Maya - a Naruto Fanfic

9. A New Beginning

Waking up takes a while, but I eventually claw my way out of sleep and into a kind of half-consciousness. I open my eyes to badly blurred vision and a vaguely human shape standing in front of me.

"Huh?" I blink blearily up at them, the world refusing to come into focus.

"Wake up, Maya." Someone sighs impatiently.

"Who? Kakashi? Why're you here?" I yawn, struggling to sit upright.

"We're here to organise more permanent living arrangements for you." He does not look impressed. Behind him stand two women, both pretty, one with short brown hair and brown eyes, looking down at me with a blank expression, the other with long silver hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Right. Right, sorry." I rub the sleep from my eyes and try to look sharp.

"The Hokage has decided that, for the duration of your stay here, you'll be placed with a host family. When you're not with them, you'll be with me, and when you're not with me, you'll be working at the bathhouse." Kakashi explains, looking less than happy about the situation.

"What? Why?"

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"Why do I have to stick with you?"

"Probably so you understand more about shinobi and stop making such a big fuss about things you know nothing about. Now, can I continue telling you the arrangements?"

"Sure, fine, whatever." Stop causing a fuss? Not likely.

"This is Masumi Sarutobi, the Hokage's daughter. You'll be staying with her and her family, though I must say I'm surprised this is still the Hokage's plan, considering your earlier outburst." I flush crimson.

"You heard about that, huh?" I mumble, awkwardly wrapping my arms around my waist.

"Uh-huh." The way Kakashi's looking at me, with a mixture of quiet judgement and disbelief, makes me feel so... Childish.

"So I'm guessing this other lady is my new boss?" I ask, desperate to change the subject.

"Yes. Kasumi Ito and her daughter Kaoru run Konoha's public bathhouse. You'll be working there during opening hours."

"Right..." Kasumi steps forwards, her presence suddenly feeling incredibly intimidating.

"I do not tolerate slacking, so you had better be prepared to work hard or I'm going to make your life miserable, am I clear?" Her voice is so strong, every syllable demanding to be heard and respected, with such an air of sophistication despite her harsh words. It reminds me, all most too much, of my grandmother.

"Yes, ma'am." It falls automatically from my lips, and I find myself sitting up straighter.

Masumi doesn't say anything, she simply watches me quietly. Even as Kakashi continues to explain, her eyes don't leave my face.

"Sarutobi-san and Ito-san will give you their own explanations later, but I'll tell you now - you must do as I say, when I say it. Being a trained shinobi can be dangerous - a civilian surrounded by our world is practically a death sentence. The only way to ensure your safety is if you do exactly as I say." I can't argue with him, all I can do is nod quietly. Why would the Hokage put someone like me in so much danger? Is it because of what I said to him?

"Oh - and if you get yourself into trouble, don't expect me to come and save you." He adds, so casually I almost miss the meaning of his words. But it's all to clear, and I fall back slightly with the weight of them. He'd leave me to die, if it came to that.

"Kakashi, you've said too much." Masumi says quietly. The air I'd been struggling to take in fills my lungs, and my heartbeat steadies.

"I'm just telling her the truth."

"You wouldn't know the truth if it bit you in the arse." Her mild and soft tone makes the harsh words sound almost pleasant, and it startles a laugh from me. When Kakashi shoots me a glare, I pull my most serious, I-totally-wasn't-laughing face. It doesn't work, of course, but that's not the point.

"That's hardly lady-like, Sarutobi-san." Kasumi scolds. Or maybe I should call her Ito-san?

"I'm no lady, Ito-san, I'm a kunoichi." Masumi corrects, her expression barely changed. I wonder if anything upsets her.

"Kunoichi or no-" Kasumi begins.

"There's no 'or no' about it-"

"One must still conduct themselves with class and decorum if they are to receive the proper respect." She finishes with a hard look. She really is too much like my grandmother.

"You're implying I'm not well-respected in the village, which I can assure you is not true." Masumi's voice is cold, almost colder than her eyes. She may not have a huge presence, but this woman is clearly powerful.

"I imply no such thing."

"That's enough now, when you two get started you don't stop, and the hospital want this room available in case of an emergency. Sarutobi-san, take Maya back with you. Ito-san, she'll start work tomorrow afternoon." The look Masumi gives Kakashi makes me shrink back.

"It's a hundred years too early for you to be giving me orders, Kakashi." She says it so softly, but Kakashi bows in silent apology, only straightening up when Masumi nods her acceptance.

And that's how my new life begins, sat up in a hospital bed, surrounded by strangers who would very soon become a very big part of my future.