endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2009-07-28 07:50 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2009-07-28 07:50 pm
Log: Para Female Problems
Title: Female Problems
Type: RP log
Fandom: Naruto
Character(s): Uzumaki Kushina, Rin, Hatake Kakashi, OC: Sarutobi Mei;
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally started for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
paradigm_rpg RP comm, but never finished.
Dedicated to: Pre-series gameplay ♥
Kushina: "You realize that I'm now living vicariously through you, right?" Kushina propped her chin in one hand as she held the mission scroll out to Mei in the other. She'd been officially taken off of the mission roster, even within the village, a few weeks ago. Mei, on the other hand, had recently been put back on, eliciting more than a little bit of jealousy from the redhead. That, and she could fit into her uniforms again where even Kushina's loose jacket was starting to get a bit snug.
So there was just a hint of a whine in her otherwise bored tone, "You'd better not do anything too exciting without me."
Mei: "Strong payback, I'm sure, for when our roles were reversed a few months ago." And in spite of the sympathies she felt for the other, there was no hiding the small tug of a smirk pulling at the corner of the kunoichi's mouth. It was just so good to be back on active duty again after so many months of nothing. Of complete and mindless boredom. Yes, Mei remembered those days and loathed them still. But it had all been worth it to have been able to bring Tenten into the world.
"And please," she snerked in amusement, reaching out to take the mission scroll from Kushina's hand, "Like there could be any sort of excitement in this village without you being involved in some way."
Kushina: Kushina scowled up at her best friend, knowing that Mei was enjoying every bit of this, "Yeah, yeah." And at least the brunette now had a ridiculously cute kid to show for it. She, on the other hand, had never been too good with being patient, for anything.
"Well, if Minato and every medic in the village have anything to say about it, there won't be, at least not directly. I'm already watched like some ANBU target." But at least she wasn't on bed rest or something completely unbearable like that. And she was still just as mobile as ever...for the time being.
Mei: "Well, you are carrying the Hokage's first born," Mei pointed out, "Any sort of association with him would mean high security no matter what your condition, but children are fairly top priority."
She was speaking from experience, of course, having spent the first years of her life under the watchful eye of several appointed guards and officers. The downfalls of being born to a village's leader during war time. Even now at age twenty three, there were still lingering concerns left over from her father's unwavering leadership. She expected no different from the new Hokage.
Still, pointing that out would more than likely only worsen Kushina's less than spectacular mood. So, Mei decided on a different approach. "But since when has that ever stopped you?" Here, she tsked. When in doubt, play on the pride. "Not losing your touch, are you?"
Kushina: Of course Mei would know exactly what buttons to push to cheer her up. Nearly ten years of friendship left very little room for surprise between the two, just as she had known how Minato's already rampant protective streak would hone in on her even more the further along that she got. His position of Hokage had nothing to do with that, it was just how he had always been. The rest of the village though...well...it almost felt like she was a child again, back in Whirlpool. Not the family of their Kage, but descended from the founding family. There was very little that she'd done in her early years that wasn't known by everyone. At least not until she'd started using clones for her amusement.
And if the slow grin on her face was any indication, she'd already started planning contingencies for amusement. She just had to be extra sneaky…
Rin: The girl walked up to the mission room. She wasn't looking for a mission (she had been in the village for a bit now working in the hospital), instead she was looking for Kushina. She was more excited than she normally liked to admit that her teacher was having a baby, and maybe she was making sure Kushina was fine a little more than actually was necessary -- but it was also nice to talk to someone that was not a stupid boy.
Walking though the hall, she passed all the standard people, pausing to say hi occasionally on her way to the familiar door. She slipped into the mission room, smiling as she went and looking for the familiar red head. She didn't have her shift at the hospital for a little bit, so she was dressed in summer civilian clothes, a white skirt with a white short sleeved shirt with red dots on it. Instead of her usual black over the knee socks, she had on white ones with white shoes (And Kakashi be damned about his comments about her not taking those things off).
With an overly dramatic sigh, she walked over to where Kushina and her friend Mei were, feet scuffing a little on the floor -- one of those things she never did on mission, proving she was not there as a spy, just she was bored.
Mei: Suffice to say, the years of friendship came in handy. Already, Mei could see the wheels churning and plotting dastardly things. And the sight of it was enough to bring a full smile to her face. Pregnant or not, Uzumaki Kushina was not one to be underestimated. Especially when boredom and the mundane took hold. It was good to see that some things did not change with time. "Just don't destroy too many buildings, alright? We still have to live here, after all."
It would be some time before she would have to head out on her mission. Diplomatic assignments tended to have days to a full week of preparation before the team could actually set out to escort their clients to the village. So a few more minutes to keep Kushina from utter boredom would do little harm in the grand scheme of things. But just as Mei was about to inquire about her best friend's health and pregnancy, the soft click of the door to the mission room drew her attention... to a familiar face. "Oh, hi Rin-chan."
Rin: "Mei-san, Kushina-sa-n" She almost said 'sama' there, but stopped herself just in time. Checking on Kushina was not actually part of Rin's job -- the girl had mostly been working in the emergency room or the morgue, neither place where she would have an excuse to be poking her nose into her sensei's business. Not that that stopped her.
She moved over to the desk that Kushina was at, asking, "Am I interrupting anything?" She looked tired. Then again, most people would look tired if their sleep were interrupted by someone deciding to bleed all over their apartment at three AM.
Kushina: Her smile widened as she heard Rin's voice in greeting and she tipped her head to the side a bit to watch the girl approach. She'd known Minato's students since shortly after they'd become his and she'd followed them out of boredom until he'd introduced them all. And though Kushina herself wasn't exactly the most feminine of kunoichi, she'd always liked the quiet medic, if just because she'd managed to neither strangle the males on her team nor go insane because of them.
"Rin-chan, what brings you here?" Kushina couldn't recall seeing any missions that required her services and the girl was obviously in her civvies. So perhaps she'd be able to help stave of some of the boredom? It would even be alright with her if it was all part of a ruse to check up on her.
"Nah, you're not interrupting," Kushina started to say more, and then she noticed the circles under Rin's eyes were a bit darker than usual, "Everything okay?"
Rin: She rolled her eyes as she sat down, elbows on the desk. Of course Rin not having killed any of her teammates depended on who you asked -- there was more than a little guilt to go around for Obito after all. As for the other one, he was good at dodging. "Kakashi got back from his mission at three in the morning. I was stuck working late, and then he gets back at three in the morning and woke me up." OK, maybe normal teammates didn't show up at each other's apartments at three in the morning -- but somehow, Rin knew exactly when Kakashi had gotten back.
Mei: Normally cheerful and bright, there was a clear difference in Rin's demeanor. Then again, working at the hospital could become rather taxing after a little while. That much, Mei knew from working as a volunteer during times of turmoil and extreme necessity. Rin was working full time training and practicing as a medic. She could only imagine how much of a toll it was taking. Then with the added weight of tending to the Hatake kid. "Kakashi was never one to be very sympathetic to others when it came to avoiding the hospital."
It was a fear and an annoyance that all shinobi dodged in their careers. Herself included. After spending a majority of their lives in near-death situations at high speed, waiting out a recovery, or even a routine check-up would seem achingly torturous. But if he managed to find a reliable loop-hole,all the better for him. Even if it was at Rin's expense.
Rin: She wrinkled her nose, "He messed up my pillows and I couldn't get back to sleep this morning cause my sheets smell like him, so I dragged myself here." She didn't think for a moment that that probably didn't sound right. She was very deep in denial about any feelings for the boy, and just because she liked to snuggle into him did not mean anything.
Kushina: Her hazel eyes slid over to share a mischievous look with Mei before returning her focus on the teen before them. Rin and Kakashi, huh? Well then...
"Does he do this often or was this the first time?" Inquiring, nosey minds wanted to know. Who cared if they were in the middle of the missions room with other shinobi? She might actually be getting the good information before Minato and that would make her day.
Rin: "Often?" She seemed a little confused. Then she had it figured out. "He might as well just take over one of the drawers of my dresser. Then I could at least get some more sleep before having to get up and make him breakfast."
Kakashi: If the boy had any idea what kind of discussion was going on between his sensei's girlfriend and his old teammate he probably would have been far away from the mission room. But he didn't. So he was more then a bit surprised when he walked in to see them all sitting around the table.
Mei: Years spent as a witness to the inner workings of the shinobi system and their many aspects, the kunoichi had been giving the younger girl the benefit of a doubt where her former teammate was involved. Just because he looked to her for help in able to avoid a trip to the hospital after a mission meant nothing on the whole. But even the Mei had to quirk a curious brow at Rin's last statement. Even sharing a knowing look with Kushina before processing the information further. Her... sheets smelled like Kakashi? Really, now? And what was that about making him breakfast?
"Ah, speak of the devil," she murmured quietly to the other girls, the faint click of the door to the mission room drawing her attention again. And in spite of herself, Mei could not help but cast a faint smirk in the red-head's direction. Teasing material acquired. Target locked. Commence with ridicule.
Rin: Sleepy brown eyes looked over at Kakashi, the smile not indicating any of the complaining she had been doing about him. It wasn't that she wouldn't be easy to set off --she was just not too upset at the moment, at least not since she saw him. She didn't realize anything about her body language though, instead, she thought she was just smiling at a friend -- oblivious to the lovers theory that was being developed.
Kushina: This day just kept getting better, and it wasn't even lunchtime (even by the eating for two standards). And Kakashi had no idea that he'd been outed to the pair of older kunoichi. Kushina gave a subtle nod in acknowledgment of Mei's smirk as she directed a cheeky smile towards the newest arrival. "Good morning, Kakashi-kun. Sleep well last night?" ANBU or no, she'd never drop the "-kun" when speaking to him. It amused her too much to stop.
She didn't really expect him to easily reveal any juicy details, not like Rin just had. He wasn't quite as stoic as he'd been two years before, but even now he was still one of the most guarded people she knew. But if she and Mei played their cards just right, they might get just enough to tease him without him realizing that it had been their goal all along. "You're not looking for another mission already are you?"
Kakashi: Not only were they all together they were all... smiling at him. This couldn't be good. Nothing good ever came from women plotting together like this. Especially not when it involved Uzumaki Kushina. Managing to keep his expression somewhat unsuspecting he reached with his right arm to scratch at the back of his head.
"Well that is why shinobi come to the mission room... to get assigned to missions." ANBU wouldn't give him another one till after a mandatory 3 day rest period so he might as well try to pick up some regular work. Not that he needed the money. He just didn't feel like training and would rather not be sitting around useless. So at least he had a real reason to be here. Looking at Rin though, he wondered what was going on with her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, as tactless as ever when it came to his teammate. "I thought you were supposed to be at the hospital."
Rin: Her eyes opened wide at his asking for a mission. Suddenly, she looked awake. Even if she seemed like she was ready to fall asleep a few seconds before, now she looked irked. Maybe she was being a little emotional today -- she didn't normally punch him after all.
"Excuse me?" Of course, she hadn't missed what he said. The fact she didn't leave him any room to interject proved that. "You are injured, or did you forget that you have an infected shoulder that you managed to reopen after I healed it the first time already?" Well, maybe he hadn't managed to reopen it, so much as his dodging her punch reopened -- Rin wasn't hindered by such logic though.
"I don't have to be at the hospital for another three hours, unless I need to go put a medical restraint on someone from grabbing more missions." She was almost hoping that he was going to argue with her.
Mei: Indeed, things were getting quite interesting even if there was no real stock behind what actually happened between Rin and Kakashi the night before. Especially given just who were involved. Granted, Rin was a very beautiful and smart girl. Someone who could and would snatch the heart of most anyone she set her eyes on. That is if she could simply find a little bit more confidence and drive to go after her desires. But the young Hatake was another matter all together. Affections from him were few and far in between, even with teenage hormones coming into play. It was simply not how he functioned. Or at least, that was Mei's assumption from what she had managed to observe through the years.
Still, just because there was no truth behind what their night together had implied, did not mean that there was no reason to not take advantage of the situation all the same. A bit of teasing never hurt anyone, after all, and could only see fit to make a shinobi stronger. Right?
And perhaps it was there where Kushina's influence showed the most. "Yeah, word around the office is that you ran into a little bit of trouble on your last one. And considering everything, I think you've had enough... action for one week."
Kakashi: Is that what they had been talking about? Kakashi ignored the older woman's comment, choosing instead to give Rin a look that told her exactly how unhappy he was with her. His shoulder wound was supposed to have been kept quiet.
"My shoulder is fine," stated simply, his voice smooth and even despite his current irritation. "At least it would have been if someone hadn't thrown me back onto it after they had finished healing it. Or did you forget that?"
Rin: Maybe if the girl wasn't as tired (and hungry), she would have at least thought about what she was saying. "Oh no, Kakashi." Her tone was a little too sweet. "I was actually thinking of getting a mission myself." She stood up, looking over at Kakashi as she said, "Then again, you don't think I can do that." Yes, she was still a little sore about last night. She walked over to him, looking more like she was stalking to him than anything else.
Kakashi: He'd seen this before, her trying to be coy with him. It didn't work. Mainly because he would do or say something to piss her off. His visible eyebrow quirked up almost under his forehead protector at her words. "If it's what I think you're referring to you're right, you can't do that. Why you would want to try is beyond me."
He wasn't seriously worried. Even if she tried to request such a mission she'd be shot down. There was no way they'd send someone as young an inexperienced as Rin for something like that. "Why don't you just stay at the hospital where you can do some good?"
Kushina: Kushina stared curiously between the teens, trying to figure out what part of the conversation was eluding her. Her goal had been to poke a little fun at the Hatake boy at his (and maybe just a little at Rin's) expense and to find out details of the true status of their relationship to dangle in front of Minato. Then again, Kakashi always had been good at killing the fun.
The tone had taken a sharp turn towards hostile as Rin stood up to her former teammate and he quickly cut her and her skills down. Kushina smoothed a hand over the slight fluttering at her waist and wondered if she or Mei would need to step in to keep Kakashi from getting punched (apparently again) by the normally quiet medic. Though, she thought to herself, he really would deserve it if she did.
Rin: Brown eyes narrowed at him, "Really now?" She was seeing his words as a challenge, and perhaps the tone in her voice spoke of doing something that wasn't as intelligent as the girl normally was. Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper, but in a room of shinobi, she might as well have yelled it. "Maybe I will just see if Kushina-sama has a mission to seduce some pedophile, since that is the only type of man that would ever look at me." Her anger and the intensity she directed the words at Kakashi perhaps provided the subtext of their previous argument.
Kakashi: The only... what? Oh great. First he kills one of his teammates. Now he's apparently driven the other one insane. Then again she was a woman. To Kakashi all women were insane. "You've lost it, Rin. If anyone needs a medical restraint I'm afraid it's you. How long have you heard these voices?"
Not that he was one to talk. He was the one convinced Obito's soul was practically living in his head thanks to that eye. But nobody needed to know that part.
Mei: And there came a drastically quick turn in the conversation that no one ever expected. What thoughts they had about teasing and taunting the two younger shinobi about what did or did not conspire the night before was quickly dropped as the subject of Rin taking on one of those missions came up. The fact that she had been the one to bring it up had been enough to give everyone pause. Or at least both she and Kushina.
That... was certainly something that would never happen. Especially as long as Minato was Hokage of the village. The man was very protective of his charges, Rin most of all. Or at least he seemed to be. And whoever was responsible for even giving the young girl an assignment like that would surely be on the receiving end of a mass beat-down. Papa Minato was a force to be reckoned with.
Snapping out of the shock, Mei refocused her attention on the two younger shinobi. It was clear that both Kakashi and Rin had simply forgotten about Mei and Kushina, too wrapped up in their own argument to take notice of how awkward the air had turned for those standing on the edge of their squabble. And perhaps that could be used for their benefit.
"Hey, Kushina," she whispered softly to the other, "You think they'll notice if we slipped out?"
Kushina: She was completely unable to tear her eyes away from the spectacle at this point, simply leaning a bit closer towards Mei, muttering under her breath, "Not if it looks like we're still here..." Rin and Kakashi were so focused on aggravating the other so they would never notice hand seals made under the table or behind a back.
On one hand, there was a part of her that was oddly fascinated by it and would be dying of curiosity if she were to miss out on whatever might end up happening. The rest of her, however, wanted as little association with the whole sordid mess if Minato were to find out about it (and he would, of course he would).
"Lunch?"
Mei: The feeling was mutual about the little scene playing out before them. It was obviously a personal matter that had begun hours before with Kakashi's untimely return to the village, and consequently spilled out... to the open floor of the mission room. It was like a train-wreck. Mei knew she should not have been watching -- should not have been so fascinated with the back and forth snipping between the young shinobi. But it was hard to simply pull her eyes away, a small part of her eager to see just how this would play out in the end.
Well, if anything, the information would come to them as soon as the clones disappeared.
Eyes darting between Kakashi and Rin, she shifted so that the others would not see the hand seals. "Ichiraku? I'll buy."
Kushina: Mei didn't have to tell her twice, "You're on." Her hands flew through the seals with ease to replace herself with a shadow clone good enough to fool anyone currently in the room and to reposition herself a little ways down the hall, the thought of ramen already pushing past the odd encounter between Rin and Kakashi. Happily, she'd gotten past the stage of morning-sickness where even the smell of her favorite food had been enough to send her running for the bathroom. Even the little flutter of movement from the baby had sped up a bit in anticipation.
Rin: Rage burned in her eyes, for a moment, it looked as if she was going to attack -- and not playfully either. Hurt took over her look though as she pulled a page from her sensei's book and flipped through hand seals faster than could be seen almost. In a swirl of messy chakra, not her normal exacting standards, she was gone only to reappear on the roof and start off at a full shinobi run. She didn't run to any of her normal places, those places all reminded her too much of Kakashi, instead she just ran, not caring where she went, but trying to get there as fast as possible. How she found herself hiding in the basement of the hospital wasn't clear even to her, but no one came down to the morgue in the middle of the day.
Kakashi: Kakashi sighed as she disappeared. This day kept getting better and better for him. Now he was going to either have to hunt her down and try to get some sense into her, or else wait until she came to it herself. Lifting a hand to his forehead to attempt to ward off the throbbing already starting to grow there, he knew it would go faster if he just went.
"This is why you try to avoid sleeping with her, Kakashi..." he muttered half under his breath to himself. "She always gets like this after you sleep with her."
Looking up he was surprised to see the older women still sitting there staring at him. He could have sworn they'd left. "I know... I'm a bastard. You don't have to say it."
Mei!Clone: She was a perfect replica, one that could and would easily fool anyone who had not been paying too much attention to them during the whole debacle. And one of the novelties of being able to create Shadow Clones so flawlessly was that they acted and reacted like the original. No one would be the wiser. At least not until they were methodically popped out of existence.
And even as the original reappeared down the hall, away from the threat of being stuck in the middle of a team (or rather, former team) squabble, the clone simply stood there in wonderment at yet another twist in the plot playing out before her artificially created eyes.That was a rather disappointing end to what could have potentially been an epic disaster in the mission room. But given that no one was hurt or would have to be separated, it was a good alternative.
"Not exactly the word I was thinking of, but it still fits," the clone remarked, "So are you gonna go after her, squirt?"
Kakashi: Yes there were a lot of names that could probably describe him a the moment but he didn't really need to be reminded of that. "If she didn't have to be so stubborn and childish I wouldn't have to be like this. Why the hell she would want to go on one of those missions anyways is beyond me. She'd probably get herself raped or killed or... both."
Growling softly at himself Kakashi tried to calm down. For someone who was supposed to be calm and unemotional Rin sure could rile him up inside. He didn't get furious, more... frustrated. She was probably somewhere hiding from him, crying and hating his guts. If he went after her directly it would probably just turn into another argument. One that involved her yelling and swinging at him again.
"I'll find her in a bit. I think we both need to calm down. She has a few hiding spots she goes to... I'm sure she'll be alright." He thought about just going back to wait on her balcony. She had to come home sometime after all. If not well, she had a shift at the hospital soon. He would be able to find her there if he needed.
Kushina!Clone: The nice thing about shadow clones was that they not only looked like you, but they acted and reacted like you as well (unless instructed otherwise). The one point against Kushina with their use thought was her limited ability to censor herself was even more lacking when it was a clone, "Kakashi-kun, I'm not an expert or anything, but if you're going to sleep with a girl, don't insult her afterward. Unless of course you enjoy getting punched."
"As for the mission, I know for a fact that ANBU won't assign you another just yet so there's no way that I'm going against them," she waggled one finger in front of him before raising another to tick off her points, "and you're also injured so nothing strenuous until your medic, in this case the one you just pissed off, gives you the all clear."
There was a mischievous smirk on the clone's face as she pretended to look at the available missions listed in the book before her, "I might be willing to make an exception though. We seem to have a surplus of D-rank chores to be done."
Kakashi: "It's not an insult. More... constructive criticism." At least in his mind it wasn't insulting. And it certainly wasn't his fault she couldn't listen to reason and had to take everything the wrong way. "You know that I'm right. She'd never be assigned such duties. Not at her current skill level anyways. Why she can't accept or understand that I have no idea."
Of course he hated to think she would ever be given those kind of missions, even in the future after she'd improved. He wouldn't have much grounds for complaint if that day ever arrived. For now though, he's going to voice his opinion on it as much and as loud as he could.
His eye twitched in irritation. No mission for him. Kakashi was definitely not happy with Rin now. "Such a shame my medic isn't here to ok any missions then. Even the D-rank. I'm sure you wouldn't want to risk opening my shoulder by making me do heavy lifting or yard work without her say so."
Mei!Clone: "Oh, I'm sure there's a mission in there somewhere that won't require you to do anything too damaging to your shoulder." With a deep set line across her lips, the clone fixed her eyes on the young man standing before her, brows knotted together in a more more exasperated manner than disapproving in regards to his attitude. True, Kakashi had his points about the argument and Rin's sudden desire to take on a seduction mission. But there were far better ways to talk the girl down from such a ledge, ones that could not be construed as insults -- because whether he viewed them as such or not, that was what they were. Even the carbon copy of Mei had expected a prodigal genius like him to know better, despite his young age.
Constructive criticism, she thought to herself, Was that what they were calling it these days?
"And the only reason Rin would even want an assignment like that is because you told her that she wouldn't be any good at it, which was a poor judgment call on your part, Hatake." The expression on Mei's artificially made face was clearly serious, something that the original usually reserved for briefings and discussions of missions of the utmost importance. And it felt appropriate to be used here. Now. Because if the young shinobi did not learn this lesson and learn it soon, he would find himself on the receiving end of a lot of angry women in the future. And not all of them would be a close friend like Rin. Or as forgiving. "Number one rule of surviving women: Never tell them they can't do anything. It'll be the first thing they'll wanna do. We're proud. Just like any other shinobi in this village or any other nation."
Type: RP log
Fandom: Naruto
Character(s): Uzumaki Kushina, Rin, Hatake Kakashi, OC: Sarutobi Mei;
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally started for the
paradigm_rpg RP comm, but never finished. Dedicated to: Pre-series gameplay ♥
Kushina: "You realize that I'm now living vicariously through you, right?" Kushina propped her chin in one hand as she held the mission scroll out to Mei in the other. She'd been officially taken off of the mission roster, even within the village, a few weeks ago. Mei, on the other hand, had recently been put back on, eliciting more than a little bit of jealousy from the redhead. That, and she could fit into her uniforms again where even Kushina's loose jacket was starting to get a bit snug.
So there was just a hint of a whine in her otherwise bored tone, "You'd better not do anything too exciting without me."
Mei: "Strong payback, I'm sure, for when our roles were reversed a few months ago." And in spite of the sympathies she felt for the other, there was no hiding the small tug of a smirk pulling at the corner of the kunoichi's mouth. It was just so good to be back on active duty again after so many months of nothing. Of complete and mindless boredom. Yes, Mei remembered those days and loathed them still. But it had all been worth it to have been able to bring Tenten into the world.
"And please," she snerked in amusement, reaching out to take the mission scroll from Kushina's hand, "Like there could be any sort of excitement in this village without you being involved in some way."
Kushina: Kushina scowled up at her best friend, knowing that Mei was enjoying every bit of this, "Yeah, yeah." And at least the brunette now had a ridiculously cute kid to show for it. She, on the other hand, had never been too good with being patient, for anything.
"Well, if Minato and every medic in the village have anything to say about it, there won't be, at least not directly. I'm already watched like some ANBU target." But at least she wasn't on bed rest or something completely unbearable like that. And she was still just as mobile as ever...for the time being.
Mei: "Well, you are carrying the Hokage's first born," Mei pointed out, "Any sort of association with him would mean high security no matter what your condition, but children are fairly top priority."
She was speaking from experience, of course, having spent the first years of her life under the watchful eye of several appointed guards and officers. The downfalls of being born to a village's leader during war time. Even now at age twenty three, there were still lingering concerns left over from her father's unwavering leadership. She expected no different from the new Hokage.
Still, pointing that out would more than likely only worsen Kushina's less than spectacular mood. So, Mei decided on a different approach. "But since when has that ever stopped you?" Here, she tsked. When in doubt, play on the pride. "Not losing your touch, are you?"
Kushina: Of course Mei would know exactly what buttons to push to cheer her up. Nearly ten years of friendship left very little room for surprise between the two, just as she had known how Minato's already rampant protective streak would hone in on her even more the further along that she got. His position of Hokage had nothing to do with that, it was just how he had always been. The rest of the village though...well...it almost felt like she was a child again, back in Whirlpool. Not the family of their Kage, but descended from the founding family. There was very little that she'd done in her early years that wasn't known by everyone. At least not until she'd started using clones for her amusement.
And if the slow grin on her face was any indication, she'd already started planning contingencies for amusement. She just had to be extra sneaky…
Rin: The girl walked up to the mission room. She wasn't looking for a mission (she had been in the village for a bit now working in the hospital), instead she was looking for Kushina. She was more excited than she normally liked to admit that her teacher was having a baby, and maybe she was making sure Kushina was fine a little more than actually was necessary -- but it was also nice to talk to someone that was not a stupid boy.
Walking though the hall, she passed all the standard people, pausing to say hi occasionally on her way to the familiar door. She slipped into the mission room, smiling as she went and looking for the familiar red head. She didn't have her shift at the hospital for a little bit, so she was dressed in summer civilian clothes, a white skirt with a white short sleeved shirt with red dots on it. Instead of her usual black over the knee socks, she had on white ones with white shoes (And Kakashi be damned about his comments about her not taking those things off).
With an overly dramatic sigh, she walked over to where Kushina and her friend Mei were, feet scuffing a little on the floor -- one of those things she never did on mission, proving she was not there as a spy, just she was bored.
Mei: Suffice to say, the years of friendship came in handy. Already, Mei could see the wheels churning and plotting dastardly things. And the sight of it was enough to bring a full smile to her face. Pregnant or not, Uzumaki Kushina was not one to be underestimated. Especially when boredom and the mundane took hold. It was good to see that some things did not change with time. "Just don't destroy too many buildings, alright? We still have to live here, after all."
It would be some time before she would have to head out on her mission. Diplomatic assignments tended to have days to a full week of preparation before the team could actually set out to escort their clients to the village. So a few more minutes to keep Kushina from utter boredom would do little harm in the grand scheme of things. But just as Mei was about to inquire about her best friend's health and pregnancy, the soft click of the door to the mission room drew her attention... to a familiar face. "Oh, hi Rin-chan."
Rin: "Mei-san, Kushina-sa-n" She almost said 'sama' there, but stopped herself just in time. Checking on Kushina was not actually part of Rin's job -- the girl had mostly been working in the emergency room or the morgue, neither place where she would have an excuse to be poking her nose into her sensei's business. Not that that stopped her.
She moved over to the desk that Kushina was at, asking, "Am I interrupting anything?" She looked tired. Then again, most people would look tired if their sleep were interrupted by someone deciding to bleed all over their apartment at three AM.
Kushina: Her smile widened as she heard Rin's voice in greeting and she tipped her head to the side a bit to watch the girl approach. She'd known Minato's students since shortly after they'd become his and she'd followed them out of boredom until he'd introduced them all. And though Kushina herself wasn't exactly the most feminine of kunoichi, she'd always liked the quiet medic, if just because she'd managed to neither strangle the males on her team nor go insane because of them.
"Rin-chan, what brings you here?" Kushina couldn't recall seeing any missions that required her services and the girl was obviously in her civvies. So perhaps she'd be able to help stave of some of the boredom? It would even be alright with her if it was all part of a ruse to check up on her.
"Nah, you're not interrupting," Kushina started to say more, and then she noticed the circles under Rin's eyes were a bit darker than usual, "Everything okay?"
Rin: She rolled her eyes as she sat down, elbows on the desk. Of course Rin not having killed any of her teammates depended on who you asked -- there was more than a little guilt to go around for Obito after all. As for the other one, he was good at dodging. "Kakashi got back from his mission at three in the morning. I was stuck working late, and then he gets back at three in the morning and woke me up." OK, maybe normal teammates didn't show up at each other's apartments at three in the morning -- but somehow, Rin knew exactly when Kakashi had gotten back.
Mei: Normally cheerful and bright, there was a clear difference in Rin's demeanor. Then again, working at the hospital could become rather taxing after a little while. That much, Mei knew from working as a volunteer during times of turmoil and extreme necessity. Rin was working full time training and practicing as a medic. She could only imagine how much of a toll it was taking. Then with the added weight of tending to the Hatake kid. "Kakashi was never one to be very sympathetic to others when it came to avoiding the hospital."
It was a fear and an annoyance that all shinobi dodged in their careers. Herself included. After spending a majority of their lives in near-death situations at high speed, waiting out a recovery, or even a routine check-up would seem achingly torturous. But if he managed to find a reliable loop-hole,all the better for him. Even if it was at Rin's expense.
Rin: She wrinkled her nose, "He messed up my pillows and I couldn't get back to sleep this morning cause my sheets smell like him, so I dragged myself here." She didn't think for a moment that that probably didn't sound right. She was very deep in denial about any feelings for the boy, and just because she liked to snuggle into him did not mean anything.
Kushina: Her hazel eyes slid over to share a mischievous look with Mei before returning her focus on the teen before them. Rin and Kakashi, huh? Well then...
"Does he do this often or was this the first time?" Inquiring, nosey minds wanted to know. Who cared if they were in the middle of the missions room with other shinobi? She might actually be getting the good information before Minato and that would make her day.
Rin: "Often?" She seemed a little confused. Then she had it figured out. "He might as well just take over one of the drawers of my dresser. Then I could at least get some more sleep before having to get up and make him breakfast."
Kakashi: If the boy had any idea what kind of discussion was going on between his sensei's girlfriend and his old teammate he probably would have been far away from the mission room. But he didn't. So he was more then a bit surprised when he walked in to see them all sitting around the table.
Mei: Years spent as a witness to the inner workings of the shinobi system and their many aspects, the kunoichi had been giving the younger girl the benefit of a doubt where her former teammate was involved. Just because he looked to her for help in able to avoid a trip to the hospital after a mission meant nothing on the whole. But even the Mei had to quirk a curious brow at Rin's last statement. Even sharing a knowing look with Kushina before processing the information further. Her... sheets smelled like Kakashi? Really, now? And what was that about making him breakfast?
"Ah, speak of the devil," she murmured quietly to the other girls, the faint click of the door to the mission room drawing her attention again. And in spite of herself, Mei could not help but cast a faint smirk in the red-head's direction. Teasing material acquired. Target locked. Commence with ridicule.
Rin: Sleepy brown eyes looked over at Kakashi, the smile not indicating any of the complaining she had been doing about him. It wasn't that she wouldn't be easy to set off --she was just not too upset at the moment, at least not since she saw him. She didn't realize anything about her body language though, instead, she thought she was just smiling at a friend -- oblivious to the lovers theory that was being developed.
Kushina: This day just kept getting better, and it wasn't even lunchtime (even by the eating for two standards). And Kakashi had no idea that he'd been outed to the pair of older kunoichi. Kushina gave a subtle nod in acknowledgment of Mei's smirk as she directed a cheeky smile towards the newest arrival. "Good morning, Kakashi-kun. Sleep well last night?" ANBU or no, she'd never drop the "-kun" when speaking to him. It amused her too much to stop.
She didn't really expect him to easily reveal any juicy details, not like Rin just had. He wasn't quite as stoic as he'd been two years before, but even now he was still one of the most guarded people she knew. But if she and Mei played their cards just right, they might get just enough to tease him without him realizing that it had been their goal all along. "You're not looking for another mission already are you?"
Kakashi: Not only were they all together they were all... smiling at him. This couldn't be good. Nothing good ever came from women plotting together like this. Especially not when it involved Uzumaki Kushina. Managing to keep his expression somewhat unsuspecting he reached with his right arm to scratch at the back of his head.
"Well that is why shinobi come to the mission room... to get assigned to missions." ANBU wouldn't give him another one till after a mandatory 3 day rest period so he might as well try to pick up some regular work. Not that he needed the money. He just didn't feel like training and would rather not be sitting around useless. So at least he had a real reason to be here. Looking at Rin though, he wondered what was going on with her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, as tactless as ever when it came to his teammate. "I thought you were supposed to be at the hospital."
Rin: Her eyes opened wide at his asking for a mission. Suddenly, she looked awake. Even if she seemed like she was ready to fall asleep a few seconds before, now she looked irked. Maybe she was being a little emotional today -- she didn't normally punch him after all.
"Excuse me?" Of course, she hadn't missed what he said. The fact she didn't leave him any room to interject proved that. "You are injured, or did you forget that you have an infected shoulder that you managed to reopen after I healed it the first time already?" Well, maybe he hadn't managed to reopen it, so much as his dodging her punch reopened -- Rin wasn't hindered by such logic though.
"I don't have to be at the hospital for another three hours, unless I need to go put a medical restraint on someone from grabbing more missions." She was almost hoping that he was going to argue with her.
Mei: Indeed, things were getting quite interesting even if there was no real stock behind what actually happened between Rin and Kakashi the night before. Especially given just who were involved. Granted, Rin was a very beautiful and smart girl. Someone who could and would snatch the heart of most anyone she set her eyes on. That is if she could simply find a little bit more confidence and drive to go after her desires. But the young Hatake was another matter all together. Affections from him were few and far in between, even with teenage hormones coming into play. It was simply not how he functioned. Or at least, that was Mei's assumption from what she had managed to observe through the years.
Still, just because there was no truth behind what their night together had implied, did not mean that there was no reason to not take advantage of the situation all the same. A bit of teasing never hurt anyone, after all, and could only see fit to make a shinobi stronger. Right?
And perhaps it was there where Kushina's influence showed the most. "Yeah, word around the office is that you ran into a little bit of trouble on your last one. And considering everything, I think you've had enough... action for one week."
Kakashi: Is that what they had been talking about? Kakashi ignored the older woman's comment, choosing instead to give Rin a look that told her exactly how unhappy he was with her. His shoulder wound was supposed to have been kept quiet.
"My shoulder is fine," stated simply, his voice smooth and even despite his current irritation. "At least it would have been if someone hadn't thrown me back onto it after they had finished healing it. Or did you forget that?"
Rin: Maybe if the girl wasn't as tired (and hungry), she would have at least thought about what she was saying. "Oh no, Kakashi." Her tone was a little too sweet. "I was actually thinking of getting a mission myself." She stood up, looking over at Kakashi as she said, "Then again, you don't think I can do that." Yes, she was still a little sore about last night. She walked over to him, looking more like she was stalking to him than anything else.
Kakashi: He'd seen this before, her trying to be coy with him. It didn't work. Mainly because he would do or say something to piss her off. His visible eyebrow quirked up almost under his forehead protector at her words. "If it's what I think you're referring to you're right, you can't do that. Why you would want to try is beyond me."
He wasn't seriously worried. Even if she tried to request such a mission she'd be shot down. There was no way they'd send someone as young an inexperienced as Rin for something like that. "Why don't you just stay at the hospital where you can do some good?"
Kushina: Kushina stared curiously between the teens, trying to figure out what part of the conversation was eluding her. Her goal had been to poke a little fun at the Hatake boy at his (and maybe just a little at Rin's) expense and to find out details of the true status of their relationship to dangle in front of Minato. Then again, Kakashi always had been good at killing the fun.
The tone had taken a sharp turn towards hostile as Rin stood up to her former teammate and he quickly cut her and her skills down. Kushina smoothed a hand over the slight fluttering at her waist and wondered if she or Mei would need to step in to keep Kakashi from getting punched (apparently again) by the normally quiet medic. Though, she thought to herself, he really would deserve it if she did.
Rin: Brown eyes narrowed at him, "Really now?" She was seeing his words as a challenge, and perhaps the tone in her voice spoke of doing something that wasn't as intelligent as the girl normally was. Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper, but in a room of shinobi, she might as well have yelled it. "Maybe I will just see if Kushina-sama has a mission to seduce some pedophile, since that is the only type of man that would ever look at me." Her anger and the intensity she directed the words at Kakashi perhaps provided the subtext of their previous argument.
Kakashi: The only... what? Oh great. First he kills one of his teammates. Now he's apparently driven the other one insane. Then again she was a woman. To Kakashi all women were insane. "You've lost it, Rin. If anyone needs a medical restraint I'm afraid it's you. How long have you heard these voices?"
Not that he was one to talk. He was the one convinced Obito's soul was practically living in his head thanks to that eye. But nobody needed to know that part.
Mei: And there came a drastically quick turn in the conversation that no one ever expected. What thoughts they had about teasing and taunting the two younger shinobi about what did or did not conspire the night before was quickly dropped as the subject of Rin taking on one of those missions came up. The fact that she had been the one to bring it up had been enough to give everyone pause. Or at least both she and Kushina.
That... was certainly something that would never happen. Especially as long as Minato was Hokage of the village. The man was very protective of his charges, Rin most of all. Or at least he seemed to be. And whoever was responsible for even giving the young girl an assignment like that would surely be on the receiving end of a mass beat-down. Papa Minato was a force to be reckoned with.
Snapping out of the shock, Mei refocused her attention on the two younger shinobi. It was clear that both Kakashi and Rin had simply forgotten about Mei and Kushina, too wrapped up in their own argument to take notice of how awkward the air had turned for those standing on the edge of their squabble. And perhaps that could be used for their benefit.
"Hey, Kushina," she whispered softly to the other, "You think they'll notice if we slipped out?"
Kushina: She was completely unable to tear her eyes away from the spectacle at this point, simply leaning a bit closer towards Mei, muttering under her breath, "Not if it looks like we're still here..." Rin and Kakashi were so focused on aggravating the other so they would never notice hand seals made under the table or behind a back.
On one hand, there was a part of her that was oddly fascinated by it and would be dying of curiosity if she were to miss out on whatever might end up happening. The rest of her, however, wanted as little association with the whole sordid mess if Minato were to find out about it (and he would, of course he would).
"Lunch?"
Mei: The feeling was mutual about the little scene playing out before them. It was obviously a personal matter that had begun hours before with Kakashi's untimely return to the village, and consequently spilled out... to the open floor of the mission room. It was like a train-wreck. Mei knew she should not have been watching -- should not have been so fascinated with the back and forth snipping between the young shinobi. But it was hard to simply pull her eyes away, a small part of her eager to see just how this would play out in the end.
Well, if anything, the information would come to them as soon as the clones disappeared.
Eyes darting between Kakashi and Rin, she shifted so that the others would not see the hand seals. "Ichiraku? I'll buy."
Kushina: Mei didn't have to tell her twice, "You're on." Her hands flew through the seals with ease to replace herself with a shadow clone good enough to fool anyone currently in the room and to reposition herself a little ways down the hall, the thought of ramen already pushing past the odd encounter between Rin and Kakashi. Happily, she'd gotten past the stage of morning-sickness where even the smell of her favorite food had been enough to send her running for the bathroom. Even the little flutter of movement from the baby had sped up a bit in anticipation.
Rin: Rage burned in her eyes, for a moment, it looked as if she was going to attack -- and not playfully either. Hurt took over her look though as she pulled a page from her sensei's book and flipped through hand seals faster than could be seen almost. In a swirl of messy chakra, not her normal exacting standards, she was gone only to reappear on the roof and start off at a full shinobi run. She didn't run to any of her normal places, those places all reminded her too much of Kakashi, instead she just ran, not caring where she went, but trying to get there as fast as possible. How she found herself hiding in the basement of the hospital wasn't clear even to her, but no one came down to the morgue in the middle of the day.
Kakashi: Kakashi sighed as she disappeared. This day kept getting better and better for him. Now he was going to either have to hunt her down and try to get some sense into her, or else wait until she came to it herself. Lifting a hand to his forehead to attempt to ward off the throbbing already starting to grow there, he knew it would go faster if he just went.
"This is why you try to avoid sleeping with her, Kakashi..." he muttered half under his breath to himself. "She always gets like this after you sleep with her."
Looking up he was surprised to see the older women still sitting there staring at him. He could have sworn they'd left. "I know... I'm a bastard. You don't have to say it."
Mei!Clone: She was a perfect replica, one that could and would easily fool anyone who had not been paying too much attention to them during the whole debacle. And one of the novelties of being able to create Shadow Clones so flawlessly was that they acted and reacted like the original. No one would be the wiser. At least not until they were methodically popped out of existence.
And even as the original reappeared down the hall, away from the threat of being stuck in the middle of a team (or rather, former team) squabble, the clone simply stood there in wonderment at yet another twist in the plot playing out before her artificially created eyes.That was a rather disappointing end to what could have potentially been an epic disaster in the mission room. But given that no one was hurt or would have to be separated, it was a good alternative.
"Not exactly the word I was thinking of, but it still fits," the clone remarked, "So are you gonna go after her, squirt?"
Kakashi: Yes there were a lot of names that could probably describe him a the moment but he didn't really need to be reminded of that. "If she didn't have to be so stubborn and childish I wouldn't have to be like this. Why the hell she would want to go on one of those missions anyways is beyond me. She'd probably get herself raped or killed or... both."
Growling softly at himself Kakashi tried to calm down. For someone who was supposed to be calm and unemotional Rin sure could rile him up inside. He didn't get furious, more... frustrated. She was probably somewhere hiding from him, crying and hating his guts. If he went after her directly it would probably just turn into another argument. One that involved her yelling and swinging at him again.
"I'll find her in a bit. I think we both need to calm down. She has a few hiding spots she goes to... I'm sure she'll be alright." He thought about just going back to wait on her balcony. She had to come home sometime after all. If not well, she had a shift at the hospital soon. He would be able to find her there if he needed.
Kushina!Clone: The nice thing about shadow clones was that they not only looked like you, but they acted and reacted like you as well (unless instructed otherwise). The one point against Kushina with their use thought was her limited ability to censor herself was even more lacking when it was a clone, "Kakashi-kun, I'm not an expert or anything, but if you're going to sleep with a girl, don't insult her afterward. Unless of course you enjoy getting punched."
"As for the mission, I know for a fact that ANBU won't assign you another just yet so there's no way that I'm going against them," she waggled one finger in front of him before raising another to tick off her points, "and you're also injured so nothing strenuous until your medic, in this case the one you just pissed off, gives you the all clear."
There was a mischievous smirk on the clone's face as she pretended to look at the available missions listed in the book before her, "I might be willing to make an exception though. We seem to have a surplus of D-rank chores to be done."
Kakashi: "It's not an insult. More... constructive criticism." At least in his mind it wasn't insulting. And it certainly wasn't his fault she couldn't listen to reason and had to take everything the wrong way. "You know that I'm right. She'd never be assigned such duties. Not at her current skill level anyways. Why she can't accept or understand that I have no idea."
Of course he hated to think she would ever be given those kind of missions, even in the future after she'd improved. He wouldn't have much grounds for complaint if that day ever arrived. For now though, he's going to voice his opinion on it as much and as loud as he could.
His eye twitched in irritation. No mission for him. Kakashi was definitely not happy with Rin now. "Such a shame my medic isn't here to ok any missions then. Even the D-rank. I'm sure you wouldn't want to risk opening my shoulder by making me do heavy lifting or yard work without her say so."
Mei!Clone: "Oh, I'm sure there's a mission in there somewhere that won't require you to do anything too damaging to your shoulder." With a deep set line across her lips, the clone fixed her eyes on the young man standing before her, brows knotted together in a more more exasperated manner than disapproving in regards to his attitude. True, Kakashi had his points about the argument and Rin's sudden desire to take on a seduction mission. But there were far better ways to talk the girl down from such a ledge, ones that could not be construed as insults -- because whether he viewed them as such or not, that was what they were. Even the carbon copy of Mei had expected a prodigal genius like him to know better, despite his young age.
Constructive criticism, she thought to herself, Was that what they were calling it these days?
"And the only reason Rin would even want an assignment like that is because you told her that she wouldn't be any good at it, which was a poor judgment call on your part, Hatake." The expression on Mei's artificially made face was clearly serious, something that the original usually reserved for briefings and discussions of missions of the utmost importance. And it felt appropriate to be used here. Now. Because if the young shinobi did not learn this lesson and learn it soon, he would find himself on the receiving end of a lot of angry women in the future. And not all of them would be a close friend like Rin. Or as forgiving. "Number one rule of surviving women: Never tell them they can't do anything. It'll be the first thing they'll wanna do. We're proud. Just like any other shinobi in this village or any other nation."