REVIVAL
"New beginnings are often dressed as painful endings."
Lao Tzu
Chapter V: Start
Under the intense Konoha heat, people strolling down the streets walk at languid paces. Except for one. Tenshi races down the dusty road, making a straight beeline to Naruto's building. He's back. And injured. First aid kit on hand, she pushes through the crowd, not bothering to look back.
Earlier that day, Kakashi gave her some bits of information of what went on in the second portion of the exams. Apparently, Naruto is up for the finals coming up in a month.
She hurries up the stairs, a light sheen of sweat gathering up her forehead and upper lip. Not even bothering to contain herself, she knocks on the door in quick rhythms.
"Neesan?" a voice calls from inside.
"Yes, now open the door."
The door swings wide open revealing a scratched up Naruto, a breath of relief escapes her lips. Thank God he's not heavily injured. Stuffing the kit back into her shoulder bag, Tenshi hides her concern knowing all too well that it will translate as offensive to the kid.
"I heard from your sensei that you made it to the finals."
A bright grin beams from the golden boy's face, his hands rest on his sides as he does a power pose. "Yosh! Of course, I did. Believe it!"
Tenshi chuckles. "Looks like I'm going to have to treat you to some Ichiraku today."
The boy runs to his backpack, grabbing a green frog-shaped purse. A fat frog-shaped purse. "No, it's my treat this time!"
"Very well then," she raises a brow, "I'm ordering extra chashu, if that's the case."
"Add an egg too, if you want!"
"You just read my mind, Naruto-kun!"
Ichiraku Ramen must cast some sort of magic in their broth because even in a hot summer's day, it's still the best thing ever to consume. As if on cue, she and Naruto gulp down their respective bowls of broth.
"Aahh…"
"Aahh…"
Naruto flashes a smile at her, proudly setting his savings on the tray to pay for their food. "Thank you for your treat, Naruto-kun."
"You treat me to so many different meals, Tenshi-neesan! Say, do you still have space for some dango?"
Walking down the streets, sticks of dango in hand, Naruto fills her in the details of the Chunin Exams and it takes all the effort she could muster to not react explosively.
"Sasuke is in the hospital, he's been beat up pretty bad."
"We should pay him a visit soon, then."
Naruto nods, excited to see his friend. "You know, Neesan, I've been wondering something."
"What's that?" Tenshi asks, looking straight ahead as she chews on another piece of pink dango.
"What's Kakashi-sensei like? I'm sure you've got some dirt on him," a mischievous smile appears on his face. He rubs his hands together as if concocting an evil plan.
"Hm…" she taps her chin, "he's not all that interesting to be honest. He doesn't say much, doesn't talk much either."
According to Aoi, Kakashi helped her up to her apartment last night. And while she remembers some horrible bits and pieces of their conversations, she doesn't quite recall all of it that much. All she knows is she woke up with an aspirin pill and a glass of water on her bedside table, her body tucked into her sheets, and the world's most splitting headache.
Naruto clicks his tongue and snaps his fingers. "It won't be long until I catch him with something embarrassing."
Tenshi chuckles. "I look forward to that day."
It's her day off but all she wants to do is run back to her office and finish up the reports piled on her desk. The thought of the mountains of papers makes her skin crawl. But she also wanted to dedicate the day to looking after Naruto. She's grown fond of the boy, to say the least.
"I'll be training for the finals," Naruto announces.
"Really? With whom?"
"I got Closet Perv to train me."
"I don't know, Naruto-kun," she says, "I'm not that comfortable with you hanging out with people you call Closet Perv…"
"No, no," Naruto laughs, "He's actually okay. You can meet Ebisu, if you want. We're actually meeting up today! This is all Kakashi-sensei's fault. He said he'd rather train Sasuke or whatever. That's pure favoritism if you ask me."
"I think I'm having a word with your sensei soon."
"Yeah! Show him, Neesan!"
They both laugh as they make their way to their meeting spot.
Ebisu is…eccentric, to say the least. The man quickly shifts from a series of humble bragging, semi-bragging, and dead-on bragging when he's around Tenshi. Naruto even points out how much nicer he's being when he brought her along. Male attention is weird up to this day for Tenshi. Sure, she's had her run-ins with some creeps but she isn't drowning in men per se. But wow is he laying it on thick.
Good thing Naruto caught on pretty fast, he goes into protective mode when Ebisu enters within a two-meter parameter around her. Tenshi sits on a bench as she watches them train, writing some notes for some of the things that she's bound to do tomorrow. Her skull is slowly cracking open at the overload of tasks to do. No, Tenshi, you are going to enjoy this moment with Naruto, she reminds herself.
She's never been to this part of town before, Tenshi couldn't wait to explore the varieties of stores along the sidewalk. After excusing herself, she immediately makes a beeline for the nearest book store. Her eyes gleam at the sight of fresh Psychology books that she didn't waste her time piling them on her free arm. Shinobi Psychology 101. Inside the Serial Murderer's Mind. How exciting! Setting them on the counter, she smiles at the cashier as he calculates her purchases. Something catches her eye on the left corner. She picks it up.
ICHA ICHA PARADISE: COLLECTOR'S EDITION
Exclusive Bonus Scenes Inside
Already hitting herself over the head mentally, she hands over the book to the once smiling cashier. His smile dissolves at the sight of said book. The encounter quickly turned sour after that. The heat travels up her cheeks. Oh, the stupid things I always get myself into.
After she retrieves her bag of books, a loud commotion rumbles outside. That's coming from Naruto's direction. She hurries outside, seeing Ebisu knocked out and Naruto shouting at a large man with long white hair. She walks up to them, trying to diffuse the situation.
"You ruined my training! Now, you're going to have to teach me!" Naruto screams.
A few passersby give them quick once-overs before making their way around them, steering clear from them.
"You've ruined my research," the older man retaliates.
"Well, mine's more important, Pervy Sage!"
"Don't call me that!"
Tenshi clears her throat as she approaches them. "I'm so sorry, sir," she rests a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "He's with me. I'll make sure he'll behave more next time."
The man looks like he's about to explode at the sight of her. Why? Tenshi has no clue. A creepy grin forms on his face as he struggles for things to say.
"I think he's crazy," Naruto whispers to her, eyes glued on the speechless man.
"Naruto-kun, that's very mean to say about people who are struggling mentally," she says, "I have come across a few cases like this. Let me deal with it."
"I-I'm sorry Miss," the man finally says, a sheepish smile on his face, "I would have never expected it. You seem awfully young to be this bra-boy's mother."
Tenshi forces a smile. "I'm not actually. We're just good friends, that's all."
"Would you like to talk about that with me over some sake?" he offers.
Before Tenshi could decline, his eyes dart into the bag of books hanging in her hand. Eyes widening in surprise. "HA!" he shouts.
The remnants of this morning's headache pang on her head like a disco at the sudden remark. Her hand around Naruto slowly curling into a fist.
"You seem so innocent but you're a freak, too!"
"Excuse me?" she and Naruto chorus.
"It's one thing to mess with me but Neesan? Why you…" Naruto hoists his sleeves up, ready to charge. Tenshi is almost tempted to just let him have it.
"That's my book," the man points at the hardbound orange book nestled between her psych books.
Naruto takes a peek before shooting her a concerned look. "Neesan, I never knew you liked the same pervy books Kakashi-sensei liked."
White-haired man nods, "She bought the collector's edition, too. Wore out your paperback copy, I see. Did it get you steamy? In the mood? Hm?"
Before Naruto could attempt anything, Tenshi hoists her bag at him making the man fall into the stream nearby. "Say, Neesan?"
"Yes?" she growls.
"Why do you have that book?"
"Um…"
She dodges the boy's questions like a pro. They watch as — who she now knows — Jiraya dries himself on the bench. She bites her lip in contemplation until an idea comes up in her head. A mischievous smile paints her lips.
"Naruto-kun," she says, the boy looks up at her, "why don't you buy yourself something to eat while I talk to Jiraya-san?"
"Are you sure?"
"Mhm," she smiles, "go on now."
They watch as the orange-clad genin disappears into a corner practically bouncing off the walls at his potential snack choices.
"I thought he'd never leave," Jiraiya says, patting the seat next to him, "Now, where were we?" He throws a smirk at her direction while he raises his eyebrows up and down suggestively.
"How about you sign this book, old man?"
"Old man? But I thought you liked me!"
"It worries me that a woman pushing you into a narrow body of water is what you'd consider flirtation, Jiraiya-san. Please sign it to Hatake Kakashi."
"Kakashi is a stupid lucky man," he mumbles as he signs the front page in a begruding manner.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." He stiffens. "Say, if you like the silver-haired types and it doesn't work out with boring lame Kakashi…" The smirk returns to his face.
"I prefer brunettes. Thanks for the offer, though. But, no thanks."
Jiraiya's shoulders drop as Naruto arrives with a stick of grilled squid on one hand, a second helping of dango in another, and a bag of potato chips hanging between his teeth.
"Jiraiya-san, please take care of Naruto," she says to him, the shift of mood caught on pretty quick by the man, "I trust that despite your creepiness, you will be a great teacher. I've heard a lot about you. It would mean a lot to me, if you can just give him some pointers." She smiles.
The Legendary Sannin smiles back and nods.
Not wanting to interfere any longer, she bids them goodbye after giving Jiraiya one last threat. Making her way back to Central Konoha, she paces down the street taking her time.
Something feels off…
Snapping her head, she scans the area for anyone suspicious. But as always, there is no one. Tenshi, there you go again. She shakes her head as she continues to make her way down the road. It didn't take long for something to catch her attention. Yamanaka Flower Shop. Time for some decorating! She chuckles to herself as she rushes into the store.
A dizzying variation of lilies nestle in her arms as she makes her way back home, but a victorious smile is plastered on her face. After feeling down for some time now, a little pick me up is just what she needed. She even got a small bouquet for the Uchiha kid to lift his spirits, if that's possible. That boy could be a little less emo as far as she can tell.
The color green in human form stands out from the crowd, as she walks by.
"Tenshi-chan!"
Her head whips at the direction of the singsongy voice. She chuckles. "Maito-san, great to see you! How have you been?"
Without even a second thought, he picks up the overwhelming amount of flowers off her arms, beaming a large grin at her. "Youthful as always, Tenshi-chan! I can see you are feeling the same."
"Youthful with a mix of a hangover, sure."
"I know just the cure, come with me!" He pulls her arm and she can do nothing but comply.
"Drink this!" He hands her a questionable red bubbling liquid that he purchased from a shady-looking drinks stall. Gai is far too precious for her to say no to. Cursing at herself for being a softy, she downs the drink. It tastes of sardines, milk, and chili. Her ears start to ring at the heat, her nose threatening to drop from her face.
"Now, drink this!"
Chocolate milk, thank God!
"You never told me you were such a sadist, Maito-san."
"Fighting hangovers is the power of youth, Tenshi-chan," his lips start to quiver as he bites back tears, "Look at us bonding! My Eternal Rival could never compete at our closeness."
"Thank you, Tenshi," a voice reverberates in her head. Her lips parting at the memory unraveling itself.
"You don't have to be alone, Kakashi-kun." CRINGE!
Tenshi punches herself on the head, as if the physical act could make the embarrassing memories fall off from it. She wishes it worked that way.
"Was it that bad, Tenshi-chan?"
Pulling her back from her humiliating thoughts, Tenshi shakes her head at him as she forces a smile. "It was devilishly…youthful, Maito-san."
"This is the start of a beautiful blooming friendship! Since we're good friends now, Tenshi-chan, I want to ask you something."
Her left eye twitches as she anticipates. "Yes?"
"Tell me," he pauses, chin between his fingers as he closes his eyes for dramatic effect, "is Aoi-chan single?"
Oh boy.
"Should I buy her flowers this many? What do you think?" Gai's voice echoes throughout the halls as they make their way up the stairs of her apartment complex.
"Maito-san…"
"Yes?"
"I'm not sure if you're her…type."
"Oh, but once she sees my youthfulness, she will have no reason but to absolutely fall for me. Mark my words, Tenshi-chan!" His smile emits a bright sparkle as he pauses on the steps above her before continuing on.
This man can't take a hint. She's already feeling sorry for her friend.
Voice suddenly lower and more serious, Gai turns to talk to her again, "I'm guessing Kakashi means a lot to you." He flashes her another bright grin.
The statement catches her by surprise. "W-What?"
His eyes dart to the orange book. That darn orange book.
"Oh, I read this for myself," she says with a straight face. Liar.
"Are you sure?" he asks her, having no sense of personal space. Their faces inches away from each other.
She gulps.
Just then, the door from across the hall opens revealing a bored-looking Kakashi. The sight of them catching his attention, his visible eye widens at the sight, eyebrow furrowed.
"Kakashi!" Gai shouts, an index finger pointed at him. The fact that he's doing all this with five bouquets of flowers on one arm is in itself impressive, Tenshi points out.
"Hm? Is that you Gai?" He says, now back to looking bored.
"He's too cool! I completely understand you, Tenshi-chan!"
"Excuse me?"
"Sorry to intrude," is all Kakashi says before shutting his door.
The encounter with the the silver-haired jounin hangs over her as she instructs Gai where to set the flowers. "Thank you for your help today, Maito-san."
"Please, just call me Gai," he grins.
She smiles, "Okay, Gai."
"I wish you and my Eternal Rival all the happiness in the world, Tenshi-chan," he says, "He deserves someone good for him."
The Green Beast leaves no time for her to respond, leaving her to stand alone in her apartment. What the heck is he going on about?
Her eyes land on the orange book resting in the plastic bag. Right.
Heartbeat fast, she knocks on door '6'. No answer.
"Kakashi?" She knocks once again.
The door opens all of a sudden making her jump and nearly scream. "Oh my gosh, you really have to make a little bit of a sound next time, Kakashi."
Unimpressed, the jounin leans on his door frame with crossed arms. "I'll remember that next time."
What's up with him?
Remembering the heavy weight on her other hand, Tenshi looks up at him with an excited smile. "Here." She hands it to him.
A few moments passed before Kakashi could comprehend the gift on his hands. His eye sparkles. "Th-this is…no way! How did you get a hold of this?" he almost shouts.
"Hey, I have my ways," she poses, resting her chin on her hand as she wiggles her eyebrows.
Out of nowhere, arms pull her in for a hug, the scent of fresh soap enters her senses. Warmth. She closes her eyes and smiles.
"Thank you, Tenshi."
"Thank you, Tenshi." A flashback from last night echoes in her brain.
"You're very welcome, Kakashi. Thank you for helping me out last night, too." She smiles as she pulls away from the hug.
"Aoi should've asked Gai to help you out last night. You know, given that," he stares at his shifting toes, "you two are dating."
Tenshi stares at him in disbelief. "Dating? Who? Gai and I?" A laugh escapes her lips until she couldn't stop that tears start to form in her eyes. The shinobi stares at her ruckus, confused.
"Well, weren't you two just…?"
"No, Kakashi," she catches a breath, "We just bumped into each other on the way and he helped me carry the flowers I plan to decorate my apartment with. If anyone's going to be bearing the stress of Gai's affections, it would be Aoi."
Kakashi sighs, nodding at her explanation before saying, "Poor Aoi."
"Tell me about it."
They look at each other for a moment too long for comfort. As if planned, they whip their heads to the side at the same time. "I heard they're having a last full show for this psychological thriller movie down at the cinema."
"Psycho Killer 3 is out?" Her voice raises a few octaves, eyes twinkling.
"Are you not hearing the title? I still find it odd that you enjoy those films but yes. That one."
"And Icha Icha Paradise is truly groundbreaking. I met Jiraiya today, by the way, what a creep."
They chuckle to themselves.
"Anyway, thanks for the info Kakashi," she says already making her way to the stairs, "Look at us being supportive with each other's weird interests."
"I was going to ask you if you wanted to watch it with me."
Pausing her steps, she looks back at him with widened eyes, lips parted. "Oh, s-sure."
Kakashi Hatake is truly weird, Tenshi can safely conclude. But is it the good kind or not?
Definitely the good.
Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying the chapters I've been putting out so far. This story has been in my mind for quite some time now and I hope I can continue to at least offer you something easy to pass the time with through this pandemic. Hope you're staying safe! Please favorite, follow, and leave me a review! I'd love to reply and interact with you guys as much as possible. :)