It was early September, and Kakashi Hatake watched the fading sun sink lower into the horizon from a wide, sturdy tree branch that overlooked the river. He liked to sit here in the evenings, especially after a long day of paperwork and mission reports and let his mind wander freely without any conscious direction. Here, in the solace and privacy of the trees, he could even read his Icha Icha in peace, as it was unlikely anyone, whether it be his pesky students or well-meaning colleagues, would find him here.

Today in particular, as he stretched his arms above his head and then out to the sides, he noticed his muscles were tired, and he knew they would be sore when he awoke the next morning. He was used to being tired, as he had no shortage of mission and battle experience, being an elite jounin for the village hidden in the leaves; however, since the invasion of Pain, Tsunade had ordered all able men, including shinobi, to assist in the reconstruction of Konoha, and he found himself aching in oddly, unfamiliar places after hammering down nails and handling large loads of lumber all afternoon. At the very least, he was lucky he wasn't Yamato, who'd been run down to the core, as his wood-style jutsu was being fully utilized in the reconstruction. Poor guy.

Often nowadays when Kakashi sat here, his mind drifted, despite his best efforts, and her face, Mina's face, would pop up in his mind, smiling, shouting, smirking, teasing…It's not to say that he didn't fight for control. He hadn't expected himself to be thinking of her so often, and he convinced himself that he didn't even want it, whatever 'it' was, to be happening. What was this 'it' he referred to? Well, Kakashi wasn't rushing to define the feeling, which went on despite himself and troubled him deeply, but every time he thought of her, he felt something twitch inside him, something deep and powerful, something that made him feel dizzy and off balanced for just a moment before he could shake it off and regain composure.

Ever since the reconstruction of the village had commenced, one of the first makeshift buildings to be established was the hospital, which was now just a series of connected tents as they waited for their real facility to be constructed. Kakashi found himself lingering nearby on his breaks, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mina as she hurried about the tents. Sometimes, when he was feeling particularly reckless, he would walk in himself, complaining of a pulled muscle or part of his body that he'd strained while putting himself to use in the reconstruction. Mina would just smile at him knowingly and send him off with a bag of ice and a brisk pat on the back, "You're a shinobi, Hatake, not a baby. Suck it up!"

To make matters worse, Sakura seemed to be keeping a closer eye on her former sensei, and she sometimes sauntered past him, making a face, before ducking her head underneath the flap of the medic tent, as if she was trying to rub in the fact that she could linger around that area without seeming like an old, creepy stalker while he could not.

The other nurses, who were pleased to see Kakashi by so often grumbled whenever Mina sent him off quickly. She clearly didn't understand what she was doing. And who was she to ruin their favorite pastime, which included standing around the tent in groves, watching the handsome shinobi ice his firm muscles, squealing every time he happened to look up and smile politely in their direction?

In any case, Kakashi knew that his behavior was becoming unacceptable and inappropriate. He assured himself that today would be the last day he would walk by the medic tent, no matter what. If he had to seek out a challenge with Maito Guy to distract himself tomorrow, he would. He was that desperate.

It was nearing 7 pm when he finally decided to call it a day, leaping down deftly from the branch to land squarely on his feet. He began to walk home, which at the moment, took form in an individual tent among the thousands of others that dotted the village, courtesy of the Land of Fire's government. Sleeping on a cot wasn't ideal, but at the very least, he hadn't developed back problems from it like Shikaku, who grumbled unappreciatively as he walked around the village, trailing behind Tsunade. He let out a yawn, wondering what he would be eating tonight. A few of his colleagues had invited him to a gathering that night, and to his understanding, they were grilling up fresh fish they'd caught from the stream earlier that morning. That sounded rather enticing, if the social aspect of it wasn't included. He wasn't really in the mood to sit around a fire while people yapped around him and forced him to make conversation about arbitrary things. Yet, as his stomach growled, he wondered if he wasn't lazy enough to make his own dinner tonight. Choices…Choices…

The sun set quickly this day, and when Kakashi finally pulled himself out of his tent to go meet his colleagues, night had fallen, and a hearty fire had been started.

"Kakashi!" Gai noticed him straightaway, of course, "my dearest rival! I saved you a piece of fish!" He waved the stick of grilled fish excitedly as Kakashi made his way toward his most peculiar and yet dependable comrade.

"Thanks," he grunted appreciatively, taking a generous bite out of the fish.

"As my eternal rival, I couldn't let you starve, Kakashi!"

"After all," he continued, "if you're not healthy, I won't be able to challenge you fair and square!"

Kakashi nodded, taking another bite, chewing slowly.

"That's why I wish I'd been in the village when that Pain guy attacked…"

Kakashi glanced at Gai, whose head drooped momentarily before it shot back up, a fire seemingly ablaze in his eyes, "I could've shown him what's what with the power of youth! I always miss all the good fights!"

"Gai," said Kakashi, "You know I died from fighting him, right?"

"Exactly!" The mention of this had seemingly stoked the fire in Gai even more so than before, "If I'd been in the village, I would have never let that happened." He folded his arms across his chest and nodded confidently to himself, "Rivals always have each other's backs!"

Kakashi chose to say nothing, simply nodding in reply. Across from where he sat, he saw Raido and Aoba in deep conversation while Kurenai, who was extremely pregnant, was chatting with an animated Anko. Iwashi, Kotestu, and Izumo stood around the fireplace and seemed to be downing a few beers. It was only then when he noticed Genma standing a little ways off from the crowd, seemingly deep in contemplation. Suddenly, his eyes flickered over to Kakashi, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before Kakashi looked away, feeling rather awkward. Normally, they were pretty friendly with each other, getting on well, as they both shared similar personality traits and found they could relate to each other when the rest of their colleagues acted a fool; however, the tension between the two had been growing uncomfortably for a while now, and Kakashi wasn't nearly daft enough to pretend he didn't know why.

"Kakashi," a low voice spoke, and he looked up to see Genma standing right in front him. He jerked his head, motioning towards a more private area a few yards away from the campfire and their circle of friends, "We need to talk."

"Okay." Kakashi rose to stand, dusting dirt off the back of his pants before he followed Genma away from the fire and into the darkness.

Once they were out of earshot of their friends, Genma faced him, his senbon twitching every so slightly.

"We need to talk about something."

"Something—or someone?" said Kakashi raising an eyebrow.

"The latter, obviously."

Mina. Kakashi knew at once where this conversation was heading.

"Well talk away, Genma. I've got plenty of time."

Genma hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Well, for starters" he said, "What are you and Mina?"

"What am I and Mina?" Kakashi repeatedly dubiously.

"What is she to you?" he spoke again firmly, looking Kakashi straight in the eye.

"Well," Kakashi cocked his head and rubbed his chin as if he was thinking hard, "we're friends?" he offered finally.

"Friends."

"Yeah, friends."

"You sure don't seem like it, from what I've been seeing."

"What do you mean?" inquired Kakashi in an innocent voice, "What is it that you have been seeing?" Genma noted the sarcastic tone in Kakashi's last word.

"I'm not dumb, Hatake," said Genma, his voice rising slightly, "I've known you for a long time, and I see the way you look at her."

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, "And how exactly do I look at her?"

"I don't know—I mean—you just look at her like—"

"the way you look at her?" interjected Kakashi quietly. He hated to admit to it, but it was true. He just hoped that he hadn't been looking nearly as puppy-eyed as Genma. That would be very out of character for him.

Genma's gaze hardened and he looked away, before grumbling something that sounded like "Yeah…tch."

"I'm sorry if that worries you Genma, but you should know that I have no intention of being anything but friends with Mina." Said Kakashi, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. He hoped that saying it out loud would make it more true and absolute in his mind. He also hoped that in saying this, Genma would stop being so tense around him and that they could resume their friendship as normal. He hated to say it, but Genma these days was starting to remind him of a certain brooding, angsty rogue ninja that he once taught. To his dismay, his words seemed to incite even more anger in his friend, who glared at Kakashi.

"What do you mean you have no intentions with her?" said Genma at the top of his voice, "You're just going to mess around with her feelings, but leave her high and dry at the end of all this?"

"Mess around with her—leave her high and—what?" sputtered Kakashi, feeling anger rise within him as well. He didn't like to be accused of acts he didn't and would never commit.

"Don't play dumb, Hatake!" said Genma almost in a snarl, "If you hurt her I swear to Kami I'll—"

"You'll what Shiranui?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes, feeling his patience running out, "You have no idea what you're talking about! And last time I checked, you have no business meddling in Mina's love life anyway. You have a girlfriend—so start acting like it."

This was a low blow to Genma, and he would've punched Kakashi square in the face if he hadn't known deep down that it wouldn't make him feel any better afterwards. He was almost thirty. He couldn't be getting into fights anymore. He also knew deep down that what Kakashi said rang true, which made his words sting a great deal more. He did have a girlfriend, and yet, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about Mina.

"You don't even know the half of it, Hatake," Said Genma quietly, his fists clenched tightly, "You don't know anything about me and Mina."

"Yeah?" Kakashi smirked, "So why don't you go ahead and explain it to me instead of keeping it in like a petulant child."

"I don't need to tell you anything."

"Well," said Kakashi evenly, "if you're not going to tell me, you should at least tell Mina." His voice softened ever so slightly, "Out of all people, she deserves to know."

"That's not for you to decide."

"It was just a suggestion."

"I don't need your help."

"Well that's laughable." It took all Kakashi had to keep in the laugh that threatened to burst out of him. Laughing in his face wouldn't help him repair his friendship with Genma. He expected his colleague to reply in some sort of snarky manner, but instead he grew very quiet, so that all he heard was the faint rustle of the leaves and the sound of his own breathing.

Genma scrutinized the silver haired jounin that stood in front of him. All these years, and he had never seen him go out of his way to create and maintain a new relationship with anyone. Even his students, whom he suspected now held a place in Kakashi's selective heart, had been assigned to him by the third, and he would complain about them every time they met up, calling them pesky brats and the like. Yet, Mina, of all people…did she pass some sort of invisible test that rendered her worthy of his companionship, his affection? Was she so extraordinary that Kakashi simply could not leave her alone?

"Do you care for her?" he said at last with a great deal of trepidation in his voice.

"Do I care—" Kakashi repeated. Again, there was no reply from Genma, as he stood there quietly and patiently waiting for an answer. Kakashi could have thought of at least a thousand other things he would rather be doing right now than thinking about his feelings, and for a girl nonetheless, one of which included getting his teeth pulled or having his prostate checked for cancer, and yet, he was stuck, and he knew deep down that he should have been answering these types of questions all along.

"I suppose I do." He replied finally.

"That's not good enough, not nearly good enough," scoffed Genma, kicking the dirt beneath his feet, Kakashi's answer having unsettled him even further. He supposed he cared about Mina? What kind of fruity, vague, noncommital answer was that?

"Look, Mina is—she's—she doesn't have a lot of people she can depend on in her life."

"I figured as much."

"So don't hurt her Kakashi," pleaded Genma, "Don't hurt her like I think you will."

Kakashi sighed heavily. It's not like he didn't have the faintest idea to what Genma was referring. He'd witnessed Kakashi's phase of shameless one night stands back in his early twenties, but for some reason, he knew instinctively that it wasn't what unsettled his friend so much. Maybe it was his personality and the way he kept himself hidden, even from friends who desperately tried to get him to open up. He never did, of course. He never liked talking about his past and all the obscenities and tragedies that befell him there, so Maito Guy's cries often fell on deaf ears. Yet, hadn't he improved? Surely, but slowly he'd begun to feel like a human being again in the past few years instead of like a numb shadow that drifted aimlessly among humanity, waiting impatiently for its turn to die. He had Naruto, Sakura, and even Sasuke to thank for that and he supposed the third, who put them all together in the first place. The hole that had been gaping in his chest for almost two decades of his life had begun to be filled year after year with the hearts of his most dear comrades, but, maybe he was lousy at showing it.

"I won't," said Kakashi after a moment of deliberation.

Genma nodded, the uneasiness he felt still bouncing around restlessly within him, but there was nothing else he felt he could say to protect Mina, at least not to Kakashi's face.

"Well. I'm going to call it a night. You should probably get back before Gai comes looking for you."

Kakashi nodded serenely. Maito Gai...always dependable. But why hadn't he butted in earlier during his conversation with Genma, specifically during the entire thing? He could have used some help back then, but it was too late, and the damage was done.


Mina sat in her tent, flipping through the pages of a book that she'd borrowed from a co-worker, the gas-lit lamp flickering steadily, casting the room with warmth and light. So far, the novel was okay—it was some typical romance story that revolved around a rich man and his poor, servant girl, but she longed for the collection of books that she'd kept in her apartment, some of which she'd re-read countless times. All her belongings had been destroyed, however, and there was no chance she would be able to replace them anytime soon. After all, the village was still in the midst of reconstruction, and apartment buildings were not set to be finished for another week or so, although she had heard rumors of a certain shinobi whose wood-style justu had been speeding up the process considerably.

Suddenly, she sensed a presence outside the flaps of her tent, its shadow reflected on the beige canvas material. As she expected, a familiar head popped in underneath the flaps.

"I would knock but—there's nothing here to really knock on," said Genma apologetically, "Is it a bad time?"

"No—no, of course not! Come on in." Mina set down her book beside her on the cot and smiled as Genma walked in, crouching, as to not hit his head on the tops of the tent.

"Whatever do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well—" Genma finally settled for a spot on the floor across from Mina who sat on her cot. She immediately began to motion for him to sit beside her, moving aside as she did so, but he shook his head hastily, content with where he sat.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he began.

"Something—huh? Well, shoot away. I'm an open book," she shrugged, settling her hands into her lap. Ever since the invasion of Pain, her and Genma had mostly returned to normal, and she suspected she saw him much more often than Natsumi would have liked. Although from time to time, she felt a tinge of guilt rise up inside her in thinking about the raven-haired vixen, pacing her tent as she waited for Genma to come home to her. Mina justified her own actions with the irrefutable fact that her and Genma were only friends. In her eyes, Natsumi had nothing to worry about.

Genma didn't speak immediately, and he fidgeted nervously for a few moments as if he was struggling to formulate the right words. Finally, he spoke.

"What is your relationship with Kakashi?

"My relationship?"

Genma nodded again, slowly, trying to read Mina's expression as she considered his question carefully.

"Well, we're just friends, I guess," said Mina finally, tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ears.

"Just friends?"

"That's what I said, Genma—why?"

"I just wanted to warn you to be careful."

"Careful? Genma, Kakashi's not dangerous or anything, at least not to the average citizen." Said Mina with a confused expression, "although," she added as an afterthought, "I'm sure it'd be an entirely different story if I was an enemy shinobi."

"That's not what I mean." Genma shook his head fervently. He watched as Mina's face scrunched up in concentration, trying to figure out to what he could possibly be referring to.

It had never occurred to Mina in her entire time of knowing Kakashi that he might be dangerous to her. Sure, he was this tall, handsome shinobi that she ran the risk of falling for and that occupied many of her thoughts throughout the day and even before she fell asleep at night, but she had been working hard to suppress those. She wasn't a fool. She knew she had better find herself a boring civilian boyfriend that could promise her the security and bland life that she thought she desired, and if anything, the invasion of Pain had solidified that opinion in her mind. She didn't want to ever feel the way she did when she'd found out Kakashi had perished in battle. It was just too similar to how she felt when her family had passed away 16 years ago.

To her annoyance, Genma was being oddly vague tonight. "Well, what do you mean?" she asked.

"I've seen you guys together—the way you look at him…"

"You don't mean to suggest that I might have feelings for him?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting," said Genma, "and I reckon he might have feelings for you too."

At these words, Mina's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a rush of warmth and girlish giddiness wash over her, but she tried to remain stoic on the outside, reluctant to appear excited or jubilant at his suggestion.

"Don't be silly," she said, "Kakashi and I aren't like that, and he's not dangerous. You know him!"

"It's precisely because I know him that I feel the need to say something. You know, Kakashi used to be like me back in the day…in regards to women"

Instantly, that wave of elation suddenly died, and Mina felt a strange sensation. Was it jealously? Bitterness? She couldn't say for sure. All she knew was that she felt as if someone had punched her directly in the gut.

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Mina, her voice shaking. Anger was beginning to boil up inside her.

"Because," he replied simply, "Kakashi isn't all who you think he is."

"I'd like to make my own judgment, thank you very much," said Mina rather hotly, "And if you're so against Kakashi and I being friends, should I keep being friends with you too? You're just as bad or even worse than him when it comes to stuff like that!"

Genma froze, and he abashedly looked away, unable to keep eye contact, knowing that what she said was true. Come to think of it, he probably was worse than Kakashi in that aspect. No, he most definitely was: he was certain of it. Yet, how could he sit here and watch the girl he loved fall in love with his friend? It was almost unbearable, and he felt his heart ripping out of his chest every time he saw them together. Furthermore, he was actually worried that Kakashi might break her heart. He'd never had a steady or committed relationship with any woman, and he knew Mina would want and need that in the years to come. Could Kakashi give her what he, Genma, knew she so desperately needed? It was highly unlikely given Kakashi's history. He hated to condemn his friend in such a spiteful way, but he had been acting out of character ever since that night in the smoky bar, as if he was spiraling out of control, and nothing seemed too past him now.

"You're being really hypocritical right now, Genma, and it's quite frankly, it's pretty disappointing," said Mina pointedly, "This isn't like you at all."

"Well excuse me for caring."

"Caring? Where were you all those days when you were busy avoiding me?" she spat.

Oh Kami. Genma could feel the words about to spill out of him like vomit. He'd told himself over and over again that he'd wouldn't, he couldn't say anything, that no matter what, she was too good for him in his own right. He had kept it in for what felt like forever, but now, his feelings were beginning to burst out, and everything that he'd worked so hard to keep was about to be lost. Just friends. Kakashi and Mina had both been lying to him—that, he was sure of, but more importantly, they had been also lying to themselves, just like he had been to himself for the past year or so. It wasn't the right time for it all to come out. Genma didn't want this. He knew the result wouldn't be good, but why couldn't he control himself any longer?

"D-do you know why I was avoiding you back then?!" he exploded, looking Mina fiercely in the eye. She gulped nervously, having never heard Genma raise his voice at her like that. Ever since she'd know him, Genma had always been the calm, cool, collected type, not easily stirred up or privy to emotional outbursts.

"Do you know why it's so hard for me to see you with Kakashi?!" he roared, continuing, "Have you really not caught on already or are you that oblivious?!"

It was scary for Mina to witness Genma unleash his pent up frustration and anger onto her. At the beginning of their talk tonight, she hadn't the faintest clue why Genma had seemed so on edge, but as he continued to yell, she was starting to be able to guess, a feeling of cold dread rising inside her. She didn't want him to say it. She prayed to Kami he wouldn't say it. It might, no, it would ruin everything, and she couldn't lose him again.

"I love you—" he choked out, feeling his own hot breath hitching in his throat painfully, "Mina, I love you—and, I've loved you for a long time."

There it was. He had finally said it straight to her face, clearly, shamelessly, and blatantly. There was no taking it back now, as he stared at Mina, who seemed to be in a state of shock.

"When I took you out to that bar—I didn't take you just because I wanted you to meet my friends or have some fun on your night off."

Again, with every word that left his mouth, he felt a sharp pain in his throat, as if his feelings were cutting into him the more he elaborated.

"I was so…freaking stupid—and I just thought that maybe, just maybe if you'd gone out with me that night and had a couple of drinks, you'd see me in a different light—it was a stupid thing to even think, I know!" said Genma with a pained expression, "But—I would have done anything for you to acknowledge me in that way—even if it meant fooling myself with some wishful thinking."

Mina felt that she couldn't find anything to say back, as she watched helplessly as her best friend confessed his feelings to her, feeling incredibly guilty and responsible somehow for his anguish.

"I never thought I was good enough for you, in fact, I'm still pretty certain I'm not—" he said with a great deal of embarrassment, "But I couldn't help myself, and so I selfishly tried to hold onto you and be with you in any way I could, even if it meant only being your friend."

"When you tried so insistently to set me up with Natusmi that night—it was like something inside me switched, and I just knew that you didn't love me like that at all. How could you, when you were so blatantly pushing another woman onto me? I panicked, and I was devastated, and I was drunk all at the same time—as I continued to talk with her at the bar, I thought to myself that I should just move my pathetic ass on."

"So, I actually made an effort with Natsumi, and I found that she wasn't so bad. We had some things in common, and I thought that maybe, just maybe I should try to test the waters with her. I couldn't even look at you the rest of that night because I knew if I did, I'd forget about Natsumi and fall back into old patterns and ways of thinking all over again."

"So," he croaked hoarsely, no longer speaking in a raised voice "I tried to put my all into what I had with Natsumi, and I avoided you—I knew I couldn't see you or else it'd all be over with her, my fresh new start would fall apart the moment I saw you—It fucking hurt me too, you know!"

Mina's eyes flickered in dismay as Genma placed his hand right over his heart, pounding it with his fist, "it hurt me right here, Mina, to force myself to avoid you, to not be able to see you, to not be able to give you a reason why—you have no idea."

At this point, Mina was on the verge of tears, filled with an unbearable sadness as she looked into Genma's chocolate brown eyes, taking in his dejected and heartbroken expression that threatened to send her over the edge. She had no way to deal with it, no place she could take it to or hide away. It was just there, the feeling, painful and unrelenting, and it took all the control she had to stop the tears from flowing.

"I should've just told you earlier, shouldn't I?" he said finally after a few moments of silence, "I should've just sucked it up and been more confident and gone after you—I should've been honest with myself and you right from the beginning—" he looked up at her and noticed she was shaking. He wanted so badly to reach up and wrap her in his arms until she stopped, but he knew it'd be unwise.

"It's all my fault, Mina, so please don't blame yourself. I'll be fine." He tried to smile feebly, but his face seemed determined to make him bask in the sadness of the moment, his jaw set in a perpetual frown as if he was about to start weeping any second now.

"Most importantly, I just want you to be happy—and even if that means we'll never be together, I'll be more than okay knowing that you are with exactly who you're meant to be with." The words slipped unexpectedly out of his mouth, unfiltered, unmistakable, and raw; however, he knew he meant everything he had just said deep down. Just a few moments ago, he hadn't been doing so well in accepting the fact that Mina just might not be his to hold and keep, but suddenly, possibly due to the abrupt disclosure of his true feelings, a wave of resignation and acceptance had washed over him, bringing clarity and a feeling of unbearable sorrow that filled him to the core. Because Mina never loved him.

"I better go." Genma rose shakily to his feet, his eyes never leaving those of Mina as she stared back at him, utterly perplexed and heartbroken. This might be the last time he would be seeing her, and he tried to memorize the distinct image of her face, which would get him through the troubles that he knew lay ahead. He had been already through this rodeo once before. He recognized the signs: war was coming, whether people wanted to admit it or not. With one last wave, Genma ducked underneath the flaps of Mina's tent and grudgingly forced himself to walk away, feeling a heavy and oppressive weight on his chest.

For a while it seemed, Mina sat in silence in the exact same spot she had been sitting in when Genma had first come into her tent that night, unable to move. One fat tear spilled from her eye, ran down her cheek, and splattered onto her hand, which rested on her thigh. Once that first tear had broken free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream, and Mina bent forward on the small cot, pressing her palms into her face, crying with the incredible intensity of someone vomiting on all fours. She felt her whole body trembling, as she continued to weep silently, her tired body covered in sweat and tears not after long. The rest of the night had gone by in a blur, but she remembered at one point tipping over onto her side to fall into her cot, pulling the threadbare blanket across her body and up to her chin, where she allowed herself to be pulled into a deep sleep. She had hoped that when she awoke, this would have all been a bad dream, but as the sun peeked into her tent the next morning, the birds chirping about the village as cheerfully as ever, she opened her eyes and with a wrench in her heart, realized that indeed, everything that had happened last night was not a figment of her imagination, nor the stuff of her nightmares, and upon coming to this conclusion, subsequently, she understood that everything she thought she knew had undoubtedly changed.


Ah, writing this chapter made me a bit sad. Oh the woes and pangs of first love...man... :( I kind of based it off how I felt when I got my heart broken for the first time, which is why it might sound a bit angsty at times LOL.

Poor Genma! Poor Mina! Well, I hope readers can begin to understand Genma better. Thanks for all the love, everyone. I'll keep writing!