AN: I should actually be preparing a project presentation right now but I spend instead most of the time putting the last finishing touches to this chapter. I am just really glad that I got to finish this before I'll be back at college next week - I will however try to update more frequently than during the last semester! :)
I also wanted to thank all the people who favored and followed, you guys are awesome! Also special thanks to NoBirdWithintheCage – I am so glad you're back and updating.
Cheers to you all, here's the new chapter!
Music: "Dragonfly" of M. Craft
- Chapter 16 -
Twists and Turns
Only four hours after Fuu's guardian spirit had finally abandoned her efforts to remain hidden, there were footsteps nearing the study at the end of the dimly lit hallway. And while their rhythm was carefully measured, they easily betrayed the young shinobi's irritation before he even came in sight.
With everything that had happened today, Kabuto couldn't care less about the unfavorable impression which he was sure to create — nor that the recent downpour had left him completely drenched. He only knew that, if he hadn't hurried here himself, somebody else would have fed the news to their leader and that was something he could not allow. He wanted to be the one to witness Orochimaru's initial reaction; to make sure that at some point somebody had messed this plan up.
Rubbing at the numbed skin of his face irritably, Kabuto finally removed his hitai-ate before he reached the threshold of the study, "Orochimaru-sama, please excuse-"
The moment Kabuto raised his head, however, he found himself confronted with this knowing look upon the face of the one person who should have been surprised to see him.
"… You knew it" the young shinobi breathed; for a moment unable to hide the many emotions flashing over his face. "You knew that she would end up with the interrogation department of the Leaf."
Not even bothering to turn his face fully towards the person who had so rudely interrupted his current experiment, Orochimaru coolly regarded the boy out of the corner of his eyes. Once Kabuto failed to offer him an acceptable follow-up to this first statement, the snake summoner finally bothered to quirk one brow in question.
"I did not know, Kabuto. Your arrival simply confirmed that the most likely scenario occurred" Orochimaru finally corrected him with a lazy click of his tongue.
The imposing figure of the Sannin remained unmoving behind the desk on which he usually conducted his chemical experiments. Today the scarred surface was strangely bare of the usual construction of vials and flasks.
Maybe that was why Kabuto's attention so easily snapped to the objects lying on the surface between them. Especially when it became obvious that Orochimaru considered them more deserving of his attention than the dripping boy in the entrance of this room.
He regarded them for a long moment, fanning his long fingers to graze the gleaming surfaces of the stones; slightly rearranging the three of them in their orderly row.
It would seem that he was oblivious to Kabuto's intent gaze — but then again, he preferred to ignore the boy whenever he sorted through his more complicated moods and in this special case, old jealousy.
Trying to calm himself, the fake Leaf shinobi watched the growing puddle to his feet. Though he usually knew how to cover his anxieties around his leader, he had not yet mastered stopping his irritation from affecting his chakra.
Much to Kabuto's dismay, his leader resolved upon addressing his internal struggle, "It was actually a simple calculation of odds, although I do admit myself biased against betting on her death for obvious reasons." The last nonchalant syllable still on his tongue, the Snake Sannin inclined his head, "I thought about informing you, but then I couldn't help recalling how meddlesome you tend to become, especially once presented with an opportunity to deplume my favorite little songbird."
Picking up one of the stones, Orochimaru gently polished the surface with the sleeve of his white kimono before he added, "It's such an ugly habit, really. One that you share with the likes of Manda."
Though veiled with humor, his sensei's words showed what little patience he could spare for his pupil this evening.
Quick to swallow his other accusations, Kabuto decided to address another question, "So I take it that the shinobis driving her to Konoha's borders were only present to make sure she would arrive safely?"
"Not at all, or did they seem like the people I would usually put to such a task?" Kabuto's front crumbled when Orochimaru succeeded in making him feel properly patronized. It was something this man only invoked in others whenever he wanted to stress how very narrow minded and boring they were. Usually Orochimaru expected his trusted pupil to think for themselves and so it was considered a bad sign if he was forced to explain himself. "Their origin hardly concerns you since it won't be necessary for you to get involved."
With the angry coil reshaping itself in the pit of his stomach, Kabuto finally found the will to ask the one question that had been the actual reason for his sudden arrival, "I take it that you had the chance to make a clean cut, so why is she in Konoha now — trading your secrets to prolong her death?"
Orochimaru's movements stilled and for a precious moment Kabuto had the sole attention of the golden tinged eyes lazily blinking at him.
"I gave her the choice to die by my hands, or take her only chance. She chose the latter and I rewarded her courage by admitting that I got hold of some fuinjutsu designs her father created." Inclining his head with a bemused smirk, Orochimaru chose to change his wording, "Well, I didn't exactly explain it to her so that she would understand just how much I know about her own seal. But once I make her remember, she will understand." He replaced the stone on the table only to fold his arms. "Though I doubt that she will be able to grasp what I actually intend to do with it… with her…" his gaze flickered then, the limit of his attention span already stretched. "It's one of her weaknesses — to sense the truth and then purposefully turn a blind eye to it. Almost begging me to exploit it…"
Once again Orochimaru's attention shifted to the stones in front of him. The hungry look in his eyes as he regarded them made Kabuto feel much more nauseous than he had been during the many experiments so far. There was no blood in the scene before him; not even any gruesome noises — only three stones organized like shiny new trophies.
But how was it hat a legendary shinobi like Orochimaru could be blinded by such a manipulative woman? What did he see that Kabuto had apparently missed in his evaluation of her character?
Kabuto's own effort to prove himself had never been able to compete with her just being there and now she still managed to undermine the genius of this man even from within Konoha.
He risked his life every day for Orochimaru – she attempted to backstab him and still got away with it.
The last thought made Kabuto raise his voice one last time, his eyes evading the figure at the desk, "You once told me that she never was truly loyal to you."
"She is no longer now" Orochimaru interjected almost as if the idea amused him. "But she also never followed me blindly — a difference you should be familiar with, since you too have this attitude. You and her might be a bit more alike than you're comfortable to admit, Kabuto. Only that she proved to be unworthy of the… inevitable troubles that arose from keeping her close."
'You and her might be a bit more alike than you're comfortable to admit.'
The words rang in his ears.
"But you still allowed her to stay with you for seven years" Kabuto pointed out, careful not put as much of an emphasis on the amount of time as he would have liked. He sure wasn't prone to dramatics and there was simply no use to try and argue with that man. It was actually quite dangerous.
"Why haven't you killed her?"
Kabuto was clever enough to veil this plain accusation with the insecurity of someone who had merely been left out in the process of an important plan. They both knew perfectly well that he felt actually like he had been betrayed. Something that Orochimaru considered to be quite ironic since he was more than aware of the role Kabuto had played during Futaba's estrangement.
"I could still derive a benefit from her staying alive" Orochimaru explained with a curtness that put an end to the conversation. Be it that the Snake Sannin felt particularly bothered with his behavior that night, or the fact that Kabuto merely distracted him. When the pale man noticed that his pupil still had not left, couldn't help to add, "Don't make me weigh the pros and cons of your actions concerning this topic, Kabuto. That would be very unwise."
It was then that Kabuto understood that, with whatever had happened between Orochimaru and that accursed woman, his name had been dropped at some point during their encounter. Now realizing how terse his leader had been with him, the boy decided that it might indeed be wiser to keep his head down for a while.
So Kabuto left not only with a warning, but the knowledge that the witch had now turned his own little game against him.
It didn't even occur to him that Futaba had kept quiet about his careful but persistent meddling during her imprisonment and even long after that. And due to this inobservance it wouldn't be until much, much later that he'd be able to understand her motives.
Orochimaru listened to Kabuto's retreating figure with a smirk tugged at one corner of his lips. His gaze, however, was still fixed upon the stones on his desk. It was almost as if their colors changed without any touch of light; giving them an eerily life of their own.
Only after a little while the Snake Sannin moved to once again touch one of them with a slender finger. It was a flat stone from the bottom of a river, its dark surface slightly uneven yet smooth enough to give away his origin. It was a rather unremarkable object to the untrained eye. The chakra stored inside, however, was unrelenting and true — similar to his judgment of Futaba's character.
"Such a shame." Orochimaru's humor was momentarily replaced with deep thoughtfulness before the grin returned with renewed vigor, stretching his face wide enough to emphasize his animalistic features, "Now, I wonder… What will you do with my little present, sensei?"
"It's clever" Hiruzen finally admitted after having fallen quiet for quite some time. With his fingers linked, he stared blankly at a small burn mark on the surface of his wooden desk. Courtesy of his new pipe. Blinking he eventually turned his exhausted expression up to the ceiling. "Well, of course it is, considering who orchestrated it."
Taking a deep breath he pinched the bridge of his nose, unable to hide that his former students interferences caused him quite the headache. He knew however that no guilt in the world could possibly amount to the threat Futaba's stay in Konoha posed to everyone else.
"His name will now overshadow any testimony Futaba-san might put forth to prove her innocence… yet at the same time it could almost be considered a touching gesture" the Sandaime noted wryly. "While it may have been presumptuous of Orochimaru to send her to Konoha, he also implies that she's safer with us than him. And even more important… that he wants her to be safe."
A few steps away from his desk, with the blood of the now hospitalized guardian spirit on the floor between them, the silver haired shinobi shifted uncomfortably. It was quite obvious to the Hokage that Kakashi failed to understand how any of this could possibly serve to attest to anyone's kindness.
Judging by how easily the younger shinobi switched to a nonchalant expression however, the jonin had already switched to the mode of an ANBU captain — now filtering the information Hiruzen presented him from the perspective of someone who had not been personally involved.
"What about the possibility that Orochimaru and the girls' father teamed up to plant them in Konoha? It would be a sound plan to create the role of a victim so that she would evoke our compassion." Kakashi's sole eye darkened visibly at the thought before he carried the idea further, "Add an innocent appearing little girl into the mix and it would be perfect. Confusion to smooth over any questions that may arise — a mutual enemy and the apparent readiness to spill secrets that could have easily been prepared in advance."
To say that his ANBU captain was slightly prejudiced against Fuu's guardian spirit might have been a bit of an understatement, but in his anger he provided perfectly reasonable points for this discussion. It was something the Hokage happened to find useful enough to overlook the fact that it was not exactly the nice way to rile up a fellow shinobi who was so obviously biased.
"What about the seal Orochimaru placed on her?" Hiruzen hummed as he shuffled to the papers on his desk.
It was one of the few flaws that hindered the Sandaime from applying exactly said logic to this situation. That and the fact that, in her desperate hurry to answer all his questions, Futaba's condition had forced her to be honest. The medic had confirmed him that due to her many unattended injuries, as well as severe chakra exhaustion, she could hardly have acted out such a role. Once she had lost consciousness, her floundering chakra had not even been able to notice and fight the foreign energy of the medical jutsu.
Kakashi however appeared to be still quite set on passing the buck to Futaba – maybe because she had refused to actually approach him before everything went downhill. A move that might have admittedly caused less havoc.
"It is not unheard of that Orochimaru places seals on his more trusted pupil" Kakashi shrugged. "And we do know that he was searching for a way to prolong his life. What if the fact that Futaba and Fuu share a body, is only due to one of his experiments?"
"It seems to me that your quite bent on making Futaba-san the culprit, Kakashi" Hiruzen finally pointed out. "Though I do have to agree that she is hardly innocent — especially considering that she admitted to having acted in Orochimaru's name."
While the young woman had not gone into depth about her tasks, they seemed to have been serious enough to taint the innocence of an adolescent — but hardly as corrupting as they could have been. Her residual guilt had been proof of such. Hiruzen couldn't help but wonder if this had caused his former student think less of her, consequently making him refuse to teach her properly.
Still, the Sarutobi felt the need to correct his ANBU captain, "The seal wasn't a cursed one. As far as I can tell, it's more of an addition to the fuinjutsu design that her father placed on her… hence linked to the Yin part of her seal. If it were one of Orochimaru's juinjutsu techniques, it wouldn't have disappeared once it fulfilled its purpose. We can only assume that there is another one, a counter seal, which should restore Futaba-san's memories."
Properly chastened by the Hokage's admonition, the silver haired jonin finally took a second to consider this information. Instead of searching for another accusation, he cleverly brought up another uncomfortable topic.
"Will the council still approve of her interrogation now that she herself admitted to having worked with Orochimaru for a number of years?"
Of course Kakashi might as well have asked, whether the council was ready to play with fire by taking in a former pupil of the feared Snake Sannin. Especially since her case was quite different from the one of Mitarashi Anko.
"Oh, they will, when they draw the same conclusion about Futaba-san's abilities as I did. If I am right, she could be one of the last members of a very old and fairly interesting clan… It would at least explain why Orochimaru has kept her for as long as he did and similar to him, the elders will disregard any danger just to keep her." There was a sour note in the way that Hiruzen spoke of the fact that his advisors and friends were hungry for power – even if it was in the name of Konoha, or so they believed. "I, however, gave Futaba-san my word in exchange for the information she provided us with. No harm will come to Fuu."
While the visible eye of Kakashi spoke of his personal feelings regarding the last statement, the Third could tell that some of the tension had eased out of his shoulders.
It probably didn't even occur to him that in his distaste for anything concerning Fuu's other guardian, both he and Futaba actually cared for the same thing – the little girl's wellbeing.
"At first, I ascribed this guardian spirit completely to Fuu's imagination" the jonin finally admitted, apparently still too agitated to stick to his resolution to distance himself. He still had trouble to appear completely detached and Hiruzen noticed his fingers twitching now and then. "There was absolutely no proof that there was anybody else living with… her and me."
To cover up that he had actually choked on the word 'us' Kakashi quickly cleared his throat, "I regularly used my Sharingan on the girl and despite a slight blur there was absolutely nothing that aroused my suspicion. Not until that woman appeared in my hospital room. Apparently Fuu really had called her guardian spirit for help" the silver haired ANBU suddenly concluded; both helpless and very much uncomfortable. "That time in the hospital, you asked me if I had been in any contact with the girl… I can't help but wonder if you already suspected her back then, Hokage-sama."
A look bordering between amused and tired crossed Sarutobi Hiruzen's features, making him appear just as old as he felt right then.
"Yes… and no. There are still some parts about the story of this guardian spirit that even I find hard to believe. Whether it is the idea of a stranger skipping about the village to indulge her ward's every whim — all while escaping the notice of several ANBU – or simply the fact that all of this can be traced back to the colorful tales of a four year old girl, who had obviously been alone for quite a period of time… I admit that I might have doubted you, Kakashi. Especially if you had tried to sell this to me back then…"
He shook his head with a sigh. "I had a feeling that your ward was indeed somehow involved. After all, it is Fuu who pulls all the strings… or let me rephrase this: all strings seem to be attached to her" the Third corrected himself before Kakashi could put the finishing touches to his frown. "She needs to be properly questioned. Regardless of the fact that Futaba-san played the more active part in this whole affair. You know as well as I do that this needs to be directed into the right channels. It's the safest option."
"I agree" the shinobi in front of him agreed, albeit reluctantly.
Those two words ignited a small spark in the dark eyes of the Hokage. Deciding that the answer had been too quick for his liking, he deliberately slowed his movements as he reached for the ink. "Indeed… You definitely look like someone who has absolutely no objections to my decision."
Refusing to deny his restless hands the comfort of his pockets, the silver haired jonin shrugged while inclining his head slightly, "Do you want me to question it then? I mean… I have been that girl's guardian for only a short amount of time. That doesn't give me any right to make all these decisions for her. Especially now that she's linked to a suspect."
"Well, I thought you might want to veto against her transfer to the T&I. After all, you used that one on me when I tried to convince you the last time."
Kakashi visibly bristled at this turn of the conversation.
"I apologize for rejecting your decision back then, Lord Hokage. That was out of place and it won't happen again."
"Very well" the older Sarutobi grumbled since he had expected this kind of response. Still he couldn't keep his disappointment from coloring his next words, "I will send someone to pick up the girls' belongings. Surely you will want everything back to the way it used to be…"
Something about the way the older shinobi came straight to the point, made everything… final. Despite knowing for some time now that his mission to spare his ward the experience of an interrogation had failed, Kakashi still had problems admitting it to himself.
'That's my worry-eater stone.' — 'See? It's better now, right?'
Remembering the touch of her small trembling fingers, Kakashi clenched his own hands to fists.
"However, I want to ask you personally, if you are still sure about this" the Third continued, his face still perfectly calm as he lifted his fingers with Kakashi's note stuck between them.
"Yes, Lord Hokage. It's for the best, I believe."
Something moved beneath the wrinkles of the older shinobi, before he finally lowered his hands. "And here I thought that you've finally found something aside your path. These past weeks different sources relayed to me that the changes in your person were very much welcomed. It's not only Fuu who is going to be disappointed. However, if this is what you wish for…"
Hiruzen could easily tell how Kakashi attempted to once again separate Fuu from Futaba.
Earlier, when the Sandaime had relayed this piece of information to his ANBU captain, he had balked at the mere suggestion. To think that the girl he had taken care of actually shared the body with her guardian spirit, the one who had so rudely knocked him out in his hospital bed, seemed to give him trouble. But now that he was aware of how they were actually one and the same, at least to some degree, Kakashi could no longer ignore it. So consequently he refused to reconsider his options.
"It's for the best" the silver haired jonin repeated once again; deciding that he needed to broach another subject, "There's however still the matter of Sato's involvement and the blood seal itself."
"It is a remarkable piece of fuinjutsu and I have to give Sato the credit for revealing it. He always had a knack for the more obscure designs of chakra…"
Although Kakashi was trying to hide his frown upon hearing those words, the Sandaime was able to detect it either way.
"You don't trust him."
Since it wasn't exactly a question, the copy nin felt no need to deny it. "No, frankly I don't, Hokage-sama. But then again I guess that he is a character who just loves to leave others with exactly this impression. For example by keeping others in the dark and choosing to appear at the most convenient of times."
"Then let me assure you that there will be no further involvement from Sato's side" the Sandaime offered offhandedly.
While they had already covered Sato's suspicious actions earlier, it was only then that Kakashi realized that the man in front of him had never intended to include the eccentric shinobi from this point onwards. If the jonin had not known better, he might have suspected that Sato's tasks included upsetting him to some degree…
Pausing, before finally dipping his brush into the inkwell, the Hokage put a bit of an emphasis on his next words, "He is retired after all."
Suddenly Kakashi was unable to find the right words. There was something about the way the older shinobi had relented once Sato's name became part of their discussion.
"Fuu will undergo a program that will slowly restore her memories while Futaba will be throughly interrogated. I am sorry, Kakashi… I know you tried your best to spare her this experience."
"I understand."
"I assigned her Inoichi" Hiruzen mentioned absentmindedly, almost as if to ignore Kakashi's attempt to appear unaffected. "He has a daughter who is about the same age as Fuu, so it should be fine. But despite this meeting, I will need a thorough report from you. I will of course relay most of the information myself to speed up the process, but I am sure that your detailed observations would prove to be an important addition to their work."
"Yes, of course, Lord Hokage" Kakashi consented, his responses still forcefully clipped.
Something about the way that the Third now chose to idly busy himself with stirring the ink, caused the last official Sharingan user to expect the worst. He shouldn't be disappointed.
"Oh, and Kakashi? There is one last favor I'll have to ask of you…"
It was close to dawn when Kurenai was called to the office of the Hokage.
Outside the rain had stopped; the veil of clouds slowly lifting to reveal the first violet dissolving in the greater, darker blue. By all indications it promised to be a beautiful day as soon as the sun would rise. But as one of the people who had been involved in the search for Kakashi's ward, Kurenai payed little attention to this spectacle of nature.
She had already been less than cheerful, though determined enough, to fulfill Fuu's wish to spend her last evening at the Hatake residence. Her impending transfer to T&I had of course been on all their minds but the girl had been as determined to calm them as they had been to cheer her up. Kurenai had been so sure that everything would somehow work out.
But that was before everything got even worse – almost as if someone meant to prove her wrong.
Now Kakashi's home was a mess of knocked over furniture, hastily emptied cupboards and wardrobes. They had even rifled through the belongings of his parents. It was proof that someone had searched for the child as soon as Asuma and she had left to go looking for Fuu themselves.
Kurenai still remembered the moment when they realized that Fuu had disappeared.
The numbness of her mind had been so cold, paralyzing even. She had tried to comprehend how this could have possibly happened directly in front of her. After all she had been there, close by, a call away.
Kurenai's panic however had soon crushed her bubble and now, three hours later, there was still blood beneath her fingernails – remnants of the clones who had been designed to look just like Fuu. At some point Kurenai had lost count just how many of them had disappeared in a shower of red right beneath her hands.
She probably would never admit it aloud, but when Gai had finally come to tell her that the search had been called off, the relief flooding her had made her knees weak. Gai being Gai had of course advised her to be more diligent about her leg training before taking off to help the ANBU clear a fight scene in some other part of town.
Raising a hand that was still a little red from all the scrubbing and hot water, Kurenai pressed a finger to the throbbing pain which had long settled between her furrowed brows.
'At least I am going to find out what happened' she promised to herself, trying to take comfort in knowing that she would soon find out about Fuu's whereabouts.
With the Hokage office's doors in sight, Kurenai was now able to overhear his assistant talking to one of the administrative chunin, " – returned from the hospital a while ago. He will probably have some more meetings before he'll be able to take a break, so I would like to ask you if you could prepare some tea and light snacks. Maybe add some of that new tobacco the Fire Daimyo sent… I am sure he'd appreciate that."
The young Chunin disappeared with a surprising eagerness for someone who had been called to work so early. Apparently a similar thought occurred to the jonin assistant since he shook his head as he looked after the boy. As soon as he sensed Kurenai approaching, however, he turned to acknowledge her with a nod.
The expression upon his face mirrored Kurenai's in graveness, yet he still found it in him to cover it up with a pleasant smile.
"I am afraid it might take some more time before Lord Hokage will be able to receive you. He's still in a meeting."
"That's fine, I assume there is little else to do for me except catching up on some sleep anyway" Kurenai answered to which the assistant sighed his assent. While he cast a glance towards the door at the end of the corridor, the kunoichi tried and eventually failed to recall his name.
Attempting to cover that she had been staring at him quite rudely, Kurenai finally asked, "I am aware that everything concerning this night's events is strictly confidential, but could you please tell me what happened to her, the child? Is she safe?"
Sighing yet again, the jonin, who looked about the same age as Kurenai, regarded her carefully. She could tell immediately from his slightly pained expression that, while he would like to ease her worries, he wasn't allowed to shed light upon the most recent developments. So Kurenai only nodded to let him know that she understood.
When the doors behind him opened however with a faint creak, the assistant softened enough to offer, "She's with us."
The message was simple, yet enough to let Kurenai know that Fuu indeed had not left Konoha. Again overcome with a new wave of relief, she only noticed Kakashi when the assistant had already led her well towards the entrance of the Hokage's office. It could be that it was also because the Hatake had intended to walk past them without paying her any attention.
Instinctively stopping him by pulling on the sleeve of his shirt, she frowned at him in surprise, "We've been looking everywhere for you! If it wasn't for Pakkun, who told us that you were here, Asuma couldn't have caught up with Gai in time. He was already way past the village borders to warn the guards!"
While her words lacked the tone fit for such accusations, they were spoken with exhaustion and the unspoken plea for him to explain what exactly was going on.
It was however when Kakashi didn't even bother to look back at her that Kurenai finally sensed it.
"Kakashi?" She inquired, quick to recognize the annoyed expression which signalized that he wasn't likely to be very cooperative.
"I went to the Hokage as soon as the search was called off and gave a short overview of what my mission report will include" he explained, before proceeding to shrug off her hand and walk on, "If you'd excuse me now."
"Wait! … What about Fuu?"
Pretending to not understand the implication of her words, he returned with a perfectly straight face, "What about her? She's with T&I now."
Her shoulders slumping in amazed defeat, Kurenai finally understood the implication behind his words. "That's it? You live with her for almost a month and then just pretend it doesn't concern you any longer?"
Pausing to think about her question, Kakashi finally responded rather dryly, "Correct me if I am wrong, but that's exactly what this mission was about. I finished it, so I got another one. You should know the drill."
If Kurenai had been tense before, she now tightened every muscle in her body to stop herself from physically attacking her friend. While she had been worried and at some point even desperate, the thought that they all were fighting for the same thing had given her strength. Now the silver haired shinobi slouching right there in front of her had managed to destroy all her efforts with this apathetic attitude.
There would be no more 'thanks' or friendly bickering. Not if Kakashi now denied ever having been a part of this.
It was partly due to her poor anger management that Kurenai finally broke out of her stupor.
"You gotta be kidding me, Kakashi! Do you think I will allow you to just revert back to how you used to be?!" Visibly uncomfortable to witness such an emotional scene, the assistant, who still stood next to Kurenai, made a move as if to intervene. The kunoichi however motioned for him to stay out of this.
The jonin assistant regarded her shaking hand with some surprise, before turning to find the kunoichi softening in the face of the Hatake's indifference. "Pretending like it didn't happen won't make it better nor will it go away. You have to talk to Fuu! She needs her guardian now!"
For a moment it seemed like her outburst actually succeeded in setting the stubborn copy ninja straight. He stopped his slow but decided retreat and the frown disappeared as he stared out of the window.
"Right now there's only a comatose guardian spirit and it is neither in my power, nor is it my desire, to help her." His words, spoken with controlled evenness, were quite final. Opening the door that would both inevitably, and figuratively speaking, end this conversation, Kakashi actually turned to look her directly in the eye. "You shouldn't waste your energy either, Kurenai."
Kakashi didn't stay around to see the emotions draining from the kunoichi's face.
For a moment Kurenai felt incredibly lost, but instead of just giving up, she squared her shoulders. Without a further sound the kunoichi strode towards the Hokage's office with determination burning in the deep red of her eyes. The assistant jonin considered stopping her before she'd storm in and disturb the Sandaime. But then Kurenai turned towards him with a look almost bordering on apologetical, "May I enter?"
Taking the hesitant nod as an answer, Kurenai knocked politely on the door which Kakashi had left ajar and stepped inside. She kept her head down and when the Hokage greeted her, she confirmed with her calm expression that she was again fully in control. Only that, judging by the way Sarutobi Hiruzen regarded her, he had heard everything. And although he didn't voice it, there was an understanding between them.
"I am sure that you would want to return home after this night. Please know that I truly appreciate the support you showed during this mission. You were able to see quite a different side and I am sure that a small report from your perspective would prove to be useful. But before that, if it's not too much trouble, I would like you to accompany me to the hospital, Yuhi-san… and also assist me in explaining the recent developments to Fuu. She would surely be calmer if there'd be someone familiar around."
It was left unsaid that Kakashi had refused to accompany him and Kurenai suspected that the Third had called her in advance; anticipating the jonin's refusal. He could of course have ordered the stubborn Hatake to agree with his wishes, but that would have probably ended with a distraught Fuu.
Another wave of anger surged through Kurenai's system at the thought of how Kakashi would have probably pretended that he didn't even know the child. But… something else must have happened to have the silver haired jonin retreat so quickly and she wondered if the Hokage would tell her the reason.
So in desperate need of some sort of explanation, Kurenai agreed easily. "Of course, Hokage-sama."
It soon became apparent that Kurenai wasn't entirely wrong about the Third's decision to give her an insight. Although she realized maybe a tad too late that he had not so much intended to explain it to her, but to show her instead.
That was why Kurenai found herself in front of a huge window, in a part of the hospital she had only heard about in rumors. Behind the glass there was a huge squarish room, easy to be monitored from above. But that was pretty much the idea of the high-security wing of the hospital – to ensure that enemies, though in need of medical attention, wouldn't just take their chances. Not that it was actually possible to escape this maze-like facility where every step could disrupt the fuinjutsu woven throughout the walls and floors.
But while the bold black seals circling the prisoner's room were indeed fascinating, Kurenai couldn't take her eyes off the transformation happening in front of her eyes.
The restrained body of the woman shivered beneath the thin layers of hospital clothes, the fever evident in what little color had remained on her sharp face. Spread upon the hospital bed, she looked untamed, wild even, and Kurenai felt shivers crawling up her own arms at the thought of what must have happened to her to create this.
Three medics hovered around her, one keeping his hand on her shoulder to stop a heavily bleeding wound.
"She tried fighting the seal but it's apparently already too late for that" the Sandaime observed next to her, the worried note in his voice left for interpretation.
"Just who is she?" Kurenai turned towards the older shinobi with muted horror widening her eyes. Deep down she knew the answer to her question, but part of her refused to accept it.
Sighing deeply the Hokage regarded the scene without actually following the hectic movements of the figures clad in white. "That is Fuu-chan's guardian spirit."
"So she is Futaba… but where is Fuu? I thought-" Kurenai attempted to direct the Hokage's explanations back to what was on her mind, but it was when she felt the foreign wave of sickly sweet chakra. It sept through the walls and seals, activating their old safeguard mechanisms and causing some of the doors behind Kurenai to shut.
Yet it was what happened to the poor woman in the middle of the room that made the kunoichi stop mid sentence.
Darkness crept through the frail body shaken by tremors of muscles spasming in pain. It moved like something alive beneath her skin, pressed against it and appeared to eat her alive from the inside. Kurenai couldn't help but back off the window slightly when she saw the tears streaming down Futaba's face, her screams muted outside of the room. It was hard to tell whether it was because of the pain or knowing that now, while being forced to surrender to whatever the seal did to her, others watched.
But that wasn't all.
Slowly, so slowly that Kurenai didn't notice it at first, the guardian spirit's body shrunk. Almost as if the black lines forced her limbs to curl, before it allowed for the pain to be washed off her features. With her expression calmed, her sharp cheekbones softened and finally disappeared beneath the chubby flesh of a small child.
"I think it might be a good idea, if you're present when she awakes, Kurenai" some soft words were spoken to her right. Their meaning was like a foreign language to the kunoichi's ears but their sound still pulled her out of the daze. Not trusting her voice, Kurenai simply nodded and followed the old shinobi down the corridor.
Waking up wasn't exactly a pleasant experience this morning. Her body felt sluggish and didn't quite do what she wanted it to. Both her legs and arms were strangely far away, as if someone had taken them off while she had been asleep. There was something funny about her bed and the lights were bright enough to hurt her eyes as she blinked up to them.
"Fuu?"
She knew that voice. It was Kurenai's. But why had she stayed at her place? Was Hatake-sama on a mission again?
Fuu had trouble remembering and so she didn't fight the hand touching her neck with uncomfortable cold fingers. When something pricked her shoulder, she couldn't help the small sound slipping her lips.
"She seems to be fine, Hokage-sama" another, foreign voice announced and suddenly aware that she had no idea where she was, Fuu started to struggle against the gentle hold on her arm.
"Fuu-chan, it's alright" Kurenai said, but Fuu bolted from the rough linen of the white bed to stare at her surroundings with wide eyes.
There was Kurenai, looking tired and worn but smiling as she approached her the second Fuu locked eyes with her. Just before touching her, however, the kunoichi stopped and hesitated. She opened her mouth only to fail at finding the right words.
Fuu searched her face and finally sensed her indecision, her worry… her fear. It hurt to be confronted with this while these sentiments were actually aimed at her. Why was Kurenai afraid of her? Unable to conceal her own emotions, Fuu moved away from her caretaker before another hand tried to take a hold of her arm.
Fuu's head whipped around and she found herself face to face with a man in white. He stared at her and there was a sharp looking thingy in his other hand that reminded her immediately of Sato and his tests.
Hiccuping and suddenly very afraid herself, Fuu did the only sensible thing and dove beneath the covers of this strange bed to escape the brightness of this room. She wished that this nightmare would end. Maybe Hatake-sama would wake her soon. Or maybe Pakkun would nudge her awake since he sometimes liked to snuggle with her instead of calling her down for breakfast.
Beneath her covers, Fuu bit her lip and covered her ears. Behind her tightly shut eyes stars danced.
"Fuu-chan, I know that this might be confusing but if you come out we'd like to explain why you're here." The voice was deep and a little gruff, but it sounded strangely reassuring. She recognized it. It was the Hokage and Fuu decided that it would be terribly rude to just ignore him. Even if this was a dream.
Resurfacing a little ruffled, the girl lifted her hair to peek at the old man who approved of her with a patient smile. Nodding to her, he looked at Kurenai who still stood frozen on the spot. As if on cue, she moved to take a seat on the edge of the bed. She didn't look very happy to Fuu. But since the kunoichi now regarded the Hokage expectantly, the girl chose to follow her example.
"First of all Fuu-chan, I want you to know that you're safe here. Nobody wants to hurt you" the Hokage addressed her tense frame, which quickly turned to scrutinize the medics hands behind her.
When she noticed that the syringe had disappeared, Fuu's bright green eyes rose distrustfully up to the masked face of the man. He finally humored her by showing his empty hands.
"Is this the In-terror-gation department?" She finally whispered regarding the illuminated square which would now inhabit her and Futaba.
Finally shaking her doubts off, Kurenai interjected softly, "No, sweetie. It's the hospital."
A little surprised Fuu lifted her arms, still completely covered in the oversized hospital gown, to inspect herself. Not able to find any new burns or other injuries, she stopped her search, frowned and then suddenly her head snapped up.
"Did something happen to Futaba?" Fuu questioned and turned to Kurenai in time to see her flinch.
Suddenly the child's otherwise peaceful demeanor shattered to reveal a desperate frown. Before either of the present people could stop her she very nearly tackled the kunoichi and pulled on her arm quite urgently, "Please tell me! Please tell me what happened to Futaba!"
Again it was the Hokage who answered her, "She surrendered herself to us and confessed her relations to Orochimaru."
Now knowing that her guardian spirit was at least alive, the child dropped back on the sheets of the bed. One hand however refused to let go off Kurenai's elbow and finally the woman relented by freeing her small fist off her sleeve and taking it gently between her own. It seemed to reassure Fuu, who then looked up at the kunoichi's softening features.
"Is this about Snake-man? Did Futaba have to do this surrendering so that I don't get in trouble?"
Still pondering on how to better put her question, Fuu missed how the Hokage raised an inquiring brow at the kunoichi who squeezed the girl's hand. "Not quite" she amended before blushing slightly under the intent stare of the Hokage. "It was something I wanted to talk to you about, Lord Hokage. But I wasn't sure if it was…"
"… just another colorful tale? Like the one of a certain guardian spirit?" the Sarutobi offered wryly in return before shifting to cross his arms behind his back. "But rest assured. Kakashi already mentioned that Fuu apparently knew about Orochimaru. He did however forget to mention this rather curious nickname."
"What will happen now?" Kurenai asked tentatively. She didn't know half of the truth and surely it would stay this way. But even if most of her questions would keep her well awake into the day, she wanted an answer to this one.
"Futaba-san made a deal. She offered to tell us everything that happened between her leaving Konoha and her sudden return – providing us with anything we might find useful to counteract Orochimaru's moves. In return I promised her that nothing would happen to Fuu-chan here" the Third relented finally, sending Kurenai a meaningful gaze to make her understand that this was all she would get. Especially while Fuu was still present and listening intently with a frown marring her face. "Futaba-san only wanted for her ward to be safe and treated well."
While Kurenai couldn't hide her surprise at these admittedly reasonable demands, she relaxed at the thought that whatever the future had in store, the girl would stay out of harm's way. At least as long as this woman was cooperative.
Fuu who had watched the exchange with a puzzled look upon her heart shaped face now fell slightly when she looked around. "Kurenai, where is Hatake-sama?"
That night, Danzo's shady little fan club payed Sato the compliment of escorting him back home. A rather thoughtful gesture considering that their boss was probably quite preoccupied with gathering every last bit of information on the newest guest of the T&I department. After all he happened to be in a disadvantage due to Sato's faulty intel. And while the old Iryo had expected some act of courtesy sooner or later, he had actually dared to hope that the Root leader would at least leave him to stew for a little longer.
Now Danzo's men apparently only waited for him to leave the busy streets so that they could properly look after him.
Even when royally pissed, Danzo still knew the 101 of hush-hush operations. A thought that Sato found as reassuring as it was troubling – especially since, in his predictability, the other man was sure to repeat this little procedure for quite some time. Because the one thing he knew about Sato for sure, was that only repetition and reminders wore him down.
As expected the shinobi came closer as soon as their retired colleague had left the well lit parts of town. Straightening his colorful ensemble, Sato prepared himself for the inevitable…
… but then froze on the spot and raised his head.
There was little sympathy in the Hatake's eyes when they met his own. Strangely though, Sato couldn't find the will to give the silver haired ex-guardian a witty greeting in response to his sudden arrival.
Everything about the way the young prodigy held himself told the other man that he would have preferred watching Danzo's men finish their assignment – if not beating them to it. As it turned out the Hatake instead had chosen a defensive stance, flicking the dark buzz of his chakra impatiently in the direction of the others.
Finally, after making sure that the Root members got the point, the jonin forcefully buried his fists inside his pockets and nodded towards the direction Sato had been heading to.
What followed this standoffish intervention surely would gain the top of the most uncomfortable moments in Sato's life. Which was actually saying quite a lot, given his peculiar nature. But he then decided that he too would be able to stand above this, if only for the fact that frankly, he was quite impressed.
When they stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading to Sato's home, Kakashi paused and so did Sato. After everything he had done to push the Hatake to his limits, he thought that the boy at least deserved the following words.
"For what it's worth, you should know that you probably saved two lives tonight." In response to this sudden statement Kakashi tensed, his eyes immediately lifting to search that strangely open expression on the older shinobi's face. "Think about that when you relapse, Hatake."
Uncomfortable now that he had given in to the impulse of trying to cheer the boy up, Sato made his way up the stairs without even turning back once. It wasn't however until he approached the dark silhouette of his home that he remembered about the absence of his housemate.
He sighed deeply, his hand finding one of the deeper wounds which he had hurriedly stitched himself. It reminded him of the guardian spirit's desperation during their fight and how the extent of her powers had caught him a little off guard.
Orochimaru sure had neglected to teach her the basics, but Sato could now attest to her ability to at least use her own fear to her advantage.
The image of her determined eyes, so bright in the middle of their fight made him smile. Even when he finally lowered himself upon the cushions of the living room, Sato didn't show the face of someone who had lost. Instead he reached up to the back of his neck and removed the seal of the henge.
Sighing in content exhaustion he stretched his own limbs across the floor and finally gave in to the chuckle rising in his throat. Without opening his eyes he finally tugged the picture out – the one which he had taken from the guardian spirit during their encounter.
He blinked up lazily, easily recognizing the members of the smaller branch of the Uchiha Clan — Mikoto, Akane with her grandson Obito, Tekka and Inabi. It seemed that they were celebrating the boy's genin promotion, the hitai-ate in his dark hair still looking shiny and new.
What was more interesting though, was that the freshly graduated genin was tucking on the hand of a young servant girl, whose green eyes widened in shock at the boy's cheerful antics.
"They hid you quite well, didn't they, Futaba-chan?"
/ ... / I really, really hope this chapter wasn't too much of a filler, but it would have been weird to just overlook the aftermath of the previous one. I can however tell you that there will be a time skip of about a week in the next one.
Also, since I got a message asking why Kakashi appears to be a little OOC – I tried to imagine how he, being around twenty at the time of the Uchiha massacre, would still deal rather poorly with his PTSD. Not that he improved too much over the years, but I'd like to think that he got more controlled and laid-back. So being left in the dark about something as important as Futaba's existence would naturally piss him off, hence his reaction to Kurenai's questions and his refusal to deal with Fuu.
Well, if you have similar questions, or want to share your view on this in a review, I'd be delighted to hear from you! :)