don't think you're so tough

            “ah, no, no  —  you’re doing me a favour. we should avoid travelling alone around these parts,”     he says, one shoulder lifting in an offhanded half-shrug as his eye curves with the hint of a grin. it’s not a habit of Kakashi’s to linger, much less join another shinobi on their mission  -  especially after he’s already accomplished the objectives of his own  -  but there’s been some unsettling rumours making its way through the grapevine. it’s 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. 

           “i suppose it did  -  but let’s not speak too soon, hm? we’re not home yet.”      a mission isn’t officially complete until they pass Konoha’s crimson gates, after all. anything could happen along the way. 

            he has a strong hunch ‘anything’ could involve that malicious coil of chakra lurking at the periphery of his senses. too far that it’s 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 isn’t him.      “did you encounter any problems during your mission, Mao-san?”

             A faint smile drifts across her lips at his reply. Her attention is elsewhere. She catches it too. There’s someone nearby, and they have been nearby for quite a while. Whether it’s foolishness or not, Mao isn’t incredibly worried. 

                       “Can’t speak?” Mao questions, brows raised, looking for all the world too-innocent. Kakashi doesn’t 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. “Demo, Kakashi-san, I was really hoping to hear about the festival. I was a day late, you know.”

            If anyone ever heard her little cousin’s 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. 

                  “Arigatou, Kakashi-san. I hope this doesn’t trouble you too much.” 

         Mao readjusts the strap around her shoulder. There have been some worrying incidents along this route, especially with relations between the villages as they are. Tense. Mao didn’t know what was in the package herself, only that it was important and should not be left unsecured. It was just one of the many secrets that would stay hidden under the storage in the vault. The only reason it was Kakashi here and not some other, lesser known ninja like herself, was because his mission had coincided with hers. A rare coincidence. 

Okk

“I’m usually with them for at least four years, it’s hard to let them go sometimes.” He rubs at the back of his neck, a nervous habit he has never entirely been able to shake. Iruka is admitting a fault, not taking a compliment. 

“I’ll make sure to pass on any points of interest I have once you’ve been assigned your team.” He will have at least a few, notes of interest about their personality or individual learning styles, things that might make the transition for both the students and Mao a little bit easier. 

                       “I think that’s to be expected, you know?” She can tell he’s not very proud of that fact, but Mao thinks it’s indicative of his good nature. It’s rather cute, actually. Considering how jaded most become, she imagines that plenty of teachers would rather shove their students out into the field having stripped them of any humanity. “You are kind of like a parent, after all.” She may be teasing him a little--but that doesn’t mean she’s lying about it.