(Y/n) walked down a few streets, following the loud voice. Hadn't she recognized its owner from the beginning she would have wondered how could this man's voice be heard from so far. But of course, it was Gai we were talking about. She reached the end of the street and was met with him, Asuma, and another guy that she didn't recognize; all of them suspiciously hanging out in a park.
"Ah! It's (Y/n)-chan!" Gai suddenly exclaimed when he saw her entering the park. She flinched at her name, surprised by the nickname. She still smiled and waved at the boys.
"What are you doing here?" (Y/n) asked, inevitably looking at the guy she didn't know. He had straight and lustrous brown hair that was half-covered by a blue bandana. She became a little nervous when she saw he wore a jonin attire, although Gai and Asuma also wore one and she wasn't the least nervous around them... Perhaps the fact that she knew they were kind had something to do with it.
"Oh, we were—" Gai started as cheery as always, but he was cut off by Asuma.
"Taking a walk before going to the training grounds"
"What are you talking about?" Gai asked him back, dumbfounded. (Y/n) arched a brow, looking at all three bigger and taller guys.
"And what are you doing here?" Asuma asked her back, ignoring Gai who surprisingly didn't press on the matter anymore.
"I just got out from work and wanted to take a walk," she admitted, still looking at them suspiciously. Just then she heard a familiar giggle in the distance. Asuma became more nervous and move to a side. (Y/n)'s arched brow became more apparent, and when she tried to look behind him Asuma moved again, pulling Gai with him.
"What are you doing?" She chuckled, finding their behavior weird but funny.
"Yeah, why are you pulling me?" Gai asked Asuma. The guy next to them face-palmed letting go of a sigh.
"Let it go, Asuma, she knows there's something going on" he said. Asuma hesitated but with a sigh gave up. He stepped aside, allowing (Y/n) to see a couple of bushes.
She approached them as she noticed there was something behind them. She walked closer to the plants, and the closer she got, the clearer the image became. Quickly enough, she managed to distinguish a figure that belonged to Kakashi, and next to him the owner of that giggle that unnerved her: Alys, her own sister. She was overcome by utmost curiosity, unaware of the faint frown that had taken over her face. So careful not to lean too much on the bushes in fear of making a sound, she paid attention to the scene in front f her.
"I told you—" Kakashi began. His arms were crossed and he wasn't quite looking at her.
"Am I not passionate enough?" She suddenly asked, cutting him off. She stood in front of him, tired of his fleeing gaze. And despite the fact that she was a couple of years older than him he still stood taller than her. He sighed, finally looking into Alys' eyes. But his mask and usual dull expression made it impossible to know what exactly was he thinking or feeling.
"It's not that," he muttered immobile.
"Are you and Kakashi close?" The guy whose name (Y/n) still didn't know asked her lowly next to her as the four of them watched the sketchy situation.
"Kinda," she simply answered. But by how she said it, and by the fact that Asuma seemed intent on not letting her see whatever Kakashi and the girl were doing... he figured they were close
"And who's the girl?" He asked no one in particular.
"She's my sister," (Y/n) said, and all three pairs of eyes turned to her in surprise. But she paid them no mind, she was too curious about whatever was unfolding in front of her to do so.
However, Alys positioned herself in front of Kakashi, blocking the view of him and not allowing her to see what was happening. (Y/n)'s restlessness only did but grow when their conversation became lower, not even allowing her to listen. Just then, she saw Kakashi's hand grab Alys, even though he did it rather forcefully and nothing like the way he normally held (Y/n)'s. Although they were kind of far and she could just be tricking herself into thinking that.
Something was sure, however, and that was that (Y/n) was becoming more and more impatient to hear and see what was happening. So, unconsciously, she leaned more against the bush, ultimately breaking it with her weight and clumsy moves. When the branch she was reclining on broke, gravity was quick to claim her body, pushing her down with the bramble that scratched and pricked her skin. Her eyes widened and she cursed internally, anticipating the even more painful fall and cry she would inevitably let go of. The boys around her weren't the first to react, it was actually Kakashi and Alys who first turn around to the noise.
"(Y/n)?" Kakashi's eyes widened, at first worried about her fall, but then distressed about not knowing how much time she had been there. He quickly took a step away from Alys, feeling his heart about to jump out of his chest at any given moment.
"(Y/n)?" Alys said as well, just as surprised, although she found it more funny than distressing.
"(Y/n)-chan!" It was Gai, who was to her right, who exclaimed upon seeing her surrounded by thorns and broken shoots "Are you alright?!" He asked, carefully helping her up with the other boy's help, finally and entirely blowing up their cover.
"-chan?" Kakashi muttered to himself, frown getting clearer.
"I'm okay," (Y/n) quickly said to both boys that helped her, blushing madly when she realized was being held by the nameless boy to her left and Gai to her right. She flinched slightly when she felt some blood trickling down her knees.
"What are you doing here?" Alys asked amused "Were you spying on me?" she asked, making her sister become even more flustered.
"Not you, I couldn't care less about you" (Y/n) answered, tightening her hold on Gai's forearm when her palms and knees began to sting more.
"So you admit you were spying on Kakashi?" Alys asked again, her smirk never faltering even when she crossed her arms.
"What are you doing here?" Kakashi ignored Alys and instead asked Asuma who sweat-dropped, regretting having joined Gai and his old teammate.
"We were heading to the training grounds when we saw you two together..." he answered, saying less than he would have liked. But Kakashi caught on, so he quickly ushered:
"It's not what you think," he was fast to answer, looking at (Y/n).
"How do you know what they're thinking?" Alys asked Kakashi whose patience with the girl was becoming thinner by the second "Maybe it is what they think" she added, again looking at (Y/n). An irked and dark look was starting to take over Kakashi's face when (Y/n) talked before he could regret anything.
"Don't you have someone else's ass to kiss, Alys?" (Y/n) said, feeling stronger with her new friends around her and literally holding her.
She crouched down and rolled up her trousers to inspect her hurting knees. Alyss huffed and rolled her eyes, she was about to answer but was left with no words when Kakashi quickly moved away from her. As soon as he saw her bleeding knees something in him made him move almost automatically. He crouched in front to examine all damage she had suffered.
"Wait," the boy to her left said "there's a drinking fountain over there, I'll help you get it cleaned," he said as he was already holding her steadily with Gai's help. She nodded and followed him there before Kakashi could even do or say anything.
"Whatever," Alys said between gritted teeth "I'll see you later," she said to Kakashi before she left.
"You have quite an interesting sister..." the nameless boy joked as they approached the fountain, therefore parting from the rest. Of course, he noticed the tense and weird atmosphere, even a blind person could have sensed it. (Y/n) let go of something between a chuckle and a sigh.
"I'm not sure I'd use 'interesting' to describe her" she said, cleaning her still bleeding scratches with the boy's help. He chuckled.
"I'm Genma by the way," he finally introduced himself.
"What are you doing, Kakashi?" Asuma asked, with a slightly forced but confused smile.
"I refused to recommend her to the Anbu and now she has been pestering me with questions ever since," he explained, kind of bothered that they thought of something like that with him. Especially with someone like Alys "She is irritating and vile, I can't believe you would ever think..." he said, cringing to himself. But at the same time, he was aware of how sketchy the situation could have looked from the outside.
"I didn't know (Y/n)-chan had a sister," Gai said, still surprised by how different they seemed.
"And why are you calling her (Y/n)-chan?" Kakashi finally asked what had been bugging him. Asuma sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead.
"Because she's younger and smaller. Like a younger sister: (Y/n)-chan!" he said with his characteristic heart-warming smile. But this time it did nothing but warm Kakashi, quite the opposite in fact. His brow twitched again and he crossed his arms.
"Well, stop," Kakashi mustered again before (Y/n) and Genma joined them.
"I'm sorry I kept you from your training," she said to Gai, Genma, and Asuma with an apprehensive smile, still using the latter's arm to hold herself steadily "I think I'll go home, it kinda hurts" she just said, but just as she was to walk on her own her knee faltered. Everyone motioned to catch her but Kakashi and Genma were the first ones to get to her. Kakashi crouched in front of her and turn around.
"I'll take you," he immediately said while he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. He just couldn't let her leave without talking to her without any other prying eyes and ears.
(Y/n) stood there static, not saying nor doing anything making Kakashi swallow. But in the end, she leaned against Kakashi's back, being instantly held securely by his arms. And after that, Kakashi left the place giving (Y/n) a piggy ride without saying anything else to any of the other three jonin.
The walk was painfully silent. Perhaps it was the first time a silence between Kakashi and her had been uncomfortable. (Y/n) barely laid her hands on Kakashi's shoulders, tightening her hold on him whenever the air hit the fresh wounds on her knees. But then, the touch of her also damaged palms against his shoulders made her hiss as well.
"(Y/n)," Kakashi finally talked "earlier... Alys was just asking me why I didn't recommend her for the Anbu. Whatever she said or you thought... it's not true" he said. He wasn't even quite thinking of what to say or how to say it. He had just been wanting to say that since the moment he discovered she had seen them, and the more he waited the more pressed he was to say it, and therefore less cautious. Something he always was but for some reason, when it came to (Y/n) he had lately been unable to be. Again, (Y/n) didn't say anything for a few seconds, making Kakashi more uncertain.
"I know," she finally said. Kakashi felt a wave of relief washing through his body "I believe you," she added. Suddenly, the spot where her hands laid felt as warm as his chest "I know that you don't like her either. And I'll always believe what you say to me" she added. She moved her hands away from his shoulders, feeling the stinging pain again. Instead, she leaned closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck leaning her head on his shoulder.
Kakashi felt his breath get caught in his throat when he felt the warm envelope of her arms around him along with her steady and also warm breath against his masked neck. However, far from clearing his mind he only got clouded with more incoherent thoughts. He ignored them instead of listening to them. He didn't want to spiral down into any weird and perhaps distressing ideas, he just wanted to keep feeling (Y/n)'s pleasant embrace.
"How did the job go?" Kakashi asked when he became more used to the feeling. Breaking the silence again. (Y/n) smiled, feeling the same excitement she felt when she left Kurva's building earlier that day.
"It was great," she said cheerfully. Both from remembering the curious character that was Soo-Yun, and from finally being able to share his thoughts with him "I met a prince of sorts," she said with a giggle, surprising Kakashi. But he smiled under his mask when her merry voice lowly rang against his ear "It was an interesting lunch. But I can't tell you much, you know? Because of confidentiality" she added with a small pout.
He didn't say anything, although he was more than relieved to know that for now she didn't have to do anything improper. Right after, they finally reached (Y/n)'s apartment and Kakashi gently put her down on the couch.
"Do you still have the med kit I gave you?" he asked. (Y/n) nodded and told her where it was.
He went to search for it and meanwhile (Y/n) looked at her reddened skin. She hissed again when she softly touched the area. But her attention was taken away from her knees when a hand laid next to her legs. She looked up and found Kakashi kneeling right in front of her. She froze mesmerized when his onyx eyes stared right at hers. Although she didn't quite understand why. After all, she had seen them from that close before.
"Let me clean it better," he said, turning his attention to her legs.
She was once again spellbound by the warmth his hands left wherever they laid on her thighs and knees; even if she would grimace from time to time, and let go of a small cry when he disinfected them. He stopped every time she unintentionally complained, looking up at her with a worried or rather tightening chest. And when she seemed to have calmed down again he continued with his thorough task. And after he was done with her knees he held her smaller hand on his to clean as well.
He couldn't help but be thankful while he patted the wet cotton on her sensitive skin. The thought had already passed through his mind a few times in the past, but now, having her fragile hands on his, he was certain. God, he was glad she refused to become a ninja. It meant she would stay in the village, away from any severe damage and danger. It made things easier for him, and it definitely lifted a weight off his shoulders. He shouldn't have to worry if she stayed in the village after all, right? It felt almost relieving.
His fingers gradually became slower as they cleaned the last dirty scratches on her palms. (Y/n) could sense there was something going on in his mind.
"Kakashi?" she called him, but he didn't seem to react, which confirmed that he was indeed deep in thought. She tilted her head, wondering what it was he was thinking off. But seeing he didn't seem to react she carefully moved her hands, being her the one to envelop his. This finally made Kakashi's eyes snap to her (e/c) eyes.
God, he wouldn't know what he'd do if he lost her too.