AN: Not edited yet. Honestly, I'm just amazed I could write something this week with how brain-dead I've been feeling. Here's hoping things calm down soon so I can get back to my stories!
AN2: Also, I got the opening scene from a comic I saw somewhere here on tumblr. Can't remember the artist, but if someone finds it, let me know so I can credit that person as inspiration here.
"Oh, you beautiful lady…you're amazing."
Hana Inuzuka freezes in mid-step, halfway through the door into the back room of her uncle's veterinary, wondering if she's hearing things.
"You are just gorgeous," the voice continues, warm affection colouring the words.
A frown on her face, she peeks farther into the room and then has to resist the urge to smack her palm into her forehead. Kakashi Hatake is crouched in front a small pen, where one of the Inuzuka hounds is curled up with her puppies, congratulating the dog.
"Women all over Konoha would literally kill to have you say stuff like that to them, but you reserve it for the dogs," she remarks as she wanders into the room and begins checking charts. She's only an intern, but it's generally accepted that as soon as her formal veterinary training is complete, she'll be in charge of the place.
"Dogs I get," the masked man replies, not budging from where he's scratching the mother dog behind the ears. "People are weird." The animal makes a noise of agreement, tongue lolling out in amusement, and he pats her once more before straightening up. "So, how's the patient?"
He's referring to Bull, one of his ninken, who is in the quarantine room sleeping off anesthesia from a recent procedure.
"He'll be fine," Hana says. "Uncle Kōga says the treatment was a complete success and there aren't any poisonous toxins left. But take it easy with him for a bit. No missions and plenty of rest and fluids."
"I'll tell the rest of the back the same, then."
"And I want him back here in two weeks for a follow up. No excuses."
Kakashi is notorious for being late or absent for most appointments, and she shoots him her most challenging glare. Considering she perfected it staring down three giant wolf hounds, she knows how impressive it is. Grown men have been reduced to tears at the sight of it.
But Kakashi just snorts.
"No sense in arguing, I guess. Seems like that's a theme with your family."
Hana blinks. "Huh?"
"I met your sister the other day," Kakashi says mildly. "She's…certainly a character."
"That's the nicest anyone's ever put that before," she replies, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe unusual is a better descriptor," he corrects. "What made her choose demolitions over working here with you?"
Hana continues to frown at him in confusion. She's a little unsure, considering Kakashi doesn't really talk to her much beyond matters related to his ninken. He's not the type to waste words, and so small-talk seems very out of character for him. At least based on the observations of a completely objective bystander.
Eventually, she shrugs.
"She has her reasons," she says. "Let's call them philosophical differences and a stubborn streak, depending on who you ask."
"I'll take your word on that. Still, it's interesting. There aren't many Inuzuka who aren't actively part of Konoha's defensive forces, right?"
His tone is casual enough, but Hana has been a shinobi long enough to recognise even an informal interrogation. The question is…why? It's common knowledge that her twin dropped out of shinobi training after her failed Chūnin Exam. There are records of that which anyone—especially a former ANBU operative like Kakashi—could find if they looked. And he doesn't take interest in people without some actual purpose.
"It helps that she has a natural talent for being destructive," Hana says, noncommittal.
"I believe that," he says with a nod. "She gave me a few of her explosive tags to try." Hana's eyebrows shoot towards her hairline at this. "If I hadn't been as fast as I am, I'd have lost a limb."
"She gave them to you?"
"Yes?"
"For free?"
"No. To test out for her," he says slowly, and then frowns. "But from your reaction I take it that's significant somehow?"
"For Manako, sharing explosives is kind of like giving someone a friendship bracelet," Hana informs him.
"What exactly did you do?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kakashi says abruptly, suddenly straight-backed and tense. He seems alarmed; she's not sure how she knows it, because his entire face is covered, but he is.
Well, his hair kind of looks agitated, anyhow. Maybe that's it?
Kakashi rubs the back of his head, almost sheepish, and edges to the door. "Anyhow. I have to check something. I'll be back tomorrow morning to pick up Bull."
"And then again two weeks to check up on him," Hana agrees.
"Right!"
He vanishes into thin air.
"Because that wasn't weird at all," Hana says, making a mental note to ask Manako what that was all about the next time she sees her.
はたけ
"So, your new friend came by," Hana begins apropos of nothing. She stands in her sister's tiny kitchen, picking through a box of yakisoba and trying not to wrinkle her nose at the unwashed dishes in the sink.
Manako peers at her, a mouthful of noodles spilling over her mouth like she's some kind of mutant jellyfish.
"Oo?" she mumbles, confused for a moment before her eyes light of. "Oh! A gah wih ah heh?"
She makes a demonstrative, up-and-down motion meant to mimic the masked jōnin's hair, and Hana sniggers.
"Yeah, that's the one. Though most people would recognise him just by the name." Hana watches her carefully. "Looks like you made another wonderful impression on someone."
Manako swallows.
"It's what I do."
"I guess it could be worse…Thanks to you, I have a stellar reputation around here. Everyone thinks I'm the good one."
"It's not my fault you're boring."
"Better boring than misanthropic."
"You work with animals all day, you don't get to pass judgement on my judgement of stupid people until you've worked in retail," Manako reminds her.
"You're the one who didn't want to go into the family business."
Her twin shoots her a single, unimpressed glare as though to remind her they are straying dangerously close to a topic that is not to be spoken of.
Hana dutifully changes the subject. "So, what do you think of him?"
"Who?"
"Kakashi."
Manako shoots Hana a funny look. "Why would I think anything of him?"
"It's not every day of the village's most prolific shinobi walk into your shop. He could be good for business. Especially if you ever want to take over the place officially."
"I doubt it. He didn't come in to buy anything, he was just avoiding someone," Manako points out. "That taijutsu master that has a thing for bodysuits, I think."
Hana sniggers. "Gai? Yeah, I can see that."
"That man exhausts me just existing within the same country as me," Manako shakes her head.
"You can say that again…"
"Anyway, I took pity on broom-head and let him hang out for a bit."
"And convinced him to test out your explosive tags, from what I heard," Hana remarks innocently. "That's impressive. Especially considering how famous the guy is for avoiding work. How sure are you that he's actually going to do it?"
"Pretty damn sure. It's all about knowing what people like," Manako replies easily.
"Oh, ew, do I even want to know?"
"Probably not."
Hana squints at her, trying to see beyond the casual tone figure out if her sister is joking or not. Manako doesn't have the same reservations about certain behaviours as Hana does; she's like Kiba and their mother in that respect. At the same time, she sets high standards for the people she gets close to.
And if she's looking at this guy as friend material…
Hana chooses to tread carefully. Manako tends to be very guarded about her relationships, and even alluding to any serious interest in another person, whether it be a friend or something more, might cause her to torpedo that new relationship.
Especially since what happened with Izumi.
Sadness creeps over Hana. She was never as close to the Uchiha girl as Manako was—they weren't teammates, after all—but they were peers at the Academy. What happened to her was horrible.
Since then, Manako has been even pricklier than she was growing up, utterly isolated from everyone except Hana and Kiba.
But if she's showing even this little bit of interest in being friends with someone? Even someone as weird as Kakashi Hatake?
Hana considers the very odd situation for a moment, and then nods to herself.
That settles it. Jōnin or not, the man has the emotional maturity of a fourteen-year-old boy, so at least they'd be on the same level, mentally. And he's trained to deal with difficult cases, right? Being friends with Manako shouldn't be too difficult to him.
Kakashi's hypothetical feelings on the matter don't factor into it, of course. Hana has a duty as the older sister to look out for her younger siblings.
Even if one of them is only three minutes younger.
"Well…as long as it wasn't anything too weird," Hana muses out loud, keeping an eye on her sister's reactions. "I mean, it's hard to tell with that mask of his, but he doesn't look like he has much fun otherwise."
"Nah," Manako dismisses, waving her chopsticks. "He gets along with dogs. Dogs are fun. And he reads. So he probably has some vague idea about fun."
"Things are so simple for you, aren't they?"
"Life is way too complicated as it is. Keeping things simple keeps them real."
"We're shinobi, everything's pretty real."
"Speak for yourself. Proud dropout here. Maybe that's why I don't have to torture myself with in-depth philosophical issues."
"At least not until the next family dinner."
Manako snorts in annoyance.
They eat in silence for a bit.
"They tell stories about him, you know," Hana says after a while, in a quieter and less jokin tone now. "The things he's done…what he's seen…"
"Eh, I bet he's just as hoity-toity as any other jōnin," Manako dismisses. "Though, he's got some questionable reading preferences, so maybe not that stuck-up."
"How do you know what he reads?" Hana asks, not so innocently.
"Because I'm blackmailing him to test out my equipment. Why the hell else do you think I'd give him free explosives?"
"Manako!"
"Well, it's not exactly blackmail," Manako considers. "It was more withholding a book he wanted to read. But then again, I did threaten him with spoilers, so maybe blackmail is the right way to put it."
"I don't know whether to be disappointed in you for blackmailing an elite shinobi, or to be disappointed in him for his terrible taste in literature. Especially if he's borrowing something from you."
"Don't pretend like you've never read a romance novel in your life."
"Romance, yes, soft-core pornography? Not really."
"Prude."
"Pervert."
"Bitch."
"Assface."
"You realise we're twins, right? You just insulted yourself."
"It depends on the ass," Hana sniffs. "Mine is nicer than yours."
"Oh, screw that!" Manako cries, tossing her unfinished yakisoba on the counter and twisting to point at her posterior. "See this? This is gorgeous. It's got all that padding that you've trained away."
"So, what you're saying is…you have a fat ass."
Her sister growls and lunges at her.
つづく
Yes, I know it wasn't terribly shippy, but I did warn you all that Kakashi and Manako's relationship is really slow burn. It takes place over the course of years, and barring the minor failure of the Bechdel test in this chapter, neither character really thinks overly much about the other at this point in time.
Also, I realised that I've never really spent much time on Hana before, barring that one chapter in Unplanned. And I've never written her and Manako together, and I figure it's time. Also, everyone thinks Hana is the good one…when she is clearly much more conniving than her sister, hee hee.
Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated!
クリ
