"Late again!" Sakura shouted to me as I approached them.

"Hey Kakashi, what's your excuse this time?" Naruto teased.

Team 7 had called a meeting for 5 pm, and as usual, I was late—again.

"I was reading my book, I didn't see the time," I didn't think I had used that one.

"You said that yesterday!" Naruto squinted at me.

"You really need to make up some new excuses--" Sakura started.

"--Because the ones you have aren't working," Naruto finished.

"Oh, come on," I felt my eyes widen and my feet back away. "You haven't been dating for a week and already you guys are finishing each others' sentences!"

"But that's just it—you are the only one we know who doesn't have that special someone!" Sakura cried.

"Except Gai," Naruto corrected.

That name sent spasms through my body. Gai, Gai, Gai, I sang in my head. I could feel my mind drifting away from my body when I stood there, thinking of Gai.

"Kakashi?"

Naruto's annoying voice cut through my dreams. Good thing most of my face is covered.

"Just totally ignoring you and pretending to pay attention," I explained. "So why did you call this meeting anyways?"

"We wanted to know—" Naruto started.

"—Who you love!" Sakura finished.

"Who I love…?" I repeated. "I don't love," I lied.

Sakura saw through my act of defiance.

"Liar! That look you just gave us proved that you love someone! Naruto used to daze out like that last year!"

"Tell us…tell us…" Naruto waved his hands in my face.

I whacked them out of the way. "I won't tell. If that's all that you called for, I'm leaving," I shuffled away from them quickly.

I heard them say before I was out of earshot, "We should follow him around, see if he ever gives away who he likes." I walked faster.

I turned the corner, hoping to lose them.

"Man," I mumbled. "Didn't they listen to anything I taught them? Their footsteps are as loud as my mother's!"

I stared at the ground, hoping not to 'give away who I like'. And, because of that, of course, I ran into something soft, bulgy and purple.

"Watch where you're going, you filthy ninja!"

The wrinkled ladies all turned their heads at the shouting.

"That ninja crashed into the Chair-hag of the Hag Council. And she's already in a bad mood… He's in for it," the murmurs went through the crowd quickly, spreading like the Flu on a rainy day.

"The Ch-ch-air-hag of the Hag C-Council????" I stuttered.

Official Ninja hater of the Leaf Village, the Chair-hag was the meanest of the mean. With an army of Hags, she runs around causing mischief to anyone who sells to the ninjas—everyone.

"That's right you horrible head-banded bum. I am in a bad mood today and I don't like self-centered ninjas who doesn't look where they're going!"

I was in a hurry; the footsteps were getting closer. "I am sorry, Chair-hag of the Hag council," I said innocently. "I didn't mean to." Wish I'd ran into her instead. "Can I buy you some flowers to make up for it?" We were standing next to Ino's store, probably the next victim of the Chair-hag and her army.

Her face light up. "Flowers? Oh I just love those nice daffodils they have."

"I will buy them now if you'll excuse me," I said escaping the Hags and Naruto and Sakura's chase by slipping in the store.

I walked up to Ino.

"I need some yellow daffodils for the Chair-Hag," I said curtly, ignoring Ino's look of pity.

"Sure thing," Ino responded just as curtly, but the pity was still in her eyes. "That will be 225Ұ." [Approximately $3CD]."

I grunted, took out the money gave it to her, grabbed the flowers and walked briskly out the door.

"Oh!" the Chair-hag exclaimed. "You got my favorites! And they're in full bloom too!"

She snatched them away and showed her friends. I left them to their business and started walking again. But before I started, I heard a snippet of conversation coming from behind the bushes.

"Kakashi-sensai loves the Chair-hag of the Hag Council???"

"WHAT????"