Raiden Hata opened the door of the family's two story row house. The young man walked to the storage cabinet under the stairs to the upper level to pull out his own pack. His pack had a silk yellow ribbon sewn on the flap to the main compartment, but Motoko's wasn't beside his. "Great… Kaasan?" He shouted as he pulled out his bag. "Do you know where Motoko keeps her travelling pack? The one she assembled after we graduated?"
"I'm afraid not, Rai..." His mother said as she appeared from the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel. Mrs. Hata was a slight woman and her features were a slightly older version of his twin sister's, but where Motoko and Raiden had emerald green eyes and fiery red hair, their Mother only had the eyes: the hair came from their father's side of the family. "It ought to be in her room; I seem to recall she took it out to make some adjustments. What's going on?"
The easily excitable young man grinned at his mother as he ran up the stairs. "We've got a mission that's taking us out of the Village for a few weeks!" He called back down to her.
His mother was a bit less enthusiastic as she mulled over the thoughts of both her children leaving the nest. She sighed as he returned, carrying his sister's green-ribbon emblazoned bag over his shoulder. "Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I know you can't tell me any details, but be safe and mind your sister." She smiled wanly. "Preferably more than you usually do."
"No promises, Kaasan." He said with his usual grin. "I'll bring you back a souvenir."
His mother pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the forehead just beneath his Konoha headband. "Just bring yourself and your sister back home safe; that'll be enough of a souvenir as far as I'm concerned."
Raiden looked slightly embarrassed, but he nodded acceptance of her request with sincerity. "I will, Kaasan; I'll swear to that."
* * *
Karin Inugami opened the door of the Inugami family's home. She smiled as she saw the visitor. "Welcome, Miho-sensei! Here for another chat?"
Miho Hyuuga smiled, remembering the conversation between her and older of Sho's younger sisters after Kimiko had left to take food to Nakahito the day of the first Wall Walking jutsu training. "As fun as that would be, I'm afraid I'm here on business. Are either of your parents at home?"
"By a small miracle, Kaasan is actually home for lunch for a change." She stepped out of the doorway, gesturing for the Jonin to enter. "Please."
Karin lead Miho through the house to the kitchen, where Anastasia Inugami sat at a table reading a report while occasionally stabbing her salad with a fork and chewing. She was exactly as Teuchi Ichiraku had described to Miho a few weeks earlier: pale skin, copper-red hair in loop braids and a white patterned purple atop crimson uwagi.
"Kaasan? Sho's Jonin is here to speak with you."
"Hmm..?" The slightly older woman – she was about ten years Miho's elder – said distractedly, looking over her papers. "Oh, a Hyuuga; appears to be main family as the Byakugan are intact… Specimen in excellent condition…" She said as if dictating notes to a voice recorder.
Miho blinked in confusion. "Pardon?" She looked at Karin, wondering if Sho's sister was the only "normal" person in the Inugami family.
Karin rolled her eyes. "Mom!" The woman blinked looking to her daughter. "You're not in the lab; this one's still alive!"
Anastasia blinked a few times as that registered and an embarrassed blush colored her cheeks. "Oh, OH! Hyuuga-sensei! I'm so sorry; been a bit busy and my mind's distracted by my task, apparently…" She set down her report. "Great way to make a first impression, huh? How can I help you today?"
'Like mother, like son, I guess.' A smile creased Miho Hyuuga's lips as Anastasia showed a more personable side of herself.
"Oh, I completely understand being engrossed in work, Inugami-sensei. It happens given the importance of our jobs, so you're forgiven."
Anastasia beamed. "Thank you. What brings you by? I understood that Sho was improving in his relationships with Haruno and Itou…" A look of worry creased her forehead. "He hasn't backslid and done something severe, has he?"
Miho shook her head. "Nothing of the sort, Anastasia-san. Sho's an excellent teammate and student; acerbic tongue aside."
"Acerbic…" The older female Inugami tittered slightly. "A kind way to phrase that. Something I'm afraid he gets from me… I can be a bit of an Imperial brat sometimes; Kurando's much more even tempered."
"No, I'm here because of something Sho asked me to do…" She reached into her weapons pouch and pulled out the medic-nin's green glasses and hair clasp. "We have an extended mission coming up that will take your son undercover." An odd look crossed the faces of Sho's mother and sister; worry? "He's currently getting fitted for his part and he asked me to bring this to you; he said it would bring you some peace of mind."
Anastasia took a deep breath, the look vanishing from her face, as she accepted the glasses; nodding at the non-verbal message from her son. "I see..." She smiled at the Jonin. "It's not easy watching your eldest leave the nest; no matter how well prepared he is for the task. Thank you for bringing me this message. Let him know that I trust his judgment and I always have."
"Only Sho is going undercover?" Karin asked surprised.
"Karin, you know Hyuuga-sensei can't divulge the details of an active mission." Anastasia chided her elder daughter.
"It's okay." Miho said with a smile. "I didn't have any older siblings, but one of my original team members had younger ones, so I remember how exciting our missions were for the ones that looked up to my teammate." Hyuuga turned to Karin. "No, he's going under with Kimiko…" A sly smile crossed her lips. "And Motoko…"
Now Karin Inugami tittered, much like her mother. "Kami help him!" Anastasia looked confused. "Motoko Hata, Kaasan."
"Ah, Sho's crush." Anastasia said, surprising Miho. Sho's mother smiled. "I recognized that look on his face; it was identical to the one I carried from about five seconds after I met Kurando."
"He's been oddly cold to her as of late, though." Hyuuga said, confused. "He's been that way ever since the Hide-and-Seek mission the other week. But he was very protective of her when Kimiko and Raiden got into a fight earlier today."
Anastasia and Karin shook their heads with a sigh over Sho's attitude. "Ever since the 'Boar Incident' my son has kept just about everyone at arm's length. Even I don't know why…"
Karin nodded. "And when Sho doesn't want to explain things, you couldn't torture the words out of him; he'll just go somewhere in his mind that can't be touched by the outside world."
An odd look crossed Anastasia's face at her daughter's choice of words, but then she shook her head as if discarding the thought. "Whatever his reasons, I have no doubt that my son's feelings for Ms. Hata are unchanged; he's just being difficult… Unfortunately, that's ANOTHER one of my traits he picked up."
Miho shrugged. "Well, they're going to have a lot of time to deal with it over the next few weeks."
"Guess we can hold off on making that cake, Kaasan." The younger woman said, getting a glum nod from her mother.
"Sadly, not the first time we've had to celebrate his birthday late." Anastasia said, recalling the months that her son had lain in a coma several years ago.
Miho perked up. She'd been so focused on getting her team up and running that she hadn't really absorbed personal facts of her Genin from their files yet. "Sho's birthday is coming up? He hasn't said anything."
"Day after tomorrow my baby turns fifteen." Anastasia said proudly.
"But no surprise that he hasn't talked about it..." Karin pointed out. "Until recently, the only people outside the family that cared were Kabuto and the three other people in the Village that Sho genuinely likes."
"Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chouji." Miho said, recalling the names, getting a nod from her Genin's sister.
"And even then, only Kabuto would come." Anastasia continued. "Yakushi has been a god send for Sho; probably the only reason he's as sociable as he is…"
'It sounds as if the only one who really knows Sho is this Kabuto.' Miho thought to herself, making a mental note to remember to track the older Genin down after they returned from Mizumiyo Palace.
Miho noticed the clock on the wall. "Ah, I'm afraid I must go; we're heading out in just over a half hour."
"Tell Onii-san that Karin told him to be nice; whether he wants to or not." Karin Inugami said.
Anastasia nodded. "And ask him to keep an eye out for anything I might find interesting on his trip; he'll know what I mean."
The Hyuuga Jonin nodded. "I doubt I'll need to do anything – of the two teams involved on this mission, Sho's got the easier tasks – but I promise I'll bring him home back in one piece."
Both Inugami women bowed their gratitude at Miho's promise.
* * *
Miho Hyuuga, Takahashi, Nakahito Haruno, and Raiden Hata stood by an ornate carriage as befitted a Lord Daimyo's daughter. Kyouran the panther was perched atop the wooden carriage, his tail idly whipping back and forth. The three young men had discussed any number of things, including bringing the members of Team 11 into the ranks of the "Dragons," though Team 11 were based on their chakra natures instead of preferred colors to prevent confusion: Okito was the Diamond Dragon, Raiden the Thunder Dragon, Motoko the Lightning Dragon, and Takahashi the Earth Dragon.
"Ugh!!!" Raiden said a bit too-loudly. "What's going on? The Hokage said we should have left half an hour ago! Hell, the guys that hired us have already left on horses!"
"Relax, Raiden." Miho said chidingly. "You'll find that most escort and bodyguard missions are more 'hurry up and wait' than 'save the client.' We're here IN CASE something goes wrong, not because it's sure to go wrong."
"Man…" He kicked at the dirt. "Guard duty sucks then."
"Prowr!" Kyouran declared, hopping off the carriage and onto Takahashi's shoulder.
Takahashi nodded. "They're coming."
Okito Tanaka was first to come into view. He had removed his normal dark blue jumpsuit and wore a brighter blue uniform with intricate gold stitching that depicted the coat of arms for the Land of Rivers showing mountains and valleys cut by the hundred rivers that gave the nation their name; runoff from the land of Rain to the north. He was without his normal sword and carried a spear instead – polearms were the preferred guard weapon in the smaller nation.
"Reality check, Yaiba." Miho said softly as her friend got close enough. The South Gate was open already and the Ninja and Civilian teams were supposed to be in character from this moment forward.
The other Jonin nodded. "I'm Seta Noriyasu. Formerly employed by Sir Urashima's daimyo until a very lucrative offer of employment came from Shao Fukamichu as he was impressed by my dedication to protecting Princess Reiyuriko, despite it not being my specific assignment."
Hyuuga bowed slightly. "As one who has been assigned to protect Reiyuriko-hime in the past, I thank you for your protection of my friend." Tanaka returned the bow before hopping onto the carriage's co-driver's seat.
Nakahito blinked. That little tidbit hadn't been previously mentioned. "You know the Princess, Miho-sensei?"
The Jonin woman nodded. "I spent some time working Mizumiyo Palace about five years ago; shortly after the Princess's mother, Queen Mizuho, passed away. As the Hokage told you during mission assignment, Lord Mizuzaki the 27th has had a long history of hiring our village for his personally sensitive tasks, though even I'm not entirely sure why."
She shrugged; the reasons never mattered to her, so she'd never looked into it. "The Lord Daimyo wanted someone to help his daughter through her loss – the Princess was only twelve or so at the time – and reached out to the Hokage. I was chosen for several reasons: I was a slightly older young woman – not much older than the Princess is now, a member of the Hyuuga clan's Main Family which means I am considered to be at the equivalent of the Kuge level of court nobility, and I'd lost my own mother not that many years before when I was about the same age. Reiyuriko and I built a friendship and when I take the occasional vacation, I have a standing invitation to visit Mizumiyo Palace."
"How long has it been since you last saw the Princess, Hyuuga-sensei?" Takahashi asked.
Miho frowned thoughtfully. "Oh… Nearly two years ago? My recent duties have limited my ability to take time off."
Sho Inugami was the next to appear. The medic-nin was both no different and completely different at the same time. His clothing was now a suit appropriate to a court noble, but was still the medic-nin's preferred color of off-white. The medic's shoulder-length hair now hung freely, framing his face in white. He wore hard-soled shoes that were very fancy looking that clattered slightly as he walked across the cobblestones towards the carriage.
"Shinobi Hyuuga." He said with the barest of nods to the older woman. "I am glad to see that we will have a ninja whose clan is known for competence and discretion along for our journey." He said with an air of raw egotism that instantly set both Nakahito's and Raiden's teeth on edge: it was if Sho had distilled his normal air of superiority to an almost pompous level.
"Who the hell does this guy think he is?!" Raiden Hata demanded; the Miho couldn't tell if the young man was trying to sell the act or genuinely angry at Inugami.
"I, ninja," Sho replied haughtily, his now twin emerald eyes boring into the impatient ninja. "Am Keitaro Urashima, adjunct to Regional Daimyo Akamatsu. And I'd advise you to keep a civil tongue around your social - and, clearly, intellectual - superiors… A whisper in my lord's ear would soon find its way to the Lord Daimyo of the Land of Fire and could see you sent back to the Academy for..." He looks to Miho Hyuuga. "…Forgive me, Ninja Hyuuga, what is the phrase? I so rarely deal with Konoha directly that I fear it has slipped my mind..."
"I suspect it is Remedial Education, Lord Urashima." She answered. There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she fought back the urge to laugh at her Genin's disturbingly accurate portrayal of most Kuge that she'd encountered over the years. She looked at Raiden. "And he's not joking, Raiden. Remedial Education is the LEAST punishment you could expect to face if you irritate the wrong court noble." Hata's jaw dropped in stunned horror.
Nakahito leaned in and whispered. "Just remember, he's acting a part. Let it roll off you like water or he'll needle you more and more out of amusement that will only be half in character and mostly the real him."
The younger Hata twin clenched his jaw and nodded once to both Haruno and Hyuuga in acknowledgment of their words. "My apologies, Urashima-sama." He grit out, as if each word were a tooth being pulled without anesthetic.
The ersatz noble looked down at the hand-to-hand specialist and then turned away without showing acceptance or denial of the young ninja's apology. It was a clear sign that his intent had solely been to throw his weight around and he didn't CARE about Raiden's words. "Reiyuriko-hime and her handmaiden should not be much longer and then we can set out."
"We serve at the Princess's prerogative." Miho Hyuuga replied, earning her a nod from Inugami. As the two stood there, she subtly slipped a small piece of paper into the noble's pocket, carrying the messages from his mother and sister. He'd be able to read them later at his leisure.
Motoko Hata was next to appear, though the swordswoman was the most radically different of the three. The kunoichi wore a purplish-blue maid's outfit that consisted of a blouse and miniskirt combination that exposed a fair amount of cleavage, thigh-high white leggings, apron and gloves. Her hair hung freely and had been fluffed out so that it resembled Miho Hyuuga's mane of hair, only in sunrise orange instead of midnight black. The effect on Sho Inugami was evident to the Jonin as she noticed a hint of a flush creep into his features, but it was quickly masked as he adjusted the color transformation of his single lock of black hair and eyes to hide the red in his face.
The effect that Inugami's new appearance had on Motoko was equal, but the poor kunoichi wasn't skilled enough with the transformation technique to mask it. She moved up quickly, but a half dozen steps away she seemed to trip over her own feet and fall face-first into the ground. The operative part was "seemed to" – the onlookers were versed well enough in taijutsu to recognize a deliberate pratfall when it was used. The young woman's breasts jiggled as they struck the ground as if they were about to pop out of the top of the uniform.
"Oh dear god…" Raiden muttered, resisting the urge to clap his hands over his eyes. It was not an image a brother ever wanted to see of his sister. "She's getting into her part a bit too well."
"Uh huh…" Nakahito said; a distant look in his eye.
"Dude!" The male Hata hissed, jabbing Haruno in the ribs and snapping him out of it. "You're drooling over my sister. And unless you want to fight Oni for her, you might as well stop that chain of thought."
THAT caused Haruno's eyes to widen. Sho… And Motoko? What a preposterous notion… Sure the young swordswoman was addicted to the medic-nin like caffeine, but that was a one-sided attraction…
Wasn't it?
"Ano… I fell." Motoko said in the same "too-cute" voice that Karin had used on Nakahito during the Hide-and-Seek mission. The ninja/maid stood back up with a self-conscious care to keep the maid's outfit from showing off her panties – a legitimate concern given the length of the miniskirt – and resumed walking forward.
"Naru Narusegawa reporting as ordered." Motoko said, bowing to both Miho and Sho.
"Narusegawa-san," Sho/Keitaro said in a stilted voice that Haruno recognized as the medic's slightly angry tone, "What are you doing here? For that matter, what on EARTH are you wearing?!"
"My questions exactly!" Raiden agreed tersely under his breath.
"Ano…" The kunoichi said, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "Lord Urashima-dono, forgive me; I was ordered to continue serving as Reiyuriko-hime's handmaiden, but was told that I would have to dress in the custom of Mizumiyo Palace."
Miho Hyuuga nodded agreement. "She is correct, Lord Urashima. This is the required uniform for maidservants in Mizumiyo Palace; all the women below the Kuge level that work for Mizuzaki must wear this. It's been the custom there for decades."
'All the women..?' Nakahito thought with a suddenly dry throat gulp. 'Oh, Kami save me…'
Inugami/Urashima looked as if he'd been kicked in a particularly sensitive place, but sighed in defeat. "If it is the cultural norm for my host, who am I to object?" He gave a slight nod to Hata/Narusegawa. "Forgive my intemperate outburst, Narusegawa-san."
"H-hai, Urashima-dono!" Motoko/Naru said, her cheeks turning as red as her hair as she bowed deeply again. "It is very different than the uniforms back home; I fear it will take some getting used to."
"Indeed." He agreed. "I presume you'll be riding in the coach with myself and Princess Reiyuriko?" She gave a hesitant nod. "I'm certain it will make for an interesting journey… Please stand beside Ninja Hyuuga here until Reiyuriko-hime arrives."
Motoko/Naru nodded as both she and Sho/Keitaro thought nearly identical thoughts: this mission was going to be equal parts heaven and hell for the two of them.
As she took her place on the opposite side of Miho Hyuuga, the Jonin whispered softly so only the Genin kunoichi could hear. "Nicely done, Hata-chan… Just know that Kimiko and I are both rooting for you." Motoko flushed even more, the knowledge that even more people knew that she was interested in Sho was both embarrassing and satisfying at the same time.
"AH! Miho-chan!" Kimiko Itou's voice came, sounding bubbly with excitement, but those who knew the kunoichi's voice could hear the stress in it. "We're so GLAD to see you! Lord Hokage, thank you so much for this!"
Ahead, Kimiko Itou walked with a measured gait, wearing the same outfit that the real Reiyuriko had been wearing in the picture that Fukamichu had shown them. She was dolled up with make up in a way that Itou would have normally preferred to slit her own wrists than to willingly put on.
If this mission was going to be heaven and hell for Sho and Motoko, it was going to be pure hell for Kimiko.
She approached hand-in-hand with no less than Hokage Sarutobi himself as they walked down the street. The false princess took her arm back from the Hokage before she walked up and grabbed the Jonin in a hug, like a woman welcoming a long-lost sister home.
Miho was taken aback; this WAS actually in-character for the real princess. "Ah, Reiyuriko-hime, we're in public."
"Oh, hush, We only get a few perks with this job and We're taking advantage of it." Kimiko/Reiyuriko said, using the royal we with heartfelt zeal that was equal parts in-and-out of character. The brown haired kunoichi felt like she was half a heartbeat away from messing everything up and she needed the emotional reassurance. Hiruzen had given her some tips on the walk over and the Itou survivor was using them all to sell the part while she was flying alone since neither Sho nor Motoko had their comms in place yet.
After a few moments, Kimiko released her sensei. "We had to make up for the fact that you haven't been by in two years to see us…" She looked back to the Hokage and jabbed him accusingly in the chest. "Two years without our dear Miho-chan, you old fuddy-duddy! Two years may be nothing to an old geezer like you, but that's forever to a lonely maiden!"
The three openly-ninja Genin had to clap their hands over their mouths and the disguised ones had to practically bite their tongues to keep from howling with laughter.
"Reiyuriko-hime!" Hyuuga gasped in shock.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, openly laughed at the ersatz princess's words. "Forgive this 'old fuddy-duddy,' Ojou-sama; I fear that Hyuuga-san managed to make herself indispensable during that time."
Kimiko/Reiyuriko put her hands on her hips in consternation. "You're playing the duty card? Against Us, of all people? Dirty pool, Hiruzen-san…" She raised a warning finger at him. "Don't think We'll let you off this easy when We see you again, sir."
The Hokage chuckled again. "Oh, I don't doubt that… Why do you think I PLAYED the Miho card to begin with?"
Reiyuriko shook her head, chuckling ruefully. "That's in; We're going home… It's no fun playing a game with someone you can't even earn a point against." The princess bowed gracefully – an effort that was the REASON the four had been late to begin with – to the Hokage. "Take care of yourself, Hiruzen-san, and thank you for the hospitality."
"A pleasure as always, Reiyuriko-hime." Sarutobi said as Kimiko stepped into the awaiting carriage, followed closely behind by Motoko, who bowed to the Hokage before climbing in.
The old man nodded to the disguised medic-nin. "Lord Urashima, I'm very glad that you will be accompanying the River Country's princess safely to her home and will represent our nation's interests during the upcoming Convocation."
"A pleasure to be of service, Lord Hokage." Inugami said with a sweeping bow before climbing into the carriage himself and pulling the door closed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the five remaining ninja of the combined team. "I wish you the best of luck on your missions." He said loudly enough that the three within the carriage would be able to hear. "Safe travels to you all! Know that I have faith in you!"
The three in the carriage - which felt impossibly large and achingly small at the same time - looked at each other as they shared the same thought...
'At least someone does.'