| Great Party, But It's Hell on the Furniture [Kotetsu, Katsuko] |
[Jan. 10th, 2009|06:54 pm] |
[[Takes place March 20th, two days after Mission: Blow Things Up]]
Katsuko leaned against the cold stone bench, chafing frozen hands. The lights of Konoha had come on, blinking amongst the twisted buildings like fireflies in a particularly screwy field. The evening crowd streamed past her heedlessly, an endless river of flushed faces and cheerful shouts. It was a perfectly lovely, chilly March evening.
She let her head fall against the bench with a loud thunk. Tonight was going to suck. Her little brother's birthday was tomorrow, and she wasn't even allowed to talk to him. Kami on a fucking pogo stick. What did Makoto even look like now? Did he know what she looked like anymore?
Her hands fisted on her lap as she let out a low snarl. |
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| Mission: Blow Things Up [Closed to Katsuko and Kotetsu] |
[Nov. 12th, 2008|08:27 pm] |
[Takes place after Justify My Reasons]
Katsuko slapped another explosion tag on the back of an unsuspecting guard and translocated to the rendezvous point, laughing under her breath.
Poor bastard. Just his luck that he was guarding this particular warehouse tonight.
She waited, crouched in the tree branch, until the distant boom of the explosion tag going off startled the other guards awake. Grinning ferally under her mask, she slapped her hands together and spread her chakra out into twenty substantial clones. They flitted off into the night to wreak havoc on the smugglers' base. With that done, she leaned back against the tree branch, waiting for the kid to finish with his part of the mission and report back. |
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| Justify My Reasons [closed to Ginta & Kotetsu] |
[Nov. 9th, 2008|11:50 pm] |
[Takes place approximately five days after If the Door's Still Open and three days after Hit the Bell Curve]
Ginta had picked up the mission assignment papers without even looking at them. He didn't much care, really. A mission was good. Any mission, he'd told the chuunin manning the assignment desk. Something to get him out of town and away from thinking about things that really weren't worth losing sleep over. People that really weren't worth losing sleep over.
It was straightforward; an easy B-rank. Take out some guy who might or might not deserve death at the hands of an ANBU assassin. Bring back proof of the death. Get paid. Go home. The perfect thing. Exactly what he needed.
He let himself into the briefing room, found it unoccupied, and set up shop with a bag of donuts and a steaming cup of coffee, loaded with enough sugar to make it nearly a syrup at the bottom before he stirred it. The donuts were good. He was halfway through the second one before he bothered to actually look at the mission brief.
Partnered with a chuunin. Hagane Kotetsu. That was the shaggy-haired kid with the bandaged nose who'd come to get him and Kakashi out of hot water back in December. Damn, he was kind of a doofus. But then this was an easy mission. And he could always cheat the kid at cards to pass the time. Speaking of which... He glanced at his watch. Did he have the wrong briefing room? Where the hell were Intel and Hagane? |
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| Storm in a Teacup: It's an Angry Fish [Closed to Ryuichi and Kotetsu] |
[Aug. 16th, 2008|10:27 pm] |
Takes place after this conversation with Ryuichi.
He hadn't thought about him for a long time.
Kotetsu wasn't an angry person by nature - it took a lot to make him angry, or at least get him to the level of killing intent. Oh sure, he lost his temper sometimes, but all that needed was a bit of venting, or even just plotting to turn that person's underwear bright flourescent blue and then he was over it.
But now?
( Three years. It'd been three years, since he'd last thought of him. Makoto. ) |
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| Any Other Name [Closed to Hayate and Kotetsu] |
[Jun. 29th, 2008|11:36 pm] |
[Immediately follows Vice Dignified]
When the door opened to the ANBU headquarters a fine February evening, it let in the slanting thin winter sunshine, a good deal of cold air, and two disgruntled ANBU agents. The pair were arguing with each-other. Daisuke, the chuunin at the reception desk, had seen worse arguments, in his stint as desk-monkey for Konoha's Black Ops. He still slipped a little lower in his chair. ANBU were all crazy--it was better to be safe than caught in the crossfire of madmen.
"...was totally uncalled for, you--"
"You put snow down my shirt, it was justified--"
"Was NOT!" The shorter agent pushed his painted mask up atop his head, dislodging a fine shower of powdery snow. His unruly hair was full of it, and his face reddened with cold.
The other followed his example, and they exchanged a brief glare. "Was too," the taller finally replied, in a tone very soft, before turning and heading right for the reception desk.
Daisuke straightened in his seat, amused by the spluttering of the shorter man. He smiled in answer to the kindly grin the taller agent gave him.
****
Hayate didn't give Kotetsu a chance to respond. He almost grinned outright upon hearing him splutter as he walked away, but somehow kept his smile tiny and polite for the desk chuunin. The front desk kept a list of agents out on missions. "Gekkou and Hagane."
The young man at the desk dug the clipboard up and out of a few other papers, scanned it, flipped a page up and studied that one, then nodded. He chased the pen chained to the desk down, then handed both clipboard and pen to Hayate. "Numbers and name, right there."
Hayate jotted the required information down. He stepped aside to let Kotetsu do the same. Kotetsu was looking mildly irritated, but not completely out-of-sorts. |
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| Vice Dignified [Closed to Hayate and Kotetsu] |
[Jun. 22nd, 2008|02:01 am] |
The two days passed relatively quickly, with the pressing of time that felt too rushed to the planning ANBU. On the second day, winter reasserted itself, with a light snowfall and temperatures that iced over the ornamental ponds in the gardens.
Hayate felt sorry for the fish in the ponds. He felt sorry for himself too: it was cold out here, the wind was picking up, and the snow was still falling. As the sun set, the temperature of the air was dropping. Though his breath was dispersed by both of the masks he wore, he knew it would appear as smoke on the cold air.
He shifted on his branch, pulling his cloak more tightly around him. He curled his chilled fingers in the thick cloak. Fingerless gloves in winter were not good for his hands, but he hated the way gloved fingers felt on his katana. He wiggled his cold fingers and glared at the garden gate.
Hayate was posted in the closest tree by the gate, hidden in the shadows. Kotetsu was farther back in the garden, nearer to the house. And likely out of the wind. Hayate reigned in his aggravated musings and turned his attention back to the job. Kotetsu's job was to keep an eye on the traps he had set, and hopefully keep the girl--Kyoko--out of the garden long enough for Hayate to deal with the man.
Hayate had, he thought, the easier time of it. Kotetsu had lost the coin toss, anyway.
He glanced up at the darkening sky. No moon tonight--though it was almost full, it was not risen yet. He could see well enough without the moonlight. The clouds were clearing, and the starlight was reflecting off the snow. He looked back to the gate, and let still patience blanket him like the snow.
It was ten minutes until midnight. |
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| Virtue Misapplied [Closed to Hayate and Kotetsu] |
[Jun. 21st, 2008|01:02 pm] |
Kotetsu eyed the mission scroll. Provide protection for Mochizuki Kyoko, daughter of Aizuzen Daimyou Mochizuki Kane, against threat of assassination. Further instructions upon agents' arrival, to be relayed directly by Daimyou Mochizuki Kane. His mission partner was one Gekkou Hayate. Some sorta physical fighter, Kotetsu figured, if it was body guarding duty. For a girl. Kotetsu made a small face, and walked up the stairs. Find the Gekkou-guy - maybe he'd already been briefed, and then they could go do their mission.
Man, it was a good time to be out - the winter snows weren't so thick anymore, what with spring coming in a few months, and if they could do a bit of running, it'd warm him right up. It was always good to be outside, even if it snowed, because Kotetsu would go crazy in HQ. And then proceed to blow something up and get himself landed straight in Arakaki's office.
Kotetsu shivered at the thought. No way man, he wasn't going to go back there if he could help it. The guy was one scary piece of work, only beaten by the T&I pack down in the basements. He'd only do shit like that if he was sure he wouldn't get caught. And the surveillance in HQ was just that good.
First floor, room 109, the mission scroll said. Right.
It meant he didn't have to climb stairs, which was always good. Kotetsu wandered down the corridors, and rapped smartly on the door labelled with a lopsided '9'. "Oy! Gekkou!" Or should he call him Hayate? "Hayate! Mission!" |
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| Mission Desk |
[Jun. 18th, 2008|06:49 pm] |
Mission Rank: B
Agents Requested: Gekkou Hayate, Special Jounin 011671, Hagane Kotetsu, Chuunin 012050
Description/Objectives: Travel to the province of Aizuzen and provide protection for Mochizuki Kyoko, daughter of Aizuzen Daimyou Mochizuki Kane, against threat of assassination. Political enemies of the daimyou in the Ono family have threatened to assassinate Mochizuki's daughter in retribution for a recently-passed law. Further instructions upon agents' arrival, to be relayed directly by Daimyou Mochizuki Kane.
Expected Hazards: It is unknown whether those threatening an assassination attempt intend to carry out their threat directly, or have hired ninja.
Special Notes: Agents preassigned due to need for specific skill sets.
Posted by authority of Arakaki Hisoka, Director of ANBU Operations |
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| Cookies & Bruises [closed to Ayumi & Kotetsu] |
[May. 28th, 2008|09:50 pm] |
[Set the day after the Bake Sale.]
With the bake sale finally over, Ayumi was free to do what she really wanted to do. And that involved sweatpants, her hoodie, punching bags, and weights. She'd slept most of the previous afternoon and wanted to be in pristine condition for her spar with Kotetsu. With an hour of warm ups behind her, Ayumi felt more alive than she had in ages. Watching that Intel-prick's back had been mind-numbing and it was a relief to get to pound a bag nearly her bodyweight until her skin glistened with sweat. And the best thing was that she hadn't seen Shin and Yuuichi since she went to sleep.
It was great to be home.
Feeling refreshed Ayumi took her lunch break - Morimoto Shingo still took her compliments and made amazing things - and then headed to the room she had agreed to meet Kotetsu at, pulling out her leather gloves and slipping them on. She laced them as she walked, nearly humming to herself as she walked the last few hundred yards. Reaching the room, she felt a slight familiar buzz of chakra and grinned at the sight of Kotetsu poking around the room.
"You better not be setting up any traps, Kotetsu." She cocked her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd have to pull out my really nasty moves in retribution." |
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| Nothing Better to Do [closed to Sumire and Kotetsu] |
[Apr. 14th, 2008|02:34 am] |
There were lots of things Sumire was happy about now that she was running missions. It meant that she had a whole contingent of new agents to torment when she found herself with an unnatural amount of time on her hands. The kunoichi had more time on her hands and a bigger hazard pay for some of her missions. Just some, though, the billing department staff were tight-fisted little misers with hazard pay. What if she ended up having to get a sickness from one of her clients?
The thought terrified her, and made her sick to her stomach. However, those thoughts were neither here nor there. Sumire was busy looking over the listing of people currently away on a mission. Ugh, what's Matsumoto doing on here? That bitch has the clap. Sumire wrinkled her nose and looked at the next list. Ugh, ugh, ew, oh my grinning devils, ew, ugh, ew, ew, ugh, ew. She listed off the people away, and wondered how many of them would actually come back in one piece.
Even if she didn't like a heap of them, they were still her comrades in arms. Sumire shifted her weight to her other foot and curled a tendril of hair around her finger as she continued to read the mission bulletin board. She had to see who was where and when, didn't she? |
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| Bake Sale: ANBU Style [Closed to Ayumi, Kotetsu, Itachi] |
[Apr. 7th, 2008|10:44 pm] |
Set the morning after Ayumi's return; directly following this.
Tables, check. Folding chair, check. Mochi, check. Dango, check. Cookies, check. Comfortable clothes, check. Sign establishing the purpose of the bake sale, check. An early staked out spot in the common's room? Double check.
It had been a very, very long day for Ayumi. Going on thirty or so hours of not sleeping wasn't too bad, was it? She certainly wasn't complaining. Hauling her miniature sweet shop of food down to the common's room had taken a few trips, but it didn't bother her. The more stairs, the merrier! And there hadn't been hardly anyone awake, so she had free reign of the hallways and the common's room.
Now with all of her supplies, she sat down behind the two borrowed tables and glanced over the spread of food. Mochi was to her left, followed by dango, then the cookies going from directly in front of her and spreading out to her right. It was a pity she hadn't had time to make any other kinds of sweets, the variety would have been appreciated. But at least she'd made plenty of food. Not that it would be a real meal for ANBU agents, but it hopefully would cheer some of them up. ( Who didn't like sugar? ) |
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| It Takes a Genius to Watch a Jackass [Closed to Kakashi, Ginta, Kotetsu & Kanae] |
[Mar. 6th, 2008|05:46 pm] |
Immediately follows It Tales a Jackass to Save a Genius. Takes place in mid-December
When Ginta woke up, he was surprised first of all to be waking up. He was surprised again to be warm, dry, and in what felt like a feather bed. There was light coming in a window. Misty, pre-sunrise light, with that cold quality that said it was reflecting off of snow. And there was a dim lamp burning in the room. They had to be in the farmhouse, Ginta decided. He assumed they'd been captured, then, except it didn't make any sense. If they'd been captured, shouldn't they be tied up? But he wasn't tied up, or...
No, he was. But it was medical equipment and IV lines, not shackles. And Kakashi was there beside him, warm, solid, and still breathing. There was a strange hissing sound. Oxygen. Kakashi was on oxygen. That wasn't good. But... Ginta brought a hand up to his face, pushing at cold plastic tubing. Huh. They were both on oxygen? And there was a sharp kind of insistent pain in his side. Ribs, right.
Okay so... They'd been about to die. Or something a lot like it anyway, because Ginta couldn't keep the fight up anymore.
Right. He remembered that. Choking and the guy coming at him, and falling down and choking and blood and... Something. It didn't add up. How the hell was it that they were alive and evidently getting medical treatment?
He kind of hated to wake Kakashi, but Kakashi was the only one who might have a clue. He rolled ever so slightly to his side and reached a hand out to the body next to his. Touched naked skin under the covers. Also interesting.
"Kakashi." Ginta's voice was a raw whisper. He coughed softly, tried again. "Genius. Wake up. What the hell is going on?" |
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| Always At The Ready [tag Kotetsu] |
[Feb. 25th, 2008|08:10 pm] |
Intel had finally gotten an agent back alive from documenting the series of new towers built along the border between Fire and Wind Country. The data came in just as a new informant sent in information about the Tsuchikage's new pleasure estate, and on top of that, ANBU being sent to a mission in Lightning Country needed current maps, and needed them waterproof. Yuzuya had pulled an all-nighter and then put in a full day's work after that, which meant more than 32 hours of work with no breaks.
This was precisely why he was now lying passed out on the pleather couch in the first floor rec room with a news magazine in one hand and a bag of mixed nuts in the other. On the floor beside him was a warm half-empty beer and an empty package of what had been little chocolate covered donuts-- apparently he'd had time to get to the vending machines before succumbing to exhaustion. Yuzuya was snoring very, very faintly, and there was a growing puddle of drool forming by his open mouth.
Let it be known to all that this was not a wise position for a shinobi, much less an ANBU, much less a hard-nosed, strictly-business nerd like Shibata Yuzuya to let himself be caught in. Yuzu was prone and in a public space where just anyone (and there were very unsavory anyones lurking about ANBU HQ at this very moment) could happen upon the lanky shinobi as he drooled slept. |
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| As You Were [Open] |
[Feb. 9th, 2008|07:15 am] |
Sumire was about a week behind New Year's celebrations proper. It didn't matter too terribly much, of course. She'd gone and cleaned the snow out of her mother's name, burnt the incense and left an offering (because who else had more fun during New Year's than their lively mother?). Now, she was walking up the snowy street with her elder brother, arm in arm. The two Murakami were almost painfully similar to each other, despite her brother height, and their genders. The older man kept his hair up in a queue, bound tight with red cord.
"You know, I don't like having to drop you off here," her brother told her quietly. "It feels like I'm leaving you at the kindergarten." Murakami Aoi glanced at the shadowy white building. Whether it was the fact that he hated giving his little sister up into the "loving" arms of ANBU (or Arakaki-sama, as the case may be) or that he knew he wouldn't see her for weeks, Sumire couldn't say. Her brother frowned at the building like it had taken his lunch money.
Silly older brothers.
"You know, considering how some of the agents act, Nii-sama, it's like a big kindergarten," Sumire agreed and tossed her hair behind her shoulders with a mitten-covered hand. "All the idiots shrieking and blithering on at all hours. It's enough to make me want to kick someone in the teeth."
"Sumi'e." Aoi gave his sister the same pale-eyed look she chastised Ren with.
"Yes, I know. Better to not speak of those that cannot control themselves," she muttered, cowed.
"You could always move back home, to Hanagumori, and not live in the complex," Aoi suggested as the rounded the corner. It would be best for her anyway, wouldn't it? He wouldn't have to worry about her defending her honor from some cruel, bloodthirsty sexual deviant. The fact that Sumire had taken care of her self for nearly four years and outranked him as a jounin was irrelevant, she was still his little sister.
"Not even if Hokage-sama got on his knees and begged me," Sumire replied sternly. "And don't you go planting ideas in anyone's head at home that it would be a good idea, either, Nii-sama." The building was insight now, rising up out of the darkness like a vicious creature that ate good girls and spat out vicious monsters. Aoi's frown deepened.
"Fine, but don't say I haven't suggested it." He kissed her temple and her forehead as they stood before the building.
"Aoi-niisama..." Sumire half-whined. "I'm not ten anymore."
"Pah, you'll always be ten to me," he grinned and tweaked a long bang. Sumire puffed her cheeks in frustration at him. "See you in a few weeks."
"Yes, see you, onii-sama. Have a good time with Karin-san, okay?" Sumire replied watching her brother walk down the street and get swept into a crowd of passerby. She straightened her shoulders, wiped that sweet, honeyed look from her face and turned on her heel to face the building. "Hmph."
It was time to go to work. She hoped no one had seen her brother's act of affection, and wondered if she might be knocking people out with the sensu in her jacket pocket. |
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| Off Hours [Closed to Ryuichi and Kotetsu] |
[Feb. 7th, 2008|10:50 am] |
Kotetsu prodded the door open; he thought he heard someone in here. Decimating straw dummies. Which sounded like fun, and maybe he could learn something, if not get said someone to spar. He felt full of energy, and remembering Zombie-man's fighting style and weaponry made him gleeful.
So he was feeling bouncy. Won't be having missions for a bit, he was all revved up, is all.
"... oh hey!" It was Zombie-man! Well, Ryuichi, but the nick-name fitted. And every time he called him that Ryuichi would look at him. It was hilarious. "You're here! And okay! We should spar." |
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| Guy Talk (Closed to Ryouma and Kotetsu) |
[Feb. 6th, 2008|03:55 pm] |
Set in Mid-December. Before Acid Dogs of War.
The ceiling was worn and dirty, the plaster lined with hairline cracks so numerous that they looked like spiderwebs. Oh. Wait. Not cracks, they were spiderwebs. Heh.
Kotetsu let his fingertips dust carefully over them, barely disturbing the thin threads of spidersilk so coated with dirt and grime that they looked like dark cracks in the ceiling. The plaster itself, if you disregarded the cracks, was greasy, and it was difficult to clamber across it without leaving marks.
Man, his fingers were going to be all greasy. Apparently it occurred to no one to clean the ceiling for poor banned hungry ninja.
He grabbed hold of the middle rod of the lazily spinning ceiling fan, curling into its shadow. Coast's clear. The Angry Chef wasn't in - out for a smoke, or at the men's room washing his hands, or something - and that meant he had a good five minutes at least to dart in and down.
He tensed, ready to pounce, when someone slammed open the door.
"Ngah!" His hand slipped and he crashed straight to the ground.
Falling through the fan didn't help - for the record, fan-blade slaps really, really hurt. Ow. |
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| Hello Stranger [Closed to Kotetsu and Ryuichi] |
[Jan. 11th, 2008|10:40 am] |
It was a rather nice day, for snow. Even with snow. It was a nice crisp clear day, with blue skies, and cloudy breath. It was colder under the trees, in the forests, but if he kept moving - which he fully intended to do - he wouldn't feel the cold.
Kotetsu liked forests. They were positively filled with hidey holes and obstacles and uneven ground, perfect to put traps all around. It wasn't often that Ko had time - now - to lay out all the traps he could think off, and survey them with pleased pride.
He didn't set them to lethality, just the bare outlines so he knew he could remember them. A time limit of setting ten traps in a goodly periphery. His timing was just a little off, and one of his traps were a bit too hurried to do any proper damage, or restraining even in this sketchy form, so he set about resetting it, this time, in its full glory, just to be sure.
He hadn't reckoned on some idiot blundering in on his training space! |
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| Lazing Around in Bed. [Tag to Kakashi, Ginta, and Kotetsu] |
[Dec. 31st, 2007|05:53 am] |
Kakashi woke up in hospital. Ward D, room 614. He knew it was room 614 because he recognised the crack in the ceiling. Knew it was Konoha's hospital because he remembered the smell. Knew why he was there because of the bandage tied tightly over his sharingan, the medics never trusted his hitai-ate for some reason. The first -- years ago -- had said if he was going to cry bloody tears then he could damn well do it into clean linen like any well brought up boy.
( He'd liked that medic. Sometimes he wondered what had happened to her. She'd had warm hands. ) |
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enraged
amused
drained