This is an idea I got while thinking about Kakashi's unmasking, the simplicity of it and how he affects people's lives with simply being there and that not showing his face never changed that.
The numbers at the top are Ying's and Kakashi's ages at the time, I used them as references but I think they offer a nice guide for the timeline. Please enjoy.
Every few years or so...
3 15
The air was heavy, making it harder than usual for little Ying to breath. She pushed away her blankets and pulled herself out of bed to go searching for her mother, she knew where the puff was that would help her breath. As she made it out of her room and into the hall, the floor shook violently to the point that Ying lost her footing and tumbled down. In the next instant a scream was heard along with a crash that shook their house again. Too scared to be thrown to the ground again, Ying crawled to her parents room. When she pushed open the door she found what no child should find, screaming and crying suddenly at the horrific scene.
Everything seemed to spin then and nothing made much sense, though she didn't really search for logic in her situation, simply burring her head in her arms and wallowing in her sorrow and terror. That is how they found her, curled into a ball on the bloodied floor of her parent's bedroom. She didn't respond to calling or noise so they assumed she must have died with her parents and some of that blood was obviously hers considering there was so much, they moved on. Ying wouldn't have noticed, wouldn't have moved at all and most likely would have stayed there until people began to search through the rubble, but her body wasn't going to let her lay there like that and wait. A familiar tightness constricted her airways, her crying episode catching up with her, and her eyes searched the room in terror for any sign of help that had already gone.
Whenever she would get sick like this her mother would pick her up and rock her gently, calming her so that her fear wouldn't make it worse before they could get her medicine. She would then offer Ying her puff, humming softly as she inhaled the healing air until her breathing returned to normal. This time mommy wasn't there to rock her, she laid under a pile of rubble along side her husband. She did her best to calm herself, trying to find the air she knew she had and focus on the little bit she could get in while she searched for her puff. She crawled to the bedside table, pulling out the contents of the drawer to no avail. Movement by the hole that was torn into the wall pulled her attention from the useless objects. A ninja stood there, seeming to have simply stumbled on her broken away home and quickly concluding what situation she was in. Before she could say anything, Ying was scooped up and bouncing from rubble to rubble in the streets that was once her home village.
The ninja never said anything as he carried her away from her home, her parents, and any remaining danger. Other ninja got the boy's attention and lead him to a group of others that looked to be his age too. The older ninja, obviously the ones in charge, reached for Ying and the boy respectfully released her into the care of those above him. The sudden changes all around her shook her world in a way similar to when her floor first shook and made her topple to the ground, afraid of feeling that again she started to throw a fit and reached for the boy that had taken her from the danger in the first place. Unsure of what was really happening or how to respond, the boy went with his natural reaction to take her in his arms again when she finally fought hard enough to get away from the elder ninja. That ninja rolled his eyes and gave up, deciding to let the boy be in charge of her considering she was in good hands anyway. Ying laid her head down on the boy's shoulder, struggling to breath more so than before. This did catch his attention and he called over a medic that was there to protect the members of his generation.
"She obviously likes you, Kakashi-kun, so try to keep her calm." The medic ordered quietly, green chakra surrounding her hands as she hovered them over the girl's shaking body.
Kakashi looked down at Ying, her face scrunched up in pain and her breathing ragged. He took her hand and held it gently to remind her that he was there for her and she was no longer in danger. Her baby blue eyes met his expressionless gaze and she held it in a way Kakashi thought was rather odd for a child so small. She was serious, determined, and it seemed she was trying to make sure he knew that. He smiled, though she would never know.
"You are strong, ne?" Ying nodded firmly at his words, reaching up to place her little hand on his face. This made Kakashi chuckle, take her hand in his, and pull it from his face for safety. "So you want to see under there too? Maybe if we meet again I'll show you." At that comment she seemed to calm down completely, her gaze going from determined to sleepy, and closed her eyes as she fell limp in Kakashi's arms.
The medic chuckled. "Are you going to keep your word about showing her your face?"
Kakashi shrugged then regretted it as the movement seemed to disturb the little girl in his arms for a moment before she rested again into a deep and comfortable sleep. "I said maybe. Not like she'll remember anyway."
"I'm sure little Ying will remember, she remembers everything people tell her."
He glanced at the medic. "You know her?"
"I know her parents." She smiled and pet the girl's hair gently. "All except for the hair she looks just like her mother, even the little beauty mark under the eye." Her expression changed quickly as she stared at the innocent little girl sleeping in Kakashi's arms. "Were they-"
"Gone." Kakashi confirmed. The medic bit her lip but nodded her understanding. Silently she wished that Ying could just sleep for the rest of her days and not have to face the dawn and the loss of her parents. Of course she knew better, as the young girl's actions hinted that she had already come face to face with her parents' deaths, more so than any child should.
8 20
Hokage-sama's presence never meant good things for her, so Ying began hating him in a way that was neither healthy nor fair, though he didn't mind being the recipient of her misguided hate and took it in stride. After her parents were confirmed dead, like many of his other faithful shinobi, she was the responsibility of the village and those that governed it. The nine tails had left many orphans and each was cared for to the extent of his abilities and power, though he feared some slipped through the cracks and Ying was one of those children.
Her parents had left her with plenty of savings to live on, though he had made the decision to hold it back until she had grown out of the system and truly needed it. This left her bitter, feeling as though he simply didn't want her to be cared for and have what her parents left her. She was also moved into a group home that housed many children like her. He had hoped that she would be able to connect with the other children that were suffering from the same loss, but those that worked in the home had reported that she refused to socialize with anyone for all the time she had been there. He trusted the people that worked in these homes but he had a faint suspicion that it wasn't Ying that refused to socialize with others as she had always been a social butterfly and it was hard to believe that had changed so drastically.
"Hello Ying-chan, do you mind if I join you for a little bit?"
Little shoulders bounced in a shrug and Hiruzen smiled, that being as much as he had hoped for if not more. He sat at her little table across from her, though the table was too short for his legs to fit under and the seat was far too small, he didn't really mind making himself a little uncomfortable and perhaps a little undignified for a hokage if it meant he was on her level and she was comfortable with that. Ying was reading a book and copying characters from it, seeming to be practicing her writing but upon further inspection one could tell she was making notes about the book that interested her. She was smart and curious, far too much like her father for her own good Hiruzen silently feared.
"Have you come to kick me out of the academy? I'm failing all my classes." She asked as though she was sure on the answer already, almost pleased even though she spoke of something she should have been disappointed over.
The Hokage cleared his throat. "I've been informed of your... struggles." He watched her reactions carefully, pleased to find she was hiding her amusement so well, though not well enough to fool a long trained ninja such as himself. "If only we could find a way to make things easier on you."
Ying finally turned her eyes up to him, giving an innocent expression. "I suppose I'm just not as talented as you thought. Might want to stop wasting time on me and move your attentions to someone else."
No matter how many times he spoke with her, Hiruzen was continuously impressed with her unnatural maturity. A child shouldn't behave like her or talk like her, but she did. Ying had been changed by the loss of her parents, but her maturity and intelligence was something that had always been above everyone's expectations. That was why he had put her in the ninja academy to begin with, he knew that she had as much, if not more, potential as her father had at her age. And even though she really was failing all of her classes, more so than what seemed natural, others that were watching her without her knowledge had reported her training on her own with wonderful results.
"On the contrary, Ying-chan, I've decided you simply need individual training to really hone in your abilities." He spoke with a tone that was simply too sweet, overly pleased with himself and the genius idea.
Ying narrowed her eyes at him. "That's just... great. Thank you for your continuous concern, Hokage-sama."
He smiled gently at her. "I'm glad you're so pleased. I have no doubt that you and your new sensei will get along wonderfully."
It would be hard for Ying to describe the man the Hokage had taken her to meet without using the word awkward. Daika-sensei was nothing like the academy teachers, much younger than she had expected and constantly stumbling over his explanations. Ying wondered for a long time if she had been placed with this man to teach him instead of the other way around, as she often asked him questions about simple mechanics of jutsu and katas but he never seemed to be able to find a way to explain them to her so she usually gave in and lent her books to him in hopes he might learn enough to teach her properly.
Though once she thought about it, it was a good plan to place her under this man's care because she felt too sorry for him to give him the same hard time she gave her old teachers. He told her that he had always wanted to work with young ninja, training them and watching them grow strong under his teachings, but he had to prove himself first and she was part of that. Even her desire to displease the Hokage couldn't fight against the bleeding heart she had for Daika-sensei. Though it irritated her to no end, Ying offered a point for the Hokage on that one.
"Great work today, Ying-chan! I'm very proud of you!"
The young girl bowed in respect to her teacher. "Thank you, Daika-sensei. Have you started that last book I gave you yet?"
Her sensei laughed nervously and pulled a couple books out of his bag. "I actually finished it last night, it was very informative, thank you." As he handed them off to her, his eyes grew wide at something he saw behind his student and his demeanor change very instantly. "Now you read up on those my little Ying-chan and you'll be just as smart as Sensei in no time!"
Ying looked at him like he had finally lost it and carefully took the books from his shaking hands. "What are you talking about Sensei? I've already read these twice over..."
Daika-sensei took her face in his hands and continued to laugh that weird nervous laugh of his. "Oh you're so cute! Such a smart little Ying-chan!"
The girl scrunch up her nose but didn't pull away from her sensei, only continued to watch him for any more sudden changes she may need to react to. "Is something wrong?"
Suddenly a familiar man appeared behind Daika-sensei and clapped him on the shoulder. "Taking reading suggestions from little girls are we Daika?"
Her sensei stiffened and his smile weakened for a moment, he released Ying's adorable little face and stood up straight. "Oh, it's you Kakashi-senpai, I didn't know you were back in the village."
"I made good time. What about you? I see you finally have a student. How do you like it?" The man he had called Kakashi said, taking a glance in Ying's direction. She only stared at him and tried to place him from somewhere in her memory.
"Well Ying-chan is the best student I could ever hope for! She's very talented and intelligent!" Daika-sensei's gushing over her made Ying blush but her gaze didn't falter and she was finally able to point at the man and call him out.
"You're that person, the one that came for me."
Kakashi tilted his head curiously, unable to fight the smile behind his mask at the familiar determined stare. "Nice to see you again, Ying-chan was it?"
Ying nodded, her determination clear and unwavering even for pleasantries. "I believe you owe me something."
The copy-nin raised his visible eyebrow. "And what was that?"
"Your face. You said when we met again you'd show me."
Daika began to freak out, turning his attention back and forth between Kakashi and his student. "You said that? Ying-chan gets to see your face? Wait, how do you know him Ying-chan? What do you mean he came for you?"
Kakashi patted Daika's shoulder. "Don't worry yourself over past details, just take good care of this one for me, will you Daika?" He then patted Ying's dusty green head as he began to walk away. "Maybe next time Ying-chan." When he disappeared from their sight he allowed himself to truly smile and muse quietly, "Seems she does remember well."
11 23
After a little over three years of individual training with Daika-sensei, Ying had risen high in the ranks of those in her age class. Even though she wasn't technically in the academy she was still being compared to those that would have shared her classes, and now she had proven she was talented enough to earn her headband. This meant it was time she started working with others so Daika-sensei had gained two more students to fill out their little team.
Her teammates were not what she would have picked herself, but she took to the boys to the point that she felt responsible for their well being and actually considered herself rather protective of them. Though they were technically older than her she had more experience and anyone could tell she was much more mature, they didn't even try to question her no matter what she told them.
The first was Tomoya Hakuro, a copper headed boy with a green eyed scowl that was far cuter than he probably realized. He was talented with chakra control but had a temper that needed to be tamed as it made him do things that Ying thought was rather stupid if she was honest, one can't be a ninja if they didn't have control over their emotions.
Next was Hiro Inuzuka and his partner Mamura, both shared rich chocolate hair, er- fur... but Mamura was much larger than her human partner and very protective over him. Ying had taken a liking to the ninken as she had also taken a liking to the young girl, they both seemed to understand that Hiro was a clumsy little thing that needed to be toughened up but also held steady when it really counted.
It took time but she started to put her trust in them, actually considering them friends and valuable teammates. Though her boys were goodhearted and decent ninja, they couldn't be counted on to do any paperwork. Even Daika-sensei seemed to get too distracted when it came time to fill out all the paperwork on their stupidly easy D-rank missions, so Ying took it upon herself to make sure it was done correctly and turned in on time. Ying often wondered who the sensei was in this team, but reminded herself that she had been wondering that for years and still couldn't really decide on it.
"Finished your mission already, Ying-chan?"
Ying smiled at Mai, the kind secretary behind the desk that took all of her mission reports. "It wasn't that hard, I think we've caught that cat about 20 times by now and it's running out of hiding spots."
Mai giggled as she took the reports and filed them away to be reviewed. "Oh what would we do without you and your team? Why I bet this village would just be running rampant with stray kitties."
"What a terrible world that would be." Ying's response made both girls laugh heartfeltfully.
"It sounds like a slumber party out here." The girls contained their giggles and turned to the voice of their leader and bowed respectfully. Hiruzen gestured for them to raise. "It is nice to hear joy in this office. Hello Ying-chan, how are you today?"
The young kunoichi held her expression firm, not falling for his pleasantry tricks. "Very well, thank you, Hokage-sama."
"And your team? I see you've all been doing well with your missions."
Ying nodded. "Yes we've done fine, our missions have been very much their speed."
He raised an eyebrow. "What about your speed? I'm guessing you want something a little more challenging?"
She shrugged. "I think I'd just like to be more prepared for serious situations like those that might appear in the up coming chunnin exams. I planned to enter them."
Hiruzen smiled, pleased to see her ambitious about a future she had completely refused to even consider at one point in her life. Though he knew that at the time it had only been to spite him and she still trained for her own interest, but now at least she wasn't failing missions or exams on purpose. If that had continued he would have been forced to take her from her teacher and classes, no matter what he felt for the girl and hoped for her he still had a responsibility to keep quality ninja in the field while the less qualified would need to be sent home.
"That is wonderful." He reached a hand out as if to pat her head but stopped himself short, having almost forgotten her unease. With a short and quiet chuckle he tucked his hand back into his sleeve and nodded in her direction instead. "I'm glad to know things are going well for you, Ying-chan."
Ying gave a respectful bow. "Thank you. I should be going now. Goodbye Hokage-sama," she flashed a smile to Mai. "It was nice talking to you Mai-san." And she was gone out the door quick as her little ninja feet would take her.
"She really is a sweet little girl, Hokage-sama, I hope you know that." Mai commented softly, not risking a glance in her Hokage's direction as she knew his eyes would be filled with hurt.
Hiruzen did know Ying's true kind heart but had always understood her distance from him and accepted it. He turned to smile kindly at Mai for her concern. "She is a good girl, and a fine kunoichi, I'm grateful to have her in our ranks." Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Also, did you give her that new placement paperwork while she was here?"
"Oh by Hokage's hand I completely forgot!" Mai rummaged through a drawer and quickly pulled out a file, standing as if to go fetch little Ying. "Just give me a minute and I'll find her!"
The third held up his hand to stop the woman before she went on a hunt she'd never be able to complete. "No need for that, I'll just have Kakashi here find her as that is his specialty. Right Kakashi?"
The copy-nin stepped out of his hiding spot, with his hands in his pockets and a tired expression. "Of course, Hokage-sama."
"Excellent." He motioned for Mai to release the file into Kakashi's hands. "And you don't need to worry about that report for now, I'm sure you'll have this taken care of quickly enough to get back here with plenty of time to hand it in." It seemed like a simple comment but Kakashi recognized it for the threat it was and was out that door in record time to search for the little green hair brat that kept showing up and giving him responsibilities.
Ying stopped into a flower shop to get something to brighten up her dull room in the group home. She knew her roommates wouldn't appreciate the gestured, beauty wasn't their concern, but she didn't care either way. After browsing for a short time she finally settled on white lilies with pink tips, her mother's favorite. Her father would always bring them home to his girls when he had been away on a long mission. When she stepped out of the flower shop, vase and bouquet in hand, she was hit in the face by a brown fluff ball with little pink paws and tossed her vase in the air out of surprise. She cringed but didn't hear the crash she was expecting.
"You should be more careful with things like this, someone could get hurt."
Why did this man keep showing up? Still masked just like the times before, Ying noticed once she moved the little dog that had attacked her from her face to set in her arms. "There wouldn't have been an issue if this pup hadn't caught me off guard. He is yours I assume?"
Pakkun set a paw on the girl's forehead. "Now now girly, you shouldn't talk like I'm not here."
The talking dog didn't really surprise Ying, Mamura wasn't fluent in "human" but could speak to them decently, it was the fact that the dog was actually complaining about being ignored that shocked her. She took his paw from her face and held it, giving him an apologetic smile. "Forgive me, I should have addressed you as you were the one that seemed to want my attention enough to smash into my face."
At first Kakashi would have said she looked sweet, smiling and speaking kindly with Pakkun while she held him in her arms, but her tone changed as she continued and the smile seemed to look more terrifying than sweet by the end. He lifted Pakkun from her hold and replaced the vase in her hands, deciding it was much safer than leaving his ninken in her unpredictable grip.
"Don't be angry with Pakkun, he was only hunting you down for me so I could give you this." He pulled the file from his hip pouch and handed it off to the young girl, noting for the first time that she was actually much taller than the last time they met. How long had it been? He couldn't remember, years having faded into one another for so long he stopped trying to keep track.
Ying opened up the file and read through it quickly, a genuine smile growing on her lips as she read until she leapt into the air and let out a joyful yelp. "Yes! I'm out! I'm finally out!" She giggled and swayed gleefully, holding the file and her vase to her chest. Then she smiled at the lazy eyed shinobi and his pup that had brought her the good news, pulling a flower from her vase and holding it out to him. "Thank you for delivering this..." she took a moment to think on what Daika-sensei had called this man all those years ago. "Kakashi-senpai" She also nodded to the pup. "And you as well Pakkun, thank you."
The little girl ran off, mumbling something about packing and rubbing it in her roommates' faces. Kakashi looked at the lily in his hand thoughtfully then stuffed it into Pakkun's little vest. "Take this home for me, will you please?"
15 27
Ying grunted, blocking a kick meant for her head, and swung underneath to strike in her teammate's gut rapidly. He jumped back after the first few hits and clutched his stomach, holding a hand up to signal his surrender.
"That is five points for Ying-chan and zero for Tomoya-kun, you wanna go for best six out of eleven?"
Hiro's copper headed teammate glared at him but he only laughed on top of his ninken. Their sensei clapped, gaining the young ninja's attention. "I think Ying-chan has beat everyone up enough for the day, don't you all? We should get some rest, we'll be expecting a mission in the next couple days and we need to be at our best. Right team?!"
The boys jumped to attention and saluted their sensei, simultaneously calling out, "Yes Daika-sensei!" Ying rolled her eyes and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her skirt, no matter how much Daika-sensei tried he simply wouldn't be able to mold her into the little soldier he had molded the boys into, it broke his heart in a special way.
They waved goodbye to their sensei as he split apart from them, he lived on a different side of town than the three of them. Once Daika-sensei was out of sight, Tomoya turned to his teammates with a mischievous grin. "We're going to the bar tonight."
Hiro smiled and pumped his fist in the air excitedly, Mamura rolled her eyes and started on home as she knew she'd be walking alone. Ying only shrugged and started walking away from her boys as Mamura had. "You two go on without me, I want to finish my new book."
Tomoya scoffed. "What a shock. Like the stick in the mud would finally come out to have some fun for once."
This made Ying stop and glare at the boy over her shoulder. "What did you call me?"
Feeling brave, he leaned forward with his hands on his hips for effect. "Stick. In. The. Mud."
Poor Hiro, the most easy going of the three, could see a battle was about to ensue and made a last ditch effort to stop it in it's tracks. He leapt forward and took ahold of Ying's arm, smiling at her and pleading with his eyes. "Oh come on Ying-chan, you'll have fun... Won't you just come with us?" He then leaned forward to whisper into her ear. "Plus I'm sure you'll be able to out drink Tomoya and you can hold it over him forever."
With the mention of a competition that she could beat her teammate in Ying grinned and turned with her arms on her hips. "Alright Tomo-chan," she received a green eyed glare for the nickname, "lets head to this bar of yours."
Ying could tell that the three of them were a little out of place in this bar that was basically known for being a shinobi hang out. With forehead protectors they were let in easily, ninja of any age legally able to drink, but most of their age group didn't get into the habit of hanging out at bars since it was mostly older ninja. There was the occasional confused stare and the more common unwelcoming one, though it seemed her boys didn't notice this one bit and excitedly started ordering drinks of all kinds.
A large hand landed on Tomoya's shoulder when he started to down his second drink. His eyes followed the hand and up the arm to find the face of the man it belonged to, giving an unfriendly scowl to the man in all green with a ridiculous bowl hair cut. "What do you want?"
The man laughed and pumped a fist in the air, grinning far too brightly for anyone that wasn't used to it. "Why I came to welcome such youth into the bar! I believe you boys have been here before, but now you bring along this lovely young lady with you!"
Ying looked up from sipping her drink, giving a curious expression at the mention of her as a lovely young lady. Who would have thought she wouldn't be considered little Ying any more? Now she was a lady. Well damn right, this man had it straight that's for sure. She smiled at him, pleased by his description of her. "My name is Ying."
The green beast almost fell over, completely overcome with joy from being smiled at and spoken to so sweetly by such a cute girl, but he regained his composure quickly and bowed for the lady. "I am Gai! Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast!"
Ying nodded to Gai, wishing silently that he didn't yell so much. "Nice to meet you."
As the night continued Ying kept up conversation with Gai, actually getting him to lower his voice slightly, while finishing her drinks quicker than Tomoya and seemingly being unaffected by them. Hiro didn't drink much, whispering to Ying that he would need to be responsible for Tomoya later on, the two giggled while their teammate was none the wiser. Gai's friends showed up shortly after he met team Daika and they all introduced themselves. It was a pleasant night for Ying, being around all these older and more experienced shinobi and being recognized as equals instead of just a child. Though she hadn't yet made it to jonin, she was sure she would be getting a promotion soon so they weren't as far apart in rank as one would first assume.
Apparently the group was celebrating getting their first genin team, all except Gai who had had his a year prior to the others. Ying silently wondered if they knew Daika-sensei, but decided not to mention it since being his student would make her appear less mature and not as much on their level.
"Well look who finally showed up! Late as always, eh Kakashi?" the man that introduced himself as Asuma called out over the bar. The name caught Ying's attention and she turned to see a surprisingly familiar... face? Mask? Either way, she knew who it was and had instantly deflated considering this man knew her as a little kid and probably still saw her that way, he was going to ruin her night as an adult.
Kakashi waved to his friends, scanning the group and noticing there were a few extra than usual. He spotted one little green head he was familiar with and it made him chuckle. He walked up to the table to set his hand on top of Ying's head and grinned at her. "Aren't you a little too young to be in a place like this?"
She scowled at the masked man, brushing off his hand and gesturing to the forehead protector she wore as a belt. "I'm a ninja of Konoha, I can be here if I want, thank you."
He nodded, running his hand through his unruly silver hair. "I guess you're right, little Ying-chan, forgive me."
Finally being able to comprehend their interaction, Gai threw his arms up into the air and let out a howl of sorts. "Oh my rival! How could you already be acquainted with the lovely Ying?!"
Slightly concerned and very confused, Ying leaned over to Kakashi and whispered while Gai continued to go on about how his rival had beat him before he had the chance to fight. "Is this normal for him?"
Kakashi glanced at her, stuffing his hands in his pockets and watching Gai's freak out. "More than you know." He then waved his hand to get Gai's attention. "Don't worry so much Gai, she's too young for either of us anyway."
This brought a delicate blush to Ying's cheeks and she scoffed, turning her head away from the two older men. "We were just talking, thank you, but it's none of your concern anyway." She took a giant gulp of her drink, finishing it off, and went to stand to leave what she now considered was the odd couple. But just as her feet hit the floor her whole body almost did too. If it wasn't for Kakashi she would have been face first on the bar floor.
The other members of their group laughed at her wasted behavior. "Aww looks like Ying-chan had too much for her first time!"
Hiro rushed to Ying's side and held her face up to look her in the eyes. "Oh Ying-chan... you didn't even seem fazed by the drinks, I thought you were doing so well holding your own." He smiled then and patted her cheeks. "But no worries, you still beat out Tomoya-kun, he just passed out and didn't have nearly as much as you did, I'll need to take him home." Hiro looked up at the masked ninja holding onto Ying. "You know her, right? I'd really appreciate it if you could take her home. I've got to get our teammate home."
Before Kakashi could respond Gai had jumped into the mix, done with his rant over losing Ying. "It will be an honorable mission to return lady Ying to her home! My rival and I will gladly take her! I can assure you no harm will come to the lady!"
Hiro nodded to the exuberant man with a smile. "Thank you very much Gai-san," then nodded to the other man. "Kakashi-san."
Kakashi grumbled slightly, hefting the unsteady girl to rest on his shoulder further. She started to mumble something but neither men could understand her. "The boy said it would be right up this street, keep a good hold on her."
"You needn't worry about me oh great rival!" Gai shouted, causing Kakashi to cringe.
"Please," Kakashi whispered, sending an irritated stare to the other man. "Don't wake up the neighborhood. Two grown men carrying an intoxicated teenage girl looks rather suspicious and I don't need to deal with incorrect assumptions."
They finally reached the apartment they were informed was Ying's. Gai pulled out the key Ying's teammate had given them and unlocked the door, standing back so Kakashi could walk her in sideways. "You take her to her bed and I'll watch the door."
Kakashi nodded and walked down a small hallway to the room on the end, lucky for him it was the bedroom. He laid her limp body down on the bed, taking a moment to pull off her shoes and pull the blanket up over her. There she lay so innocent and he realized how cute she looked even now, just like the first time he saw her but this time she was gasping for air and horror didn't fill her eyes. He let the thought go with a shrug, stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. But he felt a small tug on the back of his pants. He turned to see that Ying's eyes were open slightly and her little hand was grasping his pant leg.
"You... go-gonnya... leaf moie...?"
Her whispered slur made Kakashi feel bad for the young girl, so he gently tugged her hand away from his pants and tucked it back under her covers. Then he pulled his mask away and showed her a true smile that he knew she would never remember in the morning. "Goodnight, Ying-chan. Try not to drink so much next time, ok?"
Ying stared at him confused, biting her lip and furrowing her brow, but finally made the decision to reach out and wrap her arms around his neck while giving him a sloppy placed kiss that was most likely meant for his lips but ended up on the corner of his mouth. Kakashi stared at her in shock when she let go of him and laid back in bed, closing her eyes and whispering, "Goooood.. nyight... Kashi-saynpai."
He shook his head, forcing himself to forget the incident, and pulled his mask up as he left her room. Gai would be waiting and wondering what took so long.
The next morning Ying woke with a terrible headache and a strange memory of a dream about making out with a really good looking post, how the post could be so good looking she wasn't sure but she knew it was undeniably so.
19 31
The battles had blurred over the years. Bloody red had become more familiar than ever before, like some sort of uniform for the brave and equally terrified. Team Daika had lost a member, almost two when Mamura tried to protect her partner and failed but actually survived. It was a painful situation for all involved, Daika-sensei lost a student, Tomoya lost a best friend, Mamura lost her partner, and Ying lost the closest thing to a brother she had ever had. Because the pain was too great for Mamura to go back to the Inuzuka and her injuries wouldn't allow her to join another team, she was allowed to stay with Ying as basically a house dog. Ying enjoyed the company though, and they mourned the loss together.
After losing Hiro, Ying tried her hand at ANBU, and it seemed to fit her rather well. They broke her down and rebuilt her in the image they needed, this was a hard transition but once it was done with she fine with living as ANBU Usagi. Most of her missions involved guarding the Hokage and protecting the wall of the village, which meant she didn't leave often and was able to see her old teammates and sensei once in a while. They tried to get together at least twice a month, for dinner or lunch or even just a simple training session together like old times.
Ying watched Tomoya grow up rather quickly, becoming jonin shortly after she joined ANBU and taking on much more difficult missions as a combat special medic. He had decided to use his skills wisely and try to save people instead of kill all the time. Ying was sure it had something to do with the fact that he wasn't able to save Hiro, the damage to his body was too great for even the best medics but Tomoya would forever blame himself. At one point she begged him to go to counseling, to which he refused for a long time before finally giving in when their sensei had beat him senseless for not dealing with his shit. After that he seemed to be healing slowly, just like the rest of them, and she even caught him smiling occasionally.
Daika-sensei never truly changed, he was the only reliable thing Ying could count on and he never knew how much that meant to her. He started working at the academy when his little students were too big for him to keep teaching, his dream job behind being their sensei he told her with a wink, and she would often visit him in her ANBU gear to get his class all excited about a real live ninja. He looked happier than she had ever seen him.
Upon an afternoon off, Ying decided to go shopping for the ingredients to make a homemade meal, something she hadn't done in a long time. With Mamura at her side, Ying examined the produce she would need while absentmindedly humming quietly. Mamura barked at her and shoved her cold nose into the uncovered part of her side, crop tops were comfortable in the heat of the land of fire, to get her attention. Ying looked down at the large fluffy dog.
"What is it Mamura?"
The chocolate dog pointed her nose to Ying's other side and when she turned to look she was face to... mask, with too little between them. She took in a quick breath and eased her instinct to jump away from the man, now far too used to him just showing up in her life. She sighed. "Hello Kakashi-senpai. Been a while, hasn't it?"
The masked man ran his fingers through his hair and chuckled nervously. "I guess it has been."
Ying smiled and shook her head, returning her attention to the cabbage in her hands. "Is there a reason you're stalking me?"
"Hmm?" Kakashi rose an eyebrow, stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaning back slightly, looking up at the sky. "Stalking? This is just a casual encounter."
"Right." Ying giggled.
Kakashi examined the girl out of the corner of his eye. He had seen her around the village, in the line of duty, the occasional glimpse as she passed, but now was the first time in a long time that he was actually looking at her. The years of battle and change to the village shown greatly on her features, but she held herself well with an air of hope and perseverance that he appreciated. No matter how much he wanted to, if only to irritate her, he knew he wouldn't be able to call her little Ying-chan anymore. This girl grew up... and the tattoo on her upper arm was only one sign of that.
"Making gyoza?" Kakashi asked, gesturing to the ingredients in her basket.
"Yep."
"Been a long time since I've had that homemade."
"That's a shame."
"I would bet you're a really good cook."
Ying shrugged. "Decent I suppose."
Mamura had grown tired at how these two interacted with each other, their true feelings more obvious than the hokage mountain to that old dog. "Come eat with us?" She asked Kakashi, a couple yips followed behind that he understood but Ying was oblivious so.
"Mamura!" Ying scolded, glaring at the dog while she brushed it off with the flip of her tail as she walked away to look for some good pork.
"That sounds lovely, thank you." Kakashi answered, giving Ying a closed eye smile.
Ying rolled her eyes and turned from the man. "Fine."
Back in Ying's apartment, Kakashi stood on the other side of her counter while she prepared the meal for the three of them. Mamura laid in front of the couch on the rug she had claimed as her own.
"Your friend there, isn't she an Inuzuka dog?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes." Ying answered, never looking up from her work.
"Why does she stay with you then?"
Ying tossed some ingredients into a frying pan. "Her partner was my teammate. He died."
At the mention of Hiro, Mamura adjusted and whined as she laid her head back down on her paws. Kakashi suddenly felt very awkward for asking the wrong question, along with sympathy for a loss he was all too familiar with. Ying shocked him by tossing a knife in his directions, but he captured it out of the air with the ease of those ever practiced ninja reflexes.
"Make yourself useful and cut up those onions." Ying ordered, still unable to meet Kakashi's gaze.
He smiled and did as he was told, having to stand right next to Ying in her small kitchen and brushing against her hip every once in a while on accident of course. Ying did her best to ignore the man in her kitchen, still not completely sure why she had even let him into it or why he wanted to be there to begin with. Fed up, she balled her hand into a fist and bowed her head. "What are you here for anyway...?"
Still aloof, the copy-nin shrugged. "I was hoping for some gyoza."
She laughed without humor. "Can't you just not play games with me for once?"
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "That just wouldn't be any fun, now would it Ying-chan?"
Ying shook her head, giving up. Dinner went on without any further hiccups, well all except Mamura tripping Ying so she fell into Kakashi's chest for a moment. The incident was quickly forgotten, completely. Kakashi took home leftovers and tried to make them last for the next couple days.
22 34
The change of power shook up Ying's world, but it wasn't like no one expected it to happen so she did her best to adjust. Being Kakashi's personal protection was full of very dull days, much unlike her time serving Lady Tsunade, but she relished in the fact that her fifth Hokage had recommended her so highly to the next one in line that he decided to keep her as strictly a guard for his office instead of rotating her shifts to include wall duty. She witnessed a lot of the on goings in that office that she wasn't even sure she was suppose to, but obviously her Hokage trusted her enough to keep her there so it shouldn't have concerned her. In the year she was there she had also become very acquainted with Kakashi's old students, enough so that the famed jinchuriki started affectionately referring to her as Ying-nee which the others had picked up rather quickly behind him.
Kakashi sighed, leaning back in his chair and closing his tired eyes.
"You have more reports to finish today, Hokage-sama."
The masked man instantly deflated at the voice of his ever present and "charmingly" motivating guard. "Oh Ying-chan, I'm sure it could wait while I recharge with a little nap."
A kunai landed on the back of his chair, dangerously close to his left cheek. Kakashi pouted. "Now Ying-chan, you know better than to threaten your glorious Hokage."
"Simple motivation, oh glorious Hokage-sama."
Another flew through the air but Kakashi caught it this time before it could damage his chair any further. "Right. I thank you for your diligent service. You protect me so well from procrastination."
"No need to thank me. I only wish to serve my village, sir."
Kakashi hung his head down and continued on the paperwork he had been avoiding, but smiled at their interactions nonetheless. Ying kept him in line and always on his toes, so she was good for more than just a quick hand and sharp senses. With her he didn't feel as old as he did when he students would barge in and make demands (mostly Naruto), but instead looked forward to their banter as he was still able to keep up with her. Maybe that said more about Ying and her grumpy old soul than it did him, but he enjoyed it either way.
"Will you be going out with Hakuro-san for your birthday this evening?"
Ying glared at him sharply. "I don't believe that is work conversation, Hokage-sama."
Kakashi innocently raised the paper he had just signed and put it in the out pile. "I'm working, tell me and I'll keep working."
She rolled her baby blue eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes. He and Daika-sensei are taking me out tonight to celebrate. I didn't want to make a big deal of it but they insisted, threatening me with an outrageous gift if I didn't comply."
"Hmm, well that would be a shame, receiving an outrageous gift. I suppose I should take this back then, huh?"
Ying turned her head quick to see Kakashi held up a small box wrapped in red paper with a little white bow sitting on top of it. She blushed and turned away again, doing her best to regain any composure she had left. "Y-yes! You should."
In the time it took to blink, Kakashi was standing in front of Ying and dangerously close, towering over her petite form. "Open it, Ying. Hokage's orders." His tone was so low, soft, and serious it sent shivers down her back. With shaking fingers, she plunked the little box out of his hand and pulled the wrapping from it. A gasp escaped her lips upon opening it, marveled by the beautiful silver band that was engraved with her Hokage's surname. She looked up at him, her hand over her agape mouth.
"Kakashi... you... I..."
He silenced her gently with the caress of her cheek. "That is a rather familiar way to address your Hokage."
Ying shook her head and laughed, tears of joy building in her eyes as she gazed at the man in front of her. "And what would you call this? An everyday thanks for a job well done? If you do this for all the ninja you employ I will be rather upset with you."
Kakashi chuckled at her response then wrapped his arms around her tight and laid his cheek against the side of her head, afraid that if he looked at her face any longer he wouldn't be able to wait for her answer. "So? What do you say?"
"Yes.." She whispered, smiling. "Of course."
That night Kakashi and his old students, upon Ying's request, joined in on the birthday dinner. There the announcement was made with the simple gesture of Kakashi holding onto the woman he loved and Ying raising her hand for their inspection. There were cheers, screams, a few threats directed at Kakashi from Tomoya, and congratulations all around. They married the next month in a ceremony that was meant to be small but ended up involving the majority of the village. The night of their marriage, Kakashi and Ying lay together for the first time.
"Kakashi?"
"Yes?" He answered, looking down at his beautiful wife as she rest her head on his chest.
Ying bit her lip nervously, pulling in closer to him. "I just... I never really thanked you... for saving me that night." She raised her head and looked into his eyes. "Thank you..."
Kakashi chuckled and laid his hand on her cheek to bring her in for a kiss, just as their lips met he whispered, "You have thanked me... with every breath."
Within a month Ying would be expecting a son to be named Hiroshi.
If you have any questions just let me know. I hope you enjoyed this odd styled one-shot. :)