Kakashi wasn't sure when he dozed off.
He didn't exactly recall closing his eye. All he remembered was one minute he was counting the beats of Naru's heart and the next thing he knew he was jumping almost out of his skin when the wagon came to a sudden, abrupt and jerking stop causing his body to slip sideways over into the nearest bail of hay.
Startling him wide awake and causing one hand to go for his weapon's pouch while he reached out and grabbed Naru's shirt and pulled her closer to him so that he could more easily defend her if something happened.
His heart slammed against is ribs in alarm as he saw something moving around the side of the wagon out of the corner of his eye.
And he ducked down, firmly planting his body half on top of Naru's without touching her and waited to see what would happen next as the back of the wagon dropped open and an elderly man appeared, Kakashi blinked and had to force his hand not to throw the kunai that he had in it at the man because he looked vaguely familiar to the copy nin.
"Here we are shinobi-san. The closest town."
"W-Wha?" Kakashi said unintelligibly. His mind still more than half asleep.
"We're in town..." The elder said with a bemused look on his face. "You know, the one you asked me to drop you and the Missus off in." The man supplied helpfully, a concerned look crossing his face as he glanced at Naru. Kakashi bit back the urge to snarl at him.
As it was a low growling sound escaped his throat, and the elder looked back at him and promptly raised his hands into the air, palms out, to show that he meant no harm. And patiently waited for the silver haired shinobi to collect his little friend and move.
He didn't take offense to being growled at. In fact he understood that the man was worried about the girl. He had seen him checking on her off and on during the ride into town. And from the haggard look of the man himself, he and the girl must have been on a mission that had ended badly. Though the girl had only a few bruises and scratches on her, her clothes were torn and shredded.
And the fact that she hadn't moved or made a sound made him think that whatever had happened had been so bad that the silver haired nin had put her to sleep using genjutsu or something.
Kakashi stood up with Naru cradled in his arms and walked over to the edge and stepped off. Landing lightly next to the elder that had been kind enough to help him out, and felt a bit ashamed of himself for growling at the man. He opened his mouth to thank the old man but the guy cut him off. Surprising the copy nin with his words.
"There's a doctor just down the street. If you need him, I'll go get him for you."
Kakashi's mouth opened and closed several times as he mulled over the man's words then after a second or so he shook his head no. He knew that it was stupid not to take the help offered, but he didn't want a stranger anywhere near Naru.
As far as he was concerned they were still in enemy territory and he didn't want to risk letting Naru fall into some sick person's hands again. Besides he knew that Kyubbi would have taken care of her wounds by now if she had had them.
And there was no point in exposing Naru to further humiliation at a stranger's hands. "No thanks." Kakashi said in a rough gravely sounding voice as he started walking again. He could see a hotel up the way a little bit and if he could get a room, then he'd have a place to put Naru.
A room in the back on the ground level would work.
Or maybe a room with a built in panic room or safe hidden in one of the walls. Something that he could put Naru in to protect her if they came under attack. He knew that the demon contract that he had made the rogue nins sign was still in effect. And it would be for the rest of their lives, but for the time being he'd let his paranoia run rampant.
Especially since Naru was no longer able to defend herself should the need arise, at least for the moment anyways. And one never knew what enemies could be waiting just around the corner.
He walked up to the front desk-
The guy behind the counter took one look at him in his blood stained, sweaty clothes. With an unconscious girl in his grasp, and automatically handed him a key. Kakashi shifted his hold on Naru and took the key, then put some money on the counter and walked away.
Whoever runs this hotel must get a lot of nin's as customers- Kakashi thought as he walked down the hallway and stopped just outside the room that he and Naru would be sharing and carefully shifted his hold on her again and opened the door. And did a quick sweep of the space that he and Naru would be inhabiting until help came.
It looked like a honeymoon suite. There was one window, one huge bed with white satin sheets on it-
What the hell had the guy at the front desk been thinking? He wondered as he curled his lip back from his teeth under his mask and had to slowly count to ten to keep from setting Naru down and ripping those pristine white sheets on the bed, to pieces.
There was a vanity, a dresser, and a bathroom...
Speaking of. He glanced down at Naru.
He needed to get her cleaned up before he could do anything else. First he'd clean Naru up, then he'd have to find something for her to wear.