Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Parenting Skills ❯ Tetherball fitness ( Chapter 10 )

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Time to speed things up a bit

Chapter 10: Tetherball fitness
Two weeks later…
Taki turned to look at Shino.
“What'd you say?” she asked Shino.
She was distracted trying to color outside the lines of her clown drawing.
“My mom says there's going to be a festival this weekend,” Shino pushed up his shades.
Taki brightened up, “Really?”
Shino nodded, “You going?”
“Mm, they're going to work at the festival,” and `they' referring to his parents.
“You're lucky. I'm gonna ask Uncle Kakashi if we could go.”
The bell rang.
“Okay class! It's time for recess,” the teacher clapped her hands.
“Great! Now we can meet Neji-chan!” Taki dropped her crayon and dragged Shino outside.
Taki looked all over the playground and found Neji eating animal crackers.
“Neji-chan!” she ran over to him, “Shino-chan said he's going to the festival. You coming too?”
Neji glanced at Shino and nodded.
“Share some of that crackers with us Neji-chan,” Taki demanded and held out her hand.
He obeyed and gave Taki some giraffe's; he looked at Shino, who scornfully took some lions. Taki patted Neji's shoulder.
“That's good. What are we going to play?” Taki looked out to blacktop.
Let's see. Sasuke was leaning on the wall copying his older brother Itachi casually doing the same. Most of the girls were trying to woo him with food; they're getting a head start in life. The jungle gym was overfilled. Chouji used the teeter-totter for a place to eat. The swings were used as people launchers. Everyone took a ball so wall ball, basketball, dodge ball, and speedball were out of the question. No way Taki was playing with the jump ropes or the hoola hoops with those crazy looking girls.
Lastly, she spotted an empty pole with a ball attached to a string. Taki dragged the guys over to yellow ball. She looked up at it.
“Wow, I feel short.”
Unfortunately the guys were taller than her and could reach it.
“You guys play first,” Taki sat off to the side.
Dun dun dunn. They looked at each other and lightning sparked out of their eyes and clashed together.
“You guys ready? Paper, scissors, rock to see which one of you will hit the ball first,” she'll be the referee slash cheering section.
Shino got papers and Neji got rock. Neji could tell he was smirking right now behind his high collar. He glared at him.
“Both of you ready? Then let's get it on!” she put her hand up.
They were really into tetherball.
“Go Neji! Go Frosteeno!” Taki jumped up and cheered.
Other kids started to crowd around to watch. Neji smirked. You couldn't see it but Shino glowered.
“You hear that? She said my name first,” Neji said low enough so only Shino could hear.
Shino tsked, “She sits next to me in class and gave me a nickname,” he hit the yellow ball on the string harder.
Neji said, “Souka. But I'm older and I'm more stronger than you.” (is that so)
“She doesn't care about that. She just wanted some of your crackers,” he growled and punched the ball and kept swatting at it.
The ball spinned around and around until it stopped to the top and slowly spun back around again.
“Yatta! We have a winner! Shino wins!” Taki jumped on him.
The crowd cheered. A kindergartener had beaten a first grader. They were SO going to spread this around. The crowd went off to spread it like a disease.
“Shino wins. So now it's my turn now,” she jumped in front of Shino.
“But you can't reach the ball,” Shino noted.
Yeah, she is pretty short. I'm sorry Taki! But it's true. Neji held the ball in his hands.
“You can go on my shoulders and play,” Neji said.
The bell rang.
“Oh well, next time Neji-chan. Guess we'll meet here at lunchtime! Ciao!”
----
With Kakashi…
“Why are you following me Iruka?” Kakashi turned around.
Iruka perked up behind a sign. Loser, he got caught.
“Hehe, just looking at the details on this sign here,” he patted the sign with a cartoon of a pig on it.
“Whatever. You going to ask me something or just keep `stalking' me?” he turned around and started walking again.
“Well, the festivals starting and…You're going to go right?”
Kakashi glanced at him and shrugged.
“Depends.”
“On what?” interested.
“Depends on who's coming with me.”
Iruka bent his head to hide his face. Awkward silence enters the scene.
“Right. Well…I just remembered I have to lecture Naruto again.”
“Hmm, sure,” Kakashi figuring he was lying.
-----
Kakashi looked up to see that he entered into a new territory. He somehow wandered into a bakery and looked around the place.
“Hi! Need any help or suggestions?” a perky girl popped up behind the counter.
“I haven't seen this place before,” eyeing the girl's white hair and then to her young looking face.
“Yes, we're a new bakery and just opened up last week,” Yunhee was written on her nametag.
Yunhee handed Kakashi a mini-plate, “Here's a free sample! Our customers seem to like this one the best.”
It was chocolate mousse. He tried it, it was all right, and Yunhee was staring at him waiting for his reply.
“It's good.”
She clapped her hands, “Score one for the student!” she opened the employees door, “I got another one! I told you mine was better.”
“What are you talking about?” said the person in the other room.
“Just ask the customer,” Yunhee opened it all the way.
A couple blinks.
“Kakashi?” “Shiori?” they said in unison.
Yunhee slumped, “You guys know each other?”
“Yunhee, this is Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi, my employee,” Shiori pressed, “Yunhee.”
They shook hands.
“Yunhee what were you saying again?” Shiori combed her hair back.
Yunhee turned her eyes to Kakashi, “Seriously, do you like it? Is it too much chocolate or anything? Give me an honest answer I can take it,” she was serious.
Kakashi looked towards Shiori. She nodded for him to be brutal if need be.
“I couldn't taste the rum in the mousse. The butter was a little much; I think you used something else besides bittersweet chocolate. I didn't like it,” he plainly said.
Yunhee was gaping at him. Looks like she was about to cry.
“If I was,” he was interrupted.
Slam! “I am! Going to be the best baker in Konoha even if it has to kill me!” said the loudmouth Yunhee.
Shiori sighed, “Yunhee please don't put you foot on the counter.”
Yunhee blinked and reddened. She ran to the employee's room.
“She usually does that,” Shiori crossed her hands and leaned on the counter, “So the mystery man finally comes into the shop. How'd you find this place?”
“I wasn't looking where I was walking. You own this place?”
“Yeah, that's why we filled up the cart at the supermarket. You should come by once in a while,” Shiori looked up to see another customer enter, “Hi! Welcome to `Cherubs Sweets.'”
It was just an old woman with her grandkid at her side.
“So it is a bakery. Thought it was a flower shop,” the grandmother said.
“My grandmother is going blind,” the kid said.
“That's right it is a bakery. Do you have a favorite dish? Perhaps we have it,” looking at her and at her graying purple hair.
“Well,” she shuffled her way to the display of sweets, “Isobe maki. It has been a long time since I had one of those.” (Isobe maki - grilled rice with dried nori and soy sauce dip)
Shiori pushed up her sleeves, “Please sit down. I'll be right back. Kakashi you stay here and watch the front,” she scurried to the kitchen.
Yunhee was pushed out, “Hey! I was trying to cry in misery you know!” she said to the closed door.
“Psst, Kakashi-san right?” Yunhee nearly had forgotten his name already.
“Yeah?”
“You. Ya know…her and you,” she had a smuggy look on her face.
`I wish,' he leaned in closer, “I won't tell, if you won't tell.”
Yunhee nodded her head energetically. She loved hearing secrets.
“Possibly-”
“You know when people's heads are really close together it's either whisperings of sweet nothings or a secret,” Shiori whispered behind Yunhee.
Shiori stepped back before Yunhee threw her hands up in surprise.
“Here you go ma'am,” Shiori set the plate and chopsticks down in front of the old woman.
“My new apprentice already getting a few digits already. Good work,” Shiori joked at Yunhee's reddened face.
“It wasn't sweet nothings,” Yunhee defended.
“So it was a secret,” a little hurt to be left out of a secret.
“I was just telling her where I get my books,” he flat out lied.
“And what book is that?”
Kakashi didn't have his book out. Pinned at his place by her stare. Yunhee thought of the first thing that came to her mind.
“The book of O'Hamilton.”
Shiori threw up a brow.
“It's a foreign book. It's a bit complicated to explain. There's a lot of Catch-22's so it'll really make your head spin. Right Kakashi-san?”
“Right.”
Shiori leered at Yunhee. She was too slow to understand complicated things such as Catch-22's. They were clearly lying. She'll let it slide for now for the old woman was putting something in her hand.
“Fine skills, young lady. Tastes just like the old yet its new. I thank you and make sure to tell my other gals,” the old woman smiled grabbed her grandson's hand and walked out.
Shiori looked at her filled hand. It was money and a well-embroidered handkerchief.
“Looks like you're going to get more business,” Kakashi changing the subject.
“Possibly.”
Yunhee disappeared in the back again.
“So what secret were you going to pour out to my apprentice?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Maybe if its good enough,” they sat down.
“Do you? Really.”
“Fine fine yes,” she waved her hand along.
“You sure? Cause it might be something you don't want to hear.”
“I guess so. I got nothing else to do.”
“Just like that. You're not taking me seriously.”
“You don't sound serious,” she looked at him.
“I'm trying to be.”
“Okay. Let's hear it.”
“You…” he stopped.
“Yeah what about me?” she nodded along.
Kakashi shook his head and chuckled, “You're cute.”
Shiori just stared at him, “You mean that's it?”
“It was really embarrassing telling it in front of you.”
`I could of looked in my mirror and told myself that,' she thought.
“That's not really a secret Kakashi. You're going to have to tell me a real secret later,” she got and pulled Yunhee out of the kitchen.
“Boss says if you're not going to buy anything then leave,” Yunhee rubbed her pinched arm.
“Yeah,” he bought something and left the store.
----
“Uncle Kakashi!” she ran to him and hugged his leg.
“Tadaima,” he patted her head. (I'm home)
“Shino-chan and Neji-chan are going to the festival. Can we go too?”
“Iruka was just asking that too," he mentioned taking for his shoes.
“You want me to come with you so you don't get lonely?”
“Yes Taki-chan. You can be my date to the festival,” he played.
She patted his leg, “Poor Uncle Kakashi, did Shiori have another boy to go to the festival instead of you? Poor poor uncle,” she shook her head and ran to her room to do 'something.'
He forgot to ask her that. Tomorrow's another day he supposed.

sigh I don't know about this one. Too much talking. I'm getting a little serious or something. Must be cause I'm sleeping too early or somethin. oh well. plz review or read my first story.