Always And Forever (Kakashi Hatake Love Story)

Part 2

Asami stopped at the main gates and looked up at her birth village that she deeply loved. She took a deep breath before stepping inside.

While walking down the street, she tried her best not to get noticed and avoided encounter with anyone who might recognize her. Somehow, she didn't want to meet anyone right now.

The sun had fully set by the time she reached the Hokage office. She knocked at the door and waited for the response.

"Come in." Came a voice, more gurff than she had expected.

She opened the door and stepped inside the office. The old Hokage stared at the young female for a couple of seconds before his eyes widened in realization of who exactly she was.

"What a surprise! Welcome back. I wasn't expecting to see you right now!" he exclaimed with surprise.

"You asked me to return, so I made sure to be back as soon as possible." She smiled at the old man who now had a lot of wrinkles on his face and had his hair turned white.

"Well, the mission was getting way too lengthy. I hope you were able to do your job without facing any major trouble," the Hokage responded, studying her carefully.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I did my best. Here is the report." She handed him a file that had all the information about the mission she was on for last eight years. Yes, eight years. She was sent on a solo mission as a spy to keep tracks of a certain snake Sannin, Orochimaru's moves and also to gather information about an organization named the Akatsuki.

The Hokage flipped through the pages, as she verbally explained her mission to him. She had been regularly keeping him informed too, and this was the complete report of everything. He then put the file down and looked up at her.

"Well done, Asami. You've done a splendid job," he commended.

"Thank you, Sir," she responded politely.

"Now, when you are back to the village.." The old man paused and thought for a moment before speaking up again, "Would you like to stay at your old apartment?"

"That would be great." Asami's eyes lit up.

"Good. And will you be retaining your rank as an Anbu or.." the Hokage trailed off.

Asami was an Anbu and was sent on this spy mission as an Anbu. She had experienced all those thing that an Anbu goes through, like being heartless and concealing all of your feelings. She was happy to be an Anbu as it was her deceased parents' dream. But now, she wanted to live a different life, a life filled with emotions and love. She wanted to be open, be expressive and not to be impassive all the times. She thought for a few moments before answering,

"I'd rather be a jōnin."

The Hokage was surprised by her answers. "As you wish," he said, taking a deep puff of his pipe. "It's late, so you can go now. Rest up and meet me here tomorrow, so we can talk about the team you'll be joining."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." She bowed respectfully and walked out of the building.

It was late night, but light from the full moon was enough to illuminate her way, as she strolled casually toward her apartment, enjoying the cool night breeze blowing lightly through her hair.

After a few minutes, she finally reached her apartment that she had missed so much. She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it only to realize that it was locked.

"How can I forget to take the keys from Hokage?"

She mentally scolded herself and thoughtfully put her index finger under her chin. Realization soon hit her, and she gently slapped her forehead.

Making a teleportation hand sign, she disappeared and reappeared inside her apartment.

It was dark, and she couldn't see a thing. Coughing, she searched for the light switch and turned it on, only to be greeted by loads and loads of dust. It was covering every inch of her apartment. She sighed with hands on her waist. She was in no mood of cleaning after such a long journey, but sleeping on these countless layers of dust wasn't a choice either.

She removed her cloak, hung it somewhere and began to clean her apartment. She started with her bedroom. While cleaning, her eyes landed on a picture frame lying facedown on her table. She walked over to the table and grabbed the frame.

It was the picture of her team from when she was younger. They were all dead, all gone, except one. Her eyes saddened, as she traced her fingers on its glass, removing dust from it.

Asami had lost her parents when she just was a baby, so her team was everything to her. She loved them more than anyone or anything. But now, her Sensei was dead, her two teammates were dead, and the only one alive, that certain silver haired person now meant everything to her. Of course, she had other friends too, but of all the people she cherished and loved the most, only one was alive, and she didn't want to lose that person ever. She would do anything to protect him even if it meant sacrificing her own life.

Being struck by her past, she stood there staring at the picture. A silent tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek, its warm sensation snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I wonder if you remember me .. huh Kakashi?"

She smiled sadly, as she wiped away her cheek with the back of her hand and set the frame on the table.

It took her more than three hours to clean her apartment, but after that, it looked as clean as a new one. Feeling proud of her work, she stood in her bedroom with hands on her waist, looking around till she met her own eyes in the mirror. She was totally engulfed in dust. Now, it was time to clean herself.

After taking a shower and changing into her night clothes, she threw herself on her bed and immediately fell asleep, ignoring the fact how hungry she was.