A/N: OMG, it's been SO LONG since I updated! I'm sorry! Well this is hopefully the end of that horrible hiatus, but I didn't actually do any of the "catching up" that I was supposed to... Oh well, we'll see how all that turns out eventually. For now, let's just cut to the chase and get on with the reading! Enjoy!
Chapter 25: Actress
It was cold, dark and musty. The refrigerated underground room reeked of death, a slightly moldy smell that made regular people sick to their stomachs. But not him. He was a hunter. A bounty hunter. He loved the smell. It meant another body, another enemy killed, and another six-figure paycheck. A bulky shadow appeared in the doorway, cutting off most of the light. "Zangeki, we got him. Pay up," a rough voice growled.
The man rushed forward, bowing. "That was very fast, Kakuzu-san," he murmured respectfully.
"I told you we'd have him within the week. You better have the cash," the Akatsuki member warned.
"Um, well, Kakuzu-san, I thought I'd like to see the body first... just to confirm... If I may," he added hurriedly.
"Fuck, Kakuzu, just do it," Hidan said behind him. The accountant grunted and moved his arm. The sinewy tentacles holding Asuma's body extended until they reached an examination table. With a sickening crack he dropped the corpse unceremoniously onto the cold steel.
Zangeki scurried over, looking like a greedy rat. He examined the Guardian's waistband and headband with a magnifying glass, to verify their authenticity. Then, he took off the vest and shirt and grabbed a scalpel. Quickly and efficiently, he made the traditional Y incision. Even a seasoned pathologist would have been jealous of the precision and speed with which Zangeki worked. He prodded around and checked the corpse's lungs. "Black as tar," he muttered to himself. He looked up. "You've definitely got the right one."
"Pay up," was all the accountant said in reply.
The scarred man hustled to the back where he kept all the money. Pulling a large briefcase from the row, he handed it over. "One point seven million, as promised."
He popped open the lock and looked inside. The bills were all lined up in neat rows, filling the space of the briefcase. Making quick calculations he confirmed all the money was there. Nonetheless, he took out a bundle of bills and meticulously counted them.
"Kakuzu, can't I go kill something while you do your bullshit?" Hidan demanded from the doorway. He had always hated the smell of morgues.
"No," his partner replied, still focused on his precious moolah. "We can't attract attention."
"You don't fucking understand. I have to kill someone in battle. The immortality jutsu is wearing off," he complained.
"No, it isn't," Kakuzu said firmly. He placed the money back in the briefcase and shut the lid tight. "You killed the Guardian, didn't you? The jutsu is fine."
Hidan punched the wall, leaving a sizeable crater. "No, it is fucking not. You were the one to land the last fucking hit. So it doesn't fucking count." He held up a hand and started counting off the battles in which he had participated but hadn't killed. "The Niibi bitch. The pretty one. The Gobi bastard. The fight before fucking Zetsu finally showed up. The Guardian." He had all five fingers raised, staring at his partner. "Five strikes. You know what that means, don't you?" Hidan demanded.
Kakuzu rolled his watermelon eyes and stalked out of the morgue, ignoring his partner. He knew that Hidan would wind up telling him even if he said that he knew exactly what five strikes meant. "What?" he muttered, preparing to tune out the voice.
"It means that I'm not fucking immortal anymore. Not fully immortal in any case. If some bastard manages to kill me by hitting a fucking previous spot where I was killed, I'll fucking die," Hidan informed him.
The accountant sighed. He hadn't been fast enough tuning out Hidan. "So what you're saying is that if someone manages to mortally wound you, in the same spot that you have been mortally wounded before, you're dead," he said, trying to sort out the bullshit that Hidan called speech.
"No shit, fucktard. That's what I just fucking said." Kakuzu's hand tightened on the briefcase. Seeing as Hidan could die for now, he would have to keep his temper in check.
She awoke to shouting in the Branch Family courtyard, like there was some kind of intruder. Scrambling out of bed, she got dressed and rushed over to the front gates. Someone was trying to force their way through the gates, despite three Hyuuga telling whoever it was that 'Hinata-sama is occupied at the moment.' And to 'arrange a meeting and come back at a more appropriate time.'
"I'm not occupied," she shouted loudly. The Branch Family members whipped around and bowed.
"Hinata-sama! I am sorry if I have disturbed your sleep," one of them murmured.
"It's fine. You three are dismissed," she ordered, waving them away. "Have a nice day," she called after them. Really, Otou-sama's superiority complex isn't good for anyone. It affects the Branch- Eek! Naruto-kun! She saw his spiky blond hair and felt the blush rise up her neck and color her face.
"Hi, Hina-chan!" he said happily, waving. "Are you gonna let me in?"
"Uh, y-yeah... H-hang on a sec, N-Naruto-kun." She reached over and fed chakra into the gate, listening as the lock clicked open and it swung open smoothly. He stepped in and the wrought iron shut itself behind him.
"Can we talk somewhere?" he asked, looking at her questioningly.
"S-sure. I-in the c-courtyard." She led the Jinchuuriki into the Main Family's living quarters and sat down, back against the raised porch. "What d-did you want to s-say, N-Naruto-kun?" she asked, eyes firmly fixed on the red and orange leaves that danced across the grass.
"Is something bothering you, Hina-chan?" he asked bluntly. Naruto had never been the subtle type.
"Wh-what? Um... d-does something make y-you think th-that something's b-bothering me?" she stuttered.
"Hina-chan, whatever it is, you can tell me," he said gently. His smile beamed down on her, more radiant than the sun in her eyes.
"I-it's okay, N-Naruto-kun. I d-don't want to b-burned you w-with my problems," she said, fiddling with her fingers.
"Aww, it's okay, Hina-chan. I don't mind." He reached over and touched her hand lightly. Naruto thought he saw a little pink on her cheeks but he brushed it off. It's just a little chilly, that's all. "You're like a hedgehog," he smiled.
"W-what?"
"No, no, no. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's like... well, you're a really nice person, and all you ever do is just curl up and keep everything to yourself. You should just let it all out sometime. Sakura says it's good for you."
"W-well, it's j-just that K-Kurenai-sensei's been m-missing... and Tsunade-sama d-decided that K-Kurotsuki-san would r-replace her..."
"But I thought it took a long time before someone is missing and presumed dead," he muttered.
She flinched a little at 'dead' but hastily recovered. "It does. B-but it's like Tsunade-sama doesn't care." She was so busy fuming about the Hokage's decision that she didn't notice her almost-stutter-free sentence.
Naruto hugged her ferociously. "It'll be okay, Hina-chan. I promise. Kurotsuki's not that bad. A little weird, but that's all. And hedgehogs are cute, don't you think?"
She blushed and nodded shyly. He thinks I'm cute! Naruto-kun thinks I'm cute! "Th-thanks, Naruto-kun." And then she fainted.
Kurotsuki woke up with a pounding headache. Cracking an eyelid, her sleepy gaze was met with the brilliant light of the sun. Snapping her eyes shut, she realized that the bed next to her was empty. Groggily, she sat up, one hand on her head. "Kakashi?" she mumbled. He walked into the room, hands in his pockets.
"What?" he asked curtly.
She stared him in the eye, and looked away. He still thinks I'm a traitor. No... No... Please, no... "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"
"For what?"
"Not saying anything. You think I'm a traitor, right? Infiltrating Konoha, gathering information and reporting back, the works, right?" she asked.
"Prove me wrong. Tell me everything," Kakashi ordered.
"I can't. It's not that simple," she said, walking over to him.
He snorted. "I'm sure it isn't."
"You think I don't want to tell you? Is that it?" she demanded quietly.
Kakashi didn't reply. Instead, he reached over and tore the bandage off her hand. The clot that had formed overnight was ripped off along with the bandage. Blood beaded at the cut and hand down her hand. He glanced down at her injury. "You can heal that, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he leapt out the window and burned the bandage with a small jutsu. Turning, she watched sadly as the cloth writhed in the flames. The cold autumn wind finally snuffed out the flame, along with her hopes that someone had finally understood. She felt it when he cut the chakra thread. In the past weeks, she had grown accustomed to a wisp of his presence, just hovering at the surface of her subconscious mind. Now, it was gone, leaving a hole, a void that hadn't been there before they had met. A little creature of Pain emerged from the hole, cackling evilly and looking around to make sure that the shields of Faith and Hope had been demolished. Finding some large pieces of Hope, Pain sent out his minions Anguish and Despair to abolish the remains of their enemies. The little beast of Pain laughed, licked its lips, and sank its pointed fangs into her heart. Kurotsuki cringed and tried to bury the Pain. Unsuccessful, she used the cloak of Deceit instead, hiding her Pain from the world.
Anger emerged, sitting like a molten rock in her stomach. It engulfed her, making her brain run on overdrive like a mouse on crack. I was stupid. I should have never come to Konoha. I shouldn't have listened to Onii-chan. But I can't leave now. I'll stay. Act normal. No one will know. Besides, I have to do it for Gaara. And Neji. Naruto too. I promised Team Kurenai that I'd train them. That's right, I'll stay. For them. Kurotsuki steadily squashed her Anger, slowly shoving it into the iron-clad box in her mind where she kept everything that she couldn't show others. The creature of Anger fought back, flaring one last time. In a fit of rage, she clenched her injured hand and punched the wall. The plaster caved, revealing the brick underneath. Pulling her bruised hand back, she smeared a bloody message next to the crater in the smooth drywall. In her mind, the Anger was finally forced into the box and she shut the lid tight. Taking a deep breath, the woman calmed herself and looked at the message. The blood red contrasted sharply with the white. It was dripping slowly down the wall like something out of a crappy horror movie where the bad guy suddenly turns out to be good and was trying to chase the helpless girl away from some bigger threat. That'll never come off. She drew her right katana and slashed at the drywall where the message was written, tearing the wall into large chunks that fell to the floor. Kurotsuki donned the mask of Deception and drew the cloak of Deceit closer to herself. She pulled a substantial amount of money from her scrolls, leaving it on Kakashi's bedside table. Taking a blank scroll, she wrote a note in her neat, slanted writing.
This should be enough to cover the damages. Keep whatever's left. Sorry for the inconvenience.
The mask of Deception made her smile like nothing was wrong. She looked at the sun and gauged the time. (Of all things that Kakashi hadn't purchased over the years, a clock was one of them.) "I'll be late meeting Team Kurenai if I don't hurry," she muttered to herself. With that, she balanced on the outer windowsill and closed the window. "It wouldn't do to let all the warm air out," she smiled to herself.
"Nagato."
The man in question turned around. Or rather, the corpse that he controlled turned around. "Konan. What is it?"
His childhood friend stepped close and wound her arms around his neck. His hands rested automatically on her hips. "It's almost my turn. After Zetsu gets the Rokubi, I can go for the Shichibi," she smiled.
"You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?" he asked quietly.
"You know I have. And I've been waiting for something else too," she said coyly.
"And what's that?" Nagato asked, feigning ignorance. He was in a good mood today, so he decided just to make her ask nicely instead of beg. In response, she let her eyes drift half-closed and tilted her chin up. Konan's slightly parted lips were moist, demanding his attention. Ah, to hell with making her ask. He leaned in and claimed her mouth with his, tongue sliding in between her lips. After a while, he pulled back.
"Mm, you read my mind, Nagato," she smiled pressing close to him.
He chuckled in reply. After Yahiko had died, they had grown closer. In all the ways imaginable. Yes, even that way. He was probably the only member of the Akatsuki who wasn't sexually deprived despite the fact that he didn't piss off Kakuzu and hire the occasional whore. "Let's go," he murmured in her ear. "Zetsu won't be getting the Rokubi anytime soon."
She giggled and took a step forward, forcing him back into the bedroom he had just exited.
"You're late," she stated plainly.
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm sorry, I was busy," Kurotsuki said offhandedly. Damnit. My system's so out of whack that I can't manipulate any chakra whatsoever. And that fucking headache... God, it hurts. Something inside her twinged; Pain, reminding her that she was hurting over something else too. Deception quickly stepped in, hiding Pain from the world. Sadly, that was all Deception did; hide Pain, not lessen it.
"Busy sleeping no doubt," Hinata spat. "Way to make a first impression."
"Hina-chan!" Kiba said, looking shocked. Seriously, this is Hinata they we're talking about. Hinata. The shy girl that blushes whenever Naruto is mentioned, resembles a tomato whenever said Jinchuuriki is in the room and fainted after he had offered to buy her lunch. She's not the type to throw insults at anyone. Except her sadistic father. Behind his back. But to a fellow shinobi? To her face? Geez, something's up... "She doesn't mean it," he said hurriedly.
The Hyuuga rounded on him. "Don't talk for me, Kiba-kun." She whirled to face their new sensei. "And I do mean it."
"Fine. Think what you like. Do what you will. Doesn't change the fact that I am your sensei for now. First thing I want you three to do; get me a sketchbook. And a set of sketching pencils, and a good eraser," she ordered, pointing at each of them in turn.
The trio stared at her, dumbfounded. "Go do it yourself," Hinata muttered.
"Well, that defeats the purpose of seeing who's the fastest, now doesn't it?" Kurotsuki asked.
Kiba blinked and realized what she meant. He jumped onto Akamaru's back. "Count us down, Kurotsuki-san!"
"Are you two gonna give Kiba a head start?"
Hinata rolled her eyes but settled into a sprinting stance nonetheless. Shino silently stepped forward, putting himself on the same imaginary line as the others. "We're ready," she muttered.
"Whoever gets their item and comes back first gets twenty bucks. And familiars count," she added, earning a loud bark from Akamaru. "Ready... Set... Goat!" None of them even so much as twitched. The silver-haired woman sighed. "Yeesh, if you three didn't want to go and-" Team Kurenai shot off towards the market, each making a beeline for a different shop. "Well, at least they're sharp," she said aloud. Absently, she tugged at the sloppily tied bandage on her left hand, adjusting it to better cover the wound. Hinata's too pissed at me to notice, but Kiba and Shino... Damn. Those two might actually notice. A bug buzzed near her face and she impatiently waved it away. A loud voice snapped her out of her reverie.
"Kurotsuki! I got it!" Kiba shouted, racing towards her on Akamaru's back. The enormous dog screeched to a stop, kicking up dust and dead leaves. He handed her a set of sketch pencils. "I'll take the twenty bucks now," he smiled.
She ruffled his hair. "Aw, well I'm sorry, Kiba. Shino got here first." She held up a finger and the bug that had been buzzing around earlier landed on the digit. The insect's master walked into the training ground, a horde of his familiars trailing behind. Atop their moving backs, a small package of erasers floated along. The insect flew off to rejoin its comrades and Kurotsuki picked up the package. "Hm, kneadable erasers... I thought they didn't stock these in Konoha," she muttered.
"It's just a matter of knowing the right information," Shino replied.
"Oh, come on, Kurotsuki. He's got a million of those things. If I had that many Akamarus, I woulda been first," he complained.
"Actually, about a tenfold of that, without any special summons," his teammate corrected, accepting his small paycheck from Kurotsuki.
"Oh, shut up."
Hinata showed up a few seconds later, walking at a leisurely pace. "Here's your sketchbook," she spat.
"Thank you," their sensei responded politely. "Now, one-on-one sparring matches. Kiba and Hinata, you're up." The Hyuuga scowled but her teammate just accepted. They took up opposite positions on the training ground. "Begin." They sparred lightly, generating only enough force to clear the ground of dead leaves. Kurotsuki suddenly jumped in, stopping them. Actually, she only stopped Kiba. Hinata didn't bother to rein in her attack, hitting her temporary sensei square in the stomach, making her grimace. "You two call that sparring? That's child's play. Show me what you can really do," she ordered, moving out of the way.
"Juujin Bunshin! Gatsuuga!" Kiba charged, leaving a small crater in the ground where he and Akamaru had pushed off. Hinata nimbly jumped into his path, watching closely. At the last moment, she dove between the spiraling forms of master and companion, escaping unscathed.
The pair continued to do mock-battle until Kiba finally won out, having Hinata pinned under Akamaru and a kunai to her throat. Kurotsuki deemed Kiba the winner and made the Aburame face off with Hinata. Predictably, the young woman was already exhausted and lost quickly. Next, Shino and Kiba fought. An hour later, the battle ended with the Inuzuka passing out from over-exertion. He had had the upper hand for the moment, then just pitched forward and fell unconscious. His faithful canine broke his fall, whining in worry. "Ah shoot. Didn't think he'd bother going that far. Anyway, we're done for today. I'll see you all here tomorrow."
Shino nodded silently and walked away.
Hinata spun on her heel and stomped off, not looking back even once. God, that was so pointless. We have to actually train so we can get Kurenai-sensei back. She already knows what we can do. She's just wasting time. Ugh, what a bitch.
Tap tap. Kotetsu put down his book and opened the door. He blinked.
"Yo," Kakashi muttered, raising a hand, a little orange paperback occupying the other.
He stepped aside to let his comrade in. "What's up?" he asked, settling back down with his enormous book.
"I was wondering if I could stay here for a while. Couple weeks max."
Kotetsu glanced up. "Sure, as long as you need to. Something up at your place?" he asked casually.
The Jounin sat down opposite him and stared fixedly at his Icha Icha book. "It's complicated." And I don't want to walk in and find that traitor waiting for me.
He put down the tome and chuckled. "Oh! So you've gotten yourself a girl. About time, Kakashi-san. It's been a while, last I remember. Who is she? She hot?"
Kakashi didn't look up. "There is no girl. It's just complicated," he said with finality. "What are you reading?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Manual. Jounin Exam's coming up soon. I'm planning on passing." He buried his nose in the thick volume once again.
"Mm." They spent the rest of the afternoon reading, each to their own book. At one point, Anko let herself in and stole Kotetsu away for dinner, leaving Kakashi alone. He sighed and snapped the orange covers shut. "Wonder what she's doing now," he muttered to himself.
"Enter."
Three shinobi walked into the Hokage's office, lining up respectfully. "You called, Tsunade-sama?" their leader asked.
"I did, Neji-san. An assassination mission has come in, and the client has requested a Hyuuga be in charge of the dispatching." She laced her fingers under her nose. "You will be searching known residences of the target but they are spread out over nine different countries. I doubt you will be back in time for the Jounin Exams," she pointed out.
"It's alright, Tsunade-sama," Tenten said quickly. "Duty calls. And we weren't going to try for it this year anyway, right Lee?"
"Wh-a? Yes indeed, Hokage-sama. Both Tenten and I are much too lowly to attain the rank that Neji has already. We have ow-!"
The weapons master promptly cut off his speech with a sharp tap on his head. "Both?" she demanded venomously.
"That's enough," Tsunade ordered quickly. Lee was turning out to resemble Gai a lot more than anyone had ever thought possible. She pushed a scroll across her large desk. "Read that. Memorize it. Burn it. Gear up, you leave at sundown."
He moaned. "Akamaru?" A loud bark answered him immediately. An instant later, his faithful companion was next to him, nudging him to wakefulness with his large wet nose. He sat up groggily, muscles aching from the intense battles he had fought. The sun was setting, casting orange and red hues over everything it touched. Its swollen orange form hung low over the horizon, ready to say goodbye to Konoha for the day. Looking around, he saw Kurotsuki, turned away from him, sitting on the ground with her sketchbook on her knees. She was drawing absently, guiding the pencil with well-practiced, relaxed strokes. With a quick signature, she finished and closed the book.
"Finally awake, eh Kiba? How're you feeling?" she asked, turning around.
"Like crap. But I'll live." He got to his feet and walked over. "What were you drawing?"
Kurotsuki opened the sketchbook to the newest page, ten pages from the cover. "Your buddy," she said, pointing to the large dog with the pencil. She held it up for him to inspect while her right hand toyed with one of the pencils he had bought for her earlier that day. A playful Akamaru was depicted in the drawing, halfway through a jump to catch a spinning shuriken in his jaws. (Yup, that's how they play fetch in Konoha.) Everything was shaded in perfectly, etched in perfect proportions. Even the trees in the background had been meticulously shaded in. Kiba was surprised that he'd been out long enough for her to draw so many pictures. She had probably yelled Akamaru into submission and gotten him to refrain from jumping on his master like he loved to do in the mornings.
Kiba laughed. "Oh, wow. It's really good. Can I see the others?" The woman nodded and wordlessly handed over the book. He flipped through the others, admiring her delicate skill with a pencil. There was one of him with Akamaru, smiling with his typically-Inuzuka-overly-large canines showing. Then Hinata, hands raised in the Jyuuken stance and byakugan activated. Next, Shino with a cloud of bugs, each little dot with its own pair of tiny wings. After that came the entire team. The three of them relaxing in the Hyuuga Main Family courtyard on a warm spring afternoon. The cherry blossom tree in the corner was just beginning to bloom and there were tiny newborn goldfish swimming just under the surface of the pond. "Heh, I like this one," he commented. Flipping the page, the smile slid off his face. Yuuhi Kurenai smiled up at him, hands rested protectively over her stomach that bulged just a little. He traced the lines of her arm with his fingers. "Sensei..." Kurotsuki's hand shot out and stopped him.
"Don't do that. You'll smudge it," she murmured, standing.
"Sorry," he replied, carefully removing his fingers from the page. "I doubt she looks this happy wherever she is..." After a while, he looked up with determination glinting his eyes. "We have to get her back."
"You will," Kurotsuki replied quietly.
Kiba tried to turn another page but he was stopped. Her hand was gripping the book tightly, preventing the page from turning. The woman tugged a little and he relinquished his hold on the book. Well, I suppose some of that stuff is personal then. And that was when he saw it. A bandage, tied loosely around her left hand, stained with blood. He waited until she closed the sketchbook before grabbing her wrist. "What's this?" he demanded.
She snatched her hand away, hiding it with the other. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."
He glared at her. "You were practically killed in that fight with Team Gai and you were out of the hospital in a week. I already heard the stories about your body rejecting chakra so I know the medics weren't the ones that healed you. A cut like that shouldn't be a problem."
She turned and walked away, repeating, "It's nothing."
The Inuzuka reached out and caught her wrist again. She turned to find him staring dejectedly at the ground with Akamaru's fur bunched in his other hand. "At least let me bandage it or something." There was a beat of silence. Then, "I don't want to lose another sensei."
Kurotsuki sighed. "You haven't lost Kurenai-san yet." She held out her hand patiently while her temporary student carefully changed the bandages, tying a fresh one securely in place.
"See ya," he said, jumping on Akamaru's back. "I'll check it again tomorrow."
The woman waited until he was out of sight before looking at the other drawings she had done. Neji. Naruto. Gaara. Onii-chan. Then she flipped to the first sketch. It was one she had done without really thinking; just letting her body do whatever it wanted. In the middle ground, Kakashi. Hands in his pockets, staring coolly up at her. In the foreground, a pair of arms. One holding a shiny black katana to the opposite wrist, applying enough pressure to draw a thin line of blood. She knew those arms. The black wristbands, the racks of scrolls. Those arms. They belonged to her. She gripped the paper tightly, scrunching it up. Scrrch. Kurotsuki tore the page out of the book and crumpled it into a ball. "You were wrong, Onii-chan," she muttered to herself, staring at newly-revealed sketch of Itachi. "You were wrong." Arching her arm back, she threw it across the length of the training ground and watched it land just behind the raised root of an old tree. He means nothing to me. He means nothing to me. He means nothing to me. She repeated her mantra over and over, as if it would be true if she thought it enough. She walked slowly to the open-air market, looking around for a stall that carried artists' supplies. The woman bought a can of fixative and used it on her drawings, to make sure they wouldn't smudge. When she got back to her apartment, she did all her routines on autopilot, not really comprehending what she was doing. She climbed into bed and stared at the white plaster ceiling. He means nothing to me. He means nothing to me. He means nothing to me. He means nothing to me...
He watched quietly from the branches, remaining motionless as only an elite shinobi can. He watched her stare at a sketchbook. He watched her tear out a page. He heard her words. "You were wrong, Onii-chan. You were wrong." He watched the ball of cream-colored paper sail through the air and land somewhere at the edge of the greenery. He watched her turn around and walk away. He didn't pick up the discarded drawing. He didn't call out and catch up to her.
Hatake Kakashi did nothing. "She's fine," he muttered to himself. Oh, yeah. Now she's got a brother. Geez, lying much? Really professional shinobi too. Try to weasel into one person's affections. If it doesn't work, try someone else. I better warn Kiba sometime soon. Though I would've picked Hinata. That girl is a lot more trusting that him. Blinking, he realized that he was headed for his own apartment and quickly changed directions. The Jounin let himself in through a window and was suddenly struck with a bout of nostalgia. I used to get into Kurotsuki's place the same way... 'Traitor, remember?' Yeah, yeah. But- 'No buts. Traitor. Now go see if Kotetsu-san has a futon.' ... Fine. "Kotetsu-san?" he called.
The Chunnin appeared in the room, a kunai in hand. "Who the hell are- Oh. Kakashi-san, don't use the windows as doors," he muttered. He lowered the kunai and stowed it away.
Kakashi noticed it was pitch black. It's hers... 'Futon. Futon.' Okay, okay. "Yo. Do you have a futon?"
Kotetsu shrugged. "No. Never really expected to have anyone over so..."
He nodded. "Alright. I'll take the couch." A few minutes later, he was lying on Kotetsu's couch, hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling. He stared at the white plaster blankly, waiting for sleep to come. His eyelids drifted slowly down with the passing minutes. Kakashi sighed happily when he reached the warm, fuzzy place that hovered on the brink of wakefulness. And that's when she showed up.
A weighty form landed on him, appearing literally out of thin air. Two limbs pinned him by the shoulders, two more by the knees. "You've got nothing to be happy about, bastard," she growled at him.
His onyx eye slowly drifted open. It took him a moment to bring her face into focus because it was only a few inches from his own. "I would think that if she had a bone to pick with me she'd come and do it herself," he snorted. "Seems she's a traitor and a coward; sending her wolves to do her dirty work. I'm warning you now, Tsuki, you don't have what it takes to kill me."
The silver-white wolf towered over him, using her massive size to keep him in place. Her ultramarine eyes bored into his, yet he couldn't help but notice that his previous thoughts were wrong. Tsuki's eyes were just a shade lighter than her master's. She said, "I haven't come to kill you. Kurotsuki doesn't even know I'm here. And she wouldn't let me anyway." In an instant, her demeanor changed. She lifted her paw and swiped it across his chest, leaving four bloody rips in his shirt. He gasped, more in surprise than in pain. She put her paw back on his shoulder, with such force that it was more of a punch. "Is this how you protect someone?" she hissed. "If it is, I'm not surprised that all your friends are dead," she spat.
He rolled, forcing Tsuki to jump off and stand on the coffee table instead. He sat up and ground his teeth together. "I only protect people that don't betray me."
"She hasn't even done anything!" the wolf exclaimed.
"Doesn't matter," he muttered. "You can never be too careful."
The canine stepped gracefully off the furniture and practically glided over the carpet, silent as a shinobi's shadow. She stopped in front of him and cocked her head to the side, staring at him in silence. And then he saw it. There was a... hurt in her ultramarine gaze. He knew that Tsuki and her siblings cared about their master and anything that hurt Kurotsuki would undoubtedly hurt them too. "Good. You can see it," the she-wolf said. "Yes, I am hurting. Because Kurotsuki is too. When you left, it hurt. She doesn't want to admit it but she values your friendship."
"Mhmm. A good actress; that she is."
Tsuki growled. "You don't understand. I grew up with her. Everything she's ever had has left her or been chased away one way or another. Everyone she's ever met has always had something against her. And believe me, it's not even her fault."
"Oh, well good for her," Kakashi said, impassive as always.
"You have got to listen to me." She paused for a moment, silver tail twitching nervously. The wolf shifted her weight uncomfortably before coming to a decision. "Okay, look. There's been one person that has stuck by her, through everything. And before long, he's going to die. This guy has been the one constant thing in her life and when he croaks, she'll have nothing left."
"She has... other people. Naruto and Sakura. I don't see why I matter so much," he said, looking away.
"Kakashi, she's lost everything, over and over. I don't know how much more she can take. Kurotsuki needs something to hold on to. And just any old teammate won't do. She really cares about you," Tsuki whispered. "She needs you."
"Tch."
In a flash, her demeanor changed again. "Bastard," she growled. "Now you've taken it too far. I tried asking you, and I can't force you to do anything. But I won't stand for you brushing her off." With a snarl, she sprang up and dug her jaws into his muscled shoulder. Her front claws raked across his chest and her rear claws his abdomen.
Kakashi grunted and socked the wolf in the head. It dislodged her paws for an instant, but she was biting down so hard that the force of his assault only dragged her teeth over his shoulder, tearing through muscle and skin. "Get off," he grunted, punching her again. Just before he made contact, the canine ducked, letting go of his shoulder in favor of his left arm. She bit down and something went crack. A shooting pain ran up the Jounin's arm, but the other was already holding a kunai. He slashed and red fluid spilled, staining the wolf's silver-white fur. Tsuki released his limb and headbutted him from the side, making his ears ring and his vision explode with sparks of unearthly light. While he was stunned, she mauled his other shoulder and arm as well, simultaneously adding more painful marks to his chest and stomach.
"Kakashi-san!" Kotetsu appeared in the hallway that led to his bedroom, shuriken poised at the ready.
At last, Tsuki jumped off and headed for the window, the slash in her side already healed. Kotetsu launched the weapons at her but she leapt out of the way. "Remember what I said." With that, she used a reverse-summon, disappearing in a wisp of smoke.
"Kakashi-san, what the hell was all that?" the Chunnin asked, walking over. He gingerly prodded Kakashi's wounds, looking for anything life-threatening.
"Nothing," he said shortly. "Sorry for the mess. I'm just going to head over to Sakura's. Be back in the morning." Kotetsu began to protest but his friend cut him off with a glare. The silver-haired man hauled himself to his feet, pulling on his pants over his boxers like he hadn't just been mauled by a pony-sized wolf. Despite the cold weather, he skipped putting on another shirt and just walked out the door. Yup, I should've expected something. That wolf of hers is a good actress too.
She heard a knocking at her door and being a light sleeper, she stirred. All of a sudden, she sat up and scrambled out of bed. Being a medic meant that the smell of blood instantly put you on high alert. Sakura threw on a robe and rushed to the door, thinking that some newbie surgeon had run straight from the hospital for her help. Instead, she opened the door to reveal her ex-sensei, not dressed nearly warm enough for the weather, and bleeding buckets. "Kakashi-sensei!" she exclaimed, wondering how the hell he had been injured so badly in the village.
He casually raised a hand and waved, flinging a few droplets of blood onto the greenish wall. "Yo."
She growled in frustration. "Don't wave. Get in here! What the hell happened to you?" she demanded.
He slouched into her apartment and sat down while she clacked the door shut. "Well, do you remember that little old lady that I helped across the road?"
A vein bulged in her large forehead. "Never mind. I don't want to know anymore." She promptly kick-started her healing chakra and applied it throughout his entire body, checking for the places that were injured. "Sit up straight," she commanded. He obliged quietly. Oh wow, these are bite marks. And something big by the looks of it... "Sensei, I need to cut your shirt off."
"Do what you will. I'm keeping the mask though."
Sakura sliced off the shredded garment with chakra, getting her first real look at his injuries. They were all over his torso but the rest of him seemed to be fine. A clotting mark on his left shoulder seemed to be the worst so that was where she began her work. Then, she moved on to his wrist. "Holy..." she muttered, realizing the radial bone was completely shattered. The pink-haired Chunnin stayed at the same spot for a while, piecing together the fragments.
Kurotsuki would've been done by now... 'Oh you are pathetic. She's a-' Traitor. Actress. Yeah, I know. But technically,- 'TECHNICALLY NOTHING!' his Inner screamed at him.
Meanwhile, Sakura slowly knitted the torn tissues together, still trying to pinpoint what kind of animal could be capable of hurting Kakashi so badly. The bites resembled that of a dog, but jaw line was too long and the teeth marks too deep. And dogs couldn't exert that kind of pressure to begin with. She walked around him in a circle, stopping to heal whatever wound she encountered. "All done," she said, removing her hands.
"Thanks, Sakura." He rose, heading for the door.
The kunoichi stood in front of him, blocking the way. "Nuh-uh. You're going to tell me what happened," she ordered, hands on her hips. The next instant, Kakashi was already past her, using one of his many thousands of tricks.
"I suggest you burn my shirt," he said casually, not even turning around. The Jounin showed himself out and left a very frustrated Sakura to stomp off back to bed.
"Yeesh, Kakashi-sensei and his... lie-thingies. But I wonder what bit him," she mused aloud. The medic removed her robe and crawled into bed, determined to sleep soundly for what little of the night remained. Then, Inner Sakura finally dug up the word she had been looking for. Wolf.
A/N: Okay, finally done. This one took so long to write because of god damned SCHOOL. The NagatoxKonan thing is just an intro really, because I don't want it to be some random shock later on. I'll put up another chapter two weeks from now if I can. Thanks for reading and please review! ^_^