Chapter 26!
Title: "Gloves and Gossipers"
Disclaimer: I own nothing!!
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The bridge was as quiet, and as peaceful as I had remembered it, but I couldn't quite appreciate the soothing, familiar-scented, night air as I stood there, waiting.
It had only been a few minutes since I had arrived, but I was already wringing my hands impatiently.
I leaned forward against the cold metal railing, my elbows balancing on the round beam.
I peeked over the side of the faded, red bridge, watching the moonlight sparkle off of the rushing water.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but my efforts were wasted when I saw a pair of gloved hands fall onto the railing beside my elbows.
"You're early…"
I had been waiting to hear that voice all day.
I smiled to myself.
"You're on time… which is actually a bit early for you, isn't it?" I joked, closing my eyes, feeling so much more relaxed now that I could feel his body warmth behind me.
"I guess is it…" He laughed to himself as his arms closed around my shoulders, folding underneath my chin. "I didn't want to waste any time…. I'll have to be leaving almost immediately."
Hearing those words woke me out of this sleepy sense of happiness that his touch always made me feel… I opened my eyes and finally noticed that his arms didn't look the same as usual.
He wasn't wearing his fingerless gloves and rolled up navy blue shirt… he was wearing pitch-black, arm-length gloves with pointed fingers, covered by gray forearm protectors.
I reached my hands up to his arms, feeling for them curiously.
He must've noticed that I had noticed his outfit.
He pulled his arms from around me, his thinly-gloved hands finding my shoulders, turning me around to face him.
I saw the gray chest plate, the sword hilt reaching high from behind his shoulder, the extra kunai satchels, and one of those white, red-marked, animal-faced masks tied carelessly onto the side of his head.
"ANBU?" I asked a little needlessly… but I was still a little surprised.
He nodded his half-masked face swiftly, looking down at me, his hair falling into his eyes a little since he didn't have his forehead protector on.
"Emergency mission… It's been a while since they've called for me, but they really needed an Electrical-element user this time." He explained a little seriously.
I looked back to his clothes, still trying to adjust to this sudden difference.
I had seen ANBU officials only a few times before, but they had always disappeared before I could even get a good look, and now I was being held by one.
I couldn't believe I had forgotten that Kakashi-sensei was once a part of ANBU, a really famous leader, too… Even though nobody really knew what he did in ANBU, it was obvious that he was relaly important because even Yamatou-taichou would slip up every now and call Kakashi-sensei 'senpai' even though neither of them were in ANBU anymore...
Kakashi-sensei's career in ANBU must've left an impression if they're calling him back for a mission.
"Can they really just call on you so suddenly like this?" I asked up to him, feeling a little disappointed for him.
"It's a rather powerful military force, that demands a lot of authority…" He explained solemnly.
As I defeatedly dropped my gaze from his face, I noticed something.
I had no idea how I could have ever missed it before… how I could've missed it last night… or this morning.
His ANBU tattoo, on his left bicep.
I absent-mindedly reached up to it, my fingertips trailing along the swirling ink pattern.
I noticed a little late that doing that must've been weird, but he didn't seem to mind.
His pointed fingertips grazed along the underside of my outstretch arm lightly, like he wanted to touch me, too… the points felt a little ticklish, but sharp against my skin.
"I should be back by tomorrow …" I heard his voice continue his explanations as I caught sight of yet another detail I couldn't believe I had missed a few minutes earlier.
A black string hanging around his neck, reaching far down his chest, peaking at a smooth, green pebble made of jade.
I immediately recognized it… the single pebble of the Gan'u rockfalls that I had clumsily caught that one night…
"You…" I immediately picked it up from lying on his chest.
I could see a smile from under the blue fabric of his mask.
"I had it made…" He answered, I loved that I could hear the gentle smile in his voice.
I looked at the dark swirls of green that patterned the surface of this priceless item.
I couldn't help this feeling… this sudden outburst of joy, the need to do something…. I couldn't control myself as I quickly reached my hand up to his face, pulling down his mask with one motion, and tugging that fabric to quickly get his lips on mine.
He didn't show any signs of surprise or resistance.
My arms slinked under his bare shoulders, curling around his back, holding onto the back of his chest plate as well as I could.
His soft palms and pointed fingers roamed along my back, the contrast of those sensations felt really nice through the fabric of my shirt…
I had started this kiss by doing something that had made me shake nervously the first time I had kissed him, simply pulling down his mask like that…. But I definitely wasn't leading the kiss after a few seconds.
His kiss was following that recent, desperate pattern, getting deeper, harder; more passionate… it was like he was trying to shorten a five minute kiss into ten seconds.
I tried to concentrate on his pace, clutching his back a little tighter, but I still couldn't really catch up by the time his lips left mine.
It still wasn't enough… I still wasn't ready to let him go yet.
Before I could lean up to him for more, he was already leaning away.
His gloved hands grazed off of my back.
He pulled up his mask, not wasting a second.
"I have to meet up with the others, I'm already late…" he said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Ok…" I resigned… trying to calm down. Trying to tell myself that I was going to have to wait patiently before I could touch him again…..
"Tomorrow… I'll get back to you as soon as I can." He said finally, running his strange-gloved hand along my face.
"Ok…." I repeated, having trouble managing another kind of reply.
We never seem to have enough time together… but I guess that's the price of a secret relationship…
His hand left me, he was suddenly walking away.
I got to see that sword on his back again, I couldn't remember Kakashi-sensei ever fighting with a sword before… ANBU missions probably required more-effective weapons…. I was reminded of how dangerous ANBU missions would get…
This one must be really risky of they had to call a retired leader like Kakashi-sensei back.
I took a subconscious step towards him, feeling the worry creep over me as he walked farther away.
"Be safe!" I yelled after him.
He turned around quickly, smiling that smile that always melted away my fears.
"Don't look so worried…" He replied lightly, raising his hand in a motionless wave.
As I blinked, he seemed to disappear into thin air.
I could only hear the faint rustling of branches… I couldn't tell if that was the wind, or him.
I looked back to the sparkling river, feeling a little lonely already… but that happiness was still there, too.
…I already can't wait till he gets back…
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Kakashi made his way through the dark forest, jumping from branch to branch, trying to stop thinking about that girl on the bridge.
The more he thought of her, the harder it was to keep himself from turning around and finding some excuse to kiss her one more time.
He was immediately distracted from those unprofessional thoughts when he heard three new patterns of footfalls on the branches around him.
His teammates were trying to keep pace with him.
It was standard ANBU protocol that when the last member of the group arrives, nobody stops to greet them, everybody has to keep moving, to decrease the possibility of an ambush… even though they were still in Konoha, ANBU protocols were always in action.
"Did you get held up, Kakashi-taichou?" An eager voice of a new cadet tried to ask why Kakashi was late, as politely as he could.
Somebody interrupted before Kakashi could offer his previously devised lie. "Yeah, what were you up to, Kakashi?" The gruff voice of an old friend, Osuzaki, called out disrespectfully.
Something about running through the night like this, in this uniform, with some old friends, was almost too nostalgic to Kakashi.
"I came across a pretty girl, so I danced for her…" Kakashi recited a very old excuse that he had already used more than once. This time, it was actually half-true.
His teammates laughed.
Osuzaki spoke up, still laughing a little, "If she's the type I know you like, Kakashi… let me know if she has a sister!" Osuzaki spoke without knowing the details… thankfully.
The laughing continued as Kakashi tried to brush off that last comment.
"Still enjoying the single life, eh, taichou?" Another familiar voice, that belonged to an old friend named Kenjiro, called out jokingly.
"Nothing to enjoy, really…" Kakashi neither denied nor confirmed that question. In truth, 'the single life' had never bothered Kakashi, until he fell in love not too long ago… "Now enough of that, you guys have to stay sharp!" He ordered with a suddenly serious voice.
"Yes, sir!" Their voices responded with the same tone at the same moment, forgetting their jokes and laughing… years of training did that.
They were already out of Konoha, and a considerable ways away from their destination… but this mission definitely needed extra attention
………………
The sun began to peek over the horizon of the trees.
The team hadn't stopped once… and even though Kakashi hadn't slept for almost twenty-four hours now, he was trained well enough that he wasn't feeling the physical lag.
He had almost forgotten how intense ANBU was.
The trees blurred past them, the wind roaring in their ears.
Kakashi started to recognize the difference in the plant life… they were getting closer.
He needed to brush up on the facts one more times.
"You guys said you needed my help to deal with an Earth user, right?" Kakashi spoke up, still checking their surroundings for any signs of the enemy.
"Yeah, his work can get pretty nasty… we've tried to get to him, but his defenses barely have any blind spots or openings, which his partners guard." Kenjiro explained for the team.
"Do you know what they're after?" Kakashi spoke up, still constantly checking every branch for eavesdroppers or stalkers.
"No, they haven't said much… they just start smashing up the landscape and stay put."
"They've never relocated?" Kakashi asked over his shoulder to the left flank, where Kenjiro was positioned.
"No, after every encounter we've had with them, they've always retreated to some sort of run down hut by the mountain-side."
"Why would they stay in one spot?" Kakashi couldn't get past that curious behavior.
"Maybe they're waiting for something?" Osuzaki came into the conversation, his gruff voice talking quietly. He was probably aware that they were getting close to enemy grounds, too.
"What could they possibly be waiting for?" The young cadet asked politely.
"Reinforcements… orders…." Osuzaki offered some theories as he heaved himself from branch to branch.
"No… they're strong enough by themselves… and it's pretty clear that their orders are to wait and hide out." Kakashi turned down those guesses, mostly talking to himself.
His mind started going over all of the possibilities.
"Then, that must mean they're waiting for something to come to them…" Kenjiro's words shook Kakashi, but not as much as what he saw next.
His pace slowed… his teammates followed his example, he knew they must've been confused.
Kakashi eyed the forest, counting.
"How many partners did this Earth user have?" Kakashi asked quietly, slowing to a complete stop on a tall branch.
"Four…" Kenjiro answered, his voice suddenly becoming quieter.
Kakashi slipped his hand into his left shuriken satchel, shuriken were better for wide range attacks… he'd need it.
"We have some newcomers on our hands then…" Kakashi announced with light words, but a heavy voice.
"How many are there now?" The cadet asked, his voice shook a little… he must've been really new.
Kakashi took another look.
"Fourteen…"
This is going to get rough…
"Something tells me that whatever they've been waiting for is here already…" Osuzaki spoke up.
"Yeah… us." Kakashi agreed slowly.
Only one more order was needed to start this battle, Kakashi had said it so many times in the past and never felt nervous, but something worried him about these enemies… they were too organized for brainless minions.
There was definitely something or someone bigger planning all this out.
He finally shouted that order, unable to stall for thoughts any longer.
"Scatter!"
Shuriken and kunai flew through the branches, cutting leaves and spraying splinters as the figures blurred around the battlefield attacking each other.
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I wandered into the little grocery market, inspecting the shelves of vegetables, fruits, and spices.
It was my turn again to do the evening shopping.
It always bugged me, having to haggle over the quality of the products and the prices… but I was outside of the house.
Maybe… if Kakashi-sensei's back…
I knew I shouldn't be so hopeful, but I couldn't stop thinking about it…
I checked by wristwatch again, ignoring the orange in my hand for a second.
It was only a half hour past four.
He only said 'tomorrow'… that could be at 11:59, too, couldn't it?….
I sighed, putting back the orange, picking up another. The late-afternoon sun seemed to be sinking faster than it should while the hand on the clock was moving even slower than normal.
I scooted over to vegetable area as soon as I had picked up some reasonably ripe fruit.
As I inched my way over to the carrots and mushrooms
I suddenly heard gossipy whispering coming from the two women who had been in the fruit area, next to me, only a few seconds ago.
I knew that they were fellow kunoichi, but they were from the generation before me, so I didn't even know their names.
"Isn't that the girl, the one with the pink hair, the one who was dancing with the Black Suit?" One really obnoxious voice whispered to her friend.
I pretended to have bad hearing, and only compared carrots in my hands.
So that's what people called Kakashi's stunning costume? The Black Suit…
I smiled to myself, it sounded like some sort of caped night criminal…
"Yeah, she was!... I think her name's… Sakura?" The other, mousier voice responded, showing enthusiasm. "… she's so lucky…" the voice added dreamily.
My smiled widened unwillingly.
I was so glad they couldn't see my face… otherwise they might've thought that the carrots had told me a funny joke.
"I wonder who he was…" The obnoxious one started again, "… he didn't look like the type that would be interested in that kind of girl…" Anybody who could see me now would wonder why I was making such an insulted face at a carrot. "… I mean he looked a lot older than her… he was definitely an adult… but he looked just right for me…"
The two voices giggled like they were my age.
"I bet he was from another village…" The mousy one proposed.
"Probably… since you don't see a lot of men like that around here anymore…. All of the handsome, talented ones have already all been married off by now…." The obnoxiously nasally one added with a tone of distaste.
"What about Kakashi-san?" The quiet one brought up my exact thoughts.
He was probably the most talented and most attractive, and he's not married… I argued in my mind… then again, he was preoccupied in a deep relationship right now.
A proud smile conquered the pain of my insulted ego.
"Oh, Kakashi-san… he's gorgeous…"
How would she know?!
I freaked out for only a moment.
"… even with that mask on, any woman with an eye for men can tell he must be insanely handsome…" The nasally one continued. It bugged me that I couldn't disagree at all. "… But! He's practically unapproachable!.... He's turned down so many women…" The annoying one wasn't keeping track of her volume anymore, using that irritating voice to its fullest.
"Didn't he turn you down, too?" The shy one added.
"He said he wasn't 'looking to be in a relationship'!" The louder one corrected excitedly.
"Do you think she was the reason he doesn't accept dates anymore?" The quiet one became quieter, like she was talking about something really secret.
"Probably…" The louder one snorted. "… She was so beautiful, and mature, she could've had any man in Konoha…. in the Land of Fire!" She exclaimed overdramatically.
My brain couldn't really make sense of this the way I wanted it to… I didn't want to hear about whoever this woman was…
This 'beautiful', 'mature' woman… who they talked about like she was Kakashi-sensei's…….
I didn't want to think about it, but I couldn't help myself from listening.
"She was really talented, too… she was too perfect, it really got on my nerves… but I guess it's okay since she-"
"Stop!" The weaker voice actually spoke up a little. "We're not supposed to talk about that too much."
"Nobody's listening, beside they only made that rule becau-"
"SAKURA-chan!"
I immediately dropped the carrots back into their little cubby shelf, whipping my head around to the street to see who had called my name so loudly.
Naruto!!?
I really didn't need him running up like that, making a scene… now those two gossipers weren't going to finish… and I wasn't going to learn more about whoever this lady was.
But maybe that's a good thing…
I quickly forgot about my irritated nerves when I saw that Naruto wasn't smiling… he wasn't waving or happy…
He was leaning on his knees a little, panting like he had ran straight across Konoha.
I tucked my grocery bag under my arm walking away from the two women at the fruit section, who were now staring at the yellow-haired boy in the street.
"What are you doing?" I asked a little harshly when I saw everybody was looking at us like we were crazy.
"He's back… Kakashi-sensei… " Naruto was trying to get the words out in between breaths. I could feel another smile threaten my face… that was, before I nearly dropped my groceries in the dirt when Naruto finished the sentence.
"…in the hospital."
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