✔️Heal My Heart {Kakashi Hatake}

3 | dark and mysterious

Picture is Kakashi (got lazy again lol)

There were a lot more people waiting at the barbecue than I'd expected. A few of them I didn't even recognise, but I was happy to let them come anyway. Minato-sensei came with his wife Kushina, and Tsumari-sensei showed up as well, besides all our classmates.

I was unsurprised to see Garake already at a table with Teren, wolfing down meat like there was no tomorrow. Teren looked a little put off at the sight.

"Hey, guys." I slid into a seat at their table.

"Hi, Miyoshi," Teren greeted me.

"Mmmrf," Garake said through seven pork chops. I shook my head distastefully.

"I don't know how you can eat so much meat."

"I don't know how you can just not eat meat!" Garake countered. "It's delicious!"

"It's delicious in the right quantities," Teren mediated. "You're a little over the line there, Garake."

"Treacherous!" Garake glared at Teren, still packing his mouth full of whatever he could lay his hands on. "There's no such thing as too much."

"Just calm down a little? This is supposed to be a memorial for Obito," I reminded him.

Garake paused, chopsticks halfway to his mouth. "Oh, yeah." Then he shrugged and put the food in his mouth anyway.

Teren sighed exasperatedly, and looked distantly out the window. "It's a real shame. Obito was a good kid, had all the right intentions. To be honest, I kinda wanted him to be Hokage. Maybe it was all his ramblings rubbing off on me, or maybe I genuinely thought he could do it. I'm not quite sure."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I replied quietly.

"I liked him," Garake said between mouthfuls. "He was funny."

I watched him eat distastefully. All of a sudden, I was wondering if this was really the best place to celebrate for Obito.

"Miyoshi!" Rin came hurrying over to our table. "Everyone wants you to give a speech."

"Why me?" I asked, startled. "Why not you?"

"You were the one who got everyone here, silly!" Rin grabbed me by the arm and dragged me up to the front of the restaurant.

Everyone fell silent, and turned to look at me. I saw in their eyes a mixture of expectation, encouragement and a little sadness. I had a sudden wave of stage fright; I had never quite stopped being the shy little girl with no confidence.

"Well, um... Thanks for coming, everyone." I started nervously. "Uh... I didn't really know Obito as well as some of you guys, so there's not much I can really say. I just hope he gets recognised as the hero he always wanted to be. Um... If any of you guys want to say anything, now's the time, I guess."

I looked beseechingly at Rin, silently begging her to say something about Obito that sounded a little more heart-felt.

"Obito was a good friend," Rin began. "He cared about all of us, and he gave up his life in order to keep me and Kakashi safe. I think he would have made a great Hokage someday."

As Rin finished, Minato-sensei stood at his table from where he was sitting with Kushina and Tsumari-sensei.

"Obito won't be able to realise his dream of being Hokage, and I can't even begin to describe how upsetting that is to me. But I share Obito's dream, so I will become a great Hokage for both of us!" He announced. This was met with some laughter and applause, and to my delight, everyone started laughing and talking to each other, perfectly happy again.

"This makes me so happy," I sighed to Rin.

"Me, too. I love it when people laugh together like true friends."

"Oh, really? Then can I ask what exactly you were doing earlier?"

Rin slapped my arm lightly, but there was a grin on her face. "I wish Kakashi could be part of this. He's been so... reserved, I guess, ever since Obito died."

"Yeah," I agreed. "He's been really salty, and I think his attitude used an Expansion Jutsu."

Rin laughed. "Don't say that!"

"Why not?" I challenged. "You can't deny, it's true."

"Yes, but he's having a hard time." Rin tried unsuccessfully to calm down. "Just cut him some slack."

"You know what? I think the slack I've cut him in the past is a bit too much," I said. "So no, I will not be cutting him any more."

"Yeah, but I dunno... don't you think he's kind of cute?" Rin whispered the last part.

"Who likes Kakashi now?" I teased.

"Hey!" Rin's face went pink. I heard Guy talking loudly about how close he and Obito were.

I turned and looked out of the window. The sun had set, and it was already dark out. The trees rocked almost lazily in the cold night's breeze.

"I just need to check something quickly," I said to Rin. "Don't wait for me."

I stepped outside. It wasn't as cold as I had anticipated, in the shelter of the tree canopy. The forest was alive with wildlife and whispering leaves. I reached out and placed two fingers on the trunk of the tree in front of me, feeling its chakra. I knew it. I looked straight upwards, into a semi-concealed, dark grey eye.

"You don't have to hide up there and watch, you know," I said. "You can always come in and join us. Nobody's stopping you."

"Social gatherings aren't my thing," Kakashi replied in a monotone.

"Oh, come on." I rolled my eyes. "Don't give me that crap. More like you're trying to keep up your image."

"My what?"

"No need to worry, you'll still look dark and mysterious if you show up late, you don't have to stay away. In fact, you'll probably look even more dark and mysterious," I mused.

"I don't know what you're rambling about."

"Then why are you spying on us?" I challenged.

"I was watching Rin. I promised Obito I'd look after her," Kakashi replied, without batting an eye.

"Don't you trust us?" I raised an eyebrow.

"That's not the problem."

"Then why don't you at least come down from there?"

"I said that wasn't the problem, not that I trusted you." Kakashi scowled.

"Oh, good, because I don't trust you either." I jabbed the tree sharply with my chakra, and Kakashi fell out with a crash.

"Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"Nothing," I replied calmly. "Are you sure you don't want to join us?"

"I'm sure." Kakashi shot me an evil eye.

I glared at him for a while. "Just make sure you actually talk to your friends every once in a while, okay?"

"Why should I?" Kakashi retorted.

I sighed. "I can't believe you just asked that. Because I'm telling you as a medic that you have to. And I'm telling you as your friend that we want you to."

"Tch." Kakashi looked away, and stood up. "Make sure Rin gets home in one piece."

He walked away without another word.