| [Jan. 22nd, 2010|08:59 pm] |
"Mm," said Kakashi, eyeing the dog tucked up hard against Genma's side. It was a youngster, a solid-looking hound crossed with some kind of long-haired breed, and too young to have even been in training when Arihiro had died. Which was precisely why it had no qualms about curling up against Genma's ribcage, and precisely why Kakashi had summoned it.
Good job, Reiji, he told it softly in canine. Keep him warm.
Reiji's tail waved.
Pakkun, however, remembered everything, which was why he was busy bristling on the other side of the fire. "What the hell, kid?" he demanded, staring at Genma.
Kakashi squashed a growl -- briefly, and then let it out, stopping the argument short. Teammate, he reminded Pakkun pointedly, and then launched into a rapid-fire explanation--all in canine--before Pakkun could draw breath to respond.
By the end of it, Pakkun's stare had gone a little bug-eyed, Reiji was whining in a quiet, continuous breath, and Baiji--Kakashi's huge, faithful mastiff--had planted his massive head against Kakashi's flank in a silent show of worry. Kakashi slid his hand absent-mindedly under Baiji's thick leather collar, fingertips digging into fur.
Rock? Pakkun almost-howled. Have you lost your mind?
Probably, Kakashi admitted to himself. He switched back to human.
"It's the only option. I need you to get to Konoha and bring me back the right people. Go directly to Arakaki; he'll know who to send." Diplomats if things went well, an extraction team if they didn't.
ANBU with a kill-order if everything went to hell.
Kakashi thought things through one last time. Worst-case scenario, Rock would try to torture them. But Genma wouldn't last five minutes--literally wouldn't last, which meant Rock couldn't get anything out of him. And Kakashi trusted his own abilities to stand up under interrogation. He'd never broken yet.
Best-case, Genma might get out of this alive and Kakashi could go back to disliking him.
It was a stupid idea.
It was worth a try.
"Get going," he told Pakkun, and watched the little pug sprint hell-for-leather out of the clearing. They were committed now.
He crouched down by Genma.
"We're heading out," he said, which sounded just enough like home that he hoped Genma wouldn't fight him. "I'm putting you up on Baji's back. Tell me the second anything feels different, okay?"
Not that he could do anything about it, precisely. But it'd be nice to stay informed. |
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