Passes of Normalcy:
By mangachick1
Disclaimer: really…?
The wind howled as it rustled through the fluttering leaves, the glinting moon flickered over the slab of metal upon his forehead concealing a marred eye. One visible coal eye scanned mournfully over each name, the frown underneath masked lips clearly visible.
"Come to admire the view?" Kakashi spoke suddenly, his hands clenched in his pockets as a sigh muffled against his mask and he glanced with one wayward eye at the childish figure at the corner of his vision.
"I was unaware of your presence, Hataka-sempai, please excuse me." The child turned on his heel obviously troubled, from some unexplainable reason Kakashi uttered before he disappeared from view.
"Maa, I was just leaving…" The boy froze, peeking over his underdeveloped shoulders to glance at the man who was far from peace, the boy's obsidian eyebrows laced together in concern at the vacant gaze of the older man. He carefully took a few steps forward until he was by the inattentive man.
"Hatake-sempai…" He ventured, reaching out a small hand when he refused to answer. "Hatake-se-" Sharp fingers clenched over his outstretched wrist, clutching it distressingly but the boy's eyes were only for the painfully frightened ones glaring upon him. Then with no further warning all visages of tenseness evaporated and a hopelessly lonely gaze fell upon him, the Hatake released his wrist slowly and stared hard at the memorial erected before the two.
"Maa, sorry Itachi-kun, just missed out on my favorite training ground…" The man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly though the boy knew the small smile curling his features was utterly false.
Taking his first, slouched steps to leave, Kakashi dug his hands in his pockets. "Hatake-sempai…" The man paused but did not turn around, his shoulders hunched in defeated. "I was wondering if you we're willing to train. My mind is far from rest currently and training would hopefully elevate that." This time, Kakashi turned his shoulders straightening.
"Aahh that would be nice…" After the first sincere words that left Kakashi's lips where spoken, the two calmly readied themselves with practiced ease. "How would you like to go about this?" He asked calmly, his one visible eye hardening as he revealed his scarred other.
"Taijustu and weapons will be perfect." Itachi told him as he sighed calmly, crimson red swirling into his coal eyes.
When the battle began; streaks of silver and flashes of red were the only telltale signs of a confrontation, metal screeched upon metal, slaps of skin meeting skin in hurried pars and blows that could be heard as echoes filtering through the barks of the foliage surrounding them.
It was only as the sun dawned in the sky, birds tweeted in welcome and the far off sounds of civilization returned did the two once more appear to the human eye across from each other, chest heaving in pants and perspiration sliding from underneath their forehead protectors.
Itachi glanced to the sun slowly, straightening his stance and slicking a wet bang from his face. "I must be returning now," He rasped over his breaths for a while as Kakashi closed his Sharingan eye and straightened his spine, even through his exhausted features their was a brightness in his eye that had not existed the night before. "Though allow me to repay you Kakashi-sempai, I will be in the new tea-shop on Ichigo Street after six this evening, please conceder joining me."
The prodigious child smiled tiredly. "Either way it was a pleasure Kakashi-sempai." Kakashi heart still pounded from the adrenaline of the fight but he found himself grinning sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well I try…" Itachi chuckled quietly, his coal eyes closing in such an innocent gesture that Kakashi momentarily forgot that the boy before him was a perfectly trained killer. The boy lifted a hand in gesture of goodbye before he puffed from existence with a regular shunshin. With a new vigor, Kakashi found himself puffing from existence and hoping he would not be sent out on a day long mission.
Itachi calmly sipped his tea, the hot liquid running over his throat and warming his insides, sighing in content upon the steaming cup. By his side were a number of scrolls on water jutsu's, he had only recently learnt he held an affinity for it and had been rather excited at the prospect.
Sinking into the scrolls he could not help imagine that a simple desk job of reading and sorting would hold more appeal to him those ever-present battles. True there were marvelous perks to life as a shinobi; he had never felt weak or unimportant and he loved the feeling of working each muscle in his body to an attuned point, but, somehow for the dark haired boy it wasn't enough.
The constant violence strained his sense of self and peace of mind and he knew if his clan were to ever allow it he would have settle for becoming a mere chunnin and probably teaching at the Academy or maybe even a tactical position if he could out-strategize the Nara there – something he believed he may have a chance at.
Sighing with his predicament, he sipped his tea quietly, he had believed earlier in life that he could bring it up with his father but he had never scourged enough courage to defy his father's set path and from the situation he was currently facing there would be no time in the near future to react to his hearts wants.
"Mind if I join?" Lifting his head, Itachi saw the silver haired man he had invited earlier that day before him, his hair still dripping from an earlier shower and small grin curling his eye. Itachi gestured to the seat opposite him, maneuvering his scrolls to the seat beside him so the man would have more room.
The waitress came by their table, glancing between the two of them with a raised eyebrow, the whole village was well aware of her less appealing talents as a world class gossip, Itachi saw the slight tilt of Kakashi's head and knew from only spending one training trip with him it meant bad news. "I'll have some mint tea please, and you dear?"
He glanced at Itachi his eyes crinkled, Itachi raised an eyebrow at him in question as the waitress gasped, he shot her a glance asking if she truly believed the quirks of the Hatake. "No…" He murmured after an awkward silence, his cheeks had began reddening with the attention and picked up his mug to hopeful explain the irrational blush on his cheeks.
The waitress hurriedly left and it was a no more then a few seconds later, they heard the commotion in the kitchen as heads popped out to observe them. "Was that necessary?" Kakashi just grinned in answer watching as the crowd of brewers followed the waitress to the table a steaming hot cup of mint tea in her hands, expressive eyes peering at the two of them. Kakashi grinned and murmured a thank you, calmly holding his tea as the crowd waited for any true spark between the two of them that would concrete what had just been said.
After the blush had died on his cheeks, Itachi raised an eyebrow at them and asked. "So, can we help you?" Jittery murmurs of declination protested as the squirmed away from the table, to their perches content on watching the 'couple'. As they finally left Itachi glanced at the still smiling Hatake. "You do know what you've just done, don't you?"
Kakashi's eye still crinkled as he said. "I haven't slightest clue on what you're talking about…" He took a sip of his mint tea through his mask, Itachi just palmed his cheek a chuckle escaping his lips as he shook his head and refocused on his tea.
Itachi was having a hard time explaining the feeling of normalcy that arouse in him; he had never bonded with people his age or come close to any of them outside his clan but just being prey of twisted gossip and enjoying mint tea with another felt so…normal, for lack of a better word, as if the worst thing on his mind was how big a rumor as the one that had just started could get.
It was a liberating feeling.
The rest of the day was spent with noncommittal conversation; causing Itachi to smile and chuckle far more than he had been able to recently, and slowly he began to notice that the silver haired man was also enjoying his company, he did not seem worried or lost on matters Itachi could barely comprehend. He seemed lighter, and that in itself gave Itachi a reason to be pleased.
The crinkle of his eye was more sincere and Itachi deflated as he realized he should have made it home hours ago. He sighed, glancing at his third empty cup of tea and the darkened sky, Kakashi was no fool and said in complete seriousness. "Maa, it was nice Itachi-kun but my bed is calling…"
Itachi smiled and nodded his had sagely, rolling up his forgotten scrolls and setting them in his bag, about to place the charge on the table and finding it already sitting their innocently. He frowned at it, opening his mouth to refuse but the silver haired man was nowhere to be sensed, he sighed hiding his money away and knowing that the next time he and Kakashi met, he would repay him.
Itachi panted, sweat glistening on his body as he relaxed on the prickly grass, the burning sun was hidden from view by the large oak hanging above him, his sparring partner sat idly against the trees trunk he too catching his breath.
"Maa," He panted. "You're getting much faster with performing your water jutsus…" Kakashi noted, his chest still heaving and his silver hair drooping over his sweaty face.
"T-thank you…" Itachi managed to choke out before he was recalled by the urge to just breath, he heard a ruffle of clothing.
"Just, don't look at me until I say, 'kay?" Kakashi asked, the voice less muffled by fabric then earlier and Itachi startlingly realized he had taken of his mask to breath probably. Itachi failed to answer; instead he stared at the canopy, as birds twittered back to their nests now that the area was spar-free. The cool breeze brushed over his skin kindly and he relished in the aching of his muscles.
"Don't you want to look?" Kakashi asked curiously after a while, both having been content to just relax even as their panted breaths halted. Surprised by the question, he stared unseeingly at the canopy.
"It's not my place say Kakashi-sempai…" He tried to understand what had poised the young man to ask the question but in return all he heard was silence.
"Aah." Kakashi said as if affirming something for himself, before Itachi felt his gaze upon him. "You're not like most Uchiha…" Itachi found himself chuckling even though it was not funny.
"I know." He answered, noting the pride in his voice as would a stranger. He blinked several times at the implications and a small smile stretched across his lips.
"What?" Kakashi asked on his thoughts, Itachi sat up, leaning on his elbows before curling his arms into lap and smiling sadly.
"Aaah…just came to a realization for a course of action." As he opened his eyes from his grin only to see the copy nin's raised eyebrow and uncovered features, he blinked a few times as the copy-nin rubbed his exposed chin with gloved fingers.
"Maa, must be something then." Itachi chuckled sadly, untying his messy ponytail and redoing it neatly. "There is something, I've wondered about Itachi-kun." Itachi raised an eyebrow and said.
"Yes?" The small smile adorning Kakashi's face lessened, as his visible eye became intriguingly expressive.
"Why a ninja?" He asked bluntly, allowing Itachi's eyes to widen before a grin closed his eyes. No one had ever once asked him if the shinobi life style was made for him; even with all his abilities and direction of analyzing that made him a perfect candidate for a star shinobi, no one person had asked him if he held any doubts for his career choice.
And now that question was asked, Itachi was feeling oddly humbled and unable to voice what he always wished too. "You seem to be one of those that would prefer the quiet life." Kakashi told him, head tilted slightly in question, Itachi scratched his ribcage in a nervous gesture.
"Aah," He finally managed to agree, eyes downcast slightly before he raised them to meet the silver haired mans. "But, my skills are valuable to the village; it would be a waste of resources to do anything different." Kakashi frowned at him as Itachi lifted himself to his feet, scoping a few coins from his pocket and outstretching his hand. "I still owe you." He said.
Kakashi chuckled lightly at his persistence, momentarily forgetting whatever had troubled him to wave the Uchiha off. "Maa, holding it would use up to much energy…" He heard Itachi chuckle lightly before taking a hold of his wrist, as in the first day the two had become friends, and gently opening his palm to put the money inside.
"I don't like leaving debts un-scored." Without further ado, Itachi waved as he smiled sadly in farewell and Kakashi had the inkling he would not be seeing him for a very long time. "Good bye Kakashi-sempai."
As the boy disappeared in a puff of smoke; Kakashi was positive his farewell was more gratitude then anything else and in that moment in time, Kakashi was unsure on what for.
It was two weeks later that all of the Uchiha Clan was massacred by the very boy that smiled so innocently.
A/N: So yeah, I set this when Itachi is in Anbu and before he kills the clans…I don't know why really, I was bored and looking for good friendship stories from Itachi and Kakashi and I couldn't find any that were realistic…so I was like, well that can't be right!
And here we are…I really liked writing it to be honest. xD