Fan(art)(fiction)

One Shot Part 2 (KhristynZoeBas)

Part 2: Impromptu Mission [unedited]
[Cashile Kuroki]
Loneliness was a strange thing; it creeps up to those who least expect it.
Namely, Aisa.
What, you expected me to say that I was the one who was lonely? Don't make me laugh.
"Hey, Cashile.." Aisa sighed once more, propping his head up on his forearms as he stared out the window. "Hasn't it been four days already..?"
I glance up from my dog-eared Bingo Book, pausing for a moment in scribbling down several concise lines of code. "Yeah. He'll be back before you know it, kid. That moro-- guy won't manage to stay away for long."
He merely pouts in reply to my offhanded response. "But--"
Mildly irritated - mainly due to the fact that I could not concentrate what with all the constant pestering the kid's been giving off for the past few days - I stand up, the Bingo Book lying forgotten upon the comfortable sofa, and head over to the dismal kid. Upon reaching his slumped figure, I place a hand on his shoulder, lowering my voice so only he could hear.
"Believe in your older brother, kid. He won't just leave you alone." He doesn't have the capability - the guts to do such a thing.
"He's never been gone this long.." Aisa mumbled half-heartedly, as though reluctant to concede to my 'reassurance'.
Oh. Of course. Who wouldn't think something was wrong when another acts out of character? But perhaps there was a stimulus eliciting this delay.. Then maybe it would be understandable.
"Something might be up; you never know with missions." I shrug carelessly, perking up suddenly as a familiar chakra signature flares to life right outside the door of my apartment. Why was he here?
No, the better, more pressing question was.. Why was I, who was openly deemed to be heartless, concerned with Aisa's troubles? Aiden wasn't my brother, so why..
Shaking my head slightly, I removed my hand from where I had placed it unsteadily upon his shoulder, turning on my heel and heading for the door just as two, hurried knocks resounded. Perhaps there was an urgent matter that needed immediate attention.
"What?" I say almost immediately after I open the door, to be greeted by the gravity-defying, silver hair of a certain jounin. That, and the serious tone of his voice alerted me of the situation at hand.
"The Hokage wants to see Team Seven in her office right now. Said it's important.." Kakashi trailed off for a moment; his single, onyx eye locking onto the worried kid behind me. "And that it involves the kid as well."
::*::
"Is it a mission, 'ttebayo?" The blond knucklehead, otherwise known as Naruto Uzumaki, asked excitedly, much to my displeasure. It was plain obvious; couldn't he keep his thoughts to himself?
Of course he can't; he had the tendency to blurt out things better left unsaid - to be more exact, was completely unrelated to the matter at hand. Such stupidity was one of his many idiosyncrasies, after all.
"Shut it, Naruto," Sakura snapped, glancing at the adults gathered in the room out of the corner of her eye. "Listen to the instructions for once, would you?"
Yeah, like he ever would. Because one of such childish mentality can comprehend what the Third would say.
Speaking of whom..
He sighed deeply, a small puff of smoke ensuing from the pipe in his aged hands. Dark, intelligent eyes peered down at Aisa, who still remained at my side, evidently puzzled at the untold reason as to why he had to be here. There was a 87% chance that Aiden was related to the topic; otherwise, why would his little brother be summoned along with a genin team?
An indiscernible flash of emotion flickered through the Hokage's impenetrable gaze, as he stared solely at the confused Aisa, who shuffled his feet nervously in turn.
"I have a mission for you, Team Seven. And you have no time to waste."
"What is it?" I picked at my nails, glancing at the grim-faced adults in the room out of my peripherals.
"Find and rescue several captured merchants of the Leaf." He replied, much to my irritation. If it was that simple, then why..
"What does this kid have to do with anything?" Naruto burst out, jabbing a finger in Aisa's general direction, who flinched at the loud tone of his voice.
A humorless smile quirked the Hokage's lips upward, as though amused at Naruto's inquiry. "His older brother, Aiden, is one of the aforementioned hostages."
::*::
[Aiden]
Four days.
That was approximately the amount of time I'd spent in this rank-smelling cell, swimming in and out of consciousness.
Yet another groan slipped past my lips, as I struggled to sit up, running a hand through my messy hair. Black spots danced in my vision, as I futilely attempted to adjust to the dim lighting of the 'room'.
It was a sad thought that I had had enough - more than enough, actually - time to survey my surroundings. Even more so when it came down to worrying about Aisa's current whereabouts.
Where was he staying at right now? It wasn't exactly plausible that he'd still be at the apartment right beside where Cashile's teammate resided when I wasn't there to take care of him. No, it was more likely that he'd be staying over at someone else's place while I was gone.
It wasn't like I was expecting Cashile to agree to my request, though. Still, couldn't hurt to help others out once in a while, dammit.
Yet another pained wince leaked past my lips, as I strained to see past the gloom blanketing the eerie darkness cloaking the rest of my cell.
This was how it had been for the past few days: dark. Sullen. Dreary.
All kinds of words which you can describe one's isolation from the outside world.
Hell, even the near-mechanical shuffling of the wardens' feet, as well as their low whispers - muffled, indistinct timbres varying from female to male forming half-understandable sentences - were already monotonous to my ears. Sequential.
As if everything worked in distinct patterns preordained by some kind of unseen deity.
"How has the prisoner been these days?" A voice - male, by the gruff intonations and the tone he spoke with - grumbled, along with the uneven shuffling noise caused by the shifting of weight met my ears.
"Silent," Replied another - female, by the likes of the soft, melodic yet icy tone she had used. "Quite unlike you, Sora."
The male - Sora, as he had been called - muttered several obscenities beneath his breath, the kind I chose not to use around Aisa.
"As if you know any better, Kaede."
The rustling of cloth and the sound of metal being drawn against metal could be heard a couple seconds later. "I would shut my mouth if I were you, Sora. I don't take too kindly to insults - may they be of the most immature kind."
I could picture the other guard rolling his eyes, though he didn't say anything more. And so ends the short intermission number. We now go back to the boring life of a hostage, I thought wryly, as a sudden explosion rocked the unstable floor beneath my feet.
::*::
[Cashile Kuroki]
As expected, silence met the Third's proclamation.
"...What?" Aisa mumbled, tightening his grip on my shirt. Though he was still an Academy student, he sure had a tight grip.
The Hokage's eyes turned to the kid - somber in its gaze. "Your brother, Aisa, is currently in the hands of several bandits."
Muttering a harsh curse beneath my breath, I ducked. Just as a chain of explosive tags set off over my head.
It didn't take a moron to know that there was more than an 89% chance that these 'bandits' didn't want shinobi to take back what they stole. Typical.
"Naruto!"
Sakura's shrill scream pierced through the noise of the battle, as the blond idiot scarcely collided with a dark-haired blur; a miasma of crimson spraying through the air.
Blood.
His blood.
Letting out a yell of pain, he collapsed to his knees, just as a katana materialized from seemingly nowhere and hurtled towards his neck. Gritting my teeth, I shot forwards, barely able to deflect the strike meant to decapitate the ignoramus' head with one of my many kunai.
"Get up, you moron!" I commanded immediately, as my arms started to shake from the effort. I knew I should have trained despite what Kakashi may have said.
The bandit - who I now noticed was a girl barely older than myself - furrowed her brows as the orange blob scampered to his feet and dashed off to - as expected - Sakura's side. Her single open amber eye narrowed visibly (the other shut due to a scar trailing down her temple to her jaw), as she pushed her blade against my own.
"The Phoenix shall rise again," she hissed, turning her blade as it slid against the kunai's sharp edge - sparks flying from the contact between the two weapons. "And rats like you do not deserve to witness such glory."
I nearly rolled my eyes as I swiftly drew a senbon from my weapons pouch. "Who are you to decide? A mere bandit such as yourself doesn't have the mental capacity to--"
"Kaede!" A voice called out; the dark-haired girl stiffening in shock. "We must retreat!"
"I will not, Sora!" 'Kaede' replied heatedly, pushing against my kunai with renewed effort, just as I jammed my senbon needle into a pressure point. Her arms grew slack, just as she staggered backwards, and - with one final glare - headed towards where an ivory-haired man stood.
"We will surely meet again, child of Raidon." She vowed, just as she sheathed her katana and fled.
"Well that went well," I muttered dryly, stooping to pick up a fallen metal ring containing - obviously - several rusted keys.
"Time to free the prisoners, I guess."
::*::
[Aiden]
A tiny, almost insignificant click sound resounded in the small space, as small shafts of a dim gray light filtered in. Temporarily blinded, I squinted to see past the gloom, much as I had a few minutes beforehand.
What in the freaking hell..?
"Hurry up," Cashile muttered impatiently, gesturing for me to stand up. "Aisa's waiting for you."

__________________________

This is part one of @KhristynZoeBas 'a one shot containing Cashile and Aiden. Great work! I love it!

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