The Dream Devourer (Kakashi X OC)

Short Ribs

Kakashi sat across from the suspect. The small room was dimly lit, and besides the two chairs the men sat in, only a small wooden table lay between them. There was a bloodstain on the corner of it, and the man's brown eyes stared down at it. Sweat beaded his face.

Interrogating a suspect wasn't his favorite thing to do, but he was glad to be out of Lady Tsunade's yelling range.

It had taken another ten minutes to wake the Hokage up and tell her everything that had transpired. She had been furious, to say the least, that someone had taken over her body easily. Even worse, she wanted to meet Chiisai first thing in the morning, in person, to go over everything.

Until then, Kakashi was left with the task of watching Chiisai's every move and making sure nothing happened.

After this interrogation, of course.

The man shifted his gaze to Kakashi as he rested his hand on the table. "So," Kakashi began, "you say you're innocent. You must have a convincing argument."

The man scratched his neck and replied, "I don't, but it's the truth. The woman- she, I don't know, she looked as if she were possessed." He rested his elbow on the table and added, "I was only trying to help her, but she kept slamming her head against the wall." He shook his head. "I know it sounds crazy."

Kakashi leaned back in the chair, and it creaked under his weight. It did sound crazy, and if it were true, then it meant someone else was at play. No normal person would hurt themselves in that way, and though Chiisai was a little odd, there was nothing that could lead him to see her acting like that.

His thoughts drifted back to early this morning, at seeing her vomit mixed with water.

Kakashi crossed his arms and asked, "Where were you headed before you crossed her path?"

The man met his gaze. "Me and a group of friends go to the Bar-B-Q place down the road every Saturday night. I was heading home when I saw her."

He didn't seem to be lying there. Kakashi asked, "You were also intoxicated."

The man glanced away. His voice was soft as he said, "I would never hurt anyone, let alone a young woman." The man shook his head, but met Kakashi's eye as he added, "I'm telling you, I know what I saw."

Kakashi tilted his head and replied, "You want me to believe that a woman beat herself up, and you, an intoxicated man, went to save her in an alley? Alone?"

The man gestured with his hands now. "Look, I told you, she looked like she was possessed, like she was under some sort of genjutsu!"

Kakashi sighed. The man certainly seemed sure of himself, and his tone spoke rationally. His posture and eye contact hadn't shown signs of falsehood, and his family had vouched for him. But his words didn't make sense, and the facts were there.

Perhaps her chakra really did have a mind of its own, like Chiisai said.

Slowly, he rose to his feet. "We'll see what the woman says when she recovers," Kakashi said.

Kakashi left and signaled to a ninja that he was done. He left the building and stepped into the sunlight, grateful for the breeze.

The Bar-B-Q place the man had mentioned was just down the road, close to Chiisai's apartment. He had a photo ID of the man in his back pocket, so hopefully the staff at the restaurant would verify his story.

Another two blocks, and Kakashi stepped in through the draped fabric and into the room that smelled of roasted meat and pickled vegetables. His stomach grumbled, but he ignored it and went to the host.