Deny

~o0*Part 4*0o~



A shadow shifted slightly in the darkness of the streets of Konoha. It was fleeting and if any villager was around to notice, they wouldn’t. It was subtle and unassuming that it would be missed completely, or if seen – only by the strongest of nins with strong bloodlines – it would be considered a movement caused by the slight chilling breeze that was alive in the night.

However, this shadow – once it was completely certain it was alone – moved itself away from the darkened alley and slipped into a half-open door that had seemingly simply blown open a little wider in time with the breeze before resting back into its previous position. Noiselessly, the shadow slowly made its way up the old, wooden, creaky stairs. The shadow somehow knew where to step so each threatening groan of wood was undisturbed.

“Naruto.” Kakashi murmured in the dark hallway as Naruto fumbled with his keys to get into his apartment – revealing himself since the dark hallway seemed unoccupied.

Seemed was the keyword.

“W-what? Fuck Kakashi! A little warning next time, eh?” Naruto muttered as he spun around, dropping his keys as he went to his belt to arm himself. Kakashi just smirked and stepped into the moonlight that streamed through the naked window at the end of the hallway.

Naruto was drained, sore and simply needed to sleep a few days before he felt somewhat human again. He was finally home after his last mission that had dragged over 3 months. It wasn’t a hard mission, but it was tedious and required Naruto to be on constant guard for the entire time. He hadn’t slept a real wink of sleep since the mission began – he survived with short, meditative rest that mimicked sleep.

Of course, that was the only reason Kakashi was able to sneak up on him. Once home, Naruto considered himself safe and let his guard down – especially since he was so close to the warm bed that rested in his apartment. The idea of rest and relaxation made him sloppy.

A good night’s rest after a hot shower and maybe some new wrapping on some wounds.

Right now, to Naruto, that sounded like heaven.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Kakashi grinned, or at least Naruto assumed he grinned by his eye. That masked covered practically every movement beneath it and the dimly lit hallway didn’t help.

Naruto snorted as he reached down to pick up his keys, only to find that they weren’t there. Naruto looked up to see Kakashi a few feet away, dangling the said keys between his thumb and pointer finger.

“Don’t you have someone else to bug? Like Iruka? He must be wondering where you are.” Naruto sighed, rubbing at his forehead once he removed the dark cloth he had wrapped around his unruly hair and his pale ANBU mask with features reminiscent of a fox.

A few years back, Iruka and Kakashi had been placed on a mission together. It was a unusual mission, especially since it was for an ANBU trained special jounin and a chuunin, but no one questioned the Hokage nor the pair. Especially since Iruka’s embarrassment only fed the fierce anger the sensei was famous for.

Not even the bravest nin would face Iruka’s anger – so far Naruto was the only one that was able to walk away from it relatively unscarred.

That was because Naruto knew the best hiding places.

Of course, Kakashi never commented when asked about the mission. He simply smirked that secret smirk of his while his eyes – or rather eye – momentarily get a faraway look before he changed the subject.

As for asking Iruka . . . many nins valued their hearing.

All everyone knew was when the two nins left they two were good friends – coming together as such because of the losses of students, pulling together in grief for what they were unable to do and the simple need to talk to someone – and when they came back it was obvious that they had become lovers. They were in love which of course many friends that were close to the pair saw it coming far off and simply shrugged their shoulders at the abruptness. It seemed that it was silently voted that if they were happy, who gave a fuck how or why they got together?

“No. Besides, I’m on duty.” Kakashi replied as he leaned a shoulder against the wall of the hallway and reaching for his book – the newest edition of ‘Icha Icha Paradise’. Naruto just groaned.

“If you’re on duty, then why are you bugging me? Shouldn’t you be working?” Naruto asked, crossing his arms as he glared at his former sensei.

“I am.”

Naruto sighed again. Leave it to Kakashi to not clarify his reasons for being there. The man was an enigma to say the least. One never knew what was going on behind the perverted mind of the great Copy-nin. Naruto couldn’t, and probably would never, figure out Kakashi, but he figured maybe it was safer that way.

“Oh? And bugging me is your job?” Naruto questioned, not at all believing it. The disbelief in his voice was apparent and Kakashi seemed put-out by Naruto’s distrust. From what Naruto could tell, Kakashi was pouting as he looked up from his novel.

“How could you think so little of me?” Kakashi whined, demanding with mock sadness and Naruto simply arched an eyebrow. “Besides, bugging people is a full-time job. I just don’t get paid enough for it, so I have to do it part-time.” Kakashi smirked before returning back to his book. Naruto sighed heavily and grabbed his keys from Kakashi’s fingers.

“Whatever. I just want to shower and sleep. And not necessarily in that order.” Naruto muttered and went to unlock his door to find his key once again missing. They were apparently, by the gently jingle near Naruto’s ear, were once again dangling in Kakashi’s grasp. “What the fuck, Kakashi?!” Naruto hollered as he spun around to face his past sensei, most likely disturbing the neighbours, but at that point he didn’t give a shit. He was tired and Kakashi was interrupting his plans to change that fact.

“My job is to tell you to go see the Hokage as soon as you arrived home.” Kakashi replied, not at all disturbed by the outrage and promise of death in Naruto’s voice.

Naruto had to wonder if the man had a death wish some times.

“He can wait till tomorrow. Besides, I already handed in my report. I did it on the way here.” Naruto growled, ungracefully swiping at Kakashi to get his keys, only to find them tugged away and hung out of his grasp. Normally, Naruto would have had them long before this, but Naruto was just so bone-tired that he was listless and simply unable to concentrate to fully care.

“Nope. He wants you there immediately at your return.” Kakashi smiled, his voice almost sounding sing-song like. Naruto wanted to rip out his vocal cords and crush them under his sandal.

“The bastard can wait till I have a fucking hot shower and a few hours of sleep! If the mission is so fucking important to him, he can get the fucking report from the office himself!” Naruto snarled not at all impressed and slammed Kakashi into the wall with his shoulder, grabbing his keys from slack fingers.

“Ow. That was uncalled for.” Kakashi whimpered, sounding like he was pouting all over again. Naruto rolled his eyes.

How old was the guy?

Besides, it wasn’t even that hard and he could have avoided it. They were both ANBU trained for Christ’s sakes.

Kakashi was also aware of how cranky Naruto got after long tiring missions – he should know by now not to fuck around with him. But then again, it was another booboo for Iruka to kiss all better which was probably foreplay for Kakashi.

Once the door was finally unlocked and opened, Naruto dragged his weary body into the open living room and slowly into his bedroom off to the right. It wasn’t till he flicked on the light of his bedroom that Naruto stopped short.

“Kakashi?”

“Hmmm?” Kakashi answered, rubbing at the side of his head – the side that had connected quite heavily with the wall at Naruto swift and vicious move earlier. “That hurt, Naruto.” Kakashi complained as he stepped into Naruto’s apartment only to meet the dark, almost onymous, slitted eyes of his former pupil.

“That’s not all that is gonna hurt if you don’t tell me where all my stuff is.” Naruto hissed, sounding completely enraged. Kakashi stopped short as he looked around the dark, but obviously empty, apartment. Everything was gone. Even the furniture and throw carpets.

Kakashi sneaked a quick glance behind Naruto to see that even the bed was gone as well as all the contents within the closet. Nothing remained. There wasn’t even a tack on any wall that Naruto used to hang various posters and pictures he had hung up in his apartment.

Kakashi blinked a few times before his face split into a grin underneath his mask.

“Well, no wonder he didn’t want you to enter your apartment. He moves pretty quickly off-and-on the field, eh?” Kakashi chuckled as he dug out his novel once again as Naruto seethed. Kakashi watched him over the top of his book as Naruto’s face turned a dull red while he clenched and unclenched his fists a few times before he exploding.

“ASSHOLE!!! HOKAGE OR NOT, I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!!!” Naruto bellowed, throwing himself out the open window in the general direction of the Hokage tower. Kakashi sighed, thinking of the two nins in their youth.

He just wished that the two would hurry up and screw each other senseless.

“The drama. This is almost better then my book.” Kakashi said, shaking his head and moving to follow his ex-student.

There was no way Kakashi was going to miss this. Besides, Iruka wanted to know how Naruto was and he wouldn’t know unless he followed, right?

And what kind of ninja would he be if he didn’t snoop around and gather gossip?

An honest one, probably.


~o0*KK*0o~


AN: I apologise, but life got in the way. Life's a bitch and then it has puppies, or Life's a bitch and then you marry one. Either way, I was too stressed to even try to write anything let alone do anything other then work, sleep and eat. I'm so sorry and I know how much it sucks to wait around for another chapter to a story you are interested in. It bugs me too, trust me. Thus I have finished this story today because I was feeling good and thus I'm posting all of it.

Cheers,
K.King