Not Another Care In The World

Hatake Kakashi hadn't realized how long they had been walking until his knees felt weak and his muscles were tense. To top it off, his stomach was also growling. What really kept him going all this time was the Icha Icha book perched in his right hand, and the sound of the sand beneath his shoes. But most importantly, the safety and happiness of the girl walking beside him is what kept him motivated for the journey ahead.

They were in a neighboring city, somewhere near Amegakure, and were surrounded by many small family owned shops and businesses.

"It's nice here," Ayame remarked, studying all the booths as they walked through an outdoor market. Merchants sold everything from clothes to food to even weapons and furniture. The Uchiha had a glowing smile on her face, "It's so different from Konoha."

"Hai," Kakashi agreed, but wasn't really as fascinated since he traveled to many places before. Yet he knew what she meant, Konoha was known for their diverse culture when it came to businesses, yet it had more cities and less agriculture. At a young age he noticed that every town, every city, every country was different. And no matter where he went, whether if it was for missions or for vacation, he never enjoyed a place more than he loved his hometown.

"Let's stop here for a while and take a break from walking."

Looking up, the girl noticed that they were in front of a small restaurant, and smiled, "Are you hungry?"

"Kind of, but that's not the only reason why we need to stop," Kakashi scratched the back of his head, like he normally did, "I just need to explain some things to you about this mission before we continue walking."

Ayame nodded, taking a seat at the closest table to the door, "What about the mission? You told me it was confidential," She recalled the moment they shared after they escaped her engagement party. That night the copy ninja informed her that the Hokage was sending them both on a confidential mission to Amegakure for research. They weren't supposed to know about the details until they reached to the destination.

"Hai," he took a seat across from her, "I lied. There is no mission."

The dark haired girl opened her mouth slightly, and a confused expression took over her face.

"The Hokage wanted us to leave town for a couple days, so he made me lie to you about this mission," he explained, "Just think of it as a vacation."

The puzzled look disappeared as a smile formed on her lips, "Really? Thank God, because my parents were so mad at me for leaving my own engagement party and are giving me the silent treatment. I'm so glad that I'm out of that house," her smile grew wider, "Itachi said he'd be talking to our parents soon anyway, and I do not want to be around when that happens."

There was a comical look on her face, and Kakashi grinned under his mask. He had to admit that he was a little shocked though, he thought for sure Ayame was going to yell at him for lying to her in the first place. But he guessed that her situation with Itachi overpowered her normal feelings and thoughts. She was just too happy at the moment.

"So what are we supposed to do for the next few days?"

"Train, I guess," he reached into his weapon pouch and produced his favorite little orange book, "Lets hurry up and get some food so we can get back on the road and keep walking up to the village. We can find somewhere to stay for the night."

She smiled towards her senpai, feeling glad that she was actually spending time with him.

"We're almost here," Kakashi announced.

"Finally," Ayame retorted.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow to her, and led her off the dirt road that they had been walking on for hours. The sun was starting to set, giving the sky a beautiful shade of reddish purple. He halted in front of her, "First, I want you to close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine."

Ayame squeezed her eyes shut lightly, while smiling, and felt Kakashi reach for her hand. She allowed him to lead her through an unknown path, feeling the terrain beneath her feet change from dirt ground to soft patches of grass. There was a peculiar sound reaching her ears, a combination of birds chirping and streaming water. A familiar smell also reached her nose, something like berries, and flowers with a rushing scent of fresh water.

"Okay," Kakashi announced, "You can open your eyes now."

As her dark eyes fluttered open, the first thing she noticed was a long, flowing waterfall, with a clear blue lake surrounding it. Trees kept the area shaded, with it's beautiful green grass and sprouting summer flowers of all colors. Her mouth hung open in shock at the beauty that she was enclosed in. "Ka-Kakashi... where are we? And where did this place come from?"

Her voice was soft and full of wonder as her eyes never left the scenery around her. Kakashi chuckled at her sudden change of mood, and stepped closer to her, "We're just a few minutes away from Takigakure," he explained, "My dad used to bring me here when I was little, we used to train here occasionally. Sometimes he just wanted to get away from town and out of Konoha for a day or two. It's nice here, isn't it?"

Ayame nodded, "It's beautiful."

"Well you have a choice, we can either stay here for the night, or walk up to the village and stay at an inn," he offered, already knowing the answer she would pick. From the way she reacted, he knew that she would rather stay here than at a hotel.

She looked towards him, as if it was obvious.

The kunoichi dropped her bag on the floor, "I'm staying here," she said simply and walked over to the small lake that was in the center of the grassy paradise. She peered at herself in the clear water, and with the help on the glowing sun behind her, she was able to see her reflection almost perfectly. She watched as the long waterfall emptied it's contents into the lake smoothly.

The sight of the flowing water was truly magnificent.

"Why is it that this area is so deserted?" She asked, her eyebrows ruffling towards the center of her forehead, "Surely people know about this place right?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, "It's really well hidden, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone else here before. But near Takigakure, there are a lot more places like this surrounding the town. Their whole border is enclosed within about a dozen waterfalls to throw people off and to get them confused. That village is really well hidden, it's entrance is behind one of the waterfalls, the trick is to find out which one..."

"Wow, I would love to live in a village like that," Ayame dipped her feet into the cool lake, "So confined in privacy and peace... always surrounded by flowing water... It must be beautiful there."

"Well maybe tomorrow we can go up to the village and have a visit," he offered.

Ayame nodded as her feet were now engulfed within the water.

The sun had fell considerably as hours passed, the moon was on the verge of rising as the skies darkened. Ayame sat across from Kakashi as he got a fire started on a couple pieces of stray wood and logs. On top of the fire was a small pot that brewed the most delicious soup the kunoichi has ever smelled. A blanket was wrapped around her slender body for warmth as she sat on her cushioned sleeping-mat.

"I didn't know you could cook," she smiled looking up at her senpai.

He smiled under his mask, "I've been cooking all my meals since I was ten, I had to learn somehow."

She nodded, "You mentioned your dad today... earlier. You never mentioned him before."

"I don't really like talking about him," he sighed, and Ayame expected him to stop talking, but she looked up at him when he continued, "My mother died when I was very young, I barely knew her. So my father raised me, he was a great man, supposedly the top ninja in his rank. He was intelligent, strong, and brave. So brave that one day he went against all the rules known to ninja worldwide," he paused, "Since the start of time, the number one rule for all ninja was to always,under any circumstance, complete the mission. The mission always came first, always. But one night, while my dad was on a mission, he failed to complete the mission to help a comrade. This was truly unheard of at the time."

Ayame was silent, as she peered over to her sensei with the glowing fire in between them.

He continued, "My father was shuned from the village because of what he did. From everyone else's eyes, my father was scum. How dare he save his teammate instead of completing the mission?He grew so depressed that he eventually killed himself," he rubbed his face with his hand, "It was a hard time for me, I was young but I learned how to be independent. I graduated from the academy at an extremely young age, and was the youngest ninja on an ANBU squad."

Goosebumps covered Ayame's face as her eyes never left his face.

"Since the day I became a ninja, I swore that I would always follow the ninja code strictly. I wouldn't make the same mistake my father made, I would make an actual name for myself. I didn't want to be known as the White Fang's son. I wanted to be known for all the great achievements I made," he gulped, "That was all before I met Obito- your brother,. When Obito and I were placed on he same team, I never paid any mind to him. He was just another person standing in my way, just someone who would never achieve the things that I did. But I was wrong, I was so wrong. Obito taught me more about life in just one day, then I ever learned in my whole life."

A single tear fell from her eye as she watched Kakashi.

"He abandoned the mission... to save me. And at that moment, I realized that what I have been doing and thinking all along was wrong. It was all a lie. Obito taught me that your comrades come first- no matter what. I just wish... I wish that I could have been the one to save him."

Ayame left her spot and warm blanket as she walked over to Kakashi, "You did save him... you gave him a friend. That's all he ever wanted, to be friends with you. And I know that he's out there somewhere, watching us," she stroked his silver headband where they both knew the sharingan eye was under, "He'll always be with us."

Something stirred inside of Kakashi as he leaned closer to Ayame, wanting to feel the embrace of both her words and her body. He was wanted to hold her tightly against his body and feel the smoothness of her skin under his. His one visible eye peered back and forth between her two dark ones.

She pulled away from him as her stomach growled, and she swallowed nervously, hoping that the soup would be ready soon.