"Happy Birthday Akio-chan!" Your best friend shouted in your ear before removing the blindfold from around your eyes to reveal the beautiful village, Konohagakure No Sato.
"Z-chan! You actually went through with it! I'm so happy! The best birthday present ever!" You said, hugging your friend tightly before running towards the gate entrance.
"Wait for me!" Z called after you, running along behind you, waving a piece of paper in her hands.
"Halt!" A man's voice said at the entrance gate house.
"Yes?" You asked, looking over at the man with confusion.
"Papers please," The man said holding out his hand.
"What?" You asked blankly, walking over to him and loosening your headband that hung around your neck.
"Your papers. The papers that verify why you're here," the man said, looking impatient.
"I've got 'em!" Z said, running up behind you and handing the pieces of paper to the man, ho looked at them and read aloud.
"Aiko and Z from Takigakure No Sato, here to visit some friends of Z's, Rin, Uchiha Obito, and Hatake Kakashi" The man looked up from the paper, and said regretfully, "I'm sorry miss, but only Hatake Kakashi is still among the living"
"Oh, I know. I just forgot to tell the leader that is all. But it'll be nice to see one familiar face at least," Z said, a hint of sadness to her voice; all you knew about the squad of three that had been mentioned was that Z used to be friends of theirs. She was twenty-six, two years older than you, with long purple hair and eyes, and wore a brown traveling cloak that hid her slight change in posture at the mention of their deaths. But you coul read her like an open book, she had just heard the news when the man told her, but she hid it well.
"Well then, have a nice visit, Aiko and Z," the man said, ushering the two of you through the gates after handing the papers back.
"You should hold on to this, Aiko-chan," Z said, handing you your travel paper.
"Z-chan, it's okay, at least Kakashi is still around," You tried cheering her up.
"Yeah, I guess. But now I'm going to be all gloomy on your birthday!" Z said, trying to force a smile that wouldn't come.
"DOn't worry about it," you replied, pulling her down one street of Konoha, your raven hair swaying slightly as you walked, and your gray eyes searching around frantically for something that would cheer up your friend.
"Aiko-chan," Z said, stopping in the middle of the street.
"Yeah?" you asked.
"I've got to go check something, meet me at the Ichiraku Ramen in a bit. Ask for directions if you need help finding it," Z replied, before disappearing.
"Okay," You said, turning to look for a trinkets shop, which you spotted and scurried over to search through for a momentum of your trip to the village of Konoha.
"Well, well, what is a Taki Ninja doing sight seeing?" A very unpleasantly familiar voice sneered from behind you.
"I'm not in the mood, Uriel," You said in a dull tone, scurrying away, but he followed.
"But shouldn't you be on a mission right now? Not sight seeing? Especially after last time?" Uriel teased, hitting a major pressure point.
You turned around to face him, smiled sweetly, and punched him in the face, breaking his nose. "You mean what you caused to happen last time?" You asked, steeping over him and walking stiffly out the door.
"Z-chan said to meet her at the Ichiraku Ramen.I wonder where that is" you said to yourself, walking in a random direction.
"Aiko-sensei!" Somebody said from behind you and rushced over.
"Do I know you?" you asked blankly, looking down at the blonde boy with whisker marks on his cheeks that had just come running over to you.
"Kakashi-sensei and Z-sensei sent me to look for you! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage!" the blonde said, "Now come on! Or we'll miss lunch!"
Naruto grabbed your hand and blotted off, dragging you behind him.
"Kakashi-sensei! I found Aiko-sensei!" Naruto called out upon coming up on the ramen bar, where Z and a white hair man were talked cheerfully, and a girl with pink hair and a boy with dark raven hair both sat next to them. Both were about the same age as Naruto.
""Aiko-chan!" Z said, getting up and beckoning for the girl and boy to do the same.
"Z-chan! Are you going somewhere?" You asked, when you noticed Z pick up her gloves from the counter.
"Well, you know how I said your birthday present had two parts to it?" Z asked, and replied without waiting for an answer, "The first was coming here to Konoha, and the second was a date with Kakashi-kun."
You looked shocked; you had to admit that the guy Z had been talking to was hot, but you didn't ever think that Z would go to so much trouble to set you up with somebody, even if he was almost as you pictured your dream guy. "Z-chan, you're serious?!" was all you managed.
"Yup!" Z said, "Now c'mon you three, we're going to go train while Kakshi-kun and AIko-chan have lunch.
"But I'm hungry!" Naruto whined.
The usual evil glint passed through Z's eyes as she turned on the young ninja. SHe was the same way with her squad of students, who had so nicely decided to stay at the village. "That's no excuse! Ninja should be prepared to go days without food!" Z cackled evilly, dragging Naruto along behind her. The other two followed, the boy unaffected by Z's outburst, but the girl looked a tiny bit more nervous.
"Shall we?" Kakashi asked, gesturing to the seat Z had been sitting at.
"Mmhm," you said, nodding your head and taking a seat.
"So, Z-chan tells me that you are an excellent Jounin, and your students are already chuunin," Kakashi said, passing you a menu.
"Yup," you nodded. 'That's probably why they were able to stay behind, but what about Z's students?' "So how about you? What rank are your students?" you asked dumbly, not knowing what to say or ask him.
"Genin. But they haven't been out of the academy for long," Kakashi said casually.
"And you? Z-chan has never mentioned you or your teammates, Rin and Uchiha Obito for that matter. What happened?" You asked, and immediately regretted opening your mouth, as Kakshi's eyes started to look a bit sorrowful. "Um, enough about ninja stuff. I'd like to know you, not your reputation or students," you countered quickly, not giving Kakashi a chance to answer your previous question.
"Thank you so much, Kakashi-kun," you smiled and got up from the seat you had been sitting in for three hours, just talking with Kakashi.
"No problem," he replied. "Now let's go find out how much torture Z-chan has inflicted upon my students."
"Good idea," you said, remembering the training exercises that Z had used when the pair had trained their students together.
"Naruto! dont give up now! You still have two laps and 100 pushups left before you can spar!" Z's voice echoed through the forest as the pair of you walked towards the training grounds. "Or you Sakura! Only five laps and 75 crunches!"
"Great, Z is inflicting tons of pain by the sound of it," You groaned, looking apologetically at Kakashi for your friends behavior.
"Great job Sasuke! All done with everything! Well then, sparring time with Kakoii!" Z's voice echoed again.
"Oh yeah! I'm gonna beat you Uchiha!" A different and totally familiar voice echoed.
"Who was that?" Kakashi asked.
"Z-chan's student, Kakoii. I guess she brought her students along. Sorry Kakashi-kun," You trailed off as the training grounds came into view; Naruto was working on pushups, the pink hair girl was running laps, the raven haired boy was sparring with Kakoii, whose green hair flashed brilliantly in a blurr as he danced around the not as fast raven haired boy. On two of three posts sat Z's other two students, Nezumi, a tough girl with brown hair, and Tsume, an over confident blue haired boy.
"Oi! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called when the two of you emerged from the trees. "Are you going to let her run us ragged?!"
"Shut up and finish those pushups Naruto!" Z said, putting her foot on Naruto's foot and pushing him down.
Tsume cracked up in laughter and fell of the post. "Glad you've decided to join him Tsume! Give me 200 pushups and 100 crunches!" Z barked at her student who stopped laughing imediatley.
"Yes Z-sensei," he grumbled, starting to work on pushups.
"Hey Kakashi-kun! Hi AIko-chan!" Z said, walking over to the two of you.
"Hi, Z-chan. I see you've taken a turn for the worse with training," Kakashi said, chuckling lightly.
"She's like a slave driver," You commented, watching the pink haired girl start doing crunches, Naruto finishing up his pushups, Tsume starting his crumches, and Kakoii pounding on the raven haired boy.
"Yup, but my students have been getting stronger! In fact, we're staying through the Chunin exams!" Z said happily, as three more people emerged from the trees on the opposite side of the clearing.
"Aiko-sensei!" the three cried in unison running over to you. They were all fifteen, thre years older than Z's and Kakashi's students.
"Well hello, Kira, Kato, and Kurai," You said, as your students crowded you.
"Please tell us we don't have to listen to Z-sensei's orders since it's training for the Chunin exams!" Kuri said, pointing at the mass of twelve year olds training.
"Okay, have a nice break. But I wil be signing you up to be proctors," you warned, and all three ran off towards the village.
"Tsume! That wasn't 100 crunches! That was 99! Do 100 more and no cheating!" Z shouted at her student who dropped back down on the ground and began doing more crunches. "I've got it all under control here. GO have some fun!" Z encouraged, before turning towards the sparring match, "Kakoii! You have poor form! Work on that! Sasuke! You need to quicken up if you're going to beat Kakoii!"
"Okay Z-chan," Kakashi said, pulling you back towards the village.
"I had a graet time, Kakashi-kun," You said, five hours later, as you returned to the hotel that you, Z, and your students were staying.
"Me too," Kakashi said, as he reached up tp stroke a stray hair from your face.
"See you tomorrow," you said before turning towards the door, but Kakashi stopped you. "Yes?" you asked, looking back at him, and your jaw dropped; Kakashi had taken off his mask, and looked exactly as you'd pictured your dream guy. He gave you a kiss.
"Good night," he whispered before disappearing, just as Z had always done.
'Z can pick out pretty good men,' you thought. You sighed, "Friends Know Best," you reminded yourself, and went inside to go to bed.
Yay! Really Good!!
Hope you enjoyed it!! Please Message!! And this is dedicated to AmyYoh. Happy Birthday! ^^
-Z
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