Kash watched the woman of his heart at the bar. Mick was in danger, that was a fact, the group who had taken her wasnt through with her yet. As his eyes stayed locked on her lithe frame he couldnt help rembering the times when it wasnt so life or death. A time when they were so innocent of the horrid ways life stripped you bare and left you out to dry.
He could still remember the first day he met Mick, that faithful day, the day that seemingly changed his life. He hadnt known it then, but he soon figured it out, that Mick would be the light in a sea of darkness for him.
•Flashback•
Kash stood with an annoyed glare at Obito, his annoying next door neighbor, the dark haired boy was trying to impress Rin. She lived down the street.
And with Kash and Obito being the only other kids in the neighborhood she was more or less forced to play with them. Well that wasnt entirely true. Guy and his equally loud father also lived on the same street but Kash had made a point to only have to deal with one idiot. Obito was that idiot.
Kash scoffed at the two before noticing a moving van pulling up the the house beside his own. The thought of other neighbors than the moronic goggle-wearing irritation on the other side of his house made him brighten slightly.
Rin let out a squeak of joy, making Kash and Obito follow her gaze, a shaggy redheaded boy had hopped out of moving van. Kash tilted his head as he took in the other boys appearance. Noting he was lanky and had some of the redest hair he had ever seen before.
The redheaded boy looked around before he noticed the three kids watching him. Kash had expected the boy to become bashful at the watchful eyes of them, he would have been, but the boy just smiled widely and placed his hands behind his head.
Rin was the one to make the first move, she waved and called out with a friendly smile.
"Hello!" The redheaded boy ran over. Kash took in his apparel, camo cargo shorts and black tshirt with black converse hightops. He stopped and flashed them another smile before sticking his hand out to Rin. The girl blushed slightly, Obito frowned at the sight, but she shook hands while averting her face as the blush deepened.
"Im Mick." Mick jabbed his thumb to his chest as he said it, stilling smiling, he turned to glance at the other kids with bright excited pale blue eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Mick-kun. Im Rin" The brunette then motioned to the black haired boy who was glaring daggers at his new 'love' rival.
"Thats Obito." Mick gave Obito a half smirk with a brow raise, the redhead scoffed lightly at the glaring boy. Kash smirked as well. This guy was interesting. When Rin went to introduce him he stepped up to the boy, finding himself the same height as the gangly kid.
"Im Kash." Kash stuck out his hand, Mick smiled and accepted it, he shook it strongly earning him a grin from Kash.
"Well now my little crow chaser, is this our new neighbor?" Kash glanced back at his father as he dropped his hand. Sakumo stood at the mailbox, still in his BTUs from work, Kash nodded to his father who wandered over to meet Mick with a polite smile.
"Im Mick, nice to meet you, Sir." Mick quickly saluted Sakumo, the 3 kids watched wide-eyed. Sakumo quickly saluted Mick, forcing down a chuckle, only when he dropped his salute did Mick drop his.
"No need for formalities, Mick, call me Sakumo." Kash frowned as he watched Mick beam up at his father. This kids werid.
A deep voice from the moving van made everyone look, a man with the same red hair as Mick walked up to them, Kash's eyes widened in amazement.
This was Captain Manuka, one of the military's most well known officers, Kash glanced back at Mick as the boy smiled up at his father.
"Captain." Sakumo quickly saluted the higher ranking officer, the Captain saluted him in return very sheepishly.
"Please, call me Lincoln." Sakumo smiled and nodded,
"Im Sakumo Hatake, this is my son Kash Hatake." Kash felt his hair being ruffled fondly by his father, blushing slightly in embarrassment, secretly he enjoyed the attention from his kind-hearted father.
"This is my daughter Mick." Kash turned to stare wide eyed at the little redhead. Obito called out before Kash could, thankfully,
"What? I thought you were a boy!"
The Captain blinked at Obito with raised eyebrows before letting out a chuckle as Mick glared at the dark haired boy.
"I may not be a boy but i could still kick your butt, shrimp!"
Obito and Mick stood nose to nose, Kash glanced at the Captain, was he worried for his daughter?
On the contrary he seemed worried for Obito. Stepping over to try and grab Mick before she could clobber the loud mouthed boy. Mick frowned up at her father, he gave her a stern gaze which made her avert her eyes to the ground, still bright with anger.
"Im sorry, Sukumo, Mick has a temper." The Capitan looked embarrassed but the pride in his voice for his offspring was evident in his green eyes.
"You gonna say something about my gender too?" Kash turned to Mick, she was flushed as red as her hair, he blinked at her before quirking an eyebrow at her.
"Why would i?"
He felt his father's hand on his shoulder, but remained focused on Mick, he didnt want to get sucker punched.
Mick stared at him for a second before smiling brightly at him, Kash felt his chest tighten, he clutched at his shirt hem as a blush roasted his face. Her smile was making his mind melt, what was this feeling?
The men chuckled and shared knowing glances with eachother. Mick reached over and grabbed Kash's hand, her smile never faltering, he let out a small protest at the contact. She ignored it as she took Rins hand in her other one before pulling them, well pulling him while Rin walked beside her, he glanced back at his father for help. Sakumo grinned at his son with a wave.
"Have fun, little scarecrow!"
Over the weeks the four grew to be good friends. Rin was happy to have another girl around, even if Mick was more tomboyish, while Obito still gave Mick a hard time for occupying most of Rins attention. Kash found himself enjoying Mick's company. She was intelligent and thought before she spoke, something he wasnt used to because of Obito and Guy, they became fast friends.
Mick on more than one occasion had shown Kash her softer side, something that no one else in their little group had seen, the more they spent time together the more Kash grew to see her as a girl. He admitted that in the beginning he was unsure how to speak to her, she had a firey temper with a strength to match it, which vexed him greatly. Eventually he learned what triggered her, finding enjoyment in figuring her out, she was a puzzle to him that was begging to be solved.
Mick didnt like to be treated with kids gloves, adamantly refused to be stereotyped, and was genuinely a good person. The redhead hated being picked on for her haircolor and lack of femininity. Shed made that clear when Obito had made fun of how she dressed, saying she was gross and should act more girly. It ended badly for Obito, she'd socked him square in the nose, making the boy cry and run home.
Mick didnt like being center of attention and would rather tail at the back of the group with him than stand at the front. During those times he and her would talk about random things. Mick once had brought up her mother, though she quickly changed the subject before he could say anything, making him extremely curious about what happened to the woman.
Curiosity got the better of him one day.
"Mick?"
She turned to him as Obito and Rin ran down the street towards Guys house.
"Yeah?"
Kash stopped walking to face her, he knew this subject wasnt a good topic, but he had to know. Even his father wouldnt tell him.
"What happened to your mother?"
Mick stared at him in stunned silence before looking back were their friends stood talking to Guys father.
"I wont tell anyone." Mick looked at him from the corner of her eye as he drew an x over his heart with his finger. She had a torn look in her eyes, he could see this wasnt something she liked talking about, or maybe she wasnt suppose to speak of it.
Mick turned to face him, her arms crossed and feet set apart, her body language screamed how uncomfortable she was. Just when he was going to tell her to forget about it did she speak. Her voice quiet and soft, something he wasnt used to, she looked on the verge of tears. Without realising what he was doing Kash placed his hand reassuringly on her forearm. Her eyes met his, she smiled half heartedly at him, seeing her look so upset made his chest tighten.
"I dont like talkin about her." Her tone was soft with a twinge of remorse. Kash nodded to her that he understood. She looked up at the sky, watching clouds pass overhead, Kash glanced up as well. After a minute or two of cloud gazing she finally spoke.
"My mom left two years ago." Kash turned his gaze on her, hers never faltering from the sky, probably thinking that if she looked at him shed cry.
"Her and Dad got into fights alot; i dont really know what about though." Kash blinked and nodded again, when he opened his eyes he found himself in her gaze, her eyebrows were furrowed with a small frown on her pink lips.
"One day dad was at work and i stayed home from school. I walked down stairs and i couldn't find her anywhere." Kash felt a lump growing in his throat, he knew where this was going, she continued.
"I did find her note though." Mick turned to stare at her house, her eyes hardening. Her little hands curled into fists as she clenched her jaw to fight back the tears welling up heavily in her eyes.
"She said she was leaving because Dad didnt make her happy anymore. Said that she was tired of the fighting and that she was gonna make a new life for herself."
Kash couldn't stop the words from tummbling from his mouth.
"She left you?" Mick dropped her pale blue orbs to her sneakers, they blazed down at the scuffed black shoes, the anger there made Kash wish he could take back the words. Those tears she had tried so hard to battle back spilled over and ran down her nose onto the asphalt below. She wiped them away with her sleeves, sniffling loudly, he had no idea what to do in that moment. Girls were forren territory but a crying girl was so past forren that he could feel the panic welling up in his chest.
"Yup, she left us. Never called or wrote to me. She just left."
They stood in silence for awhile before Kash stepped over and put his hand on her shoulder. Mick faced him with big tears still in her orbs, he hated to admit it, but in that moment he realised that feeling in his chest.
Her big blue eyes, all red and puffy, were beautiful to him. Her little bright red nose, which was sniffling back the snot that hadnt made its appearance yet, was adorable. Her pink full mouth, frowned and glistening with tears, made his go dry.
Kash was in love with Mick.
Which scared him shitless. That and made him question his taste in women, but looking at this ruffled, upset and yet pretty girl he felt warm.
Kash saw their friends coming back, Obito in the lead, Mick grew wide-eyed and turned those eyes on him in pure panic. Just when Obito was about to get to them Kash instinctively reached out and pulled Mick into a hug. Her back to Obito, all their friends stopped and stared at him, making the already blushing boy steam up until he couldve sworn he felt it come out his ears.
Mick was ridged in his embrace, not that he exactly was loosey goosey either, they stood there stiffly hugging the other until Obito finally came to his senses.
"What are you guys doing!? Kash, dude, thats gross!"
Kash felt Mick's grip tighten on his shirt across his back, feeling it brought up a heat wave from his core, he glared at Obito with enough entincity that the boy looked frightened.
"Shut up, cry-baby."
Obito grit his teeth before pointing a finger at him and Mick.
"You two-"
Kash went wide-eyed as Mick unhooked from him to try and round house Obito in the face, she stopped an inch from his left ear, her blazing gaze locked on the stunned boy's.
"Shut. Up."
Mick dropped her leg then turned back to Kash, she smiled softly to him with a light blush, he returned it with a closed eyed smile while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Thanks."
Mick bowed to him before running towards her house and through the front door. Kash's eyes followed her the whole way, his friends behind him watching him, when he turned to face them he was met with different emotions on his pals faces.
"Well, i should-ugh-" he glanced around before scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
"I think i hear my dad calling me!"
Kash made a mad dash for his house, leaping the front yard fence with ease, he ran inside slamming the door.
Glances were passed between Guy, Rin and Obito. Guy looked shocked yet was blushing while grinning widely like an idiot. Rin meanwhile looked stunned beyond words. Only Obito was visibly upset, tears pricking his eyes in embarrassment, he was angry.
Thoughts were slamming around in the kids heads, but the main one was:
What the hell?!
