By now Keiko was pretty much picking at her food, albeit as discreetly as possible. Her stomach having felt full the moment it was placed in front of her, she couldn't help but peer at the other two gentlemen sitting at the far side of the counter, wolfing down all that was placed before them like they hadn't ate in ages. As entertaining as it seemed to be, she couldn't help the way her stomach rolled in disgust. It was far to much, to fast, thinking it impossible if she wasn't sitting there witnessing it firsthand. Between watching the new comer and the individual who seemed ever so happy to pay for everyone's meal, she almost didn't catch sight of another slipping quietly in, taking a seat before seemingly resting his head on ramen stand and dozing off. For a moment, she eyed him critically. Trying to recall why he seemed familiar.
Taking in his mannerisms, falling asleep, unkempt black hair, complete ANBU getup...it all snapped into place, a moment of clarity and memories that felt so far away. There was blood, so much blood and death. Nara, Deslin was barely alive when her and her first genin team found his own. Seeing a fellow shinobi on the cusp of death seemed to snap something within her, and it was one of the rare moments where she almost let Gyūki take full control to kill the missing-nin who had snuffed out three of Kumogakure's own. Only the thought of her own team counting on her made her hold back, dispatching the man with relative ease, rage boosting her vicious attacks that left not but a mangled body to be found. She could remember with distinct clarity, her hands shaking as she tried to cover the gaping wound on his chest, trying as best as she could to quell the amount of blood seeping through her fingers, and then being lost.
'Haruka! You can't leave me.'
She had been lost for those agonizing moments, stuck in a memory that had long since passed. If it hadn't been for her very worried students, who watched on as she began to hyperventilate, so far away from them, it would have been another person who would have to be added to those that she had killed with her own hands. Feeling small hands shaking her shoulders is what brought her back from the pained memories, making her jump into action before she could be submerged back into the darkness. Throwing, the boy on her back, she set off back to Kumo like never before, hoping above all that she could get him the help he needed to survive. Her hands unable to heal, for she was nothing but a weapon whose sole purpose was to take life away...not give it.
Ever since that day, she had kept a watchful eye over him. Interested on how he would grow into the ANBU member he was today, having been rather occupied with the genin team's she seemed to throw herself into to, to keep the memories at bay. In her avoidance, she lost tract of his moving up within the ranks. To see him wearing an ANBU mask was relatively surprising, for having lost the people who meant the most to her, she couldn't get far enough from her previous job.
Just as she was about to greet Deslin, she was interrupted by Gabriel, who seemed more than a little eager to leave the establishment the moment Delsin walked in. ANBU training instilled down to the bone, she felt herself snap back to attention. Something was off, something was horribly wrong and it seemed to revolve around the man she knew without a doubt she knew for some reason. It wasn't until Deslin looked up from his little nap, eye's falling on the blonde that he got up as well, speaking his name.
"Gabriel Hartmann..."
Everything faded from then, her mind snapping to the picture and words that described the man to the T in Kumogakure's own bingo book. How she didn't realize it before was just a little shocking, though to her credit, she hadn't looked at that thing since her days within the ANBU herself. It took everything within herself to remain sitting, remember she had one of her students sitting right next to her, and throwing herself head into a fight within the middle of her village was something only an idiot would do. Gabriel was an opponent one would wish not to come across, and despite the feeling that Deslin was nowhere in his league, she did not move from her spot. Back ram rod straight, hands clutching tightly at her knees, and yet otherwise appearing totally calm and collected despite the difference within.
'That's unlike you, Keiko. Fearing a simple man...we could take him."
"Idiot."
Mumbling quietly to herself, she was brought out of her inner thoughts when she felt her genin get up and walk to the entrance, hovering just enough that she could see what was happening outside. Slipping from her own stool, she walked calmly right behind the girl, placing her hand gently upon her shoulder as darkened cerulean peered into the growing crowd that made a headache begin to brew just behind her eyes. How so many were all huddled in the middle of the street was beyond her, the scene they were causing...how she wished she hadn't decided to come to this shop of all places to meet. If she had known trouble was to brew, she wouldn't have agreed with Mamo-chan to be here.
Five people, well now four, seeing Deslin leave, she could only hope the rest would follow. Though her shinobi mind told her she needed to follow if this Amp character went after him to fight, she knew this wasn't something she could get into, staring down at the very intrigued Hanatsuki, she knew without a doubt she had priorities she had to sort out. She wasn't the hot shot she had been years...or what felt like centuries ago. The least she could do was alert the guards, someone who could effectively deal with this missing-nin without possibly bringing harm to her students by going herself. In the words of the Nara who had just left, troublesome is all she could think of.
"It would be unwise for us to get into this." Her voice was nothing but a whisper, words only meant for the young woman as she peered on. Ready if at any moment, some kind of battle between this man and all the others standing around started up. Something she could not afford to let happen.
