Recap: She looked up ready to yell at whoever was in her way. Her voice caught in her throat and all she managed was a whisper, "Kakashi?"

Chapter 9: Reunited

Kakashi thought his eyes were going to fall out of their sockets. There she was, sitting on the floor in front of him. He had worried about her for so long, and there she was standing parallel to him looking healthy as ever.

"Yuushi?" It was barely audible, but she heard him.

"Yes, it's me." She said in awe. "Oh, Kakashi, I've missed you so much!" She yelled as she dove at him, wrapping her arms around his torso. She breathed deeply trying to take all of his scent in.

Kakashi's arms hugged her tight as he rested his head on her shoulder. His thumbs moved on their own rubbing circles in her back.

"I finally found you." Kakashi whispered into her shoulder. "I want to know everything."

"Ask, Gai." She said with a chuckle.

Kakashi backed away and gave her a confused look.

She smirked and said, "I already told him the whole story, and I don't feel like telling the story again for a very long time."

Kakashi nodded silently as his hand reached toward her face. Her cheek relaxed in his hand and he felt a hot wetness touch his palm. He looked at Yuushi's face. Her eyes were closed, but one tear had escaped and rolled down her cheek.

Footsteps became louder as they stood there in their own little world. Yuushi's eyes popped open and they pulled apart as Gai ran around the corner.

"There you are." Gai said to Yuushi. "Oh, Kakashi, I didn't know you were here."

Kakashi turned to Gai giving him a look that said 'you've got to be kidding me.'

"Yuushi was just telling me about what happened to her. I told her you were with me and she ran out of the room. I didn't think she'd run into you so soon." Gai explained.

"Sure." Kakashi said slowly. "Yuushi, would you take a walk with me?"

"Yeah, okay." She replied. They walked toward the exit, Kakashi's hand pressing into the small of her back.

The two left the inn together and walked in silence across town. Yuushi was apprehensive, being able to feel the anxiousness coming off Kakashi. He led her to a place he had discovered while he was appraising the area. It was a small area surrounded by Sakura trees, which were in full bloom. The sweet scent of the cherry blossoms saturated the air. A small pond was in the middle of the meadow. A light breeze pushed along the water creating ripples in the clear blue surface.

Kakashi studied her movements. He watched her as she looked over every part of the meadow, taking it all in. He saw he chest move far away from her body as she inhaled deeply. Her eyes closed for a moment as she continued to smell the air. She turned her face toward Kakashi and opened her eyes. Their eyes met.

Kakashi was the first to move. His left hand pulled down his mask while his right hand pulled her into his body. Their lips crashed together in fury. All of their emotions bled into the kiss. Through lips alone Kakashi told her how much he had missed her, how much he had worried about her, how much he loved her. Yuushi told him how scared she had been, how much she had wanted him by her side, how she would always love him no matter what happened.

They pulled away from each other to catch their breath. Kakashi leaned his forehead against hers. Their forehead protectors met with the sound of crashing metal.

Yuushi chuckled, "Well that really killed the mood."

Kakashi chuckled. "I don't care what happened to you, I don't need to know. I just want to know that you won't ever do that to me again. Will you promise me that?"

"I can't promise you anything." Yuushi said in a serious tone.

Kakashi pulled back quickly, not understanding what she was saying. There was fear present in his eyes.

Yuushi's fingers traced the line of his lips as she said, "We're ninja, remember? We go on missions never knowing if we'll make it back alive. I don't want to make any promises I can't keep."

Kakashi nodded, "I understand. I hate to think about losing my teammates, my friends, you." He smirked pushing the few strands of hair away from her face.

"Obito is in a better place than the rest of us. Remember that." Yuushi answered scrutinizing his face.

Kakashi let out the breath that he was holding in. He nodded again and reached up to his face pulling up his mask.

"Wait, leave it down, please." Yuushi pleaded.

"I can't. We have company." Kakashi's right eye shifted toward the way they had come.

Yuushi turned around to see Jiraiya walking toward them. His smile was knowing. He reached them in only a few steps.

"Well, I see you found her fairly quickly, Kakashi." He said in a strong voice.

"Of course I did." Kakashi answered.

Jiraiya turned to Yuushi. His face became serious.

"I trust that I can leave you in his hands. I have other matters to attend to. I need to begin trekking east. I came to say good bye. I'm leaving in a few hours. I need to pack." Jiraiya explained to her.

Yuushi nodded. "All right, I hope you find what you're looking for. I'll miss you, Jiraiya." She wrapped her arms around his torso. He returned the gesture.

Pulling away he said good bye to Kakashi as well. He walked away in the direction of the inn.

"You know, we could really use your help. The mission we're conducting could always use an extra set of eyes." Kakashi proposed.

"I won't be able to assist you in your mission. I have my own to attend to." She answered.

"Oh, what kind of mission are you working on? And what's with the formality?" Kakashi arched an eyebrow.

"It's reconnaissance. I'm collecting information."

"Huh, that's odd. I'm leading a reconnaissance team as well. It's most likely the same mission. We could use your information."

"We should get back then. The trade is supposed to happen in twenty-four hours from now." She grabbed Kakashi's hand and began walking toward the exit. Their fingers intertwined as they fell into step with each other.

"Well, at least I'll still be holding up my reputation." Kakashi smiled.

"And which reputation is that?" Yuushi asked not knowing if she wanted to know the answer.

"I was supposed to meet my team over an hour ago." Kakashi said nonchalantly.

Yuushi just shook her head, her smile turning into a disbelieving frown.

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Next time: Yuushi teams up with Kakashi's reconnaissance team. She's traded travelling with Jiraiya for travelling with three very different ninjas.

Sorry the update took so long. Finals were rough. I'm going to try to update as often as I can this summer.

Please review!!!

Thanks,

Yuushi-chan