A mission in the rain
Title: A mission in the rain
Series: Hikaru no Go/ Naruto fusion
Continuity of Au: Academy Days fic number 6
After: Miles to Go as well as The Will of Stone
But before: The Burden of Expectations** (still locked. Um, will do something about that soon)
Warnings: Not for the under 17 set. Deals with the more darker missions that probably do crop up in the world of shadows and senbon.
Anyways, I don't quite know how to write these sorts of warnings since it's not something I normally write, and I actually am quite squicked by the idea. But also, how does one write a warning without giving away plot?
But my prompt was: Red Light District. Much thanks to alita_b_angel for the prompt.
There's nothing even remotely graphic. But there is insinuation. I try not to treat this subject lightly. They're just so young and in such a hard world.
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The rain was beginning to really annoy Hikaru as it slipped down the back of his shirt and soaked him through. Rain also made too much noise; it was hard to concentrate and filter through the wall of white sound in order to pick up the possible traces of an enemy approaching.
As the host of Sai, however, he did have the slight advantage in that the sealed summon could read chakra signatures.
But it's not like that's useful when nothing interesting ever approaches, Hikaru thought sourly. I hate having sentry duty when the others get to go out! Stupid old geezers. It's not like I'm going to go blow up Wave Country or anything.
What?! Oh, don't you even start that. It just happened once. And at least the pig manure cushioned the fallout. Hikaru itched his forehead protector, nose wrinkling involuntarily at the memory. Jeez, why won't they just let me try one outside mission? I bet they let Touya out on foreign missions! And they're GONNA have to let me leave for the chunin exam, right?!
The thought made him hunker once again, and concentrate on the falling rain. Yeah, yeah, gotta pass this mission first otherwise we're never gonna get to go anywhere.
Hikaru had been staring at nothing for around three hours when he suddenly felt a flicker of chakra quickly approaching. The sentries ahead had just given the signal for all clear -- ally approaching but he knew that if he didn't follow proper procedures for the matter, Ashiwara-sensei would disapprove.
Of all their jonin sensei, Ashiwara-sensei was perhaps the youngest and kindest. For some reason, this made his reprimands even worse. At least with Kurata-sense and Ogata-sensei, Hikaru had the satisfaction of calling them nit picking bastards -- for they were nit picking bastards, quite honestly. It didn't quite feel right filing Ashiwara under the same category, even though he had the same exacting standards as Ogata and Kurata. But Ashiwara seemed to take it as a personal failure when the young nin under his guidance didn't quite meet his expectations.
Do not engage, came the second signal. Hikaru tilted his head. A high level mission then, ANBU or Jonin coming through with vital news for the Ishikage.
Hikaru logged the incident in his memory, even as he crouched back down. Strange -- why aren't they just teleporting into the village?
He wiped the droplets from his face as he awaited the approach. Once again, he debated using the new chakra technique he had just mastered to funnel the rain from him, but a disapproving buzz from his seal made him roll his eyes.
What do you mean I need to conserve chakra for more important things? This is important, Hikaru grumbled mentally. I'm getting cold, and it's friggin wet, and Ashiwara-sensei's going to ask why I didn't use that jutsu.
He scowled. I don't care if real ninja are made to brave the elements. I'm sure you'd like to feel the rain again, but it's my body and it doesn't feel great, let me tell you.
Still, he didn't cast the rain repelling jutsu. There was little point; he had five more hours to go, and he knew that near the end, he would indeed run out of chakra and still be just as wet.
The chakra signature was growing stronger. Hikaru stiffened as the energy sharpened and focused, and his hands fisted against the rough bark of his lookout branch.
He knew this signature, knew it almost as intimately as he knew his own and Sai's. He knew it in the way his blood seemed to quicken in his veins when he felt the energy approach. The way the air changed, ever so slightly. If he was to compare it with an instinct, it was almost akin to fight or flight.
There was only one nin in the whole village that it could possibly be. One who always made him either chase, or run, or to stand teeth bared and ready to do battle until they both could not stand.
Touya, he thought.
Do not engage had been the signal.
Touya wouldn't appreciate Hikaru stopping him during a mission. He had declared that Hikaru would never be his equal. Moreover, Touya was returning from a top secret mission, with a notification signal only given for jonin and ANBU.
But when -- he couldn't have just passed the ... but ... Hikaru gritted his teeth. Has he really gotten that far ahead of me?!
Do not engage.
Fuck that.
The signature was only fifty meters and closing.
Touya would probably fight him. Pin Hikaru with a few senbon, then finish with a kunai to his neck. Afterwards that cold voice would tell Hikaru exactly how he had managed to not be a true ninja, and how Hikaru's moves had disappointed him.
"I will never appear before you again!"
Hikaru narrowed his eyes. Twenty meters. Ten.
C'mon, Touya. I'm right here. Waiting. Hikaru tensed on his branch, every muscle at the ready. Even if it's just to hear you say again how I'll never be a ninja ...
Five meters.
Then, in the curtain of falling rain, Hikaru caught his first glimpse of his eternal rival.
And found himself frozen.
Touya ran faster than a normal human eye could track, so fast it seemed like he was flying. The effect was enhanced by the fact he wasn't wearing a normal mission uniform; instead, long sleeves of an elaborate kimono trailed like wings at his side. Touya touched lightly on each branch, never stopping for longer than a heartbeat. It was like he was a ribbon of wind, twining between the storm and the night sky.
Almost too quick for thought, Touya paused mid-leap. For a hushed half second, he hung in the air, and his eyes met Hikaru's through the silver rain.
Do not engage.
Then Touya was gone, and the sound of the rain again filled the grey, cold night.
*****
"So, Shindou-kun, what do you have to report?" Ashiwara-sensei asked when the first hint of morning had graced the rain choked skies.
"There were four incoming missions. They all gave me the correct codes to go on. The first team was Team Nase coming back from a genin mission. I think they were successful, but they really reeked. Probably had something to do with dogs, because that's what it smelled like. Fukui was missing his kunai holster; looked like it was gnawed off.
The second was a chunin coming back from a lone mission. I dunno who she was, but she had a scroll strapped to her back and I thought her senbon pouch seemed flat and empty. I don't know about her other weapons. I guess she must've engaged the enemy.
The third mission back was team Oochi, and they had six birds with them. Oh, they were also covered in bird shit and Isumi had six cuts across his face like so."
Lifting his fingers to his face, Hikaru gestured to the exact spots on his own cheek. "Kishimoto had his left eye bandaged, and Oochi was limping. If I was gonna guess, I bet they went after the nestlings first instead of doing something about the adults, and that's why they were mobbed so bad. The ones they did manage to catch looked kinda like bald chickens -- Oochi must've used that crappy hair jutsu of his again. They also lost their weapons belts. Anyways, I sent the signal ahead to the medic nins for them. And the final incoming mission was ... ah."
He hesitated, then straightened his back. "I received the do not engage signal from the outer sentries, so, um, I didn't ask."
If Ashiwara had noticed the pause, he made no indication. After asking Hikaru for some more details regarding how many foxes had crossed the path, and the pattern of the rainfall, he had nodded once and praised him.
"You'd be really good in reconnaissance," Ashiwara-sensei mused. "Seiji and Atasushi mentioned that you had an eye for detail and analysis, and I think they're right."
Hikaru barely stopped himself from pumping a fist into the air. Ashiwara probably noticed his grin though.
"You're coming along very well, Shindou-kun. I was very surprised when you became a genin so fast, but I must say you've come very far."
Inside, Hikaru did another mental victory dance. Did you hear that, Sai?! Since Ashiwara-sensei doesn't know about you ... so he really must see my strength!
"Very well, you are dismissed. If tomorrow night's observations go as well as the last four nights, you will be able to mark a successfully completed mission on your record."
Score! That'll bring up my ranking towards the chunin exams! We're on our way! Hikaru closed his fists, physically enacting the mentally picture of himself grasping that victory. But the thought of the chunin exams brought the thought of ...
Touya. Last night.
"Ah, Ashiwara-sensei?" Hikaru said. The jonin had been ready to depart, but he turned and tilted his head.
"Yes, Shindou-kun?"
"About T-touy-- ah, the .... erm, do-not-engage message," Hikaru hesitated as Ashiwara stiffened. His lips became a thin line, and Hikaru could see that he had clenched his jaw.
"Shindou-kun. You know better than to ask about those."
"Yes, but ..." Hikaru scratched the back of his head. All the joy from Ashiwara's praise had seeped out of him.
It hadn't been the wild nature of his rival that had stopped him from engaging Touya. Nor had it been the sudden need to follow mission directives.
Even given that quick flash of frozen time, Hikaru could still remember the details of the torn obi and the tattered sleeves. The pattern of the ripped cloth indicated that the tears were not made by a knife or kunai, but by bare hands. The bottom half of the kimono had sustained the worst of the damage, with a tear running up past his hips and to his .... Hikaru flinched.
The welts at his wrists indicated that Touya's arms had been pinned, and a bruise had been ripening in a vivid shade of purple across his cheek.
Despite what the nit picking bastards, genin and Touya Akira might think of him, Hikaru wasn't stupid. His strength, as Ashiwara had noted, was to read a situation to its depth, form conclusions, and make a plan to act ... or not.
Touya had let someone get that close, let someone rip the kimono open at his hip, let them hit him and pin him and then -- Hikaru couldn't read any further, though he wasn't certain if it was by his own choice or because things had stopped there.
Hikaru had been in the world of shadows, summons, and senbon long enough to know that not all missions were about just watching the village as it lay silent in the rain. Not all missions ended up in pulse pounding battles. Not all missions were as comedic as chasing after a flock of birds or rescuing lost dogs.
There were the ones where they had to kill the innocent in their sleep, in order so that more innocents would not die in the heat of battle. The ones where they were the bad guys, the ones who toppled governments and provoked wars so there could be peace in their own village.
And sometimes, there were the missions where they played the innocents, so that the innocents might be protected. The seal burned on his chest, and Hikaru knew the answer in that blood; it never balanced. But they were ninja, and this was their dichotomy -- defense and attack -- reaching for peace with one hand while palming a kunai in the other. He felt his own hands, empty at his sides.
He was reaching for something as well, wasn't he?
I shouldn't have complained, last night, huh? About not ever getting to leave home. Cause' sometimes, coming home ...
Hikaru flinched. Ashiwara was letting the silence weigh down between them -- perhaps in order so Hikaru could understand the gravity of his question.
Fuck that. I know what I'm asking. And why. Hikaru gritted his teeth and straightened his shoulders.
"He's my ..." he swallowed, but held Ashiwara's gaze. The words eternal rival wasn't enough, not here. There had been no fight in Touya's gaze. "...friend."
Ashiwara's lips thinned even further. But when Hikaru didn't back down, he merely nodded once.
"Last night, a mistake was made, though not on your part. The border guards should have never routed that ninja past you. They should have given clearance for ... the ninja ... to just teleport, instead of making him run home. The guards will be reprimanded, severely. As for you, the village does not appreciate you questioning this," Ashiwara said. "And if we go further, it may cause your mission to be marked as a failure and thus reflect badly on your record."
Hikaru said nothing, because there really wasn't anything else he could say. He just held his stance, unmoving. Ashiwara studied him for a moment longer, then, he took a quick, indrawn breath.
"As your jonin instructor," he said, "All I can say is that you must never mention it again. To anyone."
Hikaru nodded once, sharply. "I won't. And I don't care about the details. I just care about --" He cut himself off, unwilling to say the name, as if merely by speaking a syllable, he'd expose everything.
Ashiwara looked at him, then, to Hikaru's surprise, he nodded once, and looked away. "Very well. As your jonin instructor, I am informing that your mission will now be marked as unsuccessful, on the grounds that you did not heed my advice nor did you heed the boundaries set by your rank as a genin. And I am not at liberty to divulge mission details, nor comfirm what you might have already deduced. But as a ... friend to ... what I can say is that .... there is a type of mission that is relatively rare but highly necessary.
And I can say that we never send genin on the sorts of missions that are not suitable for them. And normally we would not even send young chunin. It's a waste of resources, and I ... would like to think we wouldn't ... use ... our resources so carelessly. But sometimes, in these sorts of missions, a henge or modified clone would have been detected. Moreover, there are missions which are far too important and thus rules have to be bent, no matter how we feel about it."
The jonin stared at the cloud filled sky; it was now bright enough to be full morning by the time they both made it back to the gates. "It was a successful mission, even if it was his first ... like that," he said softly, as to himself. "And ... nothing happened. Thank god, nothing happened."
At those words, Hikaru felt his muscles loosen. They still ached slightly though, as if he had spent a long time running.
Huh, he thought, wearily. So he had been tense the whole night? He hadn't noticed, until this moment.
"Shindou-kun, I tell you again that you must never --"
"What are you talking about, Ashiwara-sensei?" Hikaru scratched the back of his neck. "You know me, I'm new at this ninja thing. I'm always forgetting everything."
"For that, you should be reprimanded. Forgetting mission details is behavior not befitting a future shinobi of Stone," Ashiwara said.
However, the brief smile on his face, and the way Ashiwara-sensei inclined his head made Hikaru felt as if he had received the highest praise ever.
*****
Hikaru wasn't asleep, even though it was late enough to be early morning.
And when the shadow crossed his window, Hikaru didn't jump or make a sound. He merely unlatched the frame, and said, softly "if you want to talk or fight, can we take it to the roof? I don't want to wake my parents."
He had barely made it to the flat top when he had to dodge again; senbon, his mind analyzed. Touya's favorite weapon. Less than ten seconds later, he was pinned the rain-slicked roof, and there was a kunai to his throat.
The edge was pressed down so hard that Hikaru had to bite his lip to keep back the grunt of pain. He could feel a warm trickle slide down the side of his neck.
"Why were you asking questions regarding my mission?" Touya's voice was little more than a hiss of air against Hikaru's ear. Hikaru didn't reply; if he even moved the slightest centimeter, the blade would slit his throat.
A few more heartbeats passed. The roof was cold and wet against Hikaru back. He did not shiver. He stared calmly back at Touya even as the other held him in an assassin's embrace.
Finally, inch by inch, the kunai lifted. Touya backed off. Hikaru found he could also move his arms again, so he carefully sat up. One hand rubbed the cut on his throat absently. His fingers came back red, but the wound was a shallow one.
"I saw your mission's report." Touya's voice remained at a low growl. "It was incomplete -- which is absurd, even for you -- given that it was a simple sentry mission."
"I just failed, okay? Isn't that what you expect of me anyway?" Hikaru made his way to the edge of the roof, at the point where he would be the farthest away from his parents' room. "And I bet it didn't even mention you in the report. So why are you so pissed off?"
"I am not stupid, Shindou. The only time details are left out of failed sentry mission is when the mission touches upon classified information. And the only classified mission that passed by you last night --"
"What're you doing looking at my mission reports anyway? I thought you didn't care. You said you weren't ever going to appear in front of me again." Hikaru felt, more than saw Touya stiffen.
"Shindou, don't you even dare --"
"But maybe this isn't about being rivals. Or who's chasing whom, or even about me catching up and making you see I'm worthy." It had begun to rain again, and unlike his mission jacket, his pajamas were nowhere near being waterproof. Yet, he did not cast the water repelling jutsu. Instead, Hikaru bowed his head and let the rain wash down upon him. "Maybe last night wasn't about me being a ninja and that's why I failed."
"What?" Touya had moved so that he was now crouched right beside Hikaru. He was close enough to push Hikaru off the edge, if he so chose.
"Look, all that -- rival stuff AND the ninja stuff - don't get me wrong, that's really important to me, but this wasn't a part of that," Hikaru swung his legs, then swiped his dripping nose with a sleeve. He suddenly felt strangely old and young at the same time, and it made him shake his head in irritation.
"Then what is it about?" Hikaru could barely hear Touya's voice above the patter of the raindrops. "What else could there possibly be between us? At least I always complete my missions. No matter what they are. The details are unimportant and should remain as such to you. Especially to you. I don't appreciate you questioning into matters that ... it's clear you don't understand anything!"
"No. I probably don't." Hikaru tilted his head up, not even flinching as the water ran into his eyes.
"But you don't understand either. First off, before you even start spewing more shit ... this is not about pity, or questioning your abilities, or any crap like that. And don't blame Ashiwara-sensei. It ...wasn't out of duty to a ninja but out of respect for a friend that he told me anything instead of leaving me to guess and to -- anyways, what I was really thinking ... and am still thinking ... well, this is kinda really selfish actually."
He shrugged. "I'm ... thanking a higher power that someone I cared about wasn't hurt badly ... this time. Because I wouldn't know what I'd do, if a person who was special to me was hurt in that way ... or in any way, really. And I'm thinking -- not about you, actually -- but about what I'd do, on my first mission like that. How alone I'd feel, afterwards."
Touya said nothing. Then, the tension seemed to drain out of him and he came to sit by Hikaru's side. His right shoulder touched Hikaru's left one, briefly. For a moment, Touya tensed, but then when Hikaru did not make any motion like flinching or moving away, he settled down again, leaving their shoulders together.
Hikaru could feel the warmth emanating from Touya. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the welts on Touya's wrists had disappeared, and the bruise on his face had already been healed as well. There was nothing in his stance to indicate anything remained from that kimono-wearing nin that had passed by Hikaru last night. Touya looked like any other normal nin.
Just like I do, Hikaru thought, as one hand drifted to the blood seal on his chest.
Hikaru didn't know how long they sat on his roof, saying nothing while watching the rain together. Finally though, Touya stood. His motions were very, very stiff.
Turning his back to Hikaru, he said, "I still do not see you as my rival. I still won't appear in front of you as such."
"And I still am gonna prove you wrong." Hikaru's voice was just as firm and determined. "But ... you're always welcome on my roof, even if you don't see me as your rival. You know?"
There wasn't measurable change in Touya's stance. But after a heartbeat's pause, he nodded. "Thank you," he said, softly.
Then, there was a soft whoosh of air, and Touya was gone. Hikaru spent another moment watching the rain, the clambered up to his feet. He brushed his hand against his dry --
Wait. Dry?! Hikaru blinked. He had thought that he had been too preoccupied with Touya to really notice the rain anymore, when really --
Touya. He must've cast ... he shook his head wryly, then paused as the seal on his chest flickered. What? Why didn't you say anything? He blinked. What do you mean, you didn't want to ruin the atmosphere?! And he did it from the moment we started sitting together? Really? And I didn't notice?
Damn it. He's good isn't he? I've got so far to go.
He grinned, staring out into the sleeping village. Then, with a yawn, he slipped back to his bedroom and to his waiting blankets.
A warming jutsu had been cast on them too.
-end
---
A/N-- I'm sorry alita_b_angel I was trying for fluff, but this came out instead. I don't know if it even fits your prompt, but it came after I thought about it and had difficulties writing a non-serious fic. But yeah. I think where canon Hikaru and Akira leave off and the AU Hikaru and Akira come in is that I think the friendship part of their relationship may build a little earlier with the latter two, because it's a harsher world, with harsher realities, and it's hard being alone. They're meant to face it as opponents and as a pair.
It's also a heavy subject matter. Luckily, Akira got off okay this time, and I don't want to think about it cause it kinda squicks me, but I hope I treated the subject with both a not-too-preachy sort of atmosphere as well as a respectful one. Here's hoping.
Thank you to therhoda and Imbrium for reading through and telling me that it's okay to post, even if I was uncertain of the content.
Thank you for reading. If possible, please let me know what you think!
-muri
Series: Hikaru no Go/ Naruto fusion
Continuity of Au: Academy Days fic number 6
After: Miles to Go as well as The Will of Stone
But before: The Burden of Expectations** (still locked. Um, will do something about that soon)
Warnings: Not for the under 17 set. Deals with the more darker missions that probably do crop up in the world of shadows and senbon.
Anyways, I don't quite know how to write these sorts of warnings since it's not something I normally write, and I actually am quite squicked by the idea. But also, how does one write a warning without giving away plot?
But my prompt was: Red Light District. Much thanks to alita_b_angel for the prompt.
There's nothing even remotely graphic. But there is insinuation. I try not to treat this subject lightly. They're just so young and in such a hard world.
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The rain was beginning to really annoy Hikaru as it slipped down the back of his shirt and soaked him through. Rain also made too much noise; it was hard to concentrate and filter through the wall of white sound in order to pick up the possible traces of an enemy approaching.
As the host of Sai, however, he did have the slight advantage in that the sealed summon could read chakra signatures.
But it's not like that's useful when nothing interesting ever approaches, Hikaru thought sourly. I hate having sentry duty when the others get to go out! Stupid old geezers. It's not like I'm going to go blow up Wave Country or anything.
What?! Oh, don't you even start that. It just happened once. And at least the pig manure cushioned the fallout. Hikaru itched his forehead protector, nose wrinkling involuntarily at the memory. Jeez, why won't they just let me try one outside mission? I bet they let Touya out on foreign missions! And they're GONNA have to let me leave for the chunin exam, right?!
The thought made him hunker once again, and concentrate on the falling rain. Yeah, yeah, gotta pass this mission first otherwise we're never gonna get to go anywhere.
Hikaru had been staring at nothing for around three hours when he suddenly felt a flicker of chakra quickly approaching. The sentries ahead had just given the signal for all clear -- ally approaching but he knew that if he didn't follow proper procedures for the matter, Ashiwara-sensei would disapprove.
Of all their jonin sensei, Ashiwara-sensei was perhaps the youngest and kindest. For some reason, this made his reprimands even worse. At least with Kurata-sense and Ogata-sensei, Hikaru had the satisfaction of calling them nit picking bastards -- for they were nit picking bastards, quite honestly. It didn't quite feel right filing Ashiwara under the same category, even though he had the same exacting standards as Ogata and Kurata. But Ashiwara seemed to take it as a personal failure when the young nin under his guidance didn't quite meet his expectations.
Do not engage, came the second signal. Hikaru tilted his head. A high level mission then, ANBU or Jonin coming through with vital news for the Ishikage.
Hikaru logged the incident in his memory, even as he crouched back down. Strange -- why aren't they just teleporting into the village?
He wiped the droplets from his face as he awaited the approach. Once again, he debated using the new chakra technique he had just mastered to funnel the rain from him, but a disapproving buzz from his seal made him roll his eyes.
What do you mean I need to conserve chakra for more important things? This is important, Hikaru grumbled mentally. I'm getting cold, and it's friggin wet, and Ashiwara-sensei's going to ask why I didn't use that jutsu.
He scowled. I don't care if real ninja are made to brave the elements. I'm sure you'd like to feel the rain again, but it's my body and it doesn't feel great, let me tell you.
Still, he didn't cast the rain repelling jutsu. There was little point; he had five more hours to go, and he knew that near the end, he would indeed run out of chakra and still be just as wet.
The chakra signature was growing stronger. Hikaru stiffened as the energy sharpened and focused, and his hands fisted against the rough bark of his lookout branch.
He knew this signature, knew it almost as intimately as he knew his own and Sai's. He knew it in the way his blood seemed to quicken in his veins when he felt the energy approach. The way the air changed, ever so slightly. If he was to compare it with an instinct, it was almost akin to fight or flight.
There was only one nin in the whole village that it could possibly be. One who always made him either chase, or run, or to stand teeth bared and ready to do battle until they both could not stand.
Touya, he thought.
Do not engage had been the signal.
Touya wouldn't appreciate Hikaru stopping him during a mission. He had declared that Hikaru would never be his equal. Moreover, Touya was returning from a top secret mission, with a notification signal only given for jonin and ANBU.
But when -- he couldn't have just passed the ... but ... Hikaru gritted his teeth. Has he really gotten that far ahead of me?!
Do not engage.
Fuck that.
The signature was only fifty meters and closing.
Touya would probably fight him. Pin Hikaru with a few senbon, then finish with a kunai to his neck. Afterwards that cold voice would tell Hikaru exactly how he had managed to not be a true ninja, and how Hikaru's moves had disappointed him.
"I will never appear before you again!"
Hikaru narrowed his eyes. Twenty meters. Ten.
C'mon, Touya. I'm right here. Waiting. Hikaru tensed on his branch, every muscle at the ready. Even if it's just to hear you say again how I'll never be a ninja ...
Five meters.
Then, in the curtain of falling rain, Hikaru caught his first glimpse of his eternal rival.
And found himself frozen.
Touya ran faster than a normal human eye could track, so fast it seemed like he was flying. The effect was enhanced by the fact he wasn't wearing a normal mission uniform; instead, long sleeves of an elaborate kimono trailed like wings at his side. Touya touched lightly on each branch, never stopping for longer than a heartbeat. It was like he was a ribbon of wind, twining between the storm and the night sky.
Almost too quick for thought, Touya paused mid-leap. For a hushed half second, he hung in the air, and his eyes met Hikaru's through the silver rain.
Do not engage.
Then Touya was gone, and the sound of the rain again filled the grey, cold night.
*****
"So, Shindou-kun, what do you have to report?" Ashiwara-sensei asked when the first hint of morning had graced the rain choked skies.
"There were four incoming missions. They all gave me the correct codes to go on. The first team was Team Nase coming back from a genin mission. I think they were successful, but they really reeked. Probably had something to do with dogs, because that's what it smelled like. Fukui was missing his kunai holster; looked like it was gnawed off.
The second was a chunin coming back from a lone mission. I dunno who she was, but she had a scroll strapped to her back and I thought her senbon pouch seemed flat and empty. I don't know about her other weapons. I guess she must've engaged the enemy.
The third mission back was team Oochi, and they had six birds with them. Oh, they were also covered in bird shit and Isumi had six cuts across his face like so."
Lifting his fingers to his face, Hikaru gestured to the exact spots on his own cheek. "Kishimoto had his left eye bandaged, and Oochi was limping. If I was gonna guess, I bet they went after the nestlings first instead of doing something about the adults, and that's why they were mobbed so bad. The ones they did manage to catch looked kinda like bald chickens -- Oochi must've used that crappy hair jutsu of his again. They also lost their weapons belts. Anyways, I sent the signal ahead to the medic nins for them. And the final incoming mission was ... ah."
He hesitated, then straightened his back. "I received the do not engage signal from the outer sentries, so, um, I didn't ask."
If Ashiwara had noticed the pause, he made no indication. After asking Hikaru for some more details regarding how many foxes had crossed the path, and the pattern of the rainfall, he had nodded once and praised him.
"You'd be really good in reconnaissance," Ashiwara-sensei mused. "Seiji and Atasushi mentioned that you had an eye for detail and analysis, and I think they're right."
Hikaru barely stopped himself from pumping a fist into the air. Ashiwara probably noticed his grin though.
"You're coming along very well, Shindou-kun. I was very surprised when you became a genin so fast, but I must say you've come very far."
Inside, Hikaru did another mental victory dance. Did you hear that, Sai?! Since Ashiwara-sensei doesn't know about you ... so he really must see my strength!
"Very well, you are dismissed. If tomorrow night's observations go as well as the last four nights, you will be able to mark a successfully completed mission on your record."
Score! That'll bring up my ranking towards the chunin exams! We're on our way! Hikaru closed his fists, physically enacting the mentally picture of himself grasping that victory. But the thought of the chunin exams brought the thought of ...
Touya. Last night.
"Ah, Ashiwara-sensei?" Hikaru said. The jonin had been ready to depart, but he turned and tilted his head.
"Yes, Shindou-kun?"
"About T-touy-- ah, the .... erm, do-not-engage message," Hikaru hesitated as Ashiwara stiffened. His lips became a thin line, and Hikaru could see that he had clenched his jaw.
"Shindou-kun. You know better than to ask about those."
"Yes, but ..." Hikaru scratched the back of his head. All the joy from Ashiwara's praise had seeped out of him.
It hadn't been the wild nature of his rival that had stopped him from engaging Touya. Nor had it been the sudden need to follow mission directives.
Even given that quick flash of frozen time, Hikaru could still remember the details of the torn obi and the tattered sleeves. The pattern of the ripped cloth indicated that the tears were not made by a knife or kunai, but by bare hands. The bottom half of the kimono had sustained the worst of the damage, with a tear running up past his hips and to his .... Hikaru flinched.
The welts at his wrists indicated that Touya's arms had been pinned, and a bruise had been ripening in a vivid shade of purple across his cheek.
Despite what the nit picking bastards, genin and Touya Akira might think of him, Hikaru wasn't stupid. His strength, as Ashiwara had noted, was to read a situation to its depth, form conclusions, and make a plan to act ... or not.
Touya had let someone get that close, let someone rip the kimono open at his hip, let them hit him and pin him and then -- Hikaru couldn't read any further, though he wasn't certain if it was by his own choice or because things had stopped there.
Hikaru had been in the world of shadows, summons, and senbon long enough to know that not all missions were about just watching the village as it lay silent in the rain. Not all missions ended up in pulse pounding battles. Not all missions were as comedic as chasing after a flock of birds or rescuing lost dogs.
There were the ones where they had to kill the innocent in their sleep, in order so that more innocents would not die in the heat of battle. The ones where they were the bad guys, the ones who toppled governments and provoked wars so there could be peace in their own village.
And sometimes, there were the missions where they played the innocents, so that the innocents might be protected. The seal burned on his chest, and Hikaru knew the answer in that blood; it never balanced. But they were ninja, and this was their dichotomy -- defense and attack -- reaching for peace with one hand while palming a kunai in the other. He felt his own hands, empty at his sides.
He was reaching for something as well, wasn't he?
I shouldn't have complained, last night, huh? About not ever getting to leave home. Cause' sometimes, coming home ...
Hikaru flinched. Ashiwara was letting the silence weigh down between them -- perhaps in order so Hikaru could understand the gravity of his question.
Fuck that. I know what I'm asking. And why. Hikaru gritted his teeth and straightened his shoulders.
"He's my ..." he swallowed, but held Ashiwara's gaze. The words eternal rival wasn't enough, not here. There had been no fight in Touya's gaze. "...friend."
Ashiwara's lips thinned even further. But when Hikaru didn't back down, he merely nodded once.
"Last night, a mistake was made, though not on your part. The border guards should have never routed that ninja past you. They should have given clearance for ... the ninja ... to just teleport, instead of making him run home. The guards will be reprimanded, severely. As for you, the village does not appreciate you questioning this," Ashiwara said. "And if we go further, it may cause your mission to be marked as a failure and thus reflect badly on your record."
Hikaru said nothing, because there really wasn't anything else he could say. He just held his stance, unmoving. Ashiwara studied him for a moment longer, then, he took a quick, indrawn breath.
"As your jonin instructor," he said, "All I can say is that you must never mention it again. To anyone."
Hikaru nodded once, sharply. "I won't. And I don't care about the details. I just care about --" He cut himself off, unwilling to say the name, as if merely by speaking a syllable, he'd expose everything.
Ashiwara looked at him, then, to Hikaru's surprise, he nodded once, and looked away. "Very well. As your jonin instructor, I am informing that your mission will now be marked as unsuccessful, on the grounds that you did not heed my advice nor did you heed the boundaries set by your rank as a genin. And I am not at liberty to divulge mission details, nor comfirm what you might have already deduced. But as a ... friend to ... what I can say is that .... there is a type of mission that is relatively rare but highly necessary.
And I can say that we never send genin on the sorts of missions that are not suitable for them. And normally we would not even send young chunin. It's a waste of resources, and I ... would like to think we wouldn't ... use ... our resources so carelessly. But sometimes, in these sorts of missions, a henge or modified clone would have been detected. Moreover, there are missions which are far too important and thus rules have to be bent, no matter how we feel about it."
The jonin stared at the cloud filled sky; it was now bright enough to be full morning by the time they both made it back to the gates. "It was a successful mission, even if it was his first ... like that," he said softly, as to himself. "And ... nothing happened. Thank god, nothing happened."
At those words, Hikaru felt his muscles loosen. They still ached slightly though, as if he had spent a long time running.
Huh, he thought, wearily. So he had been tense the whole night? He hadn't noticed, until this moment.
"Shindou-kun, I tell you again that you must never --"
"What are you talking about, Ashiwara-sensei?" Hikaru scratched the back of his neck. "You know me, I'm new at this ninja thing. I'm always forgetting everything."
"For that, you should be reprimanded. Forgetting mission details is behavior not befitting a future shinobi of Stone," Ashiwara said.
However, the brief smile on his face, and the way Ashiwara-sensei inclined his head made Hikaru felt as if he had received the highest praise ever.
*****
Hikaru wasn't asleep, even though it was late enough to be early morning.
And when the shadow crossed his window, Hikaru didn't jump or make a sound. He merely unlatched the frame, and said, softly "if you want to talk or fight, can we take it to the roof? I don't want to wake my parents."
He had barely made it to the flat top when he had to dodge again; senbon, his mind analyzed. Touya's favorite weapon. Less than ten seconds later, he was pinned the rain-slicked roof, and there was a kunai to his throat.
The edge was pressed down so hard that Hikaru had to bite his lip to keep back the grunt of pain. He could feel a warm trickle slide down the side of his neck.
"Why were you asking questions regarding my mission?" Touya's voice was little more than a hiss of air against Hikaru's ear. Hikaru didn't reply; if he even moved the slightest centimeter, the blade would slit his throat.
A few more heartbeats passed. The roof was cold and wet against Hikaru back. He did not shiver. He stared calmly back at Touya even as the other held him in an assassin's embrace.
Finally, inch by inch, the kunai lifted. Touya backed off. Hikaru found he could also move his arms again, so he carefully sat up. One hand rubbed the cut on his throat absently. His fingers came back red, but the wound was a shallow one.
"I saw your mission's report." Touya's voice remained at a low growl. "It was incomplete -- which is absurd, even for you -- given that it was a simple sentry mission."
"I just failed, okay? Isn't that what you expect of me anyway?" Hikaru made his way to the edge of the roof, at the point where he would be the farthest away from his parents' room. "And I bet it didn't even mention you in the report. So why are you so pissed off?"
"I am not stupid, Shindou. The only time details are left out of failed sentry mission is when the mission touches upon classified information. And the only classified mission that passed by you last night --"
"What're you doing looking at my mission reports anyway? I thought you didn't care. You said you weren't ever going to appear in front of me again." Hikaru felt, more than saw Touya stiffen.
"Shindou, don't you even dare --"
"But maybe this isn't about being rivals. Or who's chasing whom, or even about me catching up and making you see I'm worthy." It had begun to rain again, and unlike his mission jacket, his pajamas were nowhere near being waterproof. Yet, he did not cast the water repelling jutsu. Instead, Hikaru bowed his head and let the rain wash down upon him. "Maybe last night wasn't about me being a ninja and that's why I failed."
"What?" Touya had moved so that he was now crouched right beside Hikaru. He was close enough to push Hikaru off the edge, if he so chose.
"Look, all that -- rival stuff AND the ninja stuff - don't get me wrong, that's really important to me, but this wasn't a part of that," Hikaru swung his legs, then swiped his dripping nose with a sleeve. He suddenly felt strangely old and young at the same time, and it made him shake his head in irritation.
"Then what is it about?" Hikaru could barely hear Touya's voice above the patter of the raindrops. "What else could there possibly be between us? At least I always complete my missions. No matter what they are. The details are unimportant and should remain as such to you. Especially to you. I don't appreciate you questioning into matters that ... it's clear you don't understand anything!"
"No. I probably don't." Hikaru tilted his head up, not even flinching as the water ran into his eyes.
"But you don't understand either. First off, before you even start spewing more shit ... this is not about pity, or questioning your abilities, or any crap like that. And don't blame Ashiwara-sensei. It ...wasn't out of duty to a ninja but out of respect for a friend that he told me anything instead of leaving me to guess and to -- anyways, what I was really thinking ... and am still thinking ... well, this is kinda really selfish actually."
He shrugged. "I'm ... thanking a higher power that someone I cared about wasn't hurt badly ... this time. Because I wouldn't know what I'd do, if a person who was special to me was hurt in that way ... or in any way, really. And I'm thinking -- not about you, actually -- but about what I'd do, on my first mission like that. How alone I'd feel, afterwards."
Touya said nothing. Then, the tension seemed to drain out of him and he came to sit by Hikaru's side. His right shoulder touched Hikaru's left one, briefly. For a moment, Touya tensed, but then when Hikaru did not make any motion like flinching or moving away, he settled down again, leaving their shoulders together.
Hikaru could feel the warmth emanating from Touya. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the welts on Touya's wrists had disappeared, and the bruise on his face had already been healed as well. There was nothing in his stance to indicate anything remained from that kimono-wearing nin that had passed by Hikaru last night. Touya looked like any other normal nin.
Just like I do, Hikaru thought, as one hand drifted to the blood seal on his chest.
Hikaru didn't know how long they sat on his roof, saying nothing while watching the rain together. Finally though, Touya stood. His motions were very, very stiff.
Turning his back to Hikaru, he said, "I still do not see you as my rival. I still won't appear in front of you as such."
"And I still am gonna prove you wrong." Hikaru's voice was just as firm and determined. "But ... you're always welcome on my roof, even if you don't see me as your rival. You know?"
There wasn't measurable change in Touya's stance. But after a heartbeat's pause, he nodded. "Thank you," he said, softly.
Then, there was a soft whoosh of air, and Touya was gone. Hikaru spent another moment watching the rain, the clambered up to his feet. He brushed his hand against his dry --
Wait. Dry?! Hikaru blinked. He had thought that he had been too preoccupied with Touya to really notice the rain anymore, when really --
Touya. He must've cast ... he shook his head wryly, then paused as the seal on his chest flickered. What? Why didn't you say anything? He blinked. What do you mean, you didn't want to ruin the atmosphere?! And he did it from the moment we started sitting together? Really? And I didn't notice?
Damn it. He's good isn't he? I've got so far to go.
He grinned, staring out into the sleeping village. Then, with a yawn, he slipped back to his bedroom and to his waiting blankets.
A warming jutsu had been cast on them too.
-end
---
A/N-- I'm sorry alita_b_angel I was trying for fluff, but this came out instead. I don't know if it even fits your prompt, but it came after I thought about it and had difficulties writing a non-serious fic. But yeah. I think where canon Hikaru and Akira leave off and the AU Hikaru and Akira come in is that I think the friendship part of their relationship may build a little earlier with the latter two, because it's a harsher world, with harsher realities, and it's hard being alone. They're meant to face it as opponents and as a pair.
It's also a heavy subject matter. Luckily, Akira got off okay this time, and I don't want to think about it cause it kinda squicks me, but I hope I treated the subject with both a not-too-preachy sort of atmosphere as well as a respectful one. Here's hoping.
Thank you to therhoda and Imbrium for reading through and telling me that it's okay to post, even if I was uncertain of the content.
Thank you for reading. If possible, please let me know what you think!
-muri