Under the Bridge --10
Rawr! *shakes her tiny fist and swears she isn't wrong*
Yes, this is not a chapter I am paticularly proud of. Beware! MarySues and Shoujo-lovin ahead. Yachi joins in on ILMSALTM ANON meetings. Bleh.
NARUTO FIC
Title: Under the Bridge -- Chapter Ten UTB chapters in Five minutes or less
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG - 13
Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine. All resemblance to peoples real and fictional on the part of the OCs is completely accidental.
Warnings: Sue!Fic, AU
Summary: Suzubashi Kameko, genin of Otogakure, takes a teammate up on a dare. Little does she know that this dare will change her life completely.
Chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine
Chapter Ten : Enter the Pervert Prodigy
Kameko didn't find out until two days later that Sasuke had been kidnapped by Sound, and she knew why she wasn't informed or instructed to go with the other nin to retrieve him.
She worked herself to exhaustion, which wasn't hard to do, and when she tried to use chakra, it sent jagged bolts of pain through her body. She hadn't dared use the public hot springs the entire time she'd been here for fear of her seal being revealed, but now that both were visible and her torso was still shot with black jagged splotches and smeared green and yellow, and she felt weaker than ever, she didn't really think it made a difference anymore.
All of the nin would be gone to get Sasuke, after all, wouldn't they?
It turned out that the hot springs was completely abandoned, so she forewent the towel, denying all modesty. What did it matter anyway?
She'd been in the springs long enough for her skin to turn pink and wrinkled on her fingertips, and to have sweated most of her hair wet when she heard the sound of someone else walking in. With a flash of panic, she lost her previous emotionless bravo, and dunked down nose-level in the water, eyeing the door.
In walked an absurdly well endowed woman. She wasn't as big-breasted as Tsunade-sama, but she was rather rounded otherwise. Talk about thunder-thighs, Kameko remarked to herself. The woman was fairly attractive, with black hair and pale skin, wrapped in a towel and walking with nin-grace. Don't think I've seen her before, but I haven't seen a lot of nin.
"Hello," the woman said, smiling at her as she slipped into the hot water. "I almost didn't see you there."
"You weren't supposed to," Kameko answered after she'd lifted her head far enough to say so. "I didn't think anyone would be here."
"Mmm, I did notice that. Do you know where everyone went?"
Kameko stared for a moment longer, trying to determine if maybe instead of a Konoha nin, this was an Otogakure nin, but she wasn't ringing any bells at all. "Why are you asking me?"
"Eh, I just figured you would know. Konoha always struck me as the type of place that information gets around quick in," she said, abruptly moving closer to Kameko.
Kameko tensed nervously, reflexively curling around in a modest manner. I'm not stranger friend, stay away from me! "I don't get told anything," she said, instead. If she gets any closer, steam and water won't mean anything. If she gets close enough, she'll notice the bruising.
"Why not?" the woman asked, pouting in an attractive manner. Kameko felt a trill of unease. She'd always been a little shy of strangers, and largely homophobic. The only reason she hadn't freaked out on Sakura was because that was medical attention she needed, and the girl had made it clear that she held Kameko at arm's length.
"Don't know," she said, using short sentences. "Don't care."
"You don't care?" the woman asked, frowning slightly. It wasn't disapproving -- it was concerned. "Why don't you care?"
"Konoha was nice enough to me, I don't question what they choose not to tell me."
The woman was moving closer. "I like it here in Konoha," she said with a bright grin. "My name is Yachi -- Furuboshi Yachi."
"Suzubashi Kameko," she replied, taking the woman's hand. It was quickly engulfed in both of Yachi's elegant hands as she leaned forward, smiling, staring into Kameko's eyes intently. At this distance, she could tell they were a deep violet. Discomfort crawled up Kameko's spine as she leaned back slightly -- then a hot blush rose in her cheeks when two of Yachi's fingers slide slowly across her wrist and palm as she released her hand.
What the hell! She wanted to scream. I'm a girl! I'm fourteen! You're -- you're who knows how old! Don't touch me!
"I just came into town. I must say, it's been strangely depressing and quiet. Would you mind being my guide?" Yachi purred.
"Um, I really, um, don't k-know Konoha that, erm, well," Kameko stuttered. She was shaking. Why was she shaking? She didn't dare climb out of the water for fear that the bruising and seals would be noticed, but she was almost willing to just to get away from Yachi. She was starting to scare her.
"Oh, really? That's a pity," Yachi said, sitting back and turning her eyes to the ceiling. Kameko sucked in a few breaths of air, the humidity making it hard to breath to begin with. "Hmmm, I don't suppose you know if a man, Jiraiya came by? Any tales of some long-haired pervert? Any mention of Ero-Sennin?"
"Ero-sennin?" Kameko asked, frowning. Wasn't that what Naruto had called that man in the alley? "Um, I think so."
"Oh?" Yachi purred, suddenly turning that liquid gaze back on Kameko. "Do you know where he is?"
"I --ah, no," she stuttered, blushed again.
"Well, why don't you come with me, so we can search for him? I'll buy you dinner, if you'd like."
"I ah -- actually, um ..."
"Wonderful!" Yachi exclaimed, standing. She held out one long, elegant hand to Kameko. Her hands are big, compared to mine, she thought to herself.
"I ... ah, forgot a towel, Furuboshi-san," she said.
Yachi frowned slightly. "Please, call me Yachi," she said. "Hold on a moment, I'll go get one for you."
As soon as she was out of the room, Kameko knew she had a narrow window for escape. Wrapping an arm around her modest chest, she stood, turning a quick circle, eyes searching for anything.
Nothing. With a muffled groan, she sank back into the water. She was stuck with that ... that creepy woman!
"Here you go, Kameko-chan," Yachi said as she held out a white towel. Kameko took it thankfully, and quickly wrapped herself up in it, trying to minimize the chance that Yachi could possibly see the bruising. She followed the woman into the next room, but hid off into the bathroom to get dressed. When she reappeared, she was horrified to see that Yachi actually had attire that covered less than the towel had.
"Oh, you're a ninja?" Yachi purred, smiling slow and leisurely.
"Ah -- yeah," Kameko said, reaching up to grab at her hitai-ate nervously. "Just recently." Just recently returned from a mission that almost took my life through my own stupidity.
It later turned out that Yachi had a will of her own, despite anything that Kameko had to say. She proceeded to drag the girl around Konoha, splurging on odds and ends. Despite the adrenaline rushing through Kameko's veins due to her uneasy fear of that woman, she was becoming sluggish, listlessly staggering after the vibrant voice of Yachi as she talking about all the things in the world. Her body ached down to her bones, what little revitalization the hot springs had given her fading as her body cooled, the bright lights of the lamps dazzling her against the dark night.
Would they catch Sasuke and bring him back? Was Tanaka-sensei part of the abduction, and would she be killed in the ensuing battle? Would Kanaye or Natsu be killed in it?
Would Naruto or Sakura?
She felt no doubt that the two would have gone after him. They were a team. All of the rules in the world wouldn't have stopped Kameko from going after Tanaka-sensei if she'd been stolen. Even through all of her time spent training Natsu, she'd not completely ignored Kameko. She'd taught and protected her when she'd thought to do so. She was the only one who'd ever paid that much attention to her.
“I need to rest,” she muttered, looking around, head spinning. “I really need to sit down.”
“Hey, Kameko-chan, are you okay?”
I must be cold, Kameko thought to herself as warm grabbed her arms, burning through both layers of cloth. I have to be cold. “I’m okay,” she insisted, trying to pull back. “I’m just tired.”
“Your chakra is almost exhausted!” Yachi hissed in sympathetic surprise. “Let me take you to my hotel room.”
Kameko experienced a short burst of extra energy. “No, really, I can get home,” she insisted.
“You can get home if you want it to cost your life!” she exclaimed, frowning. “Come on, I’ll carry you and everything. It’s not that far.”
She noted with vague distress that the woman’s voice was slipping in and out of focus. I want to sit down, she though aimlessly, as her legs wobbled. I need to ...
--
Kameko woke to the smell of natto and miso soup. She felt unusually ravenous and not even the strong smell of the natto upset it, forcing her out of the unfamiliar bed and catching Yachi’s attention.
“Ah, the little nin awakes,” she chuckled, a deep throaty sound that still set Kameko on edge with it’s odd sensuality. “I had the cooks make some good food for you.”
“Ah? Thank you,” Kameko muttered, quickly making her way to the table. She suddenly noticed that she was in yukata and froze.
“Yes I noticed the bruising,” Yachi said, giving her an unreadable slant-eyed look. “Which is why I suggest you eat the natto regardless of your feelings about it.”
"Um," Kameko replied, shifting from foot to foot. She felt nearly senseless with hunger, but the fact that someone had seen her seal was worrisome enough to override it. "Erm ..."
"Relax, Kameko-chan. You're hardly the first child I've run across with some low-level youkai sealed inside them." Yachi said, reaching over and picking up the bowl of natto. "Here, eat. You've survived that technique this long, but I can't promise how much longer you will if your starve and keep your chakra level low."
"There are more?" Kameko asked, finally stumbling forward and taking the bowl, stuffing the slimy mess into her mouth with a pair of chopsticks.
"Of course. You aren't unique. Maybe among your village you were, but not beyond there. A rather unpleasant fellow make quiet the living doing this -- sealing demons in children. Always low-level ones, granted, because his techniques would never have worked on a high-level youkai."
Kameko turned this over in her mind uneasily, stirring the natto and watching the strings stretch and tangle. Granted, when youkai were sealed, they were no longer wandering around to eat her or drive her insane, but that meant they really did exist, and that sent cold chills up her spine. She quickly scooped more food into her mouth and asked her question. "So, why do I have this ... this problem with mine?"
"Because he's trying to claw his way out, of course," Yachi said, shrugging as she pushed the bowl of miso soup over. "You're dying, and will die if you don't get him sealed again."
"I shouldn't have to," she argued. "I have a sealing chant --"
"Tattooed into your skin, yes, but it's not enough. Your dancing seal was the vortex that drew him into you, but the fact that it's moving reveals that it's been opened again, and what is a doorway is a doorway -- both an entrance and an exit."
"And that jutsu made it move," she added, setting the empty bowl aside and reaching for the soup. "That jutsu -- they were aiming for me."
"Highly likely. You are the handiwork of a man whose work they're trying to undo."
Kameko fell quiet. It was safer on her mind and appetite if she didn't ask questions while eating. She ended up eating more in that sitting than she usually knew what to do with in a week.
"Ahh, you're going to eat me out of house and home," Yachi whined. "Konohagakure must be starving you, or you've been an idiot and have been trying to train."
"Not an idiot!" Kameko snarled with unusual venom, her chopsticks clacking as her hands tightened. "I'm supposed to be okay! Everyone said I was okay."
"They would have known better if you'd told them you had a youkai sealed under all that bruising."
"The less people that know, the better," she insisted, scooping rice into her mouth.
"You'll die without the right kind of help."
"Then help me!"
Yachi and Kameko eyed each other for a moment, measuring. Eventually, Yachi closed her slanted violet eyes and sighed, propping her chin on one elegant hand. "Well, I suppose I could. You are going to die by tomorrow if I don't, and judging by the air of the village, your fellow nin won't be back soon enough to help you. You owe me, though! You've slowed me down as it is."
"Thank you," Kameko muttered. She'd worry about how she owed this woman later.
"No, no, don't thank me. You'll owe me, and that is never easy," Yachi said, smiling in a very creepy manner. "Now, I have to do some research. It won't be easy -- I have to duplicate the process that got that youkai in there to begin with. If this works, then I'll teach the process to you so that you can teach it to whoever you feel is trustworthy and won't die. After all, all this work could just as easily be undone by that jutsu as it was the first time."
"Fine, fine," Kameko muttered, reaching for the sushi rolls.
--
In the end, it was a fairly simple process, though the learning was harder. It basically took convincing the seal that there was a large object blocking it like a plug, and it stilled and faded. Kameko ended up with a headache trying to learn the method and was sent home. Yachi promised that she wouldn't need help finding her.
Instead of going home, Kameko stopped by Watanabe-san's store to explain why she couldn't come to work today, and get groceries for Yamamoto-san. Watanabe-san went on some long spiel about the trials and tribulations of employing ninja for such ordinary jobs as a shelf-stocker, and tried to convince her that the store was more important than whatever mission she was dealing with. She allowed him his dramatics, and took the groceries and left instead of trying to tell him that his life might be a little more important than a price-change on azuki beans.
She'd managed to sleep for only four hours, though, before she was restless. All the other nin were on a mission to retrieve Sasuke-kun, and she wasn't allowed along. She'd destroyed two sets of chopsticks, carving them into slivers of wood with her kunai -- there was purpose in her madness, however. She'd been trained how to use the carefully formed slices to attack with sound as the more infamous nin of Otogakure did, though she could only unnerve people with low frequency noises and distract them in battle with high frequencies. She finally made her way back to the training grounds instead of looking for or waiting for Yachi, and started stretching. She was out of practice due to that week spent sick, and thus nearly exhausted herself again trying to regain lost ground in her chakra control.
"Ridiculous," she huffed, balanced easily on a branch. "I'm useless if I tire this easily." She bent over backwards, slowly, until she could lay both forearms on the branch, and dragged herself upside down.
"Kameko-chan!"
She started, the branch becoming elusive. It gave and wobbled under her, and she fell sideways, barely catching herself on it, wrapping arms and legs around it.
"What?" she demanded, craning her head around. A genin that she didn't recognize was staring at her with disgusted disbelief.
"I was told to get you," she said. "The others are back and they need you."
The ninja were back? And they needed her? Must be a medical emergency, she decided, abandoning the tree and following the girl to the hospital. That was the only reason they'd need her.
It was true. Somehow they'd heard that she was decent enough with a needle, and she found herself seated behind a jounin with a bottle of antiseptic and a needle. Most of the injuries were so great that no chakra could be wasted on anything that wasn't life-threatening, leaving the others who were still in one piece to administer first-aid to each other.
The jounin hissed slightly, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. "Watch it back there," he said.
"Yes, sir," she said , only half paying attention. Could any of these injuries have been caused by Tanaka-sensei? The problem with Tanaka-sensei was that she specialized in techniques and styles that anyone could use, leaving her absolutely anonymous. She was the one most often sent out for assassination assignments. She had no signature to her methods, and no way to track her.
Tanaka-sensei could be cruel, too, she mused darkly. She'd gotten so good at sewing shut wounds because her teacher had often taken to slicing her students and animals to make them practice. Kameko still had the heavy scars on her shoulder and leg from that teaching. It was part of the reason she and her teammates went to such lengths to cover their skin.
"There," she said, cutting the thread with a shuriken. "Now, don't strain it."
"I know how to deal with wounds," he grumbled, shrugging on his Jounin vest and taking another drag of his cigarette. "No need to remind me, kid."
"Sorry -- habit." she said, gathering the supplies together as she looked for someone else to tend to. She missed the sudden look he shot her.
Several stitches and one chunnin who had to be harassed into getting his swollen shoulder looked at later, things were finally slowing down. At this point, Kameko was looking for Sakura or Naruto as much as she was looking for anyone else that needed help, and she wasn't finding either.
"Um, excuse me," she said, approaching a nurse -- medic-nin? -- who didn't seem busy. "Do you know where Sakura or Naruto is?"
"Eh? What do you want to seem them for? They've been taken care of," she said, blinking at Kameko.
"I'd still like to see for myself. They're -- friends." It felt odd to say that.
"Well, give me a moment," she said, checking a book. "Looks like Sakura is in a resting room, and Naruto is in room twenty-four. Don't bother them too much, and don't wake them up, okay?"
"Sure," Kameko said, padding down the hall. She reached twenty-four before the resting rooms, and listened at the door for a moment. There was talking, but it was quiet. For a moment, she debated whether to just peek in and then leave, or knock before coming in.
It was more polite to knock. She rapped her knuckles against the door a few times, then cracked the door open when the talking stopped. Naruto looked badly beat up, but he was sitting up, and Sakura was sitting on his bed. There was a second bed in the room, on which a sleeping Sasuke was spread.
"Kameko-chan!" Naruto exclaimed in a loud whisper, apparently not trying to wake Sasuke. From the looks of him, Kameko doubted he'd wake up for a long time. He gestured for her to come in, but she still glanced at Sakura first. When Sakura didn't seem adverse to the idea, Kameko entered the room and stepped as quietly as she could to stand near Naruto's bed.
"How is he?" she asked, glancing at Sasuke.
"He'll be alright, if I know that bastard," Naruto snorted. Sakura gave him an annoyed but fond look.
"Orochimaru doesn't want him damaged. He's just sleeping," she clarified.
Orochimaru, she echoed, and shivered. "There's a guy I don't want to ever run into," she said dryly. "How are you two doing?"
"Eh, it's nothing that's going to stop me!" Naruto exclaimed with a bright grin on his face.
"Just a little chakra exhaustion," Sakura said, smiling also. She seemed to be beaming, probably because they'd managed to save Sasuke. "I'll be fine with some rest."
"Is there anything I can get you?" Kameko asked hopefully. She felt absolutely useless, having been unable to accompany them to save Sasuke, and lacking any skills that made her useful.
"I'm fine. Naruto?" Sakura asked, turning to the blond.
He was frowning, as if trying to remember something, eyes intently locked on Kameko. Her mind went blank for a moment, wondering what he was staring at her for. "Ah!" he cried, almost loudly. "Kameko-chan, how is your -- ah," he paused, glancing at Sakura. "Your -- ah, stomach?" he finished awkwardly.
She felt dizzy and unreal. He knew, she thought numbly, unhappily. He knows, and what now? "I'm okay," she said distantly, backing up slowly. "It's healing fine -- I got it fixed. I have to go -- to go, um, help with the injured," she said.
"Wait, Kameko-chan!" Naruto said, frowning. "It's okay, alright? No one here is going to hold it against you!"
Kameko glanced at Sakura, who was looking between the two of them with a confused look on her face, and then to the sleeping Sasuke. "He would," she said blandly, but she wasn't retreating anymore.
"Well, Sasuke is a bastard, so he doesn't count. Besides, he's asleep."
"What are you two talking about?" Sakura finally demanded. "What about her stomach? I healed that."
"Um, actually, Sakura-chan, you only healed the physical part," Kameko said tentatively. She paused, then went away from the door, hoping that there was no one outside listening. "It was still killing me."
"How does that work?" the girl demanded, looking worried.
"It wasn't anything to do with you or your technique," Kameko quickly reassured her. "It had to do with your patient. That jutsu that we were attacked with was made for me -- or rather, for people like me. It unseals youkai -- mostly by destroying the container."
There was a heavy silence at that -- even Naruto was quiet with a serious look on his face. Sakura looked pale and slightly panicked.
"You have a youkai?" she asked.
"Eh, it's nothing bad," Kameko said hurriedly, waving her hands. "It's low-class -- just a Sune-Kosuri. This guy was running around doing this to a lot of kids, so this other group formed to release the demons, and they developed that technique. I got a glancing blow, so it didn't kill me or release the youkai immediately. But it's okay -- I got someone to help me seal the beast."
"Eeeh?" Naruto said, his mouth hanging open. "Who?"
"This really creepy woman named Furuboshi Yachi. You know, she was asking about Ero-sennin, Naruto."
"Owah -- You ran into Yachi?" he demanded. "Did she feel you up, too?"
"You mean she does that regularly?!" Kameko demanded, shivering. "I mean -- she didn't feel-me-up-feel-me-up, but she might as well!"
"Ah, that's her signature alright! She's not staying here long, is she?"
"It sounded like she is," Kameko said, wrapping her arms around herself. "She talked about seeing me later."
Sakura was looking entirely lost, and finally Naruto took some pity on her. "Furuboshi Yachi was this kid that Ero-sennin raised and trained -- like me, only for a lot longer! She's really creepy," he added, scrunching his face into a close-eyed grimace. "Of course, spending a long time with Jiraiya will do that to a person, I guess. She's got his habits too! She spies on men in the baths!"
"Then why was she coming on to me?" Kameko demanded.
"Ero-sennin's habits," he repeated with an unhappy twist to his mouth. "Sakura-chan, make efforts not to be around Kameko-chan or me for a while -- we'll let you know when she's gone."
"I don't need to be coddled," Sakura said, frowning, but then paused. "Then again, in this situation, I think I can stand it."
"I could stand it if I were in your place," Naruto said, shaking his head. "Honestly, Sakura-chan, you do not wanna catch this woman's attention."
"Oh, I believe you. You two are acting too weird not to believe," she assured them.
Sasuke sniffled in his sleep, making Kameko uneasy. "I'd better go and let you guys get some rest. Are you sure there isn't anything you need?"
"Nah, don't worry about us, Kameko-chan!" Naruto said, grinning. "We're feeling pretty healthy. You get some rest, okay?"
"Heavens know you need some rest to recuperate from that seal almost breaking," Sakura added. "Be careful, okay? That woman sound really bad!"
"She's worse," Kameko assured them dryly.
--
Kakashi was entertaining himself with his book. He wasn’t reading it, but he was periodically turning the pages for the benefit of the medic-nin that was attending his leg, which had almost been completely cut off thanks to a slight miscalculation on his part. He wasn’t exactly pleased with that.
It wasn’t completely his fault. He didn’t like unknowns, and when that unknown had shown up and was sent on a mission under his control, he wasn’t at all pleased. He had been planning to stalk her so that she went from an unknown variable to a predictable variable, but apparently Orochimaru had heard about Sasuke’s injuries.
Of course, during a fight, as he was judging his opponent's next move, she’d flash to mind with a mental note stating that she was still an unknown, unlike the man in front of him. That was when the bastard managed to get a sword in edge-wise.
At least he’d had the decency to realize that Kakashi had to be distracted, and look cheated.
His eye scanned the page, picking up the general meaning of the words. At least there would be something to keep him busy while his students recovered.
-- To Be Continued --
Why, yes, I did get a little silly with the Naruto-Sakura-Kameko coversation toward the end. ^^;
Aand, Ya.
Yes, this is not a chapter I am paticularly proud of. Beware! MarySues and Shoujo-lovin ahead. Yachi joins in on ILMSALTM ANON meetings. Bleh.
NARUTO FIC
Title: Under the Bridge -- Chapter Ten UTB chapters in Five minutes or less
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG - 13
Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine. All resemblance to peoples real and fictional on the part of the OCs is completely accidental.
Warnings: Sue!Fic, AU
Summary: Suzubashi Kameko, genin of Otogakure, takes a teammate up on a dare. Little does she know that this dare will change her life completely.
Chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine
Chapter Ten : Enter the Pervert Prodigy
Kameko didn't find out until two days later that Sasuke had been kidnapped by Sound, and she knew why she wasn't informed or instructed to go with the other nin to retrieve him.
She worked herself to exhaustion, which wasn't hard to do, and when she tried to use chakra, it sent jagged bolts of pain through her body. She hadn't dared use the public hot springs the entire time she'd been here for fear of her seal being revealed, but now that both were visible and her torso was still shot with black jagged splotches and smeared green and yellow, and she felt weaker than ever, she didn't really think it made a difference anymore.
All of the nin would be gone to get Sasuke, after all, wouldn't they?
It turned out that the hot springs was completely abandoned, so she forewent the towel, denying all modesty. What did it matter anyway?
She'd been in the springs long enough for her skin to turn pink and wrinkled on her fingertips, and to have sweated most of her hair wet when she heard the sound of someone else walking in. With a flash of panic, she lost her previous emotionless bravo, and dunked down nose-level in the water, eyeing the door.
In walked an absurdly well endowed woman. She wasn't as big-breasted as Tsunade-sama, but she was rather rounded otherwise. Talk about thunder-thighs, Kameko remarked to herself. The woman was fairly attractive, with black hair and pale skin, wrapped in a towel and walking with nin-grace. Don't think I've seen her before, but I haven't seen a lot of nin.
"Hello," the woman said, smiling at her as she slipped into the hot water. "I almost didn't see you there."
"You weren't supposed to," Kameko answered after she'd lifted her head far enough to say so. "I didn't think anyone would be here."
"Mmm, I did notice that. Do you know where everyone went?"
Kameko stared for a moment longer, trying to determine if maybe instead of a Konoha nin, this was an Otogakure nin, but she wasn't ringing any bells at all. "Why are you asking me?"
"Eh, I just figured you would know. Konoha always struck me as the type of place that information gets around quick in," she said, abruptly moving closer to Kameko.
Kameko tensed nervously, reflexively curling around in a modest manner. I'm not stranger friend, stay away from me! "I don't get told anything," she said, instead. If she gets any closer, steam and water won't mean anything. If she gets close enough, she'll notice the bruising.
"Why not?" the woman asked, pouting in an attractive manner. Kameko felt a trill of unease. She'd always been a little shy of strangers, and largely homophobic. The only reason she hadn't freaked out on Sakura was because that was medical attention she needed, and the girl had made it clear that she held Kameko at arm's length.
"Don't know," she said, using short sentences. "Don't care."
"You don't care?" the woman asked, frowning slightly. It wasn't disapproving -- it was concerned. "Why don't you care?"
"Konoha was nice enough to me, I don't question what they choose not to tell me."
The woman was moving closer. "I like it here in Konoha," she said with a bright grin. "My name is Yachi -- Furuboshi Yachi."
"Suzubashi Kameko," she replied, taking the woman's hand. It was quickly engulfed in both of Yachi's elegant hands as she leaned forward, smiling, staring into Kameko's eyes intently. At this distance, she could tell they were a deep violet. Discomfort crawled up Kameko's spine as she leaned back slightly -- then a hot blush rose in her cheeks when two of Yachi's fingers slide slowly across her wrist and palm as she released her hand.
What the hell! She wanted to scream. I'm a girl! I'm fourteen! You're -- you're who knows how old! Don't touch me!
"I just came into town. I must say, it's been strangely depressing and quiet. Would you mind being my guide?" Yachi purred.
"Um, I really, um, don't k-know Konoha that, erm, well," Kameko stuttered. She was shaking. Why was she shaking? She didn't dare climb out of the water for fear that the bruising and seals would be noticed, but she was almost willing to just to get away from Yachi. She was starting to scare her.
"Oh, really? That's a pity," Yachi said, sitting back and turning her eyes to the ceiling. Kameko sucked in a few breaths of air, the humidity making it hard to breath to begin with. "Hmmm, I don't suppose you know if a man, Jiraiya came by? Any tales of some long-haired pervert? Any mention of Ero-Sennin?"
"Ero-sennin?" Kameko asked, frowning. Wasn't that what Naruto had called that man in the alley? "Um, I think so."
"Oh?" Yachi purred, suddenly turning that liquid gaze back on Kameko. "Do you know where he is?"
"I --ah, no," she stuttered, blushed again.
"Well, why don't you come with me, so we can search for him? I'll buy you dinner, if you'd like."
"I ah -- actually, um ..."
"Wonderful!" Yachi exclaimed, standing. She held out one long, elegant hand to Kameko. Her hands are big, compared to mine, she thought to herself.
"I ... ah, forgot a towel, Furuboshi-san," she said.
Yachi frowned slightly. "Please, call me Yachi," she said. "Hold on a moment, I'll go get one for you."
As soon as she was out of the room, Kameko knew she had a narrow window for escape. Wrapping an arm around her modest chest, she stood, turning a quick circle, eyes searching for anything.
Nothing. With a muffled groan, she sank back into the water. She was stuck with that ... that creepy woman!
"Here you go, Kameko-chan," Yachi said as she held out a white towel. Kameko took it thankfully, and quickly wrapped herself up in it, trying to minimize the chance that Yachi could possibly see the bruising. She followed the woman into the next room, but hid off into the bathroom to get dressed. When she reappeared, she was horrified to see that Yachi actually had attire that covered less than the towel had.
"Oh, you're a ninja?" Yachi purred, smiling slow and leisurely.
"Ah -- yeah," Kameko said, reaching up to grab at her hitai-ate nervously. "Just recently." Just recently returned from a mission that almost took my life through my own stupidity.
It later turned out that Yachi had a will of her own, despite anything that Kameko had to say. She proceeded to drag the girl around Konoha, splurging on odds and ends. Despite the adrenaline rushing through Kameko's veins due to her uneasy fear of that woman, she was becoming sluggish, listlessly staggering after the vibrant voice of Yachi as she talking about all the things in the world. Her body ached down to her bones, what little revitalization the hot springs had given her fading as her body cooled, the bright lights of the lamps dazzling her against the dark night.
Would they catch Sasuke and bring him back? Was Tanaka-sensei part of the abduction, and would she be killed in the ensuing battle? Would Kanaye or Natsu be killed in it?
Would Naruto or Sakura?
She felt no doubt that the two would have gone after him. They were a team. All of the rules in the world wouldn't have stopped Kameko from going after Tanaka-sensei if she'd been stolen. Even through all of her time spent training Natsu, she'd not completely ignored Kameko. She'd taught and protected her when she'd thought to do so. She was the only one who'd ever paid that much attention to her.
“I need to rest,” she muttered, looking around, head spinning. “I really need to sit down.”
“Hey, Kameko-chan, are you okay?”
I must be cold, Kameko thought to herself as warm grabbed her arms, burning through both layers of cloth. I have to be cold. “I’m okay,” she insisted, trying to pull back. “I’m just tired.”
“Your chakra is almost exhausted!” Yachi hissed in sympathetic surprise. “Let me take you to my hotel room.”
Kameko experienced a short burst of extra energy. “No, really, I can get home,” she insisted.
“You can get home if you want it to cost your life!” she exclaimed, frowning. “Come on, I’ll carry you and everything. It’s not that far.”
She noted with vague distress that the woman’s voice was slipping in and out of focus. I want to sit down, she though aimlessly, as her legs wobbled. I need to ...
--
Kameko woke to the smell of natto and miso soup. She felt unusually ravenous and not even the strong smell of the natto upset it, forcing her out of the unfamiliar bed and catching Yachi’s attention.
“Ah, the little nin awakes,” she chuckled, a deep throaty sound that still set Kameko on edge with it’s odd sensuality. “I had the cooks make some good food for you.”
“Ah? Thank you,” Kameko muttered, quickly making her way to the table. She suddenly noticed that she was in yukata and froze.
“Yes I noticed the bruising,” Yachi said, giving her an unreadable slant-eyed look. “Which is why I suggest you eat the natto regardless of your feelings about it.”
"Um," Kameko replied, shifting from foot to foot. She felt nearly senseless with hunger, but the fact that someone had seen her seal was worrisome enough to override it. "Erm ..."
"Relax, Kameko-chan. You're hardly the first child I've run across with some low-level youkai sealed inside them." Yachi said, reaching over and picking up the bowl of natto. "Here, eat. You've survived that technique this long, but I can't promise how much longer you will if your starve and keep your chakra level low."
"There are more?" Kameko asked, finally stumbling forward and taking the bowl, stuffing the slimy mess into her mouth with a pair of chopsticks.
"Of course. You aren't unique. Maybe among your village you were, but not beyond there. A rather unpleasant fellow make quiet the living doing this -- sealing demons in children. Always low-level ones, granted, because his techniques would never have worked on a high-level youkai."
Kameko turned this over in her mind uneasily, stirring the natto and watching the strings stretch and tangle. Granted, when youkai were sealed, they were no longer wandering around to eat her or drive her insane, but that meant they really did exist, and that sent cold chills up her spine. She quickly scooped more food into her mouth and asked her question. "So, why do I have this ... this problem with mine?"
"Because he's trying to claw his way out, of course," Yachi said, shrugging as she pushed the bowl of miso soup over. "You're dying, and will die if you don't get him sealed again."
"I shouldn't have to," she argued. "I have a sealing chant --"
"Tattooed into your skin, yes, but it's not enough. Your dancing seal was the vortex that drew him into you, but the fact that it's moving reveals that it's been opened again, and what is a doorway is a doorway -- both an entrance and an exit."
"And that jutsu made it move," she added, setting the empty bowl aside and reaching for the soup. "That jutsu -- they were aiming for me."
"Highly likely. You are the handiwork of a man whose work they're trying to undo."
Kameko fell quiet. It was safer on her mind and appetite if she didn't ask questions while eating. She ended up eating more in that sitting than she usually knew what to do with in a week.
"Ahh, you're going to eat me out of house and home," Yachi whined. "Konohagakure must be starving you, or you've been an idiot and have been trying to train."
"Not an idiot!" Kameko snarled with unusual venom, her chopsticks clacking as her hands tightened. "I'm supposed to be okay! Everyone said I was okay."
"They would have known better if you'd told them you had a youkai sealed under all that bruising."
"The less people that know, the better," she insisted, scooping rice into her mouth.
"You'll die without the right kind of help."
"Then help me!"
Yachi and Kameko eyed each other for a moment, measuring. Eventually, Yachi closed her slanted violet eyes and sighed, propping her chin on one elegant hand. "Well, I suppose I could. You are going to die by tomorrow if I don't, and judging by the air of the village, your fellow nin won't be back soon enough to help you. You owe me, though! You've slowed me down as it is."
"Thank you," Kameko muttered. She'd worry about how she owed this woman later.
"No, no, don't thank me. You'll owe me, and that is never easy," Yachi said, smiling in a very creepy manner. "Now, I have to do some research. It won't be easy -- I have to duplicate the process that got that youkai in there to begin with. If this works, then I'll teach the process to you so that you can teach it to whoever you feel is trustworthy and won't die. After all, all this work could just as easily be undone by that jutsu as it was the first time."
"Fine, fine," Kameko muttered, reaching for the sushi rolls.
--
In the end, it was a fairly simple process, though the learning was harder. It basically took convincing the seal that there was a large object blocking it like a plug, and it stilled and faded. Kameko ended up with a headache trying to learn the method and was sent home. Yachi promised that she wouldn't need help finding her.
Instead of going home, Kameko stopped by Watanabe-san's store to explain why she couldn't come to work today, and get groceries for Yamamoto-san. Watanabe-san went on some long spiel about the trials and tribulations of employing ninja for such ordinary jobs as a shelf-stocker, and tried to convince her that the store was more important than whatever mission she was dealing with. She allowed him his dramatics, and took the groceries and left instead of trying to tell him that his life might be a little more important than a price-change on azuki beans.
She'd managed to sleep for only four hours, though, before she was restless. All the other nin were on a mission to retrieve Sasuke-kun, and she wasn't allowed along. She'd destroyed two sets of chopsticks, carving them into slivers of wood with her kunai -- there was purpose in her madness, however. She'd been trained how to use the carefully formed slices to attack with sound as the more infamous nin of Otogakure did, though she could only unnerve people with low frequency noises and distract them in battle with high frequencies. She finally made her way back to the training grounds instead of looking for or waiting for Yachi, and started stretching. She was out of practice due to that week spent sick, and thus nearly exhausted herself again trying to regain lost ground in her chakra control.
"Ridiculous," she huffed, balanced easily on a branch. "I'm useless if I tire this easily." She bent over backwards, slowly, until she could lay both forearms on the branch, and dragged herself upside down.
"Kameko-chan!"
She started, the branch becoming elusive. It gave and wobbled under her, and she fell sideways, barely catching herself on it, wrapping arms and legs around it.
"What?" she demanded, craning her head around. A genin that she didn't recognize was staring at her with disgusted disbelief.
"I was told to get you," she said. "The others are back and they need you."
The ninja were back? And they needed her? Must be a medical emergency, she decided, abandoning the tree and following the girl to the hospital. That was the only reason they'd need her.
It was true. Somehow they'd heard that she was decent enough with a needle, and she found herself seated behind a jounin with a bottle of antiseptic and a needle. Most of the injuries were so great that no chakra could be wasted on anything that wasn't life-threatening, leaving the others who were still in one piece to administer first-aid to each other.
The jounin hissed slightly, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. "Watch it back there," he said.
"Yes, sir," she said , only half paying attention. Could any of these injuries have been caused by Tanaka-sensei? The problem with Tanaka-sensei was that she specialized in techniques and styles that anyone could use, leaving her absolutely anonymous. She was the one most often sent out for assassination assignments. She had no signature to her methods, and no way to track her.
Tanaka-sensei could be cruel, too, she mused darkly. She'd gotten so good at sewing shut wounds because her teacher had often taken to slicing her students and animals to make them practice. Kameko still had the heavy scars on her shoulder and leg from that teaching. It was part of the reason she and her teammates went to such lengths to cover their skin.
"There," she said, cutting the thread with a shuriken. "Now, don't strain it."
"I know how to deal with wounds," he grumbled, shrugging on his Jounin vest and taking another drag of his cigarette. "No need to remind me, kid."
"Sorry -- habit." she said, gathering the supplies together as she looked for someone else to tend to. She missed the sudden look he shot her.
Several stitches and one chunnin who had to be harassed into getting his swollen shoulder looked at later, things were finally slowing down. At this point, Kameko was looking for Sakura or Naruto as much as she was looking for anyone else that needed help, and she wasn't finding either.
"Um, excuse me," she said, approaching a nurse -- medic-nin? -- who didn't seem busy. "Do you know where Sakura or Naruto is?"
"Eh? What do you want to seem them for? They've been taken care of," she said, blinking at Kameko.
"I'd still like to see for myself. They're -- friends." It felt odd to say that.
"Well, give me a moment," she said, checking a book. "Looks like Sakura is in a resting room, and Naruto is in room twenty-four. Don't bother them too much, and don't wake them up, okay?"
"Sure," Kameko said, padding down the hall. She reached twenty-four before the resting rooms, and listened at the door for a moment. There was talking, but it was quiet. For a moment, she debated whether to just peek in and then leave, or knock before coming in.
It was more polite to knock. She rapped her knuckles against the door a few times, then cracked the door open when the talking stopped. Naruto looked badly beat up, but he was sitting up, and Sakura was sitting on his bed. There was a second bed in the room, on which a sleeping Sasuke was spread.
"Kameko-chan!" Naruto exclaimed in a loud whisper, apparently not trying to wake Sasuke. From the looks of him, Kameko doubted he'd wake up for a long time. He gestured for her to come in, but she still glanced at Sakura first. When Sakura didn't seem adverse to the idea, Kameko entered the room and stepped as quietly as she could to stand near Naruto's bed.
"How is he?" she asked, glancing at Sasuke.
"He'll be alright, if I know that bastard," Naruto snorted. Sakura gave him an annoyed but fond look.
"Orochimaru doesn't want him damaged. He's just sleeping," she clarified.
Orochimaru, she echoed, and shivered. "There's a guy I don't want to ever run into," she said dryly. "How are you two doing?"
"Eh, it's nothing that's going to stop me!" Naruto exclaimed with a bright grin on his face.
"Just a little chakra exhaustion," Sakura said, smiling also. She seemed to be beaming, probably because they'd managed to save Sasuke. "I'll be fine with some rest."
"Is there anything I can get you?" Kameko asked hopefully. She felt absolutely useless, having been unable to accompany them to save Sasuke, and lacking any skills that made her useful.
"I'm fine. Naruto?" Sakura asked, turning to the blond.
He was frowning, as if trying to remember something, eyes intently locked on Kameko. Her mind went blank for a moment, wondering what he was staring at her for. "Ah!" he cried, almost loudly. "Kameko-chan, how is your -- ah," he paused, glancing at Sakura. "Your -- ah, stomach?" he finished awkwardly.
She felt dizzy and unreal. He knew, she thought numbly, unhappily. He knows, and what now? "I'm okay," she said distantly, backing up slowly. "It's healing fine -- I got it fixed. I have to go -- to go, um, help with the injured," she said.
"Wait, Kameko-chan!" Naruto said, frowning. "It's okay, alright? No one here is going to hold it against you!"
Kameko glanced at Sakura, who was looking between the two of them with a confused look on her face, and then to the sleeping Sasuke. "He would," she said blandly, but she wasn't retreating anymore.
"Well, Sasuke is a bastard, so he doesn't count. Besides, he's asleep."
"What are you two talking about?" Sakura finally demanded. "What about her stomach? I healed that."
"Um, actually, Sakura-chan, you only healed the physical part," Kameko said tentatively. She paused, then went away from the door, hoping that there was no one outside listening. "It was still killing me."
"How does that work?" the girl demanded, looking worried.
"It wasn't anything to do with you or your technique," Kameko quickly reassured her. "It had to do with your patient. That jutsu that we were attacked with was made for me -- or rather, for people like me. It unseals youkai -- mostly by destroying the container."
There was a heavy silence at that -- even Naruto was quiet with a serious look on his face. Sakura looked pale and slightly panicked.
"You have a youkai?" she asked.
"Eh, it's nothing bad," Kameko said hurriedly, waving her hands. "It's low-class -- just a Sune-Kosuri. This guy was running around doing this to a lot of kids, so this other group formed to release the demons, and they developed that technique. I got a glancing blow, so it didn't kill me or release the youkai immediately. But it's okay -- I got someone to help me seal the beast."
"Eeeh?" Naruto said, his mouth hanging open. "Who?"
"This really creepy woman named Furuboshi Yachi. You know, she was asking about Ero-sennin, Naruto."
"Owah -- You ran into Yachi?" he demanded. "Did she feel you up, too?"
"You mean she does that regularly?!" Kameko demanded, shivering. "I mean -- she didn't feel-me-up-feel-me-up, but she might as well!"
"Ah, that's her signature alright! She's not staying here long, is she?"
"It sounded like she is," Kameko said, wrapping her arms around herself. "She talked about seeing me later."
Sakura was looking entirely lost, and finally Naruto took some pity on her. "Furuboshi Yachi was this kid that Ero-sennin raised and trained -- like me, only for a lot longer! She's really creepy," he added, scrunching his face into a close-eyed grimace. "Of course, spending a long time with Jiraiya will do that to a person, I guess. She's got his habits too! She spies on men in the baths!"
"Then why was she coming on to me?" Kameko demanded.
"Ero-sennin's habits," he repeated with an unhappy twist to his mouth. "Sakura-chan, make efforts not to be around Kameko-chan or me for a while -- we'll let you know when she's gone."
"I don't need to be coddled," Sakura said, frowning, but then paused. "Then again, in this situation, I think I can stand it."
"I could stand it if I were in your place," Naruto said, shaking his head. "Honestly, Sakura-chan, you do not wanna catch this woman's attention."
"Oh, I believe you. You two are acting too weird not to believe," she assured them.
Sasuke sniffled in his sleep, making Kameko uneasy. "I'd better go and let you guys get some rest. Are you sure there isn't anything you need?"
"Nah, don't worry about us, Kameko-chan!" Naruto said, grinning. "We're feeling pretty healthy. You get some rest, okay?"
"Heavens know you need some rest to recuperate from that seal almost breaking," Sakura added. "Be careful, okay? That woman sound really bad!"
"She's worse," Kameko assured them dryly.
--
Kakashi was entertaining himself with his book. He wasn’t reading it, but he was periodically turning the pages for the benefit of the medic-nin that was attending his leg, which had almost been completely cut off thanks to a slight miscalculation on his part. He wasn’t exactly pleased with that.
It wasn’t completely his fault. He didn’t like unknowns, and when that unknown had shown up and was sent on a mission under his control, he wasn’t at all pleased. He had been planning to stalk her so that she went from an unknown variable to a predictable variable, but apparently Orochimaru had heard about Sasuke’s injuries.
Of course, during a fight, as he was judging his opponent's next move, she’d flash to mind with a mental note stating that she was still an unknown, unlike the man in front of him. That was when the bastard managed to get a sword in edge-wise.
At least he’d had the decency to realize that Kakashi had to be distracted, and look cheated.
His eye scanned the page, picking up the general meaning of the words. At least there would be something to keep him busy while his students recovered.
-- To Be Continued --
Why, yes, I did get a little silly with the Naruto-Sakura-Kameko coversation toward the end. ^^;
Aand, Ya.