This chapter isn't as long as I would've liked, but it's eventful, so there ya go. I hope you all don't hate me too much, I do have a plot in mind, I swear, and I'm trying really hand to make this as non-cliché as possible.

I've been sitting in the same chair for at least two hours typing this, probably closer to three. I frickin love laptops.

The lake is everything Shinji claimed it to be. The water is so clear that I can see the little schools of fish darting along the bottom, fifteen or twenty feet down. There's a small trickle of a waterfall that goes into the lake, but most of the water comes down a gentle slope along the side of the cliff. Once we get there Hinata and I spread out the blanket while Shikamaru, Shinji, Zen, and Naruto pin down the sides with the baskets of food Obaa-chan sent with us. She had forced breakfast down our throats when we arrived there, and then when we went to leave she'd thrown baskets of food into the boy's arms. Zen had taken one of Shinji's without a word between the two.

Naruto immediately takes off for the water, followed by Shikamaru and Shinji. After a moment Zen follows, walking slowly towards the water, where she removes her shin guards and sits with just her feet in.

"How have you been, Hinata?" I ask after a moment of watching her smooth out creases in the blanket.

"Oh, um… fine, Skaura," she says nervously, surprising me. Why would she be nervous around me? "Things are great."

I nod my head slowly. "You really think its ok that I'm with Kakashi?"

She blushes, looking away. "I think Kakashi isn't as old as Naruto says, and you're an adult, and… I think you two look good together."

"Really?" I ask, surprised. I didn't expect this from anyone. "You don't think it's weird he used to be my teacher?"

"Well…" She shifts uncomfortably, twiddling her thumbs. "I think that Kakashi was never a good teacher, so it's… unlikely that he being your teacher was even part of your relationship. He was more your teammate than anything, right? At least that's what Naruto said."

"Well he certainly was never much of a teacher to me," I say with a sigh, realizing it's true.

"Are you… are you sure you're happy though, away from the village, and all your friends?" She hurries her words, as if wanting to get them out before she loses her confidence. "I really miss you too, Sakura, I wish you'd come home."

"Hinata…" I whisper. "I'll come home, I promise you that. But I can't, not yet. Please, try to understand."

"I do understand," she says quietly. "I understand better than anyone, Sakura. My father is the same way about Naruto."

My heart sinks, knowing she's in the same position I'm only pretending to be. Damn it. "You could stay here too," I say without thinking. I try to bite back my words, but they're out there. "Or… or you could just marry him here, then when you go home, what can they do?"

"Disown me?" She asks with a small half-sob.

"Oh yeah, there's that," I try not to chuckle.

"How can you laugh at this, Sakura?" She scolds, anger flaring up I've never seen in her.

I narrow my eyes suspiciously. "You alright, Hinata?" I ask carefully, following her gaze when her eyes shoot to the beach. Naruto is there, dunking Shinji underwater as Zen watches carefully. Shikamaru is simply laughing. "You're looking a little… pale."

"I'm fine," she says quickly, folding her hands in her lap.

I note this and turn back to the lake, where Shikamaru has just lifted Naruto out of the water with his shadow, tossing him a good fifteen feet and then laughing when he creates a splash that gets Zen wet. I laugh softly, but Hinata is suddenly on her feet, moving to the water, where she scolds Shikamaru before running off across the surface to tend to Naruto. I sigh, shaking my head, and lay back on the blanket and finger the zipper on my shirt, pulling it lethargically down a few inches, and then back up. My mind drifts to that morning in the hot springs, when Kakashi was in a towel and between my legs. I smile, knowing he'll be back soon: faithful and ready to be my husband… and more importantly… lover.

"Come cliff dive with me," I glance over in surprise to see Shinji approaching the blanket. "Zen-shi won't," he explains, sitting next to me.

"Zen's a smart woman," I say softly, closing my eyes. "Why do you call her that, Shinji, Zen-shi?"

"Because I don't know her. Shi is for people you're unfamiliar with… I'm unfamiliar with her." He explains with a shrug.

"And you want to keep it that way," I conclude.

Shinji shrugs. "She's my fiancée."

"I thought she might be," I say quietly.

"I hate her," he mutters, watching her with narrow eyes.

"I thought you might." Shinji looks back to me, eyebrows high. "I kind of hate her too."

A slow smirk spreads over his lips. "Jealous?"

I nod, "Of course… she knows Kakashi."

His smirk fades and he sighs. "And here I was thinking you liked me."

I playfully reach over to ruffle his hair, but he swats my hand away. "Shinji…" I whisper, realizing too late I've pushed him too far. "I do like you," I say weekly.

"Not like I like you," he says quietly, keeping his face from my sight.

I reach out again, this time for his shoulder, and though he tenses under me, he doesn't flinch away. "Shinji," I whisper, pulling myself against his back, simply running on instincts. I can't lose this friendship with him. He's my only source of information, and my only friend here. But if I take this apology too far… my cover with Kakashi will be blown. I lay my cheek against his back, wrapping my arms around him. "Shinji-kun," my voice turns teasing, trying to lighten the mood. "I like you just fine."

His shoulders sag and I feel him push against me, making more of his back come into contact with more of my chest. "But not enough," he concludes. I don't answer immediately, trying to find a nice way to say it, but he takes it as something… as hesitation. "It's not enough, right Sakura?" I bite my tongue, unsure of what to say. I almost jump out of my skin when his hand touches my leg, pulling his body around so he rests in front of my knees, his face inches from mine. "Could it be enough?" He asks, practically begs, reaching a hand up to my cheek.

"Shinji…" could it? Probably. It would be so easy to love him…

He sees something of that thought in my face and in a moment his lips are on mine, his fingers trailing along the back of my neck. My eyes slide shut, enjoying the contact on such a natural level. His lips part slightly and I shiver at the feel of his tongue tapping at my lips. I allow him access with a sigh, allowing myself to fall into his arms.

Kakashi.

Konoha.

The mission.

I open my eyes and pull away slowly, making sure I don't leave him looking like an idiot. "Shinji," I say after I clear my throat. "I'm sorry, I can't." I watch him carefully, waiting for the anger.

Then… he smiles.

"I knew it," he says with a big grin. "I'm sorry Sakura, Hironori said I had to, I didn't want to hurt you… he made me. I told him you'd turn me away though."

I can feel the confusion on my face, and then it dawns on me. If Hironori wanted to test our love for each other… that's one way to do it. "Thank Kami," I whisper, forcing myself to talk. "I was worried I'd lose you."

He laughs starts to speak, but at the shiver that shoots up my spine I stop listening to him. I scan the trees, just in time too. Centimeters from Shinji's neck I snatch the kunai out of the air, widening my eyes in shock at the weapon in my hands. "Shikamaru!" I call, but Zen gets here first, appearing at Shinji's side and pulling him to his feet. With one last look at me she and the boy both disappear in a moment, red liquid, probably blood, pouring from the air and splashing onto the ground.

"Hinata?" Shikamaru asks, drawing my attention to the veins appearing around her eyes as she searches the woods for an attacker.

"That way," she says, pointing to where the kunai had come from. "A time sensitive trip."

The boys take off in that direction followed by myself, and in a moment, Hinata. One ninja, that's all it was, and though Naruto got a few good hits on the man, he ultimately disappeared. After a good hour of sweeping the area for any traces of the man Hinata grabs my arm, her other hand clutching her stomach as she lets out a small cry.

"Hinata!" I gasp, catching her as she falls. She's unconscious in a moment and I quickly run my chakra through her body, checking for injuries. I pull away in shock when I find the source of her pain, inwardly cursing myself for not realizing earlier. "Naruto!" I yell, picking up her small frame and starting back to the lake.

Naruto carries her all the way back to the castle. A half-day hike turned into a half hour run at the mere mention of Hinata being in trouble.

Hinata doesn't wake up for quite a while, but when she does it is just the two of us at the palace, in her and Naruto's room. She doesn't ask where she is, or what happened, but just cries, tears rolling down her cheeks. I wait patiently for her to finish, stroking her hair slowly.

"Did you say anything?" She asks through her tears eventually. When I shake my head she chokes out a sob of relief.

"Have you told Naruto yet?" I ask quietly, not wanting to alarm her.

Hinata shakes her head, keeping her eyes down. "I was going to… take care of it… since we're not… you know."

Oh my. I sigh heavily. "Oh Hinata," I take her hand in mine, squeezing it gently. "That's not what you want, and you know it."

"But we're… we're not married, Sakura… I…" She falters, glancing around the room, "I can't do it alone."

"You know Naruto wouldn't do that," I whisper. "He loves you Hinata. If he knew you wanted to, he'd marry you in a second, even if you weren't in your condition."

"My father won't let us," she whispers, tears touching her eyes.

I close my eyes, sighing at the stupidity of her family. There were all against naruto, except Neji, with very little reason to be. "I believe the cirumstances have changed some, Hinata," I sigh, looking down at her again.

She looks so frail, hugging the blanket to her chest, brushing away big tears under blood-shot eyes. "Sa-Sakura… I really don't think I can tell him," she hicups, another tear rolling down her face. "What if he's… what if Naruto's angry?"

"Why would he be angry?" I coo, really thinking this girl might have gone insane. "It's his fault… isn't it?"

"Of corse it is," she snaps back, biting the edge of her pillow.

"Have you spoken to Kurenai?" I ask softly. She shakes her head. "Well why not, Hinata? Only a few years ago she was the one in your shoes, and she's a good friend to you, right?"

"She'll be disapointed in me," Hinata whispers.

I sigh, leaning back in my chair and looking at the celing. "I think she'll be happy for you, and she'll help you figure out what to do."

"Why… why can't you come back, Sakura?" She asks. "I would feel better if you were around… I wouldn't be so afraid."

My heart twists with the desire to go pack my things, leave a note for Kakashi, and run back to Konoha with her, but I can't. Doing so would end the mission, and I can't do that. I can't. I say it in my head a thousand times before I open my mouth. "I can't, Hinata, I'm sorry." She breaks down into a new wave of tears and I leave the room quietly, feeling tears in my eyes as well.

"Is she ok?" I turn to Naruto, finishing a loop in his pace at the end of the hall. "What's wrong with her, Sakura, will she be ok?"

"She just needs rest," I say with a sigh. "She'll be fine." She'll be fine.

"Haruno-san?" I turn to look at the young girl… Akiko… who stands at the end of the hall. "Lord Toriyama wants to see you."

"Joy," I mutter, following the girl to the room of pillows.

Hironori isn't happy.

He's pissed, actually, and by the looks of it heads are going to roll. Shinji on the other hands doesn't even look shaken up. He smiles at me when I come into the room and makes a face at the back of his brother's head. Zen stands at the edge of the room, staring out the windows. Apparently she doesn't hold any fondness for all the pillows that seem to have doubled in number.

"Shinji," I say with a soft smile. "Good to see you're ok."

"Is it?" Hironori asks, pouting. "I thought for sure you'd be disapointed he wasn't dead."

I scowl slightly, confused. Would Zen try to set me up? Shinji? "What are you saying?" I grit through clenched teeth.

"Oh please, Sakura," he hisses. "Like you wouldn't love to hurt me." He laughs dryly, looking me over. "And to think, you're the same girl who made her ninja boy fight her battles for her only a few days ago…"

I want to kill him now, I truly do. No one here would stop me in here. Zen might ask why I did it, but Shinji wouldn't… no… Shinji would be hurt. So instead I dig my nails into my palms and speak roughly. "I would never hurt Shinji, even if that would be the end of you." I pause, swallowing dryly. "And I happen to be a ninja too, and quite a good one at that."

"You kunoichi, you're all the same," Hironori spits. I distantly notice Zen's head turn slightly towards the man, but ignore it. "Using your bodies to get what you want from poor boys like my brother… it's disgusting."

"Perhaps that's true," I state blandly, working hard to keep my cool. "But this kunoichi just saved your brother's life, and that one brought him safely home to you. So say what you like, but you needed our help today." I'm not sure how Zen and I became a team, but she doesn't seem to have an issue with it, and I certainly don't mind.

"I don't need you to protect my brother!" He spits.

"I'm awfully glad she did," Shinji mutters from his corner, making Zen smirk.

"Shut up," Hironori growls. "Get out of here, Zen take him away." Zen nods and leaves, Shinji following behind her. Hironori watches me for a long moment before he glances down at his hand, spinning the rings around his fingers. "Stay away from my brother, Sakura."

"If I have the story right," I say in a near whisper. "You're the one who sent him to seduce me."

"I mentioned it," he mutters. "But that's of no matter now. He's to marry Zen soon anyways."

"Did Kakashi pass?" I ask after a moment of uncmfortable silence.

"What do you think?" He asks with a sigh, running his long fingers over the elegant markings on one of the pillows.

I smile. "We'll be married then, when he returns. Do you have all the necisary paper work?"

Hironori sneers at me, staring out the window. "Why do you want to marry him, Sakura?"

"I love him," I say, thrown off by the question.

"Is that enough?" he muses, as if talking to himself.

"For us… it is," I watch him carefully, trying to read his silence.

He turns to look at me carefully, looking over every part of me. I feel almost dirty. "Kakashi is a lucky man," he mutters. "Not so lucky as my brother though, I think." I wait for him to explain, but he just smiles. "Shinji gets the woman without the hassle."

"The hassle is the good part," I say softly, making something in his eyes glow.

"I see," he says, as if he really does see some impossible truth unknown to humans. "Yes, that makes sense. I'm sorry Sakura, I'll have to ask you to leave."

I leave with a small bow, catching Zen's eye in the hall, Shinji's ear pressed against the wall a few feet away. "Shinji," I say softly as he gets up to greet me. "Zen and I have to talk."

He's gone in a moment, and Zen doesn't protest, watching me carefully. "Let's walk," she says after a few seconds.

Neither of us speak until we reach the gardens, where the guard is blissfully thin. "Why?" I ask casually. "You don't love him. Why would you marry him?"

"I've traveled the world one hundred times," she says softly. "Although I wouldn't mind one hundred and one… I can live with one hundred. Hiro asked for my help, so I'll give it."

"Why?" I ask quietly. "Not that you shouldn't, but I don't get it. What has Hironori done for you?"

"He and Kashi… when Kashi almost killed me… they worked hard to save my life, to get me back on my feet. Hiro… he gave me a new life, took my old name and gave me a new. I owe that man my life, so why not a child?" She almost laughs, I can see it in her eyes. "It's the least I can do for him."

"He's not a good man," I whisper.

"He's been hurt," she corrects. "He doesn't trust, and ties not to love. But he loves Shinji, that much is obvious."

I nod, knowing it's true as well, but when I reply I'm met by thin air, and a few drops of blood on the ground. She must've used that jutsu of hers…

It's another hot night, and I strip down to nothing when I crawl into bed. The sheets have been changed and the bed is so cool to the touch I'm in heaven. Just as I'm about to fall asleep the door slides open and I soon feel a weight on the bed. I smile as those arms so familiar wrap around me.

"I didn't no clothing was optional tonight," his deep voice echoes in my ear, sending shivers up my spine.

"It's not," I tease will a giggle, turning around in his arms to looks into his miss-matched eyes. "It's… ill-advised… Ka-Ka-Shi."

He smiles and kisses me sweetly, allowing me to realize for the first time the absence of his mask. But it's too late to see his face now, and I really couldn't care less; because the feel of the rough material of his standard ninja attire against my bare skin is taking too much of my attention. I giggle and flip him onto his back, wiggling my way down his body as he watches me with interest.

"Sakura…" he mutters as I toy with his zipper, his hand resting on my head. I smile up at him, but he's not there anymore. Instead I'm jotting down notes, wearing my hospital garb. There's a baby crying, and I can hear Naruto yelling outside. On the bed beside the desk I write at Hinata sleeps… only… she's not asleep. My heart clenches with the realization. There's a crash against the door and Naruto comes in a moment latter, grabbing me by the collar.

"Why didn't you help her, Sakura? Why didn't you do something?" He shakes me a bit, terrifying me. His eyes are red and glowing. "Why the hell didn't you help her?

The door opens again and I glance at it, not seeing the hospital doors but…

But the door of my room at the castle. I rub my eyes, surprised to find they're wet with tears. I remind myself it was just a dream, brushing away my tears with the corner of the blanket, but the image of Hinata like that. I shiver, pulling the blankets around my naked body. I still feel off, as if the dream is lingering. I can smell blood on the air, slightly stale. I sniff a few times, but it dissipates. I sigh and lay back into bed, prepared to go back to sleep.

"Sakura?"

I jump in shock, looking over to the door where there is a dark figure, slumped against the wall.

"Kakashi…" I whisper, hoping this is a dream.

"I know I-" He catches his breath, then starts again. "I know I said as soon as I got back… but do you think… do you think you could maybe… I mean… I think…" I watch in horror as his legs give out beneath him and he slides to the floor, collapsing in a bloody mess. "I think it might have to wait."

"Oh hell," I snap, wrapping the sheet around me in a toga as I hurry to his side. "What the hell happened to you?" I ask, pulling his head forward to look as the deep cut in the back of his head.

"I was running home…" he seems to change his mind mid-thought, his slurred speech dulling. "Are you naked?" I begin healing the worst bits of it, hoping to stop the bleeding. "Were you waiting for me?" he asks; his voice smug.

"Please," I scoff, deciding to tackle the head injury later, grabbing my medical bag and merely pressing gauze to his head for the time being. "I didn't even know you were coming home tonight."

"I said I ran," he says like a child. "I was hurrying. Who were you waiting for?" I ignore him and begin stripping off his vest, finding his shirt soaked in blood. "Hey, I said it'd have to wait, remember?"

"Can't wait," I joke. "Need you now." I pull up his shirt carefully, feeling him flinch when it pulls at fresh wounds. "How come your clothes aren't torn up?"

"Some wind jutsu," he says, shaking his head. "I donno."

I set to healing the biggest holes in his chest and stomach, not taking much care to make them look pretty in my early morning-late night haste. Kakashi's hands stop mine after a moment, pushing them farther down. I raise an eyebrow, and watch as he unbuttons his pants and slips them off his hips, rolling slightly. I want to laugh at the oddly placed gash on his rear, but it's not exactly a laughing matter, instead I just start healing his skin. I take care to smooth this gash out… he has a nice ass and I'd like to keep it that way. When I've finished I slap his ass lightly and pull on his hip, beckoning him to roll back over.

I pull his shirt off over his head, and then his tank top as well, leaving him in just his mask. He merely grunts, touching the edge of his mask to keep it in place. I touch some of the bruising on his chest hesitantly; one bruise is a faded yellow, probably from where I kicked him. "What the hell happened to you?" I ask.

"I was taking a short cut," he grunts, flinching as I touch one of his newer bruises. His hand finds my arm and I smile at the words. I think I may have found something. Not just something… something for this mission.

"We'll worry about that later," I say with a sigh, pulling his arm over my shoulders. He's not much of a help as I half-drag him into the bathroom, lowering him into the tub, unbuttoned pants and all. "Are you wearing underwear?" I ask, preparing to pull off his pants so I can get him in the tub and clean off his wounds. I'll be removing his pants either way; I just don't want to be surprised. Thankfully he nods, blushing slightly. I pull his pants off easily, ignoring the shuriken-covered boxers with a suppressed giggle, and focusing more on the little cuts that cover most of his legs. "Kami, Kakashi," I mutter, turning on the bath water to wash off some of the blood. "Did you get in a fight with a herd of cats?"

"Pride of cats, no wait… family of cats…" he hisses in pain as the water touches the open wounds. "Clowder!" he says. "I got in a fight with a clowder of cats."

"Ah I see," I mutter, shaking my head. "You've lost too much blood, you're delirious; this makes sense then."

I leave his side to stand above the tub, carefully moving aside his pink-tinged hair to heal as much of the head wound as I can. He giggles when I push his hair into his face. Kami, I'd hate to see him when he's drunk. I have to wake him up three or four times during the process, realizing he's asleep when he lets out a quiet snore.

"Sakura," he mutters as I've almost finished healing his wounds, working on the last few on his chest as he leans back, waist deep in the pink water. I'm kneeling by the side of the tub, leaning over to reach properly, and his hand is resting on my shoulder lightly, flicking pieces of my hair as they brush across his hand. "You never told me why you were naked…" he mutters, his hand sliding down my back some, feeling the absence of clothes through the thin sheet.

"It was hot," I mutter, biting my lip as his hand slides lower, so his arm is resting against the side of the tub.

He's silent for a while as I finish the last cut. I slide back to sit between my feet and sigh. "All done?" He asks.

"Yeah," I sigh with a yawn. "That should do it." I reach down and let the water drain out of the tub, getting to my feet to find him a towel. "I'm going back to bed," I mutter, preparing to leave.

"Hey Sakura," I turn to find him out of the tub, leaving half-bloody footprints on the floor. I cringe, feeling sorry for the poor maid that will have to clean that up. But it's not me, I'm tired, damn it. "Thank you," he whispers, limping towards the shower.

"You're welcome," I say back softly, wondering what's going on, but too tired to really care. "Hurry to bed, I've got something I need to tell you." When I get back to bed I collapse, thinking about putting on clothes, but too tired to get up to do so. Instead I just stare at the mattress.

I hear Kakashi laugh when he emerges from the bathroom, clean and more or less dry. "Alright," he mutters after turning of the light. He lies on the bed in pajama pants and his mask. "What's up? What happened to our company?"

"I had a talk with Hironori, his spies have been removed," I say plainly. We've been sent our confirmation. I sign carefully on his hand as he reaches out for me. "Naruto is here with a small… clowder of ninja."

"Oh boy," he mutters, wincing. "Is he very angry?"

"No," I say slowly. "But you know, might want to avoid him as much as you can, I do believe he intends on wearing your skin as a coat on the way back to Konoha."

"Ah, so not too bad," he sighs sarcastically.

I'm quiet for a moment before I spit out the words I had promised myself I wouldn't say. "I want to go home."

Kakashi is silent for a moment, and I can't read his face in the darkness, but after a while he replies. "Sakura, we can't. Why would you want to go home?" I know that tone in his voice, he feels dejected, as if I've thrown him away.

"Kakashi… it's not…" I close my eyes, wanting to make him feel better, but not knowing how. "Hinata is pregnant."

He's silent for a moment, and his hand pulls away from mine. "I didn't know they were married…" he mutters, although he probably knows very well that is one wedding he would've been invited to.

"They're not," I whisper. "Naruto doesn't know yet, don't you dare tell him. No one knows. She was going to… she was going to get an abortion."

"That would probably be the smartest thing for her to do," Kakashi says softly, not wanting to ruffle my feathers.

"Kakashi," I sigh, knowing he's only looking at it logically. "That's not fair, what if I was in her shoes? What if it was your baby I was getting rid of without telling you?" He doesn't answer, and I know exactly what he's thinking. I also know he's not going to say what he's thinking, whatever he says will piss me off, but I want to hear it anyways. Glutton for punishment I suppose.

"I'd want to know," he whispers, surprising me. "Even if I didn't get a say in your decision… in that situation… I would want you to tell me. You'd hate me if you didn't."

"Exactly," I mutter, swallowing my surprise at his honesty. "She needs to talk with him, or she'll never be able to forgive him, but you know Hinata, she'll just stumble over her words until she faints and then ignore the situation entirely."

"That's why you want to go back to Konoha?" he asks, "To help her?"

"She doesn't want to get rid of the baby, but her father won't let her marry Naruto," I whisper quietly. "She wants to stand up to him, she wants my strength."

Kakashi is silent for a long moment before he speaks again. "What if they just get married here?"

"Kakashi…" I mutter, "They can't do that."

"Well no, think about it. If they get married here they can say they're legally married, and then that she's pregnant is no big deal, and then when they go home she can just tell her dad to deal with it, or Kurenai would be happy to tell him so, I'm sure," he makes it sound so easy, I almost believe it will work out.

"What if her father doesn't deal with it?" I demand. "What if he disowns her?"

"Sakura," he sighs. "Neji loves her, and happens to be the most powerful ninja in that family. If Hiashi does disown her when he dies Neji will demand her allowed back into the family. Plus, last I checked Hinata was not the official heiress to the Hyūga clan, her sister is, so he really shouldn't care that much, right?"

"You're stupid if you think he won't care," I say plainly. "Shinji was attacked today," I say clearly. "We couldn't track the attacker."

"I see," he mutters. "He's ok?"

"He's fine," I say clearly. "Kakashi, what happened to you today?"

"I didn't attack Shinji," he says clearly.

I contemplate the many reasons Kakashi would have for hurting Shinji, especially if he had been watching us. "Ok," I mutter, rolling away.

Kakashi stops me, rolling me back over and pulling me to look at him. "It wasn't me, Sakura."

I watch his eyes for a moment, feeling the truth behind them, and sigh. "Ok," I repeat. "It wasn't you."

I think that's it, that I can finally go to sleep now, but Kakashi's hand is slowly trialing up and down my arm, as if asking for something. I sigh and scoot closer to him, snuggling into his arms when he opens them for me. I can feel the smile on his lips as he kisses the top of my head. This is weird, different. This isn't a show for the spies watching us, and this isn't something that just happened. Kakashi asked me to fall asleep in his arms, simply because he wanted to hold me. My heart warms dangerously.

"I missed you," he whispers. Why is this so easy for him? What is it about him that lets him think this is normal? "I missed your warmth." I panic when he reaches up to brush the hair out of my face, pulling down his mask and leaning down to kiss me. I want this… not just lying in bed with him, but everything. I want to eat breakfast in the morning, and take days at a time off of missions. I want to lie around our house all day in his clothes and go out on stupid dates. I want our friends to joke about how close we are, and I want old ladies to scold us for our open affection for each other when he kisses me randomly on the street.

I want too much.

I say the words in my mouth, hardly even paying attention to what they are. His lips freeze centimeters from mine. "What?" He asks after a long moment.

I repeat the words slowly, swallowing nervously. "Shinji kissed me."

Ryuu: when we run away together would you mind terribly if I brought KakashiKrazed? You two just make me so frickin' happy. If you're ok with that… KakashiKrazed… wanna run away with me and Ryuu?

Ok, so something happened to my spell check. I don't know what, but it died. I hope to have it fixed for the next chapter, but yeah… this one might be horrible. Sorry.