Pairing: Kakanaru eventually perhaps some other pairings mentioned along the way.
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and alcohol use
Disclaimer: All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. Also, song is "Nobody Knows" by Faces.
Notes/Warnings: un-betaed.
Being the little runt that was always dressed in orange and acting like a complete dolt took the energy right out of me. I mean, how stupid can one boy be? I scoffed at myself. Currently I was lying (more like tossed down) onto my brown colored couch. Well, Naruto's. So I suppose actually the Hokage's, by extension. My cerulean eyes swept around the room, then landed on my knees. I needed to get a shower and change. I reeked and the orange needed to go away before it leeched into my retinas. Besides, it was time for my weekly report to the Hokage's office.
Peeling off the gross clothing, I tossed it in the washing machine, started that, and then moved into the shower. Sighing, I let the liquid pour over my petite frame. I washed my hair, my body. With a yawn and stretch I turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Still tired, yet oddly refreshed, I walked to the closet and kneeled down. Pulling open a trap door, I grabbed the clothing lying within. Really, I don't see why Sandaime had to play the joke on me and assign my color to be that horrid shade of orange. I swear I wear it no matter what, unless there's a funeral to attend. I yanked the clothing out of the hidden compartment and shook it out. Sighing as I looked at the less vibrant, yet still orange jacket and pants, I tossed them onto the bed, pulling out other clothes.
Pulling on boxers, then the pants, the boots with armor on them already; then the metal fishnet shirt, his black undershirt, armor over that, and finally the horrid orange jacket; I frowned, looking at myself in the mirror. Two more things to do; I took two long strips of linen, tying one securely around my waist, using it as a make-shift belt; the other was tied around my face, creating a mask, and then crossed behind my head to tie up the majority of my hair. Chunks of blond stuck out of the hasty wrapping job, but I couldn't be bothered to fix it. Finally, I took a ceramic mask and yanked it over my head, then vanished in a puff of smoke.
-----
Nobody comes and nobody goes,
No one is happy, and no one has woes.
Everything lasting, ever the same,
Nothing is ending, nothing can change.
-----
"Hey, Kotetsu, have you seen whether Keiko's come in or not?" A snigger followed the inquiry.
"Why haven't ya tried picking the lock? Ya say yer a ninja, but ya don't act like one." A sluggish smirk spread over his features and he ran a scarred hand through onyx hair. Okay, so perhaps he was slightly drunk on the job. Izumo just frowned at his coworker and friend. He turned back and fiddled with the doorknob once more. He sighed, stepping away from the plain dark wood door, fingers trailing off. His fingertips were just barely leaving the knob when it jiggled, making Izumo jump, then spin around, ready to defend himself. The door opened, revealing a white and crimson mask, orange, brown, the silver glow of armor, and tufts of blond hair. Immediately, Izumo fell back a step and bowed deeply.
"Hontokage-sama, welcome back." The intensity of the cerulean gaze that pierced everything in the room as it darted around even made the drunken lackey of the Sandaime Hokage sit up straight and blink in a dazed manner. After a quick surveillance of the room, the azure eyes locked back on Izumo's bent form.
"Hmph. It's silly to call me such a professional sounding name," he plowed through the slight protest of Izumo and his continued bow, "And in any case, you're only here to supply me with information and weapons. It doesn't matter to me what we call each other, call me "Baka" for all I care." He blinked as the older man (well, older than him) seemed flustered, attempting to scrape something coherent from the inside of his skull, perhaps trying to sound intelligent to him. Plus, he was still bowing while sputtering out words, trying to ask for his forgiveness. He let loose a ragged sigh.
"Straighten up, get my weapons, my information, and let me in to see the Sandaime. We'll sit down and have a little heart-to-heart chat later." He turned his masked features away from Hokage's servants, watching the clumsy and jerky movement of the drunkard and the forever-faithful follower, taking his packs when they were handed to him. Slowly, his fingers worked buckles and straps as he hooked the packs onto his clothing. Once he was finished, he noticed the shorter (and soberer) one standing at attention, facing him.
"Hontokage-sama, I regret to inform you that the Sandaime has sent us no informati—"
"Wha—you checked the right…" The voice of the drunken one seeped into the formal speech, but then trailed off when the blue eyes landed on his form. He, smartly, stayed silent. The other cleared his throat.
"As I was saying, the Sandaime sent us no information regarding any sort of mission for you; I suggest you speak with him directly on this matter." The masked boy's eyes slowly traced their way back to the short one during his talking, a swift nod was given. Izumo flicked his wrist, giving him the signal that he could enter the Hokage's office, then a small displacement of air; the orange-clad boy was gone.
-----
The good lord always has been,
Always will be ever the same.
And confusion mixed with illusion
All years only turn again
With one and one hundred names
Had all the rooms, our key is to change.
-----
He watched the Sandaime as he filled out forms, ink dripping, smearing, creating kanji and other symbols, perhaps just checking boxes for more supplies, going through paperwork as quickly as he could. Azure eyes watched this happen from the ceiling. He had been standing there for the past ten minutes without detection. Really, he wasn't suppressing his chakra that much, someone could still sense him if they were looking. He blinked, and then stopped the steady flow of chakra to his feet, twisting his small form into a tucked position, spiraling and landing in a crouch on the old man's desk. He glanced up.
"You should become more aware of your surroundings, Hokage-sama. I don't wish to see any ill befall you." He reached up with a hand, removing the porcelain mask. He jumped back, landing soundlessly on the floorboards. He blinked at his fellow Kage, and then bowed deeply. A chuckle rose from the recovered man.
"I have to admit, that did surprise me. I knew you were near, though I couldn't pinpoint you; perhaps I'm losing my touch in my old age." A smile rose from both people in the room, though the boy's was covered by a mask of linen.
"In any case, how is it going, Keiko? The missions aren't too much trouble, are they, I mean, with that team." The blue eyes blinked, as if trying to comprehend the hidden meaning behind the words.
"If you believe that I do not think highly of that team, you should know better. I enjoy the time I spend with my team, even if I do sometimes wish I could just do away with the Uchiha. I hear whispers of 'prodigy' from nearly everyone, yet all I see is an arrogant bastard." He spoke evenly, in a hushed tone that would scare most, knowing that most that are subdued are liable to explode at any moment. Though, the Sandaime did seem surprised that he swore.
"Now, now, don't be too heavy handed on the boy. Not everyone can meet your set of standards. Besides, we're not here to gossip like old ladies, or even young ones for that matter." He cleared his throat, looking pointedly at his mask.
"I was told I have no missions. Don't you think that Sand could use a helping hand right now?" The old man shook his head and sighed.
"No, Sand is quite alright on its own. They will choose to either report to us where the missing Sannin, Orochimaru is; or they will cause problems in the future. Neither can be helped, but we mustn't show that we have our Hontokage on the job. It might look as if we're spying into their trade routes and such." He smiled.
"Instead, I will be assigning 'your' team some D-ranked missions tomorrow. I just wished to check in with you." The azure eyes disappeared behind the mask once more, a small nod given to the Kage.
"Understood." A displacement of air and he vanished, returning to his home to get ready for a new day.