It was close to midnight before he made his way home. Aya had made it very clear that she resented being 'underground'. To be fair enough, she was one of the most eligible females in the village, and practically every single male chuunin and jounin above twenty years old were trying their luck. Kakashi just didn't want to be committed yet. He was in a dangerous line of work; she was a bookstore owner. A shinobi's life was unstable and dangerous. If she were known to be related to him, enemies might target her to get to him. Aya had said she was prepared for that possiblity, but Kakashi had to be honest with himself: he wasn't ready.

Before he turned in, the white-haired jounin triple-checked his spartan apartment for booby traps and recording equipment. Tonight, there were only five hidden cameras, a definite downward trend in Kakashi-spying. His face blushed fiercely for a moment: the first time with Aya, here in his bedroom - did the voyeurs catch it on tape? Was it circulating in Konoha even as they argue about revealing their affair?

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The moon showed a sliver of its face. There was a light breeze, wafting gently through the bedroom. Kakashi suddenly woke up from his deep sleep, although he took care to keep his eyes closed and his breathing relaxed.

He kept his bedroom window locked ever since the incident with the ferret, lemon cheesecake and metal ruler.

"I know you're awake, Hatake-san." The voice that spoke was low and melodious, and oddly familiar. "You're a jounin, so this should not be a challenge to your skills."

Kakashi opened his eyes. Then he blinked to make sure that he had opened his eyes. He could see nothing, not even the tip of his nose. He asked, "Is this genjutsu or ninjutsu?"

"Now why should I tell you that? I'm here for other reasons," said the mysterious visitor.

Kakashi could hear the breathing of more than one person: there were three breathing rhythms in the dark. He was outmaneuvered before they had started. He quietly began forming seals below his quilt.

"I can see you though, so please put your hands by your sides. If we'd wanted to kill you we'd have done so by now," the voice sounded amused. "Please listen. you will receive a summons tomorrow. There is a B-rank mission. We need you to accept it."

"If I refuse?"

"You will not refuse."

"You don't know that."

"You will not refuse now that I've spoken to you. You will want to find out what it is about. There is a seed of curiosity in every ninja, Hatake-san, although perhaps yours may be a little more difficult to find than others."

"If I tell Godaime-sama, she will-"

"-tell you to stuff it and accept the mission. Believe me, Hatake-san, and please, accept the mission willingly. It will be better for all involved."

"I'll consider it."

The voice was silent for a while, before saying quietly, "I look forward to meeting you again, Hatake-san. Good night."

Kakashi counted to fifty before the blinding darkness lifted. He ran his left hand through his silver-white hair. The clock showed 0325. In the cool darkness there was a hint of lilac in the air. He got up and locked the windows again. Just as he prepared to settle into bed he paused.

"Meeting me again?"