Private to Sasuke

[ura_no_ura]

[ Sasuke will wake up -- wherever he is -- to Pakkun sniffing at him and nudging at him with a cold wet nose. He has a bushel of large, ripe tomatoes tied to his back.

The attached note reads as follows, in Kakashi's terrible chickenscratch writing:

Sasuke --

Happy birthday.

In the corner, a henohenomoheji is drawn. The "no" that represents

Comments

[ura_no_ura]

[ Sniffs a bit at the air. Distastefully. He's a dog. Dog don't eat vegetables. ]

Kakashi's a strange one, eh... Dunno why he sent you those. Should've sent you some nice doggy treats instead. Biscuits or somethin' or maybe a nice steak...

Puppies like steak.

[a_for_tiori]

[He gives the dog a withering look before look down at the note.

It's simple. Not even signed with a name, just with a doodle. There's no message for him other than "happy birthday." Someone might look at a note like that and call it impersonal, even, if they didn't know Kakashi.

The note is... very Kakashi, Sasuke thinks. Just like him, to do something like that. To write a note that says almost nothing and somehow says a lot of things, also.]

I see.

Anything else?

[ura_no_ura]

Well, kiddo... you sure been worryin' him a lot, eh. Kakashi ain't much of a talker yanno, but he gets this look on his face a lot lately and I ain't ever seen him look like that 'cept when he's talkin 'bout you. And he smells worried, so I guess you're givin' him a headache, eh.

[ Rubs at his nose with a paw ]

Must be cuz you're away from the pack again... Don't even have 'em biscuits to eat! Puppies shouldn't be on their own. It ain't healthy.

[ Says this very sagely. ]

[a_for_tiori]

[Sasuke scowls at the little dog. When Sasuke said "anything else," he really meant "go away" but apparently that was too subtle for him.

As for Kakashi being worried... that wasn't Sasuke's fault. Kakashi didn't have any reason whatsoever to be worried about him. Sasuke had lived as a missing-nin for years and was a trained shinobi before that. He knew how to survive on his own.

For Kakashi to send his dog here to tell him about how bad he was feeling about Sasuke being gone - what was that? Was this supposed to be a guilt trip? Was that the reason he'd sent the package?]

I'm not a dog, and I don't have a pack. Feel free to tell Kakashi that, if he's forgotten.

[ura_no_ura]

[ Looks kinda confused. And even more wrinkly. ]

Watcha talkin' bout kid? Everybody's got a pack. Maybe you just left your pack behind but that don't mean you ain't got one. B'sides, you're just a pup. You ain't old enough to start your own pack.

One day, kiddo, you'll realize what you're missin' out on. A pack's the best thing there is. Specially when it gets cold.

[a_for_tiori]

[And Pakkun's advice is officially more incomprehensible than his master's.

Sasuke shouldn't feel so irrationally angry talking to a dog, of all things, but for some reason he finds himself wanting the dog to get the hell out of here, now. He doesn't like where the conversation is going. At all.

He scoffs irritably.]

[ura_no_ura]

[Yeah, Sasuke? Pakkun's a dog. He doesn't do well with subtlety. So he just stares back at Sasuke, wagging his tail a bit.

Kakashi is the type to randomly go quiet. Usually contemplatively so, before saying something else.

So Pakkun looks like he's waiting.]

[a_for_tiori]

[Seriously?

You're really going to make him say it?

Sasuke sighs and takes the bushel from Pakkun's back.

And then stares again.

And then sighs.]

You can go now.