The Black Dragon's Fire - Kakashi x OC

Affection

A couple of minutes passed, although they felt like fleeting moments. Kakashi had been working up the courage all that time to ask her for clarification on something she'd just said.

"So you're saying you like me anyway, but are you also implying that you'd like me more if I wasn't such a jerk?"

Shika grinned and tutted for a third time. "Interpret it how you will,"

Another minute passed and Kakashi found that he couldn't bear the silence. After hearing her voice so much in the past few minutes he found himself left wanting. He tried to think of anything to say, anything at all, so long as it was still on-topic, relevant and would keep the conversation flowing.

"How am I meant to go about interpreting it?"

"You know you don't have to mull over our conversation looking for something to say, just to fill the silence. Sometimes you can convey just as much meaning by saying nothing and simply enjoying keeping company with someone," giggled Shika softly. It was a beautiful tune, with vague connotations of the tinkling of a wind chime, but there were connotations nonetheless.

Kakashi felt what she was saying and took it on board. She was right, as usual. He considered the possibility that she was using that as an excuse not to answer his question but he could live with that for the time being.

As they walked, he couldn't help glancing over at her every so often, taking in her beautiful features. He hadn't thought that she would catch him though, but when he thought about it he didn't know why he had expected anything different of her.

"If you stare too much your eyes will fall out," she said jokingly. "Either that or the person you're staring at will poke them out with a twig,"

Kakashi gathered himself quickly and looked away. Of course in glancing away, he didn't see Shika looking back at him with a devilish grin on her plump, sweet pink lips. The leaves in the trees overhead rustled as the breeze tickled them and the sunlight filtered through like golden curtains falling around them to be cast upon the ground like spotlights.

"All the world's a stage..." thought Kakashi as they walked through each golden beam. Their exchange and the lives they led were quite dramatic, he admitted. Perhaps they really were actors and actresses in one great play of life. As they passed through each ray of light, the spectres following them seemed to disappear then reappear on the other side.

Kakashi noticed immediately as a light and gentle warmth suddenly came to his left hand. He looked down immediately from where he was previously staring up at the great trees and their emerald leaves, and saw that Shika had taken his hand in hers.

She wasn't looking in his direction, but he could see the slightly pink blush on her right cheek, the one closest to him. Sticks and leaves crunched underneath their feet but Kakashi was deaf to it all as his world stood still to think that Shika would show him such affection. When he came to his senses, he found the courage to squeeze her hand back to let her know his appreciation for what she had done.

"And you called me sweet," he chuckled.

"Don't even go there," grumbled the princess, pretending to be the surly kind. She was known to get a bit defensive when she was embarrassed or shy. "I'm not sweet,"

"You are," Kakashi teased her yet again. "Look at you blushing,"

"I'll let go," she threatened him.

He grinned mischievously. "Do that and I'll kiss you,"

"Do that and I'll punch you,"

He loved their exchange; he hadn't dreamt that she could be so fiery, or able to keep up with him like this. "Would you really?"

"It's not a case of "would I". You should be asking "where would [I] punch you" or "how hard","

Kakashi let out a genuine, entertained laugh. "You're so cute when you're angry!" he gasped.

Shika's brow furrowed and although she was not normally the sort of girl to get cross when someone called her cute or attack someone she liked for teasing her, she quickly disentangled her fingers from Kakashi's and stooped down quickly to sweep his feet out from under him.

Kakashi was caught off-guard and fell to the forest floor with a muffled thud upon the moss and fallen leaves. He looked up to see Shika walking off with her companions and he rubbed his head before dashing after her.

When he caught up, he grabbed her shoulders and spun her round to face him.

"What the heck are you doing?" she growled as she glared up into his face.

Kakashi's eye was clearly smiling, an indicator that his mouth was doing the same beneath his mask. He lifted his hand towards the black material covering his mouth and nose and pulled it away, before pushing his headband up away from his eye.

Shika was right; she had known exactly what he looked like before he'd even done that. He was shockingly handsome and her heart skipped a beat but she wouldn't let him know that. She wouldn't even let him know how many more beats her heart skipped as he leaned in and softly kissed her lips.

When he pulled away after what seemed like only seconds--the kiss did only last approximately three seconds for the purpose of being short and sweet--Kakashi gazed into Shika's lovely eyes. He felt like he could catch glimpses of her soul dancing around behind those enchanting orbs. He straightened up and let go of her shoulders, then smirked.

"Aaand he ruined it..." thought Shika, but her heart was still pounding. He hadn't ruined the moment at all, but his cockiness was shining through.

"I told you if you let go I'd kiss you," he reminded her.

Shika cocked an eyebrow at him and suddenly moved so quickly he couldn't even see her, although he'd felt the rush of air as she did so. Her fist connected with his torso and he felt the wind leave him momentarily. He hunched over and clutched his belly, gasping for air before finally forcing out a strained laugh.

"What the heck...?"

"I told you if you kissed me I'd punch you," she said in retaliation. She smirked back at him in return and waited for him to catch his breath, folding her arms as she did so.

"You did. I just didn't think you'd have the guts..."

"Of course. I'm the Black Dragon. I've done worse," she chuckled. She really did like this man; she thought that she maybe even loved him. "Besides, it really could have been worse just then. It was originally going to be a much harder punch,"

"Oh really?" he challenged her. He had also liked her comment about her being the Black Dragon. It showed that she wasn't prepared to hide any aspects of herself from him. And it really was a huge aspect of her.

"Really," said Shika. "And it was going to be your face,"

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and winked at him as she passed him by, continuing her walk into the forest. He suddenly forgot his pain and the fact that he was still panting for air, and ran after her.

"She was going to punch my face?" he thought to himself. "Surely not...She did wink after she said it, after all,"

Kakashi was ready to admit it now. He had fallen in love with Shika, and he was more than content with that. For what it was worth, he felt as though she returned the sentiment.