August 24th. A date Kotori never forgot. A date she always made sure to remind everyone about, with a smile on her face no matter what happened, no matter what people said. People thought she was selfish? So what. The girl deserved one day that people could pay full attention to her, even for a few seconds. If that was self-centred then so be it. It was Kotori's decision, and during these times, she couldn't really ask for more than just a bit more attention from her family that continued to run about around her. But what was this important date?
Well it was her birthday, of course!
Ever since that day at the Nakano river, Kotori knew her birthday was coming up. Granted, back then it was around a month away, and whenever she brought it up to her parents they seemed a little stressed about other things, but thankfully ever since Minato's team had destroyed the bridge the war was slowly dying out. In Kotori's eyes, Konoha had won, but who knows what tricks that stupid village had up its sleeve. But the wasn't on her mind at the moment; her birthday was today! She was twelve, another year older and she felt special. Eleven was such an immature number in Kotori's eyes, and twelve was just one year closer to her teenage years. Kotori felt older too. Today was going to be a good day, Kotori would make sure of it.
"Happy birthday, Kotori!"
The chorus of voices made her roll over in her bed and she grinned at the sight of Jin, Manabu, Hiyori, Daichi and her parents standing over her. Of course Daichi didn't sing happy birthday, he was a lot more 'mature' and serious than that. Whatever, she knew he meant well. Getting dressed, Kotori giggled as she saw the presents on the table. There were more than a dozen; of course there was. Not all of them were for her, it was obviously Kotaro's birthday too. Her family retreated upstairs to wake him up too and Kotori sat down at the table, playing with a party hat happily. Kotaro eventually came down stairs, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as his family followed behind. Arashi smiled as he stood behind Kotori's chair, crossing his arms.
"Well, would you guys like to open your presents now or later?"
"Later." Kotori smiled, wanting to go outside for a bit. Part of her knew it was just to see if anyone wanted to give her presents or wish her a happy birthday, but she kept that to herself.
"I'll open mine now then!" Kotaro grinned, dragging a smaller present towards him. Kotori smiled as Kotaro opened them one by one, and their family were just as interested. Kunai, clothes, and even a small television for his room. Eventually he had finished opening his presents and cards, which held a lot of money for him, and he thanked everyone. Kotori smiled and took off her party hat, heading to the door, hopping on each foot as she got her sandals.
"I'm going out, mom!"
"Remember to be back for five, we have a surprise!" Yoshiko called after and Kotori giggled excitedly, heading out the door. Walking down the street, Kotori smiled happily and walked round a corner. She stood on a ledge that was over a small path by a lake. Leaning on the metal bars to stop you from feeling, she smiled even more, looking up at the sun in the sky.
"Kotori-chan!" Guy's loud voice echoed and he jumped onto the fence before sitting down on it, grinning at her, "Happy birthday!" he grinned, handing her a flat present. Kotori smiled and took it, thanking him eagerly before opening it. Her face then fell and stared at Guy, as if it were a joke.
"Do you like it? It's just like mine!" Guy's arm rose as he gave her a thumbs up, and Kotori sighed a little, staring at the green jumpsuit in her hands.
"You're an idiot." she muttered, but smiled a little, amused, "Thanks, Guy."
"A kiss for the birthday girl!" Guy proclaimed and Kotori squealed, attempting to move, but it was too late and he was going in for the kill.
"Guy, you should really stop harassing little girls." Kakashi walked towards them, Rin at his side. She laughed a little, holding a small box.
"I am not!" Guy glared at Kakashi, "And where's your present, huh, Mr Cool Guy?"
"Here." Kakashi revealed his small present from his kunai holster and Guy grumbled, crossing his arms. Kotori smiled and stepped forward, taking both the boxes.
"It's just a kind of combined thing." Rin smiled as Kotori opened Rin's, revealing the yin part of a yin-yang symbol attached to a black string, "I have the yang part of your necklace, see?"
Rin revealed the part of her necklace, although she was wearing it as a bracelet, and Kotori smiled, putting it round her neck. She then looked at Kakashi's gift and opened it, finding a small firefly hairclip.
"I remember that I broke your other one when we were training." he explained, "You most likely have more, but I just thought I'd give you that to make up for it."
He put his hands in his pockets and looked at Kotori, who looked at him. That was ages ago! He remembered? Even Kotori had forgotten. She looked back down at the hairclip and gazed at the jewels in them; small orange studs ran along its body, and the four wings sprouting from each side were graced with purple gems. She smiled and took it out, putting the empty box in her pocket and clipped it to her bangs, moving them out of the way of her face.
"Thanks! All of you!" she grinned and looked at them, "Who's hungry?"
"Me!" Rin grinned, "Where should we go?"
"Hmmm. Well I don't have much money, so it could just be the ramen s-"
"No! We can pay for your food!" Guy grinned, "We'll go into a real café, and treat you!"
"Oh, wow, thanks!" Kotori grinned. She loved the special treatment she got on her birthday! The four headed to the café, walking in and sitting at a small cubicle by an open window. Kotori sat by Guy, and Rin and Kakashi sat opposite.
"What'll it be?" Guy grinned and they all looked at their menus, contemplating.
"Oh wow, are you guys getting a free meal?" Sanjirou grinned, leaning on the window, "Can I join?"
"The more the merrier, I say!" Guy approved, nodding, and Sanjirou nodded, "Great! I have a few friends with me, by the way." he disappeared and walked in through the entrance, waving as he sat down.
"A few?" Guy yelled dramatically, pointing at the amount of people following, "That's nearly half a dozen people!"
"I think we need a bigger table." Kakashi stated and the group quickly migrated to a better suited area. Rin smiled as she sat by Kakashi, next to him Sanjirou, and next to him two of his friends. On the other side, Guy sat by a boy they learned was named Asuma, and then beside him were two of their friends and Kotori.
"Heh, what does everyone feel like?" Kotori asked, looking down. They ordered drinks first and the table soon started getting loud, everyone chatting with someone. Rin glanced at Kakashi, frowning a little.
"Are you not hungry?" she asked and Kotori glanced round, hoping he was okay.
"I'm fine." Kakashi nodded, looking at both Rin and Kotori, "Really."
"Psh, you think you're so cool, Kakashi!" Guy grinned, standing on his chair, a foot on the table. Some of the guys complained, but Guy ignored them and pointed at Kakashi, "Well Kakashi Hatake! From now on, you and I are rivals! Any challenges I give you, you must accept! We will see who is the coolest!"
"Sit down, Guy, your foot's in my food." Asuma huffed a little sadly, pushing the plate away from him. Kakashi hesitated, looking round at the bowl-cut haired boy.
"Hm? What did you say?"
"KAKASHI!"
The afternoon went by quickly, and Kotori hung around with mainly Rin, Kakashi and Guy. Eventually Sanjirou left with his friends, although not after introducing Asuma. The group wandered Konoha, before Rin said she had to go meet her mother and Guy excused himself, claiming to go train. Kotori clasped her hands behind her back, glancing at Kakashi.
"So, you gotta go do something, too?" Kotori questioned and he shook his head, looking up at the sky as a pair of birds glided over them.
"Nope." he answered, "I'll just take a walk through Konoha, probably…"
"I'll join you!" Kotori smiled and Kakashi nodded with approval. Kotori wondered if he was smiling under his mask; he had been a lot more social and cheery since the incident with Obito. She was glad, he was less of a jerk and she could stand his presence… And, if she was honest, it was nice. He was a good friend, and she was partially glad at the fact he wore a mask. Whenever she talked, Kotori couldn't tell whether he was smiling or not, so she just imagined he was and that he was truly interested in what she had to say, giving her a bit more confidence in what she was doing.
They walked through Konoha together, passing by a book store. Kotori stopped, seeing an orange book with a cover of two people running. She walked towards it and Kakashi looked round, following her silently. She smirked at the title.
"Make-out Paradiiiiise." Kotori giggled, showing Kakashi. He looked at it, eyebrow raising before looking at another copy. She glanced around for the shop owner before peeking inside of it, her cheeks going bright red. And, as if there was a silent alarm, the bookseller opened the door sharply, yelling at Kotori and Kakashi.
"This is for over eighteens, you know! Get lost, you little kids!"
Kotori screamed, dropping the book before running off with Kakashi. She laughed a little despite their circumstance, running as far as they could until the shop and the crazy man was out of sight. They finally slowed near her house, catching their breaths. Kotori giggled, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
"Maybe we can wait until we're of age." she paused, frowning a little, "Aw, but you'll be eighteen before me!" she accused, as he was already two years older than herself. He smiled clearly behind his mask.
"I'll let you peek." he offered and Kotori slowly grinned.
"Good!"
The two walked down towards Kotori's home. She sniffed the air, smelling all sorts of things. She could see smoke rising from her garden and she blinked, furrowing her brow. Some teenagers were sitting on the fence, facing the garden and laughing. Confused, Kotori sped up a little and Kakashi went in front of her.
"I'll go check." he said, leaving her at the tall gate. He walked in, closing it behind him quickly. Kotori's shoulders slumped and she played with the yin necklace around her neck, frowning cautiously. The boys stopped laughing and everything was hushed. Kakashi walked back out and gestured for Kotori to come on. She frowned, looking at him suspiciously and he chuckled a little, holding out his hand. Cautiously, she took it and he led her into the garden.
She was overwhelmed by the scene.
Dozens of people stood in the large garden. People she knew, people she didn't. her whole family… Guy, Rin, Sanjirou, and his friends. Guy's team seemed to be standing next to him, as well as Kimihiro-sensei. Her eyes widened and glistened a little, and Kotaro appeared on the other side of her, leaning on her shoulder and grinning. He had a party hat on his head and a sash that read 'birthday boy'. He laughed and put a sash over Kotori, and she had a feeling it read 'birthday girl'. She grinned at them, looking round at everyone as they cried happy birthday. People were even resting in the trees and on the edge of the house! Kotori couldn't stop smiling, so happy.
"Happy birthday, sis!" Kotaro grinned, hugging her and Kotori hugged back.
"Happy birthday, Kotaro!" she said happily, squeezing him a little. Kotaro laughed and squeezed back, tighter and she choked a little, but laughed more. Someone offered her a small plate of food and people continued to chatter.
Kotori socialized most of the night, drifting from group to group. Eventually she rested under a tree, sighing a little. It was a sigh of content. She had a wonderful family, and that was emphasized by the fact they had so many people come to her and Kotaro's birthday bash. She closed her eyes for a moment, but could hear the thudding of feet and looked round. Kotaro, Sanjirou, Rin, Kakashi, Guy, and a group of unfamiliar kids were approaching.
"Kotori, we're gonna head over into the house to share some ghost stories. Wanna come?"
Kotori looked at them before nodding, getting to her feet.
The group made their way into the backroom, and Kotaro closed the shutters and curtains before looking at everyone. He grinned in the dark and Sanjirou lit a match, putting it in a small lantern. Everyone gathered in a tight group, Kotori next to Kakashi and Sanji, someone leaning in between Kotori and Sanjirou's shoulders. The black haired boy sat opposite, his eyes dark. He had lines under his eyes, and he looked really young. Kotori frowned, glancing at the other new girl, her dark hair up in a bobble. She couldn't be a year older than Kotori herself.
"Who wants to start?" Kotaro asked and the girl waved her arm, grinning.
"lemme! I got a story!"
"Okay Anko, go ahead." Kotaro passed the lantern along to her. Everyone looked at her, and she put the lantern under her face, creating creepy shadows on her cheeks. She looked distorted, and Kotori tensed.
"One day, this couple left their precious little angel alone with a babysitter. The woman seemed good enough. She was recommended by people around Konoha, she was really good with the kid, too…" Anko started, pausing for atmosphere. People leaned forward, curious, and even Kakashi leaned in slightly, "So they left her to her job, and as the day got darker and darker, the girl eventually put the little tyke to sleep… After a few minutes, the small girl began to cry. The babysitter asked what was wrong, and the little girl sobbed about a clown statue. The babysitter wasn't happy about it either, so she used a clone to contact the parents to see if she could cover it up. She finally got an answer…"
"Yeah?"
"Come on Anko, what was it?"
"'We don't have a clown statue'."
The kids gasped loudly, staring at Anko as she continued.
"They rushed back, but it was too late… The little girl was all cut up and her room was covered in blood that couldn't be hers. She had the face of a clown. Their little angel's face didn't exist anymore. And the babysitter? She was never found…" she looked at Kotori, catching her eye, "And what makes it worse? This is the room it happened in."
"Anko, how do you know?" one kid asked and there was silence. Slowly she smirked.
"Because…" she stopped talking, letting everyone take in the tense silence. Suddenly someone jumped up behind Kotori, screaming in her ear and she screamed, jumping away from the monster behind her. Everyone in the room screamed, apart from Anko, Kakashi and the black haired boy. Kotori fell on her butt in the middle of the circle, glaring angrily at the mystery man in the clown mask. Her face went red as Anko laughed, putting the lantern down so she could hold her stomach.
"We got you good!" Anko cackled, holding her face. Everyone else laughed as well and Kotori pouted a little, looking down. She didn't enjoy getting laughed at, especially on her birthday. The laughing died down and a boy appeared from under the mask. Eventually the stories continued, and soon the group disbanded, having to leave because it was getting late.
At the end of the night, only Rin, Kakashi and Sanjirou remained. Kotori sat outside with them, and Kotaro joined them a short time after. Kotori and Kakashi leaned on the tree, while Rin sat cross legged in front of them, Sanjirou and Kotaro beside her.
"Today was awesome." Kotaro exclaimed, falling onto his back to look up at the sky. They agreed with a nod. Kotori yawned and rested her head back on the tree, closing her eyes. She felt her body relaxing, and she escaped into a sweet, sweet slumber…
So I admit, this is mostly a filler chapter. I hope you had fun reading this one either way (: