Page Title

Unmasked - Chapter One

"Hm? What's this?" you asked no one in particular as you stared upwards. In the tree branch above you rested an abandoned book. "Could it be?"

Jumping up, you swiped the book from it's perch and gazed at it's cover. Although it was already growing dark out, it was easy to make out a picture of a man chasing a woman, accompanied by the words "Icha Icha Paradise" on it.

After a few minutes of studying it, the realization dawned on you. "Ah, this is that book Sensei is always reading! I knew I recognized it from somewhere!"

Kakashi-Sensei never seemed to go anywhere without the novel in hand. You were honestly a fairly avid reader yourself, so you found the behavior somewhat understandable. "It must be good, since this is the only series I've ever caught him reading!"

Curious, you flipped to a random page, scanning it's contents. A blush crept onto your face after reading only a few sentences. It was lewd, to say the least.

"Don't you think that book's a bit too mature for you?" a familiar voice chimed.

You slammed the book shut and held it to your chest. "Kakashi-Sensei!" you gasped, the heat in your cheeks building, "I didn't know it was erotica, I swear!"

Before Kakashi could so much as reply, Gai was at his side. "It seems as if your student found your book before you could. Perhaps I shouldn't have hidden it in plain sight. I'll remember that next time."

Happy for a distraction, you pushed the conversational duties onto Gai. "You hid this from him?"

Kakashi tugged the book in question out of your hands sheepishly. "He wanted to duel me, and he figured this was the best way to provoke me."

"Provoking a pervert by taking his porn?" you teased. "Sounds like an obvious strategy to me!"

Kakashi gently hit you on the top if your head with his book. "I'm not a pervert, and this book isn't porn, got it?"

Gai smirked, and within mere seconds, he had snatched "Icha Icha Paradise" out of Kakashi's grasp and began reading.

"I love you," he recited, "and this is just another way to show you. I promise that I'll be gentle for you. Your provokingly delicate body wouldn't be-"

In a flash of movement, Kakashi had successfully landed a hit on Gai, causing the bushy-browed man to crumple onto the ground, unconscious. Retrieving the book and tucking it into his vest, Kakashi turned his attention back to you.

"It's getting late," he told you, gesturing to the setting sun, "I should get you home."

You glanced down at Gai. "What about him? Will he be okay?"

Kakashi waved his hand in casual dismissal as he started off down the stone pathway. "He'll be fine on his own. You, on the other hand, shouldn't be out alone at night."

You scurried after your sensei, slightly annoyed at his wording. "Oh? So Gai laying unconscious on the street can defend himself more efficiently than I can?"

"You forget that Gai isn't a seemingly defenseless little girl," Kakashi yawned. "You are."

You scoffed. "And you forget that I'm not a defenseless little girl!"

"I never said you were one," Kakashi laughed. "Just that you seem like one."

Kicking a stray pebble, you glared at your overly nonchalant sensei. "I don't know if that's supposed to be any less offensive or not."

"Well, regardless of the dangers of young women being out alone, you do have training tomorrow. You need rest." Kakashi turned towards you. "Where do you live, anyways?"

You brushed a few loose strands of hair out of your face, using your free hand to point in the direction you needed to go in. "In the apartment complex just around the corner."

"While we're on the topic, wouldn't your parents be a bit upset if you came home too late?" Kakashi questioned.

Not wanting to explain it in detail, you simply shook your head. "I live alone."

In reality, your parents had died when you were still to young to even remember having them. It didn't bother you too much, since you didn't really know what you had lost, but sometimes you like to imagine what life would've turned out like if they were still here. You never really talked about it, mainly because you didn't want it to seem like you were throwing yourself a pity party.

Kakashi noticed your hesitation with your answer, and understood that you didn't want to talk about why. "Ah, I see. If you don't mind me asking, don't you have any trouble paying rent? We usually don't do high-paying missions."

"The Third Hokage was like family. He used to chip in. After he died, I took up a second job, so I don't really have any financial problems." Embarrassingly enough, you work as an entertainer at a local bar. The bar owner paid your rent in full so you'd play music and sing on nights you didn't have missions. Nothing scandalous like stripping, but still something you'd rather your sensei not know.

The two of you stopped in front of the apartment complex. Kakashi smiled and ruffled your hair. "That's just like you. Always too mature for your own good."

It was moments like this where you wished that you had a mask like his. Heat rushed to your face at the compliment, causing you to flusteredly avert your gaze. "I'll see you tomorrow for training then, Kakashi-Sensei."

He nodded. "I'm going back to check on Gai. I know I said he'd be fine, but you can never be sure with somebody like him," he chuckled. "Anyway, goodnight."

You watched as Kakashi walked off, his silhouette growing smaller and smaller, until he turned the corner. "Goodnight," you whispered.

Author's Note: So far so good, yes? Now that I have this quick introduction to the story out of the way, I can start developing a plot! Stay tuned!

Continue reading the next chapter

Read more... (in CSS only)