ANBU Legacy - Trouble Round My Door [entries|archive|friends|userinfo]
ANBU Legacy

[ Website | ANBU Legacy on Tumblr ]
[ Info | About ANBU Legacy ]
[ By Date | Archive ]

Links
[Links:| Thread Index || Cast of Characters || Guestbook || Legacy Tumblr || For New Readers || Pronunciation Guide || Legacy Ebooks ]

Trouble Round My Door [Feb. 6th, 2015|10:24 pm]
Previous Entry Add to Memories Tell a Friend Next Entry

anbu_legacy

[yuuhi_kurenai]
LinkReply

Comments:
[User Picture]From: [info]yuuhi_kurenai
2015-02-07 06:37 am (UTC)

(Link)

Finally. Kurenai let out a long, slow breath. Not that Kakashi's bizarre turn for less-than-witty banter wasn't amusing—and baffling; he'd supposedly been off morphine for 12 hours by now, but maybe there were still traces of narcotic working through his system. But as their conversation narrowed from the mission to the personal, it became harder and harder to justify listening.

Kakashi'd done her one service, though. She doubted Tousaki would have talked anywhere near so freely to an Intel debriefer or a T&I psych analyst. And no psych officer could have pierced to the core of Tousaki's concerns as efficiently as Kakashi had, offering Tousaki a life-bouy calculated precisely for the weight of the mission and Tousaki's doubts. It took a teammate's understanding of problem and personality to see that clearly—or a friend's.

Maybe they should give team recommendations stronger weight in the psych process, after all.

Tousaki seemed far easier in his skin than he'd been twenty minutes ago. He swung his legs, booted feet scraping the tiled floor, and reported, "Haven't seen Katsuko yet this morning. We split off last night, after we left the hospital. I ran into some friends, and she...headed home. I think." His lips compressed briefly, as if he was second-guessing that judgment. "I'm not even sure where she lives."

"North Sakura Street, above the grocery store," Kakashi supplied promptly. "One of the little civilian places."

Kurenai's brows rose. Tousaki's did, too. "You've visited her?" He sounded almost jealous.

Kakashi looked at him like he'd stepped off the left side of sanity. "No."

"Well—" Tousaki's frown cleared. "You snuck her file, didn't you." You clever bastard, his tone implied. "Did you read the rest of it?" He paused. "Did you read mine?"

"I have no knowledge of any illegal or unethical actions within the village," Kakashi said smoothly. "But Ueno needs to learn to guard her six."

Tousaki's lips shaped around the words—guard her six? Then he snickered. "You followed her home. Y'know, Kakashi, if you're that far gone, you really should say something. She might take you up on it…"

Like hell she will. Kurenai would trigger that exploding tag herself before she let another friend break her heart on Hatake Kakashi.

Fortunately, he seemed disinclined to repeat old mistakes. He snorted. "More likely she'd try to wear my spine like a scarf. Tracking is practice, not romance. You need healthier role models, Tousaki."

"And you need better hobbies." Tousaki hesitated, though, fingers drumming on his knee. "Does that mean you know where the captain's mom lives?"

"Moms, plural," Kakashi said. "He has two. And yes." He left it there, as if he questioned the judgment of giving Tousaki an actual address. Kurenai wasn't sure she blamed him. If Namiashi was under no-contact orders, HQ wouldn't look kindly on Tousaki dropping by.

"Two?" Tousaki sounded more envious than surprised. "Do you know—?" He broke off, shaking his head, as if some questions were too intrusive even for him to ask.

Kurenai could imagine them, though. Konoha was known for its unusual tolerance for diversity of partnerships, but it was still a ninja village with a vested interest in bloodlines and breeding. Same-sex pairings were common; couples who stayed together — or survived — long enough to raise children were less so. She wondered if Namiashi was one of the war orphan-adoptees, or whether his mothers had found a friend willing to sire a child he might not live to raise. Perhaps a rare triad? Surely he'd have siblings, if that were the case.

She thought of Namiashi going home from HQ, weary and heartsick, into a raucous family's warm embrace, and hoped it was true.