Though it genuinely horrified her mother, Masako quickly distinguished herself in stealth assassination techniques.
And though she considered herself to generally be a good person, her mischievous streak had grown a mile wide with the opportunities that her growing ninja skills had given her.
This, combined with her ability to hold grudges, often led her to do things that would've made her ashamed, if she cared anything about it.
As it was, this personal moral shortcoming was how she found herself trying to poison Kakashi the Copy Ninja's soup with a powerful laxative, for their argument three months ago; though the exact details were fuzzy, the effect of it was strong enough that she decided that this was a fitting punishment.
Her conscience had argued that it would be disastrous if he had to be called away for a mission and couldn't because he was otherwise preoccupied with the unpleasant effects; she argued back that he was currently on leave because of some mandatory checkup, so it was fine. Well, not fine, but not really unforgivable.
It's not like he's not strong enough to take it, she told herself, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. He'll only suffer just a little bit.
Concealing herself, she waited until the opportune moment to strike, and surreptitiously snuck the innocent-looking liquid into his broth just before the food was taken to his room. And for maximum efficiency, she decided to put it in the rest of his food as well, just in case.
All that was left to do was wait.
Not a minute later, a bewildered civilian nurse stepped out into the apparently empty hallway and announced that Kakashi 'wanted to see her'. The poor woman's face was even more confused when Masako stepped out of nowhere and strode into the room, too annoyed that she had been caught to make a play at innocence.
"I didn't even need the Sharingan to know you were up to something," he scoffed as he made a show of pouring the soup out of the window. "Was this all just because I insulted your taijutsu three months ago?"
I can't believe he remembers that, she thought, before remembering she was angry at him.
"Among other things," she said, glowering at him. What those 'other things' were, she couldn't really say at the moment. But she knew Kakashi wouldn't ask.
"I thought so," he said, adopting that arrogantly lazy lilt in his voice that he knew infuriated her. "I didn't realize it bothered you that much. I'm sorry."
The apology was completely out of left field, and before she could say anything, he added, "That is, for being too blunt. Your taijutsu really wasn't up to par that day."
Masako had to resist the urge to look out of the window - Kakashi, apologizing to her for saying something rude? Maybe the sky was falling. Or maybe Gai had finally landed a punch that messed with his head.
Swiftly weighing her options, Masako realized it was probably best to accept his apology. It at least showed her that he could perhaps be taught how to give criticisms that leaned more towards constructive than insulting.
"Thanks."
As he hmph-ed in acceptance, he went back to his tray.
"Wait!" Masako said, grabbing his wrist. "You need to throw the rest of your food away."
She was perceptive enough to see his eye widen in surprise, even though the rest of his face was covered; she decided to count that as a victory.
"Of course," he said, feigning his continued indifference.
She turned to leave the room, the encounter dissipating her childish annoyance. But just as she was about to close the door, his voice rang out.
"I'll see you in three months." She wasn't sure if the lightness in his voice was real or not, but she returned it gladly.
"See you, Kakashi."
For the next three months, she made sure to work extra hard on her taijutsu.
As always, reviews are welcome!