Chapter Two: Idle Hands

Three. Two. One. And finished. The last nail had been pounded in, and all the shingles were properly secured. Kakashi wiped his brow and looked down to see his teammates finishing up the porch and dusting off their hands. Jumping down to the ground, he joined up with the others.

"Finished?"

One of his fellow ninja nodded. "Yep. Looks like our job here is complete."

"Oh thank you all so much." The client, who was a widowed female with three children, had just arrived back at her house to check up on the progress of the rebuilding, and to her astonishment, she found it looking better than ever. Her children clung to her skirts. "It looks wonderful. I don't know how we can ever repay you."

Kakashi scratched the back of his head with a friendly smile. "No need for payment. The entire village is doing their share in the reconstruction project."

The woman frowned and lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry...I'm not much help at all. My husband was such a handy man and a great Shinobi, but..."

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said reassuringly. "You have your kids to raise and that is where you are needed. You just leave the hard work to us."

She blushed and smiled at the ninja's kind words, thanking him again before he and the other Shinobi left. Kakashi told the others that they could grab a bite to eat and that he would update the Hokage on the reconstruction details.

The Hokage Tower was almost empty except for a few passing ninja, and Shizune of course, who rushed down the stairs passed the Copy Ninja with a stack of papers in her hands. No doubt she was headed to the hospital to check on her patients. She had shouted a quick greeting as she flew by him.

Upon reaching the appropriate floor, Kakashi meandered down the hallway toward the Hokage's office door, stopping just outside when he heard voices on the other side. Not wanting to intrude, having no problem waiting his turn, he pulled out his orange book and began to read. Being the excellent ninja that he was, he could hear the conversation on the other side of the door as he perused his novel.

"I have no problem completing any task you give me, however Anko already seems desperate to have something to do, even if it's running messages back and forth from job sites. I told her I'd bring it up to you."

Tsunade studied Kurenai as she absentmindedly stroked Ton Ton's back, the stylish little pig sleeping soundly on her lap. "I was told by Shizune that she needs more rest. I suppose a few small jobs couldn't hurt. I'll have to think about it and consult with Shizune before I make a final decision. For now though, run these papers to Shikaku and Chouza."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

Kurenai bowed and headed for the door. When she pushed it open, she looked a little surprised at who stood just outside.

"Kakashi."

"Hello Kurenai," he acknowledged, looking up from his book. "Anko broke out of the hospital I take it?"

Kurenai gave a small smile. "Something like that. You going in?"

Kakashi nodded and took the door as Kurenai walked back down the hallway. He stepped inside the Hokage's office. "Lady Hokage," he greeted respectfully.

"Ah, Hatake. Just the man I wanted to see. I take it you have an update for me?"

"Yes. The project is coming along nicely. I foresee another month or so of work before all the repairs are complete, but with the whole village involved, everyone's spirits are high."

"Good. And the Michiri household?"

"Good as new."

"Hm. Good work. I suppose since you've been working so hard, you've earned a break. Take the rest of the day off to recuperate. I'll expect you to report back to me in the morning for a new assignment. The rebuilding of this village is imperative in order to keep Konoha's strong reputation in tact."

"I understand. Well, if I'm free to go...?"

"Yes, you may leave." Tsunade waved a hand at him to shoo him from her office.

"Then I guess I'll grab a bite to eat myself. Good day, Lady Hokage."

Hungry was an understatement. Kakashi was downright ravenous. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast early that morning, and after putting in a hard day of work, his stomach was protesting mightily. Even so, he didn't think he felt up to eating out. No, he would wait until he got home, whip something up, then maybe he would read for a while before crashing out in his bed.

He looked up at the bright, blue sky. Yeah, that definitely sounded like a plan.

As he walked home, his pace and stance relaxed, he stopped outside of a set of apartments, turning to look at them. It wasn't his apartment building, but he knew a few people that lived in it, one of them being Anko. He hadn't been able to visit the hospital much, what with all the running around he was doing for the Hokage and the construction jobs he'd been given. But Kurenai had said that the snake kunoichi had been released to go home.

Kakashi stared at the building for some time, wondering if he should be nice and stop by to see how she was feeling. In all honesty, he wasn't sure he wanted to muck up his quiet evening with Anko's craziness, but he figured he ought to make sure she was doing alright. So, reluctantly, and with a heavy sigh (wondering why he had to be such a nice guy), he entered the complex, checked the resident sheet to find which room was hers, and headed up the stairs.

Anko lay on her back on her couch, clad only in her mesh and mini skirt, her head and feet propped up on the armrests as she watched her ceiling fan spin around, and around, and around, and around, and around...

And around...

She flipped over onto her stomach with a huff, folding her arms on the armrest and placing her chin over top of them. "Man, it's only been two days, and I'm bored as hell."

She had wandered around the village like she had the other day, but everyone seemed much too busy to even talk. Not that she wanted to interrupt their important tasks, but still. It all only made her feel left out. She wanted action, she wanted to work. She wanted to do something, even if it meant pounding nails on one of those construction sites.

She had thought briefly about going to ask Lady Tsunade for a job herself, but upon seeing Shizune, she thought better of it, knowing full well she'd be told 'no missions.'

She buried her face in her arms with a grunt of annoyance. After a few moments of lying there motionless, she lifted her head and stood from the couch.

"That's it! I can't sit around here anymore. I've gotta find something to do!"

Knock, knock, knock.

"Hm?" Anko turned toward her door, looking at it curiously. She didn't normally get visitors at her apartment. She wondered if it was Kurenai. She could only hope the other woman had found something to keep her busy.

But when Anko cracked open her door, she narrowed her eyes upon finding Kakashi on the other side.

"Kakashi?" She crossed her arms and leaned on the doorjamb. "What the hell are you doing here?" He had certainly never showed up there before.

"That's a fine greeting for someone who was only concerned for the wellbeing of a fellow ninja."

"Well sorry, but you've gotta admit, it's pretty odd that you're here."

"Er...true. I saw Kurenai earlier. Just thought I'd, ya know, see how you were doing."

"I'm fine if you don't count being extremely bored. Everyone else is busy and I'm stuck here doing nothing. It's driving me insane!"

"You mean more so than usual?"

She glowered at him. "Watch it..."

"What? I thought you took pride in being crazy."

"You wanna come in, or are you just gonna stand in the hall all day?" she said, standing straight and opening the door a bit wider to invite him inside.

"Actually, I wasn't planning on staying. I've had a long day, and unlike you, I'd really welcome the solitude."

Anko placed her hands on her hips. "So you just show up to tease me? You won't even stay and talk for awhile?"

"We've been talking for a few minutes now," he observed conversationally.

Her eye twitched. "You know what I mean, Hatake!"

"Have you tried visiting Ibiki?"

She blinked back at him. "Ibiki? No. Why? I figure he's busy."

"I saw him the other day. He mentioned he'd been wondering about you, hoping you were okay. He has been busy, but...I'm sure if you went to see him, he would make time for you."

He turned to leave, but she ran after him and blocked his path.

"Really? That's all you've got for me?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. Take it or leave it."

Anko looked back at him, annoyed. "Not sure why you even bothered coming over. Got my hopes up for nothin'."

"I don't see why you're so disappointed. I'm not really the best company. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, we usually only argue with one another."

She slumped her shoulders and sighed. "Yeah, guess you're right. I'm just so damn tired of sitting around doing nothing!"

"You know what they say," said Kakashi with an eye-crinkle as he walked past her toward the stairwell. "Patience is a virtue."

She growled as she watched him walk away. "Ah, shut up, Hatake!"

Visit Ibiki, huh? She put a knuckle to her chin in thought as she looked up at the hallway ceiling. She supposed that wasn't such a bad idea, as long as he wasn't too engrossed in his work. Chances were that he was, though. Should she walk all the way to ANBU headquarters on the off chance that he might be on a break?

"Ah, what the hell. Not like I have anything better to do."

Five out of eight. Not bad. Only a few left to go. Ibiki glanced at each interrogation file in turn, trying to find connections between the five ninja who'd finally divulged their secrets. So far, nothing matched up, which led him to the conclusion that each of the prisoners were on separate jobs, all minor. Still, small threats needed to be handled quickly and efficiently before they turned out to be big problems.

He lifted his head when he heard a commotion outside his office door. His guards were insisting that he was busy and that they would not allow anyone to disturb his work. Another very pushy-and very familiar-voice told his guards to shut up since she had the proper security clearance to be there.

A small scuffle was heard followed by a muffled, "Get out of the way!" Then the metal door swung open.

Ibiki grinned despite himself, setting the files down and leaning back in his chair.

"Anko Mitarashi...Why am I not surprised that you'd defy the orders of my guards?"

She returned his grin as she stepped into the room and wandered in the direction of his desk. "I figure you owe me one after not hearing from ya in, oh, say, a few months."

"Yeah, well, it hasn't exactly been slow around here. Would have sent you a get well card if I was the sentimental type, but I'm not..."

"You shoulda. Would've given me a good laugh."

"So, what is it that you want exactly?"

"I don't want anything. Just a visit."

The master interrogator looked slightly suspicious. "No ulterior motive?"

"Nope. Just bored." She sat on the front of his desk and swung her legs, an innocent smile on her face.

Ibiki chuckled and stood, hands behind his back as he stepped around his desk. "You seem well recovered. You look good anyway. Then again, you always do. Just like you always know how to make an entrance."

"Eh, but that's why you love me, right?" she winked. "So how's the interrogation business goin'?"

"It goes...Even with the war at an end, the Leaf Village still has its enemies. It seems the smaller villages are hoping to get the jump on us while we're still recovering, but they really don't pose much of a threat."

"I see." Her eyes wandered somewhere to her left as she asked innocently, "You wouldn't happen to have a job for me, would ya?"

"Ah, so that's why you're here..." he mused.

"Yeah," she answered, letting out a breath. "I'm off active duty for awhile. Can't stand it."

"Hm. I can understand that. But unfortunately for you, our prisoners have been pretty loose with their intel. We haven't the need for your brand of...intimidation as of late."

Anko huffed. "Damn. Well there goes that idea."

Ibiki closed his eyes. "If it'll get you outta my hair, I'll promise to keep you informed when we are in need of a deranged psychopath to make the hard-headed ones talk."

Anko gave a bark of laughter. "You'd better."

Ibiki smirked. "Now...get the hell out of my office, Mitarashi."

Oranges, golds and pinks stained the sky like brilliantly crafted brushstrokes as the sun began to set in the west, leaving the village covered in a hazy glow. Shopkeepers were tidying up around their stores and closing up for the night with the exception of restaurants and bars. A few children ran past her, probably on their way home for supper. As she looked around, she could still see a few people using the last rays of sunlight to put a few more touches onto the buildings that still needed to be rebuilt. Crows cawed as they flew overhead and the breeze set the shop banners flapping softly.

Despite her short visit with Ibiki, Anko still felt very much left out of things. As she walked slowly through the streets of Konoha, she thought about simply offering to lend a hand without asking for permission from either Shizune or the Hokage. Wouldn't do much good at that moment, since the jobs were nearly finished for the day, but maybe tomorrow...

Tomorrow she had to stop back by the hospital for a checkup, but after that, maybe she could sneak in some work to keep herself occupied. No one had to know.

"Please, please, please, please, please! Can we please go to Ichiraku? I'll buy!"

"We ate there for lunch, Idiot."

"Yeah, Dickless, can't you pick someplace else?"

"But I want ramen sooooo bad! C'mon, Sakura!"

"Sai and Sasuke are right. I mean, you might be able to eat ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the rest of us like variety."

"Aw, you're kidding me! How can you side with them?"

Well, Anko couldn't have asked for a better distraction from her boredom! She rubbed her hands together with a devious smile as she came closer to the four Chunin, plotting to make one of her famous entrances.

"Let's go, Naruto. We'll have ramen tomorrow."

"But I want it now!"

"Want what now?"

"AH!" Naruto jumped away when he heard Anko's voice next to his ear. "W-Where did you come from!?"

"Just passin' through." She looked to the others. "Sai, Sakura." They nodded to her in greeting. Then she looked to the fourth Chunin, her smile fading as she studied him. "Well, well...Sasuke Uchiha. It's been a long time since I've seen you."

The black-haired boy narrowed eyes as he took in the appearance of the woman in front of him. "Anko Mitarashi. The last time I saw you was..." he trailed off remembering his talk with the revived Orochimaru and his meeting with the previous Hokages. Naruto, Sakura and Sai glanced back and forth between the pair as the silence dragged on. Then Sasuke smirked and closed his eyes. "I guess in a way I should be thanking you. Without your Cursed Seal of Heaven, I would have never found out the truth, and the war may not have been over."

Anko stared at the boy, surprised. "What did you say?"

Sasuke leveled his gaze at her. "I'm the one who removed it. I needed to speak to Orochimaru, and it was the only way I could make that happen."

"And he helped you?" she asked skeptically. Suddenly the haunting memories of her time with Orochimaru came back to her, and she reached back to touch her left shoulder out of reflex.

"He didn't have much reason not to. He was already dead."

Sakura rubbed her arms as she shivered at the thought of the evil man who had started the fourth Shinobi war. "Can we talk about something else?"

Naruto was frowning. "Yeah, no joke. C'mon, the war's over. No need to talk about it now."

Anko let her hand fall as she continued to look at Sasuke. Then she gave a weak smile. "I think I'm the one who should be thanking you." Her smile turned into her usual grin. "Good to have you back, Uchiha."

"Right," he nodded.

"Okay, so can we eat now?"

"It still surprises me how much he thinks about food," said Sai.

"So! Ichiraku it is!" shouted Naruto, turning to march down the street.

"Hey, wait a minute!" called Sakura. "We didn't agree-"

"That actually sounds good right about now," said Anko. "Race ya to it!" She sped off after Naruto, quickly passing him up. "Last one there is Gai's dirty underwear!"

Naruto yelled in surprise. "Wha-no way!" He took off as fast as he could to catch up with her. "Bushier-Brow-Sensei's underwear?! That's disgusting! Why would you even think of that?!"

Sakura, Sai and Sasuke stared after them, all three releasing exasperated sighs. Sakura folded her arms over her chest. "Honestly, those two..."

"But I thought...Naruto didn't like Anko-Sensei," said Sai thoughtfully.

Sakura shrugged.

"C'mon. No sense standing around," said Sasuke, beginning to walk in the direction Anko and Naruto had disappeared. "Looks like they made up our minds for us."

"Great..."

"Oh no you don't! There's no way you're beating me to Ichiraku!" As Naruto leapt into the air, he performed a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The shadow clone that appeared beside Naruto in midair grabbed him and launched him further ahead of Anko before her created another shadow clone to do the same thing. Then he created another, and another, and another, each one launching him further and faster than Anko could move simply on two legs.

"Striking Shadow Snakes!"

Naruto yelped as the slithering reptiles wrapped themselves around his body before flinging him backwards. Two more snakes wound around his wrists to keep him from making hand signs. He soon passed Anko as she threw him behind her before she extended her shadow snakes forward so that they would grab onto a far off poll, pulling her closer to the ramen shop.

"What was that you were saying about me not beating you?" she called from way ahead of the blond boy who lay sprawled on a rooftop, trying to regain his bearings.

When he was able to stand up again, he zoomed ahead to try to catch her. "Hey, no fair! I was totally winning!"

Needless to say, Anko arrived at Ichiraku first, having let Naruto get ahead of her just so she could throw him back at the last minute, allowing her to be victorious. Once the son of the Fourth Hokage landed in front of the shop, he pushed aside the banners to find the snake lady already sitting at one of the stools, chopsticks in hand as she waited for her order to be set before her.

"You dirty cheat! I was gonna get here first!"

"But ya didn't, did ya? You're the one who decided to use shadow clones, so naturally my shadow snakes were fair game. And since you lost, you know what that means," she grinned.

"No way! I'm so not Bushier-Brow-Sensei's dirty underwear! I'm not even the last person here!"

"Yeah, but the others weren't racing."

Naruto growled and crossed his arms with an angry snort. "What are you doing here anyway, Anko-Sensei? Ichiraku doesn't sell your precious dumplings."

"As much as I love my dangos, they're not dinner. Maybe I'll stop by later and ask Akito to wrap me up some to take home," she mused more to herself than to Naruto. "Anyway, you don't have a problem with me being here, do ya?"

The blond boy slid his gaze to her face only to cringe at the unspoken threat of pain in her eyes if he answered in the affirmative.

"Err...No, no, of course not! Don't be silly!" he said, waving his hands in front of him.

"Hey, are you gonna order something or not?" demanded Teuchi as he set Anko's bowl down in front of her.

"Uh, oh yeah! Sorry! One pork miso ramen, please!"

"Comin' right up," said Teuchi as he turned back to his pots and pans.

"You guys couldn't have waited for us?" said Sakura as she and the other two boys joined Naruto and Anko. She took the seat next to Anko, which Naruto was vastly grateful for. He sat next to Sakura, Sasuke on his other side and Sai on the end. Naruto laughed a little.

"What can I say? I was hungry."

"That's nothing new," muttered Sasuke.

"Heck, a bit of a workout is just what I needed to get my blood pumpin'," said Anko as the other three ordered. "Layin' around all day, day after day was killin' me."

Naruto's ramen was set before him and he picked a pair of chopsticks from the container. "I know whatcha mean. I've had to stay in the hospital plenty of times, and believe me, all I want to do while I'm there is train."

"Yeah, and you usually just jump out the window and do what you want anyway," said Sakura.

Sai chuckled and Sasuke sniffed.

"Typical," said the Uchiha. "Still the same old Naruto."

"You're sure you're feeling okay? No headaches, no pain or sickness?"

"I'm telling ya, I'm fine."

Shizune studied her chart for another few moments, then flipped the pages back down onto the clipboard. "If you're sure. Your vitals still seem to be in order, but remember, you still shouldn't push yourself."

"I know, I know," said Anko, rolling her eyes. "I haven't been." She decided not to tell the head nurse about her race with the Uzumaki kid. She highly doubted Shizune would be too keen to hear that she'd gone so far as to use a Jutsu.

"Lady Tsunade and I talked about your medical record, and after determining that you don't seem to be suffering at all, it may be possible to authorize you for D-rank missions at the very least."

Anko looked as if she could have bounced out of her chair. "What? You're serious?"

Shizune nodded. "Yep. But only D-ranks for now."

"You could give me Z-rank missions for all I care! I just hate sitting around doing nothing."

The other woman giggled. "I can imagine." Shizune scribbled something onto a piece of paper and handed it to Anko. "Show this to Lady Tsunade and she'll approve you for a mission. However, if your condition worsens, be prepared to be taken off of active duty completely."

"Right, got it. Thanks a lot." Anko stood and made her way out of the room. "To tell you the truth, I was gonna help out around the village with or without your permission anyway."

"IEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Squealed Shizune, horrified at the confession, but not knowing what to say to counter it.

The snake kunoichi simply chuckled as she left Shizune standing there speechless.

Damn straight! The first place Anko was headed after leaving the hospital was the Hokage's Tower! She took off at a dead run, eager to receive a mission and get it done. She nearly ran into Izumo and Kotetsu on her way down the hall.

As per usual, Anko disposed of all manners, not bothering to knock before she flung open Tsunade's office door.

"Anko," said the Hokage in surprise. Then she took on an annoyed expression. "What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?"

The special Jonin slapped the paper Shizune had given her down on the Hokage's desk. "Here, I'm cleared for missions. So what have got for me?"

Tsunade picked up the paper and read it before sighing. "I guess you checked out according to Shizune..."

"Yep. She said nothing was wrong with me."

The Sannin narrowed her eyes at Anko. "That's not quite accurate. She said you can't be given anything more than-"

"D-ranks, I know. Look, I don't care what you give me, as long as I don't have to twiddle my thumbs all day long."

"Ugh, you sound like Naruto."

"Pft, well he hasn't been out of commission for over three months."

"Here." Tsunade pulled out a scroll and handed it to Anko who took it with enthusiasm. "This is all you're getting for now, so don't push it."

"Alright, alright. Like I said, I could care less what you give me, as long as it's something."

Anko unrolled the scroll and read its contents. "So, a courier job, huh?"

"Yes. A section of shops is being rebuilt on the west side of the village. There was so much damage there that it's hard to make a list of what's needed for the repairs. Your job is to figure out what they need when they need it and place the order at the hardware store. This may require multiple trips, so it should keep you busy all day. You should have nothing to complain about."

"I'll get right on it."

The door creaked open and both women looked to the newcomer.

"Hatake...late as usual," said Tsunade, resting her cheek on her fist.

"Eh-heh, sorry...I was just-"

"Save it. Here." She tossed a scroll across the room to him, and he caught it with ease.

"You two might as well head out together. Kakashi, you'll be charged with assessing the damage and making the repairs while Anko places the orders."

Kakashi had begun reading the mission assignment only to glance over at the other Jonin in the room when the Hokage mentioned her. "So...I guess I'm stuck with you today."

She grinned. "Yep, looks like it."

"Joy."

"Now, now, play nicely. I'm counting on you two. Now get out of here. I need to do this damn paperwork, or Shizune will never let me hear the end of it."

Kakashi and Anko both bowed their heads respectfully before exiting the office. As they walked down the hall, Kakashi shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. "What are the chances we'd be put on the same job?"

"You're just mad because you can't run away from me this time."

"I've never run away from you."

"You did yesterday."

"That wasn't running. That was avoiding."

Anko punched his arm, but it didn't faze him. "You were right. Don't know why I wanted your company anyway."

"See, I told you."

Anko stopped just as they made it outside. She turned to Kakashi. "Race ya?"

He stopped beside her, giving her an appraising look with his one visible eye. "Is that really wise? You're still recovering."

"Bullshit. I beat Naruto to Ichiraku for dinner last night."

Kakashi looked a little impressed. "Really? I wouldn't have thought it possible that he could lose a race for ramen."

"Well he did. So how bout it?"

The silver-haired Jonin thought for a moment as he stared back at her. Then he closed his eyes and faced forward. "Alright." He removed his hands from his pockets, taking a challenger's stance. Anko followed suit. "Ready?"

She nodded with a grin.

"On your mark. Get set. Go."

Zoom! And she was off like a bat out of hell. Kakashi stood straight again as he chuckled, replacing his hands to their previous location. He walked lazily down the stairs from the tower, amused by how easily he was able to get rid of her. He would simply take the long way to the construction site to avoid getting caught when she finally realized he wasn't racing, because she would surely turn around to accost him for tricking her.

A/N: Haha, just so you all know, I don't have a complete plan. I had a few drabbles that I had written and I wanted to make a story to connect them (mostly because I hate plot-less drabbles), but everything in between will be written on a whim. I just have to say, I really like writing Anko. I know she would probably have more respect for Tsunade's authority than Naruto does, but she's impatient and bored, so she sort of forgot who she was talking to there at the end. xD Anyway, please review! More reviews means more incentive to keep writing!