Chapter 25
"Are you having fun?" His voice caused her lips to curl up as she stepped out from the shadows, her clothes in full Anbu gear. Kakashi's eyes scanned down her form through his mask. He could barely see her face through the Anbu cat mask, but he somehow knew her expression likely didn't match her amused tone of voice. "Another clone."
"I'm living the dream right here," she motioned to the village's training building. "Running for my life and sending clones to greet you. It's honestly a waste of time."
"Then why do it?" He asked simply, searching the area for a flicker of Chakra of his fellow Anbu Shinobi.
She chuckled, "I didn't say it was my time I'm wasting. I'm hurt Kakashi. I thought it was going to be a small game of tag, but you involved a village."
"What are you up to?" He asked, ignoring her obvious bait.
"I missed you," came her reply, and even though he knew her statement was false, his heart made a traitorous beat against his chest. If it beat any faster, it would surely break his ribs.
"If you utter one more lie, I will take out your clone," he said instead and watched as her oddly nostalgic (obviously a cold joke) Anbu mask tilted to the side as she stared at him. He barely noticed when she moved closer.
"You are so quick to assume it's a lie. Maybe I've grown a heart," her voice shook with laughter.
"What are you after?"
"Changing the subject? Alright. I'll bite," she tapped her mask. "Why don't you guess? If you guess right, I'll turn myself in…I do hope they'll be kind to me when I'm apprehended." Her joking tone was something he wasn't used to seeing from her.
"I'm not going to play any games, Anomie." Her name still tasted sweet on his tongue and he noticed she paused from advancing towards him.
"Then I guess we're at a crossroads, because you and I both know that this is meant to be a distraction. Why are you falling for it?" She was in front of him before he had time to process it. "You're too smart for that, Kakashi. Why are you indulging me?"
"Why are you here?"
"I already told you: I miss you. It's not my fault you don't believe me." She laughed, taking a step back. "Maybe I love you. Maybe I've come back to apologize and beg you take me back. Maybe this village will pardon me and we'll live happily ever after."
"Is that a joke? It's not funny," came his deadpan retort. He noticed her shoulders were shaking with laughter as she turned her back to him. "You think I don't realize you're trying to distract me?"
She turned her back towards him, and he was thankful he couldn't see her face. "You know, a part of me wants you to figure it out. How about it...? Would you like a hint?"
"When I find you," he said slowly, and she when she glanced over her shoulder she was able to see the Sharingan hue of his eye. "I will kill you…"
She went silent, and just before her body went up in flames she let out a single, "If…If you find me. Not when. And you will try to kill me. That doesn't mean you will."
Kakashi felt his composure break when she left, and his knees hit against the ground in so fast a motion that his Anbu mask slipped off his face and rolled across the grass. His fingers clenched into his palms as they squeezed the grass into his palms.
It didn't seem to matter how brittle their bond was because every time he mistakenly believed it to have broken…it coils around his neck once more.
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"You're back," came Minami's voice when Anomie appeared in front of the woman tokatsu table. Looking at the heated futon was a reminder that winter was on the horizon.
"And I'm tired too," Anomie dropped to her knees, scooting her legs underneath the warm futon as she rested her head against the wooden table. Her eyes scanned the tan wall over and over as they began to droop in exhaustion.
The musing of Minami's teacup moving to her full and red lips was her only solace. She heard the sound of a quiet swallow before the sound of tea being poured caught her attention. She glanced up, watching the green tea flood through the porcelain cup.
"This is the most vulnerable I've ever seen you," Minami stated with a tiny smirk. "Do you want to talk and hold my hand?"
Anomie's lips curled into a smile, the coldness in her heart brushed off the mocking tone of Minami's voice as she slowly lifted the teacup to her lips as if it were poison.
"I will be holding the hand of a corpse if you don't shut up."
"Is that any way to speak to the woman who took you in?" She asked in return, and at the frown on Anomie's lips she stood. "You are extra moody today."
"You're extra bitchy today," Anomie replied simply, taking a sip of the tea, relishing in the burn on her tongue.
Before Anomie could so much as blink, Minami was in front of her, kneeling down so her knees were pressed against Anomie's thigh. "You have deprived yourself. I know how to better your mood."
Anomie raised a brow past her bangs, slowly placing her cup on the wooden table. "You wouldn't know how to better a mood to save your life."
"You'll find I can be very persuasive," at the lull in Minami's voice, Anomie glanced towards her in a nearly coy bat of her lashes.
"You'll find that I don't get persuaded by the likes of what you offer," Anomie retorted simply and the chill in her voice made Minami let out a childish giggle.
"The sadness in your eyes is so tragically delicious. I could drink it like tea," Minami's fingers grazed against Anomie's pale cheek.
The girl's white hair trailed in between Minami's fingers as she traced her jaw. For a moment Anomie leaned into the woman's palm before the yellow and pink hue of her eyes connected with Minami's brown ones.
"Why not? You can't tell me that it hasn't crossed your mind," Minami's lips curved once more and Anomie glanced crossly at her lips.
"Those thoughts rarely cross."
"Sexuality isn't a sin. It's not a chore. It's a necessity and it's nothing to be ashamed of."
"I am not ashamed."
Minami's fingers dropped, her lips still curved but her eyes were hallowing of everything kind. "How long have you been trying to convince yourself?"
Anomie's eyes narrowed and just as the woman was about to stand, she gripped the woman her robes, just over her breasts. It didn't take much strength to bring Minami's lips down to meet hers.
She immediately noticed that the woman's lips were soft and she smelled like lavender. Her hair was smooth and it curled between Anomie's fingertips when she brought the woman closer to her lips. Her hands were tangled in her hair, pulling her until it was only the decorations of robes that kept them apart.
The kiss wasn't timid or nervous. It wasn't filled with a fiery passion that made Anomie ache with the desire to crush the woman in her arms. It didn't cause Anomie to lose her breath or for her heart to beat in drums against her ribcages.
To put it simply, Minami's kiss didn't fill even half of Anomie's heart as Kakashi's lips had once done. Minami's hands felt hallow and didn't feel even half as warm as Rin's embrace.
And yet, Anomie couldn't say she felt nothing. The desire was still apparent from the softness in Minami's lips and Minami's skin.
More than anything, the embrace made her forget the hurt in Kakashi's eyes.
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"I believe she's toying with me," Kakashi reported, but slowly his eyes rose to meet the Hokage's gaze. "But she's gotten lazy…arrogant. Soon enough she will start making mistakes."
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples, his eyes scanned over Kakashi, before they moved over to Itachi and lastly to the third Anbu in the room.
"She's making a joke of this village's defenses," Itachi stated simply. "It is probably her intention to frustrate you."
"That's because the defenses are a joke," the third Anbu ninja, Anko Mitarashi, said with a scoff. "Think of how easily she got in and if she got in this easily, how safe is Konoha from Orochimaru?"
"We can stop intruders from entering from land, but how are we supposed to block those from the air?" Sarutobi mused, and Itachi shook his head.
"We should focus on one problem at a time. We have nearly forty-two teams out searching for her, and she hasn't been found. From Kakashi's report, we can at least deduce that she's at least still in the village." Itachi's voice came out in a swift lull. "I have worked with her in the past…she does have a single ability that would make staying hidden with swift ease."
"Body possession?" Kakashi asked, and Anko scoffed.
"That's even worse. She could be possessing anyone," Anko retorted. "I, more than many, want to find her and ask about Orochimaru, but if she could be anyone then where do we even start?"
"She wouldn't be just anyone…" Sarutobi replied, and finally glanced at Kakashi who had froze in recollection of Anomie's first appearance.
"I think I know where she is…"
Kakashi more than anyone didn't want to believe that she'd sink so low, but he knew her well enough to remember that there was nothing further south in the hellish bog in which she drowns.
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"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice was an irritating lull in Anomie's ears as she dragged him by the hand. She was careful to feel for any outside Chakras, but it appeared that her bait of the Hokage and her bait of Kakashi had in fact worked. "Where are you taking me, dattebayo?"
Why is it that so many people put their trust that I am not beyond good deeds?
Anomie nearly wanted to scoff. "My secret hideout, Naruto-kun!" She shouted from behind her with a very Sakura-like giggle. "I only take the best of my friends there…to be honest Naruto-kun." She glanced back towards him, able to see the sparkle of hope in his baby blue eyes. How long will that be there? "You're the only one I would ever consider taking there."
His cheeks inflamed in red and Anomie rolled her eyes when she went back to looking out in front of her. She already knew that she'd have to get the little demon off the open roads before the village-enforced curfew came upon dusk. Many kids would get away with being missing, but she knew the fox demon's absence would be discovered fast.
By the time she arrived at the clearing of trees near the gates surrounding the forest of death she paused. He stared at the signs posted with the skull markings and the many signs that read 'do not enter', littering the clearing.
"T-This is your spot…" Naruto's voice shook slightly as he forced down a timid gulp at the sound of an animal's roar.
"It's our spot Naruto-kun," Anomie said with a grin, briefly wondering if she was coming off as creepy. She nearly rolled her eyes, deciding it didn't matter. "Do you like it? No one ever comes here because it's called the Forest of Death. Doesn't exactly attract visitors."
"How did you hear about it, dattebayo?"
"Easy," she replied simply with a happy smile that slowly disappeared. "I helped built it." One of the many Anbu B ranked missions and the most annoying of them all.
She didn't give him a chance to respond as smoke flooded from Sakura's lips. The girl clutched her throat as Anomie suffocated her on the way out.
"S-Sakura-chan…" Naruto took a slight step back.
By the time Anomie was standing upright, her arms were already crossed and her hair remained up in many decorative hairpins. She glanced towards Naruto with a simply smile.
"W-Who are you, dattebayo?" Naruto shouted, obviously trying to feign bravery as he glanced towards Sakura who fell to her knees as her eyes rolled back. "What did you do to Sakura-chan?"
Anomie was surprised that he didn't recognize her, but last time she had worn a mask, and his IQ was obviously lacking. Anomie couldn't quite judge, as high levels of pure intelligence had never been her area of expertise as well.
"Does it really matter?" Anomie took a step forward, raising her hand as her Chakra flooded into her fingertips.
"She's my friend, dattebayo!"
"No…" Anomie chuckled. "She really isn't. You don't have any friends, Naruto."
His eyes watered, but she was in too deep for pity. "What do you know old lady?" His shout was like that of a temperamental child and Anomie took another advancing step.
"A lot more than you, Naruto-kun," the words came out mocking.
"What's that light coming from your hands?"
"Just a little sugar and spice and nothing nice," she retorted, and raised her hand to his stomach before he could move. The burst of Chakra flooded into her wrist, but just when she was about to turn her wrist to finish the seal, a new Chakra erupted to the right in the distance of trees.
She let out a hiss of pain, flooding back into Sakura's body and leaving a very confused Naruto in her place. 'Sakura' coughed as she tried to stand.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, and Anomie glanced up.
"W-What happened?"
"A mean chick showed up, but I think I beat her, dattebayo!"
She didn't get a moment to process the obvious lie as by the time she glanced up, she saw Kakashi jump down from the trees in front of her.
"So this is the game you're playing?"
"Who are you, dattebayo?" Naruto asked in confusion. "Are you a ninja? I already took out the bad guy." Naruto's innocent grin made Anomie want to roll her eyes.
Instead, she filtered her face with confusion.
"That was sloppy, Anomie." Kakashi directed his comment towards her, and she tilted her head to the side.
"What's an Anomie?" Naruto asked.
'Sakura' hid behind Naruto as if she were shy. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Cut the act," Kakashi stated and Anomie's expression turned scared before it slowly morphed into indifference.
"You are so annoying," she hissed, and in moments, the smoke protruded from Sakura's form and Sakura fell to the ground. "You don't look too surprised."
"Nothing you do surprises me anymore," Kakashi said with a simple shrug as he glanced between the girl and the nine tailed fox. He noticed that, like always, Anomie's face was blank.
"You're back…" Naruto's brows furrowed.
Anomie didn't look away from Kakashi and she found that the coldness in his voice stung like a sharp jab of ice in her heart. Her jaw locked and she gave a glance towards the nine tailed fox, tempted to flash step and slit the demons throat just to make a point.
Guilt.
She locked her feet into the ground, glancing back towards Kakashi's unreadable gaze and staring at the way his fingers were twitching at his side. Her lips slightly pulled up.
"You are going to kill me?" Anomie asked, step over Sakura's passed out body. "You think you can?" She took another step. "I've surprised you in the past without trying. Imagine if I put some effort in it."
Before she could move, his legs sprung into action, his tanto slash through her form and her body disappeared in a cloud of smoke before reappearing behind him with her back facing him. She made a tisking sound as she turned towards him.
"You've learned a new trick," he commented, noticing she was fully clothed.
"I can't exactly go around flashing children. Careful Kakashi, I am starting to think you are attempting to see me naked," Anomie winked with a smile that felt heavy on her face.
Naruto stepped forward like the brave boy he was, "What did you do to Sakura-chan!"
Kakashi stepped in front of the boy before he could get too close, and Anomie felt a tiny flash of pain at the cold stare he was giving her.
"Protecting a child?" She asked with a simple shrug. "It won't matter. You of all people should know I have no problem killing children."
"I'm stronger than you, Anomie," he said simply and her name tasted sweet on his tongue.
She glanced at Naruto, her yellowish pink eyes narrowing, "You never knew Sakura, boy. She will wake up and she won't remember a single moment with you."
"OLD LADY!" Naruto exclaimed, and Anomie's eye twitched. "I don't understand a word you are saying, but I'm gonna kick your ass for hurting Sakura-chan, dattebayo."
"Kids…you try to help them," Anomie hissed, and she lunged forward, her body turning to smoke. She didn't get a chance to strike as Kakashi grabbed onto Naruto's small body, leaving behind only a crack in the earth by the time Anomie turned corporeal with her katana drawn.
"You have no chance of winning, Anomie," Kakashi warned. "You're not strong enough."
"Let me go! I can take her on, dattebayo," Naruto exclaimed, but Kakashi's strong arms didn't budge and the man's Anbu mask stayed in place.
"You prodigies think you're so special," Anomie took a step forward, dragging her blade behind her as she walked forward. "You think you're so strong. There will always be someone stronger with that kind of arrogance. You prodigies are lazy. You think no one will surpass you because you've had your ass kissed since the moment you threw your first kunai."
Anomie stopped walking, lifting her katana over her shoulder. "You slack on training because you already think you're the best." She pointed her blade, point first at him. "I don't. I barely sleep and eat to get stronger. Let's see what wins: raw talent or hard work."
Naruto went silent, staring at the woman and feeling an odd sense of familiarity. It was almost as if he's talked to her before.
"I'm not going to fight you, Anomie," Kakashi said simply, taking a step back.
"You're afraid the boy's gonna get hurt?" Anomie's lips curled into a smile. Everything didn't feel genuine and her heart was begging her lips to stop moving. "Probably, but I'm not after his life."
"What are you after then?" Kakashi asked slowly, and she grinned.
"I was right. You did get lazy," Anomie commented, and Kakashi's eyes widened when Naruto's body turned into a cloud of smoke in his arms.
By the time he looked back at her, she was already gone and he heard Naruto's exclaim of "Let go, dattebayo," in the distance.
If it wasn't Naruto's life you're after, then what do you want Anomie?
But Kakashi doubted that someone as jaded as her could answer such a simple question.
Author's Note
キンポウゲの花 (Kinpōge no hana)Or rather known as the Buttercup flower. It basically means rich in charms, Cheerfulness, Childishness, Riches, Symbolic for self worth and confidence, Symbolic for the power of words - once something is spoken it can never be taken back
Ah, I rewrote this chapter over and over again. Everything I had Anomie say had me thinking that I wish she'd just stop talking and making things worse. Poor Kakashi. She's gonna make him hate women by the end of this story.
I was messaging my editor when she asked what Anomie's sexuality even is and I started laughing. It's kind of "You're hot and I like how you look. Lets do it"
So idk, pansexual? But yeah, Minami is a funny character to me, and she's very similar to Anomie. She's just more "experience" in certain aspects. I like her.
Once again, no love triangles in this story. Honestly, Anomie doesn't have enough in her to love one person, let alone two. Right now what she feels is extreme guilt, but it's not gonna be the same as love. That's not for a long time. Please stick with me through my shit updating skills that will be happening soon enough. I'm moving to another apartment and all I feel is stress and the need to drink bubble tea, which is funny because the stress is because my finances suck, which means I can't drink bubble tea. This makes me more stressed. :p
