| [Sep. 7th, 2013|02:44 am] |
“Point,” said Raidou. “Speaking of which—when you have a sec, I want to get some more updated tags from you. The latest crop we’re getting is pretty weak.”
“Yeah, the rain fucked over our supply train in Kaijiyama last month. Don’t expect decent explosive ink until May. I can swing by tonight, if you like.”
“I’ll buy you dinner.”
“Screw that, you’ll make me dinner.”
“Are you sure your rookie just didn’t like you because you’re mean?” he said, amused.
She tapped her knuckles against the mouth of his mask. “I can knock your teeth out too, Moon.”
“Not disproving my point.”
She laughed, punched him hard on the arm, and vanished down into the depths of the palace, heading for the tunnels that connected through to HQ. Wanting to feel a little sunshine, Raidou made for the open roof, where he could take a dimension-step to the rookie barracks.
He was surprised to find a muted signature he recognized, wrapped around a half-smothered ANBU spark. Kakashi was lying on his back in the shadow cast by an upstanding portion of the roof, dressed in standard jounin gear; his familiar orange book was balanced on his chest. He turned a page without looking up. “Captain.”
“Hatake,” Raidou said, noting the complete lack of salute. “You come up here often?”
“Sometimes.”
After four days, there was one theme with Hatake Kakashi: every conversation was like drawing blood.
Raidou cut to the chase. “There’s news on Orochimaru.”
“I know,” Kakashi said.
“You know classified information from the meeting that ended thirty seconds ago, which you weren’t a part of,” Raidou said flatly.
“I had dinner with Minato-sensei last night,” Kakashi said, because of course he had. And of course he hadn’t thought to mention anything about it during their training session this morning.
“Any other pertinent village news you’d like me to not be aware of?” Raidou asked, irritated.
Kakashi glanced up at the sky. “It’s going to rain later.”
It was a narrow struggle not to kick his skinny, obstinate teenage butt right off the ledge.
“Give me your book,” Raidou said, and when Kakashi finally looked at him, eyebrow raised, Raidou added sharply, Now.”
The grey eye narrowed. Kakashi sat up, closed the slender paperback, and reluctantly handed it over.
Raidou tucked it into one of his belt-pouches. “Pick an exercise.”
“Running,” Kakashi said, who’d clearly figured out where this was going.
“Fine, thirty miles. If you bring me back a stamp from the northern border house in an hour, you can have your book back.”
“This is juvenile,” Kakashi said.
“Then it’s a perfect fit,” Raidou snapped. “Don’t translocate. I want your feet on the ground for every step.”
Kakashi’s glare was like hot ice before he shuttered it. He turned away, preparing to walk down the side of the building.
“Salute your commanding officer, Agent Hatake,” Raidou said.
Kakashi turned, performed a salute so sharp it was like a razor, turned away, and vanished in the next eyeblink.
Raidou waited five seconds, until he could no longer feel that half-hidden spark, and swore quietly. Then he translocated to the rookie barracks. |
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