*Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I simply borrow them for my own musings and fantasies and do not get paid for their use in said musings or fantasies. –Nira

Chapter 19

"Enter," came the gruff voice of the third Hokage slightly muffled by the door, and Yuriko took a deep breath to steady herself and calm her nerves before she opened the door, stepping inside and bowing before the elder man. "Good morning, Yuriko-san. What brings you here today?"

"I've come to ask if your offer still stands, Hokage-sama."

"So you've decided?"

"Yes, Sir."

Yuriko went on to thank the Hokage for giving her the honor of the opportunity to serve as an ANBU operative under him, and that in serving the position, she'd learned a lot about herself and her teammates. She also explained that having weighed her options, and after much thought, she had decided to resign her mask and take him up on his offer to dedicate herself to instructing the future generations of Konoha's shinobi.

The elder man nodded, standing from his seat and looking out the window with his back to the young woman so that she couldn't see the knowing smile across his face. He'd known that she'd take the offer from the beginning, and he also knew that she was a deciding factor in why Kakashi had also given his mask up, even if Kakashi hadn't outright admitted it. He took a long drag from his pipe, held it for a moment, and let the smoke out in a slow sigh before he responded.

"Very well…" he drawled leisurely. "Thank you for your services to me and the village. Now, before I assign a Genin team to you, I'd like for you to take the Jounin exam and we will see and go from there."

"Understood," Yuriko bowed.

"I have faith that you'll do well, Yuriko-san," Sandaime smiled as he turned to face her. "Train and study hard and don't let me down."

Yuriko nodded, setting her ANBU mask on his desk before taking her leave with a bow, trying to hide the pure joy and terrified excitement from showing on her face. The walk home was brisk and had a spring in her step, and as she breached the top of the stairs of her floor she saw Kakashi leaving his apartment in training gear. He paused, looking at Yuriko's door as if debating with himself on whether to knock and sighed before turning to leave. When he saw her, he tried to hide that she'd startled him by smiling and waving.

"Good morning, senpai. Did you need me for something?" she smiled back, not giving away that she'd noticed the bags under his eye or that she'd seen him jump, though a small sense of satisfaction in having done so bubbled up and tempted her lips to curl into a smug grin.

"Not particularly. I was just going to say hello and ask if you'd like to come train with me."

Yuriko agreed, offering for him to wait inside while she gathered her weapons. Kakashi nodded and Yuriko smiled as she opened the door, apologizing for the mess and explaining that she hadn't been home much lately as she made her way to her bedroom.

"No?" Kakashi asked, trying to play coy despite knowing full well that she hadn't been home. He'd agonized about it for the last few nights and hardly wanted to sleep. "Why not?"

"It doesn't feel like a home, so I've tried to avoid being here as much as possible."

Kakashi ran his finger along her countertop, gathering a mound of dust. He furrowed his brow, thinking that it was at least a month's worth and guessing that she hadn't cleaned when she got home. He also noted that the air seemed stuffy, just as it had when she'd first moved in. It was like the apartment was vacant all over again. It made the uneasy knot in his stomach churn and that nagging thought return to the forefront of his mind, 'It should have been me."

"Say, Yuriko-san?"

"Yes, senpai?" she asked, pulling her hair into a high ponytail as she walked into the hallway, fully equipped with her weapons and the fan that he'd given her dangling by its drawstring from her hip.

Kakashi paused, struck speechless by the dazzling, bright lavender eyes looking up at him through a curtain of silver bangs. For the first time that he'd known her, Yuriko genuinely looked happy and he couldn't help but smile, his worries dashed momentarily. The glowing expression suited her well, and the question that he was going to ask vanished from his mind.

"You seem happier than normal," he confessed, his tone soft.

"Do I really?" she blushed, reaching to cover her already masked face and Kakashi chuckled.

"Did something happen?"

"Actually, yes!" she beamed. "I'm glad you were looking for me because I have something to tell you."

"Funny, because I have something to tell you as well."

"I have something to ask, first, though," she stated, suddenly more serious remembering that Kurenai had mentioned that he'd gone out for drinks the night that they're returned from their mission and that he'd seemed sullen. Her excitement was making her mind a tangled jumble of barely connected thought trains.

"Okay. What is it?" he asked, stiffening slightly at the change in her tone and seemingly disjointed thought processes.

"How are you?" Yuriko watched his body language and reaction to the question. It was simple enough, but the weight behind it was noteworthy and as Kakashi contemplated it, she was decoding his every microexpression. His body had stiffened slightly more than it already was, his breathing slightly hitched, the pupil of his visible eye dilated and contracted, and he perspired just a little bit more.

"What do you mean?" he inquired, though he knew exactly what it was that she was asking him.

"Kurenai told me that you'd gone out the night we came back from the mission but you'd been pretty quiet and reserved the whole night. You also have dark circles under your eye. Have you run out of tea?"

Kakashi sighed, though not relaxing under her scrutiny. She was concerned, but how could he tell her that he'd been worried and was awake all night thinking about her for the last few nights? How could he tell her that he'd seen her with Iruka and was jealous of how close they'd been? He had no claim over her or her time, and he knew that, but it didn't change the fact that he wished he did and had no logical way of explaining why, much to his dismay.

"No, I have plenty of tea, thank you. And it works wonders, by the way," he forced a smile, trying to change the subject.

Yuriko's thought process took another turn and her face fell thinking back to all of the times that Kakashi had been there for her in her times of vulnerability and need. Pretty much since the beginning, he'd been there and been a literal shoulder to cry on when she felt like everything was falling apart. He'd been her rock and she hadn't realized it or even thanked him for it.

"Senpai, I never thanked you for that night… during the mission, that is." Yuriko blushed, aimlessly playing with her fingernails as her gaze was downturned to hyperfocus on her hands. "I was a mess, and I'm sorry that you had to deal with me while I was like that… again... You've been there for me in some of my lowest times since coming to Konoha, and I've been less than grateful. It really means a lot to me, so thank you. I hope to one day be someone that you and others can come to like you have been there for me. I don't know how much help I can be, but I want to try... so please feel free to come to me for anything, okay? I'll do my best to help."

Kakashi stared at Yuriko for a moment, shocked but so proud of her for taking such a big step toward opening up to others. There was the caring, human-loving side of her that he'd only glimpsed in passing. There was the kind, gentle soul that he thought but didn't know for sure was there hidden beneath the mask of her tough exterior. Yuriko noticed that his demeanor had softened and his body had relaxed again so she chanced to look up at him. He was no longer on edge and she couldn't help but smile when he caught her gaze and nodded with kind eyes and a grin barely visible beneath his mask.

"So what did you want to tell me, senpai?" she asked, relieved that the serious part of the conversation was over and that they could get back to the original subject.

"You first. It's not often that you're so open to talking about yourself. It's refreshing," he grinned good-naturedly.

Yuriko relaxed, herself, feeling more comfortable with Kakashi now that he had not only listened to what she had to say but also accepted it. "I've decided to give up my mask. I realize that I'd made my decision to join ANBU too quickly without really thinking about what it entailed and after that last mission, I don't think I could handle another one like it."

"Congratulations. You seem a lot more comfortable with Naruto-kun than you do pretty much anyone else so I'm sure you'd do well with children." Kakashi grinned, glad that his assessment of Yuriko's character had been correct and led to not only the Hokage offering the position but also her decision to take it.

"That's what Kurenai said, too," Yuriko blushed with a sheepish grin, opening the door and motioning for Kakashi to step out so she could lock it behind them as they started walking leisurely toward the training grounds. "Didn't you have something to tell me, too, senpai?"

"Would you believe that I gave up my mask to become a Team Leader, as well?"

"No way!" Yuriko gasped, her lavender eyes widening in disbelief as she whipped her head to look at him and decide if he was playing a trick on her. When she saw his smug grin at her uncharacteristic outburst, she gathered herself, facing forward again and attempting to brush it off. "Why? You were so good at it. I'd heard stories about and idolized you-er skill and talent as an ANBU operative even before I'd come to Konoha."

Yuriko had finished with a slight blush across her cheeks and in a hurry, realizing what she was saying as she was saying it and Kakashi faltered slightly in his step, disbelieving that he'd heard her correctly. There was no way that he could have missed the change in speed and tone toward the end of her sentence, and even more unbelievable was that she'd almost admitted to idolizing him aloud, let alone saying it straight to his face. The smirk that snuck onto his face was knowing and suddenly he felt much more confident.

"I'd been an ANBU operative for a long time. It was time for a change," he answered, sparing her the embarrassment of knowing that he'd caught her slip up.

"I've never seen you with children. The thought kind of scares me a little, honestly…" Yuriko stated and then paused to imagine Kakashi spending time with a kid like Naruto who was much too rambunctious for his own good while Kakashi was far calmer and more reserved than anything, especially under pressure. The thought made her chuckle a little, internally, though she couldn't help the small grin that formed across her lips. "... but you're a great leader, senpai. Whatever team you get will be lucky to have you as their Captain," Yuriko finished with the truest and brightest smile Kakashi had ever seen her wear and his stomach flipped and cheeks pinkened. Why did she make him feel like such a giddy child?

"Didn't you have a favor to ask me?" he asked, changing the subject in the hopes that it would quell the nervous butterflies in his stomach from Yuriko's compliment.

"We'll get to it later. Shall we begin, senpai?" she smirked, the competitive edge sharpening her features and making her expression more formidable.

Kakashi couldn't help but to join in and gave her his own cutthroat grin. "Give me everything you've got, Yuriko-san."