Hey there, kitties. I wanted to explain that the ages of the characters here are all on par. Majority of the characters will be in their late 20's (25-28) where as Mr. Hatake will be 30. He wont be way older than the characters, that's because I wanted a more tight-knit sense of brotherhood between them, versus student/teacher. Okay, I'm done. As always, reviews gives me an extra day out of the fiery bowels of Beelzebub's depths. Happy reading!
He first saw her out on the balcony. Her eyes were so wide and bright, her amazement amazed him.
She looked ethernal, her smoky sweet hum cast down the breeze, vibrating in his ears.
He hadn't meant to see her, he was just coming home from a job. Albeit, through his balcony, but coming home nonetheless.
He hadn't meant to stare, he just wanted to go inside and take a hot shower.
But he noticed her. How couldn't he?
The glow of the moon had cast down on her pink hair, crowning the top of her head in coral light, making her an angel on earth. He watched her plump lips part when she closed her eyes and leaned into the wind. It almost devastated him, how fucking pretty she was. He'd seen a lot of women, they didn't call him lover boy for nothing, but he'd never been taken aback by one before. He'd never been caught like a fucking moron just staring, at least not out of his own control. It was a scene he committed to burning deep into the reservoir of his mind, so he was free to pull it back up on a rainy day. He watched her small hands grip the balcony, the way her eyes raked over the tea garden below them. She looked like she'd never seen something so beautiful, and he wondered the same thing, too.
He saw her again in the hallway, surrounded in a plethora of panties.
He hadn't meant to come upon her, he was just leaving for a job when he heard something slam on the floor.
He hadn't meant to say anything, he was just going to walk around the other way as to avoid her.
But he said something. How couldn't he?
She looked pretty embarrassed, the way she was pinching her nose and sighing heavily. He snickered a little when he heard her say "fuck me" the first time. He figured, she'd probably appreciate the help. Then again, it's not like it was paperwork that was scattered all over the hallway. It was panties that surrounded her, her panties. At least, he hoped so. It would only be a little unnerving if she had a box full of someone else's panties.
Then, that raised the question.
Why a big box full of them?
Not just sort of full, not just a few tossed in there along with some other things. From the looks of it, that box, top to bottom, was full of nothing but panties.
Was she a panty connoisseur? Was that her thing?
He wondered if she committed to wearing each and every one, or let herself slide and go commando for a day…
He was getting off topic.
The way he saw it, this could go one of two ways. Seeing at she was already pretty mortified, someone offering a helping hand could be seen as a life saver. "Oh, thank you, mister!" She'd exclaim with her hands clasped on either side of her head. They'd be crouched down together, collecting panties and tossing them into a box, making small talk. Or, option B, she would absolutely freak out on him, probably call him a pervert—something he was pretty used to—and tell him to fuck off, forever marring is reputation as the pervvy neighbor who wanted to fondle all of her fallen panties.
Was that something he was really willing to risk?
Additionally, did he care?
The answer was no.
If he had one shot at looking at her head on, he was going to take it. Her profile from the side had taken his breath away, and he only wanted a little closer just to see what she looked like face to face. Not to mention, being the bastard that he was, he'd love to gauge a reaction out of her, to see how she was going to take to some man offering help picking up the seemingly thousands of panties that exploded around her. He wondered, would she be flustered? Would she be flattered? Would she kiss him on the cheek to thank him for his kindness?
The possibilities were endless.
He was never one to walk away from any sort of situation or challenge anyways, regardless of how awkward it may be.
Well, awkward for her.
He never let himself get uncomfortable. It just wasn't in his nature.
He took his shot.
He cleared his throat first, just so she knew that someone was standing by. He spoke up second, simply asking if she wanted help. What he was expecting, was for her to whip her head in his direction so she could get a look at her knight in sweat pants. He was leaning against the corner where the hallways met, right hand in pocket, one foot crossed over the other. He braced himself, admittedly almost giddy for her to see him. Would she be wooed? He figured he was handsome enough, and even if his rugged good looks didn't seal the deal, surely his arsenal of poorly timed jokes would.
To his surprise, she didn't turn her head at all. He did see her body tense up, nins were supposed to pay attention to these things, but she kept her eyes closed. She adjusted her body only a little, but never opened her eyes. When her hand raised to rub the back of her neck, the contrast of pale to scarlet red was stark. "Oh," she emerged, eyes still closed. She laughed, he supposed to shake off whatever she was feeling, but there was also no way that was a real laugh. It was incredibly forced, to the point that he figured her lungs must hurt from how hard she had been pushing each "ha" out. Not that it really mattered to him, he got it. She was just trying to save face. "No thank you, I'm fine." She finished.
He had to admit, he liked the sound of her voice.
Her voice was like melting honey. Soothing and sweet, something you didn't mind dripping all over you as long as you could lick it away…
He was getting off track.
For a split second, he thought maybe he should take her at her first no, and move on. Being the pushy bastard that he was, he thought, what's one more shot? There is a damsel in distress that needed saving, and damn it all he was going to save her. It was his civil duty, after all. No woman left behind. "You sure?" he had replied, shifting from his position against the wall to reach down for a particularly interesting pink and black set that was riddled with criss-cross ribbons. "It's honestly no big deal, I can—"
Quicker than lightening, her hand projectiled out, smacking his hard enough to send it jerking in the opposite direction.
"NO!"
He could of sworn he heard her "no" echo down the hall.
He watched her eyebrows arch in shock, her mouth a small "O." She exhaled, relaxing her features before her face fell into her hands, long pink ponytail swaying with the shake of her head. "I'm sorry. This is all so embarrassing. Not to offend you, but I'll take care of this by myself. Thanks, though."
When she slapped his hand, he had resumed his position against the corner again, stuffing his stinging hand in his pocket. If he didn't know any better, he'd think that this woman has some strength to her. Being just a couple feet away from her, even with her sitting on her legs, he'd noted that she appeared to have a nice figure. At least, from what he saw on the balcony and today. She looked fit, he could see the definition in her arms. Watching her shake her head the way she was, he figured maybe taking off was the best idea, least she have the mind to give him a black eye.
Which he wasn't doubting she would, if she so quickly made the move to reprimand a total stranger to begin with.
If he was being honest, he liked her response. Even in her embarrassment, she still struck when her boundaries were crossed. Granted, the situation wasn't dire, but it was the insight he needed into evaluating her character. Over his left shoulder, he could see Kiba at the end, silently waving him down. He gave a nod, then directing his attention back to his new neighbor.
The corner of his mouth quirked up, "Suit yourself."
He moved then, around the meeting corners and down the following hall towards Kiba, who was tapping Akamaru's nose. He met Kiba, who began walking with him. "What took you so long?" Kiba asked, only slightly annoyed. "We've got a time sensitive job."
"My new neighbor was on the floor, with panties all over the place," he answered without missing a beat.
Kiba's face went blank, "Uh…what? Why did he have panties?"
"She," he corrected. "Probably because she's a woman and," he placed a finger thoughtfully on his chin, "if I remember correctly, I think women wear them? I don't know, don't quote me on it."
"Ooohhh, ssshhheee." Kiba sing-songed, glossing over the obvious jab to his intelligence. "Cute?"
He pinched his shoulders lazily, "Yeah, I'd say so. Some were lacy, some were made out of cotton. There was this one pair that—"
Kiba swatted his shoulder, "Not her panties, idiot. Your new neighbor. Was she cute?"
"Oh, her."
There was a pause.
"Well?!" Kiba pressed impatiently.
"Well what?" He questioned innocently.
Kiba rolled his eyes, "You're impossible. You know what, I'm going to take it that she is cute."
"And why's that?"
"You do this thing where when you see a woman whose pretty, you don't let us know she's pretty. You down play it. Then, each and every time that we see said woman, they happen to be pretty hot."
He scratched his chin, "Hmm. Maybe I just don't pay attention to looks? I look for what's on the inside. Saying a woman is cute is so superficial. What about her hobbies? Interests? Did you know that—"
Kiba huffed loudly before giving him a deadpanned look, "Sure. That's why when we do see you with a lady, she's always pretty hot? You know, I just think that you're like, possessive or something. Maybe just pee on her next time, so we all know she's yours."
"Kinky."
Kiba gave another roll of his eyes, but changed the subject about the job at hand, prattling on about the details that he already knew.
Sure, he hadn't agreed with Kiba that she was cute.
The thing was, cute didn't cover it.
She was wholly and completely stunning.
As much as he knew he should avoid her like the plague due to his line of work, something about her feistiness sparked his intrigue. She was mysterious and reserved, a tough egg he wanted to crack.
He'd never felt so stupid over a woman before, in such a small instance, but he figured there was a first time for everything.
In that moment, he made a silent vow to himself.
Kakashi Hatake was going to get to know that woman, her most intimate details. He didn't know what the future would hold, but that was a promise he could start with.