It had been months since he encountered her in the woods, on the run from those Mist shinobi. Months since her return to Konoha. But there was still something lonely about her, something he couldn't break through.
Kakashi sighed as he watched his young friend walk through some training exercise. Even her training was filled with sadness and anger.
He averted his eyes and sighed again. Someone that young shouldn't have to shoulder such burdens;
banished at fourteen, marked by a notorious criminal, heartbroken over a murderer, cast out by the villagers.
He leaned his head back against the tree he was sitting under and moved his eyes back to her. He watched as she preformed the Fireball jutsu. When he had first seen her use it, he had been surprised. It was the Uchiha signature jutsu after all. But then he realized that Itachi must have been the one to teach her.
They had been a lot closer than he had originally thought. But she refused to answer him if she had left Konoha for the Uchiha prodigy.
When it came to the Uchiha traitor, she was quite adamant in her stubbornness.
He didn't know what she had told the Hokage, their conversation had been private and classified, but she had refused to answer any questions the Council had directed at her. Refused. Or omitted.
He didn't understand why she would protect Itachi still, but he hoped that one day he could win her trust and she'd confide in him.
Kakashi closed his eyes. He knew he liked her more than he should. Technically speaking, she was still underage, but he couldn't help himself. There was something about her. He had know it since the first time they'd met, little over two year ago.
Had it really only been such a short time? It felt like a lot longer, like he had known her all his life. So much had happened in that time.
But he wouldn't let her just walk away again.
He wanted to protect her.
If only she'd let him.
Even if she didn't fully turn him away, she kept a certain distance between them, as if she could vanish at any given time. Or as if she was waiting for him to finally give up on her too.
He sighed.
"What's with all the sighing?"
Kakashi looked up and found Taryn staring at him, leaning on her fan.
He shook his heads and offered her a closed-eye smile. "Nothing."
"Right," she said skeptically.
"Worried about me, are you?" he inquired playfully.
"No," she snorted, "but it's distracting me from my training." She turned her back on him again and lifted her fan for another attack on the fence. This time it wasn't a mere wind attack. He saw her gather enough chakra for her signature jutsu Ryoki. He had witnessed the damage it could cause a few times, but always in battle.
He took the opportunity to study the attack a bit more closely now. 'Fire and Wind.' He pondered on it. It was a powerful jutsu. He already knew she had a lot of chakra. Ryoki was a combination of two elements. He knew she was mostly a wind user, but Itachi had taught her the Fireball jutsu, so she had learned to separate the elements.
He wondered if she could mold them into something else as well.
She was fast enough.
And skilled enough.
But would she be able to do it?
He bit his lip. Perhaps the attempt alone would be enough to make her lower the walls she had build around her. If he could manage that much, it would be worth it.
"You're doing it again," Taryn stated.
"I'm not sighing," Kakashi told her.
"You're staring at me," Taryn said stiffly.
A faint smile passed over his face. "I was just wondering about something."
Taryn eyed him suspiciously. "About what?"
"If you'd be able to use lightning based jutsu," he replied calmly.
"I'm not a lightning user," Taryn said confused.
"I know," Kakashi said, "but you can use wind and fire. And what else is lightning but friction?" He had her attention now. She was studying him carefully.
"Why would that interest you?" she asked.
"If you could pull it off, perhaps I could teach you a new jutsu."
"What kind of jutsu?" Taryn studied him curiously.
Kakashi smiled. "It is not easy to perform. You'll need a big amount of chakra and the move itself is dangerous, not only to your opponent but for the wielder as well." He gave her a serious look. "It is not something just anyone can learn."
"But you can?" Taryn questioned puzzled.
Kakashi grinned at her. "I was the one that invented it.'
"You would teach me your signature jutsu?" Taryn asked stunned.
"I'm curious to see if you can do it," he answered her. It would keep her occupied. Maybe that way she wouldn't be so isolated. Maybe then she would let him in.
"What do you say?" he asked, "will you let me teach you Chidori?"