La, la la-la-la, la la. La, la la-la la, la...
Kakashi slowly opened his eyes to the glare of the bright sun beaming down on him. He shielded the rays with a hand and slowly sat up. He looked from his spot against the rock to see his student by the sakura tree that stood one of many that surrounded them in the secluded meadow. He watched in curiosity as Kira gathered up the small, soft cherry blossoms and threw them in the air, watching them dance in the wind as she hummed the melodious tune to herself.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Kakashi smiled as he called out to her. Kira turned to him and raced towards him, holding something in her hands as the wind glided past her, sending the cherry blossom petals scattering against the shimmering green grass.
"Kakashi sensei, you fell asleep!" she laughed, letting herself drop next to him on the grass.
"Maybe you should sleep, too," Kakashi said with an amused smile, "I've never seen you sleep." Kira frowned slightly and rolled red her eyes.
"Boring, Kakashi," she stated emphatically, before singing while tipping her head from side to side, "Boring, boring, boring." She suddenly smiled and reached into her pocket to pull out a handful of flower petals.
"Look at the sakura blossoms." She held out in her small hands the pink petals.
"The trees here are very beautiful," Kakashi remarked, taking a soft petal and studying it, "Soon they'll be gone. It's almost September."
"Yeah, but then the fall flowers will come," Kira smiled, her tail swishing gently, "See? Something to look forward to with every season." Kira stood up and threw the petals in the air, then carefully moved her hands back and forth; creating a soft whisper of wind that guided the petals in the air. Kakashi watched from his sitting position as she sent the petals raining down on him.
"You love sakura blossoms, don't you, Kira?' Kakashi smiled warmly. Kira turned to him and grinned.
"Yep," she smiled, looking at the dancing pink petals, "They remind me of someone."
"Of who?" Kakashi asked, sitting up more to look at his student. Kira let a petal land on her outstretched hand and smiled.
"A boy," she said.
"A boy?" Kakashi asked, intrigued as he asked in a jeering voice, "Was he your boyfriend?" Kira wrinkled her nose at him.
"No," she frowned begrudgingly, making Kakashi laugh slightly in amusement. Kira softened as she turned back to her cherry blossom petal, saying softly, "He was my best friend."
Kakashi studied the expression on her face curiously.
"Who was this friend of yours?" Kira turned to her teacher and her smile returned.
"He was from Suna," she explained, "My parents took me to meet him about a year ago. I think he was, like, the Kazekage's son, or something." Kakashi raised his eyebrows in curiosity.
"Really?" he asked.
"Or something like that," Kira shrugged, the warm wind tousling her hair around her face, "Anyway, I remember the day I met him. I remember his name." She looked at the soft petal in her small hands and smiled, "Gaara of the sand."
"Now, Kira, when you meet the Kazekage, remember to call him Lord Kazekage," Miu said as she kneeled in front of her kitten, fixing her tousled hair.
"Okay," Kira chirped, prying her eyes away from the sand covered village, "Mommy, there sure is a lot of sand here."
"This is where I used to live, kiddo," a voice said behind her as a hand came down to pat her head, "And soon, you'll be a part of Suna ANBU, living and working here just like me."
"Who said that?" Miu smiled, standing up to take her husband's hand, "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Kaito sighed.
"You don't have to be so nervous," Miu said to her husband as they walked across the sand ridden path towards the tall building ahead of them, "You know the Kazekage every well; It's only been a few years."
"That's not what I'm nervous about," Kaito muttered.
"Mommy, who am I meeting again?" Kira asked, leaning forward as her mother grasped her small hand.
"You are meeting the Kazekage and his son," Miu explained, "We want you to talk to the son and try to be friends with him, okay?"
"Okay!" Kira chirped happily as the large doors were open. They were greeted by a formally dressed guard you led them into the building and down the hallway to a room. While Kira's father received "welcome backs" from surrounding Suna villagers and Miu kept her blue eyes ahead of her, Kira stared up at the ceilings and at the walls. She had never been to Suna before, or been inside such a large building, so during their few minuets walking in Suna, Kira's wide eyes never ceased to be open in curiosity.
"Daddy, there's no sakura trees here," Kira tugged at her father's sleeve.
"That's right," Kaito nodded as they stepped into the building, "No trees like that grow here." Kira frowned, letting out a soft "Aw".
When they entered the room, they were greeted by a tall, older looking man who looked to be a few years older than Kaito and Miu.
"Kaito, good to see you again," the man smiled at Kaito.
"Good to see you too," Kaito nodded, smiling, "It's been a while."
"This must be your wife," the Kazekage smiled, looking at the Neko woman who smiled politely, "It's nice to meet you. Your husband is a valued member of the Suna ANBU."
"Thank you," Miu bowed slightly. Kira watched the greetings and, soon becoming bored, began looking around the room. It was mostly empty, except for a few chairs and windows. She presumed this was an office of some sort. Kira sighed, shuffling her feet and gazing around the room tiredly. Boring, she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, a small, auburn haired boy was standing behind his father. He didn't want to come and meet the new people. He didn't want to see Suna's finest blades man, or the Neko woman he had brought with him, or the Neko women he had brought with him. He just wanted to go to his room and be alone; to think. He clutched the teddy bear in his hand tighter as the adults delved deeper into their conversation, shutting him out.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glimpse of red. Curious by this surprisingly vibrant color, he poked his head out from behind his father to see a young girl his age standing there. He widened his eyes in curiosity. She had the cat ears he had heard so much about, and a small tail tat swished behind her. He studied her curiously. But it wasn't her big tan ears or tail that made him stare; it the color of her glistening red eyes. He had never seen a color like them before.
Kira felt a pair of eyes on her. Although she was used to eyes being on her all the time, she turned to see who was looking at her. She saw, hiding behind the Kazekage, a small red haired boy poking his head out to look at her with his dark outlined eyes. When she saw the red haired boy staring back at her, her heart jumped and she quickly scooted behind her father's back, clutching his pant leg. When she poked her head out from behind him, she saw the strange boy still staring at her with his outline eyes, now coming out from behind his father's back to look at her. Kira shyly covered her mouth with a hand and hid behind her father again.
"Well, it seems Gaara has already taken a liking to your daughter," the Kazekage laughed, looking down at his son. Kaito and Miu laughed together, looking down at their daughter.
"Kira-chan," Miu smiled, taking her daughter's hand and leading her out behind Kaito, "This is Gaara." Kira was put face to face with the strange auburn haired boy. Gaara gulped when her eyes met his, and he suddenly became very shy.
"Gaara-kun, this is Kira," the Kazekage said, putting a hand on his son's head, "Why don't you go play with her for a while?" Gaara turned to his father worriedly, but the adults had already proceeded out of the room together, leaving the two children alone in the empty room.
Gaara turned to the cat girl. Now that she wasn't hiding, he could see her red eyes even more. Gaara realized he was still holding onto his teddy bear, and, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed, set it on the ground. Kira didn't move. She stood there, nibbling on her fingertip as she studied the boy in front of him. Gaara stared at her. They had never seen another one like each other before.
"…H-hi," Gaara blurted out suddenly, his voice shaky and uneven, "I-I'm Gaara…nice to meet you." Gaara surprised himself; he never talked to other children before, let alone so nicely. What possessed him to act so kind towards her? Kira said nothing; she only stared back at him with wide eyes. Gaara flinched; was it something he said? Had he scared her, like all the rest? He felt his face flush as he uncomfortably forced his eyes downward, scolding himself for whatever he did to scare her.
Suddenly, Kira leaned forward, sticking her face into Gaara's face, her eyes narrowed. Gaara gulped and pulled back slightly as her red eyes bore into his teal ones. Had he made her angry? What did he do now?
She really doesn't have to stand this close, Gaara thought to himself nervously.
"…You got…something on your eyes," the girl mumbled, narrowing her eyes.
Gaara blinked. "…W-what?" he stammered. Without warning, Kira grabbed Gaara's face with one hand, and with her other, ran her tongue over it and began to rub Gaara's eye lids furiously. Surprised and frightened from not ever having someone touch him like this, Gaara pulled away with a yelp, rubbing his eyes.
"W-what are you doing?" Gaara asked shakily, rubbing his eyes. The cat girl stared back at him innocently.
"I thought you had something on your eyes," she explained, peering at the boy's dark outlined eyes. It was Gaara's turn to narrow his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" he asked seriously, mildly up fronted. Kira cocked her head at him, her eyes never leaving Gaara's. Gaara began to get extremely uncomfortable, wondering if her eyes would ever leave him, until he saw the girl wrinkle her nose, letting out a laugh
"You're funny, Gaara-kun," she laughed. Gaara, taken aback, opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come. He felt his face grow hot again as the girl giggled at him; no one had ever given him a compliment before.
"…Uh—do you want to go outside, Koneko-san?" Gaara asked quietly, feeling slightly up lifted and more confident now.
"Okay," Kira chirped brightly, following Gaara out the door, "And Gaara-kun, please call me Kira." Gaara looked at her hesitatingly before nodding shyly.
"Okay, Kira-chan."
"Gaara-kun, you're so good with sand," Kira observed, watching as the sand in the air mimicked Gaara's hand movement. Gaara let the sand fall, the wind gliding past him, sending the sand grains skidding across the barren ground. Gaara was silent, watching the sand drift across the ground. He had been showing his sand techniques to Kira, who watched them with amazement. Kira noticed Gaara's silence, and looked at him from her sitting position on the rock, cocking her head.
"People don't like it when I use the sand," Gaara said quietly, his back towards Kira, "If I'm not careful…I can make mistakes…bad mistakes." Kira listened intently, frowning when Gaara turned to her, saying quietly, "Kira-chan…I…think I'm a monster."
Kira blinked at Gaara, twitching one of her big tan ears. Gaara expected Kira to recoil, or make an attempt to leave, but suddenly, she stood up and strode right over to Gaara, putting her face in his again. She grinned.
"You're not a monster, silly," she laughed, "You're just Gaara."
Gaara blinked. His heart almost skipped a beat.
"Y-You mean…you don't think I'm a monster?" he asked somewhat nervously.
"No, of course not," Kira shook her head, "If you're a monster for being good with sand, then I'm a monster too." Gaara looked at her oddly, cocking his head slightly.
"What do you mean, Kira-chan?" he asked. Kira turned away a bit, turning back to smile at him.
"Look," she said, putting her hand into her shirt pocket. To Gaara's surprise, she pulled out a handful of pink petals.
"What are those?" Gaara asked in wonder, crouching down to look at the flower petals in Kira's hand.
"Sakura petals," Kira scoffed, amazed at Gaara's question, "Don't tell me you've never seen a sakura tree before."
"No, never," Gaara said, his voice hushed and amazed as Kira's was when he showed her his sand techniques.
"You've never seen a sakura tree?" Kira asked in amazement, "You should, they're very beautiful. They grow everywhere where I live." Kira took the sakura petals in her hand and tossed them into the air, and, with one movement of her hand, sent the petals soaring into the air with a gust of wind. Gaara watched as the petals drifted in the air, his dark outlined eyes now wide. The wind swooped in the air, sending the petals spiraling around Kira. She squealed and laughed as the petals danced around her in the dry air, the wind tousling her hair, the soft pink petals mixing with the grains of sand. She spun around so that the wind around her mimicked her movement, sending the pink petals in the flurry.
"Beautiful…"
Kira didn't notice that Gaara had gone completely still as he watched the scene before him. She turned to him, the wind receding around her.
"What is?" Kira asked, the petals falling to the ground as the wind fell into a soft whisper. Gaara was silent for a while, looking at the petals on the ground that scraped on the dry, sand ridden ground.
"…The sakura petals," Gaara said softly, picking up a petal and looking at it, "I've never seen a flower before. They're…beautiful." Kira smiled, walking over to Gaara.
"Yes, they are," she smiled warmly. She watched Gaara for a bit as he looked at the petal, before realizing that Kira was staring at him. He looked up to see Kira's eyes once more boring into his, but this time, their expression was different.
"Gaara-kun," Kira said softly, her voice different, "You…like me, don't you?" Gaara blinked, slightly surprised.
"Of course. I like Kira-chan very much," Gaara said seriously, looking downward. A soft blush was on his face as he smiled the words, "You're…my first, and only, best friend."
Kira widened her eyes, nibbling on her finger nervously, feeling a blush begin to glow on her own face. No one had ever said that to her before.
She took her hand away from her face, a smile tugging at her mouth. She looked up at Gaara, her eyes glazed over slightly, and she smiled.
"I like you too, Gaara-kun!" she suddenly yelled, throwing her arms around Gaara and wrapping him into a hug, "I'm so happy I have a best friend!"
Petrified, Gaara gasped and tipped back. Suddenly, he let himself fall onto the sand covered ground with a yell and a loud scream from Kira. When he opened his eyes painfully, he saw Kira hovering over him, her wide eyes somewhat frightened. He was about to apologize for making her fall, until she burst out laughing in his face. Surprised, Gaara could only listen to her laugh, but soon, he found himself laughing with her. Together, they lay on the ground next to each other, laughing until they had tears in their eyes.
"Gaara-kun, will I ever see you again?" Kira asked, standing at the doorway to the Kazekage's office. The sun had reached the end of the horizon, and the sky had melted into the colors of gold and red. The two had been playing outside for hours, unaware of the time.
"I'm not sure," Gaara muttered, shifting his feet on the ground, "I don't want you to leave, Kira-chan. I want to keep playing. I had so much fun today; I want you to stay."
"I want to stay too," Kira said sadly, her ears slightly limp, "I'll miss you, Gaara." Gaara felt as though someone was squeezing his heart with a tight fist. He winced, holding onto his chest.
"What's wrong, Gaara-kun?" Kira asked worriedly, looking at her friend.
"…It hurts," Gaara said softly, looking at his chest, "Right here…It's never done that before…" Kira cocked her head at her friend.
"…Here," Kira said, putting her hand into her pocket. Gaara watched as she pulled out one of the sakura petals. She took Gaara's hand and placed it in the palm of his hand, closing his fingers around it.
"Keep this, Gaara-kun," Kira smiled at the boy, "To remember me by." Gaara looked down at the pink petal with wide eyes. He turned his eyes up to the cat girl and smiled broadly.
"Thank you, Kira-chan," he said softly. He looked up to see that his new friend had tears welling up in her big eyes.
"G-Gaara," she sniffed, wiping her eyes, "I don't want you to go. I've n-never had a friend before." Gaara watched his new friend start to cry, and his expression changed.
"Stop crying," he suddenly said. Kira looked at him with wide eyes, her ears going back. Gaara was staring at the ground, his eyes narrowed. They were silent for a while.
"I should give something to you too." Gaara suddenly said seriously, looking around the empty room, scanning for anything. Suddenly, his eyes rested on the teddy bear he had cast aside a while ago. He quickly ran over, grabbed it, and ran back, eagerly handing it over to Kira.
"You take this to remember me by," his smile return, holding out the soft bear. Kira looked at it, shaking her head.
"Gaara-kun, that's yours," she frowned, looking at the boy, "You keep it." Gaara shook his head.
"I want you to have it," he smiled. Kira looked at the bear, then Gaara, before smiling and taking it, holding it to her chest.
"Thank you," Kira smiled, "I'll never forget you, Gaara-kun." She suddenly leaned forward and gave Gaara a soft kiss on the cheek. Gaara's eyes went wide, and a soft blush stained his cheeks. Kira giggled.
"Hey, Gaara, maybe one day we'll get married," she grinned. Gaara's eyes went even wider and the blush increased.
"W-what?" he stuttered helplessly. Kira suddenly wrinkled her nose and smile with her small fangs.
"Hee, just kidding," she grinned. Gaara looked at her helplessly and couldn't help but smile back.
"I'll never forget you either, Kira-chan," Gaara said softly as she and her parents made their way down the dusty path way. As both children watch their friend drift away from them, both of them heard their parents say to them, "Don't worry; you'll see each other again some day."
"…And that day still hasn't come yet," Kira mumbled, letting the petal fly away from her hands. She watched it with blank eyes as it drifted away from here, flying off to an unknown place. Kakashi was intrigued by the story, but was also wondering why Kira had this unusually solemn expression on her face.
"You're very good at guiding wind with your hands," Kakashi attempted to break the silence by smiling, picking the petals off of his shirt. Kira turned to her sensei, and a smile emerged on her face, bringing a soft laugh. A thought suddenly entered Kakashi's mind. It made his relaxation come to a halt as he sat up more, taking the book that rested on his lap and brushing the pink petals off of its pages before closing it. He had remembered what Hisakata had said, and it made his peaceful afternoon come to an end. The Chunin exams would be in only two months. Would it be enough time?
"Kira?" he suddenly asked.
"Uh-huh?" Kira asked, flopping down on the ground next to him and lying on her stomach, her head resting in her hands as she looked up at him. Kakashi took a breath before saying, "The Wind leader wants me to select you for the Chunin exams," Kakashi said down to her, "You know what they are, right?" Kira bolted up right.
"Yeah! Sure I do!" Kira nodded her head vigorously, "Yeah, yeah! The Chunin exams where everybody does four tasks and fight each other so that they become Chunin! Am I gonna go? Am I gonna be a Chunin?" Kakashi watched as Kira stared back at him with bright eyes, her mouth open into a gaping grin with her small white fangs showing, her tail wagging and her ears pointed. Kakashi nodded.
"I'm going to select you to compete for the Chunin exams in two months," Kakashi nodded happily, "What do you think of that?"
Kira suddenly jumped off and took off towards the meadow, running at a speed in which only a blur could be seen of her as she cheered the words, "Yeah! Yay! Yeah! Chunin! I'm gonna be a Chunin! Chunin, Chunin, Chunin! Yay!"
Kakashi watched as his student kept running in circles, laughing and cheering. The same aching feeling he had before came back and gripped him tightly. He rested himself back against the cool rock and sighed. He decided to drink in the rest of the afternoon. He'd like to keep this memory and look back on it one day.
She was growing up all too fast for him.