Chapter 4
Chapter Four:
The genin leave Kakashi on the ground and move back to sitting in front of the three large wolves. "You have excellent team work," the white wolf praises, amused. "Now, as for your answers…"
"Essentially, a pack is a group of wolves that live and hunt together," the black wolf explains. "Instinctively, a pack is formed through bonds that make you family."
Immediately, all three pups are wide eyed and smelling of fear. The black wolf continues, cataloguing the scents for later. "My siblings and I are a prime example. We may not be related by blood, but we've chosen to be Pack. We've chosen to be family."
"Now, since you've already signed the ninken scroll, I'm afraid there's no way out of this situation. To put it simply, you're stuck with each other."
There's a moment of silence and then Naruto speaks. "Great," he says, voice dripping with venomous sarcasm, "I'm stuck with a wannabe emo and his used-to-be fangirl."
"You're not stuck with me," Sasuke makes a disgusted face, "I'm stuck with you, dead last."
The boys glare at eachother, hands forming into fists and shoulders squaring. Before a fight can break out, the brown wolf gently uses his sharp teeth to lift Sasuke into the air by the back of his high collared shirt. "No fighting," the wolf growls and Sasuke, in his shock, goes limp.
Sighing, Sakura rubs the pads of her index and middle finger against her forehead, feeling an oncoming headache. "I'm going home," the girl says, standing to her feet. "I'll deal with this," she waves a hand at the wolves, "tomorrow." And then she's leaving, stepping over Kakashi's body (still on the floor, dramatically clutching his head. Sakura-chan is strong.)
The white wolf sighs. "I take back my words about their teamwork," she mutters and then follows after the pink haired girl.
"Whatever,'' Naruto huffs. He eyes the black wolf with narrowed blue eyes full of suspicion, lips twisting into a deep scowl. "Don't follow me," he grumbles, leaving.
The black wolf snorts. Ignoring the boy's words, he follows after him.
"And which way do you live, hm?" The brown wolf asks, settling Sasuke back down onto his feet. He nudges his snout into the boys back when he doesn't answer.
"This way," Sasuke says, obviously hesitant in his steps. The brown wolf walks by his side, his tail occasionally brushing along Sasuke's shoulders.
"Maa," Kakashi places a hand over his heart, still laying on the floor, all alone now that his pups have left him, "they grow up so fast."
Eventually Kakashi leaves to go back to his apartment. He's greeted by his pack, a hoard of cold noses pressing into his hands and his legs to sniff at him.
"Boss!" Bisuke, the youngest of the pack, barks, swishing his tail excitedly.
Kakashi smiles, kneeling down to pet him and the others. Uhei presses his paws along the back of Kakashi's shoulders and sniffs at his hair. "You smell like other summons," he says, sounding upset.
"Oh, my pups completed their summonings today," Kakashi explains, reaching around to run his pale fingers through Uhei's short, auburn fur. "There's no need to worry, I'd never replace any of you," he reassures.
Pakkun snorts. "As if we'd let you try," he grumbles. Kakashi reaches out to pet him with his other hand and Pakkun leans into the touch with a pleased sound, small tail thumping loudly against the wooden floors.
"So," Urushi asks, flashing his sharp teeth, "which unlucky dogs did they summon?"
Kakashi leads his pack towards the bedroom. "They summoned the Wolf Siblings," he says, ever so casually. As if the feat of summoning wolves, of all things, is a common occurrence. "Aren't my pups the best?"
Pakkun presses a paw to his forehead, not in the least bit surprised. "Your problem children have summoned problem wolves?"
"They're not problematic,'' Kakashi reasons, "just…" he can't quite find the right word. It might be aggressive, he thinks, or defensive. Maybe even dysfunctional, at best. He settles on shrugging instead. "Maa, in any case, that's tomorrow's problem."
He settles his headband onto his bedside table and does quick work of changing into his sleep clothes. Settling underneath the covers, Kakashi watches as Guruku turns the lights off and then moves onto the bed along with the rest of the pack to curl around him protectively for the night.
"Sleep well, Boss," Pakkun murmurs, placing his head onto Kakashi's chest. From his other side, Bisuke's cold snout presses into the male's neck.
"Mhhm," Kakashi hums, finally closing his eyes.
On the other side of the village, Naruto sits in the corner of his room, back against the wall and one knee pulled up to his chest, arm placed on top of it. From beneath his lashes, his eyes are harsh and cold.
Across the room, the black wolf curiously sniffs at the floor, his large form taking up most of the space. Naruto's home smells like him; a nice pleasant mix of sea salt and gentle herbs. Underneath that, however, is the barest hint of blood. "Interesting," the black wolf says, turning to take in the contents of his summoner's home. The kitchen is small, but well kept and on closer inspection, his equipment seems to be of older design, some of it stuck together with tape.
The wolf's black fur bristles. He turns to look at the living room/bedroom. There's a simple looking bed, one nightstand and a few books are stacked on the windowsill. Further from the bed sits an old kotetsu, with a small vase on top of it. A single flower is placed inside it, the petals long and red.
Sniffing the air, the black wolf catches the trace of blood once more. His tail twitches behind him. He scans the room once more and pauses when he notices an old, wrinkled poster just to the side of the window. He carefully makes his way over to it, aware of how much space he takes up in this small apartment.
At first glance, the poster doesn't seem all that interesting. It's dull with age, the colours not as bright as they once might have been, corners ripped and taped together. At second glance, the wolf slowly processes the information that he sees. The poster is basic, it's a lineup of different people of all ages doing normal, human expressions with the emotions written above them.
The black wolf turns to face his summoner. Tilting his head ever so slightly, he watches with sharp, golden eyes as Naruto mimics his movement, no hesitation, all precision.
"Interesting," he repeats. And then, "I've invaded your territory. Would you like me to leave?"
Naruto considers him, fingers flexing against his knee. His cold, blue eyes are nothing like they were earlier today. He nods stiffly.
The black wolf noses the window open. "I'll be outside," he says, stepping onto the stairway, "get some rest. I've no interest in hurting you, only protecting you."
His summoner scoffs and doesn't move from his designated corner.
"My name," the wolf starts, catching the window latch between his sharp teeth, "is Kuro.'' And just before he closes the window, he hears the soft, quiet voice of his summoner, murmuring, ''Naruto."
Kuro grunts and settles himself underneath the window, wrapping his long tail around himself. That night, much like his summoner, he doesn't sleep. Instead, he watches as ninja in ceramic masks move quietly through the night, every so often stopping at a nearby rooftop to stare at him. A flash of his golden eyes and sharp teeth, accompanied by a low, threatening growl has them all eventually scurrying away.