Update: Heeey, people, don't be alarmed if you get a notification that the fourth chapter of my fanfic was released again, and go read the fifth one right away! ;)
I only changed one detail, because I suddenly remembered that Kakashi didn't have his sharingan after the whole Ninja war debacle, so I changed it up a bit to fit that fact in. If you read this chapter and went WTF at that part, understandable, but also – you meanie, why didn't you tell me! If you read this chapter and completely missed that part, you are a pure innocent angel who doesn't sweat the small stuff, and will have a completely blissful and carefree life from now on, belieeeve it.
Special thanks to akagami hime chan, xXSakuraBlossomsXx, and fishy7073 for their kind words!
Enjoy ^^
*The Love Interest*
I pulled the hem of my dress downwards again, feeling just a tad unnatural. Boy, when they called it "the little black dress", they sure weren't exaggerating. Of course, I could've chosen something more practical, but I decided a lifetime (and possibly a half, if we were to take into consideration the usual life expectancy of a ninja) is enough of a prelude for getting out of my comfort zone. Plus, I finally got an excuse to wear the dress which I bought two years ago because I liked the way it looked in the store until I came home and then for some reason didn't. The dress and I had finally agreed to a ceasefire, meaning I liked how it looked on me again for some inexplicable but indubitably short-lasting reason.
While I was vainly admiring myself in all and every reflective surface we passed by, Sakura was feeling cantankerous because she wasn't able to find Sasuke in the crowd. She put her hands on my shoulders so that she could stand on her toes and see further over the horizon of familiar faces.
"Very cool, calm and collected of you, Sakura," I mocked her lovingly. She got all dolled up for this occasion, and I could feel her rapid heart rate through her sweaty palms. I wasn't a Sasusaku shipper but I had to admit she was adorkable. Her attitude clashed the red dress she was wearing which fitted her form nicely.
Ino, the third member of our exclusive group, was wearing a gold sequin dress, looking as gorgeous as ever. She had already located Sai, and was pulling us towards him, deciding to get an early start. Kami knows she will need it. I think Sai still hasn't started on his romance-oriented reading list. He was conveniently standing next to the birthday boy, so Sakura and I had someone to distract while Ino's sole focus was on him.
She quickly smiled and congratulated Naruto, sticking a bouquet of yellow marigolds in his hands before successfully isolating Sai.I had to hand it to Naruto who didn't seem at all fazed by this sudden change in interlocutors. He casually turned towards us, ready to recieve the gifts we had prepared. Beaming, Naruto graciously accepted 50 ramen coupons from Sakura (which won't last longer than two weeks, of that I was certain). However, his face fell when I placed a book-like package in his hands.
What he didn't know was that I expected this sort of reaction from him. It was all part of my masterful plan. I smirked and shook my head, following the entire display with a superior chuckle suggesting Naruto was too gullible. He narrowed his eyes at me, tired of my unwarranted ploys. But I couldn't help myself – I thrived on redundant scheming.
"Naruto, rude. I made it myself."
"Made it?" He examined it more carefully, uneasily remembering that one time when I made him a jack-in-the-box with vegetables springing out of he always seemed to forget my intentions were pure. I was simply trying to get him to take an interest in healthier food. True, maybe the centre-piece should've been something less bulky than a cabbage, but no one could've predicted that the contraption would've malfunctioned and resulted in Naruto getting slightly concussed (except maybe Kakashi who never failed to remind me that he did in fact warn me that would happen, although to be fair he said "Don't you think you should use something other than a cabbage?" and didn't clarify that his problem wasn't based on his preference but on my complete disregard of physics).
Anyway, my gift this time around didn't involve amateur tinkering just basic scrapbooking so Naruto's wary reaction was completely uncalled for. He ripped the paper without even trying to save it for someone else's gift which I found extremely wasteful, but not that surprising coming from Naruto. He noticed the sparkly orange letters right away, along with the fact that the glitter which I used for it was now also on his hands and ridiculously difficult to come off. I bashfully showed him the remnants of glitter on my own hands, and could tell that he was seriously considering giving up on me altogether.
I decided to salvage the situation before it was too late by pointing at it: "Read the title."
"Uzumaking a Difference? Wow, Mizu-chan, you wrote a book about me?!"
"What? I did not! As if I could ever surpass Tales of the Gutsy Ninja. Now you'll just be disappointed when you open it, give it back."
He quickly moved it out of my reach. "No way, I'll love it no matter what-dattebayo!"
He was too cute. As he opened the photo album I made for him, he paused on the very first picture. Staring back at him were smiling faces of Minato and Kushina. I owed Kakashi like 90 favours for it, but Naruto's face was so worthwhile I didn't even flinch when I felt someone's weight suddenly on my back. I was content to simply watch Naruto's emotional expression.
Besides, I already knew that the only person who would use me as a resting place was Kakashi who lately seemed to be making a habit of it. I guess all that slouching irreparably weakened his back rendering him unable to stand like any sane Hokage would. He placed his arms over my shoulders like he was trying to get a piggyback ride. I silently thanked Kami the only foreigners on the party were Garra and Temari who I trust not to spread rumours about the Hokage's reluctance to be referred to or act as a figure of authority outside of working hours.
"Mizu-chan, you're so mean. You didn't wait for me to give Naruto-kun our present."
I rolled my eyes, seeing that one coming from a mile away. Naruto easily accepted the notion that a clearly delicately hand-made gift on which I spent hours of toil could also be from his lazy sensei.
"Thank you, Mizu-chan, Kakashi-sensei," he acknowledged our joint efforts giving us his most radiant smile.
"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun. I hope you'll like my special addition at the end."
"Your what now?" I froze, but my blood boiled.
What the hell could he have added to my perfect work of art? I chronologically and deliberately planned the structure of the photo album, adding funny remarks here and there, using extremely rare never-before-seen pictures, bribing people for months in advance, and even stealing classified documents on occasion, in order to create an absolute perfection, and Kakashi dared alter it? I swear to Kami, if this was anything short of a life-sized poster of Madara's naked body I fully plan on being charged with murdering the Sixth Hokage.
Naruto curiously skipped to the end. On the penultimate page there was hastily scribbled (or it could be just Kakashi's regular handwriting): Turn the page to see what is behind Kakashi's mask.
I gasped, shaking Kakashi off, and taking a step closer to Naruto. He didn't! He wouldn't!
"Kakashi-san, if there's a picture of you wearing a mask, with something like It's another mask! written, I will personally make you regret ruining this precious child's expectations on this most glorious of occasions," I warned him with a death glare.
He answered with a cheerful smile which did nothing to dispel my doubts.
I tried again. "Kakashi-san, is this the real deal? Is this truly a picture of you without your mask, without anything to cover up your face, just you with your face fully exposed?" I insisted on a clear answer, not allowing Naruto to get his hopes up beforehand.
He titled his head to one side good-naturedly. "That's right." His easy-going mannerism suggested that he wasn't certain why I would even accuse him of doing anything of the kind.
"And in this picture are you a baby or a fully grown man?" I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. This was too good to be true.
He had the gall to look a bit hurt now. "Mizu-chan, I took the picture yesterday."
I was still doubtful. "When you say you 'took it' do you mean…"
"I mean I photographed myself and developed the photo yesterday, and not just took it out of an album."
Finally feeling satisfied with his answers I gave him an excited smile, and decided I had to call over Sakura who was standing a bit further away chatting with Hinata. "Emergency team meeting outside, sister dear." I wasn't about to let her miss this, especially due to the fact that if she were ever to find out she would have committed sororicide.
Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and I left the stuffy dark room, heading for the rooftop which I knew for a fact was well-lit with tastefully placed Christmas lights. I won't allow anything to hinder my view of Kakashi's face. I mean, sure, I've seen it in the manga before, but this still felt like lucid dreaming. I couldn't help but feel suspicious so I made sure to send some warning glances Kakashi's way just in case. He accepted them casually with his signature eye-crinkle.
When we reached the rooftop I started shifting from one foot to another expectantly, but also to keep warm because I somehow forgot it was October outside. Sakura and I took our places on the left and right of Naruto, and waited for him to turn the page. Kakashi decided to stand behind me, slightly leaning over me, amused at our reactions. As there was now less wind coming from where Kakashi was standing, I appreciated him choosing that particular position, as opposed to what a normal person would do, i.e. taking place in front of Naruto and completing the customary circular formation. I guess he does care a bit if I survive the cold winter air while I'm making my weather-inappropriate fashion choices. Sakura was conveniently standing closer to the doors so her backside didn't depend on the mercy of gallant gentlemen.
This is it. We will finally get to see what Kakashi's face looks like. Naruto turned to the last page of the photo album where an envelope containing the picture was glued. We didn't dare breathe. With a shaking hand Naruto opened it, and started to pull out the photo. I wasn't sure if he purposefully did it slowly for added dramatic effect, or if time just seemed to have slowed down, but I swallowed nervously nonetheless. At first we saw his hair. Then his eyes. Then I noticed familiar markings on the paper.
I quickly snatched the photo, throwing it in the air and then piercing it with a kunai from Kakashi's weapon pouch making it fly away from us. The photo exploded in mid-air.
"You developed the picture on an explosive tag?!" Sakura exclaimed in utter disbelief. Naruto loudly and eagerly joined Sakura in reprimanding their sensei. I suddenly realised that he stood behind me not to protect me from cold, but to create a safe distance between himself and the explosive tag should it detonate while Naruto was still holding it. I couldn't take it anymore. I cracked up.
"You sly silver fox."
All three of them turned towards me instantly. Sakura and Naruto watched in horror as I laughed uncontrollably, no doubt irreparably positively reinforcing Kakashi's behaviour. He looked pleased at my reaction, and gently ushered us inside.
Naruto went to greet the newcomers, and upon seeing that Sasuke was one of them, Sakura enthusiastically followed him. Kakashi steered me towards Kurenai, Gai, Iruka, and Genma who were lounging in one of the booths. Genma who was sitting on the right side next to Gai switched to sit next to Kurenai and Iruka, effectively freeing up two spaces before we reached them and I could protest. It was a trap.
"Ah, Kakashi, well done, my eternal rival! You have brought us one of the prettiest flowers from the garden of youth!" Gai was, as per usual, overjoyed to have people join his company.
Gai's voice knew not of moderation. Despite the music being of perfect volume to be considered a background noise and enable people to easily converse with each other, Gai was unnecessarily trying to get the better of it. I inwardly groaned, feeling just a tad claustrophobic between Gai's passionate exchange of pleasantries and Kakashi's unyielding frame.
"Mind if we join you?"
Two drop-dead gorgeous kunoichi approached the booth. I haven't met them before, but they were wearing Konoha forehead protectors so I expertly deduced they were from around here. They seemed to be somewhat familiar with Genma, but they were mostly stealing furtive glances at Kakashi's perfectly chiselled body and possibly beautiful face. I couldn't blame them, suddenly becoming hyperaware of his proximity. I was fighting down the urge to shift infinitesimally and make our arms touch because I didn't trust myself to pull off casual movement at this point in time.
Genma smiled, looking genuinely pleased to see them. I concluded that they must be nice girls for him to react in such a way.
"I wouldn't mind at all. Fellows, meet Ichika Tanaka-san and Himari Saitō-san. We go way back."
After the customary introductions, all of us scooted down to make room for the newcomers, so Tanaka-san ended up next to Genma, while Saitō-san took a space that freed up next to Kakashi. We amicably chatted with each other, taking special care not to unintentionally exclude the two girls from the conversation.
After some rather funny remark Genma made, I abruptly noticed that a) we were in a versatile company, having a good time b) two new and unpredictable elements were introduced which leads to c) fluctuations in reactions and behaviour from the elements previously established in the system. Or simply put, each of us will adjust our behaviour so as to accommodate Tanaka-san and Saitō-san. This is something that normally happens whenever the order of a system changes. Out of politeness, we will avoid using inside jokes, and context-heavy content both of which they wouldn't be able to keep up with. All of this suited me perfectly, because I wanted to try the effectiveness of yet another one of my psychological tricks. I tried to tone down my excitement, knowing full well that any change of demeanour won't go unnoticed by Kakashi which might ruin the experiment.
My plan was simple – wait for someone to make a joke that results in the entire group laughing. When it happens, each of us will instinctively look at the person we find the most interesting. Like this, I will easily find out who could be Kakashi's potential lover.
Cue laughter.
I subtly turned towards Kakashi, but the hasty movement drew his attention to me, so I wasn't able to see who he had been looking at. Wait, how did he manage to talk to Saitō-san at all? He isolated the poor girl with his body language. His right arm was on the backrest behind me while his left was casually playing with his drink which was on the table, so he was effectively forming a barrier with it. The poor girl was forced to interact with the people sitting opposite her. Ugh, I swear, this guy was a genius when it came to all ninja-related things, but when it came to socialising he was dead from the neck up.
Well, whatever. If he didn't notice that it seemed like he was ignoring Saitō-san than he couldn't be that much interested in her anyway. So let's say I eliminated the least likely candidate. But from my current position I was still unable to properly see his eye and the direction of his gaze.
"Hey, Kurenai-san would you mind switching places with me? I want to catch up with Iruka-san a bit."
Of course Kurenai-san didn't mind, she was always reasonable and kind. Although she did appear to be a tad amused at my actions for some unknown reason. Iruka was somewhat confused because he was able to hear me just fine from our current sitting positions, but didn't dare question me.
"Genma-kun."
Genma looked up at Kakashi's mention of his name, despite being engrossed in his conversation with Tanaka-san. He glanced at the commotion we were making, and simply nodded.
The new sitting arrangement had Gai, Kurenai, Genma, and Saitō-san on the right side, and Kakashi, me, Iruka, and then Tanaka-san on the left. I fumed while being unable to come up with a counterargument for Kakashi's sickeningly cheerfully delivered explanation that he occasionally experienced a phantom sensation of the sharingan over his left eye, making him unconsciously close it, but he still wanted to be able to see everyone.
Great, and now I also had the added pressure of "catching up" with Iruka, while I still didn't have a clear view of Kakashi, and while feeling guilty because Tanaka-san was looking wistfully at Genma who was in turn seemingly eager to atone for Kakashi's negligence by being more focused on entertaining Saitō-san. Furthermore, I was so set on trying to sit across from Kakashi that I actually forgot to come up with possible talking points to discuss with Iruka. I shifted uncomfortably, mentally preparing myself to figure out what would be an appropriate comment on the subject of today's weather.
"Oh, Iruka-san, weren't you and Tanaka-san teammates at one point?" Kakashi suddenly inquired sounding moderately interested.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I think we were."
"No way, I thought you looked familiar!" Tanaka-san exclaimed. They were soon happily reminiscing away, and I was able to breathe normally again.
I decided to give Kakashi a grateful look, and he answered with an eye-crinkle and a peace sign. I amusedly rolled my eyes at him, content to lean into the backrest. Oh well, I guess I'll give up for tonight, seeing as Kakashi probably figured out something was up.
"Mizu."
I opened my eyes, suddenly alert. Did I seriously manage to doze off at a party? Feeling disoriented, I reached for my weapon pouch, and started panicking when I couldn't find it.
"Mizu-chan, you're with friends," I relaxed at Kakashi's soothing voice, piecing together the events from that night. Looking around I noticed everyone was getting ready to leave. Kakashi and I were the only ones in the booth.
"What time is it? How long was I asleep? Did I miss the cake?"
He chuckled as he always did (attractively), and stood up to indicate he was ready to leave. I obediently squeezed out of the booth scanning the crowd for any signs of my little sister.
"Sakura-chan had already left."
"What? Why didn't she wake me up?" I admit I felt sort of betrayed. Wasn't me snoring away on Kakashi's shoulder enough of an indication that she should at least attempt to clear our family name and save me from further embarrassment?
"Well, I don't think she was going home. She mentioned something about a jazz concert?"
"Oh, she was going to NinJazz, understood. No wonder she didn't want to wake me. I would've complained the entire time."
I was putting on my jacket when I noticed Kakashi was carrying a package that appeared suspiciously cake-shaped.
"Is that the leftover cake? Why would Naruto give it to you, you don't even like sweets!" I zealously protested.
Unlike me, Kakashi didn't appear affected by the injustice of the world. He was casually fixing my scarf to cover my lower half of the face, appearing to be in an extremely good mood. He shrugged, unconcerned "Pakkun mentioned he wanted to try a chocolate cake."
Oh.
"Well, I bet it wasn't that good, anyway. Is it with rum, or raisins? I bet it's with both rum and raisins."
Kakashi pretended to think about it, a hand holding his chin. "No, I don't think so. I think it has some walnuts in it."
Oh.
"Kakashi-san, you can't be serious, Pakkun is a dog, dogs shouldn't eat chocolate, give it to me, I'll save you from yourselves!" I tried to to reach it, but I was no match for his lithe long limbs and quick reflexes.
I dramatically fell on my knees.
"Hm, Mizu-san, what are you doing on the floor?" Iruka asked as he and Naruto approached us ready to say their goodbyes.
"I'm lamenting the injustice of the world. Naruto-kun, why didn't you pack some of the cake for me? Why did you give it all to Kakashi-san? I thought we were friends." I was practically wailing at this point. That was okay, because I had no pride when it came to sweets.
"What are you talking about-dattebayo? Kakashi-senpai told me to give him your share too because you'll be going over to his place to eat it anyway."
Cannot compute.
As Iruka slightly blushed at the idea of a young maiden going over to a man's place at 2 AM, the sense of horror that overwhelmed me intensified. Was Kakashi even aware what the words coming out of his mouth sound like? I checked him for any signs of shame, but he just seemed kind of sleepy.
Maybe I was overthinking this? Naruto didn't appear at all perturbed at his words, and neither did Kakashi. The only one who showed any kind of reaction was Iruka, but he could've done it out of second-hand embarrassment because of the suggestive manner in which Naruto chose to phrase his words. That's right, this was normal. We had a normal platonic loving friendship.
I got up from the floor as proudly as I could. And then I threw a smoke bomb.
Picking up Kakashi bridal style while everyone was distracted and confused I successfully escaped the event with my dignity safely intact.