On My Mind

Hatake Kakashi was a walking enigma, even for Izumi. Despite having known the silver-haired for what felt like ages, she thought that he was unable to figure out, the facade he wore today too obscuring for her liking.

According to her friends, however, that wasn’t the case.

"Kakashi has been staring at you the whole night, Izumi. And don't deny it, you two do have feelings for each other." Kurenai pointed out.

The restaurant in which the group of Chuunin and Jonin met up in was packed. Deciding to meet up with all the surviving members of their year had been a, more or less, good idea. What it quickly had led to, however, was a round of matchmaking surrounding the single brunette.

"What if you are wrong, Kurenai? Maybe we are meant to be just friends."

Sen let out an annoyed groan at that. "Sometimes I wonder if you really are stupid, Izumi."

Izumi turned towards her old teammate, a shocked expression blooming on her face. Her cheeks were dusted the shade of red carnations, the flowers standing for both love and admiration.

"Every time he looks at you, he looks like a lovesick puppy, it makes me sick ." The Nara fake puked, pointing her finger towards her open mouth in mock. "But no, he just can't man-up and ask you out finally. What a bore."

"Sen's right, Izumi." The brunette turned to Kurenai now. "He looks at you like you hung the moon and stars, it's cute, to say the least. I never thought that I would get to see Hatake Kakashi totally whipped. So just ask him."

Izumi looked away from both of her friends and instead turned to wistfully stare at the person in question, who was seated on the other side of the room. Her eyelids dropped a little lower while a smile tugged at her lips. Kakashi looks so pretty tonight, as always-

Sen harshly forced her hands down onto Izumi's shoulder before she turned the younger girl to face her. " Now listen up here. One of you has to man up, and lovesick dog-boy isn't going to do that anytime soon, so you have to. What's the worst he can say? No?" She scoffed, looking at the Hatake briefly, only to then roll her eyes before facing Izumi again, who sweatdropped now. "If he were to say no to you, he would be even more stupid than he already is. And, come on, you're a sixteen years old badass Kunoichi."

Kurenai nodded in agreement, holding up two thumbs in encouragement. That was when Chihiro decided to butt into the conversation, wearing a confused expression as he inspected the faces of the three kunoichi.

"What are you three gossiping about?" He placed his hand on Sen's shoulder gently, forcing the girl to let go of their teammate.

"Nothing." squeaked Izumi out, raising her hands to hide her blushing face in them.

"Izumi and Kakashi's love for each other and their stupidity for not seeing that."

" Sen! " Had Izumi screeched any louder, she would have attracted the attention of the silver-haired.

"Whatever Sen said, she is probably right," Chihiro smiled gently at his friend, sending her a nod. "You two have been dancing around each other for forever, if you don't go for it, nothing will change anytime soon."

"Chihiro's right, Izumi." Kurenai looked almost pitiful at her friend. "I doubt he will reject you, with the way he looks at you all the time it wouldn't make sense for him to."

Sen scoffed. "Again, if he does, he's a total idiot."

"Sen!" Chihiro and Kurenai scolded simultaneously, both sending her a glare in warning.

"Why are you booing me? I'm right ."

Chihiro sighed at his girlfriend's antics. "Sen, my love, you are supposed to encourage her, not tell her he might reject her."

" This is my way of encouraging her." Sen looked over at Izumi for a moment, softening her features meanwhile. "If you would have let me finish, I would have said that Hatake Kakashi isn't a total idiot, so he wouldn't say no to her. And if he didn't feel the same way as her, he wouldn't look at her like some idiot in love all the time. So, 'Zumi , do me the favor, and tell him already and make him stop. It's disgusting at this point."

"Disgustingly cute." added Kurenai teasingly.

"No, just disgusting."

Kurenai's smile fell a little at the disagreement. Oh Sen .

"He's leaving!" Chihiro pointed over at the silver-haired man, who indeed had gotten up from his seat and had begun to say goodbye to Gai and Asuma.

"Izumi, now ."

The brunette did not make one move to stop Kakashi.

Sen appeared to have other plans than sweet-talking Kurenai, more forceful ones. From her place on her chair, she stood up, allowing the loud noise of her chair scraping against the floor to resonate through the room. Swiftly, she turned to Izumi and placed her hands underneath the arms of the taller girl, to then pull her up roughly. 

In response, Izumi squeaked and let out a pained noise, but stood planted on her feet.

"Stop complaining, you're a kunoichi, get a grip." Sen rolled her eyes and then pushed Izumi towards the exit, making sure the girl would arrive there.

Longingly, the brunette stared back to the place she had been sitting mere moments ago, gaze focused on her trench coat she was forced to leave behind. "But, my jacket."

The Nara groaned. "Screw your jacket, ask him for his." She gave her friend one final push.

Izumi went out of the door into the cold night, her heart thumping against her chest in both anticipation and fear. She just begged that today, luck was on her side.

━━━━

"Kakashi, wait !" She called out to him, waving her hands dramatically as though they would help stop him.

He turned promptly at her call, eyebrow raised as his eyes met hers.

She came to a stop a little in front of him, her left leg trembling at the sudden halt, with barely any space left between the two. When she looked up, she looked right into his charcoal eyes. Suddenly, Izumi felt breathless .

"I need to tell you something."

"Tell me then."

Izumi squeezed her eyes shut, too nervous to keep looking at the silver-haired in front of her. " I like you ! I like you so much it hurts. Liking you is the easiest thing I have done in my life, for me, it is like breathing. You are the best thing I have in my life, and every day you are by my side makes me so happy . I like you, I really like you, Kakashi."

Had she opened her eyes now, Izumi would have been confronted with the delight flashing across Kakashi's face. His thoughts were consumed by her, only by her and now she confessed to him that she, Yamanaka Izumi, had feelings for him ? It felt like a fever dream to have his feelings reciprocated, to have someone like her like him, like him as more than a friend. The silver-haired already felt lucky to have her as his friend, his best friend who stuck with him through everything, but her as someone more seemed unreal to him. Kakashi couldn't believe it. Yet, there she stood in front of him, eyes scrunched shut in a way he found adorable and a blush painting her cheeks. All a confirmation of what had just transpired.

Slowly, she willed open her eyes and there stood Kakashi, charcoal eyes filled to the brim with admiration, focused on her . They were blown wider than usual, giving him an even more divine appearance than the one he had already been gifted with. His right hand was lifted between the two, barely leaving any space between it and Izumi's cheek. He was hesitating.

"Can I touch you?" he asked softly, hand unmoving.

Any confirmation that could have left Izumi's lips was stuck in her throat, leaving her to only be able to nod. So she did.

His hand reached out to close the space, softly settling itself onto her warm cheek. His thumb began to caress it, going back and forth while he held eye contact between them. His other hand moved along the bridge of her nose, tracing the scar put there so many years ago. Along his way, he muttered how beautiful he thought she was. Then the same hand rose towards his own face, fingers stretching out towards the material of the black mask he always wore. His pointer finger and middle finger both curled around the edge of the material before he went to pull it down, leaving it to pool at his neck.

In the light of the streetlights, Kakashi's face was even more mesmerizing than it already was. From their proximity, Izumi could see a blush alike of hers dusting his cheeks.

"Can I kiss you?" His voice was just as soft as before, though now even quieter.

Yes. Yes. Yes . Izumi still found it hard to speak, to form any words in response. Yet again, she could only nod.

In the blink of an eye, he had yanked his mask down and pressed his lips to hers. His eyes were shut tightly, so Izumi also closed hers to lean further into the kiss. Immediately, his other hand settled on her jaw, finger delicately settled on parts of her cheek. The brunette did not hesitate to reciprocate, she raised her own hand towards the back of his neck where they interlaced, giving her the opportunity to pull the Hatake even closer than he already was. Their lips moved in sync, inexperienced.

Still, it was perfect . His body fit hers as two puzzle pieces fit together, made to match one another. With her in his arms, she felt safe and sound, like nothing in the world could touch her. Izumi felt free and liberated, comforted and cared for, but most importantly, she felt loved . The boy whom she had crushed on for so long liked her back, he reciprocated her feelings. It felt incredible to know that, like a weight had been lifted from her heart and was replaced by a blanket of comfort instead. She was unaware that Kakashi felt the same way. He felt all the happiness of the universe pulling into him, it overwhelmed him but nevertheless, he welcomed the sensation. Having the girl of his dreams in his arms felt utopian, like of a reality he could only dream up. And yet, it was happening, it was truly real . He grinned into the kiss and she couldn't help but grin back.

When the two of them separated, they panted . With his actions, with his touch and words, he had taken her breath away. The kiss they had shared left the silver-haired absolutely breathless. Both their minds spun helplessly, the world lost focus and they felt dizzy, only grounded by the ground beneath them.

Kakashi looked a little sheepish. "If it wasn't obvious yet, I like you too ."

She glanced up at him with swollen lips pulling into a smirk, eyes drowned in the happiness she was feeling. "I might need reassurance about that."

And so he leaned down to catch her lips with his again. Kakashi knew he would give her all the reassurance she wanted, she only needed to ask.

BONUS:

What if … I had continued this story further?

• I presume this story would have gone on until maybe Naruto Shippuden, but not much longer
• following the last chapter, Izumi and Kakashi would go on their first date together
• they get together, are a couple, and tell her parents, who are ecstatic to know (as are her friends, but not so much Sen)
• in their opinion, Kakashi is already family anyway
• Izumi would spend more time with her cousin Ino before meeting Naruto again
• they would meet in the flower shop, and she would gift him a flower
• this would kindle a friendship between them, leading to Izumi adopting Naruto later in life
• which would lead to Kakashi and Izumi having a fight, only to reconcile later
• so the two of them move in together, and later in Part I even have a biological child
• around then Izumi would also be co-head of the Barrier Team and quite the successful woman, her Yamanaka side growing on her
• so, anyway, Konoha gets attacked, and they have a daughter first
• Naruto is happy to have a little sister, but soon leaves
• how I intended for it to end was them living together, happy and married by the time Boruto rolls around