Chapter 14

XXXXXX

The trees encircled the small clearing beautifully, bending slightly mid-way down the trunk to look as if sheltering the small space. The thigh high grass that grew all around danced in the breeze, swishing and blending gold, green, and pale yellow into a mass of strands. The air itself seemed peaceful in the small meadow, and the sun glowed it's soft warmth into the earth. Just breathing the air almost felt like you were being born again, experiencing the most breathtaking moments imaginable in your life for the first and last time.

Yamato gazed at the clearing ahead of him, and a soft smile grazed his lips. In the distance, he could hear the quiet trickling of a stream running over pebbles and rocks as it made its' way to an even bigger water source. It was a rare sight, to see a peace of the earth untouched by human hands. He couldn't sense any type of person's touch anywhere around him, only animal tracks and scents.

His dark eyes slid to the side, glancing at the woman that had led him to this magical place. Yugao stood silently, her hazel eyes closed and her head tilted slightly toward the sky. Her chest moved up and down slowly from her deep, rythmetic breaths as a contented smile curved her lips. Her waist long violet hair danced in the air with every whisper of wind and the sun kissed her skin lovingly.

Yamato looked away quickly, diverting his eyes from the beauty beside him and instead looked at the grass under his sandaled feet. A slight coloring on his cheeks was the only indications of his shock, and he effectively fought it off before Yugao's bright hazel eyes could catch it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it." Yugao whispered and glanced at the man at her side.

Yamato nodded and looked at his surroundings. It really was a peaceful place. "How did you find a place like this?"

He listened to her laugh, and felt himself smile in response. "I didn't find it, really." Yamato saw her smile fade and sadden, and something in his gut twisted from the sudden grim aura coming from her. "Hayate discovered it. Back when he was still alive."

XXXXXX

"Well, well, well. What do we have here."

Anko grinned teasingly down at the pair below her. One form still hanging onto the window frame as they attempted to slide out quietly, while the other was leaning out of the opening to watch that their partner made it safely to the ground below. However, upon hearing the smug voice of Anko, they both froze and groaned in unison.

Anko clucked her tongue. "Oh come on now, you know you wanted me to come and visit."

Raidou raised his eyes and sighed at seeing not only Anko, but Kakashi as well standing on the roof of his house. "Perfect timing skills. Just lovely, guys."

Kakashi's crinkled eye smile only made Raidou drop his head in defeat. Shizune pulled herself back up to the window sill and carefully sat on the edge. Turning her face to gaze up at the pair, her face went pink and she smiled nervously.

"Ahahaha, so you two....how have you been?" she tried to sound nonchalant as she rubbed the back of her neck. Anko's smirk widened triumphantly and Kakashi bit back the grin that was fighting for control. Even behind the mask, his mirth was evident in his gunmetal eye.

Anko crouched down on the roof and propped an elbow on her knee to rest her chin in. Her smirk never left her lips and Kakashi lowered himself to a crouch beside her. Though he wouldn't admit it outloud, he was highly enjoying himself. It was almost like one of the scenes from his beloved Icha Icha without the explicit romps and nudity.

Kakashi giggled slightly behind his mask and he saw Anko roll her eyes at him. She leaned to the side and shoved him with her shoulder. "Eyes on the prize, Koinu." she ignored the deadpan look on his face and grinned cheekily at him as she whispered low enough only for his sharp ears. "We got them right were we want 'em!"

Kakashi tilted his head and looked down at the couple now slinking into the apartment with annoyed and worried expressions etched into their features. His one eye slid back up to the devious woman next to him, and he smirked beneath his mask. "You're evil, Anko."

"Hmm," she smiled and stood. Stretching her arms over her head with her eyes closed in content, she sighed, "And it feels soooo good."

Kakashi chuckled at her words and glanced at the slight veiw of skin showing from beneath the jounin shirt she wore. Tan and smooth. Sexy.

Anko whipped around and Kakashi followed in stride, hiding the fact he had just been imagining how to remove her shirt completely as they jumped off the roof and knocked on the door.

The silver haired jounin inwardly berated himself. How long had it been since he had had a woman? Too long from the thoughts of Anko wrapped in his sheets, entangled with his own body... Kakashi shook his head. He would have to go see Sakura after this, obviously he wasn't feeling well. It must be that bug that had been going around. God knows he couldn't afford to be sick.

The door swung open to reveal Raidou tugging his shirt into place and Shizune smoothing her hair down.

Kakashi smiled his crinkled eye smile and held up a hand in greeting. "Yo."

"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Anko asked deviously, a grin stretching across her face. "Not good hospitality to leave someone on the doorstep you know."

Raidou sighed and stepped back enough to give room for entrance as Shizune smiled shakily. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked and took a step backward to the kitchen.

Kakashi shook his head as Anko spoke loudly, "Sake. Biggest bottle you got."

Shizune stared at Anko for a moment before shaking herself out of her revere and nodding as she turned to the kitchen. Raidou dragged a hand down his face before staring tiredly at his guests. "So," he started. "how's things on your end?"

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as Anko put a hand over his mouth. Her almond eyes shined with humour as she looked from him back to Raidou. "Good, even better when you say yes to our proposition."

Raidou immediatly tensed up and eyed the woman before him like she was hiding explosive tags on her person. "Why do I feel like I don't have a choice, whatsoever, in the matter?"

Anko grinned. "Oooh, you catch on quick."

Kakashi rolled his one eye as his lips quirked into a smile. She was manipulitive, in a harsh but intertaining way. Raidou motioned for them to sit down on the futon in the living room as he turned from them toward the kitchen. "I'm going to give Shizune a heads-up."

Anko smirked as she turned to Kakashi. "This is going well, don't you think?"

"I think you're cornering them." he stated and relaxed back into the cushions.

The spiky haired kunoichi shrugged. "More fun this way." she said indifferently. "I like to watch them squirm."

"Have you always been so crafty? Or is this just the side-effects of being on stand by?"

"We'll go with the first, just because I know I've always been sly."

"So it has to do with being on stand by, too?"

"....Maybe just a little."

Kakashi made a noise of agreement. "I think we all might start having withdrawels soon."

Anko slumped into the futon and stared at the ceiling. Both ninja listened carefully to the hushed voices coming from the kitchen as they tried to surpress their curiousity. Which wasn't happening. As the voices rose and fell, Kakashi found himself inclining his head toward the room, trying to catch bits and pieces of the conversation. Anko was less shady about her curiosity and was currently sitting backwards on the couch and leaning over the headrest of the piece of furniture. Her hands folded over the back and her head rested on them as she watched the doorway, catching every word possible.

"Hey, Koinu."

Kakashi sighed but turned his head to give her his attention. "Hm?"

"I think they're having sex in the kitchen."

Kakashi choked on his air as he tried to laugh and control it at the same time. "Come again?"

Anko grinned. "Oh, believe me, I think they will be soon."

The silver haired jounin chuckled and leaned foreward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Aren't you going to interrupt?"

She shrugged. "Neither one of us is a closet pervert, why hide it."

Kakashi glanced at her with humour shining in his eye. "As much as I resent that, I feel you should know they have your sake in there." when she gave no reaction he smiled broadly beneath his mask. "An alcholoic bottle can serve to be an interesting sex toy."

Anko's bellow of outrage and disgust reverbrated the building as she jerked into a straight back position on the futon. "Thanks for the offer, but I'd perfer my drink without the extra spice!"

XXXXXX

"Come...on...just a little...further!" Matsuri huffed out between breaths as she attempted to stuff a rather large weapon scroll into her travel pack. As she threw her weight into her hands and pressed harder onto the scroll, a grunt of satisfaction sounded from her as the scroll folded into the pack.

"Yes!" she crowed and stepped back to examine her work with her hands on her hips. Her lumpy travel pack sagged on her small bed, and her excited smile wavered before falling away completely. Matsuri groaned and smacked her palm on her head as her onyx eyes glared at the bag across from her.

She hadn't even packed her clothes yet, and the bag was full from the weapon scroll.

The brunette stomped toward her pack, but stopped abruptly as the bag quivered slightly. In the blink of an eye, Matsuri jumped back with a kunai drawn and held threatningly in her hand as she tensed, ready for an attack. The bag quivered again and Matsuri's black eyes narrowed.

The pack slipped foreward slightly, and the scroll erupted from the pack into the air, unraveling in a whirlwind of sealed paper from the tight confines of the traveling bag. Matsuri yelped and dived to the floor to duck from the heavy scroll that had gone flying at her with a vengeance.

"ACK!" Matsuri choked as the weapon scroll dropped with a heavy 'thunk' on her back before rolling innocently off her and to the side. Her eyes glared harshly at it, something she had picked up from Gaara while under his tutalige, before pushing herself up from the floor with a growl. Fine, if the scroll didn't want to cooperate, she didn't need it to. She had other ways of handling it.

With a flurry of hand seals, Matsuri transferred the weapons into five smaller scrolls and picked up the offending object with a sneer. There was a simple and rational way of handling things, and she knew just how to take care of it. Properly.

XXXXXX

"Yes, I'll have the red one. No wait, I'll take the blue. No, no, no, I change my mind. I want the red."

The silk merchant frowned at his customer that couldn't seem to make up his mind. The snooty man had been at his stand for half an hour trying to decide on which colored silk he would make a new head dress with. If it were up to him, he would show the man exactly where he could shove the silk and money he owned. Straight up his-

"Well?! Are you not going to give me what I want to purchase?"

The merchant smiled benignly. "I'm sorry. Fresh out of that color. If you go down the street though, there is another merchant that is selling more varities of silk. For a good price, too."

The merchant inwardly cackeled at the uppity man's angered expression. As he turned with a huff, the merchant sighed with relief. The God's must really hate him to send him such an unreasonable customer when he was on such a short temper today. But it didn't aggrivate him as much as he saw the rich man walk down the street to another silk merchant that was selling his items for anything but a reasonable price.

"Please give me the strength to deal with that man when he comes back even more angry." the merchant whispered as he turned his face upwards toward the Gods.

At just that moment a loud and painful 'crash' captured the merchants' attention as he looked back down the road he had sent the wealthy man. Said man was laying on the ground with a dazed look on his face as a giant scroll rolled away from him innocently, like it didn't just fall from the sky and thunk the man on the head.

The old merchant turned his face upwards and clasped his hands together in prayer. "Thank you, Kami-sama. Thank you." He whispered quickly and bowed low before straightning. Whistling a tune, the merchant held up fresh red silk and called out to the passing residents of Suna, "Silk! Beautfil silk! Selling for good price!"

I know it took me forever to update, I'm sorry. I've just been caught up in the excitement of 'before the anime con' thrill. I hope you forgive me, I put lots of humor in this chapter and I hope it kept you laughing. Soooo will you please review and tell me what you thought? Did you enjoy it? Hate it? Want to tell me how mad you are that I haven't updated in forever? That you glad i'm alive? Please don't kill me. ^_-.