Torn Heart
Ch. 7

There was half a day left of travel before they reached the town they had set out for over four days ago. Their first night "camping-out" in the wilderness had gone by without a hitch. Nobody had spotted any lurkers during the night, so they'd made a hasty start before the sun came up the following morning. The journey up to this point had been uneventful. They traveled across what seemed like a never ending forest covered by sky scraping canopy trees that blocked away most of the day's sunlight with their thick foliage coverings, into a territory where the trees started to slowly become scarce.

Sakura had attempted to make small talk with Naruto as they travelled, but Naruto's mind was preoccupied with other equally pressing matters. As much as Sakura wanted to ease Naruto's mind, she'd been forced to let up when she realized Naruto was using the same phrase to reply to all of her mindless chatter. Besides her, everyone else travelled in silence. Arriving before nightfall so they could become situated was currently the main concern of the majority.

At the moment they were scouting a neighboring village. The village rested below a mountain range, overlooking a river that seemed to flow around the village. The mountains were rocky and there appeared to be very little green adorning the area. Dirt paved the walk ways, and from scanning the establishments that comprised the village, it was apparent that they utilized all the resources they had to build homes so unlike the wooden ones found in Konoha. This village was apparently days away from its surrounding villages; a vendor had informed them. In light of that, Kakashi thought it prudent to make a quick stop to gather information; in case a local had taken notice of any traveler matching their culprits' description.

Being that the village was pretty small, they split into three groups. "Sakura, I want you to go with Yamato and cover grounds north and east of here. I trust if put under questioning, you can pass off as a traveling couple?"

Sakura looked about ready to explode, the entire right side of her face twitching in annoyance, when Kakashi had finished his orders with a wink. She refrained herself from throwing a punch at him when she remembered they were on a tight schedule. She knew the ploy was to blend in as civilians, but did she have to be paired off with Yamato of all people? How about pairing her up with someone a little closer to her own age and not another old geezer like Kakashi-sensei. Her disposition fell and she let loose a defeated sigh.

"Naruto and Sai, you will be teaming up. Take care not to draw any unnecessary attention to yourselves," he stated dismissively. "Gather information in this area and head west when you are through here. Meet me at the edge of town in 30 minutes. Disperse."

Everyone disappeared in a poof except for Naruto and Sai. Why do I always get stuck with this socially retarded jerk? "You better not do anything that will get us noticed Sai. Let me do all the talking so your big mouth doesn't give away we are Konoha nin," he quietly grumbled. He was already exhausted from the many days of travel, and the last thing he needed was to screw up and get yelled at by his teammates.

"Dickless, I'm clearly the best match for the male role as I actually have one. I read that the man is supposed to take the lead in a relationship. Why don't you relax and let me do the talking."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and gave Sai his deadliest stare. Is he being for real? It didn't help matters that Sai had the same happy-go-lucky expression he always wore when he said something he wasn't aware was stupid.

"You dumbass! Kakashi was talking ONLY to Sakura when he told her to act like she was passing through this lame town with her boyfriend. He wasn't referring to us too! Think Sai. How would that plan even work out with the two of us!" Naruto rubbed his temple as he felt the inevitable headache that would no doubt follow if he continued to humor Sai's antics. Teaming up with Sai tended to really tire him out."Did it ever occur to you that we could just say we are related?" He flailed his arms around in exasperation to emphasize the obvious point.

"I don't mind," was his initial reply as he turned around and started walking away in the direction of the fruit and vegetable stands that were visible a little ways down the road they'd been arguing on. "The men from the other night didn't seem to have a problem with it."

Naruto stared after him with a quizzical expression plastered on his face. Their interactions as of late had gotten very strange. He didn't despise Sai anymore. He hadn't disliked him for a long time now. Not since Sai ascertained his loyalty to the team in Orochimaru's hideout; after he disobeyed Danzou's orders to kill Sasuke. Of course, that didn't mean certain things didn't irk him about the guy. Sai's inability to read peoples' moods and scenarios hovered over all of his friendships like a black cloud ready to wreak havoc on a perfect sunny day. Naruto decided to just dismiss all the weirdness as another one of Sai's all too common misunderstandings.

At the end of scouting the southern portion of the village, they hadn't stumbled across any meaningful information as of yet. The village was actually one of five miniscule villages that made up a territory in the Lightning country. These villages ran along the border between Lightning country and Rice country, and for that reason most had escaped the damage seen by the war. The war had destroyed a large portion of Lightning country closer to the coastline in the north. The rogue ninja they were after were probably frequenting the parts of the country that were least affected by the war.

Nobody except for a few giggling girls had given them a second glance as they'd wandered the streets of the inner sector. Naruto and even Sai, as oblivious as they were, missed the fact that two very attractive women had been trying to catch their attention for the entirety of their Intel gathering. To the disappointment of two of the best looking gals in the crowds, they'd dismissed both as merely shoppers.

Naruto had allowed Sai to conduct most of the work. He wasn't happy that Sai thought he'd admitted defeat thus acknowledging Sai as the better male figure, but heck he had other things on his mind that allowed him to quickly forget Sai and his inappropriate assumptions.

They weren't due to meet at the edge of town for another 10 minutes. Focusing his sensing abilities, he could tell that Kakashi was at the outskirts of town, about 10 miles from their current location. He could sense that Sakura and Yamato were waiting for them at the meeting point, and that Kakashi had started making his way in that direction. He must have finished his rounds.

A drop in his belly and an increase in heart rate accompanied his racing thoughts. He'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't once thought about that first night he'd shared a room with Kakashi-sensei. He'd tossed around many ideas in his head, and not a single one gave him insight as to why his sensei had hovered over him in his sleep. He knew his sensei was creepy, but in the many years they'd gone on missions together, not once had he come up to him in his sleep and touched him. He knew Kakashi-sensei was a sleazy pervert that drooled over porn, but even he was above molesting someone not in their conscious mind, right? It was really bothering him; so much so that he almost wished that he'd really been asleep so he wouldn't have to think about it.

As nervous as Naruto was to confront Kakashi, he knew that if he didn't, the what-ifs would continue to unsettle him. It's not like he believed Kakashi did that because he desired him. All the guy did was feel his maybe stare at him a little while he slept. He couldn't be too sure of that because he hadn't been able to open his eyes without being found out. But what he did know for certain, was that Kakashi had spent some time standing close to him, and had lifted his shirt to run what felt like a finger across his abs. Aghhh why did you do that you sad excuse of a ninja, now I'm going to have to figure out a way to bring up the subject without inviting probable humiliation and possible denial on your part.

Naruto knew this was his only chance before they reached the next town to speak privately with Kakashi-sensei without the others noticing. He had enough embarrassment waiting for him as it was, the last thing he needed was for the others to overhear their conversation.

Thinking quickly, he blurted out, "Sai, I uh… saw a souvenir back there that I'd like to get as a present for someone. Go ahead without me. Sakura and Yamato are already waiting for us, go tell them I'll be there in a few."

Sai, perceptive and yet uncaring that he'd just been lied to, shrugged and disappeared off into the distance. Calculating the perfect point to intersect his sensei so they could have some privacy, Naruto took off in a rush. Calm down Naruto, don't let Kakashi see how nervous you are. With luck, this is just a misunderstanding and you'll end up feeling like a moron for thinking otherwise.

Running at top speed, Naruto waited on top of a building at the corner of the busy part of the village, and jumped off just in time to block Kakashi from passing through.

"Mah, mah, Naruto. Eager to be the first to share our findings aren't we?"

Kakashi's one eye creased in amusement at Naruto's disheveled look. Naruto's hair that would naturally spike up on any normal day, had slightly flattened out in appearance; his spikes were now restricted to the very top and front part of his hair, the rest cascaded downwards and clung to his face and the back of his neck. Droplets of sweat were visible resting along his neck and chest. The parts of the Lightning country they had travelled across seemed to have higher levels of humidity in comparison to Konoha. His student must have been feeling the heat, noting that his half unzipped orange jacket revealed the lack of his usual black undershirt. Kakashi knew that Naruto must have overexerted himself to be sweating this profusely, so he watched carefully, curious to know what his student wanted with him.

"You've got it all wrong, sensei. We didn't find anything of value. I was just picking up a little something at a shop nearby when I sensed you coming. Thought I'd wait so we could go back together."

Now that's interesting. Hiding the fact that he came here just so he could speak with me. Hmmm maybe I'll play nice and not point out his obvious lie. Mah, just one won't hurt.

"Ne, is that so? You wouldn't mind showing me what you bought now would you? I was thinking of picking up a souvenir myself but I can't decide what to get." Kakashi snickered inside at the deer in the headlights look that came over Naruto's face because of his probing.

"Umm you know what sensei, I just remembered I forgot my bag in the store's bathroom I have to go get it bye," spewed Naruto in a single breath. As Naruto made to bolt out of there, his resolve nearly faded, Kakashi grabbed the collar of his jacket and held him in place. Naruto's legs swung forwards from the force of his attempted escape.

"It's okay Naruto. I know there must be something you want to talk to me about, or you wouldn't have gone out of your way to meet me. We don't have much time before we have to head back, why don't you just go ahead and tell me."

Naruto fidgeted with the sleeves of his jacket. He cast his gaze downwards towards the ground, and began rubbing the dirt with the ball of his right foot. Naruto was unsure on how to bring up the topic. He had wanted to do it casually, but now it felt like he was put on the spot. Why hadn't anybody told him he sucked at lying! Maybe then he would have tried a different approach.

"Well you see Kakashi-sensei," he began, "I just wanted to thank you for helping me home after the party last week. I was so drunk I'm sure I would have done something stupid I might regret if you hadn't made sure I got home alright." Naruto, truly grateful, turned around to face Kakashi and gave him his most sheepish expression.

A pang of guilt assaulted Kakashi for being thanked when he'd done nothing but the opposite of what he was being thanked for, but the expert at hiding emotion that he was, he covered it up with the aloofness he was so famous for. "Now, now. There's no reason to formally thank me Naruto."

Naruto nodded, and placed a hand behind his head. "I guess I just felt I should thank you since one of the few things I remember is how much fun you and Gai sensei were having right before the night ended," he chuckled. Naruto knew how hard Kakashi always tried to avoid Gai, so he tried to shift the mood a little with a joke to tease his sensei.

It worked. Kakashi rolled his visible eye and let out a deep sigh. "Don't remind me about that deranged enthusiast. One of the reasons I can appreciate time spent away on a mission is so I can minimize the chances of accidentally running into him."

Naruto and Kakashi both smiled at that, and what started as a simple rise of the lips turned into some hysterical contagious laughter. Naruto grabbed at his sides, doubling over and unable to contain himself; and Kakashi tilted his face upwards towards the sky, amusement evident in the crease of his mask, as they were both having a laughing fest on Gai's expense. After a minute of uninterrupted laughter, once both started calming down and giggles turned into sighs, Kakashi spoke up. "Well Naruto, I'm afraid we need to start heading back. As much as you might want to prolong arriving at the next town, we need to get going so we don't miss our chance."

"Wait, sensei. There was something else…"

Naruto tried to calm the rise of his beating heart, too scared his sensei would catch wind of how nervous he was becoming.

"Oh?" Kakashi questioned.

"I was awake. "

"You were?"

"Yes. I couldn't sleep."

Kakashi examined Naruto for a moment, leveling him once again with one of his bored looks. Noticing that Naruto didn't plan on continuing, he simply replied, "Okay. Maybe next time you will catch more sleep." Kakashi looked about to start moving, when he felt Naruto brush past him and stop his movements with the palm of his hand pressed flat against his chest.

"No. This Kakashi-sensei." He gathered his courage and slid the hand he'd used to halt him, under his vest. He figured in this situation, actions spoke better than words.

Kakashi quickly put two and two together, and for what felt like a minute but must have been a few seconds, he was at a loss for words. Naruto was staring intently at his face, gauging his reaction. He didn't know what Naruto wanted him to say. Naruto had been awake when he'd examined his "sleeping" body. Why hadn't he noticed? Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't hesitate answering with the truth. After all, he was the infamous copy ninja of Konoha and there weren't many people around that would complain about taking Kakashi as a lover. Okay, that sounded a bit narcissistic. It didn't change the fact it was a true statement though.

A dozen excuses flooded Kakashi's senses. He could lie and say Naruto had been making strange noises so he'd walked over to check if everything was alright. He'd only touched him to count his breaths per minute…Oh what bullshit excuse that was. He could claim denial and insist someone must have used the shadow clone technique and disguised themselves as Kakashi. He could easily get Yamato to give an alibi for him without having his subordinate question him. But then inevitably Naruto would become suspicious of the other members of his team and that would cause more problems than it was worth. Think. Think. Tsk, another worthless excuse... And he got it! He could have been sleep walking... Yes, that was it. Nobody could blame a sleep walker for what they did under such a daze.

Wrapping his hand over the wrist that was currently pressed against his naked flesh, Kakashi gently removed it from under his vest. Naruto's gentle but firm touch served as a reminder of their forbidden tryst, and without letting go of his wrist, he became lost for a moment in Naruto's deep blue eyes. When he realized he'd been staring and had yet to say something, he noticed that Naruto had begun to shake softly. Nerves and anticipation must have taken a toll on him. Kakashi knew this wasn't the time to further flood Naruto with issues that had the potential to become very problematic, but he found himself unable to let go of his hand. He quietly ran his hand up Naruto's arm, while at the same time pulling him closer.

Naruto's heart felt about ready to spring out of its cavity and shoot straight through his head. His head was pounding like crazy; he could hear the thudding sounds ringing loudly in his ears. He didn't understand why he was so nervous. It's not like he had feelings for his teacher. Kakashi was an older man, his sensei of many years no less. Why was it that he was looking forwards with anticipation to what his sensei had to say?

A chill ran through his body as Kakashi clasped his upper arm in a tight hold. Naruto wet his lips nervously, as Kakashi's other hand made its way up his side. He was being held against Kakashi, their chests barely touching. Looking up, he found Kakashi's penetrating stare scan his face, as if deliberating something. He could hear Kakashi's heavy breath muffled behind his mask. Kakashi had yet to say something, and honestly, Naruto didn't think he needed to. By now he understood exactly what was going on. What do I do, what do I do. Would he let me go if I push him away?

Intimidated by the closeness, Naruto wedged his hands between them and pushed with all his strength. Reacting quickly, Kakashi retaliated and shoved Naruto against a building facing an alley. By now Naruto was very taken aback, what did his sensei want with him? He had come here hoping he'd be proved wrong, but things were swiftly confirming his fears.

"Stop sensei. You were right. It's not the time to have this conversation. Please let me go the others will come looking for us." There was an edge of fear in Naruto's tone. Kakashi didn't like that. Was he fearful because he didn't want the others to find them like this, or was he afraid of his next move? Could it be that Naruto found him unpleasant? He'd be hurt if his student found him too unappealing to view as dating material, but well there was nothing he could do about it now was there? Better to find out now than never, he rationalized. Things had gotten this far already anyways, one last move wouldn't hurt.

Without warning, Kakashi pulled down Naruto's headband that had been turned inside out to hide his country affiliation, and covered his eyes.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing…mmm" Naruto's protests were silenced by a hungry kiss. Kakashi devoured his mouth like a hungry animal. His tongue ran wild inside his mouth, leaving no area unexplored. He coerced Naruto's protesting tongue in his, and sucked it right out of his mouth, suctioning softly, driving a long throaty moan out of his unsuspecting victim. Naruto had given up the fight the instant he'd felt a tongue enter his mouth. He didn't have much experience with kissing; the only times he'd actually done it was with Sasuke. But he'd forgotten how nice it felt to have someone massage your tongue with theirs. A memory of Sasuke passionately kissing him surfaced from the confines of his mind, and he instantly snapped awake from his daze, shoving Kakashi away with near violent fervor. Gasping for air now that his tongue was released from its capture, he frantically rummaged his mind, trying to find the right words to say. He didn't have to think long before Kakashi stole that load away from him.

"There isn't' a whole lot to deliberate over Naruto. It wasn't until last week that I began to take notice of you in this… way. Just try not to think too hard on it, okay? I know I'm not." Kakashi added that last part almost dismissively, and as he jumped over the rooftop of the building they'd been leaning against, he added, "Don't be long. They expect tardiness from me; I wonder what excuse you can give them that won't make Sakura want to chop your head off. She is quite eager to get to the next village, best not to keep her, or any of us waiting." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a blur.

Naruto was left dumbfounded, a lone figure abandoned in an empty street. He touched his lips with his hand, unbelieving of what had just transpired. I just made out with Kakashi sensei. Holy shit! With no time to spare, as they were already over 30 minutes late, Naruto raced in the direction travelled by the lazy ninja. Not until he'd almost made it back, did he realize that he'd missed his possibly last chance at peeking behind his sensei's mask! It was too early to think about a continuation of events. He'd at least, for better or for worse, managed to resolve the one issue that had plagued him for the last couple of days. All that was left now was confronting Sasuke. Feeling a rush of adrenaline pumping his veins, he reached the others, and together they departed on their last stretch of travel.

Authors Note:

So there you have it! Another update! So I added a little something at the end there, hope you guys enjoyed. Kakashi appears to have the hots for naruto, how fun! I'm not sure Naruto knows how to feel about it. It's too bad he doesn't have much time to think about things. They are on a dangerous mission atm. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far. My head is filled with ideas and scenarios I want to see played out, so reviews are my motivation! Please leave me some feedback if you liked the chapter. Until next time : )