Wild-filly: ^_^ More thanks to all of the wonderful people who have
reviewed – this chapter, thanks go to Lady Light, Karu-san, Curlybear and
Copy-Nin-Kakashi, I really appreciate it guys! Ok, either way, back to the
fic – I apologise for any slacking in updates... school, life etc etc -_-;;
Disclaimer: Don't own, therefore don't sue... I do own the ocs, but that's nothing worth broadcasting,
***
Okumen Gokurakuchou: Chapter 4
***
Dawn intruded on the fuzzy atmosphere that was Kakashi's mind, sneaking up on his unsuspecting eyes and sending him burrowing deeper into his blanket for relief. For some reason, the sun appeared indecently bright today... had air particles always been so hard? Everything either hurt or wasn't responding.
"Good morning!"
Another indecently bright thing entered the room, accompanied by a resounding clatter as Kurotaka shoved open the sliding wooden door and stalked side, bearing a breakfast tray and cheerful grin.
"Just leave me to my agony in peace would you?" moaned Kakashi, head grating with every word. He shoved his head into the comforting darkness of the blanket, trying to ignore the continued thumping of Kurotaka setting up his tray and arranging the room. He could have sworn she was an expert at silent manoeuvres... maybe this was just another sadistic ploy to further his regret of last night's (morning's?) alcohol consumption.
She sat down heavily on the end of the bed, chuckling to herself as a piercing squawking filled the room. Oh great. The stupid seagull – just what he needed.
"Come on Kakashi, you promised to teach me how to summon birds!"
In the stuffy gloom that was surrounding Kakashi's head, he rolled his eyes and instantly regretted it as his headache flared angrily. Why on earth had he said that?!
"Not today Kurotaka-san, I'm not feeling very well"
The cheerful snickering faded and even partially smothered by blanket, Kakashi could feel himself being glared at.
"You made the deal, now you live up to it! You promised to teach me how to summon birds if you got absolutely smashed at that stupid bar, and I'm ready to learn NOW".
This time it was his turn to make a face at her, though blissfully hidden by the moth-eaten duvet, "I do not believe that I was embarrassingly drunk in comparison to some of the other people there".
An incredulous snort echoed through the room, "do you have any idea what you were doing?"
He winced, "no?"
"You were sprawled in a heap on the street, tied in knots, completely out of it and on the way back here you were singing this weird little song over and over again".
Horrified, he queried, "I was singing?"
"Yes. Very badly as well I might add."
"I never sing!"
"You must have REALLY been out of it then".
Kakashi growled, stirring from the depths of his soft fortress to glare at his chirpy opponent. As daylight once again greeted him, he cursed his choice and dove back into the relative safety of the stuffy darkness. If he had to train her, maybe he could take the blanket with him and wrap it around his head for protection from both the glaring sun and glaring pupil.
"Fine. But if Gai hears one word about the singing, then there's no deal, ok?"
"Deal". Her eyes shining with anticipation.
"Now would you kindly leave so I can get dressed?"
From where he was rocking back and forth on his little chair behind the front desk, mulling over a cup of scalding green tea, the landlord was startled to hear a deafening shriek from the upstairs level. Accidentally upsetting his tea onto a pile of carefully arranged papers, he swore as a young woman came streaking down the stairs, fully dressed and clutching her eyes as though in pain. A seagull came screeching after her, fighting to keep up as she bolted out of the building and down the street.
He muttered darkly to himself, plucking at the ruined records with a murderous expression. Why couldn't some people just handle their relationships in peace?
*
"Summoning creatures is a jutsu that requires an exceptional level of Chakra power as well as control. If you do not have enough power, then there is no chance of you to actually summon anything, regardless of the expertise of your technique".
Kurotaka nodded, ponytail jerking in agreement. Kakashi noted with some amusement that she seemed to have recovered from her fright very well. He had in fact been fully dressed the whole time; he just wondered what her reaction would be.
"Do I need to get a tattoo or scroll or something?"
He shook his head, "not necessarily. For some creatures you may, but scrolls and the like are mostly just for show. All it really takes is a little blood and a whole lot of Chakra".
Head tilted to one side, perplexed, "how am I supposed to use my blood if I don't have a scroll or tattoo to focus it on?" she queried.
Kakashi responded by drawing his own scroll, "this is a copy of the scroll given to all who summon dogs. Dogs are fairly popular as summons, since, with the exception of Pakkun, they are often very useful. I don't know, nor have I heard of anyone, who summons birds, so you will have to pioneer this for yourself. If you wish, you can make your own scroll".
She grinned, "what do I do first?"
Reaching out to Guntou, the bird glared down its beak at Kakashi's hand before imperiously stepping onto it. Kakashi calmly stroked the bird's smoky feathers, "first, you will need to reach deeply into your Chakra and bring as much of it as you can to the surface".
Continuing to pet the bird, Kakashi surveyed Kurotaka thoughtfully as she slid into a fighting stance, eyes closed and fingers clenched into the dragon seal. The grass at her feet swayed, as though caught by a sudden breeze. He could feel her Chakra uncoiling, exploding from within. Not only was she stealthful, but also had power to back it up. It surprised him that she was not an ANBU member.
As her Chakra soared, her eyes opened again, face flushed with exhilaration as she met his gaze. "Now what?"
He smiled benignly, "bite your finger. Not very hard, but just hard enough for it to bleed a little".
Without hesitation, she sank her teeth deep into her thumb. Perhaps a little too deep in her enthusiasm. Blood oozed from the wound and she returned her eyes to his, "and?"
Kakashi ran his hand down the crooning seagull's back, scratching deep into the roots of his feathers as the bird partially closed his eyes in bliss. Smile never wavering, Kakashi toyed with a little clump of three feathers and suddenly yanked. With a shriek of pain and indignation, Guntou took flight, leaving behind the feathers.
Kurotaka glared at the cheerful Kakashi, now surveying the circling, squawking bird with a decidedly vengeful look on his face. "Was that entirely necessary?"
Remembering that she was more or less fired up for battle, Kakashi chose to apologise rather than risk immediate assault, "gomen, but it was". He threw the feathers in the air to her. Snatching them before they hit the ground out of reflex, Kurotaka stared down at them in understanding.
"Use them as though they were a seal; smear your blood on each, put them on the ground and them push your Chakra into them!"
Obediently, she stained each glossy feather with a dab of blood before placing them on the turf outside the town wall. Stretching out her fingers, she pressed her hand firmly against the ground, fingers biting into the soil as she formed a cage around the feathers. Chakra bubbled from within, pouring into the feathers, earth and blood.
From where he was standing a respectful distance away, Kakashi noticed something flicker in her eyes. It was only for a moment, and then it was gone as soon as it had come. He blinked, eyes hardening on Kurotaka's face still frozen with effort. If that was what he thought it was, then she was hiding something from him and just about everyone else she knew.
Frustrated by the lack of result, she gave a roar of determination and poured even more energy into the ground, breath heaving as her strength trickled away. Kakashi called, "think of something that makes you emotional! Find power in a strong emotion!" Gritting his teeth as she gave another cry and pushed even more Chakra out of her body, he regretted his choice of words. Yes, there was the fact that he was encouraging her to drain herself to exhaustion, but what bothered him most of all was the fact that he could just hear Gai saying the exact same thing.
She lifted one tired eye to his, sweat trickling down her brow and across the bridge of her nose, "what am I doing wrong?"
He shook his head, "nothing! You just need to pull out the greater powers within your Chakra; try harder!"
She glared at him, "what the hell do you think I'm doing?!"
"You're not trying hard enough! Come on, either you're weak or you can't do it; your choice".
If possible the glare took on a more violet edge. He began to wonder whether or not goading her into delving deeper for Chakra was a wise decision after all. The possibility of her ditching the training exercise for favour of beating him up was highly likely.
Eyes locked on his, waves of electric blue light flickered around her, hair streaming upwards as though caught in a violent updraft. Blue flames licked around the edges of the feathers, spouting trails of symbols of the same blue and blood red. Her eyelids sank, legs quivering and sweat beading all the more heavily on her forehead but still her eyes were pinned on Kakashi's; as though her contempt for him was all that was keeping her on her feet.
Biting deep into his own lip, Kakashi stared at the enlarging dome that was building at her feet. Hang in there just a little longer... He tasted blood as one dark blue eye closed, the other locked on his. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps, but the Chakra continued flowing out at the same rate. How much longer could she keep this up?
At last the Chakra flow stopped and she glanced down at her hand, surprised at the swelling blue dome she had formed. Dazed, she stared at Kakashi, wearily forming her words, "but... I still have more Chakra to use!"
Kakashi grinned in triumph, "no more is necessary"
Staring back down at the dome, the electric light fragmented, bursting outwards in a dramatic shower of flame. Blinded by the extreme light, Kurotaka threw her hands over her eyes, Kakashi groaning as his hangover reminded him of its presence.
Rising, twisting out of the depths; the little blue dome proved to be only the tip of the iceberg. A phenomenal pale falcon, a thousand times the size of the largest falcon alive, erupted from the ground, wings flared for balance. With a deafening scream it raised its beak to the heavens, sending nearby animals fleeing for cover, yet none of the nesting birds stirred.
Kakashi nearly, but not quite, fitted into the bracket as one of those animals and doggedly stood his ground, head pounding and little bright lights flashing before his protesting eyes. The massive falcon stretched, turning its head around to face its albino back and astounded passenger. Kurotaka blinked in astonishment, "who are you?"
The great bird gave a mocking cry, ruffling its feathers and jolting Kurotaka from her position astride its back as though the bird were some horrendously deformed horse.
"Who am I, little human? I believe that the question here is who are YOU to summon me?"
Kurotaka blinked, still weary from her great loss of Chakra, "me? I'm... Yumenimo Kurotaka. And you are...?"
The falcon gave a screech of laughter, "Yumenimo Kurotaka? Do you think I care who you are? My question was why did you think you had the right summon me!"
Kurotaka glared, a portion of the old attitude returning, "I can summon whoever I want to summon if I am capable of doing so!"
The bird smirked, preening one huge snowy wing, "is that so? Just because you are able to summon me, doesn't mean that I will obey you".
Kurotaka blinked, "I never intended for you to obey me. What right have I to do that?"
The falcon blinked, obviously thrown off balance, "you didn't?"
She shook her head, "not as such. I just wanted to meet you".
Delicately folding the wing back into its original place, the great bird surveyed her with frank curiosity, "no one's ever tried that tact before."
Kakashi stirred from where he was staring up at the little meeting from the ground, feeling more than a little left out and slightly apprehensive of the temperamental bird and its passenger. "You have been summoned before?"
Looking down its hooked beak at the still-hung-over Kakashi, he was reminded very much of a super sized version of Guntou, "and you are?"
"Alive and human as far as I know. Otherwise known as Hatake Kakashi".
The bird somehow contrived to smirk, "very good. No, this is not the first time I have been summoned. Many people over the years have tried and failed, and occasionally tried and succeeded. None of them last long though".
"No?"
"Eating someone is fairly permanent, you know"
"Ah... forget I asked".
Kurotaka looked aghast at her summon, "you eat people?"
"Only if they really offend me. Murder on the digestion if you get what I mean".
She shook her head in mock amazement, "I have no idea... do you resent me summoning you? I promise that I will only do it if it is entirely necessary, since I don't want to waste anyone's time".
The falcon glared down at her, "yes, I do resent being summoned. However in this case, I shall make an exception. Do you have any idea how rare it is for me to actually be summoned and conversed with? More often than not people just drag me out of my dimension and then either start barking orders or congratulating themselves, hence my disgust towards humans in general".
Turning its gaze to Kakashi, it blinked one great red eye, "you also summon creatures, do you not?"
He nodded gingerly, headache taking preference for his attention over paying due respects to this homicidal bird.
With a detersive snort, the falcon sneered, "a dog-caller? I might have guessed. Will you ensure that this human is instructed properly on when is an appropriate time to summon me?"
Regarding the bird with a mixture of surprise and consideration, Kakashi responded, "hai, I will do what I can" .
Drawing itself up to its full regal height, the falcon regarded them both with its intense stare, "Should you have any requirement for my help, I will offer it now, otherwise I shall take my leave".
Kurotaka started, "are you capable of tracking people?"
The bird eased the proud stance slightly to roll one eye at her, "do I look like a dog?"
She shook her head violently, "no! Not at all! I just meant would you be able to find someone by sight?"
Puffing out its milky feathers nobly, the falcon stated arrogantly, "I have the best sight of any bird in existence or animal. With an accurate description I can identify anything".
She grinned, "I have a description for you then that should be easy to find. Are you willing to accept?"
With a sigh of resignation, the bird crouched, lowering Kurotaka to ground level, where she leapt off and turned to face him. "We're looking for a human male of our age and slightly taller than Kakashi, however he has a very distinctive hairstyle in the shape of a bowl. He stands out very easily because of it and also his somewhat extravagant manner; could you see if you could find him?"
Sneering contemptuously, the falcon crowed, "I doubt there is a human alive that could hide from me, let alone one that you claim is easy to identify. I shall find you after I find him. You want me to bring him to you?"
Kakashi sighed, "if it's entirely necessary..."
Kurotaka shot a sidelong glare at him, "thank you very much, sir. May we refer to you by a name of some kind?"
Wings flexing and legs bending, the massive bird leapt into the afternoon sky, pale wings spreading like great fans in the air. As it soared into the distance, a powerful voice called back to them, "I am the Great Emperor of all Birds, Furi-Damu"
As the white giant slid into the distance, neither ninja said a word until he had vanished from view.
Kakashi glanced out of the corner of his eye at Kurotaka, "I don't know whether to congratulate you or curse you".
She blinked wearily, "why?"
"You mastered the move in one lesson, gained a powerful ally and made a great step in completing the exam"
"And?"
"You asked him to find Gai first"
She rolled her eyes melodramatically, smoothing her tangled ponytail back into its dark blue tie and repositioning the ornamental silver chopsticks pinned there. "Hey, I just thought we would be better off suggesting someone who was easy to find, that's all".
"You don't classify Masurao or Akiraka as easy?"
"Their personalities aren't as strident"
"You say it like it's a bad thing"
"It's not a bad thing! It's just not as easy to locate".
Deciding to give up arguing for now, Kakashi shook his head and regretted it once again, clutching the sides of his head in agony as his brain seemed to rattle in from its normal resting place. Kurotaka watched him with amusement, "still hung-over?"
"Shut up"
"Whatever for? You were so keen to argue just a moment ago, what happened to that?"
"You're an incredibly sadistic person, did you know?"
She blinked at him in mock surprise, "me? Sadistic? What on earth are you talking about?"
Unable to take anymore of this abuse, Kakashi started to limp back towards the gate, head firmly wedged between his hands. Oh anything for a cup of coffee and a darkened room free of this nuisance and her bloody seagull.
"There you two are! I must've slept in and missed you training!"
Why oh why hadn't Pakkun disappeared in a puff of smoke yet?
"Hey! Kakashi! You still hung-over? How much did you drink?!"
"That's none of your business", he growled through gritted teeth. One needed to be in a certain mood in order to deal with Pakkun without feeling the urge to commit murder, and now was not the perfect example.
A canine grin writ all over his evilly delighted face, Pakkun opened his mouth to continue tormenting his hapless ninja associate when the laughter suddenly died from his eyes, sprinting past Kakashi. Kakashi turned curiously, wondering what had distracted the pug and how he could arrange for it to happen more often, when he saw Kurotaka lying sprawled on the ground.
At first he was convinced it was simply overuse of Chakra and she would just need to sleep it off, but a thin trail of blood trickling from her forehead convinced him otherwise. Shoving his headache aside, Kakashi's senses heightened to their greatest, eyes dancing alert for any sign of their attacker. Pakkun sniffed at Kurotaka's face, "she's out of it, but not seriously".
Kakashi nodded, scrutinizing the area and cursing his state of health even more. Just because this wasn't a hidden ninja village didn't mean that there weren't ninja in the vicinity. The summoning must have drawn out some of the more undesirable of the locals from their hiding places.
A clump of shrubs on the forest border trembled, releasing a volley of deadly flying shuriken. Dodging nimbly aside, Kakashi twisted and sent his own assault of kunai into the source as the blades of his attacker cut deeply into the solid wall behind him. Whoever was out there meant business.
Leaping forward, he made it his priority to shield Kurotaka from any further attack even as he continued to stare into the thick undergrowth.
"Imagine seeing you here, Hatake Kakashi".
Staring in disbelief into the shadowy evergreen, Kakashi tightened into his accustomed fighting stance, alert for the next move of the unwelcomed visitor.
*
wild-filly: apologies for the cliffhanger... will update as soon as I can ^_^ please review!
Disclaimer: Don't own, therefore don't sue... I do own the ocs, but that's nothing worth broadcasting,
***
Okumen Gokurakuchou: Chapter 4
***
Dawn intruded on the fuzzy atmosphere that was Kakashi's mind, sneaking up on his unsuspecting eyes and sending him burrowing deeper into his blanket for relief. For some reason, the sun appeared indecently bright today... had air particles always been so hard? Everything either hurt or wasn't responding.
"Good morning!"
Another indecently bright thing entered the room, accompanied by a resounding clatter as Kurotaka shoved open the sliding wooden door and stalked side, bearing a breakfast tray and cheerful grin.
"Just leave me to my agony in peace would you?" moaned Kakashi, head grating with every word. He shoved his head into the comforting darkness of the blanket, trying to ignore the continued thumping of Kurotaka setting up his tray and arranging the room. He could have sworn she was an expert at silent manoeuvres... maybe this was just another sadistic ploy to further his regret of last night's (morning's?) alcohol consumption.
She sat down heavily on the end of the bed, chuckling to herself as a piercing squawking filled the room. Oh great. The stupid seagull – just what he needed.
"Come on Kakashi, you promised to teach me how to summon birds!"
In the stuffy gloom that was surrounding Kakashi's head, he rolled his eyes and instantly regretted it as his headache flared angrily. Why on earth had he said that?!
"Not today Kurotaka-san, I'm not feeling very well"
The cheerful snickering faded and even partially smothered by blanket, Kakashi could feel himself being glared at.
"You made the deal, now you live up to it! You promised to teach me how to summon birds if you got absolutely smashed at that stupid bar, and I'm ready to learn NOW".
This time it was his turn to make a face at her, though blissfully hidden by the moth-eaten duvet, "I do not believe that I was embarrassingly drunk in comparison to some of the other people there".
An incredulous snort echoed through the room, "do you have any idea what you were doing?"
He winced, "no?"
"You were sprawled in a heap on the street, tied in knots, completely out of it and on the way back here you were singing this weird little song over and over again".
Horrified, he queried, "I was singing?"
"Yes. Very badly as well I might add."
"I never sing!"
"You must have REALLY been out of it then".
Kakashi growled, stirring from the depths of his soft fortress to glare at his chirpy opponent. As daylight once again greeted him, he cursed his choice and dove back into the relative safety of the stuffy darkness. If he had to train her, maybe he could take the blanket with him and wrap it around his head for protection from both the glaring sun and glaring pupil.
"Fine. But if Gai hears one word about the singing, then there's no deal, ok?"
"Deal". Her eyes shining with anticipation.
"Now would you kindly leave so I can get dressed?"
From where he was rocking back and forth on his little chair behind the front desk, mulling over a cup of scalding green tea, the landlord was startled to hear a deafening shriek from the upstairs level. Accidentally upsetting his tea onto a pile of carefully arranged papers, he swore as a young woman came streaking down the stairs, fully dressed and clutching her eyes as though in pain. A seagull came screeching after her, fighting to keep up as she bolted out of the building and down the street.
He muttered darkly to himself, plucking at the ruined records with a murderous expression. Why couldn't some people just handle their relationships in peace?
*
"Summoning creatures is a jutsu that requires an exceptional level of Chakra power as well as control. If you do not have enough power, then there is no chance of you to actually summon anything, regardless of the expertise of your technique".
Kurotaka nodded, ponytail jerking in agreement. Kakashi noted with some amusement that she seemed to have recovered from her fright very well. He had in fact been fully dressed the whole time; he just wondered what her reaction would be.
"Do I need to get a tattoo or scroll or something?"
He shook his head, "not necessarily. For some creatures you may, but scrolls and the like are mostly just for show. All it really takes is a little blood and a whole lot of Chakra".
Head tilted to one side, perplexed, "how am I supposed to use my blood if I don't have a scroll or tattoo to focus it on?" she queried.
Kakashi responded by drawing his own scroll, "this is a copy of the scroll given to all who summon dogs. Dogs are fairly popular as summons, since, with the exception of Pakkun, they are often very useful. I don't know, nor have I heard of anyone, who summons birds, so you will have to pioneer this for yourself. If you wish, you can make your own scroll".
She grinned, "what do I do first?"
Reaching out to Guntou, the bird glared down its beak at Kakashi's hand before imperiously stepping onto it. Kakashi calmly stroked the bird's smoky feathers, "first, you will need to reach deeply into your Chakra and bring as much of it as you can to the surface".
Continuing to pet the bird, Kakashi surveyed Kurotaka thoughtfully as she slid into a fighting stance, eyes closed and fingers clenched into the dragon seal. The grass at her feet swayed, as though caught by a sudden breeze. He could feel her Chakra uncoiling, exploding from within. Not only was she stealthful, but also had power to back it up. It surprised him that she was not an ANBU member.
As her Chakra soared, her eyes opened again, face flushed with exhilaration as she met his gaze. "Now what?"
He smiled benignly, "bite your finger. Not very hard, but just hard enough for it to bleed a little".
Without hesitation, she sank her teeth deep into her thumb. Perhaps a little too deep in her enthusiasm. Blood oozed from the wound and she returned her eyes to his, "and?"
Kakashi ran his hand down the crooning seagull's back, scratching deep into the roots of his feathers as the bird partially closed his eyes in bliss. Smile never wavering, Kakashi toyed with a little clump of three feathers and suddenly yanked. With a shriek of pain and indignation, Guntou took flight, leaving behind the feathers.
Kurotaka glared at the cheerful Kakashi, now surveying the circling, squawking bird with a decidedly vengeful look on his face. "Was that entirely necessary?"
Remembering that she was more or less fired up for battle, Kakashi chose to apologise rather than risk immediate assault, "gomen, but it was". He threw the feathers in the air to her. Snatching them before they hit the ground out of reflex, Kurotaka stared down at them in understanding.
"Use them as though they were a seal; smear your blood on each, put them on the ground and them push your Chakra into them!"
Obediently, she stained each glossy feather with a dab of blood before placing them on the turf outside the town wall. Stretching out her fingers, she pressed her hand firmly against the ground, fingers biting into the soil as she formed a cage around the feathers. Chakra bubbled from within, pouring into the feathers, earth and blood.
From where he was standing a respectful distance away, Kakashi noticed something flicker in her eyes. It was only for a moment, and then it was gone as soon as it had come. He blinked, eyes hardening on Kurotaka's face still frozen with effort. If that was what he thought it was, then she was hiding something from him and just about everyone else she knew.
Frustrated by the lack of result, she gave a roar of determination and poured even more energy into the ground, breath heaving as her strength trickled away. Kakashi called, "think of something that makes you emotional! Find power in a strong emotion!" Gritting his teeth as she gave another cry and pushed even more Chakra out of her body, he regretted his choice of words. Yes, there was the fact that he was encouraging her to drain herself to exhaustion, but what bothered him most of all was the fact that he could just hear Gai saying the exact same thing.
She lifted one tired eye to his, sweat trickling down her brow and across the bridge of her nose, "what am I doing wrong?"
He shook his head, "nothing! You just need to pull out the greater powers within your Chakra; try harder!"
She glared at him, "what the hell do you think I'm doing?!"
"You're not trying hard enough! Come on, either you're weak or you can't do it; your choice".
If possible the glare took on a more violet edge. He began to wonder whether or not goading her into delving deeper for Chakra was a wise decision after all. The possibility of her ditching the training exercise for favour of beating him up was highly likely.
Eyes locked on his, waves of electric blue light flickered around her, hair streaming upwards as though caught in a violent updraft. Blue flames licked around the edges of the feathers, spouting trails of symbols of the same blue and blood red. Her eyelids sank, legs quivering and sweat beading all the more heavily on her forehead but still her eyes were pinned on Kakashi's; as though her contempt for him was all that was keeping her on her feet.
Biting deep into his own lip, Kakashi stared at the enlarging dome that was building at her feet. Hang in there just a little longer... He tasted blood as one dark blue eye closed, the other locked on his. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps, but the Chakra continued flowing out at the same rate. How much longer could she keep this up?
At last the Chakra flow stopped and she glanced down at her hand, surprised at the swelling blue dome she had formed. Dazed, she stared at Kakashi, wearily forming her words, "but... I still have more Chakra to use!"
Kakashi grinned in triumph, "no more is necessary"
Staring back down at the dome, the electric light fragmented, bursting outwards in a dramatic shower of flame. Blinded by the extreme light, Kurotaka threw her hands over her eyes, Kakashi groaning as his hangover reminded him of its presence.
Rising, twisting out of the depths; the little blue dome proved to be only the tip of the iceberg. A phenomenal pale falcon, a thousand times the size of the largest falcon alive, erupted from the ground, wings flared for balance. With a deafening scream it raised its beak to the heavens, sending nearby animals fleeing for cover, yet none of the nesting birds stirred.
Kakashi nearly, but not quite, fitted into the bracket as one of those animals and doggedly stood his ground, head pounding and little bright lights flashing before his protesting eyes. The massive falcon stretched, turning its head around to face its albino back and astounded passenger. Kurotaka blinked in astonishment, "who are you?"
The great bird gave a mocking cry, ruffling its feathers and jolting Kurotaka from her position astride its back as though the bird were some horrendously deformed horse.
"Who am I, little human? I believe that the question here is who are YOU to summon me?"
Kurotaka blinked, still weary from her great loss of Chakra, "me? I'm... Yumenimo Kurotaka. And you are...?"
The falcon gave a screech of laughter, "Yumenimo Kurotaka? Do you think I care who you are? My question was why did you think you had the right summon me!"
Kurotaka glared, a portion of the old attitude returning, "I can summon whoever I want to summon if I am capable of doing so!"
The bird smirked, preening one huge snowy wing, "is that so? Just because you are able to summon me, doesn't mean that I will obey you".
Kurotaka blinked, "I never intended for you to obey me. What right have I to do that?"
The falcon blinked, obviously thrown off balance, "you didn't?"
She shook her head, "not as such. I just wanted to meet you".
Delicately folding the wing back into its original place, the great bird surveyed her with frank curiosity, "no one's ever tried that tact before."
Kakashi stirred from where he was staring up at the little meeting from the ground, feeling more than a little left out and slightly apprehensive of the temperamental bird and its passenger. "You have been summoned before?"
Looking down its hooked beak at the still-hung-over Kakashi, he was reminded very much of a super sized version of Guntou, "and you are?"
"Alive and human as far as I know. Otherwise known as Hatake Kakashi".
The bird somehow contrived to smirk, "very good. No, this is not the first time I have been summoned. Many people over the years have tried and failed, and occasionally tried and succeeded. None of them last long though".
"No?"
"Eating someone is fairly permanent, you know"
"Ah... forget I asked".
Kurotaka looked aghast at her summon, "you eat people?"
"Only if they really offend me. Murder on the digestion if you get what I mean".
She shook her head in mock amazement, "I have no idea... do you resent me summoning you? I promise that I will only do it if it is entirely necessary, since I don't want to waste anyone's time".
The falcon glared down at her, "yes, I do resent being summoned. However in this case, I shall make an exception. Do you have any idea how rare it is for me to actually be summoned and conversed with? More often than not people just drag me out of my dimension and then either start barking orders or congratulating themselves, hence my disgust towards humans in general".
Turning its gaze to Kakashi, it blinked one great red eye, "you also summon creatures, do you not?"
He nodded gingerly, headache taking preference for his attention over paying due respects to this homicidal bird.
With a detersive snort, the falcon sneered, "a dog-caller? I might have guessed. Will you ensure that this human is instructed properly on when is an appropriate time to summon me?"
Regarding the bird with a mixture of surprise and consideration, Kakashi responded, "hai, I will do what I can" .
Drawing itself up to its full regal height, the falcon regarded them both with its intense stare, "Should you have any requirement for my help, I will offer it now, otherwise I shall take my leave".
Kurotaka started, "are you capable of tracking people?"
The bird eased the proud stance slightly to roll one eye at her, "do I look like a dog?"
She shook her head violently, "no! Not at all! I just meant would you be able to find someone by sight?"
Puffing out its milky feathers nobly, the falcon stated arrogantly, "I have the best sight of any bird in existence or animal. With an accurate description I can identify anything".
She grinned, "I have a description for you then that should be easy to find. Are you willing to accept?"
With a sigh of resignation, the bird crouched, lowering Kurotaka to ground level, where she leapt off and turned to face him. "We're looking for a human male of our age and slightly taller than Kakashi, however he has a very distinctive hairstyle in the shape of a bowl. He stands out very easily because of it and also his somewhat extravagant manner; could you see if you could find him?"
Sneering contemptuously, the falcon crowed, "I doubt there is a human alive that could hide from me, let alone one that you claim is easy to identify. I shall find you after I find him. You want me to bring him to you?"
Kakashi sighed, "if it's entirely necessary..."
Kurotaka shot a sidelong glare at him, "thank you very much, sir. May we refer to you by a name of some kind?"
Wings flexing and legs bending, the massive bird leapt into the afternoon sky, pale wings spreading like great fans in the air. As it soared into the distance, a powerful voice called back to them, "I am the Great Emperor of all Birds, Furi-Damu"
As the white giant slid into the distance, neither ninja said a word until he had vanished from view.
Kakashi glanced out of the corner of his eye at Kurotaka, "I don't know whether to congratulate you or curse you".
She blinked wearily, "why?"
"You mastered the move in one lesson, gained a powerful ally and made a great step in completing the exam"
"And?"
"You asked him to find Gai first"
She rolled her eyes melodramatically, smoothing her tangled ponytail back into its dark blue tie and repositioning the ornamental silver chopsticks pinned there. "Hey, I just thought we would be better off suggesting someone who was easy to find, that's all".
"You don't classify Masurao or Akiraka as easy?"
"Their personalities aren't as strident"
"You say it like it's a bad thing"
"It's not a bad thing! It's just not as easy to locate".
Deciding to give up arguing for now, Kakashi shook his head and regretted it once again, clutching the sides of his head in agony as his brain seemed to rattle in from its normal resting place. Kurotaka watched him with amusement, "still hung-over?"
"Shut up"
"Whatever for? You were so keen to argue just a moment ago, what happened to that?"
"You're an incredibly sadistic person, did you know?"
She blinked at him in mock surprise, "me? Sadistic? What on earth are you talking about?"
Unable to take anymore of this abuse, Kakashi started to limp back towards the gate, head firmly wedged between his hands. Oh anything for a cup of coffee and a darkened room free of this nuisance and her bloody seagull.
"There you two are! I must've slept in and missed you training!"
Why oh why hadn't Pakkun disappeared in a puff of smoke yet?
"Hey! Kakashi! You still hung-over? How much did you drink?!"
"That's none of your business", he growled through gritted teeth. One needed to be in a certain mood in order to deal with Pakkun without feeling the urge to commit murder, and now was not the perfect example.
A canine grin writ all over his evilly delighted face, Pakkun opened his mouth to continue tormenting his hapless ninja associate when the laughter suddenly died from his eyes, sprinting past Kakashi. Kakashi turned curiously, wondering what had distracted the pug and how he could arrange for it to happen more often, when he saw Kurotaka lying sprawled on the ground.
At first he was convinced it was simply overuse of Chakra and she would just need to sleep it off, but a thin trail of blood trickling from her forehead convinced him otherwise. Shoving his headache aside, Kakashi's senses heightened to their greatest, eyes dancing alert for any sign of their attacker. Pakkun sniffed at Kurotaka's face, "she's out of it, but not seriously".
Kakashi nodded, scrutinizing the area and cursing his state of health even more. Just because this wasn't a hidden ninja village didn't mean that there weren't ninja in the vicinity. The summoning must have drawn out some of the more undesirable of the locals from their hiding places.
A clump of shrubs on the forest border trembled, releasing a volley of deadly flying shuriken. Dodging nimbly aside, Kakashi twisted and sent his own assault of kunai into the source as the blades of his attacker cut deeply into the solid wall behind him. Whoever was out there meant business.
Leaping forward, he made it his priority to shield Kurotaka from any further attack even as he continued to stare into the thick undergrowth.
"Imagine seeing you here, Hatake Kakashi".
Staring in disbelief into the shadowy evergreen, Kakashi tightened into his accustomed fighting stance, alert for the next move of the unwelcomed visitor.
*
wild-filly: apologies for the cliffhanger... will update as soon as I can ^_^ please review!
