Spear & Shield

 Spear and Shield
Chapter 19

“So. You and Gai make a pretty good team.”

Now, Yasu rationalized that it shouldn’t have been a surprise to run into Kakashi on the way back to her apartment. They had arrived at the Village at the same time, and lived directly next to one another. It made sense that they would run into one another on the way home. 

Except it didn’t.

Because Yasu and Kakashi never "ran into each other." If Yasu saw him outside the apartment complex, it was merely because they happened to be working in the same vicinity. They may pass a quick and polite “hello” to one another, but no more than that. 

It was never a casual stroll, and certainly never a “casual” conversation. 

And even if fate had turned, and this was merely an honest coincidence-- the timing was completely off! Right now, Kakashi was supposed to be giving a briefing on his mission. He was supposed to be filling out reports and making sure whatever intel there was to pass along got to the proper channels. He was not supposed to be taking a leisurely, afternoon stroll. 

On top of that, Kakashi never just “ran into” anyone. He was a high-caliber shinobi. If you saw him, it was because he wanted you to see him. 

And yet, here he was. 

And, for whatever reason, asking a fellow shinobi about her training. Suspicious.

This was unknown territory. Yasu should tread carefully. 

Still, Yasu kept her relaxed posture and shrugged, “We’ve been training together a lot, I guess.”

Kakashi walked beside her, an appropriate distance between them, his face practically shoved into the pages of the paperback in his hand. 

“I suppose you two have gotten close,” he continued after a minute of silence.

Yasu’s stomach began to twist uncomfortably, “Lots of ninja have training partners.”

He snorted, “Not a lot of ninja would have Gai as a training partner.”

“Yeah, that’s fair,” she sighed. “He can be pretty intense sometimes--” Kakashi snorted again, “--But it’s working, so it’s worth it.”

Another minute of silence passed. Their building came into view.

“That move you used was interesting,” he said as if he was merely commenting on the weather. “That thing where you rubberized your chakra.”

She gave him a noncommittal hum. 

“Did Gai teach you that?”

Yasu mulled over a response, clasping her hands behind her back and stretching her gait to sway as she walked. 'Casual,' she reminded herself.

“No, it's my technique. He’s just helping me perfect it.”

Kakashi was unfazed by her vague answer. 

More silence, more casual walking. 

Yasu tensed more with every step. 

He remained quiet, turning a page. They kept walking, now arriving at the side stairwell that led to their floor. The narrow stairway would not allow them to walk side-by-side, so Kakashi stepped aside and gestured for her to walk first. Yasu hesitated. Kakashi’s posture was slouched, and he had yet to even glance away from the book in his hands. Nothing about his demeanor seemed threatening at a glance, yet apprehension still gripped at her. 

Against better instincts, Yasu began climbing the stairs. 

Kakashi followed behind her, and their leisurely walk resumed. 

“Why are you asking?” she finally blurted out over her shoulder, unable to bare the silence any longer.

They paused on a landing. She turned back to look at him, her eyes scanning him out of curiosity more than suspicion. 

But Kakashi gave nothing away, smiling at her in the same friendly way he always had, “I just like to check-in with my neighbors, Ushi-san.”

“Okay,” she narrowed her eyes at him before turning on heel and continuing towards her apartment. “So how are your dogs?”

“They’re well, thank you for asking,” he sounded genuinely pleased that she asked. “How is your cat?”

“She’s fine. Fat as ever."

More silence, this time awkward and uncomfortable.

“Have you tried that new take-out place down the street?”

“No, but their menu looks interesting.”

“Yeah, and they deliver, too.”

“Oh, yeah?”

"Yeah."

“That's nice. So why do you hate Yamato?”

Ah.

So that’s what this is about.

'Yare-yare…' Her father's voice rang through her head.

She turned on him, hands on her hips and an expression of pure disappointment on her face. At his angle, she looked down upon Kakashi, just barely able to peek over the pages of his book. Normally, she stood eye-level with his shoulder, but this increase in height did nothing to make her feel superior in any way. Neighbor or not, there was still a large part of her that was deathly afraid of Sharingan no Kakashi.

“I never thought you were the type to get involved in other people’s personal lives,” she dared to say.

“Only when it comes to the well-being of my friends,” he countered, voice suddenly much lower than before.

She scoffed, “I doubt I’m capable of affecting Yamato-taicho’s well-being.”

“He seems to be capable of affecting yours.”

She bristled, "No he doesn't!" she quickly protested. "He's a lousy hack and it pisses me off! That's all!" Her mouth snapped shut all too late.

She had revealed too much. 

In an attempt to turn the tables, she pointed a finger at him and scolded, “It’s none of your business.”

Slowly, she watched as the cloth of Kakashi’s mask curled into a mischievous smile. The agitation she had felt earlier faded into the air around them. 

“Ne, Ushi-san…” he practically sang, “Are you jealous of my kohai?”

A furious blush lit up Yasu’s face, “N-no!” She spun on her heel, marching in a beeline to her front door. “It’s just-- He just--! He’s got it so easy!” 

Kakashi remained behind her, the book lowered to chest-level while his eyes shifted up to watch the emotions flashing across Yasu’s face. Frustration, anger, defeat… Now his interest has peaked. 

“Do you know how many hours I spent fixing fences and paving paths? Building benches and repairing gates-- I spent years picking up every D-rank I possibly could just to get an excuse to use the same tools I’ve been using since I was a child!”

There was no reason for Yasu to be confessing to Kakashi. Perhaps it was because seeing Yamato had stirred these feelings she had long since bottled up. Still, once she had started letting it out, it didn’t stop.

“I’ve been working for years to have my designs commissioned! I have hundreds of blueprints that the Village will never get to see because every time there’s a need for them, Yamato gets the job. We’re supposed to act like Mukuton is some closely-guarded secret, but we take advantage of it all the time! Meanwhile, people like me are sidelined to maintenance work, taking care of our village without ever being able to contribute to it.”

Her hands shook by her side as she reigned back her feelings. Shame began to sink in, replacing her anger and frustration. She had broken a shinobi rule and let her emotions get the better of her. 

“You’re very passionate about your craft, Ushi-san.” Kakashi’s voice was softer now, more understanding. It finally clicked for him. He could see why Gai was so drawn to her. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

Yasu inhaled slowly through her nose, turning to slouch against her door, “He’s a talented shinobi, I’ll give him that. And I don’t actually hate him, if that’s what you think.”

Kakashi followed her slowly, his book held by his side, “You don’t hate him?” Her animosity said otherwise, but he was beginning to understand the source of her frustration. 

She frowned at the ground, but nodded affirmatively. He took a step past her to lean against his own door, letting the air between them settle.

She lifted her head to look him in the eye, face blank but that ferocity he had witnessed before was still there. “Him and I? We’re rivals.”

“...Oh?”

“And some day I’ll prove to the whole village I’m better than him.”

There was fire in her words. 

The type of fire that warmed Kakashi’s heart. 

His eye turned upwards in a genuinely cheerful smile, “Well, then.” He picked his book back up and began to trek back down the stairs, “That’s good to know, Ushi-san. Thank you for your time!”

Yasu’s brow quirked in confusion as her eyes glanced between Kakashi’s retreating form and his front door. Did he really follow her just to…?

She sighed, unlocking her door and disabling the few meager traps she bothered to place.  She was beginning to wonder if would ever understand these people... 

It was starting to look like Gai was the only normal one.