Extra Story - 月下美人 (Beauty under the Moon)
Part 2: Blooming
There were some things that just didn't fare well with deadlines. For example, the reply to a love confession, or on a more immediate note, the hunt for an S-rank missing-nin who was literally a human shark in an island country.
The tracker Kiri-nin that Mei sent out was as helpful as they could be, but even then, it took me three weeks to catch up with Kisame as he bounced from island to island, even picking up a bounty on the way.
I wondered why Kisame would come back to Water Country after the war ended, knowing that the area was densely packed with Kirigakure scouts with eyes on one of the Legendary Swords. But after this experience, I realized that it was all just a balance between risk and benefits.
There might have been fewer of Kiri's informants in other countries, but the terrain here was home to Kisame. It was all about if he could make it out before Kiri caught him, and what was the life of a missing-nin without a little thrill?
In comparison to the game of cat and mouse, the actual confrontation was probably the least stressful part. To me, anyway.
"To think that it's only been a year …" The words soon trailed into a fit of coughs and wheezes, but Kisame's pride wouldn't allow him to leave a sentence unfinished. "... since we last fought, you sure are a force to be reckoned with."
"Well, it has been an eventful year," I answered, keeping my gaze on the missing-nin that laid on the ground while the black seals dragged Samehada back to the sealing scroll. Even with a hole through his stomach, burns across his body, and a broken arm - which he would have lost if he didn't let go of Samehada - my attention remained focused on every twitch of his muscle.
"Where's the last strike?" Kisame asked as Samehada was finally dragged into the seal with a lingering wail. With laboured breaths, he pushed himself up and rested his back against a broken tree. When I didn't attack him at the sign of movement, he looked at me with a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"As I told you in the beginning, I'm only here for Samehada," I told him, tucking the scroll into my storage seal. If he had just given me Samehada in the beginning, we wouldn't be standing in a decimated jungle with suffocating vapours everywhere. But what kind of S-rank missing-nin would Kisame be if he didn't take my words as an insult and aim for my head.
"Eliminating you, that's extra, and Mei didn't pay Konoha extra." There were plenty of chances for Mei to imply that she wanted me to eliminate Kisame during the job, but she was clear from the beginning that I only needed to retrieve Samehada.
Relationships were being reforged during and after the war, and so were priorities. After the war ended, Kisame only picked up a few bounties here and there, and all of them were missing-nin criminals, according to Kiri's scouts.
While it didn't suggest that the missing-nin had a change of heart towards a career in vigilantism, it did suggest that he wasn't keen on causing conflict with the shinobi villages. Taking into account Kisame's help during the war, it wouldn't overturn Kisame's missing-nin status, but it would lead to a shift in priorities - on his life, not on Samehada's retrieval.
Besides … "Itachi brought some words for you." That got Kisame's attention. With a hand on his stomach to slow the bleeding, there was a calmness that surrounded him as he concentrated on my voice.
"He wants me to tell you that he has been living according to his 'Truth' and he will continue to do so. But he hopes that you can also find your 'Truth' in this world, something that you can believe in, something that you can live for," I said, pausing a bit as I pulled up the rest of Itachi's message.
"He said, 'Even a missing-nin can wander the world to their heart's content, so long as they don't get caught'."
Silence filled the space between us as Kisame pondered over my brother's words. Samehada was Kisame's prized possession, of course, but it was also the thing that would ping him on Kiri's radar. After all, helping in the war did put him in a unique position even as a missing-nin.
The 'missing' in 'missing-nin' not only suggested a lack of home that welcomed them, but also a lack of purpose. If you can't find what you're looking for in your origin, then maybe it's not so bad letting go of those things that connect you to the past, Itachi was saying. This is as free as you're going to get and it's a waste not to capitalize on that.
"Ah, listen to him, saying those pretty words as he sits in his comfy little village," Kisame muttered with clenched teeth, but his good hand was already moving to treat his wound, tearing up his robes and tying the fabric around his midsection.
"But he was right that I shouldn't get caught yet, where's the fun in that?" Despite the strained movement, Kisame crooked his head and stretched his mouth into a grin. "Tell Itachi that I might visit an old coworker someday, so don't sleep too easily."
Yeah, I still don't get how their relationship works. But I was sure that Itachi didn't want me to kill Kisame, even if he was making these ominous statements.
Without any other incentives to stay, I left Kisame where he was and flickered away from the battlefield. The Kiri-nin that followed me didn't dare come too close to the destruction Kisame and I were making, but they would no doubt be converging on the scene after noticing that the battle had ended. Whether Kisame could escape their capture, that wasn't my problem.
"Nice and easy, isn't it?" Mei had the audacity to say as I placed the scroll that sealed Samehada on her desk. To that, I could only return a diplomatic smile, neither confirming nor denying her words, although I was sure that she received reports every day on my struggle to find Kisame.
"Well then, it's been an amicable trade," Mei said as she handed the scroll to Tsurugi before the man disappeared through the window.
"I'm glad that you find my service to your satisfaction. Can I assume that the deal between Kiri and Konoha is complete, Mizukage-dono?" I asked.
"Of course," Mei confirmed with a nod, officially ending my work in this fog-filled country. However, before I could announce my intention to leave, she said, "I do want to welcome you as a diplomat to our village, Maiko, so can I entertain you with Kiri's hospitality, starting with a bath at the onsen?"
That actually sounded very attractive because I was sure that I smelled a mixture of swamp, fish, and sea salt. Water Country in January was a terrible balance of heavy humidity and chilling cold. Even with fire chakra in my circulation, I felt like I had waded through enough icy water to develop early arthritis.
However, I didn't get assigned a diplomatic mission and I was on a self-imposed deadline which was already cutting quite close.
"I appreciate your hospitality, Mizukage-dono, but I was hoping to make it to a wedding at Konoha, so forgive me for being unable to stay long in Kirigakure," I told Mei, who listened with just the right dose of understanding on her face.
"That sounds valid, how about we change it to a light chat then. I'm sure a shinobi as dutiful as you wouldn't pass on an opportunity to gain information from another village." The insistence in Mei's voice was light but nevertheless firm.
Now that you put it like that, I'm not sure if I can actually gain any useful information. But then again, when Mei made it to be an invitation, it wasn't so much about what I wanted to know from her, but rather what she wanted to share. So, it only took me a second to agree with a bow.
"I hope Konoha's rebuilding is going well." Mei started with pleasantries, something that would be exchanged at the beginning of every inter-village communication.
"It is. There is much to be done, but I'd say we're very much on the right track," I replied, picking up the cup of hot drink when Mei did the same. It was Kirigakure's local specialty, something to drive away the dampness that settled in one's body in the winter months. "I'm sure every village has their own share of difficulty to get through after the war changed us, but Kirigakure looks like it's recovering well under your leadership, Mizukage-dono."
Mei let out a light smile at that. "More than my leadership, Maiko, it's the people of Kirigakure that are resilient. But indeed, every village has their own challenges to recover from." There was a pause before Mei added, with a hint of playfulness, "I supposed that Ōnoki also has the added challenge of an ailing back to recover from."
Suna and Konoha suffered much in their village's infrastructure, but every village had taken a blow in the sheer amount of casualties. Even Iwa's forces, lead by their Tsuchikage Ōnoki, had thrust themselves into the defence of Suna as their Tsuchikage single-handedly kept his Edo Tensei predecessor - who was ironically much younger and healthier - at bay, preventing him from decimating the battlefield with Dust Release, at the cost of a broken back, of course.
Ōnoki didn't have to send his forces any further when they confronted Nidaime Tsuchikage - they could have said that they were stuck and no one could fault them for that. But Iwa didn't leave it at that. Whether that was because they understood the severity of having one of the battlefields broken through, or because they didn't want to get left behind when solidarity was clearly being forged by the other four villages, the end result was reassuring.
"It's also true that the war changed us; I daresay that there has never been a post-war period where the tension between the villages has been this low, giving each village a much-needed chance to recuperate in peace," Mei commented and I couldn't agree more.
I supposed that there was also the fact that missing-nin was acting up everywhere, making every village very busy defending their reputations, but nodes had been established between villages; from Iwa to Suna, from Suna to Kumo, to Taki, to Konoha, from Kumo to Kiri, from Kiri to Konoha, and the cycle repeated from there.
Nobody knew if this period of peace - not built on an uneasy truce that resulted from too many losses, but a shared victory in defending one's reality and pride - would last long, but it was a foundation that suggested the start of something new - new relationships, new beliefs, and new norms.
New norms … Suddenly, I had an inkling of what Mei wanted to talk about and it was definitely not a topic that could be fully communicated through letters.
"If I may, Mizukage-dono, there's been news that Kiri has decided not to seal Three-Tail into a Jinchuuriki," I inquired, hoping that I didn't get the wrong impression. But the smile on Mei's face had only gotten wider as if she was beyond glad that I brought this up without her prompts.
"You heard correctly. During the battle, Isobu - that's Three-Tail - agreed to fight with Kiri and Kumo against the reincarnations if Kiri promised not to seal him again, through Utakata and Saiken's mediation, of course." Mei paused a little in her explanation as if she even had to take a step back to reexamine her words because of how unheard of this was.
"Granted, I wasn't sure how the deal would have sailed, given the century-long pattern of interaction Hidden Villages had with Tailed-Beasts, but the arrangement has been holding up so far." Mei glanced at the decorative map in her office, outlining the territory of Water Country and Kirigakure in it. There was a lagoon, northeast of Kirigakure, where Isobu had reportedly settled.
"Of course, Kiri has been sending its shinobi to deter those that want to take their chances in capturing a Tailed-Beast. Utakata even built a cottage there and a fishing pond." Mei rolled her eyes as if Utakata's attempt to live as a hermit even after returning to Kiri's allegiance annoyed her to no end.
"It's not like Isobu is a defenceless turtle either. In fact, he would show his rage just fine regardless if Kiri was already on the scene, but more recently, he has been … selective of those that he rained his coral down on." With that, Mei told me the facts. What I - as a diplomat that understood my Hokage's stance when she couldn't be here - took from the stories, would determine how much she wanted to continue the discussion.
"That certainly is a very hopeful case, Mizukage-dono. It sounds like it might spell a different kind of relationship between shinobi and Tailed-Beasts, one where the Tailed-Beasts are not weapons of Hidden Villages or even soldiers, but …" I knew the kind of definition I was looking for, but the exact words were a little hard to find. However, Mei had much more time to consider the case and organize her speech.
"Residences. Residences of the Land." Mei finished the sentence for me. "Although, I'm sure it will come off as infuriating to Tailed-Beasts like Isobu and Saiken, the fact that we're racking our brains to see them in a way that they already believe to be rightfully theirs."
"That's true, but I hope that it's never too late to change," I said. Decades and decades of beliefs and practices had settled deep in our bones, but I wanted to believe - and hoped that the Tailed-Beasts would forgive enough to believe too - that something different could still be established.
After all, I had heard a similar speech from a boy working towards big dreams.
A norm that Tailed-Beasts could co-exist with shinobi in their natural forms, no longer viewed as a source of military power. A future where they were free to settle in their natural habitat, preferably without stomping on the shinobi villages nearby. A vision where they were not forced, but rather, might even choose to help when enemies invaded their land and calamities such as Akatsuki and Madara struck again.
Along with it, was the phasing out of traditions like Jinchuuriki, including the prejudice and fear it would bring upon the human vessels.
"It will be a difficult vision to achieve, one that would extend far and far into the future." Mei didn't mince her words; she was ever the realist. The fact that we still had Jinchuuriki - especially ones as young as Naruto, Gaara, and Fuu - said enough.
"I'll be honest, part of why this arrangement works is because Kiri still has Utakata, who is a Jinchuuriki with control over his Tailed-Beast power," Mei said, but not without adding a moment later, "However, knowing him, I'm sure that he'll try to find a way to die while releasing Saiken, so that his partner won't be sealed again into another vessel without a chance to fight."
It seemed that Utakata continued to cause headaches for the Mizukage, which I was sure that he was very proud of.
"There was a long period in Kiri's history where we were torn by civil war and defections. In much of my reign, I have seen that it's the ordinary but resilient Kiri-nin that built the village back together, not Utakata and his emotional mess. So, I might have a bit more faith in a future where villages didn't have to rely on the power of Tailed-Beasts."
That was a very heartfelt speech given by the Mizukage - minus the diss to Utakata - but I knew with rationality that I shouldn't buy into her pretty words at face value.
Mei didn't want to break her promise made during the war because that would not only bring an additional burden to Kirigakure but would also break the little trust she built with Utakata. However, being the only village to take a step back from the iron-clad rule of 'snatch the Tailed-Beast while you can' was unsettling and dangerous.
So, she wanted to bring other villages to the same page - at least some, if not everyone - so that it wasn't just Kirigakure who was venturing into the opposite path.
Still, just because Mei's intentions were not entirely noble didn't mean that the vision she proposed wasn't worth considering. It certainly didn't mean that she wasn't brave to propose it in the first place, especially as the leader of a Hidden Village.
As if seeing through my thoughts - or rather, she had known me enough to know that I didn't like her words as much as her subjects - Mei spoke up again, "Kiri has always stayed in the backseat after the Era of Bloody Mist, not wanting to cause any trouble, not wanting to invite attention. But as it stands, we're at a crossroads. This time, I want to at least try to start something new, before having to fall back to what's safe but certainly not the best."
"Why propose to us first, Mizukage-dono? Our Jinchuuriki still has a long life ahead of him. Even if we make a stand with you now, you won't be able to observe our promise for decades to come. Wouldn't it be a more suitable talk to have with Raikage-dono?" I asked.
Two-Tail, Four-Tail, and Five-Tail were reincarnated as energy forms after they were released from the husk, meaning they would be reborn three years from now. When that happened, Kumogakure would have the most similarity with Kirigakure's situation, having both an existing Jinchuuriki and a Tailed-Beast wandering Thunder Country in its raw form.
"Oh, that's certainly the plan, once I have more to show regarding our interaction with Isobu. Don't worry, I'm not thinking of throwing this onto Konoha and letting you do all the work," Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. But Mei just let out a burst of lighthearted laughter at the suspicion in my eyes.
"Just like the war against Akatsuki, no one village can do it alone, especially when we're talking about something even more radical and long-term than having villages allied for one war," Mei said as she refilled her cup, filling the background with the sound of a soft stream of water flowing into the porcelain.
"As I observed, the Konoha now has the guts to dream about changes, and it certainly won't be having self-confidence issues anytime soon with shinobi like you around." Mei held her cup out to me at that. "I don't need an immediate reassurance from Konoha - I won't find that from anywhere - but just the intention towards the same goal is enough."
Oh, I was sure that she was looking for more than just intention. The connection Konoha had with Kumo, Suna, and Takigakure through bonds made between our respective Jinchuuriki during the war. Our relationship with Suna, having prioritized their reinforcement over our own village. Even our personnel and resources …
I was sure that there was a myriad of things she wanted by sharing her idea with us first, but the realization of a change was not just based on faith and good intentions; the execution was always the bulk of the work.
"It's been an enlightening talk, Mizukage-dono. I will pass this on to our Hokage. I'm sure that she will be very interested as well," I answered while giving her a smile. With one last sip, I finished the herbal tea, feeling the medicinal taste lingering in my mouth.
Agreeing that this would be the end of our conversation, Mei nodded as well. "That's good to hear. Come around more often, Maiko, it's a delight to chat with you."
I thought that I was finally free from the mist of Kiri. I was so ready to go home, to see my family, to see Naruto and Sakura, and to see … "Before you go though, I have someone who'll be happy to see you, for the sake of his emotional stability." And Mei just had to go and crush that.
"Aren't you in a rush? Must be a very important wedding, or maybe it's someone that bids your heart to return?" Mei teased when she saw the flicker of impatience that I barely managed to hold down.
"It is very important. The wedding, I mean," I said with a tone void of emotions.
"Oh well, forget about Utakata then, he's not very important." Mei laughed even harder and that was a sentence I wholeheartedly agreed with, at least in my current mood.
"What did you just say?" The door swung open just as Utakata yelled with rage, clearly having heard the last bit of Mei's words.
"Don't be so sensitive." Mei waved her hands, already ushering both of us out of her office. "You're the one that left your precious little cottage to meet a friend, who is very busy, by the way, so don't waste her time."
For a second, Utakata looked like he had so many things to protest to Mei that he was stuck on what to start first. At that moment, I could be certain that Mei definitely had Utakata wrapped around her fingers.
"So, I heard you became a hermit and built a cottage," even furnished with a fishing pond. I didn't have to add the last bit for Utakata to start scowling.
"For the last time, it's a station! I don't hear her object when her shinobi use it as a resting spot to refill their supplies," Utakata defended. But despite the constant annoyance he had for his Mizukage, he did look more comfortable sitting in the same room than he did a year ago.
Back then, he looked like he was in prison even though there were no bars on the window.
"Regardless, I'm glad that you found a place," I told him, seeing him let out an expression of reluctant agreement. It might not be home yet, but it was a resting place where Utakata could stop and think about the future.
"Saiken likes it there, being close to Isobu. And it's desolate enough that I can let him out sometimes," Utakata said, looking a little more relaxed. "I'm sure you've heard, but there's no lack of idiots with death wishes venturing towards Isobu's island, so I might as well make myself comfortable there."
There was a careful pause before Utakata spoke up again, "I don't know if it's okay for me to ask, but the news of the Uchiha Clan has travelled here." Another pause, waiting for me to shut down the subject. When I didn't, he finished his question. "Is it true?"
"Yes. I made sure that this time, it's the truth," I told him, watching the expression of 'ah, now it makes sense' fill his face.
"My condolences, for everything that's fucked up," Utakata said - not a sign of euphemism, that was for sure - almost making me burst into laughter. If I were honest, it was probably easier to hear that from someone like Utakata who was not affiliated with Konoha.
"I mean it in the best way, but I'm glad you found out the truth," early enough to mend something. The words were left unsaid, but never more clear to us. I gave him a smile, telling him that I appreciated the thought.
I was glad too, to find out about the truth before it was too late; before I could lose myself in a path of misplaced revenge and lose Itachi; before Danzō and the Old Konoha Council could destroy more than they already did.
"You know, I met Harusame - my shishou - when he was brought back as a pile of paper," Utakata said, tilting his head up as if he was drawing on the memory of that day. "I thought I would have to settle with never knowing the truth for sure, only relying on my faith to keep going, which is working, but still kind of sucks."
"But when I met him again, it's clear that he never stopped seeing me as his student and I'm glad that at least for that moment, I still saw him as my shishou."
Utakata let out a sigh of relief, barely audible, but nevertheless, carried all his thoughts and contemplation that built up to his mind. Then, he snapped his attention back to me and asked, "Just making sure, we're friends, right?"
"Yes, Utakata, we're friends," I said amidst my broken laugh. I used my Mangekyou to help him tame Saiken's rampage before I had the protection of my father's eyes, which could have left me in a wacky place - and it did. I would hope that we were friends after that.
"I honestly would prefer that more than being your unpaid and unqualified therapist, which is how Mei sees me at some point." Sure enough, at the mention of Mei and her antics, Utakata let out another scowl.
"Of course, I'll need permission from your Mizukage and my Hokage, but maybe in the future, I'll swing by your cottage—" "Station." "Fine, station." I rolled my eyes and Utakata rolled his.
"Who knows, I might even be able to bring along a boy that wants to meet you; not just you, but also Saiken and Isobu too." Mei's idea had to start somewhere, first by talking and listening to all the parties involved and I couldn't imagine Naruto not wanting to be a part of it. "Then, you can make some new friends."
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
"Kakashi-sensei, you're … on time!" Naruto screamed with such profound shock that Kakashi almost felt bad for the trauma he imparted on them during their genin days. Almost.
Kakashi stood that it was important for these kids to build character, independence, and camaraderie, and he found a method to kill three birds with one stone. Still, he knew that Team 7 had grown enough by now to trust that he would never be late for things that are truly important.
It was just that lunch at the ramen shop was usually not considered one of them.
Even Sasuke was a little surprised that he made it here on time, but with one look at the novel in his hands, the youngest Uchiha let out a 'hn' full of mockery, as if saying that there was truly no salvation for him.
"Uh, am I missing something?" Sakura whispered to Naruto when she saw that, wondering why Sasuke suddenly started to care about his erotica novels in public after the three of them stopped caring a long time ago.
"Yeah, so, umm … I'm not sure," Naruto decided to go with that, even adding, "Who knows what got him in a bad mood," when faced with Sakura's look of suspicion. Kakashi was feeling proud that the boy finally learned to read the mood.
"Sensei! We're going to eat up your wallet today, I hope you're prepared!" Naruto shouted in an attempt to escape from Sakura's skepticism, before burying his eyes in the menu as if he hadn't seen it a million times before the shop was rebuilt. Okay, the execution needs some work. That's not a subtle redirection at all.
"Sure, it's my treat, so order whatever you like," Kakashi said, a fond smile underlining his words. He had been too busy after the war - much busier than he was before, even with Akatsuki running free and his Jonin Commander duties - to indulge himself with a meal longer than three minutes, much less to indulge his team with a meal that was meant for a reunion.
And perhaps even for graduation, although it was long overdue.
However, despite all the paperwork and the meetings pulling Kakashi left and right - and he was sure that it wouldn't end anytime soon, maybe not forever, given the path that he had taken - preventing him from being a proper sensei like Gai or Asuma, his students never acted in a way that reminded him of his negligence.
Sitting here, eating with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, it made him feel like it was just yesterday that they defeated the giant husk and sealed it into the Kamui space along with Black Zetsu. It was as if it had been last week that they celebrated Sakura's Chunin promotion over a bowl of ramen.
In fact, they still tried to peek at Kakashi's face under the mask like they did a month after meeting him, seeing that Sakura swore by her dignity as a Medical-nin that she didn't remove his mask when he was unconscious by the sleeping husk.
"Why are we doing this? We can just ask Maiko-nee what sensei looks like." Naruto exclaimed after many failed attempts that left him with nothing but a bowl of soggy ramen because he was too busy peeking rather than finishing his meal.
"Does she?" Sasuke asked as curt as ever, but Kakashi knew that he meant to ask if Maiko had seen his face beneath the mask, lest his sister was scammed by a man that habitually hides his face.
"Of course," Kakashi answered. It wasn't like he made it his rule never to show his face to anyone, he just thought that it was fun to agitate his students when they were so engrossed in the mystery. Anyone on his Anbu team had probably seen his face, let alone those times that he was drinking in the tavern.
They are all beyond just Team 7 now - even Kakashi - but they would always be Team 7.
So at the end of the meal, Kakashi asked, just as he had done when they were just rookie genin and he was just a Jonin-sensei with habitual lateness, what their dreams were now.
"To be the best medical-nin! Not just any medical-nin, but a combat medical-nin." Sakura was the first to answer, and there was not an ounce of doubt or shame in her voice, as she professed loud and clear what she saw herself to be in the future.
"To protect those that I care about and make the world better for them," Sasuke said after some thinking and Kakashi knew that it was far from empty slogans. You need both power and determination to make changes, and Uchiha Sasuke now had a clan to protect that was not just about its name and legacy, but also the people in it.
"I will become the Hokage!" Naruto shouted the dream that he never wavered from. But this time, he rubbed his head and said, "but before that, there's something else I want to do."
Kakashi tilted his head, asking the boy to continue, and he did. "I know it'll probably be really difficult, with them being sensitive topics among villages, but I want to meet and learn about all the Tailed-Beasts, who they are, what they're like, and what they want."
"I promised Kurama that I will work towards the possibility of something different - where Tailed-Beasts and shinobi were not just hating on each other, not just using each other as tools. I know it'll probably take a long long time, likely long after I'm dead, but I'd like to start when I'm alive."
There was a light in Naruto's eyes that was glowing even brighter than the sun as he finished his words. "I might not be able to see it, but at least Kurama and the other Tailed-Beasts will."
Kakashi let out a smile under his mask, but he was sure that his eyes were curving as a tell-tale sign of his pride. He told Naruto, "You might be able to start with Kirigakure; their current Mizukage is receptive towards Konoha and Maiko already knows their Six-Tail Jinchuuriki."
"As for Kumo and Iwa, it'll take a lot more effort, but I'm sure you can use that time to make yourself more reliable and less worrying to us." Naruto nodded his head with so much excitement that Sasuke had to smack his face to stop him from breaking his neck.
"I'm coming with you to keep you off the tangent, you blockhead," the young Uchiha said, making Naruto scream out a protest that he was not a blockhead all the while hugging his friend like an octopus.
The boy extended the invitation to Sakura as well, but the girl shook her head, saying that she still had so much to learn from Tsunade-sama and from her internship at the Konoha General Hospital.
"Thank you." The whisper was so quiet that Kakashi almost missed it. When he turned his head with a hint of amusement, Sasuke had already turned his face away with a scowl, making Kakashi wonder if it was Itachi that put him up to it.
"And no, Itachi-nii didn't put me up to it. I wanted to say it for myself," Sasuke added at the exact same time.
"You don't have to thank me for something like that." Kakashi knew that it was about the scheme for the Uchiha land. It took a few days, but Konoha had gotten evidence of Shimura and a few other clans' collusion with some Fire Country nobles. With the evidence in hand, they wouldn't dare to stir up something like that again, not that Shimura had the guts to try anything after that meeting.
Kakashi wanted to help the Uchiha, but he didn't do it because it helped the Uchiha specifically, but because it was a matter of principle, a matter of what kind of village he wanted to work towards. It was the confidence that Maiko elicited from Konoha's current government, the major clans - the Hyūga, the Nara, the Yamanaka, just to name a few - and the general public that Kakashi could refute any charges of favouritism that were thrown his way.
For a second, Sasuke didn't say anything, then he told him, barely louder than a whisper, "I can see now, why Maiko-nee said that she still wanted to trust - was still able to trust - again, after Konoha had hurt us so badly."
The boy glanced at him before his gaze eventually rested on his teammates, where Naruto and Sakura were bickering over which topping was better, menma or seaweed.
Kakashi was sure that Sasuke could see it a long time ago, but as he figured, the boy was always the kind that had a hard time vocalizing his thoughts. Even now, redness crawled up the young Uchiha's ears as he remembered what he just said.
For a second, Kakashi was reminded of Maiko, how the same red crept up on her ears after she vocalized her love. Not immediately as well, but with a few moments of delay, which is frankly quite cute and—
Okay, I thought we're not going to go there. Kakashi had to mentally pause himself right there. It didn't help that Tsunade-sama received a message earlier in the day that Maiko would be coming back soon, after retrieving Samehada for Kirigakure.
"I'm going to buy some dango to bring home," Sasuke said as he pushed himself up from the table and walked out without a pause, no doubt to escape the embarrassment he landed himself in - all a work of his imagination, of course.
"What?" Naruto looked confused, but Kakashi just shrugged.
Then, there was a glint in Naruto's eyes as he scooted over, catching the moment when Sakura left for the washroom, and whispered, "Kakashi-sensei, if you don't mind me asking, how's that thing going, between you and Maiko-nee?"
"I do, in fact, mind it," Kakashi replied, not that it would stop Naruto. "And don't use 'that thing' to refer to it." Not that he could think of a better option.
"Just asking." Naruto shrugged at his defensiveness. "I know that Sasuke's being a prick, but both of us do want you to be happy, my old man too."
Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head at the boy's carefree words. He pressed down on Naruto's head and rubbed his hair roughly. "Aren't you a little young for this kind of stuff?"
"Hey, I'll let you know that Ero-sennin lets me edit his book sometimes. I think I've seen more than enough," Naruto argued back, but Kakashi didn't think that he was helping his case as much as uncovering another questionable topic.
Thankfully, Sakura's return stopped the conversation from descending into something more questionable than it already was. The lunch was coming to an end as they each left for their next destination. For Kakashi, the calling was his paperwork.
He had to work a little more when he could in these couple of days, to make time for the personal commitments, from the lunch with Team 7, to the wedding in two days, and a few hours at the tavern that he promised he would make for Asuma, as their friends celebrated Asuma for his last days as an unmarried man.
Kakashi pressed down on his temple, hoping that the copious amount of caffeine he had ingested earlier in the day would beat the alcohol that was flowing through his veins, less he wanted to be known as the Jonin Commander that passed out in the tavern due to exhaustion.
Asuma looked excited at his upcoming wedding, professing many times that he couldn't wait for his dream wedding to happen, with the woman of his dreams by his arm. That reminded Kakashi that he was due to give a speech at the wedding, which he still needed to think about, but he was sure it would come, preferably during the three hours that he was sleeping.
At some point, Kakashi had to take a step to the back of the tavern, where the air was less drowsy. He took a deep breath, letting some fresh air fill his lungs and clear his head before it was inevitably filled with the next construction that he had to review, the next budget that he had to plan, and also, the reply to a confession that he shouldn't just keep putting off.
"You look like you need a smoke." Kakashi couldn't help but raise his eyebrow when Asuma held out a packet of cigarettes in front of him.
"I thought you don't smoke anymore now that you're going to be a father soon," Kakashi asked, but he took the packet anyway.
"I don't, but I sometimes need the shape of the box in my hand to stave off the addiction," Asuma answered and true to his words, the packaging in Kakashi's hand was unopened. "So, you better be weeping in gratitude that I'm letting you smoke in front of me."
Kakashi snorted at that as he charged a handful of lightning and turned the packet of cigarettes into some black, unrecognizable object.
"Okay, that's a little unnecessary," Asuma commented, looking a little pained at the cigarettes that were sacrificed, but only for a second before he agreed that it would be an eventual end for them anyway.
"You shouldn't join me in a sad little corner when you should be the centre of the party, Asuma," Kakashi said, straightening his back a little to lean on the wooden walls. He came to the back hall to not be the tired party pooper, after all.
"Oh, they've been accusing me of aggravating their single-man melancholy. Also, they're plenty lively even without me," Asuma said, nodding to the drunken crowd at the tavern. Gai was beyond drunk, which meant that he would be the centre of all attention with his emotional display, and it seemed like everyone else was also too drunk to care about who was the centre of the party.
"You don't have to come to this when you can be resting, Kakashi. I know your job is very demanding, so I'm already beyond happy that you can make it to the wedding," Asuma said, as understanding as he had always been during the time that Kakashi had known him.
So, Kakashi shook his head and told him, "I will always be buried by paperwork - now a little more than usual with the post-war affairs - so I want to at least make it to those things that I care about."
"Glad to hear that," Asuma commented with a chuckle. There was a pause, before the man asked again, "Is that everything to your trouble, Kakashi? Am I aggravating your single-man melancholy?"
I seriously doubt it, Kakashi thought in his head as both of them laughed at the joke. The thought that Kakashi could one day be troubled by love and emotion was probably something that Asuma - and most of his friends, which weren't that many - would never think to be possible.
This was why Kakashi was somewhat curious as to what Asuma's reaction would be, when he confessed, "I fell in love with someone nine years younger than me."
Hands froze in place, mouth gaped open. Yep, exactly what Kakashi had imagined. Asuma took a deep breath as he slowly turned towards Kakashi and whispered with a suppressed scream. "Holy shit, Kakashi, you can't just spring that on me!"
"I'm not sure in what situation it would be considered not springing it on you." Kakashi shrugged, feeling awfully light in his lungs for some reason as if he had finally gotten something off of his chest.
"Yeah, I guess not, but still." Asuma was still trying to recover from the shock. Then, as soon as his brain started working again, the puzzle started to be pieced in his head. As they all knew, Kakashi was not a social person, so the suspect in question was quite easy to guess.
"Nine years … Uchiha Maiko?" Asuma asked with a tentative voice and Kakashi shrugged again. "If her clan is still here, man, you would have been dead." I know, just another reason to dump my body in the Naka River, after they take back Obito's sharingan.
"If her clan is still here, I don't know if this will still happen," or if she would develop such affection for me. Kakashi felt bad for saying this, but tragedies brought them together, allowing them to know and understand each other.
For a few moments, Asuma said nothing, but he understood Kakashi's struggle with morality - which was already tipping dangerously to one side - all the same. "Would it be better, if the age gap between you two are smaller? If you're not ever tasked with mentoring her?"
Kakashi wasn't sure why Asuma asked that - it wasn't like they could change that, could they? But as he let his thoughts spread out, to search through the memory and reconfigure the scenes, Kakashi found himself shaking his head.
"If it were a younger me that met her when she was twelve, fresh off being a survivor of a massacre, giving off the whole 'the world is dead and so am I' vibe, it would have been a disaster," Kakashi said with a sense of certainty that he wasn't sure was welcomed at this point.
A nineteen-year-old Kakashi had just gotten his shit together, to start caring for his Anbu teammates like a captain should and to care for his own life as the backbone of his team. But a look at Maiko in her state would have been a hit too close to home. He wouldn't know how to deal with her anger and sorrow because it would have brought back all the trauma that he was trying to bury.
A seventeen-year-old Kakashi was even worse, not even getting his shit together. He barely treated his life with care and would rather be sent off on solo missions until his body inevitably broke down on one of those trips. The only thing that he would be able to mentor Maiko on would be how to self-destruct.
A fifteen-year-old Kakashi … gods, let's not even go there.
The point was that by twenty-one, Kakashi was barely adequate to mentor someone like Maiko, to see her not as a trauma that hit too close to his past, but as someone that could do better, despite the shit they were in. Only at twenty-one, was he out of the state of living corpse long enough to actually provide help and guidance, to make it easier for her to breathe when all she saw was darkness, to tell her that 'look, you'll survive, we always do.'
Now, the twenty-seven-year-old Kakashi looked back and realized that he was glad to do what he was able to do for Maiko because he couldn't imagine making her life even harder.
"I see that I've caused you more pain," Asuma commented when he saw Kakashi let the back of his head smack into the wooden wall with a loud bang.
"Not necessarily pain, more like a realization," Kakashi said with a sigh, feeling the stinging pain of the impact reverberating in his skull. Maiko and he, they didn't fall in love despite the age gap, despite the ambiguous mentor-mentee dynamic, despite who they are.
But rather, everything happened for a reason, each pulled by a thread connected to the past that he could trace from the present.
The 'falling in love' part might have been a recent development, but everything in the past had already been building up to the present, ensuring that by the small chance that it bloomed, it would entangle them in a web so deep that none of them could get out.
It just took him a lot longer than Maiko to realize it.
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
The winter sky was clear today.
What an auspicious sign, I thought as I lowered my gaze, before entering the Event Hall where the wedding reception would be held.
It was already buzzing with a small crowd as guests continued to be filled in, exchanging words of goodwill with each other, as expected in the joyous mood, while they waited for the bride and the groom to finish their private ceremony.
Sasuke escaped in Naruto's direction the moment he found him. After a moment of contemplation, Ryuu followed them as well. A wise choice indeed, because the other option would have been to stick with Itachi and me in this anti-social bubble.
"Maybe we should socialize," I suggested, my hands going up to touch the kanzashi pinned to my hair, making sure that it hadn't fallen off yet. It was a rushed effort with Yugao at 5 am where we were both yawning nonstop and I couldn't really be sure what she had done to my hair.
"That might be a little hard for me when I technically don't exist in the village for the past few years," Itachi said with nonchalance. He grabbed a cup of water for himself and handed another to me, looking content to just sit there, feeling the air of tranquillity and happiness.
"You, on the other hand, shouldn't feel obligated to stay with me." Itachi turned to me as he said that, but I just shook my head at his words.
"I don't feel obligated to stay with you," I told him, "I want to."
Itachi really sold the whole 'peace and quiet meditation' package, with how comfortable he looked. Honestly, after spending a night catching up on a month worth of Anbu paperwork piled in my office, I could use some of that.
It didn't take long for the stars of the ceremony to arrive amidst the bustling air of celebration. Kurenai looked like a goddess who landed on earth as she walked out in a fully decorated Iro-Uchikake. She had gone for the coloured kimono instead of the traditional white attire and It couldn't have suited her more.
By the look in Asuma's eyes, he had thought the same. Their hands entwined in a gentle way as they greeted their guests. With every word of congratulation, the smiles on their faces deepened. If sincerity and blessings could be visualized, then I had no doubt that this room would be a majestic painting made of overflowing colours.
As expected for weddings, there were speeches, songs, and congratulatory messages, and I supposed that there were supposed to be minglings among the guests.
On such a heartwarming occasion, even Itachi and I got invited into a few conversations, even if none of us really really knew the other party well. But for someone to grab a spot and stand next to us, that took true commitment.
I shifted a little to make space for Kakashi to stand and he took it so naturally. Even in such a formal event, he still had the mask, the hair that wouldn't bend down to combs, and everything that spelt his defiance. Yet, the effort to match the occasion was still very visible.
I could see the slight movement in his eyes, as he examined my kimono. pausing a little at the pattern of bamboo leaves and cranes that decorated the sleeves, before his sight moved up and landed on my face.
It was much easier to find a kimono of my size in our clan's possessions than a cocktail dress. Since both were acceptable, it was obvious which route I had chosen.
"You look beautiful." There was a certain delicacy in his choice of word, one that was appropriate for the occasion, but still with a touch of intimacy that spoke of our closeness - as friends, as something else, I didn't know.
"You look nice too. Very much dressed for the occasion," I replied, returning a smile to him before the silence inevitably drowned us. I didn't remember us being this awkward a month ago - couldn't have that, not when there were so many things that required us to work together.
"I'm still here," Itachi whispered from the side, saving - or condemning - us from the silence. He picked up his cup and added, "But I can be somewhere else."
"No …" Kakashi and I said at the same time, which meant that none of us would be finishing any sentences. As expected, Itachi raised an eyebrow at us, with just a bit more amusement than necessary in his eyes.
"Can I talk to you, somewhere private?" In the end, it was Kakashi who sucked it up and said the words.
"Yeah. Lead the way," I said before I finished the last bit of water in my cup. As I followed him to one of the emptier hallways, I couldn't help but wonder how nice it would be if that cup I just downed was sake.
They did say that alcohol makes a fool braver, and I was bracing for judgment.
"Don't you have a speech to give?" I spoke up, hearing my voice fade into the background, where the joyous chatters seemed so far away as if they were being stuffed behind a curtain.
"There's some time before we arrive at that part of the program," Kakashi replied, adding a second later, "I hope Asuma doesn't hold his breath. The epiphany for the speech literally arrived five hours ago and it's not really fleshed out."
I couldn't help but let out a laugh at that, making him do the same. I had no doubt that he would give a beautiful speech. As much as Kakashi tried to downplay it, he was honed in the art of words and I was sure that he would rather use it for his friends than for politics.
There was a moment of silence, before I suddenly said, "Don't —" say anything just yet, "—rush your decision. I know that I confessed to you at the worst timing, but there's no deadline for a reply."
I could guess what kinds of struggle in morality he was having, given our complex history. I also knew that with every moment of delay, he would continue to feel troubled. But against my better judgment, I wanted to be selfish on this matter.
"I left your wings a long time ago, Kakashi. So please take more time to see me as your equal, just like you have done when we're working together on missions and when we're fighting in the war."
I hoped that my words weren't rushed. I hoped it wasn't too emotional either. But nevertheless, I heard Kakashi letting out a sigh as he leaned back on the wall and let his weight shift a little into the carpet.
"If I haven't been seeing you as an equal - if you didn't make it so easy for me to see you as an equal, I wouldn't have dragged on for this long," he breathed out the words in a slow and steady rhythm, and t somehow had a soothing effect on me.
A moment later, he asked, "I would never doubt your love, Maiko, but are you sure?" Another pause, before he clarified, "I'm good at many things - killing, maiming, being an Anbu, even sarcasm - but being in a romantic relationship is probably not one of them."
"I'm sure." The words slipped out of my mouth as naturally as they would get. In fact, I couldn't help but let out a light chuckle when I said, "There are many things that made me fall in love with you, but that is definitely not one of the reasons."
The silence that followed wasn't as painstakingly long as I thought it would be. Two seconds - maybe three - had passed before Kakashi raised his head again and locked our gaze. I was glad that what I saw in his eyes was not pain or self-doubt, but rather, a spark of certainty.
"I want you to be happy, Maiko. To be honest, I don't know if I'm the answer for that," Kakashi said, but he reached out his hand and instinctively, I extended mine. I felt his thumb rubbing over my palm - rough with the callous, but still so gently and calmly - as he continued, "But I guess we'll find out."
There was definitely a spark of lightning that got discharged from my fingertip. It darted between our hands, crawling over our skin, before sinking into our flesh and blending with the flow of our sizzling chakra.
Without thinking twice, I rushed forward and pulled him into a hug. The beads on my hairpin made a clattering sound as my head hit his shoulder - probably more violently than I had hoped. Unlike that time after the battle, I felt his arms around me too, holding me just above the obi.
"You do like to hug people," I heard him saying next to my ear.
"Be honoured. It's a very selective group that I give my hugs to," I replied, pulling myself away just enough that it didn't feel like the sound of our heartbeats was deafening.
Kakashi laughed at that, "I do feel honoured."
I rested my eyes on the curves he made with his eyes, not just the one with the dark pupil, but also the one with bleached emptiness and a scar that ran through it. With a newfound boldness, I reached out and touched the rim of his left eye. "I see that you don't cover it up anymore."
"There's no need," Kakashi answered, in more than one way, I was sure. There was no need to dampen the sensory stimulation from the sharingan anymore; there was no need to cover up what his sharingan had seen and remembered anymore.
"You're doing it again," he commented when he felt my fingers rubbing on the rim of his eye, glossing over the firmness of his bone.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I like your bones," I said, hoping that he didn't think I had some psychopathic tendencies, "I like how unyielding they are."
There were many things that I liked - loved - about him, but what lay deep beneath the skin and the flesh, what constructed the core of him and supported everything that was built on top … That was what I couldn't forget, what I felt so vividly, and what I learned from him, not through words - he was terrible at that - but through actions.
Against all the mistakes, the losses, the despair, and everything that grated on our pride and humanity, we didn't always have to smile - we could cry, curse, and even hate; we didn't have to continue without any stops - we could pause to doubt and question, even crouch down to lick our wounds.
We didn't always have to see the light, but even then, we would pick ourselves up, straighten our backs, and raise our heads in the darkness, until we could see something.
Slowly, I lowered my hand, dragging it over his face, his mask, and arriving at the skin just behind his neck. It was such a vulnerable spot for us shinobi, considering how many had fallen by my fingers with just a push of a senbon. Yet, he didn't flinch against my touch, allowing me to search for a segment of bone that carried weight.
"Kakashi, you have the spine of a mountain ridge," I said, pressing down on the segment of his spine ever so lightly, "but even a mountain should be able to breathe."
"Can I …" Kakashi started the question but struggled to finish it. Still, with the way his eyes darted to my lips, I understood what he wanted to say.
I hooked my finger on his mask and pulled it down. With a laugh, I told him, "It's nice of you to ask, but for future reference, the answer is yes."
"Where did you even learn …" Kakashi shook his head a little. "Never mind, that's good to know." There was no more hesitation left as those rumbling words melted into a kiss.
"Maiko, I finally found—Oh my gods!" I was sure that I had been cursed when I heard that voice.
"I didn't mean to interrupt! I, I, I'm so sorry!" Fuu screamed in a panic when Kakashi and I pulled apart. On the other hand, I saw that she made it to Konoha on time for the wedding. "It's nice to see you, Maiko, but um, carry on. Again, I'm so sorry!" Needless to say, she turned the corner in the blink of an eye, Jinchuuriki speed in its full use.
I had to press my forehead to Kakashi's chest for a few moments to calm down my breathing and everything. I could feel his body shaking ever so slightly as if he was trying really hard to suppress a laugh.
When I felt like the embarrassment had finally taken a backseat to something else - like anger - I raised my head and asked Kakashi, "She'll survive, right?" There was a pause before I clarified, "Against my Susanoo."
This time, Kakashi definitely broke out in a laugh, before he said, "Probably, but it might cause an international incident involving Jinchuuriki and I'll be the one that has to deal with the additional paperwork."
"Come on, we should go back to the wedding," Kakashi said as he grabbed my hand and guided me along lightly, opposite the direction where Fuu came from.
Just before we reentered the banquet hall, he raised his hand and brushed against my ears. "Your ears are red, by the way." Instinctively, my hand went up to cover my ears, making him laugh again as he finished his sentence, "It's very cute."
A/N: AHHH, that was the sweetest shit I've ever written in my life. I can't, I need an oxygen tank to deal with this. But the concept of 'unyielding bones' was something that I wanted to write about, it is, in my opinion, a big bulk of what they admire and love (not just romantically) about each other, and what exploded profoundly on the chance that the relationship changed (which it might never, but it did). There might be another chapter on the day when Kakashi became the Sixth Hokage, just to finish the trilogy, we'll see.
I hope these two chapters didn't just shine a light on the romance, but also on the state of the Hidden Villages and the world after the war, on the potential that this war had established, regarding the relationship between shinobi of different villages, and between shinobi and tailed-beasts, and on disclosure with the Uchiha Massacre (cause the original material, even in Boruto, just kind of forgot about it).