The festival was soon upon them, and with it, Kazuko's darkening mood. She did not like festivals.
"Sweetie, are you almost ready?" Naoko bellowed from the front door.
Kazuko glowered into the bathroom mirror. "Ask me that one more time and I'll chop your tongue off!" She hollered back.
Finally emerging from the bathroom, Kazuko glared at Naoko. She was dressed in a pale blue kimono, her hair done up in a tight bun on top of her head with stray pieces falling against her face.
Naoko waggled his eyebrows at her. "Very lovely. Now, let's enjoy the wonderful festival Konoha has prepared for us."
"Can't you just tell people I'm sick if you see them?" Kazuko knew it was a long shot, but she needed to try.
"No way. We are going to go out tonight, have a good time and maybe even catch a serial killer. Oh, and maybe you'll fall madly in love with Kakashi tonight." He added with a wink.
She blanched, too stunned to even reply. Naoko laughed at her expression and all but skipped out the front door.
Kazuko followed, slamming the door behind her.
.
.
.
The streets were much too crowded and loud for Kazuko's liking, with people shouting and jostling each other as they walked past. Naoko had insisted they hold hands to keep up their married persona, but Kazuko threatened to snap his fingers off if he so much as touched her, so he had backed off.
At least it was a clear night. The full moon would make it easier to see if she decided to take a wander through some alleyways, just in case the Night Demon was lurking about. Naoko wouldn't like it, since the ANBU squad they were assigned to wouldn't be watching her, but it was a risk she would be happy to take.
"Hey, there's Asuma and Kurenai." Naoko pointed towards a couple a short distance away, holding hands and smiling at each other as though they were the only two people around. "Huh, I didn't know they were dating."
Kazuko snorted. "That's because you're an idiot. Anyone with half a brain can tell they're together."
They continued on, not wanting to disturb the couple on what was clearly a date. They ran into Asuma's squad during their wandering, the three Genin busy playing games set up by vendors.
"Oh, hi Hiromasa, Airi." Ino Yamanaka from Team Ten waved them over to where she stood by a gaming stall. "Are you enjoying the festival?"
"Everything is lovely so far." Naoko replied, smiling back at the young girl. "What are you three up to?"
Choji straightened from his bent position in front of the stall, a bag of chips in hand. "We're trying to catch goldfish. Apparently if we catch one then we can keep it, but the nets keep breaking." He said through a mouthful of food.
"I remember this game!" Naoko exclaimed excitedly. "You just need to have a delicate touch. Here, let me try." He paid the vendor and took a net, leaning over the bowl that held half a dozen goldfish. He stuck his tongue out in concentration and placed the net in the bowl, carefully moving it to scoop up a fish. It startled and darted away, breaking the flimsy net in the process.
"What a drag." Shikamaru sighed from behind them. "Not even adults are any good at this."
Naoko flushed at the insult and paid the vendor more money. "Hey! That was just my first go. I'll get it this time."
He didn't.
Neither did he get it the time after that. Or the time after that.
Soon, the young trio got bored and wandered off, Choji complaining about needing food. Kazuko waited behind her partner, watching as he became more and more frustrated with the game.
"Why don't you give up already?" She insisted, arms folded against her chest impatiently.
Naoko shot her a glare. "And let those kids make fun of me? No way!"
Kazuko sighed. "You're not getting any better, and they're gone now. Let it go."
"You have a go then." He shoved the net into her hand and stepped back, indicating for her to take his place.
"I really don't—"
"We're not leaving this spot until you have a go."
Resigned, Kazuko stepped up to the bowl and put the net in. She didn't see the point in this, but Naoko was pouting so the least she could do was comply with his wishes.
"How did you do that? And on your first go too?" Naoko's eyes bulged out of his head when Kazuko raised the net, a goldfish safely inside. The vendor congratulated her and placed the fish in a bag filled with water, tied it, and handed it back.
She turned to Naoko and held out the fish. "I don't want it, Naoko. You hold it."
But Naoko wasn't listening. His eyes were glued to the fish, his glare heightening the longer he stared at it. "That's it! I'm not leaving this stall until I catch one!"
Kazuko rolled her eyes at her partner. "I'm not hanging around while you do that." She told him. "And take the fish already, I don't want it."
Naoko shook his head, refusing to touch the bag. "No way. You won it, so you carry it. I'll stay here and get my own. I'll meet up with you later." He took several coins out of his pocket and slammed them on the table, ready to play again.
Kazuko knew he wouldn't leave until he caught a fish—which could take hours—and she refused to wait around. She said goodbye to her partner before making her way through the crowds once more. She may as well do something, now that she was here. Kazuko lifted the bag until it was at eye level, watching as the small creature darted to and fro in the water. "I'm sorry it turned out like this, little guy. I'll find someone to give you to soon. But first, I need food. I'm starving."
.
.
.
All the lines for food were long, and Kazuko was too impatient to wait in one of them. Patience had never been her strong point, something the people around her often pointed out.
Since food was clearly off the table for the time being, Kazuko continued her stroll, watching the crowds as they passed her. She spotted a family enjoying the festival together, the little girl riding atop her father's shoulders, and Kazuko's heart squeezed at the sight. That was her, once upon a time, before her life was upended forever. She once had a loving family, once knew what it felt like to be cared for. But that was a lifetime ago.
"If it isn't Airi. Where's Hiromasa?" Kazuko turned her head towards the voice, recognizing it instantly.
Kakashi walked towards her, his visible eye smiling. He wore a dark grey and black kimono, with a mask to match. "Hello Kakashi. He's busy trying to catch a fish. Team Ten hurt his pride, and he refuses to leave until he's succeeded."
Kakashi laughed at the story. He noticed the bag in her hand and pointed to it. "Who won this little guy, then?"
"Me, of course." She sent him a smile, her sad memories forgotten. She felt relaxed and content in his presence, and she realized that she had been hoping to see him tonight.
His visible eye cocked at her statement. "Of course." He sounded amused. "Where are you heading?"
"I wanted to eat, but all the lines are too long, so I've just been wandering around." She replied with a shrug.
Kakashi held up a brown paper bag and grinned beneath his mask. "You're in luck. I just bought some dumplings, and I'm willing to share."
The couple made their way to a nearby bench and sat down. Kazuko wasn't sure if it was because she was wearing an outfit she wasn't used to, or if it was the atmosphere of the festival, but she was suddenly very nervous about being so near to him. He sat close to her, his leg pressed against hers, and she blushed at the heat coming from his body.
"Here," the silver haired Jounin held out a dumpling for her to take. He gazed at her from the corner of his eye, noting the way her white hair seemed to shine in the moonlight. "You look very beautiful tonight, by the way."
He said it so casually that it took Kazuko a few seconds to register his words. She turned sharply to look at him, her eyes wide and a dark blush on her cheeks. "T-thanks." His intense gaze was too much for her to handle and she turned her face away, taking a bite of her food to distract her from the man beside her.
"Do you dance, Airi?"
Kazuko choked on the dumpling, unprepared for the question. "Dance? Me?" She squeaked, cursing herself for being so flustered. She didn't know why this man affected her so much.
His eye was twinkling in amusement as he watched her. "Yes, you. There will be some dancing in the main square soon, and I wondered if you would like to join me for it?"
"I-I-I," just spit it out Kazuko, you idiot. She scolded herself. You're making a complete buffoon out of yourself. She cleared her throat and started again. "I don't think that would be a good idea."
He raised his eyebrow again but looked unfazed. "Why not? It's not wrong for two friends to dance together, is it?"
"But, I'm married." She stressed the word, hoping that would be enough. The thought of dancing with Kakashi made her more nervous than an S-ranked mission.
"Are you?" His words were so soft that Kazuko wondered if she had imagined them. When she gave him a quizzical look, Kakashi just smiled from under his mask and said, "I'm sure Hiromasa wouldn't mind."
Kazuko had never blushed this much in her life. She took another bite of her dumpling, allowing herself time to calm down before she answered him. "Fine, I'll dance with you. But just a heads up, I'm not very good at it."
"That's perfectly fine by me." His eye shone with warmth as he looked at her, causing her blush to rise with renewed vigour. She turned to face the crowd and the couple finished eating their dumplings in companionable silence.
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.
.
The hand holding hers was large and warm, and it engulfed her smaller one almost entirely. Kazuko stared at their entwined fingers as Kakashi led her through the throng of people towards where people were gathering to dance and wondered if it always felt this nice to hold someone's hand.
After they had finished their dumplings, Kakashi had bundled up the rubbish and threw it in a nearby bin before grabbing her free hand so casually it was as if he did so on a regular basis. Kazuko was too stunned to get mad at him for not asking her permission first, and she secretly enjoyed the feeling of his hand in hers. She just hoped they didn't run into Naoko; he would have a field day if he saw them together like this.
They made it to the dance-floor just as the music started up—a slow tune that was perfect for couples who wanted to hold each other close. Kakashi turned to face Kazuko, his eye expressing an emotion she wasn't used to and couldn't quite figure out.
"This might be a little awkward with the fish." He stated with amusement, pointing at the bag she still held onto. He smiled and stepped closer to her—completely in her personal space—and wrapped his free hand around her waist. He drew her into him so that they were chest to chest and move their joined hands to rest by their side. Kazuko hesitantly placed her fish-holding hand on his back.
He started swaying, not quite what one would call dancing, but Kazuko didn't mind. Her face was flaming again at their proximity, but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the feel of his strong arm around her, or the way he rested his head atop hers, humming along to the song softly as they moved together.
The tenseness in her shoulders from when he first pulled her to him eased slowly, and she found herself leaning more and more into him as the song progressed, until her head rested against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
One song turned into three, and still Kazuko had no plans of letting go. She felt content in his arms—a feeling she hadn't experienced in a very long time— and she wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible.
Kakashi's hand left her waist and trailed upwards until he was cupping her cheek, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear in the process. Kazuko lifted her face to meet his gaze at the gesture, only to see him staring at her with an intensity she had never seen before.
"Airi," he whispered her name, as though it was something to be revered. He tucked a finger under her chin to keep her from turning away as he lowered his head, eye flicking to her lips.
Kazuko's heart pounded in her chest, her eyes widening at the same time his closed. Part of her screamed to finish closing the gap, while the more sensible side of her reminded her that she was supposed to have a husband and kissing another man while married was wrong.
"What are you two doing?" Kazuko sprang away from Kakashi, her eyes like saucers as she gaped at the newcomer.
"U-um, Naruto. Hi." She said weakly, fully aware that her entire face was on fire.
"Kakashi-Sensei, what do you think you're doing to Airi?" Sakura glared at her teacher, her hands on her hips from her position beside the blond. Despite Kazuko's flustered state, she noticed that the raven haired Genin wasn't with them.
Kakashi was sensible enough to look chagrined and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he faced his pupils. "Naruto, Sakura. Hello. Where's Sasuke?"
"Don't change the subject, Sensei." It surprised Kazuko that Sakura was angry at her teacher, and not the woman who was supposed to be married to another man. Maybe Sakura didn't think it appropriate to berate someone she barely knew.
"Hey, what's that?" Naruto pointed at the bag Kazuko held and she silently thanked him for his ability to be distracted so easily.
Kazuko held the bag out for him to see. "It's a goldfish. I won it tonight, but I don't really want it. Would you like to look after it, Naruto?"
Naruto's eyes lit up and he grabbed the bag from her, the fish sloshing around inside. "Can I? Thanks, Airi!" He proceeded to tell the couple what he had been doing during the festival; how he had run into Sakura and forced her to go along with him as he played games at the stalls. The young blond grinned, his eyes glancing to the pinkette beside him shyly every so often during his speech. Kazuko felt bad for the kid; he was clearly crushing hard, but the young girl was not interested.
A sudden scream pierced through the noise of the festival, so faint that most people wouldn't have noticed. But Kazuko did, and her head snapped towards the direction of the sound immediately, her blood chilling at what she knew it meant.
She glanced quickly between the three members of Team Seven, noting that Kakashi's head was also turned to where the noise had originated from. "I need to go." She told them, backing away from the trio. She had to get home and retrieve her mask before she could rendezvous with the ANBU squad, who were no doubt already on the move. She cursed herself for not finding room on her person to put it, like Naoko had. "Take care of the fish, okay Naruto?" She turned and ran, ignoring the voices that called out to her.
All thoughts of near kissing and embarrassment vanished from her mind as she ran. This was what they had been waiting for. Tonight, she would finally come one step closer to the Night Demon.
This chapter is probably my favourite so far. I've been waiting for them to spend some more one-on-one time together, so I really enjoyed writing the festival scenes. I just hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. :)
Sorry for the delay in updating. Turns out home confinement has kind of made me unmotivated to write. But I'll try and be better.
R&R's are appreciated and welcomed. Thank you for reading!