Chapter 3! Whoo! Hehe…let the games begin!!! ~Maara
Maara: Hi, sorry I haven't updated in a bit, heh. Alright, well, I have to ask anyone who is reading this to PLEASE REVIEW. It is the sole reason for my existence. Or maybe not. But close enough, ;)
The sun filtered through the wispy clouds, hitting the roof and causing it to heat up, and also catching the shine of a mess of lopsided, sliver hair. Trees lining the streets made whooshing noises as the hot air rustled through. The voices of people talking and laughing floated in the air, a cacophony ringing sweetly in his ears. The smell of the market and of numerous restaurants clung in the air, caressing his nose. It was a great day, through in the distance loomed giant puffs of an off-white, threatening the village with rain. No matter though, the breeze would hopefully blow them away.
Kakashi shifted uncomfortably. The heat of the tiles was starting to inch into his skin, his clothes providing less and less of a barrier. He tried to ignore it. Looking up from Icha Icha Paradise, his dark eyes rested on a dog barking below. It was yapping at some bystander, who was slowly shrugging away from it.
The Copy ninja felt relaxed up here. Like nothing could bother him. Setting his book down on the nearly scalding roof-tiles, he leaned back on his hands and took a deep breath, the air filtering through his mask. Pure bliss.
Though not the most comfy, the roofs of Konoha were the absolute best place to catch up on his reading. They were so exposed, yet so…hidden. He didn't know how to explain it, but he was positive that this would be the absolute last place anyone would look for—
"Kaka-sensei!"
Shit, he thought, readjusting himself so he could see his intruder as she made her way up to the roof. He knew he felt something coming, but thought it was just the dog down below and pushed it aside.
Soft pink hair bobbed up and over the roof's edge, accompanied by bright, jade eyes.
"Yo," he said simply, throwing his hand up in a greeting gesture, "what do you need?"
Sakura clambered up the slope and crouched near her ex-sensei, being nearly blinded by the sunlight being reflected off his head protector. "Tsunade-sama told me to come find you. Morino Ibiki is looking for you, I guess."
Ibiki. The name rang so many bells. Memories of his ANBU days came flooding back to him, filling every crevice of his mind and causing him to flinch awkwardly.
"Kaka-sensei?" Sakura called quietly.
The Copy ninja snapped back to reality, his exposed eye returning to it's normal dullness. "Alright, well, I shouldn't keep the Hokage waiting."
"Hai," responded the Chonin, hopping down to the street. Kakashi watched as the pink haired ninja disappeared through the crowds of the Leaf.
Slowly, the jonin stood up and stretched. Actually, he should be keeping the Hokage waiting. She interrupted his reading time! Jumping down from the roof—and startling a couple cats in the process—Kakashi made his way through the waves of Leaf-folk. He made sure to stop every now and then at random stores.
It was well after noon when the Sharingan arrived at the Hokage's office. He waltzed into the room, stuffing Icha Icha in his back pocket.
"Hatake Kakashi!! I called you here over an hour ago!!" The old women yelled, shaking a fist at the Copy nin and threatening to throw a nearby potted plant. Her eyes went up in figurative flames as she gave the lazy Jonin a death stare. Kakashi waved his hands in front of him, giving the Hokage a big smile, his exposed eye crinkling.
"Hehe, sorry, Tsunade-sama, I got caught up with a bunch of salesmen," he backed up slightly and shrugged off the smile. No one should underestimate a pissed-off Tsunade. Her eyes were filled with boiling emotion, and her thick blonde bangs framed her face, enhancing her too-young features. A loose ponytail secured the rest of her hair, falling down her back.
"Salesmen? You're Hatake Kakashi! What kind of sorry-ass excuse is that?!?" The Hokage gave Kakashi one last 'look' before turning to look out the window. "Forget it. Ibiki-san wanted to speak to you. It was about the Akatsuki prisoner," said the women, snapping her fingers so her little pig, Tuntun, would come.
The silver-haired ninja raised his brow in interest, the loud baka? So that was what Ibiki was up to. This means that he failed to break him… His eyebrow rose even higher in surprise. Wow, that means the Morino Ibiki couldn't get info out of him. Maybe the Akatsuki isn't just a loud baka. "Where is he then?"
Tsunade turned to look at the jonin again. "He's right down the hallway, waiting on a bench. He has been for the last hour and a half."
"Right, well, I'm gonna go see him now, thank you, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi said, bowing his head slightly as a smile formed on his lips. Now, what could Ibiki want from me?
The torturer was indeed sitting down the hallway. By a window, in fact. The ANBU's handkerchief swayed as he turned to look at Kakashi.
"Kaka-san, nice of you to drop in." Ibiki rasped.
"Yeah, sorry I took a bit. If I woulda known it was about the Akatsuki scum…" Kakashi said, the words clinging to the air for a bit before trailing off.
"Yes, well, I was assigned for the Akatsuki's interrogation—his name's Hidan, by the way—and well, I didn't get anywhere. He's a strange one, a masochist, and a religious one at that."
A masochist? Well that would be quite tough...he said silently. "And why do you need me, Ibiki-san?" he asked. He really had no idea. Even though he himself was an excellent interrogator, Ibiki was even more skilled at messing with people's minds, the damn sadist.
"I want you to live with Hidan."
The Copy Ninja remained emotionless. For once, his head actually took a bit to process to words that had escaped the torturers lips. "…what? I'm not sure I heard you right…"
"I need you to get close to this guy. He's a tough nut to crack, believe it or not. And with that wonderfully big mouth of his, it would be easy to get things out of him. I thought you would be perfect because of your reputation of being an expert at undercover missions."
Kakashi laughed, his eye crinkling joyfully and his hand resting on his stomach. "That's really funny. Heh, is he coming out of the closet or something?" he asked disbelievingly, small chuckles emanating from his lips. They stopped once he saw Ibiki's expression. It was hard and cold, with the very essence of seriousness in his eyes, and the scars didn't help. "You're serious."
"Yes, I am."
"Oh, come on!" Kakashi moaned, slightly slouching his back. "Why did you choose me? Did the Hokage approve this?" Of course Kakashi could believe the fact that the old hag approved this. After all, he was constantly trying to annoy Tsunade.
"Yes."
Damn bitch… he swore mentally, and made a note to not show up at all next time she summoned him. "You know there's no way in hell that I will do that right?"
"You don't have to get too close, just enough of a friend to him that he will tell you about the Akatsuki. It shouldn't be too hard for you, right? You're Hatake Kakashi."
Kakashi sighed. "Fine. I'll do it."
Ibiki smiled, his scars wrinkling eerily. "Thank you. Now, I think this is how you should go about this. Do you wish to listen?" he mused, shifting positions on the bench.
Kakashi leaned against the wall, bracing himself with one leg and crossing his arms. He let out a sigh, the back of his head hitting the cold wall softly. Turning his head to face Ibiki, the Copy Ninja put on his most bored look. "Sure, why not? I have no idea how the hell to do this anyway."
"You have to make him think he's calling the shots. I mean, if you just go in there, yelling orders and cussing at him, you won't be able to achieve your goal. You should go visit him after we are done trying to question him again. Maybe it just didn't hit him the first time. Once the Hokage decides where to relocate you two, I'll call for you."
The silver-haired jonin shrugged. This would just be another mission. A…strange one, but still just another mission. No real reason to get worked up. "Alright, what cell is he in?"
"Three-o-eight, in the East Wing."
The East Wing, huh? Thought Kakashi, walking away from the walls and to the nearest stairs. He lifted his hand to wave lazily at Ibiki, "See ya."
Cold air hit him as he opened the door to the jail. It was noticeably dark, with dim lights flickering down the hallway. Every now and then one of them would spark, sending arcs of blue through the air, and reflecting off the Sharingan's hair. They didn't care much for the East wingers, did they?
Kakashi shoved his hands in his pockets, his knuckle-guards catching slightly on the fabric. He turned his head to the side, counting the cell numbers, and feeling the familiar poke on his waist, where his copy of Icha Icha lay. He resisted the urge the pull it out. Besides, there was barely enough light to read in the place.
He leaned on the wall. Ibiki had briefed him an hour ago, but they were probably still torturing the baka. From down the hall, he could hear the Akatsuki laughing crazily and swearing. Saying something about how all the 'damn atheists' in the world could go to hell. Apparently, religion was something Kakashi did not want to into with Hidan. The silver-jonin continued to listen, picking up whatever info he could get for use in his mission.
A half-hour later, his feet came to a halt at cell three-o-eight. It was small, with harsh sunlight flooding in through a small window. It surrounded Hidan—like a halo of light—picking up the metallic shimmer of his hair, which was in a mess around his face. The puddle of blood on the floor shimmered when the minute breeze went over it, and it kept getting bigger, fueled by a small trickle falling from the bend of Hidan's knee. It was like looking at a doll someone had thrown on the street, beautiful in it's own way.
Hidan's chest moved up and down rhythmically, up, down, up, down, up, down, and the jonin could hear the slight wheeze with his highly trained ears as the air exited his lungs. They must've broken a rib during the interrogation, but Kakashi suspected that Shikamaru and his team—not Ibiki—caused it.
Dragging out a kunai from his back pocket, the Copy Ninja ran it across the beams, causing loud metallic clangs. "Hey princess, wake up," he called, his voice echoing in the little cell.
He saw the Akatsuki shake his head, obviously unhappy to be awakened from his nap. He kept his gaze on the floor, not bothering to see whom it was. "What the fuck do you want?"
"Nothing. Just looking to talk." He responded, opening the complex lock with a key and a series of releasing signs. He stepped inside, his footsteps squishing on the wet floor. The Jashinist looked up, his pale lavender eyes flashing with anger.
"Oh really, asshole? Well, talk away, I'm not going anywhere."
Kakashi sighed. So he's one of those, huh? "Yeah, I can tell that much. You don't look too comfortable. What's it like down here?"
"Cold, wet. Miserable. Go away, asshole, I'm praying."
"Really? Praying? I was almost sure you were sleeping."
"Yeah, well, I was sleeping, but now I'm praying, baka."
"You know you really should be nicer. No one's gonna go any easier on you if you act cool or tough." Of course, Kakashi knew the lunatic liked getting tortured, but hey, it's better to give someone the benefit of the doubt.
"You think I care, shithead? Now, shut up and let me pray or I'll rip you apart."
"Okay," the Copy Ninja replied simply, his exposed eye giving off a jaded look, he knew the prisoner couldn't move. He dragged a chair—the only piece of furniture in the place, and a shitty one at that—and sat down. He saw the albino's lips move silently, saying 'forgive me for not fulfilling your word, Jashin-sama.' Soon, the Jashinist's eyelids slid open, exposing the magenta irises again. The eyes turned to look at Kakashi, and he could clearly read a 'what the hell are you still doing here' expression in them.
"I told you. I just wanna talk," the Sharingan stated, a smile tugging at his lips, as the confusion began to take over Hidan's face. Clearly, he hadn't expected him to 'read his mind'. "Who were you praying to?"
The Akatsuki glared, and then lifted his head up, tugging at his restraint to stand in a more comfortable way. His arm was at an extremely awkward angle, as if it was broken, then twisted to the left. Poor guy. "Jashin. He is the ruler of this world and the next and expects his servants to be agents of chaos. He grants me immorality, and I give him a body count."
"Sounds fair enough."
"Why are you really here?" Hidan asked, his gaze still on the ceiling.
Kakashi stood and walked over, until he was within arm's reach of the Jashin enthusiast. "You really want to know? Well," he said, shifting his weight to his left foot and resting a hand in his pocket, leaning his head a bit closer to the prisoner, "I want to figure you out. See what makes you tick. You seem…interesting to me. Like a kid frying an ant with a magnifying glass."
Hidan eyed the jonin, his eyes swimming with different emotions, each one being read by Kakashi. Suddenly, the Jashinist took a breath and spat blood and saliva on Kakashi's mask. It's slid off his face and fell to the ground. "You find that interesting, asshole?"
Kakashi turned around, refusing to give in to the urge to kick the Akatsuki in the crotch. He wouldn't give the scum the pleasure. Instead, he took his mask down, being careful to keep his face way from Hidan and wiped off the spit hastily. Sliding the dark mask back up, he turned to the prisoner. "I think I'll leave now," he said bluntly and stepped out of the cell, initiating the closing of the lock and trekking back towards the stairwell. He heard Hidan scoff behind him as he left.
What a bastard. Oh well, the Sharingan already had him figured out. I guess the only way to get information out of him—if he knows anything—is to get closer to him. Kakashi shook his head. This was ridiculous. The man was handsome enough; why not let a hormone-crazed, homosexual teenage deal with this? There must be a few in the village of Konoha. Whatever, easy or not, I'll just get this over with…he thought, redirecting his attention to the book in his hand. The plot in Icha Icha Paradise was reaching a climax, but he still couldn't keep his thoughts off the masochist baka. He thought that maybe his mind was still trying to find a way out, but there seemed to be none. Unless…yes that might work. And with that last thought, he turned heel and headed back to the Hokage's office, walking through the crowds of the Hidden Leaf.
"Hey Shizune-san," Kakashi called as he passed the Hokage's trusted friend in the hall. She waved back, clearly more interested in the paper in her hand. Oh well, it's not as if she is important in the Copy Ninja's plan. Stuffing Icha Icha in his back pocket, Kakashi hung a left and opened the door leading to the spacious office. The smell of sake hit his nose instantly, nearly overwhelming him for a minute.
Switching his gaze from the bottles of sake to the Hokage herself, Kakashi noticed a very calm Tsunade talking to Ibiki. Obviously she had been drinking well before himself and the ANBU had arrived. "Hello, Tsunade-sama," he announced, walking closer to the window by which she stood.
"Oh, Kakashi-san, I was about to send for you. Ibiki and I agree that it's time to relocate you and Hidan to your new living quarters. To the rest of Konoha, he is in isolation, and you are his guard."
Kakashi raised his visible brow. "Really? So soon?"
"Yes," Ibiki interjected, "we needed to get this done and over with as soon as possible. No time to dawdle. You will be located to a small lodge right outside of Konoha in the woods. About a twenty-minute walk from the city limits. We will transport the Akatsuki the day after tomorrow, early in the morning," Ibiki concluded, not giving anytime for Kakashi to say something. He looked at the clock and then back to Copy Ninja and the Hokage, "Well, that seems to settle the matter. I am needed somewhere else. Thank you for your time, Milady, Kaka-san," he said with a nod and was gone after a few transportation seals.
And so, the Sharingan was left with Tsunade, all hope of his escape completely gone. He heard a laugh from behind him. Turning around he saw the Hokage let out another laugh before speaking, her breath laden with the smell of sake, "So, you're going to be living out there alone with the Akatsuki scum, eh? That's sad. You may be Hatake Kakashi, but you know zip about seducing a man."
The Copy Ninja narrowed his eyes, looking at the Hokage with cool, hard eyes. "Oh yeah? Well at least I'm better at it then you," he said, his expression changing to a grin.
Tsunade blushed with anger, her eyes narrowing to match Kakashi's. "Oh ya? You wanna bet on that? Come on! I bet you won't even be able to get him to say 'I love you' before the end of this mission. Whaddaya say?"
"Of course I could! But what would be in it for me?"
"Hmm," pondered the Hokage, a thoughtful finger on her chin, "How about I let you have this if you win?" Bending down, she opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a bright yellow book, with a red symbol on the back and the words 'Icha Icha Vol. 4' on the spine, "I found it one day while talking to Jiraiya and took it. I knew I would need it eventually.. It's the only copy so far, even has a one-of-a-kind cover."
Kakashi's stance slouched, his feet leading him mindlessly toward the Hokage and the book in her hand. "No way…is that…is that…" his eyes widened and his hand inched towards the treasured book, whimpering with disbelief.
"Ah, ah! You have to win to get this crap," she said, slamming the book back in the drawer and locking it with a key.
Kakashi collapsed in disappointment, his torso on the Hokage's desk. After mourning for a bit, he readjusted his posture, "and if I lose?" Of course, the Sharingan would be willing to do almost anything for the book, but if the unlikely situation of him losing arose, he didn't want to pay too high of a price.
"Easy, you buy me a keg of sake and I burn the book!"
Kakashi's eyes shined with anger. She would burn Icha Icha! He could never let her do that! The only way to save the book and be able to read it was to take the bet, because he knew he wouldn't be able to steal the book from her office. He had tried to break into her drawer before and it landed him in the hospital. He was fine—of course—but in the hospital. Shrugging and feigning an uninterested look he replied, "fine, it's a deal."
Tsunade grinned with pleasure. This would be fun
