Flower in the Mirror [Hatake Kakashi] [1]

❄️ Chapter 33 ❄️

When Yumetsuki had turned around to see who had approached her, the last person that she had expected was none other than Hatake Kakashi. But it was him – and it sent a thrill of excitement through his chest as she realised that he had sought her out like this. She felt flattered, and she also felt a sense of nostalgic sadness sweep into her chest. It reminded her of her teenage years when she would meet him more often than she met anyone else in her life.

"Kakashi... Kun...?"

As Kakashi had watched Yumetsuki turn around to look at him with her beautiful blue eyes that set her apart from all whom he knew in his life, there was a warmth that spread through his chest. It was blissful, the mention of his name in that soft, gentle voice that he loved so dearly. Kakashi had not realised how much he had missed it until he heard it.

"I did not expect to run into you here..." Yumetsuki trailed off, and Kakashi fond himself smiling as he followed the movements of her lips. She looked absolutely beautiful. He watched as she straightened up. "It certainly has been a while,"

"Well, if I do end up teaching Naruto and Sasuke..." Kakashi responded rather thoughtfully. "I would hope that the two of us would get to meet one another more often..." He looked back at her, meeting eyes with her. "It has been terrible being unable to talk to you as often as we used to,"

Those words conveyed only a silver of what Kakashi truly felt about the situation – he had been yearning to be a part of Yumetsuki's life all his entire life. But here he was, having drifted apart by the busyness of life. He could not believe the sheer injustice of such an existence.

"Yes, that is true," Yumetsuki agreed, almost a bit shyly as she herself knew that she missed talking to Kakashi. "I... I was wondering about that as well,"

Terrible was a very light word to encompass his feelings – it was downright debilitating for Kakashi. He had never felt so lost in what he wanted from life. He had not felt as lonely as he had without Yumetsuki in his sight. He missed her, and he missed those days when the two of them relied on one another.

But the two of them had grown up, and especially Yumetsuki. She was not the same young girl who had all the time for him. Back then, she had only herself, and there was never a night when he could not randomly show up on her front door, during the thick of the storm, just so that they could snack on warm food together. He missed those days from the bottom of his heart.

Now, however, Yumetsuki did not only have herself – she had two very handful young boys that kept her busy day and night. Kakashi knew that now by a brief experience. And he also knew that she had busied herself with her work. Even after giving up her position as an ANBU Captain following the Uchiha massacre, Yumetsuki remained busy. It was clear to Kakashi, especially through Kurenai's in-put, that Yumetsuki had taken Shisui's death very hard.

"You must have had a long day," Kakashi said as he looked at her. "It must have been hectic at the hospital, right?" He reached out to gently tuck her silky hair behind her ear. "How about we grab something to eat?" He looked down the street and smiled. "I'm feeling some barbequed fish tonight... I would love it if you could join me, what do you say, Yuren-Chan?"

For a moment, Yumetsuki stared at the tall man in front of her, feeling that familiar warmth of his skin as his fingers brushed against her skin. She realised now how little she pushed her hair back from her face, preferring the sense of privacy it gave her – only Kakashi had ever made the effort to see her face in its entirety.

When Yumetsuki realised that she had been staring at Kakashi unnecessarily, she flushed deeply, turning her eyes away from him to hide what it could reveal to the world. She mumbled softly, "Yes, that would be absolutely wonderful..." and from a glance at his brightened face, she knew he heard.