I awoke the next morning hearing my name being called. Itachi was desperately trying to speak with me.
Amaya! What happened last night?!
I'll explain…when we meet. I still have a lot to do today.
I left it at that and went to take a shower. I was still in Kakashi's clothing from the night before, so after my shower I washed and folded them, intending to give them to him before I left.
The next course of action was to see the Hokage. Though many of my questions had been answered the night before, I still wanted to see what he knew, as well as return the manuscript.
I knocked on the Hokage's door, and heard the familiar voice telling me to enter. As I stepped inside, I saw Iruka sitting at a table next to the Hokage's. They were giving out missions to the Genin, Chuunin, and Jounin. Kotetsu and Izumo were standing there, apparently discussing the Chuunin exam. They were still in their official Chuunin exam attire. I had to admit, Izumo looked good in grey.
"Amaya! It's good to see you again. I enjoyed your performance during the preliminaries. What matter do you have to bring to my attention today?" asked the Hokage. He smiled at me.
"I actually had a couple of questions for you sir, if you don't mind…" I looked hesitantly at Kotetsu, Izumo, and Iruka. Would I have to speak to the Hokage in front of them?
Apparently, I was. "Go ahead, Amaya," he told me.
I sighed deeply and started searching through the backpack I had brought with me. Then, I pulled out the leather bound manuscript and placed it on his desk.
"Do you know who wrote this manuscript?" I asked him, straightforward. I saw the surprise on Izumo's face.
"You took a book from that library?!" he exclaimed, obviously surprised that I would do such a thing.
"I never meant to keep it, but the history that lies in these pages is extremely important to me. Hokage-sama, do you know about the missing pages, and the founding of the Mist Village? You know…when it was still technically a tribe, and not a village. In particular, about an individual named Kasumi."
Before he could answer, another knock came to his door.
"…Enter…" he said. His mind was still thinking about Kasumi. He knew something, but he was deciding whether it would be acceptable to tell me or not.
I turned my head towards the door and saw Kakashi come inside. He looked as surprised to see me there as I was seeing him.
Well it's just a party in here, thought Kotetsu angrily. Izumo still couldn't get past the fact that I had taken a book from the Hokage's library. Iruka was puzzled as to why I wanted to know about the History of the Hidden Mist, and Kakashi…well he was Kakashi. He came and stood next to me.
"Sorry to interrupt, Hokage-sama—" he started, but the Hokage cut him off.
"Sorry Kakashi, but I need to answer Amaya's question first. You want to know about Kasumi," he started. Everyone else in the room began to listen.
"Kasumi was a very powerful kunoichi. She could be considered the first unofficial Mizukage, because she was the leader of her tribe. Her people loved and respected her. However, she died defending her village from an invasion. It was said that her village was attacked because she had begun to delve into an ancient art that let the spirit live on after death. This is similar to the idea of immortality, but of course requires something to be sacrificed. What she realized was that the sacrifice was her own freedom, as well as the freedom of another person. She was killed during the war, and was never able to finish what she started. Myth, however, says that she returned in spirit form."
"How do you know this?" I asked.
"There was a boy named Kaimu who traveled to this village seeking guidance…he was the one that brought us this book. Not all of it is completely true, but this is what the people in the Mist Village believe. The pages that are missing reveal all of this information, but they have been missing since he gave the book to us.
"Kasumi never understood the art of immortality," the Hokage continued, "but her daughter continued her research. When Kasumi's spirit returned and was hunted after, her daughter performed the ritual, taking away her mother's freedom but preserving her spirit forever. Kasumi was sealed into her own grandchild. It was said that her grandchild had great powers, but it is unclear what happened once that child died."
"Hokage-sama…" I began, not exactly sure of how to phrase what I was about to say, "That ritual…is there any way that it could be reversed? I mean to say…is there any way to make the immortal mortal?"
He was caught off guard at my question. So was everyone else in the room.
"What exactly are you asking, Amaya?" He was beginning to realize that we should have had this talk alone.
I spoke softly, hoping that he'd understand me. "I'm asking if there would be any way to give back the freedom and take away the immortality…"
"I'm sorry, but it's said that the only way to do what you ask is if the five elements come together as one. There has been no one able to use all five elements since Kasumi's daughter did to grant her mother immortality."
My ears perked up at this. "Kasumi's daughter…used the five elements?" I asked.
"She did, but she died from the aftereffects and the trauma. Bringing all five elements together caused her to go mentally insane."
"Thank you…Hokage-sama…" I looked at Kakashi. My face in his mind looked void of any and all emotion.
Izumo noticed the difference too; he had seen my face turn ashen.
In his mind, the Hokage was formulating why I would ask such questions. He had a good idea of what was going on, but he needed to talk to my sensei to be sure.
"Izumo, Kotetsu, Iruka, Amaya, please exit my office. I have a private matter I need to discuss with Kakashi."
We did as he said. After I left his office, I began to leave, walking down the spiral staircase.
"Amaya!" a voice called behind me. It was Izumo, and he soon caught up to where I was. I gave him a smile, but there was no happiness behind it.
"What's wrong?" he asked. Why did you ask these questions to the Hokage…what are you planning Amaya? He thought.
"Please, Izumo," I replied, turning to face him. "I promise you I am doing nothing evil, wicked, or traitorous…but many of these questions are just helping me unravel my past. I really would appreciate it if you didn't delve into all of this…"
He looked at me for a moment, assessing whether he could really trust me or not. Finally, he decided he could, and asked quietly, "So, are we still on for our date tonight? Or would you rather have some time to yourself?"
I thought about that for a moment, and realized that I really would like to be with Izumo-sama.
"Yes," I replied. "I'd actually really enjoy going on a date with you."
"Great, I'll come and pick you up around six thirty? Oh, and you should probably wear something dressier…" he trailed off.
"Got it Izumo-sama. I'll see you tonight."
As we parted ways, my thoughts trailed back to what the Hokage had told me. Kasumi's daughter had delved into the secret arts, which is why her mother's spirit was inside of me. Somehow, Kasumi's daughter had used the five elements, although no one since her had been able to do it. She went insane…
I found myself wandering back to Kakashi's apartment. I had wrapped his clothing, and I put the package by his door with a note thanking him for the night before. I told him to train Sasuke well, and that I would see him in a month.
Then, I went back to my own apartment and began to get ready for my date. I took a shower and then slipped into a simple black lace dress. It was tight-fitted, and went to mid-thigh. I put my hair down and let it fall into its natural waves, then did some makeup, and slipped on some dressy short wedge boots. I looked into the mirror, smiling at the way the dress hugged my curves (it showed off my butt really well), and how the boots elongated my legs. This was the first time I had worn the dress, and it made me feel a little self-conscious. It did, however, get my mind off of everything else I was worrying about.
A knock came to my door. I looked at the clock, and it was 6:10. Izumo was early.
I opened the door, smiling, and met Kakashi. He looked at me, speechless, and his visible eye appraised my form. I blushed the deepest red I have ever been, and asked him why he was there.
Woah…he thought.
"I received your note," he said, "and I wanted to come and speak with you. I didn't realize you would be going out…"
"Um…what did you want to talk about?" I asked hesitantly.
"I wanted to see how you were doing after what Hokage-sama told you."
"I'm…actually…not okay at all. I just need time to get away for a moment, and let my thoughts collect before I figure out what I am going to do."
"I see…" he trailed off. She wants a distraction…Izumo…probably. He sounded irritated, annoyed, and…quite frankly, disappointed. Disappointed in me, for obviously taking the easy way out of dealing with my issues, and disappointed in himself, that he wasn't the one with me tonight.
We stood in an awkward silence together. "Well," he continued, "if you ever need anything…you know where to find me." He was about to leave.
"Kakashi-sensei," I started, and took a step towards him. He paused. I paused. We were precariously close to each other, and I could feel his warm, sweet breath on my face through his mask. I forgot what I was going to say, and after a moment of being so close to him, I looked down suddenly and murmured a soft "Thank you."
He snapped back to himself and nodded his head, then left.