Day 37: Sun Room

[hismastersdance]

Joe had read some of the larger notes stuck up on the bulletin board when the announcement came on the intercom. All things considered, this Landel guy didn't even seem so bad. Even if these people were held here against their will, he was certainly nice about it.

Apparently, the new patients - including Joe - were to hang around in the Sun Room or

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[lostonlifesroad]

Kakashi didn't have to look up from his book to recognize the presence that approached him then. Even before he sat on the couch, Kakashi knew Jiraiya had found him. Of course, he'd made good use of his waiting time; the bulletin the nurse had pointed out to him earlier was apparently quite good for communicating.

Also good for fostering confusion. Renamon had mentioned different times, but Naruto's reply, while reassuring, didn't offer any sensible explanations so far as the processes of their prison were concerned.

"Ah. Sorry I'm late then. I must have overslept." He'd been right about White Fang, though for what it was, it wasn't bad. Something his nindogs would be interested in. But for now, Kakashi did something he did for very few people: closed his book to give Jiraiya his full attention

[lostonlifesroad]

Ah, well. Kakashi had never expected Jiraiya to actually elaborate on the other stuff, though he did have to try just once to see how far the elder would slip. It would be a fairly sad state of affairs if Jiraiya was so taken by Renamon that he stumbled to that degree. That would have been the point where Kakashi would have to be seriously concerned for any ventures at night. As it stood, there might be a certain level of distraction, but Kakashi didn't think it'd be so significant that it would be harmful.

"You can relax. I seriously doubt Naruto's particular methods would work for anyone besides him." Really, it was amazing that they worked for anyone at all. But that was the kind of person Naruto ultimately was: someone who was exceptional.

But at it turned out, Kakashi could be as subtle as he wanted. Jiraiya's seriousness left the jounin with little doubt as to the truth of what he said. And Renamon had said certain powers were reduced, but not taken away. It also explained why she had winced earlier when Naruto had

[toadally4boobs]

Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh. Kakashi would never cease to be a brat. He'd only grow at being more subtle as he aged.

Except Kakashi couldn't 'age' anymore, either. They were both dead yet not, now. That sobered him up a little... but he refused to think about it just then. Kakashi wanted to talk about something else.

He humphed to cover up his pause in thought. "Well, if you convince her to kill me, then you won't get another installment of the Icha Icha series. So you better be careful."

Jiraiya knew that Kakashi was teasing and not planning to do anything like that, but he wanted to get the upper hand back. He wasn't going down without a fight! There was no chance of him simply rolling over and giving in!

[lostonlifesroad]

Of course Kakashi knew the moment he began taunting Jiraiya that the series would come up. His utter adoration of the Icha Icha books was well known, due mostly to the fact that Kakashi didn't hesitate to read one in any spare moment he could find. It was, in ways that involved this battle of wits, the ultimate power Jiraiya had over the jounin. And like any good ninja, Kakashi knew his weaknesses as well as his strengths.

It still didn't mean he was happy when the man brought it up.

"I'll definitely have to be." Matching Jiraiya's expression with one equally pleased, Kakashi let out a small sigh. There, the man had him, and it was an inescapable trap. "I just hope there isn't such a long period before the next one comes out. The last wait was agonizing enough to make your fans believe you have a sadistic streak."

[toadally4boobs]

"I had a hard time getting decent feedback from my student," Jiraiya stated with a bit of annoyance, but he was still amused--so he was winning for the moment. "Eventually I gave up after he'd only claim it was 'boring as hell' all the time. Kid doesn't know a good book when it bites him in the ass."

"As for the wait for the next one..." Jiraiya leaned back a bit more, uncrossing his arm with a twinkle in his eye. "I could use someone that would give me decent feedback on a chapter by chapter basis. Or it could be a selection of short stories, in which case it'd be on a story by story basis. Either way, I'll need someone who knows the series to help me out."

Short stories because he wasn't sure how far the lesbian subplot would go (Naruto better make his next meeting with Sasuke and Aidou interesting!), and because he might have other stories he couldn't tie in together to write about. There was also the issue of the fact that he was, for all technical purposes, dead back in his world. If he was going to have a postmortem release,

[lostonlifesroad]

If? There was no question of if. Kakashi was a trained ninja, and he knew very well that this was a trap, one meant to protect Jiraiya from any further mocking based on his obvious fondness for Renamon. But even knowing that, as Jiraiya made his offer, Kakashi couldn't help but tremble a little in sheer delight.

Naruto had given him Tactics even before it was officially published, and holding the books in his hands made him shiver. This? Was better.

The sennin had Kakashi right where he wanted the man; the look Kakashi was getting made it completely obvious. But at the moment, it was a bit too late for composure to become a factor to guard the jounin's reaction. Besides, for something like this, Kakashi was almost happy to admit defeat.

"Well, if it will help you," Kakashi practically beamed under the mask. "I think I could give you the feedback you're looking for."