Articulate

Yugao

Summary: They always knew the best word to describe every situation.

Author's Note: Thanks go to Darryl who provided the words (again) and the couple (again). I'd had fun with this, especially because KakaShizu crack is so full of awesome it's funny, and you can't imagine how many plotbunnies were racing around in my head asking to be paid attention to. But I promised no new fics besides this one for the time being, so I have to go back to working on Muse and later on, Spin and Crossing Stars. Expect to see Tsunade make an appearance in some of these things, haha.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Aptly (n.) – appropriately; rightfully

Tsunade felt a surge of both pride and irritation at finding out that they were seeing each other; all of a sudden, she felt like such a mom.

Castrate (v.) – to make reproduction impossible by cutting off the testes

Kakashi made a mental note to keep on the good side of kunoichi who were skilled at handling incredibly sharp pointed objects, fearing the consequences if he dared to do otherwise.

Ambiguous (adj.) – having more than one possible meaning or interpretation

When he asked, "My place or yours?" she almost blushed, but then she realized he was just asking about the mission's rendezvous point.

Façade (n.) – deceptive outward appearance

And to think that, when he had first met her, he had thought she was an innocent, harmless girl…

Infringement (n.) – encroachment on someone else's property or rights

Kakashi decided it was time to break a heart: Genma was spending way too much time with her and the man was starting to have hopes.

Subtle (adj.) – slight, understated; not obvious

As she looked on at the entire Icha Icha collection he had left in plain sight on her desk, she wondered if he was trying to tell her something.

Sly (adj.) – full of playful mischief

She could still only hardly believe she fell for his "I know where Tsunade-sama is" ploy the first time, but the second time he pulled it on her, she followed him just for the fun of it.

Cognizant (adj.) – aware; knowing about something

Tsunade couldn't get over how two of the most intelligent ninja in Konoha could not notice what was so obviously between them (even though everyone else did).

Maelstrom (n.) – a situation marked by confusion, turbulence, strong feelings, violence, or destruction

She knew there was something wrong with her when, over her hoping that the Akatsuki were caught, she found herself praying to no end that he came back all right.

Tenacious (adj.) – determined or stubborn

"Of course he's coming back. He has to. I don't know how I would… I mean, how we would manage without him. He's coming. I'm sure of it."

Empathic (adj.) – able to identify with another person's feelings

"Of course I'm going back. I have to. How will she… I mean, they cope without me? I can't lose this fight. I'm going back. I have to."

Heraldic (adj.) – relating to signs of what will happen

Tsunade had been telling her how Kakashi was a good candidate for Sixth Hokage, and Shizune couldn't help but wonder if he'd keep her around if that happened.

Vignette (n.) – a brief scene from a book, play, or film

When he said she reminded him of the heroine of one of his favorite books, it took a bit of a while for her to remember his choice of reading material.

Beguile (v.) – to win and hold somebody's attention or interest

For some reason, she was the only one capable of making him look up from his copy of Icha Icha Tactics.

Agitated (adj.) – anxious, unsettled, stressed

"No, Kakashi, I'm not going to stop telling you to take off your mask, because we have to look at and clean that wound of yours."

Vivid (adj.) – strikingly clear, distinct, or true to life as pictured by the mind or the eye

Two weeks after she first convinced him to take off his mask for her, his face was still fresh on her mind.

Epitome (n.) – a typical example

They were the perfect case of "opposites attract": the stoic and the earnest, the carefree and the cautious: but deep down they were both just romantics at heart.

Perplex (v.) – to puzzle or confuse someone

She got the feeling that the mask wasn't meant to hide anything and that it was simply there to keep people guessing.

Flamboyant (adj.) – showy in a self-satisfied way

They were both extremely practical people, so when they started being conscious of what they looked like (even at work), people began to suspect something.

Conspicuous (adj.) – attracts attention

Tsunade thought that their passing notes in the middle of a mission briefing, though very cute, was so grade school, try as they might to keep it subtle.

Complacent (adj.) – self-satisfied and unaware of possible dangers

As far as she was concerned, infatuation was weakness, and she prided herself on never having fallen in love – too proud, in fact, that she didn't even notice when he came along and screwed all that up for her.

Infallible (adj.) – incapable of failure or imprecision

As always, at exactly thirty-two minutes and forty-six seconds past their designated meeting time, he appeared out of nowhere claiming that he "got lost on the road of life."

Extricate (v.) – to remove oneself, with difficulty, from complicated situations

Smooth talker though he was, Kakashi couldn't talk his way out of doing mission reports (in triplicate) with Shizune – and what he thought strange was the fact that he didn't mind at all.

Indomitable (adj.) – impossible to defeat or frighten

Perhaps what was so interesting about her was the fact that, when he approached her, instead of taking a step back, she took a step forward.

Premonition (n.) – a strong, irrational feeling that something is going to happen

When Tsunade found herself in a huge winning streak that got her millions of ryou, she suspected that she was soon going to have to pay back Lady Luck by losing Shizune to that copy ninja.

Brimming (v.) – overflowing

He'd rather she didn't cry, no matter how beautiful her dark eyes were when they welled up with tears.

Genial (adj.) – kind or good-natured in disposition and manner

Kakashi decided that her extreme patience with him wasn't something she learned from Tsunade; rather it must've been something she learned because of her, and he was somewhat thankful for that.

Solace (n.) – comfort at a time of sadness, grief, or disappointment

Whether it was something he said or not, she suddenly remembered what had happened to her family, and as she cried he felt obligated to be there for her.

Impetus (n.) – the energy or motivation to accomplish or undertake something

They said that when you were close to dying, you saw your life flash before your eyes – but somehow, all he could see in his mind's eye was her face, and all he could hear was her voice cheering him on.

Festooned (v.) – adorned or decorated, as with a garland

Kakashi had insisted on going without treatment for a poison she had suspected he was under the effects of, but he didn't count on the flowers she'd given him actually being the treatment – at the time he thought she was just being sweet.

Anguish (n.) – anxiety or emotional torment

When he lay in his hospital bed for days on end with no signs of improvement, she felt as if a dark hand had reached deep into her, clutching and tugging, none too gently, at her heart.

Cataclysmic (adj.) – disastrous

When Uchiha Sasuke reappeared at Konoha's doorstep, waging war against it with his Chidori and his Sharingan, Shizune knew that this was hardest on Kakashi, who must've felt like he created a monster.

Hideous (adj.) – ugly, extremely aesthetically displeasing

She hated the huge scar that the enemy had put across his chest; it seemed like a message that said he wasn't perfect, he wasn't invincible: and she just didn't want to believe that.

Vagrant (n.) – homeless wanderer

He wasn't going to pretend he was a stranger to matters of the heart (because he certainly wasn't), but it was only with her that he felt like he could just be Hatake Kakashi and get away with it.

Erratic (adj.) – inconsistent, unpredictable

He was just so full of surprises, and her job was merely to keep up with all of them; somehow, she managed.

Imperturbable (adj.) – not easily worried, distressed, or agitated

In contrast to her, he wasn't the type to worry much; whenever she was sent on a mission and she ended up a day or so late, he trusted enough in her capabilities to know she could look out for herself.

Melancholy (n.) – a thoughtful or pensive sadness

When she was offered a long-term mission to the Village Hidden in the Cloud, she wondered what would be more painful: the fights themselves, or being so far away from the people she cared about.

Meteoric (adj.) – very fast or brilliant

"The problem with shooting stars," she told him out of the blue one night, "Is that they fade too quickly after they start falling" – and he knew that she wasn't talking so much about stars as she was about the people she had loved.

Meticulous (adj.) – precise and painstaking

He never understood her obsession to have everything in order (from office files to Tonton's ribbons), but the obsessive-compulsiveness, ironically, kept her sane, and that was enough for him.

Intricate (adj.) – complex and difficult to understand or resolve

Shizune loved puzzles, that was true, but he was just one of those that, no matter how hard she tried, she never understood – but the challenge was perhaps what brought her closer.

Sinister (adj.) – threatening or suggesting malevolence, menace, or harm

Ever the mother figure, Tsunade swore that if he ever, ever, ever hurt Shizune, he would regret it for the rest of his life, and he knew that she wasn't kidding.

Satirical (adj.) – using wit to criticize faults

"Late at everything, huh, rival?" Gai asked with a raucous laugh when Kakashi mentioned to him that he might be feeling a bit more than comradeship for the Hokage's apprentice.

Serene (adj.) – calm and untroubled

Kakashi got out of quite a number of menial chores the Hokage wanted him to do simply by lying down and pretending he was asleep, so that he looked too peaceful to be disturbed when Shizune came along.

Lackadaisical (adj.) – without much enthusiasm, energy, or effort

It really didn't take much for him to get her to drop everything and talk to him in the middle of the day, much to the Hokage's annoyance that he was taking up all of her apprentice's time.

Fluctuate (v.) – to unpredictably change in level from one thing to another

Every time she checked up on him at the hospital, he was suddenly flushed and running a fever, though the nurses claimed he was fine any time else – leading to their decision to keep her out of his room until he had fully recuperated.

Flabbergasted (adj.) – completely amazed by someone or something

She had heard he was legendary when it came to teaching his Genin cells, but she had scarcely believed it until she dropped by to pick up Sakura one day and saw how easily, how naturally, it seemed to come to him.

Dumbfounded (adj.) – speechless with astonishment or surprise

Naruto found them together at Ichiraku Ramen and demanded to know what was going on between them, and they could only offer him a bowl (or four) of extra-large miso ramen to keep him quiet.

Gregariously (adv.) – in a friendly or sociable manner

He wasn't sure exactly what caused the usually withdrawn woman to come up and talk to him, but whatever it was couldn't be all that bad.

Pensive (adj.) – deeply thoughtful in a sad or serious way

He often caught her staring out the window onto Konoha as if wishing for something out of reach, and it was during these stolen moments in time that he found her most interesting.

Bewitching (adj.) – fascinating, charming, or very desirable

For a long time Kakashi had thought himself immune to infatuation, and was sure that, when he started staring too long at Shizune, it was simply a jutsu someone was trying out at his expense.

Author's Note: THANK YOU TO DARRYL. I cannot say this enough. Now please review, haha.