sunshineverse | I coulda gave up then but-- Then again I couldn't have

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I coulda gave up then but-- Then again I couldn't have

Who: Uchiha Shisui

thelittleprincess , and Uchiha Obito

thebestuchiha
Where: Konoha
When: March 24th
Notes: This is a continuation from a couple of test drive threads, moved over here for ease of access etc.

It never ceased to bring a smile to his lips when the terrain changed and the clumps of trees became thicker. It meant only one thing: the gates of Konoha were near.

It felt good to return home. Not that he was going to be promised any down time or vacation, but there was something about actually marching up to the entrance of that beloved village than keeping her at heart when fighting for her elsewhere.

Shisui identified himself at the gates, passed the security checkpoints, and, having done the needful, made a bee-line to the Hokage's office. Hands in his pockets, he was walking slower than usual, sniffing out the smell of a brand new tea shop nearby. Now that's one place he was going to have to try soon.

But first, he was going to have to report to the Hokage. And then he was going to need a shower. A nice long one if the fact that the girls weren't sending him their usual coy smiles were any indication. He also wondered what his genin was up to. It had been a while, and he was going to have to figure out how she'd fared on her own for a month. If she'd been slacking, then there would be words.

He doubted it, though.

Either way, he figured he'd find out soon enough. He did have something planned for the two of them after all.

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Shisui watched her expressions, his own morphing into something of amusement. "The masochism thing, huh? Gee, how come they didn't teach us any of that back in the day~?" You mentioned danger? You were staring at it right in the face, Ami. But that was probably because Shisui was more curious about it than anything-- he had a rare medical condition he'd rather no-one knew about. Telling somebody would endanger him.

Also-- dandelion hair?! Excuse you but he--

No.

No way.

....What?

"Eh?"

Come again?

She might have voiced the opinion that wartime curriculum had different priorities at its core than the current Academy standards, if not for thef act that she was currently desperately trying to avoid speaking. She widened her eyes and gestured 'helplessly' to her bulging cheeks as she slowly chewed her way through the bun, lips resolutely sealed. Can't talk through a mouth full of food, after all.

And especially not about Shisui's hypothetical bad reputation among the shopping district matrons, no sirree.

Most certainly not.

...though in a way, she knew he had to find out eventually. She had just hoped it would be after she laid that particular bit of misinformation to rest.

Perhaps that was the case. Either way, he'd made it a point to educate himself on the topic in his spare time. But that was the least of his concerns at the moment.

Shisui stared at Ami, unblinking, even as she gestured to her cheeks. He was going to keep staring at her until she finished. Even if it took forever. Because-- he needed to know!

"You have some explaining to do, Madam. It'd be best if you swallowed down that bun ASAP or else--"

Or, you know. Threats could work, too.

And he would agree to clearing the air before embarking on a brand new mission.

Stubbornly, her chewing slowed to an almost glacial pace, and she refused to look him in the eye. Eventually, however, the bun was little more than mush and she was forced to swallow—though she did her best to stretch out that motion as well, and followed up with a long, long sip of tea.

But she really could only do so much to stave off the inevitable, no matter how awkward it could be.

(And, oh, didn't it say something that she could talk about masochism and body odor and whatnot with her teacher, but this gave her pause?)

"Um." She focused her line of sight on the now-empty canteen, and tried not to fidget as she forced the words out. "You...didn't tell me when your mission would end. So I. Might have...maybe...been stopping by the Uchiha district every couple mornings. To see if you were back. And some housewives might have seen on their way to the morning market. And you know. Thought of silly things."

At one point, Shisui just almost wanted to grab her jaw and 'help' her chew. Maybe even stuck two fingers down her throat to make sure she swallowed, too. But he wasn't that impatient, and he would never do anything of the sort to his A-- er. His student.

And yes, it worried him a little bit that she could talk about all that and the shape of his ass without even batting an eyelid, but struggled at things that actually mattered. It mattered; there was no way Shisui was going to tolerate a reputation like that. What kind of sick person made something like that up?!

The agitation and vexation seemed to mellow just a little, however, when he listened to her explain. In the end, he was sighing, shoulders drooping just a little. Did he just get worked up over nothing?

"...That-- that was very nice of you to check up on me but--" He really was touched. (And not to mention guilty!) "Ami. They didn't actually say anything, did they?" Because from what she was telling him, it sounded like she assumed they might have thought of silly things.

But Shisui wanted to know. For reasons.

Edited 2014-05-06 05:12 (UTC)

"No one actually called you a lolicon," she was able to assure him. "That part was just sort of...joked about? Like you were my crush." She wrinkled her nose and pulled a face. "And I think one lady said something like 'he's keeping her pining, smart man', and then it sort of snowballed into a weird in-joke every time they saw me; that you were raising me up romantically like in that one famous story about that noble-guy."

The Tale of...Genshiki? Kenji? Something like that. It had been a rather weird and unsettling story, in her opinion, but then again she wasn't a noble. Maybe that sort of thing was normal, in the courts.

She shrugged. "I don't think anybody actually thinks you're a pedophile. Probably. It isn't like you have anything to worry about even if there's an investigation, though." They didn't spend much time alone together outside of public venues...ever, really.

It might have been a joke to them, but Shisui wasn't laughing. Sure, he was nearly thirty and had never been romantically involved with anyone yet, woman or man. That didn't mean he was in any way inclined towards tweens. Somehow, he was getting the sinking feeling that all the Uchiha-aunties whose daughters he had refused were now ganging up on him. Subtly.

Of course, that was extrapolating and going off on a tangent, but the fact remained that even if spoken in jest, such claims were bound to have some sort of negative impact on whatever teacher-student relationship he had with Ami. He was certain that Ami was not the sort of girl to take silly comments to heart, but even so-- It bothered him.

Jokes turned into rumors. And nothing good ever came out of a rumor.

Ami's attempt at reassuring him that he wasn't exactly living up to the housewives' rumors were-- not reassuring in the least.

"Probably?" Cocking an eyebrow, Shisui fixed his stare on her. "Investigation?" His tone was dead serious, admonishing even. Usually, Shisui's admonishments were gentle. But not this time. "There is no probability and there will be no investigation, do you understand? Don't be so flippant about it. You and I know what our relationship is, and that is all that should matter, regardless of who else says what. I'm not saying you're buying into the jokes, but let's get one thing straight. There isn't and there never will be a 'probably' in this case. You are my student and I am your teacher; you would do well not to disrespect me with your probabilities."

Shisui paused, taking one long draft of the tea before he finally gets to his feet.

"That's conversation enough for one day. Are you ready for your mission?"

"The Academy taught us never to speak in absolutes when reporting information unless you were sure." Was that a touch of bitterness? It was hard to tell. Perhaps she had simply reverted to the normal coolness she usually spoke with, in the absence of post-workout euphoria and the awkwardness that came from being forced to explain the rumors. Besides which, he had asked in the first place; it wasn't fair for him to have the gall to get angry at her for telling him.

"And you don't have to worry; going by the current trend, our current relationship will stagnate and terminate after I make Chuunin, and then any jokes or rumors will stop. And then you can focus more fully on your other student."

Now that? That was unmistakably bitterness bleeding through, and she regretted it as soon as the words hit the air. She wasn't certain there was another, secret, student, but given what she knew of his time-table and missions, and how much time he had spent overall training Ami, she had privately come to the conclusion that her slot in his life was a time-share, to put it politely. It was part of the reason she had been so dogged in checking after him; she felt threatened and as though she had to fight for his time and attention, just like she had at the Academy.

She dug out the last bun and bit into it sullenly, but stood as well and nodded in assent for him to begin reviewing the mission specs.

"It seems the Academy taught you much. But it failed to teach you when not to be a smart-ass." Just putting it out there, straight. He knew she reverted to that coolness when backed into a corner some, but he could also tell that she was going on the defensive. That wasn't coolness at all-- that screamed uneasiness. And her attitude wasn't flying well with him either.

When she mentioned said 'other' student, however, Shisui sucked in a breath, holding back the words he'd been itching to let out just moments ago. Understanding dawned over him, and he suddenly realized what the real problem was. Perhaps it was time to stop the reproach and tackle the situation differently. Clearly, she was upset. How she had found out, though, he had no idea.

"That's enough." ...But he decided to let things cool off a bit before delving deeper into the issue for now. He would explain to her later.

Shisui reached for the envelope again, opening it this time to reveal details of their target. He held it up to her.

It was a cat.

Their runaway was a cat.

"Take a good look. Memorize this face and any other details you can. Our subject answers to 'Mishka', and we better find her before nighttime." There was a pause. "Why is it important to locate the subject before nightfall?"

Edited 2014-05-06 06:36 (UTC)

She set her jaw behind her wide collar, but focused on finishing her food rather than retorting. Her stomach twisted coldly at the lack of denial—she was actually unhappy to be right for once—and when she spoke again, staring flatly at the photograph, her voice was even more carefully emotionless than ever before, which was an accomplishment of sorts.

"The target is both darkly colored and compact, which maximizes her chances of evasion during the nighttime, and minimizes any chance of retrieval during that timeframe." Her words were clipped and clinical, but after a moment of tense indecision, a bit of her personality slipped back in. "Also...Micchan likes to curl up in tight spaces to sleep, so it would be even more difficult to get her back then."

Correction: their runaway was a cat that Ami knew.

After a bit of foot shuffling, she looked at the ground and quietly admitted, "Micchan sometimes eats with the other cats—strays—that I put food out for. So...she might show up at my house around mid-afternoon. Prob—" She bit her lip, drawing her shoulders in at the memory of his scorn the last time she used that word. "...it's...a promising lead. If she shows up, we can pick her up and deliver her, and be done for the day."

And she wouldn't have to spend another awkward mealtime with her instructor, promises and equivalency be damned.

"Mm." He nodded, and was about to add the part about cats being better at evading them in the dark simply because they are, by nature, nocturnal hunters. But Shisui had to raise an eyebrow at 'Micchan'.

"Micchan." Folding up the paper and pocketing it in his vest, Shisui smiled. "I see. That is a good strategy, and we have the advantage in this case, since you're familiar with her. Unfortunately, she's been gone close to a week, the longest absence her owner has recorded to date." What they might have to change or add to their original plan he didn't say. Instead, he waited for her to come up with a suggestion.

"A week...?" Ami frowned and cupped her chin in her hand thoughtfully, doing some quick mental math. "If it's been that long...Takkun probably got her pregnant. He was fighting a lot with Tattsun over her a couple months ago, and he's been dragging away extra fish lately. If she doesn't show up, then we should follow him. If it's that, then she's cloistered away somewhere to birth the kittens, and Takkun's been bringing her food."

Really, feline politics were far more fascinating than her aunt's soap operas. Ami had been riveted by that little love-triangle, earlier on in the year.

Shisui only stared, still wearing that smile, eyes twinkling. Had she really spent all that time observing this little cat love triangle? "Then perhaps we need to look in places a mother cat would select for birthing kittens. Although... I must say that Queens don't really allow Tom cats anywhere close to where the kittens are. Micchan must be special if Takkun leads us to her."

...If there was one thing they had in common, it was that he found cats fascinating as well--

She had to wonder, sometimes, if her instructor wasn't some strain of bipolar. "Micchan was declawed early and was really babied by her first owner. She doesn't act like other cats sometimes, and she's usually very sweet-natured and affectionate. Takkun has always taken care of her since his owner took her in, though, so she's probably doing okay."

She twisted her sleeve, worried despite her own assurances. The cats were the closest things to friends she had, outside her family, and she was loathe to think that anything might have happened to one of them.

Did she even have any vague idea as to what being bipolar was...?

Shisui noted her worry, then reached out to almost ruffle her hair. He had to pause, though, changing course so that he was squeezing her shoulder instead. "She's a nin-cat. She should be alright, but there are other reasons her owner wants her home. How about we find her then, without further delay?"

Shisui moved away from the bench, surveying the crowd. "I'll let you lead."

Meanwhile, he wondered how long it would be to teach her the summoning jutsu. Perhaps she could sign a contract with the nin-cats. Him being an Uchiha might help, seeing as how the nin-cats were closely associated with their clan.

She knew about being bipolar in the vague, eponymous sense that the afflicted swung between emotional extremes, which Shisui seemed to do frequently—but a budding psychologist she was not.

She wasn't sure if she was relieved or sad about the near-hair ruffle, and resolutely opted to settle for the former, nodding her head and beginning the familiar trek back to the shop that had been her home for going on half a decade. It felt strange.to have company, for once.

Clearly.

Shisui was affectionate by nature, but unfortunately, his history with Itachi had made him constantly check himself. Nothing personal, Ami.

He followed her, watching her back, lost in thought for a moment as he seriously considered the possibility of teaching her to summon. But, he had to remind himself, she had yet to prove herself capable, of course. They had a long way to go; this was just the very beginning.

It was odd that Shisui was given only one student. Usually, genin were assigned to teams. And teamwork was definitely something he intended to instill in his young student. Perhaps then she wouldn't have too much trouble accepting the fact that he did have other students, for one...

Truthfully, if she had been assigned teammates, Ami wouldn't have minded the split attention nearly as much. It was the secrecy that tipped the scale, really; because he had never explained the circumstances or joined practices with the mystery student, she felt as though she was a nuisance rather than a proper pupil.

That and part of letting the rookie of the year into a one-to-one teaching cell had been to see if they could accelerate her growth and then graft her back among more seasoned peers.

Sadly, she really did think he was going to drop her like a hot stone one the ink hit her promotion papers.

As her funk intensified and his thoughts circled on wholly different material, they came upon the textile shop, and Ami let them into the kitchen through a back entrance, calling out her arrival to her cousin, who was doing some homework in the conjoined living area. She quickly set about pulling out the usual cat-fare.

He hadn't even informed the Hokage. Shisui was going to have to do that sometime soon, or Obito was most likely going to sniffle about it. And no, it wasn't because he fancied underaged girls--

One day, all three of them were going to have to train together.

Shisui watched for now, and peered in before stepping inside after her. He was going to reserve opinion on how well she knew the nin-cats till he saw proof of it first hand. Till then, his thoughts would be to himself. Sorry, Ami.

Ami hefted up the large plate and courier it out to the back steps, setting it down halfway down the alley and doubling back for the water bowl, carefully dodging around her teacher as she went through the obviously familiar motions.

After a moment of hesitation, she nodded to a neatly wrapped parcel stacked on top of the shoe cubby. "That's for you. You can...throw them away or something if you don't need them. Or hand them off to Uchiha-senpai or one of your cousins."

Might as well have him take the omamori and the pouch from Valentine's day while he was here, after all.

He watched her in silence, but Shisui's attention shifted to where she was gesturing to at the mention of-- well, whatever it was that was wrapped and ready to be picked up. He held back a sigh; she was still upset about his supposed 'other student' stealing away all of his time, wasn't she? If only he could show her the mission dispatch notice Obito had handed him earlier.

But all of that was classified information and he was expected not to speak a word of it to anyone. Not even a peep.

Crossing the room to pick up said parcel, Shisui glanced sideways at her, concerned. "Why would you assume I'd want to throw it away even before you've given me a chance to look at it?" It was wrapped neatly, and Shisui took his time unwrapping the little parcel, respecting all the hard work that had gone into the packing so as not to just rip into it right away.

Taking the little gifts out, however, made his eyes widen at first. Shisui's expression softened into a grateful smile only moments later, and when he turned to face her, he was still smiling. "Thank you." He meant that, too.

Reaching into his left breast pocket, Shisui deposited the little gifts there, patting it as he grinned. He didn't wear a necklace like Itachi did, but he could still carry her gifts on his person, close to his heart.

Ami shrugged one shoulder, crouching on the back stop to wait. "It's just something I made." Whether that was an answer to the gratitude or his question was up to him to figure out, but one of the knots in her chest eased up at the sign that he at least liked them a little bit. Even if they were just a good luck charm and weapons pouch, even if she tried to seem aloof, she had worked hard on making them.

But he was right; she was still ruffled over the whole 'other student' deal. It would be hard not to be, really.

For all her attempts to be mature, to be better than her year mates, Ami was still very much a twelve-year-old girl, which meant she could nurse a bruised ego and feelings for quite a while. But she strove to ignore that for the moment, funneling all of her attention to the task at hand: namely, waiting for the cats to show.

Some things Shisui was oblivious about, but the fact that she had worked hard to make something for him around the time he had to go on his mission didn't escape him. "You made them?" Not even bought. Hand-made. "That makes them extra special," he added, smiling.

Shisui didn't linger any longer, moving away to let the cats wander in at their own pace. They weren't used to his presence, so he figured it'd help their cause better should she be the only one within view. Instead, he peered around the corner to catch a glimpse at her cousin, observing in silence.

"I made all the stuff I passed out on Valentine's Day. That's what you're supposed to do." Usually in regards to chocolate, but given that she grew up in a textile shop it was perhaps understandable that her sense of what was normal and what wasn't was rather skewed. It was important to make something with your feelings in it, after all.

Her cousin was a rather nondescript teenager, lacking the vibrant coloring Ami had inherited from the other branch of her family tree. He was skinny, with brown hair and wire-rimmed spectacles, only looking up from his work when one of his parents called back for him to help with some aspect of the shop. On one such errand he glanced up and gave Shisui a cordial nod, eyes flicking to the back stoop where Ami was already petting the cats that had begun to gather before he ducked into one of the various storerooms.

Apparently, Ami spent most of her time either out training or at home, with few visitors.

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I coulda gave up then but-- Then again I couldn't have

I'm just as bad. But! Boomerang is go!

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I am just-- Shisui is wondering if he could teach her kitty summons someday now |8

That would be all sorts of adorable

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D:

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