A/N: So just a very impromptu idea that got into my head right after finishing BNA that I decided to jump right into writing. Haven't planned everything out and don't know what all I plan on doing with this story, but this first chapter was a lot of fun, especially with how much writer's block I've been suffering from anymore. Reviews would be great and very appreciated to let me know what you think of this idea! So anyways, hope you enjoy!

"Thank you, please come again!"

A pretty bell chimed as the customer exited the store, briefly filling the small building with a pleasant jingle before silence returned. Only the quiet snip snip of the pruning shears disturbed the atmosphere. Dead flower heads dropped to the floor to be swept up later.

Glancing over his shoulder, he confirmed the front desk had been abandoned, and that no other customers were present, then reached to the shelf behind him. A fluid and well-practiced movement, over within a second before he was back to trimming the plants in front of him, the bunch of carrots disappearing beneath his oversized sweater. Just in time, too. His shift was almost over.

The door to the back room opened and a young blonde stepped out, her ice blue eyes scanning the room for any patrons before striding toward him. "Alright, that's enough for today."

It was tempting to breathe out a sigh of relief, but Yamato kept it to himself as he closed the shears and handed them to her. He really cut it close that time. "Right, thanks Ino."

She accepted the tool from him and placed it into her apron pocket, then went to reach for her back pants pocket before pausing with a strange expression.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. An unsettling feeling wormed in his stomach.

"Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"What? No, of course not-" Shit.

Her eyes narrowed and she held out her hand expectantly. "Hand them over."

Defeated, he complied before things got any worse, returning the vegetables with a heavy heart. "Ino, I-"

"Save it," she interrupted sharply. "I can't believe you'd abuse my generosity like this; I didn't have to hire you, you know. You've been stealing this whole time, haven't you?"

"Your generosity doesn't even cover rent," Yamato retorted bitterly, though knew he should have kept it in his head.

Ino crossed her arms with a patronizing look. "That doesn't sound like my problem. I have a business to run. Now I suggest you leave my store, and don't bother coming back."

"What about my day's pay?"

A haughty laugh. "Really? You should just be grateful I'm not calling the cops on you. Who knows how much I've already lost to your thievery." He tried to argue, but didn't even get a word in as she continued, "Don't act like you have an argument. You're not even legally hired here; there's no contract saying I have to pay you anything. If you don't like it, then maybe you should find a real job."

There was nothing left he could do but leave before she really did call the police on him. It had been a lot easier to sneak out with seed packets when he first started working at the Yamanaka Shop, but after he came home to a brick through his window, and all of his planters and the vegetables he'd been growing gone, he quickly realized that wasn't going to work. You couldn't have anything nice in the slums.

The evening streets were alive and crowded like usual, but he had far less patience for the maze of bodies after the disastrous end to his only steady source of income. It was a lot easier to slip away into the shadows of the alleys and sprint his way home across the city, never stopping until he reached his front door. You never took more time off the main streets than you had to, not unless you wanted to end up in a ditch. Even at his own doorstep, he'd already had his key firmly in his hand, and didn't waste a heartbeat getting inside and locking himself in. Getting shanked in front of his own apartment was never an impossibility.

Even before he dared go further into the dark and rundown space, Yamato carefully scanned the room with his eyes while also straining his ears and scenting the air for anything strange. His night vision revealed nothing, and there wasn't exactly anywhere to hide in the barren room, nor did his other senses alert him to anything. Only then did he relax and move freely about his home. The boarded-up windows let in just enough light for him to navigate without any light fixtures [it wasn't like he could afford the electricity anyways], and he promptly kicked off his shoes, then dropped onto his battered old mattress that lay directly on the floor. It was more springs than padding, but it was something he was used to. There wasn't even a scrap of food around to call 'dinner'.

He fell asleep to the sound of glass shattering in the distance, his wallet with every cent to his name hidden in a slit in his mattress and a knife beneath his pillow.

The next morning he was out the door early, running several blocks and skirting around corners to avoid any others already out and about, just to be safe. Vaulting a few fences saved him valuable time and came with ease; jumping across rooftops was also a huge help and kept threats to a minimum. No one else was crazy enough to try it considering the condition of the buildings. How he hadn't crash through rotted wood yet was a miracle, but the day it did happen was the day he was as good as dead.

It was worth the risk. With the route he'd perfected over the years, he never failed to get to the food bank for rations before they ran out. It was the city's way of making up for their poor living conditions, giving out the bare minimum of food once a week. What a joke.

He was in quick, returned the fake smile that the city employee always had plastered on their face, and was back out even faster, the food typically already gone before he was even out the door. Holding onto it for later was just begging to get jumped.

Yamato took the liberty of slowing his pace to a walk once he'd put some distance between himself and the food bank, hoping to scout out some lost belongings laying around, and if that didn't work out, go back out to the city to look for some other gig. Worst case scenario, he would go 'window shopping' in some of the other apartment buildings. He lucked out being a cat; he could access the higher floors without much difficulty. It wasn't as if he enjoyed stealing, not like most of the others did. But it was a last resort he had to rely on often if he didn't want to starve or end up in a cardboard box.

Survival of the fittest. That was the rule that dictated everything in Anima City.

Nothing of any worth was lying around. Already anything metal or plastic had been scavenged for recycling, leaving nothing but broken bottles and trash littering the streets. Even the overflowing sewers and gutters were only clogged up with useless debris, serving no other purpose than slowing the brown, stagnant water. A good portion of those in the slums had resigned themselves to drinking the filth, since running water was a luxury and bottled water was too expensive. At least he could say he still had the pride and concern for his health to use the drinking fountains in the main part of the city. They tasted of metal and lead, but they were clean and free.

He didn't have any better luck in the city, roaming the streets for 'now hiring' posters and 'help wanted' signs. The fact that the Anima City was overpopulated wasn't a secret, so it wasn't surprising to find nothing available. Nothing legal anyways. It was something he tried to avoid, but it seemed he'd have to turn to the underworld for money. Whenever he was desperate, Itachi always pulled through and found him something within his moral compass.

The dead end alley was familiar enough to Yamato, and he didn't waste time dropping down the uncovered manhole to the sewer system below. Dark mazes weren't an obstacle to him, especially when he had the path memorized. The subtle graffiti markers weren't needed, though he knew where they were all painted by heart, too.

A rusted steel door stood at the end of the final tunnel, which he pounded on with his fist until a small rectangle opened at eye level and a pair of glittering green eyes looked him over, then the tunnel behind him before slamming back shut. He could hear the multiple locks being undone before the door was pushed open with an ear piercing shriek of neglected hinges.

Even before the door fully opened, Yamato had already retrieved the entry fee of $5 without any need for being prompted, and offered it without complaint to the gatekeeper. With how little he had, it still stung to lose even that much, but he knew he would make more than enough back to cover it.

The dark haired man accepted the payment with a small nod, then greeted in a low voice, "Yamato. It's been a while since you were last here."

"Yeah, I was giving a regular job a try for the past few months. Didn't really work out, though. Is Itachi here?"

"Somewhere. You'll have to look for him yourself."

"Thanks, Kakuzu," he replied, dipping his head respectfully and going further into the hideout, where it opened into a sort of underground bar. He wasn't too concerned with the main common room and passed it by with only a quick scan of his peripherals, heading straight to a stairwell that lead another flight down. The lower level served as a permanent residency for the core members that ran the place; they called themselves and their bar the Akatsuki. There was another section that was an offshoot of the lounge above that held motel-style rooms for rent to customers in need of shelter, or to those who needed to disappear for a while.

Once Yamato was down the staircase, there was only a straight cement hall lit with bare bulbs and lined on each side with doors to each Akatsuki member's room. They were all identical and unmarked, but thankfully he already knew which was the one he needed and knocked.

It took a minute, but eventually the door swung open, and a pale man with black hair in a loose ponytail and dark eyes stood in the doorway, seeming more relaxed when recognition settled in. "Oh, Yamato. I was starting to think something might have happened.."

He managed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, everything's been fine. I just haven't needed the extra work until now."

The frown on the other man's face wasn't too reassuring. "I'm not sure we have anything right now that would be your type of job. We've been getting a lot more traffic recently; we really only have some of the more dangerous and..violent ones left."

He couldn't hide his disappointment. "Oh.. I guess I'll just have to try again later, then."

"Do you need cash right now..?"

In a way he did, but he didn't want to end up in anyone's debt either, so he shook his head. "No, I'm alright. I'll figure out something else in the meantime, I'm sure."

Their voices must have carried in the empty corridor, as one of the other nearby doors opened, and a man with slicked-back silver hair and vivid violet eyes stepped out, seeming amused by the conversation. "Why don't you just man up and take the 'violent' gigs, huh? Too pussy for it or something?"

"I just don't really feel like it," Yamato answered vaguely, though it only elicited more taunting.

"They pay a lot better, though. The only reason not to is if you are a scaredy cat, or maybe you're just too much of a goody-two-shoes."

"Believe it or not Hidan, some of us still have some decency, as well as the brain cells to know when something isn't worth it."

Hidan always was quick to anger, so the insult probably wasn't the brightest idea he'd ever had, but he wasn't too concerned with Itachi there. Still, it didn't entirely alleviate the flight response to the sudden shift. Sharp teeth, claws, bristling fur, and dark, flattened ears. "Try saying that again," the hyena growled threateningly, but as expected, Itachi spoke up.

"You shouldn't bare your fangs so quickly, especially with a customer."

A moment of tense silence, then Hidan shifted back to his human form, though still obviously seemed ruffled. "Tch, whatever. It's none of my business if you want to starve out there," he declared, going back into his own room to nurse his wounded pride.

Once he was sure the other was gone, Itachi said, "If you ever are in a bad situation, you can always come here."

Yamato knew the weasel meant well, and that he would be perfectly okay with giving help, but it didn't mean the rest of the Akatsuki would take well to it. Nothing was free here, and eventually they would want something in return, something he might not be able to pay back. In a situation like his, debt was a death sentence. "Thanks, Itachi. I'll keep it in mind. I should probably get going, though. There's still a some hours left in the day to make use of."

Itachi nodded in understanding and wished him luck before disappearing back into his room, leaving Yamato to climb the flight of steps back to the lounge room, feeling another wave of defeat wash over him. So much for making back the entry fee..

He should have been paying more attention to his surroundings, maybe then he could have avoided the person who suddenly knocked into him from behind. Initial instincts took over and he braced himself, managing to keep his footing and turning to face the assailant, only to realize it was much less of an attack as it was a drunk who could hardly put one foot in front of the other.

Feeling much calmer, he helped steady them on their own feet, and asked, "You okay?"

The other man managed to raise his head at the question with some difficulty and made eye contact before nodding listlessly. He really seemed out of it, and Yamato questioned if he actually even understood what had been asked.

It helped him feel a little less worse for staring, though. He hadn't been prepared for the mismatched eyes staring back at him. One dark grey, and the other bright red. He had never seen anything like it before. The wild, silvery-white hair was plain in comparison.

"Sorry," the stranger said with a bit of a slur. "I was jus' tryin' to get to the door.." He didn't wait for an answer before staggering off toward the exit.

Yamato definitely did remember seeing him there at the bar when he first came in, so who knew how long he'd been there, and if he was really as tipsy as he looked.. For several moments he could only stare after him, dumbfounded, before rushing over to the counter where Kisame was serving drinks, and asking in disbelief, "Are you really just going to let him leave in that condition..?!"

The shark just blinked at him in confusion. "Who?"

"The guy with white hair!"

That just earned an even more strange look. "What? The only thing he had was a glass of water."

Something really didn't add up, and it took a few seconds longer than he liked before it finally clicked, and his hand suddenly went to his back pocket. Empty.

"Oh, fuck-" was all he could manage before running out past Kakuzu, only to find the tunnel beyond the steel door empty. He must have took off fast.

But speed didn't erase the scent, and Yamato wasted no time chasing after the invisible trail, skidding corners and launching himself up the ladder that led back out of the manhole and into the alleyway. He almost ran off without checking the scent trail in his haste, since it was a dead end here, there was only one direction to go, but a voice from overhead stopped him in his tracks.

"Someone's sure in a rush."

Yamato whirled around and tilted his head back to see the other man perched on a high brick wall, an open wallet in his hands as he squinted to read the ID inside.

"So, Yamato, is it?"

Struggling to keep a level head, he ignored the question and gritted out, "Give it back."

The demand fell on deaf ears as the mismatched eyes continued to scrutinize the card a bit longer, then finally he commented, "This is a fake, isn't it? It's pretty convincing; I could hardly even tell. You moved here illegally, then?"

"What does it matter? I said give it back!" The urge to let out his claws only rose. Scaling the wall and taking the wallet back by force would be easy then.

Still, his words were ignored. "You probably got this from Akatsuki, huh? It looks like their handiwork; good quality. Do you hang around here often? I don't think I've ever seen you befo-"

The sentence was cut short when Yamato threw himself up the wall, making it most of the way up in one bound, catching hold of the bricks with his claws, then launching himself the rest of the way up. By then, the white haired man had moved and put more distance between them, though he finally seemed to be paying attention.

Ears pinned flat, he snarled, "Last chance, or I'll take it by force.."

Sighing, the stranger shook his head. "Alright, I hear you. Calm down. I was going to give it back anyways."

"Then why take it in the first place?!"

"I just wanted to ask some questions. After you answer, I'll return it, promise."

He felt his hair starting to lie flat again before changing back to human form, still feeling wary. "You should have just asked, then; you didn't need to steal to get my attention.."

"Sorry."

"No you're not."

That just earned him a smile. "So, how long have you been in Anima City?"

"Is that really relevant?"

"Yes, very."

"Six years."

"Okay. Do you spend a lot of time around Akatsuki?"

"I used to, not much recently. Look, what is this even about?"

"Have you heard any strange rumors lately, or seen anything odd?"

"No, I haven't. How many more questions are you going to ask?"

The other's expression seemed disappointed, but not surprised. "That was the last one. I guess I should be going; spent too much time here for nothing."

Yamato easily caught the wallet when it was tossed back to him, checking it over to make sure nothing had been taken, only believing the fox's assurances that he hadn't stolen anything after he'd double checked. Finally starting to feel a little better, but still fully annoyed, he asked, "What was the point of all of that anyways? Who even are you?"

Shrugging and putting his hands into his hoodie pocket, he replied, "I'm something of a journalist. Just looking for things to write about. I write under the name Sukea."

"What were you hoping to find around here?"

"Nothing in particular. Akatsuki's a good place to go for anything. People there come from all over the city. Drunks like to talk, too. It's just a matter of hoping they have something interesting to say. I get a lot of leads there. Top class gossip, really."

Yamato couldn't say he entirely followed, but didn't really care, either. "Who do you write for? Or are you self published?" He didn't exactly read the news or magazines often. The name Sukea was new to him.

"I used to self publish. And before that I just wrote for whoever paid the most. Blackmails, slander pieces, fake news. Or if I uncovered something new, I'd let several companies know and let them bid for who I actually told. Now though, I work with the mayor."

"Is that supposed to make you sound more credible?"

Sukea laughed. "I just thought you might find it weird that I use sources like Akatsuki if I didn't elaborate a bit. All that before stuff was just for trying to survive. Since the mayor took an interest in my articles, the true ones, anyways, I've stuck to only writing honest pieces. Money isn't really a concern anymore, so I lost interest in the other methods. It's a lot more fun to uncover real truths and tell the city about them. I don't think Mayor Tsunade would keep paying me either if she found out I was lying."

It made sense. Everyone found their foothold in Anima City one way or another. Typically with crime. It wasn't anything unique.

"Oh. Sorry I couldn't help, I guess." Not that he should apologize. He didn't owe him jack shit after what he just pulled. Apologies were habit, though.

Sukea just waved it off casually, turning to get ready to jump down off the wall to the alley below. "No worries. I think I got something to look into anyways. Oh, speaking of which-" He glanced over at him out of the corner of his eyes. "-what do you know about Rabbit Town?"

Merely the mention of it gave him a sick feeling. "Enough to stay clear away. There's more than enough rumors going around."

"I've heard a lot of rumors, too. Makes me wonder how much of it is real." The cutiosity to the voice was so misplaced when put in context with the subject.

"You're..planning on going there..?"

"How else am I going to figure things out for sure?"

"Are you insane?"

The pretty smile didn't look crazy at all. "Maybe. But someone has to do it, right?"

Yamato shook his head in disbelief. "Look, there may be a lot of rumors, but one thing is for certain: things that go into Rabbit Town never come back out. Everything and everyone disappears there. It's suicide!"

"Not if I don't get caught." He sounded so confident, and dropped down the ground below without further chance for argument.

He almost wanted to trust that the fox could handle it. Even if he couldn't, it wasn't his business anyways. Still, he couldn't help jumping down after him and trying one last time. "Look, it's just not worth it, you really shouldn't go-"

Sukea stopped and turned back around to face him, seeming so strangely carefree in a way he couldn't understand; smiling about the idea of sneaking into Rabbit Town, a literal death sentence. He couldn't even think to react to the man holding up his phone, and just squinted uncomfortably against the bright light of the camera flash from a picture being taken. "Don't worry about me too much, Yamato. I'm just going to get some evidence and leave. Easy, right?"

Trying to blink away the colorful lights floating around in front of his vision, he could really only stare in muted shock. The man was clearly either the bravest, stupidest, or craziest person to ever exist. Maybe all three. "And you're..going all by yourself?"

"Of course. Unless-" Sukea gave a sly grin. "-you wanted to play the part of my body guard."

It was an obvious joke, but it left him feeling tempted, seriously considering the not-really offer. What if the fox did get caught and had no one to help him? Who even knew what he might have to face in there?

"I can if you want me to."

What did he have to lose? Being in debt was hell, but being owed a favor could really change things. And he really couldn't help but feel some level of worry for the journalist. Despite the stunt he pulled, he didn't really seem like a bad guy. Not someone who deserved to die anyways, and that was probably what would happen if he went in alone.

Sukea's expression dropped to a far more serious one. "You don't have to. It'll be really dangerous. It'll take a lot of skill to not get caught-"

"I know all of that. But I mean it; I'll go with you if you need it. I've spent long enough on the wrong side of the city to know how to survive."

"The backup would be nice, for something of this scale," he admitted. "Okay. I'm going there tonight at 2 AM. If you're not there on time, I'll go without you. You should be able to find me near the gate easy enough."

Yamato nodded in agreement, dully aware of a voice in the back of his head screaming how stupid he was being. How very much not survivor-like this was. "I'll be there."

The fox smiled again, though something seemed a bit different that he couldn't quite put his finger on. It didn't make him uneasy at all, though, so he disregarded it.

"Thanks. You can call me Kakashi, by the way. Kakashi Hatake."

After finally parting ways, Yamato figured it was a good idea to head home early and try to rest up for the coming adventure, for lack of a better word. But the longer he laid in bed, staring at the cracked ceiling overhead, the more anxious and stupid he felt. Why should he risk his life for a stranger when the other would never return the favor? He couldn't even guarantee he would get anything out of the ordeal, that Kakashi wouldn't just run off afterwards without giving anything in return. Plenty of times he had done things just to be kind, it was a serious flaw of his, and every time he ended up either empty handed, worse off than when he started, or flat out stabbed in the back [figuratively, though some had made attempts to literally].

Maybe he just shouldn't show up.