Drabble: Early Days
Drabble for sum_solus, based in the Fallen Leaves world.
Title: Early Days.
Pairing: Kakashi & Hoshika.
Rating: G
Summery: Sometimes puppy training has its disadvantages.
---
The puppy was small, barely standing half-way up Kakashi's shin, and wobbly on her overly large paws. Her ears were too big, her tail was too long, and her fur was a fly-away tangle of dark coffee-brown and sable black. But her eyes were bright and intelligent, and her bark was strong and clear.
Kakashi was a little more focused on the half-chewed scroll dangling from her jaws.
"Hoshika!" he yelped, and bolted up from the bed. Or tried to. He caught his foot on the rumpled covers at the last second and staggered sideways, tripping over with a complete lack of ninja grace. He landed hard on his knees in a landslide of blankets and one dog hair covered pillow, and swore loudly.
Hoshika wagged her tail hard enough to shake her small body and leapt on him, delighted with this brand new game. The stolen scroll clunked Kakashi on the eyebrow; he yelped again.
"No--wait--hang on, you stupid--!" He flailed out of the bedclothes and snatched Hoshika out of mid-air, catching her by the ribcage.
She wriggled with glee and licked his face from hairline to masked lips. The scroll landed in his lap.
"Oh, you are so not funny, mutfface." He held her away and glared with all the venom a tired fourteen-year-old could muster. Then he shoved his hitai-ate to one side, freeing a little more vision; he still wasn't used to getting a half-view of everything. "I thought we'd talked about this eating my stuff thing? It's not like I don't feed you."
Soulful brown eyes informed him that he didn't feed her enough.
"Monster," Kakashi grumbled, trying not to sound affectionate, and rubbed his bruised knuckles roughly between her ears. Her long tail helicoptered and beat against his wrist. "I was trying to sleep, you know. We need to head on in a few hours."
Hoshika snorted once, a sound almost like a sneeze.
"I don't care that you want to stay. We've got orders." He glanced over the bare little hotel room, lone grey eye automatically checking seals. They shimmered gently on the edge of vision, quiescent still. "And I don't see why you want to stay here, it doesn't even smell good."
Hoshika twisted in his hands, turning to look at the window. Grey rain rattled hard against the glass.
"Admittedly it's better than the tent," he conceded. "But I think a ditch would be better than the tent..."
He dropped the puppy into his lap--shifting the scroll to one side first--and scrubbed his hands over his face, pulling his twisted mask back into place. Then he gave his palms a disgruntled look; they were still grimy with mud and--yes, bits of intestine.
"Dammit. Here, you want to be useful?" He offered his hands to Hoshika, face up. She wrinkled her nose at him. "Picky, picky," he sighed. "Fine, I'm going to grab a shower--"
Hoshika bounded up, dancing onto her hind legs.
"Or we're going to go grab a shower," Kakashi amended, wearily amused. "Maybe I can stuff you down the plughole for eating my stuff..."
Little puppy teeth glinted as she clamped her narrow jaw neatly around his pants-leg, tugging with a 'you're not moving fast enough' growl.
"I'm up, I'm up!" Kakashi said, staggering to his feet. He yawned, cracking his jaw, and raked a hand through his muddy hair. "You're an evil little rat-dog, I want you to know."
Hoshika yanked, dancing from side to side. He bent down and scooped her up, unhooking her teeth from cloth and lifting her warm weight to rest on his ribs. She shoved her nose against his throat, inhaling deeply. He wondered vaguely what she was getting; his own scent, or something worse? Probably both.
Really, she was too young to be on a mission with him. Too small. But people had said that about him for years, and they'd all been wrong.
Everyone got pushed harder in the war, even summons.
Even puppies.
He rubbed his fingers over the back of her neck, earning himself a tattoo-beat thump from her tail, and smiled a little. So far she'd earned her place.
"Yeah, yeah, brat, I'm going. You're still not forgiven for the scroll, you know. I liked that jutsu..."
He was more amused when she ate the soap.
Title: Early Days.
Pairing: Kakashi & Hoshika.
Rating: G
Summery: Sometimes puppy training has its disadvantages.
---
The puppy was small, barely standing half-way up Kakashi's shin, and wobbly on her overly large paws. Her ears were too big, her tail was too long, and her fur was a fly-away tangle of dark coffee-brown and sable black. But her eyes were bright and intelligent, and her bark was strong and clear.
Kakashi was a little more focused on the half-chewed scroll dangling from her jaws.
"Hoshika!" he yelped, and bolted up from the bed. Or tried to. He caught his foot on the rumpled covers at the last second and staggered sideways, tripping over with a complete lack of ninja grace. He landed hard on his knees in a landslide of blankets and one dog hair covered pillow, and swore loudly.
Hoshika wagged her tail hard enough to shake her small body and leapt on him, delighted with this brand new game. The stolen scroll clunked Kakashi on the eyebrow; he yelped again.
"No--wait--hang on, you stupid--!" He flailed out of the bedclothes and snatched Hoshika out of mid-air, catching her by the ribcage.
She wriggled with glee and licked his face from hairline to masked lips. The scroll landed in his lap.
"Oh, you are so not funny, mutfface." He held her away and glared with all the venom a tired fourteen-year-old could muster. Then he shoved his hitai-ate to one side, freeing a little more vision; he still wasn't used to getting a half-view of everything. "I thought we'd talked about this eating my stuff thing? It's not like I don't feed you."
Soulful brown eyes informed him that he didn't feed her enough.
"Monster," Kakashi grumbled, trying not to sound affectionate, and rubbed his bruised knuckles roughly between her ears. Her long tail helicoptered and beat against his wrist. "I was trying to sleep, you know. We need to head on in a few hours."
Hoshika snorted once, a sound almost like a sneeze.
"I don't care that you want to stay. We've got orders." He glanced over the bare little hotel room, lone grey eye automatically checking seals. They shimmered gently on the edge of vision, quiescent still. "And I don't see why you want to stay here, it doesn't even smell good."
Hoshika twisted in his hands, turning to look at the window. Grey rain rattled hard against the glass.
"Admittedly it's better than the tent," he conceded. "But I think a ditch would be better than the tent..."
He dropped the puppy into his lap--shifting the scroll to one side first--and scrubbed his hands over his face, pulling his twisted mask back into place. Then he gave his palms a disgruntled look; they were still grimy with mud and--yes, bits of intestine.
"Dammit. Here, you want to be useful?" He offered his hands to Hoshika, face up. She wrinkled her nose at him. "Picky, picky," he sighed. "Fine, I'm going to grab a shower--"
Hoshika bounded up, dancing onto her hind legs.
"Or we're going to go grab a shower," Kakashi amended, wearily amused. "Maybe I can stuff you down the plughole for eating my stuff..."
Little puppy teeth glinted as she clamped her narrow jaw neatly around his pants-leg, tugging with a 'you're not moving fast enough' growl.
"I'm up, I'm up!" Kakashi said, staggering to his feet. He yawned, cracking his jaw, and raked a hand through his muddy hair. "You're an evil little rat-dog, I want you to know."
Hoshika yanked, dancing from side to side. He bent down and scooped her up, unhooking her teeth from cloth and lifting her warm weight to rest on his ribs. She shoved her nose against his throat, inhaling deeply. He wondered vaguely what she was getting; his own scent, or something worse? Probably both.
Really, she was too young to be on a mission with him. Too small. But people had said that about him for years, and they'd all been wrong.
Everyone got pushed harder in the war, even summons.
Even puppies.
He rubbed his fingers over the back of her neck, earning himself a tattoo-beat thump from her tail, and smiled a little. So far she'd earned her place.
"Yeah, yeah, brat, I'm going. You're still not forgiven for the scroll, you know. I liked that jutsu..."
He was more amused when she ate the soap.