*I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! This story is just for enjoyment and practice.

Kakashi gasped sharply.

The ring was an exact replica of the one his father gave to his mother. He'd only ever seen it in the one picture left from their union. It was a white diamond in the shape (and size, sweet Kami) of a wolf fang on a silver band.

Kakashi had never really considered himself sentimental about family, but he imagined if his world had been different. Less violent. This would probably have been what he would have picked for his mate.

That gods-damned woman needed to get out of his head. Fucking Tsunade dragging up all this old baggage. Kakashi got up from his seat and stomped into his bedroom and slammed the door.

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Shikei just stared at the ring. The shape was odd but nice even if it was a bit ostentatious for her taste. It reminded her of a fang.

Abruptly Kakashi stomped out of the room and the door to his bedroom.

Shikei looked up at Tsunade in askance.

"Ask him later. I want you guys to have plenty to talk about and get to know each other." Tsunade dismissed whatever had been such a big deal to Kakashi.

"Well I suppose I owe him an explanation as well. I am probably markedly more accepting of this union because I have some personal motivation to the end goal. Is there any more for us to know?"

"Well..." Tsunade began, uncharacteristically hesitant. Or maybe it was an apology lingering on her tone, "something you should be warned about, our village is very close knit, people are nosy. They may even spy on you two. You need to be committed to this relationship to the utmost degree. Even in this apartment. So both of you, as I know you are still listening in there Kakashi, are going to have step up your game. It doesn't have to be what everyone expects, but make it believable for you." Tsunade finished the one of the oddest commands she had ever given.

Shikei sat quiet for a minute, wandering through the implications of the order. 'Believable for her'

No response came from behind the closed bedroom door.

Shikei shook her head as if to clear her confusion and looked back up at Tsunade "Understood shishou."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow "I suspect you do not understand yet, but you will. Just remember the words."

Shikei's brow furrowed in opposition to the suggestion that she might not understand something, but quickly ironed out as she recalled she actually didn't. It was a rare feeling for her being unprepared for something.

Tsunade took her leave quietly, leaving the apartment in an awkward fog.

Shikei had no idea how long it had been before she heard the click of the bedroom door opening behind her.

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"Would you like to go to dinner with me?" Kakashi asked, as if testing the thick vibe of the room with his voice quietly.

He felt his muscles clench with irritation. This was such a stupid complicated mess. And it was at least a little his fault.

If he wasn't already worked into a frenzy craving companionship because of the witch, and if he didn't have this stupid emotional baggage, he could be like his students.

They loved and lived with a freedom in their hearts he couldn't wrap his head around anymore. Had he ever been that young and carefree?

He knew he hadn't. Though he'd never felt the need to lament losing his innocence so early. There was a war that he was needed for, back when he grew up. And most of the women in his life had come to violent ends.

Sure he bedded civilians, and often, but he would be hard pressed to tell you even three of their names. The only thing up for trade in those interactions had been his body.

"Sure. I could definitely use some food. Should I..." She trailed of picking up the ring box with a shrug, as he walked towards her.

Kakashi forced the air out of his lungs, through his teeth, with irritation. "I guess you probably should. Considering the mission."

Kakashi stepped forward and took the ring box gently out of her hand. He knelt on one knee as he pulled the infuriating little metal loop out of the box and held his hand out for hers. He had some thought in the back of his mind that he needed to be the one to put it on her finger.

She looked up at him with golden whiskey toned eyes and he felt his heart stutter oddly. She was so strangely attractive to him.
Even when he was so irritated with this situation.
Even not having seen all of her face.

He was glad there was some common thread between them. He hoped it helped them both get through this and maybe even still be friends after. He had so few of those anymore.

She eyed him with confused suspicion.

He let out an involuntary chuckle as she skeptically gave him her hand.

"For the sake of tradition and in solidarity that now we're stuck in this together." He said with a warm smile that he found he actually meant, good will quashing the awkwardness and frustration of the last hour.

Shikei looked at the ring appreciatively and let out a chuckle, "Why Kakashi-san, I could never have guessed this was your plan all along, to steal me away from my homeland and woo me with trinkets." She chimed with sarcastic enthusiasm and shock.

Kakashi let out a loud crack of laughter as he stood back up and offered her a hand to stand now.

They took a minute to put their shoes on and stepped into the cool night air. Kakashi offered the crook of his elbow for her to hold on to thinking it would be more tolerable than trying to hold hands that night but still putting on a show for the village.

He spent the walk telling the story of how Naruto and Sakura ended up under the tutelage of Ero-senin and Tsunade, hoping that it would excuse some of the behavior that was undoubtedly coming.

He walked them into his favorite dark restaurant. They had a booth for him that faced the reflective window and blocked the restaurant from viewing his unmasked face.

The restaurant was even fairly empty. His favorite waitress with the long dark hair and the tight ass was working. Which was a little disappointing. That was a lay that was probably going to be too far put off to happen now. He looked back a Shikei and wondered how likely he was to get any out of her. As she shuffled in the booth her full breasts bounced a little and brought his focus back to her.

The little forest green kimono she had changed into was refreshingly less modest than he had been expecting from her. Kakashi took off his eye patch and took a deep breath as he took his mask off.

As much as he preferred not to be gawked at, his face was not a secret. Except to maybe his students because that was amusing.

Shikei was clearly scanning his face in the darkened room. He could see the smile starting at the corner of her mouth and he almost let out another chuckle.

"Is that how we're setting the bar this evening?" She smirked so clearly he could hear it.

"I have to warn you, I never lose a game of chicken." He stated.

"Very well" She said with a sigh, "I will be gentle with you this first time."

She looked at him through hooded eyes and Kakashi had to remind himself that he was probably not getting any ass tonight. But damned if she didn't just set him on fire.

She reached up very slowly and deliberately and began to undo some sort of fastener on the back of her neck.

The waitress arrived just as Shikei pulled her mask off in one swift motion. And lightly dropped it on the table, never once breaking eye-contact with Kakashi.

Damn her she didn't even offer him the courtesy he had offered her of letting him gawk without her scrutiny for a moment.

The waitress, sensing two nin with and intense atmosphere mumbled "I'll be back with water and sake" as she quickly scuttled away.

Kakashi was... having a hard time remembering to breath. Shikei was stunning, but more than that there was so much to take in. She had these two little pale purple lines tattooed across one cheek bone. Those had peeked out above her mask a couple times a little. Then his sharingan picked up the pucker in the fat of her cheek; a 10 cm scar at the corner of her mouth that made it curve into and unnatural half smile.

It looked deep. Intentional. Especially as it look like there was a hint of the same scar on the other side of her mouth, only a couple centimeters, just at the corner of her lips. It also looked old. Like she had gotten when she was just a teenager. He had a few ugly ones too, but to cut a female's face like this was.. specific.

Shikei grinned "Crazy exes, or knife fighting a bear. I'll never tell."

The waitress finally returned with Sake and water and refused to look into the dark booth at Shikei. "What can I do for you this evening Kashi-san?" she said with a wink and suggestive swish of her hips. "And your friend."

Normally Kakashi would have said something flirty about her sitting on the table but now it just felt like an unwelcome interruption as he delved into the strange kunoichi beside him.

"I'll take the special but I'm not sure what my fiance is feeling tonight." Kakashi said flatly. "Do you need a moment to look over the menu?" He turned to Shikei who had an intrigued look on her face.

The waitress looked like she had just been swatted like a hyper pet.

As Shikei interacted with the waitress asking a couple questions Kakashi looked at her face with his Sharingan and tried to memorize the contours. She smiled and then after a second looked back at Kakashi.

"Ball is in your court now 'Kashi-san' what's your next move?" Shikei challenged.

Kakashi had to take a moment to remember that they were playing chicken. He wanted to know so much about her, he was used to having an upper hand on the information but he knew practically nothing about her but weird rumors. He was hoping she'd take his lead on the categories.

"Ok, presuming you mist-nin play this the same, I'm going to start with a classic. First solo mission. I was sent to fetch some noble brat from one Daiymo's fort to another. Discretely. I was 14, she was 16. She was frisky and I absolutely hated her by the end. Mission was a success but she still cat-calls me whenever she sees me. She did it one time in front of my team, when they were 12, mind you, she was in the middle of a parade, and they made me tell them the story. In painful detail."

Shikei had an amused smirk on her face. The waitress pouted across the nearly empty restaurant at Kakashi. Shikei seemed to inch closer to him in the booth. The waitress made a disgusted noise and went back to working. Kakashi was really hoping this little kerfuffle was going to end with an angry pillow fight but looking at Shikei's toned arms reminded him that his favorite waitress was squishy and that would probably not end well.

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Shikei had never actually played this game but she'd heard the men in her squad play before. With admittedly less sexual tension but she certainly wasn't going to let him know she was out of her element.

The waitress was annoying Shikei with her pouty face pointed at Kakashi. What was with the women in the village about this man, she thought angrily. Had all of them seen him shirt-less!?

She thought for a minute about her first solo mission. It had been an unmitigated disaster but she wasn't about to lose so early in the game. She took a full shot of sake hoping it would help ease the embarrassment.

Kakashi began grinning at her show of nerves, anticipation a nearly palpable fog rolling across the table. Shikei glared in response before she began.

"My first solo mission was supposed to be to retrieve a leaf nin who had been spotted camping outside the city. He had been wandering the forests for a week in our heavy monsoon season, looking pretty lost. He was so easy to trap. I carried him back to town in a net. He wasn't much bigger than me at the time. I misunderstood the mission. I didn't realize that he wasn't an enemy. Thinking I was going to impress Mai and my father and have him already interrogated. I tortured him. Lightly. For two days before I brought him in. I couldn't get him to say anything but that my father had hired him to teach me throwing senbon. He cried a lot. Your village doesn't prepare it's Genin to the same level. Genma was... very upset. Especially after my father and Mai both laughed when I brought him in soggy and injured and sleep deprived." Shikei took another shot, feeling nothing of the liquid courage she had been promised by her squad-mates who drank.

"Oh KAMI!" Kakashi exclaimed before he burst into raucous laughter.

Shikei got more embarrassed by the amount of attention Kakashi was drawing to their table.

The waitress quietly set their food on the table, eyeing Kakashi's bent over form with suspicion as if he were a traitor for enjoying Shikei's company. She left with an irritated look after not being able to interrupt to ask if they needed anything else.

"I'm not sure why that warranted that much of a response" Shikei stated after Kakashi finally quieted down, her cheeks still rosy from embarrassment.

"No no. Hold on" He said, still collecting himself "He came back from a long mission in the village in the mist, when we were teenagers, claiming that he had taken down this Hot mist kunoichi and seduced and tortured her into being in love with him. Said he even taught her a few tricks, but he definitely came back a sadist, which he wasn't before. I am just imagining him whimpering and begging. While 16-year-old you tortured him.. it's made my whole evening."

Shikei raised an eyebrow at him. "It was nearly a diplomatic disaster. I had to write a letter of apology to him, his family, and the Hokage. My father thought it was hilarious. The Mizukage's predecessor was not half as amused. I came close to killing him. Not to mention Genma was a whiner. It's also a bit distasteful that he spoke of me in such a manner. Though I suppose it's to be expected that a teenage boy wouldn't want to come clean about being lost for days and then beaten up by a younger, less experienced nin."

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Kakashi nearly spit his sake out all over the table. He wished his big mouth best friends were here to propagate the correction to Genma's story. That was sure to make him a less successful competitor. He had certainly been right about the hott-ness of the kunoichi though. Though he had time enough to tarnish Genma's reputation, being that he was going to be married for a bit.

Kakashi let out a sigh. His life was never simple. But at least his bride-to-be was easy on the eyes. Even if she was a bit uptight. And they could hold a conversation. Which is more than he could say of any of the rest of Tsunade's closest pairings.

They spent the rest of their meal exchanging little tidbits about their team mates in between bites. It had been very pleasant until his previously mentioned best friends came loudly bursting into the restaurant without warning.

Kakashi could have sworn it was the blink of his eye before Shikei's mask was back on as she finished chewing with a disappointed smile on her face. She might even have been faster than him at that.

Kotetsu and Gai rushed up to the table obviously still intoxicated but less so now.

"What a lovely vision of youth and beauty!" Gai shouted at Shikei

Kotetsu punched Kakashi in the shoulder and made a congratulatory noise. Kakashi rolled his eyes at their terrible manners.

"Hey man, we were looking to see if you and your mystery woman wanted to go out so we could all get to know her." Kotetsu ended with his most charming smile pointed at Shikei.

"I don't-" Kakashi began

"I could use a little time out. I mean not too late. It was a long day of travel." Shikei interrupted unexpectedly.

"Well I guess we're up for a little socializing then. What did you guys have in mind?" Kakashi relented.

"We kinda already told everyone we would bring you guys back to the club." Kotetsu rubbed the back of his head.

Great. He should have figured everyone would be nosy so soon, he had just hoped they'd get a bit more practice first. She'd been in town less that 24 hours. The bar the nin frequented would be tricky. There was lots of heavy drinking and 'heavy' dancing. And nosy people watchers. Sakura and Ino came to mind. He groaned out loud as he paid their check. Shikei raised an eyebrow.

He leaned in to whisper in her ear "there's just going to be a lot of nosy nin." Kakashi slid out of the booth and offered her his hand.

"Then let them watch." She said in a seductively husky voice, making full eye contact as she took his hand. Then she hiccuped.

Well some one was feeling the sake a little more than he expected. Tonight might be more effective and dare he hope, maybe even fun than he could have guessed.

They walked behind Kotetsu and Gai, hand in hand and it felt.. odd.

He couldn't remembering ever having a romantic interest who's hand he had held. Hell he couldn't remember ever having "interest" in romance before Tsunade started messing with his content bachelor-dom.

Her smaller palm was clammy. He figured she might have been a bit cold from the cool night air. He could hear her heart beat slightly quickened as her body worked harder to pump her sake-thinned blood through her body. She was looking all over, the sky, the bushes, the buildings and swaying a little, inadvertently he suspected.

"Shikei did you have more sake than I saw? " He asked. He realized he was a bit buzzed too.

"Well that's... a question. Wow! Look at the stars out here! There's fog all the time at night at home, it's rare to see the night sky, and even rarer have I had time to admire it."

Kakashi smiled at her child-like wonder. Seemed like he had just found the key to getting Shikei to chill out a little. He had definitely heard the rumor that she didn't partake in any of the normal, social, nin relaxers. He would have bet his next paycheck alcohol was one of those.

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Somewhere in the back of her mind, Shikei was freaking out. She NEVER relaxed. This was the first time since she had become a nin she could remember actually relaxing. But she was exhausted and restless and far enough from home she needn't worry about losing face. No one here even really seemed to know anything except that she was a high ranking kunoichi. Some didn't even know she was from the mist. She hadn't put her head band back on since she had gotten in.

This felt good. And it had been so long since she'd felt anything but control and blood lust and anger. No she was going to enjoy this night. She was going to feel new things and pretend to be madly in love with Kakashi and she would tuck back in to her professionalism and embarrassment tomorrow.

"Well the amount of drinks I usually have is-" Shikei made a zero with her hand and peered through it with one eye at Kakashi. "But this is fun, which is probably why I don't do it. I don't have fun." She frowned at that. "I think I need more sake."

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Kakashi was having a really hard time being a gentleman. He had a foreboding feeling when they sat at his favorite booth in the bar that tonight was going to go nothing like he expected. But this was... Shikei was bouncing around next to him, happily talking with all of the nin closest to him; her ample cleavage bobbing and swaying, now more visible as her clothing became more disheveled with each drink. Of which they were now on round 5 that the Hokage was paying for. Which was suspicious enough for concern but everyone drank happily without worry except him.

"Wow Kakashi-sensei, she's fantastic, I can't imagine why you hid her from us for so long?" Sakura asked with a a touch of annoyance and maybe suspicion pointed at him.

Even buzzed Kakashi could handle this "Long distance relationships can be complicated." Classic Kakashi vague and they knew they wouldn't get more.

Naruto punched Sakura and shouted "I told you he wasn't going to 'fess up' even if he was drunk. You owe me a shot."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as Sakura groaned.

"Oh! This is my song!" Sakura shouted excitedly as she grabbed Ino and hopped out of the booth. She turned back and reached out for Shikei hopefully.

Shikei flushed, "I'm not very good at it but I can try."

"You're hot, it's not like it matters." Ino dismissed, tugging the trio away from the table.

Kakashi was sure he was the only one who saw Shikei blush; he was so glad he decided not to put his headband back on.

It'd make his hangover headache worse in the morning but he legitimately needed to pick up every detail possible to sell this engaged thing.

Also he'd be lying if he said she wasn't some grade A ass. There were only a couple kunoichi in the village in the same class. Every guy in the bar knew it too. He watched them watch her and felt a strange sense of pride as Kotetsu elbowed him in the ribs.

"Kakashi how have you not hit that like a freight train already?" Kotetsu jabbed.

"How do you know what I have and have not 'hit'?" Kakashi asked, slightly offended.

"Dude. She seems awful shy to have bumped-" Kotetsu drifted off, newly captivated by the dance floor.

Sakura and Ino began there weird slutty dancing and Ino pulled Shikei in by her hips. After a couple awkward seconds they were all writhing to the beat together and giggling.

The bar got quiet as more women poured onto the dance floor to dance to the popular pop song. Kakashi was pretty sure he could hear pants shrinking and nose bleeds.

"Oh sweet Kami. We died right? This is heaven?" Naruto mumbled, his eyes on a specific dark haired girl that Kakashi was pretty sure Ino had dressed up. "Yeah I'm.. can we? Is this a girl thing?"

Before Naruto could finish, Kakashi was out of the booth sauntering to the dance floor with a purposed and predatory look on his face. He told himself it was for their cover but he could see Genma drooling into his beer from the other side of the bar and he wasn't going to give him a chance to cut in.

He had never considered himself the jealous type, but it was just enjoyable to have a (semi) permanent one-up on Genma.

"Hey ladies," Kakashi said smoothly as he grabbed Shikei by the waist and pulled her into him. "I'm going to steal my fiance back." Ino pouted at him and then rolled her eyes as she turned around to face Sakura and intensify the dancing while staring at their boyfriends.

As a few men started to make their way down to the dance floor, Kakashi smoothly steered the two of them to a dark corner, Shikei followed happily, continuing her dancing as though nothing had changed. Kakashi bent down to whisper in her to try and ask her if she wanted to go home when she reached her hands into his hair and began passionately kissing him through their masks.

Kakashi spotted Genma watching them and decided to drive it home by sliding his hands down her back to cup her ass with his hands. He began walking them towards the side door so they could start making their way back to his place, while holding her by her ass up on her tip toes.

As the crisp evening air hit them she shoved him into the wall in the alley they stepped into and began to run her hands down his chest. As much as he was loath to, Kakashi grabbed her hands and stopped them from going lower. He wanted her. The bulge in his pants made that obvious to everyone. But this was not a good way to start this. He wasn't even sure that she would do this if she was sober at this point.

"No, no, no, Shikei we need to get back to the apartment." She pouted and squished her breasts together and Kakashi had to bite his fist to fight the urge to rip her clothes off right there in the alley.

He swept her up in his arms and took off for the 10 minute walk to his apartment. Reasoning with her was apparently not going to work. About halfway he realized she had pushed her mask down and was nibbling and sucking his neck and shoulder raw. Kakashi's body shivered in anticipation he knew was not going to be alleviated.

Kakashi set her legs down and held her upright with his other hand while he went to unlock his door. He had forgotten Anko had broken it earlier that day. He shoved it open with irritation. He was probably going to have to pay to fix that.

Once he jammed the door shut in a way he was pretty sure would at least alert them if some one tried to come in, he turned back towards her only to have her shove him into the wall again. She kissed him aggressively, this time while she pulled his mask down.

He was blindsided by how much force she was able to heft in this state. He tried to slow their kiss tentatively, not really wanting it to end but not wanting to deal with her being pissed off at him taking advantage in the morning.

With the kunoichi he knew, he probably wouldn't have stopped, usually this outcome was the desired effect, but Shikei seemed to be a more... traditional kinda lady. And they hadn't discussed this. And he was relatively certain that she was from a noble family. Yeah... pants were staying on for the night. Unfortunately.

He started trying to steer them towards his bedroom so the could get in bed to sleep off the sake. Once she realized where they were headed she seemed to finally have a switch in her brain flip and stopped kissing him altogether.

"I've never done this before." She whispered nervously.

"What?" Kakashi stopped pulling them, alarmed that she may actually be a virgin.

"I've never had a one night stand before." She whispered as she blushed.

Kakashi shouldn't have found it cute but he did, he chuckled "Well technically it isn't a one night stand. Might I remind you of that ring on your finger."

Her eyes bulged as she looked at her ring finger, she was WAY too drunk for shenanigans tonight if she couldn't even remember that.

"Don't worry, I was honestly just going to take us to bed to sleep this off. Wasn't even going to take my pants off." He grinned, trying to be reassuring.

She pouted at that and he laughed. She had no idea what she was asking for.

"I am so sleepy.." She mumbled while she rubbed her eyes.

Kakashi was glad he'd had so much to drink, he was pretty sure there would be no sleep for him tonight for all the throbbing he was fighting if it weren't for the sake bombs earlier.

She sat on the edge of her bed and stared at her feet like she couldn't even fathom how to take her shoes off.

Kakashi chuckled as he pulled off his shirt and slipped out of his shoes, and reached over to close his curtains.

She was way more blasted than he had realized. Probably past the point of him being able to walk her through how to metabolize some of the alcohol with chakra.

He bent down and started untying her sandals carefully. As soon as they were off she rolled to the wall and passed out. Kakashi decided he was also too tired for regular bed-time protocols and laid down next to her in his full sized bed. They weren't touching so he figured putting them both under his blankets would be perfectly appropriate. He drifted into sleep with the thought that it was odd they were in the same bed after the first night just as Tsunade had pretty much ordered.