audio post :: help me leave behind some reasons to be missed

[turn_a_blindeye]

[There are a couple awkward starts of dead air and static. Finally, there's a long pause and then Kakashi begins.]Assuming this isn't going to be a week long fake-out where we're "sent home" only to come back here at the end of it all, I guess ...a little sentimentality can be ...indulged in. We might as well treat it like it's the real thing,

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[Offline, forward dated to Saturday evening]

[heavenlykunai]

[She'd been stressed since saying that she would talk to him. Just a little. Tenten had tried to hide it, and was pretty sure she had, but she wasn't certain.

Three times she'd gotten up from the couch to go knock, and both times before she'd sat back down. Now, though, she was at his door. His open door. It would be really obvious if she walked away.

Tenten knocked on Kakashi's door, smiling just a bit to look more confident.]

[Offline] So much catchup to do.

[turn_a_blindeye]

[Kakashi had said his goodbyes, which was more than he usually got the chance to do. He wasn't sure why it didn't feel like enough closure this time.

Then again, years on the battlefield said it was usually more humane to make a death quick than to drag it out. Three days wasn't a long time, but it was an eternity when you were left wondering if you were just waiting to die.

He kicked aside a box of items. The plan had been to move out from the house, not the world, he thought, looking up as he sensed a presence.]

Oh, Tenten.

[He gestured to the end of his bed.]

Come in. Have a seat.

[Offline] You might like that icon slightly too much. Just a hunch.

[heavenlykunai]

[Tenten nodded and sat down. Now that she was here, it was easier. There wasn't turning back. It was like a mission that way, actually.]

It's not a bad time, then?

[She glanced at the box he'd kicked. Right, he'd been leaving the house.]

I don't know what all you've heard about so far. But, um. Probably most of it is up through the attack on the village?

[Offline] ...wut. >.>

[turn_a_blindeye]

[He took a seat a little ways from her on the bed.]

There's not much more time. [A shrug] Can't very well afford a bad time now.

[He nods.] Bits and pieces here and there. Asuma's dead. Jiraiya's dead. I have a new team. Naruto defeated Pain. I'm not dead, the village is recovering. In brief, that's about it.

[Offline] Nothing totally

[heavenlykunai]

[She looked over at him, considering the distance. It would make any last-second attempt more complicated... But she did have one idea. Last second, though, it needed to be.]

I guess not, no.

[Tenten offered him a small smile, and then nodded, back to business.]

Right. So there's two things that really should be covered.

First. Jiraiya-sama died to Pain, Asuma-san to Hidan. Both of them Akatsuki.
After Sasuke went to Orochimaru, he went after Itachi. He took a team that he put together. I don't have many details on that, it's mostly rumors, but one of them is here - Suigetsu.

Sasuke either joined or only worked with the Akatsuki for going after one of the tailed beasts. I'm not sure which. Either way, his allegiance was clear, and when Tsunade-sama wound up in a coma, Danzou became Hokage and declared Sasuke a missing-nin.

Substantiated rumors had him headed to the Kage Summit, and Naruto took you and Tenzou-san to go try to plead for mercy from the Kages for Sasuke.

[Tenten stood up, frowning, and began pacing.]We rookies

[Offline] ...you weren't kidding tldr!

[turn_a_blindeye]

[He noded along, listening, committing it to memory as he would a mission, since there will be no notes or scroll to accompany him on this mission. Thank goodness he didn't have Gai's sieve-like memory. Some of this he had put together from the comings and goings of past citizens of Adstringendum. Suigetsu's previous stay, for example, though the nature of that alliance had little confirmation

[Offline] I'm sorry! It got long! And it did again too. whoops.

[heavenlykunai]

[She hadn't expected that to be his entire response. Sasuke has been his student. Then again, Kakashi had never been one to flip out about things. That was her Sensei.

Of course, that threw her timing off just a bit. She wanted to take his hand seconds before midnight, so he wouldn't really even have time to dismiss her as a kid. That was the only reaction she expected from this. A pat on her head and then sent on her way.

Tenten was going to have to talk more. Stretch it out. And she wasn't all that good at beating around the bush or sidetracking.]

The second.

You said no regrets. Leaving none. You haven't failed me here at all. You should know that. You've been... more supportive than I thought you could be. I know part of it was stepping into the gap, and thank you for that.

[Tenten sat back down on the bed, closer to him than originally. Sheer force of will alone was keeping her from looking nervously at Kakashi. He had to know what she was getting at already. But she'd been doing some very hard thinking these past couple

[Offline]

[turn_a_blindeye]

[He could kind of sense that she had been anticipating something and was thrown off when he failed to provide that reaction. Kakashi didn't have time to waste on unnecessary emotional responses. If he was going back, he intended to do it with as much information as possible just in case what he learned might carry over. It was better to not waste time now and regret it later

[Offline]

[heavenlykunai]

[The handsqueeze was unexpected, and it gave her just a little hope, even if they were going in just a few seconds. Tenten maybe wasn't just a kid in his eyes.

She gave him a full smile as they sat there, holding hands, waiting for the world to end.

And waiting.

And waiting some more.

And it was then that she realized it had indeed been a trick. Or the device talked about had worked. Either way, she'd just admitted feelings to Kakashi, more or less, and she was still here. Tenten resisted the very strong urge to facepalm. The smile faded.

He pulled his hand away and Tenten instantly missed it, wanting to hold it again. She actually half-started to reach for it before stopping herself. Kakashi's hand had been warm and just a little exciting, but Tenten started working on controlling the very strong urge.]

I guess we amused them enough. Or the scientists' device worked.

[She leaned into the now-familiar hairbun squeeze, wondering at how casual he was. Tenten didn't know if it was a good sign or a bad one. The pat... made it seem