The Harem Jutsu
Disclaimer: I wish i owned the Naruto series but i don't.
Chapter 17: Kakashi's coming back.
A few days passed and finally, Kakashi and his team returned to Konoha. They didn't find the killer, but they did find some valuable information to report to Tsunade.
Kakashi was troubled by what they had discovered. Even though he hated to face it, he had to ask Mizuki about what happened and where she went after the murder.
But after being gone for a few days, he didn't want to push her into talking about it. After last time, he felt like he had to regain her trust. He didn't want that to happen again.
She wasn't home. Kakashi searched through all of Konoha. When he passed the day care, he caught a glimpse of her. She was on the playground. The children seemed to love her, because they kept pulling her with them. Mizuki was just laughing.
She happened to look Kakashi's way and didn't move for a while.
"Mizu*-chan!" Keiichi said. "Will you play tag with us?"
"Maybe next time," Mizuki said. "I'll be right back, ok? Be nice."
She walked towards Kakashi. But before she had the chance to say anything, Kakashi asked: "'Mizu-chan', eh?"
(*Mizu = water)
Mizuki laughed. "Welcome back," she said. "There's not even a scratch on you. Didn't the mission go well?"
"Ahw well…" Kakashi said. "We're kinda at a dead end right now." He didn't want to talk about it already. It was far too soon.
"What about you?" he asked. "You're working in a day care."
"Yeah,' Mizuki said. "It's good to finally have a job. And it's fun, too."
"Glad to hear that," he said. "Hey, wanna go for a bite after you're done?"
"Umm… sure," Mizuki said hesitatingly. "I'll be done by 6 o'clock."
"Ok, I'll pick you up," Kakashi said.
Mizuki had a strange feeling after Kakashi left. She was hoping it wasn't a date. No, that couldn't be. What was she thinking? She went back to the kids and ignored her thoughts until 6 o'clock.
She was waiting and waiting. It was already 6:45 when Kakashi finally arrived.
"You're late," Mizuki said.
"Sorry, sorry," Kakashi said. "A black cat—"
"… crossed you path, so you had to take a different route," Mizuki said to finish his sentence. "Right?"
Kakashi stared at her.
"Let's just go," Mizuki said and she started walking already. "So where are we going?"
"You'll see," Kakashi answered.
They went to a little restaurant. It was cheap, so Kakashi could afford enough for his plan.
Kakashi ordered some sake.
"Here, have some," he said.
"Ah, no, thank you," Mizuki said. "I don't drink alcohol, so…"
"You won't get drunk from one little cup of sake, right?" Kakashi said.
"Umm… well… I guess not," Mizuki said.
The smooth talker got her to drink a few more cups of sake. Mizuki was just waiting for the moment Kakashi would pull down his mask to eat, so she didn't notice she had already drunk so much. But one of the waitresses came to offer her an extra drink, on the house. After this conversation with the waitress, Mizuki looked at Kakashi again. He had already finished his plate.
After dinner, Kakashi insisted on bringing her home. Mizuki was just a little drunk, but she still felt uncomfortable around him.
"But if I let you go alone like this, who knows where you'll end up," Kakashi said. He did have a point there.
When they entered her apartment, Mizuki turned on the light and Kakashi looked around.
"I'm sorry," Mizuki said, "I don't have a couch yet."
Dizzy from the alcohol, she quickly sat on the bed.
"Maybe I let her drink a little too much," Kakashi mumbled to himself, so that Mizuki couldn't hear it. He sat next to her.
"Are you ok?" Kakashi asked.
Mizuki looked at him. When she realized what they were sitting on, she quickly stood up and leaned against the wall.
"Mizuki?" Kakashi asked.
Mizuki was shaking a little.
"U-umm…" she whispered. She let herself slide down the wall and sat on the floor.
Kakashi stood up and wanted to reach for her, but Mizuki immediately said: "Stay back…"
Kakashi looked at his hand. Then he got it.
"Ah, you're wrong," he quickly said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Of course she didn't believe him. The situation looked totally wrong.
"Ok, what do I have to do to prove it?" Kakashi asked.
"Turn around," Mizuki said. "And sit down."
Kakashi did as she wanted and sat on the floor, about two metres away from her. Mizuki looked at his back. He really did it.
"I want to talk to you about something," Kakashi said. "Will you listen?"
Mizuki was silent for a while, but then said: "Yes."
"On my mission," he began, "I noticed a possible link… between you and… someone we're looking for."
"What do you mean?"
"Last time we met, you told me about the time you ran away."
A short silence fell.
"Please, don't talk about that again," Mizuki said.
"I just need to know," Kakashi said, "where did you go after… you know…"
"After that… I had walked a long way through a forest and ended up in a small village in the Country of Waves."
He knew it.
"The Country of Waves…" he repeated. "But you didn't stay there for very long, right?"
Mizuki sighed nervously. "Do we have to talk about this?"
"You don't have to tell me everything," Kakashi said. "But please tell me where you've gone."
"I…" Mizuki tried. "I didn't stay there for long, ok?"
"Where did you go then?"
"Why… Why are you asking me these questions, Kakashi? What good does it do if you know?"
"I can't tell you. You'd just really help me out if you told me the places you've gone."
"It's too painful."
Mizuki started to cry. Kakashi turned around and looked at her. Even after drinking alcohol, she refused to tell him. He felt guilty about making her feel this way. But he had to try one more time. He had to know.
"Then please answer this one question," he said. "Did you travel with someone? Or did you have the feeling you were followed sometimes?"
Mizuki looked up and saw Kakashi had come closer.
"Yes or no?" Kakashi asked.
Mizuki was still shaking. Then she slowly nodded.
"That's all I need to know for now," Kakashi said. "Thank you."
He stood up.
"I'll go get you some water," he said. "I'll be right back." But when he got back, Mizuki had fallen asleep already. The tears were still on her cheeks. Kakashi sat on his knees before her and wiped the tears away. Then he lifted her up and laid her on the bed. He took off her shoes and her vest. She was wearing a strapless top underneath the vest.
Kakashi stared at her for a long time. He was staring at the young woman's body that used to be a little child's body. He remembered Mizuki falling asleep with her head on his lap while he was reading a book. He remembered Rin making fun of him because of that. He would have never thought it would end up like this: the innocent little girl, traumatized by her past.
When he walked out, Kakashi remembered Mizuki had the only key to this apartment. He couldn't lock it.
He decided to stay and guard her. If someone was after her, he had to protect her. He sat on the floor, next to the door, and kept his guard on while sleeping.
When Mizuki woke up the next morning, she couldn't remember anything for a moment. She slowly sat up and saw Kakashi leaning against the wall, looking at her.
"Good morning," he said cheerfully.
Mizuki rubbed her eyes. "What… what are you doing here?" she asked.
"I couldn't leave you with the door unlocked, so…" Kakashi said.
"Oh," Mizuki sighed. "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry," Kakashi said.
"For what?" Mizuki asked.
"For last night," Kakashi answered. "Do you remember last night?"
"Umm… just a little…"
"How are you feeling?"
"Just a little headache but I'll be fine."
Kakashi stared at her again.
"Kakashi…" Mizuki whispered. She looked at him with teary eyes. "I'm scared."
Kakashi didn't say anything. He already knew what she meant.
"Someone's after me," Mizuki said. "Someone I escaped from. I don't wanna think about what happens if he finds me…"
Kakashi slowly came closer. He sat next to her on the bed and gently placed his hand on her head. Mizuki looked at him. Then the tears came out.
"I don't want this," she cried. "I want to live a peaceful life again."
"You will," Kakashi said. He slowly pushed her head against his chest. "I'll protect you."
Mizuki clinged to his sweater. Then she slowly pushed herself away from Kakashi.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked.
"I shouldn't be relying on you," Mizuki said. "I'll only be a burden to you."
"You're not," Kakashi said. "Trust me."
Both of them were silent for a while.
"This guy…" Kakashi said, "… the guy who's following you… What does he look like?"
But when Mizuki imagined him, she flinched.
"Hey," Kakashi said, "he's not here now… ok? Relax."
It looked like Mizuki wasn't going to give him more information. Kakashi stood up.
"You gotta work today?" he asked.
"N-no," Mizuki said. "Today's my day off."
"Good," Kakashi said. "Let's train today. You need to gain more self confidence."
Mizuki nodded.
"Meet me there at noon," Kakashi said.
Of course he was late again. Mizuki didn't care about that any more. Kakashi gave up on the excuses, too. He knew that wouldn't work.
"Ok," he said. "Like last time, you have to keep me away from yourself. Only this time, I'm going to try to attack you. All you need to do is block my attacks. I'll go easy on you, but you have to give it your all."
Mizuki nodded.
"I'm gonna show you some techniques for blocking first," Kakashi said.
He showed Mizuki many ways in which he could attack her, and how Mizuki could block the attacks. Like he could attack her from behind, and she could block the attack by kicking backwards. Or he could attack her from the left, and she could block it with her arm and push him away in one movement.
Mizuki could do it pretty quickly.
"Ok," Kakashi said after a few hours. "Let's see if you can block attacks like this!"
He tried to grab her right arm, but Mizuki pushed his arm away with her left hand. Then Kakashi had the chance to grab her left arm and make her fall backwards. Mizuki dropped her guard and Kakashi took her right arm, too. They fell over.
Mizuki was lying on her back in the grass, trying to struggle. Kakashi, however, had no trouble keeping her still. He had his knees next to her legs.
"See?" he asked. "You let me get too close, and you dropped your guard when I took your arm. Now I could do anything I want with you."
Those words… Mizuki looked in Kakashi's one visible eye. She thought about the dream she had a few days ago. They were almost in the same position as they were in that dream.
She blushed. But at the same time, she had a terrified look in her eyes. She struggled again.
"Let go," she said. "Let me go!"
"Why don't you try and get away?" Kakashi asked. "You gave up already?"
Mizuki panicked and kneed Kakashi in the… well, you know… the sensitive area. Kakashi immediately let go and fell over. Mizuki quickly stood up and took a big step backwards. She looked at Kakashi, who was obviously suffering from that last move.
"You… didn't have to go that far," Kakashi groaned.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Mizuki said. She sat next to Kakashi. "I'm really sorry!"
"No… no, it's ok," Kakashi groaned. "That… was harsh… but effective… Good job…"
He slowly sat up straight. It hurt.
"I really didn't see that coming," he said. "But… what was that?"
Mizuki looked away.
"You panicked," Kakashi said. "Why?"
The picture of Kakashi kissing her and touching her inappropriately flashed before Mizuki's eyes again. She closed her eyes firmly and clenched her teeth.
"Mizuki?" Kakashi asked. "What's wrong with you?"
"No-nothing," Mizuki stuttered. "Umm… Why don't we… call it a day? I'm tired…"
Kakashi thought about what he said before she panicked.
"Now I could do anything I want with you."
"Oh! I didn't mean it like that!" Kakashi said quickly.
"W-what?" Mizuki asked. She opened her eyes and looked at him.
"What I said before… I guess I went a little too far," Kakashi said. "Wait… I get it. You still don't trust me. I think you're even scared of me."
"No," Mizuki whispered. "Y-you're wrong…"
"You can't even bear to be touched by me."
"That's not it…"
"How do you expect us to be friends if you don't even trust me?"
"Please, don't say that…"
"It's painful, you know. You being scared of me. You're still one of my most precious friends."
Mizuki stared at him with open mouth. "I… I am?" she asked. Kakashi nodded. "The only thing I don't get is why you're scared of me."
Mizuki looked away again. "You wouldn't understand," she said. She stood up and walked away.
"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked while standing up.
"Nowhere," Mizuki said. She walked towards the forest next to the training field.
"Mizuki…" Kakashi said. "Don't go there. It's dangerous."
"Please," Mizuki said, "leave me alone."
"No," Kakashi said strictly. Mizuki stopped and looked back at him in surprise.
"Tell me," Kakashi said. "Why are you scared of me?" He walked towards her.
"Leave me alone already!" Mizuki yelled. She turned away and ran into the forest.
"Wait!" Kakashi yelled. He followed her. It didn't take long before he caught up with her. He grabbed her wrist and forced her to stop.
"Like I said, it's dangerous out here," he said calmly. Mizuki turned around and tried to free herself. But when Kakashi took her other wrist, she froze.
"Why won't you leave me alone?" she asked desperately. She was crying.
"Because you're too vulnerable right now," Kakashi said. "I can't leave you alone when you're like this. Especially when it's my fault."
Mizuki stared at him for a while. Then she quickly turned her head. "It's not you," she said. "It's because… all my life… I've been betrayed. People I trusted eventually betrayed me. Even the most honest looking guys betrayed me after all. They were all after only one thing!"
She sobbed and tried to get loose. "I'm scared," she said. "I just don't want to be betrayed again! Why can't you understand that?" She looked at him.
Kakashi felt guilty, and he felt like a fool for not thinking about that.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. He gently pulled her towards him, released one arm and put his hand on the back of her head, which he pushed against his chest again.
"W-what are you doing?" Mizuki asked, scared and confused as she was. She tried to push herself away, but she couldn't. She struggled for a while, but eventually gave up.
"See?" Kakashi whispered after a while. "I would never harm you." He released the other wrist and waited. Waited for whatever she was going to do now.
Millions of thoughts were spinning through Mizuki's mind. For some reason, being this close to Kakashi, she felt safe. Home.
"Thank you, Kakashi."
She wrapped her arms around him. Kakashi was surprised at first, but he was also very glad. He felt like he had finally gained her trust. He put his other hand on her upper back. They held each other like that for a long time.
When Kakashi got a strange feeling when he felt her breasts moving against his chest, he slowly released her.
He tried to keep his cool and nonchalantly said: "Let's go back." Mizuki saw a slight blush under Kakashi's visible eye.
"Are you… blushing?" she asked carefully.
Kakashi laughed. "Have you ever seen me blushing?" he asked nonchalantly. He turned around and started walking back to the village. Mizuki didn't move. Kakashi turned his head and asked: "You coming with me or not?"
"Umm… yes," Mizuki said and she followed him.
Kakashi was wondering what the hell was wrong with him. He never blushed. Well, sometimes, when he read an "Icha Icha" book, but aside from that…
At the same time, Mizuki was wondering what just happened. Whatever it was, she just hoped it wouldn't affect either of them in any way.
There was an awkward silence between them. Mizuki avoided any eye contact while Kakashi was staring at her from the corner of his eye.
"You're feeling it too, right?" Mizuki asked. Kakashi couldn't see her eyes.
"What?" he asked.
"I don't know," Mizuki said.
"Eh?" Kakashi asked confused.
"It's like… A gap that's being refilled," Mizuki said. "I don't know how else to put it. I've always felt like an empty being… But now that I'm here… I'm starting to feel like I'm finding myself back again."
"Your heart always remained here, right?"
"I think so…"
"You're right, you know. I'm feeling like that, too. I mean, I never lost myself, but I lost everyone else. It was like the world around me had disappeared. I was able to create a new world for myself by making new friends. But now that you're back, it's like a piece of the world I grew up in had returned."
"Isn't it difficult then?"
Kakashi stopped. Mizuki followed his example and looked at him. She had a strange, vague gaze in her eyes.
"Doesn't this mean I don't belong in that new world of yours?" Her voice sounded strange.
"Of course it doesn't," Kakashi said. "It means you're the last part of a past that was precious to me. You gave it back to me. You can be part of this new world, too."
"What are you saying?" Mizuki asked. Kakashi didn't understand where this was going.
"Don't think of anything strange, Hatake Kakashi," Mizuki said. "You're ten years older than me." Suddenly, it looked like she woke up from being lost in thoughts. "Ah! I didn't mean to say that!" she said quickly. Her voice sounded normal again.
Kakashi stared at her with a confused look in his eyes. When he slowly reached out to her, he saw Sakura coming their way, carrying another basket of soldier pills. He withdrew his hand and waved to her.
"Yo," he said. "Bringing another basket to Naruto, I see?"
"Yes," Sakura said with a smirk. "Naruto says they really help him out a lot, so I'm glad there's at least something I can do for him."
"What are they?" Mizuki asked, looking at the mud-coloured pills.
"Soldier pills," Sakura answered. "I made them myself."
"You make them every day?" Mizuki asked. "For Naruto?"
"Well, not every day, but… yes, pretty often," Sakura said.
"Wow," Mizuki said, "you must really care about him, then."
Sakura blushed. "W-what do you mean?" she asked quickly. "I-I-I just want to help him out!"
She likes him, Mizuki thought. "Ah, my bad, my bad," she said. "So he's training right now? Mind if I join you?"
"Umm… sure," Sakura said. "Are you coming too, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Sorry, maybe next time," Kakashi said. "I have some things to do right now. See ya."
Sakura and Mizuki nodded and walked away. Kakashi stared after them before he left.
I really hope you liked this. Thank you for reading so far :) More chapters are coming up soon.(I'll be taking a long break now.)(Well i'll give you guys one more chapter since i have time today XD)
Please Review and fave if interested...