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Eleven: Relaxing and Reminiscing

After we had checked into the resort, the four of us were escorted to our rooms by one of the employees. Sakura and I were to share one room, and Kakashi and Naruto received the adjacent room. We thanked the woman for her help before stealing into our rooms to drop off our belongings and prepare ourselves for a relaxing night.

When I entered the room, I couldn't help but gape in awe at what I saw. The walls were painted a very pretty shade of light muted green, and the trim was a rich dark wood. The earthy tones, as well as the gentle sound of water fountains coming from outside, created a very peaceful atmosphere in the very large and open room. A sliding glass door on the far wall revealed a patio overlooking a beautiful garden area that further enhanced the serenity of the place.

On one end of the room were two neatly made full-sized beds. The white down comforters had not one wrinkle, and I had never seen pillows that looked so plush and inviting. Atop each of the bedside tables were various floral-scented candles in decorative sconces, and on the corner sat a digital alarm clock, which read 8:45 PM in neon green light. Folded on top of the each of the beds was a soft, peach-colored robe, one for both Sakura and I, as well as a pair of matching slippers.

Across the room was a stone fireplace that was already stocked with wood. A large white sofa faced the fireplace, as well as a coffee table made of dark wood that matched the room's other accents. Sitting on top of the coffee table was a bouquet of pink and purple flowers that had been placed inside a beautiful blue and green vase. A delightful fragrance filled my lungs as I took a deep breath in through my nose. As I exhaled, a smile crept onto my lips. "This room is amazing," I sighed.

"It sure is!" Sakura agreed, tiptoeing further into the room. She twirled around in a circle and began to laugh, and I couldn't help but smile at her excitement.

I closed the door behind me before advancing further, passing the bathroom and a storage space as I did so. There were shelves and hangers for our belongings, but instead of unpacking I simply tossed my two weapon holsters and my headband onto one of the platforms.

Sakura grasped a robe in her hands and rubbed her hands against the fluffy material. "Did you need to use the bathroom, Kaeda Sensei?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Go ahead, Sakura."

With a smile, she danced into the bathroom, bringing the robe with her, and closed the door behind her.

The soft mattress sank under my weight as I took a seat. I slipped off my shoes, sighing as all the pain of being on my feet all day seemed to disappear, and I replaced them with the slippers that had been left for me to use. "That's better," I said to myself.

I let myself fall backwards until I was lying on my back, allowing my eyes to close and my mind to roam free. Despite the relaxing atmosphere, however, I found myself thinking about the mission. I wondered if staying here at this hot spring was such a good idea. Kakashi seemed certain that Toshiro would be fine, but for some reason I just couldn't keep myself from worrying about him. I cared deeply for each of my students, and I would have been devastated if any of them got hurt… especially if I could have somehow prevented it.

The gentle creaking of the bathroom door being opened snapped me out of my trance. I lifted myself to a sitting position, trying to shake away the thoughts that plagued my mind. Sakura exited the bathroom wearing her robe and slippers. She neatly folded her clothes and placed them onto one of the shelves in the storage unit. "You can have the bathroom now, Kaeda Sensei," she told me.

"Alright," I replied, sliding off of the bed and grabbing my robe in the process, "I'll just meet you at the hot spring; don't worry about waiting for me."

Smiling in response, the pink-haired girl turned on her heel to exit the room, and when she was gone, I walked into the bathroom without bothering to close the door. Approaching the sink, I turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on my face, hoping that would somehow free my mind from all of its worries. It didn't, sadly.

I shrugged out of my vest, letting it fall to the floor, then proceeded to free myself from the rest of my clothing. The cool air, or perhaps a nervous chill, caused my entire body to quiver for a moment as my skin became exposed. As I started to slide into my robe, I tried not to look at myself in the mirror, but once my eyes had accidentally flickered upward, I found myself unable to look away. The wounds that had never healed were all I could see. I knew that it was normal for a ninja to receive battle scars, but for some reason I just couldn't look past them…

Before any painful memories could resurface, I took a deep breath and closed my robe, hiding the blemishes from my own sight. Without a second look at myself, I left the room and began in search of the hot spring.

Luckily, as I walked down the hallway, I found signs that directed me to the women's hot spring. I opened a large glass door and was met with the cool air of the night. The sky was so dark that, if there hadn't been tiny lamps lining the outdoor pathways, I definitely would have gotten lost. I followed a cobblestone path around a large wall that separated the men's and women's bathing areas, and finally I had reached my destination. Steam from the hot water filled the air, clouding me in a pleasant mist as I approached the water. Sakura had already gotten in, and she leaned her head back against the wall with her eyes closed.

"The water feels great," Sakura commented in an airy tone.

Sliding out of my robe, I quickly dipped myself into the pool, sighing as the warmth swirled around my skin. "Yeah, it does," I agreed, closing my eyes.

Other than the gentle lapping of the water against the sides of the walls and the chirping of crickets in the surrounding forest, it was silent for a long while. I was too busy relaxing to even mutter a sound, and I guessed that Sakura was feeling the same. After a while, however, Sakura finally broke the silence with a question. "Kaeda Sensei… how did you and Kakashi meet?"

Somewhat surprised by her inquiry, I peeked my eyes open to glance at her. Her emerald eyes stared back at me, sparkling with curiosity. I averted my gaze toward the sky as I sifted through all of my memories of the past, and I sighed deeply before I answered her. "Well, we first met at the Ninja Academy, age four, I believe," I began, smiling as I remembered little Kakashi. "He wore that stupid mask, even back then. But he was so cute; he was probably the smallest kid in our entire class."

Sakura laughed. "Kakashi as a little kid… I wish I could see that."

"Just imagine him exactly the way he is now—well, minus the Sharingan and headband over one eye—and just shrink the size down. He really hasn't changed all that much," I grinned. Sakura cooed at the thought and began to giggle. "He may have been the smallest," I continued, "but he definitely was the most talented. I'm the complete opposite."

"Really?" Sakura asked, seeming a bit surprised.

I nodded. "Actually, that's how Kakashi and I officially met. I was working on a clone technique, and my clone turned out kind of dead and sickly-looking. Some kids in our class started making fun of me because of it, and Kakashi, who had been training a few feet away, actually stuck up for me. Since the others knew that Kakashi was the best in the class, they backed off immediately. He offered to help me train after that, and throughout the rest of the school year, we trained together and became really good friends."

"Wow," Sakura breathed, "That's so strange. It's difficult to imagine you as an untalented ninja."

"Well," I interjected, "Naruto went through the same thing. He had absolutely no talent at first, but as the years passed, he trained hard to become a great ninja."

"Yeah, you're right," Sakura agreed. Her lips stretched into a small smile, probably because she was thinking about how far Naruto had come since his Academy years. Despite the irritated tone she often used when talking to or about Naruto, it was obvious that she really cared for him. She turned to me after a moment, and her expression made it evident that there was another question on her mind. "So, were you and Kakashi sensei in the same squad, then?"

I couldn't help but burst out laughing. She looked confused, so I began to explain it to her. "Kakashi graduated the Academy in his first year, at age five. I didn't end up graduating until I was about eight years old. Kakashi was already a Chunin by the time I had made Genin level."

"How did you keep in touch, then?" She asked, "With Kakashi taking on missions, and you stuck at the Academy, it must have been difficult to make time for each other."

"It was," I confirmed, "but we found ways to do it. A lot of the time, we would end up sneaking out late at night to hang out, or one of us would climb in through the other's bedroom window." I smirked to myself as I thought, Kakashi still sneaks in through my window…

Sakura smiled. "I can tell that you're still really close."

"He may be a perverted old man," I said, "but he's my best friend. I couldn't imagine life without him."

My voice trailed off as my mind flooded with thoughts and memories. Sakura's curiosity must have been satisfied, for she ceased questioning me and, instead, silence filled the night air. I leaned my head back to rest it on the side of the pool, gazing up at the millions of tiny stars twinkling brightly in the black sky. My brain subconsciously connected the spaces between the stars until an outline of my best friend's face and messy hair was all I could see.

"Hey, Kae, what's wrong?"

I lifted my head from its resting place on top of my knees to meet Kakashi's gaze, wiping away the wall of tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. The boy's eyes, though almost completely concealed by his spiky hair falling over his ninja headband, were soft and sympathetic. When I saw the metal plate with Konoha's insignia etched into it, I could feel the anger and disappointment building up inside my small, seven-year-old body.

"You wouldn't understand," I simply told him, leaning my head back against the trunk of the tree that I had been sitting against.

Kakashi lowered himself into a seated position directly across from me, crossing his legs and folding his arms across his chest. "Try me."

Rolling my eyes at him, I wished that he could have just known what was making me so upset. Verbalizing my problems would be difficult, and I didn't want to violate the ninja code by crying.

"You can tell me," he said in a soft voice with a smile evident in his dark eyes.

After a moment, I sighed in defeat and told him in an almost inaudible whisper, "I'm a failure."

"You're not a failure," he disagreed.

"I've failed to become a Genin three years in a row, Kakashi," I interrupted him, my voice raising as I started to lose control of myself. I clenched my fists so hard that I was surprised my nails digging into my skin hadn't caused me to draw blood. "My best friend made Chunin at the age of six, and at seven years old I couldn't even make Genin. I'm worthless."

"Don't say that," He said, scooting himself over so that he was sitting beside me. "You didn't pass the exam this year, so what? It just means that you have to work harder. Just because you weren't born with natural talent doesn't mean that you can't become a great ninja."

I tried to listen to what he was saying, but my bitterness prevented me from believing him. Noticing that the anger hadn't left my face, Kakashi wrapped his arm around my shoulders and smiled at me. "I'll help you train. I'll push you to be your best. Kae, I won't rest until I've convinced you that you are amazing." I opened my mouth to argue, but Kakashi stopped me by saying, "And I won't take no for an answer."

It was all because of him. Because of Kakashi, I was able to overcome my own negative feelings about myself to grow stronger. It was because of his friendship that I was able to change into a person that works hard and never gives up. Without him… I would be nothing.

"I'm going to get out now," Sakura said, interrupting my thoughts, "before I get all pruny."

"Ok," I sighed, "I'll be out soon, too." When Sakura was out of sight, I looked up towards the stars and whispered, "Thank you, Kakashi."