Mission Link:

As she held up the details of her latest mission, Kameko could hardly believe what she was reading. ‘My first mission back is to go on a date? What kind of mission is this?’ It was not that she had some illusion that she would never need to take advantage of her good looks, but she had assumed that it would be to gain some intelligence or something, not just to entertain some wealthy boy so his mom could plan an elaborate birthday party for him. She wondered if her… interesting… sensei had something to do with her assignment to this mission. ‘I guess this is a pretty low-risk way to practice at it before it actually matters.’

The mission was scheduled for a bit later that day, and she began getting ready for her date. “If he feels ‘not pleasant’, I don’t get paid, huh?” she considered as she looked through her closet. After a brief debate, she decided on a sleeveless pink sundress with a polo collar, and unbuttoned it just low enough to keep things interesting. She kept her hair down, using her hitai-ate as a headband, and added a touch of makeup to accentuate her features. The sweet picture of girliness was tempered by the belt at her waist which held up a sheathed katana and her weapons pouch. Did she expect to use the tools of her trade while out to lunch? No, but she’d be a poor kunoichi to go out on any mission unprepared, and even more so, she never went out without her katana; her upbringing had made it so that she viewed her sword as an extension of herself, and one would never go without their right hand.

In no time, she made it to the restaurant where she had been requested to meet her date. It was a fancy place, and well out of the modest budget that she kept as a Chuunin, though fortunately she would not be responsible for paying. She had actually been here on another occasion, which was also work related but of a different kind; while not so frequently since beginning her busy life as a kunoichi, she had often accompanied her father when he was showing a new client around the town to familiarize her with them as she would one day be taking over the business. She had made a point of arriving there a little bit earlier than she had been asked to make sure that she beat the birthday boy, figuring that it wouldn’t do well to keep him waiting. Giving his family name, Erabume, to the hostess, she was shown to a little table for two.

Taking a seat, she looked around and noticed that the table that had been selected for them was clearly set in the center of the restaurant. She recalled that this was a place that one often went to in order to ‘see and be seen’ by the upper echelon of Kumogakure society, and their table was clearly in a prime location for it. After a few minutes passed, the young man who matched the picture she had been given of her date arrived, escorted to the table by the hostess. “Hello there, my name is –“ “—Kameko Ryuzoji, and I’m Zirshin Erabume. You’re just as pretty as my mother told me.” Despite the discourteous interruption, she offered him a pretty smile as he sat down opposite her, continuing, “A good thing too, because I don’t date ugly chicks.”

Her expression tightened a bit at the comment, but she didn’t respond in kind; she wasn’t about to forfeit her paycheck over some boy’s arrogance. ‘This is certainly going to be a long date,’ she resigned herself. Fortunately, before she had to start making small talk, a waiter arrived and, pushing his long white hair back, Zirshin began ordering, “I’ll have the special with no….” Kameko zoned out slightly, watching the people around them as he began listing all of things he wanted added or taken off of the dish, tuning back in as he concluded, “…and she’ll have the spinach salad, raspberry vinaigrette dressing.” Surprised at his forwardness to presume to order for her, she began, “Oh, actually, I would like the number four inst—“ When he interrupted her again, “No, no, their salads here are the best. That’s what my ex, Akane, would always order, and she had impeccable taste.” He summarily dismissed the waiter, deciding that the topic was closed.

‘C’mon Kameko, it’s just for a couple hours…’ she reminded herself, swallowing down her ire and saying sweetly, “Oh, I’m sure it must be delicious then.” Zirshin nodded sharply, clearly uninterested in anything that she had to say, and quickly launched into stories about himself. Kameko nodded and ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ at the appropriate places, throwing in a couple laughs at his insensitive jokes about this person or that one, whatever it took to get through this terribly luncheon. She had just began eating her salad, which actually was quite good, when a shadow loomed over their table, and Zirshin aburptly cut off his tale about the yacht his parents had bought him for his last birthday.

Setting down her fork, she looked up at the busty blonde girl and the imposing guard lurking behind her. “Why hello, Akane. Fancy seeing you here.” The girl turned red with anger. “Fancy seeing me here?” she mocked his nasally voice with almost dead-on accuracy. “You know my book club meets here every Wednesday!” “Oh, that’s right. Book club on Wednesdays, sex club on Fridays?” Kameko couldn’t avoid chuckling at that one, which turned the girl’s ire on her. “Do you have something to say, bitch? As though you could judge me. Everyone knows that ‘kunoichi’ is another word for a whore to ugly to make it as a hooker.” The color rose in Kameko’s cheeks as the girl’s voice rose louder and louder until the whole restaurant quieted to listen to the fight. “Rono, put her in her place! If she claims to be a ninja, then she’d better well prove that she’s good for more than just sleeping around with the Jounin.”

Her jaw clenching at the gall of this spoiled brat, she tried to contain her temper, forcing out, “I really don’t think this is the time or the place…” “It is if I say it is, now get up!” When Kameko didn’t move from her seat, she ordered her guard Rono to get her up. Grabbed roughly by one arm, Kameko was drug out of her chair, and shoved backwards away from the table. She caught her footing, and looked warily around the crowded restaurant, weighing her options. Zirshin was practically glowing from all of the attention that they had drawn. When the guard drew his sword, she knew that there would be no mere talking her way out; Akane wanted a show. Determined to deny her that and avoid any damage to the restaurant, Kameko focused on disarming him. Using the Arc Restraint technique which she had learned in Konohagakure, she shot strands of Raiton out of her fingertips, using them to wrap around the rusty katana he wielded. With a sharp jerk, she wrenched the sword out of his hands and caught it lightly by the hilt as it flew through the air towards her.

The guard stared at her in shock while Akane sputtered in outrage. Holding the sword loosely, point towards the floor, she said, “I’ll have this returned to you after Zirshin and I finish our lunch. I think now would be a very good time for you to go back to your book club, Akane.” The girl, suddenly embarrassed when she realized that the whole restaurant had seen the exchange, stormed out, her guard in tow behind her. With a little sigh, she picked up her knocked over chair and took a seat back at the table. “That was amazing! Oh, she was so jealous! Did you see how jealous she was? So jealous! That’ll teach her not to cheat on me next time.” Wearily, she asked, “Next time?” “Oh, Akane and I are always having these little lover’s quarrels, but we are meant to be together. Our families are very rich and well-connected. We’ll probably be dating again by next Wednesday.” He smirked, turning back to his meal. Looking down at her salad, Kameko found that she had little appetite for it and was relieved when the date finally ended. A few days later, Kameko received her paycheck and a little note saying how much fun Zirshin had had.

Chakra: 185/200 (-15 for activating Arc Restraint):