Haurutsuki: Melting of Beautiful Snow

15. Falling for You

Later that afternoon, Kakashi snuck away from his office as he often did, with something on his mind. For some reason, his thoughts of Miyuki were stronger than before, and more difficult to ignore. He walked through the streets of the village with his hands in his pockets, staring hard at the thoughts that plagued his mind. He sighed, "What's the matter with me?" He walked on, heading towards his usual napping spot. He walked the road that led to the grassy hill and its lake, until he was right beside his nearing destination. He frowned to himself, "I should've been over this by now."

When he turned to go down the hill, he gasped. Sitting hunched over, absorbed in a book, was Miyuki. A cold breeze blew purple strands of hair against her face, yet she remained fixated on reading the book held in by her bent-up knees. Kakashi could feel it. The pounding in his chest and the knots in his stomach. He gulped down his tenseness and strode over to her...

He cleared his throat. She gasped in fright and looked up, "Kakashi, you scared me!" She squealed. "Sorry about that. Mind if I join you?" He coolly asked. "Knock yourself out." She said, returning to her book while he sat beside her. "What you got there?" He asked, looking at the red book. "Nothing too perverted if that's what you're wondering." She teased. He rolled his eyes and laid back onto the grass with his arms over his head.

She suddenly frowned at her book, "I don't get it." She stated. "Get what?" He asked from where he laid. She shut the book and turned to him, lowering her knees to the side, "In the book I'm reading, the guy is a mysterious pervert. Kind of like you." He gave her an unimpressed look. "The difference is, he chases after all sorts of women until he meets the right one and changes his ways. So why don't you? I mean, you read erotic novels, and wear a mask, acting all mysterious. Yet you don't seem to have anyone... Why?" She curiously inquired. He looked at her expectant stare, and then closed his eyes and shrugged in response. She scoffed, "What on earth does Ayame see in you?" She mumbled, turning away from him. He opened an eye to look over at her with a raised eyebrow, "Ayame?"

She gasped and covered her mouth realizing what she just said. Kakashi sat up, "I thought Ryuu-" She cut him off, "Well, apparently she likes the mysterious type..." She confessed before throwing her head into her hands. He sweat-dropped, "I'm afraid I'm a little lost." She sighed and looked up at him, "Just picture Ryuu pinning after Ayame while she's pinning after you. Reminds me of Obito and Rin back in the day..." She chuckled at the thought. "Oh." He replied, averting his gaze. "Honestly, Kakashi, did you even like Rin back then? Or Ayame now?" She asked. "No." He frankly answered, looking back at her. "Then I don't get it. Women seem to like you, and yet, you wear a mask and read perverted novels in public. It's almost like you're trying to chase them away with your strange habits." She concluded. "That was the general idea." Kakashi nonchalantly replied.

"Hmm? You're not into women?" She innocently inquired. "What? No, no, no, no. You've got the wrong idea." He admitted, frantically waving his hands up in front of him. "Then why?" He stopped waving and sweat-dropped. "Why are you chasing them away, Kakashi? I mean, you clearly want something based on those novels of yours." She suggested. His sweat-drop grew larger, and he began to nervously chuckle.

"Oh, come on. You can tell me. I've lived with guys long enough to pick up these kinds of things." He felt his breath in his throat, "I'm not comfortable talking about this." He warily replied. She leaned towards him, "Why not?" She insisted. He awkwardly leaned back. "Come on, Kakashi. What is it?" She pressed, leaning in even more. "Would you stop that?" He nervously replied. "No. Tell me." She instructed. He felt her breath through his cloth, and instantly tensed, causing him to fall back onto the grass. She grabbed his shoulders, pinning him down as she laid over him, "Come on, Kakashi. What is it?" He snapped, "Because I don't want to get left behind again, alright?" She gasped and immediately retracted off him. He quickly sat up, turning away from her and clutching to his knees, frowning in anger. "Kakashi..." She gently trailed off in sympathy for him.

His frown suddenly turned into regret and he sighed his frustrations away, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to yell at you, I just-" Then he gasped.

She had suddenly hugged him from the side, and tightened her grip under his arms, squeezing his waist. "No, I'm sorry. All this time I worried for you being so alone. I should've realized it's how you wanted it sooner." His eyes widened, speechless at her tight embrace and understanding words. She released her hug, and looked up at him, smiling. "I just don't want you to be stuck living in the past like I was. I know it's not easy filling the hole in your heart when most of the ones you loved are gone. I guess we're a lot alike that way..." She explained, absentmindedly looking down from him. He lowered his gaze, "Hole in your heart..." He thought aloud, remembering the hole he created in Obito's chest during the last war.

He then looked up at her, "Why is it so important to you that I move on?" She gently smiled at where she stared, down at the grass. "You're important to me." His eyes abruptly widened, full of surprise and secretly: Hope. She then looked up at him, "You're my friend, after all." She beamed with a closed-eyes smile. His face sunk slightly, and then he lightened up again. "Let's settle for no longer enemies." He pointed out with a closed-eyes smile. She chuckled out, "Okay, Kakashi." And then they both began to laugh a little. When the laughter subsided, Kakashi spoke up. "I guess I should get back to the office." He said, softly gazing at her. "I guess you should, Old man." She teasingly smirked. He rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Doll-face." She gasped, "What did you just call me?" He chuckled, "Looks like I just found my comeback." He eyes-closed smiled. "Oh no, you didn't!" She retorted, swinging a punch at his side, but he dodged and got up.

"Get back here, Kakashi." She demanded from her seat on the grass. "See you later, Doll-face." He tauntingly waved back. She gasped again and shuffled to her feet to chase him. "Whoops." He said, beginning to make a break for it. "Kakashi! You get back here, right now!" She yelled out as he raced on. He turned back while jogging, "We can continue this tomorrow at Ichiraku's! Lunchtime?" He called back. "When I get my hands on you!" She retorted, running after him. "I'll take that as a yes!" He called back, but his closed eyes and good mood eluded him to the fact that she had caught up to him. "Gotcha!" She pounced, flying into him. He gasped, losing his footing and falling, sending them both toppling over and rolling down the hill. They both exclaimed in panic until they roughly reached the bottom of the hill, coming to rest beside each other on their backs.

Miyuki spat out blades of grass, and then looked to Kakashi, who mirrored her stunned expression. She huffed and looked away, "Jerk." She pouted out. He suddenly burst out in a fit of laughter, "Well, that was kind of fun." He admitted as his chuckles grew. She was taken aback, realizing it herself, and she couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles alongside him. She eventually sighed and turned her head towards him, "Ichiraku's at lunch then?" He nodded back to her. She hummed into a smile and then got up, "See you there, Old man." She greeted, walking away. "Whatever, Doll-face." He playfully retorted.

Miyuki headed for Ichiraku's the next day around lunchtime with a skip in her step for reasons she couldn't explain. However, that all faded to a more intrigued expression when she spotted Kakashi talking to a giddy Ayame over the counter. It was as if the ramen shop's curtains were pulled back, just so she could witness this moment. She stood still and watched as Ayame's blushing face abruptly turned to such a state of horror, that she ended up rushing out the back with her head buried in her hands. Kakashi sweat-dropped with a nervous chuckle at Teuchi's intimidating glare before he turned to resumed cooking. Miyuki couldn't help her curiousity anymore and walked in.

"What was that all about?" She asked as she sat down next to him. "Well, I just told Ayame I'm not interested in her infatuation with me." He nonchalantly replied. She whipped her head from the menu board to him, "What? Why!?" She burst out in shock. "Well, it's a waste of her time. I don't want her to get the wrong idea." He coolly answered. "Me and my big mouth." She whined, burying her head on the counter in shame. He rubbed her back, "Look on the bright side... Now Ryuu has a fair chance with winning her heart, right?" She lifted her head to look up at him, "You're a jerk." She glared, making him sweat-drop with a nervous chuckle. She then sighed in defeat and the two ordered.

Meanwhile, at the Hidden Leaf entrance, a ginger-haired man in ANBU attire came strolling up to the red gates, whistling a tune. "Who goes there?" One of the guards asked. The man stopped once he reached them, "I'm looking for Miyuki Haurutsuki. She was supposed to have delivered a package here a few days ago." The guards eased, "Yeah, she's here. But what is your business with her?" The second guard asked in confusion. The man clipped off his mask, to reveal the handsome Senichi Terumi. He spoke up with a beaming grin, "Why, I'm her boyfriend, of course."