It was weeks since she met with Itachi-San and was spooked out of her mind.

Uchiha Obito, or someone looking suspiciously like her old friend had been training him. The teenager revealed he was possessed by an ancient spirit. The rest of her stay near the lovely onsen was hazy. She remembered the trembling that got to her. Obito had been her closest friend with Rin. And at the worst moment, she lost her eye and opened her heart to Obito.

"When we go back to Konoha, I'll make sure you wear that girly kimono and parade you in the entire town!" he had yelled at her.

The memory made her laugh. She had been mortified by his proposition. But he had seemed so earnest… There had always been that odd dynamic in their team. Rin had a crush on her because she thought he was the coolest boy around. Obito had a crush on Rin because she was nice to him when he was an outcast. And Kakashi… Well, Kakashi once held feelings for Minato-Sensei, but he fell in love with Kushina-Nee. In the end, she decided that love was a stupid thing that bothered team dynamics and would rather have it end.

So, she told Rin about her gender. The other girl was confused by Kakashi's attitude and taught her that you could be attracted by someone regardless of their gender. That lead to a whole lot of questionings on Kakashi's part. But since Rin was often the only one to talk to her about it, and Kakashi was very clear on the lack of interest on her part, Rin's crush faded into a nice friendship.

For Obito, she thought he would never let go of the silly crush he had on Rin. But there was a mission where Kakashi had to pose as a princess to show her skills. Since she had been raised as the Hatake heiress as well as a genius ninja, it was quite easy to get in the right mindset. There was another part of this mission, a darker one. The backstory she had been given was that she was engaged to a man and on her way to her wedding. She had no idea this was an actual wedding organized by the Hatake clan. Obito, being the sensitive fool that he was, tried to discuss the issue with her cover, the way he would discuss with any of their clients. Suddenly, there was this connection between them.

Covers always have a bit of yourself inside, simply because the higher ups will not let you go out on a mission with a cover story you couldn't own. Princess Mina did not want to marry the one they chose for her, simply because she could put two and two together and this was a man who was supposed to marry Kakashi. Even underneath pretenses, once consummated, that false marriage would have been unbreakable. Obito had no idea what he did when he opened his heart to his client, the way he softens towards everyone. Maybe it's because this time, Kakashi listened to his babbling. Maybe it's because this time she shared, but there was something.

Of course, the mission did not go as planned, especially with an unpredictable ninja with a hero complex messing everything up. He would never know what happened to the little princess, though, as Kakashi (still in disguise), was discharged to a Konoha team (in disguise as well), when the marriage could not occur.

Neither Rin or Kakashi, or team seven, heard a word about that. Obito seemed to keep his crush on Rin and act like he ever did. Kakashi was left at her own devices, worrying about political marriages and even more worried about relationships within her own team.

But when she had to make a choice: the mission or her team, Kakashi could only think of the stain that never went off the tatami's mats. Her father had been the stone that tipped the scale. If he had obeyed, there would be no war. But when Obito left and called her names, she knew she was wrong. Being an outcast because of a mistake is one thing, but at least her father kept her friends throughout everything. And she had chosen this silly boy to open her heart to.

The moment she saved Obito from the Iwa ninja, Kakashi knew she'd owe him the truth. She had messed with his feelings, as much as she had overpoured hers. Despite trying to control herself, she had been a mess.

The face he made, that very face tore her heart out. There was betrayal in his eyes. She hadn't meant to lie to him. It had been a mission where she had to act undercover. And she… She had told him things about her that made her vulnerable. With a poor choice of words, he could destroy her. But instead of that, he just looked at her with his newfound Sharingans, and asked to see her face. And then he yelled that most ridiculous thing about parading her across town…

Well, in the end, it didn't matter. The only thing left was an eye she didn't own and an aching heart.

About a year later, she killed the last member of her team with her own hands. And the year after, Kyuubi killed both Minato-Sensei and Kushina-Nee…

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A loud banging at her window got her out of her thoughts. It was Tenzo. He had a terrible face on. Again, he always had a terrible face. He could be even scary sometimes.

"SENPAI! Why are you still cramped in your room?!" he yelled at her

Tenzo had been one of the first who knew about her gender. Since he started out as a ROOT member, he didn't have all these silly reactions to females others had. Quite like Gai (but for other reasons), he treated her the same from the moment he assumed she was male and the moment he knew she was a female. This was probably why she liked him as a friend better than guys like Genma who pretty much hit on anything who had a vagina, or Raido who decided to completely change his behavior towards her because she was a woman.

"What is it, Tenzo?" she asked cooly.

"Don't you have a Genin team to pass?"

She looked at the calendar. Oh, yes. It was that time of the year. With all these back to back missions, she had started to forget about it all.

"Maah, don't worry so much. I'll just give them a test tomorrow, and they'll fail it."

"Senpai…" Tenzo sighed.

"Okay, I'll go… But only if you treat me to dinner afterwards."

"Senpai…" he cringed.

"Aaah, there's only so many ways you can make my title sound!" she teased on a carefree tone, as she left to find her flak jacket and her sandals.

Suddenly he was backing her against the wall, way too close for her comfort. Tenzo's arms were on each side of her head. Had he always been so tall?

"You say that, but I put you on edge the moment I get too close, Senpai." His voice had a deep undertone that made her want to grip something in case she fell. "You're always teasing, but I've always wondered what you'd do if I ever teased back."

His face was serious, way too serious. She could feel the shiver in her back. How long didn't she had the occasion to… release the pressure. It was the first time she looked at Tenzo and she saw a man, and not just a comrade she trusted.

"Tenzo, my favorite kohai!" she nervously laughed "I seem to have forgotten that I have cute little students to meet right now!"

"Oh, well, then I'll let you go to these little Genin."

Was he manipulating her? She felt a twinge of anger within her. Grumbling, she pulls her Jounin gear. She usually does not wear it, way more used to the ANBU gear that masks her feminine curves. The standard dark blue pants were hugging her tight. Maybe she should go for more loose clothes? She could feel the eyes of her kohai on her. She had never given much interest on people, preferring erotica and her own fingers to be subjected to a man. She had a casual arrangement with Gai, and she knew she could go to him if needed.

"But Senpai, I'll keep that dinner of ours in mind. Amongst other things." Tenzo said with that deep undertone she felt earlier. Was he suggesting…? Was she sending signs…?

She brushed these thoughts away. She had cute little Genins to see…

She shunshined to the Academy. First thing first, seeing Iruka! He would give her all the information she needed. After landing on the roof, she quickly moved to the teacher's lounge, and perched herself on the Chuunin's desk. It took the man almost a full second to see her, another to gape at her without anything to say.

"Yo!" She said, closing her eyes and raising a hand. She put on a cute expression on her face.

"Do you know how late you are?"

"Nope! I don't!" she singsonged.

Umino Iruka ruffled his hair in annoyance before glaring at her. For a split second, she thought she saw a strange expression on his face, but if was gone too soon for her to ponder on it. He had that strict face that didn't scare her, and his arms closed. There was a hint of smugness on his face.

"This time, you won't be able to fail this team, I tell you."

"We've been doing that for years. Just watch me." She replied smoothly.

"You wanna bet?"

Was he stupid? He was about to lose. But there was something smug on his face she did not like. He was younger than her, and a bit of a troublemaker. But she envied the way he led his life. Both were entrusted with the future of Konoha. She got the missions the politicians threw at her, and he got to teach the children her missions were protecting. She was maintaining the peace and he was building upon it. But in the end, she knew this academy testing was just a masquerade. Never would the higher ups try to tie her down to a bunch of kids, if they could still get more of her. And she would not let them tie her down and make her settle down just yet.

Who would go on for Obito if she wasn't there anymore?

The thought hit her like a fist in the gut, and she recoiled. It must have shown, because gone was the smug expression on Iruka's face.

"You're sure you're alright Kakashi-San?" he asked, and she hated the worry on his voice.

"Let's go see the kids you shoved into my hands this time." She bit back. "I bet they're as lousy as the last bunch."

"You'll see" Iruka said. "But if you loose…"

"Yeah, yeah, the loser gets to do what the winner wants."

Last year she had Iruka go to a Chuunin night-out shirtless. It had been hilarious. She wondered if she could enroll Gai in this year's punishment, it would be quite hilarious. She was thinking about that when she gabbed the sliding door of the classroom. And let the chalk eraser fell on her head.

She looked at the three kids inside the room. Seriously? She ignored the twinge at seeing the orange-clad mini-Minato, focusing on Itachi-San's brother and the girl with pink hair. Orange, pink and blue… They couldn't pick more conspicuous colors? What did they teach kids these days?

"Well…" she drawled "how can I say that… My first impression of you is… I don't like you."

Then we were back on the roof getting this presentation done. Usually I did not care the least, but I had to admit Iruka might be right. This team… I got had this year! There was no way I could fail them with my usual dumb tricks.

"We're going to start with presentations. Tell me what you like, what you dislike, your dreams for the future, your hobbies…" she thought it was what she should ask.

"Neee Sensei, you could start by yourself?" Naruto asked.

She remembered guarding this little rascal when he was a baby. He truly had grown. When was the last time she saw him?

"Me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. What I like and dislike doesn't concern you. About my dreams… I don't think I have one. As for my hobbies, I have several."

She said nothing about the nagging sensation she had since meeting Uchiha Itachi.

Uzumaki Naruto had no idea of his parentage. All his life was about Ramen and being Hokage. That… was not surprising given his parents but made Kakashi wonder about hereditary traits. Haruno Sakura was a problem: she was nothing more than a fangirl and motivating her might be hard. As for Sasuke… He was only motivated by getting his revenge on his older brother.

Well, time to see if they had brains and muscles and what could be done from there.

And the face they made when she told them they still had an exam to pass in order to become Genin… This was hilarious! Well at least, they didn't know they were one of the team bound to pass the test. She could still have some fun for the time being.

After giving the kids a meeting 5 a.m., she went back to the offices to give Iruka a piece of her mind. She was pleased to see him flinched when she shunshined in front of him. He was not ready for heavy field work that one…

"You knew who was on this team" Kakashi accused.

"And you're the one who placed a bet without knowing." Iruka replied smoothly.

"I can still fail them." She said with assurance.

"You know it's impossible. I made the teams myself. You are perfect for them. If I'm right, Naruto will have either a fondness of seals or a lightning ability, you have the only Sharingan we have left to train an Uchiha, and Sakura has an eidetic memory."

"What do you want" she huffed. "You're going to make me regret all I did to you, aren't you?"

"Well, unlike someone I know, my aim is not to make the other ridiculous in public, but to enjoy myself."

"I enjoyed myself! At your expense. So, what will be your price?"

"Impatient? I won't tell you just yet. You'll have to pass your team first." Iruka's eyes were gleaming Was there something in the air today? She felt quite uneasy. "But, I suppose that if you're gracious enough to admit you are losing this bet…"

Iruka always had warm brown eyes and an honest face. He smelled like paper, ink and crayon like most paper ninja, but there was something more to him, something round and full like chocolate. Just like she had felt the shift in the atmosphere with Tenzo this morning, there was a shift with Iruka. She saw the minute squaring of his shoulders and the edge on his smile. He must have felt that too.

"I'm not going to ask you to do something you wouldn't like Kakashi." He said in a breath.

He was deliberately slow when he put a hand on her neck. She fought the reflex of getting away. This was a point where he could kill her whenever he wanted to, but she chose to trust him. Ever slowly, he curled a thumb around the edges of her mask and tugged it down. Slowly, as if he was approaching a small animal, he traced the skin of her cheek with the pad of his fingers. He was getting closer and closer.

She cleared her voice. He stopped, his eyes in hers, asking for permission.

"What is…" oh Kami her voice sounded so squeaky. "What do you…"

"I'd settle for a kiss, if you're okay with this." He was earnest.

The lips that touched hers were soft and warm. She could not help but move against them to find a better position. His other hand cupped her face as he pressed his lips repeatedly against his. Contact with his mouth fluctuated again, and she sighed. A moment passed and he let her go, with her cheeks flushed.

She put her mask back on and looked away, arms crossed around her middle.

"I… Uh… Maybe I read to much in your reactions…" he babbled.

"No! It's okay Iruka-Kun…" she sighed. "I guess I'm… a mess right now."

"Wanna… uh… talk about it?"

She could not tell him a mass murderer asked her to save her dead friend from being possessed by ghosts! So, she settled for:

"I'm having personal issues, that I can't discuss with you. It's making me emotional."

Maybe that was what Tenzo and Iruka picked upon, her emotional mess. She did not like that idea. It made her vulnerable. What if they hurt her? Not that it was their aim, but… they could?

"I'm here if you need to talk." He said with a smile, and there was something futtering in her chest.

She was gone before he could say anything else.