On My Mind ━━ Kakashi Hatake

17 ━ Shinobi Rules

seventeen, Shinobi Rules

ABOUT A FEW WEEKS AGO, Kakashi and Izumi had begun to meet up weekly, following their training per the former's insistence, in a field to simply talk. Surrounded by various flowers in blooming and blossoming, the two of them would lay. Whatever came to their mind, whatever had happened that week, they would talk about it. Or as most of the time, Izumi talked and Kakashi listened, a dynamic he found to enjoy. Once it switched, it worked just as well.

"I have a question, Kashi. Since I'm also a Genin now, I have been thinking about a few things." began the brunette of the duo, breaking the silence between them.

Izumi lay comfortably on the grass, arms crossed behind her head to act as a cushion. She stared upwards into the blue sky, eyes tracing the clouds and their shapes. So far she had found a cloud shaped like a bunny and another which had taken on a shape similar to a daisy. The latter specifically almost made her giggle.

Kakashi turned his head to look at her, charcoal eyes immediately finding her face. "What's the question?"

Izumi felt hesitation crawling up her spine, yet, she still voiced what has been bothering her for some time, the question which had been lingering in her thoughts. "If you had to decide between helping me and completing the mission, what would you choose?"

The silver-haired did not respond immediately. The silence emitting from the silver-haired boy gave Izumi the answer she needed. She couldn't bare to look at him, for him to see her hurt.

"I understand." mumbled Izumi. She appreciated his honesty, as she told him she did, but it stung too. She sat up to turn away from him.

Swiftly, his hand reached out to grasp the sleeve of her lavender kimono top. "I would choose you, because you are my friend." spoke Kakashi firmly, seeking eye contact.

She met his gaze. "So the success of a mission is not the most important thing, then?"

He frowned and let go of her sleeve. "It is. You asked something else, Izu. I would choose you, but that is because we are friends," He blushed a little. "And because you would do the same for me."

Izumi's expression softened. "Of course, I would, Kashi."

"Over the others, I would choose the mission." There was no hesitation in his words this time.

"Is that your final answer?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Izumi just wanted to understand, to understand her friend and what he thought, why he had changed. What had made Hatake Kakashi different? It was a question she desperately sought the answer of, to have her suspicion confirmed.

Kakashi kept quiet, and she could see how his lips were pressed into a firm line underneath his mask. She knew that pressuring him would be wrong, that it would make him retreat back into a shell. She didn't want that, she wanted for him to be able to trust her. They have been friends for about 3 years now, she hoped he would trust her at least somewhat to talk.

"What if when I choose my comrades, the same thing that happened to dad happened to me?" His voice was quiet, it wavered as he spoke and had Izumi not strained to hear, she would have not heard him.

A reasonable fear. He was scared, she realized.

Slowly, Izumi reached out towards him, her hand gently placed on his arm, drawing small circles to bring him some comfort.

"If that happens, then I will be by your side, I promise you, Kashi."

"I don't want that to happen." said Kakashi firmly, closing his eyes for a moment. Breathe in, breathe out.

"Then it won't."

"How do you know?"

"Just a hunch. And if you do decide to follow the rules, then it won't."

His brows furrowed. "I thought you would try to tell me it's wrong."

"I respect your opinion, Kashi. But that doesn't mean I agree with it." She paused for a moment and took a breath. "But I'll always support you, no matter what, promise."

"I didn't ask you to agree with it." His cheeks still felt warmer. "But I do appreciate your support." I'm here for you too.

Izumi smiled at him, eyes crinkling. "Just know that maybe sometimes it is better to choose your comrades."

"Not always."

"I didn't say always, I said sometimes. Don't forget that."

"I won't."

"Just because we are friends doesn't mean we have to have the same opinion. We can disagree but need to respect each other."

"I agree."

Izumi gasped. "Oh man, you just disproved my theory by agreeing."

"The exception proves the rule?" He offered.

"Does it though?" She thought for a moment before she shrugged, grimacing a little. "I don't know, this is too much thinking, Sen usually does that for me."

"Sen ... thinks for you?"

She nodded. "Sometimes. I know it sounds weird!" Weird didn't even cut it. She waved her arms frantically. "About a few weeks ago we did this experiment and had to construct this thing, I don't remember what it was, anyway, Sen said I should do it and being the friend I am I did but then when we went to try it out it, eh, kind of exploded in her face and she was angry, whew." The last words were spoken in a rush, making them barely audible.

Could they have been lifted and higher, Kakashi's brows would have mashed with his hairline. "You let something explode in Sen's face?"

"Regrettably so." Izumi huffed. "But serves her right for being lazy."

Kakashi chose to not comment on the fact that Izumi could not even name what she had failed to construct.

Instead, he chuckled. "Seems like in that situation you chose neither your comrade or the mission."

Izumi's eyes widened. "Did you just make a joke? To insult me?" She laughed. "I love it! You should do it more often."

Yamanaka Izumi, a walking surprise. One he wouldn't know what to do without.

"You want me to insult you?" He asked warily.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I mean joke, Kashi. It suits you. Imagine this: Hatake Kakashi, Shinobi turned comedian." To emphasize her point, she waved her hand dramatically.

He snored drily.

"I will come to all of your shows."

"You said you would support me, so I hope so."

"I'm your biggest fan." said Izumi in an unusually-high voice. "Oh wait, I forgot, you already have your fangirls in the academy."

Kakashi's lips tugged up into a smirk. "Jealous?"

"Nah." The smile on her face grew. "As long as I can be your friend, never."

"You will." A smile to match hers grew underneath his mask, seeing it made Izumi happy.

"You will always be my friend too, my best friend." And nothing could ever change that.