Chapter 15: Hello, Goodbye

This would be a sentence Axel had never thought he would ever say. It wasn't really a sentence he had ever thought of before, even as a joke, and he needed to take a moment to frame the words before speaking them aloud.

"There is a dog stuck in the roof," he said.

Minato blinked at that, thrown almost as much by his friend's re-entry into the conversation as he was by the abrupt topic change. He asked, "'In the roof'?"

Nodding, Axel tried to clarify. "Stuck in the rain… tube."

"Gutter?"

"Yes, that. Probably."

After taking a sip of tea, a small smile pulling at his lips, Morimoto shooed the ninja toward the door. "Go make yourself useful, Namikaze-san."

Given that being stuck in a narrow metal half-pipe was probably uncomfortable—even, or perhaps especially, for a dog whose dimensions seemed to be perfectly suited for such shapes—Axel immediately led the way to the door. Minato followed, but only after giving the older blacksmith a wry look.

Once they were both out front, he pointed up toward his bedroom window. It had gotten quite a bit brighter outside since he had first discovered the dog's predicament, which made it easier to spot the thin black tail wagging uncertainly, just barely visible from the ground. The nose popped up, then back again.

"There he is," Axel said, still sounding somewhat bewildered that the dog was up there at all.

Catching onto that confusion, Minato shrugged and answered the unasked question to the best of his understanding. "I bet he was worried about you."

The dog yelped in disagreement, though it sounded somehow more like he was trying to give an excuse and as such wasn't a very convincing denial.

Shaking his head in a tolerant manner—which probably meant he was well-used to dealing with that type of personality—the ninja jumped easily to the roof. It was impressive, at least to Axel, and he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He couldn't easily tell what what going on, other than that his friend seemed to be talking to the dog as he worked to free him.

It took longer than one might expect for the highly skilled ninja to finally release the dachshund from his accidentally-self-inflicted prison, but he got there eventually. Abashed dog in hand, Minato dropped back down.

The dachshund seemed pretty embarrassed by this whole situation, and wasn't able to look in the blacksmith's direction for longer than a few seconds at a time.

"You know," Axel said, thinking back over the past few weeks, "I have seen this dog a lot."

Minato, who had noticed the dachshund hanging around significantly more often than his civilian friend could have, nodded in complete agreement. "I'm pretty sure he spends most of his days in your backyard or on the roof."

The dog, naturally, looked even more humiliated by this.

"…The roof?"

It did make a sideways sort of sense, given that was where the dog had gotten himself stuck. Though Axel had to wonder how and why the roof would be such a favored spot for a dachshund: it must be tricky for someone so short to get up there in the first place. And besides, it wasn't like there was much to actually do on the roof. Maybe the dog just liked feeling tall.

Axel held out a hand for the dachshund to sniff—which the small dog did, if cautiously—but he got the feeling that pats wouldn't be received too well at this point.

"How about 'Dach'?" he asked, out of the blue.

"What?"

The dog looked almost as confused as the ninja holding him, so Axel clarified, "As a name. I see the dog a lot, and I don't have anything to call him."

It was a bit of a silly name, granted: basically a pun. But then, when the world seems to line things up for a joke, it would be a shame not to take advantage. After all, the word for roof matches the first four letters of dachshund, and the dachshund in question was frequently seen on the rooftops. At least nobody here could be annoyed by the sub-par joke.

"'Dach'," Minato said, testing the word. He sounded relieved, likely because at least this name wouldn't be too unpronounceable. "Sounds good to me. Does it mean something?"

Axel was spared from needing to explain—or to avoid explaining, as the case may be—his crappy naming skills, as the dachshund wiggled to be let down. All four paws on the ground, the dog promptly sat down and gave them both a considering look. Then he looked away, off down the street.

"You don't have to stay." Turning to head back inside, Axel paused. After a thoughtful moment, he added, "I'll just leave the back door open for you."

Before he even made it through the front door himself, the dachshund squeezed past his legs and into the entryway. His tail was wagging, and overall now Dach looked a bit more pleased than embarrassed. He vanished deeper into the house, taking advantage of the chance to openly snoop around.

"Woah, little guy!" came a surprised shout: the dog had found Morimoto.

When Axel and Minato rejoined him in the kitchen, they found the dog once more suspended in the air and looking none too pleased about it.

Morimoto gave them a curious look. "I suppose you let him in?"

"Axel gave him a new name and everything," supplied Minato, looking shamelessly amused. "Morimoto-san, meet Dach."

The dog and man inspected each other for a moment, and then Morimoto smiled. Giving the newly-named Dach a pleased pat on the head, he remarked, "Well, it's a bit short notice but… I'm glad that there'll be somebody around the house to keep an eye on you, Axel."

"Other than me, you mean," Minato joked.

"You don't live here," returned Morimoto, "so you don't count."

Glancing between the two of them and the dog, Axel began to feel slightly apprehensive. He pulled out one of the chairs at the kitchen table and sat. "What 'short notice'?"

"You know," Morimoto said, setting Dach down. The dachshund walked over to sit by Axel in a huff. "Since I'm heading home today. That's why I'm up so early in the first place."

Ah.

Axel stared at the man who had become something of a mentor to him, the man who had helped him through this whole world-changing business (even if unawares). For a moment, it felt as if his heart dropped down somewhere past his feet. But then, after a second to gather himself, he just sighed: he'd known Morimoto would need to head home eventually, after all. Plus, well…

Slightly more annoyed than distressed now, Axel pinched the bridge of his nose. He really only had one thing to say.

"Did you tell me this before?"

Dach had been watching his new human carefully, still trying to figure him out, but at that he shot an almost reprimanding scowl back at the older man. Even Minato gave him a distinctly unimpressed look.

Arms crossed, Morimoto thought back through the past weeks. "I could have sworn…" Then, apologetically, he shook his head. "Must have forgotten. Sorry."

"It's fine," Axel said. It was more unexpected than he would have liked, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn't too bad. After all, they'd only be a day-trip away.

Not—

He shook himself before the thought could finish, and Dach glanced back up at him in concern.

Minato still looked a bit peeved by proxy, but not enough that he couldn't try and lighten the mood. "So he said nothing and you missed him packing up?"

"I spend all day in the store or forge," defended Axel, shrugging.

"And to be honest," Morimoto added, "I don't have much to pack. Most of what we brought will be staying here, after all."

The ninja nodded, acknowledging the point.

Nearly an hour later, when the sun was at last well and truly up, Morimoto decided it was time for him to head out. It took no time at all to load the pull-cart. Indeed, compared to the unsteady pile of crates they had arrived with, now the cart only had two bundles of clothing and a small box for the return trip.

Axel looked down at his right leg, thinking guiltily back to their arrival. He hadn't been able to help with the cart then, even though most of the things it had been loaded down with had been simply to help with settling into an otherwise empty house.

Of course, he hadn't know that at the time, but he still felt a little guilty.

Morimoto pulled the cart a few steps. "It's so much easier to deal with," he remarked. "I imagine it'll be a faster trip, getting back home."

Which was good news; days were already much warmer than they had been just one month ago, as the season slipped out of early spring and into almost-summer.

"We'll walk with you to the gate," said Minato, though his tone made it sound more like an offer; he wouldn't mind if the older man would rather say his goodbyes here and get them over with.

The three of them—plus one dachshund who seemed determined to stick with Axel—began to make their way down the peaceful street.

Rather suddenly, Axel thought of something.

"Wait!" Backing away the way they had come, he held his hands out in a clear 'just give me a minute' gesture. "One thing, I be fast."

Then he ran back to the house.

Left with the cart and a few questions, Morimoto and Minato shared a confused look. Even Dach had been caught off-guard; he did follow a little ways after his human, but, seeing the front door shut, he could only sit and wait.

"Any idea what that's about?" the ninja asked.

Morimoto leaned his arms against the side of his cart and shook his head. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."

=X=X=X=

It didn't take long for Axel to need to drop from a dead sprint to a speed slightly less exhausting, though he still tried to hurry. He got out his key, unlocked the door, and immediately headed up to his bedroom. Nearly tripping over the stairs in the process.

On his desk, he grabbed one of his pens and his notebook. Flipped to the back, and tore out a page.

Now he had to slow down. Though he had continued practicing, he wasn't nearly good enough writing hiragana to do so in a rush and have the end product still be readable. Being careful to write each character correctly—and still making mistakes he had to cross out—Axel penned out a short, very simple letter for Kichirou. After all, he wasn't sure when his next chance to send the teen a letter might be.

The letter didn't say much more than a greeting and a thanks, but that should be fine. The teen's father could well fill in the rest of the details.

Reading through the note to double check for any glaring errors, Axel turned to leave. He wondered, briefly, if maybe Kichirou would appreciate a small gift as well. Maybe one of the kunai or shuriken he had made.

And his eyes happened to land on a little plastic toy resting on a corner of the desk.

The rubik's cube.

He did remember Kichirou asking about it, once. Back when he had been fiddling with it to pass time in the clinic. Kichirou had been fascinated by the little puzzle, and Axel had spent an afternoon watching the teen try to match up the sides.

Maybe…

He kind of didn't want to. It had been a gift from Adri, after all, though she likely had intended it as little more than a joke present—just a 'cruddy color cube' that her brother would play with then forget somewhere in his apartment.

And now it was one of the few links left of home.

Axel picked up the rubik's cube, turning it over in his hands. Adri had written on the yellow squares, one letter on each to spell out a disjointed 'CONGRATS!' whenever fully solved. Written in English, she had defensively explained, because the German equivalent simply had too many letters to fit easily in nine squares.

Something in his chest felt tight, the memory touched bittersweet by loss.

Still, he considered the option.

And made his choice.

Pocketing the puzzle, he wrote a few more sentences at the bottom of the letter.

It felt final, choosing to give the toy away. In a way he couldn't quite explain.

He snorted, wondering just when he had become sentimental about a plastic cube that had, until recently, languished forgotten at the bottom of his backpack.

…He hoped Kichirou would take good care of it.

Putting aside his uncertainty and reminding himself that he was, in fact, in a bit of a time constraint, Axel hurried from the house. Dach barked a greeting as he approached.

"What took you?" asked Morimoto, beginning to pull the cart onwards again as soon as his friend had rejoined them.

Axel didn't have the breath to answer, and lacked the charades skill to explain with handwaving. By way of explanation, he instead handed the letter over to Minato.

"'Kichirou'…" the ninja read from the note. "So, a letter to Morimoto's son?"

He nodded, pulled out the rubik's cube, and breathlessly added, "And present."

The colorful little puzzle grabbed Minato's attention, and he traded back the letter to get a closer look at it. As Axel handed it over, he demonstrated how the segments turned to rearrange the sides. Minato was fascinated.

"How does it work?" he asked, shuffling colors around.

A shrug. "Don't know, really."

Which only seemed to heighten his interest. "You didn't make it?"

"No."

Minato looked like he was just itching to take the rubik's cube apart, but instead settled for delicately poking at it and asking questions for most of the walk. He was still theorizing about it by the time they reached the village gates.

"Maybe the pieces are attached to a segmented sphere…" Minato mused, "but, no, that would still need to hold together, wouldn't it…"

Morimoto stopped the cart, smiling in a way that suggested that he was wondering how long it would take the preoccupied ninja to notice. "Minato?"

"What?" The ninja blinked, took in the situation, then sheepishly scratched at the back of his head. "Oh, sorry. Ah, here, let me…"

Taking the letter and a handkerchief from one of his vest's many pockets, Minato neatly folded the whole present in cloth before handing it back. Axel had sat in on a lesson about Japanese fabric wrapping once, during an event his university club had gone to, and he had to admire the quick efficiency with which his friend knotted the package shut.

"Don't worry," Minato thoughtfully added, "the handkerchief's clean."

"That wasn't what I…" Axel shook his head, not sure how to finish that sentence. "Thanks."

Morimoto chuckled—affectionate, and already sounding like he missed them. "I'll be glad to be home with my boy, but…" He let his fond smile finish the sentence for him, and he gave Minato a look. "You two keep an eye on each other, you hear me?"

Dach yipped at him to get his attention, sounding positively affronted.

"I bet you can take of yourself, little guy. These two, however…"

"Wow, Morimoto-san. Do you really think I need a minder?"

The older blacksmith just shrugged, stating, "I've heard the explosions."

And, of course, Minato couldn't really deny that implication.

"I'll make sure he doesn't blow up anything important," said Axel. He collected himself, and held out the small package. "This is for Kichirou."

"So I gathered." Morimoto looked vaguely amused, taking the wrapped rubik's cube and setting it carefully with his other things in the cart. "He'll be glad to hear from you."

Axel felt a tightness in his throat and tried to swallow it away. "Thank you," he said, trying to keep his voice steady and understandable. "For lending me your old house, and—"

He was kept from saying more when Morimoto raised a hand, one finger pointing skyward. "Now look here, you are misunderstanding something."

Axel blinked, not following.

"That house," Morimoto said, voice precise and uncompromising, "is now your house. I even wrote you in to the paperwork and everything."

Minato, addressing nobody in particular, asked, "Is that legal?"

The man just shrugged, unrepentant.

Honestly, Axel should have expected this. Still: "You what?"

"It's your house, Axel," he continued, undeterred. "I might still be the signature at the end of the scroll, but it's yours now." With a nod to the small gift now sitting in the cart, he added, "Consider that payment."

All Axel could think about was just how many rubik's cubes it would take to buy a house, paired with the ridiculous answer of 'just one'.

Morimoto must have seen something in his face, because he nodded to himself in a distinctly satisfied manner. As he began to walk away, cart trundling behind him, he called over his shoulder, "Oh, and Namikaze-san?"

The ninja in question looked a bit startled at the sudden address. "Yeah?"

"If you're ever in Chotto again," Morimoto paused, looked back, smiled, "don't be a stranger!"

Minato laughed, bright and surprised and pleased. "I just might take you up on that!"

Both of them stood by the gates, waving, until Morimoto and his cart were hidden behind the trees. And even then, Axel couldn't quite get himself to leave just yet—simply staring out to elsewhere. Dach set a paw on his foot, picking up on his distraction. Axel crouched down, and the dachshund let him gently scratch behind his ears.

Next, the dimensionally-misplaced man decided, would be figuring out how the post worked in this world. Or if there actually was one: at the moment, he couldn't even recall if there was a mailbox outside the house.

His house, Axel reminded himself. Letting that ever-so-slight change of reference settle in his mind.

It was odd, but… right.

"Ready to head back?" Minato asked, in no particular rush.

Axel breathed, and smiled up at his friend. Stood and dusted himself off.

"Yeah," he said, accepting a fact he hadn't even realized he had been denying. "Let's go home."

Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

And so the dachshund finally has a name!

Updates on the 15th of every month.
Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! I hope you all continue to enjoy.

Translations:
"Dach" = "Roof"

I've gotten a few reviews remarking on how they might rather I miss an update day to upload something longer and more substantial a few days later. The schedule I keep really what keeps me writing: it keeps me accountable. If I allow myself to delay, that one chapter might be better but the next chapter will certainly come out later still. And later, and later, until I simply don't write enough fast enough to make any progress.
It's annoying, and I'm working on it: like breaking a bad habit.
Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you enjoy regardless.

Rainsfere: The computer will, indeed, play a role. Now that he coming more to terms with his situation, he'll be more willing to turn to reminders of what he's lost.

Heart: The arrival of the ANBU (and the dachshund) was somewhat unexpected, and he was forced to leave before finishing cleaning up his dirty work.

See ya on the flipside, everyone!