Stalker

Turning to answer, I found my breath caught in my throat, my eye locked with his as his naked face gave a crooked smile, his hand reaching up to his face placing the plum to his bare lips, his sparkling white teeth catching the purple flesh of the fruit and taking a bite.

I swallowed dryly, trying to wet my mouth and throat which were just aching to take some of the plum that he had eaten and replace it with my tongue.

I flushed at my thoughts and quickly turned back to maintaining my unneeded watch of the food.

"It will be done in about ten minutes," I croaked and inwardly flinched at the sign of weakness.

"Cool," Kakashi said, sounding like he was walking away, probably rubbing his seductive hair with that white towel as he went.

He was going to be the death of me.

…o0o…

My eyes snapped open, my chest heaving with my pants. It took me a moment to figure out where I was, trying to identify all the different objects in the room that wasn't my one back in London.

Looking over to my right I saw an empty bed, causing me to shoot straight up my eyes darting everywhere, a panic settling in my bones.

"Kakashi?" I called softly, knowing that the walls were too thin to shout through as I would probably wake up the other residents next door.

Softly sliding out of the bed, I padded to the door where I turned on the light just as I heard a door shutting.

"Kakashi?" I called again, walking quicker to the door only to see it was shut, the little knob on the chain used for locking the door, already looped.

I frowned, shaking off my silliness, I'm sure I just imagined it. Turning, I went into the kitchen where I perched on the top of my toes to grab a glass, there was a rustle and I pivoted hopefully thinking that Kakashi was there.

All that stood there was a dark empty doorway.

Spooked, I quickly filled my glass full of water and tried not to childishly sprint down the hallway to the bed room but I allowed myself to jog in loping paces until I finally tucked myself under the covers. Unfortunately, this was the time when my bladder decided that it would make itself known as the desire to relive myself became ever present.

I hesitated.

What would be worse, the possible empty hallway or the knowledge that Kakashi would know that it was me who had stained his mattress when I wet myself?

I quickly unfolded the duvet from my legs as I quickly leaped to the bathroom, turning on the cheap bulb with a spritely ping which I didn't think suited the deadly atmosphere.

Taking a look on the clock I realised I had about four hours until I needed to be awake for work and that during that time I shouldn't be scared of some flat that I had lived in for a little over a month.

Reassured, I washed my hands and walked back into the bed room albeit at a fast pace so I could get to my safe, warm haven again. I resettled myself before I brought out the journal from beneath the mattress and smoothed out a new page and clicked the nib of my pen out.

I pressed the ink into the page

Not sure of the date, but just had another dream.

I paused, thinking at the cringey sentence but I calmed down when I realised that no one was going to read it other than me so pressed on with my short sentences.

It was the same as all the other nights. My body felt bound, everything felt forced. Beeping in the background in addition to the whirry noise. I couldn't smell anything. Chest felt tight.

Although this dream was different, this time I could have sworn one of my fingers moved where in the others, I could barely move at all.

I have changed my diet thinking the nightmares could be staved that way bu-

My pen scrawled across the page when I heard a slam, my eyes wide, trying to take everything in the dark room. Swallowing thickly, my chest throbbed with the heart that was fighting its way out of my chest, my armpits were sticky with sweat.

Placing my diary beside me, I found a rustle which startled me further. Inspecting the cheap, thin white paper, I saw there was a scrawl and what I saw made my fastly beating blood, run to a standstill in my body.

Jenny,

Gone to Sakura's. Don't wait up.

Kakashi.

I looked to the corridor where I thought I heard something slamming. And I knew it wasn't my imagination.

What did I do? Did I try and go to sleep and hope that they didn't come in here? Or did I go and try and feebly defend myself?

I hunted around the room, looking for something that would at least knock the intruder out. If there even saw one.

And if there was, they were, by then, already listening to my uneven breathing that was betraying me, showing my panic. My hands were shakey when I finally decided to unplug the standing light in the corner of the room and much to my surprise, I found the wire cut off already.

Examining the coppery insides of the wire I saw that must have been cut with a knife and looking up, under the shade, I saw that it had no light bulb in the first place. I frowned.

Has Kakashi used this in terms of defence before? I thought about how he had still kept the broken sofa back in the living room, yet he was slowly getting rid of it, piece by piece and was supposed to go shopping today to get a replacement.

Yet this lamp was dusty, like it had been there for years. So why did Kakashi keep it?

There was a creaking swing and I pivoted hastily, holding my lamp out like a spear, checking the room for threats.

It was empty.

Just the door swaying open, exposing more of the dark hallway.

Slowly I crept forward, my hand trembling on the shaft of the lamp, my feet slick with sweat, padding on the wooden floor as I approached the darkened doorway, my heartbeat creating tribal music for me and the intruder.

I swallowed past my dry mouth and throat, trying to breathe through my nose so it didn't come out in such breathy pants.

Nudging the open door further from the entry way, I looked down the dark corridor seeing a light on in the bathroom. A light that I switched off.

Steeling myself with what little nerves I had left, I charged down the hallway, before kicking the doorway of the bathroom clean open so it smacked the other side of the wall, my lamp ready to strike anyone who came at me.

But instead, there, the window was swaying gently in the breeze, a mournful creaking as the hinges were tested from not being open for as long as Kakashi had the place.

Terror and relief overwhelmed me so much so, that I slumped on the wall, my bottom on the radiator that was sticking out of the wall.

Terror that someone had been in, that they hadn't been Kakashi and I, relief as it looked like they were gone. I had dropped the lamp which clattered with malice against my brain that was exhausted from the adrenaline that my body had just been overwhelmed with.

But I realised I had to get my priorities in check and rushed over to the window, checking the alley way between the flats and saw there, on the corner, was a silhouette, a black shape standing there. Staring up at me.

My eyes wide, I slammed the window shut, heedless of the other flats surrounding us and how they would hear it.

Turning the lock with a satisfying snick, I hastily went through the flat, checking all the windows and doors for their locks to be safely turned over too. Satisfied, I turned to look at the clock in the living room and saw I still had three hours-worth of sleep if I wanted.

I looked back to the front door that seemed to loom in front of me and I hesitated.

Maybe it was better if I waited an hour before heading off to work, even though I would still be four hours early. Taking in the entire room I bit my lip in thought.

I resolved myself for leaving in an hour. It would give that person downstairs to leave (hopefully) and it would mean that I would get an early start on the baking, maybe distracting myself from what happened just then. I didn't even know what had just happened and I sure as hell wasn't going to tell Kakashi.

I mean, maybe I was being a little paranoid. Maybe the window, after not being used for so long was finally flung open by the wind as it couldn't hold its support? Or maybe Kakashi had tried to be quiet in sneaking in and out of the flat, not wanting to wake me but forgot to close the window after him?

Shuddering, I walked back into the bathroom cautiously and saw the window was still shut and with a surreptitious peek I saw the black body not standing on the corner anymore. I heaved a sigh of relief before removing my clothes to take a relaxing shower before heading to work in the rising morning light.

Little did I see that instead of being in the entrance on that side, there was a dark form on the other side.

Going over to Sakura's

Kakashi

I swallowed thickly, reading over the small note as if that would tell me he would be back quicker.

The person had already came in again. There was a plate sitting on the kitchen table, it wasn't mine and I knew that it wasn't Kakashi's.

The fear was now flooding through my veins.

I went for another early shower, leaving the curtain slightly open on both sides so I could spy on the window and the door.

Don't wait up, I'm not coming back tonight

Kakashi

My breathing quickened at the sign of another note and I felt some loneliness before I heard the creak of a floor board.

Eyes widening, I grabbed the lamp which I had made into a habit to lug around with me when I saw I was home alone. I knew it was garnering odd looks from Kakashi but my self-preservation was winning out.

Darting into the bedroom, the window was swaying with the breeze much alike the first time much to my terror and then I saw my knicker draw that I checked was closed, now gaping open, the previously folded clothes now rumpled with a man handling.

I held back a sob as I ran into the kitchen again, trying to convince myself that this wasn't happening.

"Alright, I'm heading out to Sakura's," Kakashi said, his hand already on the door knob to leave me in the house. Alone.

"Wait!" I called, running after him.

Closing the door again, Kakashi raised an eyebrow, his hand still on the door. "I know I have leftovers for me if I get back," he said in exasperation.

I blushed when he seemed to just guess what I was going to say.

"Well, I…"

"I really need to get going Jenny," Kakashi reopened the door and I couldn't hold back the small:

"Wait. Please." I stared pitifully at the floor.

I heard the click of the door and since my eyes weren't on him, I thought Kakashi had left me until I felt two hands under my jaw and lifted my face up, an invisible string from my head to my heart also raised it too.

"What's up, firefly?"

"I just," I hesitated. Did I tell him about the stranger? It was really freaking me out yet… something stopped me. I saw that Kakashi was just itching to leave to see Sakura, but I knew if I told him about the mysterious intruder, he wouldn't leave and then Sakura and I would fight even more, putting him in a bad position.

So I settled for the next best thing.

"Would you mind just checking the locks on all the windows and doors, some are rattling like they're, you know, not put in place properly," I finished lamely, my eyes refusing to look into his black eye, otherwise I knew I would be spilling my fear and worry everywhere.

Instead, I settled for his clavicle.

Nodding Kakashi, with me trailing like a puppy behind him, watched as he set seals and the locks on the doors much to my relief, feeling my shoulders weaken in happiness. I forgot that I was supposed to be keeping up a boundary between us and threw my arms around him.

Leaning up, I intended to place a kiss on his cheek, but he turned at the very last second causing our lips to meet.

I froze. Kakashi stilled.

My arms were still around his neck. His hands still rested at my waist.

Why wasn't he moving back? Why wasn't I?

I don't even think that it could be considered a kiss anymore. It was where lips had met and weren't moving in my opinion.

Finally, both of us pulled away with a gasp.

"Well, I got to-"

"Yeah, I have to-"

Neither of us finished our sentences, rather choosing to turn abruptly.

Me walking in the direction of the kitchen, Kakashi towards the door.

There was a small part of me that wished I had been more brave and pulled him down to convince him that he didn't love Sakura. But I knew I wouldn't do that.

The knowledge that I wouldn't didn't make it easier though when I rubbed my chest where my heart was clenching painfully.

…o0o…

My arm ached as I pushed it faster trying not to look nervous as I beat the mixture in the bowl but I thought the man sitting on the metal chair would know even without looking at me that I was anxious.

Admittedly my paranoia that morning had waned off and Kakashi had arrived at the café almost at midday where he had sat in complete silence after offering the traditional salutations, like he hadn't stunned me last night.

I still couldn't look at him without blushing.

It was just that mouth, that nose and that roguish scar and the fact that I kissed him and-

I cut my thoughts off, right there. I could feel a little bit of remaining desire pushing against the boundaries of lower stomach, my flush that hadn't left my face and ears for the entire time he was there had moved lower.

I just couldn't stop thinking about his face!

Which was stupid as it was just a face, it shouldn't have sent me into the quivering mess that it did last night before bed.

"Jenny, are you alright?" His voice broke into my thoughts, causing me to startle and almost drop the bowl but caught it in the nick of time.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, my voice wavering traitorously, "I'm just a little tired is all." I sent him a sneaky look over my shoulder. "So how was it at Sakura's?"

Kakashi looked at me drolly.

"How it always is when you have a girlfriend to go to in the middle of the night," he said with an eye roll before turning a page of his book.

"Oh, okay," I tried not to sound disappointed. It wasn't his job to stay and look after me when I was feeling silly.

"So who did you have around last night?" Kakashi asked, his voice betraying nothing yet when I looked over my shoulder I saw his eye staring at me, almost coldly.

I swallowed, my fear becoming known as my heartbeat began to tattoo the pulse at my neck. Turning my face away from his again, I stirred the gloop in the bowl a little slower, stalling for time.

So I didn't imagine someone was there. The thought was scary enough.

My mouth opened to say no one yet:

"Are you staying over Sakura's tonight as well?" I asked, trying to not let any fear that if he said yes I was going to collapse on the floor in a heap.

I felt a void of sound where Kakashi was sitting from where he had gone still.

"Perhaps, I might go for a little while," he conceded eventually when he realised that I wasn't going to break in the sign of the awkwardness.

I barely nodded, my hands were shaking so much. I tried to swallow my tears down but I couldn't hold back the shaky breath that shuddered out of my body.

"That's cool, I'll just have a quiet night in," I said softly, knowing that if I spoke any louder, Kakashi would hear the tremble in my voice.

I don't know why I was so averse to telling him that I was afraid that a man had come in last night and might again tonight. Maybe I was wrong? Like maybe there had been no man and Kakashi was just imagining it?

But then again he had the most sensitive nose out there.

I sighed and rubbed the frustration out of my tense neck before turning to try and get a baking tray yet I hadn't heard Kakashi move and he was suddenly behind me.

In my tense state I did the only thing possible: I screamed.

Dropping the plastic bowl, I stumbled back a step so I hit the floured table, my hand slipped on the buttery edge and I plummeted towards the floor where my hand was already reached out and was going to snap. I knew it was.

I felt an arm cradle my body, almost cracking my neck with the force of the save. However, he wasn't smooth enough to hold me stably without a few wobbles so he gave into gravity and allowed him to collapse on his side, me supported against his chest.

I panted despite the adrenaline was too little too late, my hand was softly caressing his skin tight and I could feel the heat radiating out from his chest and to not alarm the man beneath me, I allowed my face to lie on him, listening.

And there it was.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

A heartbeat, solid and definite. Everything about him radiating safety from his touch.

Swallowing, I realised our position and was just pushing myself up when Sakura came in talking.

"Yeah, I'll just come in and nab him Pig-" she cut off, seeing the position both me and her boyfriend were lying in.

Blushing, I quickly tried to push myself up faster yet, the man beneath me sat up, sending me sprawling on his legs, trapping him to the ground and leaving me to flash my knickers straight at him. Unfortunately, it wasn't the day when I decided to wear granny knickers. Oh no, fate couldn't be so kind.

It had to be the day when I was probably wearing my most risqué knickers that I had ever owned and were a thin lace that Kakashi could probably have seen straight through.

Looking back on it, I did not know why I thought that day of all days that would ever be a good idea but I had made my bed, now I had to lie in it.

But as it turns out, Kakashi's legs as a bed weren't all that comfortable and any suspicions Sakura would have held about me and him sleeping together, well this false evidence would suggest so.

Tumbling to the side, I futilely tried to crawl over to the frozen pinkette quickly, my legs refusing to support me as I kept falling forward awkwardly, my legs as graceful and coordinated as a new born giraffe.

"Wait that wasn't what it looked like at all," I fumbled to say as I finally had a burst of genius to use the table beside me to pull myself up instead.

"And what did it look like?" she asked her handing fisting on her hips, her face turning an awful shade of red which was making me rethink my plan of trying to walk up to her and explain. Circling the table to make it appear like I hadn't just realised that Sakura was a full blown kunoichi and was just going to clean that small patch of flour on the table.

"It uh looked bad I know," I mumbled to my hands, my eyes wanting to look everywhere but at Sakura but I knew I had to gauge my pain threshold and what it could withstand from the glare she was giving me.

"No shit it looked bad," she snarled and there was Kakashi, just propping himself on his elbow his eye wide, still looking forward where my crotch would have been.

Smacking myself in the forehead with a palm I waved my hands angrily over at where he was still acting like a mentally deficient vegetable.

"Look at him!" I shouted exasperatedly. "He is obviously in shock. If we were going out, I'm pretty sure that he would be completely unfazed by the sight of," I stuttered over my words, not willing to say any language to do with down there. "You know!"

I huffed out a breath, my ponytails falling over my chest and I couldn't help but feel a little pride that I sent the once unflappable Kakashi into a state of shock just from one look through my knickers but then I remembered the severity of the situation when I saw Sakura's metaphorical nails come out of her hands like Wolverine.

I held my hands up instantly.

She gave me a look of such contempt, I was surprised I wasn't covered in filth.

"Come on, we're going out for a drink," Sakura snarled under her breath at Kakashi.

I blinked, confused. Wasn't she going to be more angry? Where were the Deadly Moves of Death?

"Come on Jenny-san," she called out harshly.

Jumping to comply, I shut the kitchen door and began to strip quickly, not willing to lose them on the way to the pub.

I was basically in my underwear when I spotted the bowl on the floor still and miraculously still filled to the brim with baking mixture.

However, it seemed like my luck had run out for the rest of the day, because obviously Kakashi had recovered from his awakened comatose and was walking back in, his gloved hand still resting on the doorknob while I stood there, like a deer caught in the headlights in my matching black lace underwear.

Despite the mask, I still saw the movement of his jaw dropping.

I flushed before squealing and throwing my maid outfit at him.

"Ahhh get out pervert!" I screeched, ducking beneath the table trying to get out of his sight.

I knew the way the door hastily closed with a couple of bumps signalling his less than grateful departure.

Crawling desperately over to the screen in the corner, I grabbed my red skirt, and the low white cotton blouse, shoving them over my uncooperative body and slid my feet into the dirty, second hand tennis shoes (it was as close as I could get to Converse) before pushing my way out of the door where I saw the tense silence between Kakashi and Sakura.

Wincing, I saw that Ino was babbling incessantly next to them, ushering the customers out of the door faster and I saw there in the darkened corner was the sweet shy guy, his glasses falling down of his nose before he managed to save them and push them classically back up his nose.

Staring at me.

Giving a smile and a wave I grabbed Ino's arm and proceeded out of the café where Ino was still ordering people in a gruff tone between babbles to Sakura and Kakashi.

The black haired man was the last out and started when he saw me standing there.

"That's the man you had over the other night wasn't it? Same scent. I just hope you washed the sheets," Kakashi murmured teasingly in my ear.

And just like that my heart stopped beating. My blood cold, my skin clammy.

He was the one in the flat!

Acting like that totally was it, I smiled, praying that he would believe me. With how promiscuous I had been over the course I had stayed with him, it was no surprise that he assumed I had brought a man home.

I didn't remember the journey to the dive bar that was hidden just out of public view yet it was pretty enough that I didn't want to leave as soon as I arrived. Bee lining for the bar, I tried not to attract the attention of any of the ninja. They probably could smell the fear that was oozing off of me.

Managing the get the burly forty year old man's attention, I also caught the one of the person sitting in the shadows of the wall of the pub.

And without seeing their face I knew it was the black haired man with glasses.

Swallowing the rancid bile that was hitting the back of my throat I felt a hand touch my arm, quick as a flash, I smacked it out of my way, my eyes wide.

Kakashi stood there, the hand still frozen in the air, his eye penetrating me, going all the way into my cranium where all the lying through my teeth was being created. I flushed and reached out and rubbed the hand that I smacked as if that would make it better.

Later I would want to smack myself. Who would want some creepy lady stroking the hand that they had just hit?

But common sense wasn't prevailing in this case as I was trying to not focus wholly on the eyes that were completely devouring me and for once, I didn't want this guy's attention.

Holding in a squeak, I tried to move around Kakashi, mumbling something like bathroom but he caught my arm.

"Who is that guy in the corner?" he asked lowly, his hand tightening around my wrist causing me to gasp.

"Er, I don't know what you are talking about," I mumbled, still trying to twist my way out of his grip.

"Kakashi!" Sakura's bright, bubbly voice cut through his mask of interrogation quicker than a knife through butter. "Why aren't you bringing the drinks over?"

In his distraction, I subtly twisted my wrist free that was hidden behind Kakashi's leg and made a break for it.

"Well, I couldn't carry them all and dear Jenny here offered to help me make the journey to our table," Kakashi's cheerful voice severed any of my chances of getting out of there.

Freezing, I looked over my shoulder where Sakura was giving me a forced smile and that bastard was leaning against the counter triumphantly.

Saving my inner scowl for later, I grumpily trudged back over to where the bar tender was still dealing with our orders, snatching the various drinks for the different owners, my eye warily staying on the stranger who gave me a cocky salute with a pint of beer.

My blood weaved into ice in my veins, forcing my heart to stop beating or explode. Avoiding this sign of acceptance sent my adrenaline into overdrive and quickened my pace to our already rowdy table, sloshing our drinks as I went. I slammed the glasses on the table, shocking everyone to look at me but I was already speed walking back over to Kakashi who was greeted by a guy with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

I smelt the newcomer before I actually saw his face but I knew he was one of Kakashi's friends from club from the earlier days that I was there.

"Alright, I'm done, can I go now?" I whined, trying to pick up my pace of seeming normal.

Kakashi's narrowed eye however proved me wrong.

"Are you sure she isn't some estranged daughter of yours, Kakashi?" the man teased beside him, a hand reaching to pick the cigarette out of his mouth so he could talk easier.

He glared at the man before turning to me.

"No, you can stand here and talk to dear Asuma here, he's a luckless in love case," Kakashi pushed me into the space that he previously stood, forcing me to stand almost chest to chest where I couldn't back up because of the stool behind me.

Forcing a sympathetic smile on my face, I rubbed his arm in comfort.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said while Asuma's face stared at me, I knew it wasn't the only eyes that I had on me.

Slowly, I let an eye drift to the left where the stalker had previously been sitting where I had to swallow my increasing hysteria.

He wasn't there.

Surely that would be a relief? He wasn't there to torment me. But I still could feel his eyes on me but this time I couldn't see him.

I was the prey and the predator was preparing to pounce.

Before I knew it, I was really laying on the sympathy as I was leaning towards Asuma, my smile sad.

"Oh, no," I said, my mouth turning down as I tried for concerned. "I doubt drowning your sorrows like this is going to make you feel any better. How about," I leaned closer, my voice lowering, "you come back to mine and I'll make you some muffins?"

Asuma's brow creased at the odd offer and a stomped on my metaphorical self for being too strong, I should have waited. Now he will never come back and keep that creep away-

"Sure," Asuma tucked the cigarette in the front pocket of his green vest.

My eyes wide in disbelief before I could cover it up wasn't unnoticed by either of the men. Asuma chose to call it.

"What? Are they really that bad?" He joked and gave a belly like laugh that forced me to give one too, albeit more hysterically.

"Ha, yeah, totally," I joined in, my frown of worry probably still there despite my desperation to try and smooth out the tension in my forehead.

Behind me I could feel Kakashi's already slanted eye become more narrowed as they drilled a hole in the back of my skull.

Grabbing Asuma's hand, I gave a quick, jerky wave behind me to Kakashi who I could feel was still waiting by the bar but I couldn't turn otherwise I knew that he would figure out the reason I was taking Asuma home was to protect myself against that creep.

My clammy hand was embarrassing so I let go of him as I finally got us out of the dim pub where I couldn't see my enemy anywhere.

"You sure wanted to get out there, didn't you?" Asuma said, commenting on our fast pace that had slowed considerably from both the threat of the stalker and of Kakashi figuring me out.

I gave a nervous titter that made me wince. Way to play it cool, Jenny.

I sighed trying to play it off as tired.

"Honestly, I'm just glad I had an excuse to get out of there, I am just exhausted," I said, giving him a thankful glance, hoping him to eat my excuse up.

Asuma chuckled, removing his white cylinder from his pocket and was bringing it to his mouth to smoke when he stilled and suddenly pivoted his head.

I stopped too, placing my hand on his arm, peering around him to where he was looking at the alley way behind us on the other side of the street.

"What is it?" I asked my voice possibly wavering, showing my fear.

Was it the black haired man?

There was a space of silence before Asuma turned down to look at me with a shrewd eye before smiling at me.

"It was nothing, it's just an old man wondering about those bloody meddling kids," he winked.

I had to hold in my snort of laughter as he quoted the villains' role of claiming they would have gotten away with it without the Scooby Gang and I tucked my hand into his elbow.

"Well, let this old soul guide you then," I teased back, a real smile covering my face, no matter how small it was, it made me feel so much better.

We both were quiet as we continued to walk in tandem, our footsteps the only ones making noise at this awkward time between sunset and darkening dusk.

"So what muffins are you going to make for me?" he asked, his hands in his pockets, much alike a grey haired ninja I knew.

Shaking my head to rid myself of those thoughts I gave a smile.

"I actually don't know," I laughed, my hand crept up to my ear to push a blue strand behind the curve again. "It really depends what we have."

"I feel disappointed with the false security of muffins," Asuma shook his head as he pursed his lips to accept his cigarette.

Looking at those lips made me compare it to the sight I had of Kakashi's face before I flushed and turned my gaze away from Asuma's inquisitive stare.

Clearing my throat, I began the trek up the stairs until I felt some arm around my waist and I begun to panic thinking that it was the creep who was suspiciously absent as I continued to look over my shoulder subtly checking for him. I gave out a not so restrained huff of relief as I realised it was just Asuma who suddenly leaped into the air and we landed on the top of the stairs without tripping or anything.

I gaped back down at the bottom step that just seemed to crumble before my very eyes.

"Wha-? I mean, huh?" I stuttered.

Why had the jackass, Kakashi, never done this before? This would have saved me many a scrapped knee and-slash-or elbow!

I turned and beamed up at Asuma who just looked down at me, an amused quirk lifting the corner of his mouth. Flushing, I tucked my hair back behind my ear where it had flown loose in the sudden jump.

I tempered my breathing, I was sure that once Asuma got into the flat, the other guy would be too intimidated to come and bother me tonight. I kept trying to convince myself this fact as I pushed the door open, leading Asuma in by the hand when he seemed happy to just dawdle by the door.

Bringing out the various pots and pans, I tried to distract myself from the various thoughts surrounding what he expected from me. Did he want sex? Would I go through with it?

It had blatantly become obvious that I was becoming less reliant on sex and more on my friendship with Kakashi. So if push came to shove and he was threatening to leave, would I sleep with Asuma?

When I saw the black figure standing in the alley beneath me from the barest of glances I then concluded that I would. I really would.

Gulping, I began to lay out the ingredients before placing them in the bowl in their respective order.

"Don't you need a cookbook?" a voice said from behind me and obviously because I was so on edge I screamed and the flour flew into the air, glittering us with the white particles.

There was a silence as Asuma crouched there, a hand on the packet of the flour in one hand, saving it by my knee caps. I placed a wavering hand on my chest as I tried to calm down my heart.

"I-I'm sorry," I rushed to say as he placed the packet on the side, "I guess I'm just jittery."

I tried to shrug it off but I saw the careful consideration he was giving me and I was almost panicking when I saw he began to back away.

I reached a hand out, my hand grasping his arm, my eyes with his as they met in between our bodies, making their respective conclusions.

Me to resort to what I knew best.

And Asuma…well I don't know, but I was more focussed on my lips with his, my need for safety overcoming any other thought.

My lips moved over his in an unpractised mess, none of my usual cool efficiency. The fear was coming out my very skin and through my kiss.

The safety was so important to me that I didn't feel the prick in my neck until I was slowly being lowered to the floor.

"Wha-" I tried to move my mouth but felt like it was stuffed filled with marshmallows, forcing my mouth open and my eyes to shut resolutely.

My last sight was a fist heading towards Asuma's face.

…o0o…

He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Kakashi had noticed the fear in Jenny's face.

Noticed the tremors in her hands, her frantic eyes that had begun earlier when he called her out on her midnight visitor.

But it was strange the way she was responding, to his knowledge of her trysts was completely unlike her. She did seem like the type to be shy about talking about them yet was unapologetic about the whole thing happening.

So what was happening here?

He knew that Jenny didn't come on that strong and he thought about her expression and contemplated maybe she didn't want to bring Asuma for that sake.

Looking back at the table then at the door where Jenny was still jerkily waving goodbye to him, unknowing that she was still keeping up the nervous movement.

What was going on?

He glanced at the table and saw Sakura's shrewd eyes as she stared after Jenny's back then gave him a glance and saw his eyes on her and gave a sunny smile.

Back when he was pining after her without her knowing, that would have sent little flutters towards his stomach where it would make breathing ever so hard. But now, the worry for Jenny was overwhelming and he wanted to focus on Sakura, he really did, but…what was happening with Jenny and Asuma right now?

What to do? Could he quickly sneak out and follow them home?

He shook his head quickly.

That would be creepy and Jenny, if she really was okay, would probably rip into him with jokes on how he can't live without her or something. His pride wouldn't let him live it down.

But what if…?

Kakashi determinedly focused on his drink where he was still standing at the bar until Sakura came over.

"Hey, what is it?" she asked, a hand on his arm, much alike when Jenny did to Asuma.

Scowling under his mask at the remembrance, he downed another large portion of his glass.

Sakura giggled as she pushed herself to her tiptoes and leaned forward into his space and Kakashi noticed that, there wasn't the tingles that previously celebrated her very presence. Testing his hypothesis, he surreptitiously pushed his hand on her waist only to pull her back in so both of their chests were running on the same lengths.

It was normal.

Just the same as if he had hugged one of his friends like Iruka or Kurenai.

Well, that was true until Sakura slid up the length of his body to kiss his lips and then he felt a tingle of excitement at the fact she made the first move.

But thinking about it, if any girl had made this kind of move on him, Kakashi was pretty sure he would have the same reaction.

Like what would Jenny do…

He resisted the strong urge to give himself a slap in the face as he returned Sakura's tentative kiss.

Surprisingly, there was a strange sense of relief when she finally pulled away. He doubted that would happen if any other girl had done so, more specifically a civilian who made the most come worthy crumpets-

Do not think of coming and Jenny in the same sentence, dimwit, he chided himself as he tried to focus on what Sakura was saying.

"There-There was something I wanted to talk to you about," she began, her hand unknowingly playing with his sleeve.

Bringing the customary hand to cup the side of her neck to show that he was paying attention and was not thinking about a certain blue stranded girl who was probably kissing his friend right now, Kakashi focused on the nervous kunoichi in front of him.

Taking a quick loud intake of breath to try and distract himself, he didn't realise that Sakura would take it for worry or trepidation as she rushed to reassure him.

"It's not anything bad, I promise," she said, her hands moving to rest on his green flak jacket. "I just wanted to talk to you about Jenny and her… living arrangements."

Kakashi's visible eyebrow lowered over his eye, not liking the two ideas in the same sentence as far as Sakura was concerned.

"What about it?" he asked finally, his voice low, unassuming, neutral, nothing pushing to expose his real feelings as he thought about the bed that they shared and how Asuma probably would be pushing her into the mattress, his hand sliding up the flawless neck…

"I just wanted to know if she was ever going to move out?" Sakura asked in one of her small voices that made him automatically pull her closer to him, used to this reaction, like a muscle response, like throwing a kunai, going through a set of seals…just there.

His hands rested respectively high on her back, not really thinking of anything other than where Jenny was now. Was she panicking? What had her so scared?

Realising he had been asked a question and had yet to answer it, he let one hand trail up and over a muscled shoulder of the small woman.

"I-" then he stopped. When was she going to move out?

They hadn't discussed it, it didn't really feel like a feasible option.

Why would he even want to? Jenny was the best roommate that he'd ever had.

Admittedly, she was the only one he's had, but that was beside the point.

She made him breakfast lunch and dinner. She cleaned the bathroom where by then, it would be grimy with dirt and blood, she did his laundry without a word of complaint and gave him an adorable indulgent smile whenever he tried to separate the whites from the colours, one time bopping his nose with a finger, much alike whenever he smartly rapped her head with his book. It had been accustomed to and enjoyed.

So, no, it had never really been a feasible option.

He liked the moments.

"I'll let her leave when she is ready or when she wants to go," he finally settled with which from the way her high brow furrowed, didn't pacify the pinkette at all.

She opened her mouth to argue back.

"No, Sakura," Kakashi cut her off firmly. "She stays. For however long it takes."

"But, she should be over it by now," she shot back, her hand going onto her hip, her hand abandoning its random plays with his sleeve like some bored cat.

He raised an incredulous brow.

"'She should be over it'?" he asked, his own hands abandoning her body. "If she was a ninja, I would understand where you are coming from, but she is a civilian who got brutally tortured. No, she should not be 'over it', not at least for a few years."

Sakura scowled, stepping away from the circle of his personal bubble.

"'A few years'" she repeated disbelievingly, her eyes wide. "And she is going to live with you for that long?"

Kakashi just shook his head in denial of the conversation, drowning his liver with the rest of the strong beer before wiping his mask and pushing his way past his irate teammate, had she not grabbed his arm.

"And where do you think you are going?" she demanded, her grip tight and strong.

"I need to check on Jenny, she wasn't feeling right," he said, his blackened eye just daring her to contradict him, to complain one more time.

Instead, her hand reluctantly released him, her green eyes darkening with hurt and tears where she bit her lip.

Feeling regret, Kakashi now reached for her, his face already forming an apologetic face that wouldn't be seen for his mask.

Sakura just turned away, his hands pushing his away.

"I just-I just need to know," she seemed to steel herself as she looked back up at him.

Wary, Kakashi waited with baited breath.

"H-has," she swallowed hard to stop her tears, her little white teeth coming to rest on the pink hued skin. "Has she seen your face. As in your face without the mask?"

Surprised, Kakashi recoiled, his mouth opening to disclaim the statement but then, he didn't want this to come back and bite him in the arse. But he didn't want to hurt her either. Sakura had become a large part of his comfortable bubble, one of his precious persons that he could trust not to be killed easily.

But he shouldn't lie to her…should he?

Then he looked down at her face and saw that his hesitation spoke for him and the medical façade came forward, a professional mask that he knew he wouldn't see a different one for a while.

Backing away, Kakashi knew when to retreat. Escaping out into the outside, he leaped to the roof before continuing the sprint home, bypassing the stairs that lead up to the flats, opting to materialise straight to the front door where he opened it, only to halt.

There, before his eyes was Jenny kissing Asuma, her brow clenched like she was in pain, her hands tucked messily into the other man's hair.

His blood was heating, his hands twitching especially when he saw Asuma bring a sebon to Jenny's neck where he lightly pressed in the tip, only far enough for the glowing green tip to draw a thick trail of blood.

Not even thinking, Kakashi rushed up, a normal fist pummelling into a slow witted Asuma, who collapsed with the dead weight of Jenny on top of him with a grunt.

Moving to grasp Jenny's limp body, he brought a worried hand up to Jenny's neck where he saw the small hole had already healed and was bruising before fading into her now perfect skin apart from a shiny scar that was barely noticeable and the speck of blood.

Frantic fingers dabbed her skin, searching for a pulse. Waiting for the familiar thrum, he almost sagged in relief at the normal rhythm that was pushing against his finger pads.

Laying her body on the cold tile, Kakashi turned his equally frigid eye to Asuma who was just pushing himself up, a hand cradling his jaw, the other held up in surrender.

"Now wait Kakashi," he tried to say.

"What the fuck were you doing?" he snarled, his hand slamming into his throat pushing Asuma back down to the floor with a crack of his skull against the tile.

"Would you rather that I was shoving my tongue down her throat?" he wheezed out.

Kakashi lessened his grip ever so slightly.

"So what were you doing?" he said, his curiosity becoming the best of him.

Asuma smirked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Kakashi reapplied the pressure on his throat with renewed vigour.

"You better start fucking talking," he hissed.

"Wow Kakashi, I think this is the most I have ever heard you swear in one sentence," he wouldn't lose that bloody smirk that just boiled Kakashi's blood to an all-time high. "But since you ask so nicely," he rushed on to say as he felt a harder squeeze on his throat. "I was letting her get the sleep she had so obviously been missing out on for the past week."

He continued to reduce his grip until it was loosely holding so much so that he could have been beaten by a baby.

"Sleep?" he asked confused.

"You know by the fear of the guy that has been following her today and possibly for this entire week considering the bags under her eyes," Asuma rolled his eyes as he batted Kakashi's hand away from his neck.

"Guy?" Kakashi continued dumbly.

Asuma rolled his eyes and sat up, his other hand massaging the bruise that was slow forming.

"You can't honestly not smell him," he said disbelievingly. "He is basically all over the house!"

He frowned. He had smelled someone, but he just thought that it had been a guy that Jenny had been seeing.

But this would explain the jumps, the tremors, the screams every time she was startled.

"I did smell him," Kakashi admitted grudgingly. "I just thought that it was someone that she was…you know."

"No, I don't know," Asuma assumed a wide eyes look.

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi bent and picked up Jenny's limp body, terrifyingly reminding him of when he picked up her body from the Orochimaru copy cat's den.

Her head lolled back, her body rested so casually in his arms, like she was unconsciously using him for a bed, for a resting place. A trusted, safe place.

Taking a deep breath, he got her sweet scent of mangoes that didn't feel like it was overwhelming. Unlike the violets that seemed to just ooze out of Sakura. Not that he had always hated it. He just…

…preferred mangoes.

Shaking the useless thoughts out of his head, he walked into their bedroom where he slipped off her shoes that in her nervousness and anxiety had forgotten to remove. His fingers paused on the buttons of her buttoned up blouse.

He knew Jenny always complained about having to sleep in a bra and how it constricted her breathing through the night.

Luckily, he was saved from the difficult decision by Jenny curling her body around, her curves unintentionally pushing against the various pieces of her clothes and that appalling short skirt.

He'd have to talk to her about that.

She groaned again.

He'd talk to her about that too.

Doing both of those things while also on his bed should just be a crime condemned by the Hokage herself.

It made Kakashi uncomfortable.

Backing away quickly when he saw her navy eyelashes flutter against the pure white silk of her skin and Kakashi saw the even darker hued bags under her eyes and wondered how he ever had thought that it could have been too much sex.

Jenny slowed her stretch as she contemplated her new surroundings with wide panicked eyes. Moving slowly back into her vision to try and reassure her, he was met by blood shot eyes that told him had he not been so familiar she would have clawed at him.

"Oh, Kakashi," Jenny placed a hand over her mouth. "What are you doing here?"

Trying to play it like it would be normal, Kakashi tried to brush off the question with a raised eyebrow.

"I do live here, I think," he said teasingly as he gently sat down next to her.

Jenny flushed as she sat up nervously, her knuckles rubbing together, her hands reaching for invisible sleeves to pull over her hands. Instantly, his hand was on top of her wayward movements.

Jenny hesitantly raised her head and her eyes locked with his.

Black on blue, calloused tanned hands on pale white ones. Yin and Yang.

"Jenny," Kakashi began and he saw the way she flinched back into her little compact shell and still tried to fiddle with her fingers despite his holding like a clamp on them. "I want to ask you something."

This seemed like the worst possible thing to say as this caused her head to shoot right up, her eyes wide, seeming to know what he was going to say and tried to fight herself from his hold.

"Who is he?" Jenny froze.

Slowly her blue, blue eyes looked up at him again, this time in apology.

"He's this guy that I served once or twice at the café," she admitted, and Kakashi could see her slump like if she was a dog she'd be whining and her ears would be low on her head.

Reaching out, he smoothed her hair away from her face, a sign of acceptance.

"It wasn't your fault," he said softly, his head ducked down so it was along the same level as hers.

This just made her flinch all the more.

"But it must have been!" she exclaimed. "For him to follow me around like that, well he must have thought that I had liked him or he wouldn't have done it."

Anger flooded through his vision. Not at Jenny, although he was more than a little exasperated over her behaviour.

No, it was aimed at this dickhead who made Jenny feel bad for his poor decisions.

Grabbing her shoulders, Kakashi forced her to face him. His hands moved to her cheeks where tears were already free flowing.

"This was not your fault," he said lowly, seriously. "The only person who is at fault here is me for not seeing it sooner and for that I apologise."

Jenny opened her mouth to protest but he covered it with a hand to let him speak.

"I'm not finished," he chided a small smirk now covering his lips beneath his mask. "I will find him for you later, so then we can get him the punishment he deserves."

"But-" Jenny tried to say behind his hand.

"No, I'm not hearing anything otherwise," he shook his head. "For now, you are going to sleep right now and I am going to stay right here to make sure that nothing happens."

Jenny looked up at him for a moment before she threw her arms around his neck, the force she propelled herself at almost forced him to fall onto his back. He sat there, his hands up ready to hold her, yet he couldn't.

He didn't feel worthy of it after all she had suffered through this entire week all because he was too taken in with his own happiness with Sakura.

Not that it will be a problem for much longer, he said sardonically in his head, their fight replaying his head.

Finally, his hands rested ever so slightly on her back to try and return the hug yet Jenny still wasn't letting go, only tightening her grip.

"Um Jenny?" he tried to push her away.

"SHHHH, five more minutes," she mumbled into his neck that made him involuntarily shiver at the feel of her moist breath on his neck.

For a joke, he let his arms stay by his sides for a moment before finally returning the hug properly, one hand on her neck the other chastely sitting on her waist.

It was quiet and Kakashi couldn't decide if he had to fill the silence or not but it seemed Jenny was more than content to just hug him for comfort.

When it felt like more than five minutes, he brought it up with no reply.

Frowning, he pulled back and felt no restraining monkey hold on him only to find Jenny's mouth open as she snored lightly. Shaking his head in amusement, he picked her up and folded her into the duvet.

Pulling back he went to brush his teeth and say goodbye to Asuma before he went back to the bedroom where he stayed up and read until the very early hours of the morning when he knew Jenny would be getting up soon.

But because of the early dawn light, Kakashi spotted a silhouette against the sun and he leaped up, seeing that he was staring right at Jenny through the open window. The open window that happened to let a scent drift along the breeze towards him.

It was him.

Snarling, Kakashi jumped out and followed the pervert.

And so help him when Kakashi caught him, for he wasn't going to be able to live very long after he was done with him.

…o0o…

What woke me was a feather like touch to my nose and at first I thought it was Kakashi being annoying.

"'Kashi," I moaned as I rolled away from the touch. "Fuck off already."

"Unfortunately we have some business to talk over," a different, entirely too feminine voice said above me.

Freezing, I tilted my head towards where the light was leaking into the bedroom and saw Sakura standing over me, playing with a little pink feather pen.

I yawned, pushing myself to sit up, a hand in front of my mouth.

"What time is it?" I asked, scratching away an itch from scalp, another yawn threatening me.

"That's unimportant," she said quickly as she sat on the bed. "We need to talk."

I stopped my early morning wake up by looking at her with a little smirk on my face that I could feel would annoy her.

"That sound ominous," I said, swinging my legs out to go to the bathroom.

"Well the way you have been with my boyfriend, I should think so!" Sakura exclaimed behind my back.

Rolling my eyes, I went to the sink and layered on some toothpaste knowing that I didn't brush my teeth last night before I fell asleep on Kakashi.

Looking up at the clock, I saw it was just in time for me to start getting ready for work.

"Well, tell me what you want to talk about," I said bored through a mouthful of toothpaste.

"I wanted to talk about you moving out."

I choked on the foam in my mouth and hurriedly tried to spit out the mint before I suffocated.

"Sorry," I coughed, "I think I heard you wrong, 'moving out'?"

"I'll pay you back for everything I broke-"

"Which you should be doing any way," I interrupted with my hands on my hips.

"But then again, can you blame me? You are living in my boyfriend's place," Sakura lowered her voice, her tone hurt. "How would you feel if the guy you were going out with was living with another girl and were sharing the same bed?"

Damn it. She was appealing to my soft side. Damn it!

Just as I was about to open my mouth to contradict her, I couldn't help but empathise with her. It was true, I would be a little more than jealous; I would be fuming. Raging. I would never let him live it down until the girl had moved out.

Sighing, against my better judgement, I nodded.

"Yeah, I'd feel pretty shitty too," I reluctantly agreed.

Sakura's face lit up.

"So? You'll move out?" she asked, her hands flittering in her excitement.

I felt a heavy weight sitting in my stomach over the fact that I wouldn't have Kakashi promising to protect me again. As lame as it sounded I was a DID of the most epic proportions.

"Ha-have you discussed it with Kakashi?" I looked to my feet, pulling at one of my matted pony tails.

Sakura's smile became a little more forced.

"Of course and we think that it is the best course of action" she said through gritted teeth as if she was holding back from throwing a punch at me and from the looks of it, it seemed pretty likely.

Then what was that whole talk about staying by my side so the creepy guy wouldn't get me? I shook my head. Maybe it was all too good to be true. I was the idiot again.

"I'll move out then," I said glumly as I moved to the other room to begin packing my stuff. Would we even talk anymore if I wasn't there?

"Here," Sakura shoved a bag at me, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind you borrowing this."

I stumbled back from the force and looked down at the suitcase before glancing back up at Sakura who just looked at me expectantly.

"Well? chop, chop! We gotta get going!"

"But where will I go?" I asked, the thought only just hitting me then and I paused in the folding of my t-shirts.

"Ino has a small room I'm sure she'll allow you to rent," she said blasé.

My shoulder hunched in at the reminder that I wouldn't be living with Kakashi anymore. Would he eat okay? Would he even do his laundry?

Then the question came up again: would he even talk to me anymore?

Shaking my head I forced myself to think of other things, less depressing things.

I ended up shoving everything into a pile before I clicked the suitcase closed, being dragged out of the door by an excited kunoichi but I was clever and secretive enough to leave a note with a mysterious pile of knickers on the bedspread.

…o0o…

God, this one was such a bitch to write.

And OMFG WHAT JUST HAPPENED? :o

Drama, drama, drama.