Hello! Thanks so much for checking out the story! Feel free to comment and of course, I don't own Naruto, only my character Matsumi!

Chapter 1: The Arrangement

Kakashi sighed heavily and rubbed his head. He knew one thing for sure: his new team was full of complete idiots. He still smiled though, stretching the fabric of the mask that obscured half his face. He had successfully completed the first meeting with his new students, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and of course, Uzumaki Naruto.

Each one of them had the potential to be a great ninja, but it was probably Sakura who intrigued him the most, due to her untapped and unrecognized potential and as shadowed as she was by her current teammates. In his musing, it did not escape him now much these three reminded him of his old team, especially Naruto who looked so much like his father, the Lord Fourth Hokage, Kakashi's own mentor.

Chuckling to himself, he almost didn't notice the shadow lingering just outside of the doorway to the classroom where their first meeting had just concluded. Almost.

"Are you going to come in, or are you competing with me for the title of creepiest Shinobi in the Leaf Village?" He asked playfully.

"Well, I suppose I could take that title from you, but why spoil the fun?" The figure replied as she walked into the classroom and came to stand beside him.

"Wow," she remarked, "I haven't been in this room since we were all Genin. Crazy how some things never change." She looked around appreciatively, most likely swarmed by old, nostalgic memories.

Kakashi, however, was looking appreciatively at something other than the classroom. Kurama Masumi walked up the stairs that separated the seats as they rose to form a small theatre. As she ascended the steps, Kakashi was able to admire not only her fine figure, but also the fact that the tight field pants she usually wore were replaced by a short black skirt. He continued to watch her until she sat down on one of the table tops and crossed her legs, swinging the top foot and smiling at him.

She did have a lovely smile and couldn't help returning it though he knew she couldn't see it behind the mask. She moved to flip back her long black hair which was as usual, plated into a thick braid. She leaned forward, uncrossed her long legs and propped up her face with her hands, elbows on her knees.

Kakashi, always ready to deny perversion in public almost didn't notice what was causing her to look at him that way. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Still smiling, he crossed to the left and deftly locked the classroom door, then crossed to his right and pulled the curtains closed against the fading afternoon sun. Finally, his preparations complete, he traced Masumi's footsteps up to the third row where she was now perched.

"I must say, it was one thing for you to meet me after my rendezvous, Sumi-chan, but quite another to bring such a tempting surprise with you." She grinned wickedly at the use of his nickname for her.

"Well, I figured any man who has had as stressful a day as you deserves a surprise now and then."

"That's true," Kakashi said in his lazy way as his left hand settled comfortably on her hip, the right resting on one of her thighs, "But I must imagine that the walk over here was cold, considering your lack of usual clothing." He slid his hand further up her leg, enough to not only make her shiver, but to also tease the soft and naked area which she had so thoughtfully prepared for him.

Sumi, no stranger to Kakashi's teasing, wasn't wasting any time herself. She leaned into his advances, green eyes meeting his usual crinkled-smile. Her left hand cupped his cheek, the right rested lightly on his heavily muscled chest. With another wicked grin, she tugged his mask down around his throat and placed a hearty kiss on his lips.

At this signal, Kakashi crushed Sumi to his chest, while at the same time, pushed her flat on the table. He deepened the kiss, his hands roaming over her entire body. Sumi shared his fervor, right hand lowered fully to the pulsing area between his legs. Kakashi groaned and used both hands to hike up her skirt around her waist, effectively exposing everything below her navel to the cold air of the classroom.

Sumi made a squealing sound against his lips both to address the rough movement and the change in temperature, but Kakashi made no move to pull away. Instead, he charged on, hands playing her like a well-tuned piano. His dexterous fingers, so heavily calloused from his work as a ninja, were soft and teasing when employed in this opposite venture.

After several minutes, Sumi's breathing changed against the onslaught of his lips, her voice escaping in heady gasps and small moaning sounds. As such, it was having a similar effect on Kakashi himself, his hands becoming suddenly clumsy, his head unfocused. Finally, he couldn't take it a second longer. He withdrew from her entirely, but grasped her firmly at the hips. She looked at him in question, but grasped his intent soon enough. She allowed him to guide her to a standing position, and then rotated to present her round and firm backside as she leaned over the same table that they had been defacing seconds earlier.

Kakashi took a moment to both steady himself, and to admire her from that position. He always found that no matter how many missions she accomplished, it remained a little plumper than the average kunoichi's. Consequently, this was the perfect amount for him to grab with both hands. He did so now, but not before extracting himself from his pants and positioning himself behind her, plunging himself into her slick opening.

He went slowly at first, allowing her to become accustomed to him again as it had been about two weeks since their last…engagement. Then, almost unable to take it himself, he sped up. He thrust into her and she leaned back into his presence. Each moved to a rhythm that was at once familiar, but also always thrilling for both of them.

Each thrust was masterful, each Shinobi bring brought closer and closer to the edge. Finally, Kakashi felt Sumi tremble under him, a sudden pressure around himself, and she let out a low moan of pleasure when Kakashi himself followed her, groaning loud and low, leaning on her back, pressing her into the table top with his weight and frame.

Each rode out their own climax together, breathing hard. Kakashi adjusted his body so as not to crush her before standing up. Sumi stood up as well, and leaned back into him, taking a moment to feel the warmth of their bodies together.

"Well, it's good to see you too." She said, her voice grinning enough that even if he couldn't see her face, he knew it matched his own expression.

"Yeah, maybe you should have a long mission more often. That way I can get you to meet me naked next time." As he said this he risked sneaking one hand around her front and playfully grabbing one of her sizable breasts.

Laughing, she swatted his hand away and pushed off of him in order to right herself.

"I don't think you will get that, Kakashi-kun. But I might have some more ideas for the near future." She rose up on tiptoes to kiss his still un-masked face before he raised the cloth once more to cover his bold features.

"Oh, more ideas you say? I think I have to get those out of you."

Kakashi and Masumi walked side-by-side through the village, each just enjoying the other's presence. To the untrained eye, they looked like professional acquaintances, walking in the general direction of home. Neither one was touching the other or walking particularly close together.

As they walked they passed a popular tea shop, which by their own rotten luck happened to be catering to several people that the two wished not to run into at that particular moment: Guy Might, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yuhi Kurenai.

"Kakashi! Kakashi! My rival! I insist that you must join us!" Guy hollered in his good-natured way, then through his squinted look he added, "Is that Sumi-kun with you? Suuuumiii-kuuun! I beg that you must join us too!" All of this was stated with the volume that would have been more appropriate if the pair had been a hundred feet away, instead of the ten feet which was the case.

As it was, Masumi and Kakashi were both highly embarrassed, and in need of an ear-doctor. Masumi glanced helplessly at Kakashi who shrugged and they both crossed over the join their comrades at the table.

Kakashi took the place between Asuma and Guy while Masumi scooted as close to Kurenai as she could. Guy sat on her other side and chose to scoot closer to Masumi. Kakashi frowned minimally at the seating arrangement before relaxing his face into his usual bored expression. He knew that Masumi had been with their group at the academy and when it had come time to assign the three-team squads, she had been placed on a team with Guy and another fellow, Yamashiro Aoba. He also knew that Guy had feelings for Masumi which could be traced to their days as Genin.

Kurenai thankfully, knew the situation and also knew that Masumi, while she enjoyed Guy's friendship and their trust as teammates, did not and never would return those feelings. As such, Kurenai was doing her best to engage Masumi in a fierce conversation regarding her new team of Genin. Guy, who had his current team from the last year, could not capture Masumi's attention when compared to Kurenai's news.

Masumi who was very interested in earnest in Kurenai's assigned team was participating evenly in the conversation. She laughed at something Kurenai said and then caught Kakashi's eye with her leaf-green ones and sent him a slight smile.

"Kakashi, Kakashi!" Asuma was saying as he lightly shook Kakashi's shoulder. "What are you doing man, wool-gathering? I asked you how your new team was."

Kakashi, shaken out of his reminiscing of the past hour by means of a detailed play-by-play of what occurred in the classroom, had failed to hear Asuma's question the first time. He shook his head lightly and replied evenly, "I think they are all idiots."

Asuma, being Asuma, blinked and laughed out loud. Kakashi then proceeded to re-tell the events of the first meeting of his new team, including how Naruto in all of his prankster wisdom had set a "booby-trap" for him in the form of a chalk-filled eraser. Asuma, always the good sport, laughed at all the right parts and then exchanged his own story of his new team, including the unmotivated antics of Nara Shikamaru.

The conversation went on for several more minutes, but was interrupted with the appearance of Pakun near Kakashi's feet.

"Kakashi" The little dog said in his raspy voice, "The Hokage wants to see you immediately.

"Oh, did he say why?"

"No, he only said, don't be late." Then Pakun disappeared with a poof.

Kakashi signed heavily, and then turned to make his excuses to the party. They all politely waved him away, Asuma even agreeing to pick up his tab with a shrug and a "You owe me one", before making his way to his meeting with the Hokage.

As he walked away from the chatting party, he felt a slight pang of, something, as he glanced back and saw that Guy had managed to capture Masumi in a polite conversation. Turning to face his destination, it didn't quite occur to him that perhaps what he felt was jealousy.

Masumi finally arrived back at her apartment about two hours after Kakashi left to meet with the Hokage. She closed her front door and leaned against the inside of it with relief. She had returned from a long mission earlier in the day, and had only paused long enough to quickly shower, change into her current outfit, and meet Kakashi for the surprise.

Now that she had a chance to look around, she was a bit dismayed to see that the apartment was in need of some serious clean-up. She blew her dark hair out of her face and decided that since Kakashi was otherwise employed, she might as well get her house in working order.

She started on some of the neglected chores and found that she actually was a bit frustrated. She understood what kind of relationship that she and Kakashi had. It had been going on for about four years this way. Never anything that others could see, never anything that others could suspect was deeper than the outward appearance of acquaintances with the same friends. But inside, Sumi was beginning to understand that she might want more. It was a pity that she didn't think Kakashi felt the same.

For a long time, the arrangement actually suited both of them just fine, but it was getting harder and harder to keep it that way. Masumi understood the rough life of a Shinobi. She understood that it was a profession that ended up with many dead, and others injured. Sometimes those injuries were physical and they healed, but sometimes they were psychological and would not be so easily mended.

Like the others at dinner, Masumi was aware of Kakashi's past. She knew him as a student at the academy; she had known him as a Genin. Like most girls, she had always found his aura mysterious and himself handsome. But unlike most girls, she had found him to be a brat as a kid. To tell the truth, his constant sense of superiority was annoying and unattractive. It wasn't until after Kakashi had lost so much, including the chip on his shoulder that he had started to catch her eye.

In fact, Kakashi hadn't seemed to like her much either growing up, either. Perhaps that had been the reason. That being Rin. Nohara Rin had been Masumi's best friend and cousin. Their mothers were sisters, Sumi's mother had married into the Kurama clan, while Rin's had married a man named Nohara. Born into the same year, they had done everything together, even liking most of the same things, with the exception of their feelings for Kakashi.

On their first day at the academy, Rin had seen Kakashi and had fallen. And Sumi saw the fall, honestly she didn't understand why Kakashi never had until it was too late. From then on it was Kakashi this and Kakashi that. Sumi had actually taken to hating him, through no real fault or interaction on Kakashi's part.

Then came the day that their teams had been chosen. Sumi had been paired with Guy and Aoba. Personally, she enjoyed the company of their team. They worked well together as the other two specialized in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu while Sumi's specialty was Genjutsu paired with Taijutsu. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses, even though one of the weaknesses was Guy's advances towards her.

Sumi paused in her cleaning of the kitchen sink to roll her eyes at the memory. The last time Guy had seriously tried had been during the Chunin Exams. She remembered that she had to punch him in the face to get him to take the tasks seriously, and to make it clear she wasn't interested. She grimaced at the thought as it was not one of her proudest moments.

Rin on the other hand, had been selected to join Kakashi and their third teammate, Uchiha Obito. On the day of their team assignments, Rin had been the happiest that Sumi had ever seen her. Her brown eyes had sparkled and she wouldn't stop talking about it for a month. Surprisingly, even though Obito was an Uchiha that never got in the way of Rin and Sumi liking him, despite the history between their different clans. It wasn't something that Sumi liked to think about and had not told anyone about it.

Sumi could understand her cousin's excitement, but she could also not help but be irritated. It seemed to Sumi at the time that Kakashi had taken over Rin's world and at least to Sumi, that point in their lives needed to be taken up by training. Their lives literally depended on it.

The Third Great Ninja War was being waged and because of it, many aspects of their training as Genin were accelerated. Then came the fateful day that Obito was killed. A shiver ran through Sumi's spine at the thought. Rin had been inconsolable, despite the tension between the Uchiha and the Kurama clans; she had grown close to him. She had known deep down that Obito felt similar feelings for Rin that Rin had felt for Kakashi. Indeed, Sumi remembered that Obito would often accompany the two of them home after practice or training. Rin, to her credit, was always nice to Obito but she simply did not return his feelings. The guilt that Rin felt after his death tore her apart. And it tore Sumi apart to watch her friend in such pain.

If only Sumi had known what true pain was at that point, she may have been better prepared for what was to come. But, she had no way to prepare for it, and it had crushed her. When Rin was brought home after being captured by Hidden Rain, a great bloody whole through her middle, Sumi had felt that her insides had been torn out as well.

She had cried for days. It was the only time she had allowed Guy to hold her, completely overcome with grief that she was unable to say no. When Sumi had found out Rin's cause of death, and the one who had perpetuated it, it had taken everything she had not to kill Hatake Kakashi on the spot.

For two years after Rin's death, she did not talk or look at Kakashi. However, all that changed when she had no choice but to face him. She had been called in front of Lord Fourth at his request. She had been very nervous, but became relaxed when she saw his face. He had such a warm and welcoming presence; she wondered why she had even been worried in the first place.

He had explained her mission, if she would accept it. She was to guard his wife, the current Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails. The Fourth had explained that the seal of the Nine Tails grew to be its weakest when a female Jinchuuriki was about to give birth. As such, she would be rotating this shift with an ANBU agent. At the time, she had been very puzzled as to why she had been selected for the mission.

"Lord Fourth, I am truly honored by this request; I only wonder your reasoning for selecting me. Surly there are other, more experienced, and more talented Shinobi up for the task."

He had smiled and explained that though the Leaf Village surely did hold Shinobi like she had described, there was no one else more appropriate for the task. He explained that Sumi's talent with Genjutsu, especially the blood-line limit of the Kurama clan, would be especially helpful in this case, as was the fact that she was a female and that the Lady Kushina would appreciate it if her guards were not all gruff men.

She had laughed at his explanation and accepted the position. Little did she know that the person she would be sharing the mission with would be none other than Kakashi. After accepting the mission, Lord Fourth requested that her partner be included in the rest of the instructions.

Her partner had entered the Hokage's room wearing his ANBU mask and other equipment. At the time, Sumi had not recognized him, in fact only the silver shock of hair had been vaguely familiar. Then he unmasked himself (well, at least the ANBU mask) and it was all Sumi could do to hide the look of revulsion on her face. In fact, if she had not already agreed to the mission, she would have slapped his face right at that moment. The Lord Fourth must have noticed the tension for they were soon dismissed, with the request that their new mission begin in the morning.

Sumi paused in her labors to survey her current progress. She had spent the last two hours cleaning and dusting her apartment. She had gone through the old food in the refrigerator and made a grocery list for food she would buy the next day. She had completed three loads of laundry, and had finished repairing and sharpening her mission gear and weapons. Considering her work done for the moment, she headed to the bathroom, got ready for bed and grabbed a new book. As she settled in to read, she only made it through the first chapter before her eyes began to droop. Yawning heavily, she placed her book on her bead-side table, turned off the light and promptly went to sleep. In the last few seconds before sleep overtook her, she found herself wishing for Kakashi's presence beside her.