In the summer, cloudless sky, a bird flapped its wings vigorously. It propelled itself forward against the small breezy currents that blew once in a while. Its white feathers rustled with every bank it made and its head moved constantly, fidgeting from right to left every other second, to scan its surrounding area. It needed to be alert and aware as it flew high above the dense forest of the fire country. Three hours had passed by since the journey had started and soon it would end.

Within a matter of seconds, the all too familiar gates of Konoha appeared below the messenger, and it opened its yellow beak to let out a cry of arrival. And again the sound came until it circled the top of a building, intertwined with a tree, countless times before slowing its flight. Feet first, while it batted its wings carefully, it was able to grab hold of a pole that jutted outwards horizontally from the window. Another shriek from its throat finally got itself noticed by the shinobi that watched the tower.

His eyes widened in urgency and ran towards the bird, eyeing its right leg and the string that was tightly wound around it. "Hold still," he told the bird and all it did was blink its eyes. After a matter of tugs, pulls and unwinding, the capsule finally came free. A quick exhale and the shinobi was off, leaving a small treat for the bird's hard work on the window sill.


"Have you heard about the kidnappings rising up again somewhere around Kirikagure? It's just a small town, but so much is going on in it," a random Chunin said casually as he waved his dango while talking. He chewed loudly and spoke with a mouth full.

Another man across the table from him wrinkled his nose and inhaled the tea's sweet aroma when he brought it to his lips. "Again? What do you mean again?"

"Again as in the second time, except bigger," the loud mouthed one stopped to pop another ball into his mouth, chewing it furiously in an attempt to finish it quickly. "I mean, the first time, it was just a few kidnappings as in 3 or 4. But this time, the second time, it's happening like ever week, bro."

"When has this started?" the other blew his tea to cool it before taking a sip.

"About a month ago," he finally said something without a mouthful.

"Isn't the Mizukage doing anything about it?"

"Well, she tries to," another pause to stuff another in his mouth. "But apparently, the town is scared shitless. Like, listen, when someone randomly kidnaps your kid, you don't know how to trust anyone right? Make you all paranoid and crap, bro. That's all I could imagine. Plus Kirikagure still has that crazy ass reputation about generating the most psycho ninjas that go missing. Like those two guys with those big ass swords? Dangerous shit. The town would rather get shinobi from other villages. Sucks ass, bro."

Kakashi rolled his eyes as he passed the dango shop. Sometimes he wished that his training didn't include advanced ears that could hear the slightest noise. After all, the ANBU had to eavesdrop for information gathering. He randomly picked up conversations that he needed not to know about. That and random vulgarity always reached his ears, just like it did now. He gave a little shake of his head and tried to focus back to his dirty, little orange book. He desperately wanted to get back to the story line that was just about to reach his favorite part. Oh, what was he kidding, every part of it was his favorite part.

However, favorite part or not, Kakashi knew that he would remain bored regardless of how many times he would read it. The words were always the same, scenarios in it were growing into a cliché and the characters seemed dull because of the fact that he's read it so many times. He didn't know why, but the pages that used to bring his blood adrenaline were now lifeless. It used to make his mouth drool with the vivid and life like descriptions, but now it was monotonous. And he had to push himself to read over the paragraphs. His jaws clenched in frustration. She had gotten to him. Gotten to him good. At this point, he didn't know whether to feel angry or satisfied.

He wanted to be angry at her for wedging herself into his life because he knew that a simple book could never compare to Sora in general. The description of touches and caresses were nothing. Words were nothing. A part of him was tired of visualizing and imagining fiction. He wanted to feel, feel her fragile, delicate fingers creeping up his bare back and tracing intricate patterns of intimacy, touching the toned muscle he built up. The words of moans and whimpers that the orange book provided sounded quiet, he couldn't hear a thing. All that his ears could hear was Sora moan in pleasure and her growls of frustration when Kakashi didn't give her what he wanted. The teasing, the kissing, touching, the friction the chemistry, and the heat that he felt last night reduced his highly proclaimed "Paradise" into rubble.

A simple book could no longer provide the pleasure and the fun that it used to because of one single woman. The other part of him hated her for altering his lifestyle. It was clam, tranquil and neutral. Yet, she came in and pulled him to her, twisting and turning his daily life into something dangerous and risky. It was like she was opening up a new world in his shinobi life. It may not look it, but he felt as if she controlled his time and his days. Just when he was craving her so much, she pushed him away. Regardless of how many times he told himself to resent her, he just could not do such a thing.

The instant that he stopped musing in his head and dragged his lazy eye back to where he left off, he heard the loudest, most annoying and irritating voice in his life.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Kakashi could hear the voice from meters away and it was getting louder. Kakashi shut his eyes and took a deep breath in order to calm himself.

"Yo, Naruto-kun," Kakashi gave him a small salute and smiled a genuine eye crease. "What can I do for you?" Kakashi laughed while the energetic blonde stood in front of his path.

Naruto gave him a frown and rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you're so cheerful," he crossed his arms and his jacket ruffled in the process. "I've been looking for you all morning! Where the hell have you been? You weren't at your house, the tree, the memorial stone or wherever you usually are. I thought you died!" Naruto listed, counting his fingers in the process of description. Kakashi sweat dropped and Naruto's eyebrows moved downward. "It's been hours. That is not how to spend my days back from a mission. I could be eating ramen right now! But no, I had to look for your lazy bum."

"Well, I'm sorry Naruto, the road of life took me to new places," Kakashi's hand rubbed the back of his neck in disappointment of causing his student so much trouble.

"Huh, that's new. I've heard the 'road of life' crap but not the 'new places' part," Naruto exhaled through his nostrils in an attempt to get rid of his annoyance. "Anyway, Tsunade baa-chan has been waiting for you. And don't be late! Or else I'm going to get yelled at." Naruto turned away and ran towards whatever direction his feet brought him, cursing under his breath at his teacher for depriving him of ramen.

Kakashi watched his student run away and disappear into the crowds then the wide horizon of the roof tops. He stood there for a while. Sure, he was known for being late, but he knew when things were serious and things were not. He decided that he should hurry to the office, in hopes that Tsunade's anger would not rise up.


Sora's hands trailed against the curving wall of the hallway with every step she took. It was dimly lit, but the windows on the opposite wall made up for the lack in lighting. Her steps echoed in the emptiness as the sun shone lazily. It seemed deserted and the slightest amount of noise could be heard from either ends. It brought on a feeling of loneliness on her and the hallway seemed endless no matter how many times she walked in this hallway.

She let her mind muse about the word lonely. She still had a ways to go. It wouldn't hurt to think, would it? Well, on the outside, it may seem that Sora had the good life. She could get any guy anytime and she was always surrounded by them like a queen. Her career was well paying and she could easily earn anything. She was esteemed for her knowledge of genjutsu. Her life was smooth and all that it could be. But she knew that inside, she was probably lonely. There were numerous beds that she slept in; they were all warm, all comfortable. But she lay there awake every night staring at the ceiling, neither tired nor energetic and, sooner or later, there was this feeling that overcame her, emptiness. She felt empty and lonely. Sure, she was surrounded by bodies, but they only stayed in a span of a day or so. She's linked her body with so many other men, but there was no connection. What is the definition of loneliness? In a general explanation, it's when a person turns around to see that there is no one there to watch their back, just darkness and an empty abyss. Its where there's no one that looks at you, not a soul gives you attention and you're left alone in a small world of your own.

And that's exactly where Sora was. She didn't have lovers, only one nightstands. One nightstands are things that you either forget or enjoy, just a small amount of your life. One nightstands are far from acquaintances. You meet, you have sex, there are no feelings tied. They're not the kind of people you expect to love you and befriend you. Because in the end of it all, you go to your separate ways, no one follows each other. They don't stick around. And when it's all done, she's still alone. No matter how many people she gets her hands on, her hands won't be on them forever. Eventually she'll get up from the bed and leave the man, deep asleep in dream land, alone in his own bed as well.

There were a few more paces left and she would reach the grand door. It towered well over her. She stopped right in front of it and brought her right hand to give a little knock. There were a few moments of silence.

"Come in," her voice was barely audible, being muffled by the thickness of the door and walls. Regardless, Sora's hands moved to the handle and yanked it open. She was greeted with a flood of light that hazed her and stung her eyes. That hallway did not contrast with how bright the office was. She closed her eyes immediately, standing idly for a few seconds, with an elbow to shield her eyes, before stepping into the middle of the room.

Sora bent her back forward in a slow pace and stayed in that position, resulting in a bow. "Hokage-sama," she greeted her before standing back up. "What may I do for you?"

Tsunade's head shook from left to right and gave a sigh. Sora shifted her weight in an uncomfortable manner. She got the feeling that this summoning wasn't going to be pleasant. "You do know that I've been trying to summon you for a day now?" Tsunade questioned, disappointment and annoyance in her voice was gravely noticeable.

Sora's eyes widened and she pursed her lips, sinking into her thoughts in an attempt to recall if anyone had been looking for her. "My apologies, Hokage-sama, but there was no one looking for me. I didn't see any of your messengers." Sora's fingers combed through her hair in a shrug. She could careless if nothing was her fault.

Tsunade exhaled and frowned. "That's because no one could find you. Being the active vixen that you're known for, there were too many houses to search for during the night. We didn't want to disturb our citizens. They even asked around at the bars, but no one knew who's bed you were going to sleep in next. How would I know whose place you were crashing in? You're barely at your own home and the library at that time of hour is closed."

"Fine, you got me, that was my fault for having hot sex," Sora raised her hands up and they fell to their sides in surrender. "Now, what do you need me for?"

"We got a second messenger bird from Ibiki. If you didn't know, his presence was requested in a town near Kirikagure. The rates of kidnappings are currently rising. And for the families that had money to pay for the ransom did received their children, but they came in state that's close to lifeless. As if they aren't living. They don't talk, eat, drink, sleep, they don't smile."

"Are you sure it isn't some kind of a shock or panicked state? They need to bring them to the nearest hospital."

"The townsfolk are too scared to go into Kirikagure, where all the hospitals are. They don't trust anyone. Kirikagure is still recovering from a recession and their reputation of raising dangerous shinobi is still in tact. The families don't want to go in there and have their children kidnapped or killed all over again. Try and understand, Sora, they they're in a state of paranoia. If it was a shock, Sora, they would have recovered in days, even weeks. It's been months. They don't know what their kids have gone through to look like that. Therefore, they've requested Ibiki to aid their small police force. He's interrogating anyone who looks suspicious."

"He seems to be doing well. Ibiki can squeeze out all of the information he needs from everyone with just his words. What does he need me for?"

"On his end, he's interrogating the instigators of the crisis. He requested you specifically to help him from the ones in crisis and to dive into the minds of the children. Break into their memories to see what was done to them because there are some links that aren't connecting. He's been requesting you for a while now, hence why I've sent my contacts to scour the village for you."

"Huh, I haven't collaborated with sensei in a while now. Sure, I'll accept it. There's just one problem…"

"What's the problem?" Tsunade was growing impatient.

"…I have no idea where and how to get to that place," Sora looked away in embarrassment after her confession. It's true; she's never been out of the village because of her position as a Vice President for the Interrogation building. She was Jounin and yet she's never been out of the village gates. But she was busy covering for Ibiki when he had things to do. As Vice President, she had to spend her days enclosed in the village, ready for anytime to step in for Ibiki. She was an innocent soul untouched by the outside world, just not that innocent.

"Oh, I forgot about that," Tsunade paused and took a deep breath. "SHIZUNE!" she yelled with the loudest voice that Sora had ever heard. Her eyes flew shut as the sound flew in through her ears, shaking her entire being and leaving her with goose bumps. She wouldn't be surprised if she found that her ears were bleeding. Sora exhaled a shuddered breath and rubbed her ears in an attempt to push the ringing out of her ears and the memory of Tsunade yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune appeared almost instantly at the door, panting and in an alarmed state, as if some one just died.

"I need you to look up which teams are deployed and on rest. Little miss Sora here needs an escort. She can't afford to bruise her perfect skin now can she?" Shizune groaned at the small request. Tsunade's loud call was a false alarm of anything serious. Sora's eyes twitched at the fact that she was being viewed as little baby. She gritted her teeth in a hostile way, clearly ready to kill someone, if she had the skills to do so.

"Well," Shizune walked towards Tsunade, while scanning the folder as quickly as possible. "Most of the teams are on a rest, some came home just a few days ago. And today, ten of the teams were just deployed. The remaining are already on a mission. What's the rank of this mission, Tsunade-sama?" she placed the folder and reports on the Hokage's desk. Almost immediately, Tsunade began to rummage through its contents.

"A rank," she said plainly. "So we can't afford to send just any other team with Sora. "She has the skills necessary to stop the out break near Kirikagure before it grows any bigger. If she gets killed or hurt on the way, it's going to waiver Ibiki's chances to breaking it. She's a valuable piece of meat after all."

"The kidnappings? That is a major issue. Well, the most energetic and 'ready to go' team would certainly be Gai's squad. They should be home in about a day or two, if you're okay with waiting." Shizune's question was directed to the Hokage and Sora. The Hokage seemed pleased at Shizune's suggestion. On Sora's hand, it was a different situation

Sora's jaw dropped in an instant, and a part of her died along the way. "You have got to be kidding me. If you don't want me to be dead, then sure as hell you're not sending me with Gai. I know for sure I would die being in his presence," Sora groaned. Even if Gai was the last man on Earth she would still stay a mile away from him.

"We almost have no other choice, Sora," Tsunade's hands clasped together in front of her, propped by her elbows, in the signature pose of the Hokage. "If we could have gotten hold of you earlier and you weren't around sleeping with a random male, you would have been of with a team that you could cooperate with. The wait is risky, as Ibiki needs you right away, but we're going to have to wait for Gai in order to keep you in mint condition. Whose house were you at anyway?" There was a gossiping edge to her lecture.

"UGH. Like I would tell you. But, please, Hokage-sama, anyone but him. Anyone. I'm prepared to go on my knees, here, to beg you for it." Sora's hands grabbed fistfuls of her hair to push the images of Gai's spandex covered figure, singing about youth, out of her head. She didn't want her imagination coming true because just the thought of Gai was already torturing her and killing her inside. And as a torture specialist, she could endure any kind of it. But Gai, oh Gai, he was just some thing else.

"You called?" a figure appeared in a puff of smoke right outside the window, distracting the meeting. He was standing on a roof and taking in the interior and the rooms contents as he leaned against the window sill from outside, blocking parts of the sun rays. His black eye surveyed the figures but stopped when it landed on Sora. Dear God, was fate on his side? Half of him was thrilled to see her in all her glory, while the other wanted to punish her for affecting his life in the smallest ways possible. Smallest ways or not, those small changes to him had affected him in ways he could not imagine.

Sora's eyes narrowed in a predatory manner right back at him and all he did was give her a smile with his eye. How much worse was this day going to be? Why was he back when she specifically told him to stay away from him? She didn't want another figure in this room of high position. His presence tipped the scale and left Sora with two enemies in the room.

As delicious as Kakashi looked, she still hated the sight of him. Every time her eyes engulfed him, all she would see was the man that towered above her as she laid flat on the bottom. He was the man that made her beg and made her wait. He was the man that made her wither and make adrenaline pump in her blood. He left her anxious, with anxiety at its highest level in her. He reduced the queen to something smaller than a servant. He took away all the power she had ever earned and had. Every moment that she spent around him, she had to try her hardest to not sink into him and let him take over. But, there was a tempting feeling, somewhere small and deep within her that wanted to let him have every control over her. She hated the feeling of being subdued to him, or anybody for that matter. Nevertheless, she was beginning to add that feeling to the list of her fears.

"Kakashi! "Tsunade's eyes lightened up when she took in the image of him. The pitch of her voice rose in a surprising manner, from serious to cheerful. The rays of the sun shinning behind him made him look like an angel, the savior of this whole situation. She had never loved Kakashi so much until now. An idea clicked into her mind.

"Yes, you called?" he said so casually, repeating his words, and disregarding Sora's presence in the room. He tried so hard to do so. He had to wake himself up to stop staring at her figure. And he tried even more, restraining himself, to not jump over to her and touch every part of her.

Sora turned back to Tsunade, examining her face and sudden change in attitude. Tsunade's eyes shinned, and her smile was the widest it ever was. Sora's eyes widened and her mouth was agape, waiting for her words to come out. "No, Hokage-sama, don't you dare. Don't even think about it." She received a deadly look from Tsunade that silenced her.

"Kakashi, escort this fine lady to Kirikagure and be her body guard for the duration, will you?" Tsunade smiled at the silver haired shinobi in the most genuine was possible. "I called you here to tell you …" She waived a hand in the air to dismiss her train of thought. "Never mind what I called you here for, Sora will be your new mission."

Kakashi looked back at Sora who shook her head and mouthed words of threats. "Don't you even say anything. I swear, if you say anything, I will kill you. I hate you, ever miniscule part of you." She mouthed at Kakashi when Tsunade was not looking. No doubt she was cursing at him and killing him in her mind. After a while of silence, Sora decided to break it. "Hokage-sama, I can't go anywhere with him either."

"What? Why not? I can understand your predicament with Gai, but Kakashi? I don't understand. Kakashi is a good man; he can protect you from anything. Don't you know who he is?"

"Yes, I do know who he is, it's just that…"

"What?" Tsunade's impatience started to grow again and her arms crossed over her chest.

"I can't tell you…"

"And why can't you tell me?"

"It's just that…"

"Will you just tell me?" She boomed.

"No I can't!" Sora yelled back, bowing quickly after she did so in order to show no disrespect.

"Well, Hokage-sama, we don't really know each other, so it could possibly pose as an awkward situation for, what is it, Sora-san?" Kakashi pitched in, attempting to act as if he's never seen Sora in his life. That was harder than he thought. Lying at the Hokage's face was difficult because of the topic of his words. But, it was his attempt at stopping the deadly stares that the two women gave each other before it would result in a deadly gauntlet.

"Oh, is that so?" she leaned back into her chair, seeming calmed. Kakashi's words tamed the beast. If there was any moment that Sora would ever be proud of Kakashi, it would be now. The look on Tsunade's face seemed tranquil again and the fire in her eyes died down. The possibility of not being teamed with Kakashi looked like it grew bigger. "If that's the case….then I have no other choice but to stick you two together." She sighed, tilting her head to the side and nodding herself.

All the wind was knocked out of Sora as she stood there. It was like a train hitting her out of nowhere, leaving her blank. She managed to stutter," Wha- why?" She wailed and made the two syllable word seem longer than it was.

"If you two don't know each other, get to know each other this way. Shinobi cannot cooperate with other shinobi if they're clueless about each other. Studies proved that if you know your partner, then there's a high chance of success than failure. The village must cooperate. Get acquainted with each other on the way. Sora's mission is an A ranked mission and Kakashi's is a simple B-rank. Take this chance as a first step into a new relationship. I'm determined to eliminate the word 'stranger' from Konoha. We're all going to get acquainted, we're all family. There should be no problem. Take this chance to bond, yes?"

"Hokage-sama-" Kakashi and Sora both started with a sweat drop.

"I SAID TAKE THIS CHANCE TO BOND!" and she threw the mission folder at Kakashi who caught it, of course.


"I hate you." She said so bluntly at him as she leaned against the large scale of the Konoha gates, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and a frown on her lips. Sora was determined to stay as far away from him as possible and took him from her proximity. She looked so tiny that it seemed that she could get hurt by just tripping. She made it look as if she was so fragile that it gave him the feeling of wanting to protect her and keep him to himself even more.

Kakashi walked towards the gateway, still scrutinizing the folder that Tsunade gave him, or rather chucked him. He ignored her words of poison, but he could not ignore her entirety. "I guess I was right about you never going outside of the village, wasn't I?" He chuckled to himself and Sora hissed at him. "Don't worry about the directions and navigation; I can take care of that. All you need is to follow me," he began adjusting the straps of his backpack and he could hear her shuffle into a standing position. She maintained a good 3 yards away from him. "We'll keep this mission on a professional level, Sora. Nothing will happen, if that's what you wanted from the beginning of today. So, are you planning on being this far away from me the whole time? You could get lost doing that."

"I'm not blind Kakashi, I can see you if you would be kilometers away," she watched him ready himself.

"It's hard to see in the forest, Sora. The fact that you've never even been out here, you could lose me easily. We have to go at a fast pace in order to get you to Ibiki as soon as possible. I'll set us at a pace that can get us there in about seven hours or so. We'll even stop at Otafuku Gai, if you get tired."

"Seven hours of… running?" Sora repeated him to make sure that she heard him right. She didn't know what to say next. She's never done such extraneous activity for that long in her life. She stood still, clueless about how she should tell Kakashi the next crucial piece of information.

The silence dawned on him when he realized that Sora had not moved. He turned to her and gave her a questioning look. "What's wrong?" he asked , waiting patiently for her answer.

"Nothing is wrong; it's just that, I don't have the greatest stamina in the world like every other kunoichi out there."

"Oh, I almost forgot about that. I was reading your file just now; I guess I overlooked it on accident. I guess you're not the brightest ninja with ninjutsu and taijutsu. " Sora looked away towards the woods in an attempt to hide her anger as he talked. How many times did people have to remind her that she was weak when it came to battle? "Your body wasn't designed for running, fighting, and vast traveling. That's possibly another reason to why you weren't deployed outside of the village."

"Like I didn't know that? Let's just walk our way there, shall we?" She started forward.

"No can do, Sora. That would take us almost two days or so. We can't do that. We need to get there as fast as possible."

"Well, unless you can fly us there, Sharingan Warrior, I prefer that we just walk." She stopped walking and waited for him to catch up with her. She watched him stroll to her in the most lazy way ever, taking his time. He stopped when he was to her right, the gap between them closed and became one foot.

"Here," Kakashi said, taking off his backpack and cradling it on the crook of his right arm. Kakashi kneeled on his left foot at her. He looked at her, waiting for her next move.

Her eyebrows burrowed and she stayed standing staring right back at him, staggering in her posture. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Ride on me," Kakashi smiled, but he meant it so seriously like it was a command. It left her mouth agape and speechless.


"Tighter," he rasped as he attempted to keep his breathing even, calm and tranquil. Kakashi felt her legs wrap around his waist firmly, bringing herself as close as she could possibly get. Her pelvis rocked against his as she situated herself, crossing her legs in the process. It stimulated a grinding rhythm that she did in such an innocent way, not dirty intention. He held back a groan in his throat to keep it professional. "I'm going to faster, are you okay?"

"Kakashi, I can take anything," she whispered into his left ear, adjusting her criss-crossed arms around his neck, grazing his collarbone in the slightest, most accidental way ever. His grip on her left leg rode up just a bit, resting on the back of her mid thigh. She could feel him doing so and she lifted her chin from his shoulder. Images of the night where he teased her so much, she felt as if he was going to leave her hanging, leave her in utter torture. It reduced her to something so feeble. "How much longer is this piggy back ride going to take?"

"Half an hour more. We were delayed more than I estimated."

"Is that supposed to mean that I'm heavy?"

"No, it's not that, more of the fact that I've never carried someone longer than this. That and the fact that I have to keep a firm purchase on my bag. I have to make sure that I don't trip so that we don't fall over."

There was silence between them after Kakashi's voice died out and the only sound was the soft noise of Kaakshi's feet jumping off the tree branches. The soft "thump" of his landings mixed with the silence as well.

"So much for being professional and so much for staying away from you as much as possible." They've been stuck together in this awkward position that caused them to share body heat. If they pulled apart, Sora wouldn't be surprised if they were stuck together.

"Well, did you want to take a decade to get to your destination? I don't know of any other way to get you there as fast as possible. This is the most efficient way I could think off."

"You must be enjoying yourself then, Hatake-san," she ignored his critical reasons. "Having a beauty such as myself being stuck to you like glue for this long. I won't forget the note that my breasts have been against you ever since the start to the trip."

Kakashi chuckled as he shook his head. "What makes you think you are a beauty?"

"There has to be a reason why you can't keep your eyes off of me, Hatake. Looks capture everyone's eye. I just never knew that it would be so easy to capture yours. I hope I'm not the only action that you've ever gotten, save for that blonde girl."

"You're not," he stated bluntly and a part of her playful side turned serious, jealousy overcoming a small part of her. She didn't know how to answer and it was quiet again. The wind, this time, adding to the silence. He could feel her jaw clench as her chin rested on his shoulder and he sense that the atmosphere around them changed. "It was a long time ago though, just once," his voice sounded reassuring. "How about yourself?"

"I get action everyday," she spoke those words as if it was the most normal thing in the world and as if it was something of insignificance. It was insulting that he did not know that fact.

"I thought so, judging from your close contact to Hikaru."

"I fired Hikaru," Sora said immediately in a reaction to his name. "And he's not the only action I get."

"Why so? I thought he was a pretty good assistant. He didn't rebel and he did things that you wanted him to do. "You probably enjoyed yourself having someone that would praise your every step."

"Hikaru is out of this question, Hatake-san," her arms loosened a bit in an attempt to put space between them. But, his hand on her thigh lifted her back to him. "I know it seemed that we crossed that professional line that you drew, but try to maintain it. Besides, it should be common sense that Hikaru isn't the only action I get, Kakashi. There's no need to view me as someone who walks around with my nose stuck up my ass. Nor am I an incredibly cocky owner that drags her dogs around because, if I did, there would be too many leashes."

He exhaled a held breath. "Why do you get so defensive when I make comments about your men?" He turned his head to the right so that he could slightly see her eyes from the corner.

"Because my relationship with other men is between me and other men. I keep everyone separated or it's going to get messy, like mixing all the colors of the pallet. It won't be pretty Kakashi. Instead, it would be a hot mess."

"Is that why you asked me and other men to stay away?"

"Normally, other shinobi understand the process of a one night stand. But, you, who is new to this whole process, have to be told such a thing. Because to people that aren't as social as I am tend to view sex as something so important, valuable and meaningful. While, to people like me, it's just a one time pleasurable situation. When you're supposed to part the next day, you came looking for me," she hoped that he believed every word that came out of her mouth because everyone of them was a lie.

Truth is that Sora didn't want to have anything to do with the man that could pin her down. She didn't want her skin rubbing against the skin of the man that could paralyze her with just a touch. She didn't want to feel the man feeling her in any place and leave her hanging for one grave moment like he did. It was an embarrassment and never before has she ever felt such a thing. It was a cut into her confidence because she feared that there would be others like Kakashi out there. And that fear was so close to stopping her from doing anything so fun, wild and desirable ever again. That would be a gigantic part of her life.

It was mortifying. And it was humiliating to be held down while he dominated. Held down while she had no control. Powerless and pathetic. It was as if she was being laughed at. The high and mighty queen dethroned by a peasant and then switched roles. She had so much experience, so much of it, but he beat her. He beat her in so many ways. She doubted her life and she doubted herself even more with every single second she was around him. She wanted so badly to treat him the way he treated her. To tie him up and completely paralyze him. Make him suffer the same way she did and have him wait for so long that he would start to lose patience and lash out. But she couldn't, for risk of being over powered again.

End of Chapter 7


Closing Notes:

I hope that chapter didn't bore you to death! I edited this thing about 5 times, which is why it took me forever. I know not much has happened and the power struggle is still there, but I decided to save the of the juicy parts for chapter 8.

By the way, does anyone know what nubivagant mean? It isn't in the dictionary, but it is a word. Figure it out, and I'll love you even more.

Please review!