Hello mortals. Long time no see.

Monday morning. Early May.

She stared idly out of the window, chin resting in her open palm. A soft, warm breeze caressed her features and the welcoming realization that she was finally back in Japan greeted her. A gentle smile spread across her pink lips and she inhaled for a good five seconds, taking in the feeling of home. An orange- and white Airport Limousine bus drove by outside of her apartment, with several foreigners smiling as they took pictures of the last hours of their time in Japan. She peered down to watch as cars stopped, drove, turned, and eventually disappeared from her peripheral. People walked down the busy streets, bags of groceries or suitcases in hand as they talked to friends or on their phones. The familiar language made her feel at ease. She no longer needed to study or concern herself with an accent.
Just outside was a bento shop, next to that the Tonkatsu bar, Gaienmae station, and lastly a Family Mart. A man, dressed in a dark blue T-shirt with a print that read "Chicken Soup" in English stood there, reading what he could of a manga right by the window. The store clerk watched him in the corner of his eye while putting together a customer's supplies. Finally. Back home.

She was twenty-two years old. An elite spy for Japan's federal Bureau who had only two days ago returned from Russia on a mission to expose a sex trafficking ring based in Pevek. A rather uneventful city, and oh-so different from Tokyo in nearly all ways imaginable. After four years in practically non-stop winter and isolation, the feeling of finally experiencing heat and a bustling, never sleeping city was overwhelmingly exciting. She would look forward to spending late nights at bars with strangers, buying fruit at the underground markets and drinking a glass of wine in her new, one-bedroom apartment only a few minutes from the center of Shibuya city.

Her new identity was peaceful, compared to the last. No more flirting with lonely, wealthy old men at shady, dim-lit bars. No more winter, no more isolation. No more loneliness.

She read her profile:

NAME: HYUUGA HINATA

SEX: Female

AGE: 24

OCCUPATION: Student in Business and Marketing at WASEDA UNIVERSITY, Campus Shinjuku
Part-time at DANISH BREAD AND PASTRIES, Omotesando, Tokyo

Her eyes drifted down to the bottom half of the page.

TARGET: UZUMAKI NARUTO

SEX: Male

AGE: 24

OCCUPATION: CEO of La Vie Resorts

Student at WASEDA UNIVERSITY

MISSION DURATION: Estimated to be – but not exclusively limited to - five years.

Details:

The agent is expected to, through whatever means necessary – but without alerting suspicion – acquire Intel from the target/s surrounding a drug deal between a Mexican cartel under the name of SINALOA based in the northwest and affiliation with the target/s is strongly suspected. The import of these drugs is estimated to occur in 6 MONTHS. Before this event, the agent must have built an intimate relationship with the target/s and, in turn, provide CONCRETE proof of the target/s involvement in the ordeal. Questions must be asked to the agent's supervisor.

SUPERVISOR: Tuesday

Without putting much thought into the case file, she placed the paper into a safe, locked it and stood up. It was somewhat difficult, if she had to admit, to grow accustomed to her new home as if she'd lived there forever. The apartment was simple, modern and conveniently designed. From the entrance, there was a bathroom immediately to the right, with the bathtub and shower in a second room. After a short walk through the hallway - with wardrobes on both sides - was the living area and kitchen. The kitchen had a small isle, with two bar stools in front of it. Once in this area, there was the bedroom to the left. A small balcony was situated outside of the living area, with just enough space for a cloth clad chair and some plants on a shelf next to the chair. The view was decent but nothing special, being on the second-highest floor of the building. She could spend her mornings looking at the sunrise while eating a piece of toast and drinking tea. The thought relaxed her.

In order to make the place seem affordable, she was made to have a part-time job at a small Danish bakery only a short walk away. Although to be frank, someone going to Waseda could very well be able to afford an apartment of their own. She had a budget to live on though, no need to spend money unnecessarily. All she needed was food at the store and school supplies, really.

Speaking of spending money, it was about time to go and buy something to eat.

She got up from her chair, ran a hand through her silky, straight indigo hair and made her way to the hallway as she removed her sweater, revealing a faint pink tank top underneath. It would take more than a few weeks to grow accustomed to the drastic change in climate, no doubt. The train ride to her apartment was so unbearably hot that she got off two stations before and caught a cab instead.

'I wouldn't dare say that I miss Pevek, but I could certainly use a cooler breeze every now and then.' She thought to herself as she pulled on a pair of white sneakers and left the apartment. Stairs led down to the complex reception and from there she flashed a keycard to get out and onto the streets. The supermarket was just two blocks down, so she took out a pair of white earphones, turned on her Bluetooth and selected the song Sanctuary by JOJI.

Go ahead and bark after dark

Fallen star

I'm your one call away

Her hair flowed gently as she walked, lifting from her shoulders and revealing nothing more than her bare neck and sharp collarbones, yet it was somehow enough to get looks of curiosity from passing individuals. They looked at her similarly to how one would a foreigner; it made her feel like she didn't belong. She was supposed to fit in, but somehow it felt like people knew she had been somewhere else for the last few years, like there was some kind of shibboleth unbeknownst to her that set her apart from everyone else around her. Phone in hand, she browsed Instagram on her new account, adding various people from her school and job as well as some paid by the job to pose as her friends. Strange, she thought, that she should be using her real name in this mission. An identity was nothing difficult to forge, but at the same time, her name was not really her identity. No one from the past knew her, no one would recognize her, and no one would think twice if they had known her well. That is, because she looked so different from how she used to, and she carried herself in a completely different manner than she used to.

Motel halls, neon walls

When night falls, I am your escape

The text above the supermarket read Kinokuniya; a fairly common, larger store compared to the more popular Family Mart, 7Eleven and Lawson among young people who don't cook their own food. But she loved to cook and bake, and would have plenty of time to do so on this mission. As she entered, she spotted a campaign sign reading "20% off when buying 20 kg rice!" and immediately made a mental note to notify the store clerk that she'd be bringing a bag with her.

As she browsed through the store, she thought to herself how simple life was going to be now. It was interesting to think how quickly one's life could turn out from day to day in this type of job. Somehow though, there was an immense sense of peace in this lifestyle, she knew she would quickly be able to adapt to her surroundings and routines. However, there was always the lingering sense of that she would have a difficulty socializing as the school. She had never attended university before, nor had she had a part time job at a bakery. The owner of the bakery had no clue about her mission, and only seemed to have hired her because she happened to giggle (somewhat) at his self-deprecating jokes about balding. Work would be on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 14-18 (2PM-6PM) and every other weekend from 5:30-11 (AM). Early shifts sounded quite refreshing though, and she would be allowed to eat breakfast with the owner on the weekends.

She sighed, picking up a small bag containing four pieces of thick-sliced bread and placing it in her basket. She made her way to the cashier and fiddled with her cash while calculating the total cost.

"Do you have a point card?" the woman behind the counter said, her smile hidden behind her face mask.

"U-uhm… No" she replied, but hastily adding "though I'd like one. I just moved in." The woman gave her a look and then proceeded to glance at a counter by the exit.

"Go over there and they'll help you." She said, her tone a mix between confusion and exhaustion. Hinata bowed and gave a soft, nervous smile, thanking the woman before paying, gathering her things and making her way towards the next counter. The process took a brief moment, but she knew it would be useful when she would be saving money.

I forgot to mention the rice... She asked to leave her bags behind the counter while she walked back the lady behind the counter.

" извини́те-" She started, but quickly catching herself and seamlessly switching back to Japanese. "I would like one of those 20 kilo bags of rice as well. Typical. She turned her head to the side and glanced down, biting her lip, irritated.

Once she was out of the store, she was struggling with a convenient way of carrying four grocery bags and a sack of rice when a group of guys approached her. One, dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a grey, long sleeved shirt, reached a hand out to her while the other was relaxed in his pocket. "Hey, that looks heavy. Do you need help?" She stiffened and took a step back, holding the bags uncomfortably. "Look, we just wanna help out." He continued.

"U-uhm…" She hesitated, avoiding eye contact while staring at her own feet awkwardly. "Th-thank you, but I'll be fine."

"Really? It looks heavy." He seemed kind enough, she thought, readjusting her grip on the rice bag. "Please, let us help you out. We'll leave as soon as we get it to your apartment building."

"O…Okay…" Slightly hunched over, she glanced up at him through her thick, dark eyelashes and raised her eyebrows a little. "It's just two blocks away."

She ended up not having to carry anything, and the guys talked to her on the way back to the apartment.

"So you go to Waseda huh? What a coincidence, so do we!" One of the guys beamed. He wore a near Turquoise cap with some bear on it that read "Teddy Fresh". "So, what's your major?"

"Business and Marketing." Was her reply. She stared straight forward.

"Oh, that's Naruto's major as well, isn't it, Sasuke?" Hm…?

"Yeah, and mine." A tall, black haired, pale faced man walking behind everyone spoke up. He looked gloomy and seemed uninterested in the conversation.

"Ah-ha-ha! I forgot!" the guy laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "You're hardly ever in school, so I sometimes forget that you're a student."

"Idiot."

Hinata glanced at the man named Sasuke. One of his closest friends. Their eyes briefly met, only for him to quickly avert them and instead focus his attention to the road. He watched the cars pass by in silence.

After thanking them for all their help, she gave them her name and phone number and they proceeded to add her on LINE and Facebook. When she reached her apartment, she unpacked everything and made herself a fruit salad before calling her supervisor on an untraceable phone in her safe. She wore a microchip in her underarm which tracked her location, pulse, and could even be used to record conversations if it picked up on specific keywords. A very futuristic device.

"How are you feeling? Being back home and out of that hole."

She took a bite, tasting the Turkish yogurt mixed with granola, fruit and honey. "I've missed it." He smiled, his face partly covered.

"Congratulations, by the way."

"On what?" She looked up at him.

"What do you mean, "on what"? On the successful mission, of course!"

"Oh…" She gazed out of her window briefly. "Thank you, sir." He almost looked endeared.

"I know you can do this, Hinata. You're one of the best people we have; I know that you can take this criminal down."

"If he really is a criminal." She replied bluntly.

"There is substantial evidence to lead us to believe so. One of the agents in Mexico received Intel just yesterday specifying the drug smuggle. You've read about it already though, I assume?"

She nodded plainly, a small smile playing on her lips as she enjoyed her meal.

"This will be an easy mission. It almost feels like vacation, pretending to lead a normal life. I'll enjoy it."

"Yeah, I envy you." He returned the smile. "Cherish it. You've deserved it." She continued eating quietly. "Anyway, I'll leave you to it. The most important members of the university are aware of the mission and are working very discreetly to assist you, but no one else around you knows. Take care of yourself and report to me every week, unless there is a major event."

"I understand." Was all she said, and then the call ended.

She blipped her SUICA card at the train station and passed the gate. It was Monday and her first day of school. She had made herself a bento, brought two notebooks for the two seminars she would have in the morning. Everything was brand new. Her bag, pencils, books, clothes, everything. The air was slightly moister than the day before, it was almost unbearable for her. How can two places on the same globe be so entirely different?

The train bound for Nakano will arrive at platform one shortly. Wait behind the yellow line, as it is dangerous to stand near the edge.

She pulled out her book, Murakami Haruki's A Wild Sheep Chase and started where she'd left off the day before. Around her were only college students from Waseda and some salarymen on their way to morning conferences. Behind her sat two older ladies clad in traditional kimono, talking about the changing weather and upcoming summer break. They went on about how they were planning on visiting Disneyland with their grandchildren and try to make time to travel to Takamatsu to visit their youngest son or something. A completely normal, relaxed conversation. Meanwhile, the man in front of her was bowing endlessly while speaking on the phone to what she guessed was his superior. Everyone was living their own lives, going about business on a perfectly normal Monday morning.

The train started to arrive. She watched it come to a perfect stop at the gate she stood by and found a seat by the doors.

Welcome to the Tozai Line bound for Nakano. Thank you for traveling with us.

She started to read. She was at a part where an intimidating man showed up at the protagonist's office, asking about a picture of a sheep. It sounded strange, but the book had already started to grow on her. She loved Murakami and his strange, wild books about dreams, cats and spirituality. Her eyes drifted briefly from the page to the person across from her. He was also holding a book. Also Murakami.

Kafka on the Shore it read. He turned the page. It's so damaged. He's folded the pages, too. She maintained her calm as she took a quick look at him, only to be briefly shocked by his appearance.

That's him! Her eyes widened in disbelief for just an instant, then relaxed just as quickly. She tried to look back at her book but found herself looking at him again. What a coincidence.

He didn't look quite like she'd imagined. He wore a pair of tan shorts, light blue shirt with a shellfish on it, white socks and blue converse sneakers. His hair was a mess, but looked thick and almost naturally blonde. His eyes were so blue she could swear she saw ocean waves in them. They looked so deep, so watery, almost like he was on the verge of tears. They betrayed his otherwise calm demeanor as they quickly scanned the pages with contained excitement. He was leaning forward, legs slightly spread and elbows propped up on them as he held the book excitedly in his hands. He was, quite frankly, gorgeous. She lifted the book up to just below her eyes and observed him carefully, going through a mental checklist in her head to confirm his identity. If he wasn't so delved into his book, he might have taken notice of her movements.

No doubt. She was sitting across from her target.

But what was he doing on the train? He could easily afford a private chauffeur, or at least his own car. Why was he riding public transport?

And why was one of his shoelaces untied?!

This wasn't at all how she'd imagined her target to look or carry himself.

Before she knew it, the announcement spoke the words Waseda Station and it was time to get off. Initially, she waited for him to leave first, but he seemed to have forgotten his station and she decided to go ahead. She looked down and placed her book neatly back into her bag and made a move to step off the train when she suddenly felt an immense weight on her from behind and fell right on the train platform with someone landing on her.

"Ah!" She felt a sharp pain in her knee and sat up to see it was freshly scraped up. Irritation and embarrassment filled her system and she turned around slowly to look at the idiot who humiliated her so.

"Ouch!" She took a deep breath and sighed, regaining her calm immediately. How can someone be so clumsy?!

"S-sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Y-yea-"

"Your knee! Dang it! Wait, I think I have a bandage somewhere…" He began to rummage through his bag, receipts, food and chocolate bars flying out in all directions as he did so. What a slob… She felt her shoulders slouch and couldn't help but question whether there had been some mistake. He didn't act like any person of power that she had met. It felt she was in a really, really bad comedy movie or something. Was this this really the owner of La Vie Resorts, suspected of orchestrating an enormous drug deal between Mexico and Japan? Tuesday, April Fool's was LAST month.

"I-It's fine, re-really…" She patted the wound slightly. "It lo-looks worse than it is…" And there they sat, on a train platform with trash piling up around them as he kept ransacking his seemingly endless bag in search of a band-aid. She didn't know if she was supposed to laugh or cry at the ridiculousness of the situation, so she settled for patiently observing him as he desperately tried to make things right. He's… Such a klutz.

"Here we go!" He held up a square band-aid perfectly fit for her knee and began preparing it. She stood up, secretly testing whether or not he was going to make any attempt at looking up her skirt as he applied it.

All he did was carefully wrap his long, elegant fingers around the back of her bare knee and press the bandage firmly against the wound. Then, he looked up at her with those large, blue eyes and grinned brightly, beaming. "There, all done!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet and beginning to pick up all of his trash.

"Thank you…" She looked at her knee, rotating her leg slightly, then started to help him clean up. "A-are you a student at Waseda…?" She inquired carefully.

"Yeah, you?" His eyes were fixated on a piece of chocolate that had melted into the ground.

"Mm… Business and Ma-Marketing…"

"Oh?" He looked at her and their eyes met. "Then we're in the same class, you and I." She feigned surprise.

"O-oh…"

"But… I haven't seen you before."

"I-I was studying at a different university and was given permission to continue my education here…"

"Well, that explains it!" They stood up at the same time and he gave her the same grin. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet ya!" He's so simple-minded… It must be an act. I don't know where I have him. I have to be careful.

The Campus was enormous, with students both emerging from and exiting buildings left and right. It was like a little village reserved specifically for students. A school village, if you will. Suddenly, she felt like she was in Europe again, with the strange mix between old and modern architecture. There were so many foreign students, people on exchange programs and even those who spoke fluent Japanese. For a split second, she felt envy wash over her. All these normal people, living normal lives with normal, mundane, first world problems.

"We're in building 3." She heard the billionaire who tripped and fell on her at the train station say. "It's this way!"

It struck her how disinterested he was in her. Indeed, he was kind and friendly, but she got the feeling that he was like that towards everyone. He didn't seem to feel the slightest bit embarrassed when he touched her leg, nor did he take any opportunity to take a peek up her skirt or anywhere else for that matter. He looked into her eyes and smiled, as if they were friends.

"O-okay…" She followed quietly behind him as he walked with large strides towards their building.

"Mornin' Naruto!" A raspy voice called out from behind them. "Why the hell didn't ya answer my message about where you were on the train? We take the same line, y'know?!" The boy named Naruto flinched.

"My book though…" He started.

"Dude, drop that book and open your eyes to REALITY! You know, that thing where you hang with your friends and talk about everyday things?" Hinata, standing to the side like a ghost, watched them argue as she scanned the second guy. He had dark brown hair; short on the sides, fading into about double the length on the top. What made him stand out was how he seemed to have fang-like teeth and sharp, thin eyes, like a dog. As he strode up to Naruto, each step revealed his trained legs and spring-like walk. He looked like he could pounce at any given moment with such explosive steps. He was, without a doubt, Inuzuka Kiba, which means that, in just two days, she had already met all three suspects involved in the mission. Of course, Naruto was the main target, but Uchiha and Inuzuka are such close friends of his that she simply couldn't eliminate the chance that one of them possessed important information surrounding the mission.

Just then, he took notice of Hinata.

"Hm?"

"…Hm?" They stared at each other in silence.

"Who's this?" He pointed at her with his thumb and looked at Naruto nonchalantly. What a...

"I fell on her when I was getting off the train, and she's in our class!"

"…That's a weird story." He cocked a brow and looked back to Hinata suspiciously. She returned his look with as endearing of a smile she could manage and his cheeks seemed to redden slightly at her reaction.

"A-anyway, where's Sasuke?"

"Dead?"

"I thought I saw him before…" Hinata was getting tired of these two already. She stared off in the distance, a weary look on her face, but quickly replacing it with something more friendly.

"Hey, you dead-last, your shoelace is untied." Finally, the last one came walking, a bag thrown over his shoulder as he approached.

"I thought I heard the sound of someone taking a shit just now…" The boy named Naruto began sniffing the air to dramatize his statement. Hinata looked over at Sasuke and acted surprised.

"O-oh! From yesterday..!" He was already looking at her when their eyes met.

"Oh, it's you."

"You guys know each other?" Kiba asked, speaking much louder than he intended. They began making their way to the seminar.

"She bought too much at the store and we helped her out. That's all."

"You live in Omotesando?" Kiba looked to Hinata, who was smiling sheepishly at Sasuke's oversimplification of the situation and cocked a brow.

"Mm…" She nodded, saying nothing more than necessary. It was bothering her that their way of meeting was so different from how she had planned. She wanted to observe him a bit before actually speaking to him and making her way into his life, but instead he had tripped and fallen on her in the middle of Waseda Station.

They eventually made it to the seminar, and before she knew it the first half of the day was over. Hinata ate her homemade lunch by a statue while reading a book. She had her hair put up in a ponytail, some loose strands hanging down in her face as she scanned the pages. At a distance, chatting could be heard.

"Naruto is so good looking!"

"I know, he's so perfectly muscular and lean, and his calm voice is sooo soothing!"

"Honestly, if I were his girlfriend, I would wanna do it every day…"

"Oh my god, you're so straightforward!"

"But it's true though!"

"… Yeah, you're right.."

And then laughter. Lots of it.

Hinata looked up at the group of girls sitting by the table next to her. He seems very popular among the girls, but doesn't seem interested at all in anyone. I need to find out his weakness if I'm ever to get close to him.

She stretched her arms up in the air and closed her eyes. The air was so warm, and her surroundings were so soothing. Just birds chirping, students talking about their everyday lives as a light breeze drifted through the campus grounds. It got her thinking about how she was meant to tackle the mission.

"Hey, you!" She had an overwhelming feeling that the voice was directed at her, and so her eyes shot up to the figure walking towards her. It was Naruto.

"M-my name is Hinata…" She said, realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet. He scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous laugh.

"Okay, Hinata…" He grew silent. "Hinata…" For some reason, his eyes dropped to the ground and he seemed to be tasting the word in his mouth. "Hinata…"

"Wh-what?" She grew somewhat uncomfortable, having him repeat her name like a mantra. As soon as the words left her mouth, his expression changed to that of happiness.

"That's a really nice name! I like it." He gave her a beautiful, calm smile and looked down at her. "Never met anyone with that name before."

"A-ah… Thank you." She averted her eyes to her thighs, pressing them together at the same time.

"Hey," he began, his arms hanging at his sides, his torso slightly hunched as if he were trying to get closer to her without leaning forward. "I just really wanted to apologize for what happened at the station. I'm so clumsy, and stupid…" He looked to the side somewhat bitterly. She raised her eyebrows, locking eyes with him once more, and he smiled again.

"I hope you come to me if you need anything. I'll be around." He seemed like he wanted to say more, but for some reason left the conversation at that.

After that, the classes were over.

Fascinatingly, she had enjoyed it tremendously and was already looking forward to the next day, reading her notes on the train home.

Thank you!

Leave a review and I might just fall in love with you.