Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Amorous Adventures of Ayame the Ramen Girl ❯ Kakashi's Mission ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12: Kakashi's Mission

After another useless day where his talents were not put to good use, where he learned nothing new, where he did not improve his skills, Sasuke was just about to cook dinner, or rather microwave his leftover lunch (the talk with Ayame had made him lose his appetite), when he heard the doorbell ring.

He found his sensei coolly leaning against the doorframe reading his book.

"Something come up?" Sasuke asked his sensei unenthusiastically. `What another pathetic lost pet mission? Or do we have to do lowly drudge work like clean horse stalls? I used to have servants do that crap.'

"An unofficial mission," Kakashi replied mysteriously.

"Where's the other two?" Sasuke asked. `They're both useless but at least they make the time go by faster.'

“It's just the two of us. It's a special mission that requires…discretion,” his sensei explained vaguely.

Sasuke looked at his superior doubtfully. `Special discrete mission, yeah right, to him that's probably stealing porn from the bookstore.'

“It involves a kidnapping.”

That got Sasuke's attention. `A VIP? That means a dangerous ninja kidnapping. Finally, something worthy of my talents.'

“The ramen girl has been kidnapped. And we're going to help Iruka-sensei save her without his knowledge.”

Sasuke just looked at his sensei and cocked an eyebrow at his more peculiar than usual antics. `That's not a VIP. Who would want to kidnap that stupid girl? Total waste of my time. Good riddance. Ha, Naruto will suffer from this - I can eat stuff other than ramen.'

“According to the latest shinobi gossip, the two have been having some problems. It just so happens that the ramen girl got in the middle of a vendetta against me. Now I could go ahead and rescue her in about two wags of a nin-dog's tail, but I think it's better to give Iruka-sensei that chance, with a little help from us, just in case.” Despite the perverted books Kakashi read, he was apparently a romantic, or a fool, at heart.

Sasuke just shrugged and said, “Whatever, let's go.”

-...-...-...-

"See, Iruka sensei's not doing too badly," Kakashi whispered to Sasuke as they watched Iruka take out the first guy who was hiding above. They were following Iruka a good twenty paces away and though it was difficult to see through the bamboo, and Iruka was suppressing his chakra and using camouflage, they could see the slight movement of the bamboo stalks as Iruka passed by.

"So let's leave," muttered Sasuke in reply.

"Well, there might be more traps. We'd better make sure the ramen girl's okay first."

 

They continued following their comrade while also suppressing their chakra and keeping themselves camouflaged. Suddenly a kunai whizzed by.

When Kakashi saw the pouch attached to the kunai with an explosive tag, he immediately knew that it had to contain some kind of poison or sleep powder or more explosives. He quickly performed the katas for a wind jutsu to blow the powder away from the chuunin.

 

Sasuke had wanted to use a fireball, but decided after quick consideration that it would be too conspicuous and could cause a rampaging forest fire, which would defeat the purpose of trying to save the ramen girl - not that he really cared., but it was still a mission.

The two continued to move ahead of Iruka, keeping their chakra muted, weaving around the dense bamboo. At the final trap that Iruka set off, Kakashi and Sasuke both reacted quickly to the flurry of kunai and shuriken and spikes. Their kunai and shuriken deflected the ones that Iruka could not.

-...-...-...-

Iruka moved carefully toward the door, watching out for any last traps. Assuming the door was locked, he concentrated chakra to his right foot and viciously kicked it in, then immediately ducked and rolled into the room. He heard a crash above his head. A chair had just missed him and splintered dangerously above him against the door frame.

 

Ayame had managed to free herself (her hands were quite strong from kneading noodles all the time) but found the door and window locked. She had thought about breaking the window with the chair but realized that it was too small for her to climb through - if only she had eaten less toppings with her ramen. So she waited patiently by the door until she heard the scuffle between Iruka and her kidnapper. She raised the chair in anticipation, ready to break it over the head of anyone coming into the room, even if it were Iruka. After all, he deserved to have some sense knocked into him.

 

Iruka was ready to throw a kunai at his attacker but luckily realized it was only Ayame. 'That's not bad. She managed to escape and was brave enough to fight back,' he thought, impressed by her bravery. “Ayame-chan, I'm sorry about everything, I …” Iruka started to say before she cut him off.

 

“Shut up. I don't want to hear any more,” she said.

 

Iruka looked at her in abject astonishment at her curtness and lack of gratitude.

But then she took a deep breath and said, “I love you, only you, no one else, well, except my dad but that doesn't count. I'd love you even if you had chronic post nasal drip, or were covered in oozing sores, well, as long as they weren't too contagious, and even if you expelled gas all day. I want you to believe that. I will keep saying I love you until you do believe it.”

“I do believe you. I know you do,” he replied while thinking, `How gross, I don't suffer from any of those conditions. Where does she come up with that weird stuff?' “But I…” he was about to said that he was the one who should have been saying all that stuff about how much he loved her, but she cut him off again.

“Umino Iruka, will you marry me?”

“What? You can't ask me that!” he said in surprise and embarrassment. His face turned its characteristics shade of red, which made him even cuter and more endearing.

“Is that a no?” Ayame asked with a mock frown.

“No, I mean yes, I mean I'm the one who has to ask!”

“Well, I'm waiting.”

`Umm, wouldn't it be better in a nicer environment?” Iruka hesitated. He had imagined lots of flowers (Ino would be ecstatic) and a romantic dinner at his place, not a dusty, moldy old shrine.

“No! Ask me now before you change your mind,” she ordered in case he got cold feet or reverted back to his wishy-washy self.

“Okay, right…” `I can do this!' Iruka took a deep breath before saying, “Ayame-chan, I love you more than anyone or anything else in this entire world. I trust you completely and I swear I'll never doubt you again. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my… permanent partner in life and beyond?” `There, I think that's a good non-sexist way to ask. An independent working woman like Ayame should appreciate that.'

“Permanent partner in life and beyond? If that means wife then it's a yes!” Ayame jumped into Iruka's arms and threw her arms around his neck. Luckily, Iruka still had the strength and stamina to hold her up. She moved a hand to caress the scar across his nose, then rubbed his nose with hers while removing his forehead protector and hairband so that she could run her fingers through his hair, which unfortunately was quite dirty and sweaty by now, but a woman in love couldn't care less about such things. Her hands moved from his hair to hold his face still as she kissed his forehead, his scarred nose, and finally his lips.

-…-…-…-

“Don't you just love happy endings?” Kakashi asked his disciple. The two had been discretely watching through the window.

“Pathetic,” muttered Sasuke, “they haven't even noticed we're here. We could've just snuck up to them and slit both their throats.” `What's with all that kissing? Disgusting, like animals, the two of them need to wash up first.'

Kakashi shook his head and sighed at Sasuke's lack of romance. He was hoping this experience would soften the antisocial boy. He then pulled Sasuke away from the window as the couple was becoming a bit too intimate to be witnessed by a twelve year old.

-…-…-…-

Epilogue

Thus ends the romantic adventures of Ayame the ramen girl who finally found love with a shinobi, albeit not the one she originally wanted. But that's often what occurs in real life. Don't fall for fool's gold when a diamond in the rough is available, or as Ayame's father would say: "Ordering plain ramen to takeout is better than the House Special or anything else because that way you don't have to wait, and you can add your own toppings and adjust it to your taste."

 

Remember that true love can survive numerous obstacles and in the end is worth all the pain and suffering, or as Ayame's father would say, "A long lasting loving relationship is like making ramen from scratch. It's difficult and takes a lot of work, but the more effort you put into it, the better it will be."

So the turbulent couple finally settled down to have 2.5 children - two of whom became shinobi and 0.5 inherited the ramen stand. They lived a long and happy life with uncle Kakashi and his team making occasional visits to baby sit.


-…-…THE END…-…-