In The Corner of Your Eye
Abby Ebon
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own Naruto. If I did…I'd wonder if I accidently made Harry into a Time Lord. –snickers- Damn, -amused-, it's a very good thing my bunnies are keeping me too busy to do any such thing. Oh, for amusements sake, I did this chapter mostly in Kakashi's perspective – it's a nice change of pace.
21. When Did Dead People Learn To Walk?
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"Shadow Walker…" Beside Itachi, Kisame tilted his head in a greeting, giving a grim sharp toothed smile.
"You know Kisame?" Kakashi sputtered out, said shark-man smirked, even the cold Itachi seemed amused at the bewilderment of the man whose silver hair resembled a roosters.
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Being as Kisame was a known S-Class criminal (and one of the few people who gave Kakashi the creeps) he thought this question was a very good one - evidently not. Apparently being as old as dirt let you know powerful criminals as children, and find it amusing when an innocent bystander -who happened to be the only one who knew where they were going – questioned such connections. Or merely baffled by them in an over all way.
Really, Kisame didn't look as old as all that – that being at least within a decade of Tsunade and Jiraiya, which was sort of creepy in its own special way. While Kakashi wasn't an expert on shark-looks, Kisame at least had the body of someone in their twenties. Of course, being a ninja focused on physical fitness shaved off a few years in general, most ninja did die before reaching the age of Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Kakashi didn't know which to find creepier– the mental block about Kisame being at least in his eighties – or the fact that Itachi, a kid in his late teens, was wondering around with him.
Admittedly, that was somewhat like what Jiraiya had done with Naruto, but Kisame had always seemed subservient to Itachi. Ew. That was not a mental picture Kakashi wanted in his own psyche, unfortunately having enjoyed pornographic art (as even when it created such situations as this, Kakashi was not about to bad-mouth his love for …well, you know) for most of his adult life engraved said images within said imagination. Kakashi really couldn't help but shudder.
He would never be able to look the same way at either Kisame or Itachi again. He only hoped they didn't notice…too much.
"Have you developed a twitch, Kakashi?" Itachi actually managed to sound worried – on top of being amused, somehow mixing with calmly almost-condescending tones, which was in and of itself a realm of strange Kakashi had not wanted to cross into. Carefully avoiding eye contact, Kakashi tilted his chin in what he hoped was a "nod", and then shrugged a shoulder by reflex.
"I assume you have reasons for following us?" Harry asked, seeming to know Kakashi was feeling more them a little awkward and hoping to distract them from their prey – er, concerns.
"Yes…well, we assume you are going in this direction for the same reason we are?" Itachi answered vaguely, Kakashi rolled his hidden eye. Oh, yes, he was leading Harry to a village to maim and kill its inhabitants in the name of a criminal organization that….Harry had just happened to help form. Kakashi wondered what other surprises the ancient with an appearance of a teenager had up his sleeve, and then promptly decided he did not want to know. There was after all, a thing such as too much information – certain lines one did not cross if one wanted to keep ones limbs, or said ones life.
"Explain?" There was more then a little bit of suspicion in the look Harry shot him just then. Kakashi wanted to pointedly look in the direction of Harry's genius criminal descendent and a criminal he had known briefly in said criminal's childhood but promptly decided it was safer – for him – not to.
"There are reports – rumors, really, of the dead returning within this area." Kisame stated, seemingly eager to prove that even he knew more about what was going on within his own home land then Kakashi. Kakashi did the mature thing – he pouted, though because of his mask – no one could see - which made it alright.
"Interesting..." No, it was not! Kakashi wanted very badly to take Harry aside and point out why this might be a good time to run – swiftly – in the other direction (or "teleport" like Harry had to kidnap Naruto) as this was a very obvious trap. But, of course – protocol held him back because - that would be rude, and look as if he was under minding Harry's god like powers. Which not everybody had - meaning, most people were mortal. Meaning, Kakashi really did not want to die.
"So, genius here thought we'd follow you – which you likely knew about from the start," one of us did, Kakashi thought with a not exactly pleasant look to Harry, at least he wasn't alone in said annoyance with partners – Itachi was glaring rather impressively, "but now that we've made an appearance – I see two choices, we can team up – or fight." Kakashi wanted the former, though not with Kisame and Itachi, as likely intended. Even in that Itachi seemed to agree.
It struck Kakashi then that he was behaving oddly alike Itachi –supposedly Kisame's lover (at least in Kakashi's warped imagination) – which meant they likely thought Harry and he were….oh. Kakashi was then very glad one of his known "oddities" was the fact that he always wore a face mask that partly covered one eye; he didn't think he'd ever be able to live down flushing like this in front of criminals – if they knew. Which they didn't, which – of course, was one of the reasons he had gotten said mask in early life….
"It would, of course, be for both of our benefits." As opposed to the fact that the brat likely wanted to uncover the wealth of knowledge Harry practically breathed out. Itachi was evil – Harry belonged to Kakashi….er, Konoha. Harry belonged to Konoha, though Itachi was born of Konoha – and Harry's descendent – which, Kakashi supposed, gave him more right to Harry's knowledge then he had. Damn logic. Not that Kakashi would mind if Harry belonged to him, per say, he was attractive, knowledgeable, and likely very talented with so much…experience.
It was then Kakashi noticed the uneasy silence – and, as he was as much a genius as Itachi – if not more so – it took him only that moment to realize they were waiting his opinion in the who go with the enemy, or fight with the enemy, fiasco. He grunted it was, luckily, answer enough – thank god for "cool" ninja not-answers that didn't make him look idiotic. A grunt signaled agreement with whatever Harry had said. Which Kakashi had not been paying attention to…damn. Looked like he was playing tag along with criminals – what was next, snacks of tea and cookies?
"Why did you do it?" Harry asked Itachi sometime later. It set Kakashi's teeth on edge with how friendly the two were to each other. Oh, yes, while we're traveling together to a place where people might raise from the dead as zombies, tell me why – in your childhood – you slaughtered my/our family?
Perfect question. For being so ancient and knowledgeable, Kakashi didn't think that Harry had any tact.
"I heard Kyuubi that night – screaming out a warning the others could not hear - that the Uchiha would betray them." What a perfect not answer, which gave rise to more questions then it answered. Apparently it was answer enough to Harry. Which, Kakashi had to admit – wasn't really that much of a surprise.
"So, Shisui and I sought our answers from Tengu." Why did it not surprise Kakashi in the least that Itachi had had contact with demons in his early childhood?
"It was then we knew something had to be done. So we staged Shisui's death, knowing it would lead to my isolation – and the belief that I had killed him." So, Shisui was alive. Interesting, but did it still hold true?
"Together we killed the clan before they could unleash Tengu." Oh, yes, Uchiha logic made perfect sense. Not.
"I assume then you both joined Akatsuki." This would have led to Orochimaru attacking Itachi with the intent of taking over his body (a well known reason for such a split in those days – Akatsuki may be the best, but they gossiped like nobodies business) which would have been close to the time Harry had lost his memory and gone missing. It was actually the day before Kyuubi attacked that was the last time anyone had caught sight of Harry.
"That is correct, for a time Madara stuck around – trying to kill Orochimaru with us tagging beside him. Eventually, I suppose, it became too much to do without you; he trained Shisui to take over Akatsuki under the aliases 'Tobi'. Then he left, no one knows where he went – what happened, he just…vanished." Itachi seemed almost human, saddened, by this loss, at least.
"Then we heard you were looking for him, if you want help, Shadow Walker – we'd be glad to do so." Kisame stated after a long, awkward silence that had been drawn out to uncomfortable proportions. Kakashi got the feeling he was missing large chucks of a whole understanding.
"I would be glad for it." Kakashi wasn't so sure that making friends with criminals was such a good idea, but so long as they found Sasuke soon, Kakashi could use the boy as an excuse to get them away, and then tattle on Harry to Tsunade. He wasn't above such things if they kept him –and Harry - alive.
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Kakashi was pleased to find that despite all reports to the contrary, the village looked normal enough. Shoppers went about life in the market, if they hunched their shoulders and didn't look anyone in the eye, he tried not to let it bother them – they were, after all – strangers to the villagers. It might even be the fact that they had two tag along Akatsuki with them.
The place was out of the way, on foot for someone who wasn't a ninja it would take a week to walk out – but such things were normal. It was when they went to meet with Kakashi's contact that things got strange. The contract, it was reported, was in the hospital. Kakashi had no fondness for hospitals or medicine in general; as long he was healthy he was content. None the less, the fact was they had to get to the hospital to get to his contact – they would, hopefully, have seen Sasuke.
Apparently, he was not the only one with an unvoiced fear of hospitals, as Itachi had promptly opted out of going to said place in favor of doing some surveillance. Kisame had, predictably, followed Itachi's league. So, of course, that left Harry and him self to go on, on their own, into the hospital - right off, Kakashi knew something off was going on.
The first clue was the fact that the morgue had expanded to the above-basement level. Which was not such a good sign – second clue, most of those who were supposed to be death, were, in fact, moving. Which Kakashi was developing a newly found fear of things that were dead that didn't, in fact, "stay dead" (as in still, lifeless – and so on and so forth) their newly discovered ability to gawk at a corpse was swiftly found out. As if they needed another obvious thing pointing them out as strangers, this – although rightfully up on the creepy nightmare scale – didn't help them to blend in.
"Ah, I see you are new here." Way to state the obvious, doc'...
"What is going on here?" Kakashi really couldn't help but feel some sympathy with Harry, it was very…creepy. Dead things did not move. It wasn't natural. Death itself didn't creep Kakashi out, death was a natural process all ninja faced at once point or another, but fact was natural dead things did not move. Kakashi did not particularly care to know why it was they were moving.
"We are attempting a revolutionary new technique, one which we believe would aid our ninja in battle – at least enough to distract their enemies and gain the upper hand in battle. Would you like to see a demonstration of our progress?" Right then and there, Kakashi decided that there was, after all, a very good reason he did not hospitals or doctors and it was high time he exercise his right to dislike them with contempt.
"No, we….are on a mission." Kakashi just barely stopped himself from adding "you crazy, we would kill you – if I wasn't afraid you'd come back". It was then chaos broke out, behind the glass of the room they had been looking into the until then calm dead, seemed to go nuts, grabbing orderly and nurse alike to munch on. There were screams, and blood – and it was worse then battle because these people didn't have weapons, they used hands and teeth. Sickened, he watched, unable to turn away.
"Demons." Their eyes were black, Harry had noticed this, Kakashi could have cursed himself for not having noticed, even in the face of such carnage, he should have.
"I think you'd better tell us what, exactly, is going on here." Harry practically spat the words out; Kakashi didn't think he had ever heard the other so angry. It struck him then that they were in very real trouble, the doctor seemed to sense this, and paled, for the first time Kakashi noticed how sickly he looked. Then he started to worry.
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Note; yes, I am using a slight spin on both "zombie" parallels and Supernatural's episode, "Croatoan", which I have a fondness for. How this ties to Orochimaru and Sasuke?…you'll see.