Daybreak | Kakashi Hatake

4

After speaking with the Hokage, Mare was exhausted. She hadn't known that the village elders would also be in attendance, and they grilled the young woman on matters she knew nothing about. She skirted their questions, replying that she was only sent to deliver the unfortunate news, and that any further questions should be directed to the Mizukage.

The elders had scowled at her, their dislike clearly evident. The Hokage had been kind and understanding, thankfully; Mare wouldn't have been able to diplomatically deal with all of them jumping down her throat. Her demeanor was calm and poised, but she had a hell of a temper once pushed past her limit.

She strolled aimlessly through the streets of Konohagakure, slipping in and out of shops. She rarely visited the shinobi villages with her line of work, but when given the opportunity, she made the most of it.

A beautiful storefront caught her eye as she explored the village. Shelves of books lined the walls from floor to ceiling, with stacks of books strewn everywhere else. Mare peeked through the large windows of the shop before deciding to take a look inside. The warm smell of coffee hung heavy in the air, mingling with the scent of old books and nag champa.

She was lost in thought as she browsed the shelves and piles of novels. Her fingers danced along the top of a wooden table until she spotted a book with an interesting cover. As she reached over to grab it, her hand collided with another. She immediately apologized and pulled her arm back, looking up to whoever she had bumped into.

A silver-haired man in a mask stood beside her, his hand still lingering over the final copy of the book. She looked back to the table and said, "This must be the last copy, huh?"

"It looks that way," he responded in a smooth voice. "You should have it. You were here first."

Mare raised her brows and shook her head, "No, no... You can have it. I'm really not looking for anything in particular. I just thought this cover looked interesting."

"Are you sure?" the man argued. "I can easily find another book."

She chuckled softly and picked up the book, placing it in his hands. She replied, "I'm sure. I probably wouldn't have time to read it anyway."

He gave her a long look from his only visible eye before asking, "You're sure?"

Mare nodded, giving the shinobi a lopsided smile before turning to look at another shelf of books. He stood behind her with the book in his grip and thanked her before going to the cashier. She watched from the corner of her eye as he quietly paid and left the store. Her eyes continued to follow him through the windows until he disappeared in the crowded streets.

She kept looking through the volumes, her mind slipping between the mysterious man she just met and the book that she allowed to fall from her grasp. A tap on her shoulder pulled her back to reality. The storekeeper, a small old man with deep wrinkles and a warm smile held out a book wrapped in brown paper.

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the owner, "He wanted you to have this."

"The man in the mask?" she asked, looking down at the book and then back up to the storekeeper. "He bought it for me?"

The old man nodded, smile still prevalent on his face. He pushed the book into her hands and said, "He's a regular customer. I'm sure he'll find something else to read." He paused before a sheepish look briefly crossed his face and he continued, "He'd probably rather read one of Jiraiya's books anyway."

Mare was still in a state of shock as she held the book against her chest. She nodded slowly, unsure of who Jiraiya was or why the storekeeper was so embarrassed to talk about his books. She ignored the storekeeper's words and asked a question of her own, "That man... What's his name?"

"His name?" the storekeeper scratched his head for a minute in thought. "Oh yeah, his name is Kakashi Hatake."

Mare felt her throat tighten as she immediately recognized the name. Kakashi Hatake. The man who killed Zabuza Momochi and indirectly gave so many families closure. The Demon of the Mist would terrorize no one else thanks to Kakashi of the Sharingan.

She thanked the storekeeper quickly and ran out the door, looking desperately for the wild mess of silver hair and masked face. She wanted to scold him for buying her that book, but more so she wanted to thank him for the gift, as well as for dispatching Zabuza. She searched around the neighborhood with no luck.

Mare continued her bounty hunt through the sprawling village, hoping to run into Kakashi by chance. As she turned the corner near a barbeque place, she saw a familiar face and groaned internally.

"Hey, you. How was the meeting?" Genma's lazy and relaxed voice called out as he moved his senbon between his teeth.

She put on a smile and replied that it had went well. Genma invited her to join him and his fellow jonin at the bar for a drink later. She opened her mouth to decline the invitation; however, she quickly remembered that there was a slim chance Kakashi would be there. He was a jonin after all.

"Will you answer me one question?" she asked, holding his gaze with her own.

A smile tugged on his face and he nodded, "Of course. Shoot."

"Will Kakashi Hatake be there? I need to speak with him."

Genma chuckled, "Kakashi? Doubtful, but who needs Kakashi when I'm right here?"

"Me," Mare replied in an unamused tone. "Like I said, I need to speak with him. Do you know where I can find him, Genma, or should I move on to the next arrogant jonin and ask?"

"Damn, Mare, you sure are cold," he replied, his tone still friendly and warm. He gave her a sincere look and spoke, "Really though, I don't know where Kakashi might be. You could check his house."

She gave him a blank look. "I'm not going to just show up at his house."

"And here I was, thinking you had something so important to tell him that it couldn't wait until after a drink with me and my friends?" the smug jonin joked, rolling his senbon between his lips.

Mare bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Genma... I... Just... You..." She started in frustration several times before shaking her head and saying, "Next time, I'll get a drink with you guys, okay?"

He smiled, "Sounds like a plan, Mare."

As she began walking away, Genma called out with a wave, "Oh, and I hope you find Kakashi!"

"Thanks!" she shouted back lazily, returning the gesture.

She hadn't taken five steps before a kid in an orange tracksuit with big blue eyes and cute little whiskers ran up in front of her and shouted, "You're looking for Kakashi Sensei?!"

"Do you know where to find him?"

The energetic child jumped around as he replied in his nasally voice, "You bet I do! Believe it!" 

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