Dedicated to Guest

After the Rain I

"You seem happy, Kakashi." His mother told him when he entered into the private hospital room Sakumo was staying in. She was sat next to the bed, which was currently empty of Sakumo's presence, with a book resting in her hand. "Did something good happen?"

Kakashi removed his coat and threw it over the other vacant chair that was adjacent to the hospital bed. He touched his lips before his smirk grew even wider in amusement. He hasn't been able to stop smiling since he was with her. He didn't think that she would have had such an impact on him, but here he was, unable to contain his smile. While his problems still remained, he felt calm amidst it all. It was her words, her own vulnerability that soothed him and made him realise that there is someone that he can confide in, indiscriminately.

Throughout their exchange, he didn't see a hint of judgement clouding her eyes. She listened to him with an open heart, and gave him rational advices that came from her own experiences. He was able to learn from her, and he was able to heal with her. Even if it was only one wound, he was grateful.

"Are things moving along well with you and your girlfriend?"

Kakashi froze mid-way in sitting down on the chair, dumbfounded as to how his mother even knew of Shizune's existence. He hasn't divulged this information to anyone else apart from his friends.

"I saw you holding hands with a girl as I was driving pass. I initially wanted to invite you for brunch, but I decided not to impose on your little date with her." Sachi closed her book and she developed a conniving smirk that could only mean one thing - she was about to tease every little detail about Shizune from him. "So… who is this girl?"

"Mom!" Kakashi groaned.

"What? I just want to know more about the girl that is making my son smile like an idiot."

"She's…. nice." Instead of forfeiting and giving his mother the answer she wanted, he decided to play ambiguous so she would tire from her little game of investigation

"Hm. Nice, huh?" She mused, tucking the book she was reading away. From the looks of things, he wasn't going to shake his mother off any time soon. "Come on, can't you spare any more details? For a starter, what's her name?"

Another dejected huff escaped his lips, already weary of what his mother was doing. "Mom. Can we drop this?"

She had her hands up in her defense. "Alright. Alright." After a few seconds of letting everything cool down, she looked at her son with apologetic eyes. "I know I come too strong each time we see each other, Kakashi, but I am just trying to be here for you. I'm not trying to suffocate you, okay? I'm just trying to show some support in whatever you have going on in your life."

Kakashi sighed, softer this time, and his eyes wandered up to his mother's. Guilt plagued his features as he acknowledged his mother's curiosity. She didn't mean any harm to it, he was sure. But he wasn't used to her being so interested about his life unless it meant that there was something in it for her. She had often pried before, so she could gain some information on Obito for his mother. But this was different - she was just trying her hardest to reconnect with him.

"Shizune," said Kakashi. "Her name is Shizune."

His mother beamed at his reply, and even though he didn't show it, it made him happy to see her express herself so genuinely.

"Shizune!" she noted, smiling. "She sounds like a lovely girl."

"She is."

"It would be great if I can meet her, someday."

Kakashi smirked. So, his mother was thinking of sticking around. "Someday," he agreed.

"Careful, Sakumo-sama." One of the nurses gently reminded upon opening the door for him.

Both Kakashi and Sachi perked up in their seats and looked at Sakumo. He was practicing how to walk again, with the help of the doctor. Like before, his legs had braces to add support to his balance and maneuvering. But unlike before, Kakashi could no longer see the look of disdain and weariness in Sakumo's eyes as he forced his body to move. Instead, he was filled with motivation.

He looked at his mother and then back at his father. Was she his motivation to get back up, he wondered.

Sakumo gave a soft smile as Sachi met him halfway, taking him from the doctor's support. "I thought you had a meeting," he said, allowing her to give him a brief embrace.

"Cancelled it." She said simply, assisting him onto the bed.

"He's not going to be pleased," he noted about her lover.

"He's never pleased."

Kakashi approached Sakumo and assisted his mother with the unbuckling of his braces. "How have you been feeling, dad?" he asked, putting his leg braces to one side.

"With the doctor's help, much better. I'd even say, better than before I was hospitalised." Sakumo laughed, although it was a grim joke.

The doctor only smiled in kind respect. "As long as your dad keeps up with his medications and physical therapy, I'd say that he'll be in great shape in two months time. We are pioneering surgical procedures in treating MS, and I'm confident that Sakumo-sama will be a suitable - and great - candidate for it."

Kakashi noticed Sachi squeeze Sakumo's hand at the doctor's last sentence.

"But you need to take it easy, alright, Sakumo-sama?"

Sakumo nodded. "Anything you say."

"Great. I'll be back in two hours with your medications. And as we have discussed before, we'll be working on building your muscle strength to improve your gait and, in turn, help manage spasticity." He looked back at his chart and nodded with confidence. "Things are looking great, Sakumo-sama. We just need that extra step."

"Thank you so much, doctor." Sachi leaned in to shake his hand.

He smiled kindly before giving a nod to Kakashi. "It's also nice seeing you again, young man."

Kakashi bowed slightly. "Thank you for all of your hard work."

Once the door shut behind the confident doctor and the skittish nurse, Sakumo relaxed on his bed with Sachi sitting on the edge of his bed. Kakashi retained his distance by standing behind the end of his bed. He couldn't bring himself to ruin the picture-perfect scenario in front of him right now - his mother was holding hands with his father, as they looked at each other like they used to in the past.

"That doctor is pretty good," Kakashi casually noted. "I didn't think he would be qualified for the job, given his young age."

"I was surprised, too. I didn't think I would be so complacent in giving someone else complete authority over my life. But, given his personal connections with MS, I'd say that he's the best person in this hospital for me."

"Personal connections?"

"His mother died from MS. And his father has since devoted his life in researching into MS, even pioneering the research for it. That kid has been learning under his father since he was a teen; so he is very knowledgeable about this subject."

"So, are you going through with this operation?" Kakashi asked.

"I am." Again, Sakumo had looked at Sachi upon answering.

"How much will it be?"

"Don't worry about the money, Kakashi. You have done your part."

"If you need any money; don't hesitate to ask. You know I only picked up modelling to cover for your hospital bills."

Sakumo looked at him ruefully. "I know. But I'd also like it if some of your money went towards yourself, son. You know, in anything you want."

"The only thing I want is for you to come home, dad. Better this time." Kakashi leaned against the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets to hide his shakiness from his parents. "The rest can wait till then. This family is my priority."

Again, Sakumo looked ashamed. This time, he forfeited to silence.

It was Sachi who spoke instead. "You have been a great help, Kakashi. Thank you so much."

It wasn't until Kakashi followed Sachi out to get some food that she confided in him. She took him aside, next to a water fountain. "I'm really sorry for what I'm about to say. As your mother, know that I am terribly ashamed of this."

Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed together. "What? What is it?"

"I don't have enough money to keep your father here receiving all of his therapies and medications. On that of that, the surgery - or multiple surgeries - he will undergo in the future. I just can't manage it alone. So, I'm going to have to ask you for some assistance." She held him by his arms as she teared up in front of him. "I'm ashamed as a mother to have to ask you for help. But this is Sakumo's best shot at gaining his life from before. I'm also willing to take out some loans, if need be. I just need -"

"How much?" he asked.

She looked up at him, somewhat surprised.

"How much are you lacking?"

"Ten grand. Maybe twenty. I'd like to keep your father in a private room as much as possible, with the best physicians and care at his disposal. All of his medicines also cost a fortune. But I'm not asking you to give me that much! Only anything you can afford. It'll do a great deal for me." She wearily smiled. "I also want to bring your father back home. I want him to be able to live again, you know? And I'll do everything in my power to make that happen."

"Of course I'll help you." Kakashi said.

"Thank you!" Sachi pulled Kakashi in for a tight embrace. "I'm really sorry about this Kakashi. You must feel ashamed of me right now."

Kakashi wrapped his arms around his mother. "No. I'm glad you told me."

Kakashi took the bus into the city later that day, insisting that his mother shouldn't bother dropping him off. After all, she already had an irritable lover waiting for her at her home, probably already itching to bitch and whine about how she has been dedicating more of her time with her real family than with him and the company. While Kakashi has thought of it before, he definitely believed it now: that man didn't deserve an inch of his mother.

After the heavy episode of the rain, everything seemed to have mellowed and settled down for the night. Even with the gaudy neon lights and the blaring lights of vehicles that strolled on by through the streets, the city was surprisingly tranquil in Kakashi's eyes. There was something about the light chill in the air and the quietness of the night sky that calmed the bustling city life that unravelled in front of his eyes.

He continued to pace through the city, often gazing into the windows of shops he passed by. He wandered aimlessly through the streets, in deep thought of what he should do next, without the intention of going home. He didn't want to go back in such a confining dark space so soon. He liked the company the strangers, who walked past, gave him.

Everyone who walked past him - parents, friends and lovers alike - all seemed so happy. And upon seeing their faces, Kakashi felt his lips curl despite being devoid of any sort of happiness. He was jealous, he realised. They all had somebody to share their laughter with.

Kakashi nuzzled his nose into his coat and continued to walk. He walked and walked until he eventually stopped. Stopped at a familiar shop. He looked at the window, through the pastries that was displayed at the front, and onto the people who were behind the counter. She wasn't there. He should have guessed that she wouldn't be. But her parents have arrived from their trip, so that's something. At least she's not alone tonight.

He got his phone out and was tempted to call her, but he stopped. Perhaps he should give her more space? He sighed. How much space should he give her without making it seem like he was just running away from her? He didn't want her to think that he was distancing himself from her because of what happened. Knowing her and her nature, she would jump to conclusions like that. And he didn't want another misunderstanding that could strain their relationship.

Kakashi shook his head and kept on walking. There wasn't anything he could do for her, right now. He's giving her the space she wants. And if she has any qualms with that, then he'll just have to tell it to her straight. After all, Tsunade did tell him that communication was an important asset to any relationship. If Shizune can't take what he's going to tell her, then it might be best to end things before it gets too complicated.

His hand balled into a fist at that thought. He wished things wouldn't end that way.

Just as Kakashi was going to cross the road, he stopped when he saw a very familiar girl walk over to a black SUV. He focused his attention to her, realising that it was Hanare who was conversing with an unknown man in the car. Given that the car was the latest model, and he was donned in an expensive suit, the guy she was talking to was rich.

Given how low the temperature was, Kakashi was surprised that Hanare was able to keep up her demeanor without giving any signs of her being cold. It was an impressive feat considering she was wearing nothing but a short dress and heels.

Kakashi watched the man drive away, leaving Hanare in front of a very lavish hotel that would charge hundreds just for a night in their ensuite. Did she just get off from a date? Mei wouldn't be pleased to know that her protege was fooling around like this when she cancelled their photoshoot earlier today.

As Hanare tucked her hair behind her ear, she caught eyes with him and waved. Kakashi waved back, but with less gusto as her. He eventually pushed himself to cross the street to go up to her. "Hey," he simply said, unintentionally eyeing her outfit from head to toe.

"What are you doing out here so late?"

He shrugged. "Just…. Strolling."

"Strolling?" She laughed. "You're really an odd one, Kakashi. You're lucky you're handsome."

"So…. who was that?" Kakashi asked, knowing that there was no need to act coy. Especially with such a straight forward girl like her.

"Who?" she played innocent. "Oh, him? Just a client."

"A client?"

"Yeah. You know, the type of guy who pays you to go to parties with him, so he wouldn't look so alone."

"So, are you an escort?"

Hanare hummed, trying to find another way to term her sideline profession. "Something like that. But sex is completely off the table. Kissing is fine, it just costs extra. You have to keep your prices tight in this game, or else men can take advantage of you."

"Ah…."

"Do you think differently of me now?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes upwards as she gazed up at him.

"No," he told truthfully.

"Oh, come on. You can go ahead and say it. You know, the word 'slut', 'whore', 'gold digger'. I've heard it all before from all of the other girls from model gigs." She began to walk away from the hotel, leaving Kakashi to follow her. "This generates quick cash, you know. And god knows I need it right now."

"Can I ask why?"

"Drugs."

Kakashi's eyes gaped and Hanare began to laugh.

"You actually believed that? God, you're too gullible sometimes, Kakashi." She smirked at him. "You're cute, you know. But I was just joking." She sat down on a nearby bench and relaxed. "It's for my little sister at home. She's not feeling too well, and my parents can't exactly afford everything with their mediocre jobs. So, I'm just filling in the gaps for them."

Kakashi's eyes softened. She's in a similar situation to him, he thought.

"God, it's cold," she cringed. "You know how hard it was to not complain with that guy? He specifically asked me to not wear anything but a dress. So, I had to oblige."

Kakashi sat down beside her and placed his coat over her.

She looked at him, genuinely surprised. "How about you?"

"You need it more than me."

She gripped the coat by its lapels and blushed. "Won't your girlfriend be angry about this?"

"About what? There's nothing wrong with this."

"What is going on with the two of you, anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you love her?"

"I….. can't answer that."

"Ah, it must be too early, huh." She shifted closer to him until their knees were touching, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "She's lucky to have met you first, Kakashi. I would have loved to have someone like you in my life…."

Kakashi couldn't find it in himself to push her away or to pull away. He accepted her and sat in his place. "I'm not that worth it."

"Psh. Nice guys always say that, just to make the girl feel better. But girls know, Kakashi; girls know a catch when they see one - and you're a catch. You just don't know it."

"So, are you."

She scoffed. "If I was then I wouldn't be here, alone, clinging onto a guy who already has a girlfriend. I would be upstairs, in my room, snuggling up with someone who loved me for me. But I just can't seem to find that here in the city. Everyone seem to have an ulterior motive under their sleeve; it makes it hard for me to trust anyone. But with you, Kakashi…." She leaned closer to him but she didn't finish her sentence. "Forget it."

"Hm?"

"Nothing. Just forget it." She slipped off from his jacket and stood back up. "Thanks for keeping me company, Kakashi. It's getting quite late. I think you should get home while it's still quite safe out here."

Kakashi collected his jacket and nodded in agreement. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Of course!" She smiled. "I'll be just fine, Kakashi."

He bowed slightly. "Goodnight, Hanare."

"Goodnight, Kakashi," she whispered, tiptoeing slightly to place a kiss on his cheek, before she sauntered on back into the hotel.

Kakashi waited outside until he knew that she was safe inside before he went on his way back home.

After getting the train back home, Kakashi took his dog out for another late night stroll. After all, the dog must be getting agitated being stuck in the house all day. Kakashi tied Akisame to a post near the entrance of the 24/7 hour convenience store Asuma worked in, and entered to buy something quick to eat.

He browsed through the aisles before he decided in settling for instant ramen as his dinner. As Asuma was checking his shopping out and packing them into a plastic bag, he frowned at him. "What's wrong man? Did you have a rough day?"

Kakashi sighed. "Something like that."

"I heard from Kurenai that Shizune is staying over at hers tonight. What happened? I thought you said that you were going to stay with her for another night?"

"I was, but plans changed. Besides, her parents came her early; so it's not like I could, anyway."

Asuma's lips deviously curled into a smirk. "So, did you do anything with Shizune last night? Is that why you look so tired? Did you and Shizune finally mess around in the sheets?"

Kakashi's face became more crestfallen. "C-Can we not talk about her, right now? Please. Just talk about something else. H-H-How are you and Kurenai?"

Asuma frowned. "What's wrong, dude? You haven't looked like this for anything?"

"It's nothing," mumbled Kakashi.

"Oi, I tell you shit when you force things out of me. How about a little bit of a reciprocation, man?"

Kakashi ruffled his hair and looked away from him, debating whether or not he should even confide in him. But Asuma had a point - he was always an honest book when he asked about him. There were no secrets between them, including Obito."S-Shizune and I tried to have… s-s-s-sex…." he finally muttered, blushing at the memories of last night.

He guffawed loudly. "That's it?! Good for you, man!" he said, punching him playfully on his arm.

"It didn't go down so well."

"What? Why?" He then grimaced, "Did you put it in the wrong hole? I heard many people do that during their first time."

Kakashi blushed profusely at his friend's candid words, wishing he could mince it up a bit more, especially since he was currently at work. "Idiot! Can you not say that so loudly?"

"Relaaax," he groaned. "No one here cares. And there's no one here, anyway!"

Kakashi looked around, realising that his friend was actually telling the truth. His shoulders slumped forward as he sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god."

"So, was I right?"

"Huh?"

"Did you put it in the wrong hole?" he asked again. This time, the bell at the entrance rang as an unsuspecting customer strolled in. She looked at the both of them, blushed, and hurried on out of the store.

Kakashi jumped onto Asuma and hit him with the box of chocolate raisins he had lying beside the cashier. "You idiot! I told you to be more discrete!" After realising that he couldn't fully jump over the counter, he stepped back down. He shared a couple glances with Asuma before they both started to chuckle. "Fucking idiot," he still muttered under his breath, though.

"You should have seen the look on her face!" Asuma laughed. "Looks like she won't be coming here for a while."

Kakashi resumed in shaking his head.

"You didn't answer my question, dude!"

"What?"

"Did you? You know."

"Oh. No, no, no. Nothing like that."

"Then what made it go so wrong?"

Kakashi's crossed his arms, already regretting that he even agreed to talk about this with Asuma. "She didn't really want it. So, I stopped it. After that, we got into an argument. I tried to fix it this morning, but she had already left."

Asuma sucked his breath through his teeth, inhaling sharply. "Damn, that's really rough! And you haven't tried to text or call her?"

"Why would I? She bothered to run away early in the morning without me knowing. I think that's a clear indication that she doesn't want to talk to me."

"So you're just going to leave it, then?"

"For the mean time, yeah. I'm going to respect her request - I'll let her be."

Asuma ruffled his hair and bit down onto his toothpick. "Fuck, man, I'm sorry. That shit is rough. I mean, Kurenai and I haven't done it yet, but we have done stuff. We're just taking it easy now, though."

"How do you know when it's the right time?"

"I dunno. You just do."

"Yeah, that doesn't really help me, man."

"Listen, when you were in that moment with Shizune, what were you thinking?"

"I-I-I-I don't know….."

"If you were thinking of other things, then the moment isn't right. If you were thinking whether or not last night was right, then it was not the right moment for you, either. In moments of heat, Kakashi, you will think of no one else but your partner. You will think how beautiful they are, how lucky you are to have fooled them into thinking you're even worth their time, and how you're going to make them feel as lucky as you are. There will be nothing else in your mind but them - their touches, their body, and their heart."

"Wow." Was all that Kakashi could say. "That was deep. Even by your standards."

"You're damn right it is! Because I don't fuck with love, Kakashi. Kurenai and I…. we're something, you know? I just know that she's the one, man. And I hope I'm not jinxing our chances, but I'm going to do everything that I can to make her feel the way I am feeling for her right now."

Kakashi could smile at his friend's unwavering passion. "You're really in love with her, aren't you?"

This time, it was Asuma who blushed. "Y-Y-Yeah. But we haven't said the L word to each other yet! So, don't you dare say anything, got it? I-I want it to be perfect, you know?"

"I'm envious, Asuma."

"Why? C'mon, you have Shizune."

"But I don't feel a fraction of what you feel for Kurenai. I just like her. But with you and Kurenai, that's just love. Pure, stupid, love." Kakashi chuckled lowly as he ruffled his hair. "I wish I felt something like that with Shizune."

"You will! This didn't happen overnight, Kakashi. Maybe after spending more time with Shizune, you will be able to feel this way. It's just because you've hit a rocking road that you're beginning to doubt each other."

"Thanks, man." Kakashi handed him his overdue bill for the instant ramen. "I'll try and talk to her on Monday."

"Any time." Asuma grinned mightily. "Just remember not to tell Kurenai about my smoking, yeah?"

"Your secret is safe with me." Kakashi reassured as he walked out of the convenience store.

Kakashi sat on the edge of his bed that night, with Akisame curled up in the centre of his bed, in deep thought of what he could possibly do to raise the income he was receiving. Sure, his modelling gig was earning twice - or thrice - the amount of what he had earned when he was a waiter. But, what if he became a waiter again? That way, he could give all of his model gig funds to his mother while he used whatever he gets from the restaurant as maintenance money. That seemed quite a reasonable approach, he thought.

But if he were to do that, he must be prepared to sacrifice his grades in return. He signed and laid down on his bed, petting Akisame, who was already fast asleep. "I wish I was a dog," he quietly mused as he ran his fingers through his fur. "All I'll be doing is sleeping, eating and going for walks. That would be something."

He turned and laid flat on his bed, exhaling out loud in exasperation. Life seemed simpler a couple of weeks ago, but all of a sudden he has all of these responsibilities and duties to do. He hasn't slept in for a while - which was weird on his part since, even as a child, he would always find time in the day to hibrate.

He knew it sounded stupid to even say that he was irritated about not having the luxury to take naps anymore. Something was always on his mind, constantly prodding at him until he gave it his undivided attention. Tonight was no exception - while he has nothing to do, his mind has been spinning for miles, trying to work out the myriad of problems he was facing.

He looked at his phone again and scrolled through social media. As he was about to scroll past Hanare's page, he stopped and clicked on her profile. She had over twenty thousand followers even though she only has about a dozen posts. For a girl like her, who constantly documented their everyday looks on their phone, she didn't really put a lot out there in the world.

The only thing that was linked in her bio was her work email. This must be for those clients of hers, who have enough money to spend to lavish themselves with an outstanding 10/10 girl.

Hanare seemed to be experienced in the field of escorting. How long has she been doing this, he wondered. And does she really keep sex off the table? He didn't have the nerve to approach her with this topic again. But his concern for her was still ebbing in his heart. She was doing this for someone else's sake, and not for her own lifestyle.

Now that he thought about it, Hanare was truly more reserved and minimalistic than he thought. She may appear vibrant, garrulous, unsecured and peppy at first, but she only had that side as a marketing tool. That's how she sold herself as - as the typical city girl who craves the luxurious lifestyle of models - but she was more grounded than anyone would think.

As he contemplated on messaging her that night, Akisame began to nudge his side with his nose as he softly whined. The brightness from his phone must have woken Akisame up from his slumber. Kakashi chuckled and petted him. "Hai, hai. I'll go to sleep now."

He'll just have to look into the possibility of going back to his other job tomorrow.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi, but we have already given your job to someone else," his manager explained when he inquired about getting his job back. "We didn't think you'd be coming back. Let alone this soon. We figured that your other career was going so well, that you wouldn't need your slot anymore. Besides, the holidays are coming up, so we needed more staff in."

Kakashi could only give a small smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. How could he blame them for running their business as best as they could? He didn't expect to come back, so he shouldn't be surprised that they didn't, either. "It's okay, Mikoto-sama. I was curious, that's all."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you need a second job, Kakashi? Don't you already have a lot on your plate?"

"I-I just need it for…. something."

She sighed before she gave a small shake of her head. "Okay, listen, I'll convince the boss to give you some extra shifts during the Christmas holidays. Will that be okay with you?"

"Christmas?" That was too far away. He needed money - fast.

"Yeah. We'll need a lot of staff by that time, so I can probably fit you in. What do you say, Kakashi?"

"I….."

"Look, Kakashi, I'm trying to help you out here, because you're a good kid and an excellent worker. But you're being too difficult. This is the best I can do. If you're having financial issues or anything of the sort that needs immediate attention then, I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"I understand, Mikoto-sama." He bowed. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me."

She gave him a small sympathetic smile. "Don't do anything reckless, okay? If you change your mind about working during the Christmas holidays, come by and I'll see what I can do for you." She turned to leave, but not without taking a look back. "Stay safe, alright, Kakashi?"

"Y-Y-Yes, Mikoto-sama. I promise." He turned to leave, only to catch eyes with a stranger who was currently dining alone. He must be waiting for his companions to arrive. Now that Kakashi noticed him, he looked very conspicuous with his overly expensive striped, navy-blue designer suit, paired with gem adorned shoes.

"Young man," he hollered, gesturing that he approached him at his table.

Kakashi didn't know why but he felt inclined to follow his request. "Yes?"

The man looked up from his cigar and onto him. "I'll be frank and say that I like your demeanor." His eyes wandered down from his face, tracing every inch of his body, appraisingly. "Your sense of fashion is also desirable. I like you."

"E-E-Excuse me?" Kakashi frowned. Did the man mistake him for a gay person?

"You want some quick cash, yes?"

"Y-Y-Yeah…."

"How about you work for me?" He reached into the inside pocket of his silk blazer and handed him his card. "Our business hours start from 8 and can last until 2. It does run pretty late in the night, but I'm sure you wouldn't have any qualms with that. Right?"

Kakashi inspected the matte-black card that was given to him. "Dukes?" he read the company name. "What is this place?"

"It's a bar of some sort."

"Seems quite shady. I'll pass-"

"With a fellow like you, I can guarantee you five hundred a night."

Kakashi's breath caught. "What?"

"It's simple." The man shrugged. "And if you do good in your work, you can even get thousands in."

"What's the catch?"

The man's eyes glinted with intentions Kakashi couldn't read, and he didn't like it. "No catch, really. You will serve drinks, accompany clients when asked, cut their cigars, laugh at their jokes. Just like a normal host would do."

"Ah." So, that was the catch.

"Interested?"

Kakashi pocketed the card in his coat. "I'll give you a call if I am."

"I like men like you," the man guffawed, taking a puff of his cigar. "I'm sure that we'll see more of each other in the future. What's your name?"

"Kakashi."

"Kakashi, huh. Have a good night. I'm looking forward for your call." The man saluted him. "If you do call, tell them that you want to speak to Gendo."

"Yeah. Sure." Kakashi pushed his hands into his pockets and proceeded to walk out. He didn't need to look back to know that the man was still leering at him from behind, probably thinking God knows what. The man had the eyes of a businessman; he was already mentally calculating how much profit he could make out of him without even knowing whether or not he was going to apply. Was he that confident in himself?

Kakashi didn't know.

But he knew that he felt uneasy under that man's gaze.

Monday morning….

As always, Kakashi caught the train to commute to school. However, unlike before, he was not running late nor was his mind kept idle to the faint noises of the train clinking on the train tracks. He was hunched over his seat, eagerly writing to complete his homework for his upcoming chemistry class. His weekend had mostly consisted on him job-hunting, that ended without much success, that he had forgotten about his schoolwork.

After the train stopped at his destination, Kakashi hurriedly shoved his book into his messenger bag and ran out. As he arrived at the school gates, Obito whizzed past him in his bike, leaving nothing but dust in his wake.

"Hey, sorry about that!" Obito said, as he met up with Kakashi by the lockers. "I thought I was going to be late today! God, I swear you could have heard my mom from two blocks away when she saw that I slept through my alarms."

"You are a very loud family." Kakashi drawled, pushing his scarf into his locker.

"So, how was your weekend?" Obito asked, overlooking his remark.

"Same old, same old. What about you?"

"I had to help my dad at the shop, so it was a complete bore. Nothing really happened, but I wasn't able to talk to Rin. I even accidentally left her on read last night! She must be mad at me for 'ghosting' her."

"Ghosting? What does that mean?"

"When you snub them online, you know?" He followed him to their homeroom. "Anyways, me and Rin have been talking nonstop for a couple of days now. So, I'm really hoping that she'll say yes to me when I ask her out."

"Ask her out? You're actually gonna do it?"

"Yeah, why not? I-I-I mean…." Obito blushed. "I'm gonna tell her to come with us to wait for the New Year. But, I'm hoping that I can get her alone before the fireworks, you know?"

"And, what, kiss her?"

Obito became redder as he nodded his confession.

Kakashi smirked in amusement. "Do whatever makes you happy, man."

"Do-Do-Do you think this will work?" He prodded.

Kakashi took a seat in his homeroom class and nodded. "I think it can."

"Okay! Let's see…. I have a month to ask her out, so I need to start dropping hints soon." He scratched his cheek as he tried to countdown the days until their last day of this term. "Okay, never mind, I have three weeks to ask her out. Kakashi, I don't think this is a good plan! It's too soon! I have the Winter Basketball Tournament to prepare for, and exams to revise for, I can't have this on my plate, too! It'll be the death of me."

"Relax." Kakashi flicked him on his forehead to diffuse his erratic thoughts from making him anxious. "You can just kill two birds with one stone: how about asking her out after the basketball finals? That's, what, on the last week of term, right? Do it, then."

"You're right! I'll win the tournament and ask her out. Hm!" It looks like the raven-haired idiot has reaffirmed faith in himself once more.

"You're really sure that you're going to win this, aren't you?"

"Of course! Asuma and I have been training our asses off with the seniors! We've never been in better shape."

"Careful. We both know how the Land of Lightning play it dirty on the court."

Obito clicked his tongue. "I forgot that we might be playing those bastards. God, I hate those guys! They think they're the shit just because they're, like, two meters tall! Well, we'll just have to crush them! Because you know what our team's motto is - or should I say our -"

"Please don't say it."

"Will of Fire!"

Kakashi groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Giving up isn't in our blood. That is our Will of Fire!" Obito proclaimed, proudly laughing at himself. "Isn't that cool or what?"

"Lame," Kakashi said, matter-of-factly. "So lame."

"Hey! At least our motto isn't some, 'the water is our spirit', bullshit!"

"At least I didn't make that motto up!" Kakashi snarled back.

Just as their heads clashed together in another round of childish banter, the sound of Rin's chair scraping across the floor stopped them.. "Fighting already? It's too early to have the energy for that."

"Rin, thank god you're here!" Obito beamed. "Tell this hater that my Will of Fire motto isn't 'lame'."

She giggled, but only out of politeness. "I thought you were only joking about that motto, Obito."

Obito's heart dropped on the floor along with his jaw, while Kakashi blew a raspberry to further humiliate his loss. "N-N-Not you too, Rin."

"But I think it's cute," she added.

"Rin…" Kakashi huffed. "You're babying him again."

"Well, at least he's happy." She smiled, genuinely this time. She then looked at the watch, realising that homeroom was supposed to have started five minutes ago. She knew she was late. To come to think of it, it was their homeroom teacher who was running late. "Senju-sama is not here yet?" she asked.

Kakashi perked up and looked at his phone, also realising that she was late. This was extremely uncommon for her, so it was no surprise that many people used it to their advantage. Many were seated where they were not supposed to, chattering away as much as they could before she arrived.

Soon enough, however, after minutes had gone by, their other classmates also started realising that she was late. Or, at this rate, missing. Murmurs and speculations began, with others whipping up the most ludicrous and scandalous theories, to others saying that she must just be stuck in the staff room with their mock papers.

Either way, Kakashi's subconscious looked for her presence. Where was she? The last time he saw her, she seemed alright. He could only hope that he was right in leaving her in that garden. He would never forgive himself if something had happening to her after he had left.

"Where do you think she is?" One student whispered.

"I dunno. I just hope that she's not in for biology today. I did so bad at the test, I don't want her to scold me. Jeez."

"But that means you'll need to go to extra classes, man!"

"So?"

"Extra classes with Senju-sama is a dream. She sits so close to you, it's almost unreal. One time, I purposefully failed one of her tests so she could do a one-on-one with me. We were touching elbows, man. And since she was so close, I was able to get a good look at her, you know."

"Oh, shut up, dude. We both know you didn't fail intentionally. You're just stupid!" A handful of chuckles were heard in the class.

"No, but seriously, dude. She really has an amazing rack."

"Everybody knows that, man. That's all people really stare at. Oh, and her ass."

"Oh, don't even get me started about her ass. Senju-sama is just so sexy, you know? I would gladly take summer school if that meant being in a close proximity as her. And, maybe, you know, get a little something-something."

"Ugh, god, you watch too much porn if you think shit like that happens."

Rin grimaced as she also caught wind of their conversation. "Pigs," she retorted.

Kakashi tried to mute out their conversation by averting his attention to the window, but they were just so loud for his liking. With every degrading comment they made, and with every sneer they gave, Kakashi's patience grew thinner and thinner.

"You know, I heard from the seniors that she did some lingerie shoots."

"No way! Really?!"

"That's what they said, anyway."

"See, this is why I don't get why she's single, you know?"

"That's because she's scary as fuck, dude."

"True! She's just not a submissive type, is she?"

"Who cares. Just search it up! Dude, come on! I need to know if she did lingerie shoots."

"So, what, you can use it to jack off later?" One laughed.

"Like you wouldn't!"

"That's true. Haha. I mean, I already imagine h-"

A fist slammed onto the table before he could finish his sentence. Everyone looked back to Kakashi with a look of both shock and amusement.

Kakashi calmed his breathing before he raised his fist up from the table. "There was a bug," he swiftly lied.

Everybody but Rin laughed, because she could see how his hand was clenched so tightly. He was angry, wasn't he? Was it because of what their classmates were saying about her? No, she told herself. That couldn't be it. She shouldn't think of it like that. The last time she started concocting those kinds of theories was when she nearly broke her relationship with Kakashi. She shouldn't start seeing things in that angle again, she insisted. Even so, at the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think that the source of his ire was because of her.

"Oh, hey, Kakashi, you're Senju-sama's favourite, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"Come on, dude. Don't play coy - she's not here. You've spent quite some time with her. Tell us, what do you think about her?"

Everyone was looking at him again. Even Shizune was.

"She's fine." He shrugged.

"Don't play games, man! Come on. You're a man and you're not blind. You've probably checked her out, too. Don't you think she's -"

"When will you shut up, Emi?" Kakashi finally snarled, having had enough of the bullshit he was constantly spewing. "Can't you go through a day without saying derogatory shit to every female you see? Do you need to constantly make comments? Are you that deprived, because girls aren't paying attention to you?"

"Hey, man, I-I-I was just joking-"

"Jokes are meant to be funny. Do you see anyone else here laughing, apart from you?" He raised his brow at him, silently challenging him to say anything back. But everybody knew that that would be social suicide; Kakashi was the most popular boy in the year, nobody has ever challenged him before. And from the looks of it, Emi wouldn't be challenging him any time soon, either.

Kakashi rose from his seat and began to walk over to the front of the class. He hated taking responsibility, but he didn't see any other choice. What a drag. "Since our Homeroom teacher isn't in today, it is the Class Rep's job to take register and make sure that the class is in other." He stopped right beside Shizune and looked down at her. "Isn't that right, Class Rep?"

Today was the first time he's seen her since their little incident, and he has never felt so cold towards her. She must have seen it in his eyes when she looked up at him, because she wore that apologetic expression he was oddly familiar with. "Y-Y-Yeah…" she whispered, rising from her chair to follow him to the front of the class.

"Dude, that was intense!" Obito gasped when their homeroom finished. "You were angry, weren't you?"

"Not angry," he corrected. "I was irritated about how they talked about Senju-sama. The way they spoke about her was disgusting and degrading. That's all they have been talking about over the past few weeks - about how good she looks in her outfits, or how…. Forget it."

"I won't lie, they do have a point. Senju-sama is crazy hot." Obito then grimaced. "But saying those things are way out of line. Even I wouldn't say that. And I'm me. I guess Emi is just a league above me; I'm actually quite proud that someone has outdid me in being dirty, though."

"That bastard made me sick to my stomach. You should have seen him. He was practically getting off talking about a teacher in this school - pathetic. It's not the first time he's spoken like this about anyone. Remember when he nearly got battered by the seniors because of how he constantly creeped at his girlfriend? That guy has serious issues, it's sickening."

As they turned to the corridor that led to their history class, Kakashi stopped in his tracks when he saw Shizune with her clique, walking up to the same class. He huffed to himself and forced himself to tail behind her group. Everything was going well until one of Shizune's friends realised that he was right behind them.

"Shizune, your boyfriend is right behind you!" She chimed, practically taking Kakashi by the arm to push him to her.

Shizune laughed as Kakashi was forced up next to her. "Hey," she smiled.

Kakashi frowned. She was acting differently. She was also looking at him differently compared to how she looked at him during homeroom."Hi."

"So, where do you want to eat? I was thinking that we could eat up on the rooftop again. What do you say?"

She was pretending that nothing happened between then. What was up with this facade she was forcing on them? Did she just think that he was going to forget how she jumped out of his window to get away from him?

"I was hoping that we could talk, actually."

"Talk, huh."

"Yeah. We need to talk, Shizune."

"Just meet me on the rooftop, okay?" Was all she said before she rejoined with her group of friends.

"Okay…" He replied.

"Hey, are you guys alright?" Obito asked with a frown.

Kakashi continued to stare at Shizune until she was no longer in his sight. He then shook his head. "No, I don't think we are."

A/N: To Guest, thank you for supporting me on both Haphazard and Divergent. Your reviews have been a pleasure to read, and I am glad that you are enjoying the content that I am writing out. Yes, I did see the Pinterest board you made, and I love it! Thank you for doing that :) And don't worry about swearing; I didn't take any offence to your review. :) As I said before, you reviews made my day! So, thank you!

Thanks for reading, everyone.

xox