Okay, so I started a Naruto story, but I lost inspiration REALLY fast… So, I made this! Strangely, I'm way more into this one… maybe because I've always wanted to do slash? I'm going with that!

""- spoken/ normal

''-thoughts

Most mornings for Umino Kisuke were average. At least, they were average for him.

He would wake up at 4:30 sharp. He would put on his standard uniform; black pants, mesh tank top, one sleeved jacket, skull necklace, shinobi headband, and bandages on his left arm to hide the markings. He would line his eyes with black, put in his lip ring and make sure his black nail polish hadn't chipped off.

At 5:15 he would wake up his cousin, Iruka. Kisuke would then go downstairs to the kitchen and make breakfast and lunches for his 3 sisters and Iruka. Once his cousin was downstairs, he would go back up to the bedrooms and wake his sisters.

First the oldest, Megami. She would have a start, and then groggily drag herself out of bed. Then the middle, Tamashi. She would moan and groan until she rolled onto the floor, fully waking her up with a bruised nose. Finally, he would wake the youngest, Orihime. She would be awake immediately, full of life and a big smile on her face.

Kisuke would go back downstairs and share a quiet cup of coffee with Iruka until the three orange haired sisters would tumble down the stairs, carrying on as young girls will. Breakfast is a loud affair. Finally the girls would be off with Iruka to the ninja academy, but not before each of them kissed their brother on the cheek and told him to have a good day and that they loved him. Kisuke would then clean up and be off to get assigned a mission.

On this particular day, however, most of the jonin were being kept in the village. This was because of the graduating ninja academy students, all of whom were becoming genin. Most free days Kisuke had he would spend sketching or wandering and bothering anyone who seemed fit to bother. Most free days like this he would have gone home catch up on sleep. But today Kisuke couldn't shake something.

All of the ghosts and spirits of the village were uneasy.

Kisuke sighed. He didn't particularly want to spend the next few hours praying and calming spirits so they didn't start trouble; but it was his job, and he hated to be a bad role model to his sisters. Kisuke sighed again and trudged off to the Hero's Monument. He would try to make quick work of his prayer so he could go home and sleep peacefully. A little breeze blew his orange and black-dyed locks around his sheet white face. His eyes glinted in the sunlight with a strange melancholy glimmer. He adjusted his huge sword on his back. From afar, he seemed like an older man, but in all actuality he was only 25. His feet dragged with that of a man who has lived most of his life in sadness, one tragedy after another. Inside, Kisuke felt like he had. He felt like an old man. He sighed heavily and kept walking

Kisuke looked up as he approached the monument with a slight frown. There was someone already there. From the back, it was some old guy with weird hair that stuck up at a weird angle. He was a shinobi, although he figured he had to be a jonin. Kisuke straightened up a little and strode over until he was next to him.

"Praying for lost ones..?" He asked in his soft voice.

"Maa, you could say that," the man replied in an easy, cool tone. Kisuke glanced at him. He had a mask over the lower part of his face, and his headband covered his left eye. The orange haired shinobi recognized this immediately.

"And may I guess you are Hatake Kakashi, famed Copy-Ninja..?" Kisuke asked in the same voice, kneeling down to begin his prayers.

"Only if I can guess you're Umino Kisuke, famed exorcist." Hatake Kakashi said back in the same easy tone.

"I'm humbled that someone of your rank and reputation would call me famous, Hatake-senpai," Kisuke said respectfully, laying his hands upwards to the skies and closing his eyes.

"Some say your skills are unrivaled, Umino-san," Kakashi said. Kisuke detected a hint of sadness in his voice when he said that. He sat still for a while, and sensed faint spiritual essences floating around Kakashi.

"I don't mean to pry, but you seem to have some spectral baggage, Hatake-senpai," Kisuke said in a clamed, low voice. He heard the jonin laugh hollowly, and he barely nodded.

"Do you pray for them, Hatake-senpai?" Kisuke asked, taking in a deep breath. Phantoms had begun to pass in and out of his body, and after years of praying it still took his breath a little.

"Everyday…" Kakashi said emotionlessly. Kisuke could feel his gaze boring into his back. He stayed silent for a few seconds, pinpointing where exactly they were lingering in the silver haired man. In the typical place around the heart, but it was strong near the left side of his face. Kisuke recalled his senior having the sharingan, something that was shrouded in mystery. He asked Kakashi how often he used it. He replied with a short 'moderately.'

"They're agitated because of that, no doubt…" Kisuke muttered to himself. The he said a little louder,

"Your sharingan is connected to your ghosts, senpai. You may want to consider using it a little less and sending more happy thoughts to your lost ones. They're lingering around that more than anything else. Generally spirit energy pooling in one spot is caused by something they did out of love or trust. Send loving thoughts and the pain and nightmares will start to fade away." Kisuke opened his eyes and looked back at Kakashi. He was standing right over him with a puzzled look in his eye. Kisuke gave him a shy sideways smile.

"I don't need to be an exorcist to know when someone's hurting; only when they're being hurt by spirits." Kakashi looked taken aback from Kisuke's gentleness. Then he closed his eye and laughed a little.

"You're an expert on the heart, eh Umino-san?" Kisuke stood up and extended his pale hand.

"Please, senpai, call me Kisuke." Kakashi took his hand and squeezed it. Kisuke felt himself smile again. His face felt a little warm.

'Do I have a fever..?'

"Kakashi, Kisuke-san." Kisuke felt the smile get a little bigger. Kakashi let go of his hand.

"I need to get going," Kisuke said bashfully, remembering his plans to sleep. Kakashi nodded, moving so he could leave. Kisuke walked a little ways, and then looked over his shoulder.

"Kakashi-senpai..?" Kakashi was watching him, and he nodded.

"You said I'm an expert of the heart… When I can't even keep a boyfriend for a week…" Kisuke watched his reaction. He seemed indifferent, shrugging.

"Well, I'm sure you'll fix that, Kisuke-san."

Wow, okay, so I was editing and I JUST realized I needed to incorporate the title somewhere in the story… sorry if that part seems slapped in…

R&R and get a chapter dedicated to you!