None of this belongs to me. Shame.
Warning: less weirdo ahead ? Still coming from the same place though. Thank my literature class.
A dark figure was standing up in front of a door, his hands in his pockets. Just as if waiting for someone to open said door.
He had came back three days ago from a S-class mission. Top secret stuff and all, report to Hokage only. It had been a success, save for the fact he had had to use the Sharingan in order to get his butt out of danger. He had not had to use it too long though, which explained why he was not still stuck into bed trying to gather back chakra and strength. It did not mean he had not had to pass by the hospital square – as much as he hated it --, and he had to take it easy. Tsunade-sama made sure to imprint it 'in this thick skull of yours'. No unconsidered chakra expense, and maybe he would 'be lucky enough to go back to active duty before the end of the week'. Not that Konoha could afford to be low on troops right now.
That is why he had happened, entirely by accident, to pass by the Hokage's Tower and the mission desk earlier on. And get thrown out of said room by a very smiling Godaime.
''Hatake, I thought I've made myself clear earlier.''
"Maa Hokage-sama, how to put this…" At this moment, the smile retracted a bit, leaving a smirk.
"It's good I have you there however, everyone else is over-busy! Get to Umino's place and bring me back the rapport he should have given me. I believe you know where he lives? Good now shoo."
He had been tempted to leave by the window, but a hazel eye made him reconsider the idea. Hatake Kakashi, elite jounin, Sharingan user and former Kyuubi's host's sensei, left the mission desk by the doors. After all, he wasn't as suicidal as people used to think.
So he was there, in front of Umino's place.
The bright blue sky had made way to a stormy one, winds shifting, bringing the scent of rain.
He tapped against the wooden door. No response. He tapped again.
"Iruka-sensei?". Silence.
He reached for the door knob, finding it turning freely under his grasp. It was amazing the number of people who left their door open in this village. Being ninja did not immune from burglary yet.
He wonder at the number of time he had came here, in front of that door. First to extract Naruto from his beloved Iruka-sensei's home – rarely, but it did happen. Then to bring news about Naruto and his training, when he come across bits of information about him and the old pervert during missions. But never he had stepped into the younger man's home. Never being invited to. As far as he knew, Umino had never invited anyone to step into his house besides Naruto.
He felt like intruding when entering the small entrance, evading the rain drops that had begun to fall.
No light.
Somehow, Kakashi had always pictured Umino Iruka as the people guy type. Always smiling, at least when he was not showing his temper – and he was having one, oh my! Kakashi had been on the receiving end of his temper enough times, along with all the children population of Konoha which had had him as Academy teacher. The kind of guy to stick to his teen's girlfriend, to have picture albums and pictures hanging on the walls, to like to hang around with his friends, to go pray regularly outside the big celebrations, to keep his apartment cleaner than your average man, to have a cat or goldfish.
Kakashi had seldom see the guy outside work, sometimes in Ichiraku but with the team, they even drink together once or twice with the whole gang -- when Kurenai managed to sound terrifying enough to convince him to come along instead of reading one of his many beloved books.
But he could already scratch the whole girlfriend thing. He had never seen the guy with anybody for all that matter, even if Anko was regularly clutching at him like a leech. And Kurenai, when they were all comfortably tipsy – or downright drunks-- , never forget to harass the guy about his love life – rather his absent one.
Same for the hanging up thing. It was as if the guy was glued at the mission desk. If he was not in the Hokage Tower, then he would be at the Academy. Or at Ichiraku. Always polite and smiling. Frosty-polite. The guy could just as well be waving a flag reading 'I'm happy and I don't need you!' thought Kakashi.
He himself was not on the best of terms with the Chuunin. Just work acquaintances who happened to care about the same boy. Their relationship had morphed a little in best with the departure of Naruto and Kakashi bringing news; but they were comrades, no more.
He found the light.
The apartment was small but slightly bigger than his. An entrance, then a kind of dinner-living room with a counter opening for the kitchen, the foot of a bed hidden behind a dividing wall, a door ajar – bathroom.
No-one. No cat nor fish tank either. The only word he could come across to describe Iruka's place was austere. No expected photographs, no pictures album, no painting or scroll on the walls, no house plant.
If Kakashi had not know where he was, he would have thought he was in one of those too many empty apartment for sale.
No wonder the guy spent so much time working. His house looked like a goddam monk cell! Even Kakashi's place was more lively than this one.
He entered the sejour-thing, an old couch and a traditional table.
So much for him, there were pictures. Framed ones, placed on a piece of furniture against the wall. He recognized one immediately – it was a picture of his team, team 7, after the catch-bell 'mission'; Naruto irate, Sasuke sulking, Sakura grinning in a fan-girl fashion and him smirking above them. How long since this picture had had been taken ? A year, a year and half even. So long ago…
The other one was obviously one of Iruka's parents, the woman holding a bundle of clothes in her arms while the man was putting an arm on her shoulders. He could not figure if they were Chuunin or Jounin since they were dressed in ceremonials kimono, but he remembered hearing that they both have been killed during the Kyuubi attacks. They looked happy.
The last one was facing the wood of the furniture. Kakashi picked it up, looking at it in the light by sheer curiosity.
Iruka was the most recognizable out of the four people in the photo. Kakashi chuckled. No wonder where Naruto megawatt grin came from, he got the portrait of the former user in hand. The girl and the jounin behind them where unknown to him – wait, if he did count right, Iruka was a genin when he himself was part of the ANBU ranks… it tended to cut a bit people from social life. Maybe had he crossed them without knowing. The fourth person stirred some memories. Wait, white hair, same age as Iruka… Oh yeah, he got it. Mizuki. The cursed traitor. The guy who tried to kill Umino and Naruto after he told the truth to the boy. The guy Umino went after. He found that he did not know if the guy was dead or not. Whatever.
He had a glance around him, noting the stereo and the abandoned Cds, the shell in the bedroom part full of books, the tops of the furniture slightly dusty, the stained green padded vest thrown on the couch.
The report was dejectedly lying on the table, filled by sharp black hand writing. Umino's one for sure. But he had been messy. There were tiny dots of ink all over the document.
He took the sheet, bringing it closer from his eye. Yeah, those ink dots were not. He brought it closer from his face, barely sliding the edge of his mask to smell the paper. Blood. Human blood.
Once he got the odor, he could smell it in the house. This smell of old dried blood, melded to dust and to the earthy smell coming from outside because of the rain. Umino must have come back wounded once or twice, he thought, the odor had soaked the place, mixing itself to the scent of chalk and paper typical of the Academy and the people who worked in.
He folded carefully the paper and put it in one of his pockets while stepping back to the entrance. Tsunade-sama would not be that pleased to find that Umino's report was unreadable because of the rain, would she?
He flipped the light off, closed the door and cast a bored glance at the pouring rain.
He was going to get as wet as one of his dogs, going all the way to the Hokage Tower on foot. Damned rain which made everything so slippery when going on chakra-steps too. Not that he wanted to face the Hokage in full medical-mode.
Hatake Kakashi made slowly his way toward the building, avoiding puddles and others tricks made by rain, his mind taking his own little path. He wondered what had happened to the always-on-time Chuunin, to made the Hokage made him between all people go retrieve this report.
Guess he would have just to ask.
Well, those were the two parts I've done so far… I've got no idea for the next ones, so maybe if you left a little review it could trigger the muse ?
If I've made huge mistakes which can't be left running without punishment, please tell me so I will not do them in the future!
Thanks for reading.