A/N: Not as many reviews as I would like, but then again I'm not drawn to OC fanfics very often. Oh well, still looking for a Beta reader if anyone is interested. I'm really "pumped" about this story!
Disclaimer: I totally own Kakashi and Itachi. Looks around nervously Okay, okay. I don't really.
Rock it and shock it, baby!
"Ayane," Kakashi whispered. His eyes were still wide and his mouth hung open. Ayane laughed at his shocked state and proceeded to stick her finger into his open mouth. He sputtered and removed her finger. Kakashi heard Team 7, as well as the Hokage, laughing in the background.
"Oh come on now, Kakashi. Is that all you can say?" Ayane joked, "It's been what…six years? My nineteenth birthday is approaching and I wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else. Don't tell me you forgot?"
Ayane stared at Kakashi's unchanged face. "Oh calm down, I was only kidding. It's been a long time, I wouldn't expect you to remember anything, you hopeless copy-nin."
Naruto leaned over to Sasuke, whispering, "She sure doesn't waste any time getting reacquainted, doesn't she?" Sasuke answered with an indifferent "hmph" and continued to focus on the interaction between their sensei and the new kunoichi.
"Well since everyone is present; let's get down to it, shall we?" Tsunade interrupted. Kakashi managed to regain his composure and leaned up against the doorframe, while Ayane took a seat next to Sasuke. "Kakashi, I've already filled in your team on the situation. All that is left is you. Ayane has informed me that she had a run in with Uchiha Itachi a few months ago. She contacted me after she failed to bring him back, as what was detailed in the mission she left for when she was thirteen. We both agreed that a team should be put together to aid her. I am aware that Uchiha Itachi is labeled as an S-Class missing-nin and that it might not be wise to send three adolescents with you two. However, I know that nothing would stop Sasuke from going once he heard where his sensei went. I believe that these three could provide some kind of assistance and I know that they are in more than capable hands. But…if you decide the mission is getting too dangerous, they are to be sent back immediately. The mission starts tomorrow morning at 8:00am, sharp. Not a minute past, understand Kakashi? Uchiha Itachi can either be brought back dead or alive, although I would prefer him still breathing. I want to know what he has leaked to the Akatsuki. If you can find that information by any other means, than feel free to bring him back in a coffin. I'm looking out for Konoha's safety. Any questions?" Tsunade ended.
No one spoke up. They all understood the instructions. Some might not have agreed with some things, but Tsunade was serious about sending Team 7 home, if necessary.
"Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura may leave. I would like to speak to Kakashi and Ayane in private," Tsunade added. The three students walked out of the room and headed home to pack for tomorrow morning. "Now, I'm pretty sure this is going to be unbelievably awkward, but Kakashi, I told Ayane that she could stay the night at your house before you leave in the morning. I think it's ridiculous to have her pay for one night at an inn. This will also give you chance to get a few things out of the way before you two leave for an undesignated amount of time. Ayane has already bought supplies for tomorrow's mission. Good luck," Tsunade finished.
Ayane and Kakashi stood in unison and bowed, "Thank you, Hokage."
Ayane grabbed her bag in the corner of the room and exited. She noticed Kakashi was still in the room, so she stood and waited.
"How could you do this to me?" Kakashi asked the Hokage.
"Don't tell me you're not overjoyed to see her. I know all about your previous ties with Itachi and Ayane. I am also not blind. You are quite the womanizer, so I'm sure you'll be able to get her back in no time," Tsunade comforted.
"Back? I never had her to begin with, Tsunade. Besides, things have changed," Kakashi declared.
"Suit yourself, but I hope this attitude doesn't prevent you from succeeding in your mission. Good luck to you," Tsunade countered. Kakashi left the room and walked up to the waiting Ayane.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"It's fine," Ayane reassured, "Lead the way, I suppose."
They walked in silence for most of the way, sometimes commenting on the weather or the scenery. Describing their situation as awkward would have been the understatement of the year. They reached a small apartment complex and climbed a flight of stairs before stopping before what Ayane guessed to be Kakashi's door.
"Kakashi wait," She stopped his hand as he was putting his key into the lock, "If this is too much, I can go stay somewhere else. It's no trouble. I know this is all very sudden, especially me showing up after so long. I need you, Kakashi. You're the only one who can help me right now. If you absolutely refuse to do this, I'll go tell the Hokage to call this off right now."
"No," Kakashi said firmly. He could still feel her hand on his. He had a sudden urge to shake her, to tell her everything and then some. He wasn't prepared for her return, but he refused to run away from his problem. He turned the handle and pushed the door open,
stepping aside to let Ayane inside first.
"Well that settles it," Ayane said as she walked across the threshold. She looked around the apartment. One could tell that this was obviously a "bachelor pad." Clothes were strewn about the living room and Ayane smelled a strong odor coming from an empty food carton placed on the coffee table. "My word, Kakashi! It seems as though you haven't cleaned the place since I've left. Your apartment smells like a foot." Ayane was scared to set her stuff down for fear of it being carried out by some creature lurking in the dust-laden corners of Kakashi's home.
"I'm a busy man. I don't have time to strip down my apartment between missions. I'm hardly ever here anyway," Kakashi defended.
Ayane picked up the moldy carton, holding it in front of her as though it was a radioactive specimen, "Where's your garbage bag?"
Kakashi laughed at how she looked. Maybe if I'm lucky, she'll clean up the apartment.
"Where is it? Now! Time is of the essence. Who knows what might come crawling out of this thing," Ayane shouted.
"It's under the sink in the kitchen. The bag is empty so you won't have to worry about being bombarded by any foreign smells," Kakashi directed.
Ayane disposed of the trash quickly and washed her hands. "Kakashi, that was probably the most disgusting thing I've had to deal with in a long time. Now, may I have a tour?"
"Sure, I guess," Kakashi replied, apprehensively. She had already seen the living room and kitchen, all that was really left was his bedroom and bathroom. He opened the door to his room, stepping inside before Ayane to make sure he didn't leave anything out to be notice that he didn't want her to see. Nope, all clear.
Ayane looked around the room. His bed was too spacious for just one person and no self-respecting man would buy satin sheets if it was just him. She scrutinized the room as inconspicuously as possible. She found the evidence she was looking for, but Kakashi noticed it, too. They both lunged for Kakashi's dresser, grabbing for the item they had both spotted.
"Aha!" Ayane shouted, feeling the lacy material clenched in her fist, "I knew it! So who's the lady friend?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Now give them back," Kakashi demanded.
"Oh…you want to play that game, huh? Well, Kakashi, I don't believe that you have developed a fetish for wearing ladies underwear," Ayane chided as she dangled the red lace panties in front of his face, "Besides, I would have pegged you for black boy shorts."
Kakashi snatched the underwear out of Ayane's hands, "They're Mitsu's. She's my 'lady friend' as you put it. She's supposed to be coming over tonight and she doesn't know about our sudden arrangement."
Ayane laughed, falling onto the bed. "How the hell are you going to explain this to her?" She laughed harder, clenching at her side. "I can only imagine what you'll come up with 'Hello, my darling Mitsu. This is my best friend, Ayane, from my childhood, who is totally hot, I might add. She left to go find the boy who murdered his family. Now she's back and I have to leave tomorrow on a mission that could last for years. Oh don't worry, I still love you and I would never think about taking advantage of a situation like that. Never!' Yeah, Kakashi…that should go over real well."
Ayane was in tears by now and Kakashi couldn't help but smirk at her horrible impression of him. She's still the same Ayane, crude yet irresistible.
"I don't love her," Kakashi clarified.
"Huh?" Ayane stopped laughing and propped herself up on her elbows.
"I said that I don't love her," he repeated as he sat down next to her, lying back on the bed.
"Oh…" Ayane didn't know what else to say.
They sat together in silence, just Ayane and Kakashi. It was a comfortable silence, until it was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. A soft voice called out, "Kakashi, you here?"
"Uh yeah, I'll be out in a minute," Kakashi called back. He walked out of the room, followed by Ayane.
Ayane's presence did not go unnoticed by the other woman. "Who is she?" the woman asked. Ayane noticed her striking blue eyes and long black hair. Her nose was slightly hooked and she reminded Ayane of a raven.
"I'm Ayane. I'm an old friend of your Kakashi-kun," Ayane said sweetly, holding out her hand.
"I guess you already know about me. I'm Mitsu," she hesitantly shook Ayane's hand. "Would you mind excusing us for a moment?" Mitsu smiled.
"Uh…sure. I'll just go for walk," Ayane suggested.
"You do that," Mitsu ushered her towards the door.
Ayane looked back at Kakashi and smiled sadly. "Be careful. I'll be down to get you, so don't wander too far. It's been awhile since you've been in Konoha. Don't want you getting lost before the mission," Kakashi comforted.
Ayane just nodded in response, feeling sorry for the wrath that was about to be released upon him. Ayane didn't have a chance to finish closing the door before she heard the fight begin. She had to go against her better judgment to not eavesdrop on what was being said. She quickly went down the flight of stairs. She wasn't able to stop her momentum in time and wound up bumping into the back a gentleman. She fell backwards, hitting her head on the bottom step. "Ouch, dammit," Ayane cursed.
The man turned around and looked at Ayane. A senbon was placed carefully in his mouth and his lips were upturned in a sly smirk. His brown hair hung down, wet and disheveled.
"Well look who it is?" the man smiled.
"Genma? Genma!" Ayane shouted, jumping up.
"If it isn't Kakashi's Ayane," Genma greeted.
"I do not belong to anyone, least of all, Kakashi," she embraced him. "Can I ask you something, Genma?"
"Sure thing, what do you need?" he responded.
"Is there something wrong with me?" Ayane asked a little sadly.
"I don't think I understand the question," Genma said, obviously confused.
Ayane sighed, "When I came back to Konoha, Kakashi didn't seem very pleased. You think that after such a long time, he'd be glad to know that I'm okay. We didn't leave on the best of terms and he didn't exactly agree with my decision, but I thought he would get past it. Did something happen while I was gone?"
Genma looked into Ayane's eyes, "Yes, but it is not my place to tell you. I think you should be asking Kakashi."
"Well, he's 'indisposed' at the moment," she said dejectedly, "He's with what's-her-face."
"Mitsu," Genma clarified.
"That's the one. I'm not sure how long they'll be in there. She wasn't too happy to see another woman in his apartment," she giggled at remember the look on Mitsu's face.
"Might as well go for a walk or something. I know so pretty romantic spots for this time of night," Genma suggested, grinning.
"I bet you do," Ayane added and took Genma's arm. They both left the apartment complex and headed towards the park.
"So that's Ayane?" Mitsu asked rather snidely.
"Yes, it is. I would have told you she was here and explained, but there wasn't any time," Kakashi told her.
"It seems as though you two had plenty of time. I don't want her staying here and I'm certainly not comfortable with you leaving on a mission with her," she confessed.
"I'm going to take the mission. It's very crucial that I go. It will help me put some things to rest," Kakashi told her.
Mitsu sighed, "Fine, Kakashi, fine. Just tell me one thing, do you still have feelings for her?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen her in a long time," he said.
"I need to know because I don't want to save myself for when you come back only to find out that you've professed your love for Ayane," Mitsu reasoned.
"Don't wait for me. Does that help with your question?" Kakashi told her.
Mitsu hung her head, tears forming around her eyes. She wasn't expecting anything like this to happen. She remembered the day Kakashi had told her about Ayane and what had transpired between them. Even though she had been absent from his life, she still had an affect on him. She would have never thought that she'd come back, not after what he had told her. Not after what they had told him.
"Yes," she said, barely above a whisper.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, trying to console her.
"It's all right. Just be careful on your mission," Mitsu advised as she headed for the door.
"Good luck to you, Mitsu," Kakashi said as she departed. He heard the door shut softly as Mitsu left. This conversation didn't go as planned. He hoped that he would have been able to sincerely tell her that he would be with her when he came back, but he didn't think he could tell her that in good conscience.
Genma and Ayane were walking back to the apartment when they spotted Mitsu walking towards them. The moonlight hit her face, revealing to them that she had been crying.
"Are you okay?" Ayane asked, stepping towards the upset woman.
"Everything's just perfectly fine," she said with finality.
Ayane should have known that she was the last one Mitsu wanted to talk to right now, but she couldn't help the female instinct to comfort the woman.
Genma put a hand on Ayane's shoulder, "It's all right. I'll walk her home." Genma led Mitsu away, turning his head around to Ayane, "Talk to him."
Ayane nodded and turned towards the apartment complex. She ran up the steps quickly, making sure not to bump into anyone this time. She opened the door and stopped, looking at the man before her. He was sitting on the couch, his elbows were on his knees and his head was held in his hands.
"Why did you have to come back?" he mumbled, "Why?"
"I want you to tell me what happened while I was gone. Everything," Ayane demanded. She stepped forward, letting the door close behind her.
He lifted his head up and stared at her, void of emotion, "After you had left, I went to talk to the Fourth. He told me that it was a mission and that I blew the chance to go with you. I wanted to find you, to join you, but I knew that if I left that I would most likely be declared a missing-nin. A few months later, I was summoned to speak with the Hokage. The Fourth handed me a torn and bloodied ANBU uniform. He assumed it was yours and told me that he was sorry. Naturally, I blamed myself for your 'death', thinking that if I had agreed to have gone with you, then you would have been safe. I also blamed Itachi. They hadn't told me who or what had killed you, but if Itachi would have stayed in Konoha and had not killed his family, than this would have never happened. Years passed by and I mourned you less and less, but it never ceased. I was then called on to become a sensei and I was lucky enough to be the mentor to Itachi's surviving younger brother. I hoped that Sasuke would lead me to him one day, to let him know that he had killed you. Whether it was indirectly or not, it was his fault and I believed he should pay the price. Only then could I rest peacefully, knowing that Uchiha Itachi was alive no longer. That's all that I'm willing to say at the moment. I'm sorry that you were expecting a warmer welcome and did not receive it."
"One more thing," Ayane pushed, "Itachi found out that you didn't want me to go look for him. He said that you wouldn't want him to 'corrupt his little kunoichi.' What did he mean by that?"
"I'll let you know when it is necessary," Kakashi stood up. How could she possibly understand how this feels? I know I should be overjoyed that she's alive, but my actions have all been for nothing. She's just causing more trouble for me.
Ayane walked over to him, indulging his reluctance to keep quiet. She stopped in front of him and took a deep breath. She relished in his masculine scent. Kakashi had always been the older one of the group, but he was never the mature one. She could tell that this ordeal had aged him mentally and she wanted to fix that, to wash it all away so he could be the same lackadaisical Kakashi that she remembered. She picked up one of his hands and gently rubbed his calloused palm. Ayane rested his hand on her hip and did the same with the other. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, hoping he would do the same. She felt him tighten his grip and smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder.
Ayane whispered, "I'm sorry."
He sighed into her hair and closed his eyes.
A/N: Voila. I really like this story, perhaps better than my other one. I guess I feel more in control over the storyline and I'm not rushing through the chapters. Anyway, please let me know whether you like it or not. I'm open to criticism. I tried to show another side of Kakashi in this one. I hope it's well received and that at least one person likes it. : )
-TinyMinx