Fullmoon Chapter 14: Interlude, a naruto fanfic

Sorry this took so long to get out. I've compiled a short play to explain the tardiness of this chapter.

Jade: Yes! Done with homework at last! Now I can write the next chapter to my story!
Professor #1: Not so fast girlie! First you must watch this movie in which this Eskimo man runs around naked for 20 minutes! Pay close attention to the full frontal shots!
Jade: AAAAAHHHH! That was so not what I wanted to see!
Professor #2: Muahahaha! Now that you're suitably deranged, do these fifteen projects in ten minutes!
Professor #3: There's a pop calc exam tomorrow! It's worth 20 of your grade!
Professor #4: ... I've got no work for you... So here's three hours worth of reading! I'll be testing you on it Tuesday!!!!
Jade's Muse: I'm taking a holiday.
Jade:NOOOO!!! School is sucking out my very soul!!!
Professor #1: Now watch this movie in which the French and the Native Americans have sex repeatedly!
Jade: Enough with the porn!
Professor #1: Awww... But it's historical porn!

So, as you can see, the reason why this chapter is late is because tiny little aliens from the fifth, previously undiscovered moon of Pluto came down and kidnaped me, implanting a bomb in my stomach and ransoming the world for all of our oxygen... Or I could be under a lot of stress from school and hallucinating again... Your choice.

Chapter 13: Interlude

Kakashi stared up at the ceiling, arms behind his head. Kami, it was boring being in a hospital... The lights were on timers so there wasn't any midnight reading, the food tasted like shit, and if he had to listen to Naruto's snoring much longer he'd go mad. Kakashi glanced at clock on the wall before turning to stare out the window. It was three o'clock in the morning... Had the attack really been solved in three hours or had Tsunade just locked him up while she sent other ninjas off to do their duty? He sighed. He hadn't seen anyone in trouble as he and Kajika had slowly put out fires in the village square. There had been several bombs, but no buildings had been badly damaged and while some trees had fallen there didn't seem to be anything too irreparable.

Really, they were lucky. Kakashi had a feeling he'd know what the reports would say, that the bombs were mostly for a flash and a bang instead of for heavy damage. The death count had been high at first, but after the first half hour the dead stopped coming in ending the count at 124. Those who had died had been practically sitting on top of the bombs or had been trapped by the fire. Most had actually died by falling, and then the crowd trampling over them in an attempt to escape. Considering the number of people in the village square they really had been lucky...

Now if he could be lucky enough to find a way out of here...

He had managed to spot the trap on the ceiling before he set it off. It was a compression trap, triggered when he pushed up a ceiling tile to escape. Easy to disarm... If the wires had been on the other side of the tile...

Then the window had been electrified again... He'd managed to get Naruto to set that trap off. All he had to do was keep complaining on how stuffy the hospital room was and Naruto had jumped up to open the window. Kakashi had pulled him away before the burns could get to second degree, but Naruto had been complaining about the pain until he fell asleep.

The bathroom's windows had been tightly barred, the floor tiles had been laid so he couldn't pull them up, the walls were solid concrete... And he could think of no jutsus to help him escape that would leave the room completely unharmed. There was always something that would happen... The paint would be scratched, the shine would leave the floor... And there was no way we was willing to face the wrath of Tsunade for messing up the hospital room.

Sighing again, Kakashi rolled over so he was staring at Naruto and the door. He'd tried every escape route, thought of every way to get around them, and... He hadn't tried the door yet...

Kakashi stared at the offending object, a thoughtful expression on his face. Tsunade would never leave the door without a booby trap... Would she? He had never tried to escape from the door before... Well, how could it hurt? Jumping out of bed and slipping his shoes on, Kakashi walked over to the door and placed his hand on the knob. Slowly, he turned it, opening the door cautiously as he checked for traps. Nothing...

Stepping into the hall and shoving his hands in his pockets, Kakashi softly shut the door behind him. Well that was easy... Now should he dare to leave and go and sleep in his own bed or should he just check up on Mitsuki and the kids? Now that he thought about it, he didn't know where Mitsuki's room was nor did he know where the children's ward was located...

It wouldn't be a quick death if he left the hospital totally, but if he just went to get some air he'd probably be fine...

"What do you think you're doing?" the female voice was scary, seemingly dripping with poison and malleus.

Kajika froze, slowly removing her hand from the door handle. Smiling innocently she turned to Tsunade. "Nothin'!"

"Nothing!?" Tsunade bellowed, glaring at the fox and grabbing her by the front of her tattered kimono. "Nothing!? You had strict orders to watch over Mitsuki! Why aren't you at your post!?"

Kajika sweatdropped. Actually, she'd volunteered to watch Miki, but she wasn't about to point that out... "But she's boring!" she whined instead. "She's just sleeping and I wanted to see those kids Kashi found!"

Tsunade looked at the kitsune warily. "Why?"

"Kashi said he found them in the Abyss... I wanted to know if it was true."

Tsunade frowned, but released her, turning to put a hand on the doorknob. She stood still for a moment before glancing over her shoulder. "What is this abyss exactly?"

Kajika refused to make eye contact, staring at a spot on the wall instead. "A very bad place for very bad people."

"So Kakashi-"

"I dunno."

"...And the children?"

"I dunno."

Tsunade sighed. "Figure out where they're from," she ordered softly, opening the door. "If they're from the abyss we can figure out why they were there later. If not... I want to catch the bastard that starved them."

Kajika nodded and slipped into the room.

Kakashi stared up at the night sky silently putting together constellations in his head. Hmm… There was Sode Boshi, Mizugame, part of Uo was visible… It was sorta nice, he realized, watching Ryuu slowly move overhead. For some reason Konoha didn't have all that much light pollution tonight making the sky clear and bright. Briefly, he wondered if he should go and get Naruto. While learning to navigate by the stars was taught at the Academy, the boy could probably use a refresher course. He'd probably like the personal attention as well. Kakashi hated to admit it, but he knew he spent most of his time and effort teaching Sasuke these days. He really couldn't help it though, his students reminded him so much of when he was being trained and he didn't want Sasuke to learn to appreciate his teammates the same way he had.

Sighing, Kakashi brushed aside his forehead protector so he was staring at the sky with both eyes. Obito…he mentally sighed.

From the other side of the rooftop the door leading to the stairwell opened then closed. That would be Tsunade, Kakashi thought to himself, stretching as he sat up. He carefully covered his eye again as he stood, heading towards the light footsteps. He was ready to take his beating for being out of bed.

However, the footsteps didn't come near him. Peering around the giant air conditioner, Kakashi saw a short woman, dressed all in white, leaning over the railing of the building. A nurse, he thought, wondering if he should approach her or stay hidden. If he showed himself then Tsunade would know that he'd snuck out of bed and that meant…

Well the nurse was probably just out for a brief smoking break, he could stay hidden until- Wait a minute… He knew her…

Poofing over so he was standing behind her, he tapped her on the shoulder, wincing as she screamed. "Maa," he sighed, grabbing her arm so she didn't fall. "You have a good set of lungs there, Mitsuki-chan."

Mitsuki stared up at him, tightly clutching the pendent of the necklace she wore. "Kakashi-san?" she gasped, eyes wide. "What are you doing up here?"

Kakashi smiled at her, his visible eye curving. "Just watching the stars. What about you?"

Mitsuki pulled her arm away looking uncomfortable. "I wanted to see the moon."

Kakashi glanced up at the sky. "You're out of luck then, the moon's new tonight."

"I know," she sighed, turning to lean over the railing. "I just… Wanted to figure out when it would be visible again."

"Soudesu ne…" They stood a long moment in silence, watching the clouds slowly block out all traces of the stars. Kakashi glanced over at Mitsuki, noticing how she was trembling in the cold night air. "You should go inside," he said softly. "It's cold out tonight."

Mitsuki shook her head. "I'm fine. I really want to stay out here a little bit longer."

Kakashi frowned before pushing himself away from the railing. "Stay here," he instructed firmly. "I'll get you a coat."

She smiled at him as he disappeared down the stairwell before turning back to stare at the night sky. The moon would be visible again starting tomorrow night. It would be weak at first, a mere sliver in the sky, but then… The last cloud had covered up the last star in the sky. Besides the dim lights of the town there were no sources of illumination. She was completely alone.

It wouldn't be that long of a fall, she thought to herself, staring down the side of the building. It was about thirteen stories, but once she started to fall it probably wouldn't seem very long. There was even solid cement at the bottom so she'd die instantly… Plus it was the loading docks of the building… There needn't be any rush to clean up the blood.

She leaned further over the railing. She had awoken in a small, dark hospital room, alone and dying of thirst. However, when she opened the door to the cafeteria she hadn't found what she had been looking for. The entire room had been transformed into a makeshift morgue. There had been bodies everywhere, most covered by stiff white sheets. More horrifying were the spirits that where wandering aimlessly around the room, wailing as they attempted to get back into their bodies. The ghosts had been covered in blood, their eyes wide and disbelieving, the children sobbing for help…

She had run then, letting the door slam behind her as one of the ghosts spotted her and began crying for her to help him. That was when her memories had come back. She remembered the sound of the river as it had flowed past the little hut at night. Her grandfather's laugh, her grandmother's smile… She remembered the tiny white flowers that grew on her grandfather's grave, the tears in grandmother's eyes as they buried him… The same tears that had been in her eyes when her grandmother's blood had been all over her hands, the golden man laughing and yelling at her to tell him where it was as her grandmother's life bled out all over the river bank.

The scream of people as the bombs blew up. Being dragged, then dropped and forgotten so she ran to the kappa to get help. She remembered the way the kappa's eyes had widened as he tackled her to the ground, his falling onto her lap instead of her own head falling into his. The golden man had seemed disappointed, but had laughed as she screamed. He had cooed at her to be a good girl this time and come with him. She could tell him where it was later.

Kajika's roar of pain, her paw nearly severed. Kakashi laying so still. Seeing the white of Naruto's ribs as the blood poured out. Roots pulling Hinata into the ground, burying her. And the entire time… The golden man's laughing as her grandmother screamed. Slowly cutting the old woman apart, piece by piece before letting her fall to the river's bank… Her mother's empty apology, sending her food instead of coming back and getting her…

It would really be so much easier if she died. The golden man couldn't follow her in death. No one else would bleed because of her… Kakashi would be back soon. If she was going to do it, it had to be now…

She leaned further over the rail. If she fell head first she was sure to feel nothing. She took a deep breath. All she had to do was just let go and…

Her hands lost their death grip on the railing and she shrieked as she nearly fell. Scrambling, she regained her balance and pushed herself away, flopping down on the safe cement floor as she stared up at the rail. She couldn't do it. She would never be able to do it. She was a coward and fool and… Covering her face with her hands she sighed deeply. If she couldn't do this then what could she do?

From across the rooftop Kakashi let out a breath he hadn't know he had been holding. When Mitsuki had nearly fallen, he had almost dashed out of the shadows to grab her, but now he was glad that he hadn't. She seemed better now, although she still wasn't crying.

He'd been gone long enough now. Opening the door to the stairwell, he deliberately slammed it, pasting a false smile on his face and curving his visible eye. "Sorry that I took so long," he said brightly. "I couldn't find you a coat, so how's a blanket instead?"

Mitsuki uncovered her face, looking up at Kakashi with sad grey eyes. She smiled weakly at him as he wrapped the blanket around her and helped her stand. "I-I'm ready to go in," she whispered softly, staring up at the sky.

Kakashi nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her towards the stairwell. Suddenly she stopped, staring intently at a particularly bright star. "What is it?" he asked, following her gaze.

"Kakashi... In the stories... Do you know what lives up there? With the stars?"

He shook his head. Ninjas didn't learn such things as myths from long ago. They were more interested in what was real. Things like techniques and chakra and war... But there were things other then that... Things like Kajika, the kappa, the tengu, and the kyuubi. Those were things out of stories that he had met, he knew they were real. Did that mean that other stories were true too? Could there really be a dragon who rules at the bottom of the sea? "No, I've never heard any stories about the sky," he said after a moment.

"The immortals live there," Mitsuki said, her voice soft and dreamy. "They live among the stars in a land that never knows winter or rain. Where it's always spring and where hunger and sickness and death are only things they see when they watch earth."

Was that bitterness in Mitsuki's voice? "Soudesu ka?"

Mitsuki turned to look up at him, her eyes pleading. "But what sort of life is immortality, Kakashi-san? Never knowing fear or pain... Never aging... How do they know they're alive? How do they know that they're human?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter, Mitsuki-chan. It's only a story."

"People think kappas are only a story and... and..."

Kakashi sighed. She was crying now... Smiling, he gently wiped her tears away. "How about this, Mitsuki-chan, when the immortals come to visit I'll bring you to meet them and you can ask them all the questions you want."

She sniffled, smiling faintly. "Baka, they won't come to visit..."

He shrugged, smiling brightly. "Maybe, maybe not. Now let's go inside... It's getting cold out. It might even snow..."

Kajika rubbed her nose, trying to block out the smell of antiseptics and cleaning supplies. This entire hospital absolutely reeked of cleanliness. Hadn't humans realized that a little dirt did a lot of good for the senses? The odors of clean were almost blocking her ability to smell the children properly. Almost.

Leaning over, Kajika smelled the boy first. Bleck. He smelled like soap… However, underneath the odor of the floral scented soap there was a human smell. She sniffed again. There was the human alright, with an underlying scent of decay and some sort of spicy magic. She frowned. Did that mean that he was from the Abyss? She'd never smelled that kind of magic before so…

The girl next then. Leaning over, Kajika smelled her carefully, concentrating on her neck. The most blood flowed there so she should get a better scent. The spicy magic was on the girl too, Kajika realized, straightening to think about what that meant. Well, she had honestly never smelled the Abyss before so the spice could have been from the Abyss's dimension. Or then again…

"I'm hungry, miss," a small voice said. Kajika glanced down and saw that the boy was awake. "Very hungry."

Kajika nodded briefly, turning to go. "I'll get the old hag to send something in for you," she said softly, opening and shutting the door behind her.

Out in the hall, Tsunade watched the fox carefully. "Well?" she asked, looking at the door.

"The kid's awake and demanding food," Kajika said staring into space. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to write a letter…"

Tsunade frowned as the kitsune suddenly vanished. A lot of help she was… Sighing heavily, Tsunade turned and made her way to the kitchens. It really didn't matter all that much where the kids were from. She was honour bound to take care of them no matter what.

Uta frowned at Terasu1 as he left their lords chamber. She had heard his lordship screaming at the golden man from halfway across the castle compound, he was obviously not pleased about losing his assassins and his kitsune slave. Although, who would have guessed that Konoha would have a kitsune slave of their own. They had never seen any evidence of their keeping one, and they had destroyed the Kyuubi that had attacked all those years ago...

"Well?" she asked Terasu, following him down the hall.

"You will accompany me tonight," Terasu said, reaching for her arm.

Uta pulled away, glaring at the golden man through dark brown eyes. "No." She valued her life. "What did his lordship have to say?"

"He is not pleased. To have those assassins and the Gobi destroyed was a great tragedy... And to be sent back due to a Nibi and a single ninja? Disgraceful."

What was disgraceful was the way you were wailing after that single ninja gave you a mere scratch, Uta thought to herself. Wisely, she didn't voice her thoughts but instead continued with her questioning. "How are we to regain his lordship's favor then?"

Terasu smiled down at her, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You will find me a new employer, Beloved. One who is much more rich and powerful then this minor lord. I will take care of his lordship."

Uta paled then nodded. They would be fine. There was always someone powerful who wanted what money could not bring them. They'd find a new sucker for immortality soon enough.

"Accompany me tonight Beloved?" His voice was whiny now.

She entered her bedroom, glaring at him as he looked at her hopefully. "No." Shutting the door firmly she sat down at her desk. She needed to write some letters.

Kakashi glanced out the window at the sky. Hmm... at this rate they were going to be late dropping off the children. Mentally, he smiled slightly. Could there be any correlation between giving the children away to a new home and Kajika insisting that she had to take a shower in the morning? Usually, she bathed at night like most people did but today...

"Kashi-jichan!" Botan whined, flopping down on the couch. "I'm boooored."

"Me too!" Akina squealed, raising her hand. "I'm board too!"

"Maa... Why don't you see how Kajika-chan is doing?"

"Jika-neechan?" The two children glanced at each other. At the same moment they grinned, leaping to their feet and running into the bathroom. "Surprise!" they shouted.

From the bathroom Kajika let out a blood curdling scream followed by a magnitude of curses. "Get the f out you little fing brats!" she screamed a scrub brush flying out of the bathroom to land in the hall.

"Wah! That's a cool face, Jika-neechan! Do it again!"

"GET OUT!"

"Yay! She did it!"

Kakashi shook his head, smiling as he passed the bathroom and went to stand in front of the bedroom door. Kajika had told him that Mitsuki had still been asleep when she'd gotten up. Surely she couldn't had slept through all that noise just now could she? Knocking, he waited for a reply for a moment before just walking in. The girl was still curled up in bed, tears running down her face as she slept. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Well, if he was the one crying (yeah right...) he wouldn't want to be seen but if she was having a bad dream...

Leaning over, he shook her shoulder until she slowly began to stir. "Jii-chan?"

Grandfather? Could she had been dreaming about her past? "Maa... I'm not that old, Mitsuki-chan... You can drop an 'i' and call me uncle though."

Mitsuki opened her eyes, looking startled as she gazed up at Kakashi's smiling face. "Oh, I'm sorry Kakashi-san," she yawned, rubbing her eyes. "I'll go and make breakfast..."

"Already ate," Kakashi said brightly. "I was just wondering if you'd like to come with Kajika and I to drop off Akina and Botan at their new home."

She stared at the comforter, clenching and unclenching her hands. "I-I don't think so..."

He nodded, standing to go. "I'll buy something for dinner and bring it home," he promised, opening the door.

"Kakashi!"

"Huh?"

"Kawamizu... I mean, the Kappa! What did they do with his body?"

He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I think a few doctors brought it to the hospital to do some tests on it," he said after a moment, carefully studying Mitsuki's face. She looked rather desperate... But why?

"Oh."

"Why?"

"Just wondering."

Kakashi nodded, not believing her for a second. "Have a good rest, Mituski-chan."

"Be safe."

Kakashi glanced up from his book noticing that something was missing. Was it the obento Mitsuki had packed? No, that was resting next to him. Was it Kajika? Nope, that girl was laying on a bench a few feet away, her eyes closed. Was it the bags Tsunade had sent with him? The spare pajamas, the jackets, the toys, and winter clothes? Nope. Had them all...

He was missing the children, wasn't he?

Yup, that was it.

Looking around Kakashi noticed Botan playing on the slides by himself. He frowned. Where was Akina? "Botan?" he called, rising and stuffing his book into a vest pocket. "Where's your sister?"

Botan looked confused for a moment. Although he and Akina had wandered the plane of the Abyss together for many years they weren't related by blood. It confused him for people to think they were related although the two did look a lot alike. "She's over there!" Botan shouted back, pointing to a small alley.

Kakashi blinked. "Why is she playing in the alley?"

"'Cause she said I was stupid then I said she was stupid and then she said I was smelly and I said I wasn't 'cause Miki-oneechan made me take a bath two days ago and I said she was ugly and she said boys were dumb and-"

Kakashi held up a hand, stopping the boys rambling. He'd have to go and collect the girl. If she was hurt in any way Tsunade-sama would kill him. "You say here with Jika-neechan, I'll-"

"You're not leaving me alone with him!" Kajika shouted, suddenly sitting up and glaring at the silver haired ninja. She glared at Botan. "I'll eat him if you leave me with him."

"Jika-neechan!" Botan giggled, beaming at the older girl. "You're funny!"

"I need to get Akina, Kajika-chan."

"I'll get her then," Kajika sighed, jumping to her feet. "I won't take as long," she muttered, running towards the alley.

Her eyes instantly adjusting to the dimmer light, Kajika blinked as she saw a man kneeling down next to Akina and smiling at her. As he watched he handed her a sweet and asked her name. Akina told him and he stood, smiling wider (and eviller in Kajika's opinion) and asked Akina if she'd like to come with him and-

She'd heard enough. Jumping forward Kajika slammed her knee into the man's nose, pausing long enough to let him fall flat on his face before kicking him while he was down. "Don't (kick) solicit (kick) little (kick) children!!!" she bellowed.

The man gasped in pain, struggling to get away as the kitsune moved in for the kill. "I-I was only-" he managed to get out.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Kajika roared, her tails whipping out from under her skirt to grab the man and haul him up over his head. She brought the man down to her eye level and smirked at him. "Say hi to Emma-O 2 for me. He probably misses me." With that she unceremoniously tossed the man down the alley and into several trash cans, smirking as he hit his head against a wall.

Chuckling lowly, Kajika wiped her hands together and smiled brightly. "Heh, try to hit on little kids, will he? I showed him!" She glanced down at Akina, glaring at her girl who was staring at her with wide eyes. "What!?" she snapped.

"Jika-neechan wa sugoi!!!!" Akina cried, reaching out and glomping onto her the kitsune's still visible tails.

"Get off those!!" Kajika shouted, pulling the girl off her tails and holding her away at arm's length. Akina grabbed onto her arm instead, giggling as she clung to the kitsune. Kajika's eyes narrowed, glaring at the child. "I hate you..." she growled, tails disappearing.

Akina laughed as Kajika set her down, kneeling down so she was eye level. "Look kid," she growled, gesturing to the unmoving man. "When some strange guy comes up to you and offers you candy you do not tell him your name and you do not take the candy."

Akina nodded, eyes wide. "What do ya do then Jika-neechan?"

"You scream 'Help pervert!' and start crying. Then, when someone runs up, point to the guy and shout 'He fondled me!'"

Akina bit her thumb. "What's a fondled?"

Kajika tapped the girl on the head and grabbed her hand. "Don't ask questions. Now come on, Kashi's waiting."

"Yay! Kashi-jichan!"

"Little brat, don't let go of my hand! Get back here!"

Iruka stared up at the blue sky above him, ignoring the softness and the stink of the garbage that surrounded him. He was only going to ask the kid if she'd like to come with him so they could find her mommy. Why were people so judgmental?

Kakashi stood, tucked his book away, and clapped his hands together, catching the attention of his charges. "Time to go," he announced, picking up the bag full of the children's things.

"Already?" Botan whined, jumping off the swing at the top. He look unconcerned as Kajika dove forward, grabbing the boy out of the air and eating sand to stop him from breaking his arm. "Thanks Jika-neechan."

"Fing brat..."

"Do we have to go Kakashi-jichan?"

Kakashi nodded solemnly. "Hai, I promised Tsunade-sama that I'd have you at your new parent's home by two."

Kajika glanced up at the sky. "It's five."

Kakashi glanced at his watch. "No, it's a quarter to two."

Kajika looked over his shoulder, her eyes narrowing. "Your watch is three hours off."

"Can't be."

"Look at the bloody sky!"

He glanced up then smiled brightly at the children. "We're late!"

"Yay!" the children cheered, grabbing onto Kakashi's legs. "Does this mean we can stay with you?"

Kakashi shook his head, pulling out his book again. "Sorry, but Tsunade's already made the arrangements. Your new parents are going to take very good care of you."

"Unlike Kashi who'd eat you while you sleep."

He blinked at her. "...Kajika..."

"It's okay Jika-neechan! I know you'd protect us!" Akina said brightly, grabbing onto Kajika's leg. "You love us!"

"Yup!" Botan agreed, grabbing onto Kajika's other leg. "Jika-neechan is the best!"

Kajika closed her eyes tightly for a long moment looking pained. Then..."I'm gonna fing kill you two!" she roared, chasing a screaming Botan and Akina down the street.

Kakashi didn't even bother to look up from his book as Kajika chased the two children down the block and around a corner. She'd chase them back soon enough. Glancing down at the map Tsunade had given him he picked up the bag of the children's belongings and set off towards the direction Kajika had gone. She'd been chasing the kids the right way.

"Do it again! Do it again!"

"NO!"

Kakashi glanced up from his book as Kajika returned, Botan and Akina hanging off of her arms.

"Do it again!"

"I said no already!"

"Do it again!!"

"NOOO!!" Kajika screamed, bearing her fangs at the children, her eyes glinting dangerously.

"Yay! She did it!!"

Kakashi smiled as Kajika sighed, catching the two kids as Kajika pulled them off of her and threw them forcefully at the jounin. "Keep those brats away from me!" she growled, turning to stalk off.

Akina and Botan glanced at each other before running off to follow the kitsune. Kakashi let them go, mentally grinning. He knew that deep down, Kajika adored the two kids. She wouldn't have insisted on coming with him to drop the two off at their new home if she hadn't.

Kajika was leaning against the wall as Kakashi rounded the next corner. Behind her Botan and Akina were leaning in an identical pose, grinning widely. "Which way?"

"Which way?" Botan and Akina echoed.

"Shut up!" Kajika roared, taking a swipe at them. They dodged and grabbed onto her legs giggling madly.

"Two blocks east, one block south," Kakashi said, tucking away his book. He'd just remembered that Tsunade had forbidden him from reading 'that smut' while the children were present and figured that since they were so late the older woman would be looking for him. Best not to anger her more then she already would be...

"Good," she growled, ignoring Akina as she scrambled up a box so she could jump onto Kajika's back and ride piggy-back style. "I can't wait to get rid of these two."

Botan looked lost for a moment before Kakashi kneeled down and helped the boy scramble onto his back. It wouldn't hurt to carry him and the child did look rather tired...

"Kashi-jichan? Why didn't Miki-neechan come with us?" Botan asked, resting his head on Kakashi's shoulders.

Kakashi sighed, shifting Botan and the large bag's weight so that it was more comfortable. "Mitsuki-chan's been very sad lately, Botan. One of her friends died."

Botan frowned before nodding. "Oh. That's like when Aniki got swallowed by the Abyss, right? You cry and hurt lots?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, it hurts very much when you can no longer see a friend you love."

Tsunade smiled triumphantly as she managed to ID the individuals heading her way. She'd known it would work! Tell Kakashi a time three hours early and he'd get there right on time! Brilliant! Now where were the kids? She glared at the man came closer. He hadn't forgotten them, had he? That seemed like just the thing Kakashi would do to completely ruin her plan. Forget the kids... The bastard if he had...

All of her angry thoughts ended as soon as she noticed the strange bumps on Kakashi's and Kajika's backs. That was... cute... Somewhere along the way Botan and Akina had fallen asleep forcing Kakashi and Kajika to carry them piggy-back style the rest of the way here. It almost made Tsunade want to rush out there and send the two back. Kakashi could be trusted as the children's guardian and with Mitsuki and Kajika around the two wouldn't go without a mother figure in their lives...

"Is that them?" Nakama Hana asked.

Tsunade glanced over at the plump, anxious woman and she smiled at her warmly. How could she ever think that Kakashi could take the two in? He was a high ranking ninja, unmarried and not likely to be wed anytime soon. Kajika would be leaving in the spring. Mitsuki would probably be taken from them as soon as the people Tsunade had contacted were able to get her. Plus, Kakashi was an unsufferable pervert! He... He read Jiraiya's books for Kami's sake! Who knew what he did when no one was looking!?

The Nakama family were one that Tsunade had been working with ever since she'd gotten here. She'd looked over their file dozens of times before deciding to offer Botan and Akina to them. Ringo was a hardworking successful store owner who had a large house. His wife, Hana, was a housewife and a pillar of society, working on dozens of charitable causes. They'd been trying for children for years, but Hana had been barren and... and...

... And Kakashi with the sleeping children was still so cute...

Tsunade nodded. "That's them."

"Wake up, brats," Kajika growled, unceremoniously setting Akina to her feet. "We're here."

Botan rubbed his eyes, lifting his head from Kakashi's shoulder. "Where?"

"Your new home," Kakashi said cheerfully, letting the boy slide to the ground. He smiled brightly at Tsunade. "Maa, sorry I'm late. A black cat cross my path and I had to-"

"Save it," Tsunade growled, looking more pleased then angry. She kneeled down and smiled at the two children. "Hey there! Want to meet your new parents?"

Botan and Akina looked at the two anxious looking strangers then back at the smiling Kakashi and the glowering Kajika. Akina sniffled. "Y-Yes?"

Tsunade beamed. "Good! Botan, Anika, this is Mr and Mrs Nakama. They'll be taking care of you from now on."

Ringo kneeled down, smiling brightly at his two new children. "Why hello there," he boomed happily. "How are you doing?" he asked, patting Akina on the shoulder.

Akina looked up at him with wide eyes before screaming. "Help pervert!" she shouted, running to hide behind Kakashi. "Kiyaaaa! He fondled-ed me!"

Kakashi sweatdropped and rubbed the back of his head, laughing weakly as Tsunade glared bloody, painful murder at him. Where the hell had she picked that up!?

"BAKA!" Kajika shouted, hitting the girl upside the head. "Don't do that at a time like this!"

Akina looked confused. "But you said-"

Kajika blushed. "Not now!"

"But Jika-neechan..."

"I said not now!"

The children were silent as the adults tried to figure out what had just happened.

"What about-"

"NO!" Kajika screamed, cutting Botan off.

"Yay! She did it!" the children shouted, running to grab onto Kajika's legs.

Hana laughed, breaking the tension, walking up. "Hi there," she said cheerfully. "My name's Hana, but feel free to call me Kaa-san okay?"

Botan looked confused. "Ne, Jika-neechan, why is she asking us to call her Kaa-san?"

Kajika bopped the boy on the head. "BAKA! Haven't you been listening!? These are your new parents!!!"

Botan and Akina glanced at each other before bursting out into tears. "Nee-chan's leaving us!" they wailed, grabbing onto Kajika's legs. "Don't leave us Nee-chan!"

Kajika floundered almost losing her balance. "Ne, ne, Kashi's leaving you too!" she said desperately.

The two held on tighter and wailed louder.

Kakashi sighed, stepping forward and prying the two children off before they could make the kitsune fall. "Listen," he said firmly, tapping the two children on their noses. "Mr and Mrs Nakama have been wanting to meet you for a long time. They want to adopt you and make you part of their family. Now stop crying and turn around and meet them like strong little children."

"But Kashi-jichan...." he whined, grabbing onto the man's arm and holding tight. "We like it with you!"

"You'll like it better with them," Kakashi said firmly, pulling the boy off of him. Gently turning the two around, he gave them a push forward. "We'll come and visit," he promised, grabbing onto Kajika and vanishing them both away.

Sighing with relief Tsunade smiled at the children and managed to herd them into the house with the Nakamas help. They really were going to like this family. They just had to give them a chance.

"It's unforgivable!" the man shouted, slamming his fist down at the table.

Tsunade sighed, rubbing her brow. The head doctor and the mortician of the hospital had been waiting for her when she'd returned from the Nakama's, both of them screaming about a terrible crime and the punishment it deserved. "Tell me again what happened," she muttered, turning to her office's television. The two men had brought her the security tapes of the area. "Slower this time."

"The body of the creature had not yet arrived so we were beginning the dissection of the head when that nurse," the mortician paused the video to point at the pretty nurse in question. "That nurse told us we had emergency phone calls in the lobby!"

"So? What's the crime in that?" she sighed, her face carefully blank as she studied the tape.

"She stole the head!"

Tsunade nodded, watching the woman carefully wrap the head in cloth and gently place it in a bag.

"She even stole the elixir!"

It was true, the glass bottle containing the fluid from the kappa's hollow skull was the next thing to go in the bag. Then the nurse left without looking back once.

Tsunade frowned. "Hmm, this is serious. Rest assured doctor, I will have a team of ninjas sent out at once to locate this individual and bring her to justice." She waved her hand, dismissing them. "I'll keep you posted."

"Thank you Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade nodded waiting until they had shut the door behind them before sighing heavily. The least Mitsuki could have done was avoid the security cameras. She removed the tape from the VRC tossing into a bin for documents that were to be destroyed. Now all she had to do was send a fictional team out and keep Mitsuki away from the hospital until the two men had forgotten about her. The things I do... she mentally sighed pulling out the required paperwork. Sending out the newly created Team 39 she jotted down a note for Shizune to create a few status reports in her spare time. There. She yawned realizing half an hour had gone by. Damn, paperwork did take forever...

After a quick knock, Shizune opened the office door holding a bag in one hand and a note in the other. "Tsunade-sama, someone named Mitsuki dropped this off for you."

Tsunade blinked, reaching out to accept the objects. "Is she still here?"

"Iie. She said something about needing to be back home and left."

She nodded, setting the bag on her desk and pulling out of it a clear glass bottle filled with a transparent liquid. "Thank you, Shizune," Tsunade said opening the note. Written in clear, precise kanji were the words 'For Emergency's Only.' She frowned at the smudges that were dirt and the one stain that was surely tears. Had Mitsuki buried the kappa all by herself? She was sure Kakashi would have helped her if she'd asked. For that matter, Kakashi would have helped her steal the kappa's head and body as well.

Or maybe not... He was one of Konoha's most loyal and dedicated ninjas after all. If he thought that not knowing how that kappa worked would somehow hurt Konoha he probably would have stopped Mitsuki from burying her friend...

Or maybe he'd help her anyway... Tsunade remembered the worried look Kakashi had on his face every time Mitsuki had spoken or laughed while being discharged from the hospital. How he had stuck close to her side and silently steered the children towards Kajika whenever a tired look crossed her face.

Rubbing her brow, Tsunade went back to her paperwork wondering when and if the ones she'd contacted would come. If they didn't show up soon then... Well, then they wouldn't have anything to bring back with them now would they?

1. Uta is a girl's name meaning poem. Terasu is how a shortened Amaterasu-Omikami, the Shinto goddess of the sun... I know that means that the golden man is named after a chick, but I couldn't find any nice sounding Japanese names for Sun that were male so I took the lazy way out....

2. Emma-O is the Japanese ruler of Hell. He rules over all the people who die and go to hell until all their bad karma is used up and they can be reborn. What? They're Buddhist/Shinto! No stage of life or afterlife is permanent unless you reach blissful enlightenment. (I so hope I got that right... The last thing I need is to confirm stereotypes and get a lot of angry Buddhists on my case.)

Trash Can Fu: If I give you a dollar will you stop reviewing? Jeepers cripes woman! Use my livejournal if you want to bitch at me! And those other words were not made up… They were Latin, German, and Spanish for whore, evil, and ugly.

Fade-sempai: Maa… You'll find that out later. It has everything to do with the golden man though…

AznNarutoGrl-91: Quite. If you turn around and see it then it can see you and will promptly devour you, completely destroying even your soul. If you don't turn around it still devours everything about you leaving you an empty shell… Yup, that's pretty much a good picture of hell…

nezuko: You stayed half the night up for this? I'm touched, really I am… Now I feel better since often I spend half the night typing up a chapter. (Homework is devouring all my time…)

miako: It's people like you that give people like me large egos. Excuse me a moment while I hunt that ego down and beat it senseless with a baseball bat.

Sky Spade: stares at screenOpens mouth and enters foot Oops… Thank you for pointing that out. I'll change that ASAP.

Dragon Man 180: Don't worry, just because Kajika is an original character doesn't mean that she's going to get her way. I'm going to have to warn you though, she's going to try her hardest to get what she wants.