Chapter 17: Dognapping

"Open the door! I know you're in there!"

It was four in the morning and a rather disgruntled neighbor was standing in front of Kintsugi's door pounding away in frustration.

"Go away," a muffled voice responded from inside.

It had been a rather long night for Akari, but the moment her eyes had finally closed in blissful sleep, a rather loud, unearthly sound from the apartment above her seemed to rip apart the precious, long-awaited moment.

"I said, OPEN THE DOOR OR I WILL BREAK THIS DOOR DOWN, HINGES AND ALL, SO HELP ME I'LL-..."

"What? What do you want?" Kintsugi said as her eyes defiantly stared the younger neighbor down, the hinges on Kintsugi's door seeming to squeak as it opened further.

"Ugh. What is that smell? You look terrible."

"I'd say the feelings mutual. Is this why you keep pounding away at my door? Don't you know what time it is?"

"OF COURSE I DO, BU-"

"And yet you keep pounding on my door like some maniac, I expect there to be a good reason for this."

"IF YOU LET ME TAL-"

"You should be the one keeping the noise down, you know," Kintsugi said with an impish grin.

They were both the same height, and yet Kintsugi had the higher ground.

"Noise! Me?!"

"Really now, it's too early in the morning for this kind of stuff. I would have thought the people in this village were more educated than that."

"FLSJDSDKLSH!"

"Yeah, I don't speak that," Kintsugi said as she stared at Akari in further disinterest.

To say that Akari was miffed the moment Kintsugi slammed the door in her face would be an understatement, especially as Kintsugi's footsteps receded deeper into her home and the noise proceeded to continue.

Little by little, her ears turned a bright pink reaching down her neck until her whole face was a fuming, tomato red.

"THAT'S IT! You like making noise, huh? I can make noise too," she said bringing her fist down through the middle of Kintsugi's wooden door in one sudden swing.

"HA-HA-HA!" she continued until all that was left was a broken frame of an entrance to Kintsugi's apartment.

There was silence.

Slow footsteps coming from one of the rooms drew closer until an eerily calm figure emerged.

"Are you done?" Kintsugi said, staring blankly at Akari through the new opening while one hand now held a glass of cold milk.

Her neighbor was panting heavily from the sudden exertion and Kintsugi could tell that even Akari seemed rather surprised at what she had done.

"Y-Yeah. I am."

"I'd tell you to close the door on your way out, but it seems you've done away with that solution."

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came o-"

"Kintsugi!" interrupted a familiar voice.

"Oh great. You've summoned the nanny," she said putting her half-empty glass of milk down on the kitchen counter. "Of course this had to happen to me...now if you'll excuse me, I have to take credit for this."

"Credit? But you didn't-"

Tightly wrapping herself up in a hooded robe, Kintsugi walked past Akari and into the dewy morning.

She hated rain.

She loathed rain.

She wished it was any other element except rain.

And yet despite it being four in the morning, she feigned a lively, yet poised, walk towards the grey, pineapple-headed ninja all while internally writhing as each small, sprinkling drop seemed to leave behind an uncomfortable pit-pat of echoed imagery all around her.

Stopping a short distance away from him, she lifted her head slightly as she waved a lone finger back and forth.

"Look Kakashi, we're kind of stuck together here, so we might as well make the most of it. Besides, I hate fighting with someone who's supposed to be on the same side as me."

She tried to sense his heartbeat at that last phrase, but with each annoying droplet of rain, his infuriating silence, and not being able to fully see his face for a single hint of expression, she continued.

"Or perhaps, better yet, you could just not talk to me...that will work. It's not like I'm not used to talking to myself."

No response.

"I have a life outside the constant babysitting you know. I mean, what makes you think your life is worth more than mine? I've got things to do too, but it doesn't help to have someone constantly on your trail..."

She paused, but again, received no response.

"...c-constantly on your trail and with all the added pressure. I know you don't trust me. Cause believe you me, I know. And I know you know, I don't trust you. It's only a matter of time before-"

"Are you done?"

"What makes you think your life is worth anything at all?" she quipped.

At this, Kakashi swiftly pulled out a kunai, the sharp edges gleaming from the morning mist as he held it in front of her face.

In turn, Kintsugi had instinctually gripped her hands around the long blade she always carried, the tip gleaming in response beneath the robe she wore.

"Whoa! Hold on a sec," Akari spoke hurriedly as she stepped closer to Kintsugi.

"Stay back," Kintsugi growled.

"Well, no, you see...I kinda feel like I caused a misunderstanding between you and your,...um, friend...um, partner?

The woman beside her scoffed in reply.

"Look, I should let you know that I was the one that broke down the door," Akari said as she turned to Kakashi, hesitating as he cocked a brow towards Kintsugi in return.

"I already told you I would take the credit, so you can shut your mouth right now and go back to your rat's hole because I don't need your two cents at the moment," Kintsugi said with closed eyes and a tight smile.

It was Akari's turn to scoff as she flushed red all over again.

"EXCUSE ME?!"

"This wouldn't be happening if you hadn't minded your own business in the first place."

"YOU were the one making noise while people were trying to sleep."

"Says the person who just admitted to breaking down my door."

Akari's eyes bored into Kintsugi's as the other rubbed her own forehead in frustration.

"You know what? You should stab her with your knife," Akari said turning to Kakashi only to be surprised as he suddenly began to speak and ignore her completely.

"I'm going to tell you this because you don't get it. You think you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it. Get it?"

"Uh."

He had flipped his knife over as he spoke so that the handle was now facing Kintsugi.

"In society, those who don't have many abilities...they tend to complain more. And in this village, I will not let my comrades die. I will protect them with my life. That, that is the worth of my life. "

He took a step closer.

"And you, you are only here to fulfill a job, no more, no less."

"I'm not your comrade and I don't need you to protect me," she retorted.

"No, you're not. But for this village, I will do whatever it takes to protect it and the people in it because the people from this village are different from your average village. Even if it means dying, there's not a single one of us, who would sell out a comrade."

He was staring down at her as he surveyed her face. He hadn't noticed, until now, the way her eyes would move the tiniest bit as if searching for his own despite being so close.

"And that includes you."

She didn't want to listen to him, didn't care to listen to him. He wouldn't sell her out? She couldn't think that way, not after knowing he could be involved in what Danzo did to her.

Perhaps she was being petty, but she wanted him to know that he was no different from herself, willing to use whoever it was to her own advantage.

In one turn, she grabbed his knife, flinging it down at his feet as she spoke.

"You will. You and this village. When money or power's involved, There's always someone willing to sell out a comrade."

She didn't wait to hear what he would say next. Brushing past her neighbor she walked back into her apartment, shutting her bedroom door, the loud noise seeming to automatically resume the moment she stepped in.

"Soooooo," Akari drew out awkwardly.

"I take it that's what you meant?"

"Uh, yeah," Akari muttered.

Kakashi sighed as he dragged a hand to his face.

"I apologize on her behalf, I'll make sure she keeps the noise down from now on."

"O-okay."

"I'll take it from here."

With a small smile and a wave goodbye, he slowly walked into Kintsugi's dark apartment, the only light coming from the new open entry.

The thick curtains had been shut closed despite the strong smell of wet dirt filling the air and despite the new tenant living within it, it looked emptier than before.

"Kintsugi," he called out as he rapped his knuckles on the door to her bedroom.

A loud crashing sound and a muffled yelp could be heard before a string of incoherent mutterings drew closer to the door.

"Go away."

"Open the door."

"No."

He sighed as he brought his hands to the knob, opening it halfway before Kintsugi shouted a 'Don't' his way.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is."

"It's not what you think it is."

"This is what's been causing all this trouble?"

She had never been a fan of sharing her living space, but the moment she sensed the massive, black dog sleeping in the middle of the field, she knew she had to have him.

Bringing him to her apartment had definitely been tricky, but after gently bending him over with the added help of a steak from her newly stocked fridge, Yami had willingly trotted up the flight of stairs and nestled onto her bed.

"Cute, isn't it?"

"Cute is what you call a small puppy, not a 300 LB dog."

"You're just jealous you don't have one."

Kintsugi smiled as the dog sniffed in Kakashi's direction, both males looking at each other warily.

"Where'd you even get him?"

"Outside."

"Yeah, I can tell from all the mud on you and on the walls."

"He's energetic," Kintsugi said offhandedly as she grabbed a chunk of braided curtain rope and threw it Yami's way.

The dog barked in excitement as he caught it in one go, taking a bedside lamp to the floor as he jumped up and down.

"I'll clean it up, don't worry."

"That's not my main concern right now. You have a dog that you definitely did not have yesterday, a dog that looks like it came off the street, causing noise this early in the morning."

"I wasn't tired. I went for a walk. Saw Yami. Yami followed me."

"You named it, great."

"I already have you as a nanny, I figured another one wouldn't hurt."

"That's not the same thing."

"Think of it as my way of giving back to your beloved village. I'm rehabilitating him. He needed help. I'm helping him."

Kakashi knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with her, not after yesterday's events or after their earlier discussion.

"Just...just clean this up and be ready in three hours. I don't want to hear from the rest of the neighbors that you're keeping them up."

"That's what I was going to do anyway."

"I'll figure something out with your door...and the dog. In the meantime..., "Kakashi sighed as he turned to leave, "go to sleep, you look like someone punched both of your eyes."

Kintsugi scoffed sensing thoughtfully as Kakashi disappeared in a blink.


"Sir, today's report."

"Finally. And no one noticed?"

"As always."

"Very good. You're dismissed," the older man said, hands greedily gripping the manila folder.

The younger man bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Danzō was sitting in a large furnished room, the small trinkets he had collected throughout the years lined his desk in a neat and orderly manner. He was a collector, one proud of each object that graced his metal desk.

The sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard in the other room, but to him, it was the sound of music, the sound of progress and power.

"Elemental manipulation, huh."

A small grin began to break on his weathered face, wrinkles forming deep grooves as skin pushed against skin.

"We'll have to see each other more often, Kintsugi."


A/N: Welp, I personally enjoy rain a lot!

I want to thank Overture OTSW for their encouragement these past few chapters. It means a lot to know you're reading. I know it's been a bit more than a month since I updated, but I still plan on continuing. I don't have a schedule for this but I was busy with work and I admit I also had a bit of writer's block. I'm not happy with how this chapter turned out, but I needed to put it out for my own sanity. ;)