Questionable Loyalty

A/N: This chapter was very difficult to write. I have the creeping, unpleasant suspicioun that I didn't manage to keep them as in character as I wanted. Then again, both are so damn reclusive and keep everything in that it's difficult to determine what would be OOC and what IC. >_> Also, the text refers to what Pein (doesn't) writes as hieroglyphs instead of "kanji" because in the Naruto verse there's no China to become to origin of that writing system.



CHAPTER 27





Kakashi woke up a few hours later, lying on the tatami floor, its pattern marked on his cheek, and his chin slightly damp from drooling. He felt a bit sore from sleeping in such an odd place and such a contorted pose, but the warm fuzzy ball in his arms made it all the better.



Kakashi looked down and saw that Pakkun was still there, curled in his embrace against his chest, still sleeping deeply. The little pug had kept him company while he rested. Kakashi sighed and laid his head back on the tatami, pushing his legs down and stretching them. The movement woke Pakkun up and the dog looked up to his friend:



“Did you have a nice nap?” he asked and Kakashi nodded sleepily.



“I had the best sleep ever since I was captured. Thank you.”



“You’re welcome.” Pakkun said. “You know, I spoke with that new boss of yours.”



That immediately woke Kakashi up.



“What?” he said sharply. “How? When?”



“I went to his office using the elevator you told me about.” The pug began to explain patiently. “And it was after you fell asleep.”



Kakashi sputtered.



“Pakkun! I’ve told you not to do things like that behind my back!”



“Don’t worry, he didn’t get mad. I think that I weirded him out more than anything else. He’s very cute when he pouts, you know. For a human, that is. I am sure you’ve noticed by now.” Pakkun teased.



“I have no idea whatsoever about what you’re talking about.” Kakashi huffed indignantly.



“Right.”



“And don’t change the subject. Why did you go there?”



Pakkun paused, wiggled in Kakashi’s arms to lie down more comfortably and explained:



“I wanted to see if he was telling the truth – you know very well I can smell it when someone is lying.”



Kakashi nodded – he knew, of course – Pakkun had been in the role of a lie-detector on many missions Kakashi had gone on over the years.



“And he’s telling the truth.” The Pug finished “About wanting to bring world peace, at least.”



Kakashu pursed his lips thoughtfully.



“Well, that’s one less worry off my chest.” He muttered.



“However” Pakkun continued “I thought that I should warn you – he smells funny.”



“Pakkun, he looks like a person who bathes every day.” Kakashi chided.



“That is not what I meant.” The dog insisted “He smells strange. I can’t explain it very well… like, like death. There’s that usual blood and soot scent that always clings to all ninja – I almost don’t notice it anymore to begin with – but there was something apart from that. Something metallic. It felt very wrong, Kakashi.”



Kakashi thought about it for a little while.



“It’s possible it’s connected to whatever jutsu he uses, or his bloodline limit. I am quite sure he has one – those eyes indicate that.”



“It’s possible.” Pakkun agreed. “I just thought that I should tell you though.”



He slowly disentangled himself from Kakashi’s hands.



“I’ll be going now, Kakashi. Call me again if you get into even deeper trouble.”



Kakashi coughed a little from the cloud the dog spirit produced when he disappeared with a puff, then, still feeling too lazy to move, laid back down on the floor, thinking.



Pakkun was right about one thing – he barely knew this man – actually, he didn’t know him at all. Other than the story about the coup he’d done here in Ame, he had no idea what his past was like, what his interests were, or his weaknesses for that matter.

And he needed to rectify that matter. He would spend weeks, maybe even months here, and if he remained cooped up in this room for too long, he might be too unhinged in the end to be of any help when he did return to Konoha. And Pein, who so far appeared to be constantly staying up in his office, barely leaving, would have to learn to endure his company.



Smirking, Kakashi got up and headed for his bedroom, intent on changing into a clean, unwrinkled clothes before heading out to the kitchen for a snack. He didn’t think he could bear to have a verbal spar with the other man on an empty stomach.



The kitchen, unlike the one on the lower floors, was not attended by a professional chef. It was, however, stocked full with all sorts of food from all over the world, all of it fresh and carefully refrigerated.



Kakashi found a bowl full of already prepared meal and filched it, deciding that whoever made it would just have to do it all over again. Pleased with his discovery, he reheated the meal then ate half of it, putting the second half in a plate and heading upstairs with it. Best to go there bearing gifts.



He found Pein in the same spot where Pakkun had left him – behind his desk, his nose buried in a folder. The red-head looked up when Kakashi entered.



“Yes, Kakashi-san?” he asked.



“I brought you lunch.” He looked out of the broad panoramic windows towards the already setting sun. “Dinner.” He corrected himself.



“You came up here…” Pein started carefully “To bring me food.”



Kakashi nodded.



“I can eat it, if you don’t want it.”



Pein watched him for a few seconds then pointed to a corner of his desk that was free of paper.



“Put it there, I’ll eat it later.” He said and after a while muttered an awkward “Thank you.”



Seeing that Kakashi apparently had no intention to leave – as he headed towards the windows to look down at the view – he asked:



“Was there something you needed?”



“I realized” Kakashi answered as he looked outside, then turned back to face Pein “That I actually know very little about you. Or the way you run this organization. I signed in over some pretty, if truthful, words, but I am yet to see the actions.”



That presumptuous little…!



The shadow of anger passed quickly over Pein’s handsome face and the man asked:



“You realized or your nosy little furball pointed it out to you?”



Kakashi gave Pein an good-natured smile.



“The latter, I am afraid. Pakkun is very smart, among other things.” Kakashi approached the sitting man again. “So I’ll keep you company for a while.”



Pein looked like he wanted to sputter in indignation, which Kakashi found to be strangely amusing and adorable at the same time – that someone whose expression was rather guarded could have eyes so expressive. He looked down to the documents Pein had been reading and saw several papers tightly filled with notes – scrawled in an ugly hand-writing and from what he could see from that angle – filled with spelling errors and there were no hieroglyphs. The red-head noticed his gaze and quickly pulled the notes away, hiding them from view.



Kakashi moved to sit on the chair closest to the desk and asked:



“I thought you didn’t participate actively in the government of the city?”



Pein looked down at his folder again.



“I don’t. Those were for Akatsuki. Handling people like that is trouble enough as it is.”



“S-ranked criminals and sociopaths?” Kakashi suggested mildy.



“People who have shed the brainwashing of their villages and have embraced their individuality.” Pein responded without missing a breath.



“Ah.”



“If they happen to be a little unhinged, well, as long as they follow orders and don’t cause trouble, it’s none of my business.”



Kakashi leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands folded on top of Pein’s desk.



“Your food is getting cold.” He pointed out.



Deciding that Kakashi apparently wasn’t going to leave him alone, Pein sighed, put the folder away and pulled the plate closer. He eyed the food, sniffed it, then took the chopsticks and began to eat.



“You didn’t make this.” He stated flatly.



“What, among other things you have clairvoyance too?” Kakashi said with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.



“No, I just know Kisame’s cooking.” Pein took another bite. “He’ll be mad at you when he finds out it’s missing. He cooks those for Itachi.”



‘Ah, so he did cook for him!’ Kakashi thought triumphantly.



“Your kitchen here is stuffed to the brink with food. He’ll cook another one for him. Come to think about it, I saw him cooking downstairs some time ago.”



Pein muttered something.



“What?” Kakashi leaned closer to hear.



“The kitchen on this floor was being renovated.” Pein said a little louder and took another bite.



“Oh.” Kakashi was very curious as to why the Akatsuki was repairing its kitchen out of all places, but with the way the man had reacted to the topic to begin with, he guessed that asking him would be like pulling teeth. “So why have you filled it with so much food? Expensive, high-end food that is?”



“It is one of the few luxuries I am willing to give to my employees, Kakashi.” Pein stated.



The reason why he “was willing to give it to his employers” was another curious question, but Kakashi decided to leave it for another time.



They sat there quietly for a while, Pein chewing and doing his best to ignore him and Kakashi feeling distinctly bored and uncomfortable. His gaze slid over the desk and noticed another of the little notes – apparently forgotten by Pein in his hurry earlier to hide them. Feeling stupidly bold, or, better said, boldly stupid, Kakashi reached and snatched the piece of paper, skimming over it.



It was a simple note to someone named “Kakuzu?” “Kakazu?” not to be such a cheapskate and assign more funds for the making of new uniforms. His initial impression was confirmed – it was written as if by a child – the lines uneven and ugly, filled with errors.



Pein angrily reached and pulled the paper from his hands and looked at it.



“If this was something confidential I would’ve…”



“Killed your spy and searched for another? That would be quite time-consuming” Kakashi offered.



Pein pushed the empty plate away from him and said:



“Kakashi-san, just because you are extremely valuable to this organization at the moment doesn’t mean that I’d give endless leeway to your behaviour.”



“You have no sense of humour.” Kakashi complained, but finally conceded “Alright, I’m sorry, okay? I won’t be so nosy about your business from now on.”



Pein pinched the bridge of his nose above the piercings as if trying to ward off an impending headache.



“However, I couldn’t help but notice…” Kakashi began, using his most polite and placating tone when he noticed the intensifying glare of those strange eyes “That the way you write is…”



“What?” there was a challenge in Pein’s voice.



Kakashi paused, looking for the most diplomatic way of putting it:



“As if you’re not very proficient in it.”



“I am perfectly capable of running this organization.” Pein stated flatly.



“That wasn’t what I meant.” Kakashi told him hurriedly. “I was just wondering, if you’d mind if I taught you.” He gave Pein an apologetic smile “I am bored. I have nothing to do, no one to talk to, and I am not doing anything productive. At least this way I can fix two of these three problems.”



“Two?”



“You don’t have to talk to me outside the lessons, if you don’t want.”



Pein looked down at his notes for a while and said:



“I’ll think about it. Now, leave, I have work to do. And the take the plate with you.”



Nodding, Kakashi did so and left quietly.



Once downstairs he went to load the plate in the dishwasher and returned to his room, wondering if Kisame would indeed be very mad over the missing dish.