"It was nice of Hikaru and Michiru to invite us back to Getsugakure!" a sixteen year old Sakura explained, leaning on the railings of the cruise that sailed across the waves. She grinned, closing her eyes and let the wind flow through her hair. Rock Lee turned, grinning at the sight before nodding and joining her.
"It will be nice to catch up with them!" he exclaimed, but sighed a little, "But it is a shame Naruto isn't here to come along, too."
"He's bound to be back in the next few days." Sakura smiled reassuringly, looking back ahead and pointed, Lee barely dodging the excited girl, "Look, I can see the port! Kakashi-sensei, get ready! We're almost there!"
"Right, right." was Kakashi's idle reply from the upper deck. Sakura smiled politely and then looked at Lee.
"Do you think Michiru has lost any weight since we last saw him?" she teased, and Lee rubbed the back of his head, taking the joke more seriously than he should.
"It has been two years, if not a little bit longer; I should hope so!" he concluded, clenching his fist with determination. As the ship docked, Sakura hopped off the edge and landed on the rocky pier, and Lee grinned before leaping after, seeing it as a quicker way to go. But they were held back by Kakashi who was strolling along the bridge once it was connected to the ship's edge.
"Come on Kakashi-sensei, we don't have all day!" Sakura said gleefully, "We've got so many places to see here, I hardly remember them all from last time!"
"Yes! And I would like to see if there are any dojos!" Lee yelled as they walked, "I have not tried any here yet!"
"Oh Lee, always thinking about fighting." Sakura sighed dismissively, but smiled again and they walked through the gates. Unlike their last visit, the streets were bustling and people were speaking loudly and happily. Children fled through the streets with delight as adults sat outside of restaurants, basking in the sun and drinking cold drinks. Sakura smiled, watching everything with joy.
"Should we go see Michiru first, or check into a hotel?" Kakashi inquired, leaving it to the teenagers to decide. Lee let out a long 'hmm'.
"I think we shall see King Michiru first! I want to see how big Hikaru has grown!" he decided, and Sakura nodded. Satisfied, Kakashi followed the two along the street, but seemed distracted. Sakura glanced at him ever so often, noticing he was looking around tensely rather than with casual interest.
"That reminds me!" she gasped, "I heard Lady Tsunade say you had a mission, sensei. How come you're here with us now?"
"Hm? Oh, someone else took it." Kakashi answered, and Sakura nodded, but wasn't satisfied. A shinobi just can't take another mission that's already been reserved by another ninja, especially when the Hokage picks them out. He must have said something to get out of it. But she wouldn't let it get her down for now, and she looked up ahead at the gates to the castle.
"Wow!" she grinned, gazing. Vines wrapped around the pillars on either side of the gates, with magnificent flowers of all sorts of colours gracing the gold bars of the gates. As the four guards standing in front of the gates saw them approach, they saluted and one smiled, stepping forward.
"You are the shinobi from Konohagakure, right?" he greeted, "King Michiru is waiting for you!"
The gates swiftly opened without a sound, and the trio followed the guard up the stone path. The surrounding trees were prospering with fruits and flowers, and many young women were picking apples and pears alike off said trees. It was definitely more lively than when they had last been there, and it lifted Sakura's spirits.
"Wow, those apples look so juicy!" Lee complimented, and a woman looked over. She smiled pleasantly and threw one at him, and he caught it with ease and called a thank you to her before moving on. Two young children were playing in the fountain, and waved at the guard when they saw him approach.
"It's so much happier here now!" Sakura pointed out, "It's like coming to a completely different place!"
"Yeah. With Michiru at the throne - and Prince Hikaru helping him - things in Getsugakure is a lot better. With the economy and the people." the guard let out a hearty laugh and led them through the front door. A young figure was watching them from the balcony. He grinned and turned on his heel, rushing into the room.
"Father, father! They're here! Sakura, Lee and Kakashi!"
"Well Hikaru, come over here and let me look at you! They'll be coming up any minute!"
"Uh huh!" an older Hikaru smiled brightly, then turned his head when the door opened. The guard saluted.
"Your guests have arrived, sir!" he stepped aside to let the trio of shinobi by, and Sakura smiled, looking over at Michiru and Hikaru. The large jolly king laughed and opened his arms wide.
"Welcome, all of you! My, how you've grown!" he exclaimed, "It's so good to see you all again!"
"He-He hasn't lost an ounce!" Sakura hissed, but smiled anyway, saying aloud, "Yeah, it's great to see you, Michiru!"
"Where's Naruto?" Hikaru asked suddenly, and Sakura looked at him. He had grown his hair out and it looked like it was tied back in a braid and he had definitely grown taller. He still wore glasses - round, with thin black rims - but his clothes were rich in colour. Bright blue trousers tucked into white boots, with white diamonds running up the outside of the legs. A white sleeveless top reached his knees and ran diagonally upwards with blue trims. Over it he wore a bright orange cloth hanging over his shoulders, like a low collared sleeveless poncho, ending at a point above his bellybutton with green trims. A beaded necklace wrapped around his neck.
"Hikaru! Wow, you've grown." Sakura commented, "But Naruto's away with his sensei. He's been gone for two years!"
"You've gotten really pretty too, Sakura." Hikaru complimented, and Sakura felt her cheeks flush. The boy merely smiled innocently at her.
"Has it been that long?" Michiru sighed happily, "Well! Can't keep you waiting, how about we go around Getsugakure for a bit?"
"Maybe they'd rather rest first, father." Hikaru suggested, and Kakashi smiled a little.
"We need to check into a hotel anyway-"
"A hotel? No, no, no! Only the best for the people that saved this village!" Michiru insisted, "Toshie, please arrange separate rooms for our guests!"
"Of course, Lord Michiru!" she giggled, bowing and leaving the room. Kakashi paused, and Lee grinned widely.
"Hey, Lord Michiru-"
"Please, just Michiru."
"Oh, sure! Are there any dojos here?" he requested, and Sakura sighed heavily, hands on her hips. Michiru thought for a moment before grinning and nodding.
"Why yes, there is!" he nodded, "It should be on the edge of town!"
"YES!" Lee celebrated with a jump in the air, and Hikaru laughed before the maid returned to inform that their rooms were ready. She led the group to three separate rooms, and Lee and Sakura said good byes to Kakashi before escaping to their designating rooms. Kakashi walked with Michiru and Hikaru to his.
"Kakashi." Michiru began, frowning a little, "I've been getting news of two trouble makers that arrived a few days ago. They've not wrecked anything or hurt anyone, but they've been close recently."
"Who are they?" Kakashi asked. Michiru sighed.
"I don't know their names, but they're very tall and have green hair." he explained, "I don't mean to put this on you when this is supposed to be a holiday Kakashi, but they're shinobi. I heard you met them once. Maybe you can speak with them?"
Akiyo and Akiye… I never thought I'd see them again. Kakashi mused. He nodded, opening the door to his room.
"If I see them, I'll try." he confirmed, and Michiru grinned.
"Thank you, Kakashi!" he pat him on the shoulder before Kakashi closed the door, and he sighed heavily and sat on the edge of the bed, looking out through the window. It looked out onto the beach and the sea. He gazed at the quiet scene before he heard Lee and Sakura running down the hall, three knocks, and then it opened.
"Kakashi-sensei, we're gonna go into town! You want to come with us?"
"Hm? Oh, I'll catch up." Kakashi looked round at him, smiling, "You two go ahead."
"Okay!" she sang, closing the door and skipping after Lee. He glanced at her then looked ahead as they walked out onto the streets of Getsugakure.
"Don't you think Kakashi's acting weird?"
"How so?" Lee asked, and Sakura frowned.
"Well, I dunno." Sakura sighed, then smiled, "Whatever, I'm just being paranoid. Where do you wanna go first?"
"There's a game street down there, I've always wanted to try some of those games!" Lee exclaimed, and Sakura followed after him. They stopped by many stalls, ranging from shuriken throwing games to fish catching games. By the time they had gone through them almost twice, it was getting dark, and Kakashi still hadn't joined them. But the crowds were big, so Sakura wasn't surprised. They stopped by a small bar, looking at what to order.
"YES! FOUR IN A ROW!" someone yelled, and they leaned back to inspect a crowd gathering around one of the crowds. The woman yelling thrust her arms in the air before taking up more shuriken, ready for more figures to pop up to hit. Lee, curious, walked over and Sakura followed to make sure he wouldn't get into trouble.
"Who is it?" Sakura whispered. She eyed the woman playing, watching her salmon hair fall over her shoulders as she flung the shuriken. Her green eyes sparkled with delight when they hit all the figures, and Lee stared in awe at the aim, but also at the woman. He was racking his brain for a name to match to her face. Her outfit scheme was also recognisable. A deep purple sleeveless jacket that reached just below her chest over a lilac top, the top sleeve stretching over her middle finger like a ring.
"Huh." Lee mused, watching. Sakura glanced at him.
"Do you recognised her?" Sakura asked, and Lee scrunched his eyes as he stared.
"I think so." Lee sighed.
"Wow miss, you throw just like a ninja!" the man behind the stall commented, scratching the side of his head, "Well! Choose any prize, lady!"
"Hm." she smiled, tapping her chin, "The grey bear!"
"Here he is!" he handed her a large grey bear with a black stomach and face. Kotori smiled, ruffling the tuffs of its head before turning, preparing to move on, but froze when she came face to face to Lee and Sakura. Her heart jumped a beat as she stared at Lee, and people began to leave now that the show was over.
"Sensei?" Lee muttered, "Ko-Kotori-sensei?"
"Lee?" she looked him up and down. Suddenly, she gasped as she realised it was him and wrapped her arms around him, squishing the bear between them both, "Lee! Wow, you've grown so much, you look just like Guy when he was your age!"
"Kotori-sensei, it really is you!" he laughed, hugging her back and Kotori let him go, smiling eagerly. She had hardly changed herself, apart from her longer hair and small bags under her eyes.
"Lee, who is this?" Sakura asked, smiling politely.
"This is Kotori-sensei. She was Guy-sensei's best friend!" Lee answered eagerly, and Kotori felt her heart tear slightly at the title. His best friend. What sort of best friend left him without even saying good bye in person? "The last time I saw her was when I was just about to leave the academy!"
"Kotori… It does ring a bell." Sakura frowned, but then smiled, "Wait, if you knew Guy-sensei, then you probably know Kakashi-sensei!"
"Kakashi." Kotori repeated blandly, glancing down at the bear, "Yeah, I knew him."
"Well you can come say hi! He's up at King Michiru's home at the moment." Sakura offered, "I'm sure he'd love to see you! It must have been years since you've seen him!"
"Uh, yeah." Kotori hesitated, "I don't think that'd be a good idea. Sorry, guys. It was nice seeing you, Lee."
"Wait, Guy-sensei always talks about you though!" Lee said, making her stop on her tracks, "About how you will come back to Konoha! He even says that Kakashi probably misses you too. Well, he said it once."
"Hm." Kotori sighed, looking down, "I just… It's been too long, it might be a bit awkward."
"It won't be awkward unless you make it awkward." Kakashi's voice echoed in her ears. Kotori's face went bright red with embarrassment and she turned to see Kakashi standing beside Sakura and Lee, who looked on in surprise. They hadn't heard him approach!
"Kakashi!" was all Kotori could exclaim, feeling slightly dumb. Sakura smiled a little.
"Lee, come on, I'm hungry! Come treat me to some dinner!" she grabbed his arm and took him down the street before she bothered hearing a reply, and Kakashi walked towards Kotori. She looked away, then looked back at him, biting her lower lip.
"It's been more than three years." Kakashi began, "I've always received letters from you, like you said. But not once did you give me a chance to reply."
"I didn't want people knowing where I lived." she frowned, looking away, "I was afraid they'd track me down and try and bring me back."
"I expected you to be gone for a year, at most." Kakashi changed the subject back. Kotori winced a little, cuddling the bear into her stomach for some sort of comfort.
"I'm sorry." she mustered, "I… Didn't think it'd be that important."
Kotori glanced up at him, and she met an angry eye.
"Kotori." he started, then paused, not sure where to take this, "I don't know what's going through your head, but you are important to some people in Konoha. Running away from them for maybe five years or more isn't going to make them forget you."
"I panicked." she admitted, and they slowly began to walk down the street, "I lost my job as a shinobi. I lost my team, I… I broke down, and I needed to get away."
"Getting away is a holiday for a few weeks. Maybe a few months, tops. What you did was abandon us." he pointed out casually, and Kotori couldn't help but smile. He was taking this so calmly, yet she was sure he was irate and perhaps sad inside, "But, I found you, so…"
"So?" Kotori sighed, "Me going back-"
"Is not like you asking me to stay here. You have people that miss you back in Konoha. I don't know anyone here but Michiru and Hikaru."
"Hmph. You could've let me finish before shooting my argument down." Kotori huffed, but smiled and looked at him, hopeful. Kakashi looked at her before smiling very slightly and then looking back ahead. She hesitated, and he knew what she was thinking. She was wondering if it was a smart idea to go back to Konoha, even after the wait. He glanced at her and she hugged the toy tighter.
"It'd be nice to have you back." Kakashi assured her, "You weren't even there for the Third Hokage's funeral."
"I heard about that…" she sighed softly.
"So I'm sure Lady Tsunade will happily let you become a Jounin again." Kakashi began, "She has heard some information about you, and has looked at your file."
"Why would she do that?" she glanced up, "Who mentioned me?"
"Well, Yoshiko took matters into her own hands after the second hear you didn't come back." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, and Kotori sighed dramatically and looked away, nodding.
"Surprise." she said sarcastically, and Kakashi let out a low laugh. They stopped and Kakashi turned to her fully.
"Where do you live?"
"Near here. I look out onto the beach." Kotori answered, "What… What hotel are you at?"
"I'm actually a guest at Michiru's home." he explained, "Team seven helped him gain control again."
"Huh." Kotori crossed her arms, "I miss a lot, don't I…"
"Well if you came back, you'd catch up easier." Kakashi suggested, "Or if you gave me your address…"
"Kakashi." she whined quietly, then looked at him. He looked at her and didn't break the stare. She tensed a little, gripping the teddy bear. Kakashi's shoulders sagged and he put his hands in his pockets, keeping quiet. Kotori finally opened her mouth, "You're not going to go away, are you."
"I'd rather not." he shrugged, and Kotori put on another smile, "Will I walk you to your apartment?"
"It's the gentlemanly thing to do." she shrugged, and he nodded. She walked down the street and he followed along, keeping by her side and he looked at the surrounding buildings. They were brightly painted and decorated with lamps and lanterns. Finally she stopped by an apartment and turned to him.
"So, have you thought about it?" Kakashi asked. Kotori looked at him, concentrating.
"I dunno." she sighed, "I don't… I don't feel like I should. I've left it too late-"
"It's never too late for people to return." Kakashi said, "Your family want you back. Your friends want you back."
"Would you want me back?" she asked quietly. Kakashi blinked. He had expected to be included in the 'friends' category, but didn't want to keep her waiting.
"Yes." he nodded, and Kotori sighed heavily, "Oh, uh. You won't get your old apartment back, though… It was destroyed, and a public building was built over it."
"So, I guess I've made my choice." she assumed. Kakashi smiled.
"We return in a few days."
"It's going to be a shock to everyone."
"The kind of shock they need."
Back at Michiru's home, servants were preparing the table for a large feast. Sakura and Lee helped as best they could, but spent most of the time speaking with Michiru and Hikaru about Getsugakure, Naruto and how Konoha was doing.
"So, when will Kakashi return?" Michiru asked eagerly as they walked down the hall for the dining room, "And what do you think of Getsugakure now?"
"It's great!" Sakura complimented, "There's so much to do!"
"Hm, yes!" Michiru agreed, "Oh, we'll be having a guest for dinner tonight! You see-"
"Mother's staying over!" Hikaru interrupted, filled with glee that his family may come back together. Lee smiled and nodded.
"I cannot wait to meet her properly!" he claimed, and the four walked into the large room.
"So, as I asked about Kakashi?"
"Oh!" Sakura rubbed the back of her neck, "He met a friend he hadn't spoken to in a while here, so he went to spend time with her. He'll probably come back."
"Her?" Michiru chuckled suggestively, "Well, he can take his time then!"
Lee turned, raising his eyebrows.
"Why are you making that face? Kakashi-sensei and Kotori-sensei are just friends… right?"
"You don't need to keep calling her sensei, she's not a shinobi anymore." Sakura corrected, avoiding the topic, and the pair gazed at the large table holding many plates of food, including lobsters and slices of turkey.
"Wow, this looks delicious!"
"It certainly does! There will be apple pie coming up, it was made from the apples you saw people picking earlier today!"
"It's here!" a female voice chimed, and she walked from the kitchen and toward them. It was Amayo, wearing a pretty royal blue dress. She grinned at Sakura and Lee as she put the pie down and walked over, shaking their hands separately, "Hello, it's nice to see you!"
"Hi!" Sakura smiled in return, "Kakashi-sensei will be with us soon-"
"I'm here, I'm here. Sorry I'm late." Kakashi walked in, waving, "I got distracted."
"We know." Michiru nodded, "Please, everyone! Sit!"
Taking their places, both Lee and Sakura started to dig into their food. Amayo smiled politely and began to choose her food wisely, while Michiru studied the food, mouth open and saliva almost dripping down the side of his face.
"Oooh, this is so nice! It all looks tasty." he grinned, reaching out for a nearby lobster, but Amayo snapped her hand out and smacked his hand away before he could. He yelped, nursing his poor hand, looking at her, "Aw, Amayo! Just one little lobster-"
"No! If you ever start eating unhealthy food, your diet will go down the drain! Again." she sighed, and Michiru smiled nervously as he took some salad instead. Sakura giggled, and Michiru looked at Kakashi, who seemed to be thinking instead of eating.
"So, Kakashi. Did you see those twins I told you about?" he inquired, mostly curious than nervous at this point.
"Hm? Oh, no. Sorry. I'll look around tomorrow." he nodded, crossing his arms. Michiru nodded, waving a hand, one stabbing his salad with his fork.
"No problem, really! I was just wondering. So who was this person you met? Did you know her before?" he asked, and Kakashi looked up, then smiled.
"Yes, I met her when I was a child." he explained, "But she left Konoha a few years ago."
"Was she a shinobi like you?" Michiru asked, his curiosity peaking. Kakashi nodded.
"She would be the same level as me - a Jounin - right now." he answered, and Lee looked up at him. Quickly finishing what was in his mouth, he spoke.
"Will she be coming back with us, sensei?"
"Yes, she plans to." Kakashi nodded.
"Then perhaps I'll meet her!" Michiru chimed. Hikaru laughed a little.
"Maybe you already have. You have so many people coming in and out of this place, father." he joked, "Gardening, cooking… Just getting gifts from people. She might have been one of them. What does she look like, Kakashi?"
"She has salmon hair, and green eyes." Kakashi answered, "Usually seems confident and flirty, too. Her name is Kotori Kuromura."
"Kotori?" Amayo interrupted, blinking, "She baked for us once, Michiru! They were gorgeous."
"So you keep saying. I couldn't have any of them!" Michiru whined, and Amayo laughed a little before looking back at Kakashi. Michiru smiled himself and did the same, "Perhaps you can invite her to stay for the rest of your holiday!"
"Oh no, she has an apartment here. It'd be a waste." Kakashi shook his head, "I wouldn't want to trouble you."
"It would be no trouble! Really!" he insisted, but Kakashi got to his feet instead.
"Really, it'll be fine. I'll see her tomorrow." he turned to the door, "But I'm tired now, it's been a long trip. Thank you for the dinner, I'll probably take some up for later."
"Bye Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura grinned, "Night!"
"Good night!" Kakashi waved his hand over his shoulder and left the room. Michiru sighed a little.
"Does he never eat with other people?"
"Nope. I've been his student since I was twelve and I still don't know what his face looks like." Sakura shrugged, "This food is delicious, Amayo!"
"Haha, why thank you!"
The next day, Sakura woke quite late to find Kakashi and Lee had already left. Apparently Lee was off doing laps around the beaches, and Kakashi had informed them he was off to find his friend, Kotori. She head out to the city herself, intent on finding souvenirs.
In a small café looking out onto a beach, Kotori leaned back on her seat. Kakashi smiled, crossing his arms on the table and she folded her arms behind her head, feet up on the empty chair opposite her.
"So, everything's sorted? So soon?"
"The land lady couldn't wait to get rid of me." Kotori tutted, looking away to the beach, "Apparently I'm rowdy."
"Hm." Kakashi decided not to comment, and Kotori eyed him. She looked down and brushed off dust from her grey trousers and made sure they were still tucked into her tall black boots. Kakashi smiled and looked at her now empty plate, "Two more days and we're out of here. By the way, have you seen those two green haired twins? Akiyo and Akiye?"
Kotori paused, straightening the chair and her back.
"I think so." she nodded, "They were down at the casinos a few days ago. People have been complaining, but just because they make them uncomfortable. So I hear."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but nodded and got to his feet. He dropped a few coins onto the table as payment for Kotori's food and left onto the wooden floorboards stretching along the beach. Kotori walked with him, thumbs hooked into her pockets.
"Did you have a good sleep?" she inquired, "I heard he has one of the most comfortable beds ever. And the biggest guest rooms."
"He's certainly extravagant." Kakashi agreed, turning his head. He could see teenagers and young adults playing around on the beach, throwing a ball over a tall net. Kotori grinned at the sight, and they turned to walk along the beach, but the ball had escaped one of the team's grasp and shot over to the couple, bouncing over one's head and against the other. Kotori winced and growled, turning to glare while Kakashi rubbed his head and picked up the ball.
"Hey buddy, want to throw it over here?" one of the guys asked, and Kotori glared.
"Hey buddy, want to apologise first?" Kotori snapped, grabbing the ball before Kakashi could calm the confrontation. The boy, not expecting a snap back, glared and puffed out his chest.
"Whatever lady, just give us the ball!" he demanded, not wanting to have to argue with her, "You're wasting daylight!"
"Wasting daylight?" Kotori muttered, and Kakashi glanced at her. She snorted, Throwing her arm back and then hurling the ball at him. The hit sent him hurling into the sands and into the shallow water, and Kotori smirked, hands on her hips, "There's your ball! Where's my apology?"
The young man crawled out from the water, coughing and grunting before looking up at her as she approached.
"I-I'm sorry, lady!" he groaned, "But I think you broke my ribs!"
"Oh." Kotori hesitated. She wanted to hurt him, just not that badly. Kakashi walked over, glancing round at the group that was waiting for their friend to return. A woman sighed, rubbing the side of her head.
"Told you your mouth would get you into trouble. Come on, I'll take you to get checked out." she helped him up, glancing at Kakashi and Kotori before heading off. Another woman, seeming younger but more confident, glared.
"Well great, now we've lost two of our players!" she pointed at Kakashi and Kotori, "You two will take their place! For at least two games!"
"What? Us?" Kakashi asked, pausing, "I dunno, that might be a bit dangerous. Are you sure-"
"Yeah yeah, just get over here!" she interrupted, and Kotori smirked and nudged Kakashi before heading over. The girl snorted and crossed her arms, "You know how to play the game, right?"
"Yup." Kotori nodded, flexing her fingers. Kakashi nodded silently, smirking behind his mask.
Five games and five wins later(with Kotori and Kakashi eventually making up a team by themselves against the others), Kotori and Kakashi were released from their oath and allowed to leave the beach.
"Well, that was fun!" Kotori grinned, stretching her arms over her head, "I haven't moved that much in a long time! Gotta get back into the swing of things, I guess!"
"So you're looking forward to going back to Konoha?" he asked, and Kotori blushed slightly.
"Well, I gotta admit. I couldn't sleep last night." she laughed, "I was too excited at the thought of seeing everyone again. I guess you're right… Leaving was a mistake."
"At least for that length of time." he tried to reason. Kotori smiled and the pair walked into the casino area, looking round at the group of people celebrating their winnings and trying to gather their dignity from their losses. Kotori's eyes skimmed the area before spotting her target, and she took Kakashi's wrist and led him through the crowd to a small ice cream stand.
"Ice cream?" he questioned, and Kotori giggled, pointing to what she wanted before looking at him.
"I come here almost every week as a treat! You should have one, they're really good!" Kotori urged as she took a cone of vanilla ice cream, sprinkled with specks of chocolate chips. Kakashi shrugged.
"Maybe some other time." before Kotori could dig for her purse, Kakashi gave the money to the vendor and Kotori huffed.
"I could've paid for that." she pointed out, walking with him down the street. He smiled, ignoring her statement and looked around the area instead, spying a familiar pink haired kunoichi win at a tactical game. Kakashi avoided that area, heading down another road instead. Kotori didn't notice however, enjoying her ice cream too much. They began to hike up a back path through the forest instead, and Kotori finished off the cone before wiping her fingers on the small napkin. Kakashi turned to her and smirked.
"You got a little bit on you." he said quietly, reaching over and wiping some ice cream from the corner of her lips. Kotori went red, looking away and out over Gestugakure. She smiled a little, hands on her hips as they stopped at the top.
"Man, this view is great." she commented, "The castle looks great from here, huh?"
"Mhm." Kakashi nodded, crossing his arms. In the distance they could see a figure racing along a beach to the East, causing sandstorms to erupt into the air. That was Lee alright. Kotori watched them for a moment before looking at Kakashi.
"Guy's kid, huh?" she snickered, "He's just like him, it's freaky."
"Freaky doesn't begin to describe it." he paused, narrowing his eye, seeing something in the far distance. The trees just below the mountains were shifting, as if being shoved out of the way, and Kotori noticed them too. Kakashi looked at her, and she looked at him before looking back at the destroyed trees.
"Seems like we've got an investigation on our hands." she sighed, and Kakashi laughed a little.
"Never a day off when you're a shinobi." he commented as they both leapt off the edge of the cliff, slid down the side and then bounced off across the roofs of the buildings, "Got to get back into the swing of things, right?"