Chapter 30

Nestled in her apartment, Keiko lay stretched out on her couch. The soft melody of a song playing over the radio and a book in her hands. Reading was as good a pastime as any. It helped to take her mind off of her own troubles and life and focus on another's, even if it wasn't real.

Tonight, it was a story about an average woman who was swept off her feet by a dashing Lord. Romance had been a favorite genre of hers for a long time as she lived vicariously through the characters. Keiko had never given much thought to settling down with anyone, let alone to begin a family. Over the years, she always assumed that the books she read would be enough. The lighthearted romances she read late at night, they were all she needed. She had always been so focused on her career as a ninja. For the longest time, achieving Jonin was her dream. But, now that she had made it, what would she strive for now?

The book in Keiko's hands rested against her chest, her eyes looking out unfocused in thought. She could maybe attempt to take up a political position. Some shinobi did so in order to extend their reach outside of the village or to bring change. As she was not from Konoha that didn't seem like a good idea. Not to mention there wasn't anything she could think of to change. She could go back to her homeland. If her uncles message was true, she could return home and continue her life there. It would be nice to see her uncle again but she had grown to love life in Konoha. If she left to go home who knows if she would be allowed to come back.

'When will I get to meet my grandkids?'

Her father's words bounced around in her head and she could feel that familiar heat creep up on her. The idea of settling down and having children… Who would she even settle down with?

In her minds eye, a flash of silver hair creeped in.

She bolted up right, her face flush at the idea. Her heart beating erratically at the thought. Her, with Kakashi. Was that even possible? She knew her own feelings for the man. No matter how much she tried to just act normally around him and ignore her feelings, they wouldn't go away. The sound of his voice, the way he moved, everything about him called out to her in a way she couldn't ignore. When had she began to feel this way about him?

Leaning her head against the back of the couch, she heaved a heavy sigh. Even if she liked him, he had to like her in return. Even though Sakura and her father were sure Kakashi had a thing for her, she was not so easily convinced. Kakashi just wasn't that kind of person…

The memory of him holding her cheek played again in her head. Her fingertips traced her cheek gently. He was only comforting her, right? She thought back to the Land of Waves, when Sakura had seen Kakashi hold her hand. Come to think of it, that was the first moment Kakashi had done anything like that. Since then, he had seemed a little off…

Her eyes widened as she thought over Kakashi's subtle change in behavior since then. She had always figured Kakashi's awkwardness was due to something else. But that didn't explain how physically close he was comfortable being. Or how he would refuse to meet her gaze on occasion, the bashful behavior... To any normal person passing by they might not think anything of it or even pick up on it, but now she couldn't help but think it was for something entirely different.

Could he... actually like her?

"Keiko!"

The woman jumped in her seat, the book flying as she turned toward the front door. There was Naruto, shutting the door behind him. She sighed and offered a smile at the small blond. "Naruto, how was training?" She cast a quick glance at the window and saw that is was just about dusk. She had been reading longer than she thought.

Naruto walked into the living room and promptly threw his hands up into the air, "It was horrible! I'm stuck with that lousy closet pervert and he's not teaching be anything! At this rate I'm gonna totally lose!" He walked back and fourth, pacing as he ranted about Ebisu and his abysmal tutoring.

Keiko sat and listened, surprised at some of the things he was saying. Ebisu was a skilled Shinobi, and one of the best tutors in the Village. For Naruto to have such a strong reaction to him was strange. Then she realized what he had called Ebisu. A closet pervert. "Naruto." She said, gaining his attention, "What did you call him?"

Once again flailing his arms he began, "A closet perv! He totally fell for my sexy-!" The boy paused, realizing what he had just been about to say. Keiko's steely gaze was unwavering and he laughed awkwardly, "I mean, he fell for Konohamaru's Sexy Jutsu!" Naruto had made a promise to himself to never mention that jutsu to Keiko. He had shown it to her once before and she had ranted to him for a solid twenty minutes and made him promise to never do it again. But, it was a jutsu he was good at! How could he not work on improving it?

Her face paled slightly, "Naruto... You're telling me, not only have you still been using that jutsu... you taught it to Konohamaru?"

Naruto laughed awkwardly again, "Uh... kinda." He scratched the back of his head and quickly added, "He begged me to teach him!"

Keiko held her hand in front of her mouth as the color drained from her face. Dear lord, the Hokage's grandson was able to preform that Jutsu. And he was eight! Did the Hokage know? She thought she had taught Naruto better!

"Um, Keiko?" She had fallen silent and to this day he was never sure if her suddenly falling silent was a good thing or a bad thing.

She nodded showing that she was listening. Reaching a hand up to rub her temple she sighed, "Okay... That Jutsu is incredibly distasteful, Naruto. I hope you don't use it as often as I fear you do."

He held his hands up, "Of course not!" And he knew that was a lie. He had used it numerous times to get out of bad situations. It always had an effect on older guys for some reason. He sighed, sitting on the floor and resting his head on the coffee table, "I just can't understand how Sakura got a cool Sensei and I got stuck with a perv."

Keiko sighed, leaning forward and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "Naruto, Kurenai is a Genjutsu specialist. Sakura happens to be someone with profound potential in that area. You just need a little more work on the bas-"

His head shot up, arms crossed over his chest, "Yeah, yeah, the basics. I got it! It's the basics, so Kakashi Sensei could at least teach me! Or you!" He huffed, looking away, "But, no, he doesn't have time for us. He's too busy with Sasuke."

Keiko could feel her heart clench at the sight. Even though Naruto did his best to hide it, she could see the hurt in his eyes. She knew Kakashi was being blunt and hadn't meant anything by it but he had to have known that he sounded harsh. She smiled sympathetically, "Naruto, it wasn't like that."

"Oh, yeah? How could it not be?" He challenged stubbornly.

She sighed, "Did anything happen in the forest? Anything strange with Sasuke?"

He fell silent and Keiko could see the wheels turning in his head, "Yeah. There was this guy that came out of nowhere. He was crazy strong... Sasuke was just gonna give him the scroll and run, it was totally unlike him."

Keiko could feel that uneasy feeling settling within her again. "And after that did Sasuke act differently?"

Naruto blinked, thinking back to his time in the forest. Sasuke did act a bit different. "Uh, yeah. Does that have anything to do with the marks I saw on his neck during his match?"

So he did notice. She nodded, "It's because of those marks that Kakashi needs to be the one to handle Sasuke. Not to mention, who better to teach a Uchiha than someone with the Sharingan?"

Naruto pursed his lips together, "I guess."

Keiko smiled and leaned back, patting the cushion next to her. Naruto took the silent invitation and moved to sit next to Keiko. His arms still crossed as he looked away from her stubbornly. Without a word Keiko wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him into her side, resting her cheek to the top of his head. "Naruto, no matter what happens in the finals you have to promise me one thing."

He blinked, humming in response.

"Use your head."

The two of them laughed, Naruto reaching over and returning the embrace. Keiko hugged him back tightly for several long moments and continued to hold on even after Naruto had had his fill. She couldn't help but feel just the slightest bit scared for him. She thought of Kakashi, and the training he was going to put Sasuke through. More than anything, she wanted Sasuke to win his match against Gaara. Keiko didn't know if this boy in her arms could handle a beast like him.

-Two Days Later-

Keiko placed the flowers over the grave gingerly. She had not been the only one to leave flowers, as Hayate had touched the lives of many people. A sad smile rested on her lips as she thought over the few memories she had with the man. They were similar in age and had crossed paths many times. He had been very skilled with the sword much like she was and that itself had lead to a few light hearted conversations between them. Hayate had always seemed like a soft spoken and kind individual, and he always seemed to have a purple haired companion at his side.

She couldn't imagine how Yugao must be feeling. To have your fiancé ripped away from you without warning...

Granted, the life of a ninja often was a short one. Life was full of peril and uncertain situations, even now when there was an unsteady peace between nations. But Hayate had been in his own village. For a high ranking ninja to fall dead, slashed to pieces, suspicion naturally fell on one of the nations visiting for the Chunin Exams.

After a quick prayer, Keiko stood and made her way out of the cemetery. She thought back to the briefing the Hokage had called that morning. Hayate had been killed in the dead of night. The general consensus was that Orochimaru or Kabuto was behind the attack and murder as Orochimaru had caused a ruckus during the second stage of the exam.

She looked up toward the sky as she walked, watching the clouds as they rolled by. Other than the threat of Orochimaru looming in the shadows, things seemed to be going well. Even if the future was uncertain. Sakura's integration into Kurenai's team had been going well. In Keiko's last chat with Kurenai, it would seem that Sakura was making good progress. She had been able to handle the basics as easily as Keiko had thought. Not to mention, Sakura had the perfect team to work with. Even with Hinata out of commission and on strict bed rest there was still Kiba and Shino to test her progress. Kiba's nose would be an exercise to fool, and Shino's insects made it especially hard for him to fall under any sort of Genjutsu.

Naruto's training was progressing, but not as well as the blond would like. Ebisu's training methods were a stark contrast to Kakashi's and Naruto often thought that he was being talked down to and belittled. That lead to Naruto being more interested in fighting and bickering with Ebisu than actually taking him seriously.

As far as Sasuke went, Kakashi had disappeared with the boy that morning. She had to put faith in Kakashi and trust him that Sasuke was going to be alright. Keiko hadn't actually spoken to Sasuke since the very brief exchange before Kakashi placed the seal on Sasuke. And she thought of that exchange often. She knew that Sasuke would never be the same boy that he had been before the massacre, but she could hope that he had begun to heal. It had seemed that Sasuke was finally taking some pride in his team, and she didn't want anything to come between Sasuke and his relationships with Naruto and Sakura.

Finally she came to stand in front of the war memorial. Placing the remaining flowers on top of the stone, she paused again over the memorial stone. Since Kakashi was gone, it only felt right that she visited the memorial in his place. Her eyes scanned the names and she wondered again for the hundredth time, what names did Kakashi know? What names on this memorial made him visit it nearly every day?

"Keiko!"

Her body turned toward the familiar voice in surprise, a flash of orange in her vision.

Naruto ran up to her, "I finally found you! Come on! I need your help with something!" He reached for her hand and pulled her along with him in excitement.

Keiko stumbled but caught her footing, "Whoa, hey! Naruto! Hold on, what's going on? Aren't you supposed to be with Ebisu?"

Naruto turned and grinned, "Oh, forget him. I found someone else! But, you gotta meet him!"

"Eh?!"

Before she knew it Naruto was once again dragging her through the streets of Konoha. People shuffling out of their way and shooting them surprised glances and disapproving glares along the way. Finally, they came to a heavily wooded part of the village. Looking around, Keiko noticed that it wasn't too far away from a popular waterfall. She could even hear the rushing water reverberating through the trees.

"Hey! Pervy Sage!" Naruto screamed. He let go of her hand and walked forward, continuing to scream out for this 'Pervy Sage.'

Keiko was perplexed. Who was this guy, and why did Naruto want her to come meet him? Why was this guy a Perv? Or a Sage? Why did Naruto want to be trained by this guy? What happened to Ebisu? As Naruto continued to yell she scratched her head in thought, unsure of what was going to come of this situation.

She blinked when out from behind a few trees, a rather tall man stepped out. He had very long white hair that stuck out in all directions though it was pulled back behind him. He was clad in green with a red haori over it all, black belt and traditional wooden sandals. His eyes were closed and he was rubbing the sides of his head. "Kid, would you shut up! I'm trying to conduct my research and you screaming 'perv' isn't helping!" His voice was loud and grew more irritated with each word.

Naruto pointed toward Keiko, shooting the strange man a glare, "I brought you the best lady I know! Now you have to train me, right?"

The man blinked, looking from Naruto up to Keiko. His dark eyes widened and he shoved Naruto to the side abruptly, making the blond stumble. He walked up to Keiko with a large grin on his face, his eyes traveling over every inch of her body. Slender build, with wide hips, narrow waste and a bosom that called out to him. His hands twitched on reflex at the thought of holding them. Not to mention, her face was like a work of art. Lush lips and eyes he could easily get lost in. He didn't know where Naruto had found a woman like her, but she was totally his type. If only she were blond... but, oh well.

"Well, who do we have here?" He stopped in front of her, giving her his best smile and wink. "Name's Jiraiya. Could I get yours?"

Keiko could feel a bead of sweat roll down her face. Man, he laid it on thick, didn't he? She laughed awkwardly, and offered a strained smile, "Keiko." His name sounded familiar. She had to wonder where she had heard it before, and that symbol on his headband. Hadn't she seen it somewhere before as well?

As Jiraiya would say in his books, her smile brushed away the dark and dreary sky and let the light of love shine through. He gripped her hand, holding it tenderly, "A beautiful name for an even more beautiful woman. How Naruto found a gem like you, I'll never guess." He was going to kiss the back of her hand but something hit him in the back of his knee, nearly making him topple over. He spun around, instantly spotting Naruto who was glaring daggers at him, "Hey! Knock it off you little runt!"

Naruto growled, shouting loudly, "I brought her here so you would train me! Not so you could fawn over her! You pervert!"

Jiraiya scowled at the boy but stood straighter, crossing his arms. He rubbed his chin in thought for a moment, intent on not reacting to the word pervert in front of a lady. "I guess I could train you... on one condition."

Keiko blinked. She didn't like the way this was going... Not at all.

Naruto groaned, "What condition?! I already got you a lady!"

"Yes, you did! But I need some time to appreciate such a rare flower." He offered another charming smile to Keiko, "So, I'll train you if I can spend some quality time with her."

Both Keiko and Naruto stiffened. Naruto was the first to speak, his voice coming out in nearly a shriek as he flailed his arms in protest, "That wasn't part of it! Come on! There's no way Keiko would want to spend time with a perv like you!"

The sage opened his mouth to shout at him but was cut off when Keiko crossed her arms. The simple action drawing his attention to her chest and he couldn't get enough of the subtle bounce that came with it. Keiko's outfit was pretty modest, but he could still see the very top of her breasts that was now accentuated by the folding of her arms. A stupid grin creased his lips at the sight.

"Alright, that's enough." Her brow twitched at the growing absurdity of the situation. "Naruto, I don't think you want this man as your teacher. There's nothing a man like him will be able to teach you."

Jiraiya gave a short laugh, "Oh, on the contrary. You're looking at the mighty Toad Sage, one of the three Sannin."

Her eyes grew wide. She could faintly hear Naruto start to argue with Jiraiya about how that didn't mean anything to anyone but all Keiko could focus on was that word. Sannin. This guy was on the same level as Orochimaru. No wonder his name sounded familiar! How did Naruto run into him? Not only that...

Keiko held up her hand, pointing at the Sannin to gain his attention. "You're the author of that book, aren't you?" She couldn't believe she was walking to one of the Sannin, as well as the author of Kakashi's favorite book!

His face lit up, "Oh, so you know it!" He pulled out a copy of it. A wide smile plastered to his face. "It really is my greatest work."

Keiko felt torn. On one hand, she knew just how much of a pervert this guy was based on what he wrote and had no problem with Naruto calling him out on it. While on the other hand, she didn't like the idea of Naruto being trained by a pervert. But, at the same time... the things Naruto could learn from him were unknown. A member of the Sannin, who knows what Naruto could learn. A small groan of frustration left her throat, followed by a short sigh. "Fine." She threw up her hands and turned away, beginning to walk back where she had come from. "Naruto, I'll speak with you later." She had to find Ebisu and figure out what the heck was going on.

From behind her she could still hear them talking.

"Well, looks like I'm not training you, kid."

"Oh, come on! After everything you owe it to me to train me!"

"I don't owe you anything! I can't train you if I can't focus on my research, that's why I need a lady!"

"...Wait a minute, I got it!"

She paused, did Naruto know another woman to bring to this guy?

"Sexy Jutus!"

Just as Naruto was about to initiate the Jutsu, he paused. He blinked and looked up into the eyes of Keiko. She moved so fast! Her hands covered his and he could clearly hear the sigh she let out. "Alright, alright. Fine." She stood straighter, turning her icy blue eyes toward the Sannin. "If it means that much to Naruto, I'll spend some time with you. But, you have to be sure to train Naruto properly." Every fiber of her being wanted to turn and walk away from this man but she refused to have Naruto ogled by him if she could help it. Even if it was just a transformation.

The smile on Jiraiya's face said it all. He couldn't wait. "Consider it a date."

She had to bite back a groan as she looked back at Naruto. Keiko hoped that Naruto realized just how much he owed her for this.

~Several Days Later~

Sasuke collapsed onto the ground, huffing and heaving as he fought for breath. The Sharingan fading from his eyes. Who knew Kakashi could be such a slave driver! This was far more intense than he had ever pushed him before, let alone Sakura or Naruto. It was clear that Kakashi held him to a higher standard than his two teammates. It almost made him angry, why Kakashi had been holding back in their training. He pushed himself up off of the dry dirt and leaned back on his hands in his seated position.

Kakashi looked down at his pupil and sighed. It had been nearly a week since the preliminaries and the progress Sasuke had shown was impressive. As he had expected, Sasuke's resolve to not fall into hatred was strong. Looking up he noticed that dusk was beginning to set in. "Alright, we'll rest for tonight. But, expect an early morning and a long day tomorrow."

It had been several days since Sasuke had met him here, and Kakashi had wasted no time in his training. Out of all of his students, Sasuke was the most advanced, and so could handle the more advanced training. Especially if he was going to be able to handle the Chidori. But first, he had to be sure that Sasuke wouldn't injure himself in the process. He had to be sure that Sasuke would be able to stand and continue training the next day after all.

Their time together was mostly quiet. Other than Kakashi's instructions and warning to stay hidden, there wasn't much conversation between the two of them. On occasion, Kakashi would catch Sasuke blatantly staring at him with a hard expression and Kakashi could only guess what the boy was thinking. That night in particular, he didn't have to think too hard.

The two of them sat on opposite sides of the fire. Kakashi was adamant on staying away from everyone and everything during their training and so they were camping out. A long time passed before Sasuke said much of anything, "So, are you going to tell me?"

Kakashi looked up from his book, a little surprised. "Tell you what?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "About your Sharingan. It's just the two of us out here, there's no excuse for you not to tell me. Not to mention, I think I have the right to know." He had tried to ask Kakashi on numerous occasions about it, but at every turn his Sensei found a way to avoid the topic. It made him wonder if this man really did steal it like he thought he did. Why else would someone not from the Uchiha Clan have it?

A deafening silence fell over the two of them, nothing but the sound of the fire raging between them. The book slowly came to rest on Kakashi's lap as his singular visible eye looked into the flames. At first, he thought that he could make up some excuse to leave as he had before, but he stopped. No, he couldn't keep running away from this. He had to stand his ground.

For a moment, he thought of Keiko. No doubt she would tell him to open up to Sasuke. She thought that it would perhaps make the two of them grow closer. Kakashi wasn't concerned about becoming closer with his student, he was concerned with that look in his eye. A look that was filled with hatred. Perhaps, it he shared the truth with Sasuke it would make him understand. Maybe, Sasuke could learn from his mistakes.

After several minutes of silence, Sasuke scoffed and turned his head away, "Forget it."

"It was a gift."

The Uchiha halted and turned his eyes back toward his Sensei. Kakashi wasn't looking at him, but into the fire. The light reflecting off the headband that covered his so called, gift. "Gift?"

Kakashi nodded, "It was their dying wish that this Sharingan be entrusted to me." He met Sasuke's surprised gaze, "I made a vow that day, to never let a comrade be killed." He closed his eyes, remembering a time when he had told Sasuke's older brother the same thing.

Sasuke looked on in disbelief. He couldn't imagine a member of his clan willingly giving away their Sharingan. "Don't tell me you were the one to kill them."

The Jonin shook his head, "No. He died protecting me. It's because of him that I'm here today."

That alone was enough to stun Sasuke. How could Kakashi need protection? He was one of the strongest ninja he knew! Yet, it sounded like this unknown Uchiha had willingly given his life to save Kakashi.

"He made me realize how important your comrades are. To never leave them behind, no matter what."

Sasuke could feel his eyes widen but Kakashi didn't meet his gaze. He wanted to ask more, but sensed that he wouldn't be getting much more out of Kakashi. After a moment, his eyes softened and he too looked into the flames of the fire. He thought about Naruto and Sakura. In the past he thought they were nothing but a burden to him. That they had nothing to offer. But, now, after spending time with them and being through so much he wasn't sure what he would have done without them. If it hadn't been for Sakura watching over him and Naruto in the Forest of Death they would probably be dead by now. And, Naruto, he was proving to be stronger and stronger every day. While a part of him wanted nothing more than to prove that he was still stronger, he couldn't help but feel thankful that Naruto was on his side.

When he thought about it, they had both been there for him since the beginning. Even if they were both annoying.

Kakashi thought back to that fateful day. A gift. Obito had given him a gift like no other, and with that gift Kakashi didn't go a single day without thinking about his old friend. Often times he thought about what things would be like if Obito had lived. What if they had all made it out of there that day? If Obito had lived, would Rin still have died?

There were days he wanted nothing more than to forget about his past but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Every time he looked in the mirror, it was a reminder. His hand reached into his pouch as he put away his book. His fingers brushing against a small velvet box and he paused, grasping the box in his hand as his mind wandered to clear blue eyes.

"Just go give her the damn thing."

Kakashi's head perked up and his hand jerked out of the pouch as if he had touched a burning coal. "Excuse me?"

Sasuke turned, working on getting himself ready for bed, "It was Keiko's birthday yesterday, right? Just go give it to her." Sasuke had noticed Kakashi carrying around a small box and put two and two together. Not to mention, he knew it was Keiko's birthday as Naruto had not shut up about it.

Sasuke laid down with his back turned away from him. Kakashi sat there staring at the young boy in surprise. Who would have thought that Sasuke of all people would be telling him to go and give it to her. He took out the small box, no bigger than the palm of his hand and studied it. In truth, he had gotten the gift well over a week ago. He had wanted to give it to her before he left with Sasuke but couldn't find the right time.

He sighed, maybe he should take his students advice...

~0~

Keiko shut the door to her apartment, thankful to be home. It was late and the soft embrace of her bed called out to her. Her day had been spent running around the village keeping tabs on everything going on. She never thought that her attention would be pulled to so many different places at once! She had to ensure that the right paperwork was being filed for the Finals, as well as run between Kurenai's team and check in on Jiraiya. While it wasn't required that she check up on the two Genin, she felt obligated as their Sensei wasn't there to do it. Not to mention, she cared about the two and wanted to see them do well. She would have checked in on Sasuke too, but she had no idea where him and Kakashi had run off to.

"Hello there."

Keiko let out a small shriek of surprise and turned around, her back flush with the door. There, sitting on her couch was none other than Kakashi. He held up a hand in greeting, his eye crinkled in a smile. Her heart that had once pounded in surprise was now fluttering upon seeing him. A smile broke across her face and she rushed forward.

Before Kakashi had any time to process what happened her arms were wrapped around his shoulders in an embrace. Kakashi was caught off guard, so much so that he didn't think to return the embrace. Instead all he could focus on was the scent of vanilla and honey that clung to her hair. Before Kakashi could make any decision on what to do, Keiko pushed herself away and planted herself several feet away from him on the sofa. Her cheeks dusted pink as she muttered an apology.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting to see you." She did her best to hide her embarrassment but found that she wasn't doing it well.

Kakashi could feel a similar heat creep in as he smiled, his eye crinkling, "You missed me that much, huh?"

"What if I did?"

While she had said the words under her breath she hadn't meant to say them out loud. Realizing her mistake she sat straighter raising her hands, "What I mean is, how is Sasuke doing?"

Kakashi nodded, not sure if he should address what he just heard. He coughed, crossing his arms over his chest, "He's doing well. What about Naruto and Sakura?"

She smiled, knowing that she wasn't going to get much about Sasuke's training out of him. "Sakura is doing well. I think she is fitting in on Team Ten remarkably well. Kurenai is certainly happy with her progress. As for Naruto, well... he went and got himself a different Sensei..."

Kakashi turned toward her and noticed the sour expression. "Oh? Naruto found someone?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion when her expression didn't change, "Who?"

"His name is Jiraiya, one of the Sannin." She wasn't sure what she was expecting from Kakashi but he did look rather surprised. When he didn't say anything, she sighed. One of her hands coming to rest on her face in exasperation, "He said he would only train Naruto if him and I spend some quality time together. I'm not sure how much I like the idea of Naruto learning from him. He really is a Pervy Sage."

"What?"

Keiko didn't pay any mind to Kakashi as she stood and moved to another section of the apartment to grab something. Upon finding it, she reentered the living room and held up a book. She smiled, "I've been able to weasel my way out of a meeting with him so far, but I was able to-" She paused when she noticed the look on Kakashi's face. An ominous aura clung to the air around him and she had only seen that look in his eye when he was facing an enemy. Her heart quickened at the possible inclinations as she sat down next to him and poked him in the shoulder. She teased, "Aw, is someone jealous?"

Kakashi blinked, the expression leaving his features. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He was only thinking that he might need to make another trip into the village tomorrow to pay a certain Sage a visit.

She nodded, feeling her heart constrict. Of course he wouldn't be. Wishful thinking. Determined to hide her disappointment she smiled and held out the book to him. "Here, I got this for you. Jiraiya had a copy and I was able to get him to sign it. First Edition too!"

Kakashi grabbed the book and turned it over in his hands. The next book in the Make Out series. Make Out Violence. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he had already gotten a copy of the book and had read it over at least five times already. He couldn't fault her for that though as he had stopped reading the books around her. It was all too tempting to imagine Keiko in those scenes and he had to at least try to be professional. He smiled, knowing that this copy would be close to his heart. "Thank you, I have something for you as well."

Keiko blinked in surprise, "Oh?"

He placed the book in his pouch and returned with a small black box. Keiko could feel her heart quicken at the sight. She recognized the symbol on the top as being from one of the more prestigious jewelers in the village. He held it out to her, "Here, I meant to give it to you sooner." He scratched the back of his neck as Keiko took the box from his hand. "Happy Birthday."

She didn't bother to hide her blush as she opened the box, revealing a small pendent. It was a chrysanthemum. She took it out of the box gingerly, feeling the clasp on the back. It was beautiful and Keiko couldn't help but smile. Out of all the gifts she had received, this one touched a special place in her heart. The chrysanthemum was a flower close to her as it flourished in her homeland. It was a resilient flower, one that could mean many things depending on the color. This pendent was silver, each petal having been crafted separately. At the center of the flower there was a small red stone that seemed to catch the light.

Kakashi's hand covered hers and he moved to sit closer to her, "Here." He took the pendent slowly from her hands and reached for her hair. It was tied over her shoulder as it usually was and after a moment of finesse, the pendent was attached to her hair ribbon. "There."

She held up her hair to give herself a better angle to view it and after a moment she let it fall to her shoulder. Her fingers brushed against the silver and she smiled, "I love it. It's beautiful."

He smiled softly beneath his mask as he took in the sight. The fluttering in his chest was faster. He couldn't help but think that he really was lucky to have Keiko in his life. His eyes lingered on the pendent that contrasted with her black hair beautifully, before moving to her face. Her eyes were shinning. The dusting of pink to her cheeks only adding to the allure of her. Their hands were only inches apart and he took the leap and grasped hers in his. His gaze flickered down toward her lips. Had they always been so... inviting?

Keiko could hear the frantic beating of her own heart in her ears. When Kakashi reached for her hand she realized just how close the two of them were. Was he... getting closer? Her heart pounded frantically, her breathing becoming irregular at the sudden change in atmosphere. Her eyes fluttered closed as the world around her fell away, her mind going blank as she too began to lean closer.

Suddenly, he was gone.

Her eyes snapped open only too see Kakashi at the open window, his body already halfway through it. He turned his head toward her, eye crinkled in a smile, "I realized, I should get back to Sasuke. Can't leave him alone for too long under the circumstances." He turned away from her, "Enjoy the gift, and thank you got the book."

She stood abruptly, "Wh-! Kakashi!"

But he was gone. Just like that, he had left her there.

Keiko flung her body onto the couch, smashing her face into the cushion before rolling over. The scene replayed in her mind again and again as her fingers brushed over her lips. Did that really just happen? Did they nearly... kiss?

The heat she felt from her face could have warmed the fiercest blizzard. Her mind wandered back to a thought she had had several days ago, could Kakashi actually like her? All signs were pointing to yes, but if that was the case... why did he stop?

Not too far away from Keiko's apartment, Kakashi had stopped to catch his breath. He leaned against a tree, his fist clenching tightly as he fought to calm his own racing heard. His fist connected with the bark of the tree as he hissed out through a shaking breath, "Shit."

Oooo, what do we have here?

Posted - 9/3/2021