Cut scene from Sparks 17

Kakashi glanced up at me with his eyebrow quirked. "Not enjoying the great outdoors?"

"Highly over-" I began in an even tone but squeaked when I noticed an eight-legged thing making its way towards me. I leapt up and put distance between me and it. Kakashi watched me as I went. It was the third time in a week I'd seen the things. Beetles, spiders and those nasty giant centipedes.

"I'm rather done with the crawlers." I said, staring down at the eight legged death that tried to do me in. "Could you kill it? That thing is giant. It has its own zip code."

"It isn't even poisonous." He said dully.

"I don't care." I said, staring down at it. "It's looking at me cross."

I could see amusement shining in his eyes as he turned back to his book. "You should argue with it. Maybe it'll run away."

"Hatake Kakashi." I muttered, crossing my arms around myself. The thing was making its way away from the fire, but I still didn't trust it. It was evil. Probably plotting my downfall.

"Walker Tami." He countered. He didn't even look up from his book.

Instead of sitting back where I had been, I sat near him - arms length away. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

"What? I'm hoping if it goes on a rampage, it gets you first before me." I defended myself.

"Thanks." He said sarcastically.

"Well, you've never been the knight in shining armor type, so - a girl does what she can." I said.

"Maa - shining armor does attract unnecessary attention. And it's heavy and loud." Kakashi snapped his book closed as he evaluated the idea. "Now, that is over-rated."

"There do go my dreams." I replied playfully. He snorted.

"You're kidding." He flatly said, staring at me.

"What?"

"You want that?" He asked, as if reevaluating me for the first time.

"What girl doesn't want to be swept off her feet?" I shrugged and settled in. "I mean, they probably wouldn't be a Mr. Darcy, but it would be nice."

"Mr. Darcy?" Kakashi asked, his brows knitting under the name.

"Only the finest male protagonist to grace romance novels." I said, turning to the fire.

"I highly doubt that."

"Oh?"

"He can't be better than the protagonist in Icha Icha." Kakashi said firmly.

"He certainly is." I said assuredly.

"The male lead in Icha Icha goes out of his way to show his love to the female lead in everything he does." He said.

"Sounds rather fake. The course of true love never did run smooth. Mr. Darcy is a gentleman, a scholar, a hunter - and he's the best after he and his love interest have a falling out."

"Icha Icha wins by default." Kakashi said.

"Oh?"

"He spends his entire time winning her. There's no time for a falling out." He said assuredly.

"That is unrealistic. Mr. Darcy-" I started again.

"Mr. Darcy sounds like an idiot." Kakashi firmly stated.

"Oo, Kakashi - them's fighting words." I said playfully. He'd never quite gotten so serious about a matter before (besides actual duties and combat). It was fascinating to see him fight for this.

"Then what's so great about him?"

"He proposes twice. The first he finally admits that he's in love to the female lead and that's when they have the falling out."

"Oh be still my heart." Kakashi grumbled, looking irritated. I waved my hand, dismissing it. He hadn't read the book, and this part of the story. It was far better than he knew.

"Oh, he was a tool - don't get me wrong. He interfered with the relationship between her sister and his friend and caused it's end. As well as causing the ruin of a family friend. He then went on to tell her he was in love with her against his better judgement."

"You have terrible taste in men." Kakashi told me. He had no idea how right he was. My record was horrible.

"Too true. However, I didn't get to the why. He seriously doubted that her sister, Jane, was truly in love and cautioned his friend like any good friend would. It later was revealed that the family friend had attempted to seduce his sister to gain her inheritance. As well as, the lead's family was rather - embarrassing." I explained. "He went through and fixed as much as he could. Even wrote her a long letter explaining it all. Even apologized. He, eventually, came to call on her to see if she had changed her mind."

I paused to see Kakashi watching intently. He gestured for me to continue.

"That's when he went and proposed again. It was - it's the most touching scene." I sighed, gazing into the fire.

"He still sounds horrible." Kakashi said. We were both quiet for a moment. I almost felt like he hated Mr. Darcy simply by a principle I didn't understand. "You really have bad taste in men?"

I groaned and turned to him. "Out of all that, this is what you come back to?"

He just stared at me expectantly. I sighed, staring up at the stars. Might as well tell him. I doubted it made a difference one way or another.

"Always have. Show me a man who's a bad bet and head over heels I go." I said. Kakashi hummed, staring at the fire.

"And as we're doing soul bearing - what of you? You read enough romance slash smut." I asked, turning to him. He wouldn't look at me. His book was still in his hand and he only sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I've never been - you know." He wouldn't look away from the fire before us.

"Ah. It's not as glamorous as the books make it feel. Some days it's like your heart is being ripped out and served on a silver platter." I said. He looked at me and nodded. There was understanding in his gaze. He may not have been in love - but he'd certainly felt the pain of losing loved ones. It was close enough if not the same - and in some ways far worse.

"Well this talk went tragic fast." I said dryly. He didn't laugh, but I saw something of amusement shining in his eye. "At least we can both agree that Romeo and Juliet is the worst."

"That is?" He asked.

"Tragic." I cleared my throat, gearing up to recite the monologue.

"Two households, both alike in dignity

(In fair Verona, where we lay our scene),

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parents' strife."

Kakashi watched me quietly, piecing it together. "That sounds horrible."

"Mm - not even the start of it. Romeo was head over heels for another woman, then the moment he saw his Juliet he changed his mind. They fall in love. Within a week they kill themselves. She faked their death to reunite with him. He didn't get the message and killed himself at her tomb. She awakes so see him dead, and thus kills herself."

"That's horrible." Kakashi said, but there was something in his gaze; interest, "where would I find this book?"

"I don't think you'd be able to find it." I said with a smile.

"Do you have it?"

"I do. However, it's not…." I paused, "you won't be able to read it."

"Ah." He hummed, "that camera."

"Yes. The camera."

"What language is that?" He asked.

I shrugged, trying to be vague.

AN: So this was the outtake. It was a little soon for this discussion and I had other scenes to focus on ;3 Hoped you enjoyed it even though this one didn't make the cut.