Chapter 14: Memories of a First Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the published works mentioned in here, songs specifically mentioned are only being used for the entertainment of this Fanfiction.

Kakashi woke up, remembering that Obito had died after giving him his sharingan, Rin had just come with him, and he had no idea where Minato had gone off to. He slowly came round to hear voices talking quietly. Two of them were ones that he knew and recognized, Minato and Rin, but the other was one he had never heard before. He shot bolt upright and saw the strangest sight. Both Rin and Minato were standing in the open clearing in front of him, both looking back at him in shock, and there was only the two of them. That was odd. He was sure he had heard another voice.

He got to his feet slowly and stood up confidently, walking over to them. He looked around confused and then looked to Minato and Rin's stunned faces. "What is going on? Was there someone here? I could have sworn that there was someone's voice here I didn't recognize." Kakashi asked this all in one rush, and Minato's face went from stunned to pride. 'So he heard her talking to us. Well, well, he really has come far. Being immediately aware when he awakes, even before his eyes open. Even better than most senior jounin.' Minato thought this and then replied to Kakashi.

"What you heard is now a secret among the 4 of us. You heard Akimara, my secret student. She always follows me and is with me no matter where I go. Akimara, you can come on down now." Minato finished that reply to him and then called up to the trees above them. Kakashi looked up with interest and Rin and Minato with expectancy. Rin also had a slight trace of awe in her eyes. Kakashi heard tree branches rustle and then a slight figure leapt from the tree branches above them. Kakashi's eyes widened. She was absolutely a ninja, and definitely an elite one.

She had landed silently before them, still enough in the shadows where all you saw was her silhouette. She was in a crouch, having landed a 20 foot jump. The silhouette stood and walked into the small patch of moonlight where the rest of them were standing. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and Minato gave her a small nod. Kakashi didn't move, but studied her discreetly. She wore all black, black belts lacing her waist, hips, and right thigh. Along the belts were pouches, shuriken holsters, and other small things, some of which looked like they might hold something rather dangerous. She wore one leather glove on her left hand, and it came up to her elbow, and it was black ( of course). On her other hand was a leather band and it bore the Konohagakure symbol on it.

Her face was small, angular and beautiful. He was glad he was wearing a mask, otherwise the others would see his blush. Her eyes were angular, long, and blackish-purple, strangely enough. Her hair was braided and then tucked into a tight bun, so he couldn't see if it was long or short. He nodded his approval. Along to being beautiful, she was small, slender, and muscular. All in all, she met his approval in more ways than one.

She turned to look at him and he froze. Her eyes were as hard as cold marble, but strangely curious. Minato stepped in. "Akimara, this is Kakashi. Kakashi this is Akimara." He said this with finality and beckoned Rin to come with him. She did with a look of understanding. They walked away and Kakashi turned to a now more calm Akimara. "Kakashi." she began, and his breath was swept away. Her voice was… there were no words for it. It was cold like ice, yet soft and strangely melodic at the same time. It fit her. He came back to earth as she spoke again. "Talk to me. We are going to become teammates so I want to get to know you, maybe even become friends." She said, and she sounded like she was being nice, and actually curious. He decided to like her.

They both turned at the sound of Minato calling them and decided to walk and talk. "Well, let's start with the basics. I don't know how much you know about me so just bear with me here. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I am a jounin, and my parents are both gone. My father was the white fang, and I wish I could be proud of that. I don't have any friends really, only Rin and Minato. I wish you will as well." He said this while walking calmly beside her, just strolling in the moonlight. She nodded at this and then smiled breathtakingly. "I will do the same for you then. My name is Akimara. I don't know what my official last name should be, but I was raised with two members of the Hatake clan. So I suppose you could call me, Akimara Hatake. I am higher in rank than Minato, the fourth Hokage. My parents are unknown, no one knows what happened to them. The only thing I know was that they saved me from death at the cost of their own lives. I would sincerely hope you will be friends with me, as I want to be friends with you." They had reached their destination as she said the last word. Rin and Kakashi stood there dumbfounded and Minato and Akimara just grinned.

Akimara glided forward with graceful long strides and made a formal welcome, much to their amusement. "Welcome all of you, to my parent's mansion. This was the last thing they left me, so I bid ye all welcome. Come now, follow me and Minato." She said this all and then, with the grace of a stalking tiger, gave a sweeping bow. Rin and Minato clapped for her performance and she smiled. She strode back to him and said, "Come on, I'll show you around. You'll have a grand time." She said with a smile. He followed her in and they immediately took their sandals and boots off. She flicked on the light and Minato began to show Rin around and she showed Kakashi around.

She walked around the mansion with ease, showing him everything. The last room she showed him was the room she was giving him. "This is to be your room." She opened the door and let him in. Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he walked into his new room. It represented him and simplicity. There was a large bed, and it had black sheets and silver comforter. There was a elegant finished wood weapons rack along one wall, and on the other was a closet and a bathroom door, which was open. He looked around once more. There was a dresser and a nightstand, and his window was actually a balcony door, the balcony adjoining to the room right next to his, which coincidentally happened to be hers. He looked into his bathroom next and wasn't surprised. The bathroom was huge.

The floor was marble, and so was the counters. The sink was the size of a small bathtub, and the shower and tub… were the size of a swimming pool. Okay, that was a big exaggeration. It was the size of a Jacuzzi. The rooms really were elegant. She smiled as he set his pack down and collapsed on the silver down comforter. "Let me know if you need anything." She said, closing his door and leaving. After she left, Kakashi picked himself up and decided to change and take a shower. He opened his pack and decided to play the right way, and be neat. He put his weapon pouches on the rack, and hung his pack up on a hook. Then he went to the closet and opened the massive door. His jaw dropped. The closet was full of clothes that looked like they would fit him. He grabbed a black shirt and some blue jeans and then went into the bathroom to shower and freshen up before dinner, which he could smell cooking. He took a hot shower and then changed his clothes, and roughly towel dried his hair. He walked down the hall and went downstairs into the massive kitchen and dining room. Rin, Minato and Akimara were already there, clothes changed and looking much refreshed.

Rin and Minato were both wearing casual jeans and shirts, but Akimara was really wearing something different. Akimara was wearing a summer dress. It was mid summer, and it was really warm in the house, giving it a happy warm feel. Even so, this dress was something else. It was black, (go figure), and very pretty on her. It had a mildly low cut, and the straps came up and tied around her neck. The skirt came down to just below her knee, and it fastened tightly around her hips. It was backless, and you could see the lightly tanned skin of her back. Another strap came around just below her shoulder blades, holding the dress on. It was very flattering on her, and he could feel his face heating up. He turned away until it passed and then sat down at the barstools with Rin and Minato.

Akimara was the one cooking dinner and she did it so fast, it was like watching a professional cook dinner. You know, on one of those old people cooking shows? Except this was like a million times more awesome. It was pretty cool to watch. There was soft music playing, and she hummed along with the melody. Her hair had been unbraided and was just in a loose bun on the nape of her neck. She finished cooking with a flourish and served them the summery dinner. There was a fresh garden salad, topped with craisins, pecans, and fresh chopped vegetables, complete with a sweet but tangy dressing. She served for the main course a noodle dish, and he really enjoyed it. After words, for dessert, she served up this really good chocolate pudding. The dinner was perfect. After they had finished eating, she swept away the dishes and they went into a dance/family room. The music was playing there and then just as he sat down, a fast waltz started to play.

Minato glided over to Akimara and bowed gracefully. "Might I have this dance?" he asked. She nodded and took his hand. Kakashi and Rin's jaws dropped when Akimara did the most unexpected thing. She let her hair loose. It tumbled down her back, in long loose waves of shimmering black. It went down to her calves, and he could now see why she kept it tied up. Wow. Minato smiled as she went with him to the dance floor, swirling with the beginning beat. They hit the dance floor with poses, twirls, and pirouettes. In the highest part of the song, he put his hands on her waist and lifted her up, spinning neatly. Her hands held part of her weight on his shoulders, but he still held most of her 110 pounds.

Rin and Kakashi were dumbfounded. They both had no idea either one of them could dance, let alone this good. Kakashi knew that he could dance, but not anywhere near this good. Minato and Akimara finished their dance and came back down to sit beside them. "Wow!" said Rin, turning to Akimara with a huge smile of pleasure on her face. "That was awesome! How did you guys learn that?" she asked, ecstatically. Kakashi could see she was genuinely interested. He looked at Akimara and had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at her expression. She had wide eyes, and was staring at Rin in utter confusion. Then she relaxed with an easy smile. "You liked it?" she asked. Rin nodded happily, hopefully. "If you two want, we can teach it to you. We are going to be here for a while, so why not?" she said to an amazed Rin. Minato smiled. This was going to be interesting.

He stood up and offered Rin his hand. She took it, albeit uncertainly. She wasn't sure what to do. Akimara got some music going and then turned to Kakashi. "Would you like to learn it as well? Unless you want Minato to teach you, I will be your instructor." He raised an eyebrow at her, and then shrugged, standing up. She walked to the dance floor with him and then she began to teach him the steps of the dance. He was amazed at how easily she could move with him. Her movement were flowy and graceful, just like her. He learned it so easily, it even surprised her. Rin was learning as well, but slower than him. He leaned forward, and whispered into Akimara's ear with a playful smirk on his face.

"Want to show them what we can do?" she grinned devilishly back at him. "Well certainly. Why ever wouldn't we?" he grinned. She got the song playing and then Minato looked at them in shock, along with Rin. They moved off the dance floor, and Kakashi and Akimara glided on. Much to Minato's and Rin's shock, they both performed the dance flawlessly. They finished and then Minato just stared at Kakashi. He looked like he was having the time of his life, just being with her. "Hey Akimara!" he called out. She looked to him, one eyebrow raised. He shot her a signal and she smiled and nodded. She got the message alright. It was game time.

She switched the tracks to game time music that she had specifically set up for herself, and then disappeared from Kakashi's arms. He looked confused for a moment and then he got it. She was playing a game with Minato. He watched with Rin as their sensei played a game with her. He went to dash at Akimara who had just appeared at the doorway, but she disappeared again in a cloud of smoke. He was laughing and so was Rin at their sensei's attempts to catch her. She appeared on the opposite side of the room and started dancing to the song that was playing, which happened to be Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake. She did the little dance, leaving a baffled Minato and a laughing-so-hard-they-couldn't-breathe Kakashi and Rin.

She vanished again and then reappeared behind them, this time dancing to I'm Sexy and I Know It. Kakashi and Rin started up a new round of laughter and Minato was astonished. He didn't know what to do. This was definitely a shocker, she wasn't normally one to mess around like this. She continued to do this, until he finally caught her unaware and got her from behind. She laughed and so did he. Then she yawned. "We had better get some rest." She said, and they all nodded. They all went to their rooms, and Akimara went next to Kakashi the whole way to his room. When he went to tell her goodnight, she leaned in and caught him by surprise. His eyes widened in shock and he finally became aware of what she was doing. She had his chin in her hand and her lips were firmly pressed on his forehead. She finally stood down and said softly, "Get some rest." Then, she disappeared.

When he woke up in the morning, he was confused. He could have sworn he heard a beautiful sound. He closed his eyes. 'I must be imagining things.' He thought, exasperated. Then he heard it. A beautiful melody being sang in a soft voice that was familiar. Akimara was singing. He got out of bed silently and winced. His shoulder still hurt from when he had been cut by that one guy on their mission. Kakashi walked to his balcony door and saw a sight. Akimara was standing on the balcony, her hair loose, and she was wearing a white dress; just a simple summer dress, but it was beautiful on her. She was humming softly a melody he didn't recognize, but it was nice to listen to.

He stood for a moment just listening to her, and then he made his decision. He opened the door and joined her. She looked over and she smiled softly at him. "Good morning Kakashi. Did you sleep well?" she asked him, and her eyes were soft. He nodded and came to stand next to her, just leaning on the balcony rail. They both stared into the sunset in a companionable silence. After a while Akimara started humming the melody again, and he found himself swaying slightly to the rhythm of it. She looked over at him again and saw what he was doing and she grinned. Then her eyes rested on his un-bandaged and wounded shoulder. Her eyes immediately were filled with concern and she came closer to him, her hands open to him.

He has his shirt off, so she could clearly see it, and he decided to see what she was going to do. She extended her hands as if to touch the wound, and then stopped. She looked up at him and asked, "May I?" he nodded his consent and she gently laid her hands over the wound. Kakashi's eyes widened when her hands alighted with brilliant crimson healing chakra. The wound shrank, and then disappeared completely and she seemed to not have used up any of her chakra at all. She stepped back and he smiled at her in thanks and she nodded. They continued to watch the sunrise and he smiled in pleasure. This day looked as if it were going to be great.

The next day, as Kakashi and Akimara sparred, he found that she was even harder to land a hit on than Minato. She dodged him effortlessly again, and he was getting more and more irritated and fascinated by the second by it. He went and tried to land a barrage of kicks on her and she simply dodged and flipped over him. He tried the unexpected next and was amazed by the results. He hit her. He landed a punch right on her shoulder and she grunted with the pain. She went flying forward and then flipped and landed it. "Ow." She muttered and he laughed. They ended the spar session and Kakashi and Minato went off on a mission, promising to return by nightfall.

I smiled and waved them off, and then went to go and read quietly in my room. I pulled down my favorite book on healing and started to read. It was just before nightfall, and I put it down and decided to make dinner. I went downstairs and got some music going. I danced easily to it while cooking some of my homemade ramen and decided to make some of Minato's favorite dessert. Brownies. I finished dinner and served up three plates, saving theirs for when they came back. I had just set theirs aside when I head Minato and Kakashi come in. I ran to the door to meet them and almost fainted when I saw them at the door. My knees buckled and I was pretty sure I turned paper white.

Minato was standing there, an unconscious and severely wounded Kakashi in his arms. Minato himself was only slightly wounded, but I knew I had to get Kakashi immediate treatment. My medical side took over and I said to Minato, "Take him to the surgical area." He did so, rushing off. I followed, and we got there immediately. I assessed the damage and frowned in anger. He had major wounds on his chest, stomach, and a couple stab wounds here and there. I started to work right away.

I watched Akimara work on Kakashi with concern. I knew she was going to need help. I went and found Rin, and explained the situation on the run. She followed me and started to help Akimara by healing the minor wounds, and Akimara was working on the major wounds. Rin closed the minor wounds with only slight difficulty and then went to help Akimara close the major wounds. Together the two healers closed the mortal wounds and bandaged them up. When they did all that they could, they both sighed in exhaustion. Rin and Akimara washed their hands, and Minato gave them each huge hugs of thanks. They both were shocked, but they hugged him back.

After they had eaten and were freshened up, Kakashi still hadn't woken, so Akimara carried him upstairs to her room. It was almost identical to Kakashi's, but it was black and red, not black and silver. She laid him on her bed and pulled the comforter around him. She shook her head ruefully and sat down next to him. 'How on earth he managed to get this injured is beyond me. I will have to watch him carefully now.' She sighed and stroked her hands through his soft, silver, spiky hair. She continued to do this, and then watched his face.

His eyes flickered, then opened slowly, unfocused. He looked warily around him, and then his eyes focused on the figure kneeling above him. It seemed to take him a few seconds, but then he recognized Akimara with a very worried expression. "Kakashi?" came her sweet voice to his ears. He groaned and she took that for a 'what?'. "How are you feeling?" she asked him. Stroked her hands through his soft hair, and waited for his answer.

"I've felt better. Thanks. How long was I out?" he asked, still mesmerized by her caring hands. He found it slightly difficult to breathe and his chest and stomach hurt. A lot. Not to mention the fact he was trying insanely hard not to blush. She was worried about him. " You have been out ever since Minato arrived back carrying you. Which was about 6 hours ago. What happened by the way?" she asked, her hands now inspecting the bandages, just making sure they were tight and not going anywhere when he eventually fell asleep. She could tell he was embarrassed, but she knew that he knew she was doing it for his benefit. So he let her.

" We were attacked by some mysterious spies from the sound. Don't know who they were or why they did. They got me, but I honestly don't know how." He finished talking and then he winced in pain, turning his head away. This hurt a lot to talk. He felt her hands run through his hair and her shushing him. He quieted down when he felt her hands press down on his sore spot.

He watched as her bluish-silver-gold chakra glowed and the pain faded. She was obviously well trained in healing. His pain faded and he looked at her. She was so tired, and her face showed it. Using the last of his strength he pulled her down to lay with him. "Lay down. You're exhausted." He said before closing his eyes and falling asleep. She stared at him in shock for a second, and then laid down beside him and fell asleep. She laid down next to him and then got an idea.

She reached up and kissed him. His eyes flew open in shock and then he kissed her back. She then got up and said, "I must go Kakashi. Just know that I love you and I will see you again someday. Goodbye." And with that she faded away in cherry blossoms. He reached his arm out with a pathetic cry of "No, don't go." But she was gone with a shower of cherry blossoms and their sweet scent.

She had disappeared that night, and he hadn't seen her since. He had heard rumors of a phantom ninja out there, one who wears all black, and has never been seen eye to eye. He always thought of his long lost friend when he heard these rumors and he always wondered if it was her. He wondered if she thought of him too. He had always wondered if she would come back, and when she did, he now felt so stupid for not recognizing her. But now here she was… sitting right here next to him…