Mission Taken:

---

As per usual Daremo found himself wide awake before the sun had even begun to think of rising: a habit that had been with him for as long as he could remember. While some had issues with waking up in the morning, often feeling sluggish and requiring tea or coffee to start their day, Daremo was no such person. He could easily go from asleep to wide awake, alert, and ready, at a moment’s notice as was the case today. Yet, instead of getting out of bed right away he shifted onto his side, careful not to disturb his beautiful wife who was still resting peacefully after getting in at three o’clock in the morning from a late night shift at the hospital. With a careful and gentle hand, he reached out lightly brushed a few strands of hair from her face, smiling softly as she immediately snuggled closer to him without even waking up. Sighing in contentment he wrapped an arm around her, holding her close to him and simply enjoying the peacefulness and quietness that their own home brought to him: a sense of security knowing his children were safe and sound as was his wife. While laying there his mind shifted to thoughts about his children, and the very recent kidnapping of his daughter and what would have most certainly been the death of his son if not for his daughter’s quick thinking. His children were handling the situation better than normal civilians would have, likely because of their training, but he knew it affected them still. This was evident in the clingy nature of both for days after the incident that had occurred, and the fact that they had recently moved rooms back in together, neither wanting to sleep by themselves. Most would have thought this a problem given they were both ten years old, but Daremo knew that the twins were like two halves of a soul - or that was how Zaylee once put it - and their closeness brought them a sense of peace that they had had after the untimely death of Kaia~Mai. He knew it was a situation that would likely be temporary, but he was fine with it nonetheless: if this is what helped them to get through this with a few mental scars as possible then that was fine.

Laying there his thoughts shifted onto his daughter, and the unknown to her mission that he had picked up just the other evening when he was dropping dinner off for Amaya when she realized her shift would be running late. The mission was a simple one, one many doctor would find beneath them, but it was a necessity nonetheless for his young daughter. They would be spending the day working a shift as janitors for the hospital: cleaning and sterilizing the rooms that patients would soon be occupying. It was a needed assignment as, in his personal opinion, it would teach his daughter not only how to properly clean and sanitize a room, but also to be able to tell if one had been done properly by another. Infections and diseases could spread easily enough, especially for those already in poor health and with compromised immune systems, so ensuring the safety and well-being of any patient was paramount to being a medical professional. It would certainly be grueling and tiring work, but he hoped that by the end of it that his daughter would be all the wiser for the experience. If she wanted to be a budding medic like himself and his wife that she would have to do what they too had to do: start from the beginning and work her way up. Of course, there was also the fact that the more she did for the hospital the easier it would be for her to be promoted up: the better it would look when it came to qualifications for the future of her career path.

With that thought in mind he glanced at the clock, seeing that it was still early, and closed his eyes, simply enjoying the feeling of his wife cuddled up to his chest and taking a moment to bask in the wonders of being able to hold the woman he loved so very much safely in his arms.

As the clock neared six however he found himself gently climbing out of the bed after covering his wife up and tucking her in, placing a kiss on her cheek before standing. After stretching he made his way into their personal shower, cleaning up before walking out with a towel wrapped around his waist. Finding his wife still sleeping peacefully he made his way over to the closet where he pulled out what had begun to become his typical outfit. He dressed in silence, and then brushed his hair before pulling it up in a man-bun and securing it with two senbon. Finished he would glance once more towards the slumbering form of his wife who had already rolled into his spot on the bed before chuckling quietly to himself and heading out of the room, shutting the door behind himself. Heading downstairs, and able to hear the sounds of one of his children in the bathroom already, he headed into the kitchen and pulled various foods out of the fridge before getting started on cooking enough breakfast for everyone.

---

895

Sleep had not been coming easily for Zaylee, and while she tried her hardest to hide it she knew that both of her parents as well as her twin were not fooled. Her first night home after being kidnapped she had refused to sleep at all, and it was only after near delirium had set in that she finally relented: even then it took her father holding her as she slept for her to remain such for more than fifteen minutes at a time. She had been so exhausted by that point that she had been too tired to even escape her nightmares, and had awoken hours later screaming which had resolved itself to tears for several long moments as she got her barings on where she was and the fact that she was truly still safe, in their home, in her father’s arms. Her first few days had been spent clinging to her father, refusing to allow Mamoru out of her sight, or staying at her mother’s side. This had lightened up after several days, but only a tad bit. It would take her a while to return to normal, this much she was certain of with all of the reading and so forth she had done about the subject long before this had happened, but it would be an adjustment period with a lot of highs and lows that she would have to deal with.

Thankfully, last night’s dreams had been quiet and her sleep undisturbed. Zaylee had found herself waking up quite calmly and in a fairly good mood. She had slipped out of bed as silently as possible, pausing only long enough to cover her twin back up as he had kicked the covers off onto the floor the previous night, before picking out the outfit she had planned out the evening before - a white kimono with white thigh-length tobi socks and assorted undergarments - before heading into the bathroom she shared with her brother and any guests that might be staying with them periodically. Closing the door behind herself and locking it Zaylee showered quickly, having not done so the night before. Drying off she dressed quickly, keeping her long silverish white hair wrapped in a towel to further dry. After getting dressed she would pull the towel from her hair, brushing it and blowing it dry before running a brush through it and securing it with two decorative chopsticks in a bun. After checking her appearance in the mirror and finding it fine she would brush her teeth quickly before hanging her towel up and grabbing up her nightclothes and depositing them into the hamper. Opening the door she was unsurprised to find her tired looking twin on the other side with his own clothes for the day in his arms and looking relatively happy despite being a little tired looking. ”Good morning, sleepy head.”, she would greet her twin playfully before booping him on the nose with her right pointer finger, causing him to smile and giggle as he slipped past her into the bathroom and closed the door.

Smelling the deliciousness being cooked downstairs she headed in that direction, taking the steps two at a time as she made her way down them, finding Riku, who had returned at some point during the night from a successful hunt, perched on the back of one of the chairs in the living room and looking her usual alert and dignified self. Automatically she extended her arm, Riku spreading her wings and flying across the room to land carefully and gently, always mindful as usual about her razor sharp talons. Stroking the birds chest she headed into the kitchen, finding her father busy making breakfast. ”Good morning, daddy. I thought it was mamma’s turn to cook?”, she would inquire as she headed towards the cabinet that stored the plates after taking a glance at the stove to see what her father was making. Riku moved up to her shoulder so that her arms were free before Zaylee pulled down four plates. Placing the plates on the counter next to the stove so that her father had access to them she headed her way over to the drawer that contained the silverware, pulling out enough for everyone and placing it down at the table at their usual spots.

”Will we be doing some training today?”, she would inquire, pausing to look over to her father with a hopeful expression on her face. Realizing that her father would likely be concerned over if she was ready or not to resume training Zaylee smiled happily and added, ”I feel better today. No nightmares. Didn’t wake up either, just slept through the night. Mamoru seems to be doing better, as well.”

---

805

Hearing movement from above as Zaylee left the bathroom and Mamoru took her place he glanced over towards the kitchen doorway, hearing Zaylee’s near silent footfalls as she made her way downstairs. He smiled at his daughter as she entered into the room, greeting him with a good morning and inquiring about why Amaya wasn’t cooking breakfast. “Good morning, my little princess. Your mom’s sleeping still, she didn’t get home from the hospital till about three this morning. They were a bit short-handed after a nasty mining accident, so she worked a double shift to help out.”, he would explain, not minding doing so nor sugar coating what had occurred. In his mind, it was better for her to be aware of the things that were happening around the village, especially as someone who would one day likely be spending time working in the hospital herself. There would be many horrors and sicknesses, diseases and illnesses, that she would have to see and deal with, so pretending that they didn’t exist now just because she was young was not wise - at least in his opinion. He and Amaya preferred being honest and open with their children about most things, and this was no exception to that rule. Besides, considering what they would be doing in just an hour’s time, she would likely end up not only hearing about it from other members of hospital staff but having to deal with some of the clean up as the rooms were prepared for other patients, so best she knows now what she would possibly be walking into, than to be struck by surprise and left to assume the worst.

Watching Zaylee go about getting the plates with Riku now perching herself on her daughter’s shoulder he gave her a nod of thanks as she placed a stack near him. Hearing his daughter go over to one of the many drawers in the kitchen and begin pulling out silverware to set the table with he went about portioning food on each of the four plates, pausing only to wrap up Amaya’s and set it off to the side so that she could have breakfast when she awoke likely in the early hours of the afternoon. “Speaking of the hospital and training, we’ll be doing something a bit different today - training but not in the normal sense You and I are going to complete a mission I picked up yesterday evening at the hospital. We’ll be cleaning up various patient rooms and other areas, sterilizing them, and getting them prepared for use by other patients.” Knowing that his daughter might question how exactly this was training he continued on as he began to bring the plates over to the table, careful not to spill anything in the process. “Considering it a lesson in learning how to clean. You have to know how to properly clean a room, and get experience knowing what one that’s been cleaned looks and smells like, so that later on when you’re a nurse’s aide, a nurse, or even a doctor, you’ll know if a room has been properly prepared for a patient. Disease and infection can spread quickly, especially to those with compromised immune systems, and it’s our duty as medical professionals to make sure those incidents are kept to a minimum. There are times when things occur that just cannot be helped, but by being properly prepared and keeping the hospital as clean as possible, we can add an extra layer of prevention that’ll go far for some of the people who cross through the hospital’s doorways.”

Hearing Mamoru coming down the steps Daremo headed back over to the stove, grabbing the last plate and double checking the stove was off. “Good morning, my little prince. Breakfast is done, come on and eat while it’s hot.”, he would speak while placing the plate of food down in front of Mamoru’s usual spot, smiling as he saw the smile upon his own son’s face. “I know you and your mom were supposed to train today, but she worked a double after a mining incident last night, so she didn’t get in until about three this morning. She’ll probably sleep until early this afternoon. There’s a book she left on the coffee table in the living room though for you to take a look at while you wait to train, it’s filled with some interesting information - I glanced over it myself when she mentioned it.” Watching his son nod and dig into his food with his usual great deal of gusto Daremo settled himself down and turned his focus back onto Zaylee. “We’ll be leaving as soon as breakfast is finished. We’ve got assigned rooms to clean already, and I have keys for both of us for the janitor closet so we can get our supplies. Our shift is supposed to last about eight hours with a lunch break halfway through, but if we get everything done sooner we’re free to leave.”

---

835 | 1,730

Her father’s words in response to her question as to why Amaya wasn’t the one cooking breakfast this morning caused her to pause and do a double take, wondering if she had heard her father correctly: a mining accident had occurred? While her father hadn’t gone into the nitty gritty details about it she could only imagine. Mining accidents were, unfortunately, a common thing. Supports could give out, caves could collapse, fires could be started, or even explosions that caused an added slew of issues that could spread far and wide. This was above all the other dangers that one faced normally by just stumbling around in the dark uncertain areas with barely any light to see by. The fact that her mother had ended up working a double shift due to this incident meant that it had to be pretty bad, she could easily assume as much without bothering to ask. She was sure there would be a lot of paperwork needing filed, and a lot more people coming in to help cover all the manpower that would be needed. No wonder Amaya was still sleeping, Zaylee probably would have been as well. As Zaylee took to setting the silverware while her father began to load the plates with even portions of food - one of which she saw him covering with foil so that it would stay fresh for her mother when she spoke up, Zaylee found herself happy that her father hadn’t tried sugar coating what had occurred. She would have heard about it eventually even if he hadn’t mentioned it at all, but in that moment she found herself quite happy that her parents were as open and honest with herself and her brother as they could be. Most parents tried to downplay things, or hid things from their children because they thought that that was what was best, but when it came to Daremo and Amaya they tended to tell them most things without hesitation: preparing them for the real world. Sure, they were still children, and still had some of the mindsets of a child, but they had both chosen their career paths willingly, and coddling either Mamoru or herself would do them no good, as their parents well knew.

As Mamoru joined them she went over and gave her twin a quick hug while listening as Daremo explained the same thing to him as he had to her - though adding on that there was a book Amaya had picked up for her brother to read since their training they were supposed to do today would be postponed by a few hours. Sitting down at the table, and having asked her father about whether or not they were training today, she dug into her food while listening to his response: they would be training but not in the normal sense. This almost had caused her to pause, wondering if he was still worried about how her recent kidnapping was affecting her, when he began to go into details on the mission he had picked up that was for the hospital - as well as his reasons behind it. Knowing how to properly clean and sterilize an environment was important in their line of work, but more so was it important to be able to tell if an environment had been clean prior to placing a patient there. For some this training would seem kind of basic, especially to someone who had already begun to learn the medical profession and medical ninjutsu, but Zaylee knew where her father was coming from and even though it sounded like boring manual labor she couldn’t help but to agree to the benefits of it. She would learn how to properly clean a room, how to prevent infection and the spreading of diseases, and how to improve the general well being of her future patients. These were, after all, very important steps for the safety and health of others.

So, with a nod of understanding to her father’s words, she ate the remainder of her food with her usual gusto, patting her belly once she was full before helping to clear the table as everyone else finished eating as well. As a team her and Mamoru tackled the dishes, her washing them while he rinsed them off and put them aside to air dry. Once finished she gave her twin another hug before watching as he headed into the living room to get started on the reading Amaya had wanted him to complete before their training later on when she woke up. Dressed already Zaylee headed upstairs and grabbed both her headband as well as her identification before heading back downstairs and meeting her father at the door. ”I’m ready!”, she would declare happily before the pair made their way out the door, pausing long enough for her father to lock it behind them before the two made their way to the hospital, chattering about everything and anything under the sun as they usually did. As they arrived at the hospital her attention would shift to those within the front room before looking to her father to lead the way to where they would need to go.

---

870 | 1,675

Taking a bite of the prepared food, Daremo was not surprised that Zaylee was okay with the mission. He would wager a guess, if he had assigned the mission to another genin, or Chuunin for the matter, there would be some complaining about it. They would have questioned the importance of such mundane tasks. Some would even believe the task was beneath them, and that they should be doing something worth their time. Because of their experience, some would feel entitled, and would only half-ass the mission. He was glad that Zaylee was not one of those individuals.

Taking the last bite of food, Daremo stood up from his seat, moving into the kitchen, and putting his plate into the sink. Glancing over at Mamoru, “Make sure you pay close attention to everything within the book. You will find out the information has many applications for medic-nins.”, Daremo spoke, receiving a nod from Mamoru. “Anyway, we will be going. Make sure your mother does not overdo it, okay?”, Walking out of the kitchen, the silver-haired male walked outside, waiting for Zaylee before making his way towards the hospital. This would be the first time in a long time since he had been to back to Kumogakure no Sato’s main hospital. He wonder how things were?

“You do know the importance of this mission, yes?”, Daremo asked, walking down the street with his daughter, “Many people would not think much about this mission. They overlook the fact that janitorial work is important in a hospital. Accidents can happen, and if there is no one to clean up the accidents than that can lead to trouble for the hospital. Plus, there is the sanitary aspect as well. If there was no one to clean the mess, then diseases and other pathogens could spread.”. Citrine eyes looking about at the civilians and shinobi that litter the roads, and rooftops. If one did not know any better, everything seem to be peaceful and relatively normal around the village. Yet, from what he had learned from Mizuki, and seen firsthand, things were anything but peaceful or normal. Things were happening underneath the facade presented to the unaware populace.

Walking through the doors designed for personnel only, Daremo guided to the room where both of them needed to check in with the lead doctor. The action being more of a formality than anything else. Those who run the hospital knew of the silver-haired male well enough and trusted him that such a thing was only needed to please the higher-ups. Once everything was in order. The pair would be directed to an area, in which they were in charge of clean. Halfway through the cleaning, a young girl spilled orange juice on the floor. Acting quickly, the juice was cleaned up before anyone could slip and fall on the mess. For the next eight hours, he would help around the hospital, making mundane conversation with Zaylee.

Soon, the time would come for them to head home. The equipment used was put back into the corrected places, “You ready?”,  he asked, guiding Zaylee out of the hospital, and back home.

---

531[2261]

Zaylee nodded to her father’s words about the importance of this mission: even though it was just a D-rank mission there was a lot that she could potentially learn from it. Her father was right of course in what he said: accidents and spills could lead to more serious complications and injuries, which would not only cause pain and suffering to other individuals, but it could also cost the hospital a lot of money in negligence should someone complain or sue. The sanity aspect was likewise just as important to pay attention to: a clean hospital was a disease free hospital. This would ensure that patients were kept safe and healthy, and given the ability to heal without further complications from their injuries and ailments.

Chatting softly with her father about the implications of diseases in the hospital, the conversation would pause as they arrived. Being handed a key to the janitorial supply closet she would grab her needed supplies - thankfully on a cart with wheels - and make her way using the map of rooms she was assigned to for that day. Splitting the tasks in half, giving them each an equal part, she would watch first as her father demonstrated the right way on how to clean and sanitize a former patients room before doing the same - the first room being done under his watchful gaze with feedback being given on both the right things and the wrong things Zaylee did. The work would take several hours, but it would get done to the best of both of their abilities, Zaylee even going so far to ask her father to check the rooms she had cleaned on her own to ensure they had been done properly.

Once finished, their equipment was stored back in its appropriate location, supplies replaced so that the carts would be ready for use by the next shift that would help to oversee the cleanliness of the hospital after they were gone. With a nod to her father’s question of being ready she would follow him out of the hospital, discussing what all she had learned that day, while asking several of the numerous questions she had thought up while they were busy working. She knew, even as they headed back home to check on Amaya and Mamoru and to have dinner, that this would be an experience she would use for many years to come - knowledge that would prove valuable in the future as she rose up through the ranks of a nurses aid, a nurse, and then hopefully one day a full fledged doctor.

---

435 | 2,110 / 750 (150 Ryo)

WC Remaining: 1,360

Training the following with a 15% reduction to WC due to an A-rank (Daremo) being present:

Sealing Style: Chakra Tacks (C-rank): 1,360 - 850 = 510

Speed D2 -> D3: 510 - 383 = 127

Discarding 127 Words