A/N: This is a random drabble. It was supposed to be about a character I created, but it turned into a Kakashi drabble. Oh well. We luvers our Kakashi, yes?
"Who goes there?" The guard called. Out in the rain, say about twenty feet away, a figure could be seen, along with a large hulk next to them. The wind whipped around the cloaked figure, causing them to draw the soaked covering closer.
"I say again, who's there?" The guard's eyes strained to peer through the darkness. At last the hulk slowly turned into a wagon and horse; no great cause for alarm.
"I mean no harm." The scarf that the guard could see wrapped around the lower face muffled the words, almost causing them to be snatched away, but somehow they managed to pierce the howling wind. One tanned hand and arm were revealed from amidst the folds of cloth bearing a letter.
The guard took the paper, pulling it close. His eyes scanned over it quickly before he handed it back. "I suggest you find shelter quickly." He shouted, stepping out of the way.
Once the appendage was safely inside the cloak again, the figure bowed to the guard, moving forward. The cark creaked as the horse strained in the harness, hauling the contraption through the mud. Cobalt blue eyes peered out from under the hood, scanning the empty streets. Even animals were not out on a night such as this; the only sound above the torrent was the nicker of the horse and creak of the wagon.
Wandering until they found the now empty Uchiha clan compound, the stranger's feet led them inside, taking refuge in one of the more rundown houses. The horse neighed, shaking its head emphatically. A light laugh emanated from the figure as they walked over and patted the creature. "I couldn't agree more. This is a blasted awful night."
The sun shone bright the next morning, revealing a very wet Konoha. Water dripped from all the trees, bushes, and buildings. Small rivers were still making their ways down the streets, but everyone seemed in good moods. Except for the unfortunate traveler…
"Look at this! Look at it!" A frustrated voice rose from the Uchiha complex, followed by the sound of something being savagely thrown against a wall. "I hate wagons!" The feminine voice rose in pitch, as well as aggravation.
People wondered; people stared. People even got so bold as to peek into the compound; but no one dared go closer to actually see what it was. For wasn't, they all whispered, the Uchiha compound abandoned? Why was there a voice there? Perhaps a ghost, they wondered to themselves and their neighbors as they went about their daily business.
Even as Kakashi strolled through the street reading and ignoring all he couldn't help but overhear the gossip. A ghost in Konoha? Surely not. He snapped his book shut, waving good morning as he approached a pair of elderly ladies who did his laundry for him. Being a bachelor did have it's downfalls after all, one of which was lacking the drive to do his own laundry. So, thanks to his Jounin pay, and seeing as these two didn't charge overly much, he had them do it for him whenever the ratio of times he'd worn everything to number of clothes he owned got out of hand. "Good morning." He greeted, stowing the book in his pouch, browsing over their selection of fruits for sale.
"Good morning to you too Kashi!" The younger of the two, Chinatsu, greeted him brightly. Poor old thing; deafer than a post at times, she had misheard him at their first meeting and got his name wrong. The silver-haired shinobi just didn't have the heart to correct her.
"KAkashi, Chinatsu. Good morning KAkashi." Her older sister, Jun, corrected as she filled a container with the best of their offerings.
"That's what I said!" Chinatsu cried, sniffing indignantly.
Kakashi chuckled; it was always like this.
Jun held the container out. "There you are Kakashi." When he started to protest her eyes narrowed. "Is our food not good enough for you?" She demanded.
"No, that's not-"
"Now you just be good boy and take it, you hear? We won't have you starving yourself for the sake of being 'cool'. And I won't hear of you paying us for it, you do enough for us; you deserve it. There's enough in there so as to last you the whole day, so you won't have an excuse not to eat."
In the face of her onslaught, the poor Jounin had no choice but to accept it humbly. "You're very kind."
"The very best, of course!" Chinatsu, having thought he asked 'what kind' launched into a list of what was in it, finishing with a proud smile. "So you'll grow big and strong."
"He didn't ask WHAT kind, he said it was VERY kind!" Jun scolded her younger sister yet again.
Kakashi chuckled, smiling broadly beneath his black mask. They were such dear old ladies; a daily reminder of why he worked so hard to protect this village. "Thank you both very much, I'm sure it's delicious!" Kakashi waved again as he left their stall, heading back down the street on which he'd come. He was just passing the entrance to the old Uchiha clan residence when something small shot out, nothing more than a blur as it dodged through his legs.
"BLUE!" came an aggravated yell as a young woman sprinted out of the entrance. There was a cry of "Look out!" as she twisted desperately to avoid the inevitable impact.
"Are you alright?"
A voice rang in her ears; the female groaned, prying her eyes open. Everything was blurry, but slowly it came into focus. White hair, mask, black eye, and shinobi vest greeted her groggy gaze. "W-what happened?" Her voice was scratchy; it felt like she hadn't had something to drink in ages.
"I'm afraid you fell and hit your head. You've been out for about ten minutes." He responded politely, helping her to sit up.
"Forgive me. I don't usually run into people like that." She laughed lightly, rubbing the bump on the back of her head.
The easy-going shinobi dismissed it, waving her apology off. "It's quite alright. Where do you live? I'll take you back."
The obsidian haired woman accepted his offer. "Thank you. It's right over here." Once on her feet she led him inside the compound, stopping in front of the house she had chosen as her temporary place of residence. "This is it. Thank you very much for everything. Really, I'm terribly sorry about the whole running into you thing." She bowed her head apologetically.
Kakashi smiled, shaking his head. "Not a problem. Here – if you promise to be more careful in the future, I'll give you some fruit."
The woman began to protest, but when she looked up from the fruit found that he had gone already. "He's an odd fellow…" She murmured, turning and retreating inside.
Kakashi couldn't help chuckling a little too himself; how easy that had been! Chinatsu and Jun were dear old things, but they always insisted on giving him some fruit for the day so he wouldn't starve on his missions; it was his day off! He probably should've remembered to inform his kids of that little fact. … Oh well. They'd figure it out sooner or later.
His hand slid into his pouch, pulling out his constant companion, Make-Out Tactics. He slowly, lazily meandered down the street, once more ignoring all around him. Once in front of the familiar building, Ponyohou by name, he entered inside, the alluring aroma of baked goods filling his nostrils. He quietly slid into his usual seat, crossing his left leg over his right, his right hand resting lightly in his lap.
"You're late."
He was brought out of his book-reading trance by Kaede's familiar voice and the smell of muffins on the table. The Jounin snapped his book shut, peering down at the wonders of baking. "My day off." He said simply, savoring the smell. Ah! He did so enjoy his days off.