Wild-filly: Thank you to Artemis*Obscure, Cyn Wraith, Lady Light, Great
Saiyaman, DarkDemonMaster, nobody, Broken Reflection, Karu-san and Reius
Devirix for their comments and support ^_^ It's nice to hear that so many
people are enjoying this fic – I may even do some artwork to go with it,
since the chibi-Kakashi-on-sugar-high idea has sparked some of my own
interest... I'll keep you posted ^_^
Disclaimer: Don't own...unless I can invent a time machine, go back in time and kidnap all of Kishimoto's plans it is unlikely that I ever will. In others words, not a chance – especially if my results in all scientific fields are anything to go by -_-;;
***
Okumen Gokurakuchou: Chapter 3
***
Stars swum dreamily before his eyes, merrily intruding into the thick, swirling fog that was his self-conscious. What had happened? Something about a ceiling, a scroll, sugar and bad hair colours... Of course; the Jounin exam! Now why on earth had those things reminded him of it...
It slowly began to appear that the stars weren't cheerful figments of his imagination after all. They where in fact rays of sunlight reminding him that it was still daylight, and therefore no time to be lying sprawled out on the ground sleeping. Presuming he was even on ground. Kakashi gingerly pried open one eye and hurriedly shut it again. Ground would have been a welcome option rather than this current station.
Well, it was dusty, solid and more or less ground-like for now... but if his geography skills and the vague feeling of unnatural heat under the ground were anything to go by then he had obviously done something that seriously offended someone up there.
What kind of a teacher dumps an unconscious student on the rim of a partially-dormant volcano?! The key word here being partially.
Groaning inwardly and cursing how the world seemed to have launched its own personal vendetta against him and his exploits, Kakashi forced both reluctant eyes open and sprang lightly to his feet, swaying slightly as the charming parting-gift of a colossal headache announced its presence. Growling some fairly inventive curses under his breath, Kakashi noted the surroundings from his impressive vantage point. Nothing but nothing as far as the eye could see with snow-capped trees in it. Wonderful. Not a visible town or mountain range to serve as landmark; apart from the rumbling one he was standing on.
Rumbling? Oh damn.
Glancing dejectedly over his shoulder at the yawning crater that was the mouth of the volcano, he was not at all surprised to see the ash in the depths vibrating or catch the faint hint of sulphurous fumes on the breeze. This day was becoming very predictable, not to mention potentially lethal.
Lunging down the rocky side of the volcano, icy igneous rocks scattering before his uncontrollable downwards rampage, Kakashi calmly noted the fact that perhaps less speed would have been a better choice. Gravity and the human instinct of getting as far away as possible from a possible mountain of fire had influenced his choice in the matter somewhat. Now all it would take was one loose stone to send him flying down the mountainside and into a crumpled pile at the bottom of the slope. As the rumbling became a roar, the rest of his senses swiftly began to whole-heartedly agree with the human ones. Whose bright idea was it to have volcanos this high?
A stray rock faltered in his path, caught by the arch of his sprinting foot, rotating the ankle in an unnatural way to most normal ankles. The Chuunin's eyes widened in pain and annoyance as his movement became one more forward - flying down the mountainside. Now why hadn't he seen this coming? Tucking his shoulders and numbly feeling like a very tried basketball, he attempted to zone out each thudding pain as he rolled unceremoniously down, tossed high over each rocky ledge. Shutting his eyes tightly, he delved deep into the great inner Chakra reserves as his momentum threatened to dash his bones to shards with each clattering descent. Finally his eyes opened and he vanished; billowing smoke, volcanic ash and the resulting rock slide the only evidence he had been there at all.
Spread-eagled at the slushy base of the volcano, Kakashi groaned aloud this time; every bone and limb handing in their notes of resignation and each pausing to throw a rock at his brain. Honestly... why couldn't he have thought of that sooner? What was the point of becoming one of the Leaf's best; a trained assassin; and then forgetting a simple thing like Kawarimi no Jutsu? Very embarrassing. At least nothing felt broken though, just very bruised. His pride will take a while to heal, certainly.
Rolling onto his stomach and pushing himself out of the grubby snow, Kakashi glared bleakly at the vast forest. Better find a water source of some kind before trying to set out and find the others. Staggering painfully into the oh-so-inviting treeline, the bedraggled Chuunin began his careful search for any useful tracks left by animals. Not that it was likely for any animals of any measurable intelligence to be hanging around a cantankerous volcano. Except for humans, of course. After several hundred metres of carefully stalking through the dense, green undergrowth, he noted the presence of a small herd of deer.
The shy herbivores did not catch his scent, nervously foraging in the sparse vegetation, eyes wide and ears flickering for the slightest hint of danger. Kakashi quietly observed them. There was no need for him to catch one, not yet at least. There were three does with their yearling youngsters as well as an older stag. Such a herd would not stray far from a stable water outlet. Leaping agilely from the frosty underbrush and onto the thick braches of a nearby evergreen tree, he ran ninja-style through the towering forest canopy; nothing more than a shadow flitting to the next branch.
Cool leaves fluttered in his face, smaller braches snagging, tearing at his hair and jacket, but still he pressed on. He could hear a rushing, splashing sound not too far up ahead. Water, certainly; but not necessarily water that was safe to use; especially if pure water sources were hard to come by in this part of the world. Some nations had barely enough drinkable water for themselves, let alone a hopelessly-lost stranger. Judging by the evergreen surroundings it was unlikely that this was the case here, but one could never be too careful.
There. A faint glimmer about seventy metres ahead. He silently slid to a halt, pressing his body close against the rough bark, entwining with the shadow. It was only a little stream, but the soft sand around it was rutted with tracks of humans and animals. It should then at least be safe to drink. The clear stream glittered invitingly, catching the afternoon sunlight and scattering the shards of captured silver against the lightly- frosted jade plant-life. He hesitated then sprang, dropping gently to the ground with the grace previously spared from all other descents. He strode swiftly over to the shallow bank, glanced around cautiously and then cupped one hand into the glassy liquid, drawing a handful to his face and then swiftly peeling back part of the mask, taking a sip and hurriedly replacing the fabric.
It was a slow technique, but one that would ensure that not only did he spot any attackers in range, but they wouldn't see his face and launch an attack of a different kind. What kind of a ninja could afford to have a face like his?! Only one with finely-honed survival skills...
Thirst eventually slaked, he retreated a little way from the spring and into the passable shelter of an aged bare oak tree, sinking to the ground with a casual sigh. Lazily watching the clouds sail by overhead, Kakashi mused quietly to himself as to the fate of his teammates. Well, he was most likely somewhere in Earth country. It was similar to Konoha, apart from the unanticipated appearance of a volcano. Where could the others be? Not that finding some of them would be a problem.
Reaching back to his hip pouch, he released the flap and heaved the contents out onto the grass. Besides his concealed kunai and shuriken, he also had two scrolls, one of which was the examination code, some stray currency, a bookshop gift certificate and for some obscure reason, a travelling sewing kit. Blinking in slight confusion as to the reasoning behind the sewing kit, Kakashi scooped the rest of his meagre possessions back into the pack, apart from the second scroll, remembering with a sudden pang that nobody would know to water his plant back home. Oh the tragedy... Returning his mind back to the task at hand, he clasped the scroll firmly in both hands, focussing on concentrating his Chakra as twining rivers of scarlet symbols spilled from both ends of the scroll.
"Summoning no Jutsu!"
And please not Pakkun this time, he prayed inwardly. There was a brief burst of smoke, screening the scroll from view. Kakashi turned away slightly, squinting into the murk for any sign of just who'd come. As the haze of smoke cleared he looked down, and down again. Curled up on the muddy snow, was a familiar little brown dog with a blue cape and cheerful grin on his canine face.
"Hey Kakashi! You may be the worst excuse for a human I've ever met but it's nice to see you again!"
Kakashi grimaced, "If the name and species were changed I may be able to say the same thing... provided I were drunk".
The chocolate-brown pug yawned widely, "so what have trouble have you gotten us into this time?" He stretched expressively, chest swelling with self-importance.
Kakashi rolled his eyes, "it's part of the Jounin exam. I need you to help me track down Masurao and Akiraka, as well as couple of others".
Pakkun paused, a canine look of concentration fixing itself on his face, "Masurao? Isn't he the one that was there when you first tried to summon one of us?"
He nodded warily, "hai, he was the one standing nearby".
Pakkun snorted, snickering to himself, "he was so scared of me...me? The kawaii little doggy?"
Stumbling to his feet, Kakashi glared down at the kawaii little doggy, "how was I to know that he was hopelessly allergic to dogs? He had to spend a day in hospital after you bit him!"
"Hai, I know. Serves him right too".
"And your justification for this?"
"He doesn't like dogs"
"Hai, hai, hai ok. Can we focus on the task at hand please?"
"Sure... what is it again?"
"... Could you track Masurao and Akiraka?"
Pakkun shook his head, "I need scent or something in order to track anyone down Kakashi. You should know that by now".
The Chuunin sighed. This had certainly complicated matters slightly. He'd have to search the old-fashioned way. Oh how tedious...
Pakkun strolled over to the gangling ninja, "while I'm here, you may as well scratch my back". Kakashi hesitated, glowered and absentmindedly lowered a hand to the dog's head, rubbing his ears as he pondered over his next action. Namely finding four disorientated ninja in the middle of winter; two of whom bore him no well feelings.
Pakkun's pink tongue lolled out amiably, eyes closed in bliss. His nose twitched, eyes opening a crack. Reluctantly he retracted his tongue, "hey Kakashi?"
"Hmmm?"
"You aren't looking for anyone apart from the coward and the blackmail- girl, are you?"
"Yeah, actually I was going to look for Gai and this homicidal chick I keep bumping into. Why do you ask?"
"I don't smell the guy with the personified eyebrows, but you haven't literally been bumping into this weird chick have you?"
"Hai. I fell through a ceiling onto her".
"It's obvious".
"You have her scent?"
"Yep, and she's not that far away from here either".
He didn't know what to think. Apart from the fact that not only had the teacher knocked him out, dumped him on the edge of a growling volcano, but had also placed him within killing-range of the person who hated him most in the world (with the exception of Gai) his life couldn't get much worse. Hang on, Pakkun was here wasn't he? It was worse.
"Are we going or what then?"
"Hai, we're going". Stuffing the scroll back into his pack, Pakkun bounded ahead eagerly, crunching through the thin layer of icy snow and floundering down deeper drifts lurking innocently beneath the deceptively even surface. Kakashi sighed again and took off at a leisurely jog after him, hoping perhaps this time he wouldn't flatten her on sight.
*
"You've lost the scent"
"No I haven't"
"We've been past this tree three times already"
"How could you know that? There are plenty of trees here"
"I was sick of carrying my hip pouch so I left it here"
"... if you're so smart then why don't you find her yourself?"
"Trust me, the instant I stop looking I'll find her"
"That kind of girl, huh?"
"And what would you know about that anyway?! Hang on, no please don't answer that"
Kakashi stopped, staring up at the darkening sky. Sunset had graced the sky with a few tangerine streaks earlier, but now midnight blue was encroaching over the edges of the flaming colours. Kurotaka, or whatever her name was, had obviously been here earlier but wasn't any more.
"Let's stop for now and get something to eat. The smell of smoke may catch her attention".
"That and you're hungry"
"Hey, I'm a dog, I'm supposed to be hungry all the time".
"Hai, hai, hai, we'll stop".
*
Pakkun romped out of the scant vegetation, tail wagging with pride and mouth full. From where he was stoking the new embers of the small campfire, Kakashi glanced up at the dog, "not much food here, I take it?"
Pakkun dropped the gaunt rabbit, "enough for me I'd reckon. Couple of deer too. Wouldn't try catching them though; something's already tried".
Kakashi nodded; Kurotaka was definitely nearby. "you didn't catch her scent again?"
"Huh?" Pakkun didn't even look up from stuffing his face.
"Never mind". Not a chance of him thinking of anything other than dinner.
Gazing up at the dark abyss that was the sky, black eyes lazily following the trail of smoke twisting like a grey ribbon before the midnight blue atmosphere, he watched a pale ghost of a bird flit through the haze, looping around the trail. Kakashi blinked; it was unusual to see a bird so small out at night. Even from down here on the snowy turf he could tell it wasn't a bird of prey.
Winging back the way it had come, his suspicions mounted. He glanced into the dense shadows in which direction the bird had gone, scanning the gloom critically for the slightest movement. As Pakkun continued his noisy gorging curled by the fire, Kakashi silently loosed three kunai from his leg holster, gently weighting them in his fingers. Their cool, solid bulk brought a little comfort to the apprehension of what may be beyond. He was not afraid of whatever it was, but he still didn't appreciate being stalked. It was so rude to leap out at people without a subtle warning, especially if you were wielding a knife.
"Pakkun..."
"....wha?"
"I hope you're not too attached to your dinner"
"Meaning what?"
"We may have to move shortly"
A scrubby bush behind him shuddered, dumping a pile of snow onto the cleared ground. Kakashi jerked around, impressed despite himself. He drew the kunai into the open, fingers itching to draw the ANBU katana strapped to his back. As the figure stepped dignifiedly into the open, his fingers tightened around the kunai despite the fact he recognised her.
"Kurotaka-san?"
"Hatake Kakashi"
"You were avoiding us deliberately?"
"Now why on earth would I want to do a thing like that?" She gazed at him in an expression of mock innocence, "and we get along so well too!" The expression contorted to one more familiar; contemptuous and sarcastic.
"Of course we do. In case you didn't realise, that was also sarcasm".
"Really? I would never have guessed".
Pakkun yawned irritably, ambling a little way from the picked carcass, "alright enough already; we have all established that you hate each others' guts and everything surrounding them, can we move onto a different topic please?"
Kurotaka's head jerked in surprise, long white-tipped ponytail flicking as she did so, "it talks?"
"Unfortunately", muttered Kakashi, wondering why he kept noticing her hair flicking.
She gazed wistfully at the sleepy dog, "I wish Guntou could speak".
"Guntou?"
A white bird blossomed from the shadows, swooping over the campfire and gently hovering, perching on Kurotaka's outstretched hand. She smoothed the bird's glossy feathers lovingly, as the bird gave an unflattering squawk. Kakashi stared in disbelief.
"I love birds more than anything else. Guntou is the being I trust more than anyone else in the world. All birds are amazing, noble, graceful creatures".
Kakashi continued to stare. She finally desisted from crooning into her pet's ear to glare at him, "what? You don't like birds?"
He shook his head, "no, no, I like birds. I agree that they are quite amazing but..."
"What?!"
"... he's a seagull?!"
*
wild-filly: will update shortly with any luck ^_^ and just for the record, Kakashi does in fact own a pot plant – its name is Mr Ukki according to a site I found... we learn something new everyday ^_^;;
Please review!
Disclaimer: Don't own...unless I can invent a time machine, go back in time and kidnap all of Kishimoto's plans it is unlikely that I ever will. In others words, not a chance – especially if my results in all scientific fields are anything to go by -_-;;
***
Okumen Gokurakuchou: Chapter 3
***
Stars swum dreamily before his eyes, merrily intruding into the thick, swirling fog that was his self-conscious. What had happened? Something about a ceiling, a scroll, sugar and bad hair colours... Of course; the Jounin exam! Now why on earth had those things reminded him of it...
It slowly began to appear that the stars weren't cheerful figments of his imagination after all. They where in fact rays of sunlight reminding him that it was still daylight, and therefore no time to be lying sprawled out on the ground sleeping. Presuming he was even on ground. Kakashi gingerly pried open one eye and hurriedly shut it again. Ground would have been a welcome option rather than this current station.
Well, it was dusty, solid and more or less ground-like for now... but if his geography skills and the vague feeling of unnatural heat under the ground were anything to go by then he had obviously done something that seriously offended someone up there.
What kind of a teacher dumps an unconscious student on the rim of a partially-dormant volcano?! The key word here being partially.
Groaning inwardly and cursing how the world seemed to have launched its own personal vendetta against him and his exploits, Kakashi forced both reluctant eyes open and sprang lightly to his feet, swaying slightly as the charming parting-gift of a colossal headache announced its presence. Growling some fairly inventive curses under his breath, Kakashi noted the surroundings from his impressive vantage point. Nothing but nothing as far as the eye could see with snow-capped trees in it. Wonderful. Not a visible town or mountain range to serve as landmark; apart from the rumbling one he was standing on.
Rumbling? Oh damn.
Glancing dejectedly over his shoulder at the yawning crater that was the mouth of the volcano, he was not at all surprised to see the ash in the depths vibrating or catch the faint hint of sulphurous fumes on the breeze. This day was becoming very predictable, not to mention potentially lethal.
Lunging down the rocky side of the volcano, icy igneous rocks scattering before his uncontrollable downwards rampage, Kakashi calmly noted the fact that perhaps less speed would have been a better choice. Gravity and the human instinct of getting as far away as possible from a possible mountain of fire had influenced his choice in the matter somewhat. Now all it would take was one loose stone to send him flying down the mountainside and into a crumpled pile at the bottom of the slope. As the rumbling became a roar, the rest of his senses swiftly began to whole-heartedly agree with the human ones. Whose bright idea was it to have volcanos this high?
A stray rock faltered in his path, caught by the arch of his sprinting foot, rotating the ankle in an unnatural way to most normal ankles. The Chuunin's eyes widened in pain and annoyance as his movement became one more forward - flying down the mountainside. Now why hadn't he seen this coming? Tucking his shoulders and numbly feeling like a very tried basketball, he attempted to zone out each thudding pain as he rolled unceremoniously down, tossed high over each rocky ledge. Shutting his eyes tightly, he delved deep into the great inner Chakra reserves as his momentum threatened to dash his bones to shards with each clattering descent. Finally his eyes opened and he vanished; billowing smoke, volcanic ash and the resulting rock slide the only evidence he had been there at all.
Spread-eagled at the slushy base of the volcano, Kakashi groaned aloud this time; every bone and limb handing in their notes of resignation and each pausing to throw a rock at his brain. Honestly... why couldn't he have thought of that sooner? What was the point of becoming one of the Leaf's best; a trained assassin; and then forgetting a simple thing like Kawarimi no Jutsu? Very embarrassing. At least nothing felt broken though, just very bruised. His pride will take a while to heal, certainly.
Rolling onto his stomach and pushing himself out of the grubby snow, Kakashi glared bleakly at the vast forest. Better find a water source of some kind before trying to set out and find the others. Staggering painfully into the oh-so-inviting treeline, the bedraggled Chuunin began his careful search for any useful tracks left by animals. Not that it was likely for any animals of any measurable intelligence to be hanging around a cantankerous volcano. Except for humans, of course. After several hundred metres of carefully stalking through the dense, green undergrowth, he noted the presence of a small herd of deer.
The shy herbivores did not catch his scent, nervously foraging in the sparse vegetation, eyes wide and ears flickering for the slightest hint of danger. Kakashi quietly observed them. There was no need for him to catch one, not yet at least. There were three does with their yearling youngsters as well as an older stag. Such a herd would not stray far from a stable water outlet. Leaping agilely from the frosty underbrush and onto the thick braches of a nearby evergreen tree, he ran ninja-style through the towering forest canopy; nothing more than a shadow flitting to the next branch.
Cool leaves fluttered in his face, smaller braches snagging, tearing at his hair and jacket, but still he pressed on. He could hear a rushing, splashing sound not too far up ahead. Water, certainly; but not necessarily water that was safe to use; especially if pure water sources were hard to come by in this part of the world. Some nations had barely enough drinkable water for themselves, let alone a hopelessly-lost stranger. Judging by the evergreen surroundings it was unlikely that this was the case here, but one could never be too careful.
There. A faint glimmer about seventy metres ahead. He silently slid to a halt, pressing his body close against the rough bark, entwining with the shadow. It was only a little stream, but the soft sand around it was rutted with tracks of humans and animals. It should then at least be safe to drink. The clear stream glittered invitingly, catching the afternoon sunlight and scattering the shards of captured silver against the lightly- frosted jade plant-life. He hesitated then sprang, dropping gently to the ground with the grace previously spared from all other descents. He strode swiftly over to the shallow bank, glanced around cautiously and then cupped one hand into the glassy liquid, drawing a handful to his face and then swiftly peeling back part of the mask, taking a sip and hurriedly replacing the fabric.
It was a slow technique, but one that would ensure that not only did he spot any attackers in range, but they wouldn't see his face and launch an attack of a different kind. What kind of a ninja could afford to have a face like his?! Only one with finely-honed survival skills...
Thirst eventually slaked, he retreated a little way from the spring and into the passable shelter of an aged bare oak tree, sinking to the ground with a casual sigh. Lazily watching the clouds sail by overhead, Kakashi mused quietly to himself as to the fate of his teammates. Well, he was most likely somewhere in Earth country. It was similar to Konoha, apart from the unanticipated appearance of a volcano. Where could the others be? Not that finding some of them would be a problem.
Reaching back to his hip pouch, he released the flap and heaved the contents out onto the grass. Besides his concealed kunai and shuriken, he also had two scrolls, one of which was the examination code, some stray currency, a bookshop gift certificate and for some obscure reason, a travelling sewing kit. Blinking in slight confusion as to the reasoning behind the sewing kit, Kakashi scooped the rest of his meagre possessions back into the pack, apart from the second scroll, remembering with a sudden pang that nobody would know to water his plant back home. Oh the tragedy... Returning his mind back to the task at hand, he clasped the scroll firmly in both hands, focussing on concentrating his Chakra as twining rivers of scarlet symbols spilled from both ends of the scroll.
"Summoning no Jutsu!"
And please not Pakkun this time, he prayed inwardly. There was a brief burst of smoke, screening the scroll from view. Kakashi turned away slightly, squinting into the murk for any sign of just who'd come. As the haze of smoke cleared he looked down, and down again. Curled up on the muddy snow, was a familiar little brown dog with a blue cape and cheerful grin on his canine face.
"Hey Kakashi! You may be the worst excuse for a human I've ever met but it's nice to see you again!"
Kakashi grimaced, "If the name and species were changed I may be able to say the same thing... provided I were drunk".
The chocolate-brown pug yawned widely, "so what have trouble have you gotten us into this time?" He stretched expressively, chest swelling with self-importance.
Kakashi rolled his eyes, "it's part of the Jounin exam. I need you to help me track down Masurao and Akiraka, as well as couple of others".
Pakkun paused, a canine look of concentration fixing itself on his face, "Masurao? Isn't he the one that was there when you first tried to summon one of us?"
He nodded warily, "hai, he was the one standing nearby".
Pakkun snorted, snickering to himself, "he was so scared of me...me? The kawaii little doggy?"
Stumbling to his feet, Kakashi glared down at the kawaii little doggy, "how was I to know that he was hopelessly allergic to dogs? He had to spend a day in hospital after you bit him!"
"Hai, I know. Serves him right too".
"And your justification for this?"
"He doesn't like dogs"
"Hai, hai, hai ok. Can we focus on the task at hand please?"
"Sure... what is it again?"
"... Could you track Masurao and Akiraka?"
Pakkun shook his head, "I need scent or something in order to track anyone down Kakashi. You should know that by now".
The Chuunin sighed. This had certainly complicated matters slightly. He'd have to search the old-fashioned way. Oh how tedious...
Pakkun strolled over to the gangling ninja, "while I'm here, you may as well scratch my back". Kakashi hesitated, glowered and absentmindedly lowered a hand to the dog's head, rubbing his ears as he pondered over his next action. Namely finding four disorientated ninja in the middle of winter; two of whom bore him no well feelings.
Pakkun's pink tongue lolled out amiably, eyes closed in bliss. His nose twitched, eyes opening a crack. Reluctantly he retracted his tongue, "hey Kakashi?"
"Hmmm?"
"You aren't looking for anyone apart from the coward and the blackmail- girl, are you?"
"Yeah, actually I was going to look for Gai and this homicidal chick I keep bumping into. Why do you ask?"
"I don't smell the guy with the personified eyebrows, but you haven't literally been bumping into this weird chick have you?"
"Hai. I fell through a ceiling onto her".
"It's obvious".
"You have her scent?"
"Yep, and she's not that far away from here either".
He didn't know what to think. Apart from the fact that not only had the teacher knocked him out, dumped him on the edge of a growling volcano, but had also placed him within killing-range of the person who hated him most in the world (with the exception of Gai) his life couldn't get much worse. Hang on, Pakkun was here wasn't he? It was worse.
"Are we going or what then?"
"Hai, we're going". Stuffing the scroll back into his pack, Pakkun bounded ahead eagerly, crunching through the thin layer of icy snow and floundering down deeper drifts lurking innocently beneath the deceptively even surface. Kakashi sighed again and took off at a leisurely jog after him, hoping perhaps this time he wouldn't flatten her on sight.
*
"You've lost the scent"
"No I haven't"
"We've been past this tree three times already"
"How could you know that? There are plenty of trees here"
"I was sick of carrying my hip pouch so I left it here"
"... if you're so smart then why don't you find her yourself?"
"Trust me, the instant I stop looking I'll find her"
"That kind of girl, huh?"
"And what would you know about that anyway?! Hang on, no please don't answer that"
Kakashi stopped, staring up at the darkening sky. Sunset had graced the sky with a few tangerine streaks earlier, but now midnight blue was encroaching over the edges of the flaming colours. Kurotaka, or whatever her name was, had obviously been here earlier but wasn't any more.
"Let's stop for now and get something to eat. The smell of smoke may catch her attention".
"That and you're hungry"
"Hey, I'm a dog, I'm supposed to be hungry all the time".
"Hai, hai, hai, we'll stop".
*
Pakkun romped out of the scant vegetation, tail wagging with pride and mouth full. From where he was stoking the new embers of the small campfire, Kakashi glanced up at the dog, "not much food here, I take it?"
Pakkun dropped the gaunt rabbit, "enough for me I'd reckon. Couple of deer too. Wouldn't try catching them though; something's already tried".
Kakashi nodded; Kurotaka was definitely nearby. "you didn't catch her scent again?"
"Huh?" Pakkun didn't even look up from stuffing his face.
"Never mind". Not a chance of him thinking of anything other than dinner.
Gazing up at the dark abyss that was the sky, black eyes lazily following the trail of smoke twisting like a grey ribbon before the midnight blue atmosphere, he watched a pale ghost of a bird flit through the haze, looping around the trail. Kakashi blinked; it was unusual to see a bird so small out at night. Even from down here on the snowy turf he could tell it wasn't a bird of prey.
Winging back the way it had come, his suspicions mounted. He glanced into the dense shadows in which direction the bird had gone, scanning the gloom critically for the slightest movement. As Pakkun continued his noisy gorging curled by the fire, Kakashi silently loosed three kunai from his leg holster, gently weighting them in his fingers. Their cool, solid bulk brought a little comfort to the apprehension of what may be beyond. He was not afraid of whatever it was, but he still didn't appreciate being stalked. It was so rude to leap out at people without a subtle warning, especially if you were wielding a knife.
"Pakkun..."
"....wha?"
"I hope you're not too attached to your dinner"
"Meaning what?"
"We may have to move shortly"
A scrubby bush behind him shuddered, dumping a pile of snow onto the cleared ground. Kakashi jerked around, impressed despite himself. He drew the kunai into the open, fingers itching to draw the ANBU katana strapped to his back. As the figure stepped dignifiedly into the open, his fingers tightened around the kunai despite the fact he recognised her.
"Kurotaka-san?"
"Hatake Kakashi"
"You were avoiding us deliberately?"
"Now why on earth would I want to do a thing like that?" She gazed at him in an expression of mock innocence, "and we get along so well too!" The expression contorted to one more familiar; contemptuous and sarcastic.
"Of course we do. In case you didn't realise, that was also sarcasm".
"Really? I would never have guessed".
Pakkun yawned irritably, ambling a little way from the picked carcass, "alright enough already; we have all established that you hate each others' guts and everything surrounding them, can we move onto a different topic please?"
Kurotaka's head jerked in surprise, long white-tipped ponytail flicking as she did so, "it talks?"
"Unfortunately", muttered Kakashi, wondering why he kept noticing her hair flicking.
She gazed wistfully at the sleepy dog, "I wish Guntou could speak".
"Guntou?"
A white bird blossomed from the shadows, swooping over the campfire and gently hovering, perching on Kurotaka's outstretched hand. She smoothed the bird's glossy feathers lovingly, as the bird gave an unflattering squawk. Kakashi stared in disbelief.
"I love birds more than anything else. Guntou is the being I trust more than anyone else in the world. All birds are amazing, noble, graceful creatures".
Kakashi continued to stare. She finally desisted from crooning into her pet's ear to glare at him, "what? You don't like birds?"
He shook his head, "no, no, I like birds. I agree that they are quite amazing but..."
"What?!"
"... he's a seagull?!"
*
wild-filly: will update shortly with any luck ^_^ and just for the record, Kakashi does in fact own a pot plant – its name is Mr Ukki according to a site I found... we learn something new everyday ^_^;;
Please review!
