Not So Happily Ever After

Not So Happily Ever After
By: Kung Fuu

Chapter 4
“The Mission Revealed”


Iruka had been worried that he wouldn’t recognize what he was supposed to be scouting for, but his fears were put to rest when he noticed the smoke of a small fire curling like silver, slender fingers up through the tree branches. Instantly he froze and squinted into the dense woods. A small fire was lit, and Iruka could just barely make out a shadowy figure hunched over the blaze. Soundlessly, Iruka descended down the tree and crept closer, hyper aware of his surroundings in order to avoid any nasty traps.

There were none. The shadowy figure turned into a girl dressed ornately in fine clothing that was soiled with mud and ripped in various places. She stared sadly into the blaze, obviously forlorn and probably hungry and cold to boot. Gently, in imitation of a birdcall, Iruka notified Kakashi and Gai. Almost immediately, the two men caught up and circled around, making sure they were alone, and soon Kakashi stood beside him in hiding.

“Is she who we’re looking for?” Iruka whispered. Kakashi nodded. Iruka had to strain to hear his reply.

“Her name is Emiko. She’s the daughter of a Lord in Grass. She ran away from home and into Fire country, but her father doesn’t know why. She took a scroll with her that had sensitive information on it. At the moment, war between Grass and Rain could break out at any moment, and she would make a valuable hostage and that scroll could mean defeat for Grass. Luckily, we’ve gotten to her before the Rain ninja did. Still, we don’t know if she’s turned traitor or if she has another motive. Tsunade thinks you can gain her trust, since she’s still only thirteen. You’re good with kids,” Kakashi informed him quickly. Iruka had to admit he was a little surprised at his role.

“Why isn’t that something you could do?” Iruka whispered back. Kakashi’s face remained stoic as he gave his reply.

“Because I told Tsunade that I’d rather go up against Orochimaru than deal with an emotional teenage girl. But don’t worry. I’ll intervene if she tries to suck your blood. I’ve heard they don’t like it if you make any sudden movements. Oh, and in case you don’t make it out alive…I love you,” Kakashi confessed, still in a hushed whisper. Iruka barely resisted the urge to snort at him.

“She’s a kid – not a wild animal.”

Kakashi shot him a look that clearly said he doubted that statement. Sighing, Iruka rolled his eyes at his boyfriend and stood up from his hiding spot.

“Emiko?” Iruka asked. Startled, the girl let out a squawk and fell backwards off the log she’d been sitting on. “Please don’t be frightened. I’m just here to help you,” Iruka explained. “After all, you’ve crossed into Fire country, so myself and two other Leaf shinobi have been sent to see what your intentions are.” Iruka had found, in his experience, that children responded best when he was upfront and sincere. It put them at ease. Sure enough, the girl regained her composure slightly and began to fuss with her clothing, as if she could make herself presentable again by dusting off the leaves that clung to her – never mind all the mud, stains, and rips. She stood tall, as if she’d been trained to do so since a very young age. Everything about her screamed that she was completely unsuited to the environment around her.

“Did my father send you?” she asked wearily. Iruka sighed and nodded.

“He doesn’t know why you’ve run away from home. Would you mind telling me? You don’t seem like a traitor to me,” Iruka said, walking a little closer to her. Her face contorted into an expression of anger, but almost immediately she regained control of her expression.

“I would never become a traitor to Grass, or to my village! Only something very important would make me run away from home,” she replied. Iruka waited for her to go on, but she didn’t speak anymore. Iruka leaned down a bit to catch her gaze with his own and force her to look him in the eyes.

“And that reason would be?” Emiko frowned delicately and her cheeks turned a brilliant scarlet. She crossed her arms defensively over her chest.

“It just so happens that I’m in love,” she answered, as if expecting Iruka to laugh at her in dismissal. He didn’t, but it was a close thing. He and Kakashi had nearly broken up because a silly little girl had a crush! It was absurd.

“So how does that explain why you’re in Fire country?” Iruka prodded. Encouraged by the fact that he hadn’t laughed at her, Emiko clasped her hands behind her back and her blush faded some.

“Because I’ve fallen in love with a shinobi from Takigakure in Waterfall, and I have to pass through Fire forests to reach the border of Waterfall. I memorized the map,” she explained. Iruka nodded, as if it all made perfect sense.

“Kakashi, Gai, I think you can come out now. She’s no threat to Fire or anyone else,” Iruka announced. Almost instantly, the two Jounin emerged from the woods. Emiko studied them carefully and without fear. Something in her mannerisms suggested to Iruka that she was a very sheltered child and had no clue what she’d gotten herself into or just whom exactly she was dealing with.

“What about the scroll you stole?” Kakashi asked sharply, not as easily convinced as Iruka was. The girl flinched at his wording and looked to Iruka to defend her. The brunette placed a hand on her shoulder and shot Kakashi a reproving glare.

“I’m sure Emiko didn’t realize she was taking something important,” he said. The girl nodded and hurriedly rifled through her ornate dress. From an inner pocket, she pulled out the scroll.

“I thought it was blank! Daddy always has spare paper in his study, and I was in such a hurry to sneak away that I didn’t bother opening it. It looked new,” she rushed to explain. Kakashi’s glare softened and he extended his hand.

“It’s very important and it needs to be returned to him. Your life is in danger as long as you carry it,” Iruka said gently. Instantly, as if the scroll was dangerous to touch, she pushed it into Kakashi’s hand.

“I didn’t know, honestly! Now that you have it back, will you let me go to Takigakure?” Her young voice was full of hope, and her big blue eyes were practically begging them to allow her permission to continue. Of course, Iruka knew he couldn’t grant her wish.

“Emiko, I understand that you think getting to Takigakure is very important, but your father is worried sick. You’re too young to take off on your own into the woods,” Iruka began. Kakashi, thinking the situation was under control, helpfully threw in his two cents.

“Besides, Grass ninja are hunting you down as we speak. If we’d come along just a little later, you’d probably be dead,” he stated simply, expecting her to express her gratitude and become obliging.

Instead, she burst into loud, obnoxious sobs and clung to Iruka like a frightened child.

“W-w-why would s-s-someone w-w-want to kill me? I j-j-just wanted to f-f-find Yoshi-san! I’ve been through s-s-so much just to get this far! I r-r-ruined my mother’s dress! Daddy is going to be so m-m-mad! Please don’t let anyone hurt me, and don’t make me g-g-go back!” Shooting a glare at Kakashi over Emiko’s head, the brunette began to try calming her. Gai, watching the scene a bit uncomfortably, was distracted by a noise. He turned slightly, but the loud sobs of the girl obstructed his hearing.

“Kakashi!” he warned, with only seconds to spare. Immediately, a barrage of needles slanted down over the clearing. Thankfully, Iruka had managed to duck with Emiko in his arms and Kakashi and Gai substituted themselves with wood and reappeared in the safety of the trees. Thankfully, Emiko stopped her caterwauling and tried to make herself as small as possible in Iruka’s arms, obviously terrified. Iruka pulled two shuriken out of his pouch and launched them into the woods behind him. There was a moment of silence and then a deafening boom rocked the trees down to their very roots. In the smoke and confusion that followed, Iruka replaced himself and Emiko with clones. Holding her in his arms, he darted through the treetops at a breakneck speed. He had planted some explosion tags earlier as he scouted ahead, but that was the extent of his preparation. He was relying on the explosion to disorient the enemy enough to allow for him to plan his next move safely. The added burden of protecting Emiko was unexpected and worrisome. His best bet was to hide.

Iruka spotted just what he had been looking for. A small pond of stagnant water appeared on his left, and Iruka quickly moved towards it. He snapped up some reeds and shoved one into Emiko’s mouth.

“You’re going to breathe through this,” he ordered. Without further explanation, he gripped the girl tightly and transported them both into the muddy earth at the bank of the pond. At the same time, he made two more clones to disguise the chakra spike and sent them off further into the woods. Four clones was a severe strain, so he let the two he’d left behind originally disappear. Buried deep in the stinking mud, Iruka could not see if Emiko was breathing properly. Her wrist was still clasped in his, so he could feel her hammering heartbeat. She was still alive – just frightened. Gently, Iruka stroked her wrist with his fingers. It was the best he could do to comfort her. Little by little, she began to calm down and her heartbeat slowed. He assumed she was adjusting to breathing through the reed.

All that was left to do was wait. He hadn’t used any particularly advanced techniques – just the basic things he taught to his students, so Kakashi should figure out what he had done sooner or later after the enemies were defeated. A spike of fear drove through him and for a second he worried that the enemy would prove too difficult for Kakashi, but then common sense returned and he remembered his boyfriend’s skill was a thing of legend. Instead of worrying about him, he should be worrying about if he’d hid them well enough or not.

Seconds turned into minuets. The minuets stretched on endlessly, it seemed. Of course, underground Iruka could hear very little. After letting the clone lead a pursuer far away from their hiding spot, Iruka released it. Immediately, he knew from the clone that the enemy was a Rain ninja. The clone must have caught a glimpse of his attacker.

That information changed things. Iruka knew the Rain ninja specialized, naturally, in water based attacks. He also knew they were an unsavory lot that didn’t particularly care for morals. It didn’t surprise him Rain was attempting to take over Grass country lands – a great deal of which probably belonged to Emiko’s father. For his clone’s pursuer to be duped for so long by a clone, it showed that he had to be a lower level ninja. Iruka could probably take him.

Still, the rule was to wait in hiding during situations like this, and Iruka practiced what he preached. He and Emiko continued to wait.

Suddenly, when Iruka was confidant Kakashi would find him any second, the mud around himself and Emiko began to shift strangely. Cursing mentally, Iruka made to transport them out again but it was too late. Strange, slippery bonds had ensnared his wrists and trapped them immobile. The reed was jostled out of his mouth during the struggle, and Iruka feared that he would suffocate, but moments later he and Emiko were lifted out of the ground in a giant bubble of mud contained by water. A young ninja controlled the jutsu while another kept watch. The mud fell through the barrier and back to the ground, but Iruka and Emiko remained suspended in the air, held up by the pond water cage. At least, with the mud gone, there was air to breathe. Both Emiko and Iruka sucked it in greedily, gasping and panting. The bubble was lowered again in an act that obviously required great concentration on the part of the young ninja. His companion quickly stuck his hands through the bubble and tied Iruka’s wrists with sturdy rope, replacing the bonds that had been made of water. He then gagged him and tied complicated knots around his ankles that would give him enough leeway to walk but not to run. Lastly, a dark sack was pulled over his head and tied. Iruka could only assume Emiko was given the same treatment beside him. He had arched his wrists as much as he could while the knots were being tied, and as a result the bonds were looser than they should have been. Still, it was not the moment to take advantage just yet. The water fell away and the ninja that had controlled it fell to his knees panting. The technique had obviously drained him.

The sounds of a fierce battle being waged nearby filled Iruka’s ears. Iruka was roughly shoved in the opposite direction of the battle, and then there was the sound of an umbrella being opened. Emiko was pulled away from his side and then suddenly he was airborne, carried up high by a Rain ninja using his specialized umbrella.


AN: I know, I know, not funny and probably awkward as I'm trying to get through some writer's block. Still, I've figured out where I'm going with this so the next chapters should improve.