5:00 AM.
This was the time Mikuru woke up at out of habit. She vacuumed the apartment and made breakfast. She ate it and cleaned the dishes. Then she walked outside and breathed in the fresh air.
The sun was just beginning to rise. The sky was grey, but Mikuru was sure light would soon shine through the clouds.
She wondered if she should go to Kakashi's apartment. She still needed training. If he felt otherwise, she knew he was crazy or trying to get her killed.
She decided it was a good idea to go for a walk around the park. Yeah. Something had to get her mind off of all that had happened last night and all that was to happen in the future. She grabbed her music player and a dark blue jacket, and headed off.
It would be a beautiful day if it would clear up, she thought as she walked down the path to her favourite bench. This was the bench her parents sat at when she would play on the playground. This time around, only a couple of kids were on the playground. Both of which in uniform for the local kindergarten, both of which accompanied by their moms. Their screams of joy were drowned out by the music Mikuru's MP3 player was blasting – Morning Musume's "Shabondama." She stopped in her tracks a few dozen feet away and looked closely. There's somebody already sitting there?
Sure enough, somebody in a business suit was sitting there, reading a book.
Somebody with white hair.
Mikuru smirked and decided to walk over. She sat down next to the man and looked out of the corner of her eye. She'll be damned, it was exactly who she thought it was. Kakashi.

"Are you following me?" she asked quietly, pulling one side of her headphones off. Kakashi chuckled and looked over to her.
"I just have good timing," he responded.
"So why are you sitting here?"
Kakashi shrugged in response, folding a page down in his book and putting it between them. "I've always liked this bench."
"Well, so have I," she said, snickering. "Get off."
"I've liked it longer. You get off."
"Touché, Hatake-sama."
"What brings you here, Mikuru-san?"
"I decided to take a walk," she replied simply. "I was thinking of visiting you, but I wasn't sure if it was too early or not." Mikuru looked to the sky, noticing some of the clouds had dissipated.
"I usually wake up around 5:30," he explained, "walk to this park and watch the sun rise. But I don't think I'll be seeing the sun rise today."
Mikuru pulled her phone out and looked at the clock. 6:07 AM. "No sir, I don't believe so."
"Do you have some time today, Mikuru-san?"
She nodded. "I always have time, if I'm not cleaning house or with friends or what have you."
"But what about school?"
"I graduated," she said simply.
Kakashi eyed her curiously. What did she mean by she graduated? Had she graduated college already? Was she older than he thought?
"You look so young to be a college graduate," he replied. Mikuru had no other way to respond than to go into a fit of laughter. "Mikuru-san, what's so...?"
She wiped her eyes of their tears and looked at him, grinning. "Silly Hatake-sama, I'm not in college!"
"I thought you were nineteen or--" She waved her finger at him.
"No sir, I'm sixteen."
Oh shit. That was Kakashi's first thought. Here he had picked his latest assistant by looks and she was only sixteen. Sure, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura had all be fourteen, but...
"But what about...?"
"High school?" Mikuru replied, finishing his question. "I graduated earlier this year. I was bored in my grade, and the grade above it. I wasn't challenged."
"I see..."
"Well gee," she said, smirking at her boss. "How old are you?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Ah ah ah, Mikuru-san. What did I say yesterday?"
Mikuru blinked wildly, responding with "remember the art of deflection?"
"No dear. 'You'll find out more the longer we're together'?"
"Oh yeah." Mikuru pouted. She wasn't entirely sure about working with someone that the only thing she knew was that his name was Hatake Kakashi and that he didn't feel up to talking about his likes and dislikes.
"We've gotten off topic, Mikuru-san."
"Sorry," she replied, getting up off the bench and bowing.
"Not a problem. Now then...you have time today...in a little bit, how about you come down with me to the police station?"
"What for, Hatake-sama?"
"We need to get your police I.D.," he responded. Mikuru stared at him inquisitively.
"You mean--"
Kakashi held his hand up, signaling her to stop speaking. "Yes, Mikuru-san. You are now an employee of the Nagoya police department. Sanaka Mikuru. 'Densetsu'."

Mikuru was stunned. In taking this job, she never would've expected to be employed by the Nagoya police. Kakashi maybe, but not the city.
"I-I could come now if you wish," she struggled to say. Kakashi shook his head.
"I've got a few things I need to do before I head there." Before she could respond, he had gotten up off his seat, saluting Mikuru. "The bench is your's."
"Hah!" Mikuru shouted, pointing her finger at him. "I know I could outlast you!"
Kakashi didn't respond --- atleast with words. He simply waved and walked away. Mikuru glanced down at the bench, noticing his book. "Hatake-sama, wait!" she shouted. "You forgot your book!" He didn't hear. Kakashi was focusing on the morning's news. Mikuru shrugged and picked it up, examining the cover. She was definitely curious what it was, but she didn't dare open it. It could be a test. But, she was atleast gonna see what it was about.
"This book is not to be read by persons under the age of eighteen," Mikuru read from the back cover. Quickly, she put it down with a sheepish laugh.
"Well, I'm not eighteen yet," she said softly running her fingers through her hair and slipping the book in her purse. "Wait, he doesn't have my address...I guess I'll just have to wait for him outside his apartment."