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Recherche	By : Eggburtshamslice Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Kakashi/Iruka Views: 4188 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any profit from this work of fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 17
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- 19
Recherché: Unveiling
Base of operations secured, a pipeline of information from the constables laid, Kotetsu and Izumo await Iruka's arrival outside the Administrative complex. Kotetsu having turned himself toward the plaza, Izumo at his back, scouring the shoreline and docks.
"We'll need to lay in store plenty of rice, beans and the like. I trust your skills with bow and arrow haven't gone rusty Tetsu."
"Don't worry about me … we'll have fresh meat on our table every night. Oughta be more concerned about your cousin," he said clicking closed his pocket watch. "Should've been here by now. Maybe I should walk back to the inn--"
"Relax ... it's only half past one."
"Wasn't like he was doing anything important, what's taking so long?"
"I declare … your memory is getting shorter by the day. The floor plans, the one's you accused him of stealing ... important part of the scheme he covered in detail to and from the diner last night? Any of that ring a bell for--"
"Ah, Misters Hagane and Kamizuki," boomed a familiar voice.
Given that condescending tone, Izumo wasn't surprised to see Inspector Morino when he turned about. He stood grinning at them, his arms folded across his chest and a thin brown cigar caught between his teeth. "Always a pleasure, sir," he said with a smile.
"Seems the tripod is missing a leg. Where is the good doctor anyway?" They stood silent as Ibiki bent down, scrubbing the ash from his toby against the pavement. "Have to tell ya," he sniped while rising to his full height, "I was shocked to see the three of you at the tsuya last night."
Kotetsu puffed himself up, "Like everybody else, we came to offer condolences and prayers. That sort of thing a crime in Konoha, Inspector?"
"No... just found it curious. Do have a good afternoon, sirs."
Watching Ibiki stroll to the front door of the Complex, he sneered, "I don't know why, but that man irritates the hell out of me Zumo. Think he's here for the meeting too?"
"Don't let him rattle you. He had a file tucked under his arm ...probably just dropping off a report or filing paperwork."
"If you say so. I hate standing around, shaking the change in my pocket; I'm gonna take a walk … look for Ruka."
"It'll be a short trip; he was standing near the wharf a minute ago."
Kotetsu turned about, straining to catch sight of the man, "Move your big head; can't see nothing ... oh, what the hell was he doing over there?"
"You know how he is ... when something's bothering him, idly sitting near a body of water helps him think it through--"
"Pfft … he's just gonna show his face and answer some stupid questions; how mentally taxing can that be?"
Recherché
Maito stands across the plaza, watching as the trio assembles. He follows close behind as they enter the building and listens carefully as the Governor's assistant leads them into the conference room. This should be interesting, he thinks, taking a seat in the area designated for distinguished visitors. From his pocket, he retrieves a small vial filled with a purplish liquid; gulping it down quickly, he checks the surrounding area for witnesses before his body is sucked into the woodwork behind him. Into the bright light of the room where the four men are gathered, he stands invisible.
"Who knew our paths would cross this soon," Iruka said as he took a seat opposite the Inspector. "I thought you'd had it up to your back teeth with us yesterday."
"I did," was Ibiki's dry response, "but I'd kick myself forever if I passed up another opportunity to see your smiling faces."
"What joy to accommodate you then," sniped Kotetsu cutting his eyes at the smug man and brushing off the pain of Izumo's warning knock against his thigh.
"Settle down, Hagane. I'm here as an observer ... at the Governor's request."
"Gentlemen," Shizune intervened, "Lady Tsunade will join us momentarily. Would anyone care for tea?"
Iruka opened the portfolio, sliding several of the note filled pages before Izumo. "If it isn't any trouble I'd like a cup."
"As would I," they heard the Governor say as she entered. Approaching from the right of the trio, she stopped near the head of the table, graciously accepting their regards. "Well, well, the cheeky young man from yesterday turns out to be the son of the esteemed Dr. Umino Tadashi. Looks like I owe you an apology Shizune."
Her assistant smiled, quietly dismissing herself; Iruka on the hand, fumbled about, failing spectacularly at recovering the chair tipped over after he leapt from it. "You're the Governor? When I… the park … I had no idea ... who .... I'm so-"
"Clumsy," she helpfully supplied, "embarrassed .... shocked? Give ... then I'll decide whether or not to forgive you. Once again, comprehension escaped him. Grabbing at his hand, she gave his palm a cursory examination. "No bleeding or inflammation ... least you're obedient."
"Thank you ma'am." Once she'd released him from the crushing grip, he righted the chair and humbly bowed. "Allow me to introduce my companions Kamizuki Izumo and to his left, Hagane Kotetsu."
Both men bowed as she acknowledged them with a bright smile. "Since you found the apothecary, should I also assume you made it to the fire brigade?"
"They were most helpful, thank you--"
"And that drivel about a thesis...it was a lie, wasn't it?"
"That part was," Iruka admitted, "just wanted to see if I could get my hands on a floor plan for the home my parents lived in. Been thinking about settling here, building a home for my own family--"
"I didn't remember you having this scar when you were a child, Iruka," she said, carefully reaching out, her thumb trailing the old wound. "Not another apple slicing accident, was it?"
Reflexively leaning away from her touch, he lowered his head. "No, it was sustained during a fight ... long ago."
"I'm sure you'll tell me all about it later." Ibiki pulled out the chair to his left. "Please be seated gentlemen." Poised serenely near the edge of her chair, her hands folded before her on the table, she said, "Now, let's get down to business. First, I was unaware your father was deceased until the Inspector told me yesterday … you have my condolences."
"Much appreciated."
"Second, homicides are rare in the territory ... when they do happen, our constables are quick to apprehend the guilty party. However, we've had a spate of unsolved murders in a short time under very unusual circumstances; that's why I sought your father's advice. I'm hoping he shared his thoughts on the matter with you."
"He couldn't ma'am. By the time your letter arrived, my father was unable to communicate rationally. But," he said flipping through the portfolio, "there's a wealth of information in his notes which will help you understand the recent goings on. I must warn you, the things you'll see and hear, incredible as they seem, are indeed factual. I will speak only the truth--"
"I'm a doctor first and foremost; seen things in reality stranger than anything you could make me imagine Dr. Umino. As to Tadashi's notes, some of my ancestors left behind writings of things far beyond human comprehension," she quietly said. "Wolf like beings, ghostly apparitions gathering under the light of a full moon to perform strange rituals … I doubt the information you'll share will frighten me. Proceed."
Ibiki folded his arms across his chest and sank back into his seat with a sigh.
"Very well. What Konoha is currently dealing with are called gaki, indiscriminate killers which strike as their appetite dictates. It matters little to them if the prey is male, female, human or animal; their only interest is the taste of warm flesh and blood." Pushing the portfolio toward her, he watched her flip through pages of notes until she came to the drawings. "Right there ma'am … on the left side of the page; that's a gaki in its true form."
"Good god …it's horrifying!"
"These sketches were the property of Professor Kenichi Yamada. My father acquired them and added his own research notes as he--"
All eyes turned toward the Governor's assistant as a china teapot violently rattled against the silver tray she carried. "Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Umino, but did I hear you correctly? Those things… eat people?"
"They've been known to do so, yes."
"For heaven sake, Shizune. Either take a seat or put the tray down before you drop it!"
"Yes ma'am, pardon me … those grotesque images shot a chill up my spine."
Maito looked over the young woman's shoulder as she sat down. Professor Yamada, he thought laughing to himself. Tinkering with spells and hexes, summoning a Yasha one time too many, tried to make friends with it and paid the ultimate price.
"As I was saying," Iruka continued, "if these creatures were acting of their own accord, you'd have more victims. I believe they're following the leadership of another; a numen, a prince of demons. They're working in concert with a being more powerful than they to accomplish a specific goal."
"Yes," Izumo said, "the type of gaki orchestrating these murders is an evolved being; he's' an ancient, charismatic and intelligent creature that--"
"How on earth can you tell? These drawings depict no external genitalia," Tsunade offered. "What makes you think this thing is male, Mr. Kamizuki?"
Easing the portfolio from her, Izumo flipped back a few pages and turned it round again. "Gaki of this type prey on the opposite sex … here we are … on this page you can clearly see the difference between Yasha and this other creature. They all belong to a class of yokai known as bakemono obake because they can assume different forms. Once they assume the desired appearance, I assure you, Yasha are quite alluring. The teats on either side of the belly become female breasts-"
"That thing next to the Yasha ... looks like a giant bat with huge fangs to me," she said.
"The creature we're looking for … that is his true form, ma'am. Usually he takes on the appearance of a handsome, tall, very slender and charming man. The murder victims were all women, correct? Each of them were carefully selected with the intent of presenting them as handmaidens for his bride."
"And how many victims or handmaidens are we talking about?" Ibiki asked. "Is there a required number to make up this 'bridal entourage'?"
"Depends," said Kotetsu. "The power and prestige of the numen determines the number of victims. If he's as old as we suspect, it might be ten, twelve or even fifteen … who knows?"
"The bride," Iruka injected, "who is typically between the ages of nineteen and twenty-five and virginal, is assigned to the care of the Yasha. They act as her guardians while the numen woos her. They safeguard her virginity, fighting to the death any suitors that they might present her chaste before their Master. Once the number of handmaidens are assembled, the numen invokes a powerful spell which calls forth from the grave the women he murdered--"
"Best have my men patrol the cemetery from now on then Dr. Umino. Pretty sure rising from the dead is illegal."
Tsunade kicked him in the shin under the table. "I hope you understand, Iruka… this information is difficult for us to hear--"
"And impossible to believe," Ibiki mumbled under his breath.
"Yeah, I thought these guys were nuts too," Kotetsu laughed, "till I came face to face with one of the damn things."
Iruka pressed on, "Female gaki or Yasha, are more aggressive and ferocious than their male counterparts. Those not selected as to attend the bride, lure their meals to their deaths with promises of sexual relations. They kill them during a sex act." Iruka cringed as he continued, "Once the man lowers his pants, the Yasha revert to their true form. A single bite through the thigh, right down to the femoral artery is all it takes. And as he lays bleeding, the Yasha feast on his flesh; whatever is left becomes food for other gaki, drawn by the scent of a fresh kill. Nothing is spared. In the end, all that remains of the victim is a skeleton."
Tsunade and Ibiki exchanged worried glances. "Indulge me, Inspector," she said at last. "Compile a report of every missing person these last seven months--"
"A waste of time," Izumo told her sadly. "I'm willing to bet those reports won't take transients into consideration--"
"The ports of Konoha provide the gaki with an endless buffet. Itinerant sailors thinking nothing of 'jumping ship' to make more money with another crew. Not unusual for their names to be scrubbed from a ship's manifest--"
"That's right, Tetsu. So, in summary, we're looking for an intelligent and powerful being with an army of gaki behind him; a creature with the ability to manipulate others to do his bidding," Iruka said. "In the east, he's known as the Bird of Death, though our European neighbors call him, Nosferatu--"
"Oh, for god sake!" Ibiki roared slamming his fists on the tabletop. "If word gets out we're hunting a vampire, my constables will look even bigger fools. And what if the murderer turns out to be a psychologically damaged human being, then what Dr. Umino?"
"Perhaps, we're both correct in our understanding, Inspector. Some vampires were once human that will never die; under the cover of darkness they strike, feeding on the life blood of their victims to maintain immortality--"
"Tell me something, if this being is immortal, how are we to kill him?"
Once again, Iruka pulled the portfolio close and thumbed through its pages. "According to my father and Professor Yamada, there are only three ways to kill a creature like this, Inspector. The first is a wooden stake driven through the heart as it lies in repose. Second, prolonged exposure to direct sunlight or finally, cutting off its head and pouring holy water or oils into its body cavity."
"I see. And if this 'thing' is as powerful as you claim, how are we to get close enough to do any of those things?"
"You'd do well to leave that bit to the experts, Morino. We have the weaponry and know how to destroy him," Kotetsu boasted.
"That I cannot do that, sir. If this thing is a monster as you say, then drag its carcass into the town square and receive the adulation of the people. If it be a man, more the better. We'll bring him before the courts for judgment. The people of this territory deserve to see someone apprehended and made to stand trial for--"
"If we find him first Inspector, apprehension and a trial aint options; we're gonna kill him, see?"
"Be advised Mr. Hagane, I could arrest you right now for communicating a threat--"
"Aint a threat ...it's a fact. We're the only ones qualified to take him down--"
"And if we don't kill him," Izumo said, "the murders will continue. Is that what you'd prefer Inspector?"
"Well, aren't you the cocky ones? Hang on," Ibiki laughed as he wrote their names on a scrap of paper near Tsunade's arm. "Hagane and Kamizuki … wanna make sure your names are recorded correctly for the tombstones."
Tsunade slammed her foot against his instep. "No need to rile yourselves, gentlemen. We're here to exchange information; I'll not let this become a raucous debate."
"Fine," Ibiki snapped. "Let's say for a moment, I believe everything you've told us. Care to explain how it's possible for anyone or anything to drain every drop of blood from a body without splattering it all over the victim's clothing, hair or crime scene?"
"I'll field that one," Iruka said as he fished around inside his jacket pocket for a smaller notebook. "I may have neglected to mention this earlier but gaki can move about without leaving a trace Inspector." In just a few moments he'd found the passage he was looking for. "My father noted that the first bite puts the victim under the numen's spell, marking her for the Yasha's protection; the second bite cements the numen's hold over the mind of his prey. At the appointed time is the prey summoned to the numen's lair for the third and final bite; the woman yields herself to the creature, pleading with it to bind her for eternity--"
"What a heap of malarkey," Ibiki snorted.
Iruka ignored him, turning another page. "The Yasha will carefully divest her of every scrap of clothing before binding her to a marble slab or sacrificial altar, if you will. They cover her from head to foot with a portion meant to purify the body; afterwards, the numen falls upon her, ripping open her throat, cutting through the carotid artery with his fangs and drinking his fill. She's bathed a final time after death … her body carefully redressed. Another servant then transports the corpse to a location predetermined by the numen."
"Your father witnessed this ritual, Iruka?"
"Whether he saw it for himself or whether it was told him, I cannot say with certainty, ma'am. Given the date of this diary entry, I know he was still in control of his faculties and can attest to the fact that this is his handwriting." Tucking the notebook inside his breast pocket, he pled, "Everyone in this room wants to prevent another murder, which I guarantee will occur in a few weeks' time. To that end, I have one request. Inspector Morino, Lady Tsunade ... we need an assurance of immunity; let us track and kill him without any interference or repercussions for what we must do."
"If you wish to hunt known killer that just so happens to be a mythical creature, I for one won't mourn your loss," Ibiki countered. "But if this be a human being, you're asking me to turn a blind eye to murder, Dr. Umino--"
"He is a monster sir. A monster that will drag the people of this land into deeper terror if we don't act quickly."
"If I didn't know any better," Tsunade laughed, "it sounds as if you already know who this being is, Iruka."
"That I do ma'am. The murderer is--"
"Hush!" Izumo hissed. "Don't you dare!"
"They're gonna find out after we dispose of him anyway, Zumo." Drawing the portfolio before him, Iruka assembled the scattered drawings and reverently closed the cover. As he rose from his seat he warned, "With or without your permission, I will deal with this situation in my own way, to avenge my father's death."
"Avenge? Are you saying Tadashi was … murdered?"
"My father sustained an injury; sepsis corrupted his blood, rendering him insane and eventually killing him." He dropped back into his seat, his eyes vacant as he mumbled, "About a year ago, this past January, Izumo and I were preparing dinner for my father when we heard an argument coming from the study. We arrived to find my father bloodied with a decapitated man lying at his feet. Before we could reach him, another creature leapt through the window. As it turned away from us and scooped up the remains of the dead man, it screamed … no … mournfully howled, one word over and over …
Father!
"My god, Iruka," Tsunade gasped, "you're pale as a ghost!"
"My father's killer," he breathed, "was Hatake Sakumo.
His son, Hatake Kakashi …
has returned to Konoha to sire a new generation of demons."
Note:
Yokai: class of supernatural monsters, spirits and demons. Yokai which can shapeshift are referred to as bakemono obake.
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