Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this? sigh. I do not own Naruto, but I do own Aria and other original characters of my own creation.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Six days passed and Aria could be found perched in a tree above team seven's meeting place, hidden amongs the leaves. She had safely secured her veils and cloak, adopting her old identity as the Golden Assassin. Aria followed the group like a shadow, marking each student's progress carefully, committing each and everytechnique to memory.
Often, Aria heard a few whispers about her, wondering where she had gone and questioning why she had suddenly abandoned them. Their words cut deep; it was heartbreaking to hear them think that she had simply picked up and left. However much she wanted to go to them, Aria kept herself hidden from team seven.
On the sixth day, Aria saw a dark figure approaching the group silently. Aria watchedit creep silently toward them, a throwing star poised for attack. Aria instantly recognized the man as a member of the Assassin'sGuild, and senther ownthrowing knife into his throat. The man never knew what hit him asfell forward, dead, into the training area where the four ninjas raised their own kunai to attack.
So much for my secret alertness. Aria thought ruefully before dropping down beside man and kneeling down beside him. It was definitely a member of the Guild. Others called him the Star Man; he had possessed the power to disappear at will, a skill that Aria wished for now. Carefully, she took out a blue vial and poured the liquid down the man's throat; it would prevent any tracker ninja or ANBU agents from tracking the body back to the source, or wringing any secrets out of the corpse.
"Aria!" Naruto screamed, launching himself at the woman.The assassinlooked at him for a moment before jumping up and disappearing into the foliage.
"Where did she go?" Sakura asked in a hurt tone.
Kakashi was too busy searching the leaves for any indication to Aria's position. He had been secretly crushed when the girl hadn't shown her face for six days, and hewas determined to find her. "Set a perimeter." Hecommanded before jumping up in the leaves after the assassin. The other students nodded and then leapt off in opposite directions.
Kakashi scanned the forest, probingeach darkcornerwith his chakra to find the woman. There! She was just a few feet away to his left. Suddenly, Kakashi saw a darkblur leap at her, tackling her from behind. Aria gave out a pained yelp before crashing to the forest floor with the man. Unfortunately for her, the attacker had used her as a sort of cushion for the fall and the wind was knocked from her lungs, leaving her starving for air. The figure put a kunai to her throat and pressed it upwards.
Aria looked attheweaponfor a moment and then glanced backwards at the figure. "What are you doing?" she wheezed. "Let me up; I haven't done anything to you."
"I'm going to kill you, Golden Assassin." A shaky voice sounded from behind her. Aria instantly recognized it as Iruka's. Oh, the irony was so overwhelming; Aria was tempted to burst into hysterical laughter. She had adopted the name of the Golden Assassin to escape death, but it was actually her own self, the Aria part of her, that would have saved her in this situation. Black spots began to dance in the corners of her vision and Aria suddenly realized that she had broken one of her ribs and her wrist.
That hysterical laughter was becoming harder and harder to quell, so Aria decided to talk, knowing thatsweet death wouldtake her soon. "Anytime would be nice; kill the great Golden Assassin already."
Iruka pressed the kunai closer to Aria's throat causing the skin tosuddenly split and warm, red blood flowed down her neck and soaked into her cloak. There was something unnerving about killing a legend that Iruka hesitated a moment too long. Someone suddenly pressed a pressure point on his back and Iruka collapsed, unconscious. Kakashi whispered a silent apology to his friend and then called the rest of his students, ordering them to take Iruka back to his apartment.
Kakashi put down his headpiece and glanced down at the girl; she had fallen unconscious when Iruka's kunai had pressed against her windpipe. Sighing, Kakashi decided to throw all promises about not picking her up to the wind as hegathered thewoman over his shoulder before taking off towards his home.
Aria slowly came to a dull consciousness and felt pain all over her body. She was obviously not dead. Distantly, Aria sighed inwardly in mild disappointment; this really hurt. "Uio?" she managed. "It really hurts…?" Delirium had taken over hermind and Aria wished to just feela large, comforting hand place itself on her body and make the pain go away.
"Who's Uio?" a voice asked curiously from beside her.
Memories suddenly flooded back to Aria and her head cleared. She wasn't with Uio and Hiyu, that voice had come from Kakashi. What was wrong with this man? Could he just let her die for once? Painfully, Aria cracked open her eyes and found herself placed on Kakashi's bed and he was leaning over her intently.
Aria suddenly sat up and a sharp pain suddenly coursed through her body, followed by a slew of curses. "That isn't very lady-like." Kakashi informed herpolitely. Wow, this man really knew how to grate on her nerves.
"I really hate you right now." Aria said through clenched teeth. "What, you couldn't just let me die?" Kakashi sat down at the end on the bed and looked at Aria intently.
"Well, I would have more than happy to let you just be killed by a simple chunnin, but I had a few questions to ask you starting with 'who is Uio?'"
"Uio is my other best friend; he normally is on a squad with Hiyu and me and has the ability to heal." Aria scowled down at her chest and found that it was wrapped in bandages; she didn't even want to think about how or who put them there. After a quick inspection of her body, Aria discovered that she was sporting large bruises all around her body and her left wrist was broken. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Aria detached herself from the pain and deftly swung her legs off the bed. As soon as she put weight on her legs, the assassin crumpled to the ground, only to be caught by Kakashi.
"I don't think you are able to move. Tonight, you'll be staying with me and we'll see how you feel in the morning." Carefully, Kakashi lifted Aria up bridal style and sat down on the bed, pulling the woman onto his lap. Gently, Kakashi brushed his fingers across her neck to find her pulse. He was surprised to feel it beating wildly and turned to look Aria's blushing face. I see, well at least she gets flustered around me; Let's see if we can build on that. Kakashi suddenly leaned back against the pillow and pulled Aria very close to his chest, feeling her heart begin to beat madly. The Jounin was really enjoying this position and carefully put his head back and closed his eye.
Aria felt like her face was on fire. Her resolve was suddenly gone and she was at a loss for words for once in her life. Being in Kakashi's lap was bad enough, but now she was curled up against him, each curve fitting snugly against his chest. The worst part of the whole ordeal was that she liked it. Carefully, Aria tried to wriggle from the man's grasp. "Uh, listen. For once I agree that I can't make it back to the clearing where I'm staying, but I think it would be better if I just sleep on the couch."
Kakashi knew that Aria couldn't see his face, so he smirked widely and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. "I'm very comfortable; this is a perfect position, it prevents you from twisting around and jarring your ribs."
Aria's face began to burn uncontrollably and she tried more desperately to squirm from his grasp; this was just way too close. "I see…well, listen, I would be much more comfortable on the floor. So if you could just let go of me…" she knew that her voice was coming out in a strangled croak, but at the moment, her only two thoughts were that this felt really nice and she needed to get away from it quickly.
"You need to accept that I am not going to let you go from this position, so I suggest that you simply deal with it. Now, we will move onto the next issue; I want some answers." Kakashi opened his eye and looked down at the woman in his arms. "First I want to know where you have been for the past six days."
Looking back up at Kakashi, Aria forced down the weakness that she felt around him and cooled her blush. "I've been doing my job and protecting you and the others." She answered in a logical tone.
"I see, well may I ask why you kept out of sight for all that time and refused the courteously to even speak with any of us." Kakashi countered, anger creeping into his voice.
The assassin met his gaze evenly before speaking, "I realized that I was getting too emotionally attached to my charges and thought it best to distance myself from them. Emotions were complicating my duty."
This was not the answer Kakashi was expecting and he stared at her dumbly, his mouth hanging slightly ajar "You weren't angry at any of us? I thought that you were offended that I showed you my face."
Aria looked at Kakashi strangely for a moment "No, I told you that it was fine, I'm really not the person you should have asked for an opinion. Neither you, nor anyone else made me angry; I was just doing my duty the best I was able to." Silence engulfed the room and an awkward moment passed between the two. Not having anything else to do, Aria reached to her wrist to feel her dagger and was shocked to find it missing. Almost frantically, Aria checked all other stations where her weapons were usually placed. Anger suddenly took over Aria's face and she glared at Kakashi. "Where are they?" she demanded.
Kakashi looked back down at her "Where are what?" he asked innocently.
"My daggers you dolt. Get off of me so I can find them!" Aria nearly screamed and began to thrash about, careful not to jar her upper torso. Kakashi's grasp tightened on Aria's waist and his hand slide to her stomach. The other hand was freed from its use and it suddenly encircled Aria's unbroken wrist as she made to punch him in the face. The only problem that really posed a threat were Aria's legs; they were kicking him hard and though it didn't hurt, Kakashi was getting annoyed. Instantly, he wrapped his foot around Aria's ankles and pinned them down. Aria let out an enraged screech, but soon settled for her usual spout of curses and threats.
Kakashi leaned down so his masked mouth was to her ear "My, this day just keeps getting better and better. Please, do keep squirming. I will not give you back your weapons until you can around reasonably move about. Now, get some sleep." With that, Kakashi let go of Aria's wrist and turned off the light, resting his head back against the pillow.
There was no way that Aria was going to sleep with this idiot next to her. NO WAY. Cautiously, Aria removed her ankles from Kakashi's weight when she was sure he had finally gone to sleep. Next, she went to work loosening his grip; when she had gotten it loose enough to slide through, the hand instantly clamped down again and a low chuckle emitted from Kakashi. "I'm a light sleeper; you aren't going to get away."
Aria wanted to scream; she was surely being punished for something terrible and there was someone out to get her. Why was life so unfair? Could things get any worse? Finally succumbing to her fate, Aria head butted Kakashi in the chest before drifting off to sleep.
Kakashi waited until Aria was asleep before placing his head on hers and taking in the mint scent. He smiled contently from behind his mask before he too fell into his own slumber.
A noise from Kakashi's kitchen caused Aria's eyes to snap open. Quickly, her violet eyes scanned the dark and she realized that Kakashi was still behind her. Gently, Aria elbowed Kakashi in the stomach and she saw his eye snap open and look at her curiously. The noise sounded again from the living room and Aria watched in satisfaction as he pulled a dagger from behind him and handed it to her.
She took it wordlessly and wrapped her long fingers around the hilt lovingly before silently getting up. Kakashi pulled his own kunai out, took his arm from Aria's stomach, and followed her up, mildly surprised to see her dark outline move with grace that would have normally been impossible in her condition. Together, they moved to the bedroom door and they exchanged a glance with each other before bursting through the door. Kakashi flipped on the lights and scanned the room. There, sitting on the sofa was a man with chocolate brown hair and brilliant blue eyes whom Kakashi instantly recognized as the assassin Hiyu and by the refrigerator, a seven foot man who had deep set brown eyes and scraggly black hair was stooping over and inspecting the food. This was the first time that Kakashi had gotten a good look at Hiyu, and he took in each aspect of his face. Hiyu and the other man looked to be about Aria's age both looked mature. Muscles rippled beneath both men's clothing and at the sound of Kakashi's and Aria's entrance, the men stood up and locked their gaze on Aria.
It was Hiyu who broke the silence first. "Aria?" Aria looked at Hiyu for a moment and nodded. "Is that the Copy Ninja's bedroom?" Hiyu continued, pointing to the room from which Aria had come.
"Yes." Aria answered a bit hesitently.
"I see…Aria?"
"Yes?"
"I am going to kill him!" With that, Hiyu whipped out his own daggers and charged at Kakashi. The ninja nimbly dodged the rampaging assassin and shot Aria a confused look. Okay, this was really unfair, he hadn't even done anything and now this insane man was bent on murder.
Aria watched the scene in horror before turning to Uio. "Help me stop them!" she cried out.
Uio looked at her with abroad smile plastered on his face, "Uh, come on Aria, this is interesting. Frankly, I don't disagree with Hiyu. That ninja is going to get it,and it will make our job so much easier."
"Help me stop them Uio." Aria growled menacingly. The giant rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically before nodding to Aria and reaching out to snatch the men from their attack. Holding Hiyu in one hand and Kakashi in the other, Uio looked at Aria expectantly.
"Hiyu, what are you doing you idiot? I have to protect him and that means that if you attack, it will be me you are fighting." Aria snarled at the youngman.
Hiyu was shooting death glares at Kakashi who was careful not to look him in the eyes. "Well, Aria, what am I supposed to think? You come out of this ninja's bedroom at night and look like hell I-"
"YOU THOUGHT THAT I SLEPT WITH KAKASHI?" Aria screamed in shock and fury. "I assure you Hiyu that I am still the same virgin that you have known for the past sixteen years. Ew, you are you so disgusting. I still have my first kiss for goodness sake; why are you really here?"
Uio chuckled and looked at Aria with amusement dancing in his eyes, "Well, I can see that this is a great reunion. We came for many reasons, but the main one was to wish you a happy birthday, or did you forget?" Uio promptly dropped both men from his grasp and rushed toward Aria and wrapped her in a bear hug. Aria let out a pained yelp as the giant squeezed her torso.
Uio immediately let Aria go and inspected the young female assassin with concern in his eyes. "What happened to you? What is wrong with you? You have three broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a bunch of bruises. It looks like you fell out of a tree." He scolded.
Aria's face turned red and did not go unnoticed by Hiyu who had stopped his rampage at the sound of Aria's pained cry. Suddenly he laughed and put an arm around Aria's shoulders to support her. "You're kidding? The best assassin in the world fell out of a tree and broke three ribs and her wrist? I don't believe it."
Shooting Hiyu an embarrassed look, Aria felt her face grow more heated, "I was a little preoccupied at the moment and a chunnin tackled me from behind…I killed the Star Man."
Everyone seemed to have forgotten Kakashi as they quickly bombarded Aria with questions. Kakashi sat up and looked on,bewildered; one minute he was sleeping in his own bed with Aria curled up next to him and the next he was being attacked by this Hiyu assassin. Kakashi didn't know what else to do except stare at the trio of assassins. The one called Uio suddenly placed his hand on Aria's rib cage and closed his eyes. Kakashi watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the giant's man sank into Aria's skin and the woman's skin began to shift as the broken ribs mended together. After a few moments, Uio moved to Aria's wrist and her other bruises to repeat the process.
Suddenly, when Aria was completely healed, Hiyu rushed in and wrapped his arms around her. Kakashi's throat constricted as he noticed that Aria did not pull away as she did with him. "Are you insane?" Hiyu began to scold, "What were you thinking getting in my way? I could have killed you! Never do anything that stupid again!"
Aria looked at the man holding her and returned the embrace. When she had been forced to fight Hiyu, every blow seemed to cut deep into her heart. Slowly, she untangled herself from Hiyu's grasp and studied him thoughtfully. "Did you guys pass the examination? If you did, this means that you are free from all previous hunts, including the hunt to kill Kakashi. Please tell me that you did; that would be the birthday present of a lifetime."
An odd expression passed across both male assassins' faces before it was replaced by joy. They both ripped off their gloves to show Aria the scars on their palms that portrayed the symbol of the Code. "Yeah, we passed it alright; what did you expect from us? Man, it hurt like hell when they gave us the inscription. You were right when you said that it was the most painful but happiest moment in your life. It feels so…right." Uio exclaimed. Carefully, reached into his vest and pulled out a small package. "This is your real present from me."
Aria took the package and opened it carefully; her heart was still singing with joy that her two best friends had joined her as follows of the Code. Inside the package was a smooth red stone. Aria raised her eyebrow at the grinning giant and took it out of the box. The moment the stone touched Aria's skin, it began to shift into a million colors. "Oh, my god! This is amazing!" Aria nearly squealed in excitement, suddenly her face grew serious and she looked at Uio suspiciously. "This isn't stolen is it?"
Uio grinned broadly and let out a laugh that rumbled the whole apartment. He swung a massive arm around Aria and plucked the stone from her, "Nah, I know how stingy you get about the whole 'stealing' thing. Don't worry; every penny I used to buy this was the product of my oh-so-respectable occupation. Remember that I can't lie now, so believe it."
Still laughing, Uio returned the stone to Aria and then walked over to couch and plopped down next Kakashi who watched him apprehensively. Uio looked over the ninja and smiled, "Don't cringe like that, and it's not me you should be worried about. Hiyu is the one who wants your blood."
Hm, for some reason that doesn't make me feel any better…I wonder why… Kakashi thought warily before casting a sideways glance at the other assassin. The blue-eyed man saw the look and smiled ruthlessly. "I'm not going to hurt you Copy Ninja. Aria obviously cares about you, but if you keep admiring her like that, I'll be forced to defend her honor andit would be a shame to change the carpet's color to red." Kakashi's eye widened and he quickly looked away. Talk about a violent state of mind.
Hiyu smirkedbefore turning back to Aria who was still studying the stone with fascination. She was trying to track the movements of color and was completely enraptured with the simple device. Slowly, he reached over and pulled out his present from his cloak. Carefully, he took Aria's hand and placed the object in it.
Aria tore her gaze away from Uio's stone and looked at the object in her hand. It was beautiful. The orchid that now was laid in her gloved palm was the exact same shade of deep violet as Aria's eyes and was decorated with golden specks on the petals. Aria inhaled at the flower and inspected it with fascination; it was perfect. There were no imperfections in it and Aria carefully put in behind her ear before turning to Hiyu and hugging him so hard that he briefly wondered if she would snap him in half. "Thank you so much you guys; this is the best birthday I've ever had."
Hiyu's face darkened and he pulled away from his best friend's embrace and shot a look at Uio. The giant nodded and turned to Kakashi. Uio took the hint and stood up, pulling Kakashi up firmly behind him. "Come on, Copy Ninja. I need you to help me with something over here." Not giving Kakashi time to react, Uio dragged him into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.
As usual, nothing escaped Aria's gaze and she suddenly turned to Hiyu, demanding an explanation. The two assassins stood across from each other, the tension growing with every passing moment. Suddenly, Hiyu reached into his cloak and pulled out a wrinkled envelope. Silently, he passed it to Aria and watched her reaction with mounting trepidation. He didn't know how she would react to the news,
Aria cocked and eyebrow at him before taking the envelope. Slowly, Aria opened it and slide out the paper that it contained. Aria's stomach twisted in dread of what she would find as she read it.
Dear Sister of the Code,
I write this letter with my own blood so as to pass down the significance of the news. You will be proud to know that the two assassins you sent me have passed the examination with flying colors. I do not have much time left in this world and wish to make the best of it. The Master Assassin has now killed all other members of the Code and now comes for me. As the leader of The Followers, I have felt their passing deep within my heart. He seeks to destroy the members. He knows that you now are under the oath of the great Copy Ninja and will come for you next. At this moment, his group of assassins is outside my home. You and the two new followers are the last remaining members of the Code. You, dear sister are the senior member and the leadership falls on your shoulders. I send this letter with your friends, the Reade and the Drifter. Live and keep the Code safe.
While reading the letter, Aria felt the blood drain from her face and she began to tremble. They were all dead, she was the leader, and the Master Assassin knew where she was. Hope was now a foreign feeling because she couldn't run. Aria was bound to Kakashi and team seven; there was nowhere to go. The world went dead and distantly, Aria felt Hiyu move so he was supporting her with his own body.
Meanwhile, Kakashi found himself in a very different situation; he was trapped in his own bedroom with a giant assassin leaning against the door idly. Images of what Hiyu was doing to Aria flashed through his brain and he reached for his kunai.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The giant said in a bored tone. "You aren't going to defeat me." Kakashi ground his teeth, but otherwise remained stoic.
"And why is that?" The ninja asked.
Uio chuckled and cast an amused glance at Kakashi as a parent would a foolish child. "You forget that I am an assassin and have been trained by the greatest fighters since I was very young. In addition to that, I have certain skills that will give me a considerable advantage over you, lover boy. So don't worry, Hiyu and Aria do not feel that way about each other; they're just best friends."
Kakashi weighed his options carefully and finally replaced his kunai and sat down on the bed. If Aria trusted this man, then it only stood that he also trust him enough to not attack. "So, what is it that you can do, uh, Uio?" he asked mildly.
"I can do many things, Copy Ninja. As you saw I can heal others and possess a considerable amount of strength. My favorite power though is walking through solid objects." Uio chuckled at the shocked expression on Kakashi's face. "I like ye, Copy Ninja, so I'm going to give you some advice. Never refer to Hiyuby his name, call him 'Reader.' I am to be called 'Drifter,' and if you had any respect, you would call Aria 'Seer.'"
Kakashi looked at the man in front of him strangely for a moment before answering "I see, well if you don't mind me asking, how long will this take? I'm not particularly fond of being held hostage inside my own home."
Uio frowned and then turned around, careful to keep his body in front of the door and stuck his head through the wall. Kakashi couldn't suppress the strangled gasp that emitted from his mouth as the giant's head withdrew from the wall and looked back at him. "I think we should give them another ten minutes. In the mean time, you can help me replenish Aria's pack." Uio pulled out Aria's pack from beneath his cloak and set down on the floor. To Kakashi's horror, the man began to dig out the contents, occasionally stopping to inspect certain bottles before setting them down on the floor.
"Where did you get that?" Kakashi demanded, the last time that he had touched Aria's pack was still embedded in his mind. "She's going to kill us if she steps in and sees me near her pack again."
The giant looked up and studied Kakashi thoughtfully "I found it in the forest and decided to bring it here. Did you just say that you went into her pack before?"
Oops. "Uh, what are you doing?" Kakashi asked, trying to change the subject.
Uio smiled and then turned back to the contents of the pack and pulled out Aria's clothes. "You are one lucky man that you lived through that. She hates it when other people touch her stuff. The circumstances call for this restocking mission though. I think she will forgive me for this…" Kakashi watched doubtfully as Uio reached into his own pack and took out spare clothing and stuff it into the pack along with various bottles. "It's a good thing that I know how to get into her room back at the headquarters or I might not have this right now." Uio announced as he stuffed an extra pair of pants into the pack.
When the man was done, he stood up and stretched before turning around and opening the door. "Coming?" he asked.
Kakashi nodded and took one last look at the bulging pack before disappearing through the door. What they found on the other side of the door made Kakashi's heart leap. Aria's face was as white as death and it seemed like Hiyu's hand was the only thing keeping her from collapsing. Immediately, Kakashi started forward, only to be stopped by Uio's hand on his shoulder. "What did you do?" Kakashi snarled. "She looks terrible."
"I agree with the Copy Ninja on this one, Hiyu. I don't like that look on her face." Uio said. Even though Uio said it with a straight face, Kakashi heard a hint of fear creep into his voice.
At the sound of the newcomer's voices, Aria's eyes cleared and she looked up at them. "I'm fine. This situation calls for strength and that is what I will have. Uio, Hiyu when he comes here he will kill you. Go separate ways and then meet at the cliffs in a week before he finds you. After that you need to travel through the mountains and to the sea. Leave the continent and establish a new headquarters; keep the Code alive and begin to recruit new members." Aria took a breath and felt the color come back into her face.
Hiyu and Uio looked at her strangely for a moment before Hiyu stepped towards her and forced her to look him in the eyes. "I think you are forgetting the part where you join us." He said forcefully.
Aria shook her head and returned his gaze. "I case you have forgotten, I have to stay with Kakashi and the other charges. When he comes for me, I will fight and hold him off." She answered evenly.
"Wrong about that, miss." Uio spoke up as he produced a slip of paper from his vest and held it up to Aria. "This is a blood contract that Hiyu and I signed. It says that if you and your charges sign it in blood, the oath is broken. Of course, all who sign it, including Hiyu and I are prevented from hurting or killing the previous charges so they are safe."
Aria took the paper and looked at it wonderingly. "This will release me?" she asked quietly.
Uio nodded vigorously. "Just get them to sign it and you're free." Aria's face let up and she took out her dagger and slit her finger. With her other hand, Aria pulled out a quill feather and dipped it into the blood before signing her name. Uio smiled and took the contract from her and passed it to Kakashi.
"I'm not signing it." The silver haired ninja announced in a bored tone.
"Excuse me?" Hiyu asked darkly. "I must have misunderstood what you just said. I could have sworn that you said that you would not sign the contract that would release my best friend from her servitude."
"No, you heard correctly." Kakashi answered.
Hiyu's eyes grew hard and he looked at Kakashi. "Sign it now." He commanded murderously. "You have no idea what you are getting yourself into Copy Ninja, if Aria doesn't leave, the Master Assassin will torture her in ways that you cannot even imagine and then kill her. I already hate you; do not test my resolve to the Code."
"Leave now, Hiyu. You too Uio. I will deal with this, if I do not meet you at the cliffs in one week, then go on without me. That is a direct order." Hiyu opened his mouth to protest, but Aria cut him off. "I commanded it; you dare to challenge the leader of the Followers? Go now."
The two other assassins looked at each other. Pain and distress lined their faces and they glanced at Aria one last time. Hiyu finally turned and stalked towards the window. "I will kill you for this Copy Ninja." He whispered into Kakashi's ear before disappearing into the darkness. Uio simply shot Kakashi a death glare before passing through the wall.
Kakashi watched them go before turning to Aria. She was looking out the window; no emotion was displayed on her features. Then, without a word, the assassin walked into Kakashi's room only to emerge again with her pack slung on her shoulder and dressed as the Golden Assassin. "I will be leaving now. Do not doubt my presence for I will be watching over you from a distance. Good-bye."
"Stop." Kakashi ordered. He watched as Aria froze and turned around to look at him with dead eyes. "I am going to sign that contract, but not right now. You are going to meet Uio and Hiyu at the cliffs, but you are going to have to have us as your escort. Once we arrive at these 'cliffs' I will sign the contract and then you wouldn't ever have to see me again." A spark of emotion flashed in Aria's eyes and she narrowed them in suspicion.
"Do I have your word on that?" Kakashi nodded, knowing that Aria would be able to see that he was telling the truth. The assassin studied him for a moment and then anger grew in eyes. "You are insane; this will be dangerous for not only me, but you and your students. I'm not going to put you in that situation."
Kakashi chuckled and addressed Aria in a condescending tone "Actually, you don't have a choice. Now, could you please go and get the others? You know what they need better than I do."
Okay, this guy really knew how to get under her skin. "What do I look like, your slave!" she shot back at him. Kakashi opened his mouth to reply, but Aria cut him off by holding up her palm. "Don't answer that. I'll go tell them to meet you at the training grounds as soon as possible." With that, Aria jumped out the window and scurriedacross the rooftops, shaking with anger.
Ah, well, I apologize to all for the extremely late update—finals, exams, and such. My English teacher has been giving me complete crap about my 'word choice' all week, so I was in a pretty foul moodfor the past couple of weeks. Thanks to all my reviewers, and please continue the feedback.
'til next time, Sandsifter