Asami jumps into the pool below, crossing her arms against her chest and tucking her legs as tight as she can.

"Cannonball!" She screeches at the top of her lungs, barreling into the water.

This pool trip is the only good idea that goddamned school has ever come up with. And it's actually teaching a life skill, rather than just preparing toddlers for combat. Wow, it's like these people can actually provide a good education when they want to.

Regardless of the reason, the coolness of Suna's public pool is a welcome relief from the scalding Suna sun, so Asami is going to enjoy it while she can.

Sato seems surprised to see her so enthusiastic about something - he looks at her perplexedly, brown eyes squinting in mild confusion as he guides the rest of the kids to the pool. Is it really that surprising that she doesn't actually hate education? Asami explained about a million times that she doesn't put effort into her grades because she doesn't want to become a shinobi and die before she can even have her first sip of legal alcohol. Asami feels like a broken record at this point, but the numbers are genuinely concerning!

Sato motions for the kids to swim closer to the border of the pool so he can provide instructions.

"Okay, kids." He begins. "Today's lesson is going to be a little different. There are no natural, large bodies of water in Suna, but learning how to swim is still very important - so make sure to try your hardest!" Sato is sickeningly optimistic as he speaks. He explains some different strokes, motioning with his hands and arms to show the class how to do them. Most of the kids listen attentively, but others are noticeably indifferent.

One of the bored, snot-nosed brats (Asami's pretty sure he's made fun of her before) raises his hand. "Sensei, I get that we should know how to swim, but why is the academy teaching us?"

Isn't it obvious? They have to actually provide a level of education to them, otherwise -

"Well, Atago, when you're fully grown shinobi who have to do missions outside of Wind Country, you'll have to be prepared for all kinds of conditions - it's part of your combat education."

Oh. Well, fuck this, then.

Asami immediately decides she's going to demonstrate absolutely zero interest in this - though she will try to practise by herself, in her own time. She can kind of remember how to swim, but it'd be nice to touch up on that skill.

And maybe get away from the sand.

…

Sato really doesn't get Asami.

One second she looks interested in what she's learning - and he never thought he'd put 'interested', 'learning', and 'Asami' all in the same sentence - and the next she looks like a lethargic snail floating in the water.

She's not even trying to swim. Sato knows she can swim! He saw her do it like five minutes ago!

He rubs his temples and decides not to call her out on it - she's already a handful as it is. Sato knows trying to speak to her right now will only aggravate her, and he'd like to keep the profanity to a minimum today, thank you very much.

He is, however, mildly concerned with the events of last month.

It's uncharacteristic of the elders to even concern themselves with the academy, let alone actually intervene. It's even more disconcerting to think that they requested the end of exams, citing a need to increase shinobi numbers.

Sato is fully aware of how many kids in his class are actually doing badly enough to fail the shinobi graduation ceremony, and he's also aware that the elders have access to this information. He knows Asami was the only student in danger of not graduating at all. The only issue is what they want.

If Sato's being completely honest with himself, Asami is difficult to deal with at best. She's uncompromising, stubborn, rude, and occasionally too smart for her own good. But she's still a child - and one of his students. He doesn't stop caring about her just because she's a pain in his ass.

Sato doesn't know what to do, but he's got to do something. He'd be a bad teacher - and person - otherwise.

For now, though, he's going to try and teach these kids how to do a decent backstroke. Lord knows they need the help.

…

It's been 3 days since Asami hung out with Gaara - mostly, he's been busy with his father's strict training regime, and Asami has been busy teaching herself more advanced taijutsu from a stolen library manual. It's definitely not ideal, but considering her circumstances, it'll have to do.

It's also not ideal that Gaara looks like he's one bad night away from crashing out on the village. Asami can do something about that.

So, while she still has to keep up with her own training, Asami can probably bring him along, as long as she takes the time to practise something more mundane so as to not reveal her skills to him. Some company might help him calm down a little, and even though she's loath to admit it, Asami misses talking to her friend.

With that in mind, she asks him to meet her by the pool on a quiet Saturday morning, so she can brush up on her swimming skills and maybe help Gaara, too.

"Are you sure this is safe?" he asks. "The lifeguards aren't here yet, and it could be dangerous with no one to help us." He does look a little nervous at the prospect of being alone at the pool, but Asami can't really risk anyone seeing her train - even if it's something as mundane as swimming.

"I'm sure!" Asami says with all of the confidence she can muster. "And anyways, you said you'd be turning five soon, right? That's old enough to be alone at the pool!"

He doesn't look convinced.

"Um, sure. I guess it is?"

"Great! Then it's settled." Asami strides towards the pool. "Let's go in!"

Gaara's steps towards the pool are slow and apprehensive. Asami turns towards him and places her hands on her hips, attempting to exude confidence. It's probably not working.

"C'mon! It'll be fine!"

Gaara sighs. "If you say so."

Asami swivels to face the pool, waiting for Gaara to come next to her at the edge. When he does, she grabs his hand and throws herself off the edge.

Both of them sputter for a moment before Gaara lifts his head out of the water.

"Huh." He says. "It's actually not that deep."

Asami beams at him. "I told you we'd be okay!" She relaxes into the water, settling into a comfortable float. She should really practise her back stroke - her swimming muscle memory still isn't too good. While she's at it, she can also practise -

"Urgh!" She sputters and coughs, standing up. Gaara looks at her smugly.

He just splashed her.

This is… this is betrayal of the worst kind. This can only mean one thing.

This is war.

…

It's midday and they're both coughing and sneezing out pool water like there's no tomorrow. Asami's pretty sure she looks hideous trying to snort water out of her nose, but the chlorine burns, dammit!

It is of great consolation to her that Gaara doesn't look much better.

"I totally won that, by the way." She sputters out.

"You totally did not." Gaara's voice is nasally and his eyes look red as fuck.

"I totally did."

"Nuh uh."

"What do you mean nuh uh!?"

…

Yashamaru moves briskly through the village, aware of the Anbu operatives following him in the shadows. He has a meeting scheduled today with the elders; after raising his concerns about his nephew's friend to Elder Joseki, they'd insisted on weekly summary meetings to evaluate the situation. If she proves to be either harmless to their goals or useless to their plans, then the meetings will be reduced to once a month. If the pattern continues, they will only be held when anything of interest occurs.

This is, Yashamaru thinks, kind of overkill. He is aware of the possible outcomes of a friendship with Gaara - it's why he contacted the elders in the first place - but the idea of actually exploiting that friendship is… strange.

The first meeting he had with the elders already struck Yashamaru as bizarre and unethical - but putting aside the morality of using an orphaned child for political machinations, there's no particular value in observing her as closely as they elders currently are. At least, no value that Yashamaru can see. Really, it just feels like a waste of resources.

It is with these thoughts that he steps into the tower, and makes his way to the meeting room where the elders are waiting for him. Outside of the door stand Meerkat and Coyote, watching and guarding the elders within. Yashamaru is willing to bet that Jackal is waiting inside, too. He's always been a favourite of the elders for his ruthless precision and unfeeling pragmatism.

As expected, Jackal stands inside the room, by the window next to Elder Hozuki. The atmosphere is stifling as always, but Yashamaru does his best to address the elders cordially, without seeming intimidated. The last thing he wants is to give them leverage.

"Yashamaru," Elder Joseki begins. "It has come to our attention that the girl is perhaps more useful than we initially assumed."

Yashamaru knows this can only mean bad news. At the very least, whatever they've discovered about the girl will prove to be a major headache. He says nothing and waits for the elder to finish his statement.

Joseki stares at him, cold and calculative. "While we did not inform you of this in our last meeting, it has been decided that your position relative to the Jinchuuriki might prove to be beneficial in monitoring the… situation."

Yashamaru makes no move to acknowledge them. This is gradually becoming more and more ridiculous, and while he was initially willing to fake respect, Yashamaru's patience is wearing thin. Joseki notices.

"The girl's initial assessment at the academy was wrong. She has intentionally been throwing off her scores, presumably so as to not graduate from the academy. We have recently changed their educational structure in order to prevent this."

Yashamaru furrows his brows. "Elder, while I understand your desire to observe the girl and her relationship to my nephew, I am not sure how her academic prowess is of any relation to the points we have previously discussed." The meeting last week was focused much more on exploiting her relationship with Gaara; and not how her shinobi skills could come into play. Were they not aware at that point? No, that doesn't seem possible. They're probably just informing him now because they've deemed him important to their goals.

"Furthermore," Yashamaru continues. "Unless the scores are drastically incorrect -"

"The girl is a prodigy." Elder Hozuki interrupts. "Jackal's reports have made that clear. If this continues as she develops her shinobi skills, she may become a useful asset to the village in more ways than one."

Implying that her use is no longer confined to his nephew. This is becoming increasingly complex and convoluted, it seems.

Elder Joseki takes note of Yashamaru's silence and continues speaking.

"It is possible that the Jinchuuriki," The word is punctuated with intense loathing. "Is aware of these developments. You, as its caretaker, are capable of providing a closer look into both their psyches. Take any opportunity presented to you to observe the girl, and report to us during the weekly meetings."

Yashamaru is, frankly, disgusted at the idea of spying on his nephew and his friend for the elders. But he knows that the village will always come first. This is not negotiable, even though he finds the elders repulsive. His own feelings, and that of others, come second. He does have one doubt, though.

"Elders, while I understand the need to monitor the girl, would it not be more effective to assign a less experienced anbu guard to trail her?"

Elder Maru seems satisfied with Yashamaru's line of thought. "That has already been dealt with. Your role is not to provide detailed reports on her academic developments, but to supply the council with a more personal analysis of the child. The details of which will be included in the mission file."

Ah, so this is a mission. Which he will presumably be paid for. Yashamaru pushes down his feelings on the matter and focuses on the task at hand.

"Understood." He acquiesces.

"Good." Maru replies. The elders seem satisfied with this. Joseki, however, is apparently the most content.

…

The meeting continues as normal. Touya watches silently as the members of the council and Lord Kazekage's brother in law discuss the issue of the Jinchuuriki, considering his role in the events to come.

Touya is now complicit in the exploitation of children. He never thought that he would be contributing to the very system he hates, but he sees no way out of this. The elders are paying attention to him now more than ever, and all of his actions will be met with scrutiny. Fuck.

After the sun has set, Touya notices the meeting coming to an end, and after Yashamaru leaves the room, Elder Joseki turns to him.

"Jackal," The elder begins. "You are aware of your role in this, yes?"

Touya nods in accord.

"I trust your own personal feelings on the matter will not interfere with the mission. Your role here is not to act on your feelings as a person, but to serve as a weapon and tool of the village."

He nods again.

"Then you may leave and continue monitoring her. Should anything of note occur, you will report to us immediately."

"Understood." He leaves through the window and blends into the night, moving towards the orphanage where the girl lives.

…

Asami spends the rest of the day with Gaara, mostly at the public park with the swingset, where they talk about the stuff they did during the week and catch up on what the other missed. Life has been mostly mundane lately, which Asami is endlessly thankful for, so there's nothing big to update each other on. She hopes things stay like this.

Just before sunset, however, Gaara and Asami are rudely interrupted just outside of a dingy bar advertising strong spirits, by a man on the street.

A very drunk man on the street, with an apparent grudge against Gaara, judging by the glare sent their way. He stumbles towards them, and Asami pulls Gaara away.

"C'mon," She says. "Guys like that are bad news. It's barely even noon and he's already like that."

He seems mildly confused, but follows her out anyway. This, though, apparently doesn't dissuade the man from hurling insults at them.

"You - you fuckin' pest!" He snarls. Asami continues pulling Gaara away. "Walkin' around 'ere like you got any right to live at all!" His speech is slurred, his steps swayed, but even though both Gaara and Asami are now trying to leave without causing much of a fuss the man seems intent on following them around. The people around them make half hearted attempts to convince the man to step away. He doesn't listen, and keeps following both of them.

His insults grow more and more crass, and on some instances he stumbles, but even though he clearly isn't in a state to walk very well, he's still catching up on them. Asami furrows her brows and walks faster, pulling Gaara by the hand. Damn her pudgy legs!

Gaara seems to pick up on her urgency, though he doesn't really look surprised at the man insulting him. Both of them walk faster, but it clearly isn't enough - he's catching up on them fast.

Gaara looks at Asami. "You walk ahead. Guys like these come up to me sometimes, but they're not really that bad." Asami begs to differ, but oh well. "He'll give up in a little bit." Asami really isn't sure about that, actually.

"Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone with him, so -"

Before she can even finish her sentence, Asami feels herself being hoisted up by the cuff of her T-shirt. The pungent smell of alcohol is suddenly right in her face, and the drunk man's vicious glare is directed at her.

Asami can't breathe. He's saying something to her - something about her being around Gaara - but her mind can't comprehend anything besides a ringing in her ears at the panic of being in danger. She struggles against his grasp, eyes darting around while looking for something to grab and arms flailing at him, but it's like her body won't listen to what her head says; despite all of her training, the instinct to properly fight back doesn't kick in.

Finally, her head clears somewhat. It's only been a few seconds, but she can think now - she knows where to hit, she just needs to keep calm, just needs to think, to come up with something -

There's a resounding crack, and Asami falls to the floor with a grunt.

It wasn't a big fall, but she's small and doesn't know how to land yet. She can feel the soreness of a future bruise coming up, and the relief of being on solid ground again sinks deep into her bones.

As her senses come back to her, Asami notices the pained noises coming from the man, who's now on the ground. She can't tell what the hell even happened until she looks at his arm - the one that was holding her - and notices its mangled shape, and the bloodstained sand surrounding it.

Asami doesn't quite put two and two together until she looks at Gaara, standing in front of her. She can't see his face, but his posture is enough to indicate how he feels about the man in front of him.

Oh, shit. This is really fucking bad, actually.

Honestly, Asami doesn't really process what happens after. She can just barely tell that she pulls Gaara away from the man and towards the orphanage, where the matron discreetly makes a call. They're speaking to her, but none of what they say sticks in Asami's head. At some point, Gaara leaves, looking unbearably guilty. The matron makes sure to rub some ointment on her bruises and sends her off to bed.

…

Asami is in her bed, lying down with her eyes wide open as she contemplates the events of the day. This is the first time in her new life she finds herself face to face with someone who wants to hurt her. And the last time she was in genuine danger she didn't make it.

So even though Asami remembers Gaara's regretful expression, and knows he's going to despise himself for what he's done, she can't help but feel relief.

She hates herself for it, but she's suddenly glad to know that someone would do that for her in this lifetime.

...

Hello! Thank you for reading, and i hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next one should be up on either the 3rd of November, or the 6th of November, depending on how quickly I finish the next batch of chapters. As always, please leave a review if you have any thoughts at all!