A week later, Gato's displeasure reverberated around Wave. It manifested as a horde of muscle-bound men sauntering from the direction of Gato's manor. They split up into small groups, looming even as the civilians closed their doors or tremblingly pretended to be absorbed in their everyday tasks.
"Market's closed, ladies!" someone shouted, a half second before a stand was overturned. Rough laughs and an unhappy cry followed.
Aiko perked up, encouraged by the thought of results after so long in observation. She smacked Utakata in the chest.
He came awake with a start and a glower, but rapidly focused in on the spectacle erupting. "This was a long time coming," Utakata murmured.
Aiko nodded. From their vantage point overlooking the village center, they could see civilian toughs herding the citizens out of their houses.
"That for me?"
She craned her neck, but couldn't see which jackass had shouted that. Someone was weeping, though. The sound was nearly covered in the clattering cacophony of sandals on cobblestone, breaking glass, and a hundred people being shoved into the village center. Even with all that, Aiko still heard the rolling of metal wheels against stone.
"He has a carriage?" Utakata asked. His mouth wasn't quite closed, in shock at the gross excess and flaunting of wealth. "On an island this small?"
Aiko patted his shoulder companionably. "Apparently."
A hush had fallen over the gathered. She was looking in the right place to see a thin man exchange a smirk with another tough and push an ojii-san into the carriage's path. He fell forward, landing in a sprawl on his belly.
Aiko's whole body jerked, torn between her reflex to interfere and her intellectual need to maintain anonymity. The hesitation cost. The carriage's wheel ploughed down the old man, going up and over his back. He gave a horrible twisting jerk and blood painted the wheels.
She pressed her hand against her thigh and felt her jaw clench.
Screams were going up in the crowd, everyone from fishermen to housewives jostling to rush forward or run away.
"I think," Utakata said quietly, "that I might like to interfere in some respect."
She shot him a startled look.
His jaw was clenched into a feral snarl and his pupils were dilated. She edged away and thought about chakra chains. Utakata didn't look much like himself at all.
'I need to be the voice of reason, apparently.'
Aiko couldn't muster up enthusiasm for the prospect. Her rebuttal was lackluster. "We're hiding, aren't we? If we're going to come out of hiding, we can't afford to wait. I don't see how we could have enough time to ensure trade could begin safely before we would have to move on from hunter-nin."
He blinked down at her, dark eyes serious even with his pupils blown open and the obvious signs of demonic possession straining against his features. "I agree that we cannot be seen, but we could blame another party. You have that hunter-nin uniform, do you not?"
'He's invested. If I don't do something, he will. Then we'd have to leave. And that would be a pain in the ass, since I need to stay in Wave.'
Aiko sucked in a breath and looked down at the crowd one more time. All exits had been blocked off, trapping the citizens inside a ring of mercenaries.
Quite a few of them were squirming to avoid blood on their sandals. The door flew open on the carriage. A squat, grey man was framed in the entryway with a scowl and a cane. He hit it against the steps of the carriage and shouted something that she couldn't understand over the anger rushing in her ears. Whatever it was, it was directed at the crowd.
Fine.
'I think I can do a better job than Utakata at the moment. Besides, he doesn't have a disguise.'
She turned back to Utakata and nodded. Without speaking, she dashed over the rooftop and into the closest open window, leaving him to monitor the situation and hopefully not kill everyone with Saiken. Aiko shrugged off the pink backpack and twisted, hastily pulling her shirt off over her head. She'd never changed so fast in her life: her outfit and kit were discarded on the floor.
It took precious seconds to flip through her papers, locate the one with weapons that couldn't be hidden under a skirt, and unseal it to strap on all the glistening steel she could carry.
Aiko was nearly out the window again when she tied the hunter-nin mask on and remembered one other thing: she was too distinctive to go out like that. She put the first henge she thought of over her hair, painting the strands blue.
Now disguised enough, she all but flew back outside and over the rooftiles.
Utakata held a hand out to stop her. She couldn't help but notice that his nails were jagged bits of glimmering seashells, curling over his fingertips. He pointed three times, indicating certain members of the mercenaries. She followed the motions, committing the toughs to memory trustingly. Gato was pontificating and gesturing some bullshit about respect and discipline.
Utakata leaned over so that his breath was hot against her ear. "I've seen this. He's leading up to a public execution to frighten them into giving up. It is a common technique to secure obedience from a larger populace." Aiko shivered. She forced her body not to lean into or away from him. It wasn't sure which one it wanted to do.
'Did this happen before?' Aiko bit down on the inside of her cheek. 'Is that why so many workers backed out on Tazuna-san?'
Utakata's voice rasped against her ear, fury dislodging his habitual charm. "Attack the sycophants. They are too loyal to Gato's coin to be frightened off. The others may be swayed by repercussions aimed at the enthusiasts among them."
The logic seemed sound enough. She nodded, but asked in a whisper, "Wouldn't it be optimal to wait until he was right about to make his example?"
He withdrew just enough to give her a hard look, but his tone was only skeptical. "If you must be dramatic."
"I must," Aiko confirmed. She shot him a wan smile that he couldn't see under her mask. The heaviness of porcelain against her forehead and nose felt right, familiar.
People were being picked out of the crowd and muscled up to the pavilion-
No, not people, Aiko corrected internally. That implied a random selection. Young men were being lifted and pushed above the jostle- boys as young as sixteen and men as old as thirty. A stone settled in her stomach. Her hand reached for her ANBU shortsword.
'I think I know why Gato's workmen were all older.'
She didn't have an ANBU shortsword, Aiko registered faintly. Her fingers slid around the grip of the sword she did have. It was close enough. It came out of the sheath without a sound, thanks to some Mist-nin who had taken excellent care of his tools. She thanked him silently.
A man was struggling, elbowing his captors and shouting red-faced obscenities. He was forced to his knees. She eyed the angle of the longsword being raised above his head, held by one of the men Utakata had picked out as a target.
'Sloppy aim,' Aiko critiqued. 'That'd get stuck in the bone.' Then she moved.
She'd beheaded the would-be executioner and whipped around to clinically swipe at the man holding down the prisoner before the first civilian screamed. The second man wasn't one of Utakata's targets, but he couldn't go without repercussion. The cut wasn't a killing one, but he was huddled close enough to the poor civilian that she didn't take another swing. The blood spray from a suddenly bisected elbow would be startling enough. She moved.
A bellow erupted behind her- bodies were falling to the ground and tumbling and someone was screaming- but she kept moving, eyes trained on her next target. He saw her coming but didn't have time to scream before she dug out his gut and used his shoulder as a jumping point to come at her final target from overhead.
His brown eyes opened wide in dismay and fear. She landed with her feet spread wide on his shoulders and brought the blade down through the unprotected space about his clavicles. There was a moment of resistance.
Then the body lost tension entirely, knees collapsing. Aiko rolled her feet to ride the motion, putting her weight on the balls of her feet when the body landed face-down. She quirked her head, surveying the situation from her vantage point crouched on a corpse.
"Get him!" Gato shouted from somewhere behind her.
Which was odd, because she'd pretty well demonstrated that there wasn't any competit-
She dove, letting her body collapse in a well-practiced fall as hot chips of stone flew up behind her. Aiko completed the roll and sprang away from the missing-nin she really should have expected. Zabuza had brought down his sword with extreme prejudice. Maybe it had something to do with her disguise.
'Of course Gato waited until he'd hired his man to make a demonstration. I am dumb. I am really dumb.'
Recriminations repeated in her head as she dodged the stupidly big sword. She was scowling behind her mask, but there was no real fear powering her rapid heartbeat. It had jumped from surprise. The beats began to normalize: Zabuza was fast and deadly, but she was faster. He could have killed her when she wasn't expecting him, but he couldn't hope to catch her now.
'In a pinch, I can always Hiraishin.'
But that was terribly obvious and a hunter-nin definitely wouldn't have that ability. So she left town on foot, passing trees in flashes of green and swaying branches. Zabuza was hot on her heels after he'd hefted up his sword-
In front!
Aiko darted to the side, evading another shinobi. She started in surprise when she actually saw him: he was wearing a hunter-nin outfit as well. He had senbon pinched between his fingertips, held up in warning. Zabuza came to a stop behind her. Slow, deliberate steps marked his approach. She twisted enough to keep both of them in her peripheral.
Then a bubble popped over head and Utakata dropped down from the treetops to land between Aiko and the mist hunter-nin who wasn't attacking Zabuza for some reason.
For one surreally long moment, they all looked at each other.
Zabuza was first to react. She thought his mouth twitched under the bandages across his jaw. Then he threw his head back and barked out a laugh. He wheezed twice, eyes trained on Utakata.
Aiko looked back at the child who couldn't be a real hunter nin. She couldn't see his face, but he seemed as baffled as she felt. He crossed the clearing in a shunshin to crouch at Zabuza's side, clearly protecting his master.
Aiko pitched her voice lower, since they'd already decided she was a boy. "Well, this is awkward," she said. "One of us has to change."
The look that Zabuza leveled at her was nothing less than scathing.
"Zabuza-san," Utakata greeted. His own posture was relaxed. He looked over at her and raised a hand. She almost didn't believe her eyes when he curled his fingers at her.
'He can't treat me that way. I'm not a trained dog.'
Something in her was phenomenally offended. But he knew Zabuza better than she did. Aiko gritted her teeth and went to kneel at Utakata's side in the same posture she'd used to wait by Tsunade-sama.
"So that's how it is," Zabuza chuckled. He reached a hand out and ruffled his companion's hair. Aiko curled her lip in disgust as the child leant into the touch.
'Pathetic.'
"For a moment there, I thought the kid was actually black ops." Zabuza jerked his head at her. Aiko fought the urge to snarl and stiffen. "He moves like one. Haku, I hope you were watching." He bowled over the quiet, "Hai, Zabuza-sama," that followed. "You're the jinchuuriki, right?"
Utakata's hand brushed against Aiko's shoulder. In warning or silent declaration of protection, Aiko didn't know. "Utakata." He sounded bored.
Aiko realized with a shock that she knew better- that tone didn't signify disinterest. It was concealing tension.
"How awkward. It appears that we have been hired to pursue contradictory interests. It seems a shame that we should fight and deprive Kiri of the pleasure." His fingers tapped against the curve where her neck met shoulder, movements concealed by her hair.
It might have been nerves or it might have been code: she couldn't tell. They didn't speak the same language. She bit down frustration.
'We really need to communicate better.'
Zabuza was watching the tendons in Utakata's forearm with sharp eyes.
Perhaps the tap code hadn't been for her at all. She bit her lip. A show for Zabuza?
The mist nuke-nin grunted from the bottom of his throat. It somehow conveyed disdain, despite the fact that over half his face was covered by bandages.
'Maybe I should kill him again.'
"I don't see a problem." The swordsman twisted his fingers in Haku's hair in a parody of affection. "I don't care if a bridge is built after I get paid. You can make a bridge out of daisy chains for all the fucks I give." He leaned forward slightly, as if emphasizing his stature and bulging musculature. "Make a hundred bridges. But after I get paid," he enunciated carefully. "Then we'll have no problems."
'I like him. Maybe he should have been the Mizukage.'
Aiko froze at the thought. Okay, that was ridiculous, but-
Utakata hummed from the back of his throat. "How kind of you."
'That's actually a possibility.'
"Until then, stay the fuck out of my way." Zabuza turned away in dismissal. He made a handsign and was gone. A moment later, Haku was gone as well.
"That was eventful." Utakata sounded sullen. "At least I didn't say you were pregna-"
Aiko dug her thumb into the side of his thigh in warning. His voice cut off in confusion. After a moment of looking down at her, he seemed to catch on.
'Zabuza might not actually be gone.'
When she jostled her shoulder meaningfully, Utakata tightened his fingers around the muscle. Aiko took them far, far away, to the hotel room that had become their base of operations. Only then did she shake off her teammate and stand up.
Utakata held out his hands to take the mask she pulled off. That helpfulness was so unlike him that Aiko shot the teenager a startled look as she let go of the porcelain.
Unease prickled up her spine. She kept her tone brusque. "That went well. Good job."
"Tch." Utakata scoffed without making eye contact. "Whatever you say." He crossed his arms, mask dangling from his fingers.
'I missed something.'
"Is there a problem?" Aiko asked, carefully neutral.
"No, no." Utakata breathed. "No problem at all. Everything is wonderful. We're never in any danger at all because you know things you can't possibly know."
He looked back at her. His pupils were vertical slits.
The hair on the back of her neck stood up. When he took a step toward her, she took a step back.
"You knew Zabuza would be there. You had somehow deduced as much from reports that I also read." He was hissing.
'Is he upset that it looks like I noticed a pattern where he didn't? There wasn't a pattern. Zabuza is too good for that. I wouldn't have predicted that he would come to Wave without foreknowledge.'
Utakata didn't stop spitting vitriol, clearly gaining momentum. "And it is terribly convenient how you tiptoed around manifestation of the six-tails. It was as though you knew how to placate a jinchuuriki. Most shinobi are fearful. But not you." He took another step. "You know everything, don't you."
The pieces fell into place with a jolt. Exasperation washed over her like a tide.
'Oh my god, he's having feelings. Spare me.'
"You're being pissy and insecure because you lost emotional control," Aiko accused. She knew she was right when his mouth fell open in surprise. She closed the distance to jab her index finger against his chest. "Guess what kiddo, you don't scare me. The six tails is nothing to me. Nothing," she stressed, when he tried to open his mouth. "I'm not going to leave you because he raised his head when you gave him a chance by losing your cool. Your worth more to me as a partner outweighs any potential
harm you could present."
When he tried to grab her wrist, she let him. His eyes were sliding back to normal. He turned her hand and rubbed his index finger around the underside of her wrist.
Aiko rolled her eyes and let him take her pulse. "If you're done marveling that I'm really not frightened or about to leave you for forcing my hand earlier, I'd like to remind you that I don't do things I don't want to do. I stopped Gato because I found it personally satisfying, not because you were considering throwing a bijuu at his ass." Her hand darted to catch his wrist, twisting out of his grip. She didn't bother to take his pulse. "Yeah, Zabuza knows about you now. But so what? We will be fine."
Utakata pulled away from her and narrowed his eyes.
She'd said the words with utter surety, willing them to be true. Aiko had no doubt. But because Utakata might not run on faith, she added as plainly as possible; "And if he bothers you, I'll kill him." It felt like talking to Naruto when he'd been little and needed to know that someone had his back.
His expression softened a bit. His posture stiffened into something more familiar.
Aiko relaxed an iota, because whew, panic averted.
"You sound like someone's mother. Are you entirely certain that you are not thirty?"
'I don't want to kill him. I like him sometimes.'
Aiko held that reminder against her chest and bared her teeth in something that was not a grin. "Don't be ridiculous." She paused pointedly. "I'm eighteen," she lied, making it sound like a challenge and not statement of fact.
(When else would she get such a golden opportunity to shave a few years off her age? It was too perfect to pass up. Besides, it was, like a family tradition. Tsunade would be proud.)
Utakata's mouth dropped in shock. "You- you are my age!" He seemed almost offended. "That's- you can't be!"
She showed a little more teeth and leaned in. "Why not, dearheart?"
He looked at her sharpened canines for a moment. "I suppose I… could have been mistaken."
"That's the spirit." Aiko companionably hip-checked him as she passed on her way to the bathroom door. He stumbled to the side fuming teenage indignation, but she really did not give a damn. Aiko grabbed the hem of her top as she walked. She didn't want to spend all day in the clothes she'd pilfered from that Kiri corpse. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to-" she cut herself off in shock, eyes wide.
She let go of the fabric.
'I dropped my bag when I changed. It's still in that civilian's house. In Wave. Along with all my money and clothes and loot.'
She made a small sound, like a wounded kitten.
Utakata was at her side in an instant. "What's wrong?"
"Oh… nothing." Aiko batted weakly at the air. "It's just- I forgot something."
Her companion eyed her. He took a step back. He crossed his arms. "You forgot everything, didn't you?"
She held up a finger. "I'll be right back."
~~~
"And you're sure?" Aiko scrubbed harder, working off her pent-up energy. Her enemy resisted with unnatural strength leant from its year-long stay on the kitchen counter.
Tsunami-chan took a moment to respond, preoccupied with re-tying the handkerchief protecting her hair. "Tou-san has traveled long distances before. He seemed certain that I should expect his return tomorrow or the next day."
Aiko made a noncommittal sound and wiped the ambitious coffee stain out of existence. She probably looked a bit dumb with a clip holding her nose shut, but the cleaning chemicals had been giving her a headache.
This was the second time they had deep-cleaned the house. Aiko had brought over groceries, replaced the china, and done everything she could think of to waste time. She'd all but walked a ditch around the property with her pacing. Utakata had gotten bored and finally refused to come with her three days back. He was lounging in the hotel.
Now that she was close to seeing team 7, she was fidgety. She didn't know if she needed more time or wanted to just get the encounter over with. But either way, Aiko felt mildly ill.
'What if I fuck this up and they're suspicious of me? If I don't do anything, Sakura will die again. I can't pass up a second chance like this.'
She'd made up her mind: she needed to get into Konoha so that she didn't fail the girl again.
(But holy hell she didn't want to go back. It seemed too impossibly strange and unhappy a prospect.)
That was her biggest concern. It would be admittedly strange to see herself, Naruto, and Sasuke as children again. But the prospect didn't bother her. And Kakashi? He always looked the same.
"Hikari-chan?" Tsunami-chan was tilting her head slightly, a frown pursed onto her lips. "You seem so serious. Let's take a break." When she reached out for Aiko's hand, Aiko let the older woman lead the way to the table. They settled in, taking off their cleaning gear. "Now, that's better." Tsunami-chan shot her a bright smile.
Footsteps thumped down the hall, rapidly slowing before they reached the doorway. Both women twisted to see Inari-chan peek around the corner, worrying on his scarf. "Mom?" His eyes darted to Aiko, wary but not too interested. "I had a question. Can you help me?"
She let a placid smile creep across her face and adjusted her posture. She'd never used a genjutsu on him. Doing that to a child could cause an aneurism.
'It's not like he'd know who his mother's childhood friends were.'
"Of course. Inari-chan, how is your homework going?"
The boy scowled. "Mo-om," he complained.
Tsunami-chan was hiding a smile. "Aa, sorry. It's Inari-kun now, isn't it?" When she opened up her arms, the six year old dragged his feet over to curl up at her side.
"Can you write my katakana out to hiragana?" Inari-chan wheedled, digging his fingers into his mother's dress. "I'm really good at hiragana. I don't want to learn the katakana. It's not working."
"Tsunami-chan! Inari-kun! I'm home!"
The shout was gleeful but faint. Inari-chan shrieked, tumbling out of his mother's lap en route for the door. "Grandpa!"
'Early? Why would we be early?'
Aiko brushed off her lap and stood, as unhurried as possible. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Have a good day, Tsunami-chan."
The older woman returned the well-wishes, attention focused on the door.
"Yes, of course. I-"
Aiko was already upstairs, leveraging open the back window. She crossed to the treetops in one leap and hastily worked her way around the house to catch a glimpse of the group before they went inside.
Her heart stopped cold.
"That's not right." She didn't remember deciding to speak out loud. The words felt like they'd come from someone else.
Sasuke and Naruto were carrying Kakashi. Sakura was bringing up the rear with nervous body language. Even from the distance, Aiko spotted light glinting off what had to be a kunai in her fist.
"Where…" She strained, nearly leaning into sight. "Where am I?"
'Kakashi lost a fight.'
The only other shinobi around was Zabuza.
'Zabuza did that to Kakashi.'
Impossible. He'd been tired after the altercation, yes, but using his Sharingan did that to him. Zabuza should be dead.
Something had changed. She didn't see how it was possible because she had stayed far away from that encounter but somehow it had and Kakashi looked half dead and she was missing and
Aiko put her face between her knees and focused on breathing.
Her thoughts were jagged fragments and they cut at her in a barrage. She'd done something terribly wrong. Something had gone wrong and she was the only divergent factor so it had to trace back to her.
She needed information. She wasn't going to get it sitting in a tree.
'I wasn't going to be seen by them yet. I didn't wear a henge around Tsunami-chan and Inari-chan. If I wear a henge now, the civilians won't recognize me and I won't have a cover. Is team seven going to recognize me? Kakashi is passed out. He'd be the most observant one.'
It was a stupid decision. She didn't care.
She stood up-when had she sat? – and smoothed out her civilian clothing. She fixed her hair, forcing her fingers to stop trembling. When her braid was laying down her left shoulder and her bangs were perfectly positioned to the side, she took a deep breath and pulled on the same bland smile she had used on Inari. She got to the ground. She walked up to the front door in plain sight. When Sasuke pulled the door open with a kunai in hand, she faked surprise and startled, putting her hands to her chest. Her shriek was a perfectly feminine, contained sort of terror.
There was no recognition in Sasuke's eyes. Apparently civilian clothes and a new hairstyle were enough disguise. Well. That and being years older.
He instantly looked chagrinned and a little ashamed, because his mother had taught him not to terrorize civilians. The weapon disappeared. Tsunami-chan moved over his shoulder. Her expression instantly brightened. "Hikari-chan! I thought you had left."
"I forgot something," Aiko explained. Her tone had exactly the right amount of warmth and embarrassment, but she felt cold inside. Her face smiled. "I suppose this is one of your brave protectors, ne? What a tall young man."
'Maybe Utakata is right. Maybe I do talk like an old person.'
Sasuke turned scarlet to the tips of his ears and fled the entryway.
Sakura appeared around the corner, casting a mildly confused look after her teammate. Her attention immediately flickered over to Aiko. It was like she pulled on a mask- her eyes brightened, her posture straightened, and she showed her white teeth.
'I definitely don't want to let her die. What a precious baby.'
"Hello!" Aiko greeted brightly. She leaned down to be on equal height with Sakura and 'didn't notice' the shadow of irritation that passed over the kunoichi's face. "My, I didn't know shinobi came so young! You must be strong."
She cursed herself immediately. Civilians didn't say 'shinobi'. They said 'ninja'. But Sakura reacted to the implied compliment and not the slip. A genuinely pleased look pulled at her face. It was a much shyer sort of happiness than her polite smile.
"Ano, onee-san." Sakura twisted her ankle prettily and twined like a cat under the attention. "I don't know that I'd say that."
"Well, I'm impressed," Aiko said firmly, exchanging a smile with Tsunami-chan. She needed a gossip session. She needed Sakura to be relaxed enough to spill information and she needed Sakura to fall back on her civilian manners enough to engage in conversation at all.
Tsunami-chan came through, though Aiko didn't know if it was her own volition or the genjutsu sensing that Aiko wanted an in. "I'm sure you're thirsty, Sakura-chan. Why don't you join Hikari-chan and I for tea?" Tsunami-chan probably actually missed the moment of hesitation on Sakura's face, but Aiko didn't. Tsunami-chan was nodding towards the sitting area. "Please forgive me, but I need to run some bedding upstairs. I will start the water after that."
Aiko brushed that off. "Don't trouble yourself!" She waved her fingers. "Sakura-san and I can handle it, can't we?" She winked at the girl and god Sakura was cute as hell what a sweet kid she shouldn't die this time around she should reach fourteen at least.
The kunoichi visibly melted at being addressed like an adult. "Hai!" Sakura chirped.
They made tea. Aiko found snacks. Sakura proudly carried out porcelain and Aiko marveled at how steady her hands were, how much she could carry at once, her mother must be so proud of her.
Then Naruto skidded into the room. Literally.
He caught himself with a jerk on the doorframe and shot a guilty look at Sakura. But not for long because he was lifting his hand to rudely point at Aiko and shout, "Who are you, lady?"
Aiko stared. The cup in her hands slipped. Sakura lurched across the table to catch it before it could fall, already scowling.
"Naruto-baka!" Sakura complained. He quailed when she raised a fist, even from halfway across the room. Despite her ugly tone Sakura set the cup down gently. Not a drop spilled.
Aiko didn't have the presence of mind to fake awe at Sakura's dexterity. She was gaping.
He looked wrong. He was Naruto but he wasn't her Naruto. Her Naruto had never had such thin cheeks or wan coloring or so many rips in his clothing (and holy hell she knew she'd never bought that jumpsuit, she would remember that phase).
Naruto's smile faded. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Uhh…"
She snapped back to herself and pulled on a self-deprecating smile. She waved at Sakura apologetically. "Sorry, sorry, Sakura-san! I suppose I was startled. Thank you for your help!"
Sakura was looking at Aiko warily. She had the social skills to remember that odd moment and analyze it. That could be a problem.
Aiko turned to Naruto. "You must be the last ninja!" Aiko beamed a 'mom' smile up at him. "Konoha sent three ninja for our little town? I feel so lucky!"
As suspected, Sakura did not volunteer the information that there was another, injured shinobi under the roof. But Naruto…
It was utterly pathetic how Naruto lapped up the smallest hint of positive attention from an adult. He glowed. His back straightened. His chin went up.
He'd sing like a sparrow.
"Sit with us." Aiko patted the cushion to her left. Sakura stiffed from her spot at Aiko's right but she didn't protest. Not out loud, at least.
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then flung himself down. Aiko shifted over the cup intended for Tsunami-chan and filled it for him.
Sakura leapt to her feet. "I'll get another, Hikari-san!" She was gone before Aiko could gush thanks.
Alone with Naruto, Aiko felt her carefully maintained control begin to crack. She smiled a little wider and pushed her shaking hands on her lap, hidden under the kotatsu. "So. You must be Naruto-kun." He leaned over, mouth slightly open. "I'm glad that Tsunami-chan and her family have ninja like you to protect them," Aiko angled.
Predictably, he swelled with the praise. "We'll keep them safe," Naruto promised. He made a thumbs up. "It's my ninja promise! Me and Sakura-chan and sensei and even the teme!"
There was a small, indignant sound from the kitchen that Aiko probably would not have heard if she had been a civilian. So she merely smiled. "I believe you, Naruto-kun." Then she let her forehead crease in mild confusion. "Ano, did you say your sensei was here as well?"
Naruto flushed, realizing his mistake.
'He doesn't seem like a kid who just left his sister behind somewhere after a fight gone wrong. Maybe something happened way back in Konoha. Maybe I didn't go on the mission at all.'
Aiko's tone was perfectly pleasant when she continued. "I've never met a grown-up ninja. She must be strong!"
Naruto barked out a laugh at what must have seemed well-meaning ignorance and not a calculated attempt to not raise alarm bells at how much she knew. "Eh, sensei's a boy!" he half-shouted. Aiko faked embarrassment. "But yeah, I guess he can be kind of cool." Naruto frowned. He crossed his arms. "Sometimes."
"Oh." Aiko nodded knowingly. "Grownups can be silly, ne?"
"I don't know that I'd call him silly." Naruto swelled up, indignation puffing his chest out. "Sensei is always late, and he smells like dogs, and he's a nasty perv-" he cut himself off suddenly and eyed her. His face turned pink. "Ah!" Naruto kind of flailed in place. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan said ladies don't need to hear about that kind of gross stuff. And things," he added in a jumble.
'I don't remember him smelling bad. Dog smell is a good smell.'
Wait.
'Did Naruto think I smelled too much like dog and just never said anything?'
That was… embarrassing. Maybe? But it definitely wasn't what she needed to find out.
Aiko forced out a titter. "Naruto-kun, it's alright! I'm sure your sensei knows what he is doing."
Sakura strode back into the room with the requested cup and another pot of water. She gave Aiko a sideways look, as if hoping for approval of her foresight.
'They're both needier than I remember.'
It was getting annoying, but Aiko juggled Sakura and Naruto until Tsunami-chan returned with a harried expression and a pink flush across her cheeks that indicated Kakashi was either awake or shirtless.
Naruto completely missed the over-the-top knowing look that Aiko shot Tsunami-chan. Sakura didn't. She looked queasy.
"Eto, Hikari-san!" Sakura started too hastily to be casual. "And Tsunami-san, of course," she added belatedly. "I was wondering if you could provide more information about the situation?"
'Good girl.'
Sakura was pinking under the attention of everyone else in the room. Her voice quietened. "Ano, it's just that Tazuna-san hasn't been here for quite a while, and things could have changed," she explained sheepishly.
Aiko let her face display as much approval as Naruto's and Tsunami-chan's did.
'Why didn't I like her? She's so bright.'
"It's… it's probably good that you asked, Sakura-san," Tsunami-chan began. "I wasn't there," she hedged. "But-"
"I was," Aiko interjected solemnly, drawing attention away from Tsunami-chan. The older woman's mouth snapped shut immediately.
'Can't have her giving too much information about what happened. Sakura is going to tell everything to Kakashi.'
The woman's eyes glazed in response to Aiko's correction. Her face stuttered blank for a moment, then returned to placidity.
Naruto and Sakura were both watching Aiko intently. She didn't think they'd seen the odd shadow passing over Tsunami-chan's face.
"It was frightening. Terrible." Aiko tensed her muscles into something that resembled a shiver. She pitched her voice lower, quieter. "Gato-san heard that some of the people were trying to build a bridge. I don't think he knew who. So he had his people force everyone into the village center- and- and-" She cleared her throat. She widened her eyes so that they would water. "He thought that if there were no workers-"
"You don't have to finish," Sakura said. Her eyes were wide. She looked like she wasn't certain if she was horrified or fascinated.
Aiko widened her own eyes. She looked down and away. The table was quiet.
Naruto bulldozed through the solemn moment. "Don't worry," he vowed. "Like I said, we'll make sure nothing bad happens!" Tsunami-chan stared at his sincerity and Sakura was embarrassed but Aiko managed a watery smile.
'That's as good an opening as any.'
"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She swallowed. She changed the subject. "So." She cleared her throat. "Tell me about yourselves? I've never met real ninja before."
The children puffed with pride, eager to please and distract.
"I'm the first shinobi in my family," Sakura bragged.
A moment later Naruto chimed in with, "I'm going to be the Hokage!"
Aiko smiled at both of them, faking a little laugh. "Oh, my. That's a big goal. You'll have to work hard, Naruto-kun. And Sakura-san, that must have been a grown-up decision! I bet your family is proud of you."
"Oh, yes," Sakura beamed. Naruto was shrinking back, and that wasn't right, and Aiko pressed. "Do either of you have siblings? Are they ninja too?"
Both children shook their heads without thinking.
Her chest froze over.
'Impossible. It doesn't make any sense.'
A terrible sort of premonition was building. She didn't want to face it. She couldn't consider it. She needed to move. She needed to run.
'I can't stay here. Kakashi is going to sense me as soon as he isn't unconscious or delirious.'
She glanced out the window. She faked surprise. "Oh! I forgot all about the time."
Tsunami-chan paused with her teacup at her lips, pupils dilating in response to the prompt. "Oh, and you have such a walk home." She fussed, putting her china down. "We always do this."
"We're terrible gossips," Aiko confided to Sakura and Naruto with a wink, as though she was imparting some great secret.
"Oh, hush." Tsunami-chan waved that comment off and stood. "I'll show you to the door. Will you be back tomorrow?"
Aiko stood and walked out. "No, I don't think so." She was in another room, far enough away that a civilian might not realize the acoustics were still good for overhearing, and it was her chance to allay whatever suspicions Sakura might have had about how Aiko had acted when she'd seen Naruto. She almost hated to do it. It would embarrass him. It would probably embarrass Sakura. Neither of them were the people who should be embarrassed about the issue.
She lowered her voice. "Tsunami-chan, doesn't Naruto-kun look like he could use some vegetables?" Her voice was plaintive. "He's a little wan, and thin. It worried me."
Tsunami-chan played along like a champ. "Aa, Hikari-chan, don't you worry. I'll get some nutrients in him. They're sweet young people, aren't they?"
"Yes," Aiko agreed grimly. "I just want to scoop them up and take them with me."