Spear & Shield

Spear & Shield
Chapter 25

Yasu trudged along in the middle of their little group, mind racing with ideas and excuses to run away.

It wouldn't be easy… 

Neji was behind her, she could feel his eyes on her back. Lee and Tenten took the lead, Lee walking independently, using the crutch sparingly as he went. Gai walked beside her, not at all slowed by the long journey he had made just earlier that morning. Yasu vaguely wondered how he did it, how he was able to travel from the outpost to the Village and still have the energy to get an early lunch with his students. But her thoughts were a little too preoccupied with the issue at hand to dwell on it. 

Her right side was unguarded, making it the most obvious escape route. In fact, she might even have an old flashbang in her pocket, making for the perfect distraction. But what about returning Lee…?

“Yasu-chan?” Gai leaned over slightly to whisper to her, “Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale.”

She gave him her best reassuring smile, “I’m fine, Gai-sensei. Thank you.”

If she had been paying more attention, she would have seen his ears turn bright red and hear his breath hitch the slightest bit at the sight of her smile.

She didn't want to lie to him, but her tongue wouldn't let her take the excuse to leave. Although she was very much not fine, she couldn't allow Gai to worry. She certainly didn't want him to think she was rudely declining their generous offer, lest she never be invited out again.

And yet, she was still debating the pros and cons of kidnapping an injured genin in broad daylight. All she would have to do was get him back to the hospital, then hide away forever without an explanation. Easy.

“Are you sure you want to go to this teahouse, Tenten-chan? I know a few good places that are even closer,” Yasu asked, shooting her final shot.

Tenten quirked an eyebrow at her over her shoulder, “The only place closer is the Korean barbeque restaurant… We go there all the time.” She shrugged, “Besides, I heard this place was pretty good.”

'Maybe I should tell them it has roaches…' she thought. Though the repercussions of starting such a rumor made her stay silent. Ichiro would have her head if he found out she was spreading such blasphemy. 

And it's not like she didn't want them to go to the teahouse. By all means, she was happy her brother's business was attracting new customers. But the thought of having this particular group in the same building as one of her family members made her stomach turn inside out. 

They turned down a side street, "There it is!" Tenten pointed to the colorful noren banner along the tea house entrance. 

Yasu took a moment to say a prayer and steady her resolve. Looks like she wouldn't be using that flashbang after all.

"Welcome, please come in!" a familiar voice chimed from behind the counter.

The look Yasu gave Ichiro was harsh and  severe; a look he was unfamiliar with outside of enemy combat. Having long since put his combat days behind him, her glare caught him off guard.

'Be quiet,' she demanded silently, hoping her eyes alone would convey the thought, 'Don't say anything.'

He blinked, shaking himself from his stupor. "Can I, uh, get you folks a table?"

The rest of her party smiled politely, thanking him as he directed them to a large table by the front window. 

Yasu sat at the end, Gai and Neji on one side, mirroring Tenten and Lee. 

‘I should not be here,’ she thought to herself, fists clenched under the table. ‘I should not be here.’

Ichiro caught her eye from behind the counter as he plated dishes, worry evident on his face. She tentatively dropped a hand by her side, only visible to him. She flashed a few hand signs, praying Ichiro still remembered them from his shinobi days. ‘Quiet. Remain calm. No questions.’

"Are you okay?"  he mouthed back.

'Affirmative. Allies. Remain calm.'

It took a minute, but Ichiro's brain eventually caught on. "Is that him?” he asked, openly pointing to Gai’s back. 

‘Quiet. No questions,’ she signed again with a quick flourish.

“That’s him!” he grinned, clearly trying to fight breaking out in laughter. 

She made a face, mouth twisting into a scowl at his sheer jubilance. Here she had been thinking Ichiro would be the mature one, who would stay out of her personal life and allow her some space. Clearly not the case.

“Do you see anything you like, Yasu-sempai?” Tenten asked politely, noticing Yasu had yet to even touch the menu.

“... Maybe just miso soup…” she murmured, resigned. She dragged her eyes away from her meddling brother. “Or veggie tempura. I’m not that hungry.”

“The special today is tsukemono, fresh sencha, and nori!” Ichiro added from behind the counter, his fiendish smile suddenly looking much more friendly than before.  

“Oooh!” Tenten cooed, “That sounds good, yeah?”

The table nodded in agreement. Gai made sure all of his students were in agreement before turning to Yasu expectantly. She answered with a half-smile and a small nod.

“Splendid!” Gai grinned. “We would like a special for the table, please!” he told Ichiro, who looked rather excited to get such an order.

“Of course!” he beamed, “Right away!”

He disappeared into the kitchen and Yasu let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. The teahouse had only just opened for the day, the only other customer being a single civilian who looked to be almost done with their meal. 

“How was your trip from the border, Gai-sensei?” she asked quietly, skirting around the fact that he was sent there at all.

“Invigorating!” he answered in his usual way, “I lead my comrades fearlessly through the countryside! We made it to the Village in half the time!”

“I’m sure they loved that,” Neji muttered, eyes still skimming the menu.

“It took Neji and I a day and a half to reach the outpost,” Tenten added with a wince.

Their droll tones made Yasu chuckle, “A little exercise never hurt anyone, especially not a bunch of elite ninja. Besides, that's pretty impressive.”

Gai threw his head back in laughter, “That was nothing! Have I told you the story of how I crawled through the desert in Wind Country on my knees?”

Lee’s eyes lit up as Neji and Tenten each let out a groan. Disregarding their reactions, Gai launched into a dramatic telling of an escort mission gone awry.

Yasu felt that feeling once more, like she was watching a scene unfold before her, being just a bit more removed from it than the others. While she still felt somewhat like an intruder, she allowed herself to relax into her role as spectator. 

The smiles were genuine, and the laughter came easy. 

By the time Gai finished his tale, Megumi arrived at the table with their tea. She raised an eyebrow at her sister-in-law, giving her a clear “We’re gonna talk about this” stare. Yasu gave the mousy woman a tight smile, which only grew even tighter when Ichiro brought their food. 

Thankfully, the two backed away from their table, curiosity-stricken faces going unnoticed by her companions.

“Itadakimasu!”

During their meal, Gai eventually brought up the question of how exactly Lee and Yasu ended up at the hospital together. “And what’s that funny thing?” he added, pointing to the theodolite she had propped up behind her chair.

She heard Ichiro hide a chuckle from behind the counter. 

“I wasn’t on the roof, if that's what you're asking," she stated, too rushed to not be suspicious.

“She was on the roof,” Lee said at the same time. “Even though it’s against the rules.”

“I had asked first,” she defended, although no one was really accusing her of everything. "It's the best spot in the Village to take the measurements I need."

“And what were you doing up there, Lee?” Gai asked, voice turning stern. "You weren't training again, were you?"

Yasu couldn't help but smile at the expression of fear that slapped across Lee’s face. 

She let Gai hold him in a steely glare for another few seconds before cutting in once more, “He just wanted some fresh air. Right, Lee-san?” Her voice was cool with just a lilt of teasing. 

Rock Lee nodded, mouth tightly shut.

“In fact,” she continued, “I’m quite grateful I ran into him. He saved me from a rather nasty fall.”

Neji gave her a dry, hollow look from his end of the table, “How was an injured genin able to sneak up on a chunin, anyway?”

“I was preoccupied,” she said with a scowl.

Gai nodded, as though agreeing with Neji, "Ambush attacks are one of your weak points, Yasu-chan."

Ichiro’s chuckling got a little louder.

“Th-that’s not--!” she cut herself off, shaking her head. Technically, he was right.

“I forgot to ask, Yasu-sempai,” Lee asked her directly, “What kind of construction are you doing on the mountain?”

"Hm?" She paused, believing it to be obvious, “Adding Tsunade-sama’s face, of course. My father and I were commissioned to carve it.”

A high-pitched gasp of excitment came from behind the counter, “Oh, Yasu! That’s wonderful!”

Yasu froze on spot. Just when she thought she was safe…

Four pairs of eyes snapped to the mousy woman who had just joined her giggling husband behind the counter, stepping out of the kitchen just in time to hear the good news. Megumi’s eyes went wide, the empty tray in her hands slowly eclipsing her face as she realized her mistake.

“Do… do you know these people, Yasu-sempai?” Tenten asked, a little confused.

Ichiro seemed thrilled with the turn of events. “Well, I guess that’s that. So, Yasu-chan~!” he practically purred, “Why don’t you introduce us to your friends already?”

Yasu’s face dropped into her hands and the apprehension was clear. Her shoulders slumped towards the tabletop, as if she was trying to disappear into the furniture.

“Sorry, Yasu…” she heard Megumi whisper.

Her insides twisted in embarrassment, a stark contrast to the warm comfort she had felt just moments before. It was her own fault, really. She should have known better than to let her guard down around her family. 

(Part of her knew that she should have never allowed herself to get into this situation in the first place. The part of her that knew the “sane” thing would have been to be forthcoming from the beginning. But she had left that part of her back on the hospital roof.)

“...Are you famous?” Lee added in a whisper, thick brows furrowed as he pieced the situation together.

Yasu shook her head, face completely buried in her hands, “Uhm… Well…” Her hands lowered just enough that she could peek over her fingertips. 

She met Gai's eye with all the pathetic-ness of a sickly kitten. Gai stared back at her, dark eyes alight with curiosity, and just a hint of concern. In fact, their whole table was staring at her.

Gods, sometimes she wished he left her in that crater…

She let the atmosphere fester for another breath before she rescinded with a sigh.

“Gai-sensei, kids… This is my brother Ushi Ichiro, and his lovely wife, Megumi.”

A figurative lightbulb lit up over their heads.

Gai’s head whipped between the two siblings. Behind the counter, the couple bowed politely, offering a quick and awkward greeting while they waited for his reaction. Of course, now that knew, it was obvious. They had the exact same smile. Even now, as Ichiro grinned at him from across the counter, he saw the way the right corner of his mouth pulled higher than the left. The way the corner of his eyes crinkled, hers did the same. He knew this because the image of Yasu’s smile had been long since seared into his brain.

Gai stood abruptly with an unreadable expression. For a moment, Yasu was afraid he would leave all together.

Instead, he spun on heel, dropping at the waist into a deep bow. “It Is Wonderful To Finally Make Your Acquaintance, Ushi-san!” He snapped upright once more, striking his “nice guy” pose to a point, “I Am Maito Gai! As Yasu-chan’s Teacher, I Vow to Protect Her With My Life!”

Awkward silence reigned once more.

Ichiro’s shoulders twitched, mouth pressed into an airtight seal. His face grew redder and redder as he attempted to hide more laughter. 

Thankfully, Megumi was much more considerate, “It's nice to meet you as well, Maito-san.”

Yasu caught Ichiro’s eye. She tilted her chin upwards and fixed him with a narrowed stare, discreetly nodding to her exuberant companion. It was more a demand than a challenge to him, as if she were saying, “ I dare you to laugh, ” while simultaneously conveying the consequences of him doing so. 

Unnerved by his little sister’s glare, Ichiro swallowed his residual chuckles. He regarded the ridiculous display with, “It’s a pleasure, Maito-san. Yasu tells me you’re very talented at taijutsu.”

As it turned out, Gai’s natural charisma worked much more quickly on her family than it had on her. Soon enough, the two behind the counter became wrapped up in their little domestic meal.

Yasu leant on her palm as she watched them all, a content smile on her face. The children joined the conversation, thanking the couple for their hospitality and wonderful food. Friendly chatter began to fill the restaurant once more.

Although uncertainty still churned in her stomach, Yasu allowed herself a brief moment of peace. She allowed herself to be proven wrong, ignoring all the stress she had unwittingly caused herself. She was pleasantly lost among the conversation, declining the invitation to stay for dessert.

That content little smile hadn't faded as she exited the teashop, bidding her brother a short goodbye as their little group took to the streets once more. It stayed as they began to go their separate ways; as Neji broke away towards the Hyuuga compound, and Tenten towards the training grounds. It even remained as she helped Lee hobble back to his hospital room. And it certainly didn’t budge when Gai excused himself, hastily thanking her for such a wonderful meal and alluding to the fact that they should do it again at some point.

She let that feeling spread throughout her being, not bothering to try and name it. Instead, she let herself be for just a moment.

‘Sunshine,’ she thought idly, heading vaguely in the direction of home. ‘It’s warm like sunshine.'