#waking up despondent even though it was a pretty terrible date situation

[loverboyfae]

dreamt i was kendall roy’s controversially young partner

[myaekingheart]

87. Open Water

If your love is just a dream, don't wake me up It's hard enough to face the world alone You are the one I waited for, I knew it all along (knew it all along) You are the one I'm fighting for, I knew it all along -Open Water, blessthefall

               This was a terrible idea. Or maybe it was a brilliant idea that turned terrible. Either way, Rei was certain that the universe was out to get her. Somehow she always had a way of finding herself in the worst possible situations, ones that always hinged on her exact preoccupations as if manifested from her own obsessive thoughts. She sunk even deeper into the bath so that only her eyes and the top of her head were above the surface and wondered what could possibly kill her first: boiling or drowning.

               When Mikazuki suggested a girl’s day, Rei found it incredibly difficult to refuse by virtue of Mikazuki’s demeanor. Ever since she and Tenzo had begun dating, she said she felt more and more out of touch with her friends. The trouble with dating a fellow ANBU, as Rei could surely attest to, was that you never truly escaped them. When you went to work, they were there. When you were off duty, they were there. There was no balance to it whatsoever. It was enough to drive even the most lovestricken person completely mad.

               There was a sense of suffocation in Mikazuki’s tone when she asked, her peridot eyes darting around the locker room as if the slightest rejection was bound to send her over the edge. How could Rei possibly say no? On the way home, she tried to convince herself this was a good idea. Maybe this was what she truly needed anyway—a day with the girls to just sit back and relax and let the tension melt from her shoulders. And god, did she have so much tension.

               As she made her way to the bath house, she thought of Kakashi. The longer she dwelled on how they ended things two weeks before, the more dissatisfied and bothered she became. Why couldn’t she just make a damn decision? Why didn’t she know what she wanted? But this was no concern of hers right now. Today was not the day to overanalyze. She was supposed to be relaxing. She shoved all of those thoughts out of her head as she slid open the front doors and stepped inside.

               Yugao and Mikazuki were already there when Rei arrived, chatting casually in the women’s dressing room as they slipped out of their shirts and tossed their panties aside. Rei peeked her head in and waved, then scampered inside to join the ritual. The echoed voices of a few other women wafted from the bath on the other side of the wall.

               “I’m really glad you were able to make it” Mikazuki smiled. “I really needed this.”

               “No problem” Rei said, ripping her shirt off and tossing it haphazardly into one of the cubbies. “Besides, I could use some relaxation anyway.”

               “It’ll feel great to ease my muscles” Yugao said, stretching her arms up over her head. “The cold weather always makes me so stiff.” Mikazuki and Rei nodded in agreement before approaching the bath.

               The water was a warm relief, all of Rei’s tension disappearing the minute she made her descent. She settled in at the edge and rested her head on the ledge, closing her eyes and letting the steam defrost her face.

               “So how are things going with you and Tenzo?” Yugao asked, tying her hair back as she dipped below the surface so only her shoulders and up were visible.

               Mikazuki’s face reddened and she averted her eyes. “Things are going…well” she said.

               “Uh oh” Yugao laughed. “You didn’t sound very confident there. Is everything alright?”

               Nodding, Mikazuki replied, “Oh, yes, everything’s fine! I just…I’m still so new to all of this. I’m not quite sure what I’m doing. I don’t know…we’re still learning about each other, I guess.”

               Yugao nodded. “That’s only natural this early in a relationship” she replied. A somber smile touched her lips. “I remember when Hayate and I first started dating. I was so clumsy! We would spar together all the time, but whenever he was near me, I would lose my footing and look like a total idiot!”

               Mikazuki chuckled softly; Yugao’s reminiscing seemed to help ease the tension. “Do you think you’ll ever love someone as much as you loved him?” she asked.

               Tracing the ripples in the water, Yugao shook her head. “No, I don’t think I ever will” she sighed. “He was my soulmate. Without him, I don’t even think I care to love again.”

               “That’s so sad” Mikazuki frowned, brushing a stray strand of hair back behind her ear.

               Their conversation faded out as Rei felt herself dozing off, the kinks in her shoulder muscles loosening. She had no idea how much time had passed, however, when she was snapped out of her daze by gasps and shrieks. When she opened her eyes, her head spun. None of this felt real.

               Standing before her, almost entirely naked save for a towel wrapped around his waist, was none other than Kakashi Hatake.

               He froze for a moment, his masked face reddening, before he chuckled nervously and waved at the air. “Uh…heh, wrong room” he said. One of the other women, rather stout and likely middle-aged, hurled a stool at his head and shrieked at him to get out, insisting he was a pervert. Truthfully, though, all he saw was Rei. They locked eyes and she felt her entire body ignite. This was too much. A yelp escaped her lips as she sunk even deeper into the bath and wondered what would kill her first: boiling or drowning.

               The moment Kakashi escaped, he realized he hadn’t been breathing. He rubbed his eyes as he tossed his towel to the floor and slowly waded into the men’s bath. Hardly anyone else was there except for maybe one or two utterly disinterested young men. He sighed and tilted his head back, trying to get the image of her out of his brain. The look on her face left him paralyzed, that absolute panic and embarrassment. All he was after an afternoon to destress, to even hopefully get her out of his head, but now here he was certain he had ruined whatever chance he had left of being with her again. The hand of fate truly was far too cruel.

               The women’s bath was silent for a solid three minutes before finally the stout, middle-aged woman spoke. “I have never in my life felt so violated!” she shouted, then proceeded to dump an entire bucket of water over her head. Her thin, graying hair adhered flatly against her skin. She seemed completely unphased by the waterfall she had loaded onto herself.

               Yugao stared at the woman a moment before turning back to Rei and Mikazuki with a slight laugh. “I wonder what the hell that was about.”

               “He must be following you” Mikazuki joked.

               “What? No! Fuck off” Rei fired back. Her face was bright red and her heart refused to slow down. She wrapped her arms across her chest, both in an act of self-consciousness and in an attempt to keep her breasts submerged.

               “I don’t know” Yugao replied lyrically. “It does seem like you two have been running into each other pretty often these days.”

               “It’s not that often” Rei muttered. “It’s only been, like, three times…”

               “In this week alone, right?” Yugao asked. Rei hated that she had a point. Through no fault of her own, her and Kakashi seemed to constantly find one another in the most random circumstances. She didn’t want to believe he was stalking her, but at this point she wondered if it was even a question. Or perhaps fate was just playing dirty tricks on her, constantly shoving him in her face for shits and giggles. The look of utter disdain on Rei’s face at least told Yugao everything she needed to know. “What is going on with you two, anyway?” she asked.

               “What do you mean?” Rei rebuked.

               “I mean are you two ever getting back together?” she asked. The question was so straightforward, it almost knocked the wind right out of Rei’s chest. “I only ask because it seems like no matter what either of you do, you always find your way back to each other. It’s honestly getting a little weird.”

               “Maybe I should consult the cards!” Mikazuki exclaimed. A rare sense of frantic excitement crossed her face as she leapt to her feet, eager to make herself useful, but Rei protested enough for her to sit back down in defeat.

               “Really, it’s nothing. I swear” Rei insisted. “Kakashi and I are just…incompatible. It’s not the right time, we’re not on the same page. It just wasn’t meant to be.” Yugao and Mikazuki blinked despondently, glancing to one another as if trying to discern whether they believed a word she said. And quite frankly, Rei didn’t even think she believed herself. The statements were fact and yet they sounded so unconvincing. As if they weren’t valid enough excuses.

               Mikazuki pursed her lips and shook her head. “I really think the cards—” she started, but Rei interrupted her.

               “I said it’s fine” she said, rather impatiently. Raking her fingers through her damp hair, she sighed and added, “Listen, I just really don’t want to talk about this right now, okay? Let’s just relax and forget this ever even happened.” Rei closed her eyes and rested her head against the edge of the bath again, trying to pretend she was weightless and invisible. In the back of her mind, however, all she could think about was how fucked up this all was. She could only keep this up for so long. Sooner or later she was going to have no choice but to confront the situation. Dive or ditch. If only she wasn’t really still in love with him.  

               The loud padding of footsteps echoed through the bath house then as the stout woman rose and made her way to the dressing room. Before she departed, however, she looked back at Rei and said, “If you don’t snag that man up quick, I’ll do it for you.” With an exasperated groan, Rei let herself fully sink beneath the water and this time, she really did want to drown.

               Rei took the long way home, circling around corners and doubling back this way and that. Anything to keep herself from making a decision. The evening air was freezing and the sky overhead had grown dreary and thick with cloud coverage. There was only one logical thing left for her to do. Only one logical thing she could manage to do. She needed to talk with him. She just needed to knock on his front door and have a valuable, civilized discussion about all of this. Maybe once she stood her ground and verbally organized her thoughts, she could finally find a sense of peace in all of this. She created a set of talking points in her mind, running down the list ten times over to ensure she woudn’t trip over her words. She could not afford to fuck this up. With hands shaking at her sides, she ascended the stairs of the apartment complex and knocked on Kakashi’s door.

               It would go so smoothly. He would answer and she would be diplomatic and upfront. The five seconds between the initial knock and the first turn of the doorknob felt endless, her heart rising in her throat. She needed to get this over with. She needed peace. She needed relief. And then there he was standing before her, his face tired and his hair sticking up in all directions. She froze, their gazes locked, and she could feel her entire body suddenly going numb. She had been so confident and determined on the way there, so sure of herself. Now she felt small and weak and terrified. Her eyes darted to every little part of him, surveying his wild hair, his eyes like black holes prepared to swallow her whole, his bare arms and the faintest outline of his abs beneath his shirt, his hand on the door frame. He looked at her expectantly and a sudden anxiety pulsed between them. She needed to speak, to say something and fast, or else the entire world was going to cave in and obliterate the both of them. Her fists clenched at her sides, her stomach tightening. Relentless fear.

               Rei opened her mouth, expecting something eloquent and direct to spill out. Instead, all she could manage was a croaked, “I need you.” And then, her body moving on its own accord, she surged forward, ripped off his mask, and pressed her lips hard against his.

               Kakashi stumbled backward, taken aback, but did not protest. Once the shock wore off, he fell into the rhythm of their kiss and for the first time in a year, it was as if he could finally, truly breathe. He tangled his fingers in her hair and kicked the door shut, their lips working ravenously together. “I was hoping you would come back. I always…hoped you would come back” he whispered whenever their lips parted enough for him to speak.

               “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” she whimpered, cupping his face in her hands. She swayed on tiptoes, struggling with their height difference, before the frustration became too much. Kakashi lifted her up in his arms, hands beneath her ass, and spun on his heels toward the bed. She wrapped her legs around his waist and drew his face nearer, desperate to feel him. Her body was starving for him, screaming after a year of deprivation.

               “I’ve missed you so much” Kakashi whispered, his breath against her neck. He nuzzled her cheek, pressed his lips against her jaw.

               “I’m so fucking stupid” Rei said, and now the tears were threatening to fall. “I never should’ve left. I never stopped loving you.”

               “I know” Kakashi replied. He cupped her cheek, wiped away a tear with his thumb. “It’s okay. I know.”

               “I was such an idiot” Rei murmured. She buried her face in his neck, gripped at his shirt. Her voice was quivering and hoarse. “I’ve felt so dead…I’ve felt…I’ve felt so…broken…”

               “You weren’t an idiot” Kakashi protested.

               “I was an idiot” Rei insisted.

               “You did what you needed to do” he replied. Every kiss was more desperate than the last, as if they were running out of time to exhibit the maximum amount of love toward one another.

               Rei shook her head, planting kisses all over his face as tears streamed down her cheeks. “What I need is you.”

               Kakashi pressed his forehead against hers and raked his fingers through her hair, effectively loosening her ponytail. “I’m right here…everything’s fine. Everything is going to be just fine.”

               “I never should’ve left” she whispered, locking eyes with him. “I never should’ve left you.”

               “You won’t have to. Never again” he whispered back, and there was a strong sense of determination in his eyes, a promise. “I’m never letting you go ever again. This is it now. You and me, from this point forward.”

               Rei sniffled and nodded, her heart soaring, before pressing her lips against his again. Their mouths worked in tandem with one another as Kakashi sunk back onto the bed, breaking the kiss only to draw her shirt up over her head. The dreary sky cast a blue-gray haze across the room as they stripped down, bodies tangled together and lungs gasping for air. Nothing else mattered but him and her; his nails digging into her thighs, her mouth nibbling on his neck, his hips swerving to get deeper inside of her. Her body electrified at the feeling of him, his rhythmic motions and warm touch. His lips grazed her jawline, whispered in her ear, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.”

               He held her close as he climaxed, overflowing into her, and whispering her name as if it was a prayer. She snuggled close and drank in every moment here with him: his strong arms wrapped around her, his messy hair, that familiar scent. In the pit of her chest, a warm, rising feeling began to grow and she couldn’t fight the smile itching at her lips. This was it. The beginning of the rest of her life. She refused to know a future in which he was not by her side always. Inseparable, irrevocable. The vast expanse of the rest of the universe was laid out before them, full of promise and hope. They would hold hands and greet whatever came at them with open arms, the two of them against the world, because when they were together, there was nothing too big or too catastrophic that they couldn’t face.

               Rei sniffled and turned to look out the window, a small smile touching her lips. She rested her hand on Kakashi’s forearm and whispered, “Look.” He craned his neck to follow her gaze, a gentle snowfall just beginning. “It’s the first snow of the season” she said. Kakashi nodded and kissed her freckled shoulder, then tugged the blanket up under their chins. He watched the snowfall idly as he ran his fingers across the contours of Rei’s body, tracing her hips and her collarbone and the slope of her nose. He felt as if he needed to keep touching her; as if should he detach himself for one second, she would disappear and prove this was all just a dream. But no, she was here and very real. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she nuzzled closer and drifted off to sleep and for the first time in a long while, she looked truly at peace. He brushed the hair out of her face and kissed the tip of his nose. She was finally back and all was right in the world.

[myaekingheart]

28. Ansatsu no Usagi

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3

index | from the beginning | < previous | next >

               A lunch date with Naru was really nothing out of the ordinary, but there was something about the tone of her invitation today that made Rei nervous. There was a sense of confidence in her voice that she saved for the rarest occasions, ones in which something big had happened that she was wildly proud of and that needed to be revealed in the grandest of ways. Rei tried to calm her anxiety as she pulled her hair back and slid her kanzashi into the base of her ponytail. Maybe she had just started a new relationship or found a cute new dress. Rei knew these were obviously petty and nothing Naru would truly get this excited for, but she was fearful of the truth.

               She arrived at Yakiniku Q early, a byproduct of her severe anxiety. She ordered herself a tea, something soothing and hardly caffeinated, while she waited. When Naru finally did arrive, Rei’s heart leapt in her throat. The grin on her face was almost too much to bear. The blonde slid into the chair opposite her friend, thanking her profusely for meeting with her, then ordered herself some sake.

               Rei did not like to consider herself a selfish person. She truly wanted her friends to be happy, and this was no exception. Whatever Naru had to say, she was glad things were going well. This likely didn’t even have anything to do with her, and yet she still found herself feeling anxious. She just wanted to get it over with already. She cleared her throat, took another sip of tea, then asked, “So, what’s all this about? What’s the big news?”

               Naru was nearly full to bursting. She clenched her fists in front of her face, squealed, and then announced, “I’m joining the ANBU!”

               Rei nearly choked on her drink. “I’m sorry, what?” she asked.

               “I’ve been appointed to the ANBU!” Naru repeated. “Isn’t that amazing? We’ll get to work together all the time! It’ll be just like the old days!”

               Rei’s head was spinning. She knew she had a bad feeling about all of this. “W-when did this happen? How long have you known?” was the most she could croak out.

               “The hokage called for me this morning and brought it up. I can’t say I didn’t see it coming, though. You wouldn’t believe the missions he had been sending me on” Naru explained. “Obviously I said yes immediately—how could I not? Especially when it meant working with you!”

               I think I’m going to be sick, Rei thought to herself. She tried her best to keep her composure. “Are you sure you’re really prepared for this, though, Naru? I mean, the ANBU is…intense” she replied.

               Naru rested her chin in her hand. “What? Like it’s hard?” she asked dumbly.

               “I just don’t know if you’re ready for what the black ops is going to throw at you” Rei said.

               “Oh, come on, it’s not like we’re in a war!” Naru said. “Why are you getting so worked up about this? I thought you’d be happy.”

               “I am happy!” Rei insisted. “I just don’t know if the hokage made the right decision…”

               “And what is that supposed to mean?” Naru crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes harshly.

               This was turning into a disaster. Rei peered around the dining room, hoping this wouldn’t turn into a scene. There were a handful of other parties surrounding, and she really did not want to capture their attention. She sucked in a deep breath, knowing she needed to tread lightly on this subject. “The ANBU requires a certain…I don’t know, darkness…and I mean, you’re like…the epitome of rainbows and bubblegum, you know? I’m not saying you can’t handle it, because I’m sure you can, I just don’t know if you’re ready for the type of shit that goes on in the ANBU…you know?”

               Naru’s gaze grew colder. “You’re such a downer, you know that?” she said. “It’s like you don’t think I know what I’m doing. Quit overthinking everything. I can handle myself, alright? I don’t think the hokage would’ve done something like this if he didn’t think so, too. I’m not a baby, you know, and I think you should really give me some more credit.” Rei buried her face in her hands and sighed. Before she could say anything more, Naru laid out some cash on the table and rose from her seat.

               “Where are you going?” Rei asked.

               “I’m not hungry anymore” Naru replied.

               “No, come on! Naru, wait!” Rei begged. She reached out to grasp her friend’s wrist, but she jerked it away before the redhead could wrap her fingers around it. Before she turned out of the restaurant, however, Naru peered over her shoulder to give one final statement.

               “You know, I hoped you’d be happy for me. If anything, you of all people should know not to underestimate someone’s abilities.” And with that, she disappeared. Rei slapped some steak on the grill haphazardly, then reached across the table and downed the rest of Naru’s sake.

               Kakashi was thirty pages deep into rereading Makeout Paradise when he heard a knock at his door. He dog-eared the page and answered to find Rei leaning in his doorway, staring up at him past her bangs. From the look on her face, he could immediately tell something was up and ushered her inside.

               “Rei, are you okay? What’s going on?” he asked as she flopped back on his bed.

               “I need you to wrap all of your limbs around my body like a starfish” she slurred.

               “Have you been drinking?” he asked. She averted her eyes and tried to suppress laughter. Kakashi sighed and readjusted her on the bed so that she would fit comfortably underneath the covers, but she simply covered her face and shook her head. Defeated, he resorted to sitting beside her and brushing the hair out of her face. “Rei, what’s going on?”

               “I need a little help” she admitted. Kakashi urged her to continue. Scrunching up her nose, she explained the drama of the afternoon and how terrible she felt about the way things were handled. Kakashi listened intently, and a strange feeling took root inside of him.

               “That sounds familiar…” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck and exhaling. Rei cocked a brow, propping herself up on her elbows. “Well, this sounds a lot like the way I reacted when you wanted to become a ninja. Remember?”

               Rei swatted at the air despondently. “Pfft, this is nothing like that” she replied, but Kakashi shook his head.

               “It’s exactly like that” he insisted. “Rei, I never wanted you to become a ninja because I was afraid of what may happen to you. I didn’t think you were ready and even if you were, I didn’t want to risk you getting hurt. Something tells me you feel the same way about Naru.”

               “Obviously!” Rei shouted. She leapt up and began pacing the room unsteadily. “She clearly has no idea what kind of shit we deal with on a daily basis in the black ops. She’s not dark and broody enough”—here she made a wiggly motion with her fingers that Kakashi forced himself not to laugh at— “she doesn’t have enough angst! The hokage has made a terrible mistake, she’s going to croak if she goes through with this.”

               The copy ninja leaned back and crossed his legs as he watched his girlfriend’s drunken panic. “You could say the same thing about yourself” he replied.

               “Excuse you, I am dark and broody! I have angst!” Rei shouted.

               “A lot of people also think you look like a child” Kakashi pointed out. The redhead pursed her lips and motioned to her height.

               “Listen, the only reason I’m so short is because I never finished crawling out of hell!” she said. Kakashi chuckled, and Rei shot him a threatening glare that he truly did not take seriously. Rather, he stood up and rested his hands on her shoulders to steady her and looked into her eyes.

               “I know you only want to keep Naru safe, but nothing is going to stop her from joining the black ops” he explained. “I had to learn that the hard way. The only thing you can do is decide whether you’re going to be there for her or not.” There was a certain sadness in his eyes that, had she been sober, Rei would’ve picked up on as pain and regret. Kakashi knew exactly where this situation was headed should Rei continue to be the stubborn mule she was. He had already made that mistake once, he didn’t think he had the strength to see her follow the same path.

               When she awoke the next morning, she was surprised to find she had somehow remembered more of the conversation than she expected. Or perhaps it just left such an impression on her that she awoke feeling the emotional aftermath. She forced herself upright in bed, rubbing her eyes and groaning. Kakashi had already left, but in his wake was a little note on the nightstand with a glass of water and an orange. Don’t make the same mistakes was all the message read. Rei crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash, then leaned her head back against the shelved headboard and groaned. She had fucked up and no matter what, she needed to make things right.  

               Despite her hangover, she forced herself to get dressed and find Naru. She had a pretty clear idea of where she may be. The rancid smell of the ANBU headquarters flooded her sinuses and made her nearly vomit. She sucked it up, however, and approached the barred window. “Hey, has there been a Naru Fuzuki here to pick up her supplies yet?” she asked. Despite the mask, she recognized the burly man on the other side. She didn’t know his name, but she remembered his persona at the very least. He shook his head, then pointed to the door at the other end of the room. Rei knew that door all too well. Yet again, she fought the urge to vomit. If Naru was inside, there was no turning back now.

               She didn’t have an accurate gauge of how long this would take, so Rei slid onto a nearby bench and waited. The room was quiet and empty, the man behind the window had disappeared. A part of her wished she had brought a book with her, though she knew even if she had she would be far too tense to actually read it. The waiting was torturous, however. With nothing else to do, her mind began racing with countless thoughts. What if Naru had taken her words to heart and truly did back out? She wouldn’t be able to live with herself. But if she hadn’t, and this was all coming to pass, how was she supposed to handle that? How could she possibly come to terms with the fear of her best friend grazing death every day? Not that her missions as a jonin were any less dangerous, but the ANBU did serious work. Dirty work. They weren’t called the special assassination and tactical squad for nothing.

               Just when Rei was certain her boredom was going to cause her undoing, a pair of shinobi turned the corner and entered the room, their gazes landing on her as they went. She recognized them immediately. “Rei, what are you doing in here in plainclothes?” Kakashi asked, approaching.

               “I came to fix some stuff” she replied. “I had a hunch I’d find Naru here, but the guy behind the window said she was still back getting her tattoo, so I’ve been waiting for her.”

               Kakashi nodded. “I’m glad” he said. Then, leaning in closer, he added in almost a whisper, “How much did you have to drink last night?”

               Rei groaned. “Please don’t remind me.”

               “You look terrible. You should really go home and rest” he suggested. Rei nodded.

               “I will once I take care of things here.” And then the door creaked open, and out stepped Naru inspecting her new tattoo. Rei cleared her throat, and Kakashi recoiled. “You should really let that thing heal before you start poking at it” she said. The blonde looked up and blinked as if she was hallucinating.

               “What are you doing here?” she asked sourly.

               “I work here, too, remember?” Rei added, throwing in a forced chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood. It didn’t work. Kakashi rested a hand on her shoulder and told her he would give them some privacy, then disappeared with his partner who Rei thought she recognized as Tenzo, though it was dark and hard to tell.

               Naru watched them disappear, then turned back to her friend. “Alright, Rei, what do you want? Have you come to try and talk me out of this some more? Because it’s not going to work. I already got the tattoo, I’m locked in.”

               “No” Rei shook her head. “No, I’ve had a lot of time to think and I realized that the way I reacted yesterday was…uncalled for.”

               “You, becoming self aware? Sounds fake but okay” Naru replied.

               Rei rubbed her chest and made a mocking expression of pain. “That hurts. That really hurts” she said. She watched Naru approach the window and follow after her. This conversation was far from over, and she refused to let Naru end it now. In a more serious tone, she then added, “I was wrong to insinuate you weren’t a good enough shinobi to be part of the black ops. I was wrong to assume you weren’t ready for a job like this. I just…I got scared. I didn’t want to see you put yourself in even more danger every day. I didn’t…I didn’t want to risk losing you.”

               “That’s sweet, but I’m fine” Naru said.

               “I know” Rei croaked. She sucked in a deep breath, refusing to let herself break. “Someone very knowledgeable helped me come to terms with everything, though. Reminded me that nothing I said or did was going to stop you, that the only thing I had power over was whether I supported you or not. And I can’t say I’m happy about all of this, and I’m still scared, but I respect your decision and I support you as a comrade…a coworker…and as a friend.”

               There was a long stretch of silence. The man behind the barred window appeared, then disappeared to retrieve Naru’s gear. As they waited, the blonde stared down at the counter before her blankly, hands firmly at her sides. She chewed over every word, deliberating, seeking out morsels of ingenuity in Rei’s voice. She needed to know that this was not a façade but that her friend truly meant the things she was saying. Naru had had a lot of time to think yesterday, as well, and realized that she had no more room in her life to tolerate fake friendships. She was an adult now, she needed to dispose of the petty bullshit in her life. She hated to think that Rei was not a lifelong friend, but if she had proven herself unkind and unsupportive, then Naru would have no choice. Rei fixed her eyes on the blonde and begged for an end to the silence. She just wanted to get it over with already. A firm lump blocked her throat and her stomach was churning. If she didn’t get an answer soon, she was positive she would vomit right then and there on the headquarters’ floor.

               And then Naru lifted her head up ever so slowly. The man returned with a tray of supplies, pointed her to the locker rooms where she could change. She took the tray, gazed down at everything piled atop it for a moment, then turned back to her friend and cracked a small smile. “Thank you, Rei” she finally spoke. “I can’t wait to work alongside you.”

               A strange noise broke past Rei’s lips, indicating that perhaps she was going to start crying. She forced a smile on her face, however, and wiped the snot from under her nose with the back of her hand. “You really mean that?” she asked.

               Naru gave a single, definitive nod. “After all, I’m going to need someone to show me the ropes” she said. The two laughed tearfully, and Rei surged forward to wrap her arms around her friend. After a few moments, the man behind the counter grunted as if to remind them of the decorum required of the black ops. This was not the place for teary reunions. Snapping back into form, Rei broke free from the embrace and regrouped. She rested a polite hand on Naru’s shoulder and nodded, then watched her disappear into the locker room. The newest member of the ANBU.