~Author Omake~
Scratch. Scratch. Scra~atch. Scratch…
The-thud.
A pen paused as crimson-hued brown eyes slowly looked up from a notebook to see a rather large paper cup. From the cup, the eyes glanced to the right to look at a very solemn and stoic young man.
Casually the authoress put down her pen and picked up her glasses, lying on the table.
The young man did nothing. It was as if he was more a statue rather than a living and breathing being.
Once her glasses were firmly settled on her face, the authoress looked at the young man very closely. He was casually dressed and yet at the same time appeared to be very professional. He leaned against the wall. His black slacks covered lean and toned legs, which were crossed at the ankles. He wore a pale blue button shirt with a few top buttons undone to reveal his pale complexion. He also wore a black blazer to match with the slacks.
All-in-all, the young man could have easily passed off as a casual executive in his attire
The young man's black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and his eyes were soft around the edges. They no longer looked sharp, hard and unforgiving. Now, they possess a peaceful, aloof quality. It gave him a calming presence; despite the fact that this young man had the power to destroy an entire village with just a mere flick of the wrist if he should so desire it.
The young woman motioned for her guest to sit at the table with her as she reached for the paper cup. It was a very large cup and warm to the touch. Instinctively, she brought the beverage to her lips and took a discrete whiff. It was warm milk. She smiled. The warm milk meant only one thing… a latte. She took a cautionary sip so as not to burn her tongue.
And as if by magic, her entire body relaxed against her chair at the rich flavor. The rich spice of chai danced well with the bitter kick of espresso, and all the while everything was blanketed nicely with the smooth taste of vanilla. She smiled again. It was an espresso vanilla chai latte; a drink she got addicted to while away.
"Mmm…" She purred then looked at her guest, "If I didn't know you any better, Itachi, I would have thought that this may be a bribe."
Itachi arched a brow.
"Is it not customary for a guest to bring the hostess a gift?"
She smiled.
"It is." She answered, "Would you like some tea? I, unfortunately, don't have oolong. Will you be fine with chamomile instead?"
"Hai," Itachi replied as his hostess stood up and walked to the kitchen.
As she prepared a cup of tea for him, Itachi's eyes wandered to the simple notebook that she had been writing in.
He was fascinating by her tiny script. It revealed a lot about her character that he found he could relate to… Analytical, methodical and yet there was one aspect of her character that he could not identify himself with… compassionate.
"Maa…" Her voice drew Itachi out of his observation, "You know it's not polite to profile a person without permission."
"Iapologize… I found you to be quite the contradiction. Thank you." Itachi replied then took a sip of his tea.
She sat down then looked at her own handwriting. It was small, small to the point that most complained about having to use a magnifying glass just to read it. And she wrote in cursive, a dying art in her opinion. A former colleague once did a profile on her from just observing her handwriting, and he was dead on, including the part about being a contradiction.
"Anyhoot…" She commented, "You didn't come here to tell me that I'm a contradiction."
"Hn." He grunted then asked, "I came to gather information in regards to what you will be doing with us."
"Kakashi sent ya, didn't he?"
"He made a request, yes."
"Idioten… Also…" She spoke in German then switched to English, "Since you came baring gifts and haven't attempted to steal my coffee, I'll give you the lowdown on what's going on."
Itachi smiled faintly. There was a contradiction. Itachi knew that the young woman before him can be very professional and yet at the same time, very casual. Itachi nodded, signaling her to continue.
"First of all, Yoko no Konoha is to be treated as a Chronicle… meaning all the arcs that everyone is familiar with within the first 27 volumes of the Naruto manga will be their own little stories. Example, the Land of Waves Arc is nearly completed. Once that is completed, I'll start the next arc, the Chuunin Exams, as a separate story under the title of Konoha no Yoko, which reminds me… I need to thank a reader for pointing out the grammar error…"
"I see… Konoha no Yoko then the arc the story is representing."
"Da…" She absently answered, "And when the Konoha no Yoko Chronicles are done, I'll start another set of Chronicles, which will be stories centering on a variety of individuals."
"Such as?"
"Well, you for one. Iruka, Gaara, Hinata, Neji, Tamara… Oh and Kakashi! But not in that order."
Itachi nodded then frowned a bit.
"Problem?"
"And what of Sasuke?" Itachi honestly asked. There was concern, due to a houshi's need to physically touch an individual to 'heal' them, that Sasuke might attempt to abuse Naruto's healing instinct. It was something that neither he nor Kakashi would allow. However, Itachi was silent. He did not know how to express his concern, which made her frown as well, with narrowed eyes.
"Do you honestly believe that I'll allow Sasuke to abuse Naruto?" She questioned.
"It is a concern." Itachi replied, not at all bothered by the fact that she knew his thoughts and concerns.
"Don't worry, my One Winged Angel, Sasuke will never get the chance to abuse nor force his will on Naruto… After all, the little blonde has very powerful protectors… One of whom I'm speaking with. So, please, rest assured. Nothing will happen between Naruto and Sasuke in that way."
Immediately as her words passed her lips, she noticed the subtle tension in Itachi's shoulders begin to melt away, which made her smile.
"Now as for the pairing… particularly your pairing…" Instantly changing the subject, she paused as she took a sip of her drink, "What I have in mind is this… Since Kakashi is far more prevalent in the Konoha no Yoko Chronicles, I want to start to establish the emotional ties between Kakashi and Naruto. Ah! But don't worry, when you show up, I have something very special in mind."
"Nothing physical." Itachi frowned.
"No, not in Konoha no Yoko… I feel that between you three, before anything super physical happens, a strong emotional connection is needed. Let's face it, with each of your childhood backgrounds, any relationship based solely on physical attraction is just pure raunch. You three need a connection that runs deeper than mere physical attraction."
"I agree." Itachi replied as he sipped his tea.
"But that doesn't mean I'm not going to throw in there a few chaste kisses and cuddle sessions!" She smirked, which caused Itachi to nearly choke on his tea. A faint rosy hue kissed his cheeks, which caused her smirk to turn into a grin.
She knew that as a shinobi they were trained in many arts in regards to intelligence gathering, and one of those arts was the art of seduction. It was in fact not an uncommon practice among the shinobi to use 'sex' as means of getting what they want, but 'sex' was much more than the physical act, and she hoped that she could convey that level of love in that depth, but for now she was content with how her story was coming along.
Quietly without much fanfare, the young woman picked up her pen and began writing.
"Are you continuing Konoha no Yoko?" Itachi asked curiously.
"No, I'm pausing for the time being. I'm right now working on Ban getting his ass kicked by his cousin."
"Not a difficult feat I would imagine."
"Actually, it's more comical than being difficult because Ban is about… what 5'9" and his cousin is 5'1"."
"Ah! That would be amusing."
"It is!"