Maya - a Naruto Fanfic

57. Relay Race

A/N: while I write this I'm surrounded by flies buzzing and buzzing and buzzing and it's driving me slowly insane.

Once I finally make it downstairs, I'm wrapped tightly in long, slender arms, my face shoved into a shoulder covered by silky blond hair.

"You're finally up!" Ino squeals, rocking us madly, her movements so wide we end up stumbling about the hall. I cling to the back of her shirt, desperate not to lose my balance.

"Yeah, sorry about how long it took, it's still difficult to get up." I explain, trying not to laugh. The last thing I need is to encourage her.

"You'll get better at it. Come on! We've got great news." She finally releases me from the hug only to grab my hand and pull me into the kitchen. Waiting inside is the rest of Asuma's squad; a large boy with swirls on his cheeks and a happy face stuffed with crisps, and a dark haired boy leaning back against the counter with heavy lidded eyes.

Tsuyoshi stands at the oven, cooking, while Masumi washes whatever pots and pans he's finished with, Asuma sat at the counter with a fresh cigarette dangling from his lips. Beside him is...

"Kakashi?" I blink in surprise, though I don't have time to stop. Ino's already ushering me into a seat at the table, pressing on my shoulders until I sink down into it.

"Yo." Kakashi gives me a lazy wave with his free hand, the other raising a mug of tea to his lips.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Where else would I be? Until Sasuke recovers, our team is on break."

Our team.

Our team.

It takes a moment for me to clock it, but once I do, I break out in the biggest grin. It's so wide my cheeks soon begin to ache from smiling, but I can't stop.

"Aww, look Kakashi-sensei, you've really made her happy!" Ino coos, propping her chin up on her hand and smiling warmly at me.

"Man, I didn't know anyone could smile that wide." The larger boy says between mouthfuls.

"What? I didn't say anything." Kakashi shrugs.

"You said our team." I say softly, and he focuses on me. Again, I'm struck by how intelligent he must really be.

"I suppose I did." He turns away, speaking blandly.

"You're so not honest, Kakashi-sensei." Ino scolds.

"It's fine, Ino." I'm still smiling. Even if he isn't honest, he still said it. Our team.

"Actually, teams is what we wanted to talk to you about." Asuma coughs, and our attention moves to him. Ino starts to practically buzz with excitement.

"Huh?" I frown slightly.

"We've had a discussion with the Hokage, and we've come to the conclusion that you could benefit from spending some time with Asuma and his squad." Masumi explains, finally turning away from the sink to face us.

"I'm confused."

"You'll still be a part of squad 7, and you'll still work at the bathhouse, but starting today you'll divide your time between 2 teams." Tsuyoshi cuts in.

"This explains very little." I point out, starting to get frustrated. I was fine just working with 1 squad.

"Naruto told us about how you summoned fire." Kakashi finally speaks up.

"Yeah. So?" I cross my arms over my chest.

"So you channelled it through a chakra blade. While Asuma's chakra nature is air, he uses the same technique. With his help, you could perfect it."

"I think you guys have the wrong idea - that was just a fluke!" I protest.

"Tsunami said you managed to summon it twice."

"I don't know how I did it, I was panicking, in case you've forgotten, we were being attacked!"

"Situations like that are the hardest to control your chakra in. You have talent, Maya, as yet untouched. Right now, your potential is limitless. You shouldn't throw away this chance." Masumi's voice is as soft and strong as ever, her gaze steady. We lock eyes, and I can tell instantly that she truly believes what she's telling me.

"I... I won't have to leave squad 7?" I ask uncertainly.

"No."

"Okay... When do we start?"

A/N: you know what's a pain? Those little tag lines at the end of dialogue. That's a pain. I need to find like a list of different ways to describe speech. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading/voting/commenting, it is a writer's main source of nutrients.
Ta-ta~