Storm Cloud
Kakashi could feel himself slipping into a dream, he was almost conscious of the fact he was dreaming for a moment, but it passed in an instant and he was absorbed in the sights and sensations; he was leaping from tree branch to tree branch in the warm morning sun, his feet swift and light as they always had been, but he was young – seven or maybe eight at most – he was highly conscious of the masks fabric over his face, it seeming irritating and cumbersome; he looked down, suddenly very aware he had both eyes, and could see a familiar swish of silvery-white chakra.
Noticing a presence, he looked back up, right to the gently smiling face of his father, who was crouched on the next tree branch, the smile he wore was the same whenever Sakumo had caught his son during the game they were playing; recoiling for fear of colliding with the elder, Kakashi slammed on the breaks and in doing so skidded off the edge of a branch, his momentum so great that chakra was useless to halt him. He tipped over the edge of the branch and plummeted face first towards the ground, a good ten or so meter drop and the young boy cringed slightly, bracing for an impact-
Kakashi suddenly jolted as though he'd just stopped himself from falling over or received an electric shock and found himself lying flat on his back, in bed, as his adult self in the middle of the night. Taking a moment to find his bearings, he sat up slowly, the air was cool, chilly on his exposed arms but the bedding was warm, suggesting he'd been asleep for some time, although it felt like mere seconds. He rubbed a hand over his eyes thinking back on the dream, it had been off for several reasons.
Firstly, his father had died early in his sixth year, long before his seventh birthday; secondly, he and Sakumo used to play a form of hide-and-seek, which doubled as training, when Kakashi was very young, up to the time he became a Chuunin. Thirdly, Sakumo had only smiled in that gentle fashion before Kakashi turned four, (the year during which his mother had finally succumbed to her illness and it claimed her life). Likewise, Kakashi had shown his face just like any other boy – or person – up until half-way through his fifth year, just after the Chuunin exams (so he would have been well used to it by the time he reached seven or eight) when that fateful mission of his father's occurred and Sakumo's return brought with it a large and hateful storm cloud, inducing torrential flood-rains which lasted for months, years nearly – after resisting the downpour for a week or two, he caved and a still young Kakashi hid himself and his emotions away beneath a simple loop of cloth.
Kakashi sighed heavily and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, hoping to rid his mind of the disturbingly realistic – although inaccurate – dream, his upper body twisting to look out of the window; the darkness significantly less than what he'd expect for the hour. He could just about make out the thick, wet clumps of snow lazily drifting down – it was a busy snowfall, despite the strangely laid-back appearance of the precipitation.
Pursing his lips slightly, he shifted to lie back down, tugging the heavy duvet back up to block out the cold air as he closed his eyes, hoping to relax himself enough to drift back to sleep – he could feel his fatigue physically but his mind was now awake. He allowed himself to just lie there, content in the dim quiet, the smell and feel of his own home a familiar comfort. His thoughts found their way back again to his father, the man's voice and appearance still in perfect clarity, despite it having been some three decades since he'd set eyes on or spoken to him (disregarding, of course, that bizarre sort-of-after-life-experience having been defeated by Pein a few years ago).
He'd always remembered his father's voice to be deep but unthreatening – not loud or brash – he seemed to command respect just by being present, something which had amazed a young Kakashi and made watching his downfall all the harder. 'Kakashi-kun, have you summoned Pakkun or the pack recently? He needs regular training if you intend to make full use of him as a ninken,' He remembered distinctly when his father has asked that particular question, the day before he'd left on the mission which proved to be his last.
After that, Kakashi couldn't bear to so much as think about Pakkun without remembering all of the questions he'd planned to ask his father upon his return, questions he ended up asking numerous books (or occasionally Minato-sensei) instead. Eventually, Kakashi fell into a restless sleep, his dreams still disturbed with fragments of memories of his early years – each one slotting together with another, random one, forming scenarios which didn't actually happen.
…
Kakashi sipped the last of the cup of coffee before replacing his mask and moving to slip on his winter sandals with a caped toe, his eye drifting out of the window to see the snow still falling; he sighed lightly before picking up Icha Icha Taktikusu and slotting it into his pouch as he stepped out of the door. He really could have done with another few hours' sleep, but Tsunade had called him and he elected on sacrificing and extra half hour of snoozing for the sake of a hot shower and a cup of coffee.
He slipped his hands into his pockets and schooled his expression into one of benign apathy as he closed the door to the apartment complex behind him; the snow was deep, easily up to his calves and still falling. He really hoped Tsunade didn't want him to for another mission – he'd just returned from a long haul A-rank, away for just over two months; the mission itself was mostly reconnaissance, but he found the time spent away, constantly on the move tiring in itself and he'd hoped for some decent rest in the peace of Konoha. Kicking the compacted snow off his sandals, he stepped into the building and traced his way up the her office, knocking before wandering in,
"Ah, Kakashi, I'm aware you've just gotten back, but a mission request came in a while ago which asks for you specifically…its quite unusual – read the outline," She tossed the scroll to him, which he casually caught and unravelled; as he read it, he couldn't help his eye from widening – of all things, this had to be the single most unlikely mission he could possibly ever have been assigned,
"Ah, Tsunade-sama…who requested this mission?"
"I don't know, the scroll just turned up, along with payment and expenses...they've been waiting over three weeks for your return, but the only thing provided was a completion date – which is in about a two weeks,"
"…" Kakashi trailed his eye over the scroll again unable to make sense of it;
"You can refuse the mission, Kakashi, but I thought you'd want a look at it, considering," The Hokage eyed him carefully, "Think over it, you still have the week off, so give me your answer when you're done with your mission report in a day or two," Kakashi nodded allowing the scroll to flip closed and he tucked it into his pouch,
"Tsunade-sama…if I choose not to take this mission, who will you send in my stead?" She watched his guarded expression for a few moments,
"...I haven't decided yet…" Kakashi nodded and bowed just as she dismissed him, he wandered away from her office somehow wishing he'd just given in to his instinct and fallen asleep again after the bird pecked on his window. He found himself back out in the cold street, the snow still falling and his mood now dampened, worse than the uneasiness from the night before; he slouched down and meandered towards the memorial stone.
The village was bustling, most of the ninja were preparing for festivities associated with mid-winter and the civilians were excitable for the unusually heavy snowfall; Kakashi sighed as he dodged a group of young men walking down the street, talking and wildly gesticulating as they went. Although he'd chosen to take himself to the memorial stone, he felt sure it wouldn't make him feel any better – or provide him with the means to find an answer – instead, he thought it more likely he'd end up feeling even worse.
He couldn't quite believe that someone had actually requested such a mission - he might almost have not thought it possible, but then again, he supposed, that it was the similar principle to 'anything's for sale at the right price' Kakashi involuntarily shivered at the cold blast of air sending a flurry of snow into his face, damn winter, he looked out over the training ground, looking delightfully ethereal with the deep and as-yet untouched snow.
He stood stock still in front of the stone his eye swiftly finding the names of his old team-mates and instinctively looking for a name he knew would never be inscribed, yet he felt almost belonged there. Kakashi allowed his consciousness of his surroundings to fade out of the forefront of his mind and his eyes stopped seeing the landmark in front of him, instead, he was able only to focus on – for some reason – the feel of his father's hand on his head.
It was quite odd to think about the sensation if he pictured himself as his current thirty-seven year old self...very odd... But the memory of that sensation couldn't be any clearer in his mind's eye – even thought a young Kakashi came to scorn his father, in the turmoil of that time, he couldn't do anything but carefully file away all of the positive memories about his father – that was all, it had seemed, even then, that he had left of the great man.
Eventually, he came back to himself with a violent shiver from the cold, although it was barely afternoon, the snow was beginning to let up – the flakes much smaller and fewer in number; the silver-haired Jounin decided that it was probably time for a hot meal of some description and then perhaps a short nap in his warm apartment. He traced the steps back towards the centre of the village, his hands stuffed into his pockets to keep his fingers from freezing; the more he gave it thought, the less he felt like being out in public – for a reason he couldn't immediately put his finger on – and the more attractive a bowl of hot ramen sounded.
He steered himself in the direction of Ichiraku's and just managing to keep his balance as he stepped forward and his foot sank significantly further into the snow than he was expecting, nearly knocking him off balance. Resisting the urge to curse, he yanked his leg out of the drift and the excessive snow on his pant leg beginning to melt and make him feel even colder than he already was. Eventually making his way to the small stand, he was pleased to see that there were a number of empty stools – in fact there was only one occupant,
"Hmm? Sakura?" She turned to face him after he'd pulled her from her daydream,
"Oh! Hello, Kakashi," He slipped onto the stool next to her, noting that there wasn't an empty bowl in front of her, as he'd expected,
"Kakashi-san! What can I get for you?" Teuchi's voice drew his attention,
"A large miso with extra pork, please Teuchi-san," The elderly civilian nodded, his kindly smile in place, just as always, while he turned to busy himself with cooking the meal, Kakashi directed his own attention back to a slightly tired looking Sakura,
"Why are you sat here by yourself?"
"I'm supposed to meet Naruto and Sai here for lunch – they wanted to celebrate my first solo A class,"
"Oh! How'd it go?" Sakura had finally begun to draw some serious respect as a shinobi after her Jounin exam a few months prior – she was well respected before, but as a medic instead of a fighter; during her exam even Kakashi had been given an eye-opener at her ability wield both her fists and her offensive ninjutsu – coupled with her natural intelligence and gift for genjutsu, she was no half-baked, so-called 'ninja' to be scoffed at.
Previously, Sakura was in high demand by many of the Jounins and more skilled Chuunin for missions due to her unfaltering medical prowess – now, they were falling over themselves to have such an invaluable nin (who could hold her own and cover others as well as heal damn near anything, be it in a pinch or no). Kakashi felt fierce pride at watching Sakura's Jounin exam, watching how she'd really come into her own and had shown her latent abilities almost none had believed existed – he found a new respect for her that day, looking at how comfortable she was in herself. As she accepted the promotion, she looked like she belonged there and looked as though she knew she'd earned it, having long since shed her teenage insecurities – it was refreshing and something well-deserved by Sakura.
"Well, actually, it was something of a shock, not insurmountable, of course...it was more to do with the little things about being on your own, like when you have to stop and rest overnight, having no team-mates certainly put me more on edge and made getting any real rest difficult...it was little things like that – they're insignificant in the planning stage, but the consequences of their disruption can actually be huge," He nodded, completely understanding;
"Aah, the first solo is always the trickiest, I found those sort of issues to be the case, too – first mission as taichou is very much along the same lines, if you're lucky, nothing really goes wrong as a consequence, but sometimes..." He thought back to his first mission as team leader and his words failed him for a moment; she seemed to pick up on his hesitancy,
"...Yes, I was fortunate that it was awkward at worst...but I was glad of the experience, I think; I have a much better idea of what to expect next time," Kakashi grinned amiably,
"Be careful, Sakura-chan, its very easy to get used to doing things by yourself – so much so, that its cumbersome to have to join a team again," Sakura rolled her eyes playfully,
"Somehow, I don't think I'll ever get the chance for that to happen, I'm already scheduled to head out again tomorrow with Genma's team as medic," Kakashi frowned slightly,
"Aren't one of the other medics available?"
"Unfortunately not...there are barely any Jounin medics suitable for missions and the other, lower ranking medic-nins are either needed for the Chuunin level missions or work in the hospital," She explained casually as a bowl of ramen was set in front of Kakashi, he thanked Teuchi and prepared himself to woof his meal down – at strategically the right time, Naruto put in a colourful appearance, which drew both Sakura's and Teuchi's attention enough to allow Kakashi to yank his mask below his chin and quaff his still scalding ramen.
"H-hey, Kakashi-sensei! Long-time, no-see, how've ya been?" Naruto finally took note of the elder nin as he re-set his bowl and chopsticks on the counter, his mask firmly in place,
"Ah, Naruto!" Kakashi rose to his feet, suddenly feeling as though he wanted to be alone again – as well as slightly out of place with the too-noisy-Naruto, "Sorry, but I'm already late for something or other...it was good to talk, Sakura, good luck with your next mission," She offered a warm, amiable smile in return,
"Thanks, Kakashi," He nodded back and waved behind him as he stepped out of the small stand, able to hear Naruto's light grumble at his once-teacher leaving so quickly; as he traced the steps back towards his apartment, feeling infinitely more relaxed as he began to look forward to settling on his sofa with pot of hot tea at his elbow whilst he read the latest Icha Icha he'd been saving for after his most recent mission.
(The series had been picked up and continued by someone who lived in Water country, and who'd previously been friends with Jiraiya – the late Sanin's publishers were satisfied that Jiraiya really had been a friend of his and that his style was close to that of the late sage, and so had allowed him to take up the Icha Icha mantle...along with Tsunade's permission (the only remaining Sanin had been disgruntled at the assumption of the publishers that she had been Jiraiya's 'on-again-off-again-hot-tempered-lover' over the course of the years, as he'd apparently alluded to, on numerous occasions – although Kakashi was forced to wonder, sometimes, if her anger was more out of pride than for the sake of the truth.) Still, a new book had been published immediately before Kakashi had been due to leave for his prior mission and it was an extra thick volume, at least twice that of Jiraiya's last and the Copy Nin decided that he'd save the book for when he returned – allowing him to indulgently take his time, rather than to rush it as a result of the mission.)
Still the silver-haired shinobi was pleased that his bad mood seemed to have lifted (must have been a hot meal after all) as he let himself into his apartment building, shivering slightly at the fact that it was freezing (lazy landlord felt no need to heat the inner stair cases and corridors) and the nin darted his way up the flights until he was at his front door and was glad to have it closed again. His morning had certainly been an unsettling one and as much as he wished to hear no more of it, Kakashi was certain that he would not be free of it – for a good while longer.
Kakashi was once again stood in front of Tsunade-sama, as she gave a cursory glance over his (really quite late) report, she nodded in a few places but quickly set it aside in favour of talking to the report's author, still reluctantly stood in front of her;
"So? Have you decided about the mission, Kakashi?" He nodded firmly,
"Hai, Hokage-sama, I will accept the mission...its no one else's business, after all," Tsunade nodded,
"I was sure that's what you'd say," Kakashi kept his face passive, although the anticipated 'but' was almost deafening, "However, I have assigned you a mission partner for this one,"
"...Why? I can see no reason why you'd think it necessary,"
"The deadline for this mission is fast approaching and you'll need an extra pair of hands for starters, besides, having someone else to keep you on track seemed like a good idea," Kakashi couldn't quite resist his frown of disapproval,
"Hokage-sama, I respectfully request to be allowed to complete this mission by myself,"
"Your objection is noted and is something I can more than understand, but ultimately denied."
"Tsunade-sama–!" A sharp knock on the Hokage's door cut across Kakashi protest,
"Enter," The door opened and Sakura stepped in,
"Shizune-sampai said you needed to see me, Tsunade-sama?" A terse moment of silence passed between the two older shinobi before the elder kuniochi addressed the younger,
"Indeed I did, Sakura, I have a mission for you I'm aware you've just gotten back, but this one is fairly local and shouldn't be too physically taxing. Kakashi was assigned this mission initially, but I feel it necessary for him to have a partner and you fit the bill. There's a large house just outside of Konoha which has been abandoned for years, a recent request came in for it to be cleaned up, fit for habitation, expected extra materials have already been sent down there – the deadline is for roughly four days time. I know it seems like an easy mission for shinobi of your calibre, but the client is very well respected and I need to know that a degree of care has been taken, bearing in mind what condition the house's structure may be in after some thirty years of abandonment..." Tsunade paused for a moment or two,
"Sakura, I can't tell you any more about the client, but it is very important that as few people are aware of this mission as possible – I know you know the meaning of discretion and that will be key here, hence only you two have been called upon...I want this treated as an A rank or higher for all intents and purposes, am I understood?" Sakura nodded sharply, her mind whirring at the possibilities of such a...strange mission;
"Hai, Hokage-sama,"
"Good, Kakashi can give you more information – I want you to be ready to leave within the hour and bear in mind, you may be gone for a few days; dismissed." The Hokage threw a small set of keys to Kakashi who caught them effortlessly and stuffed them into his pouch; they both bowed and left the office, Kakashi tentatively curious at the fact that Tsunade-sama had given away next to nothing...and in fact, gone out of her way to lead Sakura to assume, inaccurately, what the secretiveness of the mission was for.
"Kakashi?"
"Hmm?" He finally took note of the fact that they were already out of the administration building,
"Should we meet at the main gate in an hour?" Kakashi nodded absently, and Sakura was gone before he could fully register it – damn, he'd need to stay on guard for this mission, he drifted away, quick to return to his apartment but was fairly slow to pack – his mind lingering over what tactics he'd need to employ over the course of the next few days.
He was late, of course, by almost an hour and a half – not that Kakashi cared – he grinned at the sight of his angry, pink-haired partner (although he couldn't bring himself to genuinely feel the smile, he did so nonetheless),
"You know, Sakura-chan, your threatening expression isn't nearly so scary when your nose is so red..." Her frown deepened, but she ignored him,
"Why are you so late? What could you possibly have been doing that's kept you for so long?" Kakashi shook his head,
"Sakura! I thought Tsunade-sama had said that you did understand discretion?" Sakura sighed at his condescending tone, "My, my, you kids have such little respect for your elders these days," Kakashi walked away and leapt into the trees, heading as though to follow the perimeter of Konoha's walls, looping back around towards the mountains behind the village; Sakura remained silent as she followed him, wondering what was bothering him – the Copy Nin not usually quite so patronising.
They ran through the trees for a good half an hour – perhaps a little longer – as they steadily drew closer to the mountain, but didn't run right up to it; Sakura guessed they must have run for a good six kilometres by the time Kakashi dropped to the ground and began to walk. The terrain was bizarre to sat the least – there were only two major routes out of Konoha suitable for civilian traffic (both on foot and for carts and horses) – most shinobi who entered or left the village had no difficulty in taking to the trees for swift and subtle travel; hence there were essentially no small footpaths weaving through the surrounding trees, as one might find in recreational woodland.
Here, however, Sakura noted at least three different footpaths, all roughly parallel with each other, although severely overgrown, they were so well worn that evidence of their once-regular use had not been completely eradicated. Once of the paths had even been recently cutback, free of overgrowing ferns and brambles, as well as having suffered significant trampling; Sakura guessed that this was evidence of the delivery having been made for the 'extra supplies anticipated'. They eventually walked free of the tree-line and came to large clearing – what must have been some fifty odd feet across – and in the centre of which was a large, single story house.
The building itself sat comfortably into the space, without looking to big or small, but was well enough away from the trees that they came just shy of over-hanging the house, nor did it feel too squashed in or swallowed up by the surrounding woodland – whomever had planned this, had done an excellent job. Overall, the house was quite square in shape, and was raised up a good foot and a half or so from the ground, with decking forming a porch or sorts; despite its dilapidated appearance, it managed to look quite beautiful dusted with a few inches of snow;
"Well, this is it..." Kakashi's typical apathetic tone returned as he looked over to see a few stacks of wooden beams lined up near the house as well as a large crate sitting by their side; "Lets take a cursory look at the house first and then divide up the jobs," He walked forward as he spoke and Sakura had to jog a little to catch him up, he stepped up and onto the decking before lifting the keys from his pouch and fitting the correct one into the lock, sliding back the solid wooden fusuma before doing the same for the more typical paper and wood one behind it.
He stepped in and felt the boards creak beneath his feet – the interior dull and dark, dust motes fluttered, at the slightly breeze, around in the slivers of light the open door had produced; the house smelt musky and overrun with nature – a number of scuffles and squeaks told of residents – of one form or another – and a few leaves littered the floor in places. Immediately after the front door, the corridor ran perpendicular – meaning one had to go either left or right, Kakashi gestured to his left,
"Go and see what state the kitchen is in, would you?" Sakura nodded and did as he asked whilst the Copy Nin veered right, soon disappearing around the corner; Sakura stepped through the open doorway and into a large kitchen, at the far end, another door was located and running the length of the right hand wall was a window. Squinting slightly, she pushed back the blinds and allowed light to creep into the room – it also allowed her to see why one was forced to choose which direction they went in when entering the house – for an ornamental garden was situated right in the middle – as though the house were a hollowed square with its garden nestled in the centre.
It took a moment for Sakura to tear her eyes away from the view and look back over the kitchen, a cursory glance through each of the cupboards was quite revealing, unlike what she'd been expecting, they were completely bare – no foodstuffs at all; the only contents of some of the shelves and cupboards were dishes and some cutlery. It struck Sakura as fairly odd that someone would think to clear out all of the food and perishables, but not take any crockery with them, likewise with the furniture – there were a few ornaments dotted around and a table with zabuton around it...whomever had been the last to leave the house, apparently only took what they could carry.
Kakashi slid the fusuma closed again on the bedroom, the futon was still laid out and the sheets a little crumpled on it; he moved to the next, adjacent room and it was almost the complete opposite, essentially bare, the smaller futon carefully rolled and set aside and the sheets folded and resting on the shelf above. Kakashi stepped out of the room again and found himself in front of the third door, hesitating – originally a third bedroom, but since there had been no second child, Sakumo had made it his study-
"Kakashi?" Said shinobi, stepped back from the unopened doorway and turned to face the kuniochi who was walking down the hallway towards him, however, just as she turned the corner, the wood began to give way beneath her foot fall and she had just enough momentum to throw herself forward onto her hands and flip over, clear of the fracturing wood, so as not to fall right through. Kakashi took the opportunity to walk down the hall, closer to Sakura and swiftly deflect any question of his actions;
"Well, looks like we've found the most urgent problem,"
…
They'd been at the house for two days and the majority of the work had been completed; they'd worked mostly separately and even when they were together, Sakura had refrained from asking too many questions. Although Kakashi couldn't be sure if it was because Sakura had guessed the mission was a good deal more personal than a perfunctory glance suggested or because she hadn't seen through anything and hence had no reason to plague him with queries.
As glad as Kakashi was that she hadn't prodded too much, the Copy Nin had still been rather on edge – it was still a somewhat precarious situation, where Sakura could find out just what the mission was really about at any time and fire a barrage of questions at him...and then somehow make a mockery of all he'd worked hard to achieve – and forget – over the years.
As usual, they rose early on the third day – Kakashi made his way to the kitchen and set the kettle over the lit kamado [traditional fire used as stove]; (although the place was too old and too out of the way for any electricity, at least, without calling in skilled contractors to hook up (and update) the house for them, thankfully a submerged stream ran close by the house and it was not too much effort to re-divert the flow to have water again running through the plumbing – of course, all water had to be boiled before it could be drunk or otherwise ingested, but it was a small price to pay for having running water at all.) The water for tea had almost boiled and the pot of rice nearly cooked before Sakura put in an appearance,
"Morning..."
"Good morning...are you feeling well rested?" She grunted lightly, morning was not her most favourite time of the day, "We have the garden to tackle today and I suspect it will be the biggest task...the two bedrooms need setting out with fresh bedding – and the zabutons in the kitchen and living room need replacing and covers put on them, do you think you could do that whilst I see to the last room, then we can tackle the garden together?"
He set the pot of brewing tea on the table, as Sakura nodded, hoping through the minor tasks of making beds would give her back a rest (gardening was known for it back-unfriendly nature) – they'd spent the entire previous afternoon cleaning and repairing the roof – it was dire in some places, but overall, not quite as bad as one might have expected and between them and their respective strength, they could lift and replace the rotten beams. Some of it was very awkward work, however – crouching for hours on end whilst cleaning moss and weeds off the tiles and beams was back-breaking. It was inefficient to sit whilst doing it for one had to move slowly but near constantly, but it was just enough to make the back ache with fatigue at being cramped in the same position for just a bit too long;
"Hai, I'm happy to do those," He set the pot of rice on the table and two bowls, chopsticks and hiashi as they both began breakfast.
Kakashi gave nothing away as he walked slowly down the hall – the planes of fusuma having been removed to allow fresh air through the house (as they would normally be in summer) the partition between the corridor and the garden having been removed allowing the ornate and somehow intimate feel of the house to be returned. Kakashi subconsciously hesitated as he reached the door of his father's study – and the place where his father perished. The silver-haired shinobi had put off returning to it ever since he'd come across the morbid and bloody scene initially; he heard Sakura's footsteps approaching and he darted inside the room, sliding the door closed again silently, his eye closing automatically – damn him! – he breathed slowly out in an effort to calm himself – why was he so scared?
Its not as though he'd opened his eye to find the body still there, or even any trace that a body had ever occupied the space...damn...he allowed his eye to open, his gaze falling immediately to the tatami mat beneath his tabi [socks] covered feet, he lifted his eye as more of the room became visible to him, directly ahead the low desk was still set out, dotted with papers and sheets directly beneath the window, which had been covered by a thick, well fitting blind to keep out the light. On the right wall a large, wide tansu [chest] stepped its way up the wall – dominating the room with its deep, rich keyaki [elm] wood colour, but was of very traditional style...it still seemed as huge and imposing as Kakashi remembered.
The Copy Nin found himself stepping forward, up to the low desk – complete with zabuton still sat in front of it – the room was too dark for the nin to make out anything the documents said, reaching up he tugged away at the blind, pulling it from its battened edges, allowing him to roll it up. The room again flooded with light and the Copy Nin's eyes fell down to the desk, crouching to get a better look, immediately spotting the top most paper, apparently addressed to him.
That looks like...Minato-sensei's writing... Kakashi remembered, now, that Minato had come to his aid first after Sakumo's fall; his sensei had taken him to his home (Kushina had been there, he vaguely recalled, she'd made him tea to calm him and did her best to comfort him, but all Kakashi could do was focus on trying not throw up as he so desperately wanted to do) before the soon-to-be Fourth returned to the Hatake residence deal with what had happened – Minato had later suggested Kakashi might go back, after a few weeks, to confront with himself what had happened but the then Chuunin had refused. As soon as the Third had allowed him back on active duty, the bitter son of White Fang had taken the first six-month mission he could get his hands on and put even the vaguest suggestion of returning to the house completely out of his mind.
It had never occurred to Kakashi that there might be something there waiting for him, aside from the bad memories.
…
Sakura sighed lightly as she slid the second bedroom door open, before stepping inside, her arms full of sheets – she set them aside on the floor next to the futon, a fresh one Kakashi had brought in the day before after they'd replaced the tatami matting on the floor. Sakura quickly slipped the bottom sheet onto the low bed, whilst it was usual for a futon only to be set out as one was preparing for bed, Kakashi had made mention that since their client was likely to have been travelling for a long time – and they would leave before he arrived – it would be hospitable to make the beds up before they left.
Just as she was walking back from picking up the fresh sheets (they were some of the contents of the large crate which had been outside) she'd felt Kakashi's chakra spike suddenly and remain quite tumultuous as he stepped inside the last room – she wasn't sure what had gotten him so on edge, but he'd been as such throughout the entire mission. She was literally bursting with numerous questions about the old house, but her intuition told her that out right asking would get her nowhere – or, worse, close Kakashi off and prevent her from ever finding out the truth; the best she could do, she guessed, was to play it cool and try and bring up the topic as naturally (and un-pressured) as possible, so that Kakashi might be more amenable to answering.
She stepped back and lifted the far corner of the bed to slip the sheet over it and did the same for the adjacent corner before pushing the entire futon back against the wall into its original position; she leant down to finish hook the sheet over the bed and rose to her feet, fitting the kakebuton [thick duvet] into its cover and spreading it out the the bed as well as a second, thick mōfu [blanket] – the winter being severe for a non-electrified house.
Swiftly doing the same for the pillow, she straitened up the edged and smoothed a few crinkles from the fabric before she paused a moment, the only sound she could hear, apart from occasional swaying of trees, was the intermittent footfalls of Kakashi and the slight rustle of papers...
His chakra was still swirling and ebbing, for a man usually so calm, it was really quite disturbing to sense him so on edge. Sakura walked from the second bedroom and slid the fusuma closed behind her, turning, the weather caught her eye – it had obviously been snowing fiercely for the past few hours and there was a thick blanket covering the garden, all but the largest plants had been obscured by the snow.
It was still falling incessantly in large, wet clumps and visibility was reduced to near zero – despite this, the view from the open corridor was quite wonderful and Sakura could imagine someone finding real rest in such a calming place...if there weren't so many ghosts seemingly attached to the place. She didn't want to disturb him, but she doubted he was aware of the weather (and how much it threw a wrench into their plans), if his distracted chakra was anything to go by, she sighed a little and walked slowly down the hall towards the elder, silver-haired shinobi;
"Kakashi?"
…
He lifted the small sheet of paper up between insecure fingers, his eye taking a moment to focus on the text,
Kakashi,
I rescued a few documents from the Uchiha Police – they wanted to take almost everything for analysis and eventual storage – but I couldn't allow that. I'm sure that looking at these things of your father's is the last thing you want to do, so at least keep them safe – its probably hard to imagine now, but one day, these will become very important to you.
Try not to hate your father, he was a remarkable man – and I hope one day you will be able to see it.
Minato-sensei.
Kakashi crouched down as he replaced the letter, a strange regretful anxiety gnawing at him as he saw two scrolls – in their own solid, bamboo cases – large ones, he lifted the first and unravelled it an arm's length – it was the Hatake family tree. Apparently, his name was far older than Kakashi had ever guessed...the scroll wasn't finished either. Sakumo was about third from the end, himself being an only child, his wife written in next to his name and Kakashi immediately below, where the names ended...there would be space for Kakashi to write in the name of his own wife and whatever progeny he may produce with her, were such a thing to happen – unlikely! Kakashi thought penitently. On the reverse side, was the same crest repeated at intervals, that of the Hatake name, Kakashi supposed.
He set it down and picked up the second scroll, unravelling it too, where, he found, it was the family tree of his mother's side – Kakashi was surprised to learn that she too was shinobi and originally from Rock, probably explains why manipulating the doton element came so naturally after lightening, then. He looked further down the scroll seeing that her family was a good deal younger than Sakumo's, but was apparently part of a clan...it wasn't a name Kakashi recognised, Urushima he guessed they must have died out at some point, or the name lost through marriage.
Kakashi remained crouched looking over the strangers' names, somehow fascinated by the insight into his family, one he'd always assumed went back no further than a generation or two. He carefully re-rolled the scrolls and set them aside, looking for the next treasure,
"Kakashi?" Sakura's tentative voice sounded from just beyond the fusuma, he rose to his feet and walked over to the door, sliding it open, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but the snow's really built up...the garden's almost buried," He stepped out and slid the door closed behind himself so as to get a look, he nodded,
"Hmm, there really isn't much we can do in this...at least, not until the snow fall has actually ceased...we'll probably have to wait for tomorrow...go and get some more fire-wood, will you? We can't risk running out," She gave him a curious look, but nodded,
"Hai," She turned and was gone quickly, Kakashi took the opportunity to retrieve his backpack from the living room and he darted back to the study to absorb himself in the retained documents – he hoped there was a photograph, the only one he'd seen of his mother had been when he was still about five and the memory was fuzzy – he couldn't seem to pick out the details. He flipped through a few more documents one, curiously, stating the ownership rights to the house – which in his parents' stead, fell to Kakashi...
Initially, the silver-haired shinobi hadn't questioned the mission, since property within Fire, which has not had anyone claim ownership for over three decades, became public property – in the sense, anyone could then buy it. The law was very old and something of a relic from the times when there were no ninja villages and instead clan boundaries marked allies from enemies – thirty years was considered more than enough time for a clan to die or be scattered enough that such a home was no longer necessary (or, likewise, for a child to become an adult and ascend the head of the clan).
Kakashi began to really wonder just who had requested this house...whomever it was must have been well aware of who'd lived here before and that it had been just over thirty years since White Fang's passing. The fact that the deed had now been 'found' placed ownership squarely on Kakashi...but where did that leave both him and the requester of this mission? The answer, it seemed, would arrive along with his client.
Kakashi continued to look through the documents some he recognised – he couldn't help the grin that appeared at the sight of one very old scroll that his mother had drawn for him, years and years ago, it was an emakimono [picture scroll] and told the tale of Hanasaka Jiisan ['old man who made the flowers blossom'] – a folktale telling of an a good man who, following the instructions of his dreams, was able to turn rice into gold and even have the sakura bloom – but following each dream and the old man's subsequent actions, his evil neighbour thought he could do the same and would steal the items the kind man made – but with them, the evil neighbour could only create horrid things and could only destroy instead of create.
Eventually, of course, the evil neighbour was banished and happiness ensued, but the story had sparked his own imagination when he was just old enough to make sense of it, remembering the pleasure he derived from first realising he could follow the story unaided. He thought he'd forgotten this scroll, but was glad to find it again. Setting it carefully aside, he looked through the remaining items and, much to his delight, a photograph of a couple dressed formally in kimonos was included – his parents, he supposed – turning it over, it read:
Hatake Sakumo, 29
Hatake Eiko, 19
Kakashi was surprised that his mother was so much younger than his father...but then again, maybe he shouldn't have been; women marrying young wasn't exactly unheard of, but rather, significantly less common now and probably then, too, especially for ninja. The photograph was in black and white, but it was well taken – Sakumo was stood just behind his wife and slightly to her left, with his right hand on her waist and his left resting on his hip; his smile was unashamedly happy and proud somehow. His mother was dressed very formally, she stood about a head height shorter than Sakumo – her smile was happy, too, excited even – perhaps this was taken the day they got married?
The last item was a large book, roughly twice the size of an Icha Icha, Kakashi opened the first page to find it filled with hand writing – his father's handwriting. The date at the top of the page signified the first entry had taken place nearly six years before Kakashi had been born. He was desperately curious to read it, but decided it would be better to save it for when he returned to his own apartment and would not feel rushed for time or privacy, he slotted all of the other sheets into the pages of the diary (including Minato's note) to prevent them getting crumpled on the return journey to Konoha.
Satisfied they were protected enough, he slipped it and the three scrolls into his backpack and set about carefully searching the large tansu for anything else of interest. The chest was mostly empty, but for a few random items such as a dried up ink well or a rusted kunai; just as Kakashi had come to the last few panels (his memoreis of other tansu usually possessing at least one obscure hiding place); tucked away at the side, was a large, narrow slat that lifted off the side to reveal a final, hidden compartment.
In this, was, firstly a very large and no doubt very old bottle of what appeared to be rice baijiu – a distilled rice spirit – he carefully lifted the bottle out, finding it to be full; another piece of paper fell out, too – a second photograph, this time with Kakashi himself in it, he must have been about a year then.
The composition was similar to that of the first one, Sakumo stood just behind his wife, with his right arm securely around her and his left hand on top of Kakashi's head as Eiko was holding him up – Kakashi only had a suspicious frown on his face though, apparently disliking to be photographed even then, not that that's changed, he thought, wryly – his parents expressions were similar too – smiles which told of happiness and pride. Turning it over again, names and ages were again, helpfully written;
Hatake Sakumo, 33
Hatake Eiko, 23
Hatake Kakashi, 1 year, 5 months,
Kakashi set the photograph carefully with the others before reaching his hand into the space again to check for anything else, it was empty and Kakashi was about replace the bottle, but decided against it, he re-slotted the panel back, looking as though he'd never touched it. The Copy Nin quickly removed all of the remaining items from the tansu and carried everything from the room, placing his backpack, first, just where he'd left it in the living room (certain Sakura wouldn't touch it) and carried the other random items and the bottle to the kitchen, where he found Sakura and a roaring fire. He welcomed the warmth it brought and, somehow, Sakura's equally warm smile (and still red nose) eased him,
"Planning on a party?" She gestured to the bottle in his hand,
"Hmm? No. Well, not really, I just found this unopened, full bottle and it seemed silly to leave it there..." He handed it to her as she looked at it,
"Rice baijiu? Nice, I haven't had a glass of this stuff in forever," Kakashi had just thrown the last junk into the bin before he turned to her with his eyebrow raised, as she yanked out the stopper and took a sniff, "Smells good..." She looked up to catch his expression, "Oh! Sorry, you don't mind, do you? There are some saké bowls in the cupboard behind you," She sat down at the table, and Kakashi did as asked, fetching the bowls; maybe he should have been more bothered at the thought of this possibly being his father's stash of alcohol – and that he was about to drink it years later with a mission partner, but somehow, it just did not feel that strange. He sat down on the zabuton on the opposite side of the table;
"How long do you suppose its been here?" She eyed the liquid as she poured Kakashi out a cupful, he then took the bottle and did the same for her,
"Thirty years, at least," Sakura nodded as she raised her cup, as did Kakashi, they shared a small toast before knocking the liquid back in one, Sakura just about managed to handle it, but Kakashi almost choked, the stuff was so potent it nearly brought tears to his eyes; he coughed a little as Sakura grinned at him, pouring him another,
"Its got a nice kick, hasn't it?" She rose to her feet, and rummaged in one of the cupboards, pulling out a large bag of spicy hanabero [tomato flavoured potato rings] she opened them and immediately ate one, "Its funny, I always pictured you as a spirits man," Kakashi nodded,
"So did I," He responded plaintively, looking at his full bowl, wondering if it was wise to drink more...or if it still classified as a spirit;
"What are we going to do about the garden? The snow has somehow gotten worse over the past hour and even if it were to stop now, we're still looking at over a foot of snow to deal with and, to my knowledge, no shovels," Sakura allowed her gaze to fall out of the window, before she looked back to find Kakashi pouring her another cupful of baijiu,
"There's a small shed in the corner of the garden, there should be at least a spade we can use,"
"Oh?" He missed Sakura's feigned surprise as his mind drifted to the larger picture,
"Kuso,"
"What's wrong?" He threw back a gulp of alcohol, and swiftly replaced his mask before Sakura could see,
"If the snow is this persistent, then our client is likely to struggle with getting here...unless he's shinobi, but that seems unlikely," Sakura looked curiously at him,
"Why would that matter? I was under the impression that as soon as our work was complete then we'd be leaving whether he was here or not...he only gave a completion date, didn't he?" Kakashi poured himself another bowlful,
"...N-never mind," He tried to dismiss, but Sakura wouldn't hear of it,
"Don't normally slip up this much, do you?" He froze, before slowly lifting his eye to hers, before sighing lightly, but choosing not to answer, "Tsunade-sama didn't send me in as blind as she had you believe, you know,"
"What? What are you talking about?" He queried, meeting her gaze again,
"She didn't tell me anything outright – she said it was for you to tell me...whatever that meant, but she also told me to keep an eye on you, that you might find this mission...difficult," Kakashi sighed, averting his eyes back down to the suspension of liquid in front of him, unsure how to respond. "This was your house, wasn't it? Years ago and you haven't been back all this while," He shook his head slowly, raising the cup to his lips and pulling his mask down to take a sip, careful to angle his hand so as to keep most of his face still covered, even though she respectfully averted her eyes, anyway;
"After my father...died, I hadn't realised the house fell to me...in Konoha if a house is unclaimed by one of rightful ownership for thirty years, then anyone can buy it...I didn't realise the deed was still here which clearly states me as successor, so we'll have to wait for the client to show up and sort this out," She nodded carefully,
"Will you keep the house, or give it up?" He met her eyes again,
"I...hadn't really thought about it, I was going to wait and see who the client was and what he had to say,"
"Are you comfortable with the idea of someone else living here?" He looked momentarily confused, "Now that you've come back, for the first time in decades, are you really happy to leave it again?"
"I...don't know..."
"Let me put it this way, would you ever consider living here, yourself?" Her expression was passive, but with a hint of curiosity – it was so unpressured he felt able to focus on the question,
"...By myself? No, I'd doubt it – it wouldn't feel...right," It felt too much like he'd lived here alone in his childhood, she sipped from her bowl again,
"Then, if you had someone to live with, do you think you'd want to move back here?" He took a deep breath – the idea of living with someone else – someone he'd want to, was never a factor in his life, before now;
"I can't really say...there's no one I'm comfortable with telling about this house and its history but they would have to know if..."
"Are you able to imagine how you'd feel if you wanted to live here again, but someone else had already moved in?" Kakashi took another slow slip if baijiu, considering his response, but none came. He rose to his feet, instead,
"Excuse me a while, Sakura-chan, I think need some air," He walked away, out of the kitchen and back down the dark corridor until he could step outside and he lowered himself to a seat on the raised platform; the air was freezing, but he hoped it would clear his head.
It didn't.
As he sat in the cold, only feelings of regret that he'd left it so long before returning attacked him, regret and shame that he hadn't listened to his sensei all that time ago – that he would have left the final memories of his parents to rot in the woods – or worse yet, disturbed by strangers who would care nothing for their memory. He slouched a little more as he tried to focus on Sakura's question, but it wasn't easy, there was some part of him that felt he couldn't walk away from the house again, as though if he did, it would be just another betrayal.
His thoughts were as scattered as the snow falling, one minute he just wanted to leave and forget the mission ever occurred at all, and another part of him mourned what might have happened had the mission never been requested. He wasn't used to feeling so unsettled and undecided; he could feel himself begin to shiver from the cold, the snow now reaching up to the level of the raised walkway which rimmed the sides of the house inside the square of the garden; Kakashi himself would soon be buried if he didn't move, but he just couldn't seem to find the energy–
"Kakashi," Sakura appeared, crouched beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Come inside, I've made something to eat and you need to warm up, you're not even sat on a zabuton! A cold is one of the few things I can't do anything to treat, you know," He turned his head to catch her gaze, it mirrored the gentle levity in her tone and he couldn't help but feel the worst of the weight lift from his chest, she rose to her feet as he did the same. She replaced the fusuma to block out the worst of the winter weather and led him back towards the warm kitchen and hot meal (it was only ramen, but a comfort nonetheless).
The only conclusion he managed, that night, was that if he ever did return to live in his old family house, he could not bear to do so alone.
It was afternoon before they'd realised it; they'd arisen early and were thankful to see the snow had stopped falling, after clearing a path from the front door, out to one of the paths which lead off into the surrounding woodland, they began work on the garden. Kakashi didn't answer her silent question – if he planned on clearing up the garden now, did that mean he planned to give the house away? She guessed his need to simply be occupied and didn't push.
They'd managed to clear a lot of the snow away and away at the dead plants and plant matter, to leave the mostly clear soil – nothing new could be planted until spring, anyway. There was a well-established maple in the centre of the arrangement, which, after a little pruning, was left to itself – it was still going strong and there was no reason to remove such a beautiful tree. Likewise, Kakashi thought, for the evergreen shrubs which didn't look too worse for wear and again after a little, careful pruning to rid them of the excess branches, which ruined the aesthetic, (but would not harm the plant) they would be a good addition to the garden.
Kakashi had just called an end to the work – anything remaining would have to wait until the snow melted anyway – when they were called upon by a visitor. Kakashi eyed him somewhat suspiciously, (unbeknownst to anyone but himself of course) for why a man as old as the guest would have come so far in such atrocious weather; he stood at the front door with Sakura just behind him, herself looking carefully at visitor,
"Hmm...you must be Hatake Kakashi-kun, am I correct?" The elderly man eyed Kakashi carefully as a kindly smile grew on his face, "You look so much Sakumo-san! Well, I'd imagine so if that mask wasn't in the way...not some act of youthful rebellion is it?" Sakura couldn't quite catch herself fast enough and a loud snort of laughter escaped her – drawing both men's attentions – before she could press her lips to her clenched fist and look down, trying to quell the laughter; when she dared herself to look back up, she was met only with Kakashi's unimpressed glare which nearly sparked a fresh wave of amusement and the kuniochi had to fight for control.
Kakashi ignored Sakura for the moment, and turned back to their 'guest', "May I infer from your comments, that you were a friend of my father's?" He began, politely, the older man nodded before shivering,
"Almost, I was a student of his...a long time ago...may I come in? We have much to discuss, Kakashi-kun," The silver-haired shinobi nodded and stepped aside, allowing the stranger to enter before Sakura led him into the kitchen, she didn't sit down, however, after showing the visitor a seat, she waited for a moment,
"Kakashi, would you like me to..?" He shook his head,
"No, its alright," He gestured for her to sit, before he set the pot of water on the stove to begin boiling, the elderly man waited until he had Kakashi's attention before he began,
"My name is Fuukima Isaski...I am a monk and I spend a great deal of time meditating at the Temple of Fire...I grew up in Konoha and had begun to train as shinobi and was set under Sakumo-san's guidance when I became a genin...he helped me though, he was a father to me when I had not previously known one...he helped me decided that I would have been far better suited to life as a monk rather than as a ninja,"
The man smiled lightly and unassumingly as he raised his eyes again to meet Kakashi's, "I had visited him here, in this house a long time ago, just before I left to commence my training as a monk, when he had only just married his wife – he was very lucky to have a wife as beautiful and intelligent as she! But then again, Sakumo-san always did have excellent eyes...I heard news of his sad demise only long after it had occurred – I regret deeply that I had not been around to help him...
"I listened carefully too, to hear that his only child had grown up to become a respected ninja in his own right...I listened, as well, for news on the house, to see if you had taken over your father's legacy...he built this house, you know...he loved carpentry, he said it was in working the wood that he really found peace," Isaski fell silent for a few moments, allowing the room to digest what had been said, "Considering the state of this house before I requested this mission, am I to assume that this is the first time you have returned here, since being a boy?"
"Hai. You said, Isaski-san, that you requested this mission?"
"Indeed I did...none of the records of Konoha have found a deed slip for this house and if no one else wanted to live here, I had hoped to take ownership,"
"Aah, about that, I found the deed slip in my father's study – it clearly states that the house had fallen to me after my father's death," Isaski smiled and nodded in understanding,
"Excellent, excellent... I had thought that if the deed could not be found, then it would be at least appropriate for his progeny to collect the last of his effects...although," He looked over to Sakura, who'd been quiet, sat beside Kakashi, but listening intently to the two men, "I did not expect for you to have a companion...you are?"
"Haruno Sakura," She dipped her head slightly, in politeness;
"Ah, Sakura-san must be very important to you, hmm?" That shocked them both;
"Ah! No! Well, not like that, at least, our Hokage felt it necessary to assign me a mission partner...she chose Sakura to accompany me," Isaski eyed them both carefully,
"Tsunade-sama is a wise woman, I think," Kakashi, uncertain how both to interpret and respond to the man's comment, rose to his feet to fetch three tea cups and a pot, as well as loose leaves, before he returned to the table and set a cup in front of both his guest and Sakura, he set about brewing the tea before returning his attention to Isaski,
"Isaski-san, do you still want to live in this house?" The elderly man looked carefully at Kakashi – and didn't fail to miss Sakura's slight frown of concern, either – he took his time in answering,
"Where I live, does not matter to me, Kakashi-kun and I think it would be a better honour to your parents' memory if you took this house and began a family of your own." Kakashi couldn't stop his eye widening slightly and the words 'fat chance' were on the tip of his tongue, but Isaski seemed to read ahead of him, "Do not be so quick to dismiss the idea, Kakashi-kun, it takes a great many years for a man to settle into himself but a time will come where you are not content to be alone any longer," Kakashi didn't speak for a long while after, and they fell into a slightly crisp silence;
"Isaski-san, why did you come here early? The deadline for the mission to be completed is tomorrow,"
"Hai, I am aware of that, but I wanted to meet with you and see if being here might change your opinion on the past," Kakashi drank the last of his tea and rose to his feet, Isaski did the same, "I have spent a long time travelling today, is there somewhere I might rest?" Kakashi nodded but said nothing, before leading Isaski down the corridor to the first bedroom,
"You may rest here for as long as you wish, Isaski-san,"
"Thank you..." Kakashi bowed politely and excused himself before the old man could say anything more, he headed back into the room they used for a living space to fetch his cloak and returned down the hall, Sakura appearing half way,
"I'm going for a walk...you'll be alright here?" She looked concerned, but whatever they may have been about, she didn't voice them,
"Of course," He nodded and, after slipping on his sandals, was gone in a second – he didn't go too far, only a mile or so, before he climbed a tall tree and sat with his back to the trunk, his mind once again in turmoil. A part of him felt irrationally angry at the busy-body of an old man, who'd managed to make Kakashi feel as though he'd again been going in the wrong direction of his life, like he'd again missed some key lesson somewhere.
Another part of him questioned the validity of who the stranger was, it was all very well for him to tell a few generic tales with the correct names inserted – it wasn't as if he could prove that he had been Sakumo's pupil or friend...or that he had even known the man by the loosest definition. Kakashi found himself wondering what Sakura would have to say about the turn of events, she seemed to understand so well what had been bothering him before, that he wanted her input now...was he justified in his indecisiveness?
But even if he could ask her, what would he say? He couldn't really articulate precisely what was bothering him...maybe that was half of the problem, he couldn't even define why the idea of leaving the house behind bothered him, why the old man who seemed to have all the answers put him on edge, why he felt both an urge to remain at the house and flee as though it were on fire. Kami, what was he to do?
He wasn't sure how long he sat in the tree, but eventually he decided that he would keep the house – even if he wasn't going to move in immediately, he didn't think he let it out of his possession. He flew back to the house determined to tell Isaski his decision (before he second guessed it); as he entered the house, silently as always, he was drawn by voices from the living room. He walked over to them, sliding open the fusuma to see Sakura and Isaski sharing a drink over the bottle of baijiu; Sakura was laughing and Isaski smiling in return. Kakashi hadn't even registered the anger he felt as he made his presence known,
"Isaski-san...may I have a word?" He looked over the Copy Nin, as did Sakura; the elderly man smiled again,
"Oh! Kakashi-kun, you're back...did you have a good walk?" Kakashi barely resisted the frown he wanted to issue – for some reason, this man really rubbed him up the wrong way –
"Isaski-san, I've decided to keep the house," That surprised them both, and Kakashi found he was more certain than ever that Isaski would not take the house from him.
"Oh! That's good! I was just telling Sakura-san about how I was going to allow you to take back the house in the future, even if you wanted to give it up here,"
"Hmm, well, I'm sorry to have wasted your time,"
"Not at all! I'm happy that that you father is no longer a source of shame for you," Definitely rubbed him the wrong way,
"...He...hasn't been for a long time,"
"Good! It pleases me to hear that he had been forgiven...now, come and join us for a drink!" Isaski stoked the small fire behind him and added another log, Kakashi stepped into the room after slipping his sandals off and tugged his cloak off, setting it down to rest over his back-pack (which looked as though it had been untouched, but Kakashi couldn't help the slight suspicion of Isaski – no doubt the man would find a way to justify his actions). He stepped over and took a seat next to Sakura – perhaps a little closer than normal, so that although the kotatsu was small, he was still sat ostensibly opposite Isaski, Sakura pushed a saké bowl towards him and poured some baijiu into it, Kakashi then took the bottle from her and refilled her bowl and Isaski's; he raised his saucer,
"I hope this house will serve you well, Kakashi-kun," Kakashi half-heartedly raised his bowl again disliking the man's tone – who was he to assume Kakashi's future? He was fast approaching forty – ancient, nearly, so what woman would want him now? What woman – that he found attractive and could see potential in – would see the same in him? Besides, if he had his choice, he would only really consider kuniochi and that already limited him severely...wait, why was he even considering this? He was quite content with his life, thank you very much; he had his own place, peace and quiet and when even that wasn't enough, he could come here for some real peace – spending more than a few hours anyone was usually enough to grate on him so the chances were, he was wasting his time even thinking about it.
That night as he and Sakura slept on their bedrolls in the living room, close to the still burning fire (Isaski having taken one of the bedrooms) he found himself watching his pink-haired partner, although she was asleep. Did she have any desire to marry one day? Was she content with her life and didn't feel as though it had to be validated by another? Kakashi had no idea – at one time she probably had done with the now-gone Uchiha heir, but what about the current Sakura? She'd probably shed the worst of the youthful delusions but it might not mean she'd lost the basic desire...still, Sakura was independent and proud that her accomplishments were her own, perhaps she wasn't – and never would be – ready to give up the freedoms of single life.
Kakashi found it difficult, too, to imagine Sakura marrying anybody – he found it very difficult to imagine another man swooping in and stealing Sakura's attentions; she shifted, suddenly and rolled over to face him...she was certainly an attractive woman, surely she would not remain alone forever.
He wanted to deny it, he really did, but he couldn't lie to himself as easily as he could to others; he was lonely.
It had been about a week since he and Sakura had left the house and said goodbye to Isaski; Kakashi had yet to go back, but was planning on it soon. He'd been reading his father's diary, though, and it was fascinating to watch the progression from a man content with his place in life and his missions to – after a long mission with his future wife, Eiko – realising that he was no longer satisfied in his solitude. He had his concern over her being so young, but he held that his respect for her was certain – on and off the battlefield – and that he could trust her to make the right decision for them both.
Most of the time, Kakashi had felt quite listless – unsure what to do with himself – as he took to taking long walks through the village, although he didn't quite know that he was searching for. The snow was still falling although it wasn't quite as ferocious as the week before and he found it almost pleasant to be out in – that and Konoha was now pleasingly decorated.
It was the mid-winter festival (which was generally run by the civilians performing parades and dances in traditional kimonos) most of the village made an effort to dress up and contribute one way or another – winter often meant fewer missions and almost nothing in the way of civilian tourism – which often meant a lot of non-ninja were rendered seasonally jobless.
Still, spirits were significantly raised by the festival and there were many people dotted around in the streets with stalls or performing small shows or dances of their own as Kakashi passed, his posture may have been disinterested and his book open seemingly holding his attention, but secretly, Kakashi was glad of the change of pace and he was observing everything around him. He turned down an alley to join on a parallel and busier street to observe the parade passing, allowing his book to droop as he watched, many civilians dressed wonderfully as they danced and wove through the corridor of people.
"Kakashi!" A familiar feminine voice called out behind him and he turned to face Sakura, dressed in a kimono of her own – he couldn't quite help allowing his eye to drift over her form – he'd never seen her in formal attire before and he'd never imagined it would seem to suit her so;
"Hello, Sakura..."
"Enjoying yourself?" The beginnings of a smile crept onto her face as Kakashi's eyebrows only managed to twitch into a slightly frown as he offered an uncertain 'hmm' return, she broke out into a full grin at his response, laughing slightly, "Somehow, I couldn't imagine you answering with an emphatic 'yes',"
"Well, I am here, aren't I?" She raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on her face
"...Didn't stumble across it, did you?" He looked distinctly unimpressed,
"Give me a little credit, Sakura-chan,"
"Hai, hai..." She rolled her eyes playfully, "How've you been this week, anyway?" She lowered her voice in accord to the question,
"Well...I suppose," He offered a casual shrug but she didn't buy it, instead cocking her head to the side slightly as she eyed him sceptically; only then did he bother to note how her hair was pinned up, with only a few wispy bangs framing her face. Somehow, it made her look delicate in a way he wasn't used to associating with Sakura; she suddenly gave an involuntary shiver,
"Brr, its freezing out here...do you fancy going to get some tea at the shushuya?" Kakashi didn't need to think about the answer or even to fake his smile,
"Hai, I'd love to."
..
.
A/n - Ooh! What a beast of a one-shot! This is the result of the poll I was fussing about over the past few weeks! What do you think, yay? Nay? XD
Obviously all Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto.