Too Close for Comfort
A/N: I don't know too much about dancing, but I tried to make it as detailed as I could…Please R&R?
Chapter Ten
"I took a tape measure and measured you in your sleep." Genma told Sakura sarcastically. "I looked in your wardrobe, of course." Sakura nodded, reassured, and went back to gazing in spellbound awe at the dress Genma had bought for her.
"Oh, thank you so much, Genma!" She flung her arms around Genma's neck, much to the older man's surprise. He returned her purely platonic embrace after a moment.
"Are you going to try the dress on?" He asked, hoping it would fit her and she would like it. He wasn't going to tell Sakura, but the dress had cost him a small fortune, and with the surprise items Shizune had added, without letting him see what he was paying for, it was even more.
Thinking of the surprise items, he lifted the box from the very bottom of the bag. "Shizune wouldn't let me see what it was…" Sakura took the box from him with a small smirk.
"What? Don't even think about it. No. I asked her to help me choose the dress; it wasn't a date or anything…" Sakura was not convinced by Genma's vehement denial. She opened the box Genma had not been allowed to see inside, and grinned.
"Remind me to thank your girlfriend the next time I see her." Genma did not bother to correct her about his and Shizune's relationship status, merely grunting in an offhand way that meant he'd had an educational guess at what was in the box. Sakura turned her gaze back to the light pink lingerie lying at the bottom of the box, mere wisps of silk and lace. Sakura suddenly wished she'd been better blessed in those departments.
Genma did not seem quite as bothered as he helped her undo the heavy yukata she was wearing, as it was too fiddly for her nervous hands.
She would have shuddered at the thought of stripping to her underwear in front of him only days ago, but now, she wasn't bothered. He didn't look too hard, and she wondered how she had never seen what a kind (not to mention generous) person he was before this mission had opened her eyes.
She slipped the new dress on effortlessly, and Genma gasped slightly. Sakura thought he was being over-dramatic, until she caught sight of herself in the mirror.
"Oh, I look…"
"…Stunning." Genma finished for her. She blushed slightly. The dress was a shimmering, silken, fitted number, floor-length, with beading along the dipping neckline. It was a mixture of colours, appearing to be pale lilac at first glance, but also comprised pale blue, lavender, darker purples and powder pink, all blended into one flawless colour. The dress was also backless, and had a seamless slit up the left leg.
"How long until the ball?" She asked him. Genma glanced at his watch, before replying:
"Two and a half hours."
"I'll take it off for a bit, then." Sakura decided. "You can help me with my make-up." She giggled at Genma's expression.
XOXOX
The door of the en suite room began to open, only an hour later. Sakura yelped. "Get in the bathroom, quick: I'll deal with Kakashi." Genma told her. Sakura did not waste any time over Genma's command, she grabbed the dress lying over the back of the bed, and leapt into the bathroom to get changed, to avoid Kakashi seeing the spellbinding dress before the ball.
Inside the bathroom, she prayed Genma would manage to make Kakashi dress appropriately. She did not need the man pretending to be her husband turning up to the dance in his jonin vest and baggy pants, complete with leg bindings and shuriken holster. That would certainly kill any remnants of warmth between the shinobi and the Hoshi's.
"Hey, Hatake, you're on time, for once."
"Hm." Came the Hatake genius' response. Genma sighed heavily.
"Sakura wants us both to wear these." Genma pointed to two black tuxedos he had hired from the shop he'd bought Sakura's dress from. Kakashi grunted slightly, not sounding particularly enthused by this. "She's in there…sorting her make-up in private." Genma said quickly, when Kakashi asked where Sakura was. "You know how girls are…ha ha." He could practically feel Sakura glaring daggers at him through the firmly locked bathroom door.
At half-past seven, both shinobi were ready for the ballroom dance, the brunette anticipating it slightly more eagerly than the masked man. "Sakura? Are you ready?" Genma called. There was a pause.
"Go on without me, I'll be down in a minute." Genma guessed Sakura didn't want Kakashi to see her just yet. Before the oblivious Copy-nin tactless wrecked her plan by doing something stupid like pushing the bathroom door in to see if she was okay, Genma called:
"Okay! See you in a bit!" He propelled Kakashi firmly to the door, ignoring the fact that the silver-haired man could easily take him out by pushing his shoulder with his pinkie. "Come on, Hatake!" He tried to sound cheerful, although he wondered about the probability of his mood lasting the night.
They arrived at the hall the dance was being held in five minutes late, which apparently didn't matter to Lady Hoshi, who seemed to be too busy drinking cocktails to greet them.
Two minutes after, the men heard a collective gasp, and turned to look at the entrance to the hall. Standing there looking slightly nervous but unbelievably stunning was Sakura, wearing her beautiful lilac dress that shimmered in the flattering lights. The thin straps on the dress showed a little of what was underneath in a subtle way. Lord Hoshi almost dropped his cocktail. Many of the men in the room looked at Sakura with open jaws.
Genma was pleased to see the possessive look that crossed the visible sliver of Kakashi's face. He had begun to think the man was a completely asexual specimen. It appeared not. Sakura crossed the room gracefully, a few tendrils of pink hair escaping from the swept-up style she had achieved, even with her hair only coming down to her shoulders.
"Hey, you two." She greeted them quietly. Genma sensed Kakashi snap his jaw closed. He smiled to himself.
"Uh…hi…" Kakashi managed. Genma's smile grew even wider, but he caught himself before Kakashi saw. Sakura turned her back on the other men in the room, who were looking lustfully at her and enviously at Kakashi. Maybe they'll have a reason to be jealous by the end of the night. The thought struck Genma unbidden, and he almost laughed at his stupidity. Kakashi had been affected by Sakura's dress: so what? The other men in the room had, too. It didn't mean anything, necessarily. But perhaps it didn't not mean anything, either.
Genma downed another cocktail to try and stop confusing himself. His third in approximately as many minutes. Sakura and Kakashi seemed to have decided to act like a real married couple, and Kakashi had his arm draped casually over Sakura's shoulder, and she was leaning in towards him. Wow, they look good together. Genma decided that he wouldn't drink any more alcohol. Before taking another highly intoxicating cocktail from a passing waitress, not even bothering to respond to her scanty clothing and obvious advances.
He watched the two as Sakura pulled a now composed Kakashi towards the dancefloor. Genma knew a lot of the guests, female as well as male, wanted to see the outcome of this. Hell, he wanted to see the outcome of this. Lord Hoshi was still staring at Sakura. Lady Hoshi elbowed him hard in the ribs. Genma noticed the brooch glistening on Lady Hoshi's gaudy floral ball gown.
As the 'married couple' joined half a dozen others on the dancefloor, a new song began. It was a fast-paced salsa, and it sounded just a little raunchy. Kakashi placed his right hand on Sakura's hip. As they turned, Genma saw the slight blush on Sakura's features, which was quickly cancelled out by her wide, sultry smirk.
There was a moment in which they prepared themselves, whilst Genma held his breath without realising he was doing it.
Kakashi spun Sakura around his left arm, and she came back towards his chest, but he pushed her away gently before she got more than half a foot away. They let go of each other's hands for a moment, before joining together again. Kakashi's right hand moved to the small of Sakura's back, and she arched her back. He dipped his head slightly, before pulling her to an upright position.
Since when can he dance? Genma wondered to himself, downing yet another cocktail, though more because he was too absorbed in the couple on the dancefloor than because he wanted to get drunk. Everyone was captivated now, even the other dancing couples. Kakashi and Sakura were breathtaking to watch. He looked on as Sakura slipped closer to Kakashi, dancing around him as he moved to enable himself to keep a grasp on her hands. They danced on, the couples around dancing as well, but they were mere accompaniment to Kakashi and Sakura.
Genma could see that both were very close to losing control, but both were still unsure if this dance was still a cover or whether the other felt the same.
He noticed Lady Hoshi, standing a little apart from her husband, staring jealously at Sakura. Kakashi was now supporting her left leg with a hand on her thigh. Genma remembered they had a mission, and looked at Lady Hoshi again. She was completely off guard, the brooch shimmering absently on her dress. Genma's mind was a lot sharper than people gave him credit for, and a moment later, on the pretext of moving closer to the dancefloor, he slammed his shoulder into Lady Hoshi's. She stumbled, and, pretending to steady her, Genma's hand grabbed the brooch and tugged it off. Lady Hoshi was too busy glaring at him to notice the missing item of jewellery.
"Very sorry, your lady." Genma said sarcastically. It appeared Lady Hoshi knew how to recognise sarcasm, as her glare deepened. Genma moved away, pocketing the brooch, unseen by anyone. Once over at the other side of the room, he looked back to the dancefloor.
The song ended at that moment, leaving Kakashi and Sakura's faces very close to one another. They were both breathing heavily, and it was obvious what was going through their minds. There was a spontaneous burst of applause from the spectators, and Kakashi lifted Sakura to her full height. She looked pleasantly flushed, and Genma wondered how hard it was for Kakashi to remain reasonably composed in her presence. The men who had been close to them on the dancefloor looked awestruck, and even the women, mostly middle-aged and squeezed into tight ball gowns, looked disconcerted by the couple.
"You two are so perfect together. It's obvious, you have great chemistry." Genma heard a strawberry blonde woman remark to Sakura, who blushed even deeper. Many of the other women nodded in agreement. Kakashi arm closed around his 'wife', and lead her off the dancefloor with a mock-courteous smile to the ladies, which was almost indistinguishable due to the fact that it did not reach his visible eye.
"I have the brooch." Genma muttered. Sakura's eyes widened.
"So quickly?" She sounded slightly strangled. Genma nodded, wanting to cuff them both around the head and tell them to do something about their 'great chemistry'. He figured that wouldn't be the best approach. He showed them the brooch briefly.
"Let's get out of here." Kakashi said briskly, sounded unaffected by his dance. Genma sighed.
"Pretend to faint, or something, Sakura." He told the flushed cherry blossom, who didn't look as if she needed much encouragement. She sank to floor. Genma noticed Kakashi rushed to grab her before he could.
"Come on." The Copy-nin said quietly, and he picked the limp Sakura up bridal-style. They exited the bustling, noisy room without attracting too much attention, apart from a young man ogling Sakura's slightly exposed thigh. Kakashi glared so vehemently that the man ran to his friends on the other side of the room. Genma smirked. Kakashi ignored him completely.
Kakashi did not let Sakura down immediately after they exited the hall, instead walking all the way to the stairwell before setting her down. She looked a little dazed. The shinobi continued up the stairs silently. Genma could feel tension, and he wondered why.
"Well, here we are." Genma said cheerfully, as they arrived at their room without getting lost. There was no response from the pair behind him, and he turned. What he saw made him give a repressed choke, and a muttered: "Finally."
Kakashi and Sakura had evidently communicated telepathically and decided mutually on their actions. Or something like that, Genma mused. They were currently kissing very heatedly, Kakashi's mask around his neck and his arms around Sakura's waist, Sakura with her arms wrapped around Kakashi's neck.
"Uh, I'll…wait out here until morning, then." Genma offered. Sakura made an indistinct noise of approval for this plan, before she and Kakashi tumbled breathlessly into their room.
Genma stared after them, a genuine smile playing across his handsome features. It had taken a few days of annoying noble people, balls and angst, but it finally looked as though Kakashi and Sakura were going to get together.
Genma sat down in the corridor, preparing himself for a long night and congratulating himself on his matchmaking skills.