Chapter 10

Asuma strolled over to a large tree and jumped up to the second lowest branch. He lounged lazily against the tree's main trunk, letting one leg dangle leisurely.

It had been a while since he had the time to simply idle. He had just come back that morning from several back-to-back A and B ranked missions, and the Sandaime agreed that it was time for a break. When he had trudged over to the jounin assignment hall, he saw that there were few B or higher missions to be had anyway.

Come to think of it, even the A-ranked missions he took weren't so difficult. Things had been slow lately. Not that he complained – quiet borders meant less chances for war. The most recent close call was with Hidden Cloud Village of Lightning Country, when the eldest Hyuuga girl had almost been kidnapped. It was unfortunate how the situation finally played out, but since that incident, things had been on the quiet side.

To take advantage of the lull, Asuma had thought about meeting up with the other jounins in the village later to catch up. A night at the local pub was definitely sounding good.

He thought back to the last time they had frequented the pub. Gai, Aoba, Anko, Genma and Shizune were all there as usual, everyone except for Rin who seemed to be rather busy at the hospital; Raidou, who was always working at the Hokage's office; Ibiki, who was out training with ANBU; Hayate, who was sick, and Kurenai, who was away on a mission.

"Ah, things have been so boring here lately," Gai whined as he fiddled with the coaster under his water glass. Asuma never saw the man drunk, ever, which was probably a good thing, too. He lit himself another cigarette.

"I'm not sure if that's such a bad thing, Gai," Aoba said, his ever-present sunglasses flashing occasionally in the lowlight.

"How can you even see with those on?" Anko asked, indicating Aoba's sunglasses and trying to snatch them away.

As much as Genma hated to agree with Anko, he was a little curious. "How do you see, Aoba?

"It just goes to show that I have superior eyesight compared to the likes of you folks," he replied, folding his arms and looking smug.

"Tch," Shizune waved him off, picking up her drink. "I'm just gonna knock you out and use my medical skills to see if you're really just a blind fool."

"You wouldn't dare!" Aoba cried, getting slightly indignant.

"You're right. I'd just get Rin to do it."

Asuma frowned. "Rin?"

"I haven't seen Rin in a while," Gai noted. "Didn't you invite her to come out with us?"

"Of course I did," Shizune replied flatly and in such a way that implied a "And she said no, as usual" response.

"What's the deal?" Anko drawled, downing another shot of sake. "She don't like us or something? She hasn't been out with us in a loooong time."

Genma again had to agree with Anko, but he decided to say nothing about it. He knew Rin enough to know that she wasn't angry with anyone, just unhappy.

"She better not be still stuck on that Hatake boy," Anko continued, unable to hide her amusement. "How long has it been, almost three years now? There's plenty more fish in the sea. No need to pine after that masked brat. He's just like every other man and he's gonna break her heart."

Surprisingly, Gai instantly stood up, genuine rage in his eyes. He banged his fist against their booth table, causing it to crack right down the middle.

"How DARE you speak ill of my eternal rival!"

Anko stared at Gai, her mouth open. "Huh?"

Aoba laughed. "Your eternal rival?"

In a flash, Asuma was up and checking Gai. "Hey, she's just rambling. Let it go."

Gai looked to have calmed down already, but he excused himself and huffed his way out of the pub, remembering to pay his tab on the way out.

Genma, who was half sitting and half standing, sighed as the tense moment passed. He melted into his side of the booth.

Shizune's mouth was also open, her eyes wide as saucers. "Really, Anko, you should learn to watch your mouth."

Anko simply stared at the door where Gai had went through, jaw clenched.

"You guys are telling me to watch my mouth?" She slowly stood up and placed her hands on her hips. Asuma saw that her eyes had become opaque, usually a sign that she was serious.

"If you guys really care about Rin, someone's gotta tell her." With that parting shot, Anko plunked down her share of the bill and stormed out of the bar.

Genma cursed himself for his lack of response.

Aoba blinked behind his sunglasses.

"Am I missing something here?" he asked lamely. "Someone's gotta tell her what?"

Asuma sighed. Whatever it was, he didn't really want to be the one doing the telling. No one had said anything after Anko abruptly left, but there was some unease in the air. Apparently, it had been on everyone else's mind for a long time as well.

So here he was, perched above the playground, watching the Academy children play a small-sided game of soccer. It was approaching early winter and the grass was dormant, leaving the kids to play in prickly grass and hard clay. Laughing a little as he watched them slide and scrape their way for goals, Asuma reached into his pocket for a lighter, only to realize to his chagrin that he had left it back at his apartment.

"Looking for someone to light that fire for you, Asuma-san?"

Asuma almost fell out of the tree.

Directly behind him and coming out of the main trunk was Kurenai, her arms crossed and her mouth breaking into a smirk.

The young man jumped down from the branch as Kurenai leapt as well, positioning herself next to him to hand over his lighter.

"You dropped it on the way over here," she explained, seeing the surprised look on his face.

"Ah," he replied nervously, staring at the disappearing tree behind her as he took the lighter from her hand.

A bell chimed in the distance, and the children ran off, leaving the two alone.

"That's quite a genjutsu you have there," he remarked, cigarette forgotten.

Kurenai blushed in spite of herself. It was one she'd been working on for months.

Asuma had found himself liking Kurenai; even though she was still a chuunin and he was already a jounin, that was no barrier. The two had gotten closer over the last couple of months. With the jounins constantly busy with administrative work, Kurenai was often left to train alone. If she trained with anyone, it was with his old teammate Ibiki, which was how the two got to really know each other in the first place.

"Are you okay, Asuma? You look like you're thinking about something serious," she chuckled.

Asuma laughed a little, then his smile disappeared.

"Kurenai, I want to know your opinion about something."

"About what?"

He sighed as they walked casually over to another large tree and sat down.

"About Kakashi, actually."

"Eh?"

Asuma then related the incident at the pub.

"That was about…three months ago," Asuma finished while Kurenai stretched out her legs and looked up at the sky. "Then I left for a while to do missions. Have you seen Rin since then?"

Kurenai frowned as she thought about it.

"I've met up with her a few times. She is usually busy teaching other medics. I didn't realize how knowledgeable she was until I actually saw her teaching in the field. She's very good."

"Rin doesn't hang out much, does she?"

"Not really. She usually hangs around Shizune since they work together, and Genma by association." She paused, suddenly realizing the reason behind Asuma's line of questioning. "You're asking if she hangs around other guys?"

Asuma raised his right eyebrow, and then decided to light his cigarette.

"Hmm. Well, she frequents the Uchiha complex, but I think that's just to be near Obito's family. There are plenty of other guys interested in her, though." She paused to think and then remembered something. "There is this young man who works at the hospital who is almost the spitting image of Obito."

Asuma ashed his cigarette. "You're kidding, right?"

The red-eyed girl shook her head. "No, I'm not! The resemblance is very striking! Well, at least in the face, I mean. He wears his hair differently, I think. But his features are like the Uchihas, though he's not from the clan or anything. He's very nice, and out of all the boys who are after her, he's the only one that she's friends with."

The two laughed a little. Kurenai picked at the dormant grass beside her legs.

"I was kind of hoping that perhaps Rin would be interested in him."

Asuma shifted uneasily.

Kurenai noticed and tried to explain herself.

"I mean, it's really amazing that she is…holding on to the memory of Kakashi-san."

At that, Asuma spoke up.

"Memory? Kakashi-san isn't dead."

"So then where is he?"

"Out on a classified ANBU mission, last I heard," Asuma replied slowly.

"For three years?"

Asuma shrugged. "Why not?"

"And no contact?"

"There's rules about keeping mission silence on really high-ranked jobs."

Kurenai huffed. "I understand that." She brought her legs back in and looked at Asuma. "Then why's Rin so unhappy?"

"I was just going to ask you that."

The girl shifted. "What?" Her face twisted into a bit of disbelief. "W-w-why do you want to know?"

Asuma wasn't so dumb as to see that he hit the wrong nerve.

"Eh – don't get the wrong idea! It's not like I'm interested in her or anything. Not that way."

"Oh."

"I just – I used to be good friends with Obito. He loved the girl. Adored her. He wouldn't want to see her like this."

"Like what, loving an unresponsive, non-reciprocating Kakashi-san?" Kurenai frowned, hating herself for having to describe a comrade negatively. She sighed. "It's not like she's been doing that all her life up to now, you know."

Asuma said nothing, only pursed his lips around his cigarette.

Kurenai sighed while Asuma took a long drag.

"It's funny, after all that, even I miss Kakashi-san sometimes."

Asuma choked.

"He was the responsible one, the genius shinobi," Kurenai continued. "I always thought of him as the rock of our class. It seems so silly. We talk about it him all the time, but I wonder if he ever thinks of us at all."

The two sat in silence for another fifteen minutes or so before finally walking back to the jounin building together.

Meanwhile, not too high above where the two had sat, was a young man with unruly silver hair, a skewed hitae-ate, and a generally bored expression. He was leaning against the trunk with his legs crossed and holding a small orange book opened to page one.

There was no reaction on Kakashi's face that indicated he felt anything from the conversation he had just overheard, only that he was unable read a single word from the book he had just purchased.

The stately Uchiha complex hadn't changed.

With the conversation between Asuma and Kurenai still ringing in his ears, Kakashi walked down the large avenue framed by the old style houses, until he came to one in particular. He hoped the person he was looking for was home.

Before he reached for the bell, he heard a familiar voice coming from around the corner of a smaller side street.

"Ah, I think I must have twisted something in my ankle when I lost my footing there on the tree branch," a young woman's voice groaned. "Stupid moss."

There was a small chuckle of what sounded like a teenage boy.

As Kakashi turned to face the two, Itoshi and a young companion rounded the corner.

Itoshi looked up and instantly recognized her former pupil.

"Good Lord! Kakashi!" She exclaimed as she hobbled up and gave him a bear hug.

Kakashi was so surprised that he only managed to stand stiffly in her arms.

When Itoshi finally released him, she brushed the black hair out of her eyes, slightly embarassed from her sudden show of affection and finally remembered that her companion was still with her.

"Ah, Kakashi! You might as well meet one of ANBU's youngest members. Hatake Kakashi, meet Uchiha Itachi."

The young Uchiha bowed low. After Kakashi had returned the bow and rose back up, he was taken aback at the air of maturity that radiated from the boy.

Itachi exhibited all of the characteristics that defined the Uchiha clan. With his long, dark lashes, raven-black hair currently tied back, and slight build, he would easily mislead others with his deceptively delicate façade.

"I have heard much about you, Hatake-senpai." Itachi's voice was rich and steady.

"Itachi-kun," Itoshi began as she looked at Kakashi admiringly, "if there's one person who understands being young and being in charge, it's Kakashi. He became jounin at thirteen."

"How old are you, Itachi-san?" Kakashi asked.

"I am eleven years old."

"You must bring great honor to your family to excel at such a young age," Kakashi remarked, curious to see how the boy would respond.

But Itachi only offered a smile that contained no mirth, no child-like eagerness in his eyes. In looking at him then, Kakashi suddenly saw the deep lines on the young boy's face, and at that moment, it hit him.

Do others see me as I see Itachi?

"But in wanting to become a great shinobi, you're finding your own way to become strong," he quickly added genially.

At that, Itachi's facial expression softened. This time, his eyes shone when he smiled.

"Yes," Itachi agreed. "I'm glad to see that someone else shares the same sentiments as I do."

He then looked over at Itoshi.

"Forgive me, Itoshi-senpai, Hatake-senpai. My mother and father are expecting me. Thank you for walking with me."

"Let me know if you want to walk to ANBU headquarters together again, alright?" Itoshi asked.

Itachi nodded, and then addressed Kakashi with another bow.

"I'm glad we have met, Hatake-senpai."

"Likewise," Kakashi replied, returning the bow. "Good luck."

"Thank you, senpai."

"Say hello to your cute little brother for me, neh?" Itoshi grinned as she waved.

Itachi smiled, returning the wave as he turned to walk away.

Kakashi watched as the boy slowly disappeared down the avenue.

"He's such a little man," Itoshi said quietly. "I wish he'd lighten up a little."

Kakashi turned back to Itoshi. "Oh?"

"Honestly, he sort of reminds me of you back when you were his age," she admitted sheepishly. "The only difference is – you pushed yourself, whereas Itachi's father is the one pushing Itachi. Being the pride of his family is exactly what his father wants him to be."

So that explains his negative reaction to my comment about family honor, Kakashi thought to himself.

Itoshi went over to the gate, wincing in pain as she did so.

"Oh, I asked if Rin-chan could come over to have a look at my ankle when she gets off her shift today," she said. Then something occurred to her. "You didn't just get back today, did you?"

"I came in late last night."

"So you haven't had a chance to see Rin yet?"

"No, I have."

Itoshi didn't move for a few seconds, and then a mischievous grin she couldn't stifle manifested itself.

"Kakashi, you didn't!"

The silver-haired jounin simply stared back at her, uncomprehending.

"Hn? Didn't what?"

For a lady who had just sprained her ankle, she didn't lose a fraction of her speed. In a second, she was behind Kakashi, holding his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

"Don't tell me you read this smut and not know what I'm talking about."

Kakashi blinked.

"It wasn't like that, Itoshi."

"Did you spend the night?"

His lack of a response was enough.

"I'm sorry, you're trying to be a gentleman, aren't you?"

He sighed.

"She was angry with me."

"I can imagine."

Itoshi handed his book back.

"Come on inside. We can chat about this over some tea."

"So how do you like ANBU so far?" Itoshi asked, making conversation as she poured Kakashi a cup of tea.

"It's…great," he replied in a tone that meant anything but great.

Itoshi regarded him quietly for a minute.

"You know, Kakashi, maybe you're not suited for ANBU work right now."

He looked at her with a deadpan stare.

"Ah, not that you're incapable," Itoshi stammered. "That's not what I mean. Eh…" She let her sentence drift off, not sure how to continue.

"I'm not concerned with ANBU right now, Itoshi. It's Rin I'm worried about."

Kakashi paused, looking uncertain. He stared into his teacup.

To her recollection, Itoshi had never seen him this worried.

Before he could continue, he stood up abruptly as if caught unawares.

"Rin is here."

"What?"

Itoshi scrambled up as quickly as she could without falling over.

"Argh, the sooner I get this ankle looked at, the better off I'll be," she muttered, then made her way towards the front of the house, talking as she went. "It can't be her yet. She told me her shift wouldn't be done until five this evening. Excuse me for a second while I go open the door – "

The bell at the front gate rang insistently again.

"Gah! I'm coming, I'm coming," she cried, limping towards the front gate.

Pulling the wooden door back, she gawked at the person standing there.

"What the - ?" How - ?"

Rin seemed impatient, ignoring Itoshi and looking past her towards the house.

"Is Kakashi here?"

She ran around Itoshi, who was starting to get anxious.

"Wait!" she cried, cursing as the pain in her ankle increased as she tried to keep up.

But by the time both reached the room where she had served tea, Kakashi was gone.

Rin noticed the two cups on the low table were untouched and still hot.

"I could have sworn I felt Kakashi here…" Rin mumbled to herself.

Itoshi then fell over, grasping her ankle.

"Oh, I totally forgot! I'm so sorry, Itoshi – "

Immediately she knelt and cradled Itoshi's ankle, checking pressure points and rotating it slowly.

"Itai, itai!" Itoshi screeched through clenched teeth. "It hurts! Right when you turn it there."

Rin nodded.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"I guess your shift ended early today?"

Rin nodded quickly. "It was slow today. So I thought I should stop by and have a look at the ankle right away."

As Rin began to use her chakra on the ankle, Itoshi thought about the scene that had just unfolded.

How did they each know the other one was here? Do they have some kind of connection?

Where did Kakashi go? Why was he so quick to leave?

Itoshi shivered. The room felt unusually chilly. Frowning, Itoshi's eyes slid covertly to the adjacent window, which unsurprisingly, was open.

The cold wind whipped the exposed part of Kakashi's face as he flew over the rooftops and away from the Uchiha residences.

What the hell is the matter with me?

Suddenly, the vision of Rin sleeping soundly next to him this morning pervaded his senses. Her peacefulness calmed the quiet storm that was raging inside him.

All those years away from Konoha, away from her – all he thought about was that feeling of calm and quietness that he seemed to feel only around Rin.

Kakashi slowed down and decided that running away was silly. He wasn't even sure why he was running away to begin with.

He jumped onto the roof of a dango shop, his usual stopping point whenever he traveled around the village. In his haste to leave, his body took him there by habit. Unfortunately, he was so distracted that he forgot most of his classmates from the Academy also loitered there. The jounin caught himself in time, barely stopping himself on the lip of the awning that jutted down from the storefront.

Just as he felt relief over the near blunder of making an unannounced appearance among his own peers, the voice of a little girl betrayed him.

"Ninja sir! Watch out!"

Kakashi jumped. He hadn't expected anyone to see him from where he was. When he finally found the source of the voice – a little girl with pink hair looking out her third floor window in the next building - he tried to quiet her with hand-signals.

But the girl wasn't looking at him. She was trying to get the attention of the other shinobi below: Anko, Genma, Shizune, and soon, Asuma and Kurenai, who were just walking down the street. Apparently she thought he was in some kind of trouble.

"Eh? Who's she talking about?" Kurenai asked as she scanned the rooftops in the direction the little girl was pointing.

Asuma frowned as he looked. Did I just see someone with silver hair? Or was that just my imagination?

Meanwhile, deciding he wasn't going to stick around for their "help," Kakashi crept to the back of the shop and jumped down from the roof, only to run into Jiraiya, of all people.

"Ehhh?" He grabbed the stunned Kakashi by his arm. "You brat! Where've you been? I had heard from Rin-chan just now that you were finally back in Konoha, but seems like no one even knows you're here."

Kakashi swore under his breath, thinking Jiraiya wouldn't hear. But the older man's mood suddenly changed.

"I believe you need to come with me. Now."

Eh, I noticed a lot of mistakes. Sorry ya'll. I went and corrected them. Hopefully the edit page on fanfiction won't betray me again.

omg…

I first want to apologize for the wait. Final exams, work issues…I was a bit overwhelmed. I started back on the story during the Christmas holiday.

This chapter is sort of transitional, and that's another reason why it took so long.

Thank you everyone for your patience. I am also working on another short story, along with junk from daily life. But your encouragements and reviews are more than welcome. I hope to update asap.

Happy New Year!