I'm Not Alone {--Kakashi Hatake--}

{Chapter 15}

I woke the next morning in the bedroom once again. Kakashi and I had figured the night before that it wouldn't be a big deal if we just shared it.

I saw that somehow, he had already left, and there was a note on the bedside table.

Meet me at the Training Grounds. 8:00 A.M. -Kakashi

I half-smirked. I sat up in bed, stretching with a yawn. I was sure I didn't need to hurry because he was bound to be an hour or two late.

So, I took my time getting dressed and eating before leaving at about half past nine.

There wasn't really anyone out on the streets of Konoha yet. It was odd not seeing the usual people bustling about with their work. It wasn't an unsettling feeling though. In fact, it was calm, serene, even more so when I came upon the Training Grounds. It seemed like it was just all to myself at that moment.

I went to one of the trees, sitting down on the ground and leaning my back against the trunk. I could at least be comfortable while I waited for him to show up.

I must have miscalculated though because he finally arrived around 11 o' clock.

"A black cat crossed my path." Was the excuse I received as he stood in front of me now, his nose buried within the pages of his Make-Out Paradise book.

"Did you walk under a ladder too?" I had to question with a half-grin, getting up from my seated position.

He seemed to ignore the comment, though I didn't mind because I didn't even expect an answer in the first place.

"All I expect of you today is that..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver bell as he also pulled up his headband to show his Sharingan, "...you're able to take this from me."

I nodded with a small smirk before disappearing and finding a decent hiding spot where I could still see him.

This would need some cunning, definitely.

I thought about my plan before I made a clone, having it go through the trees and around so he couldn't necessarily track where it came from right away. I had it rush up behind him with a kunai, which he spun around and caught its wrist. His eye widened slightly when he noticed the clone had an exploding tag on its back. He pushed away, leaping into the trees. I took the opportunity, throwing a bunch of shuriken in his direction. He deflected them easily with a kunai, then disappeared.

He's pinpointed my location. I thought, starting to back up and I felt myself bump into something. Or more specifically, someone. I swung around, bringing my leg up to possibly land a kick and my attack was blocked by his arm. I used the momentum and brought myself around again to this time, fake a high kick but at the last second, took a swipe at his legs.

He must have anticipated the movement and managed to get away from the maneuver.

While I had the time, I jumped into the trees and perched on a branch. I needed to see where he was in order to plan another wave of attack.

I grinned to myself when I came up with a tactic.

I dropped down from the branch, landing on my feet. I started walking in the direction I saw him last. "Oh, Kakashi." I called, reaching into my weapons pouch and pulling out a copy of Make-Out Paradise. "You're just about finished with that volume, right?" I questioned once he was finally in my sight. I knew that he was almost done reading the last chapter of the book, and luckily, I had my own copy to use.

He didn't look up from his book until I started to read the final couple paragraphs of the book, and he covered his ears. He must have been able to read my lips with the Sharingan because he closed his eyes as well. Using this opportunity, I walked in front of him, grabbed onto the bell attached to his hip, and claimed it as my own.

I couldn't keep the grin off my face, and it widened when he opened his eyes to see me in front of him, simply twirling the bell in my hand.

"How did I do, sensei?" I asked with a sweet tone.

He blinked, almost surprised that I had managed the task before saying with a closed eyed smile, "I'm actually impressed." I had to give a cheerful giggle. "Though you do know this isn't the end of our training."

My grin sort of slipped but I nodded, "I figured, Kakashi-sensei."

"But that's for another day." He started to walk before waving for me to follow. "I want to show you something...though I'm sure you've seen it before."

I followed him without saying anything, and I understood his additive when we came upon the Memorial Stone.

My eyes were downcast as I now stood next to him in front of the stone, though I stepped forward and crouched down, my hand running across the names. There was Raiden, Hideaki and Akio. Their name inscribed in the stone.

I asked quietly after a moment, glancing up at him, "Who did you know that's now on this?"

"One of my teammates." He answered simply, and I got the feeling he didn't want to talk about it. That I could relate to. After my team was murdered, I definitely didn't want to discuss the topic. I figured it didn't matter how long it was ago, it still hurt. Probably the same for him.

I stood after a while, blinking the tears out of my eyes. "Sorry." I murmured. I was embarrassed to be so vulnerable. A ninja wasn't supposed to be emotional.

I was surprised when he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Thankfully, he didn't say anything.

Eventually, after I regained my composure, he removed his arm, and noting that it was about to rain. "We should be heading back."

I nodded, walking beside him to go back to his apartment.