Hey, sorry it took so long to update, but . . . my mind is currently over run by plot bunnies, which I'm in the process of taming. I now have two ultra new stories outlined, but I'm not going to post until I get at least one of my current stories finished. (Yeah, right. With my luck, I'll wind up writing the darn things and turning my back on my stories again. Me and my overproductive imagination . . .)

Any way, thank you for being patient, and I hope this chapter suits your needs.

Legal junk: Don't own Naruto (Duh.)

Lunch Break

Ow . . . Kakashi emitted a soft whine, as Sasuke tripped over him. Why is he glaring at me? Kakashi lifted up his head, looking at the Uchiha passively, who was siting on the ground glaring at him. Oh well, consider it payback for not feeding me. Kakashi stiffly got up, and almost yelped. His back leg was shaky. He's still staring at me. Kakashi boredly stared back at Sasuke, tail swishing.

"You're just some mutt, how the hell could you change them like that?" Kakashi felt his ears prick up.

Oh boy, I sudden'y get the impression that I'm not in a good place to be. Kakashi gave a soft sigh and stretched, before gently gripping Sasuke's sleeve and pulling. He managed to pull Sasuke up. then stared at him. All right, Uchiha, where's the food?

"Hn." Sasuke walked away, and Kakashi followed him. Sasuke glanced at the wolfdog, which just idly glanced around the halls. Fang stared up at him as he made breakfast.

To say Kakashi was hungry was an understatement, he hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday, and was seriously annoyed that Sasuke was all but ignoring him. Oy! You're not the only person here, you have to feed me! Sasuke actually jerked when he gave a loud bark. I ate better with Naruto. Kakashi gave a low growl, and Sasuke gave him some food, as an after thought. Jeeze, the main thing I've got to teach him is to take care of others, as a first priority. Kakashi ate the food pretty quick, and then picked up the plate in his mouth and put it on the counter. Maybe I shouldn't have ticked off Sakura's mother . . . I seriously doubt anything is going to change him. Kakashi followed Sasuke as the the Uchiha walked around the estate, and then froze. Well . . . that explains plenty.

Sasuke was feeding cats. Each one had a collar and tag with the Uchiha symbol on it.

Go figure, he likes cats. Kakashi sat down, trying to count them. A cat noticed him and hissed. Oh, shut up. Kakashi glanced around the one time Dojo. A curious kitten clumisly made his way to Kakashi. Tripping and hitting his head against Kakashi's leg. Hello, little one. He bent down to the kitten's level. Nuzzling it. That's when he was aware that his sense of smell had changed to be much stronger. He could tell which female the kitten belonged to, soley by smell. Interesting.

"Kya!" Sasuke arrived in time to see Naruto trip up Sakura. "Hey, that's not fair!"

"Sakura, I highly doubt in a fight to the death, or to survive for that matter, fair is going to be a word used." Naruto helped her up. "I already know that."

"How?"

" . . . " Naruto looked like he didn't know what to say. "I don't live in a very safe neighborhood. I learned the hard way how to fight."

"Oh . . . I forgot . . ." Kakashi chose that moment to bark and run/hop to them. "Fang!" Sakura hugged him. "Oh, hey Sasuke."

Sasuke paused. It was official, the world was ending. Sakura was more interested in a dog than him. And Naruto was looking more serious in black pants (with orange stripes down the sides of the legs) and a blacke jacet, with orange on the collar and as stripes down the arms)

"We couldn't get him to quite give up the orange." Sakura explained noting his look. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing. We're a team, and we have to look after each other until sensei gets back. Now, what is it?" She had her arms crossed and her eyes were serious.

"You . . . both changed."

"Is that what's bothering you, Teme? We changed a bit?" Naruto looked up from rubbing Fang's ears. "I thought you hated me being an idiot and Sakura a fangirl, you even told us you wanted us to leave you alone."

"You kept telling me to go train with Naruto, and by the way, he's better at hand to hand combat-"

"-Not to mention the fact that after Sensei left, you said you wouldn't care if we died. Mr. I don't need anyone." Naruto stood. "So you obviously were lying, if you can't handle this change."

" . . ." Sasuke looked like they'd hit him with a two by four.

"We want to impress sensei when he gets back, and you're the one holding us back." Sakura felt slightly guilty about saying that to him, but she'd spent time with Naruto . . . and she had seen his apartment. Sasuke still had his family's estates, Naruto had next to nothing. And at least Naruto tries to make his situation better! An Idea formed.

"I . . ."

"Th Hokage isn't coming till about noon or so, Naruto, do you mind if we eat at your place?"

"Sakura, I-" Naruto stared at his friend in shock. "I don't have anything other than Ramen . . ."

"That's fine. We'll get some food on the way." Sakura started walking. "Comeon you two. Fang, heel."

Kakashi tilted his head as he trotted up to Sakrua's side, glancing back, he saw both boys look at each other. Sakura, what are you planning? How is being at Naruto's place going to help anything? The boys followed her, obviously confused.

"Naruto, I thought you said you'd get this fixed!" Sakura glared at the ceiling fixture. Wires were exposed and the fan was obviously not going to work.

"I'm on a list." Naruto Sighed. He didn't dare mention he'd been on the list for a year and a half. The Kyuubi brat always had a lower priority. "And not many want to come here, Sakura."

Sasuke stared at the messy, rundown apartment. His day had gotten very informative. "You . . . live here?"

"It's cheap enough that I still have money for fo- things." Naruto hoped to kami that they hadn't caught that slip.

You need to work on lying. Kakashi glanced at the window that Naruto had pulled him through. Or maybe not . . . Naruto was either the worst liar or the best liar there was, and Kakashi was confused as to which.

"Naruto, You need to, at the least, eat more vegatables." Sakura frowned at the various types of Ramen she found in his cupboards.

" . . . Ramen's cheap and easy to make, Sakura." Might as well tell her some of it. "I can afford it."

Bingo. I knew he was holding back something yesterday. Sakura just smiled sweetly at him. Especially with how he tried to get me to go home first before he took the stuff home. "Well, now you're going to have to eat something healthy for once."

"You and Iruka are health food nuts." Naruto reluctantly helped her with making . . . whatever it was, he hadn't paid attention to what she had bought.

" . . ." Sasuke stared at the two working on lunch, then at the rest of the apartment. Paint was peeling in some places, the doors squeaked on their hinges, and there were scrolls and other equipment all around. But the place had a warm feeling to it, through a partially open door he could see Naruto's bedroom, which had some clothes on the floor, and pictures on the nightstand. The Third was standing next to Naruto as the then five yearold made a face at the camera. Iruka and Naruto sat on stools at that ramen place he liked, with the owner and his daughter smiling with them at the camera . . . then there was the picture of team seven. Where are the pictures of his parents? I still have mine . . . " . . . What happened to your parents Dobe?"

"Yowch!" the question caused Naruto to burn himself. Kakashi absently went to Naruto's side. "What sort of question was that?"

" . . . Well?" They all knew Naruto had heard him right the first time. Sakura glanced at Naruto, she'd stopped cutting vegatables.

"Dunno, I . . . guess Kyuubi killed them, since I was born around the time of it's attack." Naruto shrugged. "Don't really care, either. I obviously wasn't that important to them, since they abandoned me."

That's Kinda harsh Naruto. Kakashi knew what the rest of the sentence would have held, had he been able to say it. -Since they abandoned me and I was used to seal away the Kyuubi.-

" . . . Well, you're important to me." Sakura smiled at him. "Now hurry up so we can eat!"

" . . . I don't like sweet food." Sasuke, reluctantly, also lent a hand.

"Well then, that explains why you always threw out the valentines choclate all the fangirls gave you." Naruto stared at the stuff on his plate warily. "Sakura, what is this?"

"Chicken and vegtables- and yes, you're eating it!"

"Okay, okay . . . Kaa-san."

"Don't you dare call me that! This is common sense!"

"Common sense to who?!"

"Everyone!"

"I'm not everyone!"

"You want to make it to Hokage, you have to eat better!"

"Says who?"

"Me, so shut up and eat!"

"How do I know it's not poison?"

Sasuke stared at the two as they argued, and still managed to set the table and sit down. Then around the apartment again. It may have been messy, but . . . it's Naruto's home . . . and he's made it feel like that. Sasuke blinked as the light in the apartment seemed to get a bit brighter, and he saw plants on the windows, somehow, the place didn't look so lonely anymore. When he glanced back at Naruto and Sakura, he could see a brother and a sister, making fun of each other, Fang eating from his own plate right nearby. It was a nice picture. And they want to make me a part of it. He let one cornor of his mouth twitch before he started eating. Moments later, a barrier crashed down, he was teasing Sakura and Naruto, and they were teasing him back. There was only one other occupant in the room that wasn't happy.

I want my body back . . . I should be there! Kakashi didn't howl, but he watched as some of the barriers between his students fall. There was still an empty chair at the table, which he knew was meant for him. Kami, please, I want to go back! Unnonticed by the trio, a tear slipped down his furry cheek. Dog's can't cry, humans do . . . Maybe that's it! Leaving the three to bond, he quickly went to Naruto's bathroom. Getting to his hind legs was tricky, but he used his front paws to keep him from falling. I should've checked this before. Staring into the mirror, he searched for his chakra. That's strange . . . I don't have a lot . . . There was enough for one try, if he was careful. Slowly he pushed the chakra to his normally Sharigan eye. A soft growl escaped him as he stared, C'mon, c'mon . . . His eye slowly turned red. What the hell! It was like a cocoon of chakra wrapped around him, and some of it was coming from himself . . . his own chakra was making him like this! Quickly he pulled the chakra back from his eye, then got back down on all fours. Then why haven't I been able to turn back? Only some of it's mine, whoever the other chakra is from must be keeping me like this . . . using my own chakra to keep it from disapearing . . . Damnit Kakashi, Think! Shaking his head, he stared at the ground. If it's a seal, it would be somewhere on me, somehow, whoever did this manipulated my chakra . . . Why can't I get passed that? Why can't I think? A forced henge of some kind? What's that smell? No, c'mon Kakashi, think like a human . . . It was getting harder to concentrate as smell after smell wafted to his now sensitive nose.

"C'mon Fang time to go!" Kakashi's concentration broken, he realized he was loosing the ability to rationally think things through.

Kami, I hate whoever did this to me!! He barely kept from howling, The words his students were saying, unless they were names or simple ones, sounded muddied. Someone help me!

Miles away, a man stood looking out his window at kennels, ignoring the man kneeling behind him.

"Have you found him yet?" The man absently stroked the head of a mastiff, not even bothering to turn from his window.

"Not yet sir, we know he's in Kohona, somewhere."

"Find him before the time runs out." The man gently scratched the mastiff's ears, ignoring the man who'd just left. Hatake Kakashi is my trophy, I refuse to let him slip away. He glanced at the desk, or more accurately, the leaf hiate-ate that sat on a file with Hatake Kakashi scribbled on it. Soon.

Well? Whatcha think? Kinda short, but Sasuke's starting to change, Kakashi's going to the dogs (bad pun, forgive me), and I finally got a villian . . . Who I still have to work on. On a side note, when Sasuke notes that room looks alittle brighter, have you ever been in a creepy place and it's dark, but you have friends right next to you, so it's not quiet as dark? I've been on a night hike with friends, and while at the begining it was kinda scary, cause we couldn't see anything, near the end we were laughing at ourselves, and we found that we were a lot closer to our destination than we thought.

See you next chapter, and you might want to look at my other stories if you want something to do till then.