Chapter 21

Look me up, Tenzo had said.

Kakashi stood awkwardly outside the apartment complex. He scratched his temple. Should I even be here? Shouldn't I have warned him first? He wondered how he'd even gotten here. He'd meant to go to the training field and spar with Gai. He hadn't meant for his feet to take him straight here and plant him outside a foreign building he had never been in and probably would never go inside of again, as soon as Tenzo figured out what bad company he was.

He walked up to the front door and pressed the buzzer anyway.

"Moshi moshi?" Tenzo's voice crackled over the little speaker, breathless and cheerful.

"It's me," Kakashi said.

"Sempai!"

Kakashi winced slightly at the excited yell.

The door in front of him unlocked with a click.

"I guess I should go in," Kakashi said to the speaker.

"Yes!" Tenzo replied immediately. "I'll be right down. Wait just inside the door. I'll come get you."

"That's not…necessary…" Kakashi wondered if Tenzo had any idea how uncomfortable he was with walking through a strange apartment building and was trying to minimize his discomfort.

"Oh. Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Kakashi said. He'd honestly be more self-conscious with Tenzo leading him around, chattering at him the whole way. "It's okay. I know your apartment number. 218, right?"

"Yeah," Tenzo said. "So you'll be right up?" A note of anxiety crept in, as if he thought Kakashi was going to back down at the last moment.

"The sooner I stop talking to this box here," Kakashi said cheerfully.

"Right." Tenzo sounded sheepish. "Ja ne, then."

"Ja ne." Kakashi turned the intercom off and entered the apartment building.

It wasn't bad; it didn't smell or anything, like some apartment buildings did. There was just an unobtrusive floral air freshener scent. The walls were salmon pink, and the carpet was a gray-beige color made for high traffic areas, as if the people in charge of decorating had sighed, 'Well, white won't stay white, so why don't we pick something ugly to begin with?'

Kakashi found his way upstairs without meeting another soul; the apartment building was quiet as well. Most of these people aren't home, Kakashi surmised. That was a relief.

He reached Tenzo's door and knocked.

Tenzo opened the door just wide enough, peeking at Kakashi anxiously. "Come in." He glanced around his ankles and gestured. "Hurry. Daidai heard the door open."

"Is your cat keeping you prisoner?" Kakashi asked, slipping inside and allowing Tenzo to shut the door.

"No, but he thinks I'm keeping him one," Tenzo whispered. "Every time I open the door he tries to escape like a man possessed."

Kakashi laughed.

Tenzo was wearing an apron covered in white and pink checkers. He didn't appear to notice, so Kakashi didn't want to say anything. "Want to follow me into the kitchen? Now that the door's shut, Daidai's interest is going to be in stealing the fish out of my sushi."

Kakashi snorted. "You have to watch this cat every moment, don't you?"

Tenzo sighed theatrically and led the way. "You have no idea."

He followed Tenzo into the kitchen.

Tenzo's kitchen was small, but very clean. Lots of gleaming white tile, white cabinets, and a white ceramic sink. The only things of color were the appliances, and drainboard, and the cutting board. Freshly rolled sushi sat on the long wooden cutting board, a knife resting next to them.

Kakashi glanced around at floor level, but there was no orange tabby in sight.

"Excuse me," Tenzo said, taking his spot in front of the cutting board and picking up his knife.

"Go ahead," Kakashi agreed. "Don't let me stop you."

Tenzo cut up his three sushi rolls into eight pieces each.

"Maa, that looks good," Kakashi said cheerfully.

Tenzo blushed. "Thank you. It's nothing – just leftovers."

"Must be good leftovers," Kakashi teased.

"I make 'em look pretty," Tenzo said.

Kakashi was amused by the deft dance of Tenzo's polite deference. He decided to try to throw Tenzo off balance. "You make that apron look pretty, too."

"Huh?" Tenzo looked down at himself. Then he blushed bright red. "It's not what you think, Sempai," he said weakly. He smoothed down the front of his apron self-consciously. "It was a gag gift – but it's the only apron I've got, and making sushi is messy. And –"

Kakashi laughed. "Don't let me bother you. I apologize."

"Such comments, Sempai," Tenzo complained. "They're bound to bother me."

"Gomen nasai." Kakashi bowed, grinning.

Tenzo sighed. "I forgive you."

"Thank you," Kakashi murmured.

Tenzo relaxed and went back to his sushi, taking down a plate from his cupboard. He shifted his sushi from the cutting board to the plate.

"So who gave you the apron?" Kakashi asked. "Benku-taichou?"

Tenzo whirled around and looked at Kakashi incredulously. "Why would Taichou give me a pink and white apron?"

"No reason." Kakashi shrugged. "You said it was a gag gift."

"Yeah," Tenzo said. "From my foster mother. For getting my own apartment." He stared at Kakashi.

Kakashi blushed at his assumptions about Tenzo's upbringing. "Foster mother, ne?" He scratched his temple, smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah," Tenzo said. "She raised me for three years. Until I was nine. Then, because I was in ANBU, everyone encouraged me to get my own apartment, so…" He shrugged. "I moved out of her house, into here. She would have had to stop raising me when I was twelve, anyway."

"Why is that?" Kakashi asked.

"House rules." Tenzo shrugged. "She runs a house. And it's set up so you only get six years in there, because she has so many people to foster. So I was always going to leave, eventually. It was just nicer to leave there of my own accord, I guess."

Somehow, that made Kakashi sadder than if Tenzo had had no mother at all. Does he still see her? He didn't want to ask in case the answer was no. Then he'd be really depressed.

"Would you like some sushi?" Tenzo asked brightly.

Kakashi couldn't miss the transition, but he was grateful for it. "No, thank you." If Tenzo was going to be polite, so was he. The first time someone asked if you wanted food or drink, the traditional response was 'no'. It made no sense, but there it was.

"Really?" Tenzo gave him a look. "I insist."

"Well, if you insist." Kakashi smiled cheerfully. "Thank you, Tenzo."

"You're welcome, Sempai! Let's eat over here." Tenzo picked up the plate of sushi, grabbing a couple pairs of chopsticks from the silverware drawer, and headed into the next room, which happened to be a dining nook with a glossy wooden table. "I'm glad you came, Sempai. This is much too much food for just me." Tenzo flashed Kakashi a smile over his shoulder.

Kakashi padded along behind him. "How thoughtful. When you come visit me, I'll have to feed you something as well. Probably not something I cook myself, though. I wouldn't want you to die." He laughed.

Tenzo almost dropped the plate of sushi. "You'll let me come visit you? Really? When?"

"It's no particular privilege," Kakashi said. He wondered if he should take the plate of sushi away from Tenzo and put it on the table himself.

Tenzo set the plate down on the table, allaying Kakashi's fears. He plopped down into a chair and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. "I think it is," he said seriously, gesturing with his chopsticks.

Kakashi sat down across from him at the small table and took the remaining pair of chopsticks. "Well, you can think that."

Tenzo gave him a look. "Sempai…"

"You can visit me whenever you like," Kakashi said. "And Tenzo…"

Tenzo paused in the act of picking up a piece of his sushi. "Yes?"

"You don't have to call me Sempai."

Tenzo grinned and popped the piece of sushi in his mouth. He chewed, and swallowed. "I know. But I'm going to anyway. Dig in, or I'll eat your share."

Bemused, Kakashi did as he was told. "Excellent," he complimented. "I knew it would be good when I saw it."

Tenzo blushed slightly and pouted. "Sempai exaggerates."

"Not at all," Kakashi said, eating another piece of sushi roll. "My Kouhai is quite the little sushi-maker."

Tenzo turned bright red.

Kakashi laughed.

They ate for a few moments in silence. Tenzo looked awkwardly from the plate of sushi to Kakashi and around the room, seemingly unable to find a safe place to keep his gaze.

"So, how long have you known our Taichou?" Kakashi asked.

Tenzo sighed, hanging his head. "What is it with you? Why do you care? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with you and the captain," Kakashi said.

Tenzo straightened quickly and looked at Kakashi with wide eyes. "Is Sempai jealous?"

"What?" Kakashi protested.

"The way Sempai keeps asking abut Taichou…" Tenzo narrowed his eyes. Then he laughed. "You're not in love with me, are you?"

"But – But – Why?" Kakashi was flustered. He could not possibly have anticipated that question. Why are you asking me that? You're not in love with me, are you? That would be awful. He couldn't imagine trying to covertly convince Gai of his feelings, while Tenzo pined after him.

Tenzo's grin faded somewhat. "You're not, right?"

"No," Kakashi said. Oh, good. At least he doesn't seem like he wants me to be in love with him.

Tenzo stared at him, looking remarkably like a cat. "Convince me, Sempai."

"What?" Kakashi protested again.

"You've been acting strangely around me," Tenzo said. He nodded to himself. "And now, trying to be my friend all of a sudden…it's suspicious."

Kakashi hung his head. "This is what I get for trying to be friendly." He sighed. "No, Tenzo. I'm not in love with you. I'm in love with someone else." He muttered, "Someone extraordinarily thickheaded. I doubt he would notice me."

Tenzo gasped. "Taichou! That's why you're asking me about him. You're trying to gather information about the man you're in love with."

Kakashi smacked his forehead. "No."

"No?"

Kakashi shuddered. "I am not in love with Benku-taichou. How could I ever be in love with someone who would take my Icha Icha away?"

Tenzo looked confused. "Then why have you been asking all those questions about Taichou?"

Kakashi realized he'd backed himself into a corner. It might have been wiser to pretend. Except, Tenzo might have told Gai, or Bensaku-taichou, or both, and then I would have been doomed. He thought quickly. How do I get out of this subject? Redirect. "I think the Taichou is in love with you."

Tenzo gave him a scolding look. "Flimsy, Sempai."

"It's the truth," Kakashi said. And I was not supposed to tell you on pain of death, probably.

"How could Benku-taichou be in love with me?" Tenzo asked. "I'm fourteen. He's…however old he actually is. He keeps calling me a little boy. And we're both guys."

"That didn't stop you a moment ago when you accused me of being in love with you and then with him," Kakashi said.

Tenzo smiled mischievously. "Yeah, but everyone knows you like the guys."

"Everyone?" Kakashi protested. "And anyway, it's not true."

"Then why did you say 'he'?" Tenzo teased.

"When?"

"When I asked if you were in love with me, and you said you were in love with a man who's too thickheaded to notice you exist," Tenzo said. "You said 'he' wouldn't notice you."

Kakashi's cheeks burned. "Well, I'm still not gay."

"Uh-huh." Tenzo cupped his chin in his hand and ate a piece of sushi. "Go on, Sempai."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Tenzo and gathered his dignity. "I'm bisexual."

Tenzo choked on his sushi.

Kakashi couldn't feel sorry for him.

Tenzo's smile soon returned. "Kinky, Sempai. So you like the guys and the girls." His smile widened to a grin. "So, have you ever dated them both at once?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Kakashi said flatly. "That's not what it's like."

Tenzo's smile faded. "Sorry."

Kakashi sighed. "I don't talk about it. With anybody." The closest he'd gotten to talking about it was with Gai. And the subject of bisexuality still hadn't come up.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Tenzo said. He looked remorseful.

Kakashi was reminded that Tenzo was fourteen. Some things about fourteen-year-olds couldn't be changed. Like their tendency to tease first and think later. Some people grew out of it, and some people didn't. Kakashi wondered which kind Tenzo would turn out to be.

"It's okay," Kakashi said.

"Really?" Tenzo looked at him with soulfully pitiful eyes.

Kakashi gave him a smile. "Really."

Tenzo perked up a bit at that. "So you're in love with a guy," he said tentatively.

"Yes." Kakashi nodded.

"I wonder how that is." Tenzo looked thoughtful. "I've never been in love with anybody before. Is being in love with a guy different than being in love with a girl?"

"No. It's the same." Kakashi ate a piece of sushi just to keep up. He tended not to be hungry anymore when he thought of Rin. "You think the same things about them, feel the same feelings. It's like…" He sighed. "You want to be with them, but you want them to notice you, to the exclusion of everyone else. And if you can't have that, then you're not happy."

Tenzo looked disconcerted, and then pale. "That's what love is?"

"Kind of," Kakashi said. He watched Tenzo carefully. "That's not a very good description, but that can be how you feel sometimes. When you're around them."

Tenzo was silent. Then he asked, "How do you know you're bisexual, Sempai?"

Kakashi grudgingly said, "I was in love with a girl first. It didn't work out. So now I'm in love with a guy. I don't know if it alternates like that for everyone, or if I just…I…went from one to the other because I was hurt. I just know…I fall in love with both sexes equally."

"Oh." Tenzo ate a piece of sushi slowly. "Who was the girl?"

"I'm not telling you," Kakashi said pointedly, and ate a piece of sushi.

Tenzo smiled. "Okay. Who is the guy, then?"

"I'm not telling you that either."

Tenzo laughed. "But Sempai, if I don't know who this guy is, how can I help you get through to him?"

"I don't want your help," Kakashi said.

"Cruel, Sempai."

Kakashi gave him a look.

"We're friends now!" Tenzo gestured dramatically with his chopsticks. "We should help each other with personal things! And that means I should fix up Sempai with his love-crush."

"No."

"Fine, then." Tenzo pouted. "I'll let you wallow in despair."

Kakashi smiled cheerfully. "Thank you."

Tenzo sighed. "Sempai…I just don't understand you sometimes."

"Why don't you invite Bensaku-taichou over for sushi sometime?" Kakashi asked, changing the subject.

Tenzo made a face. "Because he'd probably criticize it. Taichou doesn't want to come over to some kid's apartment when he's home. He wants to go to his own apartment. Lie down. Read a magazine. Go to sleep."

"Then you've asked him?" Kakashi asked.

"He's talked about it enough, hasn't he?" Tenzo said. "'All I want to do is get home to my apartment, lie down'–"

"'And read a magazine. Maybe watch the tube,'" Kakashi finished. "Yeah. He does say that. But that doesn't mean he doesn't want to be invited over."

Tenzo looked at Kakashi doubtfully. "Sempai isn't still trying to say Taichou is in love with me, is he?"

Kakashi smiled cheerfully. "If you invite him over and nothing happens, then it'll prove there's nothing between you two, won't it?"

"You won't spy on us or anything, will you?" Tenzo asked.

Kakashi chuckled. "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"I don't know," Tenzo said. "Why would you try to tell me that Taichou is in love with me? See, you're being creepy enough already."

Kakashi was beginning to wish he'd brought Gai with him. "There is a limit to my creepiness."

"Thank goodness," Tenzo said.

Kakashi glared at him.

Tenzo grinned.

"Maa, you will tell me if anything happens, won't you?" Kakashi asked, unable to resist.

Tenzo shuddered. "I hope nothing happens."

Kakashi hoped for Bensaku's sake Tenzo would change his mind.

"Sempai, who is this guy you like?" Tenzo asked. "Do I know him?"

"Why do you want to know, Tenzo?" Kakashi teased, figuring turnabout was fair play. "You have no reason to be interested."

Tenzo looked taken aback. "What do you mean? We're teammates, aren't we? And I thought you wanted to be friends. Friends tell each other who they're interested in, don't they?"

"Flimsy," Kakashi said. He didn't want to tell Tenzo that was more typical of girls. Tenzo clearly didn't have any friends to model proper behavior for him.

"Well, what other reason is there?" Tenzo protested.

Kakashi grinned. "Maa, maybe you have a crush on me."

"A crush on you?" Tenzo blinked. Then he leaned back in his chair and smirked, pointing at Kakashi accusingly. "Sempai has a swelled head." He folded his arms across his chest. "For your information, I don't have a crush on anybody."

"Is that so?" Kakashi said.

Tenzo nodded decisively. "I'm much too mature for that."

Kakashi snorted. "Crushes aren't a matter of maturity. They're a matter of chemistry. You hit it off with someone. So you get a crush on them. And then one thing leads to another…you get married…you have kids." He shrugged. "Or at least that's the usual explanation for how children are born."

"That's never gonna happen for me," Tenzo said.

"Why? Because you don't have crushes?" Kakashi asked.

"No," Tenzo said. "Because I'm aspermatic." He said the word matter-of-factly.

"A…Asperm…" Kakashi stammered, filled with discomfort and embarrassment. This conversation got a lot more awkward.

"Aspermatic," Tenzo said. "It's a medical word. It means I can't produce sperm."

"I know what it means," Kakashi said weakly.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," Tenzo said. "It doesn't embarrass me. It's just a fact." He shrugged. "I can't have kids. It's because of what Orochimaru did to me. They say that's why, anyway. Maybe I was like this to begin with. The scientists say some people are born with it. So who knows? Maybe I was never going to have kids. But I sure can't now. That's for certain. So I'm not going to bother with the getting married stuff. People want to have kids. I don't want to disappoint anybody. It's better not to get married at all."

Kakashi wasn't sure what was more unspeakably sad; the fact that Tenzo knew he couldn't have children, or that Tenzo was so calm and accepting of that fact. "Tenzo…just because you can't have kids doesn't mean you shouldn't bother to fall in love. There are lots of ways to get around that. You could adopt. Or find someone who doesn't want to have kids."

"Sempai…" Tenzo sighed. "I don't think about the future a lot, because it scares me, but…It's true that I always thought I would adopt anyway. Adoption's not that popular, and there are a lot of kids who need homes. So I thought I'd do what my foster mom does: run a home where kids can stay in a place that's nicer than an orphanage. Cause the orphanage kind of sucks. There's not enough people there to take care of all the kids. People just don't have the ability to make one on one time for the kids. And that's what you need to grow up healthy. My foster mom says that, anyway."

Tenzo gave him a scrutinizing, uncertain look. "Sempai, do you think I'm healthy?"

Kakashi tried to think of how to answer that. "As healthy as any of us can be."

Tenzo nodded and sighed. "Yeah…but that's not very healthy, is it?"

"Maybe not." Kakashi hesitated, then reached out and touched Tenzo's shoulder. "But I think we're getting better."

Tenzo brightened a little. "You think?"

Kakashi nodded.

Tenzo smiled. "Hey, thanks." He reached out and touched Kakashi's arm, then visibly gathered his courage. "I think you've been getting a lot better, Sempai."

"Me? Really?" Kakashi smiled ruefully.

Tenzo nodded. "I know it. You've been smiling a lot lately, and you make jokes when you didn't used to. And you hang out with Gai. That didn't used to happen."

"How do you know I hang out with Gai?" Kakashi asked, flushing slightly.

Tenzo rolled his eyes. "Because I watch you, Sempai. You stick close to his side on missions, you always talk to him a lot, and you sleep on the same side of the room. You always did the same-side-of-the-room thing, but now you're sparring with him a lot and you just do things with him, like eating with him at lunchtimes even when we're at the mess hall of some outpost, when you used to sit by yourself."

Kakashi's gaze slid away. "Oh, yeah." I did used to sit by myself. He hadn't noticed when things like that had changed; they just had.

"Sempai, it's a good thing," Tenzo said. "Don't be embarrassed."

Kakashi fell silent. I guess many good things have been happening to me lately…it's almost like my life is turning around or something.

"So, Sempai…" Tenzo's expression turned mischievous. "If I invite Benku-taichou over for sushi, will you let me help you with your crush?"

Kakashi cringed.

Tenzo laughed. "Oh, come on. It can't be that bad."

Kakashi suddenly saw Bensaku's point. I don't need life advice. Yet here he was, going behind Bensaku's back, talking to Tenzo, trying to help anyway. Maybe this is a bad idea.

"Tenzo…" he began. But he hardly knew what to say. "I can't tell you. It would be too awkward."

Tenzo's eyes went wide. "It's someone I know, then."

Kakashi wanted to kick himself. "No…I just don't want you coming up to some stranger on the street and telling them I love them."

"How would I even know who to do that to unless I know what they look like?" Tenzo asked.

Kakashi looked away. "Well…"

Tenzo smiled, pleased with himself. "Nice try, Sempai." He rubbed his chin, unknowingly imitating the very person he was trying to guess. "If it has to be someone I know…then the options are limited."

Very limited. Kakashi watched Tenzo apprehensively.

"This is a tough one," Tenzo said. "Are you sure you're not in love with Taichou?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"No? Hmm."

Kakashi couldn't tell if Tenzo was yanking his chain or not. Does he really not suspect Gai might be the one I'm in love with?

Also, he found Tenzo's joking question about their captain suggestive. You must at least find Bensaku attractive. This was terrible of him. Here he was, trying to twist Tenzo's arm to get a confession, and Tenzo was doing the same thing to him.

One of us has to stop and let the other go. "Well, it doesn't matter," Kakashi said. "And it doesn't matter whether you invite Taichou over for sushi. I'll drop the request, and you'll drop this subject of who I'm in love with. How about that?"

"Okay," Tenzo said uncertainly. "I guess."

"Now, where's Daidai?" Kakashi asked. "I was looking forward to meeting him."

Tenzo brightened. "Really?"

Kakashi smiled. "Really."

"Okay!" Tenzo leapt up from the table.

Kakashi chuckled. He rose from the table as well, watching Tenzo search for his cat.

After canvassing the house, Tenzo went into the living room. "He's got to be here. He's not in the laundry room and he's not in the bedroom."

Kakashi looked around Tenzo's humble living room, puzzled. "I don't see anything…"

Tenzo smiled ruefully. "You know what? I bet he's underneath the couch. What do you want to bet?"

Kakashi shrugged.

Tenzo got down on his hands and knees. Then he flattened his cheek against his carpet.

"Well?" Kakashi asked.

"Daidai," Tenzo said gently. Then he looked slightly hurt. "He's not coming out from underneath the couch. He must be really scared of you."

Kakashi sighed. "What did I do? I like cats."

Tenzo glanced up at him. "You must smell like your ninja dogs."

"I'm wearing clean clothing," Kakashi protested. "And I took a shower."

"Well, I don't know," Tenzo said. He got up off the floor. "Maybe it's just that he's never seen a stranger before. No one's visited since I got him."

"No one?" Kakashi asked, startled.

Tenzo shook his head. "My apartment is a pretty private place. People don't come here. If they want to see me, they invite me out places. That's why I was afraid my apartment was boring. I'd have invited you over sooner if I thought there was anything here for us to do."

"I like it," Kakashi said. "It's quiet."

Tenzo grinned. "I should have known you would say that. You like quiet places." Spontaneously, he added, "I'm glad you came, Sempai. It's really exciting that you're here."

Kakashi was touched. Confused, but touched. He scratched his temple and smiled. "I'm glad you think so. It's clearly an honor to be here, since I'm the only person who's visited. Thank you for letting me in."

"Oh, you can come over anytime," Tenzo said. He flopped down on the sofa. "Wanna watch some TV?"

"Sure," Kakashi said. He sat down a sofa cushion away. It didn't really matter to him what was on TV. He just got the sense that Tenzo needed more time around people. Like Tenzo's cat. And for whatever reason, Tenzo had decided he was a good candidate. He understood Tenzo's explanation that Tenzo felt their pasts were similar, at least as it related to their abilities, but Kakashi felt there had to be more to Tenzo's feeling of kinship than that. Perhaps it really is because we're teammates.

Halfway through the program, Tenzo said spontaneously, "You saved my life, you know, Sempai."

"Huh?" Kakashi blinked.

"I'm sure of it." Tenzo looked at him. "I'm sure I would've died if it weren't for you. I thought that before, but now I'm sure."

"Well…" Kakashi shifted uncomfortably. "You're my teammate." And I've lost too many people already.

Tenzo smiled. "I just want to say…thank you."

"Maa…" Kakashi settled for simply smiling in return.

Tenzo leaned over awkwardly and hugged him.

Kakashi didn't know if he was supposed to pull Tenzo closer or not. He didn't want to risk it. He didn't want Tenzo to think he was making some kind of sexual move. In the end, he just patted Tenzo's back.

They went back to watching TV. At the end of the show, Kakashi got up. "It's probably time I should leave."

"How come?" Tenzo asked.

"I kind of promised Gai I would train with him today, and I haven't yet, and it's already three o'clock…" Kakashi held out his hands.

"Okay…" Tenzo didn't disguise his disappointment.

"You can come train with us if you like," Kakashi said. He smiled cheerfully. "You know, you're always welcome, Kouhai."

"Thanks." Tenzo looked less than thrilled. "It's only been a few days since we got back from the frontier, you know. I'm planning on taking it easy for at least a week."

Kakashi shrugged. "Suit yourself. You know Gai. The day he takes a day off from training will be the day of his funeral. And probably not even then. Knowing Gai, he'll find a way to be buried mid-stride, punching a training post or something."

Tenzo chuckled and made a face. "I don't know what you see in that weirdo. Gai-sempai wouldn't be my choice of a best friend. He's so different from you."

"Maa, that's the spice of life," Kakashi said vaguely.

"I guess that true…" Tenzo nodded slowly. He stood. "I'll walk you out."

"Thank you, Tenzo," Kakashi said. "How kind."

They came to the door.

"Are you sure you have to go?" Tenzo asked.

"I'm late to meet Gai already," Kakashi said. "He's probably counting the seconds to my arrival and stamping his foot." Not likely, but it was an entertaining image.

"Alright." Tenzo sighed. "But you will visit again, right?"

Kakashi smiled cheerfully. "Maa, how can I not when you make such delicious sushi?"

"They're leftovers," Tenzo said. "Just leftovers."

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the politeness. "Next time, you'll come over to my place, okay?"

Tenzo brightened. "Okay!"

Kakashi opened the door a crack, watching for the infamous orange tabby to appear around his feet. Daidai didn't. He slipped out into the hallway. "Ja ne."

"I'd stay and wave but I'm afraid he'd get out and I'd never get him back in –"

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said. "Just shut the door before you lose your 'prisoner'."

"Thanks! Bye, Sempai!"

Kakashi waved. "Goodbye, Tenzo."

Tenzo shut the door to his apartment with a nervous look at his feet.

Kakashi chuckled.