Author's Note: This chapter still feels a bit rough to me but I don't foresee it getting any better within the week. Updates should be a little more regular now. Yay! Thank you all for your support!
Chapter 13: What is this feeling?
The following days fell into a comfortable routine. Kakashi and Guy had their usual race around the lake every morning. The key difference being they now did it on their hands.
One day Sakura observed this and scoffed, "do they have to act so undignified?" She was smiling when she said it even as she shook her head. The grown men were almost laughing as they balanced on their hands doing their best to hurry without sliding. They were cutting each corner as tightly as possible and occasionally getting their hands wet in the slick mud where the water met the earth.
Viktor smiled and shook his head as well. "It brings back good memories, seeing them at their old tricks." He glanced over at where his school's ship had once been moored for the Triwizard Tournament. A sad smile crossed his face as he remembered simpler times.
After everyone completed their morning routines there was breakfast and then forenoon meetings. Things seemed to be progressing well but it worried Kakashi how easy everything seemed to be. His suggestions for initial trade and border agreements were too handedly accepted, too soon approved. Hardly anyone from the magical community argued with him and when they did they gave up almost as soon as any debate was initiated. He'd pointed this out to Naruto every following evening. Although Naruto wasn't sure what his sensei was worried about, he promised to pay more attention in the future.
"They're probably just scared of us sensei," Naruto said jokingly. He had his hands laced behind his head, elbows out, with a grin on his face.
"Maybe," Kakashi allowed. It was a possibility that fear was driving the ease of the negotiations. However a covert glance from Ebisu, who'd pretended to be reading on his bed, wasn't necessary to remind Kakashi of his misgivings. Something was not right. Kakashi sighed, "well, I'd better go check in with everyone for the night." He slipped out the door and into Leaf Tower's hallway.
Kakashi hadn't done this before, always allowing anyone with a question or complaint to approach him. However, his unease had been growing each day and he figured it wouldn't hurt to go see each country's delegation, both civilian and ninja, personally.
The Hokage made his way to the end of the hall. The two rooms facing each other had been chosen by the Earth delegates and their ninja. Kakashi knocked on the left hand door. He waited for a response but there was no answer. Frowning, he knocked again, louder this time. When he heard no footsteps or voices he reached for the knob and finding the door unlocked, entered.
There was no one inside. The frown behind his mask deepened. Not only was there no one inside, the entire room appeared to be untouched. The beds were crisply sheeted and turned down, waiting for visitors who had apparently never arrived.
At first he thought that the house elves had been in to clean despite his request to the contrary. However, Kakashi's eyes soon zeroed in on the fireplace. The fire had long since burned out from its original lighting but the ashes had not been swept away.
The house elves would never make the beds but not dispose of the ashes, Kakashi thought. A few more glances around the room and Kakashi stepped back into the hall. Not a full step away was the door to the room that the Stone ninja had been staying in.
He hastily knocked on the door and after a moment it opened. He was met by the calm, pleasant face of a Stone kunoichi. There was another ninja behind her who was smiling while the two others just behind him frowned and looked guiltily at the floor. Judging by the positioning of everyone in the room, the ninja had just had a very quick discussion.
The kunoichi greeted Kakashi. He said something in return but the number of people he could see in his peripheral vision around her made him switch his focus. The combined six Earth Nation citizens had been bedding down for the night all in the same room. Some were spread out on cloaks on the floor while others lay on the beds that had been provided for the four Stone ninja who had chosen the room.
Kakashi pocketed his hands and looked them all over calmly. "What's going on here?" He addressed the room at large. He got various reactions of guilt. One of the ninja who'd been crossing his arms in the corner shifted nervously.
The kunoichi in front of him spoke and Kakashi's attention was redirected to her. "To be frank Lord Hokage, we all felt a lot better if we were all together." The civilian delegates looked at their hands.
Kakashi cocked an eyebrow. "Are you afraid that your civilians will be attacked?"
One of the civilians, the younger of the two, popped up from where he sat with his companion. "Yes we are Lord Hokage," the man exclaimed. Then he quickly backpedaled. "I mean, we're, no of course not Lord Hokage! I'd never imply that you-" at this the older civilian grasped his colleague and yanked him back down to a seating position.
The more experienced man spoke to his companion, "the Lord Hokage isn't going to take offense at your every word Aki." He turned to Kakashi. "This is a strange place and we have every right to be concerned even though the Sixth Hokage has personally guaranteed our safety."
"I'm sorry that there's nothing more I can do to reassure you Mamoru," Kakashi said openly.
Mamoru grunted, a wry smile on his face. "You could take us home. However, I believed what you said at our first meeting, we have more work to do here."
Kakashi nodded his acknowledgement. "If this arrangement makes you more comfortable, I have no objections." The Stone ninja visibly relaxed and Kakashi exited after wishing them all a good evening.
As the Hokage made his rounds he was upset to discover that the Earth delegation was not alone in their migration pattern. The Water and Lightning civilians were also bunking with their respective ninja and one of the four Wind civilians was staying with their Sand ninja.
When Kakashi got to the Fire nation door he held his breath. Were the civilians from his own country only holding back to save face? The door opened at his knock and Ryo smiled at him while the other delegates rose, their evening diversions interrupted. "Lord Hokage," she greeted.
Kakashi cut straight to the heart of the matter. It had been a long day and to find that his charges didn't feel safe was dispiriting. He looked at them all one at a time and said, "would you feel safer sleeping in the same room as the Leaf ninja?"
The Fire Nation delegates looked at each other guiltily. Ah, Kakashi thought, so they'd discussed it.
The eldest stood and said, "we would not Lord Hokage. You are just across the hall. We couldn't possibly be safer."
Kakashi blinked. He wanted to brush it off, to discourage them from putting so much faith in him, tell them that he'd surely let them down and to not trust him so much. But he couldn't. He was Hokage now. This was what was expected of him. How do I teach Naruto this? I can hardly do it myself. He thought in despair. Then he mentally laughed at himself and smirked behind his mask. I don't have to. He already knows. Looking back up at the delegates, Kakashi settled for the middle ground of what he should say and what he wanted to say. "I'll do my best."
The delegates nodded, smiling. Kakashi withdrew. Once back in the hallway, Kakashi leaned against the wall with his back to it. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The quiet moments to himself never lasted long.
As Kakashi relaxed and stretched out his senses, he noticed someone there who hadn't been before. He thought it might be a wizard outside in the main hall. He froze and focused in on the presence. There was a muffled sound at the dormitory door and a pulse of magic. Kakashi sprang off of the wall and approached the entrance taking long strides. As soon as he reached the door he threw it open but there was no one there that he could see.
The entire hallway outside was pitch black, as if the door to Leaf Tower opened over a great abyss and nothing else existed in the world except for the hallway and snug rooms behind him. The Hokage quickly got over his shock and took in the situation. Was this a spell or something else? His mind raced. The presence he'd felt before was gone, as if they'd disapparated. However, he knew that to be impossible inside the castle.
As he squinted trying to perceive anything in the utter blackness before him, he noticed minute, dark particles floating into the Leaf Tower passage. He stepped back a pace and the air currents that filled the void he'd left behind made the invading dust swirl.
Black dust? Kakashi thought. He formed hand signs and tried a simple wind-style technique. Directing the stream of air into the main corridor, the dark powder dissipated and the torch-lit hallway swam back into view.
Setting aside that issue for later, Kakashi looked around the hallway for the intruder but saw no one. The Hokage would have suspected an invisibility cloak except he knew that he could still sense those concealed underneath one. Even Harry's cloak had its weaknesses. Sounds and smells could still reveal the wearer's location even if they're under the best of cloaks.
As the Hokage stood, blocking the door to Leaf Tower but still holding it open, the Mist Village/Water Country door popped open behind him and Natsuko stuck her head out. Kakashi saw her and frowned at the implications. Natsuko was the strongest sensor in their group. If she'd felt something, it hadn't been his imagination.
Kakashi considered dismissing her but quickly disregarded the idea. "Natsuko?" She snapped to attention. "What is it?"
She frowned and glanced back at the dark room behind her. She slipped into Leaf Tower's hall and shut the door. Kakashi similarly closed his door and they faced each other. "I felt someone, a wizard I think, but they seemed different. Now they're gone," she ended lamely. Her face grew a little red in embarrassment. "I guess it was nothing," she trailed off.
"Not if it was enough to rouse you from bed," Kakashi said reassuringly. "You've been around magical beings all week, what was different about this one?"
"They felt-" she cut herself off, thinking. "There was someone out there but they felt strange. Then I felt something else, more like a spell, and the person left in a big hurry. I'm sorry Lord Hokage, I can't explain any better than that."
Kakashi nodded. "That's alright. If there's nothing else Natsuko, you can return to bed. I'll keep an eye out."
The young kunoichi nodded and did as she was asked, giving the older ninja one last concerned look before closing the door.
Kakashi turned back to the entrance door and stepped out into the main corridor. He couldn't sense or smell anything unusual. The whole situation reminded him, annoyingly, of when Sirius Black had been attempting to infiltrate the castle.
The Hokage heaved an aggravated sigh and was about to head back inside when he heard hurried footsteps echoing down the stone corridor. He cocked his head and listened. The quick steps were heading toward him from down the corridor on his right and around another corner. Kakashi couldn't see anyone at the moment but waited quietly. Suddenly the footsteps stopped dead and after a moment, resumed at a much slower pace.
Professor Jones rounded the corner of the hallway. His brown hair was messier than usual and his hands were at his sides, steps leisurely. However, his face froze when he looked up and saw Kakashi standing in front of the door to Leaf Tower.
To his credit, the Professor didn't freeze mid-step but his face had said enough. He was embarrassed to have been caught there at that moment. The Professor glanced up and down the hallway and seemed to be disappointed to find that they were alone. He began to approach the silver-haired ninja, using the same lazy walk.
Too quickly the Headmaster asked, "Lord Hokage, is everything alright? What has you up at this time of night?"
Kakashi arched a thin eyebrow. However, something in Kakashi pushed for him to be honest. "I felt and heard a disturbance outside of our door. I came to investigate."
The Headmaster sidled up so that he was standing next to Kakashi. Jones had straightened his shoulders and was holding his chin up slightly, trying to look taller than he was compared to the nearly two meter high Hokage. "What kind of a disturbance?"
After a pause Kakashi said, "a spell, and an intruder of some kind. But I didn't find anyone when I came to check. In fact, the hall was so dark that I couldn't see anything, even the torches. There was some sort of dust in the air. I cleared it away but by then there was no one here, until you came."
Professor Jones frowned as he absorbed the information. He made no acknowledgement of Kakashi's hint of an accusation. The Headmaster muttered something about "darkness powder" but besides that said nothing else.
When the Headmaster didn't offer anything more Kakashi frowned. "What brings you all the way out here this evening Professor?"
The wisp of a wizard side-glanced at the Hokage. He shrugged his shoulders and they sank a little with the motion. "I was out taking a stroll. I couldn't sleep." They both knew it was a lie but Kakashi didn't call him on it and the Professor didn't offer any more information.
They stood in silence for a time, each occupied with their own thoughts. Eventually the Headmaster bid the Hokage good night and walked off in the opposite direction in which he had come. Kakashi followed the wizard down the hall with his eyes until he was out of sight. He frowned, an expression that was becoming all too familiar. Eventually he too turned to leave, stepping back inside the safety of Leaf Tower.