Pheonix: Eh, should be working on my other stories right now, but I figure since I have muse for this one I'll get this chapter out of the way. Oh, and Shirikima's age is questionable right now, she's a bit old. I'll notify you of permanent changes, but she's simply too old to fit her past right now, hehe.
Review Replies:
kakashi-vivi – Heh, glad you think so. But could you tell me why? It's so hard to find good muse when you don't know what your readers want…
AnimeotakuBara – Now now now, you two! Tell me more than this! Eh, how do you expect a girl to get a decent amount of muse? Feed me! XD well anyways, here you are.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. End of story. (Did I even do a disclaimer in the first chapter? 0.0)
Kakashi found the teen nin sulking on a bench, her head dipped so that her blond bangs covered her blue eyes. He sighed, putting a hand to his face before tightening his resolve. He said he'd explain what he knew, right?
What did he know?
That was a good question.
Eh, maybe he should not be asking himself this.
Then again, how would he say all of this to Ino?
'I don't know a damn thing about the woman, but she is apparently Sasuke's long lost sister, and basically he's pissed at you for stabbing her.' Perfectly darling, Kakashi, just amazingly genius.
Ino looked up, apparently feeling his eye on her, and waved a bit dismally. He sighed and stood in front of her.
"Ino, you do realize that the woman you struck was Sasuke's sister…"
"But she had been holding a knife, Kakashi-sama! She had already attacked Naruto, and had chased Sasuke…" She bit her lower lip.
"But you realize she is Sasuke's sister."
"Yes, Kakashi-sama."
"I do believe that next time you see Sasuke you will owe him an apology."
"Yes, Kakashi-sama. But how did she get here? When did she get here?"
Kakashi gave one of his 'eye smiles', the lid turning up as he rubbed the back of his head.
"That I do not know, Ino, but it is not important. Think before you act, a little harder, next time, if you don't mind." With that, he 'poofed' away, not exactly enjoying the pained, frustrated glare Ino had shot him.
He saw the girl sigh from his simple hiding place behind a group of nin, and heard her say, "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun…"
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Sasuke rose an eyebrow as Sakura inspected his sister's shoulder, the pink haired girl was obviously curious as to how deep it was.
"Sakura, it wasn't a matter of how deep it was, it went through her arm." Sakura blinked at him, and went back to inspecting his sister's shoulder.
"Ya, but I want to see." She was cautiously picking at the edge of the bandages, and Sasuke's hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling it away. Sakura gasped, and looked to him sullenly.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke, I should leave it alone, I know…" She looked down, and before he could release her wrist, she was pushing his hand back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He tensed, sitting ridged, as she shivered slightly.
"Sasuke, I thought she was going to kill you…" Sakura quickly stopped herself, knowing that she would only disgust him if she cried, and released him. She began to walk out.
"Sakura?" Sasuke's slightly surprised, but still level voice made her stop.
"Yes, Sasuke?"
"I'm fine." She smiled with a nod as he said this, and walked out into the hallway to sit next to Naruto, who then sat up.
"I'm going to my house; I can't stand waiting around for some girl who tried to kill me to wake up. Do you want to come with me, Sakura?" The girl glared at him and shook her head vigorously. The blonds face fell a notch, and he waved.
"See you guys tomorrow, then." He walked out of the medic wing and out of the building, heading to his apartment.
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"Hokage-sama." Kakashi addressed as he walked past the guards and into the room. The Hokage looked to him, nodding.
"Found anything, Kakashi?" Kakashi nodded, smiling slightly.
"I have found one Shirikima Uchiha whom might prove to be of some use." Kakashi replied lazily, though he was still attentive.
"Uchiha… Aren't there only two Uchihas? Boys?" The Hokage was obviously confused, only Itachi and Sasuke lived from the Uchiha massacre.
"Apparently, that particular statistic has room to be edited."
"Well, then, report back with more details." The Hokage could tell Kakashi didn't know much yet, and was merely keeping him posted. The Copy ninja nodded before 'poofing' back to the medic wing.
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Kakashi walked towards Shirikima's room, pausing slightly as he reached the chairs in front of her door. Naruto had left, no doubt to bribe Iruka for some late night ramen, as now it was turning dark out. Kakashi had taken a detour, eventually forcing himself to close the damned book and go back to the hospital to see how the assassin was doing.
Seated in the chair, Sasuke's eyes were closed, his head leaning against the wall as he slept lightly. The boy stirred as Kakashi passed, ready to defend the door, before relaxing and falling asleep again with a mumbled 'Hn'. Sakura was watching the young nin sleep, her green eyes thoughtful. She gave a short wave to Kakashi, who returned the gesture before quietly opening Shirikima's door. As the door slid open, he was startled as something wet seeped into his hair. Something green slid down his cheek, barely visible from the corner of his eye, and he ran his finger along it, looking at it and groaning.
A giggle alerted him to where Shirikima was, hiding behind the bed with Naruto and snorting, grunting and giggling like hysterical whelps. Kakashi's eye twitched, as his hand reached up to pull yet more green hospital jello from his once well groomed hair.
"N-Naruto said that it would help to keep the nurses away…" Shirikima fought between giggling and a slight amount of fear. Naruto was dying of laughter. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, still feeling the jello corrupting the roots of his silver hair, and threw a kunai at the boy, making sure it missed only by a centimeter. Naruto stuttered, and Kakashi said lazily, but with a tint of his being annoyed, "I won't miss again," Naruto grumbled and carefully gave his sensei five feet as he skirted out of the room.
"I-I can get that out for you, Kakashi…" Shirikima was slightly embarrassed, standing there in her regular attire again. She was stiff in her shoulder, but otherwise seemed alright, besides her worried looks at the door.
Kakashi gave her a look that clearly said 'I sure hope you were planning on getting rid of it,' and she nodded, moving to the bathroom door and motioning him to follow.
He couldn't allow himself to be anymore than annoyed with her, she was obviously extremely bothered by something. But it made him wonder how old she was, to fall for one of Naruto's revenge attempts… She bit the inside of her lip, he could tell by the taught skin on her cheek, and said, "I need you by the sink," He grudgingly moved forward and she grabbed his hair with sudden agility, flicking on the sink with the other hand and none to gently shoving his head down. His eyebrows raised, and he contemplated the fact that she was basically holding him there. He thought that perhaps he should refuse to move down willingly, but finally allowed his back muscles to hold him up as her fingers began to run through his hair, rubbing out the green substance that she obviously hadn't trusted. Her fingers felt good on his scalp, but as soon as he felt the last of the jello seep out, he easily pulled out of her hold, running his fingers through his wet hair like a squeegee.
"Ah, you are annoyed with me?" She asked, washing her hands to make sure that none of the jello remained in between her slender fingers.
"A bit surprised that you actually let Naruto prop a thing of Jello in your doorway…" He said, studying her. Normally he would be fuming; angry at her rough treatment and childish prank, but then he noticed her darting eyes again.
"What?" She asked, as if not hearing him, voice trembling, her good arm rubbing her bad self consciously.
The door opened, and she gasped. A nurse was there, holding a small injection needle, and as soon as Kakashi blinked Shirikima was hiding behind him, trembling. So that was it, she was planning on the nurse falling for that, instead of Naruto planning on him walking through. And she was afraid of needles. The nurse gave a stern look at Kakashi, and he smiled, it only showing in his eye of course.
"I don't think she wants it," He said, amused tone implying.
"H-hai, I don't want it, nurse-san." Suddenly Kakashi was reminded of all the bruises and dots on her arms, and concluded that they were bruised because she had fought the needles, from wherever she had formerly come.
"It's not an option, miss, the doctor told me to give this to you. It will help keep you calm." Kakashi felt the room drop about 100 degrees, felt Shirikima stiffen, felt her bristle from behind him.
The icy voice that came from her throat surprised him.
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Rage built long ago, deep inside, suddenly flooded my senses. I stepped from Kakashi's safe back, eyes narrowed and cold, my arms no longer trembling.
"Calm." I snapped, voice seemingly causing another glacier in the mountains.
"Want to see calm, bitch?" No more nurse san. How many times had they fought me, restrained me with leather straps, binded me to my metal bed as they gave me some damn shots to calm me, when all that had disturbed me was the shot in the first place! My rage flared once more. I heard Kakashi's voice cautioning me, but I ignored him.
"THEY MADE ME CALM! IS THIS CALM ENOUGH FOR YOU! Is this the calm you want? They trained me to be a calm, composed, assassin. THEY made me who I am. AND I DON'T WANT TO BE CALM!" I snarled, my voice rising and falling like a violent wind. Kakashi's hand was on my shoulder, roughly holding me, but I clasped it, throwing it off rather angrily. 'I want to be scared… And protected… And be able to cry and laugh and run. I don't want to be calm anymore.' That was the message that my eyes sent him as I whipped around to glare at him, desperately hoping he saw it. He was staring at me, rather surprised, as if expecting me to explode in front of him.
"I believe you can leave, now." He stated to the nurse, not taking his eyes off of mine as if trying to understand. I visibly relaxed if only a little as I heard the nurse stutter a hai and quickly shuffle out.
"Who is 'They', Shirikima?" Kakashi wasted no time in ruffling my fur. I sighed, walking to my bed and sitting on it, feeling a headache coming on now.
"I suppose you saw, Sasuke told me what he had seen…" I began, glancing at Kakashi. I grimly smiled, looking to him again this time. Sasuke had asked me if they had done anything to me. He hadn't asked who they were, though, so I had told him that I was still holding onto a bit of my innocence. That had answered my brother's questions, for a while…
"I'm sorry Kakashi, I don't know you, you don't know me, I can't trust you with this. Not yet, at least." He looked ready to challenge me, to demand answers, but I shook my head. "Not yet." I could see his mask move a little as he pursed his lips. 'No matter how much my instincts tell me to trust you, Kakashi, I can't.' I thought, looking at the clock. It was around nine, but I wasn't tired. Not even after all of that.
A tapping on the door made my eyes shift, and I watched as a man wearing a dog mask came in and whispered something to Kakashi. The ninja nodded, and the dog mask wearing man left again. I was eyeing him curiously, and he shook his head. "Nothing important yet." He gave a crap explanation.
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"Who was that guy? Why was he wearing a mask?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Didn't she know about ANBU?
"What do you know about ninjas, Shirikima?" Something about the way she had said it told him that she was a lot more lost than those questions let on.
"A bit, old memories here and there, not much." She replied, eyes unconsciously pleading to be told.
"That was a powerful Ninja, carrying a message for me." He went on to explain these things more into detail, gaining a nod and sometimes, her eyes would even flash, telling him that she had just remembered it. After about half an hour of going on like this, she seemed satisfied. But he missed the slight mischievous look cross her features.
"It's too hot," She complained suddenly, getting up and pacing. She turned her gaze to him. "Can we go out and walk around? I want to see the landscape a bit more…" She gave him puppy eyes, but he didn't need any convincing. This hospital was rather stuffy.
"Come on, I'll show you around." He chuckled at her excited face. Bipolar much? She adopted a much more serious aura as they slipped passed the doctors and nurses, who had advised her that she should be on bed rest for a day or so more.
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Naruto was swimming in it, finally! The broth rolled over him, and he opened his mouth, greedily gulping, a fork and knife suddenly in his hands. He looked curiously at the knife, and then smirked. There were obviously ramen noodles too big to slurp in this huge masterpiece!
Greedily gulping, he found himself halfway through the beautiful thing, when suddenly the white light that had been a back drop turned dark. He gulped, and it wasn't ramen filled… Air. A giant Ramen noodle was rising from the cup, mouth at the end of it opening to show huge rows of teeth, like looking into the mouth of a leech. He began to swim away, quickly discarding any and all notions of wanting to eat it, and yelped when it wrapped around him, lifting him up.
That was when he saw the teeth up close, face first, down the hatch.
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Shirikima walked beside Kakashi, enjoying the crowded streets filled with people, the one thing she had always had a lack of at the lab. They smiled at her curiously, but not impolitely. But she was annoyed. Yet another glare lit up her black eyes as she scrunched up her nose at Kakashi. He had pulled out a book a short while ago, 'Make out Paradise', and even though it was dark, he was reading it. Every once in a while he would switch a page.
(Flashback)
"What is that?" She asked as he yanked it from his pocket and opened a saved page.
"Hm?" He hadn't even looked at her, and with pointed annoyance, she had taken it to find out for herself.
"Gah!" What the hell did he have a book like this for! He had yanked it back with an offended glare and continued to read, ignoring her as she yelled at him about what a sick, demented man he was.
(End of Flashback)
"What's that?" She asked. The crowd was answering more of her questions than he was, and it was only proved when an older man followed her finger and said, "Oh, that's the ramen stand." Ramen? She decided not to ask anymore, and merely followed Kakashi as he took a turn. Finally, Shirikima got fed up, and grabbing the book, put it in her pocket, now returning Kakashi's glare.
"I'd like that back." He stated.
"Tell me about this place first!" She insisted, crossing her slender arms over her chest and pouting, though her eyes held their gaze.
"Ei, you're worse than the Hokage about details…" He muttered, still eyeing her pocket.
"Hokage?" Sasuke had told her a bit about it, but she decided to pretend she didn't know, to keep Kakashi talking.
"The Hokage is the most powerful ninja in this village." Kakashi explained bluntly, reaching for her pocket to get his 'triple x' book back. Shirikima swung her hips away from him, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, then debating what he had said. Well, she though, looking around, I don't see anyone that looks immensely powerful, except… She looked to Kakashi.
"So you're a Hokage?" She had totally missed the part where Kakashi hinted that he had talked to the Hokage. I mean, honestly, Shirikima, that means that either Kakashi is schitzo or he's not the Hokage. But…
"Hm? Me?" He pointed to his chest, and gave a familiar eye smile.
"Close, Shirikima, but not quite. I'm not that old."
"Well, I never said anything about being old; you're the most powerful ninja I've seen thus far." She shrugged.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head with the heel of his wrist, chuckling. "Well, The Hokage is a very old, powerful, wise man. Now those don't fit me." She was obviously complimenting him in her own little way, but he wasn't used to compliments.
"Well then, where is he?" Shirikima asked, eyeing Kakashi curiously.
Kakashi jabbed his thumb to the direction beside them, and Shirikima then noticed a huge building. "In there." While she was distracted, her reached into her pocket and pulled out his book, keeping a death grip on the binding as he found his last sentence.
She yelped, jumping away from the touch as if electrocuted, and then pouted. "Hey! Now you're not even going to hear me if I ask you anything!"
"Oh I hear you." Kakashi muttered, flipping the page. A light bulb went on top of his head, and he smirked. "Tell you what; I'll stop reading my book until we get back."
Shirikima narrowed her eyes. "The catch?"
"You tell me who 'they' is, and your past to top it all off."
"That's a heavy price for your undivided attention." She looked away, clearly frustrated, biting her bottom lip slightly as she considered this. Well, he wouldn't tell anyone, right? And at least he might pay attention then…
"Well my undivided attention is hard to come by." Kakashi replied, still reading his book. She looked at him, and suddenly grabbed it, and he allowed her to take it. Giving her a victory smirk, he led the way to a bench on the side of the street, and she sat down, putting the book on her knees and running and index finger along the binding nervously.
"You promise not to tell?" She looked at him, her black eyes demanding.
"Sure." Kakashi was being pretty patient now, as he watched her look down at the binding. She was getting ready to begin, finding the right words to say.
"Well, I can't remember how old I was, since time became irrelevant…" She began, finally leaning back and closing her eyes.
"I was talking to my mother, of what I can't remember, when he came in. My younger brother had been acting strangely lately, and without hesitation he had killed my mother, the shuriken had pierced her back and ct my stomach lightly, she had been hugging me…. She died almost instantly, and when I heard Sasuke's gasp, I felt arms grabbing my shoulders, prying me free. He had known he wouldn't be able to kill me, and had arranged for me to be taken away. I was helpless, they were too strong, and I could only listen as he killed the rest of our clan." She didn't realize that she had started crying, because they were silent tears.
"All I can vividly remember, though, is Sasuke's face… It looked as if he were begging me not to leave him, begging me to stop the destruction. I couldn't do it, of course." She finally noticed the tears, and wiped them away.
"From then on, my life was hell. They put me through various experiments, having me kill convicts to strengthen me, telling me that I would right all of the wrongs in their experiment. I would be the handy-man, so to speak. That's why I have all of these bruises, that's why I hate the needles." She knew Kakashi had been with Sasuke when they witnessed the bodily damage.
"That's why Sasuke had thought I had been raped… It is true that one of the convicts I attempted to kill before I left was a rapist, and he had tried it. But I left him in such a state that if he should be alive right now, he wouldn't get much satisfaction from it." She gave a devilish smirk at the thought, and Kakashi suddenly realized why she seemed so insecure. Insanity made her scary, and it helped her survive those years. Yet, from this short time he had known her so far; she seemed pretty sane, except for the little words that would trigger something.
"Their mistake?" Kakashi asked curiously. Shirikima nodded.
"The Nine-Tails was an experiment of theirs. True, it had been powerful, but they infused it with more chakra, how I am not certain. That is why it was so powerful. To kill it, Naruto has to die. I was ordered only yesterday to find and kill him, and bring his head back. I have a feeling that when I don't return, they won't just give up on me. They'll come after me, no doubt."
Kakashi considered this. "So you have to kill Naruto to save yourself?"
"Yes."
"You know I can't let you do that."
"I do know that. I can no longer allow myself to do it. Naruto is Sasuke's teammate; I could not kill him now. I will have to find another way." She got up, and looked down on Kakashi, who was pondering.
"I don't know what I will do, but I hope that I can stay here for a while…" She muttered, looking around. These people did not gaze at her with fear and anger, nor dread. They seemed to accept her. A face flashed into her mind, a young face with long black hair and brown eyes, and a kind smile.
'Haku… Wherever you are, thank you.' She thought, looking up at the moon and smiling gently, the image of her lost friend flashing in her eyes. Shirikima looked down to see yet another masked man talking with Kakashi, and Kakashi nodded.
"The Hokage would like to meet you, now." He gently took his book back from her, and led the way back to the building.
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The ANBU guard stopped Shirikima from following Kakashi. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he said, "The Hokage would like to speak with Kakashi alone, first." She sighed and leaned against the wall, watching the door close behind the only familiar face she knew in this place.
Meanwhile, Kakashi stood in front of the Hokage, who gave him a serious face.
"She was taken after the massacre to a lab, then sent here to kill Naruto… She no longer has any reason to do so, however."
The Hokage took this bit of information in. "I see. Do you trust her to stay in this village and guard?" Kakashi gave no verbal answer, nodding his form of reply to be an affirmative.
"Send her in, then. We will see if she accepts this proposal." The ANBU member nodded, and without hesitation Shirikima was at Kakashi's side, curiosity making her black eyes glint.
"Hokage-sama, I have already heard quite a deal about you." She nodded, knowing it would be polite to greet him first. The Hokage seemed slightly surprised, and inside his head, 'An Uchiha is making the first greeting?' But he was able to brush it off, and quickly responded.
"As I have you, Shirikima. Kakashi has told me some details of why you have come here," The Hokage ignored Shirikima's glare in the copy ninja's direction, "But I feel that I can trust his word that you will not attempt any more assassinations here in Konoha."
"Then you are correct." Shirikima replied, her voice guarded. Just how much information had Kakashi shared with the Hokage?
"If you are planning to stay here, then I have a proposal for you. Do you think you can handle being one of the guards here?" The Hokage was quick to reach the point, and Shirikima looked to Kakashi, an eyebrow raised. He shrugged, silently telling her it was her choice.
She was careful to look around, making her decision quickly. The guards here looked skilled; maybe she should take this proposition as an honor?
"I must say your proposition surprises me, Hokage, it seems you are very confident in Kakashi's and mine' word. I hope not to disappoint you, and if anything, I will take this offer in good stead if only to prove what I have told you." The Hokage seemed satisfied, and nodded.
"I have a feeling that you don't feel the need for your hospital bed any longer," He ignored Shirikima's head shaking from side to side, "But I will have to find an empty apartment for you here first. Until then, tonight you either sleep in the Hospital or stay over with someone else." Shirikima was working her lower lip between her teeth again, and the Hokage waited patiently.
Shirikima weighed her choices heavily. She couldn't possibly go back to the hospital; she'd go insane if she tried to pull that one off. But… She glanced at Kakashi, and then looked away, glaring at the ground pointedly. "Kakashi?"
"Unh?" The damn bastard was acting clueless! He knew what she was implying.
She crossed her arms, and replied, "Hn."
"What do you want?" Kakashi asked again.
"GR!" She stomped her foot and glared at him. "I'm not going back to that freak-house, Kakashi." She tapped her foot impatiently.
"Ah. I suppose it would be possible to arrange what you are implying for a while," Kakashi smirked and laid his arm across her shoulders. "Then it's settled, no?"
"Kakashi, if you weren't going to be under the same roof as me, I'd kill you." Shirikima seethed, brushing his arm away.
The Hokage chuckled. "I shall send for you in a week, Shirikima, and evaluate." He nodded, signaling that they could leave, and Shirikima led the way out, eager to be away from the stuffy room and the masked guards. She noticed the open window and opted for jumping out of it, landing on a rooftop below. She heard Kakashi's muffled drop behind her, and grumbled.
"Do you have to act so thick headed?" She threw over her shoulder, and he made a sound that suggested he knew nothing of what she was implying.
"Oi, baka." She hissed, plopping down and leaning back. "So I guess I'll just have to get used to it."
Kakashi muttered agreement, and she growled when she realized he was reading his book.
"Gimme that!" She snarled, snatching it away and hiding it in her breast pocket. He wouldn't dare go after it now, and his eye drooped forlornly as he crossed his arms.
"What do you want," He sighed, shrugging his shoulders in a temporary defeat.
"Let's go see your place." She said, smirking with victory. He sighed, waved his hand in a 'follow me' manner, and led the way down the various streets. Shirikima gasped as a young child ran past her, almost knocking into her, and Kakashi yelled something over his shoulder. Straining to hear him above the noise, "Konohamaru, you better not be bothering the Hokage." Yup, that's what he had just said. She blinked curiously, but didn't ask.
Kakashi suddenly stopped in front of a door, and she looked up. It was a rather large building, and she doubted that it all belonged to him. "Apartment building?" She asked curiously, and merely noticed his nod. "Never go next door." He warned her, opening the main door and walking in, going down a left hallway and opening the door at the end. His apartment was rather large, and she curiously peaked around the corners quickly.
"Why not next door?" She inquired, not stopping her inspection. It was actually clean, and she raised an eyebrow at a picture sitting on a small table. Kakashi was in the back of the small group, one hand on her brother's head, the other on Naruto's, his masked chin practically resting on Sakura's as the two of them smiled, leaving Sasuke and Naruto to glare at each other. She giggled lightly and put it back, just in time to hear him answer, "Just trust me on this one."
"Sure," She shrugged her shoulders, moving back to his living room and eyeing the pretty large, soft looking couch. She plopped down on it, and her eyes widened when something was pulled away from under her. "Huh?" She looked over, and saw a huge grey and white cat sitting there, looking at her indignantly. Kakashi reached his hand down and rubbed the animal's ears before going into the kitchen.
"You hungry? You didn't eat your jello, so I'm wondering what other hospital contraptions you passed up." Shirikima glared at him. "You didn't have to walk in before the nurse did, you know." She crossed her arms, now making a face very similar to the cat's.
"I take that as a yes." He smiled and disappeared into the other room. Shirikima sat for a moment, and then looked over to the cat. He had to weigh at least 25 to 30 pounds, but yet he wasn't ugly fat or anything. It was just his tummy. His head was nicely defined, as well as his neck, and broad shoulders to hold himself together. She put a finger to her mouth, and in a split second, the cat was in her lap, growling slightly as she pet his tummy. "Man you're fat."
The cat seemed to give up, and she examined his collar. "Shamrock, eh? Funny name."
Something that smelled good was coming from the kitchen, and Shiri got up, dragging the animal that she would now forever swear weighed a ton, and wandered to the kitchen. Kakashi was cooking up some chopped up pork as a kind of late night munchy or something, and she seated herself against the wall, the cat in her lap. Kakashi noted her presence out of the corner of his eye, and said, "You actually got him off the couch?"
"Well yeah, I mean he's heavy but I'm not weak." She replied, tilting her head slightly. Kakashi shook his head, turning back to the stove.
When the nin was finished, he turned around and raised his eyebrow at the sight he was sure he was really seeing. Shirikima was flat on the floor, Shamrock resting on her stomach, her eyes closed peacefully and her mouth curved up in a slight smile as she cuddled his cat.
"She must've been more tired than she thought." Kakashi glanced back at the meat he had prepared, and packaged it before turning back around, shooing Shamrock from Shirikima's hold and picking her up. The cat followed after him as Shirikima's arms wound around his neck. Kakashi realized dismally that she had his book in her breast pocket still, he could feel it against his chest… The girl had a death grip, and as he neared his bed and laid her down on it he had to twist his neck uncomfortably to free himself. The dark haired woman sleeping under his gaze seemed so much more at peace now than she did when awake, and he closed his eyes for a moment. A tremble of motion on the bed made him open his eyes to see Shamrock curl up beside Shirikima, who immediately wrapped and arm around the fuzz ball.
"Traitor." Kakashi glared at the cat, who twitched his tail amusedly, and made his way to the couch, plopping down and almost instantly allowing himself to slip into sleep.
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Red eyes surveyed the waking village, narrowed slightly as they flitted from one building to the next. The eye's owner ran a hand through his long bangs, blinking a few times. He was no where to be found…
Then something, or rather someone, caught his eye.
What the hell? Was that a cat?
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Shirikima hurried along the busy morning streets, Shamrock swinging slightly as he was too big to hold in one hand as she was trying to. The other hand was flipping a dagger, and so the cat was reluctant to move.
(Flashback)
Shirikima woke up, something warm and fuzzy breathing in her arms, and the smell of that obnoxious copy nin seemingly burned into her nose. She looked up and realized that she must be in his bed!
"Did he get me drunk!" She panicked for a moment, alcohol was not her thing and would affect her immediately… But Kakashi wouldn't do that. She had gotten up after satisfying herself that she did not have a hangover or anything of the sort, to find a note and the packed food on the table.
'Shirikima, I'm going out to train the kids, so after you eat this if you want, feel free to come and find us. Shamrock may know where to look. – Kakashi'
Honestly, didn't he know that Shamrock was too heavy to carry around?
(End Flashback)
After remembering that, Shirikima stopped, and looked at Shamrock.
"I know…" She smirked, and the animal squirmed as she put him down.
"Run Shamrock, or I'll get you. Better find Kakashi!" She threatened, chasing after the now terrified animal with her dagger held menacingly high. People got out of the cats way, chuckling slightly, as Shamrock ran away from the threatening woman.
Panting, Shirikima was half tempted to stop. How could the damn thing go so fast for so long? She remembered the powerful chest that Shamrock boasted, and sighed. But then they came upon a clearing, and she literally laughed with relief.
Shamrock was perched on Sasuke's head, and her brother looked as if he was about to kill him in three seconds. Kakashi appeared and picked up the animal, who meowed and clung to his vest with sharp claws.
"Terrorizing my animal, I see?" He chuckled. "Good morning."
Shirikima gasped out a good morning before sitting against a tree, fixing her bangs so that they were away from her eyes.
Sasuke stared at her, and she waved back, catching her breath quickly.
"Hey, little brother." She greeted him happily, smiling. Naruto was glaring at her, and she noticed he was standing farther away than he had been before. She chuckled, and waved at him and Sakura as well. Sakura, at least, waved back and called a good morning.
A mad scrambling noise alerted her below her, and she saw Shamrock launching himself up the tree, he was having a bit of trouble. She reached down, scooping up the grateful cat in her arms and laying him carefully in her lap.
"Alright you three, last one standing, half an hour." Kakashi called behind him, signaling the start of the student's sparring match as he jumped up to sit next to Shirikima. For once, he didn't pull out his book, and she snickered. "Mind momentarily away from the gutter, Kakashi?"
"Gutter? Since when is my mind ever in the gutter?" He asked, looking at her innocently. She narrowed her eyes, and poked him in the chest with each word for emphasis.
"Probably since you were born." He sweat dropped, rubbing the back of his head and grinning wolfishly. "Well, maybe not that long." She amended, ceasing her poking and leaning against the trunk of the tree and crossing her legs, sitting so she faced Kakashi's side.
"What are you planning on doing until the Hokage meets with you?" Kakashi broke her train of thought, and she looked at him, shrugging.
"Enjoy myself, get the lay of the land, I guess? Get a life." She shrugged, and She heard her idiot brother's voice flow right into her goddamn ear drum.
"Life? That's a new one for you, sis."
"Oi! Just what kind of death are you ordering!" She hissed, leaning forward and losing her balance, hitting Kakashi and knocking both him, her, and the cat down to the ground.
"Honestly, you can't even keep your balance." Sasuke rolled his eyes, blocking Naruto without a thought as the blond haired ninja launched another pointless, direct attack. Shirikima pushed off of Kakashi's chest, blushing thoroughly.
"Honestly, a decade in a lab and they didn't teach you proper footwork." An even voice sent chills running down her spine, and it took conscious effort not to shrink back down against Kakashi. The silver haired ninja under her pushed her up with him, and narrowed his eye seriously.
She followed his gaze, and gasped.
"Brother!"
Pheonix: MWAFWAFWAFWAFWAFWA! This HAS to be my longest chapter EVER! Praise for self, praise for self! Teehee…