First pairing I pulled out of the jar. The Yondaime and Kurenai. Gah. Well, I think I managed to make it somewhat believable…since he's dead and all, I didn't really think there could be a relationship between them without it being all…perverted, so it's one-sided.

And I did my best with the timeline. It was sort of difficult because we don't know how old the Yondaime was when he became Hokage, or when he died, but, well, I tried. I ended up having to go back and change stuff because I realized Kurenai graduated from the Academy at the age of 9, making her a genin when the majority of this story takes place. And I actually didn't know that Kakashi is younger than her, so I had to change that too. Then there are a ton of other age issues that I really didn't feel like fighting with. If you feel like being all nitpicky, go ahead, but for the sake of this story (it's just a oneshot, after all!) I advise you just not to worry about it. Hehehe.

So, enjoy my first crack pairing! XD;

- kina-chan

Yondaime x Kurenai (...it doesn't really have any title)

She'd been watching him for as long as she could remember. She, who scorned all her fellow genins' talk of "crushes" and averted her eyes from their moony gazes.

"Who do you like, Kurenai?" they'd ask her when they were together, enclosing her in a circle of curious eyes.

"No one," she'd reply from behind a shoulder-length curtain of coarse black hair.

"Who? Who?" they'd press on.

"I don't like anyone," she insist, red eyes snapping. Then they'd leave her alone to laugh about how boring she was and how no boy would ever like her anyway. That is, until the next day, when the inquiries would begin all over again.

It was true that she didn't care about boys like they did. She'd rather collect kunai than nail polish, would rather knock out a guy than kiss him. While the other girls talked about new shoes and the hottest fashions in the magazines, she secretly coveted the faded green vest of a chuunin. And the only modification she desired for her hair was to have a glistening hitai-ate peeping out from behind it.

But somehow these thoughts were forgotten when it came to him.

He was a tall man. His body was not large or particularly strong, but he had a powerful presence all the same. His blue eyes were no doubt his most defining feature; when he spoke they managed to display both a sense of understanding and gentle inquisition. And he was hardly aware that Kurenai existed.

She knew this for a fact. Why would he know of her? She was nothing but a lowly genin. She had been far from the bottom of her class in the Academy, but not quite at the top either. He was a jounin and quite elite from what the villagers said. Some even speculated that with the gradual but obvious aging of the Sandaime, he could even be the next Hokage. Every time she heard this rumour Kurenai couldn't help but wonder what the life of the Hokage's wife would be like.

Watching him had become part of her daily routine now. She departed from her home just before he walked past it on his way to train. The narrow yard beside the house made a convenient location to hide and observe his confident stride. Once she was sure he had passed, she would cautiously creep out and study his retreating figure. She wasn't like the stupid girls in her class who giggled over boys' rear ends—Kurenai wrinkled her nose at that sort of vulgarity. No, it was that she loved to watch as he made his way along the street, greeting every citizen he happened upon. It was this quality alone that would make him Hokage one day, Kurenai was sure.

There had been just one time when unpreventable circumstances had forced her out the door two minutes later than usual. In her hurry she had nearly been involved in a head-on collision with him. He calmly hushed her frantic, garbled apologies, laughed cheerfully and continued following his route. This, however, was not before he gave her a smile that made her twelve-year-old heart thump and even her sensible mind admit was amazing. Then she'd wandered along in a daze that was immediately picked up by the other kunoichi. She paid them no heed; long ago she'd vowed never to let them learn of her secret.

He also had a genin team, she knew well. On it was the boy everyone always talked about, the son of the notable White Fang of Konoha—Hatake Kakashi. A true prodigy, they called him. A genius, even. There was also the boy Obito of the prestigious Uchiha clan. The people talked about him, too. The last person on his team was a kunoichi, Rin. Kurenai couldn't figure out why the only time people mentioned her was when they were talking about the whole team. Didn't Rin deserve some mention too?

She had to admit she was jealous of these people who got to spend so much time with him. She knew the way she felt was foolish—there had to be at least a twenty year age gap between them. All she knew was that when she saw of him, or thought of him, she almost wished she cared more about her appearance, or the way she acted. Still, she knew there was no way in the world there could or would be anything between them.

She was an older and wiser seventeen years old when the Sandaime decided to resign from his position. The person he chose as his successor came as no surprise to anybody. He was the obvious person for the job—some thought of him as the greatest shinobi Konoha had ever produced, if not the greatest shinobi in the world.

She stood together with the rest of the Chuunin at the ceremony, just one in the crowd. Over the last years she had conceded that not all the aspects of paying attention to one's image were negative, and it showed. The people of the village often remarked on what a pleasant surprise it was how such a beauty had bloomed from this awkward child. Indeed, her face bore only the scars of taijutsu rather than the usual teenage spots and blemishes. The males around her had finally noticed her sinuous raven locks and the intriguing glow in her red eyes. However, she coolly rejected all their advances. She no longer looked on him the way she had five years previously, but no one else succeeded in capturing her attention. That being said, she wasn't unhappy. She was set in her ways and no one person could change them that easily.

And then one day again, a couple of weeks later, she was coming out of her house, about to leave for a mission. In a rush, she slammed directly into a person going down the street in the opposite direction. She looked up. It was him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?" he said with genuine concern.

She shook her head. In spite of herself, her cheeks flamed.

"That's good," he replied. "You're Yuuhi Kurenai?"

Somehow she found your voice. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Good." His expression was of relief. "I mean, now as Hokage I suddenly have to remember the names of everyone in the village and then some. You have no idea what an undertaking—" He stopped short. "I'm sorry. You don't need to know all my tribulations."

"It's okay," she croaked out. She knew she didn't like him that way anymore, that hopeless twelve-year-old way, but to hear him call her by name after all the time was almost too much. As much as she didn't wish to, she knew she had to end this conversation. "I'm…late for a mission."

"That's right, the one to Rain," he responded. "I'm sorry to delay you."

"It's okay," she mumbled.

He turned to depart. "Good luck, Kurenai," he said.

Before he walked away he smiled at her.

So, did I justify it enough? Hehe. It was sort of...bleh. Oh well. Review, please, I want to know how my...creativity worked out. I doubt they're all going to be this long...well, this isn't THAT long, but, well...you know what I mean?