Raison D'etre

by Clandestine Liaisons

AU. Modernish. The city of Kage is torn between prefectures, police, and gangs. Akatsuki is the biggest threat of all. Only one lone cop and a questionable member of a smaller uprising gang, the Oto, stand a chance at bringing them down.

1. Kismet

Authors Notes: This fanfic is a conjoined effort of Sephieyla J. Maxwell and Eithybean. AU, and main pairing of KakaKabu. This proves to be interesting... X3

Raison D'etre:

Noun.

1.Reason for being.

2.The purpose that justifies a thing's existence.

Chapter One: Kismet

To say that the city of Kage was large would be an understatement. In the past, it was said to have been ruled under one one man. Some say that he was a powerful Shogun, and others a terrible Emperor. The stories may differ, but one thing does not change, and that is the fact that whoever it was, expanded the land through his exploits and left it to his daimyo's to take care of. Instead of breaking into smaller cities like many other places had chosen to do, they had instead simply become smaller prefectures of the same massive city. There was Suna, Kiri, Ame, and last of all, Konoha. Konoha was one of the largest prefectures, said to be the resting place of the mysterious long ago shogun/emperor.

That said, Konoha's police force was also the strongest. This was due to the presence of the deeply-rooted Uchiha family, who's bloodline ran back to the very beginning of the original ruler's reign. They had served as assassins and guards then, and they had upheld their visage as police in present time. That was, until six years ago.

Peace had been unstable in the city of Kage for quite some time. Police forces became lax, and the more that they slacked, the more that the local gangs grew. For years, they had begun to form together. This led to the birth of one large gang, numbering in the thousands, which was named Akatsuki. Six years ago, they had first made themselves known. They spread themselves throughout the prefectures, working their way into the businesses that dominated the economy, and it wasn't long before they held more sway then the police themselves. Dirty cops were rampant now a days, an pay offs were building the gang's power.

At the very hight of their growth, it was Konoha's Uchiha family that struck back the hardest. Business in Konoha was controlled by the Uchiha's, and closely watched by them. As soon as the Akatsuki exerted their force, the Uchiha responded violently. The street and financial battles lasted for six weeks, with losses great on both sides. It wasn't until Akatsuki responded with a rare type of bio-chemical weapon that any tides changed. The chemical acted as a deadly poison to the old bloodline, giving the Akatsuki the advantage, and crippling the Uchiha beyond repair. Two days before the end of the ongoing, bloody battle, the head of the Uchiha family was assassinated.

Due to the massive sacrifice given by the Uchiha, Konoha remained relatively free of Akatsuki's grip. Their police force was strengthened, and they did not let the loss go to waste. Still moles were everywhere, and youth gangs patrolled the city, recruiting members and causing havoc. There were very few avid police men that faithfully upheld the laws these days.

Hatake Kakashi was such a man. His passionate hatred of gangs was deeply in bedded in his heart, having lost everyone important to him throughout his twenty-six years of life to gang violence. His name was a bane amongst gangs of Konoha, the native Kusa, and Akatsuki alike. The day the gun was placed into his hands in the name of the law was a day the gangs remembered grudgingly. Morals of a saint, and fist of an avenging angel. No mercy was given to those who crossed the laws, be it crooked cop or gang banger.

- - - - - - - -

Kakashi's partner was absent tonight. Asuma thought that the tip was fake, a false lead so that the criminals could create havoc in some other part of the city while they were stuck out here in the middle of the slums, at his huge, hulking brown-stone building. He sighed as he got out of his car, an undercover black car. He was dressed in blue jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, a leather jacket, and black boots, a patch covering his left eye. Of course, he had his guns underneath the jacket. He could see by the cars that people were here, as he closed in on the building, hand under his jacket. He heard a terrible scream--it sounded like a young male's—coming from the building. Lifting his eye patch, he narrowed both eyes. Back to the wall, he edged closer to the main door. With one strong kick, the metal groaned in protest, bending in with hinges broken, gun aimed ahead of him. Shots were fired before words were even exchanged. They had pulled their guns first...

"Konoha police! Drop your weapons! This is officer Hatake, and I will not hesitate to use force!" He shouted down the hall, ducking back out of the door as more shots were fired in his direction. Damn it! If only Asuma had come with him... Ducking back in, he swooped low, charging in with both guns blazing. Two more went down, and he reached the end of the hall.

Gunfire, shouting, running, it wasn't long before things were out of hand. He would have called for backup, but he was off the clock, and Konoha's station was getting less and less trustworthy. Cursing, he moved to the next room.

- - - - - - - -

He didn't manage to catch anyone, though the body count had gone up to five. Only three of them the cop had been the one to kill, though he had wounded others. Leave no one behind, as usual. That was Akatsuki for you... As the members were all struggling to leave the new room he'd burst into, he caught sight of what they had left. Curled up beside a chair there was a body. At first he thought it was one of their members, but he noticed the distinct lack of clothing, and the blood that was on him, some of it on the floor, and realized otherwise. Akatsuki was known for human trafficking, so for all he knew this was one of their unfortunate kidnap victims. The room empty, he ran over to him, feeling his pulse. Alive...Just unconscious. His silver hair covered his face, pale skin mottled with bruises and cuts as well as the marks of restraint on his pale, slender wrists and ankles.

With a sigh, he pulled out his cellphone. In this city, it did no good to involve the main station for "single matters" like this, and the boy wouldn't be safe in a hospital. After all, he might have seen some faces, and so they would be after him as soon as the officers left. Taking off his coat, he draped it over the boy and carried him outside. His face fell as he beheld his car, his poor car... The windows smashed, the interior had been set fire, and he stayed far away from it. He called his friend Raido, an ex-cop who was fired for gang-relations within Kusa. The man agreed to pick him up, taking him home where a friend of theirs who was the director of the hospital would make house calls. Much later, he thanked the blond woman that had come, promising to call her if anything changed, and he thanked Raido, promising not to get too involved again. Sighing, he sat on a chair beside the bed, looking to the bandaged boy laying there. Just what or who he had brought into his house, he didn't know, but... They would just have to find out.

He called the station at last, explaining to his chief directly what had gone down, and where to retrieve the bodies, if they were still there.

- - - - - - - -

The first thing Kabuto noticed was that he hurt.

He scrunched his eyes shut and hissed inwardly, tensing up again, then hissed out loud. He opened his eyes, but then closed them – it was too bright, and the light stung as well. The boy could vaguely feel that his glasses were off, and he wasn't exactly sure why… though that was probably connected to the fact that he hurt. Ah, but why did he hurt? Kabuto tried to think back.

He could remember shouts, and running. Then cars screeching and himself falling, being pushed down to the ground roughly. Kabuto tried harder, though his head throbbed. He winced. Yes, yes, there had been Akatsuki, that's what had happened. Oto and Akatsuki had gotten into a fight, and he hadn't been able to make it out before they jumped him. Kabuto licked his lips, them feeling dry and still a bit swollen, and sighed softly.

This wasn't the first time that he had ran into that kind of trouble, but that didn't mean he was comfortable with it. No, not at all.

He opened his eyes again, slowly, and did his best to keep them open this time. He squinted, the room very bright, and groaned softly. He couldn't see very well without his glasses, but Kabuto had a hunch that he didn't know this room.

And… what the hell… was he naked?!

He looked down, (also finally realizing that the light wasn't sun, but electric lights) and his eyes widened, gasping a bit. He was covered in bandages, and thankfully there was a blanket covering everything beneath his hips and legs.

Looking up finally, he blinked, pushing hair out of his eyes. Was that a… person? "H-Hello?"

Kakashi looked up from his book, his one dark eye widening as he set it aside. The patch was back over the red one again. He gave a smile, "Ohh, you're awake. I don't know what kind of trouble you got yourself into, young man, but I just want you to know that I didn't take you to a hospital, but I have notified the police... We, eh, found... substances on your skin that could lead to dna matches and..." He stopped, blinking. "Are you all right?"

Kabuto blinked, rubbing at his eyes. "Ah.. um.. I... hurt?" He said softly, finally noticing that he was with a cop. Ah. Shit. The badge was right there on his shirt, all shiny and great to see. If he found out that he was with Oto... that would be bad. But of course, he wouldn't have to find that out. Kabuto would just use his hospitality, get better, and then take off. "And I'm sorry, I can't see, they must have crushed my glasses." Kabuto sighed a little, frowning as he ran over the earlier incidents of the night.

"Oh, yeah... I didn't notice if they were laying around." Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head. "So, kid, do you have a name?" Stood up, taking off his holster and guns, along with his badge, setting them all aside. Grabbed a pen and a small note pad, sitting back down and looking at the boy again. "Name and age, please. I have to put you in my report, if anything. Don't worry, it'll be completely confidential... Also, if you could tell me what happened, and if there is any family I can notify..." All business all of the sudden.

"Yakushi Kabuto, seventeen," Kabuto muttered, trying to make out objects in the room without his glasses. And, dammit, his spare pair had been in his clothes, which they had obviously burned or shredded. "Uh, no family, and they just jumped me." He shrugged, knowing that if he mentioned one of the gang members that would be a risky move. Kabuto could contact one of them soon enough, and when he was let out, he could go meet up. They all liked him, anyways. "And, officer, I'm sure from seeing me earlier, you have a good idea of what happened." Kabuto deadpanned.

"A...ah." The older man agreed, pointing to a bigger notepad. "I had my doctor friend look you over earlier, she's the one who fixed you up. She wrote me a full report on everything she could tell was done, and she brought me the proper things to keep the samples in. I'm sorry that this happened to you, Kabuto was it? The gang that had you was called the Akatsuki, and they're known for doing things like this. Whether it's recruiting, having fun, or selling you into illegal slavery over seas... they grab you right off the street. It's alright if you don't want to talk about it, but... Would you like me to bring charges out on them? Can you remember any descriptions?" He was still talking a mile a minuet, not even looking at Kabuto.

Kabuto shrugged, only half listening as this cop talked. He looked around the room, blinking and squinting to focus on things, and frowned. Now that he was sitting up his bearings were coming back to him, but he still felt tired. And hurt. But that would only be fixed with time. "Ah, from what I've heard, officer, Akatsuki's slippery? I think? I... don't know exactly who attacked me... one of them... was tall and stocky, with black hair, and the other had white hair. That's... all I remember," He frowned, trying to look pitiful, "I'm sorry, officer."

Oh, he pulled off the innocent and pitiful look all too well. Kakashi found himself feeling bad for suddenly pushing this all of on the 'poor boy'. "I'm sorry, this is much too soon. I don't know what I was thinking." Set the pen and pad aside, rubbing the back of his head again. "My name is Hatake Kakashi, and well, I'm an officer... You'd be better off to stay here for a few days until they stop looking in hospitals for you, if that's alright with you." He stood up. "Uh, um... Would you like anything to eat?"

"It's fine, I know you officers need your answers," Kabuto said, watching Kakashi as he stood. "Ah, um, yes, food would be nice, sir." Staying for a few days would be alright. If he could use this Kakashi's computer he could contact Orochimaru, and then erase the data. Right, that was a good plan. Besides, this was free food, and the cop didn't seem annoying. Kabuto looked down, sighing a bit at his state. He looked underweight (he knew he was) and the bruises covering his pale skin didn't make it look any nicer.

"Alright! Uh... is takeout alright with you?" He asked, looking sheepish as he smiled. The kid just looked so... helpless. The boy was very cute and polite, this was going to be a fun week, the cop thought to himself. "There's a few places near here that deliver, and... I don't really want to leave you alone just yet. Oh! And if you get depressed over this, and start thinking of something stupid like suicide, just tell me and I'll come in and smack you out of it." Kakashi said with a smile. "I know how gang victims can feel, believe me. It happened to a friend of mine, used to be a cop...Eh, but you probably don't care about that. What would you like to eat?" He asked again, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Takeout would be fine, thanks!" Kabuto smiled, "But, um, before you go to order it, is it possible I could... get some clothes?" He looked down, hoping a blush would surface. Good, it did. "I just... if it would be possible, I'd really like some." Kabuto laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

Kakashi nearly lost it for a moment. Oh, lord. Maybe Raido should have stayed just so that he didn't end up jumping the boy. That blush was nearly irresistible. "I-I... I have some clean clothes you can look through! A-anything in my dresser--oh, no wait! You shouldn't get up yet!" He waved his hands, going to his dresser and pulling out various clothing, dumping them all onto the bed. "I-I'll just go and get that food now..." He said, leaving the room quickly.

Kabuto smirked as soon as Kakashi was gone, and chuckled softly to himself. He had never been with a cop before - were they all this easy to fool? Once again, Kabuto was thankful that he looked small, pretty, and innocent. Good perks for him, and especially with his lifestyle. The boy turned, wincing a bit, and picked out the smallest pair of boxers he could find, along with pants. They were still a bit big, but not terribly so, and he didn't mind wearing large shirts either. Finally he was clothed, and he stood in the middle of the room, wishing for a hair tie as he waited.

Kakashi could be heard on the phone, ordering the food. Then he seemed to call his precinct, and between his explaining his absence to his boss there was shouting from the phone. After a while, he hung up and sighed, sitting on the couch and resting his head in his hands. He knew very well what he was getting in to, but... he couldn't help it. This was his job, wasn't it? To help those in need, and not let these gangs run everything.. Getting up again, he came back into his room. Putting on a smile again, his voice was cheerful. "Oh, good, you found something... Food will be here soon... Is there anything else you need?"

"Um, did you find my clothes?" Kabuto suddenly asked, back to shy and helpless mode. He brought a hand up to his face, rubbing at his eyes. "I have… very strong nearsightedness, so I can't see very well. They smashed my glasses, but I keep an extra pair in my pocket, so if you found my clothes they'd be in there…" He hoped they had found them, for the strain was beginning to give him a headache. "Oh, and if I could have a hair tie, I'd really appreciate that, sir."

"Oh, right!" He turned and went to the bedside drawer, opening a evidence bag and rummaging through it. He brought out the glasses and handed them over. "Hair tie, hair tie...Oh!" He rushed to the bathroom connected to the bedroom, digging through a bottom drawer. "Ah-ha!" He brought out a few hair ties. "I knew I had some somewhere around here... They were my ex--" He stopped, handing them over. "..My ex's."

"Ah," Kabuto said softly, patting Kakashi's hand with fake sympathy. "I'm sorry. If you don't want me to use them, then that's alright." He smiled, thanking him for his glasses as well, and slipped them on. Ah, that was much better. "What kind of food did you order anyways, Mr. Hatake?"

"Oh, call me Kakashi. And it's alright, you can use them. He's not coming back." Kakashi said, turning and heading for the living room. "I got Chinese... is that okay? I didn't think to ask. I've got some movies, some games... I know, I'm much to old to have as many games as I do, but I do. Oh, you can touch anything but that." He pointed to the lower shelf of a DVD rack that was covered. "Well, that's private." He seemed to blush a little, he wasn't used to explaining that to people as he scratched his cheek, averting his gaze.

"Okay, Kakashi." Kabuto smiled, trying to make it genuine. Though... he found he didn't really have to try with this man. He was nice. Kabuto pulled his hair back, wrapping the tie securely around his hair, and followed Kakashi into the living room. "Chinese is fine, thank you," Kabuto said, trying to make sure he was polite. "And um, a movie would be fine." However, his eyes glanced down to the lower rack, and he smirked. "Are you hiding something from me, Kakashi?" Kabuto purred, without meaning to.

"Wha--no! I mean, it's--I'm not a pervert or anything! It's normal, isn't it? It's just a little! It's not like I have some giant stash of porn under there or anything...!" He waved his hand, but gave up, rubbing the back of his head again. "But, er, you're a guy so you should understand... right?" The cop asked, with a bit of a grin on his face. This kid was so cute. "Hey.." He blinked at him, "you look a lot different with your hair up and those glasses on. Not like the type they'd normally catch, unless they caught you with it down... Do you go to college around here?"

Kabuto nodded. "Yeah, I understand, I'm a guy." He laughed, humoring Kakashi, but then wondered what kind of porn he had. Kabuto personally was gay, or at least, he was pretty sure he was, since the women he had met were annoying and troublesome. If he was needed to seduce a woman though, he would, but Kabuto wasn't sure if it would be easy. "U-um... Yeah, I do go to college." How did Kakashi know that?

"I thought so. You just look like the scholar type--no offense." He said, sitting down on the couch. Put his foot up on the coffee table, leaning back. "I know it may feel weird staying with a cop for a few days, but it really is the best thing... Some of the guys at the station, they can't be trusted, you know? And besides, I know how it is with... I hate to sound forward, but it's evident you were sexually assaulted, and the hospitals can really traumatize you when that happens..." There was a seemingly pained look in Kakashi's visible dark eye.

Kabuto laughed, sitting down on the couch next to Kakashi as well. "I don't mind staying with you, Kakashi, you're nice." He made a small face of surprise though, opening his mouth and raising an eyebrow, "But all cops aren't like you? That must be terrible then.. I mean, you're my only example of what police are like... I'd hate to think about what the others could be like." He sighed, but took note of the strange look in Kakashi's eye, saving it for later. It was almost too easy to play this man. Kabuto began to get suspicious.

Yes, Kakashi had his own suspicions. He did want to keep Kabuto from getting hurt, but what better way to keep someone of interest close than in your own house? "I have a computer over there if you need to contact school, and my phone is there." He was pointing with his finger. All together it was a pretty nice place. Right when you came in the door there was a closet to your right, and a kitchen to the left. Straight ahead was the living room, and off of that was the bedroom, which the bathroom was connected to. "It's a pretty big place, considering it's the city. I have a balcony, but you might want to stay inside. Not that I'm forcing you... you're free to go at any time, Kabuto. As soon as you do, I'll submit those samples I got from your attackers as evidence."

"Thanks," Kabuto said, and sat back a bit more. "Well, if you want to watch a movie, I'm fine with that." He watched Kakashi a bit more, trying not to frown as he was suspicious. Why was he being so nice to him? Wouldn't he be suspicious of why Kabuto had been attacked by Akatsuki? It didn't make sense. "Um, actually, I'm going to go contact school, and tell them I'll be out for a few days. Thanks." Kabuto got up, walking over to the computer. He frowned at the screen, glad Kakashi couldn't see him now.

Opening up a fresh e-mail, he wrote one to Orochimaru, telling him about how everything had happened, how Hidan and Kakuzu of Akatsuki had attacked him, how he was here with this cop, and how he was acting, especially how Kakashi was treating him. That he would be out in about a week, that was the estimate he was giving for his injuries, and that he would behave himself. Kabuto then asked if he needed to do anything while he was here, and signed his name before sending. Closing everything up, he walked back to Kakashi, who had started a movie, and sat next to him. "What are you watching?"

Kakashi smiled, tossing him the remote. "Nothing important. You can watch what you want. I really should call my friend who brought us here, so that he can bitch me out for another hour..." He said, standing up and picking up the phone. "If the food comes, I'll be out on the balcony. Money is in my wallet." Smirked a little. "And I know how much is in there, so don't try anything." Said as he slipped outside.

Kabuto frowned at Kakashi's leaving, but nodded anyways, holding fast onto the remote. He could do this fine, but... he didn't watch TV much. What did scholarly like college kids watch, again? He sighed, and settled for just leaving it on the channel Kakashi was watching, which was some random soap. He had been sitting there for about ten minutes, not exactly watching, when his eyes slid back to the computer. It wouldn't be bad to check now, would it? Kabuto clicked open his email, pleased to see that Orochimaru had written him back so swiftly. The boy smiled. Orochimaru said he was glad to see that he was alright, and that Oto would conduct an attack on Akatsuki soon, he would be avenged and all. Though... his orders...

[Though I worry about the danger it could bring, I believe it is our best interest for you to seduce the man to our side. I don't care how you do it, but get it done. I won't accept failure, as you well know. Be it money, power, or simple pleasure he wants, I'm counting on you. You are the best person for this job, as your skills in reading others are nothing short of excellent. We cannot waste this opportunity to snatch this man up before Akatsuki kills him, or worse, takes him into their own.

--Orochimaru

Kabuto swallowed as he typed his response. Of course he said that he would - but he didn't want to get all into it so quickly. Which, thankfully, Orochimaru knew. Kabuto noticed that the older man had already seemed to be affected, so it shouldn't be too hard. He would try the bashful approach. Sending his email and closing it down again, Kabuto walked to the counter, picking up Kakashi's wallet. He flipped through it, unsurprised to see member cards to various porn stores. It was then that the doorbell rang, and he opened it, paid for the food with a small tip, and brought the food in. Kabuto walked over to the balcony and knocked on the door, pointing to the food.

Kakashi smiled over his shoulder, giving a nod. He quickly ended his conversation with the person before he came in, seeming a little flustered. "You know, I swear if one more person tells me that I'm in over my head, I'm going to flip." He said as he sat down on the couch, taking the boxes out of the bag and setting them out. "This isn't the first time I've dealt with the gangs, and it won't be the last. I got a tip last night about this one, though. I have no idea who my informant is, but he got my number from somewhere... You're just... the first one I've found alive. My partner's going to be pissed too. Tch. Like I'm a kid or something..." Kakashi ranted, picking up his chopsticks and grabbing one of the boxes.

"How could you be in over your head?" Kabuto asked, after nodding sympathetically to Kakashi's rant. Which... he really didn't care about. He tilted his head to the side as Kakashi talked, and picked up one of the boxes as well, pleased to find that he liked the contents. Kakashi had gotten two glasses of soda - Kabuto wasn't sure what kind, but he liked it, and so dinner was good. And, as much as he had to seduce this Kakashi person, Kabuto was a little interested in him. He didn't seem like the typical cop.

"Well, you see... I used to be stationed in gang relations... but I ran into a bit of trouble when someone I was close to was... was used against me. So I was re-stationed after that. It was all Akatsuki, so I suppose you could say I have a grudge against them. Everyone thinks they'll kill me, but they haven't been able to yet." He got a bit of a smirk, looking rather confident.

Kabuto laughed, "You should be careful, still," He said, pointing his chopsticks at him for effect. "I can't have you killed, Kakashi, where would I stay?" And he smiled, trying to look as endearing as possible. "I'm glad you're safe, anyways." Well, he hated Akatsuki, so that would definitely work, now the tricky part was getting him to like Oto. And if he liked Kabuto, it should work smoothly...

Kakashi was stunned into silence for a moment. Kabuto was... counting on him. It made his chest puff a little, and he tried to give an even more reassuring smile, though really it was just a bit happy. "Oh, don't worry about me! You're the one I was worried about! Akatsuki has some sick fetish's sometimes... I've seen what they do to people, both those that do and don't survive. Who knows what they would have done if I hadn't come in when I did..." He said, picking at his food, and eating some.

"They would have probably killed me," Kabuto said, deadpanning slightly, "I mean, isn't that what gangs do?" He sighed, looking back down to get another bite. This food really was good.. he hadn't eaten in a day or so. "I mean, after they had their way with me, I was expecting them to kill me." Kabuto tapped his chopsticks on his chin, swallowing. "Er, or they said they would." He laughed apologetically, "I'm sorry, Kakashi, I really don't remember."

"No, no, that's perfectly alright! That's why I said I didn't want to involve the hospital and the police and all. Too many questions. It's just a bad memory for me I guess. It looks like I found you before they got too far into it, that's the important thing, right? Though I have to say... you've been pretty strong so far. I think a lot of people would have broken down already. Like I said, if you get depressed, tell me. If you want to cry, I can hold you, or I can leave you alone." He said, and he didn't look at him while he said this, showing that he meant it. "You're a guy. A lot of guys don't want to be held or cry, but I'm telling you that it's okay... So don't hold back." The cop ate some more of his food.

Kabuto blinked at Kakashi, pausing. He put his chopsticks down on the table, as well as his Chinese food, and reached over to take Kakashi's hand in one of his. The boy bit his lip softly, and then smiled. "Kakashi, if I need to cry or be held, I'll definitely tell you." And with that he let go of his hand and went back to eating, his eyes anywhere but the cop's face. Not that Kabuto ever expected himself to need to be held or cry. He was tough. He didn't get upset over being beaten or abused. No, he wouldn't need Kakashi. All he needed to do was seduce him, and that was it.

Kakashi smiled, feeling accomplished. As long as the kid knew he could count on him. He didn't want a repeat of what happened to his lover... He ate quickly, foot on the coffee table again. That being said, in all aspects... his apartment was a mess. Big as it was, things were in piles. Magazines, old ramen cups, books, and various other things. There was one picture frame that was near the phone, but it was face down.

Studying his body language, Kabuto nearly sighed. Something was bothering the cop. And... as much as he was supposed to play the bashful and innocent idiot, Kabuto wanted to know what was wrong. The boy put down his food and moved closer on the couch, putting a hand on Kakashi's arm. "You know," He said softly, looking up into Kakashi's eyes, "That deal goes vice versa, you know. The whole held and crying thing. It would be rude of me just to get the good side of that." Wait, what the hell was he saying? Kabuto couldn't pull back, and he couldn't shake his head at himself - but he would later, oh yes he would. He didn't mean anything he said here, he was just disoriented from being jumped. Right.

Kakashi blinked, glancing from the younger boy's hand on his arm, to his face. Was he serious? That was...sweet. Smiling, he laughed it off. "Thank you...Kabuto." He said, sticking his chopsticks into his box of food and placing his hand over the silver-haired teen's. Tilted his head when he heard the clicking of nails on a tiled floor, then smiled a little as he glanced over his shoulder to the kitchen as the little brown pug came racing over. "Pakkun! You must have finally smelled the food and woken up, huh?" He asked the barking dog, who scampered over to the couch to begin begging, trying to jump up on it. "Kabuto, this is... Kabuto?" He blinked, noticing the boy's expression.

"You're welcome," He offered with a small, (hopefully) fake smile. Was it fake? Yes, he was sure it was. There was no other reason for him to be nice to this cop besides the fact that he was under orders to seduce him. However... Kabuto's eyes widened and he blinked down at the animal, sitting stiffly now. Oh, he had a dog. A filthy little dog. A fat dog. A smelly dog. He frowned, trying not to seem too disgusted. "I... didn't know you had a dog."

Kakashi's face fell. "I'm sorry, you don't like them, do you? I got him after my lover left me, I was alone, you know?" He said, picking out a piece of chicken with his chopsticks as he did, offering it to the begging dog. Pakkun grabbed the chicken politely, not touching the chopsticks, though to one who was just observing it had to look pretty unhealthy. Kakashi smiled as the dog ate it, picking out a piece for himself. "He stays in the kitchen most of the time, I think I spoil him. His bed's in there, but sometimes he sleeps with me...err... Are you sure you're okay? No traumatic past with dogs or anything?"

Kabuto bit his lip, frowning over at Kakashi. "Ah, yes, I'm still sorry about that..." Though, of course, he wasn't. He could care less about his past - what he was concentrating on was Kakashi's future love life and how it was most definitely going to concern him. Oh, God, was he feeding the dog food from the Chinese takeout? With his chopsticks? Ugh, Kabuto knew why he much preferred cats. "I... just don't like dogs."

"It's alright, Pakkun's not much like a dog anyway. Are you, Pakkun?" He asked the bumbling dog, who barked, looking to get more food. Which Kakashi gave him, of course... After that, he waved him away, and Pakkun laid in front of where he was sitting as he sat back. "He lays around and sleeps. That's like a cat, right?" He asked, not really getting it, it seemed.

Tilting his head to the side, Kabuto exhaled. "Er, is he clean? Most dogs I've seen aren't clean, that's why I don't like them.." He continued to frown, looking over at Kakashi. "But, um, if he sleeps all the time, I'm fine with that." Ah, ah, he needed to start working. "Do you... have any other dogs? I don't really like barking either, I'm sorry." Kabuto laughed and blushed, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. Kakashi had stared at him when he had blushed earlier, anyways. "It kind of frightens me."

Kakashi frowned a little as Kabuto spoke, not really ever thinking of it. After all, his place was a mess of things. If dogs were dirty... was he dirty then? "Er, no, Pakkun's pretty clean..." He said, digging into his box a bit dejectedly. When Kabuto blushed, he swallowed. Damn it, he could forgive the boy anything when faced with that look... "Oh, no, it's just Pakkun... And he's quiet, so don't worry." The cop smiled, trying to be reassuring. He was scared of dogs? That was... cute. "Er, he only barked because I give him food...Usually he's quiet..."

"Oh, well, that's good then," Kabuto said, scooting a bit closer to Kakashi and pretending to eye Pakkun warily and with a bit of fear. He swallowed, still blushing softly, and looked over at the cop. "Well, if he barks again, I shouldn't need to be worried at all, right? I've got you to protect me." The words were almost disgusting to say, but anything to seduce him, right? Kabuto smiled, adjusting his glasses.

"From Pakkun?" Kakashi laughed, but it wasn't mocking. No, he was a little flattered, really. "Hahaha, sure thing. I think I can handle him." Said with a grin, patting Kabuto's thigh in a friendly manor. Scholar types had never been Kakashi's thing, but for some reason he found this one nearly irresistible. Though he had to admit that the teen looked nothing of scholarly when he'd been undressed, hair down, and glasses off. His body hadn't been slender and weak as he would have thought, either... Err--Fought to hide his own blush, looking back to the TV as he began to eat again. Dropped his leg down to rub Pakkun's belly with his foot as he ate, rather pleased that Kabuto was sitting to close. Hell, the boy was probably straight as an arrow, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy his company these few days. Aesthetically.

"Of course you can handle him," Kabuto replied, "You're a cop, after all. I don't know exactly what you handle, but," He laughed, "I know that it's bigger and worse than dogs. I mean, you rescued me from Akatsuki! That was brave." He took Kakashi's hand, not letting him get away. "Oh wow, and your hand is really rough." The boy rubbed his own soft fingers over Kakashi's callused ones, looking down. "Being a cop must be a tough job, huh?"

That was it. Kakashi lost all composure, his cheeks coming to life with a hot blush, as he stumbled to find words. "Er, yeah well, it's... it was nothing... hahaha..." He laughed, setting his empty box down to rub the back of his head again. "Akatsuki is nothing. I've handled them before. They're mostly talk, and underhanded things--but they do have a few dangerous members. I think they go to college around here, too. It's horrible, they start so young..." Swallowed hard. If Kabuto kept rubbing his hand like that, he was going to need a cold shower pretty soon... "B-but yeah, you know, risking my life for other people... that's what cops do! Haha..."

"It's very courageous," Kabuto nodded, using the same tone of awe that he had before. Wow. This cop was one of the easiest he'd had to work with in awhile. Just butter him up if you had a pretty face and he'd get flustered. The boy fought the urge to be completely disgusted. Kakashi had saved his life, after all, and... as much as Kabuto hated to admit it, he did owe him that. However, he didn't stop rubbing on his hand. "So how did your hands get so rough?"

"Oh...well..." Kakashi tried to regain composure, and his face was suddenly rather serious. "Training is really tough.. We have to learn to use guns, handcuffs, and lots of other weapons. We take self defense, and classes that teach us how to fight and detain without seriously injuring our perps. But hands like mine.. they come from doing things the hard way for so long.. I used to be in gang relations, like I said... So I did a lot of undercover work. I know what kind of gang that Akatsuki is.. and every other like it. They're all rich, greedy men who will do anything and kill anyone for money..." His one visible eye looked into Kabuto's dark ones, and he looked a little sad again. "It's not the kind of life I'd wish on anyone..."

Kabuto's eyebrow nearly cocked at 'handcuffs', but he held it in. Still... this was different from the easily flustered and overly kind Kakashi from before. It was a relief. He listened to him and nodded as he talked, still running his soft fingers over Kakashi's hand. It was very warm, and Kabuto was jealous - for some reason, the boy always felt cold. "But you chose it. I think that's well worth admiring, Kakashi," Kabuto said softly, finally placing Kakashi's hand back on the other man's lap. But, he was pretty true about the gangs. He just didn't know that there were some people in gangs who stuck together. Like him and Orochimaru.

Kakashi smiled, and it was a true, warm smile. "Well yeah.. I mean it's not like I thought it was going to be easy when I decided to be a cop. A friend kind of convinced me, but... Really, it was to help people like you. So people can call me naive, or anything they want... But if I hadn't listened to that tip I got last night, you would be dead or drugged and sold to some old man across seas. That alone is reason enough for me to keep on doing what I do best... You know?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head again, as he looked off.

Yes, that was true. Kabuto swallowed, nodding as he talked. "And I'm very grateful for that," He said softly, suddenly, and smiled up at Kakashi. He really was thankful, even if he was now going to seduce and probably end up being responsible for the death of the man. Oh well. He could try and have fun with it on the way, right? "Kakashi, do you want to watch a movie with me or something? I don't know which one to pick, I haven't watched one in awhile... but if you picked one, I'd like to watch it with you."

"Oh, well... I've got an awful lot of action movies." Kakashi said, looking over to the rack of DVDs. "I don't really get much time to sit down anymore, so I haven't even opened a lot of them.. Hmm..." He got up, Pakkun hopping up to follow at his heels as he walked over to the rack. "...Cliche. Look at all these badass cop movies." He laughed. "Come to think of it, what am I trying to do? Encourage myself...?" Sighed, glancing over to the teen on the couch. He froze for a moment, seeming to overlay image and memory. It had been over two years since he had had a person in the house with him, sat down like this and watched videos. Asuma didn't count, because he was his partner and drinking buddy, of course. Averted his eyes, hand unmoving on the wall of movies. "...You know what? I... I have work early, so... I'm going to wind up falling asleep anyway... Why don't you choose something, and I'll get my things from the room. You can have the bed, and I'll fall asleep on the couch. The movie won't disturb me, don't worry. I do it all the time..."

"Um, okay," Kabuto said, watching Kakashi with a bit of confusion now. What kept bothering him? Was it his ex-lover? The boy had a strong feeling it was, but he didn't want to press it. That wouldn't help with his seduction at all, no, it would just make Kakashi upset. Though, he kind of already looked it- Ah, stop thinking about it! He nodded, watching Kakashi go into the room to get his things, and walked over. Wow, they really were all badass cop movies. Kabuto closed his eyes and picked one, slid it in, and waited for Kakashi on the couch. "I just randomly picked one," Kabuto said with a smile, waving the case, "I don't know what it's about, but let's watch it!"

Kakashi smiled, having grabbed a blanket and a pillow, stripped down to nothing but his boxers. "That's fine." He chuckled. God help him, he was already getting attached to the seemingly upbeat teen. After all, the boy had been kidnapped and assaulted by gang members, and here he was already smiling. He trusted Kakashi enough to stay with him, a stranger, without question. Then again, didn't he say that he had no family? He was probably lonely... Sat down on the couch, totally not bothering with the dinner that they just ate, leaving it on the coffee table. Pakkun began to bark loudly, trying to jump up onto the couch to lay on Kakashi, but failing, scrambling all over the place.

The movie was already playing, but Kabuto noticed the barking and decided to make a move. He squeaked (or something like that) and jumped to his left, scrunching his eyes shut and grabbing the nearest thing. Which, it turned out, was Kakashi. Kabuto opened up one eye, still watching Pakkun warily, and noticed that his hands and arms were wrapped around one of Kakashi's own. "U-Um... can he not be on the couch, please?" Kabuto glanced down, pleased to see that Kakashi had stripped down a bit. He wasn't that bad to look at.

"Pakkun, down!" Kakashi said, worried about Kabuto. He set his hand on Kabuto's shoulder on instinct, holding him close. The pug whimpered, but he stayed on the floor, looking up at them when whining. "Oh hush, just lay down." He said, his voice firm, and the dog finally lay down, huffing. Smiling a bit, the cop looked back to the teen. "Better? You can close the door when you go to bed if you like, so he can't get in there."

Kabuto nodded and smiled. "Thanks, I think I'll do that." He looked at how they were sitting, and as much as he knew he needed to stay in that position, he couldn't be suspicious. "Oh, sorry!" He laughed nervously, letting go, but still staying close. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump on to you suddenly like that."

"No, it's okay. You warned me that you were afraid of dogs. Eh... He really is usually quiet. I think he's just jealous of you." As attracted to Kabuto was Kakashi was, he wasn't about to jump the boy when he was trying to comfort him. He patted Kabuto's hand, smiling. "Really though... I've never seen someone so afraid of a little dog before." He chuckled.

"Ha," Kabuto laughed, nervous and apologetic again, "Maybe it's just how he moves? Oh, I don't know, dogs just bother me," He shivered, laughing, and turned his head, pretending to watch the movie. It was a chase scene, and in reality, he wasn't even watching or interested.

Kakashi turned to watch the movie as well, laying on his side. The blanket was mostly under him, and the pillow was behind his head, one arm under the pillow. He slipped off his eye-patch then, rubbing his eye and watching the movie. It wasn't long before he began to drift off.

Kabuto looked down at Kakashi as the man began to fall asleep, and sighed softly to himself. He would have loved to sleep in a bed, but it was a cold night. Besides, he had to stay close to Kakashi - those were orders. So once he was sure that the man was mostly asleep, he positioned himself to lean against the couch, but then let himself lean onto Kakashi a bit. It was uncomfortable, but Kabuto was good at these things, and had fallen asleep in about a half hour.