Told You
So
Chapter
dedicated to Fayte Angel
One of the
secrets of life if to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks. -
Jack Penn
"Kakashi-kun!"
A silver-haired four-and-a-half year old groaned as his mom called him. He rolled onto his stomach and pressed the pillow down on his head. Muffled footsteps thudded against the wood flooring betraying how close the woman was to her offspring. The boy shrank into himself as the woman banged pots and pans above his head.
"Time to get up Kakashi-kun! Get dressed! Today's the day!" Memori sung cheerfully. She skipped around the room, turning on lights and forcing open windows.
"Kaaaa-saaaaan," The half-asleep boy slurred. "It's five in the morning."
"Exactly! It takes you a good hour to wake up, then another to dress and eat. By the time you are ready for school, you'll only have ten minutes to get there."
"But school doesn't start 'till nine..." Kakashi murmured and groped for another pillow to help block out the light.
"Nonsense! The Ninja Academy starts at six fifteen! Get crack'n." The woman grasped the sheets and yanked. Kakashi tumbled out of bed head first onto the floor. He swayed into an upright position while rubbing at the goosebumps covering his arms.
"Ninja Academy?" He asked and tried to walk forward. Memories of the previous week slowly leaked into his brain. He recalled his parents arguing; his father said he didn't need to go to pre-school when his mom wanted him to be with kids his own age. In the end Sakumo Hatake won when he pointed out that not every four year old could hit a target with a kunai nine times out of ten.
"Yes, I can't believe you forgot. Breakfast will be on the table when you're ready." Kakashi's mom commented as she gathered her kitchenware turned drumset. The silver headed boy nodded slowly as he crashed into the bathroom door. "And for heaven's sake WAKE UP!"
Two and a half hours later, Kakashi Hatake and Memori Hatake were sitting down to breakfast. The mother of the pair poured syrup onto her many pancakes and observed her child. He was shoveling eggs into his mouth a rate that would make most etiquette teachers fall over dead. "Kakashi-kun, you need to slow down or you could choke."
"Buh I dun wunna beh late fur school." He forced out around bulging cheeks.
"Well, what would your father think if I told him his only son ate himself to death?" She pushed her chair back and rose, taking the plates with her. The dishwasher gurgled to life as the woman filled it. Memori bumped the machine with her hip to close it and flipped open a brown paper bag. "Let's see apple, sandwich, chips... Kakashi-kun, do you want apple juice or milk?"
"Apple juice!" The youngster called out. He rushed to his room, grabbed his backpack, and hurried to the front door. His mother stood waiting in the doorway, the early morning light forming a shimmering halo around her hair. She knelt down and offered the lunch which he accepted with a peck on the cheek. "Thanks Kaa-san."
"Kakashi Hatake! You are forgetting something." She said sternly with arms crossed. Kakashi scowled cutely. He had hoped he could get away without it this morning.
"What is it Kaa-san?"
"Your mask." She pulled the black material from an apron pocket with a smile. All her anger had disappeared as if it had never been.
"Do I have to?" Kakashi pleaded with the infamous puppy-eyes. His mother broke. Years of living with the boy's father had built up a strong immunity to the look, but Kakashi was still young and still had the whole 'chibi' effect working for him. Memori was no match for it.
"I suppose not, but you will regret it." She sighed. Memories of his father's first day still haunted her. She remembered when the white haired boy entered the room, and how nearly every girl turned on one another to sit next to him. Of course I was smarter, just had to pretend to be a boy to get the spot. Tee-hee.
"Yes!" He ran out the door with a spring in his step.
Kakashi arrived on the school grounds five minutes early. It was the last time he was ever early, for fear of the female heyenas lurking in wait. The boy breezed through the courtyard and observed the other ninjas-to-be. By the far wall, two boys who looked similar with white eyes were talking, and a creepy kid around his own age with a bowl cut was watching them from behind some bushes. When the Hatake turned to avoid the crazy boy, he distinctly heard what sounded like the tune to a bad spy movie being whistled.
As he turned his attention to the rest of the class, he broke out in a sweat. Over half his classmates -the female ones- were staring at him with googly eyes. "He's so CUTE!" A random blonde girl squealed only to be mimicked by her classmates. The seven and eight year olds stalked towards the now panicking boy with predator-like grins on their faces. Kakashi started backing up, and cursed when he was stopped by the only tree in the entire yard. He imagined the way their fingers would feel as they pinched his sensitive cheeks. Why didn't I listen to dad's old horror stories? These must be the fan-girls from hell!
"Alright you shrimps, line up!"
Kakashi relaxed as the girls reluctantly drifted away. Saved by the teacher. He quickly pushed off the bark and squeezed between two boys to guard against any over-zealous girls. The principal, a jounin, droned on about Konoha shinobi pride in the orientation speech and Kakashi could physically feel each of the dozen pairs of eyes watching him. It was unnerving.
Ten minutes later, they broke up into five official classes to go inside. Kakashi nervously gripped a practice kunai in his pocket while keeping pace with the two boys from earlier. One wore a coat with a high collar that hid his lower face and tinted glasses. The other wore loose black pants and a dark blue shirt. Both were equipped with kunai and shuriken holsters.
"Hey, you don't mind if I sit with you guys?" Kakashi asked them. He could hear the girls squabbling about who got to sit next to the 'baby-face genius'. Chills went down his spine at the thought of being stuck at a table with those hell-girls. Cost boy just shook his head in a negative and the other grunted noncommittally.
Choosing a table three tiers up, Kakashi plopped down between the two older boys and attempted to ignore the devastated looks cast by the females. Fan-girls from hell! What I would give for that kids coat right now. I bet you can just sink into it and disappear...
The man sitting at the font desk slammed down book causing everyone to jump. Except for the coat-wearing-boy who was starting to creep Kakashi out, though not as much as the slavering girls. "Quiet down, I'll be your chunin teacher for the rest of the year. You can call me Kyo-sensei. Now today we'll be introducing ourselves. Likes, dislikes, whatever. This is mandatory and I'll be building the roll from what you tell me. Understood?"
"Hai Kyo-sensei!" The class chorused.
"Right then," The red haired teacher jabbed his pen at the first seat on the far right. "You with the weird-ass hair, go first."
A girl stood up and scowled at the teacher. She resembled some sort of wild animal with her long brown spikes of hair and red face paint. Kakashi recognized her as one of the few that didn't call him cute. "Tsume Inuzuka. I like my partner," she nodded to the medium sized dog crouched under the desk. "I dislike cats."
Kakshi sat on his hands and waited his turn. It wouldn't be long, but he didn't want the hell-girls, as he now called them, to know his name. They might start watching his house. No! I can't let that happen!
Now regretting asking his mom to leave behind the family mask, Kakshi jumped up. He only let the coat wearing boy to get as far as his 'Aburame' before announcing himself. "Name's Hatake." The teacher snickered. He knew what was going on all right. "I like GUYS, and dislike GIRLS." He scanned the room as he said this and watched several girls faint at the news. Just like he planned. "Thank you."
Next to him the black and blue dressed boy stood up with a sly smile. "Uchiha. I like boys as well." He said meaningfully while sneaking looks at Kakashi. The few remaining girls swooned as a dramatic 'Nooooo!' burst from those awake. The rest of the class period was spent using different combinations of smelling salts on the fainted girls. Kyo-sensei called it learning through trail and error.
Kakashi rolled out of bed at his mother's loud approach the next morning. Successfully hidden under the bed, Memori Hatake couldn't find and harass the boy into wakefulness. The brunette woman tossed her pots aside in disappointment and shuffled around searching for her child. Meanwhile Kakashi slept among the dust bunnies and lost socks for another hour.
At long last he was ready to go, and twenty minutes late, but refusing to exit the house. "Kakashi-kun! Get going!" The woman growled as she tried to drag her son out the door. His fingers held the doorframe with the strength of a desperate man.
"My mask! I need it!" He cried. "I'm sorry I always said it was a stupid tradition!"
Memori toppled backwards with a laugh. Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. "Is THAT what this is about? Ah, my poor, poor Kakashi-kun. Here." He snatched the soft dark mask and slipped it over his head. Memori chuckled at her son's state and leaned over, gently tugging silver strands free. She helped roll the bottom out and tucked it under his shirt. "There. Now give me kiss."
He leaped up and kissed her through the material; it was so soft and light he sometimes forgot the mask was there.
Kakashi pulled out a novel he purloined form his mothers stash as he came up on the Shinobi School. He flipped it open to the middle and positioned it to conceal his eyes. He nudged his classroom door open with his foot and stepped in.
Kyo-sensei looked up sharply and was about to berate the boy when he saw the title of his book. Moonlit Paradise? All thoughts of detention flew from the instructors head as he pondered the latest turn of events.
Without looking up Kakashi climbed the stairs to his former seat. "My name is Kakashi. I like some things and dislike others. Sorry I'm late, but I got lost on the road of life."
The chunin just waved him off. "Whatever."
A victorious smile was hidden by the black fabric. Now I just have to graduate before those fan-girls realize it's me. Hmmm. Wonder what it is that mom reads... 'and she stroked his...' WTF!
END.
