Falling for Temptation (A Kakashi Hatake story) Naruto fanfic

Chapter 8: Fib

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.

-William Shakespeare

"Are you angry? You are!"

Kakashi walked out of the building, hands in his pockets. Whether it was the deceit or the intention of it that drove him mad, he couldn't tell. And also, he couldn't admit it because partly he knew he was angry at himself.

He heard her hastened footsteps and was pulled back when she grabbed his shirt. "Hold on." She gasped and yanked hard. Kakashi's heels dug into the dry ground as he held himself in place. His throat was dry. He sighed, running his hands through his hair, which was messier than usual, and he'd forgotten to comb it. He turned around, looking down just a little.

'Why am I so irritated?'

"You lied to me."

She exhaled sharply and looked away. The guilt in her eyes was vivid yet subtle, tugging at his heartstrings. He didn't say anything and looked only at her. Tall, exquisite... Devastatingly beautiful. 'Like a fairy.'

"Look, can you let me explain? Please."

She batted her long and curled eyelashes, deep red like blood with sprinkled rubies making her slanted crystal blue eyes sparkle. 'And I can't put my finger on it, but it feels like I'm under a spell.' And he gave in, that magnet of attraction so deadly, so strong, he just gave in.

"Fine."

Like a whining child finding out that Santa wasn't real, he followed her to a small tea shop just a five-minute walk from where they stood. 'What's this nagging feeling? I'm anxious. Really anxious, of Ai.' It had come with every little thing, the smallest gestures, and even the slightest change in micro-expressions.

'That face, the guilt she has. No- I'm reading too much into this.'

"So.." She trailed off with a quirky little shake of her head and a hesitant smile. "Uhm..." She exhaled raggedly, and the way she bit her lips had him biting his own. She looked Kakashi squarely in the eye, straightened up, and her hands clasped together on top of the table. "Look, I was on a mission. Five years. You of all people know what it's like to be in the Anbu so... I hope you understand."

He nodded. He knew all too well.

'But come to think of it, I've never seen her in the Anbu before. And Ai is someone unforgettable. I'm sure that even if I saw only a glimpse of her, I would never forget.'

"How long.. was this mission?" Kakashi's voice was particularly raspy at the time, and slowly, he began leaning onto the table. But the doubt never left, and so did the gnawing feeling in his gut, Don't trust her. And while usually he listened to his guts and trusted his instincts, this time he gave her the benefit of the doubt. Infatuation had a way of blinding people like that.

"Five years."

'Huh... Still, I didn't see her around back then. In all my years in the Anbu... could it be?'

"Really. That must've been tough, but how come I've never seen you or worked with you before?" She chuckled, and the music trickled into his ears and tickled his heart. It was a rush, an adrenaline rush. A sugar high. Having newly been infatuated, or just fallen in love. Blindly, choosing to slight the faults with rose-coloured glasses, and before he knew it, Kakashi began to suppress the sharp doubts that he had honed through countless hardships.