DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own. I will end up using it, I promise!


Thinking

Emphasis

Biju, etc. speaking

Biju, etc. thinking


Last chapter:

"...let's ditch this place and get some real food," Kakashi agreed. Sakura sent him a look of betrayal as he grabbed the blonde's hand and whisked her away from the med-nin, quickly casting a genjutsu on Not-Naruto to hide her more distinguishing features before finally leaving the dreaded hospital room.


Outside of the hospital, the young woman stopped the copy-nin and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. Kakashi watched her, wondering what she was thinking. "Oh! So much better," she sighed happily. Getting his wits about him again - because he had been taken aback by her beauty at that moment - he asked what she meant by that statement. "It's just that, it was driving me crazy in there a little, you know? Being cooped up, and well - it might sound silly, but the smells? I don't know. It's just so much better out here." She let her hair hang over her face as she looked at the ground as he realized she was blushing.

"Are you kidding me? I can't stand the hospital!"

"But you were in there for so long. Why woul…"

"Silly girl," Kakashi responded, "I was there for you. I wasn't leaving without you." Not-Naruto's eyes grew wide and Kakashi drew her close to him, putting his arm around her, and began walking her towards the barbecue restaurant he had been missing. He smiled at her when she continued to look up at him, even when she smacked his hand away from her a couple of times. He just put his hand back around her shoulder. He was very happy.

"Oi! Move it or lose it, pervert!" Not-Naruto finally snarled at him quietly.

"Hmmm?" Kakashi asked innocently. What had his hand been doing? It seems it had been wandering towards her breast. What a good hand. Oops. Except it didn't finish its job. What? Seriously! What the fuck is wrong with me? She's back from the dead and I'm trying to fondle her in the middle of the street! Me, the fricking Hokage?! He patted her shoulder a few times awkwardly, which she definitely noticed and he moved his hand down her back, forcing himself to stop right above her ass. Yes, he definitely was losing his sanity.

"Ano, Kakashi-Sama?" Not-Naruto asked hesitantly.

Kakashi stopped in his tracks and turned to her, looking somewhat irritated. "We've talked about this." The young woman hung her head shyly. He put his gloved hand under her chin and moved her head up so that she was looking him in the eye. "What did I say about that?" he asked gently. "Remember, I don't want you to ever call me my name with honorifics, all right? Just 'Kakashi,' remember?" The young woman's blush returned as her eyes darted away, but Kakashi moved to meet her gaze, his hand still on her face. She nodded cutely and he grinned at her. "Yosh! So let's try it!" She was puzzled by his request and he rolled his eyes - well, she could only see one eye. "My name?"

"Kakashi-Sa…"

"Nooo," he responded, playing with the ends of her hair and lifting his eyebrow at her challengingly.

"I was going to say Kakashi-san," she replied, obviously lying.

"Nope, don't like that either," he said. She huffed.

"Not fair," the blonde fully pouted, making him chuckle.

"Well, you'll just need to practice. Oh, we're here! I have something important to ask you, too. Let's have a seat." Kakashi pulled her into the booth beside him, facing away from other customers. Normally he would not sit turned away from anyone, but he knew his ANBU were stationed both inside and outside the restaurant and would have his back, plus he had cast a more powerful genjutsu on his dining partner. Sure, there were some who could dispel it, but not only would he know immediately if they tried, but so would at least half the members of the squad that were accompanying him because of the amount of chakra it would take, and that would end that person's inquisitive nature before they even had a clue as to whom he was sitting with.

As Not-Naruto's eyes roamed over the menu, Kakashi couldn't stand it anymore and had to know what she thought of the book that he had given her a week ago. "So, have you thought about any of the names we talked about, or the ones from the book?" Even calling her Not-Naruto in his mind was giving him a headache, as was debating it with Sakura. Plus he had lost count of how many times the two of them plus nurses had said "Oi!" to her. It was as embarrassing as it was awful.

More blushing. "Well, I got a little stuck," she answered. So many dumb blonde jokes came to his mind that it was hard to remember which punch lines went with which first lines. "It's just that you seem to know me, so I thought that you would, you know… know my name?"

Huh. That was actually an excellent point, and too true.

"Am I wrong about this? Do you actually not know me, Kakashi-Sam…" She found his fingers pressed against her lips. "Kakashi?"

"Better," he nodded, smiling at her encouragingly. He sighed heavily. "Well you see I know what you used to call yourself, but it was something of a boy's name." He paused and gave her a moment to digest that but she just continued looking at him with her big, startlingly blue eyes. "It was Naruto Uzumaki. Does that name ring a bell to you, by any chance?"

The young woman sat back and looked down, her eyebrows wrinkling as she paused and considered it. She looked back at Kakashi and saw that he was hiding something in his eyes and worried. He grinned at her, but it looked strained; she didn't like that. But whatever she was before, she knew that at least now, she wanted to be an honest person. She shook her head because she couldn't remember that name at all.

There was no doubt about it: Kakashi-Sama looked pained. She had just hurt him by saying she didn't know that name. Damn it. He was being so nice to her, too! She didn't know why, and she wanted to ask him, but she was afraid to make him sad again. Even though he was definitely an old pervert, he seemed like a kind person. And he was taking out so much of his own time for her when he obviously was very busy, too. Kakashi finished taking a drink of his tea before looking back at her with that odd, not quite real smile she hadn't seen before today and she spoke without thinking.

"N-Naru."

"What?" Kakashi asked.

"Naru? You could, if you want… you can call me Naru perhaps?"

"Oh. Yes! Yes, I believe that we could. That would be lovely," Kakashi smiled at her genuinely again, a touch of bemusement in his features. "Now what about your last name?"

She paused, frowning. "I really have no clue. I mean, I didn't even look for anything like that in the book you gave me. I'm sorry. Can you think of one that I can take?" the now "Naru" asked.

Kakashi sat staring at her for quite some time, making her anxious. "Yes, I can, in fact: Hatake."

She stared at him. "But that's your last name. You wouldn't mind?"

Kakashi smiled at her and pulled her closer to him, but this time, he was not being a pervert. "No, I definitely want you to have it. Just you."

The blonde sat and thought innocently about it. Naru… "Naru Hatake: it does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Hmm." Kakashi nodded quickly, waiting for her to answer both herself and him, feeling like he was on pins and needles. "I like it a lot, and I think it would work. And you're sure you don't mind? I mean we'd be sharing your name."

Kakashi gave her a brilliant smile, too bad it was hidden behind his mask, but she smiled back at him just as widely. She was so glad that he didn't seem to be hiding anything from her anymore, or so she thought.

Kakashi's heart was pounding so hard he figured Naru could hear it. Oh, Kami, I just basically asked her to marry me and she said yes! Sakura's going to kill me!