Questionable Decisions

Kakashi walked out of his room and closed the door behind him, the waft of breakfast claiming his nose. He followed after it, just now realizing how hungry he was. He looked over the metal bar of the stairs, seeing Ryukyu in the kitchen, in front of a stove. His sensitive hearing picked up the sound of her humming. He looked down at his stomach when it growled and stuffed his hands in his pocket before strolling down the stairs and walking silently into the kitchen.

She noticed him from the corner of her eyes, and although a bit of nervousness filled her, she smiled lightly. "Good Morning, Kakashi."

"Good morning, Ryukyu-san." Came his reply, sitting in one of the chairs at the table.

Stifling silence came after, but Ryukyu focused on cooking so she wouldn't think about it. Kakashi was deep in thought in the meantime.

He needed a way to find the Stone Ninja. Evidently, as of now, it was frankly impossible. He still didn't know where he was. It was a big city no doubt, like his home village. But it was so different. How would he find one person in a city full of hundreds of thousands? Add of the fact that he's being watched by a pro hero with very perceptive eyes and police now knowing about him, made the mission nearly impossible.

Nearly impossible, that was the key. That just meant it was very difficult, but still possible. And all he had to do was find it out. He would have to think what he would do in his enemy's position. They may be from different villages; but most ninja were taught general tactics that most followed. It was why wars lasted as long as they did. Most used the same tactics with different type of Ninjutsu. The same should be for a Jounin too, and that meant-

"Kakashi." He blinked, finding a frowning Ryukyu close to his face. "Um, your food's done."

He felt heat against the bottom of his mask. He looked down and found a plate of hot breakfast in front of him.

She was pleased at her work. "I don't cook everyday, but I think it turned out well. Try and tell me what you think." She said, standing to full height.

He kept looking down at the food, and she frowned once more, wondering why he was hesitating. He looked back up at her, his single eye filling her with much needed information.

"Oh," she nodded. "I'll leave you to it, Kakashi. Just come to the living room when your done, ok?"

He nodded and looked back down at his food. She sighed, turning, and walking out of the room. Once more, she didn't catch Kakashi staring at her back as she left.

XxX

Patrons from nearly every part of the city roamed the mall looking for items they would buy. The mood was happy and festive, a sense of welcome that an abundance of places had in Masutafu. If only one boy could actually feel something from it.

Hands in his pockets, one lone eye gathered in his surroundings as he passed by. Nothing left his sight, just the way he liked it. Too many people, and too many strange objects he wasn't a fan of. They were too unfamiliar to him, put a weird feeling in his gut.

He looked at Ryukyu's back, wishing he had known they'd be going here so he couldn't declined. She told him that they'd be getting clothing. But couldn't they have gone somewhere a bit more discreet. He was only getting clothing to blend in. He almost had the chakra to create a Shadow Clone without getting tired. Once he did so, it would be easier to gain useful information.

Until then, he was in a crossroads.

"Just how far are we going to walk?" He asked.

She slightly turned to him. "Just a bit more. We've passed a couple of stores but the clothes will be too big for you."

They probably had 10 more minutes. Kushina had always said something of the same manner and took even longer to finish what she was doing. He kept his expression neutral, an unpleasant thought to think at the moment.

Ryukyu noticed just how uncomfortable he looked. The way his eyes flickered secretly was something she almost didn't catch. She probably wouldn't have if he hadn't been doing it the entire time they'd been in the mall. She decided to stop in front of a popular name brand store full of boys clothes and Kakashi followed after her.

She turned to him. "You can pick out your own items. I'll pay." She wouldn't dictate what he would wear.

Kakashi nodded, but when he looked at the store he nearly cringed. "Can't we go anywhere else?" The store was much too colorful for his liking.

She could barely hold in her amusement at the way his nose turned up at the various outfits. "Come on, Kakashi." She began to walk into an isle. "At least take a look around before we move on. You don't have to get anything you don't want."

Silently, he sighed and followed along.

Minutes later, he was walking out with a scowl with a laughing Ryukyu behind him. He had seen the most obscene thing in that store that he wished he didn't have his other eye. He wished there was a way to delete memories.

Clutching her stomach, her laugh soon turned to giggles before she sighed and wiped the tears off her eyes. "It wasn't that bad, Kakashi."

"Hn," he grunted, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Can you take me to where we can find some actual clothes? Some that aren't completely ridiculous."

"Those clothes were just fine. You can't just get all black clothes Kakashi." Kakashi wanted to roll his eyes at that. But it wasn't like she knew what he actually wanted clothes for. And he couldn't very well tell her.

"And why can't I?" His ear twitched at the sound of a baby crying in the background.

She looked at him. "You can. I just thought you'd want to add a bit of style, but it is your choice."

Kakashi wanted to glance up back up at her, but restrained himself. He merely glanced around to look for another store. Luckily, he found one that seemed to fit his preferences. He gave it a point. "Let's go in there."

XxX

Aizawa sat with a contemplative frown, sipping a bit of his coffee. He felt a lot better since his search for the boy ended. Though all he learned kept him up at night a little bit, it was much better than his nearly endless patrols of Masutafu's streets.

He didn't turn when the door creaked open and footsteps followed. When the person didn't speak, Aizawa finally looked over. "Nezu? What are you doing in here?" He had his own things in his office. Means he's probably in here to talk.

The rat chuckled, something always a bit off putting if he were honest. "Can I not be? Hmm."

Aizawa didn't feel like playing around. "I know you came here for something. What do you want?"

A laugh escaped him this time. "I guess there is no getting that tidbit past you. Ah, well I wanted to talk about this Kakashi Hatake."

He stood straighter on instinct. That name still drove a certain emotion from him, one he hadn't figured out yet. Though he hadn't tried to find anything.

"What about him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He smiled, looking delighted. "He's very interesting. But even more than that, I question his origins."

Aizawa was confused with that. What did he mean? His brows furrowed, his face thinning out. "Origin?"

"Quite. I've spoken with Tsukauchi about him. Not only have I seen known records of him, I've also seen reports, the video from the CCV in the interrogation room as well." He said, diving a bit into his mind a bit. "What really got me thinking was Tsukauchi's theories on why he acts the way he acts. I think he has some form of PTSD but I don't think his parents is the main cause of it."

Aizawa noticed how he didn't seem particularly bothered by it. It made him a bit angry. He sat straighter, a small glare etched on his face. "You don't seem particularly bothered by it."

The principal only seemed even more amused. "You really care about children, don't you Aizawa?"

"What did you come here for, Nezu?" He asked, aggravated. He had no time nor desire to play mind games with Nezu. The rat loved irking him.

"He brought to me the proposal that he should be enrolled into this school." He fiddle with the cup in his hands.

What?! Why would he do something like that? He was suddenly standing up, leaning over the table. "Why would he suggest that? He's too young for high school. He's only 13."

He remembered Tsukauchi talking about putting the boy on the road to be a hero, but now, when he had a couple of years to adjust? What was the point of that? It didn't make sense to him. He thought the detective was just trying to convince Ryukyu, but if he was seriously considering the idea—

"He's likely more skilled than any students we currently have with us, well, maybe except for our third years." A smirk creeped onto his lips. The rat still wasn't taking this seriously. "Someone of his skill shouldn't need to wait 2 years. There's too much time for him to do something that will end him in jail." He spoke more hushed. "You were there when he first turned up, right? Then you saw the look on his face when he was atop of that man trying to slice his throat."

"How do you know about that?" Aizawa demanded, getting both confused and angry at the rather indirect answers.

Nezu chuckled. "They were in a rather populated and open area. From a traffic camera, you can see them from the moment they blasted out of that alley." Nezu sent him a look that he could only describe as smug. "He's got a good handle on his quirk."

Any other would've gotten angry, but Aizawa was used to this. He'd been stressing himself for days before finally getting some proper rest. He didn't need Nezu trying to be funny and stress him out like he was. He plopped back into his chair, sighed and, crossed his arms. "Are you accepting his request or not?"

"Well, that is the question, isn't it?" He mused. Aizawa remained blank, unamused. "Yes, I'll be adding him to your class."

A sigh escaped him again, but it wasn't like he didn't expect it. He'd just rather it not be his reality. "I would ask why, but I already know." A thought came to him. "What do you plan to do? My class is already full, unless you're just going to move him in."

He hummed, then grinned. "Your class is already well acquainted, so I won't split anyone up. I'll just add him and remodel the class to fit his extra seat. It's rather full in there."

A silence came after he spoke. Head lowered and eyes closed, Aizawa was going over everything Nezu had just said. About the boy. About what he needed to do for him. He sighed and open his eyes, glancing at the principal with serious red orbs.

"I won't say I completely agree with this set up. I still believe he is too young, but I'll go along with this plan." A pause. "However, he'll be under special training under me for the foreseeable future. I want a closer eye on him than just in my class."

"Ah, and where did this come from? So sudden, Eraserhead." He might've said that but he didn't look the least bit bothered by it.

Aizawa crossed his arms and closed his eyes again. "I won't say. You made a decision without asking me, so I'll make one without asking you."

It was childish, yes, but he had to have some way to get back at the rat. Besides, he knew the animal would agree anyways. Things like this were mostly up to teachers anyway.

Nezu chuckled, amused but gave a serious look. "I see, I see." He stood from his seat and leapt out of the chair, circling around the table with hands behind his back. "I'll leave it up to you then, but I'd like reports on him. Just for monitoring purposes. Besides, we have to make sure the children are safe after all." He was nearly out of the room, when he stopped at the sound of Aizawa's voice, but he didn't turn around.

"What's the true reason for bringing Kakashi here?" Red eyes narrowed into slits. "I know it isn't for his sake, nor the hero society's sake."

Nezu laughed this time, unable to hold his amusement. "I suppose... that if I were to give an answer..." he turned slightly with a smile that looked bright but sent a chill down Aizawa's spine. "It's for a unknown agenda that will make itself known in due time."

Aizawa didn't register that the principal had left until the sound of the door closing jolted him out of his stupor as if he were asleep. He let out a long sigh, when he finished his whole body felt the relief and warmth the room provided.

His gaze lingered on the door. What was the rat thinking?

XxX

Men had lots of pleasure, quite a long list in fact. Woman, fighting, blood for some of the crazy ones, and money. That was Giran's pleasure. To him money was absolute and everything. Money didn't discriminate. If you had it, it was yours. No matter who you were. That was one of the many things he loved about it. Any opportunity he could to make money was given full thought and even care.

So imagine what he did when a man somehow found out about him and cornered him in alleyway, wanting to know about the League of Villains. Of course he thought about what he was going to do. The League of Villains with him running it was much too dangerous to have loose lips. That could get anyone killed. He knew that. But from what he could see; this man was no ordinary criminal. He was a scout; one the League trusted to hire for them. He knew talent when he saw it. He knew strength when he saw it. But he also saw a willingness to kill in his smug eyes. An most professions, that was a big no-no. But in his, he smirked, it was perfect.

"At least come down so I can get a proper look at your face." Giran said, stepping off the wall he'd been leaning on. "I only do deals face to face."

Dark eyes narrowed before a dark figure moved so fast that Giran's eyes only caught a blur. His eyes widened when he looked around only to realize that the man was right beside him, leaning on the wall with a smile on his lips. Brown hair, that looked to be in a unruly fro. He had a brown and red sort of outfit on that looked a bit weird with cuts on it here and there but other than that he looked in good shape.

Giran looked at his arms. The muscles were good.

"I've been looking for you, Giran. It's nice to finally meet you." He said.

Giran almost smirked again. At least the man knew who he was talking to. "Well, you already seem to know my name, so what's yours?"

"It's blade."

Giran's eyes widened in surprise. "Blade? You mean-" that name was very recent in the underworld. Most about him was all rumors right now, but it was said that he killed 20 men in an underground fighting ring in less than 30 seconds. Even though he just popped up seemingly yesterday, he already had a sort of respect in the underworld.

"Yea. I killed all those men. Didn't know my name could get around so fast. It's funny, really."

Giran looked at him and then felt a sudden desire to test him. "And how do I know you aren't a pretender? Blade is knew to the underworld after all."

His face never changed. "I saw you checking me out as soon as I stepped from the shadows. You know I'm the real deal."

Giran smirked. "So, you saw that."

"You aren't trained enough to hide it from you. Just keep your eyes where they should be. You'll die for recklessness."

Giran laughed, reaching in his pockets and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "Sorry, but I have but one love in this world." A lighter lit up the cigarette he was holding. He put them back into his pocket and blew smoke from his mouth, satisfied with the feeling it gave him.

"And what's that?"

A genuine smile lit his face up in the dark alley. "It's money."

Blade smirked, truly amused. "Is that all? Ya' know I've met plenty of men who all think the same as you."

"But there's a difference between me and them." Giran told him after letting out another puff. "My love for money compels me to do anything for it. Unlike those men, I have drive, assets, and more specifically, the answers you seek." All amusement left both men, and they looked at each other seriously. In the background, a drip of water fell off the slippery, tilted roof into a puddle.

"You want a job done, don't you?"

Giran smirked, this man really never missed a beat. Nothing could get past him. It was perfect. "You're good. This will be more of a testing job. I want to make sure that my faith in you isn't mistaken."

Blade smirked lightly, closing his eyes. "I'll do the job, but don't think I don't want any compensation for it. You give me your hardest job, and then I want pay from it. Understand?" He locked the other man with a fierce glare.

The glare actually scared the business man. "Woah, calm down there, blade." He said, holding his arms in a surrender like fashion. "Of course you'll get paid. Now, as for the mission I'll give you, is to join the Shie Hassaikai as my double agent. I want to know what they are up to."

Blade leaned off the wall to stand to full height, smirking like a battle hungry animal. "Just tell me where to find them, and what you want to learn. You have yourself a deal."

XxX

Ryukyu was staring into the darkness that was her upstairs. Never did she feel like she couldn't go somewhere in her own house, but it always felt that way with Kakashi. She wasn't used to her situation yet. A pro hero was supposed to be one to adapt, but a mother, well that took time. Maybe she should get a book to read on young teens. Hmm, a thought for later.

She wondered what exactly he was doing up there with no sound and all the lights off. Knowing him as much as she did, he rarely spoke unless something annoyed him and that he was surprisingly quite for, well anyone. She never even heard him approach her before.

A ring broke her thoughts and she reached into her pocket to pull out her phone. "My agency?" She questioned, reading the title of the caller. She clicked the green button and put the phone to her ear. A few seconds later, she hung up and stuffed the phone back into her pocket.

She sighed. "Well, it's now or never." With that pushing her onward, she walked upstairs and all the way to Kakashi's door. She knocked on it.

XxX

Kakashi was once more sitting in the windowsill in his room, looking into the moon, wondering where Obito was at. Was he watching over him? Was he disappointed? Was Rin safe? How would he get home? So many thoughts were running through his head practically the whole day. He didn't even feel like eating. He hadn't ate since that morning with breakfast and he hadn't really touched it. Ryukyu was disappointed; he didn't really care.

He felt cold glass underneath his hand, touching the glass where the moon would be. Lonely, was what he felt.

A knock at the door broke his thoughts. He turned silently, curious to what it could be, but remained silent. He didn't need to get up, the door swung open slowly, and Ryukyu stepped in. She opened her mouth once, stopped, then again. She wanted to say something, most likely something a bit awkward. He learned that about her. She always hesitated when speaking to him about something. She would do much better if she just didn't try so much, he thought.

"What is it, Ryukyu-San?" He decided to go ahead and ask. She probably wouldn't leave until she spoke and it was taking too long for him. It couldn't be that hard to talk to him.

She sighed, one of relief and took more steps to him, as if giving herself a few more extra seconds before she would have to speak. They were already at 15 seconds. 15 seconds too long for him.

"There's a call at my Hero Agency. There's a reported thief in the area." She told him, slightly serious as she spoke.

Kakashi didn't react. Was that all she wanted to say? Why the hesitation from earlier then? "Ok?"

"I want to ask if you'd come with me." She slightly rushed out.

That actually surprised him. He didn't expect to here that, in fact it was the last thing someone like him would expect. But the mind he gained as a elite Shinobi came to the full front. Could she be trying to learn information about him? That was possible. Chasing a criminal down, a low profile one wouldn't give her much of an insight though. Was she trying to gain his trust?

Maybe, but he'd have to watch her during the mission to be sure. That meant that he didn't have much of a choice.

He slid off the windowsill with intent eyes. "I'll come with you.

X

It had been a ten minute drive to get to her agency, but they made it in one piece. Kakashi was impressed. It looked very professional, almost like a sort of luxury hotel from where he was from, minus the workers and all the electrical equipment. He received a couple of strange looks as he followed after Ryukyu. Not that he cared really, it was just something that set him off. He hated to be stared at, so blatantly too.

Ryukyu explained the workings of her agency as the walked through an elevator and awaited to go to the top floor.

"This is what's called a Hero Agency. It's many over the country, but this one belongs to me."

"What are they for?"

Kakashi didn't feel like waiting but she didn't seem to mind being interrupted as she started up again. They were nearing the top floor.

"A Hero Agency is a sort of office for heroes. It's like a base of operations for a hero and their chosen sidekicks."

This was really just like a hero society, Kakashi thought, stuffing his hands into his pockets as the doors to the elevator opened up. She continued to talk as they walked out, into a red colored hallway and up to a door with her name on it.

"A sidekick is one who works under a pro hero to gain their own notoriety. Most aspiring heroes that graduate from hero school choose to become sidekicks to gain experience and popularity. Others, who are already pros, choose to become sidekicks because their quirks are more well suited for a support role, or their quirk matches the quirk of a certain agencies leader."

Kakashi understood why a hero would want to join an agency but he still didn't get the full purpose of the agency itself. "But why would their be a need for an agency?"

"I wouldn't say theirs a need for an agency, more like, some heroes that need to use their quirk effectively needs a agency where their specific skill can shine. But, an agency can save more lives than any single hero ever could. Personally, I feel their is no need for them, but if it better helps the public, then I feel the need for them to be in place. Understand?

Kakashi nodded, finally getting what she had been trying to say. No more words needed to be said as they she opened the door and they walked into the room, filled with strange ornaments with a desk and a computer sitting in the back of the room.

She waved her hand at him as she walked around the desk.

"Come on around, Kakashi. You might be new but your not a guest, nor a sidekick."

He walked around, looking at a spinning circle in the middle of the screen before it glowed white. Suddenly, a bunch of things popped up in the screen, reading something like emails, mission reports, checks received, revenue earned, and things of all that nature. Something he'd watch Minato go over when writing his own mission reports. One had such responsibilities sometimes as a Jounin.

Kakashi saw how serious she got as she leaned over the desk, staring into the computer screen as she used this small thing that clicked every time she pushed on it. She spoke as she clicked through several things.

"I had received a call earlier about a thief earlier. That was from my secretary. She'd already sent one of my sidekicks over to check it out, but when she got there, the man was dead."

The heavy way she had said it really showed how much serious this was to her. But for Kakashi, who grew up a child soldier in the middle of war, death was common, if not encouraged in the Shinobi world. One had to have an honorable death back then. She might've noticed his lack of reaction. She didn't say anything, so of course he didn't.

She spoke more slowly this time, as if being purposely careful with her words.

"The body was nearly destroyed beyond recognition."

The screen in front of them suddenly showed a map and moved a ways a way until it landed on a spot near a city named Hosu, a red dot glowed in the middle of the screen. Ryukyu pointed at it.

"This is where my sidekick found the body."

Kakashi's quick analysis skill went into full effect as he scanned the map. It was sort of simple to him and though he was still glad for his genius level brain. It always saved him.

"It's so far away from here. He must have some sort of speed boosting quirk."

"I was thinking the same thing."

He looked over at her, thinking, and she turned to him, lightly sitting on her desk and crossed her arms to think. But it seemed that whatever she was thinking about wasn't good. And he had a feeling it had a lot to do with what he was about to say.

Then that leaves the question of who could have caught up to someone as fast as him."

He looked back at the map and circled exactly 5 km around the glowering red dot.

"From my guess, I'd say that the killer is somewhere around there, happened to come across him and kill him on the spot. But we'd have to see the crime seen to be sure."

Ryukyu closed her eyes, her forehead clenching in what he thought to be a small amount of anger. She did nothing more though, instead opening her eyes and looking at him.

"We already have our suspect."

Kakashi eyes locked onto hers.

"The Hero Killer; Stain."