Flash

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Chapter 8

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They still had to cross the sea of course. By then they were each still bottled up and silent, wondering if life could once again return to normal after something like that.

It really couldn't.

They arrived in Konohagakure just before nightfall. The hokage was to be informed the moment Kakashi returned and the copy nin dreaded the late-night briefing. Mostly though he dreaded his kohai, sticking by his side. "This is going to get ugly," Kakashi warned.

"Exactly," she replied. "I won't let you face this alone. We're a team…remember? Right up until the last line."

Well that last line commanded Kakashi be reprimanded immediately.

The copy nin endured the punishment for two weeks and after two days, Asuma, Genma, Gai, and all the rest knew the story: "You seriously put a genjutsu spell on civilians! Whoa! Makes my senbon thing look like ice cream falling off a waffle cone!"

"Thanks Genma," who pointed and laughed frequently.

Asuma was taken aback, but in the end, he was pretty amused by it too. The same went for Gai.

Basically Kakashi was suspended without pay for two weeks and forced to attend a four month long education course on weekends: ninja and civilians. Big whoop. Yuugao meanwhile suffered no aftershocks…after a fashion. After all, it wasn't common knowledge that she'd gone blind on the trip. No, that part was being kept under wraps.

Hayate was perturbed. Because he knew something was being covered up. The man began making inquiries. So, upon returning from the first mission since the suspension (which was a bitch of course, but not like the land of waves), Hizuren asked that Kakashi confront Genma's longtime friend, since Hayate would eventually stumble upon something he shouldn't. Being a special jounin made things like that, that much easier.

Kakashi was tired of thinking about it. But he convinced himself it was a good opportunity to see Yuugao and maybe ask her how she was. He even stopped by her apartment first, to no luck. Then he went straight to Hayate's house.

The doors were open in the dojo area where scabbards hung on the walls. Kakashi actually thought it was Yuugao in there, tying up some wild lavender but it was the brown-haired man, alone in this mess of flowers and string on a small table. He cleared his throat to attention as he saw the copy nin peek in. "Oh…I'm sorry," Kakashi said at once, "I wondered if Yuugao was here."

"She just left," Hayate answered, dropping the items and coming over. "I'm not sure where she's gone to…" And Hayate seized this new opportunity quickly. He wasn't the sort to run around a subject and never get to it. "Forgive me but I've been asking the hokage about the mission you and she took—it's been labeled classified. I was wondering though if you could tell me about it—she's changed since she returned. I'm…kind of worried about her."

Kakashi stopped his head from falling to one side. Er…how was he going to put this…? The manly rogue blinded her, then began to woo her, then…gave her back her sight then died. Mmm…Hmmm…"Well…" Kakashi started, just to get something going, then finally it began to snowball.

Hayate was stunned.

Of course Kakashi left out the part where the rogue might have had an affection for her, but still. Hayate was shocked.

His reaction only made Kakashi more determined to find her.

So, countless joints later, he found her sitting in a booth by herself in a cozy little spot east of the flower shop. Genma liked this place. So did she. It had a small dance floor.

Kakashi walked in and immediately felt out of place as he recognized tower chuunin and Academy workers—friends of Iruka all congregated and sharing platters and buying drinks. Kakashi even recognized one as an instructor at the education course he'd be late for in another hour or so. But the copy nin ignored them all and focused on her, sitting alone, staring with a bit of a blank expression on her face at the wall. She hadn't noticed him yet.

The copy nin followed her gaze, but there was nothing much to see. A small smile tugged on his lips behind his mask and finally he revealed himself—his form askew like he was falling off his wooden pole, straw spilling everywhere—Yuugao froze.

He invited himself to sit down without ceremony, and her skin paled—like moonlight. She was able to move her head at last and look away. She even slouched in her seat. And with her form falling and her cup of tea rising, Kakashi wondered for a minute if he'd have to converse with her under the table. "Not you too," he chuckled.

"…What?"

"Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?"

The kunoichi straightened. She wasn't looking at him. "N-No senpai. Of course not."

Of all the things Yuugao was, she was rarely timid. Yet it was in her voice just then. Maybe there was something wrong. "What is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you blind?"

She made eye contact with him briefly. "No, of course not."

"Is there something on my face?"

"No." (Of course there wouldn't be.)

"Well then," Kakashi settled, perfectly relaxed. "What's troubling you?"

Yuugao hesitated. Her eyes wandered over to the dance floor where at least one person was moving his legs and flinging his arms like a fool. Kakashi could hear her sigh. Once again he followed her gaze and back. This place was one of the only spots in town where if you showed up in uniform, you were required to buy a round for everyone there. Kakashi wasn't looking forward to the large tab, but it figures. Women always made you pay…

The kunoichi was in a black dress, cut just past the knees. It was sleeveless and smelled a little like the lavender on Hayate's table.

"Yuugao," Kakashi leaned forward, "What's wrong? You can't look at me."

"Because—I'm embarrassed," she murmured.

"Embarrassed?"

"Yes. And upset with myself. I'm so sorry senpai, for everything."

Kakashi still didn't quite understand, and discourse was becoming tedious. "Nope, you're going to have to give me more than that. I don't understand."

The woman turned her head from the flapping dance and back on the wall to her left, completely washing over the copy nin. "I'm just…still upset with myself for how I acted. I'm embarrassed. I was helpless, and I was…afraid," pronouncing it like it were something to be ashamed of. "I even fought with you," she said quietly. "That's not how a shinobi should act. I—"

"…Are you apologizing for going blind?" he asked calmly.

She glanced at him again, but remained silent.

"Yuugao…that was out of your control. And I didn't expect you to carry on as if nothing had happened. You were given a change in perspective, to put it mildly. You had to make do. Most of the problems were my fault you know," he claimed once again.

She shook her head slowly. "No. I'm still ashamed."

Kakashi sighed. "Did you know Hayate was making inquiries?" Here we go.

Finally she raised her head and her eyes widened. They widened even more when he admitted he's just told Hayate the whole story.

The kunoichi swallowed back something mixed between anger and sadness.

"…He would have gotten his answer," Kakashi continued. "He'd have gone through Genma to get to me, and you wouldn't want Genma to know, would you? You know how rumors spread. I was the class example at the assassination unit." Here, too, as glances were cast on them every few minutes. But perhaps maybe they were simply waiting for Kakashi to pull out his wallet.

She chewed on her bottom lip, rolling the words around in her head and weighing the consequences. "…So, answer me this," she said. "How can you be so calm?"

"I'm not," he replied simply.

"…Oh."

It was becoming harder for her to contain her emotion. "…As you said," Kakashi quoted, "We both thought it would be open-close the minute we saw him."

She smiled while her fingers quickly erased tears. "I can't forget him," she admitted. "I don't want to. I think of him every single day!" her voiced cracked as she was fidgeting in her seat.

Kakashi leaned back. "I know… Same here. But…you know…it would have been a shame to have locked him up."

She was able to laugh. "True," she said. "True…"

"His death…was honorable."

"…And Shiroi, too."

Because you can't leave the horse out of this.

"And Shiroi," Kakashi agreed—for once his gaze falling into reverie.

"Senpai…did your father keep a horse?"

"Not really," he answered quietly.

"And…"

"What?"

"C-Can you still remember…his voice?"

That's a fine house you built there, son!

"Maybe…but it gets harder as time goes by."

"Th-That's what I was afraid of," she murmured, glancing upon the wood grain.

"It doesn't really get easier…" he felt obliged to say, "But, take one day at a time," he offered.

Her bottom lip curled under. "And now…Hayate knows."

"Well. Just him. Me. You. And the hokage. There's that at least," Kakashi half-apologized.

She kept her gaze low on the table. "I don't know what I'm going to say to him."

"Well. I told him you did pretty good under the circumstances. And really…I did enjoy fighting with you," he smiled. After all, it was kind of cute when she was petulant and scowling at him half the time.

"I'm so sorry—"

"It's okay. Really," he said.

Yuugao looked around the place once more. "Oh…senpai…There's a rule here about…"

"Yeah, I know. I'm gonna try convincing them that I left my wallet at home."

A smile returned to her face, blossoming slowly like a violet flower. Her gold-rimmed eyes met his lone dark stare and Kakashi shifted, turning his head away. He stood.

She followed suit, out of respect.

"You're all right then?"

She nodded.

He nodded back and as he walked around the table—"Thank you…Kakashi."

He smiled, with a wink of his eyes and he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He left past the front counter. "I left my wallet at home. Can I go get it? I'll be right back."

"Well…okay…"

In an instant, Kakashi was gone.

"Baka! He's not gonna be back!" said one of the Academy instructors to the server.

"Yeah…" it finally dawned on him as he was drying a glass with a towel, "You're probably right…"

Yuugao emptied all her pockets and over paid for the price of her tea, leaving an IOU for the rest. Smiling to herself, she queerly felt a little like the noble Shiroi walking out.

Except…

She probably wouldn't pay the rest.

It was just too much.

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-by Kariko Emma, Caliko