18. And Here's to You, Mr. Hatake

Kakashi sat in the living room of his apartment the next evening, laying his head on the armrest of his red sofa. On the nearby coffee table were two stacks of papers: the taller pile had papers smothered in red ink, while the shorter pile remained untouched. In fact, this shorter stack of papers contained only two particular essays, and Kakashi had been putting them off for a few hours now.

I just hope our plan worked. I mean, Shikamaru and I – we spent quite some time putting this all in motion. We both recognized Naruto and Sasuke's feelings for each other, and we jumped at the opportunity to play Cupid. What if it doesn't work, though? I know Sasuke was suspicious of the whole thing – maybe he was just playing along? What if we actually ruined his one chance of finding true love?

No, that's ridiculous. Sasuke seemed genuinely concerned for Naruto when I talked to him the other day. He wanted to know what to do about this assignment – it wasn't just an act for me. What would he have to gain by it, anyway? He'd never put that much effort into something unless there was some benefit for him. No, if I'm right, this essay should reveal his true feelings for Naruto – so why can't I just read the damn thing?

The silver-haired teacher glanced over at the two papers, sitting neatly on the coffee table, and sighed. There was no sense in delaying any longer. It was already nine o'clock, after all, and he still had to read the next chapter in Make Out Paradise. Thus, with a slight groan, Kakashi stretched out his arm for the first paper and pulled it up to his face to get a better look at it.

"All right, then… here goes nothing."

xxxxx

Sasuke Uchiha

By Naruto Uzumaki

Hi! My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I was born on July 23, and I'm currently 16 years old. My favorite color is blue, and I like shio ramen. I'm really good at math, because my family is head of the Konoha based Uchiha Corporation, now part of the Akatsuki conglomerate.

Conglomerate… what's he doing, anyway? It's like he's reading off a list… and not the kind of list Sasuke would write at all.

My best friend is Shikamaru Nara, and my other friends include local musician Orochimaru (I call him O) and my teacher, Kakashi Hatake. You'd probably think that makes me a nerd, since one of my best friends is a teacher, but he's actually been friends with my family for years.

Okay, so he actually talked about me. I guess I'll count that as a good thing.

I'm quite popular at school. I have my own fanclub, though I don't really like it. All these girls do is follow me around and act all clingy, and it's really annoying. Oh, and I also end up stealing the girls from other guys, and they don't like that. It's not my fault that the girls think I'm a stud muffin –

Stud muffin?

– but they get mad at me anyway. There's this one guy in particular named Gaara Subakuno who wanted to kill me – or at least hurt me – but we're cool now. He's actually friends with one of my good friends, so I'm starting to think he's not such a bad guy.

Really? Sounds like Naruto's putting words in Sasuke's mouth. Still, I'll take it that Gaara's mellowed out a bit since that fight.

So, I should probably tell you about my life, huh? Well, like I said, my parents owned the Uchiha Corporation, so we were rich growing up. I had this big mansion – it had its own swimming pool and everything – so that was nice. I also have a big brother named Itachi – we got along pretty good growing up.

Pretty well, but that's a minor detail. The tone on the other hand… it couldn't be any further from Sasuke if he tried.

Me and Itachi used to hang out – he'd help me with homework and stuff, which was cool – but then he changed. It was right around the time he turned eighteen, and he just started ignoring me. He was always busy with his studies or something, and when I'd ask him for help, he'd poke me in the head and say "Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe next time." I hated that, the way he always ignored me, like I was a burden all of a sudden.

Then he started disappearing – he'd just leave in the middle of the night and be gone all day. My mom and dad were worried about him, but he'd start yelling when they tried to talk to him about it. He said they were ruining the company, just letting it die so that their sons would be left with nothing. All that mattered to him was money and the company – his family was just a burden.

That was right before my parents died. They were murdered. Me and Itachi weren't home at the time – I was out exploring the lake, and Itachi was somewhere else. I'll bet he was partying with his friends or something.

Oh, if only you knew…

When I came back home, there were police cars everywhere. Mom and Dad were lying in their bedroom in a puddle of blood, and I saw Itachi kneeling over them, his whole body stained red. I never saw him cry a tear. He was so cold, while I cried into his shoulder. Like a snowman.

I'll give him an 'A' for effort on that one, I guess.

I was never really the same after that. I lost my mom, my dad, and, in a sense, my brother, all at the same time. Kakashi tried to be there for me and Itachi, but there was only so much he could do. We were orphans, and he couldn't change that.

Ouch, that hurts. Can't say it isn't true, though.

Ever since then, I've had a really hard time opening up to people. I kind of hate them, to tell you the truth. Not people in general – I can tolerate them – but relationships. Every time someone starts getting close to me, I try to distance myself as much as possible from them. I'm afraid that, if I get too close to someone again, it'll only be a matter of time until they're taken away from me. I don't want that to happen again.

Still, some people have managed to sneak into my life. Kakashi's been an important part of my life, of course, since he was the only person I really felt like I could talk to after my parents died. Then there was Shikamaru, who I met a few years later. He was just lying down, watching the clouds, and I realized that he wasn't the type of guy who'd bother me. I joined him, and we didn't say a word. It was nice, having someone who wouldn't pry into my life. Then he started to grow on me, and the rest is history.

Of course, there's Orochimaru, too. I heard him playing his guitar in the park one day, and I liked what I heard. I sat down and listened to him for a while, and when he was finished we started talking. Day after day I went back to hear him play, and before I knew it he was a part of my life. Go figure.

Well, he's got a pretty full backstory there. I'm impressed.

Aside from those three, I've been pretty successful at keeping others out of my life. Some might say I've been a bit paranoid, but I'd rather be paranoid than in pain again. Still, there's someone I've met recently – very recently – who's gradually working his way into my life. He's a great guy – funny, friendly, and he has a great personality. I'm afraid of what might happen if I pursue this relationship any further but, well, somehow I think it'll be all right. Maybe the future isn't so bleak after all.

xxxxx

Kakashi stared at the completed paper, now covered with red ink, and smiled. It made him a little misty-eyed, seeing Naruto's feelings for Sasuke shining through. Even though it was by no means perfect, the teacher found himself scribbling a red "A" at the bottom of the page.

Now, for the real test…

Setting Naruto's paper on top of the pile, Kakashi reached over for the last essay, which he pulled up to his face once more with a sigh. It was the moment of truth – had he and Shikamaru succeeded, or was all their time and effort wasted.

xxxxx

Naruto Uzumaki

By Sasuke Uchiha

My name's Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm a monster. That's probably the first thing that'd come to your mind if you saw me, at least. When people see me, they can only think of my father, Kyuubi – the very same Kyuubi behind those famous murders in Mizu. They assume homicidal tendencies are genetic, and so they look down on me. I'm nothing but the son of that murderer. A monster.

They don't understand what I've gone through, though. If they did, they'd realize I'm much more than Kyuubi's son. I'm a human being like everyone else, and behind my big smile lies a boy with a tragic past.

Okay, clearly not Naruto's voice. Still, it's close.

What most people don't know is that I was there the night Kyuubi went on his rampage. I was only three at the time, but I still remember that night vividly. He killed my mom in front of me – that was what started the whole thing – but then he brought me along with him as he went house to house, slaughtering anyone that got in his way. I saw so much bloodshed that night.

When Kyuubi was finally surrounded by the police, he held me hostage, threatening to kill me if the police made a move. I have no doubt in my mind he would've slit my throat right there if they hadn't killed him first. He was shot in the forehead, and I remember feeling his blood running on top of me, mingling with the blood of his victims. That haunts my dreams to this day – the feeling of his warm blood against my skin.

That's what people forget when they think of me as just the son of a murderer. They don't see that I've suffered, too. While the families of his victims had to mourn the loss of their loved ones, they at least had each other. They could rebuild, move on. Me? I had no one. Sure, the orphanage in Mizu took me in, but I was never truly welcomed. They didn't neglect me – I was given a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, food to eat – but I could see that they looked at me different. There wasn't the warmth that they showed to the other kids. I wasn't an innocent child. I was the spawn of Kyuubi.

I didn't want to admit to the world how lonely I was, though. No one would've comforted me even if I had, so instead I pretended I didn't care. Who needed them, anyway? When the other orphans refused to play with me, I sat off to the side, alone, claiming I didn't want to play with them anyway. It was a mask of sheer indifference, and I wore it well.

That was until I met Iruka, my dad. He was the one who took me in, who saw through my mask and actually cared about me. After that, I no longer turned a cold shoulder to the world – I wanted to share my newfound happiness. In the end, it was still a mask, though – one presenting permanent glee to a cruel world. I guess I just didn't want to feel that sorrow again.

Ever since I met Iruka, though, I've started to connect with the world, to be more normal. I met my best friend Kiba in Mizu, and I've made new friends in Konoha, like Shikamaru, Choji, and Lee. I still think about Kyuubi every now and then, but I can get through it now. My friends can help lift me out of my depression.

I know I'm improving, because I've found that permanent grin cracking more frequently. I met someone in particular just a week ago, and, for some reason, I couldn't hide my true feelings from him at all. It all started with an accident – I hurt him by mistake – and I was overwhelmed with guilt. When I went to apologize to him, though, he threw it back in my face, calling me the son of a murderer, just like everyone else.

That was when the mask broke completely. I cried, in spite of my best efforts to stay strong, and that's when I knew this guy mattered to me. Something about him made me want – need – to be accepted. I wanted him to recognize me as something more than Kyuubi's son, and when he brushed me off so easily, I couldn't ignore the pain.

Apparently he had similar feelings, because he later apologized for what he said. It took us a while to admit how we felt to each other, but now we recognize how important we are to each other. I can't say for certain, but maybe, just maybe, Sasuke can help the world see beyond my bloody past.

xxxxx

Kakashi was forced to wipe his eyes with his free hand so that he could clearly see the last words of the paper. He was completely overwhelmed with relief and happiness, and so those few tears escaped and ran down his face, staining his blue mask. Again, although Sasuke's paper sounded too eloquent to have been written by Naruto, Kakashi scribbled an "A" at the bottom before adding it to the 'completed' pile.

Even if they weren't perfect, they definitely understand each other better than any other group in the class…

Glancing at the clock, Kakashi saw it was past ten. With a sigh, he turned out the light and started for bed. As he shut the door to his room, the silver-haired teacher remembered that he hadn't read a page of Make Out Paradise that night.

Oh well, I'll save it for tomorrow. Maybe now that I've got Sasuke and Naruto all paired up I can start working on my own love life… but again, that can wait till morning.

With that, Kakashi changed into his flannel pajama pants and climbed into bed, a faint, content smile visible through his ubiquitous mask.