Author's Note: It has been TOO long since I even thought about this story! I've missed it, it got too much with work, hobbies, family & friends to keep up the writing (that and I used to write it whenever I'm travelling on trains and I'm not living in the same place any more so I just don't find the time). The story does have an ending! The last thing I did was plan the entire fic it just needs a LOT of fleshing out as and when I have time. Sorry I can't promise regular updates, but bear with me, one day it'll be finished!

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this fic and to all the new readers too (there have been too many to list since my last upload but thank you all)! Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters, story, ideas that are associated with it. What I do own is my OC Toshiko Akatora and any other OC's that may turn up.

=^.^=

13

The radio blared out cheesy pop music in the background as Toshiko sat on the soft carpet of her bedroom, trying to steady her hand as she applied thick black mascara to her lashes in front of a mirror. Maname was standing over the bed staring at each of the outfits she'd laid out in turn, "Ugh, I should have brought the pale blue dress, you know, the strapless one? What the hell was I thinking, that one's way better than all of these put together."

With one smudge-free, long-lashed eye done, Tosh moved onto the other, trying hard not to laugh "'Name, don't be silly, all of the clothes you have over there look amazing, and Hiro will be speechless the second he sees you no matter what you wear."

"I just really wish I had brought it with me, it would have been perfect." Maname sifted through the clothes on the bed, biting her lip.

Putting the mascara back in her makeup bag, Tosh got up and walked over to the discarded bag her friend had packed earlier, pulling something out of one of the side compartments. "Lucky for you I snuck it in your bag just as we were leaving your flat."

As realisation hit the blonde, a grin spread across her face "How'd you know?"

"Just a hunch, I was with you when you bought it remember?" Tosh grinned back at her. "It looks amazing on and I saw it on a chair in your room, so I grabbed it just in case."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed, running to the bathroom to change.

Tosh turned back to the mirror and switched a pair of curling tongs on and run her fingers through her long hair, gently working out the tangles, while she waited for them to heat up. After a few minutes Maname emerged, her dress highlighting the colour of her eyes, "Do you think Hiro will notice me in this?"

"'Name, it might not seem like it but he notices you anyway. But in that dress? No other girl will stand a chance." She twirled a section of hair around the tong. "Trust me."

"But how can you tell?"

"Because I know Hiro, and I've seen the two of you together. When you were talking earlier I noticed that he was completely focused on you, most people annoy him in large doses, even Ryo and I do sometimes, not that we take any notice. You're one of the very, very few people he can tolerate for a lengthy amount of time." Tosh turned off the tongs, before adding, "Not to mention I've occasionally caught him looking at you when he thinks no one's watching."

Colour crept into Maname's cheeks, and she smiled "Thanks Tosh, he's so hard to read I thought he just wasn't interested. How are things with you and Kakashi? Has he made a move yet?"

"You think Hiro's hard to work out, Kakashi is probably worse. He's always been pretty flirty but I'm never sure if it's a sign that he likes me or if it's just the way he is?" She let out a sigh. "And then there was the sort of kiss in the hospital, so embarrassing-"

"Back up sugar, the what in the where?"

"Oh, right, I haven't had a chance to tell you. It's really not as exciting as it sounds..." She filled Maname in on the accidental kiss from the previous day, and the tumble in the forest earlier.

"You got my hopes up for a second, but that's still pretty hot." 'Name winked at her friend. "How do you feel about him now? You've always argued, a little too much in my opinion, that you guys were just friends."

"Oh who am I kidding? I like him so much more than just a friend, I guess a part of me always has, but if anything were to happen between us I wouldn't want it be just a fling. It wouldn't be worth giving up our friendship, you know? I mean what if, on the off chance he actually DOES feel the same, we date and it doesn't work out. Even if it's a good breakup we can't easily go back to the way things were."

"Yeah I understand, but you know, I think he does like you, I know you think he flirts with everyone like some massive player, but honestly whenever I've seen him around other girls he treats them like he would guys, only maybe a little bit more polite? And if he does flirt with anyone else it's not to the same extent from what I've seen."

"Hmm..." Tosh bit the side of her lip, was he really only like that to her? "I dunno, I don't want to make a move and then find he doesn't feel the same. It would be mortifying, not to mention incredibly awkward."

"That's exactly how I feel about Hiro, Toshi, I guess all we can do is dress up, look amazing, and hope to make them speechless tonight." She grinned wickedly. "Or make them wild with envy by flirting with other guys?"

"Ryo was right you are an evil woman sometimes, you know that?"

"Actually I think his exact words were 'cruel, cruel woman' but yes I am well aware. What do you think though, good plan?"

"Sorry 'Name, but I don't think that'll work with Hiro, he'd probably just assume you're not interested. As for 'Kashi..." She paused, considering for a moment just how the Jounin would react. "I don't know, I can't imagine him being the jealous type, but honestly I wouldn't want to test it, I like him too much to play games like that."

"Spoil sport." 'Name stuck out her tongue and continued to smile. "But I suppose you're right, oh wait, Toshi, try this on instead I think it'll look better."

The sequinned top Tosh had been looking at was subsequently replaced by a little black dress, "Thanks, honestly just be yourself, and give him time. He likes you, I'm sure of it."

"Ok, ok, I'll try to be patient. Right, I'm ready when you are, what do you think?" She twirled on the spot, with added flare.

"You're so weird, you know that right? But you look hot." The brunette replied with a laugh. "I'm ready too, and packed for tomorrow, let's go and meet the others."

=^.^=

As the two kunoichi pushed open the doors of the club, music and chatter washed over them as the warm orange glow invited them in. Tosh started winding through the sea of people towards the bar to buy the first round of drinks, while Maname went in search of their friends.

She waited patiently at the back of the queue, checking her hair and makeup in a hand held mirror. The voices of the couple in front were almost discernible over the music, they seemed to be in the middle of a heated discussion one that Tosh couldn't avoid listening to. She looked to either side of her, searching for an escape route, and seeing a gap in the throng to her left she seized her chance and pushed through. Within minutes Tosh had managed to set one hand on the bar, securing a spot the moment the people in front of her pushed their way back towards the tables. She had just begun perusing a cocktail menu when someone stumbled into her, swaying as he spoke "Alright Darlin'? How's about havin' a drink with me n the boys? We'll show ya good time."

She raised an eyebrow at the man and pushed his arm away from around her shoulders "Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

"Suit yourself." He turned, barely keeping his balance, to address the woman on his right, "Heey Cutie..."

"How could you turn down such an offer?"

Tosh looked over her shoulder and she felt her heart flutter, "It was a tough decision, but one I doubt I'll be regretting. You know, you could have stepped in at any time."

Kakashi leant his back against the cool marble topped counter, "You seemed to have it under control, besides I know you can handle yourself, you're not the damsel in distress type."

"True, but why do I get the impression that the real reason was that you just found it amusing?"

"You think so highly of me."

"You're not denying it."

The copy ninja raised an arm to rub the back of his neck and laughed "Ok, Ok, you got me there."

"I knew it." she said, the corner of her mouth twitched into a crooked smile. "First rounds' on you to make up for it"

He held up a finger, "On one condition, just don't tell my students about my generosity or they'll make me pay for their lunch."

"You're going to make an excellent father one day, 'Kashi, I almost pity your future wife and kids." Tosh giggled.

"I'll take that as a yes." He glanced at the menu in her hands. "You like sex on the beach, right?"

"I… do I like... Huh? I don't know? I can't imagine it'd be too comfortable… just think of all that sand…"

"To drink, Tosh, I meant to drink… But do continue, I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on… sand." Kakashi didn't even try to hide his amusement.

"Oh you cheeky-"

"My, my, Tora, are you blushing?" He leaned closer. "You seem to be getting rather… flustered."

"I'm nothing of the sort, you just… with the-"

"It's that naughty mind of yours, you'll corrupt me if I'm not careful."

"You're way more of a bad influence than I am!"

"Me? I'm shocked by your words, and not just the ones about unconventional places to have se-"

"SO, I do believe you were about to buy me a drink?" She cut in, she could feel her cheeks heating up and didn't want to give him more ammunition; there was a whole night ahead of them after all.

Kakashi laughed, "It never gets old, what'll it be?"

"Sex on the beach would be great." She said, a half grin creeping across her face as she added. "And so would the drink."

Toshiko turned on her heel with a giggle and started walking back through the crowds to find their friends, leaving a stunned and speechless Kakashi at the bar. It didn't take long to find the table, they always seemed to get the same one, just at the edge of the dancefloor but away from the general flow of customers. Ryo was kneeling on one of the bar stools waving to her, she grinned back at him and made her way over to greet her friends.

As Tosh walked towards the group her eyes met with Maname's and gasped, "Oh 'Name I completely forgot your drink! I bumped into Kakashi and-"

"Don't worry about it." Maname laughed and held up her hand to show a glass with a bubbling blue liquid sloshing about inside it. "Gai and Ryo went a bit mad with the cocktails so there's plenty here, grab a seat!"

A woman, to whom Maname had been deep in conversation with, turned and flashed a radiant smile at her, "It's been a while, Tosh, how are you?"

"Kuranai! I'm so glad you came, I'm very well thanks, and you?"

"I had a rare night off and didn't want to miss your leaving do."

"I don't think I've seen you since you got your Genin team, what are they like? And I notice a certain someone is here also… did the two of you come together?" She pulled up a stool and was instantly handed a glass of the mystery drink. "Oh, Ryo it's ok, 'Kashi's getting me-"

"Two drinks are better than one, and besides it's your last night out with us for a while so let's make it a good one, yeah?"

"Can't argue with that logic, mostly because I'm guessing you won't let me. Ok, Ok I'll drink… whatever that is." She laughed, turning back to Kuranai.

"We've all had to have some, word of advice? Don't finish it unless you want another, I made that mistake three times already, although I will say it gets better the more you drink." The wild haired Kunoichi commented, eyeing her own with a defeated look.

Tosh placed the offending glass on to the table in front of her, "Thanks for the heads up-"

Just then an arm reached over her shoulder and a second glass was placed next to it, as Kakashi leaned close and spoke softly in her ear, "Enjoy, oh and by the way, the blue stuff is pretty potent."

"So I've heard, want us to move up?"

"No it's Ok, I wanted to have a chat with Asuma about something; you two carry on." His eye crinkled in a smile before walking around the table to join Asuma and Hiro.

Her eyes followed him for a second before snapping back to her companion, "Sorry Kuranai, you were about to tell me all about your team and your… date?"

"Honestly you and Maname are as bad as each other, she's just been asking the same thing, Asuma and I are just good friends, just like you and Kakashi." She winked at Tosh. "As for my Genin, they're an interesting group and I sense a lot of potential in them. Between you and me, I think I got lucky compared to the other two."

"I've met Team 7, and although I like them, I must admit they are quite a handful, so I definitely agree with you on that." She sipped at the drink, it left a pleasant burning sensation at the back of her throat as it went down.

"Asuma's are not that much better, although when they're not eating, bickering or being lazy they're teamwork is good, but that comes as no surprise."

"Why do you say that?"

"They're the kids of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio."

"No way! I didn't realise their kids were that old."

"Well, we Jounin don't really have much to do with the Academy students unless you're training them, so it's easy to lose track. I'll be back in a minute, I'm just going to the bathroom." Kuranai got up, brushing down the back of her dress. "Maybe we can get the guys dancing when I get back?"

"Sounds like a challenge, but I think we can manage."

=^.^=

After a surprising lack of pleading and a few drinks later the majority of the group had moved to the dancefloor. Quite a large number of people had joined them over the course of the night that it felt as though the whole club were there to send Toshiko off. A wild night out was a sort of tradition amongst the Jounin and Chunin of the village who were of age, it was a way to let off steam and relax. In their line of work it was a rare occurrence so when given the chance, they partied long and hard into the night, and tonight was no exception.

The continuous stream of music blasted out of the speakers, the baseline loud enough to physically feel the vibrations all around. Gai and Ryo seemed to be holding yet another competition, a test of stamina, determination, and skill – or in other words to see who could stay dancing for the longest time, while the three kunoichi laughed and danced alongside them with a group of friends.

As the night went on the floor became so packed with people that eventually Toshiko felt like she was stuck in a can of sardines rather than on a dance floor, and she could feel the material of her dress cling to her skin as the temperature rose. After what felt like the fiftieth accidental elbow to the back, courtesy of the heavily intoxicated girl dancing behind her, Tosh had reached her limit and wandered back to the table. The walk back took much longer than expected, and she kept catching herself on chair legs and the corners of tables, if only everything would stop spinning and getting in her way she'd be able to sit down and rest.

Kakashi was stood talking to a ninja of the Hokage's private guard when the brunette joined them. She clambered on to a stool, leaning on him for extra support, and kicked off her heels, instantly letting out a sigh of relief as the pressure lifted from the balls of her feet.

"Had enough dancing already, Tora?" Kakashi asked, resting a hand on her back to steady her.

"Yeah, it was getting a bit claustrophobic over there." She made to grab one of the empty glasses on the table but her hand passed right through it.

"Nice hand-eye coordination you got there." The other Jounin said with a half-smile, filling the glass from a water jug on the table before handing it to her. "Allow me."

"Thanks." She said, gratefully accepting the cool glass. "You work in the Hokage's tower?"

"Ah so you recognise me, I'm Genma." He closed the distance between them and held out a hand. "And you must be the lovely Toshiko, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"You know my name?" As the hand shake came to an end she could feel his thumb drawing circles lightly on the back of her own.

"Well, as a member of the Hokage's guard, I make it my business to know the names of all the leaf ninja… that, and Kakashi talks about you a lot."

She looked round, hand slipping out of Genma's grasp, at the silent ninja behind her, "You do?"

"I may have mentioned you once or twice."

"We were actually just talking about you before you came over, and guess what?"

Tosh turned back to Genma, trying with little luck to stifle a yawn, "What?"

"You won me a bet, I bet that Gai would out-dance you, which reminds me-" He turned his attention towards Kakashi and grinned. "You owe me some gold."

"I must have left my wallet in my other pants, how about I send Naruto over tomorrow with the money? I'll tell him it's a mission."

"I'm glad you were never my sensei, you're ruthless, Kakashi, you know that?"

"I'm merely teaching important life lessons-" He paused and looked down, Toshiko had dozed off, her head resting on his shoulder. Kakashi moved his arm around her to ensure that she wouldn't fall from the bar stool. "Looks like she wore herself out, I'd better get her home."

"So what's the deal with you two, Kakashi?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, are you together? Like a couple?"

"What gave you that idea?"

"So you're not, does that mean Tosh is single?"

Kakashi let out a sigh, "As far as I am aware. Why do you ask?"

"Well…" He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think I like her, she's cute. Do you think I'm in with a shot there?"

"If you truly like her, Genma, then good luck to you, I won't stop you but don't ask for my help on the matter. Toshiko can and will date whoever she wants."

"Sorry, Kakashi, I didn't realise that you..."

"That I what?"

He shook his head in dismissal, and started walking towards the bar, "Nothing, nothing. I'll see you later."

Behind his mask Kakashi frowned for a second, but decided to let it go. Turning his attention back to the sleeping kunoichi beside him he nudged her gently until she started to stir, and with a yawn she opened her eyes. Toshiko looked up at him, squinting as her vision adjusted to the flashing lights "Hey handsome, you shaking me home?"

"Actually I was planning on taking you home, Tora, I thought you might be more comfortable sleeping in your own bed than on a bar stool. Are you ready to go?"

"You're nice to lean on." She said, sliding off the seat and grabbing her bag from the table and starting towards the door.

"Um, Tosh, are you forgetting something?"

"Huh?"

"Your shoes, perhaps?" Kakashi held them up, balancing them by the straps on the tips of his fingers.

"Oh yeah!" She retrieved her footwear and slipped them back on. "Now I'm ready."

=^.^=

Night had fallen by the time they left the bar, with nothing but the light of a full moon to light the way. It was a clear night, and an array of stars were visible strewn across the blanket of navy sky up above. Everything was still and peaceful around them. The walk back to Toshiko's flat took much longer than usual, as the combination of alcohol, exhaustion, and six inch heels meant that she was moving at a similar pace to a snail, with Kakashi patiently walking beside her and keeping her from losing balance.

The cool night air felt refreshing against her face, it seemed to help clear her mind of the fuzzy sensation all the alcohol had brought on. "Think I'm drunk too much."

"I tried to warn you about Ryo and Gai's cocktail. I believe they invented it just before you turned up." Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. "How much did you…?"

"Don't ask, I have no ideas. I kept being gived new ones- I mean give… or given… what was I saying?" a particularly cold gust of wind caused goose bumps to appear all over her arms, causing a shiver.

"Something about the vast quantity of drinks you consumed tonight. Here, put this on." He had taken off his jumper and held it out for her.

Tosh pushed her arms through the sleeves that were understandably too long, revelling in how warm it still felt. The fabric was soft against her skin, it was like being wrapped up in a cloud, or rather how she imagined a cloud to feel like. Kakashi reached round and drew the hood over her head, laughing as it fell down past her eyes. She laughed back, breathing in the pleasant scent of the fabric, "'Kashiiii! I can't see!"

"Well they do say you have to suffer for fashion." He said, pulling the hood off with one hand and smoothing down her ruffled hair with the other. "So, did you enjoy your last night out?"

"It was nice to see everyone, an' dancing was fun." She leaned on Kakashi's arm, looking up at the starry sky as they continued their walk. "Stars are pretty."

He looked down at her, her pale skin lit up by the soft moonlight and sparkling eyes mirroring the stars above. It suddenly struck him how beautiful she was, he had always known she was, he wasn't blind after all, but he hadn't really ever given it much thought until recently. Gazing at her now, looking so happy and peaceful and… asleep.

"Oh no you don't." He said, picking her up to stop her inevitable fall to the ground.

She shook her head slightly and blinked her eyes open, "I'm up, I'm… you're carrying me."

"It was that or the floor, and you are wearing my jumper after all."

"Not complaining." Tosh smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. "Hey, does that mean if I wasn't wearing it I'd be on the floor?"

"I guess you'll never know."

After a short distance Kakashi reached the foot of the steps leading up to the front door of Toshiko's flat. A glance down told him the Kunoichi had fallen asleep on his shoulder as he walked, "Tora? Tora wake up for a sec, I need your keys."

Without opening her eyes she rummaged around in her bag with one hand, until a faint jingling sound rang out, and clasped her fingers around the cold metal keyring and held it out for him. The copy ninja smiled inwardly to himself at this as he took the keys and, kneeling slightly, opened the door. Once inside he carried his sleeping friend upstairs, through the dark apartment, until he reached the bedroom and placed Toshiko on top of the bed. As he went to turn away her hand enclosed his, "I'm gonna miss you, 'Kashi."

He gave her hand a soft squeeze, it felt small and dainty in his own. "And I'm really going to miss you too, Tosh, you make this place that little bit brighter..."

He felt the muscles in her hand relax as she succumbed to exhaustion once more, and he let out a sigh. Picking up a blanket that had been folded over the chair in the corner, Kakashi drew it round her and, pulling back his mask, placed a kiss on her forehead before leaving.

=^.^=