This is a one-shot I wrote per request of a friend :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters. All credits go to Kishimoto Masashi, the original creator of the manga.
"Have you heard? Two new ones are joining our ANBU squad."
"And I heard they are both really young."
"One of them is from the Uchiha clan. A prodigy even in the clan."
"And who's the other one?"
"A girl, same age as the Uchiha lad."
"What? A girl? And that young too?"
"Yeah. I think her name is Aoyama Yuuki."
"Aoyama Yuuki? I think I've heard of her before."
"She and the Uchiha boy were in the same team after they graduated from the Academy."
Yuuki woke up trembling. This dream again, she thought to herself. She had been having the same dream for a while now. Ever since he came for a little "visit."She got out of her bed, washed her face, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her long, wavy dark blue hair was messy from the night, and under her hazel green eyes were bags as dark as the night. She fixed her hair the usual way (tied on one side) and changed from her pjs to her normal clothing—a long-sleeved shirt (the sleeves covering her entire hands), shorts, and sandals—and walked out of her one-room apartment.
She aimlessly walked around and remembered the events of that day.
*Flashback*
Yuuki had met with Jiraya, who was very suspicious of some unknown action taking place somewhere in the village.
"Keep an eye on that Sasuke guy," he told her.
"Why?"
"I just have this really bad feeling, if you know what I mean."
"Yes," she replied, "but Kakashi-senpai is keeping a close watch on him. There should be no problem."
"Still," Jiraya seemed to be really worried.
"I understand," she finally said. "I will look after him carefully."
"Thank you."
On her way back home, she was deep in thought. What could Jiraya-san mean? I hope Sasuke is alright... Otherwise I'll never be able to face him again... She was spaced out while walking, so she straight up walked into someone.
"I'm sorry," she said. Then she realized whom she had bumped into. "Senpai!"
"Why are you so deep in thought?" Kakashi asked.
"Ehh?" she asked. "How did you know I was deep in thought?"
"You're pretty easy to read, you know?"
"What?! I'm not a book for you to be reading me just like that!" she exclaimed and blushed. "Why are you so weird!"
"You're the weird one," Kakashi said in his usual serious tone.
"No I'm not!" she exclaimed pouting.
"Sure," he replied to her, as if talking to a child. "Whatever you say." He smiled.
"Senpai," Haruna said, "you're really weird..."
He gave her a warm smile (she could actually see his smile) and stroked her hair. He took a more careful look at her and said, "You look tired." He touched her cheek gently. "Did you not sleep very well?"
"Yeah..." she replied."
He hugged her, still stroking her head. "You know you can come to me anytime."
"Thanks, Senpai."
For a few seconds, they just stood there hugging. Then Kakashi let her go and said, "I have to go meet Sasuke."
"Huh?" Haruna's face was lighted with concern.
Kakashi became wide-eyed at her reaction. "Is something wrong with Sasuke?"
"No... It's not that," Haruna replied. "I just had a talk with Jiraya-san. He told me to keep an eye on him."
"Is that what you were thinking about?"
"Yeah. He said he had a bad feeling, and it bothers me." She looked at the floor, unable to lift her head.
"I'll make sure to watch him more carefully. I promise, so relax a little bit, okay?" he reassured her.
"Yeah."
Kakashi gave one last stroke on her head and said, "You should go home and get some rest." Then, he left.
She found a tree nearby and decided to climb it and sit on it. She sat on one of the thicker branches and thought of what Jiraya had told her. I also have a bad feeling... There's something in the air that gives me a bad omen... What is this? I don't like it. It's... It's... Tightening my chest... What is in the air to make me feel like this? Just as she finished saying this to herself, she detected a very familiar yet unexpected chakra inside the village. Itachi! She rushed to the location where she had felt the chakra, and found Kurenai and Asuma fighting against Itachi and a shark-like man. She saw the shark-like man casting a water-type jutsu that Asuma and Kurenai wouldn't be able to dodge, and she jumped to action with another water-type jutsu.
She was now standing in front of Asuma and Kurenai.
"Asuma-san, Kurenai-san, are you—" she stopped talking when she saw another person standing next to her. "Kakashi-senpai!"
"I guess we had the same idea," Kakashi said. "Now, let's finish this."
Itachi, for a second, seemed to be surprised. "Aoyama Yuuki, Hatake Kakashi," he said with a death stare.
How can he be so cold towards those two? Kurenai thought to herself. There's no way he doesn't feel anything about them.
Yuuki was, for a second, mixed with feelings. She was happy to see Itachi again after so many years, but she was also mad at him for disappearing all of a sudden after doing such a terrible thing and also mad at herself for being happy to see him. Itachi took advantage of this second and put Yuuki in a genjutsu. When Kakashi was going to release her, the shark-like man attacked him, and Asuma blocked the attack. Then Itachi attacked Kakashi to prevent him from releasing the genjutsu. And the battle began.
*End of Flashback*
"...ki?... Yuuki?" she heard someone call her. Without realizing it, she had walked to the forest.
"Good morning, Senpai," she said as cheerfully as she could manage.
"You don't have to pretend when you're with me, Yuuki," Kakashi said with a sigh.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Don't be," he said and smiled. "You have bags under your eyes. Did you have another nightmare?"
"Not really 'another,' since it's been the same one all the time," she smiled bitterly. "And I wouldn't really call it a nightmare. It's..." she struggled to find the right words to say. "It's more like... A flashback? I keep dreaming about that day I joined the ANBU with him..."
Kakashi sighed again. He got closer to her and hugged her. "Don't make such a face," he said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "It pains me to see you like this."
"Senpai..." she started crying.
He quietly patted her head and let her cry on his shoulders for a while. When she stopped crying, Kakashi said, "Do you want to get something to eat? You probably haven't eaten yet."
"Yaaay!" Yuuki suddenly got excited. She started walking and laughing goofily, as if she had never even cried in the first place.
She's still such a kid, Kakashi told himself and followed her.
They went to eat at a local restaurant they often went, and then they went for some ice cream. After buying the ice cream, they sat in silence on a bench in a nearby park.
"Yuuki," Kakashi spoke first.
"Hmm?" she replied while licking her ice cream. She was happy, like a little kid.
"It might be a little bit too personal, and you don't have to answer but," Kakashi said with a serious look on his face, "what did Itachi do to you under that genjutsu? When you were released you coulndn't stop crying." He was really worried.
Her facial expression changed completely. She now showed a depressed face, which she showed on a regular basis since that incident. "He... Didn't do anything."
Kakashi waited for further explanation.
"He just... Talked to me."
"About what?" Kakashi asked. He couldn't hide his surprise.
"Nothing much..." she replied. Then she told him of the whole conversation.
*Flashback*
Yuuki knew she was in a genjutsu, because she suddenly found herself in a different place, and all by herself. She looked around and was surprised by the place where she was. She heard someone approach her from behind.
"I'm sure you remember this place."
"Itachi..." she was awestruck at the figure that had not changed for several years. "Why did you bring me here?"
"To ask the same favor I asked you last time we met, here."
"Huh..." she was surprised.
"Have you forgotten what I asked you that day?"
"Of course not," Yuuki replied coldly. "But why would you even care to ask me now?"
"I have my reasons that I cannot tell anyone. But please, you must understand. You're the only one I have left."
"Understand what?" Yuuki said in despair. "There's no way I can understand a monster like you! First you ask me to take care of your little brother, and then you kill the rest of your clan and just disappear without a trace! And now you bring me back to this place, where I saw you for the last time, and make me remember that day! How do you expect me to understand you?!" She was now crying.
"I'm sorry," Itachi said. He was walking towards her, getting closer and closer to her.
"Stay away!" she yelled at him, still crying. "Don't get any closer to me... I... I..." she couldn't go on. She just crouched there and cried like a child.
"Yuuki," Itachi called her with a voice full of sadness.
"I trusted you, Itachi. I thought we were friends," she looked straight into his eyes. "I can't forgive you... Ever."
"I know," Itachi said, with even more sadness than before. "But please, listen to me. This is really important for me, and you know it too. Sasuke... My brother... He's everything to me. Please, take care of him." Tears flowed from Itachi's eyes as he said this.
"Why... If you're trying to kill him, why are you asking me to protect him?"
"I can't tell you," Itachi replied. "But you'll understand someday." Then he looked at her eyes. "It's time for me to go now."
"Wait! Don't go yet!" Yuuki said.
"I'm sorry, Yuuki," Itachi said, tears still flowing from his eyes. "I love you."
*End of Flashback*
When Yuuki had finished telling Kakashi what had happened, she was crying again.
"Sorry, Kakashi-senpai," Yuuki said sniffing.
"Don't apologize," Kakashi said, putting his arms around her to comfort her. "After all, I was the one who asked you and made you remember this again."
For a while they just sat there, Kakashi with his arms around Yuuki, and Yuuki sobbing and sniffing, leaning on Kakashi's shoulder.
"Look who else is here," a man's voice was approaching them.
"Asuma," Kakashi said, looking at the figure. "Kurenai," he then said looking at the woman next to him.
Yuuki sat up straight and became a little bit stiff with shyness. "Asuma-san, how's your arm? Are you sure you should be out of the hospital already?"
Kurenai laughed. "Yuuki, don't worry. The doctors said he was well enough to be out of the hospital."
"Make sure you take good care of him, Kurenai," Kakashi said.
"You should follow your own advice and take care of Yuuki!" Kurenai said blushing. Kurenai was pouting, Asuma was laughing, Kakashi was smiling, and Yuuki was blushing. Soon all four of them were laughing.
Then, Kurenai and Asuma left with the excuse that someone had asked them to do something.
"I wonder when they'll admit that they're a couple," Yuuki asked herself more than anyone else.
"Not until after they realize they have feelings for each other," Kakashi said.
"Senpai, you've known them for a long time, right? Have they always been like this?"
"As long as I can remember, yes."
"Ehhh... That's amazing."
"What is?" Kakashi was confused.
"I mean... You've known them since you were in the academy, and if they've always been like this, it means they've had feelings for each other since their childhood, right? I think that's really cute," she said smiling at the sky.
Kakashi stared at her with warmth.
"Wha-what are you staring at me for?" Yuuki said, suddenly realizing it.
"Is this the first time you notice me staring at you?"
"Huh? Well... I guess..." Yuuki replied shyly. "Wait! Does that mean you have stared at me like this before?!"
"Pfft," Kakashi started laughing.
"Why are you laughing, Senpai?! I'm being serious here!"
"Sorry," Kakashi replied. "I just didn't know you were this dense."
"Dense?" Yuuki said in confusion.
"Yes," Kakashi said poking her forehead. "You're really dense." After saying this, he pulled his mask down and kissed her.
"Wha-" Yuuki was surprised by Kakashi's sudden move. Her face turned completely red and she could not look at him in the eyes.
Kakashi just smiled. Then he stood up and offered his hand to her. She looked at him, her face still red, and took his hand.
"You're really, really weird, Senpai."
That night, Kakashi took Yuuki home, and on his way to his own house, he felt something weird. He went back to the park where he had kissed Yuuki, and much to his surprise, he found a lone silhouette of a man in a cloak. Itachi.
"Why are you here?" Kakashi asked, ready to fight if need be.
"To ask a favor," Itachi replied.
"A favor? You want me to protect your little brother from you?" Kakashi said sarcastically.
"So you heard from her..." Itachi's eyes had a strange sadness in them.
"Tell me, why are you here?" Kakashi repeated the question.
"I told you already," Itachi replied. "To as a favor. To you."
"There's no guarantee I'll do it for you, whatever you ask."
"No," Itachi seemed sure of what he was saying, "I know you will listen to me and do what I ask."
"Just because I once found some favor in you before doesn't mean I will now."
"This is really important, to both of us."
Kakashi was confused, but he refused to show it. He waited for Itachi to clear things up on his own.
"I want to ask you to protect her," Itachi said. His voice was very unstable, as if he was trying to hold back his emotions. His eyes, however, gave it all away. He was sad.
"Her? You mean Yuuki?"
"Yes," Itachi said. "She has been hurt a lot... I hurt her a lot." As he said this, his eyes teared up. Itachi, who was infamous for his coldness, was crying in front of his former ANBU captain, asking for the protection of a single girl.
That was when Kakashi realized that Itachi truly loved Yuuki. That Itachi had come back to Konoha, among other things, to see Yuuki one last time. Kakashi felt compassion suddenly rushing through him.
"I will. I promise."
So here it is :) Basically, Itachi just got friendzoned while Kakashi got all the "glory" :P
Itachi: Why... did I get friendzoned...?
Kakashi: fufufufu