The Case-Book of Kakashi Hatake

The Hound of the Uchiha {Part 4}

My eyes burned the next morning, aching from the lack of sleep. I was jittery, having spent the last three hours lying in bed and listening intently for any more sounds.

I kicked off the covers, pulled on a simple grey shirt tucked into a brown skirt, splashed some cold water my face from a basin that was set on the vanity table, and yanked a brush through hair that had matted from insistent tossing and turning the night before.

Dressed and ready for the day, even though the sun was just beginning to crest the horizon, I sat back down on the edge of the bed, resting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

I was alone, surrounded by people I didn't know with a giant, murdering dog on the loose.

I wanted to send a letter to Inspector Gai first thing, make him come running to help me, bringing the closest thing to a familiar face that I could get these days.

But Hatake's words ran through my head: What are you so afraid of, Jin?

Nothing! I wanted to shout at the walls, stamp my foot and shake my fist, but that would be a childish response. I know what it is to be afraid. I felt fear when I began my medical training, afraid to fail, to try something new, to prove my detractors right. I felt fear when I left for war, the crisp new doctor's uniform, the eyes all around, knowing that some would be closed forever on their way home, if their bodies were ever found. And by god did I feel fear when I heard the hiss of the exploding tag, that hundredth of a second when the world stopped and I looked death in the eyes before being flung away. That was the end of one chapter of my life, and all that I knew was the pain in my head and the glinting stars dancing and fading through the blackness.

But the most scared I have ever been was when I finally woke up. My muscles ached liked I had run twenty miles, but I hadn't moved in weeks. I was so frightfully frail, weak; I had lost over twenty pounds. My arm shook when I rearranged my blankets. My legs trembled when I tried to stand. And when I looked in the mirror, someone else looked back. She had my eyes, my nose, my mouth, but not my face. I screamed. I fainted. I hated myself for being weak.

In comparison, this morning in the Uchiha manor wasn't too bad. I just needed to hold out until Hatake was done looking into the disappearance of Nohara's body. That meant that I had two main goals: keep myself and the young Uchiha alive and find some information that Hatake could use for his investigation.

It no longer mattered that I was tired. I never would have survived as an army doctor if I couldn't continue functioning without ample sleep.

My mind cleared from my earlier panic, I decided to inventory what data I had so far.

First was obviously the issue of the Hound. As much as I liked the tale, I wasn't quite willing to believe that it was a spirit made mortal by the magic of salt. It was steeped in three hundred years of folk lore, not facts. It was irrefutable, however, that something had made that baying sound last night. I could think of two possibilities to explain it: a real hound or another creature or device could mimic the sound of one.

I figured that it would take Hatake to solve that particular riddle, but I would still keep my eyes open.

One thing that I was sure that I could make some head way on was Uchiha's peculiar staff. I had met three members so far, but I figured that there had to be more. You can't run an estate this large without more help, especially with such expansive grounds. Uchiha must have a gardener, right? There has to be more than one maid to upkeep such a mansion, there has to be a stable hand as well as the driver, and there has to be a cook and a housekeeper along with the butler.