Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āah, no, noĀ āĀ youāre doing me a favour. we should avoid travelling alone around these parts,āĀ Ā Ā he says, one shoulder lifting in an offhanded half-shrug as his eye curves with the hint of a grin. itās not a habit of Kakashiās to linger, much less join another shinobi on their missionĀ -Ā especially after heās already accomplished the objectives of his ownĀ -Ā but thereās been some unsettling rumours making its way through the grapevine. itās enough cause for caution, prompting Kakashi to offer his company when he crossed paths with the kunoichi instead of hightailing home like he usually does. comrades should look out for one another, and all that.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āi suppose it didĀ -Ā but letās not speak too soon, hm? weāre not home yet.āĀ Ā Ā Ā a mission isnāt officially complete until they pass Konohaās crimson gates, after all. anything could happen along the way.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā he has a strong hunch āanythingā could involve that malicious coil of chakra lurking at the periphery of his senses. too far that itās almost negligible, but too consistently close to be coincidence. its what led Kakashi to Mao in the first place; they were much closer to her than they were to him, but had retreated slightly when he made his presence known beside her. whoever it is, their target isnāt him.Ā Ā Ā Ā ādid you encounter any problems during your mission, Mao-san?ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā A faint smile drifts across her lips at his reply. Her attention is elsewhere. She catches it too. Thereās someone nearby, and they have been nearby for quite a while. Whether itās foolishness or not, Mao isnāt incredibly worried.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āCanāt speak?ā Mao questions, brows raised, looking for all the world too-innocent. Kakashi doesnāt know her well enough to realize that questions about the mission are never really about it at all. At least not so far from the village.Ā āDemo, Kakashi-san, I was really hoping to hear about the festival. I was a day late, you know.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā If anyone ever heard her little cousinās tall tales about his own assignments, they would recognize them as a tactic Mao so often employed. She glanced briefly back toward the town they were leaving, as if she was being inattentive. They were off the main road, taking a side path that Mao had chosen. When you sped back and forth between villages and other locales, you become well-acquainted with the best paths to take.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āHmm?ā Mao canted her head to the side and pretended to consider it. No, nothing had happened at all, but there had been something off about this whole thing the moment sheād neared her pick-up.Ā āNo, delivery was completed. That old woman was so happy to receive her pottery. I guess there was someone who almost bumped into me on the way. It was the strangest thing, I thought I had seen them around. I guess I had an admirer.ā
tangentwithtanner
stormborns
blakekathryn
2087
