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Chapter 16 - In the Eye of the Beholder

Warm sunlight streamed through the trees as Amaya left Konoha, entering the surrounding forests at a run. Her heart beat in her ears, her muscles loosening with the exercise. Despite her revelation of the previous day, her nerves were still on edge. The mile-and-a-half trek from the village gave her time to try and calm herself.

The "usual place" was a small grove surrounded by thick, thorny plants with a shallow pond near the center. It was her quiet place, where she could relax, but more importantly, it was her safe place. With the thorn bushes that kept most people away and perimeter alarms, Amaya was rarely disturbed. Only those that she trusted knew about her hideaway.

Reaching her destination, she stopped outside the hidden entrance, listening. The forest was alive with the sounds of animals and wind through leaves, but she didn't hear anyone nearby. Sure that no one was watching, the Jonin took a deep breath and laid her hand on an intricately knotted vine, releasing a stream of chakra. The chakra holding the entwined vines and branches together lessened. The plants fell apart and she slipped through the opening.

Cooler air greeted her when she entered the grove. She renewed the chakra lock, watching the vines knit back together. Taking another deep breath, Amaya turned to find Genma grinning at her.

"You showed up."

Amaya gave him a tentative smile. "I told you I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but I thought that maybe a black cat might have crossed your path and you decided you could risk the bad luck."

"I'm not going to dignify that foolishness with a response."

Still smiling, Genma took her hand, leading her to a sunlight spot beside the water. The auburn-haired Jonin let herself be led and sat beside her friend. She shifted as Genma searched her eyes, but she didn't break his gaze. Finally, his eyes left her, instead staring at the water. "I shouldn't have asked you to come."

"I wanted to meet you today. I'm here. And I'm willing to hear you out." Amaya slipped her hand into Genma's and squeezed, an encouraging smile on her face.

"Not yet," Genma said, squeezing her hand back. "Let's just talk for awhile."


Raido knocked on the door to Kakashi's apartment, concern for his friend wrinkling his brow. They were supposed to meet early in the morning to get in some training together, but the Tokujo waited patiently as the hours ticked by. Eventually, though, his patience wore thin. Even Kakashi wasn't this late. The late afternoon glared down, clogging the air with heat, not unbearable but unpleasant.

The Special Jonin shifted his weight and knocked again. The door opened a few seconds later. Kakashi leaned heavily on the doorframe. Rai blinked to clear his vision; he still wasn't used to the sight of his friend's neon green hair. He wondered when Amaya would forgive Kakashi.

"What do you want?" the green-haired Jonin slurred.

"I came to check on you," Raido said slowly. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Obviously not enough." The Copy-nin started to shut the door, but the Tokujo slipped inside. Kakashi didn't care and stumbled back to his room. Rai followed, worry creasing his face. As his friend collapsed into bed, he noticed seven empty bottles scattered across the floor. Kakashi reached for the eighth on the bookshelf behind his bed, but the scarred Jonin plucked the bottle away.

"Hey, gimme that back!"

"No, Kakashi, I think you've had more than enough." The Copy-nin snatched at the sake bottle. Rai kept it out of his reach, landing a solid blow to the back of Kakashi's neck, and caught the unconscious shinobi before he hit the floor. Putting his friend back on the bed, he pulled up a chair to wait.


"Come on, Genma. We've been "just talking" for hours. The waiting's driving me crazy," Amaya said. She lay beside him, propped up on an elbow, while he was stretched out on his back, hands behind his head. Warm afternoon sun was slowly lulling her to sleep as she stared down at him.

A smile crossed his face. "Maybe that's my plan. Maybe I want you to not be able to think, to only be able to respond."

"Yeah, well, I don't like people screwing with my head, so how about telling me why we're here." She'd never admit that she really couldn't think with him so close, not after their drunken incident. He was...disarming, made her feel like she didn't have to think too hard. Things seemed much simpler around him.

The Tokujo didn't answer. He took his senbon out of his mouth, twirling the weapon between long fingers. She watched the flashing metal until she felt his eyes on her. She met his gaze, her heart beating so wildly in her chest she was sure he could hear it. He dropped the senbon onto his chest and trailed his fingers down her cheek. "Will you go out with me?"

So focused on the lingering sensation of his touch, Amaya almost didn't hear his question. She hastily gathered her scattered thoughts, desperate to remember the one word she needed. The voice that spoke didn't sound like her. It was too breathless, too full of longing, too loud in her ears. "Yes."

A smile lit up his face, a mix of relief and joy in his eyes. She saw his lips move but couldn't hear his words. How could she hear over the drums in her ears? A frown pulled the corners of his mouth down and furrowed his brow. Oh, gods, had she already done something wrong? Sound rushed back in time for him to ask if she'd heard him. "Sorry, I was too happy. What did you say?"


Groaning at the pounding in his head, Kakashi cracked open one eye to read the clock: 1 A.M.

"Finally awake, huh," said a voice to his left. The Copy-nin turned his gaze to Raido, who reclined in a chair beside his bed.

The green-haired Jonin struggled into a sitting position. "You knocked me out."

"Why were you drinking?" When the other Jonin didn't answer, Raido continued. "The last time you drank this much, Amaya left the village. She hasn't decided to leave again, has she?"

"No."

"Then what the hell is this about? Wait, is this about her and Genma?"

Kakashi couldn't keep a slight hint of resentment out of his voice. "What's the point of her being back if—"

"If?" the scarred shinobi interrupted, bristling. "If what? If she doesn't fall back into your arms? If you aren't the most important person in her life? If that's how you feel, you have no right to call yourself her friend. Much less anything else."

"I just...want things to go back to the way they were."

"So you want to be her only anchor, to have her keep the people who care about her at arm's length?"

"I care about her too, you know. More than anyone. I want her to be happy."

Raido stood, staring down at his drunk friend who might or might not remember this conversation later. He sent a silent prayer to the gods that he would. "You want her to be happy on your terms. Prove that you care by letting her find her own happiness."

Kakashi made no reply, sick to his stomach with the truth of Rai's words.

The scarred ninja shook his head and left his friend to stew, taking the bottle of sake with him. He didn't understand. Was it really so important to Kakashi that she didn't date Genma that he'd be willing to lose her friendship by trying to force her to reject Genma? Raido shook his head again. That was a question only Kakashi could answer. He just hoped Kakashi answered the question correctly.


Their first real date would be when Genma returned from a mission on Wednesday.

Two days. She bit her lip as she lay awake in bed, unable to sleep. Two days to either avoid Kakashi or tell him. Another note waited for her when she'd returned, saying, by the insistence of the Elder Council, she'd have to report to the 3rd training ground tomorrow for the last part of her reintegration into the Konoha ranks. Of course.

Her thoughts drifted back to Kakashi as they had been since she first tried to sleep. She wished she was confident that he'd say he was happy for her and would let things be after that. But she knew him too well, knew that control, even just the illusion of control, was desperately important to him.

She also knew he wouldn't want her to tell him. He'd want to deny it as long as possible. So by not telling him, she was giving him the control he craved.

"Dammit." She had no choice but to tell him. And if she was going to do that, she guessed she should let his hair return to normal. No need to add insult to injury. Glancing at the clock, Amaya decided he could have his way until tomorrow.