"Farm Boy, I changed my mind. Let's skip."
Kakashi grabbed her hand before she could run away. "It's too late now, Little Tiger. We're already in front of the building." He glanced down at her form-fitted clothing, savoring the sight of her.
Chiisai didn't notice. "You sure they'll like me? I can barely socialize with you successfully." She ran a hand through her hair. "Did I cover the bruise?"
"Yes, it's covered. And don't worry," he smiled, "it's just my friends." The two were back to normal since the earlier incident, and he was thankful she was too anxious to think about her wrong conclusions earlier. She had indeed adored his surprise, though it had taken the rest of the day for her to accept he wasn't upset with her. She loved him (though she wouldn't admit it) and that's all he cared about, though he knew he would never deserve it.
Kakashi ruffled her hair and said, "Everything's going to be fine."
Once they came in they realized just how wrong he was.
The two stared at the room. "Um…Kakashi?" She gulped, "I'll be honest, I didn't think you had this many friends."
"Oh, I like this one already," A voice came from behind her. The purple haired kunoichi grabbed Chiisai by the shoulders and yelled to the crowd, "Hey, everyone! The lovebirds have arrived!"
The shinobis gave a cheer and held their drinks up. Anko grinned to Chiisai, "We couldn't pass up a chance to meet the woman who melted this stone-cold ninja. Did you know that one time he chopped off a man's head with his own sword? Cleanest slice I've ever seen! Hey, Genma! Give me another drink!" Anko slapped her butt, causing Chiisai to yelp in surprise. "If you ever wanna hear a story about your boyfriend, I got a few gory ones for you. Have fun!" She took another swig and sauntered off to the bar.
"Stay away from Anko," Kakashi muttered down to her. She nodded. Chiisai had seen enough of Anko's dreams to know that. Kakashi held her hand as he made his way through the crowd. He stopped on seeing a familiar green outfit. "Gai."
The ninja turned to them, his cheeks flushed from the sake in hand. "Eternal rival, you finally made it!"
Kakashi shrugged away from his drunken embrace. "Why did you invite the entire jonin class here?"
"No," he gestured, "I didn't do that. I invited the chunin and ANBU too!"
"I thought this was going to be just you, Asuma, and Kurenai." He shook his head. "Chiisai's not used to crowds."
"Everyone should celebrate love! And she looks fine! See," he pointed, "she's already made some friends!"
Kakashi turned back to Chiisai, but she was gone. A few ninjas had pulled her to the bar, where they were pouring her some sake. Kakashi started to go for her, but Tenzo stood beside him now, asking about his book-loving girlfriend. Kakashi shrugged in response to his friend while still keeping his eye on Chiisai.
Hopefully tonight wouldn't end in disaster.
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"So, Kotetsu began, "you have me curious. What occupation does the lover of our esteemed colleague have?"
Chiisai took the sake from him but didn't drink it. Their old dreams crossed her vision on seeing them, and she tried her best to stay calm. "I'm a librarian."
Izumo's eyes brightened. "A librarian?" He leaned towards his friend. "Did you ever picture Kakashi with a librarian?"
"I never pictured him with anyone." He turned back to Chiisai, who stared into the cup full of alcohol. "So you have no ninja skills at all? I bet you feel out of place."
"Kotetsu," Izumo scowled, "you can't just say that."
"No, he's right," Chiisai smiled. "I can't hit a side of a barn if I tried."
"Hey," Kotetsu grinned, "at least the woman's honest!"
She finally took a small sip, trying to appear casual. "So what do you two do?"
The black-haired chunin rolled his eyes and took a gulp. He slammed the cup down and replied, "Sometimes we sit at the gate, but most of the time we're the Hokage's errand-boys."
"Guarding the Hokage and the villagers is the best mission you can get," he scolded his comrade.
"Obviously," Kotetsu retorted to her, "Izumo here is the serious one."
"Someone has to be," the brunette replied. He leaned into Chiisai, saying, "Do you know how many times I've dragged this guy out of the Standby Station? The man takes no pride in his work."
"Hey, is this Kakashi's girlfriend?" Genma came up, his senbon sticking out of his mouth. "Whoa, how old are you?"
Another jumble of dreams hit her on seeing him. "…Twenty six."
"Damn, I bet Kakashi looks like a pedophile around you. You could pass for his student."
Chiisai frowned but didn't reply. The chattering noises in the bar assaulted her eardrums. Her eyes were trained on the people next to her, but all she could see in her mind were images from their past dreams. Her senses hit her from all angles, creating a flux that her body couldn't adjust too. And did she really look like a teenager?
"Oi, she doesn't look that young to me. Chiisai's a librarian."
Genma pulled up a stool. "Please tell me Kakashi used a librarian pick up line on you."
Kotetsu snorted, "Can you imagine him and his scary self using a pick up line on her?"
"How did you two meet anyway? You look too cute for someone like him. Actually, you look more like my type," Genma gave a playful wink. She raised an eyebrow, only half hearing their conversation.
"Oooh! I know!" Gai rushed up. "I was there! Oh wait, was I?" He placed a hand on his chin. "I distinctly remember…"
Gulping down the rest, Chiisai said, "We ran into each other."
"Oh, that's right," Gai nodded, though still unsure. His eyes brightened. "You walked right into Kakashi!"
Genma raised an eyebrow at Chiisai. "I'm surprised he didn't frighten you off."
"That's because I was there." Gai barked a laugh. "Why, I practically sat you two guys up!"
Izumo turned his attention to Chiisai as she accepted another glass. "What made you want to get with Kakashi? Was it the mask? I swear, why do the ladies love that?" He frowned as realization set in. "Wait, you've seen his face, haven't you?"
Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "They live together, baka. I'm sure she's seen his face and plenty of other things too..."
Chiisai wasn't sure if her face flushed from his comment or the alcohol. "Um…"
"What does he look like?"
"Teuchi and Ayame once told me he had the face carved by gods."
Chiisai absentmindedly took a drink of sake. Of course Ayame would say that, because her dreams showed it all the time. Crap, was she actually drinking alcohol voluntarily? Surely one or two glasses wouldn't do anything to her…Besides, she wasn't drinking to drown out the pain. She wasn't her mother.
"How would you know anything?! You've never loved anyone and no one's ever loved you!"
"So, Chiisai, what does he look like?"
She snapped her head up, the voices pulling her back out of her thoughts. She merely replied, "It's a trade secret."
"Oh, come on. Give us a clue!"
Chiisai emptied her second glass, the dry taste distracting her. She smiled, about to rebuttal, when dread washed over her. Eyes wide, she quickly stood and excused herself. Her vision blurred, and she sought to find the bathroom as laughter filled her ears. With so many noises and bodies around, she couldn't concentrate and pull out of it. It was likely the person dreaming was out drunk, and she was slugglishly falling into it.
Her legs wobbled, but she managed to stumble through the crowd and into the bathroom. Two women turned as she rushed into the nearest stall. She locked herself in right before she lost control.
Her head rammed into the side of the wall. Chiisai sank into the cold floor as the tremors begun. The last thing she heard was a knock on the stall.
The dream was incredibly vivid, and she fought through the rich colors that stung her eyes. Someone stood facing a wooden fence with a hot spring behind him. He was naked and with his back to her. Damn, not one of these dreams again. The man clearly was watching through a hole, gazing intently on the other side where the women were. He gave a sheepish giggle as blood dripped out his nose.
A knife appeared in her hand, and Chiisai aimed to wake the jonin up herself. But the ground suddenly shook beneath her feet, causing her to collapse to the ground. The dreamer was waking up, and the hot springs shattered into pieces, throwing her out.
Chiisai gasped for air, her eyes opening back into reality. She blinked several times, her mind still hazy as she struggled back into consciousness. Someone spoke to her, but it only sounded like buzzing in her ears.
"Shh, it's alright," a soothing voice called out.
Saliva blocked her airway, forcing her into a violent cough. The person sat her upright as her chest heaved. Finally able to breathe, Chiisai wiped the spit off her chin and sought the person holding her.
It was Kurenai. Her red eyes gazed down at her with concern. "Kakashi told us you were sick. Is this normal?"
She could only give a brief nod as she slowly processed her words. "…Thank you."
The kunoichi gave a soft smile. "Can you stand?"
Chiisai stared at the woman's red sleeve. Kurenai held Chiisai, her worry growing as she watched her. Finally, Chiisai muttered, "My motor functions sometimes…take a while." Chiisai glanced around, noticing she was in a bathroom. When did come in here? She couldn't remember.
Kurenai suggested, "You might want to lay off the alcohol if you're having seizures."
"Yeah," she caught her breath, "lesson learned."
Chiisai laid a hand on the wall as Kurenai helped her up. Her body wasn't fully operable, and she had to lean on the dark-haired kunoichi. Chiisai blinked in surprise when she saw the stall door partially ripped off its hinges.
Kurenai explained, "We thought you were dying. Yugao went to get Kakashi."
About that time, Kakashi opened the door, his eye casting a worried glance at Chiisai.
The kunoichi casted her eyes on him and said, "She's still recuperating. Just don't let her have any more alcohol."
Chiisai took a deep breath, trying to regain full control of her body. She pressed a shaky hand to him. "You're…in the lady's room…pervert."
"Sorry Kurenai, can you…?"
"I have to explain the stall door to the owner anyway." The woman nodded and gave Chiisai to him before heading out the bathroom.
"It was Ebisu. I woke him up."
Ebisu's dreams were about as bad as Jaraiya's. The man really shouldn't be teaching children. Chiisai pressed her head into his vest. "Thanks."
Wrapping his arms around her, he asked, "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine." Chiisai pushed herself up from him, determined to walk.
He noticed her reddened cheeks. "How much sake did you drink?"
"Just two glasses." She held up three fingers.
"You've never drank before, have you? You're probably a lightweight."
"Is that…bad?" She took a step back, calculating how much her body could handle after the seizure.
Kakashi caught her as her knees buckled. "It means you can't drink anymore tonight."
"Well," she muttered back, "It's not like I'm a fan of alcohol anyway. Man, drunk dreams do not sit well with me. Can drunk dreams…make me drunk?"
"You sure you want to stay?"
The door opened. Anko stopped on seeing them together. She eyed Chiisai's slight shakiness (also noting her heavy breathing) and Kakashi's intense eye. They both were startled by her. Anko grinned as she regarded the broken stall. "You're gonna break the poor girl, Kakashi. Are your quickies always this rough?"
Leave it to Anko to say something like that. Chiisai flushed with embarrassment and was too stunned to reply. Kakashi simply let out a hesitant laugh, "Eh, it seems we've been caught in the act, Little Tiger."
Anko raised an eyebrow at the pet name. "You two are pretty horny bastards." She shrugged, "I can't say anything though. I'll probably fuck someone in the alley here late-"
Kakashi had already dragged Chiisai out the restroom.
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The get-together had lasted a few hours until the ninjas finally started to leave. Asuma and Kurenai departed shortly after Chiisai's seizure. Kotetsu and Izumo had gotten into a friendly brawl, and were now slumped in a booth with the group. Anko had dragged who knows what poor ninja with her outside. A couple of shinobi sat at the bar, while a few had settled at a table. It seemed the chaos had finally breezed over.
Kakashi laid down the book in his hand and whispered in her ear, "You ready to go?"
Chiisai nodded sleepily to Kakashi as Gai rambled on about youth. "Oi, Gai," the jonin said. "Chiisai and I are heading out."
"What?" He slammed his hands on the table, rattling the empty glasses. "Unacceptable! I have to tell her about the first time we met!"
"Eh, she wouldn't want to hear that," Kakashi replied. "She already knows I was a jerk."
"Was?" She raised an eyebrow. The sake had relaxed her, letting her converse with ease. Chiisai elbowed Kakashi with a smirk. "How about still is?"
"You're the only one that could get away with saying that," Genma said to her. "And frankly, I'm jealous."
Kakashi tugged on her hair. "Oh, she won't get away with it later."
She playfully teased back, "Jerk."
"Hey, we're here to celebrate the blossoming of love," Gia protested. "You can't leave without showing us a kiss first!"
Kotetsu muttered to Izumo, "I heard they did more than that in the lady's room…"
"Eh, yeah, kiss." Genma grinned, "Pull down his mask while you're at it, Chiisai!"
Kakashi and Chiisai both glanced at each other. He raised his eyebrow in question. Chiisai leaned toward him, her hands coming up to his face. Getting the picture, he tilted his head down as her fingers curled around his mask.
Everyone leaned forward in anticipation.
Chiisai gave a mischievous smile as she yanked the fabric down. Kakashi pulled his book up at the same time, blocking the view from everyone. The only thing the audience's eyes met were the front and back cover of Icha Icha Paradise. "Aw, c'mon!"
Chiisai smiled into his lips. Kakashi drew her face to him with his free hand, wanting it to last longer. His tongue darted between her teeth, and her mouth parted in response as heat rushed through her body. He tasted like sake, but it wasn't the alcohol that intoxicated her…
"Hey, lovebirds, get a room!"
They broke away, and Kakashi jerked his mask back up. He twirled a finger around her hair. "Sorry," he smiled, "I guess I got carried away."
Genma sighed at the two. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're one lucky bastard."
Never in his life had Kakashi thought himself a lucky person. Chiisai was full of complications, but as he gazed down at her smiling, all he could say was, "…I know."
END
I'm really like Gai right now because my sister just had her first baby and I'm like, "Love is a beautiful thing! Come look at this baby my sister and her husband made!" Of course, I'm still trying to fathom that a small human being just came out of her…
Review! I can always use feedback, even if you read this story 5 years from when it was published!
