Okay, so this is Chapter 2, now with POV Breakers, lol… this is just a cute little chapter before the real plot unfolds….
Title: "Flowers and Compatibility"
Disclaimer: I own nothing… these characters were borrowed from Naruto.
Hope you enjoy!
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After leaving the camp site we found the road and resumed our travelling.
Kakashi hasn't said a word about 'the incident' since he gave me back my towel.
Not to me or Naruto… he didn't even give off the slightest hint of playfulness or even the feeling that he was upset.
Maybe he didn't care?
That thought kind of disturbed me.
Why wouldn't he care?
Is it because I'm such a kid in his eyes, that it's no different than when a child who knows no better walks into the same situation?
But I'm not a child…. Or really a 'kid' anymore…
I guess, since he's an adult, he has the patience and knowledge to know that these things happen and that I wasn't stalking him or anything, and that I wouldn't be stressing about it for the next several hours, and that I definitely didn't notice how his muscles were much more defined than I thought they would be.
…. Wait…
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She hasn't said anything.
But she looks really flustered.
She hasn't looked at me for longer than a few seconds since then.
It was probably too much for her.
She's probably just trying to forget it happened.
Maybe that's for the best.
He didn't like that for some reason.
He didn't want her to feel like she had to forget it.
But he didn't want her to panic over this so much that she wouldn't even walk next to him.
And yet he noticed too late that she was already ahead of him, keeping pace with Naruto, trying to keep up a conversation, a smile on her face.
Naruto seemed really happy, too.
That's good…
He thought to himself forcefully, closing his eyes while walking calmly.
He's obviously liked her since before they were even Genin, after all these years of friendship and battling together, no wonder she would develop feelings for him, too.
This is what should happen.
Things are supposed to happen this way.
His pace slowed as she seemed even farther away.
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"Good work, people!" Tsunade-sama shouted triumphantly at us. We were too ragged and tired to share her enthusiasm, but Naruto had a huge grin on his face.
"You guys really handled it well!" She continued with a smile.
Tsunade-sama seemed to be really pleased with us… I think.
Then again, the first thing I heard when we got back into Konoha was that she had finally won at a gambling contest… and won a big sum, too.
I have no idea why the Hokage would need more money, but I think gambling is probably more about pride to her.
"So that's why I'm sending you guys on this B-Rank mission right now!" She announced, maintaining the broad smile, holding out the informative scroll like it was a treat.
Shizune-san ore an embarrassed smile from behind Tsunade-sama, definitely sensing our gloom of receiving another mission right off the bat.
"Of course… thank you." Kakashi accepted the scroll with a grimacing smile under his mask. Even Naruto seemed a little upset, probably because he's been complaining about wanting to spend more time training with Ero-senn-… um, Jiraiya-sama.
"I'll expect you guys to leave Konoha by tomorrow morning. This one's rather urgent." She said finally, petting a sleepy Tonton in her lap and turning her chair around towards the window as we sluggishly left the room.
…………Later…......
Well, I have the rest of the day and night to relax as much as I want.
Maybe I'll go to the onsen and get that bath I didn't have earlier.
I cringed at the memory of my awkwardness.
And he still didn't say anything when we parted, he just waved like he always does and silently walked off with his hands in his pockets… like always…
My head dropped downwards, staring down at the yellow sand under my feet.
I guess he really doesn't care….
"Sakura!" I heard a familiar voice call me as I was walking past the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
"Ino!" I answered, turning around to greet her, forgetting that random moment of disappointment.
We've recently gotten on good terms again… at least when we don't talk about missions and training.
"Guess what?... I got the latest issue of Konoha Horoscope!" She squealed excitedly as I walked into the flower-adorned shop. She was behind the counter rummaging through a magazine.
She always loved looking into those things, trying to predict the future, or checking for any good luck will come for her.
"This time they have Blood Type Compatibility as the main feature!" She explained giddiness.
I was actually a sucker for these things, too, but I don't really tell anyone.
The romantic compatibility ones like these were always the most interesting…
"What's your type Sakura?" Ino asked while scanning the over-decorated magazine page.
"Um, I'm Type O…." I answered a little hesitantly, trying to sneak a peek at the page.
"Hmm… Ok… so you're best paired with another O or maybe AB. How cool!" Ino exclaimed.
I had to think for a second.
Did I know any Os or ABs?
….yes….
I knew one AB
… Sasuke…
I guess blood type ties can't be that strong.
I couldn't think about this right now. I came back to reality, using a fake smile now, listening to Ino again.
"And I'm B… so I'm best with B and AB!" She squealed excitedly.
She suddenly turned bright pink, her eyes dazed off into space.
Is she thinking about Sasuke, too?
"I was wondering why Sai seemed to like me so much! He's a B, too! He even called me beautiful, you know!"
Ooooooooh….
I had to stop myself from laughing…
Sai probably doesn't like anyone, very much, in that way.... well, maybe Naruto.
Holding back laughter got harder with that thought.
I wonder how Ino even got a hold of Sai's blood type. I can just imagine her bludgeoning him with flirty looks, asking weird questions. Poor Sai, he probably has no idea why she acts like that.
"You know who else is a B?" I asked her, remembering this myself.
"Who?!" She asked with anticipation.
"Naruto…"
"Eeeeeh!?" She over-exaggerated.
I busted into laughter right before her.
We both knew how Ino felt about Naruto, and Naruto wasn't quite fond of her either.
It's really nice to just talk about random stuff like this without any worries.
We laughed until Ino saw she had a customer. She started putting away the magazine. I was about ready to turn around and leave until she spoke up again.
"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, what's your blood type?" She was looking right over my head, taking out the magazine again.
I stopped everything.
I didn't turn around, I just stared at the magazine with motionless eyes.
Why was I panicking?
"Why?" His haunting voice asked as I heard him wander around the shop, probably looking for the right flowers to buy.
"Konoha Horoscope just did an article about Blood Types Compatibility and I'm just testing it out." She explained lightly, as I was still frozen.
"Ok then," I heard him approach the counter. I wondered why he agreed so easily… well, knowing him, he probably liked this stuff, too.
"I'm Type O." He said with his usual smile as he walked up right next to me.
"Ooh, then your best with ABs and other Os… like Sakura!" Ino explained with a gossipy tone.
I knew Ino didn't mean it like that.
She meant that he was like me, not that he'd be compatible with me.
.....Right?....
(Even though, according to the article, we would be compatible… but that was neither here nor there….)
I looked at her face…. She seemed perfectly innocent.
I'm probably just being waaay too over-analytical, that's all.
Kakashi-sensei wouldn't connect the dots like that…
"That's nice." He said gently, placing the flowers on the counter. They were lilies.
Ino took the flowers and counted the total, Kakashi paid for them.
The whole time I was just leaning against the counter, motionless, trying to digest the information and the situation, as well as fighting back the strange urge to stare at him.
"So who are these for?" Ino asked as politely as anyone could ask that question.
"Just a friend I haven't seen in a while." He answered with his polite, but fake, smile.
He picked them up and turned around.
I let out a breath before I heard his smooth voice again.
"See you tomorrow morning, Sakura."
Not only goose bumps this time, but my stomach felt like it was an acrobat stretching for room in my body.
Seriously, he was way too casual when he said my name.
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Blood Type Compaibilty, huh?...
He couldn't suppress a real smile as he walked away from the little flower shop.
He couldn't help but wonder if blood types really affected a relationship.
With the answer he got from Ino… he hadn't remembered the last time he wanted to take such superstitions so seriously.
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Something else happened as I was walking home.
I saw Kakashi-sensei again, but this time he wouldn't see me.
He was standing in the middle of the Memorial Field… the resting place for the great shinobi, where the third Hokage's monument stands.
The sun was about ready to set, casting an amber glow on the lilies by his feet, which were laying on a marble-white gravestone.
I guess they were really for a friend he hadn't seen in a while.
When I saw him standing there, just silently reabsorbing the deaths of his comrades, showing respect and paying moments of silence, it really hit me.
Even though Kakashi-sensei acts really carefree, almost to the point that he can act our age… he's still an adult… one who's suffered greater pain than I could possibly understand at this point in my life.
...He's lost his only family, many of his teachers, and a lot of friends...
But he's still such an extraordinary shinobi, a patient teacher, and a loyal friend... one that would happily give his life for any of us in a moment.
He's actually really amazing.
I couldn't get him out of my head the whole walk home... or even after that, too.
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Hope you like it!
By the way, the blood types in here (along with the compatible matches) are actually the character's real types and matches…. Cool, huh? ^_^