| Heaven's Got a Plan For You | [Jul. 24th, 2013|09:43 pm] |
[Takes place Yondaime Year 5, April 18th, several hours after Dangerous Game]
Even though Namikaze Minato was only about a decade older than him, Raidou felt exactly an inch tall kneeling in front of the Hokage’s desk, waiting for judgement to fall on the back of his neck.
“At ease, captain,” said Yondaime-sama.
Raidou took that to mean stand up, not collapse on your face and attempt to hide in the rug. He found his feet, standing straight-backed, and slapped a respectful salute against his scarlet ANBU tattoo. “Commanders.”
Sagara-sama sat at the Hokage’s right, like a favored partner. The vice-commander stood on the Hokage’s left, back a pace, like a much less favored step-child.
“Namiashi Raidou, captaining Team Six,” Yondaime-sama said. He glanced down, checking an open file in front of him. “Lieutenant Shiranui Genma. As members, Ueno Katsuko, Hatake Kakashi, and Tousaki Ryouma.” He looked back up, a faint smile curving his handsome mouth. “Good luck, captain. I have no doubt you're up to the task.”
Raidou couldn’t have heard that right.
“I’m sorry, sir, I think I briefly hallucinated,” he said. “Could you repeat that?”
Yondaime-sama’s golden eyebrows arched. “Your rookies are Hatake Kakashi and Tousaki Ryouma. I believe you’ve met them before.”
Meeting was exactly the issue with Ryouma, even though Raidou really, really wanted him for Team Six. Kakashi was just an issue all by himself, and way out of Raidou’s commanding-league.
Well, okay, Raidou had managed to talk him back off the ledge in the tense, adrenaline-drenched moments right after Akiyama’s death, but that was mostly through luck. And Kakashi being tenuously willing to listen.
He started with the easier one. “With respect, Yondaime-sama, and regret—” a lot of regret, “I have a, uh, conflict with Tousaki.”
Yondaime-sama had the kind of face that inspired children to adore him, older generations to listen to him, and shinobi to die for him. He also had the kind of sharp gaze that could strip paint. “Indeed,” he said, when Raidou felt sufficiently sand-papered. Yondaime-sama braced one elbow on the desk and curled his fist under his chin. “Elaborate.”
He’d had nightmares like this. Though usually his mothers were watching, too.
Raidou picked a point slightly above Yondaime-sama’s head, fixed his eyes on it, and just said words. “I had a one night stand with Tousaki six months ago. He was aware I’m ANBU. I don’t believe he recognized me at the Trials.”
Yondaime’s brow furrowed. “And you believe you cannot command him because...?”
“Of the ethical implications?” Raidou said, after a fumbling moment. “He’d be my subordinate. I have a duty to treat him as a fair and equal member of the team, without favorable or unfavorable bias.”
Not that he had anything but favorable memories of Ryouma. But it would be easy to go too hard on the guy, just by trying not to go too easy.
A little of the edge went out of Yondaime-sama’s eyes. He traded a glance with Sagara, who was unmasked but just as implacable as always, then looked back at Raidou. “Six months ago, you said. And the only contact you had with him since was at the Trials—where you and Shiranui helped Kakashi save his life?"
Well, when you put it like that.
“Yes, sir,” Raidou said.
“Is there anything in your conduct toward him at the Trial that would lead you to believe you could not treat him fairly?”
“No,” Raidou said slowly, with a glimmer of hope. He couldn’t prevent himself from adding, “But that’s sort of the point about bias. It skews your view.”
Yondaime-sama sat back with a flare of the white, flame-patterned coat, and rubbed one thumb along his jaw. “What do you consider the qualities of a good ANBU captain?”
Could’ve kept your mouth shut, Namiashi, but noooo...
“Integrity,” Raidou said. “Insight, both into one's subordinates and into oneself. The willingness to listen, but also the ability to take no crap. Strength. Devotion to duty.” He considered sense of humor, but dropped it. This wasn’t a personal ad. “Loyalty. Good boundaries. That’s the short list, sir.”
Modesty not included.
The blue-eyed stare fixed him again, but didn’t skin a layer this time. “I didn't hear anything in there about being non-human, Namiashi. We say a shinobi must never show emotion, but that doesn't mean a shinobi can't feel it. Regardless of whatever feelings you had or have toward Tousaki, do you have any doubts about your ability to set appropriate boundaries?”
Raidou gave that question the consideration it deserved.
“No, sir,” he said at last.
That earned him a direct smile—a warm, personal lift of the corners of Yondaime-sama’s mouth, which did not make Raidou flush, goddamit.
“Konoha demands superhuman feats from its shinobi daily, captain, but I don't expect perfection. Do your best. If you have a complaint in three weeks—or he does—I'll listen. For now, I'll trust in your good judgment.” Yondaime-sama paused, then added: “If he attempts to trade on it, don't hesitate to quash him. That young man could use a little humbling.”
Sagara-sama snorted, very softly.
Captains with good boundaries did not recall a specific instance of discipline, or consider making a joke about it. Raidou hauled himself into line and bowed gratefully. “Hokage-sama,” he said, and straightened, wondering exactly how far he could push his luck. “About Hatake...”
Minato laughed. “I was wondering when we’d get to this. Yes. What about Kakashi?”
“How do you handle him?” Raidou asked, with throttled despair.
Minato was silent for a moment. “You ever seen a mother cat carrying her kittens?” he said, which gave Raidou confused, disturbing mental images of Kakashi with fur. “Gently, but with teeth.”
He sounded fond, which was both a little endearing and a lot worrisome, like a man crooning over his favorite poisonous reptile.
Still, Raidou thought he could work with that.
“How do you bring him back into line, if he needs it?” he asked.
“Directly,” Minato said, as if he’d had that answer waiting. “Kakashi usually knows when he screws up, and he's harder on himself than you can ever be.” He paused. “Unless he totally missed the point, in which case you may need to hit him over the head with it. He doesn't usually make the same mistake twice, but he's pretty good at figuring out new ones.”
Which’d put him about on par with every other new rookie. That was actually slightly reassuring.
“I’ll try not to hit him too hard,” Raidou said, with a half-smile, before he remembered who he was talking to. He bowed again. “My thanks, Hokage-sama.”
“And you have mine,” Yondaime-sama said softly. He hesitated again, and just for a moment, Raidou saw the man underneath—the parent, really, because everyone knew Minato-sensei had taught Kakashi far longer than a lot of jounin even lived. “Kakashi can be difficult. But if you earn his loyalty—and I’ve no doubt you can—he’ll be worth it.”
A bow didn’t touch that gift of trust or level of responsibility. Raidou dropped back down to one knee, planting a fist solidly on the floor in the full shinobi kneel, and ducked his head. He had one more question, but after that, he didn’t think he could press it without being rude.
But if he didn’t, he’d wonder.
“Was there something else?” Yondaime-sama asked, when Raidou didn’t immediately rise.
“I’m sorry, Hokage-sama, I don’t mean to press,” Raidou said. “I just wondered— Why did you place Tousaki and Hatake together?”
A faint smile sketched back over Yondaime-sama’s face, but without the humor behind it. “I might have expected that. Insight indeed.” He rubbed his mouth and sighed. “Kakashi badly needs a friend. I have reason to suspect Tousaki might fill the need. Tousaki risked his own life to help Kakashi when he thought Kakashi needed it, and Kakashi returned the favor. Rather more successfully, as it happens, but—” He glanced sideways at Sagara-sama, whose blank face revealed nothing to Raidou. “You can stop radiating judgement at me, Okiku. If I ever do start a Shinobi Dating Service, it'll be a wild success.”
Raidou paid close attention to the middle-distance again.
When Yondaime-sama returned to him, it was more intensely, with a thin undercurrent of worry threading through his voice. “I suspect you know Tousaki better than either of us. If you have concerns, I'll listen.”
The one time in his entire life that Raidou had the Hokage’s full attention on a string, and it was because of a one-night-stand. What even.
Did he have concerns?
What he’d seen of Kakashi had impressed and worried him. What he’d seen of Ryouma... had done much the same, actually. But he didn’t know either man well enough to predict how they’d mesh, or even if they would, though the seeds seemed to be there.
Katsuko, he suspected, was going to be delighted with them both.
He had no idea what Genma would make of things.
“It was one night with Tousaki, Hokage-sama,” Raidou said at last. “I couldn’t make an honest judgement call. They might clash, but Ueno is a good buffer, and a good person in her own right, and Shiranui holds his calm well. Konoha’s built better teams from much less. If they can’t be friends, they’ll at least be good teammates.” He rose to his feet again. “That I will promise you.”
Yondaime-sama sat back in his chair, and looked up at Raidou. The tension didn’t quite ease out of him. With a whole village on his shoulders, it probably never did. Raidou had just never been able to see it before.
“I’ll rely on you, then, captain,” Yondaime-sama said. “Thank you.” His gaze went beyond Raidou, to the door. “Would you tell captain Usagi to come in?”
Raidou touched his right hand to his left shoulder, offering ANBU’s salute one last time, and collected the four personnel files Sagara-sama offered him before he turned for the door.
When he got outside and closed it, he took a moment to bend over, brace, and breathe.
Usagi gave him an alarmed look. “That bad?”
“I got Tousaki,” Raidou said distantly.
“That’s not—”
“And Hatake.”
Usagi snapped the wire she’d been working with. “Who the hell did you blow?” she demanded.
Actually, he blew me, Raidou emphatically did not say. He straightened up and grinned at her. “God. And it was mind-altering. Hokage-sama wants you next. Enjoy getting the dregs.”
“I hope Tousaki melts your stupid perfect face off,” she said, and clapped him on the shoulder as she went past, friendly as a handshake from a landslide. “Well done, Namiashi.”
He kept grinning when she shut the door.
Tousaki and Hatake.
He had no idea what he’d done to earn them, but he wasn’t going to waste them. He tucked the files carefully beneath one arm, walked calmly out of the Hokage’s palace, and then bolted to find Genma. |
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