AN: Wow, I feel like I've been working on this chapter forever. I've kind of noticed that my authors notes are a bit like a journal about my writing this story. Hope you all do not mind my sharing. I also noticed that I enjoy writing Suki and Kakashi pieces too much. I think it has to do with the fact that he is currently the only one who knows about who she really is. I'm watching myself on that one because I feel like that it might take away from the point of my story. It's about Suki but also Naruto and Sauske and how they are all tied together, all drifting leaves (cheesy, I know.) On with the story now:
Suki tossed and turned in her sleep, a nightmare ruining her previously peaceful slumber. "No…don't…." she cried out. Her face showed a great sorrow as the nightmare continued. Suddenly she shot straight up in bed, a look of confusion, pain and shock on her face.
Slowly her ragged breathing slowed and she ran her fingers though her hair. The pretty jonin sighed and reached for a glass of water that sat on her bedside table. As she sipped at the water, she glanced around her room. It was dark in her room tonight, it was a new moon so there was little brightness in the night sky. It amazed her how different her room could be without light. Light was amazing, it gave everything color. Now, her room was reduced to blacks and grays.
A small shaft of light came though her curtains, creating a little line of light that stretched across her room. Wait, hadn't she closed her curtains completely when she went to bed. There hadn't been any light when she fell asleep had there? Now her eyes searched the shadows of her room for anything else that might be out of place. "You're observant, yet unobservant when you're half asleep." She heard a voice say from beside her.
Turning her head toward the source of the noise her eyes met Kakashi's grey one. "What are you doing here Kakashi?" Suki inquired, irritated.
"You only seem to have serious conversations with me when I force you or you are half asleep so to be sure you'd talk to me I'm creating both situations." Kakashi replied with a hint of humor.
Suki let herself fall back into the bed and pulled the covers over her face. "Yeah Kashi, this isn't creepy at all." was her muffled comment.
"The fact that you're using a nickname you used for me seventeen years ago tells me that we are friends and therefore it's my prerogative to bother you at all hours." Kakashi said with a chuckle.
The sheets were slowly pulled down to reveal a glaring Suki. She pushed her pillows against the headboard and propped herself up. "No wonder you don't have many who would define you as friend." She muttered. "Must we really do this now? It's…" she paused to look at her clock. "2:23 in the morning."
"You're the one who chose not to talk earlier." Kakashi commented. Her response was to roll her eyes and reach over to turn on the lamp sitting by her bed. She huffed as she pushed her hair back out of her face then crossed her arms. The look she gave him said 'well, I'm listening.'
"You're stubbornness has only gotten worse with age." The older Jonin commented as he ran his fingers though his hair. "I'm sorry if I upset you yesterday. It wasn't my intention, you just looked like you could use some help. Don't blame me for your loose lips."
Suki gave a snort. "Well, I can see you're no better at apologizing than before. It's a good thing there's nothing for you to apologize for. I'm the one who started all this and made the choices I made. You're just the unlucky one who's gotten tangled up in this."
"I wouldn't be tangled if I didn't want to be." Kakashi replied. "You meant a lot to Minato and that rubbed off on all of us on his team. Things aren't ideal now but you're working on it. That's good enough for me."
Suki undid her crossed arms and punched Kakashi lightly on the shoulder. "Ha, don't get all sentimental on me. You've done enough of that already. Thank you, by the way, for yesterday." Kakashi rubbed his shoulder gently, her punches were a bit stronger than he would like. He thought about her words. It was true, he was acting differently that he usually would have.
He reached up and rubbed the back of his head as was his habit. "I'm just glad you're feeling better. There are a few people, one who lives just down the hall, who would have been upset if you weren't."
A silence filled the room for a minute or two. Suki waited for Kakashi to say something more, to get the conversation onto what he wanted to discuss but he said nothing.
"What is it that you wanted to discuss? I'm sure I left you with some questions." Suki asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"You wouldn't happen to have been delirious last night when you told me you were once engaged to Itachi Uchiha were you?" Kakashi asked.
Suki chuckled and began playing absentmindedly with the hair lying around her. "Nope, I wasn't so far gone that I would have said anything that wasn't true." She looked up to meet Kakashi's eye and tried to read his expression. If it were not for that stupid mask, she might have been able to.
Kakashi didn't say anything for several breathless moments. 'Dam it, what are you thinking behind that mask of yours.' Suki thought, desperate to know his reaction.
"Well, I'm sure I agree with your taste but at least you knew when to walk away." Kakashi remarked.
Suki punched him again. "You don't give a dam do you? You just wanted to hear me admit it didn't you?" Kakashi chucked behind his mask.
Suki suddenly launched herself forward and yanked at his mask down. Her other hand reached up and pushed the headband off his Sharingan eye. "God, how does anyone put up with you when you keep everything so hidden." She whispered, taking in his features, which had changed since the last time she had seen him with his mask off.
Kakashi was taken aback by Suki's actions and did not move for a good minute. "You can't be angry with me Kakashi. You know all my secrets."
"Ha, but you'll still surprise me with something else before too long." Kakashi remarked. He backed away toward her window, pulling his mask and forehead protector back into place. "I believe I left something in the oven at home. I'd better get going." He said just before disappearing.
Suki giggled to herself. You never could quite tell when Kakashi was being serious or messing with your head. Part of her was happy he hadn't asked any questions to probe for details. Must she always pick the mysterious ones to be her friends? It felt good to have someone to trust and someone who trusted her. He never asked her for more information than he needed.
The next morning Suki made her way to the ramen shop. It was a beautiful day. The sun shown down upon the village, warming her skin. It was one of those days that despite her problems Suki could close her eyes and imagine that everything would be fine.
When she reached the ramen shop Suki was surprised to find Naruto eating and chatting with a white haired someone. Suki was debating whether or not to bother her younger blonde friend when he spotted her. Naruto gave her a noodle filled smile and waved her over.
Suki approached the two of them and took a seat on the stools. It always surprised her how comfortable the stools at this shop were. One would never expect stools like that to be comfortable. When Naruto finally swallowed the shovel sized bite, he had placed in his mouth he turned to her. "Morning Suki-san. How are you?" He asked, concerned because she had been ill the other day.
Suki ruffled Naruto's hair and laughed. "Good morning to you Naruto. I'm doing just marvelous. Isn't the weather just glorious?" Just then Ayame arrived at the bar, interrupting their conversation. Suki ordered a miso ramen before turning back to Naruto.
"Pretty friend you've got there Naruto. You going to introduce us?" she heard Naruto's white-haired companion inquire. Her eyes nearly popped out their sockets when she got her first look at him. Jiraiya? These two knew each other? Tsunade allowed Jiraiya near Naruto? This would be nothing but trouble.
Suki quickly fixed her expression; she wasn't supposed to know Jiraiya. Unfortunately for her, the man had noticed her reaction. He gave her a smirk and a wink. Suki was suddenly struck with the urge to punch the perverted idiot.
Naruto missed this exchange as he finished his current bowl and called for a new one. "Sorry Purvey-sage. This is Suki, she recently returned to Konoha. She does work at the academy and works with Sakura and me at the training grounds." Suki tried to control her urge to giggle at Naruto's nickname.
His head turned toward Suki, "Suki this is Jiraiya, he was the one who brought be on the training trip I told you about."
"Ah, Jiraiya the toad sage, sanin? Naruto, you've got some rather interesting friends." Suki said, smiling at the older man sitting on the other side of Naruto. She respected Jiraiya despite finding his perverted ways disgusting.
The two of them reached behind Naruto and shook hands. Jiraiya kept his hand in hers a little too long, causing her to squeeze his hand as tightly as she could, which, with the help of chakra, was pretty tightly. He had no clue who he was flirting with. It made her want to laugh; he'd never even try if he knew she was. The older ninja cringed as he pulled his hand away from hers. Suki just gave him a pleasant smile and turned back to the counter in front of her where a steaming bowl of ramen had been placed.
Jiraiya was quite for a few minutes, his throbbing hand reminding him that the woman sitting on the other side of Naruto wasn't one to mess with. She reminded him a bit of Tsunade in the way she had tried to nip this in the bud by demonstrating her strength to him. Her use of chakra had been reminiscent of Tsunade as well. This only peaked his interest in the pretty woman.
"So, Naruto said you had just returned to the village. Where was it you were traveling?" the older man asked.
Suki finished slurping a bit of noodles into her mouth and swallowed before she answered. "Oh, well I lived in Suna for a good while but I traveled from there to many places. I have visited many of the nations. I'm interested in the histories and cultures of the lands."
"Ah, a worldly woman then, that's very impressive." Jiraiya remarked. He'd noticed that her eyes seemed to hold knowledge beyond her years, not uncommon for shinobi, but now he could understand its source.
"Suki-san has told us a lot about the other peoples of the world. It sounds so cool, I want to visit some of those places someday." Naruto commented.
Both adults laughed knowing the boy would probably see more in the world that either of them ever would. "I'm sure you will Naruto. As a ninja you've already traveled to many places." Suki said.
"Yeah but not like you. You weren't on missions so you got to experience the places more than I did." Naruto replied. Suki was taken aback at this insight of Naruto's. He was right, she'd been able to learn so much more about the places she had traveled.
Naruto continued saying "I know the land of fire is an amazing place but the other nations seem so incredible too. If I want to be Hokage, I've got be able to understand them. Tsunade-sama has been telling me about the parts of her job not everyone knows about and she say's creating relations with other nations and ninja villages is one of the most important jobs she has." Both Suki and Jiraiya looked at the boy, who had returned to his ramen, with shocked faces. Had he really just said that? 'He does listen and is growing so quickly.' Suki thought to herself.
Later Naruto had to leave for practice leaving Suki and Jiraiya alone. "He never ceases to amaze." Suki commented as she paid for her meal. Jiraiya laughed at this and nodded.
"He seems pretty close to you for the short time you've known each other." The white-haired man remarked.
"Yeah, Naruto and I just clicked. Of course, it's not difficult to be drawn in by that bouncing blonde ball of sunshine." Suki said with a smile.
"Look, I have a meeting with Tsunade tonight. I think you might be interested in what I have to say. Why don't you join us? Kakashi's already agreed to be there."Jiraiya said.
Suki gave Jiraiya a confused look but nodded. "Sure, I'll be there. If you say it's important I believe you." Was this about Naruto? There wouldn't be any other reason to invite her would there? Looking at the time she jumped from her seat. "I'm sorry but I've got to run. I'm assisting at the academy today."
With that, Suki was gone, jumping along the rooftops to make it on time.
Jiraiya watched the kunoichi as she ran off and sighed. When it came to woman, she was the best kind; Strong, independent but also loving and loyal to those close to her. He could tell by the way she looked at and spoke to Naruto that she took him seriously and cared for the boy as much as he. Something about her was familiar too. Who did she remind him of? A little of Tsunade, Naruto when she was messing around and Kushina too. The older man let that thought leave his mind and moved on to more concerning things…like the Akatsuki's latest movements.
I have a question for those reading. I mentioned Suki's job at the academy but have not done any chapters with her there. I'm not quite done with the next chapter but it seems like it might come out a bit short. Would you all like a little piece on Suki's adventures with the young ninja in training?
Let me know and as always please drop a review if you have something to say; good or bad.