I hope I will be able to update sooner after this. We are on our busiest season in our office, so I think I won't be able to write in the meantime. But I hope that won't be the case.
I dedicate this one to Prescripto13. Thanks to all the reviews. Appreciate them much and they actually inspire me to update my fanfic. ;)
Hanare looked at Kakashi as if he said something crazy. Well, it really was a crazy thing to say.
"You want me to be the assistant of the Hokage of the village that you think I'm infiltrating? Are you out of your mind?"
"By being my assistant, you have to be with me all the time. That way, I can personally watch you and I won't have to worry what you are doing. But you will just be my assistant in title. You will not do any personal assistant job. I have a real assistant who will take care of those things."
"Wow! Quite… 'sneaky,' Lord Hokage," she said sarcastically. "But, don't you think everyone will wonder why you need to get another assistant?"
"That's not a problem. Shikamaru wanted to be my assistant so that he could prepare himself when Naruto becomes the Hokage. He's practically on training. So, I really need a 'real' assistant."
"A 'real' assistant who will not do any real job. Wow! That really is a very honest action." She still could not take the sarcasm away.
But Kakashi doesn't seem to mind. He is still in his usual relaxed and unconcerned demeanor.
"And since you will be my assistant, you can live with me in the Hokage Residence. So you don't have to worry where you will stay."
Hanare gaped at Kakashi. Live with him? LIVE WITH HIM!
"That is the most… RIDICULOUS THING… that you have ever said ever since I've met you."
Kakashi just looked at her.
"You know that a man and a woman could not live in one house just like that, right? Because if you don't, then you are in big trouble, Lord Hokage."
"You are my assistant, so what's wrong with that?"
"Oh my God!"
Hanare feels like fainting. Sure, there's no wrong if an assistant lives with her boss. Some already do that. And the Hokage Residence is not just the official residence of the Hokage, but also its principal workplace. It's just like living in the company you work with.
But she's going to live with Kakashi Hatake. That guy who has taught him how to look at the clouds when she's feeling hopeless and what it means to have a home and how it is to feel… love.
"The Hokage Residence has a room for you to stay. And since it is an official workplace, Anbu guards the place. So I could be certain that no sneaking out during the night would happen."
Right. Hanare understands it now. The Hokage Residence is the safest place for Kakashi to put her in. The residence and the office is heavily guarded by Anbu.
"Very clever," she commented. "Living and working with you means being guarded by your elite Anbu operatives. I guess, no sneaking out for me, then."
She smiled confidently. Then, she looked at his dark grey eyes.
"But I won't. I won't do anything that will justify whatever you're thinking about me. I promise to prove you wrong. I will make sure you realize that I really did not intend anything bad for the village. Until you let me go and let me leave the Hidden Leaf."
She stared at his eyes, making him see that she meant every word she said. He was the first one to surrender.
"Well then, see you when you're discharged." He went out of the room and closed the door.
Hanare looked at the door. Kakashi really has changed. Well, she understands that being a Hokage means securing the people of the village and making sure they are living peacefully and happily. It really will change you, she guessed.
Maybe it's really up to her to prove herself to him. She looked at her guitar and started playing a sweet melody again.
It was on the third day when the doctor told Hanare that she's discharged and could go home. But of course, she could not really do that because she will be staying in the village, work as the assistant of the Hokage and live with him in the Hokage Residence.
Well, thinking about it, it seems that it's better to accept Kakashi's offer than leave the village and go back to running away from those Land of Keys ninjas. Anyway, if she decided to run away, it would make Kakashi order the Anbu to pursue her and take her back, and it means additional people chasing her and wanting to capture her.
How did her life become this difficult?
She doesn't want to dwell on that now. She just took her necklace pendant and let it grow out to its full size. Then she did some hand signs and a set of outfit appeared. She could not put on her black mission gear because it's so tattered it needs to be fixed first. Also, she's not on a mission and not anticipating any fight or battle so she doesn't need to be in full gear.
Her outfit consists of black tank top, light brown mini skirt, black tights, and chocolate brown long-sleeved jacket with matching knee-high boots. After changing, she neatly folded the hospital gown she was wearing during her stay in the hospital and placed it by the bed. Then she got out of her room.
She was not surprised to see Kakashi at the hospital lobby. He is wearing his usual flak jacket, dark blue pants, and a long-sleeved shirt. Only this time, he is wearing the official Hokage headdress.
"Now you really look like the Hokage," she commented as she approached him.
"I was told that you were discharged," he told her.
"So they really inform you about me? Wow! You seem to be really interested about me, huh?"
"Let's just go," Kakashi said, ignoring her banter.
He led her outside the hospital. They walked together through the village, and once again Hanare could not help but watch the village people doing their daily routine. It was a fun sight to see, and she is glad that she was able to experience such a scene again.
This time, she will not only watch these people live here. She will actually live there. She felt a bit of excitement thinking about it, so she was oblivious when Kakashi stopped in front of a building.
"We're here," he said, and that's when Hanare stopped walking.
Hanare turned and looked at him, finally realizing that she is already a few meters away from him. She blushed at her obvious absent-mindedness. She was looking down as she walked towards him.
"Let's go."
Hanare looked at the building in front of her. It looks like the usual Konoha building, but it's quite different than what she remembers.
Oh, right. The old one was destroyed by Pain. This was the replacement.
Kakashi went inside the building. Hanare followed her. They went inside the lobby, and they met quite a few shinobi along their way. They gave Kakashi the usual curtsey that they give the Hokage, and upon seeing her the usual wondering stare. But Kakashi didn't mind them. He just continued walking and Hanare just followed him.
They proceeded to the stairs, and then went up to the third floor. Then they went to the left most part where a door was located. Kakashi opened it and it revealed a staircase.
"It looks kind of creepy," Hanare said.
"This is the private staircase that leads to the penthouse," Kakashi said. "Only me and the house staff has access to this door."
Kakashi went inside and climbed through the stairs. Hanare followed him.
"How do you make sure that no unauthorized person enter this passage?" she asked.
"Secret service," Kakashi answered.
"Ah! Your elite Anbu again."
She is getting quite fascinated with the life of the elite covert operatives. It seems they have an interesting life and they know a lot of secrets. It's the one job that she would want to have.
"Can I be an Anbu?" she asked.
"Hmn?" Kakashi looked at her.
"I feel like the Anbu are the Hokage's spy. I could be like that."
"Anbu are not just spies. They are assigned to carry out assassinations, tracking, surveillance, and missions requiring specially trained ninja."
"I am a ninja with specialized skills. I could help in interrogation and I could infiltrate even those villages that's impossible to get in."
"You are not a Hidden Leaf ninja so you can't do such things."
Right. She is not a Konoha ninja and Kakashi just made her his assistant because he needs to guard her 24/7.
"I never really won when it comes to arguing with you."
Kakashi looked at her. Hanare just looked back.
"We're here."
Kakashi opened the door, and it led them to a fully furnished Hokage penthouse.
