The Lost Uzumaki (Kakashi x OC)

Chapter Twenty- A Long Day

C/W: This chapter includes harassment.

The next month and a half consisted of juggling training, jutsu development, time with Naruto and sneaking in date nights with Kakashi. It was a ritual both have grown accustomed to, and a comfort they've come to enjoy. Kakashi would climb up to her balcony in the quiet hours of the night, and wait until Meilani opened the doors. He even formed a secret knock that way she knew it was him. They've grown comfortable enough with one another to which a small amount of physical contact was the standard. As much as he loved the feeling of her lying her head on his chest, or even his shoulder, Kakashi preferred lying his head on her stomach as she massaged his scalp.

Meilani fought hard to distract herself from thoughts of her mother and hidden identity. On slow days like today, she distracted herself with baking. After cleaning and packing all of the baked goods in her picnic basket, she'd walk around Konoha searching for her friends and brother to share them with. Today, she chose to seek out Rock Lee first. His surgery was scheduled soon, and from what Sakura mentioned his nerves were still shaky. Mei only hoped Guy wouldn't be persistent in romancing her today.
She bit the inside of her cheek, the thought of having to tell Guy she was secretly seeing his rival shook her. She imagined dozens of different gut-wrenching scenarios, each sadder than the last. And just about every one ended with him on the floor in tears.
Perhaps holding on was the best thing to do for now.
Meilani took a deep breath in her cookie-scented apartment one last time before opening the door. A confused yelp escaped her lips when she saw Naruto standing on the opposite side. She held a hand to her chest, prepared to scold him for standing there unannounced.

However, there was something clearly wrong. First, he wasn't smiling. Next, he wasn't speaking. His eyes remained on the ground with an empty look in them.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Her heart accelerated quickly. She knelt and placed the basket aside. Mei's hands cupped Naruto's face. "Naruto?"
He trapped her hands in place, and replayed a scene that looked fairly recent. No more than 2 hours ago. Meilani stood in his memory and watched Sasuke and Naruto yell at each other on the hospital roof. She watched helplessly as the yelling shifted to a spar, and the spar quickly got aggressive. Her stomach dropped as she heard the charge of a Chidori, and of a Rasengan. Naruto ended the memory when Kakashi stepped in and tore them apart.
Mei swallowed the lump in her throat. Sasuke's Chidori was large enough to kill a grown man.

"Are those chocolate chip?" Naruto mumbled, eyeing the basket. Meilani gave him the entire basket and escorted him inside. "Who were they for?"
"For you, call it parental instinct." The boy gave a half-grin. She promised herself to make the rest of the batter this evening just for Lee. Along with her spiciest curry. "Do you wanna talk about it? Okay, that's fine. Check out this jutsu I'm making."
And just like that, he was distracted. The siblings talked and joked and after some ramen, Meilani walked him home where she promised to be back later. Laughter and drunken spirits were heard throughout the village's twilight setting, a welcomed change to Meilani's ears. The hammering and noisiness from construction had been decreasing by the day, and Konoha was slowly starting to ease back into feeling secure. The scent of steamed dumplings filled Mei's nostrils, the smell so appetizing it gave her chills under her mesh long sleeve. It was covered by a white pullover sweater that rested just off the shoulder, and ended just above her grey shorts.
There's plenty of food at home. She told herself as she stared ahead.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She cried as she ran into a tipsy person. She froze as she recognized him. "Daichi?"

*** The night before ***

Kakashi was on his way to Mei's late in the evening. He stopped by a late-night restaurant and ordered some dumplings to surprise her with. As he read his book in the corner, he overheard a groups drunken conversation.
"I can't be out much later, or Sen is gonna chew me out again."
"Well, what did you expect after she saw you grinding with that girl last week?"
His eyebrow raised slightly as he recognized Daichi's voice. He shifted his stance to listen better with his exposed ear.
"At least I got grinded on. Unlike your sad ass watching Uzumaki dance with her friends."
Another one of their party burped obnoxiously. "Man, I love Kunoichis."
The first one laughed. "You and this idiot, chasing after women out of your league."
"You say that because Meilani turned you down flat." Kakashi then realized that the first voice was from the volleyball guy on the beach.