I was on the bothersome edge of eighteen when I was struck with the cruel affliction of anxiety. Grief buried itself beneath my fingernails like splinters and shortened my breath just enough to be a nuisance. It came in the form of a panic attack, seemingly from nowhere - a bolt from the blue. Like a thunderclap in my chest, an icy river flowing down my spine.

Terror chewed my heart and clawed the edges of my brain as I sullenly clutched fistfuls of my sweat soaked bed sheets. It was difficult to grasp anything when all that prevailed in my mind was toxic confusion and paradoxic thoughts.

As my mind tried to comprehend that new and dreadful development, a dim thought echoed through the fog of my blind panic. With a chilling certainty, it told me nothing would ever be the same again. And then it became permanent, an evil presence, a curse. One that devoured me whole. Thunder became persistent and my every day became a storm.

In between the process of healing myself forgot how to feel.

But when she held me I realized the problem wasn't the anchor, it was the chains. It wasn't about the past, it was about letting go. And when she held me, it was a feeling that could not be shaken off easily. When she told me to be gentle with my lungs and forgive them in light sobs.

The way she shushed me and sang lullabies to my demons with her deep, vibrant eyes, the way she embraced me and all the pain melted away in her arms. The way she caressed my soaked cheekbones and her heartbeat calmed my storms. The way she pressed her forehead against mine and froze the ticking clocks into one ephemeral eternity, I knew, at that very moment, I was a goner.

This feeling sparked a new fear, the fear of losing her. I had become an alcoholic for her laughter and now I was completely drunk on the idea of it. I had become an arsonist, torching my way through the parts of me she touched. Chilly waterfalls cascaded down my spine every time I pictured how plain mundane my life was without her cheery spirit.

I had only spent a day and a tiresome night without her and my heart was already yearning for her sight.

I made my way back home, dragging my feet down the empty streets, aimlessly kicking pebbles that came in my way. My eyes were closed and my mind was lost in its own peripheral thoughts.

This strange feeling in my gut was worrying me. Not once had it stopped past the whole day, it even bothered me during Naruto and Sakura's bell test, perhaps the reason why they were able to get their hands on it at the first place. Not that I'd ever admit the real reason, so I'll just blame this feeling for it.

I sighed. They've both matured so much. Though most wouldn't realize it, they had, in their own special way.

The door of my house came in sight. With a mind too preoccupied to realize that I wasn't the only one living in this house anymore, I blankly opened the door. I was, no doubt, shocked to be greeted by the smiling face of a girl jolting up from the sofa excitedly upon my arrival.

"Welcome home, Kakashi!" She smiled heartily, her hands flailing around.

Welcome home. Welcome home. Welcome home.

Those words repeated in my mind like a broken record player. I blinked. I had never been welcomed to my own house, probably because I lived alone for almost my entire life. But I had never even thought these two words could hold such heavy significance.

This feeling - if I could mould it into words,

It felt warm. Like the sun sinking deeper and deeper into the horizon and the sky drenched in pastel shades of lilac and orange, a homogeneous mixture of radiance and positivity.

It was beyond seeing, for the first time in my life, I had felt a sunset.

I didn't know how to react. It was the first time I had opened door to something other than quiet empty walls.

But before I could mouth something stupid that I'd regret as soon as it escapes my mouth, a thumb sized spider appeared between the two of us, casually hanging down the ceiling on its web string.

This, of course did not go unnoticed by (y/n) whose face scrunched up in disgust drastically, followed by a scream so loud that it almost ripped my eardrums apart.

The spider, being the nuisance it was, disappeared from the scene, leaving me alone to deal with a melodramatic girl. This, of course, did not stop (y/n), who led a parade of high pitched screams and began flapping like a fish out of water.

"KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!" She panicked and without (obviously) realizing, she clumsily bumped into me.

For some odd reason, I was so perplexed that not even my Ninja instincts could help me keep my stability and we both crashed onto the floor, (y/n) landing on the top of me.

Heat rushed to my face as I reciprocated our proximity. Her weight was completely on mine, the bridge of her nose was brushing against my masked one, her (e/c) irises dilated as they peered directly into mine and our hearts were beating in an inexplicable synchronicity.

But this was only to last a moment when she realised the tension and gasped, hastily struggling to return to her feet, her hands veiling her agape mouth that muttered a string of apologies.

"It's o-k - a-alright ." I stammered as I stood back up and brushed off my clothes to avoid her gaze.

Then there was an awkward silence, which was uncharacteristic for (y/n).

"I heard about your infamous bell test - and how you kept Naruto and Sakura up all night for that silly drill." She looked away, changing the topic abruptly.

I only nodded in response.

"So you mean to say that you were out all night testing the so called 'abilities' of the poor, tired boy who just returned home after three darned years?! Sounds like a welcome to me!"

It was the next morning prior to the bell test and [y/n] was already nagging me about something completely irrelevant. She wasn't to blame, she was still unaware of the risks of the Shinobi life.

"He insisted." I shrugged, yawning, "You have no idea how much of an impatient kid he is."

"Yes but -"

"You never told me you had money." I spoke, pointing at her brand new outfit that I did not fail to notice. Thus, expertly leaving the duty of explanation to her.

"Well, I didn't. But then I received my monthly salary from journalism department in Iwa." She gave me a nervous laugh as I wearily plopped down on the sofa, pulling out the recent issue of make-out tactics and flipping through the pages of the book eagerly.

"Well, I just hope you didn't end up buying an old man's wardrobe again." I shrugged as I continued enjoying the fine literature.

She rolled her eyes expertly, "For your kind information, I've brought feminine clothes this time."

"I'm baffled." I sarcastically remarked, still not looking up from my book.

"What's with that book your face is always buried into?" She scowled, slightly annoyed by my ever unfazed reactions.

This sparked a playful glint in my eyes and I smirked, "Oh this? Would you want to check it out?"

I proudly offered her the book and she grumpily took hold of it, "As a matter of fact, ever since I've met you, I only picture you when I read it."

Smooth.

"Oh really? It must be some adventurous - action novel." She beamed before opening the book.

Oh, how naive.

Her eyes flitted through the pages, one after another and her face grew warmer and warmer. Around page ten, her face went completely red and she began shrieking in an incomprehensible fusion between disgust and shame.

"Oh my god, t-that's h-hentai! Now I need to wash my eyes with holy water and exorcise them!" She whined, covering her face as I laughed hysterically, "Y-you pervert! You - you perverted geek!"

She took a cushion and threw it in my direction that I caught effortlessly.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. How do I make it up to you?" I asked between my laughs.

She paused and thought keenly for a while, her eyes narrowed and brows furrowed.

Well, crap, she took it seriously.

"I want to meet Naruto and Sakura!" She demanded, taking advantage of the offer.

And then something hit the back of my mind.

"Ah, them, right. I forgot to ask you earlier, they're all planning a Konoha eleven get-together celebration tonight, you should join us. You can meet everyone there." I asked, now sitting upright, "We're going for a barbeque feast."

Her eyes widened in glee and she happily nodded in response, "I- would love to! When are we supposed to go?!"

"Hm?" I looked at the clock lazily and then gave a nervous laugh, "Whoops, now that I remember we're supposed to be there by now. I'm a bit late, I guess. Oh well--"

"What?! You baka, UGH you're unbelievable!" She yelled at me before turning around and walking inside her room swiftly.

I decided to go as I was and chose not to fret over something as insignificant as this.

Like a gush of wind she stormed out of the room soon enough, "You're still lying on the couch, reading that detestable book?!" She stomped towards me angrily and snatched the mildly cynical book from my hands.

I groaned in protest before looking up at her and my breath was caught in my throat. I blinked, yet shamelessly kept on gawking at her, unable to tear my eyes off her.

She was wearing a soft blush pink dress and her (h/c) hair were down in a side braid. Strangely, she looked more and more gorgeous to my eyes everyday.

Her cheeks reddened upon the intensity of my gaze and she looked away, "DONT STARE AT ME STARE AT THE CLOCK!"

She gripped me by my collar and dragged me outside and I did not bother to protest but rather tried to calm her down.

After walking down several blocks, we reached a small barbecue restaurant which was supposedly it.

She stopped outside and waited for me to catch up to her, since I wasn't as hasty and hyperactive as her.

As soon as I was standing beside her, she tugged at my sleeve, "What did you mean by 'all of them', are they more than two?"

"You're about to find out." In a single movement, I took her hand and interlocked my fingers with hers, which provoked a faint blush to appear on her cheeks.

We both walked in simultaneously and halted near a crowded booth, where about a dozen of young teenagers and adults were chatting and laughing but as soon as they spotted (y/n) by my side, they stopped in their tracks.

Out of the blue, there was anomalous silence, a thick cloud of confusion rose and everyone stared at the two of us blankly for a good two minutes, making (y/n) more and more flustered.

"Is there something on my face?" she whispered in my ear hesitantly.

I knew too well why they were so shocked, I sighed.

Before I could clear up the cause of their perplexity, Naruto energetically stood up from his spot and slammed his fists on the table, "KAKASHI SENSEI, I WAS GONE FOR ONLY THREE YEARS AND YOU FOUND A GIRLFRIEND?!"

The outburst was loud and jarring and it caused (y/n) to blink in confusion.

This action was followed up by Might Guy who stood up from his seat just as enthusiastically, "KAKASHI I WAS GONE FOR ONLY THREE HOURS AND YOU FOUND A GIRLFRIEND?!"

Oh boy.

"Calm down, guy sensei. We're not sure if she's his girlfriend, let's not jump into conclusions." came a sweet voice from a certain pinkette who had, thank god, matured enough to not resort to juvenile conceptions.

Well, at least someone here is mature--

"PLEASE SAY THAT YOU'RE HIS GIRLFRIEND." The Sakura stared at (y/n) hopefully, almost desperately.

Oh, never mind.

"Guys, calm down! I'm not his girlfriend. I'm just a tourist and Kakashi is my escort. My name is [y/n], and it's great to meet you all!"

"Hah, I knew it. She's way too pretty for Kakashi sensei anyway." snickered Kiba.

"I agree with Kiba this once. She's even prettier than Sakura, Ino and Tenten combined." Naruto grinned and (y/n) sweat dropped.

His statement was followed angry glares coming from the young girls. Soon enough, Naruto was being dragged to the corner and mercilessly beaten by the ladies.

"Never mind them." Asuma caught her attention, "I'm Asuma Sarutobi and this is my wife, Kurenai." He pointed at Kurenai who waved happily.

She smiled heartily, "It's very nice to meet you."

"I'm Shikamaru Nara, probably the only sane person you'll find here." Shikamaru lazily sighed.

"I'm Choji Akimichi, and I like beef!" Said Choji while stuffing as many steaks in his mouth as possible.

"My name is Might Guy! And your beauty is blossoming with the power of youth--" Might Guy announced, but was interrupted by his own smaller version.

"I'm Rock Lee, at your service ma'am!" Interjected the boy, furrowing his bushy eyebrows.

"I'm H-Hinata, it's very nice to meet you." Hinata shyly introduced, tucking a strand of her indigo bangs behind.

"I'm Neji Hyuga. I believe you're having a wonderful time here in Konoha." Neji smiled.

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka. And this is my buddy, Akamaru." The brunnete grinned and pointed towards his white furry partner who barked in response.

"I'm Shino Aburame." Said the quiet boy who seemed to be a walking garment store.

"Hi, I'm Tenten, pleased to meet you!" Tenten smiled gleefully after she was finally done beating up Naruto.

"I'm Temari of the Sand, I'm only here to assist with the chunin exams but I decided to join them in the celebration." joined Temari, cracking her knuckles after punching the hell out of Naruto.

"I'm Ino Yamanaka! And I think violet color would look really great on you." Ino interjected enthusiastically.

"No, I believe red would suit her far better." Added Sakura, playfully glaring at Ino. "Oh, and I'm Sakura Haruno."

"Shut up, forehead." Ino snarled.

"Same goes for you, Ino-pig." Sakura shot back.

And the two then dissolved in their own world of bickering.

"The best for the last." came the voice of an aching Naruto lying on the ground who energetically jumped back on his feet, "My Name is Naruto Uzumaki! I really love Ramen, especially Ichiraku Ramen. And I'll become the Hokage one day! You better believe it!"

"Kakashi told me about you." (y/n) smiled and ruffled his hair adoringly before turning to face everyone else, "It's really nice to meet you all."

My heart skipped a beat. The way she smiled, the way it crinkled her eyes, the way it puppeteered my heart on its strings. It was the kind of exquisite that illuminates lifetimes.

"Hey, pretty lady? now that ya aren't dating sensei, how 'bout we go for some ramen ya'know-" Naruto grinned, making (y/n) chuckle.

My heartbeat tensed up and I felt a strange jittery feeling in my chest.

"Back off, Idiot. She's mine." Kiba growled.

"Sorry gentlemen, But I'm the one who'll protect this beautiful lady with my life!" Rock Lee determinedly announced.

"I'm afraid ladies such as her like smart guys." Shikamaru smirked, causing Temari to smack the back of his head angrily.

"All of you should stop making a fool of yourselves." Neji scowled, a tint of pink on his cheeks. Even Neji was flustered!

"Well then! Sounds like a challenge. Let's see who wins her heart first!" Naruto gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with passion.

"Don't you guys think I'm a little too old for you?" (y/n) sweat dropped.

"Fine. I accept your challenge!" Kiba grunted, Rock Lee also nodded, "As do I!"

"That's right, Lee, my boy! Show them the power of your youth!" Guy gave a thumbs up and Rock Lee, yet again, got mawkishly oversentimental, leading both of them to tear up.

I sighed and (y/n) laughed, apparently flattered.

This was going to be a long, awkward night.