Flower in the Mirror [Hatake Kakashi] [1]

❄️ Chapter 9 ❄️

Yumetsuki had agreed to come by just so she would not appear rude, and it seemed like Kurenai was going as well because she came to pick her up so the two of them could go together. The meeting was being held in the playground and Yumetsuki saw familiar faces.

Even from the distance, Yumetsuki noticed Obito standing there and he was hiding something behind him when he noticed other people arrive. She felt embarrassed for him, realising that he had mistaken this meeting for being something between only him and Rin.

Aside from Yumetsuki and Kurenai, plus Obito, there were Asuma, Genma and Ebisu present. Gai seemed to be arriving as well, and so did Rin, running to them.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" Rin called out, panting a little and Yumetsuki wondered what was going on.

"Why did you call us all over?" Kurenai asked as they all turned to look at her curiously.

"For this," Rin said, pulling out a stack of flyers and handed them around to everyone.

It seemed like getting these flyers printed was what had gotten Rin so late to this little secret meeting. Yumetsuki was suspicious of it because Kakashi was no present here. Kurenai passed one to Yumetsuki, who took it gratefully and looked down at it to see what it.

Plan by Kakashi's classmates:
To gather gifts to celebrate his promotion to Jonin
「TOP SECRET MISSION」

Yumetsuki now understood why Kakashi was not present, and why Rin had invited her because she was his classmate. She found it to be a wonderful idea – it would be nice for Kakashi to see that his teammates cared about him enough to arrange gifts from all of his classmates for him.

During times like this, the white-haired girl wondered if she had been stupid to not make the precious bond of a Genin team when she had the chance.

After Rin had explained everything to everyone, Kurenai pulled Yumetsuki along so the two of them could go together. Yumetsuki looked over her shoulder at Obito, who looked downtrodden.

"What are you going to get him, Yumie-Chan?" Kurenai asked Yumetsuki and the younger girl quickly turned her head to look at her, blushing in her cheeks a little.

"I am not quite sure..." Yumetsuki replied, and she really was uncertain what to get Kakashi because she couldn't think of what sort of thing he would need as a Jonin.

"I bet he'll like whatever you'd get him," Kurenai teased as if she knew something that the girl did not. "Oh? Your cheeks are all pink! Are you blushing?"

At that moment, fortunately, an interjection came in the form of Gai, who called out to – "Hey, Yumehime-Chan! Do you want to go to the Dango shop with me?"

"Gai-Kun, I apologise, I had my tea earlier," Yumetsuki apologised. She felt bad when she saw the disappointment on Gai's face. "I suppose we can go tomorrow?" Gai nodded quickly.

"I'll come along," Kurenai offered at once, grabbing Yumetsuki's arm and taking her away once more. "Gai likes you and he can be quite overbearing, right?"

"I suppose so..." Yumetsuki replied absentmindedly.

For Yumetsuki was thinking to the fact that she might be overbearing, too. She knew she was being overbearing, coming between Obito and Rin. She vowed to herself that she would back away from them, from Obito. It was better for them to remain simply friends.

"Come on, Yumie-Chan!" Kurenai said, perking up suddenly. "I have so much to tell you about the last mission! You simply won't believe what happened!"

The rest of the evening was spent with Kurenai like that, and the two girls went to dinner together. It was nice spending time with her and the white-haired was grateful of her presence in her life. Yumetsuki made her rounds at the hospital afterwards and then headed up to the quiet Hokage Monument, wanting to have some solitude for herself.