BECAUSE MY ORIGINAL FIC IS KINDA IN PROGRESS, I made spin offs! Because I can. Also, ideas, inspirations, the lot. Apologies to the readers who are following the original Mononoke: Of Ice, Air and Blood. But look on the bright side, at least you have some fluff to hang on to! I've made four different versions of the same AU, with different pairings. Because everyone has different ships so let's just sail it together :D

Hatake Kakashi

Yorukami Mononoke ran across the hallway, cursing herself as much as she could. It was almost time for class! Usually she doesn't give a flying rat's ass about the other senseis but the class right before school ends starts with Kakashi-sensei. Obviously she missed an entire day of class but who cares, really. She always scored pretty well in her exams so she couldn't be bothered. The social workers certainly didn't.

Hatake Kakashi was the only sensei she has and will ever respect. Basically because he believes in giving his students practicals and letting them learn through experience, which is an efficient way for her to learn, and he was always very lenient with her. He was weird too, since no one ever seen his face before with that dumb surgical mask always in place. Mononoke liked the sensei's eccentric and sometimes silly ways.

And they had plenty of things in common.

Aside from his lowkey obsession with Icha Icha Paradise, the duo had similiar tastes in books. They listened to the same type of music, like the same movies. As time went on, they both became each other's confidants, always listening to the other if they need to rant. It was a good teacher and student relationship.

She slammed the classroom door opened, without any shame and gave a big grin, "Mornin'!" Kakashi looked at his watch, before turning back to the clock in the classroom. It was way past morning and well into the afternoon but he didn't say it.

Finally, storm grey eyes landed on her, "Well, you're just five minutes later than me this time. Some may call it a disaster but I call it improvement."

A few classmates were sniggering at this but Mononoke just shrugged and grinned wider, "Sorry, sensei." The biology teacher just shook his head and sighed, before gesturing to her seat, "You don't mean that. Well, hurry on. I'm not getting any younger."

She obeyed quickly, sliding into her usual seat beside Kiba.

"What's your excuse this time?" Her best friend teased and she elbowed him. "Koba and Meru decided to drag me into the mud." She lifted two fingers in his face, "Twice."

Kiba chuckled at this, "As usual."

Mononoke rolled her eyes before pulling out her notebook, "Tell me about it." She flipped a few pages before settling on the latest one. The dark haired boy leaned against her shoulder as he peered into her book, "Wow, when did you become such a study bug? Next thing I know, you'd be graduating from university."

"Only for bio," she snorted, scribbling some key points she managed to hear from Kakashi, "It's not like I'm this hardworking for any other subjects."

"Ah yes, your ever favourite Kakashi-sensei." Kiba smirked and Mononoke felt her ears heat up. Just a little. She hoped.

"Well, Inuzuka-san. It seems you're pretty interested in the class. Maybe you can answer my next question." Kakashi-sensei's voice drifted towards the back of the room, where the duo sat. Almost half of the class turned back as Kiba looked up and shifted away from Mononoke immediately, a half smirk in place, "Sorry."

Mononoke raised an eyebrow at this. Since when did he get so obedient? She turned to the front of the classroom. Kakashi had his arms folded and he was leaning against the teacher's desk as usual. But he looked unimpressed at Kiba's appeal. "So, tell me. What happens when you place red blood cells into a hypertonic solution?"

Kiba just kept smirking, "I don't know. You're the sensei, you tell me." Suddenly he winced at the sudden jab into his thigh Mononoke gave him under the table.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "What a shame. And I thought you'd finally like biology. How about you, Mononoke-san?"

"It'll undergo crenation." Mononoke said, without a moment's hesitation. Straight away, she picked up on the subtle pride on the teacher's face as he went on smoothly, "Correct. Now, we'll be going back into the basics of plasmolysis..."

"Man, what was that all about?" Kiba complained, the moment the school bell rang and the other students began packing up their supplies. Mononoke smirked at him, "You were being stupid." He just stretched his arms over his head, brushing the comment off, "Yeah, whatever. You playing later?"

Mononoke kept her stationery into her bag, double checked and nodded, "Obviously. See you at the court."

Kiba and Mononoke were basketball players, the former being part of the school's team. He had brilliant physical abilities which makes up for his shitty academics. Mononoke, on the other hand, just likes playing the sport. And beating Kiba at his own game.

He nodded and swung his bag over his shoulder, "Don't be late, brat." He ruffled her hair and she teasingly swatted his thigh, "Idiot."

She felt someone watching her and she looked up.

Kakashi had his things kept and done but he was still leaning against the teacher's desk, even though most of the class had already left. He was obviously waiting for her. Picking up her bag, she sauntered over to him before she sat on the front desk and spoke cheerfully, "Correct me if I've mistaken but are you actually mad?"

He waved back as the last student shouted his leave to the teacher before turning back to Mononoke, raising a perfect eyebrow. "What makes you say that?" He asked, amusement hidden in his voice.

She tapped her finger to her lips, mockingly before smirking, "You called out on Kiba, which you rarely do, and you asked him a question. That's a pretty mindblowing thing."

By this time, the hallways were deserted. Kakashi sighed before getting off the desk and stepped closer, "Perhaps if you think a little harder, you might get the answer."

Mononoke tilted her head to a side, looking up at Kakashi, "What do you mean?"

His eyes betrayed nothing. She pursed her lips before rewinding all the scenes in her head. Then, it dawned her.

"You called him out because he was sitting too close to me?" She tried but he mirrored her head tilt, his answer, soft, "Warm."

"Because we were laughing?" She tried again, wracking her brain.

"Getting warmer."

"...Is it because I b-blushed?" Mononoke almost stuttered the word out, unable to believe her own words. Personally, it was because she usually never blush. Not in a million years.

Kakashi closed his eyes in a fake attempt to smile, "Hmm, quite right." She looked at the teacher in slight disbelief, "Why?"

The man hummed thoughtfully before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "I wonder to myself, as well."

Warmth flooded her mind at the fluttering touch. Mononoke froze, her eyes never leaving Kakashi's as he looked into hers deeply. It was as if time was frozen as Kakashi's fingers lingered on her cheek. Mononoke felt her heart race at the close proximity between them.

"It seems that I might've-" Kakashi could not finish his sentence as loud footsteps echoed outside. He pulled away so quickly, Mononoke thought he might got whiplash. The fragile moment disintegrated. But it was just in time as the classroom door swung open and a panting Kiba, who was in his sports attire, crashed in, "Mononoke! You said you'd be coming! Everyone was worried."

Mononoke glared at him, unsure if she should slap Kakashi for not finishing his train of thought or Kiba for rolling in at probably the most important moment of her life. She looked at the clock to check the time before turning a chilly gaze at her best friend, "It's only ten minutes since you left, you jerk."

Finally, Kiba got the message and he froze. He looked at Kakashi then to Mononoke then to Kakashi and back again. "Uh, was this a bad time?"

Mononoke fumed as she grabbed her bag and stormed out the classroom, her face red from frustration and embarassment, "Let's go, dumb dog."

Out of habit, she called over her shoulder, "Bye, sensei," before kicking Kiba out of the room and slamming the door behind her, leaving Kakashi in the room alone.

The man stood there in silence, before placing a hand to his lips, chuckling at the audacity of it all.

During the weekend, the thought of Kakashi's unfinished sentence was still lurking in her mind. Mononoke bit into her toast angrily, growling.

Meru looked up from her feet, obviously feeling her agitation but he, as a Malamute Husky, could not do anything to appease his mistress. Koba, on the other hand, was playing with the chew toys by himself, oblivious to it all.

Just as she finished breakfast, Mononoke contemplated on what to do next. Well, she had to take Meru and Koba for a walk, then pop in at the social worker department for quick report check before going to the bookstore. Seems like an idea.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed and she picked it up. A message? From who?

The moment she saw the sender's name, she clamped her mouth with her hand to stop herself from squeaking as her face grew red.

Kakashi-sensei: I was wondering if you're free today. I'm going to the bookstore and I need some new recommendations. Only you'd have a better choice for me. Is 1pm okay?

Mononoke thought someone just set her face on fire as she typed out a hurried reply.

Mononoke: Yeah, sure. I'm free. I'll meet you at the front of the shop.

She squeaked after she pressed "Send".

It was nothing new to her, this attraction she has for her sensei.

Kakashi was a well-mannered man. Patient, kind, understanding, mature, funny, the list could go on forever. But the thing that pulled Mononoke's heartstrings the most was that she always felt safe whenever she was with him. She felt with Kakashi, everything would be okay.

She wasn't sure she could label this emotion as "love". It seemed too strong a word. Perhaps "admiration" and "comfort" would be better words. If you can combine those two. Her brain could not supply her with the necessary information right now. She slapped her face lightly, waking herself out of the daydream, shaking her head.

Okay, she's okay. She's good. No problem.

The fair-haired girl stood up and made her way to the door calmly, "Koba, Meru. Time for a walk."

"I'm sorry, Miss Yorukami. Your father had specified very clearly that you will be under us until your eighteenth birthday. So that means we still have authority over you. You will go to Suna University to finish your psychology studies." The social worker, Marika, stated appeasingly. The light brown haired woman watched the orphan child sadly. She rather liked the child but it was for her own good.

Mononoke slammed her hands on the table from frustration. Meru whined a little as he rested his head on her knee, hoping it could calm her down. Koba licked her other knee in the same attempt.

"My father is a coward and a liar. No, wait. That man isn't my father from the beginning." She snarled, her knuckles turning white from curling her fists too hard against the glass table.

Yorukami Daiten was a bloody wuss. After her mother died giving birth to her, he only took care of her until she was five before he dumped her at his best friend's house and fell off the face of the earth.

He didn't give a bloody damn of his own flesh and blood. Her father's best friend was not able to take care of her for long because the social workers came in and took her away, then locking her in her own apartment with a mostly absent guardian.

Marika was her third guardian. Her change of guardians wasn't because she was a rebel, or she liked to bend the rules to her favour, or she didn't do well in school.

She just had bad luck with them. The first one lost her job because she was in a scandal with the former president of the company. The second had passed away due to a car accident. Both unrelated incidents but Mononoke felt as if the world was slightly against her.

But in a better light, Marika was a kind woman, although she stuck by the rules, word by word. She only bend it a little once so that Mononoke could get two puppies for her sixteenth birthday. Other than that, she was Madame Goody-Two-Heels.

"I'll be going Konoha University to take veterinarian science. And you're not stopping me." Mononoke finalized before standing up from the table, "I don't care what Daiten planned for me. I'm not following orders from the man who left me to fend for myself before puberty even touched me."

Without a backward glance, she left the centre, her dogs obediently pattering behind her.

Kakashi finally arrived at the designated bookstore. Only just fifteen minutes late this time. He looked at his watch once more to confirm. Yup. This was quite a rare occurence for the mysterious lecturer. But it was a date with his now almost-legal student.

Well, he'd like to think of it as a date but even he knew that was a tall order. He was a teacher, and she was his student. Surely young men her age would be a better fit for her. Even though he was only nine years older, it wasn't as if he could resist her. She was everything he could ever wish for and more.

He spotted the fair haired girl sitting on the wide window sill outside of the shop, two large Malamute Huskies with her. She was massaging the neck of the larger of the two dogs while the other was sleeping at her feet.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted casually and ignored the butterflies churning in his gut as his student looked up, her turquoise eyes bright with liveliness.

"Oh, Kashi-sensei. You're here." She grinned, petting her dog as she watched the man. Kakashi loved the way she would only call him 'Kashi' when they were not on campus, as if they were dear friends. He has his own nickname for her as well, which actually came in time.

"Are these your dogs, Momo-kun?" He asked, crouching down to adknowledge the dog she was playing with when it turn its attention to him. The dog gave him a friendly grin and licked his hand as Kakashi petted its chin.

"That silly guy's Koba. And this one is Meru. They're twins," Mononoke explained, ruffling Meru's head lovingly. The dog ignored her as it just gave a loud huff.

Kakashi nodded before turning to Mononoke, "So how are we going to go in with them here?" Mononoke just smirked, "They're obedient dogs. And very smart," she cooed at Koba, who licked her chin, "Isn't that right, buddy? You and Meru knows that if you get lost, you would be in a hell lot of trouble."

Koba just yipped and Mononoke laughed before getting up to stand by Kakashi. She gave the resting canine a look, "Meru, keep an eye on your brother. We won't be long." Meru opened a single eyelid and rolled his eye at her, grunted, before closing it again.

"That's our cue," Mononoke said before grabbing Kakashi's sleeve, "Right, shall we then?"

"Man, that's a pretty big haul." Mononoke observed as Kakashi paid for the books. He turned to the girl and smiled, his eyes crinkling, "I wonder."

The younger lady smiled back and reached towards the haul for her fair share. But a hand gently smacked her away. "I'll take it. You've got those two outside." Kakashi told her lightly. Once he got the change, he took up the box of books and nudged Mononoke with his hip, "Come on. Off we go."

Obediently, she moved and they walked out of store, chattering away.

"I seriously think you should have bought 'Winter's Frost' instead of another Icha series, Kashi." Mononoke teased as she snapped her fingers at the dogs. Immediately, the duo stood up and came up to them. Surprisingly, Koba took Kakashi's side instead so that the man would remain beside Mononoke.

Kakashi noticed this but didn't comment on it. Instead he continued the banter, "And I seriously think you'd wasted not reading 'Exotic'. You already have so many crime novels."

"It's easier on my eyes to read about dead people. Sensual books makes me cringe." Mononoke shot back, one hand resting against Meru's large neck.

And the easy discussion went on until they finally reached Mononoke's apartment.

The girl turned to Kakashi thoughtfully, "Well, you should come in. My books are inside the box too." Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this and he watched in amusement as Mononoke's face turned pink, "Um, that is-"

"Yeah, sure. Lead the way." he answered smoothly so that the poor girl wouldn't faint from embarrassment. Quickly she walked into the building. Once they got to the third floor, she unlocked the cream colored door and let themselves in.

"Nice place," Kakashi mused, as he took in his surroundings, "It suits you."

He placed the box on the small dining table. The apartment was quaint but filled with simple decorations. Fairy lights are strung across three dark wooden shelves filled with books lined against the far wall and a television sat infront of the wall closest to the front door. There was no sofa but instead a comfy looking nest of pillows and blankets were opposite the television. There was a short corridor that had two doors opposite each other, which Kakashi took as the bathroom and bedroom. The kitchen was small and relatively empty. A few bowls and plates sat sadly on the dish rack.

Mononoke stood by the door, talking to her dogs, "Only for five minutes." The two canines barked before squeezing their way out of the door. Kakashi turned to her, tilting his head curiously, "Where did they go?"

"They wanted to meet some friends downstairs, probably." She explained as she came to sort the books.

"I didn't know you speak dog, Momo-kun." Kakashi teased as he handed her one of the books she bought.

"Well, you learn sooner or later. And i always found it easier to commmunicate with animals than humans." Mononoke mused as she placed it in a pile. After they were done, Mononoke turned to the man, "Would you rather coffee or tea?"

He turns to her in surprise. She shuffled a little as she arranged the books neatly. He noticed a warm blush on her cheeks.

This is going better than he hope. This was the first time he came to her house and it seems he would get to stay here a little longer. "Tea, please. Thank you."

Taking the chance to explore as Mononoke began to brew tea, Kakashi began to look at her collection of books. The man thumbed through a few worn books, the nostalgic smell filing his nose.

"Tea's ready." he heard the girl said and he turn to see her set the wooden tray beside the nest. He smiled longingly at the domestic scene. Kakashi could just imagine he could be able to meet a sight like this everyday, or he could be the one who brew the tea...

He snaps out of his reverie when ocean eyes looked up to meet his. "Thank you, Mononoke." he said gratefully as he settles down beside her in the nest. Her gentle smile made him warm and fuzzy inside before she sipped the lavender tea. "Found something you like?" she asked quietly, her eyes on the book in his hands.

"I think I already have something better but this is good too." Kakashi replied, not taking his eyes off her. He watched as her cheeks burned adorably and she quickly look into her steaming mug, as if she just found the secrets of the universe inside the tea.

"U-um. Yeah, that's good." she replied, after clearing her throat.

Kakashi shifted a little so that their arms pressed together and they sat side by side comfortably. He made a hum as he opened the book and started to read. Out of habit, he whispered the words as his eyes scanned across the ink.

A moment later, the dogs entered the house. Kakashi looked up in surprise as they came in without a problem. Meru even shut the door with his hip, before standing on his hind legs and using his nose to lock the door. Koba settled at Kakashi's feet and the man turned to the girl beside him to ask how she trained them to do such practical things.

But Mononoke was fast asleep. Her mouth was slack and open as she snoozed away. Her mug was sitting beside her and Kakashi leaned over her to pick it up and place it on the tray beside his.

Meru came to join them and he buried his head on Mononoke's stomach with a huff.

The dogs seem to accept the man's presence.

Kakashi just smiled and tucked a strand of hair off Mononoke's face behind her ear as she slept.

One day, he'll tell her. For now, he just want to enjoy this moment.

HELLO YES SOME FLUFF FOR A WELL LOVED PAIRING. i hope I managed to make your day, at least. And yes, some progress is made in the original but its slow. So for now, please satisfy yourself with this. YOU'RE WELCOME. MORE SPINOFFS ON THE WAY. TELL ME WHO YOU WANT NEXT.