Serendipity

by jwg676

Kakashi finds love. Unexpectedly

Title: Serendipity

Rating: G, romance, action, humour

Pairing / Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Kurao Shizuko, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Maito Gai

Word Count: 3, 879 words

Warnings: Er… nothing?

Summary: Kakashi finds love. Unexpectedly. Hence the title of the tale…

A/N: I was trying to portray Kakashi as a man who is cool, calm and collected, dangerous in battle, yet has a softer side, as seen in his interaction not only with Sakura and Naruto, but also the way he is with Shizuko, the way he can be irritated with Gai yet still be upset over a mission but still doesn't hesitate to get involved when someone is in trouble. I think it worked… (but I've been working on the damned thing since Friday so it bloody well should have!)

Kurao Shizuko belongs to me and me only…

"it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Five years ago:

He stood before the monument, silver hair blowing in the breeze. Apart from that, he was utterly still. After a moment, he reached out and ran his fingers across a name inscribed on the stone.

'She's gone, Obito,' he whispered. 'After everything, I lost her. I wonder sometimes, am I cursed? First my father, then you and Rin, and now her… I don't know what to do, I...'

The young man took a deep, shuddering breath, struggling to control his emotions.

'I'll never let my emotions control me again,' he said, his voice firmer. 'I'll live for my village, and for any team that passes our test. For you and for Rin… but never again will I love another woman. I don't want to have to bury someone else I cared about…'

Straightening against the grief, he said 'I should go. I'm late again. We'll talk another time, Obito.'

Turning from the monument, Hatake Kakashi walked away, and didn't look back.

Present day:

'Oi! You're late!'

'Sorry, sorry,' Kakashi said cheerily. 'Today I decided to take a walk through the park and view the cherry trees, but I got lost…'

'Liar!' Naruto roared.

Kakashi laughed softly. 'Calm down, Naruto,' he admonished.

In response, Naruto folded his arms and contented himself with a glare at his teacher.

Sakura tried to defuse the situation. 'Do we have a mission today, Kakashi-sensei?'

Kakashi shook his head. 'You've both worked extremely hard these past two weeks. To make up for my lateness, how about some ramen? My treat…'

Naruto's eyes lit up, and even Sakura laughed at the expression on his face.

'Ne, ne, Kakashi-sensei, are you serious?'

In answer, Kakashi steered his two students in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen.

'Of course I am,' he said. 'Would I lie to you?'

Naruto sent him a look. 'Would I lie to you?' he mimicked. 'Is that supposed to be a joke, Kakashi-sensei?'

Chuckling, Kakashi refused to answer the question, but ducked under the flap of the ramen stand instead.

'Ah, welcome, welcome,' Ichiraku called, turning around to smile at the three of them. 'No need to ask what you want, I guess.'

Naruto pointed at Kakashi with his chopsticks. 'He's paying, so I'll have a big bowl, please, old man.'

'Naruto!' Sakura gasped, hitting him over the head. 'Don't be so rude!'

Without saying a word, Kakashi lifted Naruto by his jacket and dropped him on a chair to his left, leaving Sakura on his right. 'That's enough, you two. Don't ruin my meal.'

Naruto's eyes lit up with delight. 'Ne, Kakashi-sensei – you're going to eat, right?'

Sakura groaned, knowing what was coming. Sure enough, Naruto posed the one question that had awakened his curiosity.

'Do we finally get to see under your mask?'

'Thank you, Kakashi-sensei,' Sakura said nicely.

Naruto rubbed his stomach. 'We should do this again, Kakashi-sensei. But next time, I'll treat you.'

Kakashi blinked at his student. 'If you say so, Naruto.'

Naruto got in his face without hesitation. 'I don't go back on my words, Kakashi-sensei. You know that!'

Kakashi was about to calm him down for the third time that morning when a scream caught his attention instead.

Turning, he saw a young woman cowering from two burly men. Kakashi moved fast, and just as the first man brought his fist down, lifted his arm to block the blow.

The young woman stared up at her rescuer, a startled expression on her face when she saw the silver haired jounin.

'I don't like this kind of thing,' Kakashi said grimly. 'Go on, get lost before I really lose my temper.'

She flinched at the anger in Kakashi's voice, but when he knelt down in front of her, there was only gentleness in his tone.

'It's all right, I doubt they'll try that again. Are you ok?'

She swallowed, keeping her eyes averted. 'I'm fine,' she whispered.

Kakashi lifted her chin, studying her tearstained face. 'You're bleeding.'

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a tissue and pressed it against her lip. Bewildered grey eyes met his as he reached for her hand and lifted it up.

'Press on it gently,' he ordered softly.

As she did what he asked, Kakashi stood up and simply lifted her into his arms. Turning his head, he glanced at Sakura and Naruto, both who had watched the whole scene with gaping mouths.

'I'll take care of her,' he told them. 'We'll train later, ok?'

Naruto recovered first. 'Ok, Kakashi-sensei. Come on, Sakura-chan.'

Kakashi walked through the streets, barely noticing her slight weight. Her head rested against his shoulder, and the hand that wasn't holding the tissue was clutching his jacket tightly.

When she spoke, her voice was just a whisper. 'I – I don't want to be a burden –'

'Believe me, it's no trouble at all,' Kakashi told her.

When he entered his apartment, he sat her down on the bed, and walked into the small kitchen where she could hear the sounds of him rummaging through the drawers, followed by an eventual 'aha!'

Kakashi walked back into the room, and knelt down at the foot of the bed with a first aid kit in his hand. As he opened it, she said the first words that came into her head.

'I don't even know your name…'

'Kakashi,' he said simply. 'Hatake Kakashi.'

'Kurao Shizuko. I own a bookshop. You – you're a jounin, aren't you?'

Kakashi nodded. 'Yes, I am. Now hold still, this will only sting for a moment.'

Shizuko didn't notice the stinging, nor did she notice the coolness of the ointment as he dabbed it on the cut. The only thing her mind focused on was the gentleness in his hands, the way he didn't try to overcrowd her with his presence, the way his visible eye studied her so carefully…

She had never been treated with such care before, and it shook her.

'…home?'

Shizuko blinked, suddenly horrified when she realized that she hadn't hear a word Kakashi had said. She flushed deeply.

'I'm sorry, Hatake-san – I missed that…'

'I asked if I could walk you home,' Kakashi told her. 'And please, just Kakashi.' Even as he said the words, he was startled. He had only ever asked one person to call him Kakashi, and that had been many, many years ago…

Shizuko smiled crookedly. 'That would be very welcome, Kakashi.'

He rose gracefully, and offered her a hand. 'It would also be my pleasure.'

Shizuko slid her hand into his, catching her breath at the way her skin tingled as his hand closed around hers.

That one man, one simple gesture could be so moving was something quite unheard of.

'…can find him?'

'…this way…'

'…springtime of life rival done now…'

With some irritation, Kakashi got to his feet, his paperwork temporarily forgotten as he went to find out just what was causing such ripples amongst his fellow jounin.

Sliding open his office door, he stepped out into the corridor, arms folded across his chest, he said 'what's all the commotion for?'

Gai saw him first. 'Kakashi!' he yelled excitedly. 'Come over here!'

A silver eyebrow raised. Gai was usually the most excitable of people, but today it seemed, he was more animated than usual.

'Is this important, Gai?' he enquired, the faint note of irritation still lingering in his tone.

While Gai would normally have picked up on that, such was his energy that he ignored it altogether.

'You've got a visitor, Kakashi,' he said, beaming. 'She says her name is – '

Kakashi caught sight of a slender figure, large grey eyes and blue-black hair, fair skin red with embarrassment, a large basket in her hands…

'Shizuko?'

Gai blinked. 'Wait, you know her?'

'Of course, Gai,' Kakashi told him, deftly stepping around him and putting an arm around Shizuko's shoulders. Just as deftly, he cleared a path through his fellow jounin, most of whom wore expressions of sheer astonishment.

'Excuse us… won't be long…'

Once in the safety of his office, Shizuko let out a sigh of relief. 'My, that one is certainly – '

'Excitable?' Kakashi asked mildly, bracing himself against the desk. 'Larger-than-life?'

Shizuko laughed. 'All of the above.'

Taking in the piles of papers and folders across his desk she said 'I hope I'm not interrupting anything terribly important.'

'This? Perfectly normal.' Kakashi scowled under the mask. 'I hate paperwork. The more missions Hokage-sama assigns me, the more the paperwork seems to double. But never mind that, what brings you all the way here?'

Now Shizuko shuffled her feet in embarrassment. 'I brought you some things,' she mumbled, holding out the basket before she changed her mind.

Kakashi took the basket from her, looking startled. Opening it, he saw an assortment of foodstuffs, and several books.

'Thank you, but why on earth –'

'Exactly that,' Shizuko answered. 'To say thank you for rescuing me yesterday. I've heard that jounins are supposed to be ruthless, but you showed me nothing but kindness.'

A shy smile graced her face. 'I hope you don't mind, but I asked your students what they thought you might like – the boy recommended these novels, but the girl was at least able to tell me that you seemed to enjoy broiled salted saury. I didn't know if you ate anything sweet, so I made some things and added them.'

Kakashi was touched. 'I don't know what to say,' he admitted. 'This is a nice surprise, but there's far too much here for just one person. Will you have lunch with me?'

It was hard to tell which one of them was more startled by his question, but Shizuko's smile widened. 'I would love to, Kakashi.'

Kakashi blinked. 'You would? Well, all right then, just let me shove this here and throw these away-'

As he spoke, he stacked several folders to one side, sweeping a bunch of papers into the bin. When he straightened, Shizuko looked like she was trying not to laugh.

'What?'

'You really hate paperwork, don't you?'

'Damn straight,' Kakashi told her. 'Ok, I think that's everything. Come on, before we get sidetracked again.'

He picked up the basket and opened the door, gesturing for her to leave first.

'Er… Kakashi?'

'What's wrong?'

'Your friends don't seem to have moved…'

Kakashi turned his head, noting the avid stares from his fellow jounin. He rolled his eyes. 'Ignore them,' he advised. 'It's safer.'

Side by side, the two of them walked down the corridor, Kakashi swinging the basket, and Shizuko with one hand on his arm, her eyes downcast demurely.

Gai's expression of shock as they passed him was classic, and neither of them could control their laughter for long.

Kakashi's deep laughter and Shizuko's softer giggles floated back towards the jounin, and Gai threw himself against the wall.

. 'My springtime of life rival Kakashi,' he mourned. 'Some people have all the luck…'

If he had known better, Kakashi would have sworn he was dreaming. For the first time in years, he was enjoying the company of a woman, someone who wanted to be around him without fear of his skills, or his reputation on the battlefield.

Somehow, Kakashi suspected that Obito was laughing at him.

Kakashi pulled out a kunai, pressing the tip into his thumb. As a drop of blood welled up, he replaced the kunai with a scroll. Tossing it up in the air, he waited as it flipped end over end before catching it and opening it deftly. In the same motion, he smeared a streak of blood across the scroll's length before swirling it three times around his body. Calm as ever, he activated the scroll before slamming it into the ground.

'Ninpou kuchiyose, doton tsuiga no jutsu!'

With the sharingan eye uncovered, he could just make out faint impressions of chakra sweeping outwards from the scroll, and he smiled grimly beneath his mask.

For a moment he was still, before darting across Konoha's rooftops, the most direct path their targets would have taken away from the residential area towards the outskirts of Konoha itself. Just outside a grimy apartment block, a dog waited, pacing restlessly.

'We managed to follow the scent here, Kakashi,' Pakkun said in a bored tone, 'but it ends here. I checked the inside of the building but there's no trace of them.'

'All right, Pakkun, I'll take it from here,' Kakashi said tersely.

'You got it,' Pakkun said cheerfully, and vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Kakashi glanced around. This was Konoha's poorest area, and the perfect place for three shinobi to hide undetected while they tried to escape. If their scent ended here, that meant –

Kakashi entered the dark, dank building silently, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light. When they did, he could see the rotting wood floors, the slimy, filth encrusted walls. It was ironic that the floors looked steadier than the walls did, and it was with extreme caution that he moved into the buildings interior.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, he heard a shuffling below him, and a soft voice.

'Aha,' he murmured, and vanished into the darkness.

Kakashi rubbed his temples absentmindedly, trying to ease the dull throbbing that signalled the beginning of a headache. Sighing, he gave up on the paperwork and turned to the window, staring down into the grounds with unseeing eyes. For the first time, he wanted to talk to someone about the mission he had just returned from, and was deciding on whether or not to go to the monument and talk to Obito when a very welcome sight presented itself at the door.

'Shizuko!'

'May I come in?' she asked. 'Gai-san told me I could find you here.'

Kakashi gestured to the empty chair opposite his. 'Of course. To what do I owe the honour of your company?'

Shizuko went pink. 'I missed you,' she admitted – then dropped her head into her hands. 'Oh dear, that sounded awful.'

In truth though, she really had. Granted, it had only been three or four weeks since their first meeting, but there was something about the slender jounin that made her actively seek out his company.

Kakashi leaned over and touched her shoulder. 'Really? I hope not because… I missed you as well.'

Shizuko's head shot up. 'You did? Oh, Kakashi…'

Kakashi's visible eye twinkled, but Shizuko couldn't help but notice the way he scrubbed a hand through his hair.

'Kakashi… are you feeling well today?' she asked anxiously.

The jounin sighed. 'It's been quite a rough week, Shizuko. A hell of a week, to be exact.'

Shizuko tilted her head, studying him. 'Do you want to talk about it?'

Kakashi had never felt so tempted to unburden himself before, but he waved it off instinctively, not wanting to share the bloody details of his mission with this sensitive, compassionate woman.

'I'll be fine. I probably could use some sleep, that's all.'

Shizuko didn't believe him for a minute, and her anxiety increased. She wanted to know about him, wanted to know what it was that hurt him so badly. She was aware that the lives of Konoha's shinobi were hard, filled with trauma both on and off the battlefield, but her instincts told her that the man in front of her was unlike other shinobi. He seemed so detached, so removed from every day situations, but she had seen him with his students, seen how protective he was of them, and she certainly wasn't about to overlook his gentleness with her.

Shizuko got to her feet abruptly and planted her hands on her hips. 'Kakashi… you're a terrible liar.'

Blindsided by the statement, Kakashi stared at her. 'Excuse me, I'm what?'

'A liar. A bad one at that.'

Shizuko advanced on him threateningly, and Kakashi got to his feet, backing away from the murderous expression in her eyes.

'Shizuko… let's talk about this for a moment…'

Shizuko grabbed his wrist, and began to pull it, trying to drag him away from the table.

'That's exactly what you're going to do, Kakashi. Talk. Don't argue with me!' she added, as he continued his protests.

Kakashi gave up, and allowed her to drag him out of his office, down the corridor, past a beaming Anko and Kurenai and down the street towards Konoha's residential area.

With the practiced eye of a ninja, Kakashi was able to take in the details of Shizuko's apartment – clean, airy, beautifully decorated without seeming cluttered.

She shoved him onto the sofa unceremoniously, and stood over him. 'Now, talk. And don't leave anything out, you hear?'

Kakashi pushed up his hitae-ate for the first time, allowing her to see the truth in his eyes. 'Shizuko, believe me, you really don't want to hear it.'

Shizuko's expression softened, and she knelt down in front of him. 'Yes, Kakashi, I do. Jounin lead difficult lives, I know that.'

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up. 'Difficult? Shizuko – I kill people for a living. I take lives, some of them innocent, and I destroy them.'

'That's not quite how I see it,' Shizuko told him. 'You protect your village, our lives, the lives of the children… war has casualties, Kakashi, but think if it – for every life you take, another life is being saved. You put yourself at risk every time you accept a mission, and no matter what the case, there's always the possibility your return to Konoha will be in a body bag. Do you think I don't know that? My brother was a shinobi, Kakashi, and I saw the effects his battles had on him.'

'What happened to him?'

Shizuko looked away. 'He took his life three days after he killed a pregnant woman. She was being used against her will, and he didn't know it, believing her to be a shinobi.'

Kakashi's heart went out to her. 'Shizuko –'

'I didn't tell you that because I want you to feel sorry for me, Kakashi. I told you because I don't want the same thing to happen to you. I've seen you at the monument every morning, and I do not want to be one of the people praying for your soul because you had no one to talk to. I'm not going to lose someone else I love!'

The shock on his face told her that he hadn't been expecting her to say that. 'You… you love me?'

'Yes,' Shizuko whispered, unable to look at him, to see him reject her and to know that her love was the reason.

Kakashi slid off the sofa so that he was kneeling as well. Cupping her chin, he lifted her head and repeated 'you love me? Knowing what I am, you can still feel love for me?'

'Idiot,' Shizuko told him, on the verge of tears. 'How could I not love you? I've seen you with your students, I've been with you often enough to feel how gentle you are, I've held your hand and listened to you talk… I –'

He hesitated, but only for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he reached up, and with hands that shook only slightly, pulled down the mask that covered his face.

Shizuko's eyes widened. 'Kakashi – '

'I've worn this mask since I was a child,' he told her. 'In the last fifteen years, only two people have seen my face, and both are people I love. Feelings don't come easy to me, Shizuko. I'm a shinobi, I live by the rules of the battlefield, and really, I don't handle other people well. When I'm with you, everything is different somehow, and try as I might I just can't explain it. I promised myself that I would never love again, but when I look at you, I find it hard to even remember my promise. You… you're the second person to see me, really see me.'

He laughed self deprecatingly. 'Not even Sakura or Naruto have seen my face, and it certainly isn't for lack of trying.'

Shizuko reached out and cupped his cheeks in her hands. 'Nothing you say or do could ever make me change my mind,' she said softly. 'I love you, Hatake Kakashi.'

The silver haired jounin was silent for a moment, and then he began to speak in a low voice. 'This was one of the most difficult missions I've ever had to do…'

'Kakashi-sensei, it's going to rain.'

Kakashi glanced at Naruto, smile hidden by his mask. 'I know, Naruto.'

Shizuko, wrinkled her nose at Kakashi. 'Stop teasing him, Kakashi,' she reprimanded, and Naruto's jaw dropped as Kakashi said 'sorry, sorry.'

Despite his apology, he didn't speed up his pace, and Naruto rolled his eyes as the first rain drops fell.

'Aargh, you see? You see? Now we're all going to get wet!'

Muttering furiously under his breath, Naruto pulled off his jacket and flung it around Sakura's shoulders.

Sakura went pink, and Kakashi suppressed his laughter as Naruto said 'the last thing I want is Sakura-chan getting sick and blaming me for it.'

Sakura scowled at him. 'Why would I do that?'

'You blame me for everything,' Naruto pointed out helpfully. 'This time you can't.'

'Naruto!' as Sakura lunged for him, hands balled into fists, Kakashi caught her arm.

'Enough,' he said sternly. 'Look, there's a ramen stand and it looks empty – both of you, go and wait there. Now!' he added, when Naruto opened his mouth to protest.

Sniggering, Sakura followed him under the flap, and Kakashi shook his head. 'Those two…'

Shizuko caught her breath. 'Oh, Kakashi – can you hear the music?'

'Music?'

'Listen – it sounds like a piano…'

It was, the musical sounds floating out of a partially open door.

Kakashi reached for Shizuko's hand. 'May I have this dance?' he asked softly.

Shizuko took his hand, and Kakashi pulled her close, arm encircling her waist. Shizuko laid her head against his shoulder, oblivious to the rain as they moved to the haunting music. Kakashi moved with an easy grace, and Shizuko found herself smiling as he spun her around before bringing her back to him.

Both of them were oblivious to the stares of the people around them who were watching the silver haired jounin and his lady dancing in the rain.

'Wow,' Naruto murmured. 'He must really love her.'

Sakura really did hit him then. 'Idiot, don't you know anything?'

Naruto rubbed the lump on his head ruefully. 'I guess not.'

Kakashi stood at the monument, smiling. 'Her name is Shizuko, Obito, and she's the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me. I wish you could meet her, but something tells me you already had a hand in this, you sly thing.'

Kakashi laid a poppy across the top of the monument. 'This is from her,' he said, and then laughed. 'You were always right about everything. I almost hate that. Thank you, Obito. We'll talk again…'

Kakashi bowed his head for a moment in respect, and then turned from the monument, looking back once before he joined Shizuko, who held out a hand to him.

Side by side, the two of them walked back into the village.