Hayate sat on a wooden bench located on one of the many streets of Konoha, leaning back, relaxing, and observing his surroundings. Fall was fast approaching; the great trees were shedding their leaves that were beginning to turn shades of red, yellow, orange, and brown. It was getting darker earlier at night, the mornings were cooler, and an occasional breeze was felt throughout the day.
A melodic sound reached his ears and he was torn out of his thoughts only to see a group of children playing tag. They were so innocent, having yet to see some of the horrors life could bring. Their days consisted of sleeping, eating, playing, and learning. They also had yet learned the complicity of life, and took time to admire the things that many people take for granted or simply fail to notice when they grow older like how beautiful the stars are at night, and how colorful and vibrant some of the Konoha's flowers were.
He felt a little tension slip out of his shoulders, watching as they decided to play Hide and Seek, scattering everywhere and hiding in obvious places. A smile lit up his face when one of the children, a freckle-faced girl ran to a nearby tree and began to count, "One, three, sixteen, four, eleven, nine.. ready or not, here I come!" He let out a small laugh as a few of the children who hadn't currently found a hiding place dashed for cover.
"What are you laughing about?" asked Genma as he sat down beside Hayate, passing the dark-haired Jounin a bowl of beef ramen. Hayate was silent for a moment, twirling his chopsticks in random patterns through his ramen. Concern appeared on Genma's face. Hayate slid closer to Genma, sat aside his ramen, and rested his head on Genma's shoulder. "Aren't they beautiful, Genma?" The light-haired man looked confused for a moment, then smiled. "Yes. They are." Genma and Hayate both chuckled as a small boy ran from his spot after seeing the freckle-faced girl approaching, only to trip, and then be tagged.
Hayate became quite again. "It's a shame we can't have children," he mumbled. Genma entwined his fingers with Hayate's and kissed the top of his head. "I agree, it is a shame, but at least we have each other." Hayate smiled and pressed his lips to Genma's, and with that the two got up and began to walk back to Genma's apartment, which they now shared, the ramen left forgotten, and the children left to play.
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