Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything or anybody except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Any concepts/ideas mentioned in this fanfiction that seem to be borrowed from another media/piece of continuity - note that I don't mean to plagiarize anything or anybody in any way! This fanfic was made for entertainment purposes, not for pissing off others! So yeah!
The theme for this chapter is specifically Adriana Figueroa's vocal cover of Surely Someday from Professor Layton. The cover already has piano in it, and the lyrics actually match the themes that I will be covering here. I was originally thinking of another central RWBY theme, but hearing this song gave me inspiration for writing the chapter.
On the other hand, for the last few parts of the chapter, I would point you towards RWBY's Shine. There's been WAY too much angst lately, and honestly, a dance number is in order!
Please enjoy!
Chapter 32: Shining Someday
It was during dinner that evening that the announcement was said.
"... We need to have a dance party." Dad deadpanned in the middle of a mouthful of shrimp.
Mama blinked, only really looking up at him with wide eyes without saying anything.
Sakumo-san, on the other hand, promptly did a spit take, coughing on his water a few seconds later. Hopefully it didn't go down the wrong tube…
Kakashi? Well….
Even without his mask and headband, his raised eyebrows and dumbfounded expression said more than enough.
Me? I honestly didn't know what to say and was just mirroring Mama's reaction. Blinking rapidly and wondering whether or not I misheard him.
"... A dance party, Papa?" I repeated, chopsticks limp in my hand.
"A dance party." He confirmed, same deadpan expression on his face.
"... A dance party," Sakumo continued, having regained his composure.
Papa looked a bit annoyed now when glancing at the former White Fang. "Yes, Sakumo, a dance party."
Mama looked bemused, but nonetheless opened her mouth to speak. "Not that I don't mind the idea, but what brought this on, Judai? Last I checked, you weren't really a dancing person."
To my surprise, Papa just swallowed the piece of fried shrimp in his mouth before crossing his arms across his chest, pouting almost childishly. "Yeah, yeah Hikari, I know I'm not the dancing kind of guy, but we all need this kind of shit these days! I've pulled out my sword more times than I can count on one hand in the past few months, Sakumo's been looking like the kids have been piling on him MORE than usual,"
The White Fang just flushed pink with embarrassment before eagerly digging into his rice bowl, pretending to look anywhere BUT Papa's face.
… Then again, he has looked more exhausted than usual lately.
Papa grabbed another shrimp with his chopsticks before taking a large bite and continuing. "Kakashi's been coming home with more torn clothes and wounds than Hikari can fix in one night,"
It was now my best friend's turn to be embarrassed, and without his mask, it was easy to see the pale pink on his cheeks as he turned away from the center of the table, grabbing his cup of water in his haste to gulp down.
Heh. Hisako was smiling. In any other situation, I would be laughing my ass off, but I have a feeling Judai-san isn't done yet.
I then felt a chill run down my spine as Papa then turned to me with a raised eyebrow. "AND Tomoko-chan's been real emotional as of late."
As soon as he called it out, I knew my face was a bright red. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt so embarrassed in a while. The words somehow just left my mind before I could even say anything, heat literally emanating from me like I was a heater, and I didn't know whether I wanted to hide in a dark corner and mope or just face it head on and hear him out.
In the end, the only thing that left me was an intelligent "Uh…" as my hands immediately flew up to cover my steaming cheeks.
Papa just blinked at me before smiling softly, a hand reaching over to ruffle my hair. "I didn't mean to embarrass you like that, hime. I was just stating a point. We all need something to destress, so why not a dance party?"
Mama was smiling now. "At least tell me you know HOW to dance, dear."
There was a very, very long pause.
Slowly, red the color of a dark tomato started to climb up Papa's neck before it reached his face, and by then, he looked like a cross between the red vegetable and a cherry.
The only thing that broke the synergy of the image was his two-toned brown hair which made him look like an embarrassed red Kuriboh.
I just glanced at him, then at Kakashi, who was still a little pink himself, before hiding a giggle behind my hand.
Sakumo-san sounded utterly deadpan himself now. "... You propose a dance party, and yet you DON'T know how to dance yourself, Judai?"
"I-I can learn!" Papa said, voice cracking a bit. "I-It's just a matter of practice! Right Hikari?!"
Mom still looked bemused as always, just chuckling. "Let's just go with that story then, dear."
"Hikari!"
The giggles were getting really hard to hold back now. Papa's occasional cracking of his voice wasn't helping.
"W-We can learn together! I mean, Sakumo, do YOU know how to dance?" Once Papa started pointing a cartoonish finger in the White Fang's direction, the laughter was really starting to become more apparent. I didn't want to let it out though, because Papa was still talking.
Nonetheless, Sakumo-san just blinked. "Uh…."
My shoulders were starting to shake now.
Papa's face of desperation seemed to get more cartoonish with every passing second of silence while the former White Fang kept blinking owlishly. If anything, Sakumo-san ended up busying himself with his chopsticks, twirling them absentmindedly while trying to come up with an answer.
"... Dad, really?" Kakashi mumbled dryly.
I just glanced at him and ended up giving in.
My best friend looked hilarious with that confused face, and not having the mask on just MADE the moment so much more worthwhile.
A soft snicker left me, and then soon enough, peals of laughter were leaving my lips in a frenzy, with no end in sight.
My stomach was hurting, tears were budding in my eyes, AND everyone around the table was looking at me weirdly, but I didn't care by then.
I just couldn't stop laughing because it felt really good.
Destressing starts with laughter, right?
"... How come WE have to help out then, Judai-san?" Kakashi found himself deadpanning.
It was supposed to be another day of training. After that whole debacle with Satoru, Minato-sensei had been putting them through more D-rank missions. Whether or not it was because of the various bruises left from that fight or Minato-sensei just checking up on their teamwork, Kakashi didn't know.
He just wasn't expecting to be carrying a loudspeaker of all things.
"Don't complain, Kakashi, we do live here after all." Sakumo admonished, and yet Kakashi couldn't deny that the White Fang looked happy while setting up streamers near a corner of the ceiling from a ladder. "A little work aside from missions and Academy lessons can be a nice change."
Despite the heavy weight on his shoulders, Kakashi just shrugged.
Work was work, after all.
Making sure to be careful with the speaker, Kakashi walked slowly, keeping an eye out for any obstacles near his feet before putting it down in the corner of the stage. Letting out a slow breath, he straightened his back, stretching for a moment before something caught his eye.
A small, delicate hand holding onto a white cloth to clean the surface of a familiar black piano.
Kakashi followed the hand up the arm only to land on the blank face of Tomoko, blue eyes half-lidded.
Huh?
He blinked. "Tomoko?"
The girl didn't respond, continuing her cleaning almost robotically. What made the scene even weirder was that she was focusing on just one spot.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow and tried again, raising the volume of his voice by a few notches. "Tomoko."
Once again, silence.
Swish swish. The cloth went. Swish swish.
Okay. Something was wrong.
Kakashi only had to take a few steps forward in order to be standing right next to her, and raised a hand to gently cover hers. "Tomoko."
Finally, there was a reaction, albeit slow. Her hand had stopped moving, the soft twik of her pulse making it apparent that she noticed him, and then Tomoko blinked. It was as though light was returning to those blue eyes again, and the girl shifted her footing for a moment before finally looking up at him.
Kakashi was surprised to see that those blue eyes were swirling with sadness and contemplation all at once when staring at him.
"... Kakashi?" Tomoko said slowly.
He frowned. "Everything okay, Tomoko?"
Immediately, recognition sparked in her eyes before the former emotion swirl was replaced with something… fake. Kakashi didn't like seeing that fake quality in there. "O-Oh, me? Uh… hehe," Tomoko looked away for a moment, but he didn't miss how she didn't move her hand away from his while doing so. A few seconds of silence passed before she turned back to him, and he immediately knew that Tomoko wasn't truly smiling.
The grin that was on her face looked like something a doll would wear.
Not something his best friend would have.
"Sorry about that, Kakashi! I guess I was spacing out for a minute." That same smile was still on her face. Why? "What do you need?"
Kakashi felt his shoulders droop before he pulled on her hand to drop the cloth on the piano and interlace their fingers. That seemed to do the trick because that same smile dropped from her face as a light pink colored her cheeks. "K-Kakashi?"
He already knew what he had to do in this situation. Nagareboshi could handle itself in the set-up for now.
"Tomoko, we're going to talk, okay?"
Right now, he needed to help his best friend.
I was now seriously regretting spacing out.
If anything, it was a quiet afternoon, setting things up for the dance party that was supposed to take place this evening. It was only a week since Papa had proposed it, and yet somehow we came this far. I'm guessing it's because of how Nagareboshi has always been popular, and we had just enough funds to chip everything in, not counting Sakumo-san and Kakashi's incomes.
… Apparently Dad doesn't like using their money all that much. I never really asked, but I guess it's because of the whole 'you guys save that for yourselves!' reasoning, or something similar.
And I don't know about you, but when it's silent, I just end up thinking.
I don't mean to space out at all. Seriously. It's just that when there's a bit of silence, I end up lapping it up just to figure out where I am mentally.
It just… leads to spacing out in the physical world, unfortunately.
Which is how Kakashi ended up finding me. Standing there, cleaning the same spot on the piano, probably looking like a statue.
That's not the best image anyone would want to see. Even more so my best friend.
I just wasn't looking forward to talking with him. Even if Kakashi was the greatest friend a girl could ever have.
How were you supposed to talk about the past no one but you knew?
How were you supposed to talk about a life you only knew about?
Let's see. Hey Kakashi, I'm Tomoko, a girl who's essentially been living two lives at once while being your best friend. I've been spacing out for the past few minutes because my former boyfriend is still weighing on my mind and that jackass Satoru didn't help with absolutely anything?
… Hisako, that sounds horrible. I can't say that!
How about this then? Hello old friend, I'm Tomoko, a girl who's half insane with old traumas still sticking to me like glue and I can't really talk about it in fear of your rejection?
The emotions going through my heart weren't helping, and after a few seconds, it seemed to hit my other self as well.
...Oh. Hisako sounded a little upset now, judging by her solemn tone. I'm sorry Tomoko-chan, those were just half-hearted suggestions. I didn't mean for my joking to make you feel worse.
… Does it get any better, Hisako? The emotions, I mean?
My other self went silent for a moment before responding. And I could tell by her soft voice that she was smiling. Why don't you ask the boy holding onto you?
Huh?
I blinked, and the next thing I knew, I could see the sunset in the horizon as a calloused hand squeezed my sweaty one. The soft wind was blowing through my hair, and when turning my head, I got an eyeful of my best friend.
Hatake Kakashi, wearing his usual mask and headband, looking at me with concern and care that I KNEW I wouldn't see from his Canon counterpart.
My wonderful, best friend Kakashi, staring at me with clear sympathy and worry.
"Tomoko?"
An embarrassed red was already spreading across my face because of being caught spacing out again.
… I seriously suck for ignoring my best friend.
"Uh… Um…" I filled in intelligently, my face feeling like a heater.
Shit, that didn't sound much better.
Kakashi just shook his head in exasperation before sitting down on the tiling of the roof and crossing his legs, pulling me down to sit next to him with our intertwined fingers. I wasn't sure whether to feel uncomfortable or just weirded out.
Even if we had been best friends for so long, this was the first time Kakashi was actively trying to hold onto my hand for an extended period of time. When we first started getting to know each other, he couldn't even last a few seconds before he had to let go.
It felt like a sign that he was troubled by something if I wasn't already.
Nevertheless, I complied with his wordless request, folding my legs underneath myself in order to sit comfortably on the roof, glancing at him every now and then in confusion.
A soft noise akin to a grumble left my best friend's masked mouth before anything was said.
"... Kakashi?" I tried slowly.
"What's going on this time, Tomoko?" A low sigh left him, and I could tell by the way his shoulders were slumping that he wasn't feeling all that great about asking. "You were clearly spacing out earlier. Did something happen?"
Once again, I was caught off guard. Even when Kakashi wasn't looking directly at me, I could tell that he wanted an answer, and I couldn't just leave him hanging.
Even if my heart was going through its own marathon trying to find SOMETHING to say without sounding like the idiot I currently was.
Haa… Hisako sighed too. Tomoko-chan, quit overthinking it. Just. Say. Something.
I looked down at our intertwined fingers before squeezing back hesitantly.
"... Are you okay with a long story, Kakashi?"
My best friend just raised his head to look at me with a fond, exasperated stare. "Tomoko, why wouldn't I be okay with it? I've dealt with you ruining at least 3 shirts in the last five years of our friendship from these talks. A long story is NOTHING in comparison."
I found myself wincing. Why did he have to keep count? I KNOW I cry a lot, but really?
Kakashi just blinked before taking on a more apologetic and sympathetic expression - at least, as much of one as his mask would allow. "... Sorry about the shirt thing. Too soon?"
"Too soon," I agreed, but despite the small bits of remorse at the memories of said shirts tugging at me, a smile was still finding itself on my lips. "... You're really okay with me rambling? Because I'm probably going to sound like an idiot."
Kakashi gave me a flat look. "Tomoko, you're not an idiot. If anything, you'd be a saint in comparison to that idiot Satoru. Just talk."
Funny he mention the guy… Hisako muttered.
For some reason, relief just filled my chest, and I ended up saying the first thing that was on my mind. "Kakashi, you know I love you, right?"
Kakashi blinked. Then he blinked again, a bit more rapidly. Then I was surprised to see a dark pink rise up on his cheeks as he turned his head to not look at me. Despite not making eye contact, he was still holding onto my hand, albeit squeezing it. A bit tight, might I add.
"I-I know…." He mumbled, and judging by the strange absence of his other hand (the one that wasn't holding onto my own, I mean), I had a strange feeling it was covering his mouth. "W-What brought this on?"
Congratulations on making the situation awkward as all hell, Tomoko-chan! You get a trophy!
I decided to ignore her and continue with my little spiel. "... Nothing, I just wanted to say it. You've always been here for me, so… um…" Darn, the awkward tension was getting to me too. I just gulped the lump in my throat down to continue. "I-I'm just really happy to have you, Kakashi."
My best friend twitched before slowly turning back to look at me with wide eyes.
"I-I guess the whole thing that made me space out earlier was… well, Hitoshi-san." I didn't miss how Kakashi tensed up a bit, judging by the muscles in his arms tightening only a moment after the words left my lips, and I focused my attention on our intertwined fingers in order to get a semblance of composure.
Any kind of order I would take happily considering that tears were slowly coming onto the horizon. And I did NOT want to ruin another one of Kakashi's shirts.
A soft squeeze on my hand served as my signal to continue. I took a breath, closed my eyes, and opened my mouth, even if my voice sounded something akin to sandpaper because of the emotion. "I-I guess… I know that I won't be seeing him again. I-I know that I won't be seeing him or Mamoru-san, that bad customer, ever again. But…"
"But their words still bother you?" Kakashi said softly.
I nodded. Their images were still implanted in my mind for one thing, and I knew that they wouldn't be going away for a while. "Papa was the one who said that words only hurt so much if you let them. But… I'm not really sure how to not let their words hurt. I'm not sure how to stop being so emotional like this, Kakashi."
There was a soft silence. Then Kakashi squeezed my hand again. "... Is there anything I can do?"
I lifted my head, and found myself making eye contact with warm, deep silver eyes.
Familiar silver eyes.
Eyes that had yet to be fully tainted by war, but mature enough to look into my soul.
Eyes that didn't yet go through the pain of losing comrades or suffering personal failure.
Eyes that had yet to gain the Sharingan.
Kakashi's eyes made me feel so safe, but unsure all at once.
In the end, I put on a tentative smile before answering. "... Is it okay if you could act like a soundboard and just let me ramble for a while, Kakashi? I still kinda have a lot to say."
My best friend just blinked before smiling, leaning in close so that our foreheads would touch. I wasn't expecting the gesture and found myself tensing in surprise. "K-Kakashi?"
"Go ahead Tomoko," He murmured softly, and I didn't miss how his hand squeezed mine again, almost reassuringly. "We have time. Ramble as much as you need to."
A shaky smile found its way onto my face as a sigh involuntarily left my lips. The loving support sitting right in front of me was something I KNEW was rare and lovely all at once, and coming from a boy who, in canon, probably didn't care less?
Kakashi, my Kakashi, was goddamn amazing, and no one could tell me otherwise.
"I love you Kakashi. Thank you."
Once again, that same pink flush decorated my best friend's face as he suddenly pulled away for some breathing distance. The only difference from last time though was that he was still keeping eye contact with me to some extent, judging by the way his gaze darted between looking at me and the roof tiles in interest.
"... D-Do you have to keep saying that?" Was the resulting mumble that left his masked lips.
I ended up giggling. "Yes, Kakashi, I do."
Kakashi just gave me another flat look. "Why?"
"Because I love you and you deserve to hear that kind of stuff more often!" I insisted, bright smile on my face now.
Kakashi just sighed. "You're such a weirdo."
"Says the bookworm." I shot back.
Kakashi ended up facepalming with the hand that wasn't holding mine, and even with the silver hair covering his face, I could still make out the pink tips of his ears. "J-Just talk, okay?"
… Well, there went the warm fuzziness of the mood.
Nonetheless, I could tell my best friend still wanted answers. And Vy back in her day found it beneficial to talk to others, right? Why would this be any different?
I just took a breath before squeezing Kakashi's hand again. "... I guess the huge thing about those two was what they said. T-They…" Oh dear. Just the thought of those memories was making me emotional again, judging by how my heart was clenching in on itself.
"See, you fuckers?! This wench could easily die with just a hand! Do you really want to relax knowing someone like me could take her away?! Start working harder, you bitches, or I'll kill her right now!"
"I mean, really? Why make such a fuss over a stupid pianist? If she's killed off, then you could easily replace her with some other bitch!"
I forced the first signs of tears back into my chest to keep talking. "They… they did call me a bitch. Even though I'm sure I didn't do anything, they still made it out like I was useless. A nothing in comparison to them. A-And I know it's not true, but there's still a part of me wondering if they're right. I-If I'm really doing enough for everybody or not. If… If I'm really useful."
The sudden death-grip on my hand seemed to say otherwise. "... Why Tomoko?" Kakashi's quiet tone just spoke volumes, and it felt like there was so much on me to where the words couldn't come out.
But even then, I forced myself to continue. Kakashi was still listening. "I-It's just… I end up questioning myself a lot sometimes, Kakashi." I confessed, squeezing his hand back in an attempt to reign my emotions back in. "If I'm doing enough for you, for Obito-kun, for Rin-chan, for everyone back home, and at Nagareboshi. My piano certainly helped a lot of people, b-but… but is it really good enough?"
Kakashi just squeezed my hand as a sign to continue. It wasn't the point of a death-grip like before, but it was enough to let me know that I could keep talking. "I-I just end up worrying, you know? That I'm not doing my part to help everybody in this war. There are even moments where I think I should've been a ninja, like you and everyone else, so that I could help out in some way - so that I could understand you and Team Minato in some way… but… but I know I wouldn't be able to do it." A shaky sigh left me in exchange for holding back any sign of tears. "I can't really bring out my chakra or even help in a fight… so all this time, I've been Nagareboshi's pianist trying to help the war effort in my own way. But…"
"Satoru's words brought it all into question, didn't it?" Kakashi concluded solemnly.
I nodded, already feeling tired.
In roughly three to four years, Kannabi Bridge would happen. And were my friends ready?
Was I ready?
I didn't know.
Then again, I never did know until it happened, right?
Up until now, I was hoping that my actions, my music, were bringing people closer together to where the mission might not happen - if we could be that generous. Or on a smaller scale, Team Minato could be close enough - strong enough together, to where they all could come home safely.
But…
Are you really doing everything you could possibly do right now? Hisako finished.
There were still some people who were upset. Mamoru-san and… Satoru-kun too, they both hated me before I could even attempt to help them.
So where did I go wrong?
Then, a forehead slammed into my own. Hard.
The forehead protector didn't help in the slightest.
"Eep!" I found myself squeaking, the pain hitting me almost head-on as I recoiled from the blow, a hand reaching up to massage the now sore spot while opening one eye in confusion. "K-Kakashi?"
My best friend simply sighed and scooted over to be shoulder-to-shoulder with me, giving me a flat look. "Tomoko, now you're just worrying too much."
"... Eh?"
Kakashi shook his head, leaning his forehead against me again, hitai-ite and all. "You're not a bitch first up, alright? You're Nagareboshi Cafe's main pianist. You're an idol that even Hokage-sama acknowledged. That's not something you can so easily brush off."
I didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or bewildered.
Kakashi still leaned against me, hand gripping mine after all this time. "I'm not sure what goes on in that head of yours, but you HAVE been doing enough. If anything, you've been doing more than enough."
"Huh?" I said dumbly.
I-Is he serious?
"Tomoko…" Kakashi opened his eyes to just give me an exasperated face. "Why do you even THINK that you haven't done enough for us? You saved Dad, you helped bring Team Minato together, you gave so many tired shinobi a place to rest after a battle…" He sighed again. "And you gave me a new home."
Doki doki. I was sure I was blushing now.
"I-I never really knew my mom, even before I met you because she apparently died when I was born." I didn't miss how Kakashi's voice seemed to crack by a small margin. "Back at the compound, it was only Dad and I. We were happy, but…" A soft sigh brushed the air between us. "But aside from Minato-sensei and Kushina-san, I didn't really know what it was like to have a true, big family."
Does he mean…?
Kakashi looked at me with an unreadable expression before tugging his mask down to give me a full view of his soft smile. "It was because of you that I was able to experience that."
Doki.
I was sure I was a lobster or a tomato by now. "K-Kakashi…"
My best friend just scoffed softly, bumping my head with his lightly. "So why do you keep putting so much on yourself? You don't have to be a ninja. You don't have to hold it all in by yourself. I keep telling you to rely on me if you need help, okay? So quit acting like an idiot and see what I see. See what everyone else sees about you."
Doki doki.
I ended up averting my eyes to just get ahold of myself. Why was my heart beating so fast?
And why was I feeling so happy?
I turned back to Kakashi after a moment, taking in his unmasked face. "You… you really mean that?"
Now he was frowning. "Does it look like I'd lie to you, Tomoko?"
In my shock, I duly shook my head. Kakashi just gave me a flat look in response before tugging at my hand again. The next thing I knew, he was hugging me, chin hooked over my shoulder as his right hand finally let go of my left to wrap around my back in a comforting gesture. "So quit feeling insecure about yourself, baka," He muttered into my shoulder. "Just recognize that we ALL appreciate you, okay?"
It was as if the floodgates to all happy emotions were opened, and relief was the first thing I felt.
And over all that, I couldn't help but feel warm. Even with the sun already gone from the sky in exchange for the pale moon.
All I could register was warmth.
Warmth, safety, and happiness.
In the end, I just reached over to hug Kakashi back, smiling what felt like a real smile for the first time in a week.
"... Kakashi?"
A soft breath near my ear. "Yeah?"
"I really do love you, you know?"
A scoff. Despite the small twitch running through my best friend's figure, he still tightened the hug on me. "I know Tomoko. You really don't have to repeat it so much."
I just smiled again. "I don't have to, but I want to!"
From the close distance, I could feel my best friend sigh in exasperation. "... What am I supposed to do with you?"
The warmth in my heart was still there though, and it was all because of this wonderful masked ninja. And I just wanted to show my appreciation, whether it was in words or tightening the already close hug. "... I really do love you Kakashi, okay?"
A chuckle was my answer. "I love you too, Tomoko."
The last thing Nohara Rin expected to get in the mail that morning was a party invitation.
More so a bright blue envelope with her name written out in graceful violet pen.
When she opened it at her desk, the first thing that greeted her was run-of-the-mill stationary. Nothing too colorful in comparison to the envelope, the paper being a plain beige color. When she unfolded it though, the same violet pen greeted her with an almost happy sheen, spelling out the following words in a cheerful manner:
"Hello Rin-chan!
You are cordially invited to Nagareboshi Cafe tonight for our first dance party!
Please wear whatever formal clothes you have and bring a smile!
We'll see you there!
- The Hoshino Family"
Judging by the handwriting, it looked like it was Tomoko's work. But Rin couldn't help but feel confused.
Why a dance party with the Third Shinobi World War still in motion?
Nevertheless, Rin just smiled and shrugged. Knowing Nagareboshi Cafe and the family behind its reins, it was probably because of the village being at war that the dance party was put into place.
After that whole fight with Satoru, it had been mission after mission. And why not take a break?
That was why Rin ended up looking through her closet, pulling out the nicest dress and sandals she had (being a sleeveless white dress going down to her knees accompanied by a black cardigan and a periwinkle sash, finished off with low black heels) to change.
Then, that evening, when stepping out of her apartment, the first thing she noticed were familiar orange goggles…
"Obito?" The name slipped out almost instinctively, and if not for those same goggles, she wouldn't have recognized him.
The Uchiha was suited up entirely, with a formal vest, pants, and dress shoes! The only things breaking the image was his spiky hair, the aforementioned orange goggles, and the lopsided tie. Obito ended up turning to her at the sound of her voice, grinning brightly. "Hey Rin! I'm here to pick you up for the dance party!"
"You didn't have to," But despite her words, Rin was smiling when locking her door and joining him. Seeing an old friend and teammate would do that to you.
"I want to, though Rin! Let's go together!" And that grin was just irresistible…
Rin opted for a giggle before starting to walk with the Uchiha striding up beside her. Thankfully, the cafe wasn't that far from her apartment, only really being a few blocks away, but once the familiar street was getting close, the music was getting louder.
… And what was with all the lights? Rin swore that Nagareboshi didn't have that much flashy stuff in their arsenal.
Once the familiar front doors loomed into view, Obito was the one to push them open.
And both ninja nearly got blinded by the bright light.
"... When did you guys get a disco ball?" Obito muttered dryly.
"Obito-kun? Rin-chan?" The familiar, high-pitched voice helped anchor Rin back into reality, and when opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was her civilian friend in the same kimono dress from the last special occasion, with the same bright magenta obi & white-blue-yellow skirt and collar. A white hair ribbon tied off the end of her right hair strand, and with the sparkles of happiness in her blue eyes, Tomoko looked very pretty. "Hey!"
Immediately, Rin and Obito found themselves engulfed in a warm hug before the girl pulled away with a bright smile. "Come in! Come in! The party's just getting started!"
"W-Wait, Tomoko-chan, where did you get the disco ball?!" Obito interjected while getting escorted into the cafe alongside the medic. Rin was just doing her best to not get too bothered by the light display. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as some of the other missions of similar environments, but previously quiet Nagareboshi Cafe - having disco? Shocker.
The girl in front of them blinked before turning her head towards them. "Rented! It's just for a night, anyways. Papa and Mama are heads of the music department this time, so I'm mainly acting as the waitress tonight!"
It was a nice change from the depressed girl Rin had seen in the last few months, so she couldn't help smiling back.
And once they were seated with drinks, the music started. The disco ball itself was placed in the center of the cafe above the stage, so seeing it take on a more dull hue for the sake of dance was a well-needed change.
Rin just wasn't expecting to see Judai-san AND Hikari-san take center stage with some other musicians she didn't recognize to play a catchy tune. There wasn't even a signal for it like previous Nagareboshi performances - all the musicians did was exchange one glance with one another before playing their instruments.
And then Rin saw Tomoko start to dance. Once the tray she was holding was placed on a nearby counter, it was as if something came over the girl because she started spinning around without a care in the world. Sure, Rin wasn't really sure if she could classify it as 'dancing', since the most the civilian girl was doing was twirling and sidestepping others' toes enough to come off as a free-style movement. But the medic couldn't miss the bright grin on the girl's face. Even when spinning in circles on her own, skirt fluttering in the air and hands swishing along her sides, Tomoko looked - was - happy.
Before she knew it, the dancing civilian almost 'waltzed' up to hers and Obito's table again, right hand motioning in a 'come here and join me' gesture. If the medic didn't know any better, it was as if those blue eyes were saying "Come to the dark side - we have music!" Rin honestly wasn't sure on her dancing skills and initially put her hands up in the kindest way of saying no without voicing it, but Tomoko didn't want to take no for an answer.
The next thing Rin knew, she AND Obito were getting pulled up from their chairs by the civilian towards the dance floor, and even with her initial thought process saying otherwise, there was just something about the atmosphere that made it easy to let go of any worry.
Not to mention once Tomoko let go of them with that same smile on her face, Obito just gave her a similar big grin before teasingly giving a bow.
"May I have this dance, my lady?"
Rin did her best to hide a snicker in exchange for putting her hand in his larger one. "I'd love to."
And soon enough, everyone around her was dancing. She couldn't even recognize the various styles being used amongst the many passerby, focusing on her teammate and enjoying herself.
Amongst the many suits and dresses in the crowd, however, there was always that hint of magenta obi lurking around. And Rin could've sworn she saw a sliver of someone's silver hair before focusing on Obito again.
Oh well.
They said 'dance', right? So let's dance!
Author's Notes: First up, I want to give a warm and heartfelt thank you to everyone who reviewed my "Announcement" chapter that was released recently. I was in a really difficult position emotionally at the time, and the fact that you guys came out to support me just was the thing I needed. A special thanks goes to Goldspark1, kristina0lynn, adiamusGEN, Elena Parker, Chamele, Nenecchi, NatNicole, zerom1v, xXlaniidaeXx, Yolea Irk's, littlewave500, bebepantheon, PondRiverWilliams, The Name Is Greed, Noob4Life, and Snow Catt for their various messages, whether through review or PM. The support was really appreciated, and just thank you.
This chapter is dedicated to all of you guys - whether you've been with me since the beginning or just recently found me! Thanks again!
This is Writer-and-Artist27 signing out to work on studying for finals and finishing her paper!