avocado_love (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
avocado_love) wrote2010-04-12 03:04 pm
avocado_love) wrote2010-04-12 03:04 pm
Entry tags:
Fic: Born of Water
Title: Born of Water
Crossover: Temeraire/Naruto
Rating: G
Characters: Kakashi and Iruka
Notes: 2nd of 3 fics written for the KakaIru April Fools Crossover challenge. First one was Inner Vision. I'm only getting around to posting them now, though.
*****
“No,” Kakashi said, flatly. “Assign someone else.”
Admiral Lenton growled, “There is no one else. We thought we’d have years till the shell hardened, but by all reports it’s due to hatch in a matter of hours. Damn oriental breeds.” He fixed Kakashi with a steady glare. “You and the beast will have that in common, Hatake.”
Kakashi did not design to respond; the sudden chill in the air spoke his contempt quite well.
Finally, Lenton blew out his cheeks and stood to land a bracing grip on the captain's shoulder. “It’s unfair,” he said, “when a Captain outlives his dragon. It’s not the natural order of things. Obito was a fine fellow, a credit to the Corps.” Lenton sighed, sinking down to his seat. “If I could give you more time, I would. But dragon eggs don't give a damn for the convenience of men. You are to attempt to harness the hatchling, Hatake. Consider it an order.”
*****
As the egg had been moved from its customary niche and placed in its own room prior to hatching, Kakashi and the men who would be assisting him were left to sit the long vigil alone.
The steamy air from the baths next door wreaked havoc on Kakashi’s book.
He caught some glares from few of the men for his reading material, but most had served ground crew capacity with Obito. They knew well his habits even if they did not approve.
What they failed to understand was why their captain – as withdrawn and odd as he was in the best of times – insisted on taking his seat as far away from the sea-green egg as possible, ignoring it completely with the skeleton of a hastily made harness sitting on his lap.
The egg was a Japanese Sui Riu, to which the corps paid great time and expense procuring from what some said had to be a pirate vessel. It had been whispered the beast was expected to reach upwards of twenty-tons full grown, and had some sort of prestigious talent with water – making it the deadly enemy of fire breathing breeds such as the Flame-De-Gloire and Kazilik.
Incredibly valuable – any officer would give his left leg to be assigned as Captain to one.
Except for Hatake, of course.
The sea-green gave a twitch, and an air of excitement rose among the men; sidelong glances of envy sent and then quickly stifled to the man hiding behind an orange book.
Kakashi did not shut his novel until the first cracks had appeared on the shell – an audible tap-tapping coming from within. Even then, his book was only put away with much reluctance, as if the contents of the pages were much more interesting than what was in front of him.
The shell fell away at once, like fine pieces of tinted sugar-candy crumbling away to nothing. The hatching Sui Riu rolled out; its skin wet from birth. Its body a darker blue, lightening to sky along the wings only to darken again to a near cobalt color to the boarders of the wing edges.
The beast looked around, blinking sideways eyelids which revealed brown eyes – much the same color as a man would have, for all that it was set in a dragon’s face.
Kakashi stared blankly at the creature, making no move to greet it and offer the harness. Lenton would have his balls for supper, no doubt; but if the dragon took a liking to one of the groundsmen or went feral, he couldn’t really be blamed. He had tried. He was here, at least.
Yet, as if reading his thoughts, the dragon swung its head around to look straight at him. “What is that thing in your hands?” it – he, for the voice was male – asked.
Only, he had not asked in English.
The first tingle of emotion he’d let himself feel since Obito’s death trickled through his mind – surprise. But it made sense, after all. A dragon learned language through the shell and it had, after all, been carried on a Japanese pirate ship until a few days ago.
Kakashi’s grandfather spoke Japanese to him before he had been enlisted to the corps at age seven. It had been two decades since he’d heard the words – he was surprised he understood at all. The reply was hard coming. “It is—“ he paused, and substituted the word for an English one, “harness.”
“I see.” The dragonet picked his way out of the shattered remains of his egg and walked over to him, wings partially spread for balance. He sniffed the harness, held loosely in Kakashi’s hands, then looked again at him. “Why are you sad?”
So young, and yet so perceptive already? Kakashi thought, with a frown. “I have lost a friend of mine, recently. He was precious... to me.”
The dragon blinked one pair of eyelids, and then another. “Then you and I are alike. I have no one, and neither do you.”
Kakashi stared, a little helplessly at the dragon, at a loss for words.
“I am hungry,” the dragon said. He seemed very put off about it.
In a way, Kakashi felt himself standing on an edge of a cliff. It would only take but a step to send him spiraling, out of control – Captain to this new dragon; a bossy, spirited dragon, if his guess was right. And it almost always was. He could decline, but… but…
Duty. If nothing else, this was his duty. Although, already, it felt more than that.
“I could get you something to eat,” he said at last, haltingly in what he suspected was appalling pronunciation. “But in return you must wear this and… speak English. We must be able communicate with our crew.”
The dragon considered this for a moment, then seemed to shrug. “Very well,” it replied, in perfect King’s English.
Kakashi did not pause to marvel – remembering belatedly how the Chinese Celestial in the Corp’s service seemed to pick up languages as easily as he breathed.
The dragon stood while Kakashi put on the harness and wiped the egg goo off his hide as best he could with the towels on hand. The tiny scales were even more brilliant, newly washed and under the glare of lights. There was a long stripe across the bridge of its muzzle, an accident of it’s birth for it would not be rubbed away – yet made his face more fetching in Kakashi’s eyes.
The dragon paid no mind, only flicked its oddly ridged tail once or twice in irritation at the process – giving what had to be a smirk when it knocked into one of the hovering ensign’s shins.
Finally the last buckle was clicked and Kakashi stood back. There was one last step to the process, he knew. “My name is Kakashi Hatake. What will I call you?”
The dragon hesitated. “I don't know." He looked up, meeting his captain's eyes. "What is my name?”
“Iruka,” Kakashi replied, “A creature of the sea in your language… I’ll show you one, when you’re older.”
The dragon flicked out its tongue in thought. “Iruka,” he repeated. “Yes, that will be fine. Are they tasty, Kakashi? I am hungry,” he added, catching him again with those wistful brown eyes.
And Kakashi felt himself smiling, just slightly, for the first time in weeks.
****
no subject
I think that you managed to fit in the backstory rather well - Kakashi's old dragon being Obito and all that. :3 I also liked that little dragonet Iruka spoke Japanese to Kakashi. His initial questions made me d'aww... :) Asking about the book, asking about Kakashi's sadness... Also, this line made me wibble: “Then you and I are alike. I have no one, and neither do you.”
In other words... awesome job! :D
no subject
no subject
Dragon!Iruka! I love it. Oh, Kakashi, you are such a grump. You know you'll love bitty pretty dragon!Iruka. It was Meant To Be.
I really enjoyed the character you packed into this, and the way you really captured the feel of the Temeraire books.
(And I must ask ... Obito? Is that a Naruto thing that I don't know about, or just a random name?)
no subject
And yeah, Kakashi is grieving and thinks that gives him the right to be a jerk to everyone. haha. I'm glad you thought I caught the feel of the Temeraire books. I really tried to copy the style, but it's hark. The author is a genius!!! <3
Oh and in Naruto canon, Obito is Kakashi's teammate in his original genin team. While he's dieing (via crushed rock) he gives Kakashi his sharingan eye. Plus the shock of his death help turn Kakashi from a rule obsessed asshole into a lazy, porn-reading, always late asshole. haha.