The Kekkei Genkai Curse
By Shiroihato
(Chapter 5: Pearls and Plans)
A/N: Okay, votes are in! The minor pairings are…
(Hands an envelope to Anko)
Anko: after PMs, and Reviews, the winnings pairings are: ShikaTema, InoOC, NejiTen, Single Lee, JaraiyaxTsunade… and of course NaruSaku and my personal favorite, AnkoKaka
Shiro: Yep! Okay, I just realized I haven’t yet put up a disclaimer! Anko, if you would!
Anko: Shiroihato does not own Naruto, you maggots! If she did would she be posting on FAN fiction Huh?!
Shiro: Anko, calm down!
Anko: (walks of muttering something that sounds like “Dumb Kakashi… grocery shopping…evil”)
Shiro: Sorry! Please R&R!
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Anko sighed as she walked into Kakashi’s apartment. She dumped a few grocery bags onto the kitchen table, calling, “I got you some food!”
Hearing no response, she grew irritated.
“What, do you want to starve to death?”
She stormed into the bedroom. As expected, Kakashi was sitting listlessly, staring out the window. He clutched a crumpled piece of paper in his hand; she could just barely make out the hokage’s seal. Kakashi himself, and the apartment all around him, looked crumpled. Blankets hung limply off the bed; Icha Icha was beginning to collect dust, sitting on the shelf next to a few framed pictures.
Anko looked over the well-known surfaces of the photos, sighing as she did so. Kakashi with his Genin team, Arashi, Obito, and Rin smiling, Kakashi looking disinterested; the snapshot of team seven (she couldn’t believe they had been so little then…); Anko, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi in the middle of a snowball fight; Kakashi holding Pakkun as a puppy- the scenes were so familiar to her eyes now. Each time she came to check on him, Anko’s eyes would always wander to the photographs, because that was the only place she found the Kakashi she knew, the one she loved.
She thought back to when she had visited Sakura earlier, to the guiltily look in her eyes, as the dying girl asked “Is Kakashi-sensei alright?”
The memory caused her anger to grow.
“Kakashi!”
There was no response.
“KAKASHI!”
Still nothing.
“Kakashi!” unable to restrain herself, she slapped him this time. He looked at her for the first time.
“She’s going into surgery Monday. Godaime wants me to be there but…”
Anko scowled at him.
“Then go…”
“But…”
“Or I’ll drag you! You’re not gonna hide for the rest of your life, Kakashi. You’re scaring her; you do know that, right?”
“Tsunade already told me.” He said, nodding to the paper ball.
“Then maybe you should go see her! This is not the time to go emo on us, Kakashi!”
-----break
Sakura laughed happily, intertwining her fingers with Naruto’s.
He grinned at her. So far, their date had gone relatively smoothly. Sakura had actually felt pretty good, surprisingly. The couple was almost able to put the problem completely out of mind.
“I happen to think Kakeru is perfect for Ino, and she for him, Mr. Know it all!” she smiled at him.
He attempted to put his hand up as a shield, nearly spilling his hot chocolate.
“I’m just saying I feel sorry for the guy, that’s all!”
Emerald eyes surveyed the blonde coolly. The kunoichi took a sip of her drink, and kept walking, pulling her jacket closer to her. Naruto moved a little nearer to his pink haired angel.
“I can’t believe Hina-chan and Kiba-san finally got together. It took them forever! Even Tenten and Neji got together faster.” Sakura chuckled softly as she threw her empty cup in the trash, then her face grew thoughtful “Maybe we should stop and ask if Lee-san wants to come with us…”
“Hmm?” Naruto looked at her, “why?”
Sakura sighed.
“I guess I just feel bad about leaving him alone this close to Christmas. It’s only a few weeks away, right?”
She let go of Naruto’s hand, turning to watch a few Genin who were playing in the snow.
Naruto smiled. He didn’t get to see Sakura like this very often, so soft and thoughtful and sensitive. She didn’t normally act this way, but he loved it when she did. Her face would look so peaceful and serene, graced with a gentle type of beauty that was so different from her normal Amazoness features.
“We’ll compensate by getting him a good present, okay? I want you all to myself today!”
She laughed.
“You’re as much of a possessive dobe as ever, Naruto,” she was about to continue, but something caught her eye.
She pulled away to the frosted window of a nearby shop. Her boyfriend looked at her questioningly, and stepped up to look at what had caught her attention. Excitedly, she pointed it out to him, saying, “Isn’t it pretty?”
Inside the jewelry shop, a beautiful necklace rested in a glass case. The three pearls (one white surrounded by two black) were bordered by small gold pieces shaped like origami cranes. Naruto looked at the piece, at Sakura, and back again, instantly deciding it would look its best around Sakura’s neck.
“Well,” she frowned, “no use staring at something neither one of us can afford.” With that she pulled him off.
----break
Shikamaru could only stare at the weepy-eyed sand nin in front of him.
“So…it is true?” Lee asked as the lazy chuunin took Temari in his arms, “she is dying?”
“Shhh,” Kiba said irritatedly, “Hinata already said, we’re not supposed to know.”
Ino looked at all the assembled nin fiercely, from Gai (who was upset now that he finally knew the reason for Kakashi’s strange behavior) to Chouji (who had amazingly stopped eating from the shock).
“If you have any plans,” she said in her obey-me-or-else voice, “for Christmas day, 6-8 p.m., cancel them. Immediately. This is gonna be her…” she paused, “her last Christmas. We’re gonna make it special!”
Tenten shrugged off Neji’s protective arm.
“I have an idea.”
A/N: Sorry for the extremely short chapter. The next one will be longer (and better) I really gotta go! Bye! Oh, please review!
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