Make sure a team was sent out? Gee, no pressure there. This really was bothering Chiriku-san, wasn't it. Worse, it was beginning to really bother him in a way he couldn't describe. Admittedly he hadn't known the priestess long enough to really learn how much he should trust her instincts, but there was just something radiating off of her that really wasn't helping the feeling in his own gut. He half wished Asuka had told him something that might have been helpful in this situation, like, "If Chiriku ever tells you she's got a hunch, trust the hunch." That would've at least been something to give him direction. As it was, however...
Jeez, Hokage-sama was never going to buy this.
Rin's approach was actually something of a relief, as it distracted him for a moment from this new dilemma. Although the circles under the man's eyes didn't look like he would make for very cheery company. Great, one more odd thing to add to his day. He had his own problems he had to focus on already!
"More or less," he said to Rin. "Just a little...situation on our hands. Are you okay?"
Not really, thought Rin. But he wasn't about to say that outloud, all of this was painful enough without anybody else knowing and a part of him hadn't yet really let him believe the state their relationship was in.
"I'm fine," he said, giving the other jounin a weak sort of smile. "Can I help? What's going on?" His eyes travelled to Chiriku, whose face had yet to stop showing her concern.
Chiriku inclined her head to Rin. "I was asking Kureno-san for a favor," the monk said quietly.
She studied the medic carefully, brow furrowing. Something was wrong with him, though he was trying to push it aside for now. Gods alive, she didn't think she would ever see him so despondent-looking. An argument warred in her mind. She wanted to be sure that Asuka was okay, but Rin was hurting in front of her. Yet every moment she delayed...
Could Rin help? Kureno looked the medic once over in contemplation.
"Probably..." he settled on, which was the truth. Rin could at least start the process with him, then if he really couldn't see a support team off himself, Chirku might at least have another person whom she trusted to see it through. Or, perhaps even better, Rin could be that "second opinion" that assured the monk that he was right and Asuka was going to be just fine. (Frankly, Kureno could stand to hear that himself right now...)
Besides, perhaps Rin needed something to distract him from...whatever it was distressing him right now.
"Rin, Chiriku-san here would like us to organize a support team to send after Asuka's. I think she's concerned with the mission turning confrontational." Which it shouldn't. It was just an observation mission after all, only to turn confrontational upon an order that the Hokage shouldn't give before they had a plan and another team in order. Chiriku's fears were only founded upon a gut feeling and something she else couldn't say.
.......Something else that perhaps she was asked not to say. And the one person in this village Chiriku would definitely keep a secret for and displayed the most loyalty to was....
'Rin, this is where I really need you to tell us not to worry...'
Strained brown eyes slipped from Chiriku to Kureno and back again, and Rin felt a slow coldness start to grip the base of his spine. Confrontational. Asuka. Akatsuki. She'd seemed different when he saw her at the hospital to supply her for the mission... calm, edged, focussed in that way Rin had very rarely ever seen. The kind of focus that he belatedly realized signalled she was out for the kill.
Shit... two vials of that serum to a person wasn't enough for a battle with that Sasoriza creature. But he'd given her six.
Rin looked at Chiriku's face and immediately understood far too much, far too quickly. He looked up to the Palace, and then began checking his pockets for supplies and weapons. "How long ago did the mission leave?" he asked, voice showing the urgency his movements had already betrayed.
His gut did a wrenching drop-and-twist thing Kureno couldn't ever remember it doing before except on two other occasions. One was a couple years ago when he'd found out Hinaji had been captured; and the second was only last June when it had the unfortunately run-in with the tail on Sasoriza's puppet.
While still present, Kureno's sense of reasoning was beginning to wonder if maybe it was time to listen to his instincts. ...Just for kicks at least. Well...never hurt to plan for contingencies, right...?
"Last night," he replied when it became clear Chirku didn't know. "Had to be after I went to bed though so she can't be out for more than ten hours."
"I received her note this morning, but she would have left before then," Chiriku replied, feeling relief. Rin understood, thank God, thank God. "Her note said she was going hunting."
Right. Fine. No time to waste. Rin had enough gear on him if he wrenched some supplies from his satchel at his side. Didn't need any of the secured serums he'd given Asuka because by now it wouldn't matter one way or the other.
"Okay, we've got to go right now," he said, looking up at the sun to judge the time and the distance. Adrenaline and a rising sense of urgent detachment was colouring his blood. They had to leave if there was any chance, if Asuka had been idiotic enough to attempt this... and Rin could practically feel that she had. "Right now. If we're lucky she had to search before she found the target and we can close the gap. Where was the search area?"
'Hunting'? Chiriku couldn't have mentioned that to him earlier. It wasn't an unlikely word to use on a recon mission but...Asuka wasn't precisely the type to use the term for non-combatant situations. If it was just a confirmation run, she'd call it a confirmation run. ...Mostly likely. No point in really jumping to conclusions over such a thing...right?
Although Rin's reaction wasn't exactly supporting that line of thought.
"West, as far as I know." Kureno paused as he realized that probably shouldn't have been his first response. He tried again. "Rin, why are you rushing into this? Does everyone know something I don't?"
Because someone had to know something in order for everyone to be getting so worked up without any proof he knew about.
"West so far as you know?" Rin echoed, dropping his satchel on the ground and tearing through it for the best supplies he could think of. "Anything more refined than that? A map reference or a landmark?" His fingers closed around the biggest syringe in his kit and he didn't hesitate to zip it into a leg pocket.
"I gave her the anti-venom she asked for," he told Kureno. "The one that counteracts Sasoriza's poisons. But the number of vials she asked for was wrong and I should have known it. She's gone and done something bloody stupid!"
No surprise there, Chiriku thought irritably. She paused, then said slowly, "Tenchi Bridge. I think I remember her mentioning it at some point..." Except that was a total lie. She had no idea how she knew to mention it, but she knew with absolute certainty that was where Asuka went.
'Anti-venom? For Sasoriza's... How many is the "wrong" amount? And why would she take the wrong amount unless...?'
The bad feeling in his gut suddenly tied itself into a very firm knot that kept trying to bind itself tighter. In an ominous sort of way, it made the scar over his stomach feel terribly sensitive. But why would Asuka suddenly...?
...Or maybe...not so suddenly. Asuka had taken Sasoriza's attack harder than most of the others he'd seen. Had that meant she took it personally as well? That would help put more reason behind how Chiriku probably knew and why she was worried. Kureno looked at the monk again, and somehow he couldn't imagine her being so concerned without good reason, and if anything could be a good reason...
One of this thoughts slipped from his lips in a barely audible whisper. "......Asuka please tell me you wouldn't....."
Rin was obviously going to make good on that "right now" remark; at Chiriku's words he was clearly ready to leap off. Kureno stubbornly hesitated, thinking one last time about his mission and how right now he was going to have to make a choice.
...
...
...dammit. Asuka didn't owe him a beer anymore, she owed him the whole damn bar.
"Chiriku-san, please make sure one of the council heads knows where Rin and I are going right away! It's important they know of our departure and location. Rin, Kakami'll kill me if I let you go alone. I'd say you two better be right about this, but I can't help hoping you're wrong..."
A piece of Rin flinched at the mention of Kakami, but it was a tiny piece, almost overwhelmed by everything else in him, and that was the last of the proof he needed that this situation was out of control and they had to be gone now.
"Me too," Rin answered, and with barely a glance to Kureno and a nod to Chiriku he took off in little more than a blur.
Jeez, Hokage-sama was never going to buy this.
Rin's approach was actually something of a relief, as it distracted him for a moment from this new dilemma. Although the circles under the man's eyes didn't look like he would make for very cheery company. Great, one more odd thing to add to his day. He had his own problems he had to focus on already!
"More or less," he said to Rin. "Just a little...situation on our hands. Are you okay?"
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"I'm fine," he said, giving the other jounin a weak sort of smile. "Can I help? What's going on?" His eyes travelled to Chiriku, whose face had yet to stop showing her concern.
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She studied the medic carefully, brow furrowing. Something was wrong with him, though he was trying to push it aside for now. Gods alive, she didn't think she would ever see him so despondent-looking. An argument warred in her mind. She wanted to be sure that Asuka was okay, but Rin was hurting in front of her. Yet every moment she delayed...
Hard choices.
"Kureno-san, could he help?"
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"Probably..." he settled on, which was the truth. Rin could at least start the process with him, then if he really couldn't see a support team off himself, Chirku might at least have another person whom she trusted to see it through. Or, perhaps even better, Rin could be that "second opinion" that assured the monk that he was right and Asuka was going to be just fine. (Frankly, Kureno could stand to hear that himself right now...)
Besides, perhaps Rin needed something to distract him from...whatever it was distressing him right now.
"Rin, Chiriku-san here would like us to organize a support team to send after Asuka's. I think she's concerned with the mission turning confrontational." Which it shouldn't. It was just an observation mission after all, only to turn confrontational upon an order that the Hokage shouldn't give before they had a plan and another team in order. Chiriku's fears were only founded upon a gut feeling and something she else couldn't say.
.......Something else that perhaps she was asked not to say. And the one person in this village Chiriku would definitely keep a secret for and displayed the most loyalty to was....
'Rin, this is where I really need you to tell us not to worry...'
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Shit... two vials of that serum to a person wasn't enough for a battle with that Sasoriza creature. But he'd given her six.
Rin looked at Chiriku's face and immediately understood far too much, far too quickly. He looked up to the Palace, and then began checking his pockets for supplies and weapons. "How long ago did the mission leave?" he asked, voice showing the urgency his movements had already betrayed.
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While still present, Kureno's sense of reasoning was beginning to wonder if maybe it was time to listen to his instincts. ...Just for kicks at least. Well...never hurt to plan for contingencies, right...?
"Last night," he replied when it became clear Chirku didn't know. "Had to be after I went to bed though so she can't be out for more than ten hours."
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"Okay, we've got to go right now," he said, looking up at the sun to judge the time and the distance. Adrenaline and a rising sense of urgent detachment was colouring his blood. They had to leave if there was any chance, if Asuka had been idiotic enough to attempt this... and Rin could practically feel that she had. "Right now. If we're lucky she had to search before she found the target and we can close the gap. Where was the search area?"
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Although Rin's reaction wasn't exactly supporting that line of thought.
"West, as far as I know." Kureno paused as he realized that probably shouldn't have been his first response. He tried again. "Rin, why are you rushing into this? Does everyone know something I don't?"
Because someone had to know something in order for everyone to be getting so worked up without any proof he knew about.
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"I gave her the anti-venom she asked for," he told Kureno. "The one that counteracts Sasoriza's poisons. But the number of vials she asked for was wrong and I should have known it. She's gone and done something bloody stupid!"
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The bad feeling in his gut suddenly tied itself into a very firm knot that kept trying to bind itself tighter. In an ominous sort of way, it made the scar over his stomach feel terribly sensitive. But why would Asuka suddenly...?
...Or maybe...not so suddenly. Asuka had taken Sasoriza's attack harder than most of the others he'd seen. Had that meant she took it personally as well? That would help put more reason behind how Chiriku probably knew and why she was worried. Kureno looked at the monk again, and somehow he couldn't imagine her being so concerned without good reason, and if anything could be a good reason...
One of this thoughts slipped from his lips in a barely audible whisper. "......Asuka please tell me you wouldn't....."
Rin was obviously going to make good on that "right now" remark; at Chiriku's words he was clearly ready to leap off. Kureno stubbornly hesitated, thinking one last time about his mission and how right now he was going to have to make a choice.
...
...
...dammit. Asuka didn't owe him a beer anymore, she owed him the whole damn bar.
"Chiriku-san, please make sure one of the council heads knows where Rin and I are going right away! It's important they know of our departure and location. Rin, Kakami'll kill me if I let you go alone. I'd say you two better be right about this, but I can't help hoping you're wrong..."
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"Me too," Rin answered, and with barely a glance to Kureno and a nod to Chiriku he took off in little more than a blur.
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