I do not own Naruto

"Signing"

Thoughts and actions

"Regular speech"

A/N

There is a section that shows a memory or past event. While I would normally italicized to indicate it as such, the scene does contain characters communicating through sign language. Doing that would require me to flip flop the text and I thought that would be too confusing, so instead I decided to mark the scene with "xx" at the beginning and end.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, when are you two finally gonna get married?"

"What?"

"Hey, yeah. Naruto does have a point. I've been wondering about that too."

The couple turned towards each other and blinked a few times both silently contemplating their answer. Kazumi gave a shrug of her shoulders as the Jonin answered the question.

"We've never really talked about it."

"What! Are you serious? I mean, c'mon!"

Sakura slapped Naruto on the head. "Naruto, calm down! Sorry about that. I get it though. A lot has been going on after all."

Kazumi flashed a smile at the pink-haired medic in a show of appreciation and then turned to sign a few things to Kakashi.

"What is it Kazumi-san?" Sakura asked her eyes alight with curiosity.

Kakashi waited for the dark-haired woman to finish before replying. "She says if you two aren't doing anything that you should join us for dinner... Naruto's treat, of course."

"Hey, she didn't say that!"

"But of course, she did. You of all people should know that I don't lie, Naruto."

"Yeah, and I grow a garden of daisies out of my as- ,"

"We'd love to! Right, Naruto?" Sakura shoved an elbow into her comrade's side eliciting a sharp cry from the Kyuubi. The boy managed to squeal out in agreement while holding onto his side.

"Yeah, whatever. What's on the menu tonight?"

In big and excited gestures, Kazumi stuck out both pinkies and moved her arms in loops away from each other to sign, "Noodle."

"Well, Naruto, you seem to be in luck. Looks like we're having ramen tonight."

"Well, if it's ramen I guess I don't mind paying. Let's go!"

The group arrived at Ichiraku's and grabbed seats in their usual spot right next to Teuchi's counter.

"Looks like I got myself a big group this time. What can I get ya?"

Naruto flashed two fingers, "Tonkatsu ramen! Two bowls!"

Sakura took a seat in between her rambunctious friend and female confidant. "One shoyu, please."

"Make that three shoyu, Teuchi-san."

"Coming right up."

When everyone seated, Sakura tapped a finger on Kazumi's arm to get her attention. "Kazumi-san, how are preparations coming along?"

The pink haired-medic watched the woman sign and waited for Kakashi to translate for her.

"Everything is coming along fine. There's just the matter of hiring an employee to help with the little tasks."

"Wait, what preparations?" Naruto peeked over Sakura and blinked a confused glance in the couple's way.

"Kazumi-san is opening her music shop, stupid."

"Oh, that's right! Hey, hey, ya looking for someone to work for you? I got a few good people in mind."

Kakashi gave an appreciative crinkle of his eye. "Thanks, Naruto. But Kazumi has specific standards that need to be met."

"Oh? What qualifications are you looking for?"

Kazumi and Kakashi had perfected a system. The jonin was easily able to decipher word for word and translate effortlessly while Kazumi signed up a storm. "Nothing out of the ordinary: friendly, organized, dependable, proficient, responsible, good with people, and professional."

Naruto tapped his chin in thought, "Yeah that pretty much eliminates everyone I know."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sakura gave a roll of her eyes. "Kazumi-san, you're not looking for anyone who can sign?"

"As long as she can feel comfortable around them, she doesn't think she needs to."

"What? I don't follow." Naruto picked up a pair of chopsticks and split them in half just as Teuchi began setting down bowls of ramen to their respective customers.

"I'm deaf, Naruto, not mute. I can communicate just fine without having to sign. And with Kakashi's and Ino's help, my lip reading has improved quite well."

"Well, I'm glad Ino-pig was useful for once. Hey, I know Kakashi-sensei can get busy with his missions so if you need help with the heavy lifting I would be glad to help. As long as the hospital isn't too busy."

"Thank you, Sakura. That is very kind of you."

"Hey, let's eat before the noodles get soggy. Itadakimasu!"

"Kazumi-san, congratulations on your opening. The shop looks lovely."

"Thank you, Hinata-chan. And thank you all for coming by."

"We couldn't miss it! There was a lot of excitement about the shop and to have it finally open up is really amazing, Kazumi-san."

"Thank you, Ino. A good part of this I owe thanks to you. Our sessions have been very helpful. You don't think it's strange do you- opening up shop this late in the year?"

"Not at all. Besides, the holidays are more romantic with music. So that must be your part-time worker." Sakura gestured with a hand at the young man behind the counter.

"Yes, let me introduce you all."

The trio followed Kazumi to the front counter where her part-time worker was seen putting away some supplies.

"Hosei-kun?"

The young man turned around at the voice of his employer. Chocolate brown hair swayed in his movements, his bangs brushing across deep blue eyes like that of the sea on a clear, sunny day. He had a soft but defined jawline and an incredible smile with pearly, white teeth.

"Ah, yes Kazumi-san?"

"I would like to introduce to you some of my friends. This is Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuuga, and Ino Yamanaka." Kazumi gestured her hand to each woman respectively. "Ladies, this is Satoshi Hosei, my part-timer and musician."

"H-hi, Hosei-san."

"H-h-h-hello."

"Wow."

Kazumi gave a bewildered look at the young ninjas. The stutters coming out of their mouths were unexpected and quite interesting.

Satoshi chuckled lightly. "It's my pleasure, ladies. Kazumi-san, if you don't mind I'm going to bring in some of the last boxes out back."

"Not at all. Thank you, Hosei-kun."

The young man waved a quick goodbye to the four women before making his exit.

After making sure he was completely out the door Sakura and Ino spun Kazumi around to face them.

"Where did you find him?"

"Has he been in the village this whole time?"

"How old is he?"

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Do you think he likes long hair?"

"Uh-uhm maybe we should give Kazumi-san some space." Hinata tried to wave the girls away to give the woman some room.

"What?" Sakura took a moment of pause to look at the flustered woman in front of her. "Oh, sorry Kazumi-san. We'll, uhm, we'll leave and let you work."

With her shoulders relaxed, the young woman let out a sigh of relief and waved goodbye to the trio. Kazumi went behind the front desk where Satoshi had laid out various books and scores and began sorting them into piles to shelve later. She had become so consumed in her work that she almost missed the finger tapping the surface in front of her. The woman observed carefully, reading his lips as she places the last stack of scores in a folder.

"I'm finished with all the boxes. Where would you like me to start?"

"You're quick! How about we take a lunch break? I'll make us some tea."

"Sure. In that case, I'll run out to grab some food. Anything you want in particular?"

Kazumi disappeared behind the door leading to the back-work room. "Anything you're having."

It was minutes when Satoshi returned with a plastic bag in each hand. Kazumi got up to grab them from him while he went to go wash up for lunch. The two sat at a small table with Satoshi bringing out the bag's contents and Kazumi pouring their tea. Not wanting to wait a moment longer she hurriedly placed the kettle down and popped open her bento box to reveal a beautiful assortment of vegetables, rice, and pork cutlet.

Satoshi chuckled as he watched his employer practically drool over her food. He handed her a pair of chopsticks to which she took, and both offered thanks before digging in. Somewhere halfway into their meal Satoshi placed his chopsticks down to reach under the table.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

Kazumi paused in between bites to look curiously at what her employee was up to. Satoshi placed what looked like a box wrapped tightly with a blue handkerchief. With his slender fingers, he began to undo the tie and opened the box. The sweetest, most appetizing aroma came wafting up and assailed her nostrils in such a way it had her drooling once more.

Within the carefully packaged bento were four fresh apple pockets. "Oh, my favorite!" Kazumi plucked one from the box and took a bite at one of the corners. She hummed in content as the sweet and tart flavors coated her mouth.

"Grandfather sent these. They are for you and Hatake-san."

With her mouth still full, Kazumi placed the pocket down to sign a thank you. "Please tell him thank you. And that it won't be too long until I visit him again."

"No rush. Grandpa knows you have been busy with the store opening. I'm sure he's looking forward to your visit."

Kazumi sent him a sweet smile reminiscing about the sweet old man that had help her so many times before. "Let's finish up so we can get back to cleaning up."

The rest of the week went by just like that. Kakashi was on another long mission but with the shop keeping her busy Kazumi was able to focus her mind elsewhere. The young woman had maintained her tutoring business with a couple loyal and dedicated customers while Satoshi had picked up a few students himself.

Kazumi felt very fortunate to come across Satoshi. The young man had a passion for music that reminded her much of her younger days as a musician. His grandfather, the old man that had helped Kazumi that day in the market, introduced the two to each other. The old man and Kazumi had become acquainted when she started visiting his little apple stand more often to buy the red fruit. They had become close in those times.

xx

Kakashi was a little disturbed by the amounts of apples laying around in her home but she always managed to find delicious ways of incorporating them into their meals, so he was fine with it. Moreover, if it meant she had another friend to keep her company while he was away the Jonin was all for it.

During one of her weekend visits to the old man's stall, Kazumi was surprised and slightly disappointed when she did not see him there. In his place was a much younger man, perhaps in his early twenties, bagging a sack full of apples for the couple in front of her. "Thanks, and come again," she saw him say. She saw him glance her way and blushed when she realized she was staring.

"Hi there. What can I help you with?"

The young woman fumbled with her hands, about to sign, but quickly threw up five fingers while pointing to the apples in the cart with her other hand.

"Uhh, five apples?" She nodded her head in confirmation. "Right away!"

While he disappeared behind the cart to fill a bag, Kazumi tried to think of a way to ask where the old man was or if he was okay. She thought maybe she could outright ask him but feared he might cringe at her muffled voice. Kazumi imagined her slurring speech was not too kind to the ears.

The young man walked around the cart to hand her the bag. Kazumi reached out to take it from him and continued to stand there staring at him. "Uh, that'll be 35 ryo."

Kazumi's eye lit with recognition and searched her purse for the money. She handed it to him and he took it with a smile. Shoving the money into his apron, he noticed her feet shuffle in place instead of walking away. "Is there something else you need, miss?" Kazumi opened her mouth to ask a question but immediately closed it. An idea popped up then and she set the bag down to gesture with her hands. Kazumi pointed a finger to the cart then brought up her other hand to her chest to signal the height of the old man, followed up with her hunching over while pretending to hold a cane. She stood back up, lifted both hands in the air, and shrugged her shoulders to indicate that she did not know something.

The young man chuckled at her little show and to her surprise, he began to sign. "My grandfather is taking the day off today. He is visiting my grandmother's grave." Relief and sadness filled her heart with the fact that the young man knew how to sign but also at the loss of someone so important to them. With a somber face, she took her fist and moved in a clockwise motion over her chest to say, "Sorry."

"Thank you, but that was years ago so we're okay. She went peacefully."

The young woman nodded her head in understanding and bent down to pick up her bag of apples. Just as she was about to wave goodbye, she caught the movements of his hands once more. "Grandfather has told me a lot about you. I was wondering when I would see you."

"He has?" she blushed in slight embarrassment.

"Yeah, but don't worry. They have all been good things."

"Then you don't know the half of it."

"Huh?" The young man stared at her, a little shocked at her reply. Kazumi's shoulders shuddered with a giggle.

"Just kidding." Both laughed before Kazumi went to end the conversation, so the young man could get back to work. "I'll be going now. Please tell your grandfather I said hello."

"Oh, of course! It is really great to finally meet you." She gave him a small smile. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is S-A-T-O-S-H-I."

"K-A-Z-U-M-I."

"I'll tell grandfather you stopped by."

"Thank you."

Satoshi waved goodbye as he watched Kazumi walk into the crowd, a fond smile growing on his face.

Seconds of just leaving the busy market street Kazumi felt a slight gust of wind and a gentle hand on her lower back. She turned her head to see Kakashi had shunshinned next to her. "Isn't it a little early?"

"Think of it as a lunch break."

She side-eyed him knowing he was skipping out on work but stood on her toes to peck him on the cheek anyway. She looked down to see him sign, "Who?" and her face turned sour.

"Ah, so that's why."

The jonin scratched his cheek, caught red handed in his lie. Kazumi gave him one last look before shaking her head. "Grandson."

"Ah," he stored a mental image of the man's face in the back of his mind for now. "Well, I really am on a lunch break. Hungry?" Kazumi nodded in reply and Kakashi took the bag of apples from her hand. The two walked off into town together.

xx

Kazumi waved goodbye to Satoshi for the night. The worked hard all day to tidy up the shop and even finished the piano room for lessons. They did not have any customers that day, but it was all right, it gave them more time to spruce up the shop a bit more.

The young musician made her way across the bridge with the full moon her only source of light. The chill in the air had her wrapping her scarf a little tighter around her neck. In moments, she came to the favorite part of her commute, a line of trees decorating the street. During summer, the thick branches and lush leaves would provide a cool reprieve during Konohagakure's intense summer days. During the colder seasons, if Kazumi happened to look up she would find abandoned bird nests and, if she were lucky, perhaps an owl or a squirrel scrambling among the branches.

Today must have been a lucky day, for when she glanced up she saw Ural owl perched on one of the branches high above her. Kazumi stopped to stare at the wonderful bird, watching its yellow beak open and close while it hoo'ed. The wonder quickly passed when the reminder that she could no longer hear them stained her mind. The thought of it put a weight on her chest. Shuffling the papers in her arms, Kazumi picked up the pace back home.

Closing the door behind her, she recklessly dropped the papers on the dining table and went straight to bed without changing her clothes. The young woman curled up into a ball and laid there until she fell asleep.

Morning came and Kazumi was greeted with the familiar smell of his musk. A warm hand glided over her forehead to move strands of her dark hair to the side. Her eyes fluttered open to find two onyx orbs staring back at her with something akin to adoration. Her eyes moved down to his lips and he mouthed the word, "Morning."

Kazumi laid there, feeling the soothing movements of his fingers whisper across her face, her brain still in a sleepy stupor as he patiently waited for her to rise. His fingers ghosted over her left temple and she felt him apply a light pressure moving them in circles. She closed her eyes, enjoying his little ministrations.

The young woman felt a shudder at her side and opened her eyes once more to see him chuckling. "You're like a cat," she saw him say. Kazumi smiled and nuzzled her head into his palm as a cat would. She felt him laugh some more and peeked an eye to watch him. Her smile grew wider as she turned her head to the side to kiss his palm.

Kakashi felt his heart swell at the contact. Mornings like this were what he loved, and he could not, just could not, ruin it by asking her what had happened yesterday. Finding her curled up in a ball, in clothes she had been working all day in, papers haphazardly tossed onto the table. He tried racking his mind for anything he might have missed but decided she would tell him eventually.

"Let's start our day, ne?"

Kazumi nodded her head and sat up. Kakashi got off the bed already fully clothed and headed to the kitchen. Once he was out the door, she looked down to find that she was still in yesterday's clothes. Apart of her was a bit surprised that Kakashi did not ask her about it and another part was relieved that she did not have to explain. Taking her time, she got up and made her way to the bathroom.

Despite Kakashi having a day off Kazumi had put him to work anyway. She had him put some shelves together in the back of the shop while she rearranged some files, Satoshi in one of the practice rooms tutoring a student.

The bell rang signaling an incoming customer. Kakashi heard it jingle clearly from the back of the store but quickly ignored it, figuring that one of the other two would grab it.

"Hello," he heard the customer say. The Jonin stopped his work to look through the crack in the door left ajar. It was not his place to greet customers and knew Kazumi took pride in her job, so he waited it out.

"Hello," he said louder.

Kazumi saw from the corner of her eye the door to one of the practice rooms open. Satoshi stepped out and looked at her then saw that he purposefully looked to the side towards the front of the store. She gasped when she realized someone had been waiting. Almost dropping the file of scores in the cabinet, she rushed her way to the front. "How can I-."

"I've been waiting for a while, you know?" he interrupted before she could even finish her question.

"Yes, and I am very sorry. I did not hear you come in. Is there anything I can get for you?" she asked in her slurred speech.

"But you have a bell on your door." He pointed to the bell hanging of the side of the door.

Kazumi wrung her hands together nervously. "Y-yes, that we do. I-I'm hard of hearing so…"

He gave her an incredulous look. "But, isn't this a music store?"

"Yes! Yes, it is," she said enthusiastically.

"Then why are you working he-, "Kakashi was fast to get up and was about to walk into the conversation until he heard Satoshi.

"Excuse me, sir. I apologize for the wait. Is there anything we can get for you?"

The man looked a little startled by Satoshi's sudden appearance but shook it off. "Yes, I'm looking for some piano music by a specific composer. I'd like to borrow a copy if possible."

"Sure. What composer are you looking for?"

"Uh, I think his name Chai-cat-something."

"Ah, Tchaikovsky?"

"That's it!"

"Alright, come with me."

Satoshi went to take the man to where the Tchaikovsky scores were but stopped short when he realized he did not know where they kept them. He turned around to Kazumi and laughed helplessly.

The young woman simply smiled and led them to the correct shelves. She pointed to one of the higher ones and stepped aside for Satoshi to grab what the man needed. Her employee took a file and opened it for the customer to see. After confirming it was what he came for, Satoshi led him to the front to process the transaction. Kazumi stayed behind to realign some of the music books.

"There you are, sir." Satoshi handed the man the folder of scores.

"Thank you, son. Also, might I add?"

The young man tilted his head to show that he was listening.

"I'm sure it isn't my place to say, but it doesn't really make sense to have someone who is hard of hearing work here. I mean, this is a music store. Perhaps it'd be good to replace her with someone who is more… capable."

Satoshi's face immediately fell grim. "Sir, I don-."

BAM

The back door slammed open, followed by what sounded like books tumbling off the shelves and a small, "eep!"

Kakashi stepped through the door with his shoulders back and his chin tilted up so that he was looking down his nose at the customer. Both men stared at him with shock on their faces.

"You're right about it not being your place. If you have everything you came for allow me to walk you to the door."

Stunned that a staff would talk to him, a customer, like that had the man stuttering. "W-w-who do you th-think you are t-talking to me like…" His eyes slid down Kakashi's form slowly taking in his uniform. Recognizing the traditional flak jacket, he began to stutter incomprehensibly. "N-nn-nin-n-n-,"

"This way." The Jonin held out a hand towards the exit and followed the man to the front. He held the door open for the man to step out, still in his frightful daze.

Kakashi watched him walk down the street for good measure before going back into the store. Shutting the door behind him, he saw Kazumi peek from behind one of the shelves, her hair in a bit of disarray. "What happened," she signed, a bit frantically.

Satoshi watched as Kakashi looked at his employer intensely. He stayed as still as he could, too afraid to deviate any attention towards himself. His employer's boyfriend was quite scary when he wanted to be.

Kakashi looked behind her at the mess in the aisle she was in, papers laid scattered across the floor. "Nothing you need to worry about. Come, let me help you." Without waiting for a reply, he walked passed her to the mess.

Kazumi looked at Satoshi a bit confused only to see him shrug his shoulders in return. She walked to where her lover was, crouched to the floor trying to gather the papers in a neat pile. She noticed he was mixing up the scores and bent down to touch a hand to his. He stilled and looked up at her. The sight of his eyes took Kazumi aback. They looked a little lifeless, like when they had first met.

She took the pile from his hands and started to rearrange them in their correct folders. Handing the folders to him she signed, "Alphabetical by the last name." He stood up to put them in their correct places.

When finished, Kakashi looked down to see her start on another pile. He scanned her closely for any signs that she felt startled by what had happened. He looked at her hands, but they looked steady as they filed papers in their correct folders. He tilted his head to get a better look at her face only to find that it was as serene as it was when they walked into the shop this morning.

Looks like he was the only one bothered by what that man had said.

It was the end of the day and Kazumi had just locked up. Her and Satoshi exchanged goodbyes and Kakashi nodded his head in the young man's direction. The last rays of the sun had just disappeared beneath the horizon leaving the couple to walk home in the cold dark.

Kakashi noticed Kazumi was being unusually quiet, apart from the usual and obvious. He wondered what was going through her mind at this moment. Was she perhaps thinking at all about today? No matter how many times he looked, he could not find one single stress line on her face or a furrowed brow.

"I may be no ninja, but your side glances aren't very subtle." She looked up to him and flashed a smile. "What's on your mind?"

Kakashi quickly searched his brain for a little white lie. Something that would not indicate that he was bothered by today's event when it should have been her.

"I was just thinking how accustomed you've become with the shop. It's the first time I've seen you in that element."

Shoot, I was not supposed to bring anything up about the shop.

"Ah, yes. It helps that the work is very familiar to me. Hosei-kun has also been a great help. He definitely does all he can to make my load lighter of which I wish he didn't."

The twitch of his lips gave way to a small smile, but with it being so dark, he knew she could not see. He nodded his head in response. "I see."

A minute passed in silence. They reached the halfway point to Kazumi's house when she spoke again.

"You're bothered by what that man said, right?"

Kakashi hid his surprise in taking a shorter stride in his step. He did not sign a word and the couple kept walking.

"I saw the whole thing from behind the shelves," she explained. "I won't lie, it still bothers me. There isn't a day I don't go without thinking about it but it's the work that I do and the people I am with that makes it bearable- that makes my days a little brighter."

The Jonin watched her take a deep breath; she took his hand and swung it as if she were holding a child's but Kakashi did not mind the gesture this late at night. No one would see them, as far as he could sense.

He was too focused on their intertwined hands to notice she had stopped walking; the slight tug on his arm had him looking back up to her face. Her head was tilted back, wide eyes looking at the sky. A flake of snow caught his attention and he followed her gaze up.

Like the glittering stars during summer, the snow had begun to fall, decorating the cloudy night sky in specks of white. There was no wind to disturb them as they gently fluttered to the ground around them.

Kakashi looked at her once more, watching the child-like amusement on her face as he contemplated a decision he had been trying to make for quite some time. "It's beautiful," he heard her say. He gently tugged on her arm.

Kazumi looked at Kakashi as he let go of her hand. "I want to show you something."

"Now?"

"Yes."

His lifted an open palm in her direction waiting for her to take it. The young woman squinted at the gesture before grabbing on. They backtracked a bit before he led her off the path and onto another, taking them further away from her home.

The came by the river and crossed the bridge hand in hand. Minutes of walking led them to another dirt road leading to a house on the side. As they walked closer, Kazumi was able to pick up more details on the surrounding area. There was a large, dark patch of dirt that might have indicated a rice paddy; a wooden fence lined the side separating it from the front of the house, and trees and all sorts of foliage encompassing the property giving it a private feel.

Kakashi led her to the fence in front of the house. He kept her hand in his and pulled down his mask with the other. She looked up at him expecting some kind of explanation.

"This is the house my father and I use to live in."

Kazumi gave the house a quick glance over before looking at him once more.

"I have a lot of memories here, good and bad as you know." She blinked in understanding.

"I'll admit I haven't been entirely honest with you, Kazumi." She tilted her head ever so slightly, a silent question.

"This past year has been very busy for the both of us and while I have been on missions, most of my time has been here. I've been working on this house."

"Are you going to move back?"

"Well, yes. But I was hoping when I finish that you could move in with me."

Kakashi gave her moment to see if she would reply. When she did not out of shock he went on.

"Remember what Naruto had asked us that day we had dinner with him?" Realization dawned on her face as she retraced her memories. "It wasn't that long ago but I had been thinking pretty hard about it since."

Kazumi could feel the tears well in her eyes.

"I'm not a very traditional man. The life I chose has taught me to follow my instincts in bad situations, but for some reason, I am not sure what to do with the good ones. I'm not very good at being happy but you," he turned his head slightly to look at the house. "You smile so effortlessly like it's the most natural thing in your body. And I realized I wanted that." He turned back to face her directly. "I want it still and I want it for the rest of my life."

Kakashi took in a deeper breath silently pleading for his voice to be still. "This house is too big for one person. Besides, don't you think it's about time you had a surname?"

The tears flowed freely, and Kazumi had let go of his hand in favor of holding his blushing cheeks. She pulled him down for a passionate kiss to which he returned fervently.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Thanks to CerealKiller11 for being a great motivator. Took me a while to get this out.