Curses and Dreams

Regrets and Reunions

When you woke up, you were immediately greeted by a dull throbbing in your head. Oh great, you thought, hangover . You looked around, remembering that you were not in your apartment. The other side of the bed was empty, blankets smoothed and folded down. Gai.... shit. Maybe that wasn't very nice of me. I hope he doesn't think we're dating now.

Gai walked in then, fully dressed, carrying a cup of coffee and two aspirin.

"I figured you'd need this," he said, handing you the pills and mug.

"You have no idea," you chuckled dryly, chasing the bitter pills with bitter coffee.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at you. You inhaled through your teeth, and started "Look, Gai, last night was great, but—"

"Ah (y/n), you don't have to say anything. I know this wasn't anything more than a drunken fling. I may be youthful, but I'm not naive," he said, smiling.

Ouch, you thought. At least you didn't have to let him down. "Well that makes this conversation a lot easier than I was expecting. Still friends?" you asked.

"Always friends, my dear (y/n). However, my door is open if you ever want to... work through any more feelings," he said with a laugh.

You laughed too, "I'll keep that in mind." You took notice of his outfit; a tight tank top and joggers. Definitely workout clothes. "You going running?" Your attempt at a casual question did not fool either of you. You both knew what you had really been asking.

"Indeed I am, as usual. Need me to pass anything along?"

"No, that's okay. Are... are you going to tell him?"

"Do you want me to tell him?" He asked, raising one of his thick eyebrows.

"I mean... if it comes up... I wouldn't be mad if you did..." you were being petty. Oh well. He started it by making your friends hide shit from you, you reasoned.

Gai sighed. "Ah Kakashi, my eternal rival. One day he'll figure out what he's doing. I hope so at least." A sad smile crossed his face. Kakashi's life choices hurt him too.

"Yeah, maybe one day, when Hell freezes over," you laughed. You got out of bed and head to the bathroom, where your discarded clothes still laid. You dressed quickly and situated your hair, which was a nightmare from going to sleep with it wet, and went back into the room. Gai was out in the living room, putting on his running shoes. You met him at the door, giving him a hug and a swift kiss on the cheek before sliding out the door. "Thanks for everything, Gai. I'll see you at the bar."

You left his apartment complex, walking slowly down the street toward your own a few blocks away. It was still very early morning, the streets fairly empty, most of the shops still closed. You passed by a traveling merchant, getting set up for the day. You stopped to check his wares, and noticed he had an assortment of comic books for sale. You thumbed through a couple of them, finding one about a great shinobi hero that was adored by all. Naruto would love this, you thought, and purchased the book. You were planning on taking Naruto to lunch today, as you often did when you were home between missions. He was 10 now, less than a year left in time at the Ninja Academy, if he passed his exam.

Your parents had done right by him while you were away a lot those first few years. They made sure he had food stocked, and invited him to dinner secretly when they could. Most of the other villagers either pretended he wasn't there or avoided him out of fear, the memories of the Nine Tails attack poisoning their minds against the kid. Given his circumstances, he'd become a bit of a menace to the village; vandalizing the Hokage monument with paint and using mailboxes for shuriken practice. Kid stuff.