Response to Reviews:
Smile34- Thank you for the review! Always good to know that my work is appreciated
Shadow Demon Kitsune- lol about the tea….it was one of my weirder ideas…anyway thanks for the review and here is an update.
R.K.R- thanks for the review, here the next chapter!
Danielle- thanks for reviewing my story! And thank you for giving me back my manga as well…see you at school!
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Sara- he might fall in love…he may not…you'll just have to read and see.
The moment she heard his footsteps coming from down the long stone passage the next afternoon; it was all she could do to stop herself from running to meet him.
She had not had company for a very long time, at least not company that honestly just wanted to talk to her, not…do other things.
When she finally started to see his silhouette in the tunnel, she adorned a bored expression. "So you came back after all." She said in a monotone, while her stomach did summersaults of excitement.
"I said I was going to come, didn't I?" Kakashi responded. He started to rummage through the sack he had been carrying over one shoulder, continuing to talk as he did so.
"What's your name, anyway? I don't think its 'dragon woman'." He pulled out several loaves of bread and some cold chicken.
"N-no I'm Kirana…" She said, eyes fixated on the food.
"I'm Hatake Kakashi." He said, holding out a loaf of bread to her. "Come here and get it." Kakashi said, waving it around a bit. "I know you're hungry."
Kirana inched closer, hunger overcoming caution. She stopped about five feet from him.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Kakashi assured.
Kirana reached forward with trembling, hesitant fingers.
"Take it." He said gently.
With a jolt of speed she swiped it from his hands and scampered back to her comfortable distance of five feet, where she proceeded to wolf it down.
"Have you thought about what I told you yesterday?" Kakashi asked.
Kirana swallowed the last bite with a loud gulp.
"Only a little bit." She lied, eyes still fixated on neat rows of bread and meat he had laid out in front of him.
He noticed her glance. "Help yourself." He said. "Well. What have you decided, you know, about what I said?"
"If you can get something for me out of an 'agreement' with the town, then I really don't care." She said. "But that doesn't mean I have to like those peons."
She once again inched toward the food laid out in front of him.
Kakashi sat cross legged patiently.
"I understand how you could find it hard to trust them after everything they've put you through, but what does the term 'peons' imply?" He asked.
"That's what they are. They work until they can't work anymore and then they die." She said, sharp eyes never leaving the precious rations she was so close to now.
She quickly grabbed some and leaped back.
"You're very cautious. I already promised that I wouldn't hurt you."
Kirana ignored this, choosing to eat instead of answer.
"So, what are you going to do, ninja man? Get a truce worked out and then go back to your cozy little village?" Kirana asked as she finished.
"We'll see. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Only time will tell."
"Would you quit being all philosophical?" Kirana said, her voice slightly rising. She didn't know why she was getting angry, the poor guy hadn't done anything but feed her. This, needless to say, was no crime at all.
Kakashi smiled under his mask.
"Wipe that grin off your face!"
"How long has it been, Kirana?" He asked very suddenly. Kirana's anger vanished.
"What?"
"Since you had someone to talk to? How long has it been?"
Kirana thought for a minute. How long had it been, really?
"One year and thirty days, I'm pretty sure, why?"
Kakashi was looking at her with sadness in his eye that pierced Kirana's heart. She wasn't sad, so why was he?
"Who?"
"Um…well, he's probably the last person alive that I really trust and care about, but, he hasn't visited in a long time...work must be busy...But hey! This isn't important!"
Kakashi's expression was now unreadable.
"I suppose not. But, Kirana, doesn't it ever get lonely down here? Just waiting for someone to talk to? Waiting for this person you mentioned? I don't know if I could take it, personally."
Kirana blinked and then glared at him.
Kakashi sighed.
"I'll see what I can work out with the town. You can have the rest of the food, and I'll bring more when I come back." He stood up to leave, beginning to walk toward the exit.
Kirana frowned at his retreating back, and suddenly snarled angrily. She picked up a pebble and hurled it at him, hitting him square between the shoulder blades.
"I don't want your pity!" She yelled.
"Yeah, yeah..." He called from down the hall.
She watched the tunnel he had disappeared down until she could no longer hear his footsteps.
"But even if I don't want your pity...I feel like...I feel like I need you, Kakashi, somehow...I need you...but why?" Kirana asked the silence.
Having nothing better to do, Kirana curled up into bed and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
KashiPOV----------------
After talking to the town leader, Kakashi retreated to the small hotel he was staying in and ate a little meal in silence.
He sighed and collapsed backwards into bed. If only she was beside him...wait...what had he just thought! No, no, no! Kakashi grasped his hair with both hands, trying to force thoughts of him and her out of his head.
"This is not happening!" He said aloud. "Oh this is ridiculous." With a sigh he took off his headband, shirt and shoes, and crawled into bed. He lie on his back staring at the ceiling for a long time before the weight on his eyelids took over.
He woke up in the morning, yawned, stretched, and glanced at the clock. Shit, it was already twelve o'clock and he still had to get clothes for Kirana!
"Better get going..."he said to himself.
Kirana yawned and stretched as well within her cave.
"I should go train today…" She said aloud.
"Really? Are you a ninja?"
Kirana jumped about a foot in the air. She twirled around rather ungracefully to find Kakashi sitting at the edge of her bed, reading a book.
"Where did you come from!" She demanded, scrambling away from him and falling out of bed.
"Hmmm…I just got here. You must not have heard me because you were asleep."
"How long have you watching me!" Kirana asked quickly. She was uncomfortable about the prospect of him watching her sleep, not to mention she had had another nightmare…didn't want him to overhear if she yelled something…
"I just got here, only five minutes ago." He turned a page of his book.
Kirana glared at him, but he wasn't paying attention.
"Anyway." He stood up and picked up a bag that had been at his feet. "Here." He handed it to her.
"I already told you that I do not need your pity." Kirana said, crossing her arms.
"Fine, I don't care if you eat or not, but I'm not taking that back with me, so it's staying here."
Kirana made a mental note to go through it later.
"Well…you said something about training?" Kakashi asked indifferently.
"You can come along if you want, I really don't care." Inside Kirana was begging him to come. "Though I'll probably be training until dark…you might not want to stay the whole time…"
"I have nothing better to do…I'll bring lunch."
"Mmm…" Kirana didn't like the sound of that…sounded like pity…
"I'm sharing food with you because you happen to be there. It isn't pity."
"Alright…" She consented. I'll be too hungry to refuse anyway…
"So uh, where do you train? In here?" He made a gesture that referred to the cave.
"Hell no dimwit, I'd wreck my beautiful cave, follow me." She grabbed his hand and began dragging him down another tunnel.
"Where are you taking me?" Kakashi asked, gently removing himself from her grip.
"You'll like it. It's pretty." She sounded…happy. Kakashi felt that she as really excited about showing him whatever it was she was about to show him.
"Hurry up!" She called from a few yards ahead. Light was streaming in through the mouth of a tunnel.
"I'm coming, I'm coming…"He came up beside her and looked out over the view. "Whoa…"
"Told you that you'd like it!" She said, with a rather childish grin set on her face.
It was indeed an amazing sight. They must have been on the opposite end of the mountain, but in a tiny enclosed valley.
A waterfall cascaded into a clear pool of water, and surrounding all this was tall grass.
"So now I train." She gave him a smile and climbed to the top of the waterfall.
Kakashi looked on with mild interest. What's she… At that exact moment, Kirana dived.
"LOOK OUT! THERE'S ROCKS!" He shouted. He wouldn't be able to get to her in time, and if she hit one of those rocks. He shut his eyes, expecting to hear the crunch of bones on rock any minute…
But no sound came….just the continuous thunder of the waterfall.
"Hey, what's the matter? Bug in your eye?" Kirana was standing at her customary five feet away from him.
"But…the rocks! Why didn't you hit the rocks!"
"Yes, that's the point! You have to miss the rocks. Works on your aim, you see. And strength as well, you have to fling quite far to miss them." Kirana said in a matter of fact way. "Do you want to try?"
"I think I'll just watch you…"
Kirana smiled at him. "Suit yourself. You wouldn't happen to have any shampoo, would you?"
"There's a bit where I'm staying in town. I don't mind sharing with you."
"Thanks!" She climbed up the waterfall again and stared down at him. "But only as long as I don't have to go into town to get it."
"You know, if you continue to hate them, things can never be made right between you."
"Tell that to them!" Kirana shouted as she dived. She pierced the water between two large hunks of bedrock with a small splash.
She swam down to the very bottom and sat there in the freezing cold water. This was a test of endurance: how long she could hold her breath, along with how long she could endure the freezing cold.
After a couple minutes, Kirana commanded her numb body to swim toward the surface. As she neared the top, a hand pierced the water and pulled her out by her upper forearm.
She found herself lying on one of the protruding rocks, Kakashi kneeling over her.
"Are you all right?" He asked. Kirana silently noted how close he was to her.
"I'm fine! That was a training exercise! I wasn't drowning! No one gave you permission to touch me!"
"Well, excuse me for trying to save your life! Next time I won't, when you really need it!"
"I don't need you or your fucking pity!"
"Then I'll just leave!" Kakashi was surprised at how angry he was getting.
"You do that!" She punched him in the stomach, sending him cascading into the river. Kirana spat into the high current water and jumped away, back to her room, but not before she had grabbed the bag Kakashi brought.
Well…that's all for this chapter…Review and tell me what you thought! Thanks!
