Disclaimer: Kakashi and all related Naruto characters are not mine. I do not claim them in any way, shape, or form. The only Character I claim is Kani. I made her up, she's mine. No touchies. Anyways...yeah, on with the story.
The walk home was a quiet one. The boys exchanged glances but said not a word. Kani seemed to be in a sort of trance, walking, just walking to the house in which she stayed. Not a word or sound came from her and it was beginning to confuse the two boys. What on earth could she be thinking about that she had to remain so eerily silent?
Iruka caught Kakashi's attention and nodded to Kani. Do something.
Kakashi rolled his visible eye and slowed his pace till Kani caught up, "You want us to walk you home? Or we can go and spar in the park...or hit the book shop, or we can visit the Hokage...?" Kakashi offered several ideas, none of which seemed to snag her attention.
"If you don't like us, just say so instead of ignoring us. It's pretty rude." Iruka said. He was clearly getting irritated.
Kakashi shot him a dirty look but Kani spoke.
"I'm not ignoring either of you. I think you're the ones who don't like me." She said and stopped walking with them. Instead she ran off towards the park.
"Okay, so we're going to the park." Kakashi grabbed Iruka's arm, "C'mon!" he practically dragged him there.
"Damnit Kashi, lemme go!" Iruka shouted. Kakashi had maintained a tight grip on his friends arm and dragged him all the way to the center of the park.
Almost at once, Kakashi released him and looked around at the trees, "She's hiding here somewhere. We should find her."
"Give me one good reason." Iruka said with his arms crossed, "She's stuck up and stupid."
"Oi! Baka! You and her are alike!' Kakashi said as he rounded on Iruka.
The shorter boy flinched and looked at Kakashi questioningly, "Alike? How so?"
Kakashi cuffed him over the head, "Dobe, think back two years, the biggest devastating thing to ever happen to Konoha Village, ever. It affected you the same way as her." Kakashi rolled his eye and sighed, "Kitsune."
"Oh...OH!" Iruka finally understood. So that's why the girl was so distant.
Kakashi rolled his eye again, sometimes Iruka could be so slow, "Are we going to look for her, or do I have to call you dobe again?" He asked with a playful shove before he jumped into a nearby tree.
"Kashi! You bastard!" Iruka called after him as he followed him into the trees.
Kani watched the two silently from her perch in a large cherry blossom tree near the center of the park. She was slightly surprised that they had come looking for her, but even more so that they hadn't found her yet. Kakashi was top of the class, and Iruka was close behind. Maybe they were fooling around, killing time until they figured it was time to find her. She didn't mind. She kept her eye on Iruka for a bit until she realized she couldn't spot Kakashi...where did he go?
"Enjoying yourself, Kani-chan?" A voice asked from directly above her. She looked up startled, and almost fell out of the tree. Kakashi was perched on the branch right above her also watching Iruka search for the both of them.
"Not really." She grunted in response. How did he manage to get that close to her and she didn't even hear, or sense him?
"That's a shame. We're out here to have fun, ne?" He asked with a smile as he looked down to her.
She shrugged and continued to watch Iruka in silence.
"KASHI! Where did you go you bastard! Come out!" Iruka stood in the middle of the park, fists on his hips and he looked livid.
"Oi! Up here!" Kakashi called back to him, waving from the tree.
Iruka spotted his movements and made his way quickly to the tree, "Hey what are you..." He trailed off as he spotted Kani sitting silently on the branch below his friend, "Ah. You found her then."
"'Course I did. I'm the great Kakashi!" He said boastfully and flashed him a 'V' for victory.
"Great Kakashi? Uh...riiiight." Iruka rolled his eyes and jumped up and sat on the same branch as Kani, "Why'd you run off like that? We don't hate you. Do we Kashi?"
Kakashi leaned over and hung upside down off the branch to look at them, "Nope. You're a cool person Kani-chan. We'll make a great team."
Kani looked at them both with a hint of a smile on her face, "Yeah, I think we will."
Chapter Two: Teamwork
The walk home was a quiet one. The boys exchanged glances but said not a word. Kani seemed to be in a sort of trance, walking, just walking to the house in which she stayed. Not a word or sound came from her and it was beginning to confuse the two boys. What on earth could she be thinking about that she had to remain so eerily silent?
Iruka caught Kakashi's attention and nodded to Kani. Do something.
Kakashi rolled his visible eye and slowed his pace till Kani caught up, "You want us to walk you home? Or we can go and spar in the park...or hit the book shop, or we can visit the Hokage...?" Kakashi offered several ideas, none of which seemed to snag her attention.
"If you don't like us, just say so instead of ignoring us. It's pretty rude." Iruka said. He was clearly getting irritated.
Kakashi shot him a dirty look but Kani spoke.
"I'm not ignoring either of you. I think you're the ones who don't like me." She said and stopped walking with them. Instead she ran off towards the park.
"Okay, so we're going to the park." Kakashi grabbed Iruka's arm, "C'mon!" he practically dragged him there.
"Damnit Kashi, lemme go!" Iruka shouted. Kakashi had maintained a tight grip on his friends arm and dragged him all the way to the center of the park.
Almost at once, Kakashi released him and looked around at the trees, "She's hiding here somewhere. We should find her."
"Give me one good reason." Iruka said with his arms crossed, "She's stuck up and stupid."
"Oi! Baka! You and her are alike!' Kakashi said as he rounded on Iruka.
The shorter boy flinched and looked at Kakashi questioningly, "Alike? How so?"
Kakashi cuffed him over the head, "Dobe, think back two years, the biggest devastating thing to ever happen to Konoha Village, ever. It affected you the same way as her." Kakashi rolled his eye and sighed, "Kitsune."
"Oh...OH!" Iruka finally understood. So that's why the girl was so distant.
Kakashi rolled his eye again, sometimes Iruka could be so slow, "Are we going to look for her, or do I have to call you dobe again?" He asked with a playful shove before he jumped into a nearby tree.
"Kashi! You bastard!" Iruka called after him as he followed him into the trees.
Kani watched the two silently from her perch in a large cherry blossom tree near the center of the park. She was slightly surprised that they had come looking for her, but even more so that they hadn't found her yet. Kakashi was top of the class, and Iruka was close behind. Maybe they were fooling around, killing time until they figured it was time to find her. She didn't mind. She kept her eye on Iruka for a bit until she realized she couldn't spot Kakashi...where did he go?
"Enjoying yourself, Kani-chan?" A voice asked from directly above her. She looked up startled, and almost fell out of the tree. Kakashi was perched on the branch right above her also watching Iruka search for the both of them.
"Not really." She grunted in response. How did he manage to get that close to her and she didn't even hear, or sense him?
"That's a shame. We're out here to have fun, ne?" He asked with a smile as he looked down to her.
She shrugged and continued to watch Iruka in silence.
"KASHI! Where did you go you bastard! Come out!" Iruka stood in the middle of the park, fists on his hips and he looked livid.
"Oi! Up here!" Kakashi called back to him, waving from the tree.
Iruka spotted his movements and made his way quickly to the tree, "Hey what are you..." He trailed off as he spotted Kani sitting silently on the branch below his friend, "Ah. You found her then."
"'Course I did. I'm the great Kakashi!" He said boastfully and flashed him a 'V' for victory.
"Great Kakashi? Uh...riiiight." Iruka rolled his eyes and jumped up and sat on the same branch as Kani, "Why'd you run off like that? We don't hate you. Do we Kashi?"
Kakashi leaned over and hung upside down off the branch to look at them, "Nope. You're a cool person Kani-chan. We'll make a great team."
Kani looked at them both with a hint of a smile on her face, "Yeah, I think we will."