So this is coming together slowly, sorry 'bout that. I really hope you all enjoy this, if you have any comments, concerns or whatever everything is welcomed! Except mean and vulgar comments… Anyway please read and review!
It was barely even a week that passed by before the word of the last Amhara was living in Konoha. This, in Kakashi's perspective, was very annoying. Now, two weeks later, when he walked around the streets he had a permanent scowl on his face.
It's not that the girl was annoying per say, it was more of the hype that seemed to follow her now that was bothering him. Once the clan heads in Konoha had heard she was now living in the village, it had become the talk of the town. The elders were always looking for eligible suitors to marry into their clans, so it was only natural for them to be competing for the 'new meat'.
It felt like every corner Kakashi and Tsoran turned there were young Inuzuka boys grinning at them, Hyuugas silently stealing glances, or Uchiha's smirking at her knowingly. And of course the civilians love to gossip about this kind of stuff. There were people coming up to talk to her left and right, asking all kinds of questions without much tact or sensitivity in order to bring excitement to their bland civilian lives.
It pissed him off.
Especially since he was left to deal with the aftermath, i.e. Tsoran who liked to express what she thought about the nosy women in Konoha. And he had to be on full alert constantly so that they could move through the streets without much problem. This 'mission' had become more troublesome than he originally thought it would be.
He gave a bitter chuckle as he took note that this was probably why the Hokage placed him in charge of Tsoran, because he knew that people would flock to her. But people in the village also tended to avoid him, so they would be less likely to approach her as long as she was with them. It was like giving a child a torch to keep the wolves away. He shook his head at how the Hokage's mind worked.
"Kakashi, my dear friend, did you hear me!?" Kakashi sighed and rolled his head to look back over to his eternal rival. He gave him an eye crinkle.
"I'm sorry? I was thinking about how I helped an elderly woman cross the street this morning on my way over to Tsoran-san's." He said falsely with a cheery voice. He and Tsoran had been on their way to hospital. The Amhara's ribs which were still bothering her and although she knew how to heal, she could only do mild abrasions and cuts. This is when they had run into Guy who had just returned from his mission.
And like with most situations the green clad man was uber excited about his new 'youthful' and 'jubilant' friend. Then he proceeded to engage her in a full on conversation, which, of course, was energetic and demanding. At first, the silver haired man had been a little wary that the girl would react negatively to the overzealous ninja, but she immediately responded with enthusiasm, though it wasn't at the same extreme level as Guy's.
She didn't seem sad, and Kakashi was well versed with sad (a huge understatement). Yet sometimes when he would check up on her at night and he could tell she had been crying. But she never even batted an eye when the therapist started asking questions, so he was told. He had to go with her to these weekly sessions but he wasn't allowed to sit in on them. But the therapist would tell him about any red flags she saw in order to keep him in the loop on his charge.
The blonde girl acted happy from what he could tell, always smiling and laughing. He didn't know her well enough to be able to tell if it was fake or not, but he had the feeling that it was. This could be how she copes. But even with her care free attitude the deep circles under her eyes were enough to let him know that she wasn't sleeping.
He tried to ignore it though; his job was to keep her safe from rogue ninja and the irritating whims of the village clans. It was not his job however to become involved in her personal life.
Guy let out a hearty laugh and slapped Kakashi on the back.
"I challenged you to a race around our great village my young friend!" Guy exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air dramatically and donning a winning smile. He placed his fists on his hips and leaning in closer to Kakashi's face, earning a nervous expression from the Copy Nin.
"Don't you have to meet up with Asuma and Kurenia and check in with the Hokage?" He answered smoothly. Guy straightened and looked surprised for moment but then laughed and scratched the back of his head.
"How could I forget? Your youthfulness and Tsoran-chan's radiance has lead me to forget my teammates! How silly of me! I must be off then!" He bent down and scooped up his bag that he dropped in excitement when he crashed into Kakashi originally when he first saw them in the street.
Sure Kakashi could brush off Guy now, but no doubt he would be back for another round of their rival frivolity.
"It was very nice to meet you Tsoran-chan! Have a magnificent day my friends!" And with that he took off, leaving behind a literal trail of dust.
"Nice to meet you too." Tsoran said with a smile, knowing full well that he was too far away to hear her response. She smoothed down her waist length hair allowing it to fall back in its stick straight position; the gust of wind Guy had created had tossed her hair into disarray.
Kakashi had taken her to the clothing district in the village earlier on in her stay so Tsoran ,thankfully, had been able to wear her own clothes instead of Itachi's standard ninja uniform. With the snow settling in for the winter, she had opted for simple black pants that tucked into equally black boots and a grey coat that was zipped up over a deep blue sweater.
Since then Kakashi had been forced to accompany her to various meetings with the village elders to discuss the details of her stay. She would continue to live in her apartment, with Kakashi as her 'guard' for however long they saw fit. They had also discussed all the financial mumbo jumbo, that Kakashi found extremely boring. And the elders new favorite topic, her future.
Would she go to school to learn a trade? Would she work at all? Would she train to hone her skills? And the most important topic of all, what clan should she marry into? Kakashi wasn't well versed in clan traditions but he knew that they liked to have their clan heads' futures set in stone they liked that security. It was all very political.
They never outright said that they were attempting to find her a match, no they were beginning to talk about dinners and parties and such with the clan heads. To Kakashi it all seemed too soon to be discussing marriage when she had just lost every person she had ever known, but Tsoran took it in stride, like it didn't bother her in the slightest.
He looked down at the girl beside him, from an outsider's point of view she looked like a happy heiress who was enjoying a walk with her guard. She had a simple smile playing on her pale lips, and her cheeks were rosy from the cold with her jade eyes lit up. She walked with ease, like there was nothing holding her down.
The man had to admit, she was a pretty girl and with her gold hair whipping around her lithe form he couldn't help but admire the sight. And it a picture like that normally would bring a smug smile to his face, but he knew it was faked. He knew what she was like on the inside, and it wasn't all smiles and rainbows like she was on the outside.
Kakashi looked away, a scowl formed again on his face again and he shoved his hands in his pockets. After he had lost Rin, he was the same way. Well not exactly the same, instead of putting on a smile like Tsoran, he closed himself off and ignored everyone. And he wasn't sure which coping mechanism was worse.
"Kakashi-san your friend is a very happy person." Tsoran stated as they resumed their walk to the hospital.
"Ah."
"Are all of your friends that energetic?" She questioned, trying to sneak a peek at his face, but he turned his head to 'examine' a flower cart that they passed.
"Ah."
"Are they to balance out your laziness?" The blonde was hoping this would silicate some sort of response longer than a single syllable, but he didn't even seem to paying her any attention. But that wasn't anything new. He hardly ever spoke to her, unless to tell her the Hokage or the elders requested her. She knew he didn't like her, but she was baffled as to why.
"Hn." A frown worked its way on her face and she sighed.
"I'm thinking of cutting off my hair, dying it blue and becoming a porn star if this whole heiress thing doesn't out. Know any good strip clubs?" The girl added as casually as you would if you were talking about cereal. The man sputtered and gave her a bewildered look.
"Wh-what!?" She held back a giggle that was working its way up at his comically widened eye.
"Oh, so you were listening." She replied, trying her best to keep her face plain, but her eyes were a light with amusement. Kakashi awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
"Well, I-er, I was." This was one of those times that he showed actual emotion in front of her that wasn't irritation or indifference. She was pleased that she had been able to exact some emotion from him, it was definitely a rare occurrence. Small victories.
"Kakashi-san why do you dislike me?" Tsoran asked suddenly, without breaking her stride. Kakashi's eye brows rose at this. She had proven herself to be blunt before, but even so he still hadn't expected her to call him out like that. He kept pace with her steady steps and studied her for a moment. They had never talked much, but he had wanted it to be that way. He kept her an arms-length and usually she would carry on a two person conversation by herself.
She started back at him with an earnest expression and he frowned again, a habit that he briefly made a note to try to fix.
"…I don't dislike you, Amhara-san." The sharingan user stated carefully. She scoffed and kicked an empty ramen carton.
"Kakashi-san I'm asking an honest question and I would like an honest answer. I won't judge you." Tsoran walked ahead of him and stopped, blocking his path. He could have easily gone around her, but he didn't bother. He met her determined gaze but kept his resolve to not open up.
"I told you, I don't dislike you. I think you're wonderful" He put on his signature crinkle smile and threw his hand up in defeat. The ANBU refused to shrink under her scrutinizing eyes and he kept up the act while she searched the little of his face that she could see before spinning slowly on her heel and continuing on walking ahead.
"You're a terrible liar Hatake Kakashi, did you know that?" She threw this comment over her shoulder nonchalantly. It unnerved him.
She was always saying uncomfortable truths like this. The girl definitely had a knack for seeing through falsities and masks; it was not only frustrating but it also made Kakashi anxious. He was known for his ability to shut people out and keep everything in successfully. But it didn't matter when he was around Tsoran because she seemed to know what he was truly thinking anyway.
There were times when he was positive that she knew he was blatantly lying to her face, and yet she hardly ever pushed him to tell the truth. She just gave him this look and dropped the topic.
But even though they both knew he was lying, he never bothered with the truth.
When they checked in at the hospital, a pretty brunette nurse led them into one of the exam rooms. Tsoran hopped up on the counter like she had the last time they were here for her one week check up and Kakashi slumped into a chair.
"So it says here that your ribs are still bothering you Amhara-san?" The nurse asked reading of her clip board. She was a civilian nurse, you could tell by the blue scrubs she had on, the medical ninja usually wore the standard gray.
"Hai, uh…"
"You can call me Katsuri." The brown haired woman said with a smile.
"Hai, Katsuri-san!" Tsoran replied, returning the smile. Katsuri-san was pretty, Tsoran conceded. She had thick, glossy brown hair pulled into a ponytail and she had nice clear skin.
"Well we can start by taking a look-see at them, why don't you," The nurse bent down and plucked a thin polka dot gown out from under the counter, "put this on and we can get started."
"Sounds good." The Amhara said taking hold of the gown and stepping back onto the floor.
Kakashi had never really been one for modesty, a weird thing to say considering he always wore a mask, so he made no attempt to move from his seat. He just patiently sat in his chair reading over Icha Icha.
It wasn't until Katsumi cleared her throat that Kakashi looked up and noticed the expectant gazes of the two girls occupying the room. He glanced over at Tsoran and raised his eye brow.
"You haven't changed yet." To this she snorted and put her hands on her hips.
"Not with you in the room I won't."
"I have no problem with it." He said and brought his attention back to his book.
"Kakashi-san?" Tsoran asked, drawling out his name.
"Yes?" He replied just as slowly.
"Get out." She demanded solidly. The Copy Nin sighed and stood up from his chair, making sure to do so in an extremely low manner.
"I don't know why you're being bashful Amhara-san, I've seen it all before." Kakashi added slyly as he slipped out the door. He smirked as he heard her make an indignant remark before promptly shutting the door on him abruptly. It was just too easy to tease her.
Tsoran shook her head at him, he was one of the most infuriating people she has ever known. He seems to thrive on putting off others. He was an expert on how to push people's buttons.
"So he's…uh nice." Katsuri said once Kakashi had walked out. Tsoran gave a short laugh as she unbuttoned her coat and stripped of her sweater.
"That man is many things and I don't think 'nice' necessarily describes him." The nurse chuckled and folded Tsoran's sweater, placing it on the counter.
"So how does that whole thing work, if you don't mind me asking?" The blonde sat down in Kakashi's chair and unzipped her boots.
"How does what work? The whole Kakashi-san being my keeper?" The brunette nurse nodded enthusiastically.
"It's not as glamorous as all the gossip girls in the village are making it sound." She started, "I can't go anywhere without him, literally I can't even walk out the door on my own." Tsoran scoffed lightly at this and shook her head, "It's pretty frustrating and I know Kakashi-san hates it. He strikes me as a lone wolf kind guy, so this probably rates pretty low on his totem pole of fun-things-to-do."
"So you must spend a lot of time with him then." The heiress looked up, the woman's voice had an underlying suggestive tone and from the amused expression on her face Tsoran had an idea of where this was going.
"Not really, he usually has a lot of his own stuff to take care of. The only time I ever see him is when I have to talk to the Hokage or the elders, or when I come here." She shrugged, and pulled off her pants leaving her in only her bra and underwear. "Sometimes we go grocery shopping." The nurse frowned with a slight pout to her lips.
"That's no fun! So you just sit at home all day?" Tsoran nodded as she pulled the gown over her head. She bit back a sigh, she knew that the nurse meant well but what the brunette said rubbed her the wrong way.
Her stay wasn't supposed to be 'fun', the only reason she was in the village was because her life was turned upside down and she lost her entire family. Tsoran had to work to smother the bitter feelings that were working their way up.
"Kakashi-san you can come in!" The blonde shouted through the door. The door opened up and the silver haired man strolled back in and slouched back onto the chair. He had to stop himself from groaning when he came in. He might not like being around the Amhara but he was a guy after all, and that thin hospital gown only reached about mid-thigh, showing off a generous amount of leg.
This was one of those moments when he cursed and thanked the Hokage.
Kakashi drug his eyes away from her and automatically reached for the book in his pocket. He wasn't really reading it though, he hardly ever did, it was just his defense to keep people from interacting with him too much.
He was always being reprimanded by someone for reading his 'porn' in public, but the truth was he hardly ever really read it anymore. The Copy Nin just turned the pages every once in a while to simulate reading. And he especially wasn't going to read it now with Tsoran in the room.
However, he was amused by the annoyed glances that the two women were giving him.
A soft hiss brought his attention back to his charge who was laying down on a gurney, with the nurse pressing on her ribs.
"Gomen." Katsuri murmured as she continued on with the exam. Tsoran's face scrunched in a wince but didn't make another sound. After a few more pokes and prods the nurse moved away and began writing on her clipboard.
"When you first came to the village did the medics who checked you out notice any bruising on your ribs?"
"They did and they healed them." Katsuri nodded and marked something down.
"But did they heal the ribs themselves, not just the bruises?" Tsoran shrugged.
"Well there isn't any record of you having broken ribs, but you clearly do. Weren't you in any pain, I mean obviously you are now or you wouldn't have come back?" Kakashi gave Tsoran a skeptical look; she hadn't said anything to him before yesterday about it. He hadn't even seen her wince once.
"I guess I hadn't noticed at the time." She replied.
"You didn't notice you have broken ribs?" Kakashi asked dryly, with an unbelieving expression on his face. Tsoran stared down at her hands, flustered.
"My whole body was still sore from…my captivity, so the pain wasn't anything new. I didn't think much of it." The green eyed girl shrugged casually like it wasn't a big deal. But Kakashi caught the slight aggrieved emotion that passed through her eyes.
The nurse was silent for a moment, trying to think of something to say to that admonition. She nervously glanced at Tsoran before clapping her hands together.
"Ok, so uh, I'm going to find a medic nin to heal you up and then you should be good to go." She smiled at Tsoran and headed for the door.
"Thanks for your help, Katsumi-san." The blonde said returning the smile.
Once the nurse was gone, Kakashi looked over to Tsoran who was now sitting up with her legs dangling over the edge of the hospital bed.
"You should have said something sooner if you were in pain." He scolded.
"I'm already burdening you enough as it is, I didn't want to bother you." She said honestly, causing Kakashi to frown. Did he really give off such a cold hearted disposition? If she was genuinely hurt, he wouldn't say no to walking her to hospital. Sure it was annoying, but he would still do it.
"Tsoran-san it's my job to watch over you, you're not a burden." He replied smoothly, flashing her an eye crinkle smile. But while he smiled, she frowned. A doubtful look crossed her face.
"But I am a bother." She pointed out. At this Kakashi's face fell and dropped into a nervous one. This was one of those uncomfortable truths. He couldn't agree with her because that would be rude, and if he pissed off the heiress the Hokage probably wouldn't be happy. But if he lied, she would know anyway.
Kakashi was saved from answering when medic nin knocked and appeared in the doorway. He let out a relieved sigh and relaxed.
He watched in silence as Tsoran rolled back onto her right side so that the medic could heal her. Kakashi huffed and turned to face the other wall so as not to look at her. That hospital gown was really going to be the death of him.
"Alright Amhara-san, that should be it." The young medic said as the green glow on his hands dimmed and pittered out a few minutes later.
Tsoran sat back up and thanked the man before he left the room. Then she ushered Kakashi so she could change, and this time he made no argument and quickly left the room.
He decided to make his way to waiting area, instead of hanging around outside of the door. When he rounded the corner a sudden surge in chakra caused him to turn around. A puff of smoke cleared and showed a familiar white ANBU mask.
"Kakashi-san." The ANBU said with a slight dip of the head in a greeting. The Copy Nin nodded back, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Hokage-sama sent me to retrieve you and the Amhara girl."
"Alright, thanks." Kakashi made to turn.
"He also said that he didn't wish to wait too long." The ANBU added. Kakashi smirked but nodded anyway and the ANBU disappeared in another cloud of smoke.
When Tsoran came back out to waiting room, fully dressed, they headed over to Hokage tower. And the second they entered the room, Kakashi knew something was up. He narrowed his visible eye, Itachi was standing in front of the Hokage' desk in traditional Uchiha garb.
"Hokage-sama." Kakashi greeted with a short bow. "Itachi-san."
Itachi nodded his head towards his senpai, and turned towards the only female in the room.
"Hello Tsoran-san it is good to see you again." The young Uchiha said giving her a small smile. She smiled widely, showing her teeth. Even though Itachi was intimidating, she still liked the kid. He was always kind to her, albeit they had only spoken a few times.
"It's good to see you too Itachi-san!" She said brightly. "And you as well Hokage-sama." The girl added sheepishly.
Sarutobi grinned and welcomed the two and asked them all to sit down.
"It's been a couple days since I've seen you Tsoran-san, how are you?" The Hokage started. The Amhara girl shifted in her seat and messed with her coat sleeves.
"Do you want the brutal truth? Or is this just an obligatory conversation starter?" Kakashi stopped himself from rolling his eyes, why must she always do this? What had he said about uncomfortable truths earlier?
But it didn't annoy the Hokage like it did Kakashi. Sarutobi laughed heartily, he enjoyed the girl's blunt nature it was refreshing especially since he worked with people who lied for a living.
"I suppose it was obligatory!" The old man said with a chuckle, "But now in all honesty how are you Tsoran? I'm sure the transition hasn't been easy." He rested his chin on his folded hands and gave her an earnest look.
A small smile formed on her lips, even though they only talked during serious situations he made her feel comfortable, or at least as comfortable as one could when having weighty conversations.
"I'm ok. It is a very hard transition and that's putting it lightly." She sighed and ran a delicate hand over her face. She allowed her small shoulders to slump allowing them to see how sad and just worn down she looked.
He knew she had been putting on a show in front of everyone, and it surprised him just how easily she opened up to the Third. Maybe it was because he was the Hokage and she felt like he was a confidant of sorts? Or maybe it was because he had genuinely asked her to do so? Either way, this Tsoran reminded him of the girl he had first met.
Perhaps she had been there all along; she was just good at hiding it like him.
"It sucks Hokage-sama. The world used to seem colorful and full of life, but now everything just seems grey and lonely." All three men, yes even young Itachi should be counted as such, had their attention on her. They knew exactly what she meant because they had all been there at one time or another. Some were still there.
"It's a pitiful way to live life, but I'm probably preaching to the choir here." A humorless laugh left her pink lips. Sarutobi looked at her with saddened eyes; it never sat well with him how such tortured souls could reside in such young people.
"No one should have to lose ever body they love like that." She whispered dolefully. Her gaze held the Hokage's bravely, but Kakashi noticed the tremble in her lips and the strain in her hands.
Tsoran took a deep breath and shut her eyes, and then slowly released it. She counted to ten before revealing her beryl eyes again.
"But that's not why we're here." She straightened in her seat and no longer appeared to be on the verge of cracking. Sarutobi studied her for a while longer before nodding and leaning back.
"You're right. Itachi-san has come with a question for you Tsoran-san." The white haired man gestured to the Uchiha sitting to the right of her. Itachi stood and faced Tsoran.
"Amhara-san," He started with a bow, "The Uchiha Clan would be honored if you would accept our invitation to join our council and a few select members for a dinner tomorrow evening."
And so it begins, Kakashi thought aridly. They were all aware that the clans would start to act on their intentions to claim the Amhara as their own. The elders had been talking about it when they last met. But it was a little chilling how fast they had started on their plans.
Tsoran stared at Itachi in surprise, that's what this was about? She glanced back at Kakashi for his input but he shrugged his shoulders unhelpfully. She turned back to Itachi who was still in a bow, waiting for her response.
"Um, I- sure, yes I guess I'll go." The blonde said awkwardly, she coughed once. "I accept the invitation the Uchiha Clan has presented." She restated dutifully, that was the proper way to accept another clan's proposition, she was so thrown off by the request that she almost forgot the response. It was a stiff response, but then again these matters usually were.
Itachi straightened and smiled at her.
"I am glad you will attend." He said warmly. For being only thirteen Itachi had undeniable charm, he's bound to be a heart breaker, Tsoran thought.
"Of course Itachi-san! I only agreed because you asked, if anyone else had asked I would've rejected the offer." Itachi smirked at her claim, he knew she was teasing and it amused him. Most people didn't tease him, maybe his mother and Shisui, but other people tended to be reverent towards him.
"Really and why is that Tsoran-san?"
"Because you're just so adorable and charming who could resist your face." She said sweetly, batting her eyes in a girlish manner. At this Kakashi rolled his eyes, they were being ridiculous. But the banter set the Hokage at ease.
Itachi scowled at the word 'adorable' but was still pleased that she had agreed so easily. He wasn't one to beg, but his father would not have taken 'no' for an answer.
"There is one other thing," He paused and reached for a box that was off to the side. She hadn't noticed it before she realized vaguely. "My mother made a comment that you probably haven't had time to acquire a traditional kimono yet. So she took it upon herself to provide you with one."
Tsoran took hold of the box and undid the string holding it together. Carefully, she pulled out a blood red kimono and a matching dark blue obi.
"I can't accept this Itachi-san." She said as she folded the silk clothing back in the package. It was beautiful, of course, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was the glaring Uchiha symbol sown onto the back. Itachi kept a frown from forming on his face
Kakashi had to admit, it had been a nice plan, sneaky and backhanded. Very Uchiha of them. He couldn't help but smirk at their attempt, and they had sent Itachi to do their dirty work since he knew her already.
Tsoran couldn't very well walk around the village with the Uchiha clan symbol on her back, which would be like wearing a giant neon sign that said she chose to join their clan.
"Tsoran-san I insist that you accept this gift. We mean nothing by it, we simply wish to supply you something suitable to wear for the evening. You can return it the next day if you so desire."
"I trust you Itachi and I know you are just doing as you were asked. But you know it would be improper and for lack of a better word, scandalous." Itachi nodded and internally sighed. It was a long shot to begin with, he wasn't sure what his father was thinking but he must not be thinking clearly if he assumed that the Amhara heir would just agree to slap on another clan's symbol.
"I understand." He took back the box and rewrapped it. "Kakashi-senpia you are invited as well. I know that seems a bit obvious, but I assumed you would still appreciate an invitation." Well his father would be pleased that she was coming, but Itachi knew he was going to get an earful about the kimono.
The next day Kakashi dropped by Tsoran's apartment briefly to give her Kurenia's old light yellow kimono that would surely fit the smaller girl and traditional sandals before heading back out and leaving her in her apartment saying he'd be back at six to escort her to the compound.
Tsoran spent the afternoon mentally preparing herself for the onslaught that was about to happen. She had been to other 'dinners' with clans from other villages, and a couple times she had been invited to a Daimyo's palace. And none of them had been the most pleasant experiences.
These dinners were a combination of a beauty pageant, a talent show, a matchmaker session, and dinner was thrown somewhere in the mix. And so when the time came to get ready, Tsoran found herself dragging her heels into the ground.
Of course she wasn't happy about the fact that she was about to go through one of the longest nights in her life, but this was also the first time she had gotten ready for one of these things alone. Her family had always been there every step of the way, but that wouldn't be the case from here on out.
And so that's how Kakashi found her, an hour before they had to be at the Uchiha compound, staring in the mirror with tear tracks down her cheeks.
She hadn't answered the door so he just let himself in, and she didn't answer when he called out. This annoyed Kakashi, he knew for a fact that she hadn't left the house so whatever her reason was for ignoring him, it was irritating.
She had seemed fine this morning. But then again he never knew with her. Tsoran put on a brave face when they were out and about but when she was at home it was more accurate to flip a coin to determine her mood than it would be to look her in the face and guess.
Kakashi was an expert in masks, given that he wears one every day, but hers was different and had little consistency.
Typical woman, Kakashi thought dryly.
It still surprised him, however, to see her standing in the tiny bathroom in nothing but her bath robe. She looked like she was having a staring contest with herself in the mirror giving the intensity in her eyes and white knuckled grip she had on the counter top.
Her hair was secured in a nice bun by a decorative pin but that was about it. No makeup, no shoes, no real clothes.
"Amhara-san is there a reason you're just staring at yourself?" Kakashi asked instead of focusing on the fact that she was probably only wearing her bath robe. Tsoran didn't flinch at his voice, although she had no idea that he was in her apartment. She simply turned in his direction and shrugged.
"I was having a pity party." She admitted honestly. "You're welcome to join in if you like."
It was uncomfortable the way all the life in her usually bright green eyes looked dead. Pushing the uneasiness away Kakashi glanced behind her into her room. He could see the kimono strung up on a hanger.
"Maybe another time," He told her with an eye crinkle," but right now you should probably get ready."
Tsoran blinked a few times as if just realizing that she had some where to be. She took in Kakashi's appearance and found him wearing a formal grey haori and hakama that was a darker shade than his hair.
"You look very handsome Kakashi-san." Tsoran said sincerely.
"Oh, ah thanks." The Copy Nin replied gracelessly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. He swears she just makes these comments to be off putting. That or she is incurably honest.
Looking back at the mirror, Tsoran gave a sigh in dismay.
"I look awful." She said with one side of her mouth quirked up in a partially amused way. Kakashi wasn't sure what she found entertaining in her red face and puffy eyes.
"I suppose I should quite being a brat and try to get presentable." Tsoran pushed off the counter and trudged back to her room. She came back out a short time later dressed in the yellow kimono and a light sheen of makeup.
Surprisingly, they made it to the Uchiha compound on time, albeit a couple minutes late, but this was Kakashi and they were lucky the two came at all.
Tsoran was relieved when Itachi greeted them at the entrance. It made her feel better that she knew at least two people here, even though the Uchiha prodigy may become family in the future. She hoped that he hadn't gotten in too much trouble for being able to persuade her to wear the Uchiha's kimono. But Itachi swore that it was of no consequence. He was a better liar than Kakashi.
The Uchiha compound was much different than the village; in fact it looked like it was a separate village all on its own. There was a market place, a meeting center, a post office and their own clinic. They could probably be self-sufficient if they wanted.
Itachi said it would only be a gathering of the elders, Itachi's family, and a few select members of the community. No big deal, she could handle a couple old fuddy duddys and Itachi's parents. Yeah.
"You look very nice Tsoran-san." Itachi commented before they entered this big palace like building. "Do not worry about impressing my clan, if anything they should try their hardest to impress you."
Tsoran smiled at him, appreciating how he tried to put her at ease, it was something she really liked about him. Even though he was younger, Itachi always was the one to come off as more mature.
The second they entered Tsoran's senses were overrun by blues and reds, the Uchiha Clan symbol and several pairs of intense piercing black eyes. She felt the dark aura that was emanating off of them. But they weren't focused on her, they were watching Kakashi. The Amhara girl hadn't been aware of any bad blood between them but it was pretty obvious now.
"Amhara-san, it is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for accepting our invitation." One tall man dressed in a dark blue haori said deeply removing his gaze from the silver haired man standing beside her. The man gave a slight bow of his head. "I am Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan."
"It is nice to meet you as well Uchiha-san." Tsoran replied steadily, bowing to the clan head. The impression she got from his was cold and powerful. And intimidating. She was then introduced to their five elders; they were four men and one woman. All greyed and wrinkled and held a critical gaze.
No one made any mention of the kimono.
Then Itachi introduced his mother Mikoto and little Sasuke. She cooed over Itachi's cute younger brother saying that Itachi better be careful because Sasuke might out shine him, to which the young ANBU smiled and said that he hoped that was the case.
While Tsoran played nice with the Uchihas, Kakashi tried to stay back and willed the event to be over quickly. He didn't like wearing formal clothes and he certainly didn't like eating dinner with the pretentious Uchiha clan.
The second he walked in the door all those starts weren't focused on Tsoran, they were focused on him. Although you couldn't tell by their blank expressions, but he could feel the dark hatred rolling off of them. He was the man that had made a name for himself with a stolen eye, their eye. It was usually tense when he was involved with Uchihas, except for maybe Itachi.
They sat down to eat in a large dining room that was more like a ballroom with a table in the middle. Fugaku sat at one end of the table with the elders and Tsoran sandwiched in the middle of them all, and Kakashi down at the other with Itachi, his family, and some members of the police force.
While Tsoran was slowly dying, Kakashi was more at ease sitting next to Sasuke and Uchiha Shisui talking about the cat that Itachi had taken Sasuke to rescue.
It wasn't until after they had eaten that the bombardment of questions began. At least they had been polite enough to wait before they interrogated me.
"What are your thoughts on Konoha?" One of the Elders named Inuza asked.
"It seems like a lovely village, I haven't seen much of it yet.
"And about your future plans, any specific ideas?" Kamichi, the woman, inquired.
"I was hoping I could learn some taijutsu, maybe ninjustu too."
"So you have no knowledge of these things now?" She asked incredulously.
"Well my people are pacifists; it is against their beliefs for me to learn how to fight."
"Perhaps you can learn from one of our own, you are friends Itachi-kun are you not? He would be an excellent teacher." The old woman suggested.
"I haven't made any official plans regarding this just yet, I'll have to wait and see." She replied evasively.
"Have you seen Itachi-kun in action before? If you see a demonstration, surely you will be more inclined to accept an Uchiha teacher." Inuza pressed. Tsoran bit the inside of her cheek in attempts to keep in a sigh. Obviously they wanted to show off, this was the talent show part of the night.
"Uchiha-sama if you wish to show me something by all means, I would be happy to watch." The addled expression on the elders face amused Kakashi greatly. He was always bothered by her brute truths and the Copy Nin enjoyed watching others squirm at her honesty.
Once the questioning started, everyone at the table had stopped their conversations and was listening intently.
It only took a moment for the Uchiha to recover before she turned and nodded to Itachi, who stood up along with Shisui. The later who was only too excited and energized to do so.
They stood in the open space of the room and took similar stances. Then by some unvoiced cue, the pair set into motion a flurry of hand signs, the speed and fluidity of it amazed Tsoran. The boys simultaneously sucked in a deep breath and upon release two huge streams of fire were spit out of their mouths, taking on the shapes of dragons.
Tsoran's eyes widened in awe as the two Uchiha teens wielded the fire dragons to form some sort of dance, they twisted around one another and looked as if they were fighting but at the same time it was peaceful.
It continued for a few minutes before the fire slowly dissipated. Tsoran knew she was a sucker for pretty things and these fire jutsus were beautiful. Then as this one ended they started up on a different jutsu. This time it was two giant fire balls clashing against one another.
The blonde wondered if it was even safe to use so much fire in such a closed in place. It's probably part of the show, how dangerous can we make it and not burn down the building? Tsoran thought sarcastically.
She was aware of the stares that were on her, watching her reaction. And she was also aware that they would be pleased with the expression of amazement on her face.
They moved onto show their fighting style using sharingan, which was by far the most impressive showing. It was hard to track their movements with just her eyes but she could feel their chakra flaring and she followed them using that.
Kakashi was bored. He had seen this kind of stuff all the time. Hopefully, if he was lucky it would last much longer and then they could be on their merry way. Tsoran at least looked interested in what was going on. She must really not have a lot of experience with ninjas.
Finally Itachi and Shisui completed their demonstration, finishing with a short bow. They were applauded and took their seats. Tsoran was still processing, when they started up again with questions.
"What is your impression Amhara-san?" Fugaku asked. When he spoke it reminded Tsoran of a rhinoceros, a hard exterior with the potential to deadly.
"I am impressed Uchiha-san." If the Uchiha head was pleased he showed nothing.
"Yes, our blood line impresses most." The way he said it was arrogant, but he made it seem modest. It was weird and confused the hell out of Tsoran.
"I supposed it would, it's very intimidating to say the least." Fugaku narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.
"Amhara-san we have heard about your own abilities. Is it true that you can manipulate the elements without forming hand signs?" Kamichi, the old woman, asked. She sure was a bold woman, the female elder has asked her more questions that her male counter parts combined.
"Yes, to some degree."
"What do you mean to some degree?" She pressed.
"I can't manipulate it the way Itachi-san and Shisui-san can, it isn't as perfect and concise." The old woman watched her carefully, studying her face.
"I don't understand. Is it the same for the other elements? For example can you perform a jutsu or it simply just moving the element?" This time Tsoran did sigh. She thought this was going to be more of a match making thing, but they only seems interested in physical ability. Or was that just how the Uchiha worked?
"It's a little more complicated than that."
"Explain."
"Uchiha-san would like me to demonstrate?" Apparently Tsoran was just as fed up with this pointless interrogation as Kakashi was. It wasn't a secret that they were interested in seeing her abilities. No one in the village had had the chance to witness them yet, Kakashi doubted that anyone outside of the Amhara compound had.
Tsoran couldn't help but notice the smug expression that crossed the Uchiha's face.
"If you would like." She said in fake politeness.
"Then we will have to move outside." She said briskly. They all stood from the table and went to the back garden that was covered in a blanket of snow like the rest of the village. Tsoran stuck next to Kakashi as much as she could on the way out trying to avoid any further talk with the Uchihas.
Once outside where the sun had gone down, the Uchihas along with Kakashi sat down onto the mats on the porch waiting for her to start. Tsoran was never one to be very shy, except for the few days after the massacre, but she also wasn't one to seek attention.
Kakashi watched on in curiosity, he was eager to see what she could do. Especially since the Hokage spoke highly of the Amhara clan's abilities.
"If you want me to do this, I would like to ask that you take your spies off the roof." She stated pointing to the building a few houses down. Kakashi had seen them, but he had assumed that their presence wouldn't bother her. She was such an honest person it hadn't occurred to them that she would want to keep this a secret. But it makes sense. Tsoran certainly doesn't look happy with those cocky bastards, Kakashi thought.
Only Mikoto and Shisui had the decency to look embarrassed. Fugaku raised his arm and waved away his men. Tsoran had guessed that since they couldn't blatantly use their sharingan to observe her while she was facing them, they had used less conspicuous methods.
"Since I was shown a fire technique I will start with fire as well." She took a deep breath and as she did so the flames in the lanterns pulled themselves towards her. Then she extended her hand towards the closest lantern and with a slow rotation of her wrist the flame reached out and came towards her.
A steady string of fire approached her hand and as she moved her hand it followed the motions she made. Tsoran brought the flame in front of her and turn her hands in a pinwheel motion causing the fire to form a ring.
Kakashi was slightly mesmerized by it all. It was captivating to watch as she manipulated the fire so easily, and like she said it wasn't really a technique that could be used in battle but it was extremely unique.
That wasn't the only thing that had captured the mismatched eyed man's attention, the way the dim light was reflecting on her soft features made her seem more like an entity than a girl. But Kakashi wasn't going to admit this, either out loud or to himself. She wasn't even that pretty.
After a few more flourishes with the fire, she let it snuff out into little embers that evaporated into the air. Little Sasuke jumped up from his seat and tried to grab at the tiny glowing flecks, and Tsoran couldn't help but smile at this.
But the joy was short lived when Fugaku sternly told his youngest son to sit back down and Sasuke glumly trudged back to his mat. Itachi reassuringly patted his head.
"That is quite an intriguing ability." Izune commented.
"Yes, very appealing." Fugaku agreed.
"Could you show us the other elements?"
And from there Tsoran moved on to the earth element. The style was much different from before, her movements were more purposeful and grounded instead of light and energized. With a sound step of her foot on the ground, the earth trembled much to their surprise.
Mikoto held onto to the column holding up the porch waiting for the movement to subside. Tsoran a quick smirk passed over Tsoran's features as she saw the elder Uchihas' eyes widen.
Then she stalked to a large rock that lay in the pond off the right and she dropped into a horse stance. She made the same kicking motion as before, but instead of making the earth tremble, the rock lifted out of the water and using a fist she moved it onto the grass.
After this she turned back to the Uchihas and Kakashi and made a wide stirring motion with her hand a couple times, this causing the wind to pick up around, threatening to unpin her hair and whipping her kimono skirt around. She did this a few more times and small spiral of wind swirled in front of her, picking up some snow and spare debris. It was a down sized tornado.
She held it there for a little longer before dropping her arm and allowing it to weaken and pitter out causing a gust of to ruffle the Uchihas clothes.
For the first time that night Tsoran saw a small smile on Fugaku's face, or maybe it was more of a grin or a smirk? Hard to tell with that man. And now that she had seen it she wished she hadn't. It was terrifying.
"You have an incredible gift Amhara-san." Fugaku said with that same strange smile on his face.
"Thank you Uchiha-san." Tsoran replied uneasily. They were all staring at her and she didn't understand it. Her abilities weren't that great, she couldn't fight with them, so what good were they? Even Lady Kamichi had held her tongue. It seemed no one was going to say anything more, so Mikoto suggested they go back inside for tea.
The elders walked on ahead chittering amongst themselves and Kakashi walked with Sasuke and Mikoto and Shisui, while Tsoran was left behind with the couple police lieutenants, Fugaku, and thankfully Itachi. However Tsoran was still mentally cursing Kakashi for leaving her alone with them.
"You have great potential Amhara-san. I would be very pleased if you agreed to let one of my men train you." Fugaku commented not even taking the time to look her in the eye as gave this compliment. Tsoran refrained from giving an inelegant snort, but she did narrow her eyes.
The impression she got from the Uchiha clan was one of a blood thirsty, power hungry people. She got a bad feeling from them and knew that nothing good would come of this meeting. They would only want to exploit her clan's ability, just like those rogue ninja.
It probably wasn't that extreme, Tsoran noted to herself, but either way she didn't feel good about them. It was like something sinister was hanging over them. She could sense it in their eyes, those bottomless black orbs had something terrible swimming behind them and it most likely wasn't just the sharingan.
When she met one of their gazes she felt cold inside. The only exceptions being Sasuke and Mikoto, even Itachi who had shown the most kindness to her besides the Hokage and the joyful Shisui had something scary in them.
"Thank you, but it is not my purpose to please you, Uchiha-san." Tsoran replied evenly. Fugaku shot her a short glare but steeled himself quickly. Itachi also gave her a quizzical look, he had never heard anyone talk to his father like that. He wasn't sure whether to be impressed or worried about her mental health.
"I would still like you to think about it. There are many things that are two people could learn from one another." Tsoran was pretty sure that 'learn' meant gain.
After that they had tea and the elders asked more questions like how many children she wanted, her political thoughts on the Daimyo, what her views on working and motherhood were. Simple, easy stuff that she had been asked a million times before.
All the while Kakashi did his best to stay in the background and avoid any conversation that didn't involve his subordinate's younger brother. He was trying to zone out the topic of kids that his charge was currently talking about with those annoying elders. They were the most nosy and self-absorbed people in the village besides the Hyugas maybe.
But (not) soon enough Kakashi and Tsoran were heading out the gates and the later was waving good night to Itachi. Both let out a huge sigh of relief as the compound disappeared into the dark night. Tsoran didn't even mind the bitter cold as long as she was leaving the Uchihas behind.
"That was awful." Tsoran complained. Kakashi nodded, he agreed completely.
"Remind me to never marry into that family. Not even to Itachi or sweet little Sasuke."
"What about Shisui, he seems fun?" Tsoran groaned and shook her head at his teasing.
"Especially him! I feel bad for Mikoto-san, from what little I talked to her she seems very kind. And Fugaku-san is just- is…"
"Awful?" He offered.
"Yes! Exactly! I felt like was trying to eat me with his eyes to consume all my clan's secrets. It was scary." She admitted with exasperation.
"You were scared of him?" Kakashi asked. She hadn't looked it in the slightest, nervous yeah but not scared.
Tsoran glanced at him in surprise, he wasn't normally one for inquiry.
"You weren't? I was terrified." She said frankly wrapping her haori closer to her body. "And just think, we get to do this with all the other clans that offer us dinner." Tsoran paused and looked over at Kakashi before adding, "That is if you're still assigned to me then anyway."
Kakashi stole a peek at her face, that last admittance she had sounded a little sad, but her face gave nothing to think so.
"Who knows?" Kakashi said with a shrug. They walked on for a while in silence, both more than ready to get home.
I wonder how long I'll be assigned to watch her. Sarutobi-sama probably won't give me any long term missions for the time being. Kakashi conceded. What if I have to keep coming to these clan dinners? He thought slightly alarmed. He sighed and went to pull out Icha Icha when he realized that he hadn't brought it with him because it wouldn't fit in his hakama.
Sullenly, he let his hand rest by his side again. That night could have been worse, there were no altercations between him and the Uchiha so that was a plus. And the food hadn't been bad, much better than the instant ramen that he ate most nights.
But it wasn't the food that had made the night, Tsoran had captured his interest. Her blood line certainly was offbeat compared to other clans'. And the style in which she manipulated the elements differed greatly with each one. She may not have been trained to fight, but it was apparent that she had been trained to control her hold on natural chakra. He could see why she would be targeted.
"Kakashi-san?" Tsoran asked quietly. The softness in her voice had taken him away from his thoughts. He hadn't even noticed that she had begun to cry until now. How long had he been locked in his own world?
"Yes?"
"You've seen bad things right?" He stopped in his tracks and looked at her with a questioning gaze. She followed suit and stopped walking. She turned towards him and tried to dab the tears with her sleeve. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer that.
The silver haired man nodded in affirmation. Tsoran suppressed a shudder and stepped forward towards Kakashi.
"How long does it take before you can close your eyes and not see them anymore?" She asked in a whisper. It was then that Kakashi realized that she didn't have 'moments' of sadness. She was in constant turmoil, being tortured by her own memories.
The Amhara girl wasn't stuffing down her emotions like Kakashi had assumed, she was just a master at hiding her inner thoughts from others. Kakashi frowned, there was no answer he could give her that would lift the burden.
He hated this. This is why he didn't want to get involved. This is why he wanted to stay far away. It would be too easy to get close and Kakashi didn't do well with 'close'. The way they lost their loved ones was completely different, but they were both left completely alone in this world and it wasn't by choice.
And no matter how much he didn't want to involve himself, it was hard not to when she reminded him so much of himself. Kakashi wasn't cold hearted and he wasn't jaded enough to just walk away unaffected. Hell even he had dreamt of the gory mess they had left behind at the Amhara's compound. And he knew from experience what it was like to live and breathe memories like that.
He hated this. But he couldn't force himself to hate her.
"I don't know." He said honestly, "I'm still working on that myself." Those words weren't comforting and they didn't incite any relief, but Kakashi had given a straightforward answer, no lie or bent truth. And even though it induced a sob from the girl in the yellow kimono that was all he could give her.
Maybe that's why Tsoran's so honest. People don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed, but Tsoran's world had already been shattered so what's the point in a pretty lie?
I feel like a lot happened in this chapter, but at the same time nothing at all? Idk maybe it's just because it took me a long time to write it! So I've always pictured Tsoran as an honest person who almost never lies if she can help it. That's why Kakashi has a hard time dealing with her because he's so set on lying to keep people out of his head. But then again she almost can't decide how to deal with her emotions so in by shielding her emotions from others a type of deception or more of a self-defense mechanism? Both? What do you guys think about it?
Thanks for reading please review!