Yay! Finally chapter 5 is up! A big hug and thank you to those who reviewed my story!
Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto
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(Chapter 5)
"One Miso Ramen!" Naruto shouted after much thought. The three of them were sitting in the shop, with Kakashi in between the other two. As promised, Sakura agreed to treat Naruto to his all-time favourite and that's the reason of their appearance at Ichiraku.
"I will have the Char-Siew Ramen." (A/N: Don't ask me why, but char-siew Ramen was one of them in the anime)
"Miso-Ramen…"
The Ichiraku owner gave a grin and went to work on his orders. He had predicted that the blonde would patronize his shop any moment that day. After all, Naruto has been their frequent customer for years. And it was all thanks to his love for ramen that create such a bond between him and the shop. Meanwhile his daughter, Ayame, went over to the three of them and served their drinks.
"I've never seen your face before. Are you new?" Ayame couldn't help but asked. She had seen almost all of the people in the village at least once… but not his.
"I- …" Kakashi opened his mouth to reply only to be cut off by a certain big-mouth ninja.
"His name is Arashi! An orphan found by Ero-sennin and was put under MY care by Tsunade-baasan! He is two years younger than me and is currently studying in the ninja academy!" he placed a finger on his chin, "Sugoi…That makes me his mentor dattebayo! Isn't that great? I'm a teacher! He will have to listen to me and I'm going to…" Naruto continued his rantings, totally unaware of a killing instinct that was directed at him.
"LIES! I am the teacher and you are my student!"
Kakashi felt the urge to strangle and stab Naruto with a kunai. But being a humble and docile commoner, furthermore, his used-to-be wonderful sensei, there's no way he could bring himself to do it. Luckily though, everything ended when the food came in. Naruto took a pair of chopsticks, his mouth watering when the rich scent of the ramen reached him.
"Itadakimasu!"
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"AHH!! Nothing's better than a stomach filled with ramen!" Naruto gave a satisfied look as he released a loud burp. In a flash, Sakura's fist came down on his head. The copy-nin just stared at him in disgust.
"Itaii…"
"At least say 'excuse me', will you?!"
Naruto winced in pain and rubbed his head where a bump had already formed.
"Hai hai… ne, by the way Arashi-kun" Naruto turned to Kakashi, "where did you go this morning? I couldn't find you at Sasuke's apartment. He made a grouchy face and chased me out when I asked for you. That guy…" his crossed his arms and pouted. He was still unhappy about the fact that the Uchiha actually threw an apple at him for his intrusion. Sakura's punch had created the second bruise on his head that day.
"I-I was locked outside by Sasuke last night." Kakashi mumbled as his voice start to diminish, "And I was wondering if…"
"What did you say, Arashi-kun? I can't hear you." The blonde craned his neck closer to the grey-haired boy.
"Its okay, Arashi-kun, you can tell us any problem if you are facing any of them." Sakura placed her hand on his shoulder as a sign of console. Her smile was beckoning Kakashi to spill out everything. Sakura wasn't called the smartest in Team seven for nothing…
"Aa… It's j-just… I was wondering if I could stay with one of you two. I don't really interact well with Sasuke-san, you see… He hates me." He said bluntly. His fingers were crossing and uncrossing behind him, hoping that either one of them would accept his request.
"Of course! You can always stay at my house!" Naruto beamed at him. That caused Sakura to frown in disagreement.
"Your house is too small, Naruto. Furthermore, you can't even take care of yourself, not to mention Arashi-kun."
"Dattebayo… What about your house, Sakura-chan?"
She gulped. She would be glad to help her friend but unfortunately, it was her parents that might not see eye to eye with this subject. She shook her head slowly. Kakashi let out a sigh in defeat. His hopes were all washed down the drain. Maybe he should go back to Sasuke's apartment? Or maybe he will end up sleeping in the open for months? Who knows?
"Never mind then… I'll find someway to settle this. Thanks anyway." He got down from his seat and walked away. How the hell is he going to settle this? He thought as he continued dragging his feet through the streets. A cry from Sakura was all that needed to stop him in his tracks. He turned back and saw the pink hair medic running towards him, her voice calling for him to slow down.
"Arashi-kun! I've just remembered my parents were away on a mission. The most I could afford might be two days maximum. Then maybe we'll help you find someone after that. Is it alright for you?" She managed to force out the words while trying to catch her breath. He was so engrossed in thinking such that he didn't know he had been traveling for some time. From the way Sakura ran, it was obviously quite a long way.
"Thanks, Sakura-chan… if there's a way to repay you, I'll definitely do it!" Kakashi couldn't help as a smile crept up his lips. At least no more sleeping outside in the open…
"By the way, Naruto says he's going to confront Sasuke tomorrow."
NO WAY!!! Somebody stop him!
"Don't worry; He's just getting him back for chasing him out this morning." Sakura watched Kakashi's reaction in amusement. It was priceless. There wasn't anymore verbal interaction between the both of them as they walked along the pavement.
0o0
The copy-nin flinched as the door slam behind him. The house was dead silent. Not a single presence except for Sakura and him. She was busy taking off her shoes therefore not seeing the uncomfortable look in his eyes plus he was getting really fidgety. NEVER in his thirty-two years did he ever stay overnight in the apartment of the opposite sex. To make things worse, it was just both of them… alone. He shook his head and pushed away the dirty thoughts that were invading his mind.
It's all Tsunade's fault for burning all my Icha-Icha books…
He immediately diverted his attention back to Sakura who was waving a hand at him.
"Are you alright?"
"Sorry… just spaced out." he raised his hand and placed it at his nape. It was a habit of his especially when he's nervous. His mind couldn't stop reciting curses for the lack of his smut books. Life is so not fair.
He took off his shoes and went inside. There were only a couch, a bookshelf and a coffee table laid neatly in the living room. It wasn't surprising since females are generally neater than males. Kakashi plopped himself on the couch meanwhile taking in more of the details. His eyes jerked away when he met with Sakura's green orbs.
"It's getting late. We should go sleep." She shot him a quizzical look when he scooted away from her.
"I-I'll take the couch then."
"She has no idea how wrong it sounds…"
"Oh, fine with me… Goodnight then, Arashi-kun." She gave him another weird expression before going into her room to turn in for the night.
"Good night…" he finally released the breath that he had been holding for so long. Many things had happened in such a short while… how long is this going to last for him? His eyelid grew heavier and it wasn't long before he went into a deep slumber. He won't be having the chance to sleep once that time comes…
0o0
Sakura slightly opened her door and peeked at the sleeping boy. Curiosity was prodding into her mind and it was growing stronger by the second. There's something she needed… no, she wanted to know desperately. Stealthily, she crept up to the copy-nin just like how a snake would do to its prey. Making as minimum noise as she could, she kneeled down next to his sleeping figure and stared at his face.
Good. He's asleep.
Slowly and steadily, her arms rose up and approached his face. She unknowingly gave a gulp as her petite fingers rested on his eye patch. Her heart was throbbing with excitement as her face grew warmer. She placed her thumb beneath the cloth and took a deep breath before lifting it up. But before she could lift another millimeter higher, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm. Everything was a blur for a second and the next thing she knew, her arms were pinned tightly behind her and she was being pushed against the floor violently.
"Who are you and what are you trying to do?" Kakashi's voice sounded out dangerously. When he got no respond, he pressed the intruder harder against the cold, hard ground. Sakura was in great pain. Furthermore, she found herself unable to use her chakra to counter him. She came to conclusion that he was stronger than her… physically. At last, unable to bear the pain, she cried out.
Kakashi heard the feminine voice and immediately released her as he backed a few steps. He didn't know it was her. The environment was too dark for him so he presumed it to be an enemy's assailant. Scrambling for the lights, he frantically switched it on. The lights flickered for sometimes before settling down. Just as he expected, it was Sakura. Her arms were blue-black from the intense pressure and tears had already rolled down her cheeks. Her hair was in a chaotic mess.
"I-I'm sorry, Sakura-chan… I'm really sorry…" The copy-nin apologized profusely meanwhile taking small steps towards her. She was trembling in fear for what had just happened. He doesn't blame her though… who wouldn't be scared when he is being attacked by another party?
"No, it's my fault for trying to look under that eye patch… I shouldn't have done it in the first place." She sniffed and wiped another tear away, "please don't blame yourself, Arashi-kun."
Kakashi reached out his hand to help her but she backed away as fear continued flashing in her eyes. She was avoiding the hand that had hurt her earlier on. How ironic.
"B-But why? Why do you want to take off my eye patch?"
"Y-You still remember what I've told you about Kakashi-sensei?"
A nod was her reply.
"It may be coincidence or something, but you look a lot like him. He had grey hair too and his left eye is usually covered by his hitai-e just like how yours is covered by an eye patch… that's why I got so curious about your eye. I won't do it again, I swear!" Her guilty eyes met him as his onyx ones looked back. What could he do? He couldn't possibly hate his student right?
"I trust you, Sakura-chan…" Kakashi gave a sigh, "As for this eye, it was just one of the injuries I've got from facing a ninja."
"What happened?"
"He stabbed my eye with a kunai."
"…"
Silence hung in the room.
It was partially true. His eye got injured due to him protecting Obito from the rock-nin that time. If he hadn't got there on time, Obito would have already got killed. It was also because of this eye incident that allowed Obito's Sharingan to be activated. But everything was futile. He still died in the end for saving Kakashi's life.
"Go back, Sakura." He walked past the girl and sat on the couch, "and please don't ever do it again."
She remained quiet as she bit her lips tightly. There were still doubts that she wanted to clarify. She wanted to know who exactly he was. She also wanted to know why he was this strong. It doesn't make sense at all. A commoner like him shouldn't be able to stand her inhuman strength… unless if he was Kakashi himself. But even if he was Kakashi, why must he hide from everyone? What happened to him during those months of absence?
More and more questions built up in her mind. Nevertheless, there's no way she could ask Arashi now. And since he trusted her that much, she should trust him back as equally. If he claimed that he is not Kakashi-sensei then she shall let it be the one and only truth. No more doubts or suspicions about him. That's the most she could do for now.
"So you are not Kakashi-sensei?" her timid voice came out.
Kakashi paused hesitantly. This was one hard question to answer. He is Kakashi, but he can't reveal his identity either. Such hard choices…
"No, Sakura."
That's was all it took. The girl regained her composed state as a smile graced her lips. She approached the copy-nin and halted directly beside him. Kakashi unconsciously raised his head and faced her.
"Is anything wrong?"
"You know… I forgot one thing important. Although you resemble Kakashi-sensei, you are definitely not him. For one thing, you are more open than him. Even when he's dead now, we still didn't get to know anything from his past. He always kept things to himself, keeping his emotions bottled up."
"I-I'm more open?" he pointed to himself as his eyes widened by a fraction.
"Yes… and goodnight, Arashi." She let out an empty chuckle before gliding past him and back to her room. The door clicked upon signaling its closure. Kakashi didn't move from his spot. He was still unable to believe what he had just heard.
"I didn't realize that now that she mentioned it… considering these few days, I was indeed more outgoing… but why? I never felt this easiness to communicate when I'm with 'him'. (A/N: His secret partner, heehee)"
He never got time to think. The next thing he knew, it was dark again.
0o0
The radiance of the sunlight shone through the transparent window, signaling the start of a fresh new day. But Kakashi thought otherwise. He wasn't really feeling 'fresh', rather, he felt 'rotten'. The copy-nin closed his eyes tighter and turned to his side hoping to shut out the light that was disrupting his sleep. It works fortunately but another source of disruption soon came along.
"Wake up, Arashi-kun." A voice that was too familiar called out to him.
"Another five minutes… Zzz."
"I'm going to be late for my work if you don't wake up soon."
"Yea, I know… Zzz…"
"Arashi-kun! Wake up now will ya?!"
"Zzz…"
Sakura towered over the unaware sleeping ninja as she cracked her knuckles. Following it was a shout from Kakashi and a few minutes of violence for which the author do not wish to include in… Ohhh, look! A butterfly!
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"Glad you are finally awake." Two plates of bread were placed atop of the table, "Eat up quickly."
"You can sometimes be useful as an alarm clock, you know?" Kakashi looked into the mirror with a first aid kit sitting in front of him. Fortunately the wounds weren't that serious. The only one that he doesn't really enjoy looking at was the scratch on the bridge of his nose. It was all her fault for marring his skin… Unwillingly, he pasted a plaster on it and glance at his image.
"I look like Iruka now…" he commented which earned a giggle from Sakura, "I hope it wouldn't last too long."
"Don't worry; from my years of medical knowledge, it will disappear after some time. By the way, it looks nice on you." Another fits of laughter came out which allowed her to receive a glare.
"I prefer my original face for your information."
"Hmm… I will remember to put more scars the next time… anyway, how did you come to know of Iruka-sensei? I don't remember you meeting him."
Think! Kakashi, think!
"Eeto… N-Naruto showed me his picture once." That was a good lie. She simply shrugged and continued eating her breakfast.
0o0
"Door, keys, windows, medical report… I hope I've got everything." Sakura muttered under her breath. She hurriedly walked towards Konoha Hospital with Kakashi behind, trying his best to keep up the pace.
"It doesn't hurts to be late you know?"
The copy-nin could only roll his eyes and continue hastening his steps.
They managed to reach there just a minute earlier, and for that, Sakura let out a sigh of relief. Kakashi, you know… just felt nothing. He was late for almost every appointment he had in his life. It was already considered great if he was to be late for ten minutes. Probably need a miracle for him to actually be on time… both of them entered the door which automatically slid open upon sensing a presence.
"I see that you are on time, forehead girl." Ino was smirking at her, "Sasuke came and greeted me just now. He was so… dashing!!"
"Shut up, Ino-pig."
Sakura went to the counter and confront her rival.
"I thought you would always reach here an hour earlier? What happen to the hardworking Sakura-chan I know?"
"I would love to be early, Ino-pig, if it wasn't for him." Sakura pointed to Kakashi who was looking innocently at her.
"Me?"
It was Sakura's turn to grin triumphantly when Ino's smirk became a frown. It was obvious that she was jealous. Arashi might just be one of the best-looking guys around other than Sasuke. And that was what that made Ino piss off.
"No way… he slept over at your place?"
"Beat that, Ino-pig."
"T-That's impossible! Is it true, Arashi? You slept at her house?!" The blonde girl stood up and slammed her hands on the desk. There's no way…
"Yes I did… why would you ask?" The copy-nin's single eye creased up as he gave a smile, "It's only for one day though."
"Fine, you win, Sakura-CHAN. Go up and start working already." Ino huffed in defeat.
"One more thing, Ino-pig, be sure to add a 'san' if you are to ever call Arashi-kun again." She then turned to the boy who was still confused with what was going on. "Arashi-kun! Don't forget you lessons!" And she walked away.
"It was only two day and I am already treated as an object of affections. I finally understand how Sasuke felt… Having girls boasting about whatever they had to do with you… it makes us feel so lowly." Kakashi shuddered when Ino sent her a death glare. "Girls are scary."
There was still a few more hours before his lessons at ninja academy starts.
"Yo." A masculine voice sounded behind from him, "You must be that Arashi that Naruto had been talking about."
He turned to come face to face with… Nara Shikamaru.
0o0
In this case, Sakura is only treating Kakashi as a brother. No romance feelings.
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