Author's Note: Is it bad that I feel proud of getting this chapter done just over a month after the previous one…? It's a definite improvement on past updates! This one's full of light hearted fun and a bit longer than the others, I hope you enjoy it!
As always I love receiving your comments, they really make me happy! If you have any questions I'll try to answer them as soon as possible. Also I would love to read any Kakashi story recommendations you may have!
Thanks To: kiralol101, Apocalypsebutterfly, GracefulReader, Lumiax, Scarlette Winter, 11, xxOchibixx, katiesgotagun, shadowpanther121, thatonegirlwhoyoudontknow, .Strange, Anime-Freak1298, hyperaznmonkey12, YepNopeMaybe, Mew-Star-Mew, BiggySayles, YellowMittens, KimHanzo,
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters, story, ideas that are associated with it. What I do own is my OC Toshiko Akatora and any other OC's that may turn up.
=^.^=
12
The two Jounin walked through Konoha at a leisurely pace towards the foot of the Hokage Rock, stopping along the way at various food vendors to fill Toshiko's picnic basket. Kakashi glanced towards the looming cliff top, "So let me get this straight, it's your last day in the village for a while and you want to sit on top of the cliff? Rather than, well, anything else?"
Tosh grinned back at him, "Well yeah, you can see everything from up there, it's a nice place to just hang out and relax. It's so peaceful, and it's the place Ryo, Hiro and I usually go to after a long mission. I wouldn't be surprised if they're up there now, that's the main reason I suggested it."
"Ah, I see." he started. "Peaceful does sound nice-"
An arm suddenly wrapped itself around the copy ninja's shoulders, clad in leaf green spandex and ending in a cheesy thumbs up, "Well if it isn't the lovely Toshiko and Kakashi of the sharingan."
"Hi Gai." Tosh said, smiling and raised a hand in a half wave. "Where's Lee today?"
"I just set him and the others some training tasks for the next couple of days, they're getting in shape for the upcoming Chunin exams. I was on my way to get some lunch when I saw you and just couldn't pass up an opportunity to challenge my eternal rival! We're currently at a tie, 49 apiece, what do you say Kakashi? Time to find out who the greatest ninja is?" He grinned, pearly whites gleaming in the sun.
Kakashi looked up from his little orange book, "Hmm? Sorry, were you talking to me?"
"Gah!" The dazzling grin deflated. "Annoyingly cool as always I see!"
"Um Gai?" The kunoichi cut in, attempting to calm the situation down before it, or rather Gai, got out of hand. "We're on our way to the top of the cliff, I'm leaving Konoha for a while so-"
"Well that's perfect! How about we make things interesting! The three of us will race to the top, and the first one there is the greatest of all ninjas!" The cheesiest of grins was firmly plastered back across his face now.
"Well actually Gai-" Kakashi started to protest, but was swiftly interrupted.
"Oh come on 'Kashi." Tosh joined in, eyes lighting up. "It'll be fun!"
He sighed at the sky, "I really need to find new friends, ones with their sanity intact..."
"Yes, yes, but until then you're stuck with us, so just give in already." She grinned up at him, refusing to take no for an answer. "Just give me a sec-"
"Well when you put it like that, OK, ready? Set. GO!" Kakashi sped off with Gai close at his heels laughing triumphantly.
"-cond to sort out this ba-HEY WAIT FOR ME! YOU JERKS!" Hoisting the lunch basket awkwardly over one shoulder she tore after them.
The cheating bastards were way ahead of her, and they would never let her live it down if she lost by THAT much... Well, Kakashi wouldn't that's for sure. Then it hit her, she had a juicy little horde of extra chakra just waiting to be used, the Doctor had said she could after all, and this was the perfect opportunity to try it out. Wiping the metaphorical floor with Kakashi by beating him at a race would be a delicious victory indeed.
Exerting some of the excess chakra Tosh felt a burst of energy course through her entire body and she felt herself speed up. The kunoichi closed the gap in no time, levelling with the two she called out to Kakashi, "Cheater!" And winked at him before speeding off, brunette locks billowing out behind her.
Jumping up onto the rooftop of the nearest building, Toshiko continued picking up speed until she had soon left them far behind. When she was but a few houses away from the rock wall, with the help of a controlled blast of chakra, Tosh leapt up and her feet connected with the cool stone surface of the cliff face. She continued up, up, up, running and jumping from outcroppings at full pelt. Refusing to slow down or even turn to see if the others were catching up, she just kept pushing herself faster and faster until, being so focused on the race, she almost tripped on the edge of the cliff top when she finally reached it.
For the first time Toshiko had beaten Kakashi at something, it may only have been a silly race between friends but she couldn't keep the grin off of her face as she waited for the two rivals. Kakashi and Gai joined her about 10 seconds later in a cloud of dust, as usual they were neck and neck.
"Ha ha ha! Always full of surprises, little lady, it seems as though you are the greatest ninja out of the three of us!" Gai beamed. "Now, did you see which one of us came in second?"
Toshiko twiddled her thumbs "Err it was close, like really close, hardly anything in it…"
"You have to tell us, Toshiko! This is very important!" He was practically pulling his hair out as he spoke.
"OK, OK if you're sure you want to know… out of the two of you Kakashi won, but only by an inch. Sorry…"
"Well Gai, it looks like I'm winning, 50-49." Kakashi said, voice dripping with smugness.
"I lost? No! How could this be?! I must train harder, 150-no 250 laps of the village will be my punishment!" His eyes sparkled in the daylight and he raised a fist into the air as he spoke. "No, that's not good enough, I will do 500 one armed-"
"Never mind any of that now, I beat you BOTH! Ha! I am the greatest ninja of all!" Toshiko started dancing on the spot, she could contain herself no longer. "I won! I won! I wo-hey!"
An arm grabbed Tosh around the middle and she saw the ground beneath her feet vanish as Kakashi lifted her up over his shoulder. "Kakashiiiii! Put me dooown!"
"Hmm? Oh sorry, I thought the 'greatest ninja' would expect her underlings to carry her to her destination, like a Feudal Lord." He mused, but made no attempt at placing her back down.
"Oh come ooon, I very rarely beat you at anything so it's only fair that I get to rub it in. Now put me-"
"Perhaps I should start calling you Senpai..." The copy ninja started saying when a voice called out to them.
"I thought I heard your voice, Toshi... this is not your best angle I have to say."
"You cheeky bast- Huh? Who was...?" Toshiko struggled to look around at the owner of the voice. "Wait, is that-"
"You must be Maname." Kakashi addressed the young woman bouncing towards them, golden shoulder length curls springing with every step.
"Hatake, stop ignoring me!" Tosh demanded, starting to flail her arms and legs hoping it would encourage him to finally put her down.
"Err yeah." Maname replied laughing at her friend's predicament. "Kakashi, right? We're having a picnic just through those trees if you wanted to join us?"
"I believe that was our plan, what do you say Gai?" He glanced over at the Lycra clad ninja.
Gai, who had been doing one armed push ups as a self-inflicted punishment yelled "498. 499. 500! Ok now I'm ready for anything you have planned!"
Kakashi scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, "It's just lunch Gai, not a contest."
"I suppose a ninja must always keep his, or her, energy levels up... Alright! If I can do 350 armless backwards cartwheels then I am worthy of having lunch! One. Two. Three."
"Isn't that just a backflip…? Never mind we'll be over there." He shook his head in disbelief, Gai's 'punishments' kept getting weirder and weirder.
Maname turned and walked back through the trees, Kakashi was about to follow the blonde when he realised Toshiko was still over his shoulder, and had been worryingly silent for quite some time. He chuckled and put the ground back under her sandal clad feet, "Sorry Tosh, you were so quiet I kinda forgot about you."
She waved a hand absent-mindedly "Oh that's ok, I found something to amuse myself with... You know, this really isn't as bad as I thought it would be."
"Err..." Kakashi's eye widened slightly as his hand slid round to his ninja pouch, feeling for the small well-loved book that usually lived there.
"I'm surprised there's actually a storyline, and it's not half bad." She started walking after Maname, turning a page of the little orange book she was holding. "And there was I thinking it was some X-rated, pornographic... Oh... Well that escalated quickly, I'm only on page 3 and they're already on a date..."
"Err Tosh? Can I have it back, please?"
"In a minute- it's still not as raunchy as I assumed, 'Kashi, all this time I've been teasing you about it, why didn't you say it was just a romance novel?" She flicked over another page, engrossed.
Kakashi groaned, it's not that he was particularly embarrassed per se... Ok perhaps a little but only because of who was reading it. He walked after her, "You might not be saying that for long… Come on Tosh, give it back?"
"Why are you so worried? I just want to finish the chapter, how bad can it get in 4 more pages?" She turned to face him, and proceeded to walk backwards. "They're only making out at the cinema, I seriously doubt it'll progress to any- oh my... But there are people in the row in front!"
"Tosh, please-"
"Oh wow that can't feel good… is that even possible?"
"Tosh! Look out!"
"They are doing things with condiments I've never even thought of! How the hell hasn't anyone else noti-AAH!" The kunoichi fell backwards, having tripped over an exposed tree root.
Kakashi lunged forward in a flash and grabbed her by the waist, spinning them so he would take the brunt of the fall. "I feel like I've been saving you for the better part of my life, Tora, and I'll have the bruises to show for it tomorrow."
Raising her head from Kakashi's chest, she could feel the warmth from his body through the thin cotton of her dress and her heart beat quickened slightly as their eyes met, "I... Thanks... You didn't have to..."
"I wouldn't let you fall. And besides, saving you has its perks…" He raised an eyebrow at her, lying on top of him.
The corner of Tosh's mouth crept up in a half smile, "And there I was thinking your intentions were completely honourable."
"They were... To start with at least." His eye crinkled in a smile.
Gai's voice called out through the trees, "Kakashi? Toshiko?"
Kakashi realising his arm was still around Toshiko's waist, loosened his hold on her and nodded his head in the direction Gai's voice had come from, "We should probably..."
"Yeah, Maname and the others will be wondering where we are by now too." She stood, smoothing the creases in the skirt of her dress, as she did her eyes fell on something half hidden amongst a tuft of grass. "Oh no, my dumplings are dirty!"
The copy ninja pulled a leaf out of his hair "Your, err, what? Is that a euphemism for...?"
"Huh? No! I'm talking about the actual dumplings we bought on our way here." She hit his arm with the back of her hand and chuckled. "Honestly 'Kashi, maybe you should lay off the smutty books."
"But then I'd have no excuse." He knelt down to examine the basket and its contents. "I think most of the food survived, so it's OK."
"I guess, but I was looking forward to the dumplings."
A hand rested on her head, "We can get more, don't worry."
"Yeah I know, but the guy at the shop said they were a limited edition flavour. I really wanted to try one."
"There's such a thing as a limited edition… dumpling?"
It was at that moment Gai caught up with them, walking on his hands. "I thought I heard the two of you, I'm ready for lunch now."
"Yo Gai, if you finished your backflips then why are you walking on your hands?" She asked, ignoring Kakashi who had been attempting to signal to her stop talking.
"A good question, little lady!" Gai's face lit up at the question. "Why walk when I can be training? Every second of free time is valuable, Toshiko, if I want to be top of my game I can't take the easy way out. Not to mention I've gotta keep Kakashi, here, on his toes isn't that right Kakashi?"
"Oh sorry Gai, I wasn't listening. Did you know you can get limited edition dumplings? Quite fascinating. Shall we?" He lifted the basket with its remaining contents and started walking.
"But... He... Ooh he makes me so mad acting all cool like that!"
"Don't I know it." She laughed. "Come on, let's go."
They caught up with the infuriatingly cool Jounin, and the three of them found their way through the trees to the opposite edge of the cliff from where they had started. Before them lay the entire village; the shops and houses looked the size of matchboxes, people moving through the streets as small as ants, and the occasional ninja darting along rooftops to and from the Hokage's tower. It all seemed so quiet and tranquil from where they stood, as the noise of general hustle and bustle didn't reach this far up.
"Isn't it beautiful up here?" Toshiko walked to the edge to take in the view.
Kakashi looked at her, her face had lit up and the wind was blowing her hair to one side, "I suppose it is at that."
"Yo guys! Over here!"
They turned to see Maname, Hiro and Ryo sat on the grass under a large twisted old maple tree, Ryo waving them over. "Took your time gettin' here didn't you?"
Tosh shared a quick glance with Kakashi before answering, "We… decided to wait for Gai, when did you get here?"
"Hooours ago, 'Name wouldn't let me eat anything until you guys turned up." He shot a hurt glance at the blonde to his right. "Cruel, cruel woman."
Hiro cut him off, putting an end to the dramatics "We only got here half an hour ago. Don't listen to him, Akatora."
Tosh sat down next to Maname, poking her tongue out at Ryo "I rarely do-AH! Ryosuke, don't throw grapes at me!"
"Serves you right for ignoring me." Ryo grinned and grabbed a rice ball. "What's in the basket, Kakashi?"
"We Bought food on the way, help yourself." He handed over the basket and took a seat opposite Tosh.
The happy group sat atop the grassy cliff for hours, basking in the warm afternoon sun and enjoying each other's company. Tosh looked around at her closest friends, seeing them all so carefree warmed her heart, however bad their line of work got they always managed to find time to unwind and have fun. To her right Maname and Hiro looked deep in conversation with each other, she watched as 'Name giggled at something Hiro had just said. Tosh smiled inwardly, Hiro seemed to be opening up to 'Name and she was positively glowing, maybe there was hope for them yet. Feeling like she might be intruding on a "moment" Toshiko looked away, and turned instead to Ryo and Gai who seemed to be having some kind of competition to see which of them could devour the most food in a short space of time. She couldn't help but laugh, especially when she glanced across at Kakashi who had just rolled his eye skywards.
She stood, brushing the skirt of her dress down, and walked round to sit next to him, "So you didn't feel like joining in?"
He laughed, "Not this time, I prefer to savour my food."
"A wise decision, what did Ryo just eat? He looks like he's about to cry…"
"That would be a handful of wasabi."
"Oh dear."
At that moment Maname called over to them, "Hey Toshi, what do you say to going out tonight?"
Tosh considered before answering "Sounds good, but I can't drink too much as I'm leaving early tomorrow. 'Kashi what about you?"
"Sure." He said, running a hand through his hair. "I think Asuna said he and Kuranai would be at the pub tonight as well."
"Excellent!" Maname started gathering her things together. "Toshi, can I get ready round yours? My flatmate just got back from a long mission and wants some 'alone time' with her boyfriend."
"Of course, shall we go now?"
"Yeah, we can stop at mine on the way to get my things." Standing, Maname turned to Ryo and Gai who were both sprawled out on the grass moaning and holding their stomachs. "You two look like death, are you gonna make it out later?"
Ryo started replying, but the effort proved too much "We'll… be…"
"…There." Gai finished, the two Jounin slowly bumped fists at their successful team work.
Tosh laughed as she joined Maname at the edge of the clearing, "We'll see you guys at 8pm then."
"You need four hours to get ready?" Hiro looked incredulously at them.
"At least that." 'Name grinned and stuck out her tongue. "Cya later."