The Gathering V: Wrap Up
Kakashi was alone for nearly a minute before the look-alike came back. During that time he ran a quick comparison in his head. The stranger was thinner than
him. The outfit masked that just enough so most people wouldn't notice right away. And the guy didn't have a scar to go with his sharingan. Aside from that, he
hadn't seen anything to tell him what sort of trick was being used to make someone who looked so much like him. It wasn't an illusion and it wasn't henge. What
did that leave?
There was no warning when the look-alike returned. No more than when he'd left. Kakashi thought he might have felt a slight displacement in the air, a pop
that was felt rather than heard. It definitely wasn't a jutsu. There was no chakra being used. And now that he noticed, he realized he hadn't felt any chakra
being used when the man took Sasuke and Naruto, either.
"Yo," the look-alike greeted, reappearing in the same place he'd been before. He beamed at Kakashi and waved a hand at his side, "I brought a familiar-" He
blinked at the empty space beside him and the smile turned into a scowl. "Oi..."
"Who are you?" Kakashi asked, in a very controlled and quiet tone.
"Eh," the man blinked, glancing over for a second. Then he went back to scowling at the empty place. "I'm you, of course. That's a little hard to accept at first,
so I brought someone else you'd recognize and doubt less. Only the brat seems to have skipped out on me somewhere. Maa...if he got lost I'll never hear the
end of it..."
"What have you done with Naruto and Sasuke?" asked Kakashi.
"I borrowed them," the man said, in that annoyed and distracted tone. "Just give me a minute and I'll explain. He should be here any second now. He's a really
good kid. Most of the time..."
Kakashi took a smooth step forward. He was well within killing distance when a loud crack sounded in the room and a dark-haired kid appeared right in front of
him. The kid immediately stumbled into him and Kakashi caught his arms to keep him from falling face first.
"Ah!" the boy cried, in a light embarrassed tenor. "I'm sorry! I haven't had much experience with dimension hopping so I got a little lost. Did you wait long,
Kaka-" And he glanced up, blinked at Kakashi, looked over at the look-alike, and blinked again. "Kakashi-sensei...? You didn't do anything bad, did you...?"
Kakashi recognized the boy instantly. How could he not? He looked exactly the same as he had the last time Kakashi had seen him. The long dark hair, the
doe eyes, the blatant innocence on his too effeminate face. The only thing missing was the blood. Kakashi released him and took a sharp step back to put
more distance between them.
"What is this?" asked Kakashi.
"You know him, right?" the look-alike smiled. "I thought things would go smoother if I brought along someone who isn't you." He patted a hand on the boy's
shoulder, earning him a worried look. "Haku, this is the Kakashi in this dimension. You're so trustworthy, I thought you'd be a good choice to tell him about the
school. I've borrowed some of their children and they're a bit upset about it."
"...I see," Haku said slowly. He ventured a glance at the other Kakashi, who was staring at him as if he were something horrible. "Ah, Kakashi-sensei," he
murmured to the look-alike, "are you sure I'm here, too?"
"You should be," the man frowned. He tilted his head at Kakashi. "You do know him, right?"
"I killed him," said Kakashi.
Haku flinched, his eyes turning cold. "Why?"
"Really," the look-alike winced. "What's wrong with you? Iruka acts like we're not even friends, so I know you've never so much as hit on him. You've got
students who are clearly suffering from unresolved sexual tension and you haven't even tried locking them in a room together. And you killed Haku? I knew
there was something wrong with this dimension. I'm starting to think it's you."
"Kakashi-sensei," Haku said quietly, "I'm sure you...that is, he...wouldn't have done something like that without good cause."
"See?" the look-alike glowered at Kakashi. "You killed the kid and he's still defending you. They don't make kids as tolerable as this one. There has to be
something very wrong with you. Is it the ninja thing? Too much celibacy affecting your brain? You know, a little dolphin porn will fix that right up. Honestly, it's
embarrassing to see a version of me as messed up as this."
Kakashi opened his mouth. He stood with it open for nearly a minute. Nothing came out.
"Let me tell him about the school," Haku said to the look-alike.
"Why are you so nice?" the man sighed. "He killed you in this dimension."
"That's why you brought me here," Haku shrugged. He turned back to Kakashi, his expression cool and impersonal. "We're from a dimension where magic is
used. Among other things, this magic allows us to travel between worlds, times, and dimensions. My own world is different from the one Kakashi-sensei is from.
In my world people with magical potential live in hiding, unable to tap or even understand their own strength for fear of being hunted and exterminated.
Kakashi-sensei's school is a haven for such people. The professors there are from a variety of worlds, with a combined pool of knowledge that can tap and
make the most of any inborn talent. That's where your children are."
He turned to the look-alike, his lips twitching into a frown, "Did you kidnap them?"
"Borrowed," the man frowned back. "I borrowed them. He'll get them back."
"...I see," Haku sighed. He turned back to Kakashi, looking regretful and a tad guilty. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'm sure Kakashi-sensei would not have
taken students from this dimension if they didn't show a great deal of potential. They'll return much better for the experience."
"When?" Kakashi asked sharply. He blinked when he realized his mouth was working again. "You can't just take them and expect us not to fight back. This is-"
"Maa," the look-alike drawled. "I'm not asking permission. You'll be grateful in the long run, anyway. The reason this realm was on our travel list is because
there have already been travelers crossing from this dimension. Maybe you've met them. There has to be more to the ninja thing than just killing tolerable kids
like Haku, here. A group of quiet guys, like to wear red and black robes, go around sticking their noses where they don't belong and killing people? A couple of
them are pedophiles, if that helps."
Kakashi flinched. "Akatsuki."
"That's the one!" He beamed at Kakashi. "There are some aurors back home who've been meaning to have a talk with those guys. I expect they'll be
disappointed when they find out I took two of their demons. I can drop by and talk with them myself, if it'll make you feel better. Let em know there's no reason
to bother this town of yours for a while? I don't mind doing some favors in return for getting such a nice group of students."
"You need to speak to the Hokage," Kakashi said suddenly.
"Ah, no," the look-alike grimaced. "Don't tell me you're not in charge. Celibate, a kid killer, and you're not even in charge of the place? You're in dire need of
tips on how to be a better me. This is humiliating..."
Kakashi glared and might have responded with something scathing if a third person hadn't joined the two strangers. This one came as silently as the
doppelganger and was just as familiar. Kakashi barely flinched at the sight of yet another ghost. At least he hadn't killed this one.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" the man growled, grabbing the look-alike Kakashi by the throat and shaking him like a rag doll. "He's not old enough to
apparate, let alone hop dimensions, and you damn well know it! He could have been splinched!"
Haku jumped and stopped just short of laying a hand on the furious man's arm. "Zabusa-san! Please don't kill Kakashi-sensei. I agreed to help him, and the
school won't function if you kill the headmaster..."
"Ch, like one of the others couldn't replace him," Zabusa scoffed. "Lazy bastard." He dropped his burden and snapped a glare on Haku. "Don't agree to 'help'
him again. You work for me."
Haku beamed and didn't so much as flinch when a heavy hand closed over the back of his neck. Zabusa flashed one more glare at the look-alike.
"A clean death's too good for you," Zabusa said, with a twisted smile. "I'll have a talk with Iruka instead."
The angry man disappeared silently, an obedient Haku in tow. A panicky look spread over the mask-wearing man who was left behind.
"Maa," he sighed, flashing a reluctant look at Kakashi. "I don't think I'll be going home for a while. Might as well go talk to this leader of yours. I suddenly have a
great deal of time on my hands..."
.-.
PART 6
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