A/N: Last week I received the letter that I will be off to college soon and since this was a bit of a surprise I've been really busy doing all the paperwork, find a flat and organize all the other little things – besides being almost annoyingly happy and excited that is :D
Now that I've finished most of the preparations, I was able to work over this chapter one last time; I really didn't want to make you read something that I've written between calling brokers and thinking about what to bring with me.
So, I hope that you'll pardon the delay - and please enjoy! =)
Music: "Sun's Coming Up" by Tame Impala.
- Chapter 11 -
Countdown Part 1 / Quite Attached Indeed
— 5 days to go —
At five o'clock in the morning Kakashi decided to fight off the blankets; giving up on the few more hours of fitful sleep in favor of visiting the memorial stone.
Fuu on the other hand had precious little choice.
Before she could even open her eyes, Kakashi had already stuffed her inside one of his sweaters, tightening the hood around her messy bedhead. For the sake of simplicity, he proceeded to tie the sleeves around her small body, hence limiting the mobility of his now nicely packaged ward.
At times like these, he missed the advantages of only being responsible for himself but then again a sleepy Fuu wasn't one for questions.
As soon as they arrived at the empty clearing, the omnipresent signatures of the ANBU guards faded into the background and Kakashi was grateful that they kept a respectful distance.
In the bluish haze of the rising dawn, the cool air nipping at his skin eased both the throbbing headache behind as well as his anxiety. He would prefer the feeling of goosebumps to the suffocating embrace of his blankets at any time. Not to mention that he was fortunate enough to have a portable heater with him — who, judging by its sluggish weight, had already gone back to sleep in his arms.
Apparently the soft ups and downs on their way had calmed Fuu and Kakashi adjusted his hold on her as he approached the slab of stone.
"I brought the little troublemaker along. Leaving her at home with only the ninken didn't feel right." Kakashi spoke softly, as if picking up a conversation that had been interrupted for a short moment. "She's sleeping peacefully right now, but you'd never believe just how… scary this child can be once she awakens."
Shifting a little in his stance Kakashi found a new unevenness to the familiar ground that he had not noticed before. So he gently patted the soil with his feet — suddenly very aware of every little bump and stone.
Kakashi still wasn't sure if this was… alright.
Thinking about it, the copy ninja never really was, when it came to his ward. From the very beginning he had been apprehensive of allowing someone near him; now he even took her along to his favorite refuge place.
Oblivious to his discomfort, Fuu continued to softly breath on his neck in a deep and steady rhythm. Only sometimes she would make a little sound similar to a throaty purr that was probably merely her version of snoring.
"You know, Obito. I never before realized that a sleeping child could be so soothing. It's curious. Whenever I feel like regretting or doubting my decisions, she does… something. I can't even explain what exactly, since her most outstanding ability entails tripping and falling. Seriously, it's frightening how clumsy she is…"
Some of the fondness, with which Kakashi had uttered his last words, got stuck in his throat and he swallowed self-consciously before continuing, "Perhaps it's her childlike innocence that comforts me or even her unsuspecting nature. Her world is so different from ours… When she first discovered that I carried weapons with me, she thought that I liked to collect shiny things — like it was some kind of hobby."
"The next day I found a shard of glass on my breakfast plate, though I am still not sure what to think of that. With her little mind she always comes up with the weirdest explanations and despite all the blood I got on my hands she'll grab them readily at anytime. As much as I ought to feel some remorse for allowing this… I don't."
Not long ago Kakashi had been the only one to refrain from touching her freely. Not only because he was uncomfortable with doing so. The simple fact that Fuu drew them all in was enough of a motivation to resist the urge whenever it would arise. Now he knew that it was harmless; believed that she was harmless.
"Fuu's shy… not to say, strangely well-educated for a girl her age. Since the very beginning she's been trying to make things easy for me and sometimes I believe that it's partly my fault for being difficult. Surely you would have been able to make her open up, Obito, have her run around with a carefree smile… One of your goofy grins would suit her just fine, I believe."
For a moment this image defied all the dark thoughts on Kakashi's mind and he felt his lips stretching against the fabric of his mask.
Yesterday's resolution to see this through to the very end had not wavered since. In a way it gave him a sense of support and made him question only his hesitance to accept it. There were enough people out there who were strangely curious about the former servant of the Uchiha.
For a four year old girl, Fuu had acquired quite the fan base…
"Even if I am able to supply enough evidence for everyone to realize that she's innocent, they won't let it go, huh? Not after Fuu managed to raise so many issues" Kakashi breathed with a downcast glance, his darkened gaze tracing the engraved name of his friend. "What do you think, Obito? I am probably the last person who's qualified to look after a child but then again… it works somehow. Who'd have guessed that I would be able to grow attached to this little brat?"
Once again Kakashi dropped his eye, the somber expression upon his face froze for a second before it eased into a snort.
Fuu's face was screwed up with one cord of the hoodie being stuck between her scrunched up nose and pursed lips. The fake mustache danced a little as the girl blew up her cheeks looking all the more adorably ridiculous.
With all the built up guilt and regret, hope was a foreign concept to Kakashi. However… now that it was in his system and fueled his actions, it would be rather foolish to give up on it.
"Quite attached, indeed" he whispered, resting his chin softly on top of her head as Fuu snuggled closer.
Two hours later, the copy ninja landed as soft-footed as a cat on the rooftop of a small apartment complex. Carefully securing his baggage with one arm before sliding down to the edge of the housetop, he tightened his free hand around the rim of the rain gutter to let himself down onto one of the lower windowsills; cautiously allowing his weight to settle on the brittle board before he knocked twice against the glass.
The way his breath rose like hot steam from his mask, reminded him that the end of summer was nearing. Just like today, mornings were quite fresh and in the clear air the small sounds of the awakening village travelled far above the roofs. Soon more voices, accompanied by the loud and clumsy feet of civilians, would fill the streets of Konoha with the buzz of day.
Right on cue to his musings, the bundle in his arms stirred and with a little yawn a tousled head emerged out of his arms.
"Mornin' sleepyhead" Kakashi greeted the girl, who now curiously took in her surroundings while rubbing drowsily at her face.
"Good morning, Hatake-sama" she returned with a little dip of her head. "We're at Kurenai's?"
Freeing her wild curls out of the hood, Kakashi decided to share his thoughts with her, "Yes, I have an appointment with the Hokage and I thought you could have some breakfast with her since I won't have time for that."
To say that he had an appointment was actually a lie. However after spending the night tossing around while trying to think of all the possible outcomes of Sato's involvement, Kakashi wanted to have some answers before he started working with the old man.
"It's only a quarter past seven…" Kakashi mused, wondering why the red eyed kunoichi hadn't made her appearance yet.
Turning back, he was surprised to find Fuu chewing on a strand of hair that had escaped one of her loose pigtails.
Asuma had actually braided them for her the evening before, stunning the copy ninja who had expected chaos upon his return. Contrary to what he had pictured in his mind, the girl had already enjoyed a light snack and was happy to be spoiled after the exhausting day. The gruff Sarutobi had cut quite the nice figure of a scolding housewife, straightening Kakashi out for returning so late and effectively leaving him to take care of his ward.
Shaking off his bewilderment, Kakashi returned to the problem at hand; quite literally so.
Once Fuu started gnawing on her own hair like that, one could translate it easily as: 'I do have a problem, quite a huge one actually, but I don't want to bother you, so I won't say a thing, no matter what you are going to try.'
Understandably enough, Kakashi was itching badly to just flick her forehead but decided to instead peel away the wisp of hair.
"Kurenai is not a morning person" Fuu pointed out — her words a note of caution mixed with the awe of a person who had picked up on this particular trait by some fearful experience.
To this Kakashi only snorted. After all there was a good reason why he had chosen a window of the kunoichi's apartment which could only be tilted. Even with his quick reflexes he had merely been able to escape that mad woman the last time she came at him with a broom…
With the glass as a barrier, Kakashi was game enough to knock a second time, however there still was no reaction.
Allowing for a low growl to form in the back of his throat, the silver haired jonin tried to sense the woman inside her apartment. Normally he would refrain from invading her personal space like this, despite her rarely returning this favor. Yet no matter how many times he checked all of the rooms, Kurenai was not present.
When Kakashi opened his eye again he found himself the object of earnest worry. Two shining emeralds searched his face before Fuu took a deep breath and reached up to awkwardly pat his head — catching her guardian completely off guard.
Fuu's gaze was unnervingly steady as she nestled back into the crook of his arm, trying to sound reprimanding though her high voice trembled, "I-It's still not very polite to enter another home through their windows."
'So that's the crux of the matter.'
"You might be unaware of it, but having you around gives me a free pass to all kinds of nonsense" Kakashi informed her; again with a hint of fondness. "And I plan to make full use of this as long as you're still well-behaved and cute."
Fuu accepted his explanation with a pensive nod, almost as if she was indeed not sure how much longer she would stick to this behavior. Kakashi who had tried to check the surrounding streets for Kurenai's signature, caught the movement from the corner of his eye. He quickly turned to observe his ward with a very troubled expression.
The girl, who was apparently now sufficiently awake to plot her little rebellion, raised her arms to inspect what she was wearing. Shaking her limbs a little, the long sleeves of his hoodie were dangling in front of her.
"Bear with it for now" Kakashi requested.
A quick look inside her closet this morning had shown him a terrific selection of pink, frilly dresses; nothing else. Some part of him was quite certain that the generous purchaser of those gifts had his humiliation in mind. He wouldn't touch those pieces even if his life depended on it.
So a sweater it was.
"Since Kurenai is probably on a mission, I guess I'll have to take you with me to the Hokage" her silver haired guardian sighed and pinched Fuu's nose as if it was her fault that the kunoichi wasn't available.
Quickly checking for any people passing by in the street below them, Kakashi hopped down as soon as he spotted a gap. This earned himself a happy squeal from the light bundle.
A small grin, tired but definitely content, formed beneath the mask of the copy ninja as he started walking towards the village center. No matter how many times Kakashi elicited a spark of childish glee from his ward, it would always light up his mood as well.
During their short stop to grab some onigiri for breakfast, Kakashi sensed one of the tailing signatures getting closer. He flared his chakra in a silent warning for the female from Root, feeling mild irritation since she had gotten quite bold; testing his patience with closing in now and then.
With a gentle tuck at his flak jacket, Fuu brought him back to the here and now, "I can walk by myself now, Hatake-sama."
Kakashi easily complied with her wish by setting her down. After glancing up and down her frame, the copy ninja chuckled softly. The child looked more like a walking hoodie than anything else and surely she would trip on the hem of it — he gave her about five steps and that just because he felt generous today.
As soon as Fuu sensed that he was making fun of her, she blew up her cheeks like a puffer fish while sending him a glare that was at least as prickly as the skin of said animal. Kakashi however only shrugged, before grabbing their food and motioning for her to start walking.
One hobbling step, two hobbling steps … Fuu made it up to the checkout before going for the first floor slide.
If it weren't for the stern gaze of the elder cashier lady, who muttered something about 'irresponsible parents', Kakashi would have definitely taken a second to enjoy the sight of his ward lying sprawled out on the floor.
Instead he picked the girl up, quickly stuffing her mouth with one of the onigiri to nip her protest in the bud. People tended to get the wrong idea when they heard a child using honorifics like sama.
While the old hag was still far from pleased with this treatment, Kakashi quickly rolled up the sleeves and hem of the dark blue sweater before helping Fuu from the counter again so he could pay their food. He already had an idea what the cashier would say if she saw that the girl was still in her PJs below.
In front of the shop, Fuu tried to smoothen down the wild hair of hers, using the window at the storefront as a mirror. Passing her, Kakashi couldn't resist to undo her futile efforts while using the same hand to navigate her head in the right direction.
Determined to prove that she was now able to walk steadily on her own feet, Fuu quickly scuttled out of his reach while muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "mean Hatake-sama".
Before the mean Hatake-sama could however respond, he felt a breath of wind touching his shins.
In a split second he moved to avoid the well-aimed kick by tilting backwards, one hand shooting out to support his back flip while holding onto his rice ball with the other. What he had seen out of the corner of his eye, was enough to give him an idea about who had been trying to bring him down so ungracefully.
At some point he should have probably expected some kind of ambush.
"Ha! Of you, my youthful rival, I expect nothing less!" The deep voice resounded between the closely spaced houses; turning the heads of some people. "I missed! However today I will once again challenge you with all of my manly pride!"
Of course there was no second guessing about who was shouting those kind of declarations so early in the morning.
While flashing the skirts of some old ladies with the gust of wind he produced on his way, Kakashi's self-proclaimed rival appeared in front of them in a flash of green.
Even Fuu forgot for a moment that she was supposed to be sulking and rose to her tiptoes to whisper to her guardian, "It's the other elite ninja?"
The expression on her face wavered between the ever present curiosity of hers and mild disbelieve. The second of these notions, Kakashi would back up any time; especially now that Gai's proudly puffed-out chest suggested that the girl's words had gone right to his head. Of course he had heard her.
"Yes, indeed, my lovely little flower bud in the weird dress!" It was somehow beside the point to explain the definition of unsuitable clothing to Gai. Fuu only frowned for a moment before easily shrugging it off — deciding that it wasn't worth it. "Feast your eyes on the manliness of the sublime green beast of Konoha!"
He actually gave her a moment to do so; making Kakashi wonder if he should be a responsible guardian and cover his ward's eyes.
"But I am here to challenge your guardian and I won't take no for an answer! I will let the power of youth explode to defeat him" Gai boasted with his almost overbearing self confidence while striking one of his poses — Kakashi knew, without actually looking up. Gai couldn't do without.
So the copy ninja only stared blankly at the tip of the finger pointing at him, almost accusingly so, before blinking, "Err… what was that?"
"Damn you, Kakashi! Stop acting so cool!"
Fuu, on the other hand, had never witnessed this tactic of her guardian before.
"He said that he wants to challenge you" she provided helpfully, looking up to await Kakashi's reaction now that he knew what his friend was about.
One sole gray eye intimated that her guardian already knew what that weird body suite ninja wanted from him, therefore deciding to feign ignorance. This confused Fuu even further.
Kakashi on the other hand considered his possibilities before he came to an uncomfortable conclusion, "Fuu-chan, would you say that I am a good guardian?"
The child who had looked up to him by leaning her head back, quickly sobering up.
That sweet voice; not to forget that he had called her Fuu-chan. Her mind started reeling while trying to process that she was once again in trouble — with the last time still fresh in her mind.
Nobody would be able to forget the shadows of eight howling ninken darkening the sky before descending upon their poor victim with loud barks.
Somehow Fuu found it difficult to swallow, "Y-Yes, Hatake-sama."
"And I am sure that nobody could possibly surpass me?"
Since she didn't trust her voice, Fuu shook her head vehemently. Realizing that she was unable to stop by herself, Kakashi tightened the grip on her head, before scratching gently over her scalp. Below his fingers and their gentle ruffling, Fuu calmed down considerably.
Shifting his attention back to his comrade in front of him, Kakashi shrugged now uninterested, "I guess you've lost that challenge before we've even started, Gai."
"That's hardly fair! I won't allow you to declare yourself as the winner before I even had the chance to prove myself, Kakashi!" Gai objected, raising a fist to underline both his words as well as the determination burning around him. Outstretching one hand to Fuu he declared, "Come over here, my blossoming flower bud! Let me teach you about the greatest guardian you shall ever lay your youthful eyes upon!"
Then Fuu did something that Kakashi had never witnessed before.
She sighed, long and deeply, while inspecting the peculiar man in front of her who had knelt down while clicking his tongue to decoy her like some runaway cat.
Kakashi felt the side of his mouth twitching as he realized that his ward was mirroring one of his own expression — disbelief, mixed with unwillingness as well as tinge of awareness that all the other passersby were watching them. A small part of him was strangely proud to see her troubled little face.
Before making her first steps towards her new short-time guardian however, Fuu searched his eyes for approval.
"It's completely up to you. I am fine either way" Kakashi muttered, running his thump between her eyebrows to smoothen out the crease.
With a tiny smile Fuu ensured him that she would be all right, so he let go, straightening his back while pushing back his queasy conscience as he watched her disappear from his side.
"That's the spirit" Gai cheered her on, flashing Kakashi a superior smile.
"I'll be back as soon as possible" Kakashi promised, making sure to use his most reassuring voice. "Oh, and Gai… usually kids are perfectly capable to voice what they like and dislike. Just a hint."
With a casual wave of his hand Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Surely, Fuu would be fine…
"So, my dear lovely ward —whose name I forgot though I am quite sure that I met you before— since I won't ignore a hint simply because my hip rival gave it to me. What would you like to do?"
"Um… I am not quite sure… what do you suggest, Maito-sama?"
"Sama? I like that! Well… Oh, what's that? A swing! Surely you would love to swing, right?"
"I've never been on a swing before."
"Haha! I'll push you high enough to touch your dreams, my youthful little flower bud!"
When he heard a knock on the door of his office, Hiruzen was surprised to find Kakashi answering to his call. With one glance he could tell that the silver haired jonin was still quite exhausted, if not even more than two days ago. Surely the pressure was rising; just like the number of people chewing off the ear of the village head, inquiring about the strange little girl.
After respectfully bowing to the Hokage, the young man straightened his back and the look of his sole eye was cautious to say the least.
"I didn't expect that you would come to see me so soon, Kakashi" the Third welcomed his ANBU captain. Returning his gaze to the building applications on his desk, he raised one hand to rub at his temple. "I hope everything's fine with your ward?"
Unexpectedly the casual question stole Kakashi's thunder for a moment; his surprised silence lasting long enough to ensure that full attention was paid to his presence. The Sarutobi's wary gaze now was fixed on the black and green frame of the copy ninja.
However Kakashi quickly pacified his leader, "Fuu's fine, I believe. I left her in the care… well I left her with Gai."
"Oh, I see. Surely one extraordinary experience" the Third hummed with amusement settling in his features. He relaxed visibly now that there was no immediate danger calling for his action. "However this leads me to believe that I owe this visit to an equally extraordinary reason, aren't I right? Using last resorts…"
Contrary to Hiruzen's expectations, Kakashi was neither impatient nor uncomfortable. It seemed that as quickly as the thought of his ward's whereabouts had caused him uneasiness, he now switched to one of his professional expressions — no emotion betraying what little was visible of his face.
"I would like to talk about a shinobi named Sato."
The Sarutobi's hand stopped in its movements, the brush he had just picked up, hovering above the document he was about to sign. Putting it aside carefully, the old shinobi sank back into his chair. His movements appeared deliberately slow to the eyes of the man in front of him, as if he was buying some time to organize his thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, the Third readied himself for the inevitable, "So he approached you?"
"I'd say he approached Fuu."
Placing his elbows tentatively on the edge of the table while making sure not to knock over the open inkwell, Hiruzen leant against his interlocked hands.
Normally Kakashi was someone to get straight to the point, sometimes not leaving enough time for his opposite to catch his breath. Only on rare occasions he had come to seek advice of the Sandaime and the uncomfortable tension in the silver haired shoulder's served as an indication that this was an important matter for him.
"To think that he would actually get involved, surprises me just as much as the revelation about his true occupation probably sprang a trick on you."
"If you're talking about him being part of the Interrogation Department, yes. I'd further deduce that he's one for internal affairs since he's perfectly up to date with my file. Not everyone gets his hands on the data of fellow comrades. Even with ANBU status."
The Sandaime simply closed his eyes in affirmation, grumbling a little to himself.
Lines, that had deepened through years of finding solutions for every problem —be it simple or complex— rearranged with a change of the expression upon his face.
With a quirk in the corner of his mouth, the Hokage suddenly spoke up, "Well, what did he look like?"
"… Well, I'd say he's around his sixties, dark eyes, white hair and about the same height as me. There was a rather prominent birthmark inside his left ear" the copy ninja remembered though he could hardly fathom what the Hokage was getting at.
"Huh… so the same height as you. Does he still have a full head of white hair?"
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, I was just asking you whether his hair was still thick or already thinning. So?"
Feeling a muscle twitching beneath his eye, Kakashi tried to remain unaffected, "Pretty thick, I'd say. May I ask what these questions are about, my Lord?"
Instead of the much anticipated answer, the Third just chuckled while pushing himself up. Somehow the notice of Sato's appearance was enough to light up the mood of the older shinobi. With an amused smirk upon his face the Hiruzen picked up his hat and one of the scrolls from his desk.
"Let me tell you, Kakashi… to pique this man's interest one has to be quite outstanding, not to say extraordinary. You should gladly accept it as a compliment. Sato has a medical background and I am pretty sure that he's got quite some knowledge on fuinjutsu. That alone should be helpful in order to get to the bottom of that little girls appearance and charm. Sato poses no threat to your little ward, so if he has offered you his help, take it. You won't get a second chance."
The Sarutobi passed the confused shinobi on his way to the door, "I have to go now, but keep me updated on your ward's progress. Have a nice day, Kakashi, and give my regards to Fuu-chan."
"wheeeeeEEEE!"
"Wha— ugh-"
"Oh! Hatake-sama, you're back already! Thanks for catching me… um, um! Did you see that just now?!"
"Yes, did you see that Kakashi? That's what I call the 'Voyage of the Little Butterfly'! So youthful!"
"… and I'd call it 'misusing a swing as a slingshot to shoot kids across the playground', Gai — seriously? I leave you alone for half an hour and— …You fine, Fuu?"
"Of course, Hatake-sama! I had no idea that a swing could be so much fun! It was so fast at first! I was already flying before I knew what was happening to me, like whooosh!"
"…"
"Flying is so much fun, Hatake-sama! You should try it too!"
"… Maah, why do I feel like I've lost?"
Somewhere between the scene on the playground and the Hatake residence, Kakashi was finally able to digest the fact that his ward had taken a liking to Gai. Him of all people. This was both worrisome and if he was honest… shocking.
A small part of him even felt reluctant to accept the fact that his so called rival had managed to show Fuu a good time.
Even now there was a cheerful bounce to her waddling steps as she tried to keep up with his long stride while looking like an oversized penguin in his hoodie. Listening to the unfamiliar tune Fuu was humming, Kakashi contemplated Asuma's offer to blow her off the Hokage monument, just to outgo his rival.
Then again that might be a tad bit too drastic… for now. Especially since someone was already awaiting them on the front porch; none too patiently at that.
"So, you finally return" a grumpy voice rumbled from the shadows before they came face to face with an ill-humored Sato.
If not for the distinct snarky signature, Kakashi would have had a hard time recognizing the old man.
Sato had exchanged his white coat for a breathtaking ensemble. Above a green turtleneck, he wore a shirt with a… garish orange and blue floral pattern that revealed the beginnings of a paunch. And to cap it all, literally so, there was a straw hat sitting on his head — although the brim couldn't possibly overshadow Sato's prominent nose which protruded from the shade, looking like a wrinkly potato.
"Morning, Sato-san. Frankly speaking, I didn't expect you to arrive so early" Kakashi welcomed the other shinobi with a drooping eye.
Fuu stood with her mouth slightly agape. Since this was uncharacteristically rude of her, Kakashi slightly shook his leg to which she was clinging. With a blush rising to her cheeks, she hurried to greet their guest with a deep bow while stumbling over the usual phrases of civility.
"I thought we might as well get started as soon as possible since we're on a tight schedule. Waiting does nobody any good, especially with those nasty bugs you attracted, girl" Sato droned none too happily, ignoring Fuu who took his words literally and was now checking frantically for any insects that might be crawling on her. "I hope you haven't eaten anything, child. Having one's pathways cleaned is no sissy stuff."
If possible the awkward atmosphere grew even more tense and uncomfortable and Fuu's answer was to take a step back while her hair bristling like the fur of a cat.
Kakashi, who felt sorry for not having forewarned the girl, finally broke the uncomfortable tension with fake cheerfulness, "Maah, shall we go inside? This is hardly something to discuss outside…"
"So… you've payed a visit to our dear Lord Hokage earlier today."
As soon as Fuu had disappeared, the impatient grumpiness dripped off Sato's face like sweet honey. Again he appeared to be younger with the change of his personality, so Kakashi followed his movements with a hint of wariness as he lifted his hand to take off the boater.
To Kakashi's sensitive ears, the rustling of the straw was uncomfortably loud in the silence between them.
While inspecting the empty walls of the living room, Sato noted with one side of his mouth lifted, "Since we have the same goal for now, let's put aside your petty investigation concerning me and I'll readily cut back on pointing out your many faults, Hatake."
"I would say that this is rather considerate of you, Sato-san, but then again… I believe that those words would be even less honest than the multitude of personalties you've been displaying so generously."
"Says the boy who can't even deal with his own character" Sato returned as if he had expected some remark of the kind sooner or later.
"But in that case I would have to accept all of my… many faults, those which you so kindly remind me of every once in while."
"Eh" the older shinobi scoffed amused. "Acting like this, you're almost fun. But… aren't you going to ask, how we'll go about this matter?"
Kakashi swallowed the childish 'no' with some difficulty while feeling the tinge of annoyance that he had slowly come to associate with Sato. They've met only three times but if that old man continued to provoke him on daily basis, Kakashi was sure that he'd develop some kind of allergy — similar to those meaningful conversations Kurenai tried on him from time to time.
"Sorry for the wait" Fuu chirped as she popped up behind her guardian, slightly out of breath.
She had put on some of her own clothes, making Kakashi wonder silently where she had found something that wasn't pink and frilly. Just then it dawned upon him that Kurenai must have casted a genjutsu on the wardrobe just to fluster him.
Fuu's big eyes shifted uncertainly from her guardian to the blinding appearance of their guest; completely oblivious to the crackling tension between the two grown ups. Nevertheless she felt the need to offer some hospitality, "Would you like some tea, Sato-sama?"
"Maybe later" the old man grumbled before lifting her on top of the dining table without any prior warning.
Kakashi shifted uncomfortably as he witnessed Fuu stiffening. It had taken him some time to finally coax her into playing along. Something about the idea of 'just a couple of fun medical tests', as Sato had put it, didn't really appeal to the girl.
'If he has offered you his help, take it. You won't get a second chance.'
The Sandaime's words still held Kakashi back, planting hope in the depths of his stomachs — right next to the pit where his many doubts caused him uneasiness.
In front of him, both the old man and the girl were midway through a staring contest, which the medic with the head full of white hair finally won by poking Fuu's side.
Part of Kakashi's brain was still trying to find any hint in the cryptic words of the Hokage but for now a toupee was the only explanation he could come up with. At least one, that explained why the Hokage thought Sato's appearance to be so funny.
"Your guardian will now look for a few things I need and in the meantime, let's see if everything's healed" the old man informed the girl as he took a seat in front of her.
Fuu's eyes widened with a surge of panic, seeking her guardian's sole one to assure herself that he wasn't going to leave her alone with this strange man who wanted to experiment on her.
"What do you need?" Kakashi asked, trying to push the words as calmly as he could through his gritted teeth.
"A bowl with cold water, a napkin and something sugary for her circulation."
"Fine. I'll be right back, Fuu" Kakashi mumbled, his voice thick with the unspoken promise that no harm would come to her.
Some part of him knew that he should stay with her, tell her that this man was actually here to help them. However the copy ninja wasn't ready to show anyone just how much he cared. Not even to himself.
Back inside the living room Fuu tried to avoid the dark gaze of the old medic deliberately, as if this could postpone the inevitable. This way she missed however that his gaze addressed her for the first time as a person and not a patient.
"You probably haven't realized it yet, girly, but you've got your guardian wrapped around your little finger" Sato whispered almost offhandedly as he raised a hand to check upon Fuu's inner gates, content that no new burns had appeared. "I will now check your CPS."
"What's a CPS?" Fuu questioned, unsure what to make of the other part.
"The Chakra Pathway System… so nothing that will hurt. Just breathe in —" the old medic commanded, his voice once again almost gentle. He touched her forehead with both his index and middle finger, "— and out. Now it might tickle a bit; just ignore it … yes that's it, in… and out."
While Fuu closed her eyes to concentrate on both the warm sensation as well as the calming instructions, Kakashi returned. His dark grey eye focused on his ward's face — or to be precise, on the point where Sato touched her.
As he placed down the water bowl and strawberries, which were still left over from yesterday, he noticed the sour expression upon the medic's face.
"No changes in her condition" Sato observed with a hint of disenchantment. "Still no chakra but she's alive and kicking."
"I don't believe that the lack of any new injuries is a reason for disappointment, Sato-san."
The old man shrugged off the piercing glare Kakashi had sent his way before returning with an annoyed air, "No, but it doesn't help our purposes either now, does it?"
Finally sensing that the atmosphere between them was anything but friendly, Fuu blurted out the first question that came to her mind, "May… may I know what these pur- purposes are? If it's not… asking to much…"
Instead of answering her, Sato now shot Kakashi an inquiring look, "Well, what are our purposes, Hatake boy?"
The way the medic pronounced his p's made it quite clear that he disapproved of Kakashi's decision to leave Fuu in the dark; the consonants almost shot like projectiles from the thin wrinkly lips.
"We want to find the reason behind those burns" Kakashi said, completely ignoring how Sato's features hardened. "I already explained to you that everyone has chakra. Even people who decide to live as civilians have a tiny amount. You being an exception makes everyone curious."
"Oh" Fuu uttered, apparently surprised that anyone would find her interesting, not to mention that she should be special. Pondering a little, she started chewing on her bottom lip before revealing, "I don't have any chakra because Futaba needs it. But I am fine without it! I … I wouldn't even know what to do with it anyway…"
"Ah, so you're sayin' that this guardian spirit of yours… uses your chakra?" Sato followed up while scratching his scrubby chin.
Kakashi picked up on how he put his emphasis not on the fact that Fuu claimed to have a guardian spirit, but rather on how she supposedly used Fuu's chakra. Again he wondered silently why Sato would simply believe this story; clearly others beside Kakashi himself, had problems doing so.
But then again…
'Give my regards to the girls.'
That old man knew something, which of course he wasn't ready to reveal just yet.
Instead Sato leant back in his chair, "Well, let's find out about that. Take of your shirt, lass."
After a second of hesitation Fuu struggled out of her top, now only in her white undershirt.
"I am going to prick your skin —" Sato actually did so before the girl even discovered the needle in his fingers, "— it hurts a bit but I'll heal it as soon as I am done."
With quick movements, Sato grazed his own fingertip and placed it on the little red dot that blossomed just above the top of her sternum.
Fuu stayed silent during the whole process, searching the old man's face now that his eyes were closed. There was a deep crease between his bushy eyebrows which looked like a pair of hairy caterpillars. For a moment the girl frowned before she was easily mesmerized by how they wiggled slightly in concentration.
Slowly Fuu raised her hand to touch them.
Kakashi, who was pretty sure that Sato would not appreciate Fuu touching him without permission, approached her cautiously, trying to get her attention. This man was a shinobi after all, the paunch and weird clothes aside, and shinobi weren't necessarily fond of surprises.
However before Kakashi could stop his ward, Sato raised his free hand and flicked hers away almost casually before growling, "Tch, wrong gate. Now… which one next? Kaimon."
'Gate of Opening' Kakashi thought, wondering what the old man was trying to achieve.
This time Fuu flinched as Sato pierced her forehead before he once again lifting his finger to cover the wound with his own. Never before had Kakashi witnessed someone performing this kind of technique and once he wasn't pressed for time, he would definitely try to find out more about this strange old man.
Exchanging blood didn't seem like something a… modern medic would do; considering the risk of contagion.
"Ahh…" the unconventional medic suddenly sighed, a satisfied smirk parting the lines on his face like a curtain. "Now this is interesting. I need a second pair of eyes, so take off that headband, Hatake."
Kakashi was well aware that Fuu's pupils were darting between the two men, unsure whether they would share their discovery with her.
Loosening the knot behind his head, Kakashi revealed his scared eye and Sato beckoned him over with an impatient wave of his hand, the dark eyes never leaving the tense frame of the girl in front of him, "The scars are indeed remnants of a seal. Though it's no longer active as it seems."
"A seal?" Fuu's tiny voice interrupted his deep rumble. "Wha-what'ssss… hm… ."
After a few seconds of a futile fight, her wide green eyes disappeared below her heavy eye lids and Kakashi was by her side to support her suddenly limp body.
"I didn't know about that" Sato defended himself, without breaking the contact between Fuu's forehead and his finger. Kakashi had definitely accused him of as much with a rise of his Ki.
However before Kakashi could retort, his Sharingan detected chakra pouring into his wards body. Carefully placing Fuu down on the table, he was surprised to witness energy flooding her.
Next to him Sato had sensed the changes as well, though his voice was grave as he observed, "So it can still be activated… But this isn't her own chakra."
"No" Kakashi affirmed and couldn't help but clench his teeth. "This signature belongs to a man, a traveller I met… ."
Finally the old man looked up to him without the usual sneer. For a moment it almost appeared as if he was uncomfortable about something before he inquired, "The one who was the reason for your hospital visit?"
"Yes, he —" in a rare moment of a mutual truce Kakashi was about to tell this old medic about what that strange traveller had told him, yet something else caught his attention.
Fuu was still unconscious, but with growing horror the copy ninja discovered that there was something moving and stretching beneath her skin.
Kakashi fueled his Sharingan with the sudden surge of fear to see that Fuu's frame was nothing but a blur, shifting and shivering. Beneath her white skin there were black lines, coiling like live snakes while pushing against the thin barrier. It almost seemed as if every beat of Fuu's heart sparked them with life; allowing them to grow until they reached her little fingertips and her pale face.
"What is this" Kakashi whispered, his hands moving across her skin to find a way to stop this.
"Another seal" Sato answered without the usual superiority in his voice. With little noise he rose from the chair to get a better look at the darkness that spread like some kind of disease through Fuu's body. "A very powerful one at that."
Mumbling to himself in deep and low pitches, the old man continued while absentmindedly scratching the light stubbles on his chin, "It apparently doesn't hurt her... The way it eases through her body though... it's almost like it's alive."
"I've never seen something like this before" Kakashi admitted while the heaviness of his mind weighted down on his words. "The way it continuously moves, it's hard to tell how it functions."
"Whoever put this seal on your little ward, Hatake, weaved it inside her blood and now it has become a part of her. It was activated with my chakra entering into the child's bloodstream which apparently triggered a safeguard mechanism that reduced her body functions. However before the shutdown, I was able to sense that there was indeed another presence. Almost as if there's a person hiding inside this girl's body. It's rather curious."
"But how is it possible to create a seal that fuses with her blood" Kakashi asked aloud, balking at the fact that everything he had learned about fuinjutsu was being questioned right now. "To what did the caster apply the seal?"
"If it were inside her blood, the effect would wear off quickly. Naturally blood replenishes itself continuously so whatever functions it activated should now be disabled. Since it causes her no physical harm, the question about her guardian spirit is much more important. To allow for two souls to reside in one body, it takes great self-control on both sides or —like in this case— a seal. This appears to be such a crafty fuinjutsu, crafty enough that is, to work itself around the old one which already has already served its purpose. However the way this girl talked about her shy protector leads me to believe that this is not to protect them from each other... tch!"
"Is there a way to find out? Without hurting Fuu of course."
Sato finally disconnected his fingers from Fuu's forehead as well as let go of her chin by which he had held her up. The sigh he finally heaved from the depth of his lungs sounded as tired and old as he actually looked like.
"Naw" he shrugged. "It's not possible."
Now Kakashi furled his silver eyebrows as an uncomfortable feeling crept up on him.
Sato however continued, seemingly unaffected, "Nobody should be able to survive the procedure of having that many seals placed upon and inside one's body. That's the one impossible thing — the other… well, let's say that 'undoing' it, would require to drain her body completely which of course would inevitably kill her. And we wouldn't want that now, would we?"
So... the countdown has started! Now the secrets and mysteries around Fuu and her guardian spirit will slowly but surely unravel. Soon the reprieve of the Hokage will expire and Kakashi's ward will face the Interrogation Squad - or not? If anyone would like to share her or his theory, I'd love to hear them! =)
Actually this chapter was supposed to cover the next day as well, but somehow there were so much details I wanted to include in this one :D
BabySealLover: I was contemplating actually for a very long time whether I should include the part with ninken and there were many different version before I settled for the one I finally used. So I am really glad that you've liked it :) Actually I never intended for Asuma and Kurenai to be involved this much but then again, those three (including Gai) will be the ones who ask for Kakashi to leave ANBU; so I thought it was at least halfway reasonable that they're around as much - but surprisingly I have so much fun writing them!
Sato is actually going to stick around and that old man is just getting started. There will be so many faces to him! So far he's probably been probably as strange as the Fuu/Futaba combo and I am feeling slightly bad for pushing him on Kakashi as well :D
Anyway, thanks so much for that great review! I appreciate them very much! :)
NoBirdWithintheCage: Oh yes, running around with dogs and looking more like something out of the wild than a civilized human :D That's definitely something I've done several times as a kid as well (much to my mother's distress). Though you saying that you find Fuu likable always makes me really happy. This chapter she's been eating up some of the parts I actually wanted to include - now they'll move to the next chapter :D she can be quite persuasive!
Let me assure you, it's not only you who finds it satisfying to make Kakashi open up a little for a little innocent girl. They've surely had their difficulties with each other but with the beginning of this chapter I wanted to show that he's quite fond of her and is slowly starting to accept it. It's funny though that you pictured almost the same situation with Asuma watching over Fuu the evening - it's fun to mess with the Sarutobi xD
I am curious what you think of the last part, it's only a small amount of information but I promise: there will be more!
Thanks for your great review - they always make me feel special :)
ZabuzasGirl: Thank you so much for your review! I am really glad that you've liked it so far and I am very sorry for not being able to update as quickly! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter :)
/... / Three more chapters and the first arc will be finished! =) Should I be worried just how much I enjoy writing Sato? He was never supposed to be involved as much in this part but I couldn't help pushing him on Kakashi. I guess I am just as awful...