OMG, I'm sooo sorry for the long wait. I was so caught up in school, exams, work, and lack of internet, I didn't realize I haven't posted for two months. I feel so bad especially when the next few chapters are fillers because I was so frazzled with everything and by the time I collected myself, it was sort of said and done. Dang, the guilt is so real you guys. I'll make it up to you and if you want, I'll give you a hint about the next arc if you upright ask. Obviously I won't give too much away but it's the least I can do. And I'll try to post another chapter next week and if not, the week after that. Again I'm super sorry!
Anyways like I just said, the next two or three chapters are going to be out of the box, if you guys don't mind. I don't know, I just think this arc would really evolve Katsumi's relationship with Kabuto. So, yeah here's Chapter 20!
Chapter 20: Day Off On a Date?
Katsumi's POV:
It had been a few days since our encounter with our old teammates from the Leaf. Since then, I had gotten lazy to the point where I didn't want to get out of my room. I wouldn't say that it was because I was still depressed from seeing my closest friends in the terms we were in, but it was more that I felt like life hated me and I was cursed every time I stepped out of my room. So I thought it was logical to stay indoors until either the wounds healed or until I was forced out of my room.
I highly doubted that someone would force me to wake up and smell the roses. Orochimaru was so high on his experiments and forbidden jutsu that he barely noticed that I disappeared unless I was sent on a mission. Sasuke and I were still not talking because again, I felt that it was logical to wait for him to be the bigger person and take responsibilities because… simply he was a grown ass man. But he hadn't done that because he was very stubborn and I didn't want to take one for the team because I was just as stubborn; we were so alike, it never really stopped amazing me.
The only person who was remotely trying to get to me was Kabuto. He knew why I was being so down and dull lately and gave me the space that I needed. However, he was also concerned and tried to get me out of bed to which I threatened him not to or else the first thing I saw, it would be torn to shreds. So he respected my wishes and did what he was told. That was about two days ago, I think. Since there were no windows, I wasn't sure what time it was most of the time despite me having a clock but I turned it off because it was getting on my nerves having to wake up to the sound of it. I normally relied on my sleeping cycle to give me some idea but since I was cooped in my room I had no clue if it was day or night.
I was currently laying on my bed with my whole body covered by my comforter and blankets from head to toe. Being under the covers made me feel secure and safe, especially when I had strange emotional thoughts running in my head. This mechanism slowed down my anxiety levels from skyrocketing.
I didn't even sense a presence in my room until I felt weight being applied on my mattress, causing it to move downwards. I was in shock as my heart skipped a beat since this came unexpectedly and I wasn't really up for visitors at the moment. I was finally able to calm down and waited for whoever it was to either speak or get the message and leave my room.
"Good morning, sunshine…" A familiar voice beamed.
I remained silent as I hoped Kabuto would once again let me have my space. However this time, he wasn't budging nor even getting the hint. More like, he was ignoring my current state.
"Either you just died from lack of air, or you're simply being stubborn and don't want to say anything at all…" He implied playfully as I felt his finger poking me through the covers where my stomach was.
I slightly jump at this sudden action, earning a chuckle from the medic-nin. As much as I wanted to see him, I was just not in the mood to talk or even look at anyone. And I was praying to Kami that Kabuto gave up on having a conversation with me and leave me alone. But he physically refused.
After a moment, I felt that saying something seemed fit at this point.
"What time is it, anyway?" I asked lowly, adjusting my body to a more comfortable position.
"Almost ten…" He answered simply.
"Aren't you supposed to be working at the medical lab at this time?" I asked curiously, not understanding his point in being here if he had work to do.
"No, not today. I asked Lord Orochimaru to get the whole day off…" He answered.
I cocked an eyebrow under the blanket when I heard his reason. Sure the work Orochimaru gave him was hard and stressful, but why did he ask for a day off today of all things?
"Why did you ask for a day off?" I asked curiously.
Kabuto sighed. "Because you've been trapped in your room for most of the week and it's getting to the point where it's not healthy for you. And I'm here to get you out of the dark." He answered determinedly, his tone telling me he was being serious.
"Says the person who spends most of his time reading books and working on academics in his little cave." I wittedly commented, letting my stubbornness handle the job in getting the nerd to leave me be.
I could feel said nerd rolling his eyes at me. "Don't think you being stubborn is going to get me to leave you alone."
"Why bother me this early?" I complained irritably.
"Because I have things planned today for the both of us to enjoy, and it requires us to leave right now." He answered encouragingly. "Now get up already and get dressed."
"I'm not interested." I flatly stated.
"Nice try, now hurry up!" He demanded impatiently.
"No."
I heard him sigh deeply, thinking that it was pointless. I smirked proudly as I felt the weight on the bed being removed, indicating that he had gotten up and was ready to leave. Just after I sighed in relief, I stunned when the covers were pulled hastily from me. I glanced up only to see Kabuto towering over me with a smug look on his face. I was still in awe that he tricked me into thinking that he had given up.
"Alright then, you've forced my hand." He smirked, then he bent down as he reached towards me.
I attempted to scramble away from his grasp, but he was able to get ahold of me. He slung me over his shoulder and immediately I started wriggling hardly, trying my damn hardest to get away from him. But it seemed that no matter what I tried, his grip on me was too strong for me to slip away.
"It's no use." He told me cockily, feeling him smirking proudly at himself.
"Kabuto, you bastard! Let me go right now before I make your life a living HELL!" I threatened in rage, hitting him as much as possible to loosen his grip just a bit.
But of course, it did nothing to help.
"Are you always this cranky in the morning?" He asked, sounding a bit annoyed at me.
Kabuto granted my wish and put me down on the ground. I instantly noticed that I was in my bathroom and briefly examined it until I realized that the door was closed. I walked over to it and tried to open it, but the knob would budge. I tried again and again, but the little s**t wouldn't turn which made me even angrier because I knew exactly why the door wasn't opening. I resorted in banging the door hardly until I heard Kabuto's voice from the other side.
"Not too hard or else you'll break the door…" He nagged, sounding entertained by this.
"LET ME OUT, DIPS**T!" I barked lividly, as I banged and tried to turn the knob.
But I knew full well that bastard was hold the knob as he held the door closed as much as he could.
"Cussing at me won't help you either." He remarked conceitedly.
"Can you just leave me alone for ONCE!?" I growled exasperatedly; my tone started to sound like I was begging for mercy.
"Not until you get dressed and come along with me outside for the day." He conditioned hardly, sounding serious now.
"Why do want me to go out with you, anyway!?" I inquired whiningly, getting sick and tired of the boy's existence.
"Because that's what couples do when they're together." He answered dryly. "Besides, we've never gotten out on a date because we're so busy."
I was baffled by his answer and I gave myself some time to process his response. It was true that we never went on a date or spent actual quality time together since becoming a couple. True we were mostly busy to even think about going out or doing something special, but that wasn't the only reason. I don't necessarily consider us as a couple because in my mind, a couple was two people who were "sexually active" or "making love" or whatever. This doesn't apply to only sex; it could be referred to the entire relationship. Plus, there was the feeling of love between the two people and that was one of the most important things for a couple.
The thing was, I don't exactly consider us as a "couple" because we don't necessarily act like we were a couple; we acted as if we were close friends. To be blunt, our relationship was mostly friendship at least that was the way I saw it. The only things that made us look like we were a couple was the make-out sessions we had and the compliments we—but mostly Kabuto—shared. I thought it was because of me and not fully committing to that our relationship was both unique and weird.
I wasn't sure about Kabuto, though I knew he was ready to commit to us whenever I was ready. In fact, he was already committed and had been perfectly faithful to me since the beginning. I wouldn't be surprised if he confessed that he loved me because he was just so gentle and tender towards me. There was no doubt that I felt loved by this man, but I wasn't sure and maybe not even ready to love him back. Basically my biggest concern on this date was that I would fall in love with him, then start getting sexually active with him which would lead me to get emotionally attached to him until we go through a bad break up which would trigger my depression to the point where everything negative around and about me caused my emotions to be so raw.
To sum it up, I was worried that this one date would lead on to something terrible.
"Listen, Katsumi. This is not me trying to make you love me, to pressure you to doing something that you're not comfortable or scared of doing. I genuinely want to spend some quality time with you outside of the hideout." He assured kindly, sounding truthful the second he opened his mouth. "Plus, I want to help relief at least a bit of your stress from what's been going on lately."
After hearing his words, I turned my back on the door and placed my weight on it as I deeply sighed in defeat. Kabuto assured that this was only going to benefit me, it made the idea of the date a bit better. He wanted to help me lift my mood up by giving me the whole day to myself. It was tempting, in a way. And I knew that I wasn't going to have me freedom until I accepted his invitation. Plus, he was treating me for the whole day; I had to take advantage of it. Finally making my decision, I turned around and glared hardly at the door.
"Ugghh…!" I grunted in annoyance, kicking the door one last time in defeat.
"I assume you've given up…?" Kabuto guessed smugly, already knowing my answer.
"Just get the hell out of my bedroom! I need some privacy…" I ordered exasperatedly, turning my attention to my reflection on my bathroom mirror.
"Just be sure that you pack some stuff because we're not going to be here until tomorrow morning." He instructed simply.
"Yeah, sure…" I replied in boredom, prepping to brush my teeth.
"Also, and I know this is a little much…" He added hesitantly, trying to find the right words. "Um, can you change your appearance just a little so that no one will notice us?"
I paused the process of brushing my teeth, confused and dumbfounded by this favor of his.
"Where the HELL are we going, anyway!?" I questioned loudly, my mouth filled with lathered toothpaste.
"I'm not telling you until we get there. However the location isn't populated with ninja so no one will detect us by chakra." He answered broadly. "But there's a possibility that they'll notice us by appearance so just make a few changes to your original look for precaution."
"You've got to be kidding me! Kabuto, this is—!"
"For the love of sanity, just do it!" He snapped in irritation.
"Fine!" I then went back to brushing my teeth as we stood there in silence.
I wasn't sure if Kabuto was still outside waiting for me. With a huff, I turned off the sink and went over to dry myself off with a towel.
"You remember what you're supposed to—?"
"I already know, dammit! Pack some stuff and change my look, now get out! I need some privacy!" I grumbled, irked by his constant nagging.
"Good." He chirped cockily. "I'll be waiting for you near the main hideout door."
With that, I heard footsteps getting further away from the bathroom door then I heard my bedroom door opened then closed. I sighed in relief; this boy really annoyed my soul so much it was ready to escape my body.
I quickly got out of the bathroom and packed some of my things in my knapsack. I made sure it was enough to last me until tomorrow morning. Once I was done, I pondered on what I should wear right now. Kabuto wasn't specific when he told me to get dressed, but he did mentioned that we were going to an area where there weren't any ninja. So that meant the population was full of civilians; I assumed he wanted me to dress like one. As a precaution, I decided to wear my light grey hoodie dress with black Capri leggings, thinking that it would make me look as if I was an ordinary girl. Going with this outfit, I took a quick shower and clothed myself as fast as I could. I scanned my reflection to see I looked decent enough to go out in public. I lifted my eyebrows, impressed; the look looked better than I thought in my head. I was fully prepared to leave with my stuff packed, except for my hair. Since my hair was so long and thick, it was taking a while for it to completely dry. So I waited patiently for about a few minutes and I checked my hair again to see if it was still damp. I smiled in relief when I realized that it was almost dry so I decided to put my hair in a high ponytail like how I used to back at the Leaf. I took a few hair ties and positioned my hair with both my hands into a ponytail as I smoothed my hair down with a brush.
Once I was done, I tugged my ponytail to make it a bit tighter and sturdier. I examined my reflection as I combed my long bangs that framed my face. I was always reminded by my hair up like this that Sasuke and I could pass as identical twins; we had the same face, eyes and our bangs were similar with mine being more longer. The only difference we had was our hair colour; Sasuke's was slightly navy blue whereas mine was midnight black. This was one of the things that made us so close; we were literally best friends and we were proud of it. It was honestly upsetting to me that we went from close siblings to estranged people. What made it worse was the fact that Sasuke didn't seemed to care.
Shaking that thought out of my head, I put on my knapsack, put on black ninja sandals, and made my way towards the main door. From a distance, I saw Kabuto standing there waiting for me with a grin on his face. I halted my steps in front of him and scanned his appearance. He wore a dark, long-sleeved shirt, beige pants, and black sandals. I took a good look at him and noticed that his hair was down but he still wore his glasses which raised my eyebrow a little.
"You know, you should have your hair like that more often…" He complimented kindly with a smile. "It shows your beauty off even more."
I slightly blushed when he told me that I looked beautiful. "Uh, thanks…"
"Don't mention it, I speak the truth…" He beamed happily, forcing a smile on my face.
"So, is this look good enough?" I asked him, referring to my outfit.
"Better than I could've ever imagined." He smirked. "Now no one is going to recognize us as ninja…"
"I wouldn't be too sure…" I commented dryly, indicating his glasses. "You're still wearing your glasses. It's literally the biggest giveaway ever…"
"I'm aware of that." He told me, aware about them himself. "But I'm unable to see a thing without them, and I need to direct us to the place we're going."
Kabuto then removed his glasses, proving his statement as he squinting his eyes hardly at me just to know where I was standing.
"So the problem is that you can't see without them, but it gives others a chance to expose us as rogue ninja if you keep them on…" I thought aloud, folding my arms.
"Yes…" He nodded.
Without warning, I took the glasses from his hands then I grabbed his hand and forced him to follow me down the hallway. Kabuto was taken aback by this, not knowing what I was planning.
"Where are you taking me?" He asked curiously, hesitating to move his feet though I was able to use my strength to make him move.
"You'll find out." I simply hinted, stopping in front of a door.
I opened it and it revealed one of the examination rooms. I walked over to a wall that consisted countless of drawers and opened one after the other. Kabuto stood there in the room, watching me with curiosity. I looked inside one particular drawer that carried the thing I was looking for and pulled it out proudly. I walked over towards the medic-nin with a confident look on my face as he raised an eyebrow on my unexpected happy mood. I placed the container on the metal table and opened the lid. I reached my hand in the container and pulled out a small jar. I turned to Kabuto and held out the object to present my hard work.
"This'll do the trick." I told him certainly, holding out a small jar.
Kabuto took the jar from my hands and brought it close to his face to examine in since his sight was blurry.
"What's in this jar?" He asked interestedly, turning it to see all angles of it.
"Contact lenses." I briefly answered.
"Contact lenses?" He repeated, slightly confused. "Like, contacts for my sight?"
"Exactly. As you can see, they're basically thin plastic lenses that help correct or amend human eyes' defects and/or flaws." I replied, cocking her head towards the jar.
"They act just like glasses." He commented dryly, poking the jar gently. "Why is this a better alternative than my glasses, anyway?"
"They're not entirely like glasses." I corrected him, folding my arms. "Instead of positioning them in front of your eyes like glasses, these are placed directly on the surface of your eyes."
I watched Kabuto as he processed this new information, then I awed in comprehension when I figured out her intentions.
"I get it, now. If I use these, nobody will recognize me for my glasses since I won't have them on." He theorized with a grin. "And I won't have to worry about my eyesight either."
"Yes, exactly." I grinned confidently, mentally patting myself on the back for being a genius.
"What are we waiting? Let's do it." He smirked excitedly, being surprisingly happy about this plan.
"There's just one thing that kind of concerns me." I interjected quickly, not wanting to get his hopes up too soon.
"What is it?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I'm not hundred percent sure if they'll fix your vision completely." I told him bluntly.
"Didn't you test them before advising it to me?" He questioned warily.
"Of course I did. And they work perfectly." I answered, slightly pouting for him doubting me.
"Then I don't see the problem." He claimed, squinting his eyes at me as if I was being clueless.
That or he just couldn't really see me since he wasn't wearing anything for his eyes right now.
"The problem is your exact prescription of your current lenses you wear." I justified, indicating his glasses which I pulled out from my bag. "Since I didn't test them directly on you, I had to guess the strength of which these lenses had to be. Because of this, there's no telling if they're too weak that you still couldn't see with them or too strong that it damages and strains your eyes even further."
"My vision without my glasses…" He stated thoughtfully. "Well, right now everything is completely blurry including you. However, I can still see your form and where you are but I can't see the look on your face."
"Then that means it was smart of me to make the prescription strong on the contacts." I commented in relief. "But I wonder if it's strong enough…"
"There's only one way to find out…" He breathed stressfully.
I then grabbed Kabuto's hand and led him to a long, arm chair. Once he sat comfortably on the "doctor's chair", I took the small jar he held and placed them on a small table beside me. I carefully and surely sanitized my hands and then I slowly opened the jar and took out one of the two contacts that were soaked with a special liquid in the jar. I made sure they were positioned on my index finger like tiny bowl. I turned to Kabuto who was watching me intently.
"I'm going to put this on your eye right now." I notified him, moving myself closer to him with the contact on my finger tip. "I want you to stay as still as possible, okay?"
"Okay." He nodded and adjusted himself to obey my command.
Nodding, I used my free hand to open his eyelids as wide as possible, revealing only his eye to me. Carefully I placed the contact lenses on the surface of his eye.
"This might feel uncomfortable, but just stay with me." I told him comfortingly when I heard him grunt at the pressure on his eye.
It took a moment to position the lenses correctly on top of the iris and pupil, but I was able to apply the contact perfectly and I couldn't feel more accomplished. I went ahead to do the other eye, and I applied it with ease.
"Okay, I'm done." I told him, sighing in relief. "Blink your eyes and tell me if it feels weird or uncomfortable."
Kabuto did what he was told and blinked a couple of times. "No, they feel fine." He shook his head.
"Move your eyes around." I then told him.
Kabuto moved his eyes in all directions. "Nope."
"One more thing." I assured him with a smirk. "How's your sight now?"
It took a while for him to answer the question which made me anxious; I worked very hard on this project and made sure they worked perfectly. It wasn't until Kabuto threw me a smirk at me that stopped my anxiety.
"Better now." He beamed happily. "In fact, it's close to perfect!"
"Good." I smiled; his happiness was somehow contagious.
Suddenly, Kabuto grabbed my cheeks with both hands and hastily pulled me down to his face. Within a second, my lips forcibly crashed on his lips as he kissed me affectionately. My mind was trying to process what was happening as he deepened the kiss without hesitation. Just when I was about to pull away, he removed his lips from mine but still had his grip on my cheeks.
"What was that for?" I asked breathlessly, still in shock.
"My way of saying thank you. " He answered soothingly. "It's no surprise that you made these contacts for me out of compassion. And I can tell it took a lot to make them work as well as they are right now."
I scoffed at his reason. "I didn't make them specifically for you. They were meant for~… Sasuke." I amended with a frown, walking towards the door.
"Funny, because Sasuke has no vision problems especially with his Sharingan." He snorted aloud as he followed me out the door.
"Whatever! Can we just go already?" I snapped, dismissing the truth behind his words.
"Of course." He nodded as he walked ahead of me to the main door.
*Time Skip*
After two and half hours of walking, we finally made it to a small town Kabuto mentioned before. He was also right about the people there; I couldn't detect no forms of chakra whatsoever, meaning there were no ninja. We seemed to blend in with the crowd as well since nobody even batted an eye at us for being suspicious nor different. The feeling of being an ordinary human being felt so relaxing and comforting.
I sometimes wished that I wasn't a ninja.
The streets were crowded but we were able to pass by easily since it wasn't completely jammed. I suddenly felt a hand entwining with mine, locking fingers with me. I glanced to my side only to see Kabuto giving me a soft smile as he gripped my hand firmly.
"You okay?" He asked lightly.
I shrugged. "I guess. I mean, I have no clue where we're going, so…"
Kabuto giggled at my curiosity. "You'll know soon enough…" He assured then he walked ahead, forcing me to speed up as well.
After twenty minutes of walking, we stopped in front of what seemed to be some sort of inn or hotel. I raised an eyebrow as I glanced at Kabuto, waiting for him to explain.
"Here we are." He announced with a smirk.
Before I opened my mouth, he used his grip on my hand to pull me inside the building. He checked into a room then he pulled me towards our assigned room once he got the key. Our room was apparently on the second floor since Kabuto led me down the second-level hallway. He stopped in front of a door and unlocked it with ease. He opened the door and step aside as he glanced at me.
"Lady's first." He smirked as he beckoned me to enter first.
I warily walked through the door and took in the look of our room for the day. I was currently standing in what looked like a small but cute living room where there was a couch, coffee table and a small bookshelf with books across the couch. Across from where I was standing, I saw a sliding glass door that led to the balcony which showed a good view of the town. I slid my feet towards the middle of the room then I noticed a small kitchen from the corner of my eye.
As I was absorbing my new surroundings, I felt a familiar presence behind me as it slightly brushed my back. I felt an arm wrapping around my waist and looked over my shoulder to see Kabuto standing there. He led me towards a door that led to the beautiful master bedroom. It too had a sliding glass door that showed a beautiful view. I walked freely around the room, inspecting it until I reached to another door. I opened it and it showed me the master bathroom to which I was in awe. It had both a shower and a huge bathtub—perfect for a much-needed bubble bath.
I was admiring the look of the bathroom until I felt two hands on my shoulders. I then felt someone nuzzling my neck, which sent shivers down my spine.
"You hungry?" He purred quietly, lightly kissing my neck.
"Starving." I briefed with a small smile.
With one final kiss on my skin, I allowed Kabuto's hands to remove the shoulder straps of my bag off of my shoulders. I turned on my heel, facing him completely.
"Then let's go." He smiled brightly; his pure smiles always gave me a good feeling inside, knowing that he was truly happy.
"Where?"
"You'll see." He told me, not giving anything away.
"That s**t's getting old and annoying." I told him bluntly, showing the annoyance on my face.
"Calm down." He soothed playfully, grabbing my hand as we handed for the door. "Not knowing isn't going to kill you."
I frowned at his comment. Not because he was implying I was being unnecessarily annoyed, but he was always hiding something from me and wouldn't tell me until I saw it myself. What was with all the surprises? And why were they all happening in one day?
Kabuto led me down the stairs, across the lobby and down a woodened hallway. I was getting anxious by every step I took, wondering what the next surprise could possibly be. I snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed a man from a distance standing patiently, apparently waiting for us. Kabuto and I paused in front of him as we watched the gentleman bowing his head respectfully; immediately I felt like a royal.
"Everything you've requested awaits you and the lovely lady in this room." He politely proclaimed.
"Thank you very much." Kabuto replied mannerly, nodding his head once.
"Yeah, thanks." I simply said, not knowing what else to say.
The gentleman then slid the door open for us then Kabuto gently pulled me into a spacious room. I scanned the appearance of the room, seeing nothing too special about it until I laid my eyes on something in the heart of the room. There was a large table filled with so much delicious foods, waiting to be eaten. My eyes sparkled by the beautiful sight in front of me; it had been a long time since I had good food so this was a blessing for me.
"If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." The kind man told us kindly.
I turned around to face the man and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you for your services. You've done too much." I beamed.
The gentleman smiled happily, appreciating my compliment and words of motivation. He then closed the door, not wanting to bother us any longer. Once his footsteps could no longer be heard, I glanced at Kabuto who smiled, slightly impressed.
"What's with you, all of a sudden?" He asked, amused.
"Since when I was offered such amazing food?" I rhetorically asked him, ignoring his arrogance.
I didn't wait Kabuto to speak and went ahead to sit comfortably on one of the soft cushions that were prepared for us. I heard the medic-nin sitting himself down and without saying another word, we began to eat.
"This is so damn good!" I smiled blissfully in between chews.
"I'm glad you like it so much." Kabuto stated, smiling back.
As the time went by, our eating pace gradually decreased due to our lack of our hunger. However, we still continued to eat because the food tasted that good. Plus, eating above ground level just made it taste even better. As I continued to chew, I looked across the table and noticed that Kabuto stopped eating entirely.
"You're not eating." I stated as I chewed.
"I'm stuffed." He claimed, sounding like it to as he rubbed his satisfied stomach.
"Okay, then." I shrugged then I continued eating without a care in the world.
After a moment passed, I noticed that Kabuto was watching me intently which kind of made me uncomfortable. Mostly because it was so quiet in the room.
"So, you like the contacts I made?" I asked him, starting a conversation.
"Yes, I do. It's much more comfortable than my glasses…" He answered gratefully.
"I'm glad you like it so much." I told him genuinely. "I'm assuming you'll be using them from now on instead of your glasses."
I was confused when Kabuto's face fell when I mentioned his glasses. His mood was brought down instantly and I couldn't understand why.
"As much as I love the gift, I don't think I'll be replacing my glasses." He told me truthfully. "You see, they're more than just glasses to me. Mother gave me these glasses as a token for her love for me as her son. When I wear them, I'm carrying a piece of her, reminding me that she's always there beside me."
I looked at Kabuto thoughtfully. I may be hard on him, but when he talked about his Mother and how much she loved him, it showed me softer side of Kabuto under the mask he puts on. It reminded me why I was attracted to him in the first place: because he carried so much love for his beloved ones despite having a tough past.
"That's really cute." I replied honestly, smiling softly at him. "The way you talk about her… she sounds like an amazing woman. I would love to meet her if she was still here."
"And I know she would love you if you two meet. You remind me of her quite much…" He complimented, smiling back. "You both are beautiful, strong, selfless human beings."
I slightly blushed at his comment. "Kabuto…"
"Difference is she has a better attitude." He quickly muttered as if I couldn't hear him.
"What are you talking about!?" I asked, offended. "My attitude isn't bad."
"Says the person who called me—and I quote—dipsh*t." He pointed out with a smirk.
"Hmph…" I huffed as I folded my arms.
Kabuto chuckled at my childish form. "I don't take it as a negative, though. In fact, it's part of the reason why I fell for you…" He told me.
"Well, good…" I huffed stubbornly as I continued to eat.
After a moment of silence, another questioned hit me.
"So, what's the plan for today after eating?" I curiously asked him, praying that he wouldn't say that it was a surprise.
For once, my wishes came true and it was this of all things.
"There's a festival happening in the heart of town." He answered plainly. "I felt like it's a good idea to head there and enjoy ourselves."
I was gulping down a glass of water as he told me his plan. I placed the cup carefully and wiped myself with a tissue.
"That actually sounds good to me too." I responded with a shrug, satisfied. "I mean, you are treating me today so…"
"Don't push it, Katsumi." He cut in warningly with his usual smirk. "I might change my mind if you take your luck for granted."
I rolled my eyes and took another sip of water.
"Are you finished eating?" He then asked me.
"Yeah, I am." I nodded, cleaning myself off.
"Then, let's go." He beckoned with a smile.
We walked out of the private dining room and exited the inn. With his grip on my hand, Kabuto led me down the streets as we headed towards the festival he mentioned earlier. Though I was excited to be out in public after years, I was suspicious of the boy's intentions for today. He assured me that this was all to "help" me and it wasn't a way to benefit himself except spend some quality time with me. However, the back of my head was telling me that there was more to what he was telling me; he was hiding something that was most likely crucial for the puzzle. Kabuto was known to be sneaky and manipulative—even though I knew he wouldn't do something like that to me—so I had to keep my guard up just in case.
I snapped into reality when I heard voices of other civilians around the corner. Once we had turned once more, we received a large view of what the festival had to offer. There were games, food, sales, and everything else that a festival had. I was examining everyone participating and enjoying themselves as a small smile appeared on my face; I had a good feeling that I too was like everyone else.
"How you feeling?" Kabuto asked me curiously.
I glanced at him and placed a confident grin on my face. "I feel like a normal human being."
"Huh?"
I rolled my eyes. "What I meant to say is that I feel free. After being trapped in gloomy lairs, it feels refreshing seeing everyone so happy and upbeat and I'm about to join in the excitement." I clarified, still smiling.
"I guess I'll take your word for it." He shrugged dismissively then he pulled me through the entrance.
Our first stop was the ring toss game that was one of the most common games in any festival/carnival. Intrigued, I pulled Kabuto to the ring toss booth. Without being asked, the medic-nin willingly paid for the both of us to play. Once we had received three rings, I turned over to him with a smug look on my face.
"Ready to get your ass handed to you?" I asked him mockingly.
"Are you ready to kiss it when you lose?" He countered with arrogance, placing his smirk on his face.
"I don't have to because I'm going to win." I answered conceitedly.
"We'll see about that." He hummed, turning his attention to the task at hand.
I watched him as he easily got two rings through separate bottlenecks. Kabuto had one more left to get a perfect win and I already felt the stress on me radiating from him. He took a deep breath in and tossed the ring, anticipating the result of his action. Unfortunately for him, the ring instead hit against the bottle then fell on the ground. I heard the medic-nin curse underneath his breath, earning an amused smile on my face.
"Well that's too bad." I commented sadly, mocking his misfortune. "Just when I thought you're competition…"
Kabuto just smirked my comment off his shoulders, stepping aside to give me space for me to play. With one move, I easily got three of the rings around the same bottle. I smiled proudly at the result and I glanced at the medic-nin who zoned out as he stared hardly at the rings I tossed.
"You saw the skills, huh?" I mocked self-centeredly. "Don't you ever underestimate me, loser."
"Congratulations." He smiled. "Choose your prize."
I blinked at his last statement, turning to the booth which indeed presented prizes for the winner. The man running this game waited patiently for me to choose as I scanned what they had but there was nothing that was intriguing to me. Then I saw the cutest toy out of all the others: it was a white teddy bear with a pink bow on its head while wearing a pretty pink dress. With a smile, I pointed my finger at the stuffed animal and the man happily took it off the shelf for me.
"Hear you go." He beamed, handing me the bear.
I allowed myself to hug the precious toy tightly. I heard Kabuto chuckling while I glanced at him, pouting irritably at him.
"What? I'm a girl; we're suckers to cute things." I snapped defensively.
"I'm not laughing at you." He told me calmly, smiling. "I'm laughing because I'm happy that you're happy."
I could feel my cheeks burning at his compliment. "Thanks…"
Kabuto nodded in acknowledgement then he wrapped his arm around my waist, leading me down the festival. I continued to hold my prize firmly, refusing to put it down.
"So what do you want to do next?" He asked me curiously as we strolled through the crowd of people. "Another game?"
I shook my head. "No, I only wanted a souvenir. Now that I have this, I want to do something else." I answered brightly.
Kabuto nodded in acceptance then placed a kiss on my cheek, not minding this nor his closeness. We stopped near a candy booth and I asked the medic-nin to purchase sweets for me; I had a huge sweet tooth and it had been a while since I ate good candy. He willingly went over and bought a bag full of sweets. As we proceeded in walking, I held my stuffed animal in one arm while pulling out sweets from the bag with the other as Kabuto held the bag, also eating a couple. We then noticed a few of live performances taking place and I wanted to see the entertainment offered to everyone. So we stood near the front of the act with Kabuto's arm still wrapped around me as we watched in awe at the amount of talent in display.
"You enjoying yourself?" He questioned, rummaging the bag full of candies.
I nodded as I chewed on a piece. Once the show was over, Kabuto and I remained standing on our spot as others began to turn their attention on other parts of the festival.
"I need to use the restroom." I heard Kabuto's voice, glancing at him as he searched his back pocket for something.
I watched him as I continued to eat the candies, enjoying the sweetness in my mouth. The grey haired male then pulled out his wallet and held it out for me, indicating me to take it.
"While I'm gone, you're free to purchase anything as you please." He told me plainly. "Just take care of yourself and keep your guard up."
"Sure." I nodded, happily taking his wallet.
Kabuto leaned in and briefly kissed then he walked off to the restroom, leaving me on my own in the middle of a crowd. I studied his wallet, thinking what I should purchase. I wasn't really hungry but even after that bag of sweets, my sweet tooth wouldn't go away. That was when I noticed a man behind an ice cream stand which brought the inner child in me. I wasted little time to make my way over there and got myself a vanilla cone. I then seated myself where I enjoyed the vanilla flavoured treat, relaxing under the hot sun; days like this made me wish I could spend more time outside like before instead of living in the dark. Also watching people walking by with smiles and joy on their faces made me feel a sense of humanity that I thought I lost a long time ago.
"Teddy!" An unfamiliar, high voice chirped, bringing me back to reality.
I glanced aside and immediately figured out where the voice came from. There, looking intriguingly at my teddy bear with a bright smile on her face, was a little girl who was about seven years old. She had blonde, shoulder-length hair with blunt bangs covering most of her forehead while wearing a light pink headband. She had creamy pale skin and her eyes were brilliant blue and sparkly, making her even more adorable. She wore a light pink T-shirt—matching the headband—and a cute blue skirt topping it all off with silver flats. Seeing this image of this kid reminded me the innocence I once had before I started running away from home, acting out, and whatnot. But seeing this child also gave me some relief that most children wouldn't go through what I had gone through because childhood was a precious part of a person's life.
"Akemi!" Another unfamiliar voice called out within the crowd.
So the girl's name was Akemi. Such a suitable name that meant "bright beauty" for someone like her; she would grow to be both bright and beautiful.
"Mom?" The little girl questioned as she turned her head as the woman who now stood in front of the two of us was her mother, I assumed.
The girl's mother looked awfully similar to her daughter with her blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin. Although her hair was longer in length and left alone, straight. I eyed the woman as I ate my ice cream.
"Akemi, what did I tell about running off on your own?" Her mother scolded hardly, looking and sounding more worried than upset.
"I couldn't help it, mom." Akemi replied defensively. "I saw this cute teddy bear and I just wanted to get a closer look at it."
The mother sighed and then turned her attention over to me as I sat there quietly, taking the last bite of the cone.
"I apologize for my daughter's behaviour. She really loves stuffed animals, as you can see." She smiled apologetically, releasing her soft gently aura.
"Oh, don't apologize." I assured genuinely, holding my hand out with a small smile. "I can't blame her because it really is cute and pretty. That's why I got it…"
"It is, Miss!" Akemi beamed in agreement.
"Just call me Kat, okay?" I told her kindly.
"Okay! It's nice to meet you Kat!" Akemi smiled. "My name is Akemi."
"I know, and it's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." I commented gently as she blushed at my compliment.
"Do you want to hold it, Akemi?" I asked her sweetly, holding the bear to her.
"Oh, you don't have to." The mother assured me, not wanting her daughter to be a bother.
"No, I insist." I smiled, waiting for Akemi to take it.
Her eyes lightened by my offer and took the bear off my hands, holding it tightly against her. The sight gave me a warm feeling inside. A good feeling.
"Thank you, Kat!" She beamed happily.
Suddenly, Akemi scrambled onto my lap and started playing with my prized toy. It took me back a second because it came out of nowhere, but I didn't mind it the least. I smiled lightly as I watched the little girl on my lap happily minding her own business. I then heard a sigh to which I looked up to see the girl's mother, looking defeated. She then walked over to the bench and sat down next to me.
"My name is Ayame, by the way." She introduced with a friendly smile. "Kat, right?"
I nodded in confirmation.
"I saw you earlier with that boyfriend of yours." She told me as I already felt uncomfortable. "He's such a gentleman towards you, it's amazing how big his heart his."
'You should see his "big heart" when he does his experiments…' I thought to myself as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
It wasn't until then I took in the fact that the woman in front of me used… the B word girls used for their significant other. It was also then I started blushing nervously at her.
"Um… my…?" I stuttered, not knowing what to say to her that would make sense.
Ayame laughed lightly at the look on my face.
"I know. You are together but you're not fully committed in saying that he's your boyfriend." She remarked in comprehension. "I know how it feels."
"You do?" I questioned her, raising an eyebrow.
"You see, my husband is exactly like your boyfriend when we were about your age. He had a thing for me for a while and did whatever he could to get my attention, but I always brushed him off." She explained thoughtfully. "I was such a stubborn, independent, bold girl and I always told myself that I don't need a man to carry me through life. So when he tried to sweep me off my feet, I turned him down because I believed that I didn't want him a part of my life."
"How did that all change?" I asked her interestedly, playing with Akemi's hair to which she didn't mind at all.
Ayame let out a laugh. "Well, you can say he did things for me exactly how your boyfriend is doing for you right now. He was certain that he would win my heart and did such original, unique, and special things just for me. He made me feel like I was the only girl in the world. Eventually, I've fallen for him greatly and I realized that I do love him so much. He made me feel special and he loved me for all of my flaws and perfections." She answered softly, smiling to herself as she thought of her man.
"He sounds like an amazing guy." I complimented kindly, happy for her happiness.
"Yes, and he continues to do things for me because he believes that will keep me by his side." She claimed humorously. "He doesn't want me to go anywhere because I'm 'all his'."
"Wow." It was all I could say because he was simply a great guy and that he reminded me so much of Kabuto.
"Dad is the best dad in the whole world because he makes family his first priority!" Akemi chirped, proud of her dad too.
"That's good to hear." I smiled at the little girl, rubbing her head affectionately as she made herself comfortable on me.
"When I saw you two together, it reminded us both of how our relationship blossomed to something beautiful." Ayame continued softly, sounding in bliss. "I hoped that the same happens to you two in the future."
I shrugged at her prediction. "Only time will tell…"
"With that much love he has for you… there's no doubt in my mind…" She claimed certainly, sounding all wise.
I mean, whatever floated her boat.
"I'm aware that he loves me, but I don't think I've come to terms with my feelings for him." I told her bluntly, trying hard not to sound like a jerk.
"Men are willing to wait for something they love and care for, no matter how long." She commented with a wise tone, placing her hand on my shoulder. "He loves you to the point he'll go through any boundaries just for you; he's committed to you and I know it."
"You're probably right." I acknowledged Ayame's honesty with me.
"Just be sure you show your appreciation to him at least once as motivation for him." She advised with a wink. "That'll let him know you respect and appreciate him."
I took her advice into consideration, noting that I probably should do something along those lines to show that I wasn't a shell of a human being.
"I can't wait for you and your boyfriend to get married. You guys are perfect for each other!" Akemi smiled brightly up at me.
I smiled and gave her a brief hug. "I hope you're right, cutie."
"Oh, there you are, Ayame!" Another voice that I was unfamiliar of spoke in front of us.
This voice came from a male and I glanced up to see a man standing in front of us with a friendly smile on his face. He had brown hair, lightly-tanned skin, and bright blue eyes like Ayame and Akemi. Though he was looking for the mother, he was specifically eyeing me with a blank look. I adjusted myself and waited for him to speak.
"I'm sorry. Have we met?" He asked politely with a slight firmness to his voice.
"Not exactly, Daichi." Ayame answered for me. "This is Kat… the girl we saw with her boyfriend earlier."
It took Daichi a few seconds to realize what Ayame meant. Then he smiled softly down at me.
"Oh yes, that's right." He nodded then held out his hand to introduce himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kat. I'm Daichi, Ayame's wife and Akemi's father."
I shook his hand and smiled back at him respectfully. "So you're the world's greatest dad Akemi mentioned a moment ago."
"Yeah, because you're the greatest, dad!" Akemi nodded, confirming this detail.
"Thank you, my little princess." He smiled, flattered by his daughter's words.
It wasn't until then I noticed that Daichi was holding something securely in his arms. Ayame apparently noticed this and cleared my curiosity.
"That's our infant, Hiroki." She told me calmly. "He's a few months old."
I moved closer to see the baby boy as he slept soundly in his father's arms. I was a sucker for children like Akemi, but babies were my weakness.
"He's so precious…" I breathed in awe, not wanting to wake him up.
"Wanna hold him?" Daichi asked me.
I winced at his offer in disbelief. "Can I?"
"Of course." Ayame chirped.
I slowly nodded and Daichi handed his baby son to me. As he did, Akemi quickly removed herself from my lap and sat beside me. I gently took Hiroki off his arms and cradled the infant close to me as it slept peacefully. I didn't notice the huge smile on my face because I was so drawn to this tiny human being.
"You're a natural, Kat." Ayame commented in glee. "You'll be an amazing mother someday."
"Oh, uh… thank you…" I blushed nervously, trying to focus on Hiroki.
"That child will be lucky to have you as a mom and your boyfriend as their father…" Daichi added in to the compliment.
Hearing this made me more anxious than I ever was before. I literally felt like throwing up from so much anxiety.
"You guys are being too nice." I told them, hinting them to stop.
"They're honest people, Kat." Akemi then spoke as her eyes were on my toy. "They barely say nice things to strangers unless they're super-duper kind."
I nodded at their daughter's claim and went back to cradling their baby boy.
"So, you were here this whole time?" I heard yet another voice in the air, but this one was awfully familiar.
I didn't need my vision to know that it was said "boyfriend", Kabuto. He sounded as if he was done his business moments ago and was searching me through the crowd. I felt him placing his hand on my shoulder as he stared firmly at the strangers in front of him. I stood up from the bench as I still cradled the infant safely in my arms.
"Did I miss something?" He asked rhetorically, continued to eye at the family in front of us.
"Not much." I answered plainly, looking at the baby.
"Mom and Kat were just talking about how you're like my dad when they were younger and that you loved Kat so much that someday you'll marry her and have a baby together." Akemi rambled brightly, earning a glare from her mother.
"Akemi!" Her mother snapped.
"What? It's no big deal since it's obvious that he loves Kat and wants to marry her." Akemi pouted, defending herself from her mother's wrath.
Daichi sweat dropped at his daughter while forcing an awkward smile. "Some things should be left unsaid, sweetie."
The look on my face was priceless because it was heating up by the second in embarrassment. I side-glanced over at Kabuto whose face was equally hot and red as mine but in more embarrassment than me. Does that mean what Ayame and Akemi said was true? That Kabuto loved and might even want to marry me? To make matters worse, my anxiety came back to say hello once again.
"Young man." I heard Daichi's voice, asking for Kabuto's attention.
"Yes, sir?"
"Clearly this beautiful girl means a lot to you and I know just as much as you do that you want her a part of your life." He told him with a kind smile. "I know exactly how it feels to do whatever it takes to have someone you love. Simply put, you two remind me of my wife and me when we were younger."
"That's right." Ayame confirmed with a wink. "We hope you two have a future together, no matter what happens."
This was so awkward and oddly, I was waiting for Orochimaru to catch us being associated with others so that this awkward moment would die in a hole.
"Is that their child you're holding?" Kabuto asked me simply; apparently he no longer felt awkward about the situation as much as I was like he came to terms with it.
"Yes, isn't he cute?" I cooed happily, trying to calm myself down from the uncomfortableness.
Kabuto nodded as he moved himself closer to me and used his two fingers to gently caress the baby's cheek. The way how gentle and tender the medic-nin was to the infant felt twice as better than the baby alone. After a moment, I realized that the parents of this child was waiting to have him back and I instantly handed the baby to his father with a nervous smile.
"Well, you two should continue having alone time together so we won't bother you anymore." Ayame smiled innocently, although winking at me.
And the awkwardness kicked in.
"Akemi, give the girl her bear back." Daichi told his daughter softly with a solid edge to his tone.
"Okay." Akemi sulked and hesitantly held out said toy to me.
"Actually, you should keep the bear, Akemi." I interjected sweetly, waving a dismissive hand.
"Please, take your bear back." Ayame refused in guilt. "She shouldn't keep what's yours."
"Think of it as a gift." I assured with a convincing smile. "Besides, I have no room for it and it shouldn't be thrown away."
"Thank you, Akemi! You're the best!" She cheered in glee, throwing her arms around me.
I stood there a brief second as she hugged me, but then allowed myself to hug the child back.
"You're very welcome." I grinned down at her.
Akemi pulled away and smiled up at me. She then moved her blue eyes over to Kabuto as he gazed down at the girl curiously.
"She's a keeper, so you better take good care of her." She threatened cutely at the medic-nin, earning her a flustered look from Kabuto.
"Akemi!" Her mother snapped at her again.
Kabuto cleared his throat and gently patted Akemi's head.
"Of course, I'll take care of her." He assured her truthfully.
Her father then picked her up off the ground and the family walked off. I waved Akemi as she waved back with her beautiful smile. I hoped that one day, I get to see her as an amazing woman like her mother.
"Let's go somewhere nice for dinner." I heard Kabuto suggest to me as I felt his arm snaking around my waist.
With a nod, we both walked in the opposite direction to wherever Kabuto wanted to take me, not caring that I had no clue what else was in store for me.
Okay, this chapter officially is the longest chapter I had typed. I really hope it sort of makes up the fact that it took so long to type. I'll try to update next time! Count on it!