Chapter 3: Where Kakashi gets bugged to Camp-Half-Blood

"Collins!" A voice calls out loudly.

Kakashi is on her way to the library, one of her usual haunts, but recognizing the caller and deeming it more trouble than it's worth, she abruptly turns on her heels and smoothly increases her pace.

She can return her borrowed book next time.

-----

"Amirah!" the irritating voice that's been bugging her for the past month booms out in the hallway. "Collins! Woohoo!"

Restraining herself from giving a very distinct middle finger to the annoying satyr who's been screaming at her for the better part of the week, Kakashi ignores the holler and ducks towards her Advanced Mathematics class.

The teacher in that class is particularly strict and she's sure not even Coach Hedge would go against Mrs. Kerr's bubbly passive-aggressiveness. Her blonde teacher can work it like a pro and can even give Itachi a run for his money in that particular department.

(It's honestly kind of scary how her mama bonded with the Math teacher so quickly, but yay for her. She got more slack than most, at least. With the two's shared interests in guns and weaponry – a fact that was discovered after a particularly memorable Parent-Teacher Conference -, Mrs. Kerr's practically her mother's bestie. Seriously. She's not kidding. Kakashi is half-sure that if her mother wasn't as straight as they come, the two would have eloped together already.)

She doesn't heed the incredulous look of the students around and busies herself on reading more about the copy of the Odyssey that she's slipped inside her Math textbook. She pilfered it from one of her more well-read uncles - aside from the usual Icha-Icha-alike book - since Coach Hedge makes it difficult to stay in her usual place of leisure.

It's none of those people's concern anyway.

-----

Kakashi feels a migraine coming on at the sight of another Camp Half-blood card slipped inside of her textbook. At the rate this is going, she'll get her previous hairstyle – gray in all its mess-up glory - way earlier than she should at this point. She's been finding a bunch on her locker and no matter how much she tries to destroy the papers from existence it would persistently appear again the next day.

Ripping the card viciously, Kakashi flinches when she, once again, hears Coach Hedge calling out to her. The man's been practically stalking her these days and she's getting fed up. She's usually a very patient person but the satyr can't get the fucking hint.

Kakashi's just grateful that she doesn't have to take that shit from his class because, luckily, right after the debacle with the cock-horse, the application for the gymnastics club she decided to join on a whim was accepted. It became an appropriate substitute for the Physical Education subject and makes her mama happy. The uniforms are tight-fitting (thank kami for small miracles because she doesn't have boobs...yet) and show more skin than Kakashi's used to, but she spent most of her previous life as a freaking veteran ANBU where modesty was overrated so she doesn't really mind per se. The gymnastics practices and moves are really quite helpful in polishing the new fighting style she's trying to fit in her slight build.

Truthfully, Kakashi's only issue is the competitions. As much as she's tried to hold back and hide the full extent of her ability, she is still consistently singled out by the instructor and chosen to represent the school in several competitions around the country. As much as she enjoys her mother's proud smiles, her uncles get so much of a kick out of it that Kakashi almost always mercilessly pranks them afterwards.

Not that it stopped them, the gits.

Pursing her lips in irritation, Kakashi tries to forget the admittedly enjoyable tortu- ahem pranking sessions and speedily flashed through some of her brilliant escape plans. The ones she usually uses to escape Gai's absurd challenges are sadly on the verge of being used up since the persistent satyr is surprisingly hard to evade, but one particular idea comes to mind.

Eyebrows scrunching up in concentration, Kakashi tries to employ a genjutsu-like illusion on the students around her. It's an ability she discovered a week ago – from her experiments based on the phenomenon regarding Cyclops she'd seen last month. It's still in the works since the only people she tried it with were her uncles and she practiced on them one at a time. It drains a bit of her energy reserves too so she's not sure if she can accomplish what she plans to do, but with sheer irritability and adrenaline powering her on, Kakashi quite sure she can make it.

She can concern herself with the consequences next time.

With the triumphant goat man standing in front of her none the wiser, Kakashi stifles a hysterical laugh as she sees how horrifyingly effective her illusion is. Several students actually scream and shriek in horror as they see the scarring image she employed.

"My eyes! My eyes!" one cries.

"It's burning! My eyes are burning!" another groans in despair.

For a moment, Kakashi actually feels a bit bad at the lost look on the satyr's face, but immediately gets over it when the people converge around them and let her escape. She knows the satyr means well, but she's...selfish.

Kakashi just got a family – a pack, again – and she's not leaving them unless it's necessary. Not if she can help it.

Forcing herself to move forward in spite of the painful pounding in her head, Kakashi allows herself a vindictive smile when she hears the strict voice of the Goode High School's principal.

If the students around him are perhaps notorious gossip-seekers that can spread the news to the whole school in a day and she maybe deliberately employed just when many people can witness the sight for maximum effect, well that's no one's business but her own.

Besides, the skimpy hot red bikini fits the man well.

...Damn, she's good.

-----

When Coach Hedge shoots her a smug look at the side of the gate, Kakashi bristles and barely stops herself from sneering. The energy she spent on her prank the other day is still taking its toll and her already frayed temper is shorter than usual. If the goat-man doesn't watch himself, Kakashi's not sure she will be able to hold back from punting the man as far as she can. Appearances, be damned.

Coach Hedge, after her illusion stunt, stops his obviously unwanted advances for three whole days. Kakashi was suspicious when the teacher surprisingly gets no more than slap on the wrist for showing off more of himself than advisable, but when even the gossip about him stops; she has a sinking feeling that he can also make up illusions for his own purposes too. And with none of the backlash that she experienced, by the looks of it. Instead of getting angry however, her prank seems to exacerbate the goat-man's stubbornness shown by this determined glint in his eyes.

Needless to say, it makes Kakashi more wary.

When her mother comes to pick her up early, Kakashi scowls. She just knows that the satyr's behind it. The satisfied face practically screams it. No matter. He'll get what he's due next time. She's sure she can think of an appropriate payback-

"Amirah." Her mother says in a faintly reprimanding tone, interrupting her pleasant brooding session. "What's this about a summer camp, hm?"

"Nothing, mama." she smoothly replies, avoiding her mother's gaze.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her mama says in her patented "I'm-so-disappointed-with-you" tone. It never fails to make Kakashi guilty and it does its magic now.

Kakashi's right-eye twitches. Damn it. "I didn't think it was important."

Ignoring the affronted look on her mother's face, Kakashi gets inside the back of the car immediately to discourage discussion.

"Amirah." Her mother repeats again woefully as she puts on her seat-belt and starts the car. "Stop being difficult."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

Her mother sighs and shakes her head exasperatedly. "Then why did you sit at the back? You only do that when you're hiding something."

Aw shucks. She's getting predictable. "It's nothing. I just read somewhere that it's safer, so I did."

"Are you saying my driving sucks?" Her mother replies mock-offendedly.

"Of course not." Kakashi says tactfully. "You're the best, mama."

"Uh huh?"

"Yes."

Closing her eyes, Kakashi tries feigning sleep and hopes that it will discourage her mother from asking questions she doesn't really want to answer. Not that it would, since her mama's more stubborn than Kakashi is, but that doesn't stop her from wishing otherwise.

"Amirah. Did something happen?" Her mother asks seriously.

"Nothing."

The car slows down and stops as the stop light in front goes red.

"You're just like your father." Her mother smiles fondly, catching her eyes in the rear view mirror. "So obstinate."

"My father?" Kakashi asks, intrigued. It isn't the first time her mother brings the topic up, but Kakashi thinks the subject is a sore issue since her uncles like to hem and haw whenever she tries to ask. She already deduces from Coach Hedge's continuous Camp-Halfblood pitch that he must be a god because as much as she acknowledges that her mom's bad-ass as heck, she doesn't have the touch of the divine. Kakashi doesn't really think about him much since it's kind of obvious that the man- er god's kind of an asshat. Heck, he didn't even stick around when she was born, so even if Kakashi's new body shares the god's blood, she doesn't really care about him. If he discarded her mother as if she were just one of his numerous conquests - as if she's not the best woman on earth hands down - then her so called sperm-donor isn't worth her time.

For now, he's a decent conversation diversion at least.

"Who was he? Isn't he dead?" Kakashi starts flippantly.

"Goodness, Amirah! What made you think that?"

Kakashi deadpans. "He's not exactly here, is he? And you never really talked about him, so I wouldn't know."

"I didn't, did I? Well." Her mother sighs. "You inherited his eyes, you know."

For a moment, her mama looks heart-breakingly nostalgic as she moves the car forward. "The shape and gleam. They're beautiful. He...was beautiful. Definitely not a gentleman, but wild and fierce. An exceptional fighter." She takes a deep breath and avoids eye-contact. "He definitely has appeal, at least." Her mother laughs. "Like an animal, if you know what I mean."

"I'm eleven, mama. I'm supposed not to know that yet." Kakashi informs blandly.

Her mother smiles. "Well, he was a good soldier. Power wrapped around him like a cloak. He was dangerously charming and quite arrogant but somehow, with sheer bullheadedness, managed to wriggle himself a place in my heart." She pauses for a moment, seemingly hesitant. "Amirah. He would have loved you if he met you, you know. Don't-"

"Mama!" Kakashi abruptly whispers her voice faintly hysterical.

Her mother nodded. "Yes, yes. I understand if you kind of hate him-"

"Mama." Kakashi continues firmly. "As much as I love to hear more about that, I would like to raise a more pressing issue."

"Yes?"

"I'm bleeding." She says calmly, belying the way her pale face at the implications. "My skirt. Bleeding."

Her mother stops the car. "Oh."

Oh, indeed.

-----

Kakashi would like to think she faces the cooing and the talk that follows after her first menstruation valiantly.

That, after her mother told her that "you're a woman now, darling!" and proceeded to talk about the birds and the bees along with future lingerie and pads shopping, she still has the composure befitting a former shinobi of her prowess.

She didn't.

It's humiliating. Her mother is looking at her worriedly – at the cracked, almost broken look on her face and she- she can't stop shaking.

Kakashi can't do this.

Stumbling inside a toilet of the gasoline station they stopped in – she can't bring herself to look at her mother's worried face -, Kakashi stares at the wall blankly.

She sighs.

Inhales.

(Kakashi pushes down the urge to laugh hysterically. She's not sure she can stop once she started and well- there's no need to worry her mother more.

She can handle this.

She doesn't have a choice.)

Exhales.

She knows she shouldn't have depended on her skill on compartmentalizing so much. It's not foolproof. It's legendary, yes - since she couldn't have possibly survived the shit she was handed with before without it - but even she can't deny the evidence when it's shoved upon her face repeatedly.

Kakashi was a man. A manly man with balls, libido and everything. Although slightly asexual, he reads Icha-Icha for kami's sake, so he's quite attached to the appendage between his legs.

Now she's a woman (or on the way to being one, at least) and she will grow boobs and her hips will... and...and...puberty.

Kakashi doesn't have an issue with the clothes or the pronoun used to address her, but she draws the line at being ogled at. She knows how teenage boys think and she doesn't like being seen as a piece of meat, damn it.

She rubs her face exasperatedly and stiffens when she hears the sound of a bullet going off. A hairy leg on top of the door of the cubicle Kakashi is in and her mother-

Her mother's outside.

Shit. She just can't get a break, can she?

Kakashi's form blurs as she opens the door with a bang and pauses at the sight of her mother facing down a giant-ass spider.

Kami. Is that a boss summon?

The sound thankfully shifts the attention of the monster from her mother to her, and it takes all of Kakashi's hard-earned speed to dodge the ferocious swipe from its hairy long legs. When the giant arachnid manages to attack again by shooting out a web out of its abdomen, Kakashi winces as she fails to roll away in time.

Her shoulder feels like an acid was dropped unto it.

She needs to finish this quickly.

Standing in front of her mother defensively, she whispers. "Mama. Let me handle this. Please."

"No." Her mother replies sharply – nudging her out of the way. "What are you saying Amirah? I'm not letting you get hurt." She loads her gun with another bullet and fires at the monster's legs one by one – making the spider stagger back and shriek. Her mother continues firing. However, as seconds passes by, Kakashi can see that the attacks aren't creating any serious damage. The spider's starting to treat them as nothing but stings.

"Amirah." Her mother starts seriously. "You're going to run. I can't hold it off much longer."

Kakashi shakes her head. "I'm not leaving you alone."

Before her mother can protest, Kakashi palms the daggers hidden on her person and runs as the whole world seems to slow down – brushing off the pain in her left arm and the ringing in her ears. Throwing her dagger at the monster's eyes with unerring accuracy, her eyes glow red as she unleashes the full force of her killing intent – freezing the monster into place.

Kakashi flips forward – twisting her body into complicated forms in order to avoid the acidic webs shot by the spider before latching on to an errant leg to finish the job. With a war cry, she plunges the dagger into the monster's head repeatedly until it turns into dust like every monster she battled so far.

Kakashi pants loudly before falling down to her knees in exhaustion. She curls up on herself as she struggles to get a hold of the bloodlust – the power and killing intent she let out. When she feels a hand on her back, Kakashi fights the urge to shrug it off.

It's her mama.

Family.

Pack.

Kakashi deflates and sags into her mother's arms.

-----

"Amirah. When did you started fighting this monsters?" her mother asks quietly as she hands Kakashi a jacket to hide the bloodstain on her skirt.

Kakashi takes the time to answer the question and studiously avoids her mother's gaze. After the fight, her mama became unusually solemn and serious. It unnerved her. She knows she can't postpone the inevitable though, so after a few moments, Kakashi replies. "Since last month, mama."

Her answer is met with silence. For a few minutes, the sound of cloth tearing fills the room as her mother attempts to bandage Kakashi's wounded arm as best as she can. After doing so, they both walk outside quietly. Her mother pacifies the worried staff who heard the noise. Kakashi stays quiet.

When they enter the car, Kakashi makes sure to sit in the front this time.

"Last month?" Her mother's voice cracks. She sighs tiredly. The car starts with a rumble. "Am I right to assume that it's already been explained by the satyr in your school?"

"Yes." Kakashi affirms. "Coach Hedge informed me of a so-called camp where half-gods like me can be protected. He calls it Camp Half-blood and as the summer approaches, he's been particularly persistent."

Her mama suddenly stiffens, tightening her grip on the wheel. "He told you that you're a demigod?"

Kakashi nods.

Her mother scowls, visibly vibrating in anger. "How many monsters have you faced since you found out?"

She hesitates. "Seven, including the spider."

Her mother gasps. "Seven."

Kakashi looks at her mother worriedly when she notices how her mama struggles to take control of herself. Her anxiety increases when her mother's face suddenly turns impassive and unyielding.

"Amirah." her mother states, resolutely looking at the road in front of her. "You're going to contact Coach Hedge tomorrow and ask about this camp. You're going to stay there during the summer-"

"No." Kakashi interrupts flatly.

"Yes, you will."

"No. I can take care of mys-"

"Yes. You will." Her mother repeats calmly.

"Mama. Listen to me." Kakashi pleads. "I can't-"

"Listen? No. You will listen, Amirah." Her mother bites out coldly. "I can't lose you. You need to be protected because. I. Can't. Lose. You. That shit of a fucking satyr, once he made you aware of who you are, increased the risk. By the sheer number of monsters flocking around you lately, I can't take the chance. The only reason why you weren't attending that camp earlier in the first place is because your father, the prick, left without warning."

"I don't want to leave! I'm not abandoning you to face all those monsters alone." Kakashi rebuts vehemently. "I can't lose you or my uncles either."

"You're the reason why the monsters are there in the first place."

Kakashi flinches as if she's been struck.

Her mother visibly softens and deflates at the sight. Stopping the car at side of the road once more, she faces Kakashi fully and puts her hands on her shoulders.

"Amirah. I love you. You know that." Her mother says softly. "I...I don't want you to get hurt. You're my treasure, the best thing that happened in my life. But what if you can't handle the next monster that comes after you? I can't take that chance as much as I want you near me."

Struggling not to choke up at the revelation, Kakashi acquiesces and nods.

-----

Omake #5: Where Coach Hedge discovers what it means to be on top of Sarah's shit list.

-----

Gleeson Hedge doesn't know if he's being paranoid or what but, he is pretty sure someone has it for him.

For the past few days, he has been tripped by brats, slipped into numerous floors, failed to get his guacamole fix, found his baseball bat vandalized, been back-talked by his students, and experienced ice cold treatment from almost all the female teachers around the building.

It's baffling.

It would have been fine if there are intervals, at least, but there aren't.

He just can't get a break.

Hedge sits down on the chair in his assigned cubicle – eager to relax for once – when the chair's legs suddenly breaks down from his weight.

He groans under his breath when he only gets snickers and titters from his shitty colleagues for his plight. Paul, the only one who seems to understand, isn't here so he's all alone.

Hedge closes his eyes.

That. is. it. After dealing with that brat, Amirah, he's going to ask for a transfer.

He's going to offer some of his food tonight too, just in case he angered some gods for some reason or the other.

...Hedge is too old to deal with this shit.

-----

(Ares quirks his lips in a smile at the sight of the old satyr's suffering.

Sarah was always so vicious. Getting the help of their daughter's fans was brutal. Not to mention that blonde woman who impresses, even him, in her ways. His previous lover's best friend managed to single-handedly destroy the reputation of the satyr by speaking carefully chosen words to the right people. The satyr's reputation crumbled faster than one can say "demigod".

Damn, Sarah's amazing. There's a reason why he loved that woman.

The god laughs wickedly.

Ares wonders what he can do to help next time.)

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Beta'd by xX I. AM. BEASTXx