The Tale Of Flowering Fortunes

She was released form the hospital almost a month and a half later and Jiraiya took her to the cemetery almost immediately to say her goodbyes.



"What am I going to do now?" She asked quietly, running her hands across the fresh cut marble headstones. Jiraiya knelt down beside her.



"That's between you and the hokage...naturally I would want you to work on your training with the toads..." He said quietly, rubbing her back gently.



Murasaki sighed, lighting the incense on Moeko's grave. She sat back, watching the thin wisps of smoke curl upwards. Jiraiya continued to rub her back, staring off into the sky.



They sat in silence until darkness crept slowly over the land, bringing with it a sharp chill.



"Let's go home..." He said, standing up and pulling her with him. "We need to stop by the Hokage's office beforehand..." He said, smoothing her hair away from her face. She nodded reluctantly, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeves.



They arrived outside Sarutobi's door shortly after, not even bothering to knock.



It would seem, though, that the older man had been expecting them.



"Murasaki-san...I'm glad to see you up and moving around..." He said, motioning her forward. Murasaki blinked, glancing back at her father, who urged her on with a nod.



"I'm glad to be alive, Sarutobi-sama..." She said with a polite bow. He smiled and nodded.



"We all are..." He said, urging her a little closer, a set of files in hand. "Something has been called to attention...and it is my feeling that you are the best person here for the job..." He said, handing her the files. "Since you are more familiar than most with the nature of Shinto..."



Murasaki looked down at the files, opening them curiously. "What do you mean?"



"We've deployed a spy to the village hidden in the rain...I have reason to believe that there is a considerable threat residing there...there is a shrine nearby that just lost their priestess in a tragic umbrella stabbing...we need you to take her place and act as a medium between our spy and the village..."



Murasaki looked down at the files, thinking of Kakashi.



"But you realize that not all shrines are the same, serving different spirits...each has their own festivals and such..."



Sarutobi nodded. "Yes...but the basic principal is the same...this one serves Amaterasu-omikami..."



Murasaki nodded, opening the manila folder and glancing at it's contents.



"Burn those before you leave...no one can know..." He said, folding his hands and looking at her.



"When do I leave?" She asked, looking up with a frown.



"You have a week...I honestly didn't expect our spy to affiliate himself with the enemy so soon..." He said quietly. "But be on your guard...this is above all our heads..."



Murasaki nodded.



"Wakarimashita..." She said quietly. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Sarutobi-sama..." She bowed, shaking slightly as she turned her back on him and left, her father in tow.



Jiraiya was quiet all the way back to the apartment, but Murasaki did nothing to break the silence. She had been being cornered all day by people offering their condolences to her, and she was tired of people casting ‘that look' at her as she walked down the street.



Maybe a little time at a shrine would be good for her?



Her thoughts strayed to Kakashi. She couldn't just walk away and leave him alone like that...he'd spent far too much time alone...he didn't deserve it...



"What are you thinking about sweetheart?" He asked, squeezing her shoulder as she unlocked the apartment door.



"Kakashi..." She said quietly. "Dad can I talk to you about something?" She asked quietly as they walked in. She locked the door quietly behind her.



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Jiraiya was gone when she woke up the next morning. She had finally told him about that mission a few years ago...



At the time he had been livid, and it took all of Murasaki's physical and emotional strength to keep him from hunting his old teammate down and skinning him alive. She had been tempted to just let him go, but she didn't, for his own protection.



She got up and got ready for the day, reviewing the case files, all the while her mind wandering to Naruto and Kakashi.



She got up from the couch, determined to at least say goodbye in some small way as she slipped her geta on and headed off towards Naruto's apartment.



Murasaki pounded on the door that bore the Uzumaki family mon, but there was no reply.



"Looking for Uzumaki?" She hard a familiar voice behind her.



"Ah, Mizuki-san..." She said, turning around and scratching her head. He always gave her a weird feeling, even though he'd done nothing to earn her mistrust.



"he's in trouble for vandalizing the Hokage's monument again...you'll probably find him on a scaffold over the city..." He said with a kind smile. Murasaki nodded, suppressing a shiver as she thanked him and walked away.



Murasaki sighed as she looked up at the orange ball of energy, who was currently engaged in a loud shouting match with Iruka. It sounded like Naruto was winning volume wise, but losing in intellect. She sighed, turning away with a bitter laugh.



What was the use, he didn't remember her anyway...she was just...someone who knew his parents...



She shoved her hands in her pockets and trudged down the street, staring at her shadow.



"Hey..." She heard someone running to catch up with her and she stopped to look back.



"Hatake-san!" She said with a slight bow. "How are you?" She quietly with a shy smile.



"Ah...I'm good..." He said, scratching the back of his head with a smile and hiding behind on of her fathers books. Murasaki took a deep breath, summoning up her courage.



"Hey, I've been thinking...about that thing we discussed before I left...I was wondering if you still wanted to..."



Kakashi lowered the book, his grey eye surprised.



"Sure...let's go!" He said, almost unusually enthusiastic as he put the book away and dragged her off down the street.



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It was dark before she got back, Kakashi insisting her on walking her after making up some blatantly far-fetched story about rampaging bunnies and an enemy shinobi-matador wreaking havoc on the village.



It sounded just like something Obito would say, and it made her laugh. She kept thinking about the mission all through the date, feeling downright guilty about having to leave without telling anyone.



He stopped outside her door, taking her hand. Murasaki's heart hammered in her chest. What was he going to do with it?



He took it in between his.



"I had fun tonight..." He said, leaning down and nuzzling her cheek with his masked face in a sort of mock-kiss. "I hope we can do it again sometime soon..."



Murasaki blushed. "Me too..." She whispered, slipping her arms around his shoulders, pecking him on the cheek and holding back a sad sigh and a wave of tears. The door opened and she heard her father chuckle. She pulled away, blushing furiously. She was an adult, dammit! Why was he checking up on her!



Kakashi let go of her hand and waved goodbye.



"That was cute..." Her father chuckled as she went back into the apartment.



Murasaki brushed past him, her heart sinking slightly as she went into the kitchen and began to make tea.



"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked, leaning on the counter between them.



"I...I really like him dad...and it's not fair...I don't want him to have to suffer when I leave..." She said quietly, playing with the tea leaves before dropping them into the mesh.



Jiraiya sighed, leaning on his elbow. "Would you be happier if he was with someone else?"



Murasaki sighed, dropping the mesh into the boiling water.



"If it meant that he didn't have to be alone..." She said quietly. "I don't want him to suffer..."



Jiraiya chuckled. "I'll make sure someone keeps an eye on him..." he said, stretching. "Meanwhile...I'm beat...I think I'll go to bed..."



"Good night..." She said quietly.



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