Part 3...
Kakashi released her after some time, breathing somewhat heavily. The young woman in his arms formed a smirk across her lips and moved closer to him. He wrapped his arms around Hikari, listening to her content sigh.
She smiled, realizing how she had missed being with him. She felt at home and at peace in Konoha with him. She began to remember the very short time she was in the village when she was very young. Hikari never really had a permanent home as her parents were always traveling from village to village. However, this was the first place that she had true friends...
==Flashback==
A young girl stood in the middle of the field, watching as the other children paired off and went to do the assigned task. She had just moved to Konoha and had no friends. She was alone and really did not like how the other children giggled and pointed at her.
'They're so annoying...' she thought to herself, scowling.
The fragile-looking blue-haired girl continued to watch the others have fun. Looking around some more, her eyes fell onto a silver-haired boy. He looked so lonely, just sitting on a fallen tree. He sat with one arm resting across a raised knee. His other leg swung beneath him as he closed his eyes.
'That's the boy that nobody ever talks to... I wonder why...' she spoke in her mind.
Making her way over to him, he looked up from the ground. His body seemed to tense as she got closer to him. He turned his gaze away from her, displaying that he did not want to talk.
"Do you have a partner?" the girl asked.
He turned back to face her and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "No..." he answered flatly.
"Can you be mine?" she seemed quite determined.
"Why?" he asked. 'Why doesn't she just go with another kid?' "...You're not gonna' try to kiss me, are you?"
The girl then made a disgusted face. "Eww, kiss a boy? Nasty! I just need help and someone to be my partner."
Slightly confused, he looked at the other children playing around in different groups. He turned his gaze back to her and continued to wonder. What was so special about him?
"You could go with the others..." he stated blankly.
The girl shook her head. "They're annoying. I don't like them."
He looked down at his tiny child hands and made a sigh. He then brought his gaze back up to meet her sweet, disarming smile. Something was different about this girl...
"So, why me?" he finally inquired.
"'Cause I think we can both use the help." Was all she replied.
He looked back down at the floor and stared at it. He then formed a smile, unknowingly to the girl as his mouth was covered by his mask. Nodding, he jumped onto the ground and stood in front of her.
"I'm Hikari...What's your name?" she asked.
"Kakashi..." he replied.
==End of Flashback==
"Ne, Kakashi-kun!" she cried.
The silver-haired Joûnin then looked down and into her blue eyes. By the looks of her pout, she had been calling him for quite some time.
"I thought you were asleep..." he replied innocently.
"But I wasn't! Mou, Kakashi-kun...you should pay attention." Hikari pouted.
"Okay okay...did you need something?" asked he.
"I. Said. That. I. Was. Hungry. Let's. Go. Get. Some. Ramen." She said slowly.
"Hai, hai. I know a pretty good place that makes delicious ramen." He nodded. 'I should know...Naruto always dragged me there...heh...'
Both rose from the ground and onto their feet. They walked from the edge of the village to the center. There were many people around, especially in the evening when many felt it was a good time to go out. Soon, they came upon the ramen stand and sat down at two empty stools.
"What'll it be?" the chef smiled.
"Two beef ramen. Thanks." Kakashi ordered.
"Ne, Kakashi-kun. They look familiar." Hikari pointed to the doorway.
He turned and looked over to where she was pointing. Indeed they did look familiar. And before either of them knew it, the two people had approached them.
"Kakashi-sensei! I beg you all the time to take me for ramen and you take her whenever she wants?!" the blonde-haired boy cried.
"It's not my fault that you want me to take you every single day at every single hour." Kakashi sighed.
"Maa maa, don't start now." The man standing next to Naruto smiled nervously.
"Iruka-san. How are you?" Hikari smiled at him.
He smiled, sitting down next to her. "I'm fine, thank you. Don't mind these two. If you're around these two long enough you will get used to their fights."
"He starts it!" Naruto pointed accusingly at his teacher.
Kakashi only rolled his eyes and decided not to say anything. Iruka smiled and turned to order ramen for Naruto and himself. As they all waited for their food to arrive, Naruto spun around on his stool.
"Hey, remember when you introduced me to Iruka-san for the first time?" Hikari suddenly spoke.
"Oh yeah. That was interesting..." Kakashi chuckled.
"Hai that was a funny day." Iruka agreed.
"You guys all knew each other when you were kids? Can you tell me?" Naruto made a fox-face at the adults.
Iruka smiled at his curious look. "Of course, Naruto-kun... It was after the exams...
The other children had always used me as comedic relief but I was also into it. For the time being, it helped me feel that I was liked. That is, until I met Kakashi-san. We started talking and we just became really good friends. Then, for a while I was sick and I was sent to another village to get healed by a cleric that was known for his skills world-wide. That took a while. But when I finally came back to Konoha...
I was on my way to Kakashi-san's home and had planned to surprise him. We had written letters to keep in contact and I already wrote that I would be back in about three weeks. It actually took less than the three weeks so I traveled back to Konoha.
As I approached his house, I heard him talking. I wondered who he was talking to and decided to sneak up on him. I found that he was talking to a girl and laughing along with her. They sensed my presence...
"Hey, you're back!" I could tell that Kakashi-san was happy to see me.
Standing next to him, was Hikari with short hair. I remember that she used to have it just above her shoulders. She was more into ninjutsu than doing any of the things girls our age used to do so she kept her hair short. Long hair would normally get in the way.
"Is this your friend? The one you were talking about?" she had asked him.
He nodded and pat me on the shoulder. "It's great to have you back. This is Hikari. She's gonna' take the exam too."
"It's nice to meet you, Hikari." I waved.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Iruka. Kakashi's told me so much about you. You're going to take that exam too? Maybe we'll get to sit together." She spoke with such a happy tone in her voice.
...And from that day on, the three of us became really close friends. Until she left for a while, at least." Iruka finally finished his story.
"Why did you leave, Hikari-sensei?" Naruto turned to the young woman.
Before she could reply, the chef had shown up with their food and placed each bowl in front of them. They thanked him and picked up their chopsticks. But Hikari placed hers over her bowl and looked at the young boy.
"My parents were always moving. They were both Anbu and grew up in different villages. They met in Konoha, in a mission when they were teenagers. My father was from the hidden village of Mist while my mother was from the hidden village of the Sand." She smiled.
"Let's continue the rest of the history after we eat, okay Naruto?" Kakashi split his chopsticks apart.
"Yes, I'm sure we're all famished." Iruka agreed.
Naruto nodded and excitedly split his own chopsticks apart. When they were ready, they all proclaimed... "Itedekimasu!" and immediately began to eat.
To be continued...
Miko: Wow, I am sooo sorry for the slow update! I just have a lot of things going on at the same time. But I will try to get faster updates! But thank you to all those who have reviewed! I hope you will all continue to read it! Please review! Thanks! Ja!
Kakashi released her after some time, breathing somewhat heavily. The young woman in his arms formed a smirk across her lips and moved closer to him. He wrapped his arms around Hikari, listening to her content sigh.
She smiled, realizing how she had missed being with him. She felt at home and at peace in Konoha with him. She began to remember the very short time she was in the village when she was very young. Hikari never really had a permanent home as her parents were always traveling from village to village. However, this was the first place that she had true friends...
==Flashback==
A young girl stood in the middle of the field, watching as the other children paired off and went to do the assigned task. She had just moved to Konoha and had no friends. She was alone and really did not like how the other children giggled and pointed at her.
'They're so annoying...' she thought to herself, scowling.
The fragile-looking blue-haired girl continued to watch the others have fun. Looking around some more, her eyes fell onto a silver-haired boy. He looked so lonely, just sitting on a fallen tree. He sat with one arm resting across a raised knee. His other leg swung beneath him as he closed his eyes.
'That's the boy that nobody ever talks to... I wonder why...' she spoke in her mind.
Making her way over to him, he looked up from the ground. His body seemed to tense as she got closer to him. He turned his gaze away from her, displaying that he did not want to talk.
"Do you have a partner?" the girl asked.
He turned back to face her and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "No..." he answered flatly.
"Can you be mine?" she seemed quite determined.
"Why?" he asked. 'Why doesn't she just go with another kid?' "...You're not gonna' try to kiss me, are you?"
The girl then made a disgusted face. "Eww, kiss a boy? Nasty! I just need help and someone to be my partner."
Slightly confused, he looked at the other children playing around in different groups. He turned his gaze back to her and continued to wonder. What was so special about him?
"You could go with the others..." he stated blankly.
The girl shook her head. "They're annoying. I don't like them."
He looked down at his tiny child hands and made a sigh. He then brought his gaze back up to meet her sweet, disarming smile. Something was different about this girl...
"So, why me?" he finally inquired.
"'Cause I think we can both use the help." Was all she replied.
He looked back down at the floor and stared at it. He then formed a smile, unknowingly to the girl as his mouth was covered by his mask. Nodding, he jumped onto the ground and stood in front of her.
"I'm Hikari...What's your name?" she asked.
"Kakashi..." he replied.
==End of Flashback==
"Ne, Kakashi-kun!" she cried.
The silver-haired Joûnin then looked down and into her blue eyes. By the looks of her pout, she had been calling him for quite some time.
"I thought you were asleep..." he replied innocently.
"But I wasn't! Mou, Kakashi-kun...you should pay attention." Hikari pouted.
"Okay okay...did you need something?" asked he.
"I. Said. That. I. Was. Hungry. Let's. Go. Get. Some. Ramen." She said slowly.
"Hai, hai. I know a pretty good place that makes delicious ramen." He nodded. 'I should know...Naruto always dragged me there...heh...'
Both rose from the ground and onto their feet. They walked from the edge of the village to the center. There were many people around, especially in the evening when many felt it was a good time to go out. Soon, they came upon the ramen stand and sat down at two empty stools.
"What'll it be?" the chef smiled.
"Two beef ramen. Thanks." Kakashi ordered.
"Ne, Kakashi-kun. They look familiar." Hikari pointed to the doorway.
He turned and looked over to where she was pointing. Indeed they did look familiar. And before either of them knew it, the two people had approached them.
"Kakashi-sensei! I beg you all the time to take me for ramen and you take her whenever she wants?!" the blonde-haired boy cried.
"It's not my fault that you want me to take you every single day at every single hour." Kakashi sighed.
"Maa maa, don't start now." The man standing next to Naruto smiled nervously.
"Iruka-san. How are you?" Hikari smiled at him.
He smiled, sitting down next to her. "I'm fine, thank you. Don't mind these two. If you're around these two long enough you will get used to their fights."
"He starts it!" Naruto pointed accusingly at his teacher.
Kakashi only rolled his eyes and decided not to say anything. Iruka smiled and turned to order ramen for Naruto and himself. As they all waited for their food to arrive, Naruto spun around on his stool.
"Hey, remember when you introduced me to Iruka-san for the first time?" Hikari suddenly spoke.
"Oh yeah. That was interesting..." Kakashi chuckled.
"Hai that was a funny day." Iruka agreed.
"You guys all knew each other when you were kids? Can you tell me?" Naruto made a fox-face at the adults.
Iruka smiled at his curious look. "Of course, Naruto-kun... It was after the exams...
The other children had always used me as comedic relief but I was also into it. For the time being, it helped me feel that I was liked. That is, until I met Kakashi-san. We started talking and we just became really good friends. Then, for a while I was sick and I was sent to another village to get healed by a cleric that was known for his skills world-wide. That took a while. But when I finally came back to Konoha...
I was on my way to Kakashi-san's home and had planned to surprise him. We had written letters to keep in contact and I already wrote that I would be back in about three weeks. It actually took less than the three weeks so I traveled back to Konoha.
As I approached his house, I heard him talking. I wondered who he was talking to and decided to sneak up on him. I found that he was talking to a girl and laughing along with her. They sensed my presence...
"Hey, you're back!" I could tell that Kakashi-san was happy to see me.
Standing next to him, was Hikari with short hair. I remember that she used to have it just above her shoulders. She was more into ninjutsu than doing any of the things girls our age used to do so she kept her hair short. Long hair would normally get in the way.
"Is this your friend? The one you were talking about?" she had asked him.
He nodded and pat me on the shoulder. "It's great to have you back. This is Hikari. She's gonna' take the exam too."
"It's nice to meet you, Hikari." I waved.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Iruka. Kakashi's told me so much about you. You're going to take that exam too? Maybe we'll get to sit together." She spoke with such a happy tone in her voice.
...And from that day on, the three of us became really close friends. Until she left for a while, at least." Iruka finally finished his story.
"Why did you leave, Hikari-sensei?" Naruto turned to the young woman.
Before she could reply, the chef had shown up with their food and placed each bowl in front of them. They thanked him and picked up their chopsticks. But Hikari placed hers over her bowl and looked at the young boy.
"My parents were always moving. They were both Anbu and grew up in different villages. They met in Konoha, in a mission when they were teenagers. My father was from the hidden village of Mist while my mother was from the hidden village of the Sand." She smiled.
"Let's continue the rest of the history after we eat, okay Naruto?" Kakashi split his chopsticks apart.
"Yes, I'm sure we're all famished." Iruka agreed.
Naruto nodded and excitedly split his own chopsticks apart. When they were ready, they all proclaimed... "Itedekimasu!" and immediately began to eat.
To be continued...
Miko: Wow, I am sooo sorry for the slow update! I just have a lot of things going on at the same time. But I will try to get faster updates! But thank you to all those who have reviewed! I hope you will all continue to read it! Please review! Thanks! Ja!