Author's Note: Because even Anko has her knights in shining armour...
Mitarashi Anko was one of the more renowned ninjas of Konoha. It wasn't for her crazy personality, or the fact that she is an examiner in at the chuunin exams. It was because she was the former apprentice of Orochimaru.
As such, she has few and far between friends. Most tended to avoid her after having found out about her dubious past. Others believe that she is a spy and will betray them eventually.
Now normally, Anko can easily shrug them off. Sometimes, for a bit of fun, she'd toy with them a little and encourage their suspicions slightly. To those who it mattered, they knew she wouldn't betray Konoha.
However, it just so happened on this day that she was being pestered by three rather un-gentlemanly chuunins in one rather secluded area of Konoha. This wouldn't have been much of a problem had the curse seal not decided to flare up.
She had tried losing them, moving through the crowded streets of Konoha, through selected ill-trekked alleyways but with her hobbled movement and purple hair, it wasn't hard to spot her. Eventually, the alleyway had turned out to be her failing grace instead of saving her.
"Oi, you little slut, still hanging around here?" The first one drawled, approaching her. The second one cracked his knuckles and began to speak.
"If ya gonna hang 'round here, you're gonna have to keep us happy somehow," He smirked viciously. The three chuunins began to close in on Anko.
The situation certainly looked bad. Perhaps without the curse seal radiating pain across her body, she would have had no problem dealing with this. As it was, the pulsing pain was not going to let up. She tried drawing her hand away from the seal, but without the additional pressure on it, the pain multiplied and her hand shot back. She would have to fight with one hand only. Her sight was become blurry as tears threatened to spill, out of sheer ache. She removed a kunai from a pocket and held it up defensively. It didn't help when all she could see were vague humanoid shapes.
The first man smirked. He went at Anko with a full ferocity and was met with equal ferocity as a foot collided with his jaw, sending him flying back into a wall. His body slumped down, devoid of consciousness. The other two backed off.
"Who the hell are you!" The second one shot at him fearfully. It was no mean feat, surprising all three of them.
"I am the beautiful blue beast of Konoha! The power of springtime youth runs deep within me, and I shall use that power to make sure no harm comes to anyone undeserving of it!" He proclaimed in his trademark eccentric manner, accompanied by his 'nice guy' pose. Anko felt nauseous and began to fall back but bounced against something fabric-like.
"Yo," she turned her head slightly to see she was back to back with the masked face of Kakashi, book in hand.
"Hey, Gai," The unconventional jounin turned to Kakashi. "I don't think they care about the springtime of youth." Gai's eye twitched.
"What? You say they do not respect the springtime of youth?" His voice was trembling.
"Uh, well-"
"I will hear no more!" Gai cut him off. He stood straight, with his arms out, elbows bent at a right angle, with his fists clenched. Fire burned in his eyes.
"Feel the wrath of the springtime of youth!" The two chuunins looked at each other, fear etched into their expressions. It took less than a few seconds before Gai had floored them. However, in his excitement, he hadn't fully realized his victory and continued unabated by their obvious defeat.
"Gai, I think that's enough." Kakashi stopped him before Konoha's population would decrease.
"I'm sorry Kakashi, but you know how it is. I get so emotional when people discriminate against the springtime of youth. They are just so ignorant!" He complained, now somewhat teary eyed. Anko now found her legs could no longer support her, despite having Kakashi to lean on. Before she could fall to the side, Kakashi had already manoeuvred himself to catch her.
"Why are you guys here?" she choked out, the pain having not lightened up.
"It is simple: the springtime of youth brought us here!" Gai so coherently explained. She looked up at Kakashi. He closed his eye smiling and made a peace sign.
"We were just racing through the streets of Konoha and came across you. Gai, I think we're going to have to call this off." With that, a new wave of pain pulsed through her body. She promptly lost consciousness.
She woke up in initially unfamiliar, white surroundings only then to recognise it as a room at the hospital. A nurse was looking over her, with a clip board in hand.
"Oh, you're awake. Well, that's good news." She beamed at her.
"How the hell did I get here?" She asked, still quite dazed. The pain had subsided for now.
"Two gentlemen brought you over." She motioned her hand to the shelf next to the bed. "They were even sweet enough to leave you a card." Anko looked over to her right. Indeed, there was a card, with a rose at the front. She picked it up and opened it.
To Anko
Dear the most youthful Mitarashi Anko
Get Well Soon
I wish you a speedy recovery so you may return as soon as possible to enjoy your youth
Gai overdid it
Kakashi, you do not make full use of the youth which you have been blessed with!
She could guess who had said what; scrawled on the other half of the inside was a peace sign and a thumbs up.
"Anyone special?" The nurse asked cheerfully and cheekily. Anko smirked, holding the card close to her chest.
"Just my knights in shining armour."
Author's Note: I thought of the title first and then the story. Blame the title.