DAY 12
Ayame's Third Date with Kakashi
Hours later, Ayame felt someone roughly shaking her shoulder. Fighting her drunken stupor, she managed to half open her eyes. She heard the waitress say, "We're closing now."
Ayame blinked and stood up slowly. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was already the next day and Kakashi had already left. She stretched her arms and legs and was about to go, but the waitress stopped her. "You forgot this," she said as she handed Ayame the bill.
-...-...-...-
Ayame managed to make her way home by herself, albeit not in a straight line. (It was more of a super zigzag.) Her father had already gone to bed. Although she was tired, she stayed up the rest of the night to read "Make-Out Violence." `We'll havesomething to talk about now,' the obsessed young woman thought. `It's actually quite well written. The characters are well defined. The sex parts are rather…interesting and detailed. No wonder he likes them. The movie adaptation is watered down and the characters are shallow…'she evaluated seriously, knowing how serious Kakashi was about his books.
In the morning, her father asked her suspiciously, "You were out very late Ayame. Anything I should know about?"
Ayame shrugged, "Not really. Except don't drink five bottles of sake on an empty stomach. Nothing happened. I just fell asleep at the sake bar."
"Kakashi-sensei didn't bring you home?" His brow furrowed. "He doesn't seem very reliable."
"Oh, that doesn't matter. I mean, I don't expect him to carry me home. Oh crap, I hope I didn't embarrass myself." Terrible thoughts crossed Ayame's mind. What if she told him she wanted to jump his bones? What is she tried to jump his bones? What if she spilled her drink or threw up or… No, her dress was fine when she woke up. Nothing bad happened, nothing. Except she did pass out.
"You know, Ayame, love is like the House Special ramen…"
"Uh huh." `Oh no here he goes again…'
"You think you're getting something special, something really great, but in reality, it's just whatever assortment of stuff that's left over from the less fancy ramen dishes and it's really not as good in comparison."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means…maybe Kakashi-sensei isn't that great…he just looks heavenly." Ayame's father sighed at the memory of Kakashi's face.
"Take that back! You take that back right now! Kakashi's the greatest! You'll see…he's…he's just not in touch with his feelings…being a shinobi and all," Ayame heatedly defended her true love.
Ayame's father said nothing in response. There was no point arguing with someone in love or rather just obsessed. "It's getting late. Let's get going. We have to open up soon."
-...-...-...-...-
Team 7 was still sore about being so close to seeing Kakashi's face yet having failed again. They took out their disappointment on the poor lost sheep they had to round up for their mission. They were not commissioned to shear them, but they did it free of charge by throwing their shuriken and kunai with near deadly precision.
After they had the naked sheep penned in for the night, Sakura and Naruto headed toward the ramen stand while Sasuke decided to do more target practice on what little wool remained on the poor little ruminants.
"So what do you think happened after we left," Naruto asked on the way.
"Well, Kakashi-sensei didn't seem terribly interested did he? He was reading his book all the time she was talking."
"Yeah, I just don't get why she likes him and not Iruka-sensei. I think he was there just to get a free drink. You know how cheap he is."
The two teammates nodded in agreement, recalling how Kakashi always disappeared when a bill appeared.
They found Ayame looking red-eyes and tired, almost drooping over the ramen counter. Sakura probably didn't need to ask (she had a feeling just by looking at Ayame) but she asked anyway, "So how did it go last night?"
"I'm not sure. I can't remember. I had a bit too much to drink," Ayame admitted. "Did you get to see his face?"
Naruto and Sakura both sighed and shook their heads sadly.
"What now? Do either of you have another plan?" asked Naruto.
Sakura and Ayame both sighed and shook their heads sadly.
But Ayame did have another plan, one not fit for the ears of children. After closing, and without discussing it with her father, Ayame decided to go to Kakashi's home to return his book. She was nervous; her plan should work, but he seemed rather unpredictable.
`What if he's not home? Can I get up the courage again?' she thought while on her way. But she was determined.
She climbed the four flights of stairs to the top floor. Her heart pounded harder with each step. `I think I can. I think I can. No, that's not it. I know I can. I know I can…' Ayame rang the doorbell twice.
Kakashi was home, but it took him a while to answer the door. He rarely had guests and disliked having uninvited guests more than anything, but Ayame was persistent. She rang the doorbell again and again until he finally answered the door.
He looked as if he was about to go to bed and wore a dark blue robe cinched at the waist. But the lower part of his face was covered by a towel. (A hot steaming towel makes it easier to shave.) He was not wearing his forehead protector so his white-grey hair gently tousled over his forehead. His left eye was closed as if in a permanent wink.
"I just came by to return your book. It was really good, much better than I expected," Ayame said as she handed it back to him.
"Hmm, glad you liked it," Kakashi replied as he took back the book. He carefully inspected it, turning it over and over, for any sign of damage.
`I can't take this anymore! He's not making any moves. Is he shy or lazy or just not interested? I'm going to have to take the initiative and jump his bones!' "If you're interested…I'm willing to…reenact any scene from the book or movie," Ayame offered while blushing the deepest shade of red possible. Her eyes were lowered as she said this, but with a great force of will, she glanced up at him.
`She's bolder and more persistent than I thought. And it might be interesting. Never had a proposition like that before,' Kakashi thought, greatly amused.
Now what man can resist an offer like that?
-...-...-...-
It was morning now, though Ayame could hardly sense it through Kakashi's thick dark shades that barely allow in a single ray of light (that way no one could look through his window to see his face). She got up, picked up her clothes (strewn all across the room), washed up and dressed.
Ayame had spent most of the night awake, thinking about her life. She would have preferred cuddling, or doing it again, but Kakashi just rolled over and went to sleep after the act. He snored, too, very annoying! As her father would say, the noodles were long enough, but it was just plain ramen, no toppings or condiments, with a mediocre soup base. Boring, disappointing. She wasn't sure what to expect really, just something more.
His idea of foreplay was to read his book. His idea of cuddling was to read his book. He did not bother to initiate any conversation. His answers to her questions were monosyllabic, evasive. None of it was what she had imagined in her waking or sleeping hours. She thought they would have these deep philosophical discussions about life and death that had nothing to do with ramen. That he'd be exciting and dangerous. And there was something else…while he was kissing her last night…
She looked over at the well built, but slender, gray-haired, dark-eyed man. He was already dressed in his shinobi uniform and sitting at his desk, checking his calendar. He seemed to be unaware of her existence.
"What's my name?" she suddenly asked.
"Your name? Why? Don't you know?" Kakashi casually responded.
"I know my own name, I was just wondering if you do."
"Hmmm…" A look of befuddlement came over him.
"You called me Junko last night. That's the girl from the movie…no wait…that was the guy from the movie! What the hell! Do you even know my name after all this time?"
"Umm, guess not. Wait, does it start with a…"
"Forget it! You idiot! It's over! I'm outta here!" Ayame grabbed the rest of her belongings and slammed the door on her way out, but paused outside to put on her sandals.
-...-...-...-
Kakashi turned his head as the door closed. He shook his head and sighed. He felt about 70 percent guilty and 30% relieved.
`Obsession is like genjutsu, an illusion where you see what you expect to see. The only way to dispel an obsession is to confront it directly, to distinguish reality from fantasy, truth from expectations.'
It's hard to discourage someone with a crush, but I think I handled it pretty well. It was really the only way to cure her obsession for me. It's best for her to break up with me. Easier for me that way, no "it's not you it's me" speech. Doesn't take much, usually by the third date women get tired of the poor treatment. Hope she doesn't hate me.'
Ayame is a nice girl, but really not my type. Civilians are just not as exciting in bed. It's not like she can do kage bunshin or henge. Well, at least I got a free movie, some ramen, and a funnightout of all this. It's better for her to find someone more appropriate. Iruka is a really great guy…'
-...-...-...-
The young woman stared sadly at the roses in their makeshift vases at each end of the counter. Some were still blooming while others had started to wilt. `Sigh, I should just throw them out, but they're so beautiful, and expensive. No one's ever going to send me flowers like that again. I'm such an idiot!'
Ayame had not seen Iruka since their breakup. Her thoughts still hovered on Kakashi, but once in a while they would drift over to Iruka. Dates with both of them were disappointing, but at least Iruka tried to be attentive. Maybe if she had given him a chance…
The sun was now casting its last rays over Konoha. The gold streaked sky was reminiscent of yellow strands of ramen floating in a soup base of clear chicken broth. Most customers had already picked up their take out orders. Pretty soon it would be time to close up and end another day of her boring pathetic life.
Ayame no longer cared about making the perfect ramen. Since yesterday she had been silent and depressed, refusing to answer any of her father's questions. Her father had taken over the cooking duties again while Ayame sadly peeled and cut the vegetables, thoughtfully eyeing the knife in her hands.
Her father was in the back getting things ready for the next day, making sure all ingredients were stocked, and anything running low was on order. Ayame was about to start cleaning up when she heard a hesitant cough. She turned around to see Iruka sitting down at the counter.
"Hello, Iruka-sensei. It's been a while. I'm glad to see you again," she gave him a genuinely pleased smile.
"Hi, er yes, umm…you're still open, right? A bowl of seafood ramen please." `Glad to see me, yeah right, she's glad to see my money. But I'll have to leave her an extra tip, or she'll think I'm holding a grudge, which I am, but I needto prove what a great guy I am.'
Ayame prepared an extra big bowl of ramen for Iruka with extra trimmings. (It wasn't as great as her perfect ramen, but her father wouldn't admit it.)
"Thank you, Ayame-san," Iruka said politely.
"Say that again?"
"Thank you. "
"No the last part."
"Ayame?"
"You know my name!"
"Of course, why wouldn't I? It's not like I can just call you the ramen girl all the time…"
-…-…-
-END-of PART 1-
Author's notes: After I finished writing this story, I found out that Ayame is 17 at the start of the series or about 18 in the present timeline, which I think is still underage in Japan, so she should not be drinking at the sake bar. This story does not endorse underage drinking! I thought she was about 22.
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