Author's Note: Experimenting with style/voice/POV, you'll see this is very different from previous offerings. Shameless erotic paperback adventure. Fluffy → Intense and back again. Do you remember your first middle- or high-school love-at-first-sight? That lasted for years? Yeah. :) Except contrary to the hell that is teen reality, we have a chance for a happy ending here, as Naruto-kun says all stories should.
Rated M because I just couldn't do what I wanted to with it in T. For angsty lemons and fanservice-y lemons and adult language, situations like coercion and group but I'm trying to avoid more explicit graphic terms. It got a lot darker at times than I had originally intended, but I think that's often the way of things in the shinobi's line of work...
Enjoy - matta, neh! *heart emoji*
The Concept
AU where Hanare grew up in the Leaf, now she finds herself "at work" with her longtime crush. Hanare just wants to curl up and go home, leave the flirting and infighting to the more field-experienced shinobi like Mizuki, Shizune, Anko, Kurenai, Guy and Genma. But somehow she keeps finding herself in strange situations with the Copy Ninja… Given the particulars of the mission, there's a high probability of "complications." Are they both getting more than they bargained for?
And so it begins...
"Hanare," the Third's voice was gravelly and kind, as usual. But it did nothing for my nerves.
"Yes, Lord Hokage?" I squeaked, feeling my cheeks flush at how high my voice came out. I heard Anko snicker and out of the corner of my eye saw her elbow Kurenai. Shizune was looking down at me from her place next to him… her arms crossed and one unimpressed eyebrow raised.
"You'll accompany Kakashi into the enemy's keep, disguised as merchants. It will be your job to locate the mercenary ringleader and obtain evidence of his ties to Grass. Use any nonviolent means necessary." The Third looked embarrassed and cleared his throat.
"From the results of previous missions I hear you are well qualified for this sort of assignment, Hanare, and I believe in you." The old man nodded decisively. I felt pride at his words but also shame, knowing he referenced all my past spy exploits and seduction missions. I nodded humbly and tried not to notice Shizune whispering to Kakashi. Something made me glance up at them, though, and I immediately regretted it. His exposed eye was trained on me, staring in a drowsy manner. He was leaning against the wall. He didn't acknowledge whatever Shizune said, just kept staring. I felt myself blushing harder and looked away.
"Kakashi, you will protect Hanare using any means necessary but preferably non-violent." The Third continued.
"Do you mean violent but non-lethal, or lethal but unnoticed?" Kakashi said, and all the ninja laughed. Except Sarutobi.
"Don't be a smart ass!" The Third snapped and everyone quieted. He took a big puff of his pipe. "You overachievers think every mission is a joke these days. I'm warning you. This one could get complicated."
"Nothing a little youth can't handle!" Guy said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together briskly. "You can count on us, Lord Third, or my name isn't-"
"Shut it, Guy!" Anko yawned. "We got it, Sandaime, we're good as gone. C'mon everybody, I need a hit of dango before we hit the road." Anko sashayed over to Guy and dragged him out of the Mission Room by the ear, the big green-jumpsuit-clad shinobi crying in pain. I started to follow.
Looking up, I saw the other chunin on the mission - Mizuki - was holding the door for me. He smiled warmly as I approached. "Jonin are a bit… high-strung," he said softly as I passed him and we went into the hallway together. I couldn't help but grin a little. "I won't tell anyone you're nervous," he said confidentially, with a little wink. I didn't know what to say. Mizuki was very handsome, in a unique and studious way. His white hair hung straight to his shoulders and he had very pretty gray eyes.
"Won't Tsubaki miss you while you're gone?" I said, curious about his fiancee. Mizuki shrugged.
"We're on a break," he said. He leaned down toward me as we walked. "I keep trying to set a wedding date, and she keeps stalling. I'm beginning to think-"
"Mizuki," a certain voice said from behind us and I jumped, halting for no reason at all except I suddenly felt breathless.
"Yes, Kakashi?" Mizuki said, turning slowly back to face the jonin walking up behind us.
"We forgot the mission scrolls in the office. Go back and get them." Kakashi's words weren't a request. I could see Mizuki's frustration and hesitation at being addressed in that manner, but he just nodded tightly and headed back down the hall toward the Mission Room.
I started walking again, only to notice that I was now walking next to Kakashi.
Kakashi Hatake. Kakashi of the Sharingan. Copy Ninja Kakashi. The person I'd had a silent obsession with ever since second grade, when I'd been orphaned after Stone wiped out Lock. He'd found me in the valley and had brought me to Konoha. We were just kids then, and I was mostly relieved just to have a new home. But as the years went on…
"Something on your mind," Kakashi said suddenly, and I panicked. He had his hands in his pockets and looked straight ahead. But why did it seem like he was so close to me? I could smell the fabric softener on his shirt, and a hint of the cologne everyone joked about. His sleeve brushed against my bare upper arm and for the millisecond we were connected I felt lightning feathering down my back.
"Um," I said. We'd reached the stairs and started to go down. "J-just a little anxious… about the mission, I guess…" I said, needing to say something - anything - so he wouldn't think I was rude and just didn't want to talk to him.
"What's there to be anxious about," Kakashi said in a bored voice. "You've done this kind of thing a million times before, right?"
I felt myself turning red. And there was a pang in my chest. I heard old taunts from my classmates come back to me: "slutty spy"... "kunoichi like her are basically whores for intel!"... "who would ever want to date someone who's slept with all Konoha's enemies?"... "Hooker Hana!"... "Hana the Hoe!"... "Horny Hana!"... "Hey-"
"Hey," Kakashi said. His arm was extended across my path, blocking me. I blinked, disoriented. "Watch that last step. Looks like someone tore a chunk out of it recently." I glanced down. The step was, indeed, ruined. I probably would've twisted my ankle on it, at least.
"Oh! Thank you," I said. I grabbed the rail and hopped down over the step. Kakashi, much taller than me, barely extended a leg to navigate the extra distance. Now on the sidewalk, we continued following Anko and Guy - who were quite a ways ahead - to the dango shop.
The sight of the Green Beast being pulled along like a child by the overtly sensual Anko made me chuckle. "Anko's always in a hurry where dango are concerned," I smiled, hoping it was a safe thing to say.
"I can't relate," Kakashi sighed. I frowned and looked up at his mysterious profile, wondering what he meant. "I hate sweets," Kakashi said after a moment.
"Maybe you just haven't tried the right one yet," I said without thinking.
He turned his head toward me and I could suddenly see his dark right eye and not just the folded fabric of his forehead protector.
"Maybe not," he said.