Mizuki waited nervously for the arrival of the author Jiraiya. She had been appointed as the handler for the perverted book writer, and she wondered why Karin had chosen her for a job that made her the envy of the bookstore. Leaning over the barrier to glance down the street to search for him, it was then that it struck her she had no idea what the man looked like. Sighing noisily with agitation, she glanced around her at the excited faces of the fans surrounding her. Why hadn't Karin told him to come to the store by a different route? He should already be here. Perhaps the man had gotten cornered by some crazed fan like Kakashi was being held prisoner to write a book just for them. Pressing her hands to her lips, she gasped in horror at the thought despite how ridiculous and outlandish it was. Turning around to elbow her way through the milling crowd, she was shoved out of the throng of people right into the arms of a tall man with incredibly strong arms. She was thankful that he had caught her and kept her from falling, but her gratitude wavered when she looked down to see one of his hands had plastered itself to her breast in mid-fall.

"Uhm, excuse me...sir?" She looked up into the face of her savior who appeared to be in his forties with odd red marks below his eyes that streaked down his angular cheeks. He was quite handsome, especially when he smiled down at her.

"Are you all right?" he inquired, his voice deep as it rumbled from his broad chest.

"I'm fine. Thank you," she said, feeling a blush tint her cheeks as he righted her on her high heel clad feet. She was also thankful his hand had been removed from her breast. "Well, I don't mean to be rude, but I must be going. I'm looking for someone and my boss is going to kill me if I don't find him."

"Are you Mizuki?" he asked, his dark brown almost black eyes roaming over her from head to toe and back again. The grin on his face turned downright lascivious as his eyes moved to her breasts and hovered.

"Yes, I am," she answered, folding her arms across her breasts as if to hide them from his eyes that had lingered there a little too long.

"Hello, my dear," he greeted her warmly and with a little too much familiarity for her taste. His eyes met hers as he extended his big hand that had been previously groping her boob. "I'm Jiraiya."

Damn! That is the infamous sex book author, huh? It was her turn to look him over carefully while she inserted her small hand into his large paw. She studied him from his untamed white spiky hair that was long and flowed down his back to be held in a loose ponytail to his wooden Geta sandals. A bit flamboyant and possibly just plain weird considering the red tattoos on his face but other than they he was quite attractive.

Jiraiya enjoyed being given an open and appreciative stare by the pretty woman standing in front of him. He brought her delicate hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the baby soft skin on the back of it. His eyes never left hers as he lowered her hand but kept it held loosely in his.

"Mizuki!" the resident book shrew howled. "Where the hell - OH!"

Karin skidded to a halt in the alley when she saw the star of the day ogling her employee like a starving dog eyes a bone. Putting her hands on her hips, the greasy little gears in her brain began turning. She had chosen Mizuki for a reason although she did not think the woman deserved such an honor. Seeing the lean hungry looks the two were giving each other, she was thinking her calculated risk was going to pay off in spades. That bitch's cute little blond boyfriend's ass would surely be hers now.

"Mizuki!" she hollered again, pushing her glasses up her nose with her middle finger. The insulting hand gesture was strictly intentional but went unnoticed by the woman who reluctantly looked in her direction.

"Yessss," Mizuki hissed, purposely allowing the s to hang in the air like a snake's hiss. She so hated her boss.

"It's time to begin. Bring him on inside. It's your responsibility to tend to his every need and give him everything he wants," she reminded her employee, holding open the back door of the bookstore as a signal for them to come inside.

"Anything I want or need?" he queried, raising a white eyebrow.

"Within certain boundaries, sir. I know you're known as the Pervy Sage, but please behave yourself," she admonished him pleasantly while taking his arm to usher him inside.

Jiraiya did not think he had been chastised so flirtatiously or sweetly in his entire life. He patted the hand that lay on his forearm. He was really going to enjoy his visit to Konoha this time. How could he have allowed so much time to pass between visits? Perhaps he had found the inspiration for his next book wrapped up in a pretty little bundle standing right next to him. Obediently sitting down in the chair she indicated at the table piled high with books, he was pleased when she sat down next to him.

The two nervous employees at the door held their breath as they turned the keys to release the deadbolts. They hopped out of the way to avoid the tidal wave of people who flowed through the door. Order was quickly brought about with a few harsh barks from the Dragon Lady. She issued a warning that any fan that dared to get out of hand would be immediately escorted from the store and not allowed reentry.

Mizuki studied the widely varied crowd. There were men and women of all ages. She was shocked to see a few people who appeared to be well below the age of eighteen. They should not even know about any of the acts written about in his books. The one expected fan who was the first one to the table was a familiar silver haired man who she could tell was smiling despite the mask he wore that covered his mouth.

"Hi, sweetheart," he greeted her in his usual familiar way. "How's Naruto? You two are still together aren't you?"

Mizuki wanted to punch Kakashi right in his masked face. Instead she smiled sweetly at him while handing Jiraiya a book to sign for the man.

"So Kakashi, what have you been up to?" the author inquired good-naturedly since he actually knew the man quite well. He did not know why Kakashi still showed up to these things since they were friends and they could visit on a personal level later.

"See ya for a drink later?" He opened the book and began reading before walking away from the table.

"Yeah. I'll be there," Jiraiya responded, taking the next book from his assistant for the day.

"Bring our sweet Mizuki. She's always up for a good distraction and a drink," Kakashi said, winking at her with his one good eye.

Mizuki smiled at Jiraiya who slid her a gaze that told her he would like to find out just what kind of distractions she liked. Sighing heavily, she now understood the sinister intentions behind her boss choosing her to babysit the alluring man at her side. Temptation was a horrible thing and it had found its way into her life once again.

Naruto carefully watched the man sitting beside his girlfriend. Each time the man's hand moved below the surface of the table, he tensed up and was ready to pounce. His muscles would slowly release from fight mode when the man's hand would be placed back on the table by Mizuki. It was humorous how she would pat his hand as if he were a small child behaving badly.

So far the crowd had been pretty docile. There had been the occasional horny housewife who would be overcome with emotion upon seeing the man who wrote the books which had assisted her with getting in touch with herself in a whole new way. One woman threw herself across the table into his arms and began kissing him all over his face. Another woman had brought a pair of her panties with her for him to sign. The most shocking moment of the day up to the present time came when a male fan requested Jiraiya sign his manhood. He was promptly taken to the door by Karin herself. Having see the man's attributes, she was sure to get his phone number before shoving him out of the door.

Mizuki sighed, resisting the compulsion to scratch her eyes out. She was about topped out for the day with sex starved people. Offering a smile to the pretty young woman who sidled up to the table, she handed Jiraiya a book.

"Wait," the woman said who appeared to be in her early twenties. She raised her shirt to reveal her small perfect breasts with dark brown areolae. "I want you to sign these."

"Oh, shit," Mizuki muttered, face planting on the table when the author stood up with marker in hand. She was happy that he was always willing to please a fan but really! There are limits to such things.

Naruto laughed loudly from his perch in the reading room on the second floor. He waved to Mizuki when she glanced upstairs and smiled at him. His eyes moved back to stare at the fabulous breasts that the old pervert touched and squeezed with one hand while signing her chest with the other. He was so glad he had come to keep an eye on his girlfriend because he had been treated to quite an entertaining spectacle today. Since he knew Jiraiya personally, he was fully aware of the danger she could possibly encounter today from the touchy feely, overly friendly man. Speaking of which, there was another disturbance beginning downstairs that caught his attention.

"Get out!" Karin yelled at the woman who finally lowered her shirt.

"Karin, calm down, there was no harm done," Mizuki told her, receiving the irate glare that had been meant for the flashing fan. Smiling at the man standing next to her she added, "Besides, he did not mind."

"Who asked you, Mizuki? Keep your opinions to yourself," she snapped at her employee.

Mizuki had reached her limit. The day had already been trying enough with her hateful boss irritating her at every possible moment. Moving around the table, she boldly stepped up to the mean red-eyed devil.

"That's enough," she growled in a low, warning tone. "You can't go on treating people this way."

"What did you say to me?" Karin asked, taking off her glasses as she stood nose to nose with the other woman.

"Oh, damn, oh no," Naruto mumbled under his breath, scrambling to his feet to hurry downstairs before his girlfriend did something she would regret.

By the time he arrived at the front of the store, it was too late. The women were engaged in full-scale brawl. There was no hair pulling or limp wristed slapping here. They were hitting each other with closed fists that were drawn back to be delivered with fury and power. Naruto seized his girlfriend, swinging her out of the way just in time to receive a punch right in the lip that had been meant for her.

"Oh, my god!" Karin shrieked, pressing her fingertips to her lips. "I am so sorry! I did not mean to hit you!"

Naruto carefully sat Mizuki down on her feet while he recovered from seeing stars floating around his head. He pressed his hand to his aching jaw feeling the throbbing pain in his lip just before something warm and wet trickled down his chin. Touching his fingers to the flow, he pulled his hand back to see blood.

"Dammit," he muttered angrily, gingerly touching his swelling lip. He hissed when the slightest touch brought agony and made his whole face hurt.

"Come with me," Karin said, taking him by the hand and pulling him toward the employees' kitchen. Before she disappeared down the hall, she turned back long enough to tell Mizuki, "You're fired."

Mizuki's head dropped forward and tears burned her eyes. She was too angry and humiliated to think about Naruto being led away by the Dragon Lady. Running outside, she kept running until she reached her house. Flinging herself onto her bed, she cried until she did not have anymore tears. Her body shuddered and jerked from her overzealous sobbing. Without meaning to, she fell asleep. When she awoke, it was dark outside and Naruto was still not home. Looking around for her purse, she realized she had forgotten it at the bookstore.

...

Naruto sat on the corner of Karin's desk holding the ice pack to his swollen lip. The store had closed an hour ago and no one was left inside the building except for him and the woman who continued to make a fuss over him despite his wishes to go home. He held his breath when she moved close to him, positioning herself between his legs.

"Let me take a look," she insisted, lifting the half melted ice pack. She was happy to see the swelling was gone and a small cut was all that remained of the wound that had bled profusely. Lowering her mouth to his, she kissed the corner opposite from the cut.

"Karin, don't," he murmured, pushing her back.

"Oh, come on, Naruto. I've wanted you for so long. Just one night," she begged, crying out when he roughly pushed her out of the way.

"I'm leaving. I should have been home hours ago to check on Mizuki," he muttered, putting his hand on the doorknob to turn it.

"Do you want to help her get her job back?" she asked, a self-satisfied smirk curling her lips when he froze without turning the knob.

"What are you saying?" Naruto turned to glare at her. Surely she could not be making the proposal he thought she was making.

"If you have sex with me, I will give your girlfriend her job back," she stated calmly with no hesitation whatsoever.

Naruto opened his mouth to curse a blue streak but then closed it again. Mizuki loved her job here. She was the biggest bookworm he had ever met, besides Kakashi of course, but her interests ranged beyond erotica. The only thing his girlfriend hated about the job was the woman standing in front of him making a very indecent proposition.

"Just one night," she said, reaching up to unbutton her white shirt. "You're girlfriend will never know and she will be thrilled to have her job back. Besides, I know what kind of relationship you two have."

Naruto watched her in silence as she pulled off her shirt and neatly laid it on the chair in front of her desk. There was a stirring beneath his waist when she removed her bra to reveal her small but perky breasts that would be a nice little handful. His ability to think was slowly leaving him as she unbuttoned and unzipped her black pants to remove them. Moving toward her, he told himself he was only doing this to get Mizuki's job back. It had nothing to do with the fact that the mostly naked redhead with the pert pink nipples was turning him on. He waited for her to remove the panties before taking her by the waist and sitting her on top of the desk.

Karin opened her legs pulling him toward her to help him undo his pants. Now that she was so close to having him, she did not want anything to stop her. Grasping his sizable member, she sighed with satisfaction as she pumped him with her hand and made him moan. Leaning back on the desk, she spread her legs wider, opening herself to him to invite him inside.

Naruto hesitated, pressing the head against her warm wet entrance. Pushing inside of her, he groaned with pleasure from the tightness of her body. Closing his eyes, he shoved into her with forceful strokes, gratifying his most base animal desires. He wanted to get off and could not possibly care less if she enjoyed it or not. When her whimpers and sighs of sexual bliss met his ears, he moved faster sliding her across the desk. He held her hips, grunting as he thrust into her with selfish abandon.

...

Mizuki retrieved the key from its hiding place under the garbage can to unlock the back door of the store. She walked into the closed bookstore thinking she was alone. She rushed down the hall to retrieve her purse from her locker. As she casually strolled back through, she heard a cry from somewhere in the building. A cold sensation of dread raced up her spine and slammed into the back of her head. She reached up to massage away the nagging ache as she carefully crept down the hall. The noises grew louder, rising to a crescendo as she reached Karin's office. Seeing the door was cracked, she dared to peek inside driven by curiosity raised by the obvious sounds of sex. Who in the world could be... She stared at the back of the familiar blond head. Her stomach churned and she covered her mouth to keep from vomiting. Rushing from the building, she stopped in the alley to take several deep breaths. Something cold and wet dripped on her arm. Looking up into the sky, the softly falling raindrops made her blink as they dropped into her eyes.

"Perfect," she muttered, hanging her head in defeat. She was still wearing her white work shirt which would become transparent in the rain. "A perfect end to a perfect day."

Mizuki hung her purse strap over her shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest to try to maintain some decency as the rain soaked her shirt. Her steps were heavy and slow as she walked down the street on her way back home. Well, they had nearly made it to nine months before one of them strayed. It was a new record. Smiling wryly to herself, she allowed the tears to come. They would mix with the rain and no one would know she was crying.

"I thought you were going to join me for a drink," a soothing bass voice said.

Mizuki raised her head to look at the handsome face of Jiraiya. She tried to return his smile but could not. Her mouth opened to speak when the smile faded from his lips. She wanted to issue some sort of apology but what was she apologizing for? I'm sorry my boyfriend and I have a messed up relationship and we can't seem to stop hurting each other. Sighing heavily, she lowered her eyes back down to the ground.

"I'm sorry. I'm not really in the mood for company," she told him, stepping to the side to walk past him.

"Sweetheart, I think company is exactly what you need right now. Come with me." Jiraiya pulled her next to him to shelter her under his umbrella.

Mizuki allowed him to lead her wherever he wanted. She did not really care where he took her. When they stepped inside of a building, she looked around to see where they were. She was at his hotel. Her belly tightened as he took her by the arm to lead her to the stairs and up to his room. By the time the reached his room, she was shivering uncontrollably. She was not sure if it was from being drenched and cold or from the shock settling into her body.

"Mizuki, go take a hot shower to warm up," he suggested gently, turning her in the direction of the bathroom.

Mizuki compliantly walked into the bathroom that was as big as her entire bedroom. The shower was big enough for five people to run around in with three shower heads inside of it. She opened the glass door and turned on the faucet so the water could heat up while she undressed. Her fingers trembled making it difficult to unbutton her shirt which was already going to be a trial to remove since it was stuck to her body. A numbness settled over her as she removed her skirt. This roller coaster of emotions would be over in a day or two. She had been through this cycle too many times not to know the progression of things. Stepping inside the shower, she closed her eyes to stand under the hot spray to allow it to heat her skin and soak into her tense muscles.

Jiraiya entered the bathroom staring at the woman in the shower. He shamelessly stood in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips observing her as if she were a work of art. Her dark brown hair was plastered to her back and ended just above her lily white round rump. His eyes followed the ample curve of her hips. Child bearing hips; the kind of hips that lent themselves to be held on to during lovemaking. His palms began to itch because he wanted to touch her desperately. Instead, he placed the green kimono top and belt he had brought to her to wear on the counter before exiting the bathroom in silence. He decided to order room service while he waited.

Mizuki stepped out of the shower unaware the man had ever been in the room. Her breath caught when she saw the clothes lying on the counter. She touched the soft material and brought it to her face to rub it against her cheek. Burying her nose in the fabric to inhale his scent, the smell was like a combination of cinnamon and lavender. Breathing in deeply, she felt dizzy. Hurrying to dry off, she pulled on the top and tied it with the matching belt. The shirt must belong to him because it fit her like a robe, hitting her leg about mid thigh. It was a good thing the sleeves were only three quarter length to begin with because they reached her wrists. Using her fingers to comb the tangles out of her hair, she walked into the room to see him sitting on the couch in the living area. Glancing around, she saw this was a suite instead of a plain room. When he patted the seat of the brown leather couch beside him she sat down in the very spot.

"Are you hungry? I ordered something for you. I know you haven't eaten all day," he said, lifting the lids from the plates on the table.

"How thoughtful," she croaked, clearing her throat. "Thank you."

Mizuki accepted the plate from him although she had no appetite. Tentatively poking at the steak with her fork, she cut off a small piece before putting it in her mouth. When the juices flowed into her mouth, she realized she was starving. She sat the plate on the table, leaning forward so she could tear into the food with gusto.

Jiraiya ceased eating to watch her. He enjoyed watching people partake in pleasure of all kinds. Seeing the expression of sheer delight on her face made him happy. He laughed lightly when she leaned back on the couch while emitting a loud sigh of contentment after finishing off the rare steak in a matter of minutes.

"Did you like that?" he asked, pouring her a glass of wine to hand it to her.

"Oh, yes, very much," she sighed with happiness, taking the glass of dark red liquid.

Jiraiya had forgotten about his food. He sipped his wine giving her body a long look. The loose and oversized top had slipped apart, revealing the smooth round curve of her breast. Glimpsing her face to see that she seemed lost in thought, he reached out to slide his fingers under the material to glide them over the edge of the firm round flesh.

Mizuki was too relaxed to freak out about him touching her. She did not mind anyway. His touch was delicate and gentle. Allowing her eyes to flutter shut, she bit her lower lip to stifle a moan when his fingers grazed her nipple which made her skin tingle with excitement.

"May I?" he asked her, waiting for her answer. After she nodded, he pushed apart the material to reveal her breasts.

"For a pervert, you sure are polite," she murmured, her body feeling warm from the wine and his provocative touches.

"You're very sweet, Mizuki," he complimented, lowering his head to kiss her lips. The kiss was brief and undemanding. When he sat up, he licked his lips. "Very sweet indeed."

"Will you kiss me again?" she almost begged. She found it hard to breath when his head dipped toward hers again. Holding her wine glass with one hand, her other hand reached up to touch his hair. It was surprisingly soft yet thick so she buried her fingers in it when his lips pressed to hers. The kiss was tender, yielding, allowing her to take the lead. She would have expected him to be more aggressive, almost animalistic. Her tongue darted out to lick his lower lip before pushing through the small opening between his full pink lips. She moved her tongue against his, her belly tightening with arousal when he moaned into her mouth.

Jiraiya lifted his lips from hers to look at her breasts. He touched one of the light brown nipples, feeling it harden beneath his fingertips. How a woman's body worked fascinated him to no end. He eased apart her thighs pressing his hand against her womanhood.

"Jiraiya, please," she pleaded with him.

"Please what?" He took the wine glass from her to set it on the table.

"Will you make love to me?" Mizuki asked, looking into his dark eyes.

"Is that what you want?" He kissed her lips before lowering his head to her breast to kiss the nipple.

Burying her nose in the soft hair, she gasped, "Oh, yes."

Jiraiya sat back on the couch, pulling her into his lap. He watched her pretty face as she reached into his pajama bottoms to pull out his hard and ready member. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when her mouth dropped open in awe.

"Oh, my god," she gasped. She was unable to make her fingers meet he was so thick. "You can't put that inside of me!"

"Just stay calm and breathe deep," he instructed her, raising her to position her over him.

Mizuki looked into his desire glazed eyes as he carefully lowered her onto him. She closed her eyes following his suggestion to take deep breaths. There was a distinct sense of fullness but no pain - not until the end. She cried out when he raised his hips to bury himself inside of her. Falling forward, her hair created a curtain around their faces.

"Open your eyes, sweetheart. Look at me," he implored her, pushing her hair behind her ears. He pressed his hand to her cheek when he saw the tears in her eyes. These tears were from a different kind of pain and not brought on by her physical discomfort. He wanted to help her forget whatever was causing these tears.

Mizuki held his gaze as he moved beneath her. Each small movement brought incredible ecstasy to her body. His big hands grasped her hips when they began swaying back and forth ever so slightly. Their lovemaking was slow and lasted through the night into the morning. Her unlikely lover had the most amazing stamina of any man she had ever encountered. They were laying in the bed, in each other's arms as the golden light of the rising sun shone around the edges of the heavy curtain on the window.

"I need to go home," she announced reluctantly not wanting to leave.

"Would you like to be with me? Travel with me...be my muse?" Jiraiya offered, pulling her close and kissing her forehead affectionately.

"Can I think about it?"

"Sure. I will be leaving at noon. Meet me at the gates if you want to go."

...

Mizuki hesitated at her own door dreading the inevitable confrontation that was about to take place. Turning the knob, she opened the door and walked inside. She gasped to see Naruto sitting at the kitchen table with a full glass and a half empty bottle of liquor sitting in front of him. It was eight in the morning, and he was drunk.

"Where were you?" he questioned her with shocking tranquility, taking a long sip of his drink.

"With Jiraiya," she answered with brutal honesty.

"I suppose you know what I did." He stared at the wall in front of him instead of looking at her.

"Yes." She studied the floor beneath her feet, counting the black and white tiles within her range of vision.

"Want to know why?" He turned his head to look at her as the anger seethed within him.

"No. Not really." Mizuki refused to raise her head to look at him.

"I did it to save your job," he told her anyway, finishing off the glass.

"You what?" she inquired meeting his eyes that were narrowed with fury. "Don't you dare try to tell me you fucked her for me. I've heard some dumbass excuses but that is by far the worst! If you wanted a taste of something strange, no big deal...go for it. Just remember our agreement that what is good for one is good for the other."

"Yep," he agreed, refilling the glass. "You made good on that didn't you? Was he good?"

"He was great!" she exclaimed, stomping to the bedroom. What a stupid thing to ask. If he did not want a truthful answer, he should not have asked the question.

"Where are you going?" he asked when he saw her suitcase laying open on the bed.

"I'm leaving. I have another job offer," she replied, throwing in clothes by the handfuls.

"What? With the pervert?" He was smiling mirthlessly at the ridiculous possibility until she paused long enough to glare at him before continuing to pack. "You're serious?"

"You can stay here while I'm gone. My only request is that you don't bring women here to have sex with them. Screw whoever you want, I don't care," she told him, going to the bathroom to fill up her make up case with a few essentials.

"How long will you be gone?" He followed her from room to room like a lost puppy.

"I don't know." Mizuki flung her purse strap over her shoulder, holding her suitcase in one hand and her make up case in the other. "Well...see ya."

"Yeah, see ya," the confused blonde murmured as he watched her walk out of the door.

Sighing heavily Naruto leaned back against the wall. Pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead, he tried to comprehend what had just happened. So the switch had been flipped and they were in the off again position with their relationship. Rubbing the back of his neck, he knew she would be his again in the future. It was always just a matter of time.