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Chapter 15

"The ramen is in this cupboard, and all the fruits and vegetables are over here. I expect you to eat those too Naruto." I pulled Naruto into a tight hug, "Don't forget to check the milk before you drink it. No ramen for breakfast. Make sure to shower every day. And Azami and I are just a couple of blocks away if you need anything. You hear? I don't care what it is, if I'm in come and see me. Do you remember all the emergency phone numbers?"

He shoved me off him, "Yes Natsuki-chan. I'll be fine. I'm not a baby anymore. Soon I'll be the one that needs to get laid-"

I whacked him on the back of the head, "Don't tell me things like that, you're only just moving out. I don't want to worry about you getting STDs already-"

"I was just kidding Natsuki-chan. I promise I'll be fine. Go home. Everything's been moved already, and even Azami left hours ago."

I looked around the room and saw it was already dark outside the window. I guess it was time I left Naruto. "One more hug?" Naruto smiled and wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. He already reached my shoulders. I kissed the top of his blonde head, "Love you Naruto-kun. I don't know what I'll do at home now. It'll be so quiet now."

"I love you too Natsuki-chan. You're the best. And I'll visit you all the time, you make the best food." Naruto pulled away from me, his eyes shining cheekily at me, "Besides, it won't be so quiet when you and your boyfriend-"

"Okay, I'll go already. Have fun. But not too much!- "

"What are you, my mother? Just go already, I want to make some ramen. I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry. Love you. Don't burn yourself." I kissed Naruto on the forehead one more time before teleporting home. We'd split the furniture between us, there didn't seem to be much point in buying all new furniture for Naruto's new apartment when there was enough functioning furniture for him to have. Some pieces were new of course, but we had both been happy to share the furniture. "And then there was one..."

I walked around the now much emptier apartment without the energy ball that was Naruto and felt suddenly as alone as I had felt when I had first arrived here in Konoha. It felt as if there was no one here who cared for me anymore. I hat feeling lonely. What to do?... Oh! I went to the kitchen and reached up to the very top cupboard, all the way to the very back. Further... further...Aha! My hand grasped a couple of bottles which I brought out and placed on the counter. Sake. I reached again and got the rest of the bottles. There were about four bottles. In the past seven years I had only managed to consume two of the six-pack.

I got myself a glass and poured myself some sake, downing it in one, before pouring another cup already. I don't usually 'resort' to alcohol, but I thought that for my first night alone in ages I might as well drink myself to sleep. After a while, around the third bottle, I got fed up of pouring cups which I downed in under a second, and started sipping straight from the bottle. Whew, that was a good idea. I was a little past tipsy now, and the slight ringing in my ears was filling the silence of the apartment.

I decided I wanted it to be louder, like my Naruto. So I giggled my way to the living room and turned on the TV, finding one of those loud pop music channels. It was annoyingly hyped up music, which made me giggle again. I kept thinking, if Naruto was music, this would be him. I tried to sing along to some of the songs, but stopped when I realised I'd run out of sake. I pouted down the empty bottle, before my second great idea of the evening popped up.

The convenience store!

I teleported there, and went to buy more sake when my eye caught the beer. I had never tried beer, preferring wines and sakes as my alcoholic beverages of choice. But tonight I thought what the hell? I bought a six-pack of any beer; I wasn't sure which were good, and then a bottle of wine. Purely so I had something to wash down the taste of beer if I don't like it, of course. I nodded at the slightly startled looking cashier when I paid, before teleporting home.

It didn't quite work.

I ended up home, but I ended up home in the kitchen sink.

Hah, in the toilet.

I burst out laughing before I remembered that the TV was still on. So I hopped out of the sink and sat myself back down on the sofa and tried my first can of beer. And you know what? It tasted gooood. Maybe I should have got more than a six-pack... oh well. If this is what being drunk was like, well I think I was starting to like it.

I must have been thirsty, because all those drinks I bought went. They just disappeared. Meh, I felt a little too sleepy to go out and buy more. I stayed on the sofa, lying down and watching TV. Well, I was watching the screen... the pictures really. Eyelids...stay open... Ack, I give in. I might as well sleep, it's only... 8pm? I'd have an 'early night' tonight. Sleep...

"...tsuki? Natsuki are... ou oka... Natsu..."

What the hell?

I opened my eyes and saw blurs. I blinked my eyes several times and tried to sit up, only to flump back down again. Bad idea. I think I realised why I never really drank. It was the effects later, when there wasn't any alcohol left in the blood to make me feel 'happy'. Maybe I was a little more upset about Naruto moving out than I thought, damn me being a lightweight. Stupid girl, you're supposed to be a responsible kunoichi of Konoha and here you are drinking yourself to sleep because you feel a little lonely. Honestly, how pathetic can you get?

"...tsuki? Natsuki!" there was that voice again.

"What?"

"... Do you even know who you're talking to?"

"Erm, yes?" I heard a sigh before I felt myself suddenly hauled up to my feet. Bad idea, all the blood splashed around in my body, at least it felt that way, and my head must have been a wall. Because when my blood hit that wall it hurt. "Why'd I have to be a lightweight? It is sooo inconvas- inconpa- inconvenient." I almost fell when I felt arms hold me steady and away from the floor, mean floor, hurting me when I fall. I stuck my tongue out at the floor and felt the person holding me up laugh.

"Are you really sticking your tongue out to the floor?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Didn't I tell you to watch it when you stick out your tongue? You really could lose that thing."

Huh? "Kakashi?"

"So you guessed me right. Now, are you going to tell me why exactly you're sleeping on the sofa, in front of a TV on standby, and surrounded with quite a few bottles?"

"... No."

"Okay fine then, I'll find out tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"It's still night, around midnight I think. I came here to check on you after my mission. Naruto mentioned he was moving out today, and he was worried about you. I think I can see why now."

"Oh shut up you."

I shivered a little when he was laughing in my ear, "Come on. Let's get you something non-alcoholic to drink and get you to bed. We'll talk this all out in the morning." I nodded and took a step before half collapsing. "Woah. Maybe that's not the best idea. Alright, I'll take you." The world suddenly swirled once again, annoyingly so it was all still in the dark. Wait a second... if this was all in the dark, how do I know this really is Kakashi? When the world settled a little when I was safely in 'Kakashi's' arms, I reached up and felt his face, finding a mask. Anyone could have done that, I reached higher and felt the lopsided hitai-ite. "What are you doing?"

"What was the last task I made you do?"

"What?- "

"Answer me man-who-claims-to-be-Kakashi!"

"Okay, okay... you made me wear a... pink... mask."

Satisfied and unable to come up with anything else to ask him, I decided to trust that this really was Kakashi. If it wasn't, I could handle him, even in this condition. I think. I relaxed in his arms and rested my head in the crook of his neck and smelt him. Kakashi. I relaxed even more. "My head hurts."

"Maa, that's your own fault. Honestly. You never drink; do you really think you could have gotten away with such a binge without hurting a little?"

"... Maybe?"

I heard Kakashi sigh as he sat me down on the kitchen counter. I heard running water, and was looking for the source of the noise when the world started tilting again, "Woah!" an arm around my waist was holding me up from falling off the counter, "Why don't you try and not move? That might be safer for you."

"Okay."

I looked up and could vaguely see Kakashi shaking his head at me. We were near the kitchen sink window, so the moon was shedding some light. It made his hair more silver-y. It looked really nice. He managed to keep a hold of me and reach out to get a glass of water from the sink. That's where the noise was coming from! "Take these." I looked down and saw some painkillers in his hand. I took them and popped them into my mouth. He held out the glass of water now, "Drink this." I took at the glass from him and took a sip to swallow the pills before handing it back. "All of it Natsuki." I pouted, annoyed at him, but took the glass again anyway and drank the whole thing without too many spills. "Good, you hungry?" I shook my head. "Then I think it's time to put you to bed." I shrugged my shoulders; I didn't have enough energy to do anything else, before I felt myself being lifted up again. I felt even smaller than I was already when he was carrying me like this. And I felt a long way off the ground.

"Don't let me fall."

"What? Like... this!" I felt my top half suddenly fall back and squeaked in surprise at the free-falling feeling, before I felt an arm 'catch' my shoulders.

"Kakashi!" I said before I punched him on the shoulder. I wasn't going to let him do that to me again, so I wrapped my arms around his neck, hah! Try making me fall when I'm holding onto you like this Hatake!

"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist."

"I almost had a heart attack!"

He laughed a little into my ear, making me shiver again. "You would have been fine and you know it." I refused to answer him as he manoeuvred his way through the apartment to my room. He lay me down on the bed before removing my shoes. I felt him pulling the covers over me and tucking me in. "Comfy?" I nodded, "Good. Well, erm, sleep tight." He said before moving away from me.

I felt panic rise within me at the thought of being alone in the apartment again. "Wait! Can you stay?"

"Stay?"

"Yeah, I don't want to be in the apartment by myself. You can sleep in Naruto's bed; it's just across the hall. Or the sofa is a pull out. Please?"

"Fine."

I sighed in relief, I'm not alone, "Thank you." I turned over and closed my eyes to sleep, hearing a shuffling in the room before I felt the mattress dip in front of me. "Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"What are you doing?"

"You really expect me to sleep in Naruto's bed? Who knows what I'd find in there. And I refuse to sleep on the sofa. I need a decent night's sleep, so I'll sleep here." I couldn't come up with anything to say, so I just nodded my head. I felt the covers shift a little, and another set of legs bump into mine. "Goodnight."

"Erm, night."

What happened again?

I was once again waking up to a voice a little too incoherent to make out, but this time I could see lights and my head wasn't pounding as much. "...atsuki-chan. Natsuki-chan wake up!" I blinked my eyes a couple more times against the brightness of the open window. Who drew the curtains? I turned my head to the voice and saw Azami... with that creepy smile of hers. "Natsuki-chan?"

"Mhm?"

"Can you tell me why when I came to check up on you this morning, a half-asleep Hatake Kakashi opened the door?"

"Why is everyone checking up on me?"

"Don't avoid the question Natsuki-chan."

"He came to check up on me, and I asked him to stay because I felt lonely."

"You felt 'lonely'... suuure."

I whacked her arm before sitting up, "Really." I saw her creepy grin still in place, and everything suddenly clicked about that grin, "Nothing happened Azami-chan. see? I'm fully dressed."

She waved me off, "Details, you could have dressed yourselves. So how was he? Was he big? Because Gai-kun wants to know if he beat him-"

"Azami! Nothing happened! And shouldn't you be a little more worried about your husband wanting to know how 'big' another man is?"

"Nonsense. And as if I would be worried about Gai-kun, he showed me how red-blooded he was last night when he-"

"Enough." I moved to stand, "I don't think I want to know. Let me get something to eat before I have to throw it up from your early morning romp-report." Azami just grinned again, "What?"

"Guess who's cooking you breakfast?"

My eyes widened, "Is he burning anything? Is my kitchen still alright?"

Azami slapped my arm, "That's not what you should be focusing on! When was the last time a man cooked you breakfast?"

"...Does the hospital count?"

Azami shrieked at me before stomping out, "Impossible! You're simply impossible!"

I grinned at her retreating back, shaking my head at my best friend. Okay, operation Throw Azami Off complete. Now to find out what's for breakfast. I smiled a little at the thought that Kakashi was making breakfast for me, before pushing that happiness down. It was misled. Kakashi was just being my... friend... right?