"…Will you stop smirking, Kakashi! It's getting on my nerves." Ordeyna growled at him as she walked beside him while passing through a small simple village. Ever since they day they kissed, Kakashi had been playing around with her with good lines from the book and was flirting with her endlessly. He was certainly not keeping his boundary!
"Come on, Shadow. Can't you see that I'm relieved that we're not at each other's throats?"
"Yes but I'm starting to have doubts about what we have now!"
Then she stopped when they walked past a food store. Kakashi stopped as well and asked her, "What's wrong?"
She looked at him from under her hood, "Let's get some food. We still have a long way to go to the Land of Rice."
"You went there before?"
"One time only but I know that there aren't much food stores during the way of where we're going."
Kakashi shrugged his shoulders a bit, "Fine." He entered the food store with Shadow and they were immediately greeted by the old woman behind the cashier counter.
"Welcome, welcome!"
They were walking down the road again and everything was quiet while a crow was cawing while flying pass by. Kakashi glanced at her and asked. "Hey, if you're not going to read that book…"
Shadow looked at him then sighed softly. "I knew this was coming…" she mumbled as she dug her hand in her backpack. Then she pulled out the new season of the book. Kakashi's visible eye immediately twinkled with delight and he caught the book as it was thrown by Shadow.
"Knock yourself out." She said to him plainly while waving a lazy hand at him.
Kakashi was already reading the book and Shadow could see his visible eye scanning over the letters in a flash. Shadow rolled her eyes in the air and mumbled "I bet you would do ANYTHING to protect that blasted book."
Kakashi said to her without leaving his eye off the book, "What? It's a good book. It really helps with my love life and all."
"I know that but come on, Kakashi. Do you flirt with every woman with the same line from those books?"
"I can't remember. Lost count." Or he was just too lazy to remember.
Shadow sighed heavily and thought *This will be a long time.*
They had to camp for the night in the woods again but tomorrow they will reach their destination or that's what Kakashi said. Through the whole day he had been doing nothing but reading his book to what seemed to be no end. Ordeyna was already starting to have regrets of giving him that blasted book because he hadn't talk to her through the entire time.
Sometimes she would try to start a conversation on some things but his only answers were either nods or grunts.
Ordeyna was going to go find some wood to make some fire while Kakashi was sitting against a tree on the ground while his face was buried in the book. But before Ordeyna could take a step forward she heard a loud thunder from the sky. They both looked up to see a dark storm forming above them and as predicted little rain started to pour. Then it got worse.
"How lovely…" Shadow grumbled under her breath as she brought her hood even lower but she could already feel her clothes getting soaked. Kakashi quickly stood up from his sitting position, closed the book after memorizing the page number and put it safely in the pouch.
He said to her as he got to her side, "Let's find a place to stay out of this rain. Know any caves nearby?"
"I've only been on these lands once. How do you expect me to know the landscape?"
He shrugged his shoulders and scanned the area. "Hmm…I've been here a couple of times during some missions in my ANBU days…" He looked at Shadow, "Follow me. If I'm right, there should be an abandoned tower close by. Let's just hope that nobody is inside."
He already started to lead to the location that he believed to be so. Shadow said to him, "If there is anyone inside we'll explain to them. They might understand."
"Just don't get your hopes up. I heard the people from the Land of Rice are not as welcoming as the Leaf. They rather close their doors to ninja than giving them a warm welcome."
"Well I can't blame them for that. Many fear ninjas because they have the ability to kill. I wouldn't even welcome an ANBU if he landed on my doorstep."
"Don't you think that's a little harsh? What if the ANBU is injured?"
"Then I'll send him to the hospital. Don't want my couch to get any blood; hard to clean."
"You know that this is not so funny anymore."
"Hey, you've been ignoring me since I gave you the bloody book!"
"Was I? I remember…listening to you."
Ordeyna rolled her eyes, "Please, don't give me that crap…" she grumbled. She sighed softly and said to him in a normal tone, "Let's just get to this abandoned tower of yours so I can dry up, I don't like to be wet."
"Ah, this is it." Enthused Kakashi and he felt pleased to find the abandoned tower that he was looking for the past three hours. It must be 1 in the morning by now. Shadow walked past him and entered the tower. Thankfully it was empty and the place looked rotten and hadn't been used for a very long time. There were also some leaks from the ceiling, actually there are many leaks but this was better than outside. Outside was pouring needles of rain, it even hurt her skin.
She sighed with relief as she entered and she sat on a wooden box as Kakashi walked past her. "Finally…" she mumbled as she pulled her hood and mask down. She collected her hair to the side and squeezed them tightly by a twist to get the water out of her hair. "I hope we stay somewhere that has a bathroom tomorrow. I had enough of sleeping outdoors."
Kakashi stopped and turned around to show her an arched curious brow, "Really? But don't you travel around a lot?"
"I have to run, Kakashi. I have no choice."
"'Have'? You're not considering staying in Konoha?" asked Kakashi as he sounded surprise. Has she forgotten about him? About them? About their first kiss?
"I have doubts, Kakashi. I really don't think it's best for me to stay in Konoha."
"What about us?"
Ordeyna stared at him with an unreadable expression as she released her hair to the side. She sighed softly as she looked away, "To be honest, I don't want to leave but I have to. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
Kakashi softened his eyes and strode to her. He kneeled down on one knee so he could look up at her to see her face because her head was done. He pushed away some of her black damp hair from her face and leaned forward as he pulled down his own mask so he could plant his lips against hers.
She blinked a few times because she was quite surprise but she gladly returned the kiss with her eyes closed. After a while he slightly pulled away from the kiss and said to her, "You always have a choice, Ordeyna. But the Leaf can help you. I can help you."
She sighed heavily as she dropped her eyes from his face to the dirty muddy floor. "So there is no way that you'll change your mind of being with me? We aren't even that close yet. It's still not too late to change your mind about…this." She mentioned between them.
"It's already too late."
Before she could speak her lips were covered by his. She muffled against his lips in surprise but she when she registered of what was happening she kissed him back as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
It was a sweet warm kiss until he pulled away but he didn't pull far. They both panted softly then Kakashi noticed something on the ground. "What's this?" He bent over to collect the object that caught his eye and revealed to be a bottle of strong whiskey. He let out a small laugh and asked Ordeyna as he looked at her, "Want some?" he asked as he wave the bottle.
"Sure."
Ordeyna pulled her arms away from his neck and he easily opened the bottle of whiskey. He silently offered it first and she gladly accepted it. She drank some of the whiskey and it immediately burned her throat from the strong alcohol. She pulled the bottle from her lips and wiped it with the back of her hand.
She passed it to Kakashi and he drank some whiskey as well. Ordeyna said to him with a small smile. "Don't drink it too eagerly. You'll sore your throat in the morning."
He let out a sigh after pulling the bottle away from his lips as he felt his throat burning from the strong alcohol. He smirked down at her, "I'll keep that in mind."
Ordeyna looked inside his single eye and asked him "Do you have a family, Kakashi?"
His jaw tightened and he exhaled deeply through his nose. "The only family I knew of was my father. He was a…good man."
"…You're the son of the White Fang, aren't you?"
"That's right."
She immediately felt guilty of asking him that question because she had heard the tragedy of the White Fang. "Oh…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that question."
He politely smiled at her, "It's all right. You didn't know."
"But I should have known it sooner. I should have known that you were his…son…" She looked away as she mumbled angrily to herself, "I must look like an idiot right now…"
Her chin was soon cupped and it turned her head so she was forced to look at Kakashi in the face. "I don't think you are. Many people do that. Trust me." He released her chin and asked her the same question, "What about you? Have any family?"
"Well…I…have many good people who were like parents to me. Before that, when I was living in the Shadow Village I was adopted by the Kazekage. He was the best man I have ever known. I just wish he could live to see me like this…" she mumbled the last part as she sadly looked at the ground.
Kakashi's expression softened and he slowly wrapped his arms around her; testing if she'll be all right with it. When she didn't protest or move to prevent him from wrapping his arms around her, he brought her into a warm embrace.
He felt her wrapping her own arms around him and it made him to feel relief that she wasn't going to try to push him away as he thought. After a while of just embracing each other, Kakashi looked down at her and asked "Are you okay now?"
Ordeyna nodded and she pulled away from the hug. She looked around the rotten building and said, "Well, I guess we can sleep up there."
Kakashi looked up to see an upper floor with a big hole above them. "Yeah, it does look like a good place to sleep."
She took a step back "Then let's go." She said before she jumped and easily went through the whole. Kakashi followed suit and when he landed on the floor of the upper level, he saw that it barely had anything but it's better than the muddy floor below.
Ordeyna pulled out her only blanket from her backpack and laid it on the floor. She sat on it while letting out a small sigh. She glanced at Kakashi to see him walking towards her; he stood by her side and pulled out of his blanket from his backpack.
"You go and sleep, I'll keep watch."
She looked at him with a blank expression for a while; silently making a debate with herself in her mind. She sighed heavily in defeat as she looked away and lay on the ground to go to sleep. "Night, Kakashi."
"Good night."
He watched her sleep for a moment then he did some hand signs and slapped his palm on the ground. Then poof, appeared Pakkun with a bored expression.
"What's the situation, boss?"
"Nothing big at the moment but I want you to keep an eye out. I need the rest."
Pakkun nodded then when he saw Kakashi's bare face he looked utterly shock. "Kakashi! You're not wearing your mask!"
"I know."
"B-But you're in public!"
"So? Nobody is around here but Shadow and you."
"B-But…" he glanced at Shadow who was asleep and he sniffed. Then he said as he stared back to his master, "She smells just like jasmine. Kakashi, don't tell me that this is the same woman."
"Yes she is."
"Wow, this sounds serious."
Kakashi arched a visible brow at the bulldog, "Now what do you mean by that, Pakkun? I mean, she and I didn't start dating yet."
"W-Wait? What!" he asked frantically as he looked utterly shock. "Kakashi, didn't you hate this woman! I've never seen you so angry at someone before!"
"It's all in the past now. Shadow and I made up so now there is no problem between us."
Pakkun looked at her one more time and then look back to Kakashi, "Does she like dogs?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure but I'll ask when I get the chance." He yawned and lied down on the ground. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep…"
Pakkun sighed heavily and looked away from the couple. Kakashi didn't close his eye because he wanted to watch Ordeyna sleep for a while. He sighed softly then slightly crawled closer to her and hesitatingly put an arm over her waist. He closed his eyes to sleep until he felt her shift.
He opened his eye to see her turning around so her back was facing him and his arm was out of her reach. He sighed heavily as he thought *She doesn't like it.* Suddenly she crawled back to her spot and brought Kakashi's arm over her waist again. She tugged him closer to her hard so he was pulled towards her. His chest pressed against her back and she firmly placed his arm around her waist as she held them there.
Kakashi softly smirked and used his bag as a pillow before he went to sleep.
