When Kyla woke up, Kakashi was already gone. She rolled over to look at the clock to see that it read 7:15.
I better get up, she thought.
She told Sakura she'd meet her at the agricultural shop at 8:00.
She got out of bed, washed her face, and went into the kitchen. There was a note and envelope left on the counter.
Ky,
I restrained myself from waking you. It wasn't easy!
Use this to buy the tools and whatever else you need for
the garden. The rest is yours to keep.
I made you some breakfast. I knew you'd be up soon, so I left it out.
See you when I get home (I still can't believe I get to say that.)
I love you, obviously.
kakashi.
She peered into the envelope and felt her face grow warm. She was holding more money in her hand right now than she'd ever had at one single point in her life. If he was giving this to her as simple side cash, there had to be much more where this came from.
He wasn't kidding, she thought. He must be loaded.
She placed the envelope back on the counter and looked around for her breakfast. She found it on the tall side table against the wall. She pulled a chair out and sat down. She loved this table, it was just barely big enough to sit two people, but it was so tall that her feet dangled from the seat. She took the cover off of her food to find it still warm and steaming. There was a small bowl of rice with flecks of seaweed, a small bowl of miso soup with tofu, a thick slice of a vegetable omelette, some pickled daikon and mustard greens, and a little cup of green tea. It smelled amazing. She picked up her chopsticks and dug in happily. It was delicious. It felt like he had given her a hug, without him actually being there.
She looked around the kitchen to see that it was spotless. All the dishes he used this morning were piled neatly on the rack to dry. She admired his discipline. He obviously woke up early enough to give himself plenty of time to eat a good breakfast, get ready for the day, and clean up afterwards. She could tell he wasn't rushed. She ate her breakfast thinking about how when she was more settled, she'd love to make lunch for him. Packing lunches was one of her favorite things to do for other people, especially if they didn't know what was inside when they opened it. It felt like gift-giving, and she wrapped so much love within it.
She glanced at the clock to see it was already 7:45.
Ah! she thought, scooping the rest of her rice into her mouth. I've gotta go.
She walked over to the sink and felt her hand hesitate to leave the dishes there, after he had cleaned everything up so nicely.
It's fine, she reassured herself. I'll have time to clean up before he comes home.
She quickly changed, brushed her teeth, and tossed her hair into a messy bun, before grabbing the envelope off the counter, shoving it in her bag, and running out the door.
Sakura was already outside the shop by the time she got there, with Hinata standing beside her.
"Sorry! I overslept." Kyla said, in greeting.
"It's okay, we just got here. Hinata wanted to come too, when I told her what we were doing. I hope that's okay."
Kyla glanced at Hinata, who waved shyly.
"Of course. I'd love for you to join us, Hinata," Kyla said, smiling at her.
Hinata blushed and looked at her feet.
"Well, we just need to pick up a few basic tools and then we'll be on our way."
"Right." Sakura said, following her inside.
Kyla grabbed two picks, three hoes, a scythe, a couple pairs of gloves, and three wide brimmed hats made of woven dried bamboo.
"I think that's all we'll need for today," she said, handing them off to Sakura and Hinata.
After they had paid, they left the shop and headed over to the market. Kyla approached the woman who ran it.
"Kyla-san!"
The woman embraced her, remembering her from three months ago. Kyla had gone there multiple times to try all the fresh local fruits. The old woman leaned into her and lowered her voice.
"Forgive me, but is there any truth to the rumor?" she asked.
"And which rumor is that?" Kyla asked in return.
"You and Lord Hokage," she said so quietly that Kyla would have missed it if she didn't already know what she was going to say.
She smiled. "Yes. They are true."
Her eyes lit up. "Oh! How wonderful." she exclaimed. "I can't tell you happy some of us are, knowing that our Hokage has finally found love. And for it to be such a lovely woman."
The old lady took Kyla's hand in her own and gave it a squeeze.
Kyla smiled in return.
"Some of you?" she probed.
The old lady's smile fell flat.
"Well, some people think it's a bit of a scandal, given that you were on the arm of the Avatar the last time you were here."
Kyla sighed. She knew this would happen but she also didn't want to have to explain herself to the entire village.
"But don't you worry about that," the old lady said, patting her arm. "They'll come around. Whatever happened is between you and Lord Kakashi. No one else needs to be sticking their noses in it. I'm one of the happy ones," she emphasized.
Kyla smiled at her.
"So! What can I get for you today?" she asked, whisking away behind the stalls of produce.
"Well," Kyla said, taking out a cloth bag and beginning to fill it with mandarins and a small watermelon. "I actually wanted to ask you about where you get all your vegetables. I'm planting a garden and I'd like to collect some seeds from the farmers you source from. The vegetables I buy here are always so delicious."
"Well, I buy from a couple of different farmers, but there is one closer than the others. You could get there by foot rather quickly. His family farms right outside of town, past the Third Training grounds, and a kilometer or two beyond the Graves of the Fallen."
"Would you be able to get us there?" Kyla turned to Sakura.
"Yes, Kyla-san. I know where that is."
"Wonderful. Thank you, Irah. As for today, I'll take these," she held open her bag to show her the fruits, "plus a few of these gorgeous yams, a basket of mushrooms, a bundle of bok choi, some cabbage, and…" she surveyed her choices before picking up some daikon and carrots,
"These." she said, handing them over to Irah.
As she was packing them up in a basket, Irah said, "Such a smart woman, growing your own food. Lord Kakashi truly got lucky. Beauty and brains." Irah winked at her.
Kyla smiled warmly.
"Well, we better be off. We've got lots of work to do! See you soon." Kyla said, picking up her basket full of produce and turning to leave.
Irah laughed to herself, watching this group of young women walking through town with farming tools slung over their shoulders. It was an unusual sight, but one that brought her much joy. She used to work the land when she was younger, but nowadays, you didn't see many women in the field. It was considered man's work. She had a feeling Kyla was going to change this village for the better.
"Um, Kyla-san," Hinata spoke up, "everyone is staring at us."
It was true. The people who were out and about in the village stopped to look at them and whisper amongst themselves.
"It's because we're challenging a social norm, Hinata. It's a good thing." Kyla said. "Brace yourselves, ladies. You are pioneers, and the first to join my women's revolution." Kyla said it jokingly, but she was actually very serious.
Hinata's face turned red but Sakura stood up a little taller.
"Let's drop all this off before heading to out, so we're not lugging it around."
—
By the time they had gone to the farm and returned, it was already midday.
When they went inside, Kyla opened the fridge and surveyed her options. She started pulling out the leftovers from her and Kakashi's dinner last night.
"It's really not ideal to start farm work at noon," she said, closing the fridge door with her hip.
"You should always start as early in the morning as possible, when the sun is less intense. Lucky for us, the surrounding forest keeps the temperature a few degrees cooler here than the rest of the village."
She grabbed a couple of plates from the cupboard.
"Let's have a light lunch and go out in about an hour. I observed the sun's pattern yesterday, and there will be some shade where I want to work by then. Sakura can you grab those plates for me?" she asked, before picking up the food from the counter and heading to the porch.
Sakura did as she was asked and followed her outside.
Kyla came back in a minute later.
"Hinata," she called, finding her still in the sitting room. "We're going to eat out back, would you like to come?" She saw that Hinata was staring at something. She walked over to find out what it was.
"S-sorry, Kyla-san. I don't mean to be looking at your things. It's just this.. this painting," she fidgeted with her fingers. "I can't stop looking at it."
Kyla smiled and picked it up. It was from one of her boxes she started to unpack last night.
"You like it?" Kyla asked, holding it out so they could both look at it.
Hinata nodded her head.
"What do you see?" Kyla asked her, even though the painting was abstract.
"I.. I don't see anything." Hinata said, her face turning red, as she looked at the ground, afraid she was suppose to be able to see something.
"Look at it again. What do you feel?" Kyla asked, trying a different angle.
Hinata brought her eyes back to the painting.
"I feel…I feel like.. like.." tears started to well in her eyes, so she clamped them shut, and brought her hands to her face.
"Hinata," Kyla said gently, "whatever you feel, is the right answer. It's okay that it makes you cry. One of the many functions of art, is to give people the words to know their own experience."
Hinata relaxed a little after hearing this. "I…I feel accepted. Like the painting is giving me a hug and telling me everything is okay. That I'm enough." she blurted out, her face still red. "I feel me."
Kyla handed the painting to her.
"It's yours, now," she said.
Hinata looked at it with wide eyes.
"I can't take this from you." she said.
"You can." Kyla nodded. "You must. It chose you. Put it somewhere you can see it everyday."
Hinata smiled widely and hugged the painting to her chest.
"Thank you, Kyla-san!" she said, through watery eyes.
Kyla placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Come, Hinata. Let's have something to eat."
Kyla started to leave to go back to the porch, but Hinata remained rooted to the spot, staring at the painting in her hands.
"Kyla-san," Hinata said.
She turned around.
"Hm?" she asked.
"Um.. who.. who is the artist that painted this?" she asked.
Kyla smiled at her.
"Me." she said, before twirling around and leaving the room.
—-
After lunch, Kyla marked where she wanted the vegetable beds to be with some fallen twigs and branches. She showed them how to turn over the soil and break it down into finer pieces.
She bent down and scooped up a pile of dirt in her hand. She brought it to her nose and inhaled.
"This is excellent soil," she said. "I'm not going to have to add anything to it this first time around."
She stood up and held out her hand for them to see.
"Look how many worms there are. That's one of the best indicators of healthy soil."
Sakura leaned slightly away from it with a look of disgust on her face.
Kyla laughed.
"You'll learn to love them." she said, before putting the soil back where she had gotten it from. "They are crucial to life on this planet. Just like everything else."
She wiped her hands on her pants before gripping her hoe.
"Right. So, we're going to do what I just showed you, inside each of the places I've marked. Got it?"
They both nodded.
"Good."
They all fell silent for a while, absorbed in the work, with nothing but the sound of their tools cutting into the ground.
"That old man wasn't very nice to us." Sakura said, taking a break to wipe the sweat away from her forehead.
Kyla was bringing her hoe in and out of the soil in short quick spurts, working it into smaller pieces, making it loose enough to plant in.
"He was a bit of grouch," she laughed. "But he was nice enough. I could tell he was unsure about me. I am an outsider after all. I guess it's normal to be wary."
"But he did give us some seeds," Hinata pointed out.
"You're right. Hinata." Kyla said.
Kyla was noticing how Hinata had started to open up and speak more, after she had given her the painting. It made her happy.
"Seeds are the most precious thing on Earth." she continued. "It was very generous for him to give us as much as he did. That's a positive sign. I think he liked us more than he led on."
"Why do men act like that?" Sakura asked, getting back to work.
"Like what?" Kyla asked in return.
"Like they don't like you, even when they do."
"Ah," Kyla laughed, knowing her question involved more than the old man. She took a pause from her work to answer. She leaned an elbow on the handle of her hoe. "Well.. I don't know really. I think men are conditioned by most cultures to be tough and assert their masculinity all the time. In order to do that, they have to suppress their sensitivity. As a result, romance, emotions, vulnerability.. all of these things get lost in their attempt to act in a way they think men are suppose to behave. It's a shame. Not only for our villages but for men themselves."
"Did Kakashi-san act that way with you when you first met?" Sakura asked, curious.
"No," Kyla said. "He didn't play that game with me. Good thing, because he would have lost. I don't waste my time playing games like that," she laughed. "He was shy at first, but once he got over that, he was very clear about how he felt." She smiled in remembrance. "He may not seem like it, but Kakashi is the biggest flirt."
"I've seen many women try to flirt with Kakashi-san, but he doesn't pay them any attention," Sakura said, puzzled. "It's like he doesn't even notice. He must only be that way with you."
Kyla shrugged.
"That's so romantic," Hinata said dreamily.
"I guess it is." Kyla said. "But, listen you two, don't play those games. Be confident in who you are and what you have to offer. If you are, they'll be no need to try and impress anyone, because they'll already be impressed. If the person you're into doesn't recognize how wonderful you are, forget about them. Chances are they'll come running once you lose interest. Then it'll be up to you to decide whether or not you still want them. Don't ever let anyone manipulate you."
She saw a look of understanding and strength come across Sakura's eyes.
"But.." Hinata spoke, "What if he's nice to you and you can't… you can't.. tell..if.." Hinata trailed off into silence, fidgeting with her fingers.
"If he's just being a friend or if he actually likes you?" Kyla finished for her.
Hinata nodded in agreement.
"That's tricky," Kyla said, "If you can't tell, it might be because he doesn't feel the same way."
Hinata hung her head.
"But sometimes it can take someone a long time to realize that what they were looking for was right in front of them this whole time." Kyla said, knowing she was talking about Naruto. "One day, the answer will be clear." She wasn't trying to give Hinata false hope, but she didn't know Naruto enough to say he felt one way or the other.
Hinata smiled at that, and went back to work.
—-
They worked the rest of the afternoon without pause. When Kakashi came home around 5:30, he saw them outside still, all three of them wearing their bamboo hats. He thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. He opened the fridge to grab a ginger beer before going out to greet them, when a watermelon had caught his eye. He took it out and sliced a piece for each of them.
"You all look like you could use a break," he said approaching them.
Hinata was startled to see him.
"Lord Hokage." she said quietly, staring at her feet.
She wasn't accustomed to having such close contact with the Hokage. Speaking to him in his office was one thing, but somehow she forgot that this was his home too.
"Hinata-chan." he said, "Would you like some watermelon?"
He held out the plate to her.
"Yes. Thank you." she said, grabbing a piece shyly.
He handed the plate to Sakura before taking off Kyla's hat to shield their faces, so he could pull down his mask and kiss her privately.
"Hi," he said, placing the hat back on her head.
"Hi," she said, smiling up at him. "Thanks for the melon."
She took a bite from her slice. It was so sweet and refreshing from being chilled in the fridge. It cooled her down immediately, the cold juices running down her chin.
"Wow. The three of you worked hard today," he said, observing the yard. "Why don't we all go out for barbecue, on me, as a thank you for your help."
Kyla looked at him surprised. The gesture was so kind, but what surprised her even more, was that he was interested in even going.
Kyla could tell the girls were nervous, being invited to hang out with the Hokage. She found that funny, but was hoping they would accept anyway. She didn't want to have a social division based on perceived power.
"What do you say?" she asked, prompting them. "I've been wanting to go for a while now."
"It is really good…" Sakura said
"Alright, then it's settled. Let's meet there in an hour, after we've all had time to clean up." Kyla said.
"Ok." Sakura said, placing the rind of her melon onto the plate.
Hinata was staring at her feet, twisting the toe of her shoe in the ground. Kyla bent her head in order to make eye contact with her.
"I'd love for you to come too, Hinata. Will you join us?" she asked.
Hinata nodded.
Sakura grabbed Hinata by the hand.
"Then come on, Hinata," Sakura said, dragging her with her. "See you soon!"
After they had disappeared from view, Kakashi said, "Hinata is as talkative as ever."
Kyla laughed, "She's coming around. She talked to me three times today out of her own initiative."
"I think that's a Hinata record," Kakashi joked.
"Until you screwed it all up," she said, jumping up into his arms. He caught her quickly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Your presence threw her off." She folded his mask down and kissed him.
"I'm sorry," he laughed. "Next time I'll try to be less me."
Kyla laughed too.
"Don't you dare," she said and kissed him several more times.
"You're all sweaty." he said, feeling it through her damp clothes.
She hugged him tightly, pushing his face into her sticky neck.
Kakashi laughed. "If that's suppose to gross me out, you're mistaken. I like a woman who sweats. I think it's sexy."
She loosened her legs from around his waist and he put her down.
"Neither of the girls believed me when I told them how massive of a flirt you are." she said to him, taking off her hat and gardening gloves.
He smiled at her, "They just don't know me like you know me, baby."
"I know. They think you're this innocent, shy, quiet guy. They have no idea how kinky you are."
Kakashi cracked up.
"Thank god for that." he said. "That would make for an awkward relationship if they did. That part of me is reserved for you only."
Kyla eyed him playfully, before shoving her gloves in her pocket.
"Will you help me pick up these tools? I'm not sure where to put them." she said, looking around the yard.
"We can keep them on the back porch for now," he said, grabbing the wooden handles. "But maybe we should build a shed or something."
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Kyla picked up the plate with the watermelon rinds.
"I need to make a compost pile, too."
As they were walking back to the house, Kakashi stopped.
When Kyla noticed, she turned around.
"What is it?" she asked.
He stared at her, not saying anything.
"Kakashi?" she said, taking a step towards him, concerned.
"I'm just realizing, in a deep sense, that my days of coming home to nothing are over. The reality of it is still hard for me to grasp. I've been alone for what feels like eternity, so I accepted that as fact, for my life, and learned to live in that reality, but now..that fact, is no longer true. How can something that seemed so indisputable, become false in an instant? To the point where it seems like it's so…far away, even though it was only a couple of months ago.. that it was never true in the first place?"
He looked to her for an answer, or at the least, some sort of response.
She sighed.
"I think… one of life's great paradoxes, Kakashi, is that when we learn to accept life just as it is, it changes. It's a continuous cycle. It might even be fair to say that all we perceive is change, that any sense of stasis is a…a constructed illusion. Every moment alters what came before, until it seems like we're reaching across layers of time for memories of our own memories. I think a lot of the anxiety we experience as humans derives from a fixation on moments, an inability to accept life as ongoing."
She looked at him sort of self-consciously. She didn't know if she had answered his question, or if she had gone off on one of her existential tangents that could sometimes be hard to decipher whether or not it was relevant to the conversation at hand.
"I can't imagine what I did in this life to deserve you, Kyla. But whatever it is, I'm so grateful for it."
She wrinkled her nose at him.
"I don't like when you talk about yourself as if you're not worthy of me." she said.
He shook his head.
"You don't know what I've done," he said, painfully. "And what's worse, is I'm afraid to tell you."
She saw a shadow flit across his face. She held out her hand to him.
"There will be a time for that," she said. "But right now, we have friends waiting for us."
He slung the tools over his shoulder and placed his other hand in hers. He was amazed at how quickly the contact with her skin had made his anxiety disappear.
—-
They walked up to the restaurant at the same time as Sakura and Hinata.
"Perfect timing!" Kyla said.
"How is it that you always look amazing?" Sakura said, admiring her outfit. "Where do you get your inspiration from?"
Kyla looked down at herself. She was wearing black tights with a high-waisted red skirt, and a white short sleeve shirt that dipped so far down in the back, you could see her whole spine. Her hair was pulled up, with a patterned silk scarf. Her long earrings ended in hawk feathers.
"Oh, well. Everywhere, I guess. Nature, mostly."
She felt herself blush from the attention.
"I would never think to put something like that together," Sakura said.
Kyla shrugged. "Clothing is like.. painting with fabric for me. I mix and match colors and textures until I arrive at something that feels complete." she said. "Shall we go inside?" she suggested, eager to get out of the spotlight.
Kakashi led the way.
Just as he was about to choose a table, they heard a voice yell out, "Kakashi-san!"
The four of them walked over.
"Why don't you join us?" the man said. "We haven't ordered yet."
"Uh, well, I don't know if there's enough room for us all," Kakashi said nervously, scratching the back of his head.
"We will make it work!" One of the boy's said animately, squishing himself next to his friend in the booth. "Sakura-chan! Please take my seat!"
Sakura's face turned a deep shade of red.
"You, and your lady-friend that you haven't introduced to us, can fit beside me." The man said, smiling.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kakashi said, blushing. "This is my girlfriend, Kyla. Kyla, this is Might Gai," he said referring to the man, "and these are his students, Lee, Tenten, and Neiji."
She smiled. "It's wonderful to meet you all."
Kakashi slid in beside Gai, and Kyla scoot in next to him, after pulling up a chair for Hinata.
"We were just discussing the power of youth." Gai said.
"You and Lee were discussing that." Neiji clarified, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tenten and I were just sitting here like always."
His eyes are just like Hinata's, Kyla thought.
"How would you define the power of youth, Kyla-san?" Gai asked her, shaking her out of her observation.
"Oh," she thought about it for a moment, "Um, a newly planted seed pushing up through the soil. And flowers budding and blooming in spring."
Might Gai looked as if he was about to burst into tears.
"Kakashi-san, your girlfriend is so cool!" he cried out. "But I wouldn't expect anything less from my lifelong rival!"
Kakashi smiled in response.
"But, Gai-Sensei, I don't really get it." Lee said.
"
Well, how would you define the power of youth, Lee?" Kyla asked him.
"The vitality and stamina of young people that allows them to persevere through the strongest obstacles." Lee said, as if it had been rehearsed a million times.
"Hm, I think you're right, but that's only half of it. That speaks to the newly planted seed pushing through the soil. However, thinking about youth as defined by age, is a limited way of thinking. The power, or the energy of youth, doesn't belong to the young. It's timeless. How long do cherry blossom trees live?" She asked, leaning forward.
She was addressing everyone, but nobody answered her. Whether it was because they didn't know or they found her strange, she couldn't tell, but it didn't dissuade her.
"40 years! Yet they bud and bloom beautiful flowers every single year without fail. It doesn't matter how old you are. You can access the power and energy of youth, of life, no matter your age." she said, passionately.
Now that she had finished speaking, she became hyper aware that everyone was staring at her. She sunk back against the booth.
"So, yeah, that's how I'd define it," she said, speaking a little quieter, her face flushing with embarrassment.
Kakashi gave her thigh a squeeze beneath the table, before interlocking his fingers with hers.
This time Might Gai did cry.
"To understand the power of youth so deeply! Lee! Remember this beautiful lesson." Gai said.
"Right, sensei!" Lee said.
Kyla understood that she must have touched something inside Gai, to see him react with such emotion. She bet he must have been contemplating his own ability lately.
—-
By the time they had left the restaurant, night had fallen. Everyone had said their goodbyes and parted off in their own directions. Kyla and Kakashi were walking home with their arms around each other. He was tall enough to drape his over her shoulders, and she was just the right size to wrap her arm around his waist. They fit together like a puzzle.
"I haven't laughed that hard in a long time," Kyla said. "Gai and Lee are some of the most unique people I've ever met."
Kakashi laughed. "That's a nice way to put it."
"I mean it." she said. "Unique is the perfect word. I love people who are a bit weird. It just means they are unapologetically being themselves."
Kakashi kissed the top of her head.
"You've always accepted people so easily. I could tell Gai felt seen by you tonight. He hasn't had the easiest social life. Most people don't respond to him well, or don't know how."
"Like Neiji?" Kyla asked.
"Neiji is alright. His reluctance is at least coupled with love. A sensei-student relationship is very deep. It's not something he would disrespect."
"Hm." Kyla said, in understanding. She moved out from under his shoulder and took his hand in hers instead.
"What was that about you being his rival? Did I hear that right?" Kyla asked.
Kakashi sighed.
"Unfortunately. He's been saying that since we were kids and is constantly challenging me to these weird competitions. I've been indifferent about the contests over the years. I mostly accept his challenges to humor him, but I have to admit, it's led us to be good friends." He laughed.
He fell quiet for a moment, remembering.
"He's an exceptional Jonin." He added.
"Have you ever told him that?" Kyla asked.
"No." Kakashi said, simply.
"Maybe you should. I think it'd mean a lot for him to be acknowledged by you."
Kakashi let that thought sink in.
"What should we do tomorrow?" Kakashi asked. "On our first weekend together?"
"Show me a piece of Konoha that's important to you." she said. "Somewhere you've spent a lot of time at over the years… that's not Shinzu's restaurant," she added, jokingly.
A place immediately came to his mind but it wasn't very exciting. He doubted she'd expect it, and he didn't know what her response would be like, but he wanted to fulfill her request truthfully.
"Ok," he said. "I can do that."