Academy Days: The Saga Begins!

[abileunaspada]

Who: Adela Milani (abileunaspada) & OPEN
When: January 3rd-31st
Where: Konohagakure's Ninja Academy
Notes: Adela is one of the chuunin recruited to be a teacher's assistant for Iruka at the academy! At times it's rough, and at others it's fun, but to be a future Hokage one has to know how to address the youth of Konoha! And, well, give them proper reprimand for nearly burning the buildings down on a weekly basis.

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Adela didn't think she'd have such a hard job in assisting Iruka with his academy classes, but man was she ever exhausted! Between running around, teaching kids combat and stealth skills, breaking up spars that were going too far, dousing fires, testing kids meticulously, and dragging the kids who played hooky back to the classroom for extra lectures and hidden evasion exercises? She was exhausted. Even thinking up that list was hard work!

If Adela wasn't running around and helping Iruka however she could, she was taking one of the few breaks she could with a sigh, a bottled water, and a tune to hum to herself. It wasn't like she was the only aid he had, but that didn't stop the work from being any more tiring. At least on missions out of village she occasionally had the chance to rest!

But, maybe she was being too negative. A smile tugged at the teen's lips as she watched the kids, growing up into the next generation of protectors for the village in a relative era of peace. The future that she'd be protecting with all her might, along with every other shinobi there. Yeah... Times like this, it felt worth it. It felt like her goal was even more important then.

Not that she'd tell the kids that, between teaching them, praising them for good work and scolding them for giving less than their very best in their efforts. There was simply no time, but they didn't need to know the hard work of adults yet either. They were still kids, and they were still allowed the time to be young and carefree so far as she could see.

Yeah. This was way better than her days in Kiri. This was Konoha's Ninja Academy.

Comments

[senseiofthesea]

Iruka had seen the girl's energy flagging through the day and casually snagged a wayward weapon before she had to put down her water to catch it or dodge it. He, of course, threw it back towards the source with a pointed look that got a sheepish one back, and he shook his head on a laugh as he looked to Adela.

"They're a bit of a handful today aren't they? Have you had lunch yet?"

[abileunaspada]

"Iruka-Sensei," Adela's expression brightened a little on seeing him (and only partially out of relief), nodding to him in greeting as she straightened to look up at him a bit more, "They're certainly energetic. No, haven't really had the chance to eat or even thought of it. You weren't kidding when you said your class this year would be a handful."

[senseiofthesea]

"It's mostly the number of them." His smile turned soft and he lifted a box he'd had in his hand, a bento. "You can't let them run over you or you'll never get a handle on them."

[abileunaspada]

Ahh -- she blinked before nodding, taking the bento gratefully and seating herself to get more comfortable, "Thanks. And I know, Kiba and I have had to kidnap a few back here when they tried to play hooky. The deal is that if they actually can outmanuver Kiba and I, we give them the day off."

Her grin was filled with mischief when she added, "Whether they know it or not, they're getting trained either way. But we haven't let anyone get away yet."

[senseiofthesea]

"Considering that Kiba was skilled enough as a child to evade me to get out of my classes, even for a little while? Those children have quite the challenge ahead of them." He laughed softly and shook his head, leaning in slightly as he sat beside her. "Pranksters tend to make the hardest to escape teachers."

[abileunaspada]

"I guess it comes from experience, doesn't it?" She couldn't help it, she laughed and shook her head as her eyes went back out to the kids, "Makes sense. They'd know how the other pranksters would think a little bit, wouldn't they? It's been super helpful to have Kiba helping drag them back because of that."

[senseiofthesea]

"Mmmhmm. You can learn a lot from him too." He paused, giving her a fond smile. "And he can learn a lot from you too. I think you've been very good for each other."

[abileunaspada]

"Ah, you think so?" Although she went a little pink, Adela just smiled at Iruka before shaking her head and opening the bento. Oh man, it smelled good... That just reminded her of how hungry she was. Jeez, when had she worked up such an appetite?

"We'd met before this, but I guess the idea of actually working together hadn't come up before now. Our teamwork's decent, though."

She... Just wasn't going to mention the embarrassing fiasco of the scarf mission. They had already sorted that out privately anyway.

[senseiofthesea]

He looked sideways at her, and his smile was soft, but knowing. "Sometimes the people you don't expect are the best ones for you."

01/20; after classes let out

[not_thedragon]

Fumiko again? was what Sasuke had said when Mikoto waylaid him on his way home. His mother had simply smiled at him and handed him the notice from the Academy, patting his shoulder and promising that she would make something nice for dinner if he was planning to be home for it. Sasuke hadn't failed to notice that there were leaves clogging up some of the eavestroughs when he'd returned home (from a mission he wasn't even sure made sense in nature) by way of the roofs.

With Fugaku's joints aggravated by the weather more frequently and Itachi's marked preference for Shisui's apartment instead of his own home, Sasuke's absence had probably started to tell on some of the seasonal chores. It was strange that -- even after everything -- that was a guilt that could gnaw at his conscience, but there it was. He arrived at the Academy as soon as he'd finished debriefing his team, just in time to catch Fumiko mid-escape and forcibly sit her down on the time-out chair by the classroom door, levelling a quelling look at her rebellious glare.

"It's Uchiha Sasuke again, sensei," he said as he stepped into the classroom, expecting an exasperated Iruka again and stopping mid-sentence when he spotted someone considerably shorter instead. "Er -- sorry -- is Iruka-sensei around?"

[abileunaspada]

"He's on his break and getting some food. I can talk with you about Fumiko-san, Senpai," She nodded, not looking quite as exasperated as Iruka would but looking a little tired nonetheless. This really was hard work... But at least Obito was paying her and Kiba well for this. After all, the kids training here would be the future of the village.

That in itself was rewarding enough, and it showed in her smile in spite of her weariness.

"I take it that Fumiko-San's parents were busy?"

[not_thedragon]

He hadn't heard that Adela had taken a teaching position, though Sasuke supposed that he'd been out of the village enough that he could have missed any number of major developments at any point. Adela did seem rather young to be formally teaching, but perhaps some kind of temporary placement? Whatever the case, she seemed happy enough to be here, though Sasuke couldn't envy her the position.

"They've been out on a mission for the entire month," he confirmed, handing the note to her. "I take it your signature will be good enough to acknowledge that someone from the clan came to talk about what she did?"

What she did, according to the slip, was claim to have 'accidentally' set a classmate's hair on fire because of 'uncontrolled Katon', despite being far too old to not be able to control her Katon. That the classmate's subsequent panic had spread the fire to several chairs and a table covered with newly-turned-in homework assignments was what had resulted in the urgent nature of the summons.

[abileunaspada]

Adela just sighed heavily at the note, quickly penning down her signature with the note that she was, at the time, a teacher's aid. It took her a second to look it over after efore she handed it back, looking over him, "It's because, as far as I can tell, she was trying to compete with the Sarutobi girls again. She's impressive, but she has a wicked temper and doesn't know how to control her competitive streak. It wouldn't be so bad if she hadn't done this because she was provoked."

After a beat she ran her fingers through her hair, glancing towards the door where she knew the girl was waiting, "I'm starting to think about suggesting that she gets put on a team with the Sarutobi girls, to be honest. Although they're all fire attributes, they could use the benefit of teamwork. In the meantime, letting her know the importance of keeping her temper regardless of personal insult's the course I would suggest for home. That and reining in the impulse to show off. You think you can talk to her parents about it?"

[not_thedragon]

The note about teacher's aid made him blink, realising that he knew next to nothing about how Academy teachers became Academy teachers (he'd very vaguely assumed they were possibly grown in greenhouses, or the human shinobi equivalent thereof, and watered with preternatural patience and raised to withstand loud voices). Still, he folded the note back into its neat square and tucked it away, to be deposited along with the other one in Fumiko's family mailbox.

And sealed, so the girl couldn't steal them before her parents could read them.

"You think she should be teamed with people who don't get along with her?" He raised an eyebrow at Adela in considerable surprise. "Exactly what kind of personal insults are we talking about here?"

[abileunaspada]

"Stuff like how she wouldn't be able to keep up with the Sarutobi clan and that her fire jutsu paled in comparison. Things that would get her understandably mad, but it's easier to forgive a punch in the face than setting a classmate's hair on fire when she misses her target."

[not_thedragon]

He stared, at first, and then managed to refrain from asking bluntly: So why was that information not included in the note meant for her parents?

"Was she not meant to retaliate to a comment like that?" He asked instead, something sharper in his voice despite curbing his first instinct. "Given the circumstances, I certainly don't see how putting them onto a team together would be an improvement."

[abileunaspada]

"Simple. With some individual training relying on teamwork for their success, it might cause them to see that beating each other isn't necessarily the right way to go about things. And I'm not necessarily frowning upon her retaliating to a comment like that -- even if Iruka-sensei would say otherwise. The issue I have is the way that she retaliated, putting other students and even the building at risk."

She shook her head, sighing a bit as she let her shoulders slump, "Senpai, I get that she can't be expected to hold her emotions inside against any onslaught yet -- none of them can. They're still kids. But she has to understand that her jutsu are very powerful and shouldn't be used like that until she has better control and capacity to make sure that it doesn't spread. It wouldn't be as much of a problem if it wasn't fire jutsu, which has the potential to spread out of control very quickly. You understand what I'm getting at, don't you?"

[fangoverfang]

Kiba could say with only the utmost confidence that he definitely liked this position much better than the one he'd had before. Whoever had put in a good word for him had his never-ending gratitude, because this position was sweet. Not only was it exciting, challenging and rewarding in all the best ways.. but it had also equipped Kiba with the opportunity to fix the mess he'd made of a certain blossoming friendship.

He and Adela had left their last conversation on uncertain terms, with Adela balling her fists in frustration and Kiba baulking in confusion in the wake of a smaller girl commenting on the intricacies of their friendship; intricacies Kiba neither recognised nor understood. Kiba worked with scents and truths, he wasn't used to assumption and inference. Regardless, he knew he was to blame - even if only partly - for how Adela had felt when she'd left him last and it had been weighing heavy on his mind since the debacle. Seeing her swamped with kids on his first day as a teaching assistant had been a welcome, happy surprise... but he didn't ambush her right away. He'd use the little tact he had here, to soften the situation as much as he could. She probably deserved that from him.

He didn't expect to be as busy as he was, and Iruka-sensei worked him as hard as he'd expected. Akamaru was as well behaved as Kiba was, and though he was sure Adela would have noticed him or at least have heard he was there he didn't approach her till he could be sure she wasn't preoccupied.

"Hey!" He crowed as he caught Adela later on, when she was free of any little gremlins surrounding her. "You got a minute?"

[abileunaspada]

"Ah... Kiba. Sure thing," She nodded, offering a little bit of a strained smile to him. Oh great... Admittedly she had been hoping not to talk to him after the debacle of last time, but there'd be no avoiding it after too long. She capped her water then, putting it down and nodding to him as he and Akamaru approached, "How're you guys enjoying this so far? The kids really are energetic..."

[fangoverfang]

"It's great! I forgot how awesome kids can be," Kiba said, setting his hands on his hips and looking across the lawn at the few kids rolling across the lawn like he had when he was their age. "I'm totally beat, though. Akamaru and I haven't had a work out like this for so long, I'm thinkin' we kinda needed it."

Kiba looked back at her then, and raised a hand to awkwardly scruff at the back of his head.

"Listen, Adela," he started, his voice controlled and his look sincere. "...About last time we talked. I just.. wanna let you know I'm sorry, okay? I messed up, I get it. I shouldn't have teased you like that.. but I don't want my fuck up to come between us or anything... So, can we just forget it ever happened?" He stuck out his hand for her to shake, giving her an almost hopeful grin.

[abileunaspada]

Huh... Adela just blinked at him, genuinely surprised at the change in him. Surprised, but glad. A nod and her smile warmed, genuinely as she shook his hand firmly, "Thanks, Kiba. I appreciate that. I guess... I was too sensitive. I really am sorry about flirting with you to try and manipulate you -- even if it was for the good of our mission, it wasn't cool of me either."

[fangoverfang]

Kiba's grin went wide at her response, relief and genuine happiness washing over him in waves.

"Don't sweat it," Kiba said, shrugging his shoulder before letting their hands part. "I get why you did it, I was an asshole with that whole 'returning the favor' thing, especially before actually getting to know you..."

It sounded as though he'd had some womanly advice about this, and maybe he had, but at his core Kiba was a caring guy - his friends meant the world to him in their numerous amount, and he wouldn't sit idle knowing he'd upset one of them no matter how small the reason.

"I wanna do it the right way round from now on, okay? I mean, I wanna get to know you." God he was bad at this, but luckily he'd sucked up his pride and Akamaru was out of his peripheral vision, so Kiba couldn't tell if the big dog was rolling his eyes at him. "It shouldn't be too hard if we're both here for the month, eh?" A grin just for good luck.

[abileunaspada]

"Maybe longer if Iruka-sensei wants to keep us around, but yeah. Sounds good," Maybe her cheeks were a little pink, but she certainly didn't feel as embarrased as she was last time or even close to it. Being friends and getting to know each other properly? She could handle that. It was sort of remniscent of when they met the first time, actually.

But, in an instant her smile faded as her eyes immediately locked onto the back of one of the boys -- one who had just scaled the wall as everyone else was headed back to class.

"Looks like Takeshi-kun's at it again. Think he knows the drill by now?"

[fangoverfang]

Kiba had sheltered his hands in the pockets of his leather as he'd nodded his agreement, but when she alerted him to the escapee making a break for it his hands splayed out as he span to lock on to his target. In moments he was on all fours, Akamaru at his side.

"I'll go ahead, you block him from retreating, yeah?" he asked, looking up at Adela and grinning. Her speed would definitely compliment his if they could time this right.

[abileunaspada]

"Sure thing. Get going, I'll be ready when he comes my way," Adela nodded, stretching absently before she took off in an instant. It didn't take her long to lay traps - gentle things that wouldn't hurt the child, but traps nonetheless. Maybe it wasn't the right application for her skills, but she also kind of viewed it as training the kids who ran. They'd have to run into things like this anyway and learn how to deal with them...

Now, she just had to wait on Kiba to herd Takeshi towards her. It wouldn't be long, knowing him.