Day 4, Night: Dirty laundry
The darkness that enveloped the shinobi village reached for every corner it could find, harassing the little flickers of light on its way through the now hollow streets and alleys which were earlier bustling with the daily traffic. The following silence hushed the remaining nocturnal creatures and the voices of the latecomers faded into the air as the starry sky and the moon gave out their light in order to help the last ones to find their homes on their tired, or intoxicated, way.
The pale light wandered over the ordinary house in ordinary neighborhood, and was thrilled to find puffs of steam to play with while the modest water boiler hissed on the kitchen counter in the dim light of the kitchen lamp.
Yawning, Kakashi leaned against the counter as he waited for the hot water. The sound of hissing and bubbling filled the kitchen and the man couldn't help but compare the current sounds with the more temperamental man who was fast asleep in their shared bedroom. The current noise pattern was remarkably similar with the chuunin's boiling blood, and the jounin had to wonder if that's why the teacher preferred tea over coffee. After the faint click telling that his waiting was over, the copy-nin poured the scalding liquid in a tiny bowl with some instant noodles in it. Then he placed a plate as a lid on it and leaned yet again against the counter as the time slowly ticked by. He could feel his eyes droop a bit, but as the passing, rather frustrating hours had shown, he wasn't going to get any sleep by tossing and turning in his bed. Even listening to the teacher's steady breathing wasn't helping.
Hence, he made himself a snack.
Rubbing his scalp and more or less relaxed shoulders, he let his eye wander over their current household, noting that despite being scarce in square meters the clever floor planning gave it plenty of space for them two not to feel claustrophobic with two quite healthy egos being stuck under the same roof. The dark corridor was the only narrow space in their house, apparently meant for just separating the toilet from the other rooms. Amidst his thoughts, the jounin scratched absently behind his ear and lifted the makeshift lid to give a brief look at his food. Carefully, he placed the lid back with a clink to give the noodles a few more extra minutes, since this wasn't a mission where he should settle for half-made nutrition or no food at all. Being a jounin and an ex-ANBU did set many seemingly irrelevant things in a very different light, such as patiently waiting for the softening of long, thin, curly strings that were deemed to be edible by someone, undoubtedly blond, in the ancient times.
Small wonders.
After a couple of minutes, the lid was taken off and the copy-nin seasoned his modest portion, savoring the fact that he in fact had time to calmly prepare his meal on a mission after suffering occasionally from hunger bordering severe malnutrition during the three last missions he had completed in the previous month. The passing thought stopped the stirring pale hand and the gray eye stared at the bowl as the silver-haired head kicked in a gear or two in the genius mind inside the hard skull. A low, insightful hum was released beneath his mask and the jounin took the bowl in his hand, tugged down his mask and leaned against the counter with a bit more relaxed manner than a minute ago before eating his food in earnest.
Beneficial mission, indeed.
The gray eye became more focused and the pale lips were drawn into a pensive line while the teeth behind them munched on the slippery bites.
What should he do to that cursed, tiny bottle, though?
Sure, the oil was chakra infused, which would help immensely to heal their muscles and relax properly in order to stay sufficiently agile, and he surmised that Tsunade had foreseen what their reaction would be with it. In fact, the jounin didn't doubt for a second that after seeing the destruction they had caused on the house and their equipments, the Hokage hadn't needed any more reasons to send them her little 'gift'. Hell, knowing her way of reacting when she'd hear that they haven't touched it with anything less than an eleven feet long pole, the massage oil fell promptly into Kakashi's category of inventive means of giving Tsunade a valid reason to punch them into the next week instead of merely yelling their ears off. Even thinking about probing the subject with the bipolar sensei caused a cold shiver travel down his spine.
He'll turn into a missing nin before she'd even manage to breathe the word 'tent'.
After slurping down the remaining noodles, Kakashi washed and dried the bowl and the used utensils, and then silently contemplated on making himself some coffee. He did need his sleep. Then again, he was highly skeptical about feeling sleepy enough to hit the futon just yet.
"...Why are you up so late?" A groggy, gruff voice groaned behind his back.
Coffee it was, then.
"Couldn't sleep", Kakashi answered nonchalantly and dug out his precious coffee. He calmly measured the water in the machine's tank before putting the grains in the filter bag as he felt the other step silently next to him. As the coffee began to brew, he observed the drowsy teacher, the man's chestnut hair tied up in a sloppy ponytail somewhere in the vicinity of the back of his head, touch tentatively the water boiler, notice the opened noodle package and hum sleepily in thought before taking his tea stash and cup.
"You made yourself a night snack without waking me up to have some as well? Greedy jounin", Iruka mused with a tired smirk beside Kakashi and the older man felt a wry smile tilt his lips at the chuunin's teasing words.
"Ah, but you didn't strike me as a night eater type, sensei", Kakashi said and gave the man a sly once-over.
"I'm not. I just prefer my night snack with company", came the smooth reply with a wicked, playful look cast at the jounin's direction. The chuunin was obviously waking up more properly.
A chuckle met the mirth-filled eyes. "I see. Will that do with any company?"
"Oh, not all company. Just the good", Iruka gave a grin before taking a sip of his tea and leaning his backside against the counter, his other hand crossed over his chest while the other held the cup to his lips. Then he gave another, more strict look at the silent jounin next to him. "..So, what's picking on your brain cells in that bleached head of yours so much that you'd lose your sleep for?"
Kakashi gave a curt shrug at the question and focused on the chugging coffee maker. Iruka kept his dark eyes on the man while the full lips traced the edge of the porcelain absentmindedly, something that made Kakashi's skin tingle a bit as he discreetly studied the other from the corner of his eye under the unwavering gaze. Then the gray eye gave a passing glance at the tanned face and the jounin calmly filled his mug, noting while doing so that the teacher had turned his eyes away and was now drinking the tea with a pensive air around his figure. The men sipped their hot drinks in silence as the night lingered around them, time ticking steadily towards the following day that was yet to dawn upon them. Then Iruka gave a tired huff, filled his cup again and then left it steep on the counter before going to their bathroom. After a moment the man returned and Kakashi's eye caught on the all too familiar little bottle not so gently placed on the counter top by the tanned hands. Iruka leaned back against his previous spot with his tea. Then the dark eyes sought out the lone gray one that was fixed on the small glass vessel between the men.
"Any solutions so far?"
"None whatsoever. You?"
"I think you had a fair glimpse on what my progression was on this case earlier, Kakashi-san", the mellow voice grunted as the dark eyes glared briefly at the minuscule bane of their common existence. Kakashi cast a brief look at the man and caught a glimpse of a small embarrassed blush on the high cheekbones before focusing back on the innocent bottle. The men stood by the counter in thoughtful silence, both the silver and brown brows furrowed in deep speculations as the two minds mulled over the matter at hand.
"...So."
"So..."
The night held its breath as the silver-haired man cast a wary look at his brown-haired counterpart.
"...We could give it a go-"
"I'd rather have a three-course meal with Gai-san."
"Maa, maa, watch your tongue, he might hear that. Besides, don't tell me you haven't shared any thoughts on trying it at least", Kakashi, true to his nature of being either the bravest or the craziest of the bunch when it came to dealing with dangerous situations, smirked and winked suggestively at the man who was rightfully feared for his ever so impressive skills of turning everyday objects into deadly weapons in half a second. Had been a while for him to hear Iruka search for his syllables so fervently. He should practice shocking the man more often.
"I- you- what, no! I haven't thought of anything like that!" Kakashi felt a small rise in the kitchen's room temperature, and on that note an evil smile found its way on his hidden lips. Now, this was interesting.
"Then you should. I'm usually not one to brag, but it might be worth it, sensei", he added with a suggestive leer and leaned a fraction closer to the now furiously blushing chuunin.
"Come again?" Now the temperature was downright tropical. Also the ominously ticking vein on the now cherry-red forehead did make Kakashi re-check his position towards the nearest escape route before continuing with his next words.
"It's part of our current assignment, sensei. Surely a responsible shinobi-" The banging sound of china meeting hardwood cut off his argument.
"Has your lazy ass been awake during this mission? Moreover, have you paid any attention on how keen we two are at tickling the other's jaw with an elbow whenever an opportunity arises? There's no way that I'll lather you with something that would make it impossible for me to grab you for a beating, even more so when I know that you'd use the given chance the moment you get it and kami help me I will not come closer to your bare albino buttocks with anything less than one of my sharpest katanas." The heatedly lecturing sensei had hit a few good points, Kakashi had to admit. Even the ones that had crossed his mind as well, save for the threat of getting his ass cut into sashimi should he ever approach the man in nude. But that didn't stop him from continuing their current argument that was turning out to be incredibly amusing to him, despite the slowly gathering irritated aura just four feet away from his broadly grinning figure.
"First of all, it's not 'albino', it's 'pearly white'. Secondly, you talk as if you wouldn't seize the moment when it presents itself to you, sensei."
The clearly unimpressed, flat look accompanied with an expertly arched dark eyebrow made Kakashi shortly remember his father's expression when it took him more than three minutes to understand the difference between shuriken and kunai at the age of two. Then again, he had indeed learned fast after that small escapade, as well having eventually understood why it isn't smart to neglect wearing the armored gloves while handling sharp-edged weapons.
The things one needs to screw up in order to become a better shinobi.
Then again, on that thought the orange, loud ramen addict should be a jounin by now.
Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose with an exasperated groan. "Of course I would. That's why we have a problem, dimwit."
After being snapped out of his wildly swirling thoughts by the rather unexpected answer, Kakashi gave a loud bark of laughter at the chuunin's words, slightly surprising the man, and took the discussed bottle in his hand to give it a better look.
The sudden look of an idea flashing in the gray eye made Iruka's eyes narrow and his fingers tighten their hold on his already mistreated tea cup. He didn't like the current smirk stretching the dark mask. The perverted genius was up to something, and the teacher was already calculating the speed and angle needed for a good toss at the bastard's head. He would need a new cup afterwards, but he could live with that outcome.
"...Maa, then we'd just work around the problem, sensei."
"...Eh?" Violent thoughts promptly forgotten, Iruka gave a befuddled frown at the said words. What did the smug bastard aim for now?
"She didn't specify when and how this oil should be used, correct?" Kakashi asked and directed an inquiring look at Iruka, who curtly shook his head as a confused answer. The mismatched eyes smiled and Kakashi tossed the bottle in the air before placing it back on the counter. "Well then there's the solution. We're trained to obey orders. If we don't have specific instructions, we don't act on the spot. Simple as that. We'd just tell her that there's acutely no need for us to use this since we do just fine with the current stretches."
Iruka gave him a long look, then took the bottle in his hands and examined it for a moment, during which Kakashi wondered if he had still missed something that was ticking on the honey-toned man's nerves. Then Iruka let out a light chuckle and tossed the bottle to Kakashi.
"You really are worthy of your rank, Kakashi-san," Iruka said and shook his head. How had he missed the obvious loophole? If there was no direct order, either written or said, they didn't need to obey it firsthand, but they could use their own discretion on when to perform the wanted action.
If at all.
"Flattering words and starry-eyed admiration are always welcomed, sensei", Kakashi said as he felt a more honest smile tug his lips wide under his mask. Somehow he could understand a bit better why the man's pupils valued their sensei so much, attempted escapes and riots aside. He could get used to the warm compliments formed by the witty, full-lipped mouth.
Iruka laughed and gave him a sidelong glance, the chuunin's deep brown eyes bright and...mischievous? Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at the look in the teacher's eyes and Iruka stepped to the door leading to the backyard. The man pulled it open and walked to the dark yard, the starry sky expanding over it and the village around them. Kakashi, curious as ever, followed the man outside after returning the oil bottle way back on their bathroom shelf. He felt the damp ground under his bare feet and the scent of the fallen rain still lingered in the humid air around the two shinobis as they stood under the night sky. After a moment of admiring the starry scenery in silence, the jounin gave a look at the teacher who had kept his eyes turned at him for a good while already.
Iruka's gut stirred giddily and he felt his lips turn into a coy smile as his muscles twitched restlessly with sudden eagerness that filled them. If asked, he doubted if he would be able to answer as to why he did what he was about to do. Truthfully, though, he couldn't bring himself to think about it as his body shifted automatically into a familiar offensive stance that had its own meaning as a part of the silent language in their profession.
The blink he received spoke clearly about the older man's confusion. Then the dark eye narrowed ever so slightly and gave the smiling chuunin a calculating look. "...The ground is soaking wet, sensei."
"Afraid for your fancy clothes, Sharingan Kakashi?" Iruka raised a challenging brow and cocked his head arrogantly to the side with his jaw tilted up, knowing perfectly well how much that gesture sometimes annoyed his opponent.
The following, sharp silence did raise his alertness exponentially, though.
"..Not exactly that", came the low voice suddenly from Iruka's right. "It might just become difficult to distinguish you from the ground after a while, sensei."
Iruka lashed out to the right, barely blocking the blow to his side and then the second to his shoulder. He rushed a few feet away from the assaulting shinobi and as the man continued the attack by dashing after him, Iruka stopped dead on his tracks and dove around to deliver a swift high spin kick, effectively stopping the other from advancing and forcing the jounin to dodge backwards, thus creating himself an opening for his own attack. With few quick steps he closed the distance between them and Kakashi was pleased to block the impressive series of accurate punches directed at different vital spots on his torso, all effective if ever making contact with their target. The man had indeed listened the ex-ANBU, a thought that made the masked man smile and he could feel the hot adrenaline fill his veins as he decided to show the sensei exactly how much he appreciated having a diligent student in his class.
Iruka felt the strong hands grab his forearms in mid-swing and before he could prevent it a kick smacked against his side first once, then twice, then once to the other side before he was yanked forward and a mean set of knuckles collided with his jaw, sending him flying onto his back in the mud. The starry sky greeted him from the horizontal viewpoint, but instead of immersing himself in some stargazing, the chuunin instantly dodged on his side and away from a nasty upper-cut kick cutting into the mud. Iruka scrambled on his feet, not caring about the cold wetness clinging against his skin, and plunged himself at the other before the older nin had managed to stand up properly after the performed kick. Kakashi blocked the combo of a double kick and two punches before dodging down from the second high kick and kicking the leg from under the tanned man who landed roughly once more to the ground, the muddy soil giving a wet splash underneath the lean body.
"Maa, sensei, so messy tonight, aren't we", the jounin drawled in mocking arrogance as he watched the other pick himself up from the ground. Then his gray eye widened a fraction.
No academy teacher should be able to vanish so quickly in the shadows.
"...Cocky words suit most men poorly, Kakashi-san", the mellow voice resonated suddenly unexpectedly close and before the surprised jounin could understand how the other had managed to sneak behind his back under his very own eye, Iruka gave his both sides a cutting blow, making the muscles and ribs unleash a sharp jab of pain through his system before Kakashi felt a rough hold on his hair yank him back. The dark sky tilted violently before his wide eye and he felt the gravity pull him down to the ground when the hold on his hair switched to the fist on his chest as Iruka firmly slammed his body to the soil, spilling a good amount of dirt on both of them in the process. In a blink the jounin swung his legs upwards at the teacher above him, making the man back off and shield himself against the agile feet.
Then again, the firm hold on his ankle was a surprise.
Iruka gave the man under him a feral grin and twisted the captured ankle to the side. Kakashi snarled on the agonizing pain while forcing his body to ignore the discomfort as his other leg kicked out to the teacher's hip and the older nin was pleased as his heel collided with the man's hipbone, resulting with a pained hiss. He swiftly kicked out at the same spot the second time, making the darker man lose his hold on his other leg as the teacher hesitated on grabbing the kicking leg a little too long. Iruka rapidly moved away from his now free opponent and the moment Kakashi had gracefully hopped back on his legs he felt strong hands grip his upper arms and his body being pushed by the other. His heels dug into the slippery ground as he resisted the push and started to lean his own weight on the tanned body struggling in his now equally steel-hard hold on the well-trained arms. They pushed, twisted and bent the joined bodies and circled each other in a closed range while maintaining the hold on each others' arms. Low growls filled the air between the panting men as they wrestled under the pale moonlight and the multicolored street lights of their village, the play of light and shadow flickering on both their sweating and dirty forms and the veiled curves of lean muscles underneath the soaked clothes now clinging to their skin.
Kakashi let suddenly go of the tanned arms, thus making Iruka lose his balance momentarily and fall towards the other, then took the tanned neck under his elbow and pulled the fiercely resisting body further against his own. Iruka relocated his own hold from the other's arms on both the pale shoulder and the masked jaw, pushing against the hold the older man had managed to get on him. Their legs drew deeper gutters in the soil as the tanned body jerked and turned under the pale arm and the masked man tried to stay standing upright while his head was being violently tilted up and to the side by the muddy hand on his jaw and the other tanned hand clawed his skin as his own hand tried to pry it off of him. Then suddenly Iruka pulled himself almost flush against the jounin's figure and shot his knee into the momentarily unguarded stomach of his counterpart, creating a distraction enough to escape the slackened hold around him. Kakashi coughed a few times and rubbed his hurting abdomen as his eye narrowed both from pain and slight annoyance at the crafty teacher constantly slipping from his grip. The gray eye watched with mild interest the bristled and drooping ponytail being straightened back to pointing high up, or as high as it could with a clump of mud dripping from the thick hair, and Iruka brought his fists to his sides, bent his knees a little and turned his other side facing slightly the silver-haired jounin standing across the yard, the burning dark eyes drilling intensely into the copy-nin's figure.
Kakashi was by the man in an instant.
"You should have thought that invitation twice, sensei", rumbled the low voice a mere inch away from the dark lips.
Iruka snarled and dodged down to the side as the pale fists flew past his head and shoulder. Then the tanned fist found its goal on the pale man's side and Kakashi felt the air leave him momentarily, then the fist was replaced with a cutting kick hitting him on the same spot, sending him stumble from the force, and the tanned fists collided with his jaw, not once but twice, making his vision reel sideways for a second. Then the ever so nimble hands took a hold on the both sides of his head and once again Kakashi felt his body plummet downwards and meet the wet dirt under his back. Purely on a reflex his hand shot out before the tanned hands had left his head and Kakashi took a steely grip on the back of Iruka's head, pulling the tanned face stare at him from above. His other hand shot out to deliver a blow at the teacher's gut, but the younger man managed to take the hitting hand into his own while steadying himself with the other against the ground next to Kakashi's head, resisting the pulling of the pale hand behind his tan neck. The pair stilled, and through the panting and glaring the men felt their muscles tremble from the stress they had already been exposed to during the long day. Their breaths mingled in the already chill air as Kakashi slowly forced the sensei's head lower inch by inch, ending up with them both puffing hot air on each other's faces only three inches away.
Iruka's other hand pushed desperately against the slippery dirt as he tried to hold himself off of the man under him. The warm air hitting his face carried a mixed scent of woods and dark coffee, and he could feel the strong body's heat tickle his skin. As the long, deft fingers curled tighter around his neck an involuntary, strong shiver traveled through Iruka's spine, and he felt his nails dig helplessly into the dirt as his mind suddenly screeched to a halt. The second the same fingers spread through his tangled hair, grabbed a hold of his head and he felt himself being pulled down onto his side and then on his back as the older nin rolled on top of him, the lithe, taut mass of flesh touching every inch of him as it settled between his suddenly straddled legs, Iruka realized with a jolt that the strange shivers raking through his body had somehow intensified. It was something that his hazy, tired and adrenaline-filled mind couldn't grasp, leaving him completely at the mercy of the odd sensations filling his veins.
"...You're trembling, sensei", a low, hushed voice pierced through the fog in his mind and Iruka focused his dazed gaze at the masked man hovering above him, moreover on the gray eye watching him from only four inches away. Swallowing down the even stronger flood of the new, foreign sensations with considerable effort, Iruka took a moment to assess his situation and glanced over at the position he found himself being forced into. Kakashi had straddled his legs with his own, leaning his weight on his thighs resting on top of Iruka's that were spread to the sides, the pale hands having a firm hold on his tanned wrists pulled next to his head, and the masked face had inched towards his own with every passing second, making the breath catch in his throat and Iruka had to grit his teeth harshly together as yet another wave of strange tremors ran through him. A sharp gasp was heard on top of him and suddenly the body pressing down on him lifted itself hastily away and Iruka felt strong hands pull him into a sitting position. The hands steadied him from his shoulders and his lungs started to fill up with the much needed air. As the words from the other's direction flew past his loudly thrumming ears, the weird swirl of emotions disappeared from him as abruptly as it had interrupted their fight, leaving him with a dully throbbing, foreign ache within his body and feeling...
...immensely pissed.
When the talking masked face was fully registered before his eyes and the jounin gave his cheek a stinging slap for a reason beyond him at that point, it took the chuunin only a second to fill his veins with something completely different.
"Sensei, can you hear-"
"Get off me!"
A sudden, loud crack echoed in the yard, soon to be followed by a howl of pain that would have made even Kuromaru's blood freeze.
"I'm telling you, you should have seen it coming! You've dodged them before!"
"'Huddub, 'ed'ei, id fuggig hurd'! Hea' i fadder, plea'e!"
"I won't be able to heal it any faster if you won't shut up!"
The dark, teary glare would have made even Sasuke cower. Iruka sighed and focused his chakra more efficiently on the bleeding mess of a once masked nose, ignoring the sounds of clear discomfort and pain as his fingers worked on the damaged cartilage and bones, slowly setting them back to their righteous places on the weeping nin's face. The mask had been lowered to reveal the damaged nasal bone area and Iruka couldn't help but feel the painful pang of guilt in his chest at every small whimper and hissed curse that escaped his mission partner's mouth as the pale fingers dug into the cool tiles of their bathroom floor.
"..Look, I'm truly sorry for what happened", Iruka heard himself murmur quietly as his eyes were trained solely on the healing process. "It didn't even occur to me that it would make contact."
If he ever doubted how deadly one-eyed stare can become, he was sure of it now.
"Drop the killing intent unless you want me to break your nose the second time, Kakashi-san."
The man under the green chakra narrowed the thundering eye further, but settled to glare at nowhere in particular. The sensei shook his head and grudgingly finished the healing in an uncomfortable silence between him and the accidentally maimed man. Then he sat back on his knees and turned his back at the still seething man sitting on the bathroom floor and put away the first aid kit that has proven itself highly useful in their mission. They'd need to ask for more supplies the next time they see their Hokage, apparently none of them ever thought that two adult shinobi could use bandages, ointments and salves considerably more than a class full of pre-genin.
Considering who they were, on the other hand, it should have been obvious to all of them.
Keeping his back at the dead-silent jounin, Iruka stood up with a pained hiss from his own injuries and peeled the dirty clothes off of him before tying a towel around his unwashed figure and turning around to see the other man already stepping under the shower, the soiled training gear and bloody mask being dumped on the floor in a muddy, reddish heap. The teacher rolled his eyes at the pouting elite's back as he gathered the discarded clothes from the tiled floor and went to put the laundry machine on while the other man steamed up their bathroom. As he came back Kakashi stood still under the warm water with his back turned at the chuunin, the blood and dirt mixing with the water on the tiled floor. The chuunin dropped his towel on the floor and stood under his own shower. He closed his eyes as the first drops hit his skin, washing away the mixture of gray and brown that had managed to cover the tanned body and dark hair. After a moment of vigorous scrubbing Iruka couldn't help but cast a careful look at the dark, silent form on the other side of the stained glass between the men.
"Erm..Kakashi-san...is..ah, is everything alright over there..?" He knew that he was skilled with basic healing, but one could never be too sure when messing with any other face than one's own. Embarrassing incidents were well-known to happen when the wrong tissue got connected with the wrong bone structures.
Things got messy and loud when that happened.
The dark figure gave him a slow nod after a moment and a quiet hum made its way through the air. "Maa, all fine now. That was mean, sensei. I'm bound to have a splitting headache now for sure." To Iruka's relief, a hint of smile could be heard in the said words.
He might be spared from being slaughtered in his sleep after all.
"In that case I should have done that ages ago. Maybe you'll get a glimpse on how bad my migraines are after decrypting your mission reports for six hours. That'll teach you." Iruka gave a tentative grin at the amused hum from the other man and stepped out of the shower to grab them a fresh set of towels from the cabinet. He wrapped one around himself after drying the most of his hair and hung Kakashi's own on the small rack attached to the cabinet door to wait for the man who still showered behind his back.
"In that case your methods should be investigated. Our youth might be in danger if that's your way of giving lessons to them", came the cool reply. With that Iruka stopped at the door, his hand resting on the wooden frame.
"...Saa, I'd me more concerned about certain misbehaving jounin. Especially the ones stuffed up with hay, Kakashi-san. [1]" Iruka felt eyes on him as he left the older man to finish his shower. After having dressed up his spare sweatpants, the teacher settled down under his blanket and with a tired yawn let his eyes wander over the black ceiling above him.
As the tanned chuunin drifted slowly to exhausted sleep and as the pale jounin nursed his once again hurting ego and the recently healed nose in peace before joining the other, little did they know what had begun to stir awake underneath their seals as the fourth day of their peculiar mission came to an end.
[1] For those not knowing I'll give you a keyword: Scarecrow.
