards, putting distance between them.

"I'm to assume you came across the same tree. If you ask me, I—"

"No one asked you a fucking thing," Nina seethed, automatically lurching forward to strike again.

Deidara dodged her swing with swift moves, ducking beneath her flying fists. He spun around, counterattacking with two quick strikes and a round-house kick. Nina retreated, leaving an opening for Kakashi to attack. He leapt high and twisting mid-air, aiming for his foot to connect with Deidara's chest.

"I taught them a valuable lesson," Deidara continued, blocking Kakashi's kick with his forearm. Nina leapt in, and with another glancing blow, her knuckles connected and cracked the ground into enormous uneven plates.

Locked in hand-to-hand combat with Deidara, she and Kakashi continued to work in harmonised tandem. While it was tiresome to battle at this gruelling pace, the benefit was that their opponent had no time to create his meddlesome clay bombs.

"What could you have possibly taught them?" Nina asked after landing a solid uppercut that sent Deidara sky-high.

Taking advantage of her mistake, Deidara tossed down a handful of spider-shaped bombs whilst cackling, "Life's only beautiful because it's so fleeting. So transient!"

Fuck.

Nina dove behind a nearby tree, reflexively clamping her hands over her ears to dull the ringing. Despite Deidara's clay grenades clouding the area in dust and wood splinters, she caught a glimpse of an incoming attack on Kakashi from behind.

"Hatake!" Nina screamed; her body moved before she had the chance to think. Feet pounding against the ground as hard as they could, she flung herself forward into the ninjas' way. The surge of adrenaline meant Nina didn't feel the pain of the cold metal plunging into her abdomen any more than if it'd been a heavy punch. She merely fell back into the arms of her comrade.

Amidst the resumed exchange of blows, Deidara found a chance to offer praise. "Ha! Witnessing how you work together seamlessly with my own two eyes is just artistic perfection."

Nina looked at Kakashi. He showed signs of slowing; such was the unfortunate downfall of using his sharingan eye for extended periods. As for herself, her breaths were laboured, compensating for the blood loss. The situation was getting dangerous; they had to get the advantage or get out before it was too late.

Who would've thought this kid could hold his own against Hatake and me?

Deidara blurred in Nina's peripheral as he swung a wicked right hook. Too fast for her to dodge cleanly. While Kakashi attacked, she spat a mouthful of blood out and regained her bearings.

"Sarutobi! Look out!" Kakashi shouted.

Nina's eyes widened skywards, awestruck by the sheer size of the bomb Deidara held between both hands above his head.

He can't... Shit.

Nina's Water Release: Water Shield wouldn't hold up against Deidara's bomb. There wasn't enough space for patience or precision. It was a choice between brute force and death. In a bid to spare Kakashi significant injury, she thrust her open palms against his chest, propelling him through the forestry.

~Kakashi~

Kakashi latched onto Nina at the last second, dragging her away from the explosion with him. Using their momentum, he spun them around, so his body crashed through the tree trunks.

"We can take a break here a little longer," Kakashi proposed through strained breathing.

~Nina~

Using a kunai, Nina tore off a section of the front of her skirt. "No. We're too exposed to further attacks," she replied, affixing the makeshift sling to Kakashi's left arm. She got up and slung both packs over her left shoulder, disregarding her own injury. "I don't think there'll be any more coming, but let's get going," she said, dipping under Kakashi's right arm to support part of his weight in addition to their packs.

Not but a few staggering steps later, Nina winced at the pain radiating from her left side.

Fucking hell.

It was a nearer miss than she'd first thought. Her legs were a little shaky, but she had just enough energy to make it to the inn at a conservative estimate.

Hopefully.


(Inn on the Border of Konohagakure & Amegakure)

~Kakashi~

Kakashi met with Nina's sapped triumphant smile. They'd made it to the inn. While he had an overwhelming urge to reach out and ruffle the top of her head, he refrained from doing so, given Nina lifting his good arm upwards was painful enough.

Droopy-lidded, Kakashi's eye followed the trail of blood droplets leading to the reception desk. He sucked in a shuddering breath and straightened up, noting Nina's ragged appearance from their recent skirmish.

"Room," Kakashi croaked.

"Huh?" Nina rasped, unshouldering their packs.

"One room, Sarutobi," he repeated, dropping his head towards his knees.

"But..." Nina clicked her tongue like she did whenever something annoyed her more than it should. "Fine. Have it your way, Hatake."

~Nina~

Nina tried controlling her hitched breathing as they made their way along a corridor to the very last door on their left—difficult when she found herself sweating and shivering at the same time. She knew she was on the come down from the rush of adrenalin. At a minimum, she needed to heal Kakashi's injuries; his groan and choppy breaths signalled he'd sustained more than the damage to his shoulder.

"Let's get you sorted, Old Man," Nina said, fishing out her medic kit from her pack.

With Kakashi sitting on the bottom edge of the bed—the only one because she'd forgotten to request two separate ones—she assessed his left shoulder.

Dislocated.

Given the momentum they'd ploughed through tree after tree, it was unsurprising that Kakashi had sustained a serious dislocation involving several torn muscles and ligaments.

Nina undid the sling, unzipped his jacket, and tossed it, along with his hitai-ate, onto the floor beside her. Next, using the Chakra Dissection Blade, she sliced through his long-sleeved shirt and undervest, leaving his mask in place.

Damn, off by one. I must've hit him harder than I thought.

It was a bit of medic-humour. Sometimes when a patient presented with chest injuries, Nina would guess how many broken versus fractured ribs they had.

Sufficed that she'd healed Kakashi's ribs, and his breathing had returned to relatively normal, she asked him to lay down on the floor. It wouldn't be a pleasant experience; she'd typically have asked for a second medic for pain management.

After removing her gloves with her teeth, she shifted to a more comfortable position on the ground. To immobilise Kakashi, Nina positioned her left knee onto his right bicep and twisted slightly so that her right shin and ankle pinned his left thigh. Although struggling with her injury, she ensured she distributed her weight as evenly as possible, mindful she'd just repaired his ribs.

Fuck.

Nina's eyes closed, reactive to the burn emanating from her side. However, it also gave her an idea.

She quietly spoke, guiding Kakashi's right hand, "Indicate by adding pressure here, so I know when you're—"

Nina paused when she saw his frown. Whilst he may not have liked it, neither did she. But she was a trained medic, and it was all part and parcel as far as she was concerned.

Nina nailed him with a stern look, "Hatake, please don't make my job any harder."

~Kakashi~

Kakashi placed his hand on the blood-sodden patch above Nina's left hip of his own—wary—accord. He watched as she let out a breath, accepted his gesture with a nod, and moved to configure his left arm into the necessary position.

"Breathe in," Nina asked. "Fuck!"

Under his protest, Kakashi's fingers had embedded into her fresh wound; blood leaked from between his fingers.

"Sorry," he mumbled, timing with the familiar clunk that sounded from his shoulder. "Mm."

Blood and pain go hand-in-hand with missions. He should be relishing the relief provided by the kunoichi netting the intricate layers of his shoulder together with her chakra. Instead, Nina's blood was all he could feel and smell. It was under his nails, soaking into his gloves and sticking his fingers together.

How has she not bled out yet?

"That wound of yours isn't going to clean itself, Sarutobi," Kakashi said, rolling his shoulder back and forth.

"I'm aware," Nina said, picking up the first aid kit and laying it in her lap.

"Hey," Kakashi said, but the kunoichi ignored him. "Hey," he repeated louder as he shadowed his hands over Nina's and cautiously took possession of the kit. "Failing doesn't make you weak."

Nina snatched the bottle of antiseptic from his grip and tipped the liquid onto a piece of cloth. "I can clean my own wounds."

Kakashi clenched his jaw, squirrelling her reaction away into his memory to call upon the next time he attests to medical treatment.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Kakashi plucked out the cloth from her fingers, being sure to hold his index finger up, motioning for her to stop objecting. With a sigh, Nina renounced her fight, tucked up her shredded shirt and allowed him to carefully cleanse around the deep laceration on the left of her abdomen. "That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it."

Being so close enabled Kakashi to notice the immensely subtle giveaways of her discomfort. He couldn't disregard the tiny wavering in her glare or her lips' slight tremble. He had a hunch that she wouldn't open up willingly.

She never did.

"Not winning that fight today doesn't mean you're any less capable," Kakashi said calmly.

~Nina~

"I don't need the pep talk, Hata—fuck!" Nina hissed. She buried her mouth against her right shoulder as the damp cotton touched her skin, unconsciously moving away from Kakashi.

Fucking Deidara.

She shook her head, trying to rid it of the pointless hypotheticals regarding a fitting death for the rogue ninja.

"I'm not angry at you," Nina confessed, taking over from Kakashi. She leaned to her right until she had a mostly unobstructed view of her abdomen. "I'm angry at myself."

Deidara had come dangerously close to hitting her spleen and the connecting artery. Nina successfully healed herself, but her left side would be tender for several days.

"I'm not new to self-loathing either," Kakashi said, capturing her chin with his thumb and index finger. He eyed her mercifully, moving the cotton more carefully. "Especially given my past." He swapped the bloodied cloth for a tub of salve.

No kidding.

Nina closed her eyes, responding to the tingling sensation from the balm Kakashi applied to her bruised cheek. Against her instincts as a medic, she refrained from pointing out that his chosen treatment was pointless.

Bruises required cold compresses.

Somehow, as strange as she found this brief moment of tenderness from Kakashi, the thought of having almost rejected it now seemed daft to her. His touch was steady and evenly pressured—akin to any decent medic. The calloused pads of his fingers drew soothing circles over the battered flesh of her cheek, causing her skin to prickle unexpectedly.

In the past, Nina wouldn't have given this kind of thoughtless touch a second thought. However, she and Hatake were in limbo between comrades and a bonafide couple for the duration of this accursed mission. Hanako's audacious pitch was also screaming at her from within her mind.

"But that's something we can both work through. Together, if you'd like," Kakashi suggested.

Heh.

Just as Nina had been very close to forcibly putting space between them—unquestionably, making her five thousand Ryo poorer—Kakashi finished. She pushed to her feet and began gathering all the strewn-out medical items, shoving them into her medical kit in an uncharacteristic slapdash fashion. "You really are a smooth talker. You know that?"

Kakashi held out the tub to her, "It's my best quality."

Nina watched intently how his fingers twitched over hers, craftily turning the seemingly accidental contact into a muted arrest.

Releasing her hold of the balm, she caught it with her other hand in one fluid motion. "I'd say it's about time for those dumplings you owe me, Hatake," Nina gibed and gave him a playful nudge as she walked past to put away her kit.

~End of Chapter~