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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
- 21
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So much has happened in the span of two and a half weeks:
During an elaborate ceremony in the town square, Lady Tsunade signs the first of many import/export accords with Europe, England specifically; these days she entertains lawyers and envoys from France and Italy and her nights are spent either hosting or attending elegant dinner gatherings.
Having settled into their new home, Iruka, Izumo and Kotetsu are still ironing out the details of what still seems a dodgy gamble. And poor Ibiki, he's worn a path from his home to the post office and worn out his welcome with the kindly post master as he impatiently awaits delivery of police reports from London.
As another dawn silently breaks at the beginning of the fourth week, haggard factory workers exchange greetings as they begin or end a long shift, while other of the town residents push themselves from cozy beds. The docks have been humming as well; for every two ships steaming toward the west laden with finished products, two more filled with raw materials find mooring in their empty berths.
And lest we forget, Konoha's 'mating season' is just about to reach its peak. The affluent hold their collective mint scented breaths in anticipation of the final event –
a grand soiree at the Hatake estate.
It is there in the belly of the manor house near the cemetery, inside a dimly lit vault, we find two faithful servants standing on either side of the apothecary cabinet. Down the stairs and along the corridor, they hear the measured steps of their master approaching. Kinoe shifts from foot to foot, his breaths quickening with each second as he keeps an eye on the door; Maito's stance is relaxed, his eyes lowered, arms held loosely at his sides.
When the footsteps cease …
an atramentous mist seeps through the stone wall
and suddenly is their Lord upon them.
Standing inches from Maito, the master eerily smiles and says, "The hour draws near … you can feel it too, can't you?
"Yes, my Lord."
"The atmosphere crackles with tension … the guardedness of my chosen makes heavy the breezes."
"Save one, Master."
Lord Hatake cocks his head to side, chuckling softly. "In due time will he fear me Maito, as befits a loyal subject. Quickly, bring it hither."
Without delay does the bondservant bow low as he backs away to retrieve the iron box beneath the cabinet. In the bat of an eye is he kneeling at the master's feet; his palms steadily supporting the heavy container as it is raised above his head, its contents laid bare for master's inspection. In the same moment, the temperature inside the vault plunges as Master's clothing and his suit of flesh rip in half and melt away. Translucent, blue tinged skin glistens in the light cast from the solitary lantern; powerful sinews bulge and ripple as Lord Hatake assumes his full height. When he stretches forth an appendage, Kinoe finds himself quaking in awe. Like those of a thaumaturge, clawed phalanges wave over the box. From each talon flows a thick green miasma which draws the six cards upward, suspending them in midair. The eyes of their Master, one a gangrenous yellow, the other blood red, take on a telestic gleam while his laughter stabs through the dank air.
"Now shall the last be first."
One of the cards breaks away from the others, swirling around the head and shoulders of their Lord before coming to rest on its edge against an outstretched manus.
"This one is for my primary target," he said as it gently tumbled to the ground beside Maito's foot. "You will take care to deliver it into his hands."
"Consider it done my Lord."
"As for you, Kinoe, the names of the other recipients are on your desk in the salon. You will visit each one in turn according to my instructions."
"Thank you Master."
In the span of a breath, their Lord stands before him. "Beware, Kinoe … should the ink be disturbed by clumsy handling, it will nullify the desired effect. Salt won't save you from my wrath should that happen."
"Of course," he swallowed hard, "I will exercise the greatest of care my Lord."
Kinoe was trembling to beat the band as his Master towered over him; thick, whetted fangs bared. "See that you do."
He took a few steps back, his eyes still locked onto his thunderstruck servant as layers of human skin and clothing of silk shroud the splendor of his true form.
In a puff of grey smoke, he vanished.
"Well," Maito snarled, "don't just stand there with your mouth agape. Take these and let us be about our Lord's business."
"You know," he said turning toward the cabinet, "this ink … I made it once before with another servant. Master took the mixing pot from my hand shortly thereafter and I never had a chance to see how it works," he said collecting the cards. "Oh damn it!"
"Are you so hungry for punishment that you smudged 'em already?"
"No... I took every detail into consideration as I planned… anticipated every contingency-"
"Hell are you mumbling about?"
"I agreed to provide lodging for many of the guests ... here … in this house."
"So what?"
In a panic, he clawed at the other man's forearm. "The soiree, you fool … it takes place during the phase of a full moon! I've put our Master in an untenable situation. How will he feed?"
"What are you … stupid?" Maito bellowed as he shook himself free. "If you do not yet understand the simplest things, how can you think yourself worthy of the house of Hatake?"
"He'll destroy me for certain--!"
"Don't raise my hopes. Kinoe. If Master meant you harm … you'd be a bloody stain by now." Dropping the box to the floor, he kicked it under the cabinet. "Be grateful, you still breathe after you failed to prioritize his needs. If I were Lord Hatake, you'd be a midafternoon snack for the yokai," he said wistfully. "Now show yourself appreciative of his mercy by doing as he ordered."
"You're right, of course," he said wiping the sweat from his brow. "It was an honest mistake … still, I'm not sure what to expect after I deliver the invitations. Should I wait for a written response or should I--?"
"Only after you carry out his instructions will you understand what needs doing. Begone!"
Kinoe grabbed the cards and the lantern, hurrying down the corridor and up the stairs. Racing to the salon, he found the list of recipients lying next to a carefully plotted diagram, a velvet lined pouch and five sheets of vellum.
Recherché
Kotetsu rubbed at his eyes, hoping he was seeing things. "So glad one of us had a wild night. You just gettin' up or never been to bed?"
Gesturing toward the kitchen, Izumo told him, "The water's still hot enough for tea."
"Gee thanks. Where's Ruka?"
"In bed … like I should be. Must you stand over my shoulder, scratching yourself like an animal?"
"Not like I got fleas or something. You know, I woulda joined ya guys last night if you'd asked."
"And you would've hated every minute," he yawned, "lots of reading and complex thought involved. Go on then, get your tea." He shook his head and grinned as Kotetsu staggered toward the kitchen. "So, what's on your plate for today?"
"I'd like some toast and eggs … oh, you mean… why? You thinkin' about dragging me to the Temple again? Cause if you are, so help me Zumo, I'll bust ya in the chops!"
"No Temple today, I've enough information here to keep me busy for the rest of the week."
After nosily rummaging through the cabinets, he poked his head into the other room, "Hey! Where's the sugar?"
Next to your mug, Izumo thought, same place it is every morning when you ask that question.
"Found it, it was next to my mug. I was thinkin' about going fishing. Gotta check the traps anyway … wanna come?"
"Nah, you've earned a frolic in the woods. Wouldn't want to deprive you of that."
"Frolic, my eye," he called from the kitchen. "Somebody round here has to gather up firewood and tote water for you lazy bums."
"The effort … always appreciated."
He slugged down a mouthful of tea and wearily propped himself against the door frame. "Mind movin' some of this junk outta the way so I can sit down?"
Izumo dropped his pen with a sigh, grudgingly shifting a stack of papers from the table to the floor. "I'd almost forgotten how pleasant you are first thing in the morning. And this 'junk,' as you call it, is but one box of Tadashi's notes. There's two more we've yet to open."
"Man … how much longer is this gonna take?"
"I don't know … still trying to familiarize ourselves with all the amulets Tadashi accumulated--"
"I thought everything we needed was in the valise?"
"Iruka gave some of them to Michio to research and repair. No idea where he's hiding the others."
"Damn! I'm itchin' to lop Hatake's head off, but at the rate you two are goin' we'll be old men before that happens."
Iruka stumbled from his room just then and veered toward the kitchen. "My … aren't we bloodthirsty this morning?"
"Yeah, bloodthirsty, it's part of my overall charm," Kotetsu said. "Thought you were having a lie in?"
"Couldn't sleep," he sighed. "Been wracking my brain for a way to conceal the amulets in our clothing--"
"Ruka, you're making this way too complicated," he said stepping out of his way. "I say we stuff the damn things in our pockets and be done with it … what, can't their power radiate through fabric?"
"I'm sure it can," Iruka said as he shook the kettle. "We have to be mindful and stealthy because in a struggle, they could be dislodged."
"Some of the amulets will keep Hatake at a distance," Izumo added as he cleared another space at the table, "but to render him immobile, others need to be in direct contact with his body--"
"Gimme a break, I know that, Zumo. And for the record, Hatake doesn't worry me as much as the army of gaki under his control. They're gonna run interference for him, you realize that right?"
"If the amulets are strong enough to humble a demon … low level gaki won't be a problem," Iruka countered when he took a seat at the table. "We know what to do with Hatake once he's cornered … where we've been hitting a brick wall is finding a way to capture him when he's alone."
"See," Kotetsu smirked as he sat down, "this is exactly why you snobs should've included me in your think tank. I'm not just a pretty face … I know stuff too. And like it or not, Ruka … you gotta get close, gotta let the enemy think he knows you …
then you strike."
Izumo rolled his eyes saying, "Thanks for pointing out the obvious--"
"I'm not talkin' about physical distance ya twit. What I mean is … his father worked elbow to elbow with Hatake's old man, right? That gave him knowledge of and access to--"
"Letting him think we mean no harm … not going to work. He already knows we have the weaponry--"
"Yeah, but Zumo, we're puny humans with weak minds in his book. If we can make him think we're soft on this revenge thing--"
"You think we can fool an omnipotent being into--?"
"What? Can he read minds too?"
"Hang on, you might have something there, my cloddish friend. Iruka, didn't you say the Governor was pestering you to meet with her and Hatake? Maybe that's the route we should take--"
"I wanna cut out his heart and smash it under my foot Zumo, not sit around sipping tea and eating finger sandwiches with him--"
"But if you go through with this meeting, it'll look like you want to settle your differences. Come on Ruka, I've seen ya fake sincerity hundreds of times--"
"Like when he smiles and agrees to go along with your crazy ideas?"
"Clam up Zumo … not gonna hurt to try."
"As if he'd believe my sudden change of heart; sorry pal, Hatake is not stupid."
"Okay then, Iruka, what about the other thing… you know … the guy?"
"Guy?" Kotetsu asked, "What guy?"
"Hmm... might not arrive in time; we've less than a week before the full moon--"
"Who, that little monk? Is he the guy?"
"At this point, a small gesture is better than nothing. We can't keep crossing our fingers, hoping Hatake will blunder into our path alone and devoid of power. That might take months and who knows how many victims he intends to--?"
"Hello? Who's the guy?"
"Zumo, the forces of good and right are on our side. If we just keep moving forward, the Fates are going to favor us eventually."
"That's crazy talk! And you know something else ... it's fine," Kotetsu huffed as he folded his arms across his chest, "don't tell me who this guy is."
"Listen ya hothead, we can't very well knock on a man's front door and chop his head off; we don't even know where he lives!"
"Then let the Governor set up a meeting between you two. Hell, I'll follow Hatake back to his house, since you're both so scared--"
"I'd rather keep losses minimal on our end. Stalking a demon on your own … it's too risky."
"Yeah, well coming all this way without a firm plan ... kinda stupid if you ask me."
"I have a plan," Iruka ground out, "its missing a component, that's all."
"Look, I trust you man … but, this is frustrating, you know? We're so close and now we're runnin' outta time."
"I'm frustrated too, Tetsu, but we can't rush something like this."
"Yeah, yeah, so, this 'guy' is the missing component. What if he never shows up … then what? I mean, what's he got that we don't already have?"
Iruka closed his eyes, rubbing away a headache. "His father was a student of the dark arts, a mystic, if you will-"
"Great, just what we need … another layabout gettin' in the way and slowin' us down-"
"Tetsu will you let him finish please?"
Unfazed, Iruka continued, "This man trained his son to carry on his work. I found all their information in Father's papers, sent him a letter before we left London."
"Oh, well, if he's got good penmanship skills ... that'll intimidate Hatake."
Iruka cut his eyes at his friend, "I'm sure I told you this the night we went to the diner; you probably weren't listening then either. Anyway, this young man has mastered a technique that lets him keep a target under remote surveillance--"
"We get the layout and routine of the house down pat without drawing attention to ourselves," Izumo explained. "Knowing when and how to strike gives us the advantage."
"Yes, but here's the thing," Iruka bowed his head and said, "I never got a response to my letter."
"Oh, that's wonderful! Can this crap storm get any bigger?"
"By the Buddha's beard ... will you be quiet for a minute?"
"No! The both of ya need to listen to me for a change! Ruka, this guy, that you never met before and don't really know, is supposed to travel all the way to Konoha from wherever the hell he lives, and share a mystical technique with us, just because you wrote him a letter? Does that sound stupid to anybody else at this table, or just me?”
"He's not some random 'guy,' Tetsu, he's family. Third cousin twice removed or something like that … on my maternal grandmother's side."
"This is ridiculous! I need to get outta here before I say something I can't take back." The empty mug overturned when Kotetsu stood; marching to the door, he almost ripped the nail from the wall when he snatched up his jacket. "Not sure whether I'm angry, disappointed or as crazy as you are, Ruka. I promised to stick by ya til the end ... just can't stand lookin' at ya right now."
"Come on man ... Tetsu, don't be like that--"
SLAM!
After the dust settled, Izumo took another beat and looked to Iruka. "That went better than expected, don't you think?"
Notes:
In days of old, salt was believed to ward off the power of evil spirits.
Atramentous: black as ink.
Thaumaturge: a worker of miracles.
Telestic: mystical.
Manus: the distal segment of the forelimb of a vertebrate; including the carpus and the forefoot.
Whetted: something made sharp or keen.
Vellum: translucent material prepared animal skin; it was used as a material for writing.
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