Crap.
His place was a mess! Laundry in his basket was disorganized and not neatly laid inside! Clothes unfolded! He still hadn't pressed his uniform!
The bed was still unmade, and the couch needed a quick vacuuming and brushing over. The plant also needed watering and some fertilizer to be added!
The dishes still needed to be put up, the oven wiped down, and the counters needed to be sanitized. The floor was lightly dusted and needed to be mopped!
How did he let his apartment become such a mess?! He had cleaned it yesterday morning before training! Did he not clean up after himself last night?
Naruto growled, annoyed by his laziness. Spent too much time on the game last night instead of doing what he needed to...
And now he had company coming over?!
He was a disgrace as a butler!
Wait...
"Duh!" Naruto slapped his brow and laughed. He could always fall back on the techniques he had learned from Kurenai in times of need. And one in particular was very useful at this moment.
"Kage Bunshin!"
Out of several billowing clouds, three Shadow Clones emerged with purpose.
To get his apartment in shape before Ellen...
All four stopped as the doorbell rang, followed by a knock. Horror-stricken, Naruto answered the door only to dumbly stare at Ellen as she waltzed in carrying a broom and mop bucket.
"Uh..." Naruto stared owlishly at his peer.
Ellen blandly glanced back at him. "You are always late every morning. I figured I would show up early and help you clean up for a small price..."
"Price?" Naruto screwed his nose. What did she want from him?
Ellen simply smiled. "You cook breakfast, maybe take me to lunch, and I'll help these dorks out, deal?"
"Hey!" Three clones simultaneously cried out, offended, but were cut off by the original smirking Naruto.
"Deal."
[ X ]
"You weren't supposed to play it before today, jerk! You set the high score too high!"
Naruto chuckled as he fixed breakfast for both of them. Waffles out of the toaster with some cut bananas he received from the fruit basket.
He couldn't have his usual; otherwise, Ellen would rip him all day. Also, it was something simple he could make, and she wouldn't complain.
Ellen had a serious sweet tooth and loved her sugary foods. Naruto absently wondered where she put all the sugar away...
His eyes drifted to her prone body lying chest-first on the freshly cleaned floor, playing the game. Toward her voluptuous rump and thick tail exposed for all to see...
Yeah, that's where it went.
"Not my fault you can't beat it. Get good." Naruto grinned, collecting the waffles that popped out of his toaster. "Syrup or jam on your waffles?"
"Jam. And whipped cream if you have any," Ellen bitterly responded, sitting up after sending a sharp stare at Naruto, noticing where he had been looking, tilting her head and observing him as he turned his back to fix their plates.
Two could play this game.
Naruto proceeded to apply jam to her waffles and syrup to his. He noted the game was still on the menu by the music, and a new game had been started. He shrugged his shoulders, checking his fridge for whipped cream.
He knew what she was doing. It didn't bother him. Fair game.
"Here," Naruto handed Ellen her plate after applying a dollop of whipped cream. "That's all I had. Was almost out."
"I'm not surprised. You barely buy anything other than cereal, milk, and ramen." Ellen scoffed before cutting into the waffle and taking the first bite. A dreamy expression washed over her features, probably due to the sugar rush, before her features soured and she glared at Naruto. "Hmph, it seems even you can't mess up a simple breakfast."
"Are you questioning my cooking skills?" Naruto screwed up his nose and glowered at Ellen.
"All I'm saying is I've heard others say Rina's cooking is better." Ellen grinned, soaking in Naruto's agitation and loving it.
Only for her to be put off by him suddenly smirking. "Well, since the only person that can stomach her food is you, I'll take that as a compliment that I'm getting better!"
"That... That's not..." Ellen stammered before scowling. "You win this round."
"And the next." Naruto pointed towards the game screen. "I still have the high score."
"Jerk." Ellen frowned, picking up the counter and starting the next round. But not before giving Naruto another nasty look. "I swear, if I find out you are the one setting all the high scores in the arcades..."
"Hey, I've been looking for them too! Gotta be the work of a proxy, you know? There's no way anyone else can set scores like that." Naruto held out his hands while pronouncing his innocence.
Ellen glared at Naruto for a moment longer before releasing a slight guffaw. "You're right. There's no way you could ever get a score that high."
"What was that?" Naruto growled, feeling disrespected and a sense of furious righteousness. "Oh, I can top those scores! Those high scores ain't nothing! I'll head down there after going out for lunch and break all of them! You better believe it!"
"Oh, does that mean you're taking me out to lunch today? Didn't know you had it in you to ask me out." Ellen toothily grinned, causing Naruto to freeze.
And his brain shut down momentarily. Did he just...
"Wait, wait, wait! That's not what I meant!" Naruto desperately tried to explain himself...
Only to glare at the exuberant laughter echoing from Ellen Joe. Oh, she thought this was funny, huh? He show her...
Oh, he'd show her.
[ X ]
She should have known better than to give out hope. Lunch with Naruto was going to be one thing and only one thing.
Dining at Waterfall Soup.
At least this time, she supposed that Naruto tried to be a gentleman. Not very successful, but an attempt was made. He had tried to locate another place that fit her tastes instead of his.
Probably because he knew that every single time they ate out together, it was here, and he wanted to look like a better friend.
Unfortunately for Ellen, all her favorite spots were packed, and there would be a relatively long wait for seating. That wouldn't usually be an issue, except...
The arcades would be packed if they waited for the lunch rush!
Despite her reluctance, this was the best place to eat and beat the rush due to its proximity to the arcade. Thankfully, Waterfall had several dishes she enjoyed, so it wasn't the worst.
The issue was Naruto's habit of chowing down and eating ramen again!
"You're embarrassing me!" A flushed Ellen elbowed Naruto in the ribs with intent. "Don't make me tell Lycaon..."
"Eh?" Naruto raised his head, mouth full of slurped noodles. His eyes flickered, and a brief sense of panic set in. "Ah, please don't! I'll eat sensibly!"
"You better." Ellen refrained from snapping at him.
Her elbow hardly affected him, but mentioning Lycaon got his attention?
Ellen's head drooped in disappointment while Naruto ate moderately. Why? Just why? Couldn't he...
"Oh, what is this I see? Naruto out on a date?" A woman's voice carried over the dense crowd on Sixth Street.
Ellen's heart sank. That voice... Oh no?
She only met her a few times, but if she thought Ellen was dating Naruto... No!
"Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto flipped out of his chair to greet the woman wearing a white blouse and stylish red pants. "Didn't know you were back! How'd the job go?"
"All taken care of," Kurenai softly beamed, her fine black hair swaying over her bright red eyes glistening with amusement as she glanced toward Ellen Joe. "Oh, I apologize, Ellen. I thought Naruto might have finally asked out a pretty girl, and I was about to chastise him for bringing her here instead of being thoughtful."
"He tried... This time." Ellen muttered, covering for her friend, hiding her displeasure.
So she wasn't good enough to chastise about bringing to this joint? Was that it?
...Or was it because they were friends?
Ellen exhaled. That was the answer. She knew it. After all, how many years had they been hanging out with each other despite having other friend groups?
"Of course I did! It's the gentlemanly thing to do!" Naruto glowered at the implication before his expression lit up. "So, since you're back, sensei..."
"Give me a break, Naruto. I need to relax!" Kurenai rolled her eyes alongside Ellen, stifling a light chuckle. It was just like him to ask the moment she returned home. "I have a few things I need to get in order. We'll start Monday morning before school like always."
"Mah, that works for me. I was just checking!" Naruto laughed, cocking his head. "Well, I'll let you get on with your business. See you later, sensei! And get some well-deserved rest!"
"Haha, I will," Kurenai laughed with Naruto before placing her hand on her hip, nodding toward Ellen. "And next time, I don't care if you have to wait and postpone plans , eat somewhere else. It'll be worth it, trust me."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked, confused.
Ellen sharpened her eyes. Was his sensei reading her mind? What was she up to?
"Have a nice rest of your day, you two. Try not to play games all day. There are other things you can do." Kurenai waved before fading into the crowd.
Almost as if she disappeared.
Ellen squinted. What was she playing at? Was she trying...
She shook her head as Naruto took his seat back. Had to be her imagination.
However, her eyes soaked in Naruto for an extra moment before she rolled her eyes. Yeah, no.
He was attractive, sure, but just a friend.
[ X ]
"Did the bastard set the scores even higher?" Naruto loudly complained, frustratingly attempting to outpace the other snakes on the screen. "How? They have to be cheating!"
"Or perhaps, you just need to get good." Ellen slyly taunted him.
"Dammit..." Naruto glowered at the callback and glared at Ellen before gesturing toward the machine. "Your turn."
"My pleasure." Ellen swayed toward the arcade machine, her tail slapping Naruto on the hip as she passed by. But she screwed her face as a familiar ring tone resonated from her purse. "Oh no... That's Rina's."
"And I'm getting messaged too..." Naruto raised his brow. It was unusual for Rina to call on the weekends about a job. Stranger yet, to call both of them.
Flipping his phone out of his pocket, Naruto gleamed the message. A broad smirk crossed his lips while he had to restrain himself from jumping in excitement. "Oh? We got a job. A little bit of clean up, however, seems like one of our clients from that region lost something precious to them in the Hollow."
"Find and seek?" Ellen raised her brow before glowering at Naruto, brimming with energy, nodding in confirmation. "Treat this seriously!"
"This is not a game!"
[ X ]
Hollows. They were an unfortunate part of life. Swallowing parts of the city and people caught within were irradiated with Ether. And worst of all, monsters known as Ethereals hunted those already trying to escape.
Something already difficult with the world around them being distorted.
Not many people braved entering Hollows. They were difficult to navigate, and it demanded having a proxy to be able to navigate them. So many had been lost exploring without...
Very few individuals could maneuver within on their own safely.
"So this is our Proxy?" Ellen questioned, noting the plain Bangboro waving at them.
"Better be good. After last time..." Naruto growled, recalling the last Proxy and how they led them through a dangerous zone filled with strong Ethereals.
They managed to escape safely with minimal encounters, but there has to be a better path!
"I wouldn't worry. I screened our Proxy this time, even if I may have had to go through unsolicited channels." Rina addressed their worry with a comforting smile. Naruto and Ellen responded with a mixture of bland and concerned glares. "Don't worry! They happened to be the best in all of New Eridu and were well worth the effort. And we'll need it. This Hollow seems especially distorted."
"It's a pleasure to work with you." The Bangboro nodded its funny head, its electronic face producing a smile. "You may know us as Phaetheon."
"Allow us to clear the way for you."
[ X ]
Of course, it would be a vacant building top. It was either here or in a dark alley.
There were no other options. People were in the streets all the time. Most civilians, others, well-trained. Camera placements and drones everywhere. Made it a tad more challenging to escape without someone or something seeing. Eyes were everywhere. It was much harder to disappear and trick machines.
Doable, but difficult.
It made finding meeting places awkward. They were forced to use places such as these. There were barely any parks or any forested areas within the city. It felt almost... Unnatural.
But it did make finding her partner easier.
"Thought I would find you here," Kurenai exhaled, side-eyeing her partner. "You know he has been suspecting someone has been following him."
"He should have realized that years ago." Her partner sharply retorted.
"And you need to relax. This isn't Konoha. He's not in danger here. Only a select handful of us were dragged through that warp!" Kurenai scowled, staring daggers back at her partner.
"Doesn't mean he doesn't need to be ready. If it happened once, it can and will happen again. It's only a matter of time. And if it is who attacked him and Hokage-sama, he is ill-equipped to deal with him." Her partner responded, his voice cold as ice.
"Then maybe you should take over training him if he's so ill-equipped." Kurenai gnashed her teeth before clenching her fist. "But don't you dare to take him from his life and devote it to training. The life he was given here is vastly superior to what he would have received back home. There isn't a stigma about what he is here. He's got a girlfriend even if he doesn't know it yet! He can enjoy his life here... Without hateful eyes, Kakashi."
The silence was deafening after Kurenai's statement. The gentle breeze roared. It felt as if it lasted an hour when in reality it only lasted a few moments and was broken by a remorseful sigh, and the man with gravity-defying silver hair reached forth and removed his standard-issued mask.
"I won't... It's what sensei would have wanted." Kakashi tactfully turned and addressed Kurenai face-to-face. "It is necessary to push his training, however."
"I don't think I'm the only one who is watching. I just can't find who this other person is."