Their search for Logan had taken considerably longer than either of them had expected.
What Kakashi had initially believed would be a matter of tracking one mutant with an unusually distinctive genetic signature had turned into weeks of following rumors, examining surveillance footage, questioning informants, and visiting places where Wolverine had supposedly been seen.
Logan had no permanent residence, no predictable schedule, and seemingly no interest in making himself easy to find.
He moved whenever he felt like it, disappeared whenever people started asking too many questions, and had developed an almost supernatural ability to leave a place shortly before anyone looking for him arrived.
For Kakashi, that had turned the search into a challenge. He had spent weeks applying everything he had learned throughout his life about tracking people who did not want to be found.
He compared witness accounts, studied photographs from different locations, reconstructed Logan's movements from dates and distances, and even cross-referenced bar receipts and transportation records.
It was the kind of investigation that required patience, observation, and an unhealthy willingness to stare at hundreds of pieces of information until they formed a pattern.
Deadpool, meanwhile, had contributed by occasionally saying things like, "Have you tried asking the universe where Wolverine is?" and then disappearing for several hours.
Eventually, however, Kakashi found the pattern. Logan wasn't disappearing randomly. He was returning to the same places, but never on a predictable schedule.
One establishment appeared repeatedly in the background of several reports, always separated by weeks or months.
A small pub on the edge of town had recorded sightings of a rough-looking man matching Logan's description more than once.
Kakashi had followed the trail there that evening, and as they approached the building, he finally said, "We're here. According to everything I've found, Logan visits this place whenever he's in the area. He doesn't stay long, but he apparently has enough of a reputation that the bartender remembers him."
Deadpool looked at the modest building ahead of them and tilted his head. "After weeks of searching, our legendary mutant is hiding in a bar?" he asked, sounding almost offended by the simplicity of it.
"I spent three days interrogating a guy who sold suspiciously cheap cigars because somebody told me Wolverine once bought a cigar in this city. You're telling me we could have just followed the smell of alcohol and poor emotional decisions?"
Kakashi pushed open the door. "You were the one who insisted the cigar seller was an undercover government agent."
"He looked suspicious."
"He was eighty-two."
"Exactly. Nobody gets to eighty-two without knowing things."
The moment they stepped inside, the atmosphere changed. Music played from an old speaker. A dancer was performing on a small raised platform toward one side of the establishment while several other performers moved between tables, entertaining the customers.
Deadpool stopped almost immediately, looking around with exaggerated approval. "Well, well, well," he said as he looked toward Kakashi. "This is certainly the sort of place I'd expect Wolverine to visit."
Kakashi looked around without much reaction. "Focus on the search."
"I am focused," Deadpool replied, still looking around. "I'm focusing extremely hard on the search. Specifically, I'm searching for the reason Wolverine has apparently been spending his evenings here. I always thought Logan had taste, but now I'm beginning to suspect his taste is mostly whiskey and women who dance naked."
Kakashi glanced at him. "You sound jealous."
"I'm not jealous. I'm impressed. Logan got taste." Deadpool gestured toward the stage with both hands. "Look at this place. The man has standards. Meanwhile, I've been living in warehouses, abandoned buildings, and occasionally inside other people's apartments because they left the window unlocked. This Wolverine guy is apparently enjoying himself."
Kakashi walked toward the bar. "You don't know that."
"Please. Look around. This is clearly where a man comes when he wants to forget his problems." Deadpool paused. "Actually, that's probably why he's here. He's got a metal skeleton, anger issues, memory problems, and people constantly trying to kill him. I'd drink too."
They reached the counter, and Kakashi took the seat closest to the bartender. Deadpool dropped onto the stool beside him, immediately turning his attention toward the bottles arranged behind the counter.
The bartender was a broad man with graying hair who looked at the two strangers for several seconds before finally asking, "What can I get you?"
Kakashi leaned forward slightly. "We're looking for someone. A man named Logan. He may have come here before. Canadian, probably in his forties or fifties, short hair, rough appearance, usually carrying himself like he's looking for a fight."
The bartender stared at him.
Deadpool leaned closer and added, "He also has claws."
The bartender's expression remained completely blank.
Deadpool waited. He looked toward Kakashi. Kakashi looked back at him.
The bartender finally said, "I don't know anyone like that."
Deadpool slowly nodded. "That was an incredibly convincing performance. You almost made me believe you weren't hiding something."
"I run a bar," the bartender replied. "People come in, drink, leave, and sometimes forget where they parked. I don't keep records of every drunk who walks through the door."
Kakashi studied the man's expression carefully. There was no obvious nervousness, no change in breathing, and no glance toward the door. Either he was telling the truth or he had become very good at hiding lies.
Kakashi decided not to push immediately. "We've heard Logan comes here regularly."
The bartender shrugged. "Lots of people come here regularly."
"Does the name Wolverine mean anything to you?"
The bartender's expression didn't change, but his eyes shifted for a fraction of a second.
Kakashi noticed. Deadpool noticed Kakashi noticing.
He leaned toward the bartender. "Okay, we're getting somewhere. Don't worry, big guy. We're not cops. We're not bounty hunters. We're not assassins. We're not—"
The bartender sighed and reached for two glasses. "If you're looking for someone, have a drink and wait. If he comes in, you'll know."
Kakashi accepted the glass and gave a small nod. "Thank you."
Deadpool took his own drink and immediately raised it toward Kakashi. "To several weeks of searching, one suspicious bartender, and the possibility that we've finally found the world's angriest Canadian."
Kakashi raised his glass slightly. "To finding Logan before Essex does."
Deadpool took a drink and then looked at Kakashi's mask.
He stared. Kakashi noticed. "You're staring."
"I've been wondering something for weeks," Deadpool said.
"How do you drink through that mask?"
Kakashi paused.
Deadpool leaned closer. "Seriously. I've watched you do it. You lift the bottom slightly, somehow drink, and then the mask goes back down. Are you secretly carrying a straw in there? Is there a tiny drinking tube? Do you have a secret mouth flap? Is your face actually a second mask underneath the first mask?"
Kakashi calmly took another drink through his mask.
Deadpool stared harder.
"I hate you a little bit."
Kakashi lowered the glass. "You ask too many questions."
"That's because you refuse to answer the important ones. For example, what's under there? I've seen half the weirdest faces, and somehow yours remains classified." Deadpool leaned closer, lowering his voice dramatically. "I've been wondering whether you're secretly incredibly handsome underneath that thing."
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed.
Deadpool continued, "Because let's be honest, I'm extremely handsome under my mask. Horrifyingly handsome. Tragically handsome. The kind of handsome that makes mirrors question whether they deserve to reflect me. So now I'm wondering whether you're hiding a face that's even more devastating."
Kakashi took another drink.
Deadpool pointed at him. "See? That's exactly what a handsome man hiding behind a mask would do."
Kakashi sighed. "Drink your alcohol."
"I am drinking. I'm also investigating."
"You're annoying."
"I've been told that's part of my charm."
Kakashi returned his attention to the room. He had just begun scanning the patrons again when he noticed something change.
The bartender's expression had tightened.
Several patrons near the entrance had suddenly become quiet.
Then Kakashi felt something cold touch the side of his neck.
Deadpool felt another object press against his own throat.
A pair of metal claws extended beside each of their necks.
The voice that came from behind them was rough, deep, and filled with restrained hostility.
"Why are you two little freak shows searching for me?"
Kakashi didn't move. Neither did Deadpool.
The claws pressed slightly closer.
The man behind them continued, "Doesn't matter who sent you. I've seen enough people looking for me to know how this works. You ask questions, you pretend you're harmless, and then somebody gets hurt."
Kakashi's Sharingan activated.
The reflection in the mirror behind the bar gave him his first clear look at the man.
Short dark hair. Sideburns..A rugged face. A battered leather jacket. And unmistakable metal claws extending from both hands.
They had finally found their man.
-----Author Notes---------
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