Ritoru Taikoku

The Final Chapter

Kakashi blushed under his mask, pretending not to be taken off guard.

"I know it doesn't hold any meaning to you but...what I want more than anything...is to be kissed by a man who actually cares about me, who I trust. I know I'm no prize..." she frowned at her appearance, only to be cut off by Kakashi's lightly pushing some of her hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"You are every bit a prize in my eyes, Raku. Never forget that or settle for someone who sees you as any less."

Her blush deepened.

"That being said...are you sure this is what you want? It's never too late to change your mind."

"Yes, this is what I want. If only once, I want to feel a trusted man's gentle touch."
Kakashi's blush began to creep above his mask.

"Only this once, Raku. I'm sorry but it can not be or mean anything more than a kiss. Do you understand that?"

She nodded.

"Alright." She watched him pull his mask down, revealing his handsome face and soft looking lips.

He softly cupped her cheek and they leaned in, their lips perfectly meshing together.
Raku's heart sped up as she placed her hand on his chest, butterflies filled her stomach and beneath his hand, her face felt extra sensitive and electrified.

At last, he pulled away first leaving his hand on her cheek. "Nothing more than a kiss, remember." He let go of her. She removed her hand from his chest. "Absolutely understood." She rose to her feet and bowed.

"Thank you for giving me this gift."

~~~~~~~

Over the next couple of months, it was left at that. They never spoke of it. Raku's personality had become more confident and bubbly. She continued to train with Neji, as well as occasionally with Hinata and Naruto.

She had also made friends with Sakura, Rock Lee, Tenten, Kiba, Shikamaru and even Ino was nice to her, shouting at the boys to listen when they spoke over her.

At last, it had been a year since Kakashi brought her to the Hokage. By acception, she was granted chunin status by The Third himself. He had been watching and observing her abilities since she first started training.

And like every other shinobi...she was assigned a mission.

She would travel with her new team; Neji and Sasuke with Kuranai as their captain. Gui was on leave having just returned from his own mission, and Lee was excited as ever to learn more from his sensei.

A hawk circled Kakashi's home, telling them that the Hokage as watching. They stood on the small porch. "Gathering intelligence takes a lot of time, but I know you're perfect for this mission." Kakashi chuckled.

"I am pretty good at sneaking in and out of places." She rubbed the back of her neck in a manner very much the same as her jounin.

"I've seen you grow and change so much over the past year...I'm so proud of you, Raku." Kakashi pulled her into a hug.

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me. I can't imagine living as I once was, you've helped me more than you'll ever know."

"Time to go, Raku." A stiff Neji said as he approached, all packed and ready to head out.

"I'll see you in three years. There will always be room for you in my home...Raku Hatake." She smiled as she remembered the day he agreed to let her use his last name.

"Thank you...for everything." He kissed her forehead and let her kiss his cheek before letting go. As she walked by Neji to start heading to the meeting place, the two men exchanged a glare. "Bring her back safe."

"I'm more than capable." The teen snorted, turning on his heel and following the girl.

Kakashi watched the two walk down the street together, one hand on his hip.

"...Three years."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X
That's it for this one! Keep an eye out for the sequel that takes place...you guessed it! Three years later!
I'll post in here when it's up! I will ask this question several times as I still haven't nailed down who I'm going to couple her with;

1) Do you think Raku will end up with? Kakashi, Neji...or will Sasuke make an impression as time goes on?
2) Why did you pick who you did?

Keep in mind that the plot of this story does NOT follow the actual story line whatsoever!

Thanks for sticking with me through this and I hope you stay along for the ride as the story continues in the sequel! <3