Scenes from the life of a double monster: Inhuman

And some days Yuuhi Kurenai remembered who Kakashi really was: a genius, a master, and a living legend. There was a reason the name Copy Ninja was infamous and struck fear into the hearts of men.

She was watching his back as he took a few moments to wash his vest and equipment clean—or as clean as it could appear—after a particularly close call. Being just outside of enemy territory, the squad was keeping a low profile; however, even through the bushes separating them, she could hear the murmurs of the chuunin on their team.

"Four men with one jutsu! I've never seen anything like it!"

"I don't think they even realized they died. And it's not like those were cadets or anything either. Any one of them could have had a fair chance at killing any one of us."

"No hesitation or nothing. He just went for it. It was awesome."

"It was kinda scary."

"It was inhuman, that's what it was."

A snap from Kurenai reminding them of poor stealth and quick deaths silenced them, but when she looked back, Kakashi had stopped in his motions. She first looked around for an enemy, thinking perhaps he'd sensed an approach. Upon a closer look, she found him simply gazing into one of his kunai with an intensity and emptiness she couldn't describe. She could only guess what he saw reflected there.

When the blood was gone—or at least no longer traceable for outside sources—he turned back around with that face of his that was simply all about the mission and nothing else. It was the face they needed, so she didn't even think to question it and they moved on. Five hours later they had success, and a day later they were home.

She found him, or rather just happen to run into him, as she was exiting Hokage's Tower from delivering her section of the mission report. Normally she wouldn't have said anything and just continued by. But there was something about the way the light hit him, the rose colors of the setting sun washing him in a way that made her see him covered in blood again; and the way he was just standing there, not even reading a dirty book and simply staring into nothing as though waiting for something. She stopped and suddenly remembered something she had wanted to say.

"It was a good mission, all things considered. You really came through for us back there, Kakashi. Thank you."

His eyes didn't waver from the unknown spot in space, a low, dry sound that could have been a chuckle with more effort indicated that he'd heard her. "Just doing the job," he mumbled somewhere along the way.

"You really are amazing."

Perhaps it was the sincerity she said it with that made him look up, or merely the fact that she had never complimented him before. There was disbelief in his eyes, but she watched it turn from her into self-doubt. "Right," he quietly scoffed. "The amazing Copy Ninja, who kills men before they're even dead and without a second thought."

"You had to kill them. They were about to give away our position which ultimately would have killed us, never mind fail the mission."

"Not everyone I've killed as needed to die," he murmured again, and by the look in his eye she could tell he was talking about another time and place. She ignored it, because it wasn't hers to carry.

"You do what you have to. We all do."

"And what kind of people does that make us, Kurenai?"

"We're not people, Kakashi, we're monsters."

And it hung there in the air, the truth. Like a vile, starving vulture circling over a dying man's wish for rest.

"We're monsters," she stated again, hushed and firm. "Some get here by sacrifice, others by skill. Some don't feel there are any other options, and some… Well, some are just too afraid of what the other options are. For others, humanity could never offer them anything in the first place. In the purest sense, this is what being a ninja is.

"There's no use romanticizing things and getting all dramatic over a fight between the light of humanity and the darkness of sins. We're blood-stained creatures who just see a little further down the road than anyone else can. That's all."

He stared at her, and for that moment she was the epitome of her name; washed in the crimson of the setting sun, Yuuhi Kurenai. Like the final embers welcoming in the stars and shadows—or ending the cast of a long-lived nightmare.

He finally looked away, to hide the half of his face that would give away evidence of his grin, however bittersweet it was. "Monsters, huh." He risked a glance back to oblige her. "Don't look much like a monster to me."

"I know. That's the really scary part." It's a statement that would have been a lot more good-humored if she'd smiled with it, or even had a mischievous wink in her eye. But the absolute seriousness she held made even him watch her uncertainly as she walked away.

And some days Hatake Kakashi remembered who Kurenai really was: a woman, a kunoichi, and a fellow monster.

-owari

Authoress Notes

Another theme from the 31days community, back in September of last year. Quite happy with how this one turned out. It's nice to get back to the more insightful and meaningful aspect of writing, and of this pairing.

Forgot to mention that the last drabble was also in thanks to the people who requested/suggested a scene with Kakashi and Kurenai in one of the bedrooms or in bed itself. A couple people requested that particular setting (my-my!), so there ya go.

The only thing I may not have liked about this one was how I kind of just suddenly changed perspectives near the end there like that. But hey, if you didn't notice, go me! If you did... well then yeah, I need to work on it. Thanks for reading!