[Graded] House Call

[Kabu]

"I hope Minako's doing okay, I didn't get to talk to her much the few times I was able to drop by the hospital." Masami whispered to herself as she hurried across the Inuzuka compound towards the home of her once-student, Minako having finally gotten out of the hospital. The girl had had a mission gone terribly wrong, leaving her brother dead and herself very nearly so. The duo had been beyond close and that left Masami concerned about Minako's emotional state and how she was dealing with things.

WIth that in mind Masami shook her head to chase away memories that had begun to bubble to the surface and quickened her pace, reaching her destination in record time. She took a deep breath to calm herself as she stood in front of the door, feeling a momentary temptation to not even knock and just bust the door down but no. It would help no one if she came across as a paranoid mother willing to just break into their child's house, and plus, some part of her didn't actually want the girl to see just how worried she really was.

And so she simply knocked and waited, resisting the urge to even call out, all the while hoping her patience would pay off.

[Willoria]

The knock at the door received only silence at first, though a moment later there was the quiet sound of paws and claws on wooden floors as Rei, Minako's canine companion, walked across the home to the front door. A couple of clever nudges and pulls later and she had pulled the door open, her blue and green eyes looking up at Masami briefly. The large black dog didn't have to look too far up, being so tall even on all fours already. She was full grown now after all and no longer a pup, but she knew Masami immediately both by sight and by scent. The dog pushed her nose through the door to nudge Masami briefly in hello before turning to lead the way through the home and out the back door were Minako sat on the edge of a porch.

The woman's back was to the open door. She wore her usual clothing, her hair as always thick and in various braids and cornrows, feathers and leaves stuck into it here and there as she turned to look at her former teacher. "I thought I might see you eventually." she admitted, glancing over as Rei came over and the two shared a bump of foreheads together in a brief greeting.

[Kabu]

Masami had to admit she was starting to lose her resolve as she stood in front of the door, though it was luckily not too long before the door was answered... by a dog. "You clever girl, you learned to answer the door." she giggled, taking a moment to give Rei a few pets as the now grown canine nudged her in hello and turned to lead the way through the house, likely towards wherever her master happened to be.

And that assumption would soon prove itself correct as Masami found herself led out the back door, her target sitting not too far off. "Of course. I wasn't able to see you in the hospital as often as I would have liked so when I heard you got out I knew I had to rush over." It was all true in a sense but why couldn't she just admit how worried she was and had been? Maybe she didn't want to seem overbearing, or maybe there was some amount of pride involved, not even she really knew.

With a hopefully unheard sigh she took a seat on the porch next to Minako. "So, how have you been holding up? Been active at all? Remember, you need plenty of exercise, especially now. A solid diet is also very important. Though rest is also important, I had to learn that the hard way in my younger days." she spoke, blinking and blushing at the realization that she had at some point slipped into the same speech patterns and tones she had used during her stint as Minako's teacher.

"Sorry, old habits die hard I guess. I'm sure you don't need me telling you any of that."

[Willoria]

Minako stood slowly, stretching her arms up over her head as Masami spoke. She smirked and chuckled a bit as the women started asking her questions, going into giving her advice on her current situation. Her fingers interlaced over her head and turned to look at Masami as she continued to stretch, still smirking as the other woman caught what she was saying. As she still stretched, her stomach was partly exposed, as was the fresh scar from her belly button to her side that was the result of the wounds that had nearly ended her life. She finally dropped her arms and shrugged as Masami apologized and Minako stepped back up onto the patio where her former teacher stood. "Old habits that show you care." she admitted quietly.

She walked over to Masami and wrapped her arms gently around the woman in a brief but simple hug. She wasn't normally a physically affectionate person, but clearly Masami was an exception to this. "The physical stuff is the easy stuff." she said simply, thrusting her hands in her pockets and beginning to pace quietly as Rei sat upright and sighed, watching her partner's pacing steps with a sad expression.

"It's losing... him." she said, suddenly clearing her throat to cover up the emotion that came up with the thought, the same thought that kept her from saying her twin's name. "It's still touch and go with his pup. She's with her old trainer, they say she's damn near feral even though her physical wounds healed..." She took in a deep breath and let it out slow.

[Kabu]

"I know. For some reason I didn't want to admit it, but I've been very worried. I know very well just how close you were." Masami spoke, rising to her feet as she finally admitted those feelings she had thus far kept to herself. "And I'm sure the pup will be fine. I'd daresay it may help for you to pay her a visit yourself, both to sort out your feelings and possibly help her along."she said, smiling as a memory came to mind. "My own pup was basically a wild beast from the day we met until the very end." she continued, pausing a moment as she thought of something, very briefly nodding as she made up her mind. She had things to say, stories to tell that only a very select few had heard.

"You know, you're already doing better than I did with my own loss. I locked myself in my room for a very long time, wallowing in my own suffering. I was ashamed of what I had become, and very deeply hurt from losing Ao. Even now the pain rears its ugly head every now and again." Masami spoke after a momentary silence, falling silent as she choked back the flood of emotion that had suddenly come.

Once she had calmed herself she approached Minako, holding out a hand with a small smile. "Come on, let's go for a walk. Some time surrounded by nature will do us both some good, in more ways than one."

[Willoria]

Minako sighed quietly as she turned to look at Masami, her eyes drawn naturally to the woman's ears as she mentioned her own loss. In most cases she might accuse someone of never being able to understand her loss properly, that nothing could compare to the loss of a twin, that no loss could compare. Yet she knew that the loss of a ninken ran nearly as deep, and to lose one in the way Masami lost hers... She took steps towards her former teacher and reached out a hand to carefully touch one of Masami's ear, almost as if to pet the ninken long lost.

If anyone came close to understanding, it was probably Masami, and she knew that.

Masami offered a hand and Minako gave a small, albeit sad, smile in return before taking it and nodding. "Nature always helps to heal all things." she admitted quietly, willing to take the other woman's lead.

[Kabu]

"That's right, especially for folks like us. I've always felt an attachment to the great outdoors, the company of animals over people. Heck, when I was a kid there were multiple occasions mom would scold me for trying to run around naked. Even nowadays I feel the temptation at points." Masami spoke with a chuckle. "I guess there's always been some part of me that just wants to run around freely and openly." she admitted as she led the way along not quite to the forest but to a clearing a fair distance from the village, a small river separating them from the treeline.

"I'm sure you're not quite ready for a full excursion but this should be fine. It's one of my favorite spots." she said, releasing Minako's hand and plopping down onto the grass. It was nice and quiet with only the sounds of animals and the sloshing of the river to be heard, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the village.

"Say... I noticed you touching my ears earlier. If you want a good feel, now's your chance." she suddenly spoke after several moments of silence, a cheeky grin on her face as she looked towards the girl. "Really, it's okay if you're curious. At first it felt like a curse that I would have done anything to be rid of but a special someone taught me that they're a gift, a sign that he's still with me." she paused a moment as if to organize her thoughts.

"Just like your brother is still with you. You just need to find the thing that connects you, a representation of your bond."

[Willoria]

Minako couldn't help a smirk and a chuckle as Masami mentioned preferring animal company. "I'd take my lean-to in the woods over people most days, but especially right now." she admitted, chuckling again as Masami mentioned running around naked. She just couldn't imagine her teacher doing something so risky. As she was led to the small opening and the treeline, she couldn't help a small smile, plopping down to sit beside her with a heavy sigh as she felt herself relax. "It's a great spot." she admitted.

She sat quiet, closing her eyes briefly as she enjoyed the feel of the air on her skin, the sounds of the trees. But she turned to look at Masami as she spoke up once more and mentioned her ears and Minako blushed briefly. "Habit I guess." she admitted. "I remember you let me touch them once as a kid when I was upset, I didn't really think about it. Sorry, I should have asked first." But a frown slid to her lips again as Masami mentioned her brother being with her, and she looked at Masami's ears again, reaching out to touch one once more.

"It'd be easier if I had something like this I think." she admitted quietly. She shook her head and removed a hand from Masami's ear and reached to her shirt, lifting it to again reveal the grotesque scar. "Instead I have this... It's grotesque. I don't know how to remember him instead of remembering what I had to do to survive, and what he had to do to try and survive." It was a hard memory. What she had to hold in, the horror of it, her brother doing the same thing and still not surviving it.

[Kabu]

"Right, that was the day that we met. I couldn't just leave a crying child alone and I didn't know what else to do. Who knew that same little girl would soon after be put under my tutelage." Masami thoughtfully responded, her mind momentarily floating back to that day as she enjoyed the brief touch to her ears. She wouldn't have long to dwell on it however as Minako spoke again, in the process allowing for Masami to see that grotesque scar, the physical manifestation of her near death and to some degree a likely permanent reminder of the loss she had suffered.

Finding herself lacking in comforting words Masami silently pulled the girl into a hug. She had known that the situation had been dire, but she hadn't quite realized just how close she had come to losing Minako as well. It was enough to make her wonder... Was this her fault? Did she properly do her job? She thought she had but was there really nothing more she could have done? At the least she had done better than her own teacher, as little as that really meant.

"Well, I can't answer that. I can promise though that it will get easier, that the answer will one day come." she finally spoke after several moments of silence, addressing herself and her doubts just as much as she was speaking to Minako.

"Hey Minako... Was I a good teacher?"

[Willoria]

She remembered that day well. Minako had just found out that she was going to be on a Genin team, and that her brother would be on a different one. Her and her brother both had been so upset about it. She didn't know who her teacher would be yet, but Masami had been passing back and found her crying about it before Minako had gone to the meeting to find out who her Sensei would be. The woman had stopped and let her pet her ears to cheer her up. It was a memory she was very fond up, and she still remembered how overjoyed she'd been when she found out the same woman who had shown her such kindness was going to be her Sensei after all. It was like being given a gift on the worst day of her life.

For several moments, quiet hung over the pair, as Rei wandered off. Something had gotten the dog's attention and though Minako wasn't sure what it was she just wasn't too fussed over it at the moment. Her attention was suddenly pulled away by Masami's question and the girl gave the woman a rather puzzled look for a moment. "You were a great teacher." she said almost immediately. "I'd bet you still are." she added. "You taught me how to work apart from my brother, that was valuable for both of us. As devastating as all of this has been, it could have been worse. Sure, I still wish I could have saved him, but if I hadn't focused on my mission first there would have been a lot more people dead. Same if he hadn't focused on his part of the mission before trying to get to me. We had to do our parts, be shinobi before being siblings. That became a vital part of how well we worked together. That, among many other things you taught me, were vital to how I functioned as a shinobi and as a person."

As she spoke she saw Rei coming back out of the corner of her eye. But this time the dog seemed to be moving with a sense of urgency. Minako was puzzled and raised an eyebrow as the dog suddenly rushed over and seemed to gently set something in her lap. Still confused she looked at it and carefully rolled it over in her hands only to realize it was a small creature. "....a bat?" Specifically it seemed to be a baby flying fox. "What the hell?"

[Kabu]

Honestly Masami was touched that at least one of her students thought so highly of her and had held so closely to her teachings. She had always held some doubts about her teaching ability but the way Minako spoke was encouraging and made her very happy. "You always did listen more closely than your teammates, and you were certainly much more eager to learn. If either of your teammates took my teachings to heart even half as well as you then I don't have anything to worry about." a nostalgic smile on her face as she spoke. She had felt a great amount of pride when her little Genin had passed the Chuunin Exam and while this wasn't the right time to bring it up, was even prouder of Minako's recent promotion to Jounin.

She was broken out of her reverie by the sudden arrival of Rei, the dog plopping a... bat of all things into Minako's lap. "Rei, how and where did you get this?" Masami questioned the dog, looking over at her only briefly before turning her gaze back to the little bat. "Poor thing is just a baby, I'm not sure he can even fly yet. He needs to be with his family and yet... Why?" The more she thought about the poor creature's situation the more worried she got

"I... I have a feeling that something is very wrong."

[Willoria]

Minako smiled as Masami did. Having a team leader who was of her own House had been a great help during a hard time and had gotten Minako through a very rough time in her life. She had always been grateful for Masami's role in her life and for everything she had taught her. "Sometimes I think I didn't thank you enough though. Being separated from my brother, on separate teams, was very hard. I didn't know what to do with myself. But you made that easier on me and I'm not sure I've ever thanked you enough for it." she admitted. Her thoughts only broken by Rei's sudden appearance and little 'gift'.

She turned the small bat over in her hands, feeling the animal shake with obvious chills and fear. "My goodness." She stood quickly and motioned for Masami to follow her as she led the way back towards the house and inside. "I doubt he's even big enough to keep his own body temperature." she admitted, holding the small bat in her hands and up against her chest to try and keep him warm as she moved. "If Rei found him, his parents are either dead or missing, she would never remove him from a tree, he had to have been on the ground." she hated to think what kind of condition or place her dog had found him in. But she knew her partner well enough to know going to search for his home was fruitless, the immediate thought on her mind was on care.

She led the way down a small hallway and into her own room. The ceiling was elevated enough to provide a lofted bedroom and the lower space was clearly a kitchenette and living area, enough to turn the bedroom into a small apartment of its own. Minako went straight to a chest in the corner and opened it with one hand before passing the small bat to Masami momentarily. She took that moment to dig through the chest and pull out several thick furs to start setting up a bed/nest on the table in the corner. "Need to get him warmed up... probably swaddle him with a towel."

[Kabu]

Masami knew very well that the poor creature's parents were likely dead or missing, she had just hoped that she was being paranoid, the thought that her bad feelings had been right serving to bring not just worry but a sense of anger as well. There was someone or something out there that had been attacking wildlife and if she ever found it to be by human hands they would pay dearly.

For now though as she followed along she took a deep breath, knowing she had to stay calm, if not for her own sake then for Minako's, the girl already having enough on her mind.

Soon enough they returned to Minako's home, Masami tilting her head in curiosity as they entered the girl's bedroom. She had been invited into the house a few different times but this part of the home was a new sight. "This certainly is a fancy bedroom. It's basically its own living space." she marvelled, wondering how such a thing had come to be even as she was handed the shivering bat.

Focusing on the creature in her arms she finally realized just how dire the situation was, the poor thing was cold, afraid, and likely even very hungry. "Don't worry little guy, Minako is going to take good care of you. You're going to grow up to be big and strong in her care." she gently whispered to the little bat, smiling as she looked down at him, looking up only once Minako spoke once more.

"Right, and he needs to be fed at some point. Until he's ready to survive on his own... well, you'll need to take good care of him."

[Willoria]

Minako set up the nest before quickly moving to her small kitchen area and finding a small hand towel. "Yeah while I was in the hospital my parents decided we needed our own space. Before what happened to us, we were going to move out. With everything that happened they decided that could be here so they converted our rooms into something like micro-apartments." Minako shrugged as she took the small bat back and carefully swaddled him up and settled him up into the nest.

Looking down at it though she started to think about what else Masami had mentioned and she couldn't help a sigh. "I don't know what to feed him... maybe juice? Or fruit? I think some bats eat fruit right?" She gave Masami a confused look before looking over at Rei and jerking her head towards the doorway. Her dog trotted off to find something and soon returned with a small bag. Out of the bag Minako pulled a small pear. The little bat seemed to perk up when she held it near him but she still wasn't sure if he could actually eat it. "I'm not sure where to start..."

She sighed quietly and looked at Masami a moment. "Want to run to the store with me?" she asked carefully before taking the small swaddled bat and carefully putting him inside her shirt to keep him in a warm spot.

[Kabu]

"Unfortunately I'm as clueless as you are. Nocturnal creatures aren't really my forte, especially bats." Masami frowned as she shamefully admitted her own helplessness in the matter. It was honestly a little frustrating to be of so little help regarding any animal, especially one so small and helpless."If I had to guess, I'd say normally you'd be on the right track with the fruit but it may be too early for that." she spoke, taking note of how the bat had perked up at the pear that had been held near him

Nonetheless she racked her brain for possible ideas, letting out a sigh and hanging her head as she came up empty, perking up as Minako mentioned a store trip. That was a great idea. "Yeah, let's go. There's no use standing around here uselessly racking our brains. Besides, maybe our little friend here can help us out. I'm sure he'll let us know when we come across something he can actually eat." she said with a smile, reaching over with a finger to lightly pet the little bat before Minako could tuck him away.

"Besides the two of us need to eat as well. And we can pick up dinner while we're out."

[Willoria]

Minako looked down at the little swaddled bat inside her shirt and sighed. "Honestly I'm at a loss for what to do... but I gotta try right?" She looked up as Masami agreed to go with her though and a sense of relief washed over her. She might be a Jounin now, but having her former teacher with her while she tried to figure this out made her feel a little less stressed about this at least. "I'm glad." she admitted, nodding.

"We can get food for us and him, that's a good idea." She checked the little bat again to make sure he was secure before leading the way out. Rei naturally followed her out and Minako expected Masami would follow as well. "Pet store I guess? Or maybe the clan breeder would know more... even if it is a bat?" she asked, sighing heavily as she felt herself getting confused again.

[Kabu]

Masami couldn't help but let out a sigh herself as Minako asked her questions. In all honesty she, perhaps through some misguided sense of pride as Minako's teacher or as an animal lover, wanted to figure it out without any help but that would be a fool's errand, she knew that. And she had a feeling Minako knew that as well.

"Honestly, some part of me doesn't like it but we have to do the right thing. Let's go see the breeder. Even if they don't have an answer, they're sure to have some kind of hint or advice." Masami spoke, temporarily speeding up to walk by Minako's side. "I'm starting to feel that maybe we should have just done this from the start."

"I do wonder though.. have we been overthinking this? We'll have an answer soon but really... How different can taking care of a baby bat be from something like raising a puppy? One baby can't truly be all that different from another. Or perhaps I'm still naive even as a grown adult." she let out a sigh. Either way her questions would soon likely be answered one way or another.

[Willoria]

It was somehow a relief to hear that Masami was as confused as she was. Minako had felt inept in her own lack of knowledge, but if her own teacher didn't know either than perhaps she wasn't so inept after all. In fact, she wasn't inept, she just simply didn't know and needed to learn. That was something different entirely. They walked along and Minako made her way towards the same breeder she had originally gotten Rei at. Though it didn't occur to her until she was knocking on the front door that this meant she might see her brother's dog as well. When the door was answered and it was not only the breeder himself, but that he was alone, she was almost relieved. "Joru!" Minako said happily, greeting the man with a very careful hug, so that she wouldn't squish the small life currently swaddled in her shirt. "I have an odd situation..." she continued, purposely speaking up before he could inevitably bring up her brother's dog. "Rei brought me this little creature, alive, and uh... I want to try and nurse it back to health but I have no idea where to start..." She carefully took the cloth from her shirt that held the small bat and held it out to Joru.

Joru gave Minako a confused look, clearly a bit flummoxed that she would purposely keep him from speaking. But before he could ask what was going on she shoved a small cloth into his hands. When he looked down and opened it a bit he was shocked to see the little bat. Blinking rapidly he looked at Minako a moment and looked over to see Masami behind her. "Hello, Masami, I take it you're helping with this endeavor too, hm?" he asked, chuckling as he looked at the bat again. "Looks like a flying fox... He's gonna get almost as big as Rei's head you know... quite young. I actually have a few supplies that might help you...." He looked past Minako and Masami to look at Rei with a confused look. "I'm surprised she brought him to you alive though, you see... I use bats like this to train them when they're smaller to catch more difficult prey. The fact that she was gentle with him and kept him alive is.... well that's shocking." He motioned for the two women to follow him in and lead the way into his living room as he went to a supply cupboard and started digging through it, after handing the small bat back to Minako of course.

[Kabu]

It had actually been quite some time since Masami had last visited the breeder, and some part of her was looking forward to this. She knew they were on a mission and that absolutely came first but she could still hope for a chance to see the puppies and their mothers once their job was done. For now though she had to stay focused. She was primarily here for support and to provide comfort if needed but nonetheless she was going to see it through to the end.

Soon they arrived at their destination, Masami softly giggling at Minako's apparent impatience. She knew it was likely some mix of worry for the bat and wanting to avoid any potential talk of her brother's dog, but still it was an adorable sight. In a way it was like seeing the girl as a child again, a thought that briefly brought an idea to mind, though she quickly pushed it back for later.

"Hello Joru, and yes, I'm afraid I haven't been of much help though. I've never been good at dealing with nocturnal creatures." Masami admitted, bashfully rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh, so you breeders do train the pups to catch prey. I never would have guessed. As a very young pup when we first met, Ao would run after anything he thought he could catch and beat in a fight. Even when dealing with targets much bigger than himself. Took some hard knocks for him to learn his lesson, though I'm not sure it ever fully stuck." Masami spoke as if in reminiscence at Juro's words, a cheeky grin on her face as they followed him into the living room, though she quickly flipped to a more serious mood as she fully considered what had been said and spoke once more.

"But, is it really all that strange? Rei isn't a pup anymore and you know what they say about animal companions taking after their masters. Even Ao mellowed out significantly after we were together for a while. Surely there's good reason for her behavior."

[Willoria]

Joru chuckled at Masami's reminisces about Ao as a puppy, but before he could respond Minako suddenly seemed to try and hand the small bat back over to him. Joru gave her a confused look as he stepped back, shaking his head and Minako cleared her throat. "You keep bats too, right? You just said, so you can keep him. You have what you need to do it right, I don't. You know better than I do. It'd be safer with you."

Joru looked at Minako a moment and back at Masami, looking like he was thinking a moment before holding up a hand to quiet Minako. He stepped away and soon came back with a small box. He seemed to have put a few supplies in there, as well as padded part of it. He took the small bat from the girl and put it in there. "They teeth quite a bit, so there's a couple of rubber bottle nipples. Keep them washed, let him chew on them between meals and it'll help him sleep too. Feed him every two hours for the next week, then every four, then after two weeks start introducing fruit juice and pieces. He'll start taking over eating on his own from there. Once he starts eating larger pieces you can just keep a bowl of fruit out and he'll eat what he wants when he wants." He was telling her as he suddenly took one of Minako's arms, pulled it up and pushed the box back into her arms.

As Minako tried to speak up again, Joru held up a hand and pointed to Rei. "She brought you this little one for a reason, Masami is right." he told her coldly. "You wouldn't take your brother's dog in, I forgave that. I get it, its painful. But you need something to take care of, something to heal your own hurt, girl. Rei brought you that. I won't do this one for you." His tone had suddenly turned gruff as he jerked a thumb towards the door. "Now git, I've given you wall you need to take care of the little one. He's yours."

Rei had to pull on Minako's clothes to get her to start moving, but eventually she did and the pair made their way outside. Minako looked a little stunned, looking down at the small bat who seemed to have already found one of the pieces of rubber to chew on. He looked rather content already.

[Kabu]

"See, it's as I told you, you have to be the one. You're effectively that little bat's mother now. Even if one day he goes back into the wild, you'll have that bond for likely forever." Masami spoke as they made their way outside, the woman smiling as her ears caught the sounds of barks and howls filling the house behind them. "Sounds like feeding time, which also means play time for the pups."

And with that her own stomach rumbled, as if serving as a reminder. "Right, it's also feeding time for us and the little guy." she said, looking down into the box at the happy li'l creature inside, pondering something a moment as she watched him.

"Right then, when we get back we'll make dinner by scrounging up whatever we can find." She excitedly said as her head popped up, a cheeky grin on her face as she recalled the time she had just dumped her students into the woods to look after themselves. In hindsight maybe it was irresponsible but the kids had enjoyed it, or at least one of them had. "It'll be just like old times, only with fewer upset parents."

[Willoria]

Minako looked down at the small bat in the box and sighed quietly. She nodded slowly as Masami mentioned it being feeding time. She followed her and listened quietly, unable to help chuckling as the woman mentioned upset parents. "Are you talking about the woods training?" she asked. "I loved that. Probably one of the best things we ever did." She couldn't help grinning as she remembered that time. It was the first time she had really led in any way. While the other genin had nearly panicked, she had helped some learn more about the woods. It was ever since then that the woods had been her passion.

Rei and Minako led the way back, with Minako setting the box with the bat on the table in her room. She looked at it a moment and sighed again to herself. "How am I supposed to save this little life if I couldn't save my brother?"

[Kabu]

Masami pursed her lips a moment as if in thought and then silently approached, wrapping the girl in a gentle hug. She had never been much for physical contact like this and she knew Minako was the same but if it helped at all then it was worth it. "I know you're hurting and that you have doubts, that's only natural, but this is something only you can do. I know it, Joru knows it, and I think even Rei knows it." she spoke, looking down at Rei for a moment, smiling as she released Minako from the hug and instead grabbed her by the hand as if to start dragging her away.

Now come on, I'm starving and I think you might be as well. And don't you dare think about skipping out."