Prologue

I'm not sure when I started to look at her differently, but I knew when she threw a smile my way, I was in big trouble. I really did try with all my might to stay away from her, and most of the time it worked. Sometimes I wouldn't see her for days or weeks on end, and I would forget about this silly old man's crush, but all it took to come back full force, was just a glimpse of her.

I sometimes entertained thoughts of a future. Those thoughts were dangerous and in the back reaches of my mind, under lock and key, but at times on solo missions, they would escape and poison my mind. The worst of these thoughts were marriage and children. I would think of silver haired, green eyed children and holding her close at night in our marriage bed.

I knew as soon as I returned to the village after these thoughts that I would need to leave again, before I saw her or act on my impure feelings. Again and again, I would sign up for missions, never staying in the village for more than a day or two. It was this last mission that finally did me in.

I had asked Tsunade for another solo mission, but she was worried for my mental health. It wasn't like she couldn't skirt away from making me take a break, it is always a shinobi's choice whether to accept or not. So, she made me make a choice, take a partner mission or wait until the next solo.

At this time, I really wasn't thinking straight with all of the thoughts of her running through my mind, otherwise I really would have asked who my partner was. I readily agreed and signed my sanity away. Tsunade then ordered me to leave, throwing a small scroll at me and telling me not to be late at the front gate tomorrow morning.

As I lay in bed that night reading my mission objective, I knew I was in for a big headache in the morning. My goal was to act like a married couple and infiltrate a newly developed syndicate. I was to destroy the compound and kill the leader, plus all higher ups. The reason for the marriage was because they were only taking married men, hoping that this would stop their men from being swayed by a pretty face, when on a mission. My partner and I would have to fake intimacy and the knowledge of knowing one another. Yes, I was in the range for a big ass headache.

When I arose the next morning, I knew I was in for a shitty day. I was knocked over by Naruto on his way to the ramen stand and later on as I finished my daily prayers at the memorial stone, the sky darkened considerably. As, I made my way to the front gate, my usual one and a half hours late, my world stopped. Standing there was the figure of my dreams and thoughts. She turned to regard me closely and spoke those damning words.

"Kaka-sensei , are you ready to leave for our mission?"

My world effectively shattered at that moment.