Kakashi hesitated, then lowered his fists. "I'm Koyote Ochiru."

"What about her?" Guru jerked his chin at me.

"Hachidori," Kakashi said. Guru eyed me.

"J… just Hachidori!" I squeaked and waved nervously.

"What's this deal," Guru said.

"I'm not at liberty to talk about it other than with the Mercenary Merchant himself," Kakashi said. "Apologies, but it would be rude."

Guru eyed him. "How're you supposed to gain our trust then, purdy boy?"

"Hell if I know!" Kakashi threw up his hands in a splash of water. Guru startled, Tiny Tim flinched and Haven almost loosed a bolt. Amateurs I laughed in my head. "Why don't you tell me?" Kakashi did his best Koyote entitled eye roll and crossed his arms huffily.

"Hmm," Guru thought a minute. I had a strong premonition it wasn't going to be good. "You gonna plow her?" he jerked his head at me again.

Kakashi hesitated. That had caught him off guard. Poor Kakashi… he doesn't know how these things go. I felt guilty for some reason, as if it was my fault he was there. He recovered and put on a puzzled and annoyed expression.

"Well yeah, eventually," he scratched his face on the bandage side. "You should see the stuff I bought her. It's happening sooner or later! Gotta get my money's worth - I'm a fracking businessman, after all!" Kakashi hit a good note and the mercs laughed, Tiny Tim elbowing Haven. Kakashi spread his palms and shrugged, grinning. It was disarming and charming. I steeled myself for whatever the request was going to be.

"Alright purdy boy. You go on and give it to the lil' lady there, let us film it. Then we take you to see you-know-who."

Kakashi was shocked dead silent. I jumped in with a wild giggle. "Ooh, Koyote!" I always wanted to be an actress!" I squealed and hugged his neck. The mercs guffawed, no doubt thinking Hachidori was such a dim floozie that she didn't have full understanding of what was about to happen.

Kakashi still hadn't recovered, so I kept babbling. "Please, Koyote! Didn't you hear? They want to make a movie of us!" I begged and kissed his face and neck, trying to rouse him into a response.

Finally he spoke. "I have a reputation!" he sputtered. "My family has a legitimate name in the merchant community - I can't put my face in a porn -"

"No one cares about your face, honey. Even though it is nice," Haven chuckled. Guru nodded.

"We just blur that out. It's the other stuff and her that people pay for." He shrugged. "No offense."

"Let me get this straight. You're proposing that if Hachidori and I screw in front of you, you're going to tape it, sell the video-"

"It's actually a subscription service model," Guru said. "But you're generally right." Tiny Tim nodded vigorously and looked at me, licking his lips.

"You get free labor like this often?" Kakashi glared. The mercs laughed.

"Nah we usually pay below market to poor peasants who need a buck." Guru seemed proud of this fact.

Kakashi picked up on it. "Smart," he rewarded Guru with a grin. The shabby mercenary stood a bit taller under the praise from the "legitimate" businessman, Koyote. I smiled to myself. Kakashi's legendary sweet talking at work…

"This is just so you have some dirt on me, so I won't betray your boss. And you get a new release out of it too." Kakashi smirked.

"Yep," Guru said. "Wanna deal or what? Boss's hard to get to without a reference. Your supply might dry up before it happens."

Kakashi put his hand on his chin and pretended to ponder. I hung on his neck. "Oh come on, Koyote! It won't do any harm! It'll be like a little memento of our time together! You can always go to their site and watch it when you miss me!" Haven and Guru cracked up. Tiny Tim leered.

I was hoping to add some levity, let Kakashi know it was alright - that I was fully committed. But it seemed to have the opposite effect - I detected a slight blanching of his skin, the slightest tightening of the muscles below his jaw.

"Please, Koyote-sama. I won't tell a soul," I put my hands on either side of his face and forced him to look at me. "It'll be just between us. Our little secret." I emphasized each word, putting as much warmth into my gaze as I could. His hands tightened around my waist, underwater. I nodded. "All we have to do," I whispered, leaning in close, "Is finish what we started." My lips brushed against his ear and I nibbled on it gently.

"Fine," Kakashi said brusquely. "You'd better hurry up and start filming. I'm not here to babysit your little production." He growled the last part and the aggression got an approving nod from Guru. He snapped his fingers and Tiny Tim put down the grenade. He unslung a pack from his shoulder and took out a portable audio/visual setup.

Wonder how many of their paychecks they had to sink into that, I thought, musings on economic forces wafting into my head in hilariously incongruous fashion. That usually happened to me in these moments, though. Incredibly lucid unrelated thoughts…

"Hachidori." Kakashi saying my name caught my attention. I looked away from the renegade porn entrepreneurs and back at my teammate.

"Yes, Koyote?" I smiled up sweetly. Our naked bodies brushed against one another beneath the surface of the hot springs.

"You're pretty young for this kind of thing. I could just hire someone to do it. You could go ahead to the hotel."

"Wh-what?" I stammered in surprise. Was he saying he'd rather do this with some stranger?! It was our mission! "Koyote! Are you trying to dump me? Right when I'm getting my big break!" I cried.

"Shut up," he snapped. "I don't want any legal trouble. Tell me the truth, Hachidori: are you underage?"

He's giving me an out… I marveled. Did I want to take it? Did he want me to take it? The thought of leaving his side pained me. It would be like abandoning a comrade on the battlefield…

I couldn't. "You didn't care how old I was before!" I accused, pouting. The mercs were set up and ready to go, watching our spat with amused chuckles. Koyote rolled his eye.

"We weren't in this situation before," he drawled. "You think I want to go to jail because I did it with a minor on video?! What would my father say!"

"Um… that it was hot…?" I said ditzily. The renegades broke down. Guru slapped his leg and Haven had to move her goggles to wipe a tear of mirth away. Tiny Tim grinned flatly at all of us, holding up the slate.

Kakashi's hands moved from my waist to my upper arms. He shook me a little. "Hachidori! This is serious," his voice was grim. "How old are you? Tell me the truth or I'll beat it out of you." He shook me again, harder.

The intensity of Kakashi's dark eye stole my breath. His lips were tense and he looked truly angry. Maybe he wants me to go…

I couldn't. "Koyote! Stop," I squealed. "I'm 18! I promise! I'm totally legal!"

The shaking stopped. "Fine then," he muttered. Something in his tone made my eyes start to water. Strange. I don't usually lose control like this. I brought a hand up to melodramatically dab my eyes. I'd turn it to our advantage.

I gave a huge sniffle, looking up at him pathetically. He had his arms crossed and wouldn't make eye contact. "You don't even like me, do you," I sniffled again. He didn't answer.

"Well I guess it'll be make-up sex…" I said disconsolately to the stoic Kakashi, to float the idea to the mercs.

"Excellent," Guru overheard and nodded.

"This is going to be great," Haven was saying to Guru. "Maybe good enough for Premium."

"With those bandages… he can be a returning war hero. Come back to his high school sweetheart. She thought he was dead… he didn't write." Guru said, setting up the shot.

"That's really romantic, Guru," Haven said.

"I'm full of surprises, darlin.'" Guru gave the cam a final adjustment.

"I'll make sure to remember all that for the thumbnail blurb." Haven took out a tiny pen and pad and jotted down a couple notes.

"Koyote?" I whispered. Kakashi still wouldn't look at me. Luckily this is all pretend… isn't it?

Haven motioned Tiny Tim. "Rolling," Haven said. The slate snapped down.

"Action," Guru grunted.

...

I waited a moment, to see if Kakashi would take the lead as he'd done earlier, but he stood motionless facing away from me, profile to the camera. He did nothing, so I started to work.

I half-floated, half-swam toward him, propelling myself upward on my toes so my breasts would break the surface with each step. Might as well make it a good movie if we're stuck doing this. We can always try to destroy the vid later before they upload… or have Intel deal with it if it does make it into the wild.

I bobbed toward Kakashi's muscular back. Of course having Intel Division on it would mean telling them about it… maybe that would be a problem for Kakashi…

I wasn't too concerned. I was unrecognizable, and they were going to blur Kakashi's face. The makeup over his anbu tattoo was staying put... I was close to him now. He had such a nice body… fit, but not overly ripped. Just strong and muscular. Just enough to be able to accomplish all the amazing physical activities his job required.

"Is it really you?" I said as I reached for him. My voice came out high, the right Hachidori pitch, but with an unintended waver. Nerves? Well of course… it's Kakashi. A distant pang somewhere way back in my mind and heart. If only this was real.

Well, a lie is as real as you make it. I'd long forgotten which old geisha at the boarding school had said that, but the lesson stuck.

My fingers brushed Kakashi's back. His skin was smooth and perfect, cool compared to the heat of the onsen. "It's been such a long time," I said. It had been a long time. The only action I ever got was from work. It seemed to have an inverse effect on my real love life.

This… this was half work, half something else for me. I'd have to process it later. I'd been in love with Kakashi since I was seven years old. I'd expected it to go away, but if I was being honest with myself… it had only sharpened over time.

I wrapped my arms around him from behind, holding him and caressing his chest and stomach, pressing my face and breasts against his back like I couldn't get close enough.

I clung to him a moment, remembering.

"G-get on your back?" I hesitated. I'd been taught to never accept rides from strangers.

"I'm stronger than you. Look at yourself. You're crying, exhausted… obviously lost."

"I am not!"

"You've been walking in circles for more than an hour."

"Wha-what? But how do you - wait, you've been watching me?"

"Come on. Get on."

"But… I don't know you?"

"I'm Kakashi Hatake, top student of Minato Namikaze the Yellow Flash. And Son of Sakumo, the legendary White Fang of Konoha. And you're just a little girl who needs help. So, tell me your name, and then we can get going."

"...Hanare."

"There. Now we know each other. That's a strange name, by the way. Now come on, get on my back so I can take you home."

"But my home-"

"My home. I'll take you back to the Leaf. Minato-san or Sandaime will know what to do."

The steam from the hot springs swirled around us as a breeze passed over the lagoon.

"I've… I've missed you," I whispered. My hand slid down his stomach, beneath the water…

Kakashi's fingers clamped down over my wrist. He pulled my hand away and turned swiftly toward me.

"You should have left," he said, his voice a low and dangerous growl that made me shiver despite the warmth of the springs. All I could do was look up at him helplessly, my eyes searching his face for something I knew I'd never find, my breath caught in my throat.

"Damn it," he swore, and reached down, pulling me toward him. He picked me up and held me to his chest, and my legs wrapped around his waist, reflexly tightening as he waded through the water toward the edge of the pool.

He laid me down ungently on the stone, in the camera's direct sightline. The hard cool slate dug into my tailbone and shoulder blades and I was breathless, mesmerized by his one exposed eye, dark and cold beneath a half-lowered lid. Behind his mussed lavender hair, stars shone in a cloudless navy blue sky.

Kakashi put a hand on each of my knees and pushed them apart. Then he bent slightly, and lowered his face between my legs.

All my plans for completing this aspect of the mission flew from my mind in a single gasp. I could feel his lips, and his tongue… my vision blurred for a moment, my fingers clutched in futility at the smooth stone beneath me.

"Ohhh." I didn't try to stay silent and I didn't want to. But a nagging voice in the recesses of my highly trained brain told me it was best to avoid saying anything - like names - in this situation. No need to open ourselves to mistakes… All I could hear were my own gasps and moans. All I could feel was Kakashi's mouth… and then, his fingers.

First, just one - excruciatingly slow, he slid a fingertip down until he found the right place. He nudged it through my flesh, then pressed it forward at an agonizingly leisurely pace, taking his time. I whimpered, my eyes flickering open to look at him. He was concentrating on what he was doing, eyes trained downward, expression intense yet unreadable.

I felt a second finger enter me and groaned. I arched my back and pressed down onto his hand, welcoming the depth of the pressure. He began to move his fingers inside of me. Languidly, then quickening the pace. I was breathing hard and chanced a glance at him again. A bead of sweat dropped from his temple. He lowered his face to me again.

I was close already. I reached down and tangled my hands in his hair. Don't mess up the bandages! the exasperating voice said before it was completely swallowed up by lust. Kakashi deepened his kiss down there and slid a third finger inside of me, curling them down and around-

"Oh, no! God, no - oh my god!" My own cries sounded far away as I climaxed, a rush of blackness exploding in my head that was quickly followed by a rain of stars. My body trembled and convulsed around his fingers, huge waves of sensation rippling through me. Finally. Kakashi. It was like being in a dream. A dream come true, that was completely contrived and false. Tears stung my eyes but I held back. It wasn't the time or place for foolishness.

"Ah… I… ah," the incoherent syllables spilled from my lips as my ability to breathe returned and I looked up dizzily at Kakashi.

He was smirking.

How dare he - was all I got to think before I felt the hard length of him slam into me.

"Aaargh!" I cried in surprise and pain. He leaned over me, pinning my shoulders to the ground as he thrust brutally. My body moved to accommodate him and I was so wet already it wasn't difficult. He had taken me by surprise, but I quickly adjusted, wrapping my legs around his waist to pull him in even deeper.

He gave a guttural moan and moved his hands to my hips, lifting me slightly as he thrust into me from a low crouch, like some kind of half-man, half-animal…

I couldn't think. My head lolled to the side as the force of his penetration stole my breath. "Ohhh," I whisper-groaned over and over. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but he seemed so far away. I felt a drop of his sweat fall onto my stomach and trickle toward my breasts. I felt moisture fall from my body, too, each time he thrust, splashing onto the stone…

A low hiss and then a growl ripped from Kakashi's throat and he came, deeper than any man had ever been inside me, in a long orgasm that I could definitely feel despite the haziness. I tightened around him and whimpered. He fell forward, catching himself with one arm and using the other to lower me softly to the stone.

Sweat dripped from his face and he dropped to one elbow, his legs entwined with mine and partially covering me. I reached up and carefully touched his cheek. His eye opened and met mine.

"CUT!" Guru shouted.