Known as the copycat ninja, cold blooded and famed for his use of Sharingan, uncanny nose, and brilliant logistics, Kakashi Hatake had never before embarked on a mission where his nerves were as twisted as they were now.
He couldn't even explain it to himself; logically, he had survived many worse situations, looking and even longing for death itself, but somehow this time was different. He wasn't even able to sleep the night before, a phenomenon that had not happened since the days after Rin's incident.
He quickened his pace down the street, head bowed and hands burrowed deep in his pockets. Hoping against hope that he wouldn't run into any of his comrades or students right now, especially Gai who was sure to stop him or challenge him to yet another ridiculous competition. He normally wouldn't mind, secretly even enjoying these contests of goofy races and trails with his old friend, but this evening he had to make sure this mission went flawlessly, and right now time wasn't on his side.
Just as he reached his destination, trying to inconspicuously slip into the painfully bright store, as if on cue, a large hand clapped him on the shoulder and spun him around.
"Kakashi, my eternal riv…w-what are you doing here?!" Gai boomed out suddenly, his eyes finally zooming in on the unlikely place where they happened to be.
"Gai-u-uh no I…it's not-I just need to get a thing or two" Kakashi stuttered, shrugging quickly out of Gai's slackened grip. The visible part of his face blazed from the sudden position he was in. Surely Gai was about to ask a barrage of questions he was not willing to divulge answers to.
"In a flower shop?" Gai bellowed squinting suddenly, at Kakashi's reddening face.
A small crowd of people inside the flower shop looked up curiously at the sudden raised voices.
Kakashi almost teleported away, his stomach clenched into a tight fist, but he stood his ground nevertheless on slightly shaking feet.
"Gai-please…lower your voice" Kakashi moaned, clutching his greatest frenemies' arm and dragging him out of the view of the still curious crowd he had managed to rouse. Thankfully Kakashi didn't see any more familiar faces amongst them.
"Well, what are you doing here Kakashi- wait! Don't tell me this is some sort of secret mission?!" Gai burst out once more before Kakashi could stutter out another lame excuse. He comically clasped his hands to his mouth after, gazing around with suspicion and anxiety in his eyes. Kakashi didn't know if he should laugh or cry as he gazed at his gullible friend. Better to let him think that, Kakashi thought afterwards. Gai wasn't stupid, but he was naïve, and childlike at times, and right now Kakashi didn't mind it one bit, as long as it meant his secret was safe.
Nodding solemnly, Kakashi tried to quickly think of a mission plausible enough for him to be creeping around the village's flower shop, but nothing came to his muddled mind.
"It's…something of a secret mission, but the thing is Lady Hokage hasn't given me this mission to complete, honestly…it-it's a surprise for Akemi actually" Kakashi mumbled finally, looking at the flowers behind Gai's head to avoid making eye contact. A bright splash of pink and orange caught his eye, and he reached for it unconsciously.
Gai caught his wrist suddenly, but before Kakashi could protest, the look on Gai's normally enthusiastic face caught him off guard. Gai's dark eyes glinted with a hint of something, was it sadness? No, his eyes looked up at him knowingly, a little smirk on his lips. A strange sensation passed throughout them, and Kakashi knew for some strange reason then he didn't have to explain anything after that. Gai knew already.
"I-I'm no good at these things you know" Kakashi mumbled once more, already feeling his throat closing up from forming these words. Gai let go of his wrist and it fell to his side, clenching automatically into a fist.
"Here" Gai held out the orange and pink flowers to Kakashi, his normal enthusiastic smile back on, lighting up his whole face and strangely giving Kakashi a surge of confidence that he needed.
"Good luck my eternal rival!" Gai boomed clapping his hand on Kakashi's back and once again drawing a crowd to stare and mumble something about "two weirdos".
As Gai bid his farewells and Kakashi made his way up to the counter to quickly pay for the flowers, the long white blonde trail of Ino's hair caught his eye. Cursing himself internally for forgetting her parent's owned the flower shop he stopped, pondering what to do next. He couldn't simply run out without paying, so what choice did he really have.
"That'll be 12.75 Sir-oh! Kakashi Sensei, what brings you here today? Ino asked instantly recognizing her best friend's sensei. Looking curiously up at his once more reddening face and then back down to the vibrant pink and orange orchids he hurriedly placed onto the counter, her eyes popped slightly but she didn't ask anything else.
"M-mission." He mumbled not looking at her, as he fumbled with the bills in his hand.
Turning to leave with his eloquently (and painfully bright) wrapped bouquet of orchids he heard Ino punching in numbers violently on a phone, her voice breathless and hoarse as the person on the receiving end answered (most likely Sakura). She blurted out in a half whisper half screech, "Kakashi Sensei has a lover!" which only made him skate out of the door faster, clutching his orchids like a life saver, his face lit like a Christmas tree.
Outside the shop under the overhang, he stopped for a moment. The evening was growing steadily darker, the lights in the village flickered on slowly one by one, exposing the light and shimmery rain that had begun to fall while he was preoccupied inside the flower shop. After tonight one way or another he would be a changed man and more than likely everyone in the village would know it possibly by the week's end. The short surge of confidence Gai had infused within him was quickly dwindling; he wasn't sure he could actually complete this "mission" he had finally set out to do, as foolish as he knew he was being he couldn't help it. Commitment of this nature scared him; he was fine being committed to near death experiences for the rest of his life, but commitment where it might hurt him in the place he was most vulnerable, he was not willing to go through again. He had been committed to being a good child to his father, a protector to Rin and a friend to Obito, but everyone knew how they had all ended up…
A sudden hard shower of rain smashing against the overhang snapped him out of his painful reverie and forced him to get a move on; the neighborhood was already empty as everyone had run out of the downpour which he was stuck in now, dusk had already descended upon him, and he was almost all out of time!
He ran, quickly and on his toes like a phantom throughout the descending darkness, until he had finally reached his apartment, slightly drenched and shuddering from the coldness and from his own tense nerves.
Sucking in a deep breath he opened the door, flowers behind his back and heart in his throat.
Sitting on his couch was Akemi, a woman he had rescued from Amegakure and also his lover of almost three years now. Every time he looked at her, memories flooded him of the first time he had seen her, instantly he had been captivated by her large doe like hazel eyes, and waist length jet black hair. She had been trapped under the vindictive rule of Pain years ago, and he had gotten a spot so bruised for her he had become soft. As much as he had tried to deny her, he eventually couldn't resist her soft spoken and kind ways anymore. It was as though she infected him with a peace he had not felt in a long time, and like an addict he craved more and more of it, of her.
She rose as soon as she saw him, her eyes sparkling with happiness and the kind of smile that made him trip over his own feet.
Laughing, she tip toed to kiss him and as soon as their lips met that drug like calm and soothing feeling erupted from his head to his toes. He wanted to take her immediately into his arms but he had something important to do first before he lost his nerve.
"A-Akemi" I have something for you he mumbled breaking the kiss halfheartedly, still dazed by her kisses that tasted like cherries.
"I saw these today and I thought of you… I know you have the most colorful mind" Kakashi brought out the dewy flowers to her shyly.
He loved how her eyes grew round like two sparkling orbs; the little squeal she uttered and the way she clutched the flowers to her chest and breathed in their scent made him almost laugh at how silly he had been earlier. He would do it a thousand times for her if it meant he could see this reaction again and again.
"I-I also have something else for you, the real reason I had you come over this evening…" As he spoke he fumbled in his pocket, his skin immediately starting to feel hot again, his pulse beating loudly in his head as his fingers clasped around what he was searching for.
"I'm just so happy to see you again, it's been too long Kakashi" She sighed sadly and immediately he felt a surge of guilt overtaking him. He was the one who told her it was better for her to stay in Amegakure now that Pain was gone. She was free within her own land once more, but they rarely saw each other and Amegakure was still dangerous without much reform from the previous government. He had only wanted to protect her from anyone associating them to each other and potentially making her a target for his enemies, but it seemed sometimes he hurt her more by choosing this lifestyle for them.
"Don't look so sad please…if you give me the honor of loving and caring for you, I promise to do so for the rest of my life. I'm far from perfect, damaged like hell actually, but you've change me, like today…I was sneaking around in a flower shop in broad daylight, it was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever done and I actually wouldn't mind doing it again for you, if only to see that smile of yours again." Kakashi laughed, scratching the back of his head and smiling at her in his closed eye way.
"So, I really want to know something and only you could give me an answer to that" he said, his voice immediately taking on a serious edge.
Her perplexed and slightly worried look only deepened to shock as he slowly got to his knees, pulling out the small beaded jewelry box from within his pocket, and popping open the lid to reveal a shimmering diamond ring nestled beautifully within the velvet interior.
"Akemi, would you give me the honor of becoming my wife…?"
The words hung in the air like glass shards, ready to break at any moment. Akemi was stock still, clutching the flowers limply to her chest. Her face was frozen into a mask of pure shock and for a terrible moment Kakashi felt as though he was falling, she was sure to say no, she was taking way too long to answer him and he started to feel ridiculous on the floor like this.
"Yes! Yes of course I will!" Akemi screeched falling to the floor before Kakashi could come back to his senses and clinging to him like a drowning person holding onto their last means of survival. Before he knew it, she was clutching his jacket and sobbing into his chest. Muttering nonsense words he couldn't make out. Slowly regaining blood flow within his arms, he enveloped her pulling her onto his lap and kissing the crown of her head over and over.
A tight feeling within his chest suddenly overtook him.
"Dad… are you seeing this? Wherever you and mom are, I hope you're both smiling down on us." Kakashi mumbled, pulling her tighter to him. It was ironic how much his tears began to fall like crystal droplets into her hair, but he had never been happier…