It went alarmingly like a therapist session. Or at least like I would imagine one to be seeing as how I'd never been to therapy – and this didn't count.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"So you sleep in his arms every night but no sex." Jiraiya repeated scribbling in his notebook.

I was tucked back into bed. One of the major downsides of Kakashi's clothes was the drafts and at the first shiver Jiraiya casually suggested I could sit in bed and then he could rest his weary old ninja bones in the chair. Worked for me.

"And how does that make you feel?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does it make you want more? Are you satisfied with that? Do you sleep well?"

"Well…I guess it's okay. I mean, Kakashi's really comfortable to sleep with, although I have no idea how he's so warm all the time…and he smells nice too so it's not like I don't like it. I kinda sometimes feel like I want to hug him instead of just hugging him back but would that be okay? I don't want him thinking that…oh I don't know."

"No no that's really original…scribble scribble I mean it's good to be true to your feelings. Kakashi probably holds you to reassure himself that you're there, embracing him back would be…ah…maybe like a acknowledgement of that. Scribble. Sort of a 'thank you for looking out for me' type of thing, yes. Scribble scribble scribble. It'll also tell him that you care about him too."

"It will?"

"Well you do care about him right?"

"Well…I don't really wish ill on anyone… except maybe Ibiki… and Makoto… nevermind. Of course I would like him to be happy and healthy and all that but gosh I wish that of Kanoi too, and my parents and…"

"So how is it different between you and Kakashi then?"

"I don't know…" sorta.

"Hmmm. How do you feel when you're with Kakashi?"

"Well…he seems to think I feel cold, or hungry all the time."

Jiraiya burst into laughter and several illegible streaks crisscrossed his notepad before he got control of his pen. "It sounds as if he's trying to do things for you. You know as a ninja we look out for each other, but for you it's not like he can guard your back or patch up your wounds – since hopefully you don't get them quite as regularly. Making sure you're well fed and comfortable is about the only way he can tell himself that he's doing well towards you."

"I guess that makes sense." I agreed grudgingly.

Strangely enough everything seemed to make more sense when Jiraiya repeated it back to me. In the future I was going to do this via tape recorder and spare myself the humiliation. As it was I was running out of lint to pick off of the comforter as an excuse to not make eye contact. I felt like I was getting the birds and the bees talk. Again.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"That doesn't tell me how you feel though. What does Kakashi make you feel?"

Or getting psychoanalyzed… by Dr. Phil.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Uhhh..full…no, I don't know. I always feel sort of safe around him I guess but he is a ninja so that's natural. Relaxed I suppose?-except for recently because they've all been acting so strange. Did you know they thought I died? How could they have thought I died? Obito said they hadn't found my body but they though I hadn't survived – what's with that? I don't even understand how they could think something like that when I haven't even done anything recently."

Scribble scribble scribble. "I'll look into that, I have a few contacts in ANBU to see what happened." He told me seriously.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

And just like that I simultaneously ran out of lint – and patience.

"Okay. So is this normal for a ninja relationship? I'm feeling sort of lost at sea I guess you could say."

He reached over and patted the covers where my knee was.

"Akiko to tell you the truth, ninjas rarely have close relationships with civilians. It's a danger to us since the ninja would be directly affected should anything happen to you. Since you can't protect yourself (not the way we can) it makes a ninja extra vulnerable. Between ninjas there's usually some sort of understanding –they both have that 'we could die any day' sort of mentality so even in the best of relationships they hold a little bit of themselves back. They usually stick with someone their own skill level too, but in your case it's completely different. In this relationship you complement each other. Kakashi feels the urge and has the satisfaction of being able to protect you. Oh yeah…"

scribble scribble scribble

"He feels as though he's sheltering you, and it really connects with his protective instincts…"

scribble scribble

"…as a man. However because you're a normal village girl…"

scribble scribble

"He knows that you probably don't value him for his skills-which are substantial-because you don't work with that sort of thing. Which means…the only reason you act the way you do, towards him, is because. He. Is. Kakashi. Nothing more. Nothing less."

He ended his notes with a stab that should have imbedded the pen in the desk below the pad, and set it down with a flourish.

I scowled. "Well duh." And I do so value his skills...just maybe not the fighting ones...

Jiraiya smiled stood leaning over to pat me on the back. "He's so lucky to have found you Akiko. If you decide to hug him back he'll be luckier still. Unfortunately I've got a meeting soon, but I'm glad we had this talk."

I sat bolt upright and scrabbled for the edge of the covers. "Wait you haven't answered any of my questions yet!"

He snagged the edge of the comforter and tucked it more firmly around me. "Trust in Kakashi and trust in yourself and everything will work out just fine."

An with that he turned and clopped out the door.

"Well that was helpful…not."

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Kakashi. I hope you found our talk helpful."

"Jiraiyasan. I didn't realize Akiko knew you."

"Not to worry, I won't say anything about what's going on. She's quite the lovely young lady. Although I have to say she looks adorable enveloped in your clothes like that, are you sure you want to make that kind of fashion statement? The Inuzukas would read that as flat out possession, especially since she's covered in your smell from sleeping together."

"I know what I'm doing."

"Well, I leave you to it then. Have some pity on her though and give her a little structure to work off of, it might be clear to the rest of us what you're doing but when it comes to this it's like civilians are a different creature entirely."

"…"

"You know she's quite taken with you right."

"…"

"I won't ask if this is serious because it's obvious, for her sake though…do you love her?"

"…I don't know. I have no basis with which to compare my current state to. Without a clear precedent-"

"Hahaha…poor girl doesn't know what she's in for. Go in to her Kakashi, it's almost dinner time and she hasn't eaten in the last two hours."

"…Goodnight Jirayasan."

"Ja ne Kakashi."

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Kakashi..?"

A hand stroked my hair. "Shhh go back to sleep."

If I can go back to sleep...I must be awake! My mind dragged me consciousness-first into that groggy half-awake state like screensaver only for a human. I tried to sit up but the first shock of night air lead me to reevaluate the situation and gloved hands resettled the pillow under my head and the blankets around my neck.

The pale moonlight was lighting up the village outside and the glow carried through the window just enough to make shadows to distinguish things. I couldn't make out Kakashi though, until the mattress creased with his weight and the cold porcelain face of a wolf swam out of the darkness. I felt him stroke my hair again and only could tell it was a hand from the light colored arm guard strap encircling his wrist.

"Shhhh shhhhh. Go to sleep." The wolf whispered.

I could have sworn we had just gotten settled. How long had I been asleep? I tried to remember what the time had been when I had snuggled down under the blankets – it had been particularly cool that night…this night. It was so hard to think though when Kakashi was stroking my hair and murmuring the same thing he did every night until I fell asleep.

"Maybe you should try a lullaby Kakashi."

The wolf glanced right to where a maniacal jackal was hovering in the darkness.

Jackal….Takeshi? "You're going ninja-ing at midnight?"

"At 2:17 am Akikosan. Go back to sleep, we'll be back soon." Obito's voice floated out of the darkness.

"Yeah, it's just a quickie Akiko! Don't worry Kakashi's very good at them." Takeshi chuckled but I couldn't figure out what was funny."

Kakashi's other arm guard whipped around in a dull arc and the Jackal mask blurred across the room as the chuckling intensified. "Now now gotta save your kunai for the party Kakashi."

"Stop antagonizing him Takeshi."

"Party?" I repeated and then a yawn seized control for a minute my eyes tearing after it finished.

"haha it's going to be Da Bomb Akiko, you have no idea."

"Takeshi."

"Okay okay…"

I was still struggling to stay awake despite the soothing rhythmic stroking. I was worried but I couldn't name what about, I knew I would remember come morning but my mind was too busy still trying to remember when I'd gone to sleep, what was funny about the comment and what Obito's mask looked like. I hadn't seen it but that had been his voice right?

"Kakashi?"

"Shhhhhhh. Go to sleep."

"I'm not-" Yawn. …a good liar.

"Shhhhhhh." He shifted blurring into the shadows until I felt his chin gently settle onto my head, his arm a familiar weight against my back and that Kakashi smell making even the air smell safe. This is a loosing battle. My mind supplied helpfully and then followed it with. What battle?

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

To not fall asleep. I snapped upright and froze. Sunlight streamed through the window, as well as the early sounds of people bussing about and chirping birds. There was dew on the window but the apartment was warm and I looked around until I pinpointed the vent by the kitchen which was thrumming lowly with what must be hot air.

The apartment was empty except for me…which is why I startled badly when something moved on top of the blankets.

I stared. How had I overlooked a dog?

Well for one it's pretty small. Maybe the size of one of those sausage pillows you see on couches. It was mostly a soft chocolate brown except for the snout and ears which were a dark coffee color-perhaps stained while trying to drink a cup of brew? But by now I was hoping it was natural coloring because it was padding up the length of the bed towards me from where it had been sprawled on the covers.

It stopped and sat on the covers on top of my lap and paused.

What is it you do for a dog again? I stuck out my hand for it to sniff. Him? Her? It had a cold nose and I scowled, quietly getting colder as it sniffed my palm, my thumb, my wrist and finally snorting settled back onto its haunches.

Happy at passing the smell test I grabbed a blanket and pulled it around me as I headed for the kitchen. I had no idea what to do with the strange little dog following me but no one could expect me to think on an empty stomach.

In commemoration of the colder weather I decided a hot breakfast was in order and figured pancakes seemed like a good idea. The first one was warming on the griddle when I turned around and remembered the pooch who was sitting placidly on one of the kitchen chairs.

Fifteen minutes later I was sitting crosslegged on the kitchen chair wrapped in my blanket with the little dog – sprawled across the cradle my bent knees made –feeding him strip after strip of bacon like one puts dollars into the vending machine. It had a similar result too. His little tail was wagging so hard he could have crank started a car.

Unfortunately I hadn't found any dog food as was my initial thought. I'd never owned a dog either so I had no idea really of what they ate except for one commercial I had seen. Beggin strips! Dogs don't know it's not bacon! Well…I guess they like bacon then…

I felt sorta bad eating in front of the little puppy but I didn't know what dogs could or couldn't eat. Probably not vegetables right? I'd heard that chocolate was poisonous to them so no candy…Rice? No. Ramen? No….

So when I had lunch the puppy got bacon and when I had a snack the puppy got bacon. I took breaks from my studying to scratch his ears and rub his tummy and when he came out from under the bed covered in dust…well. First I swept under the bed, and then I decided to give him a bath.

There was dog shampoo in the bathroom under the sink with the extra soap and other supplies but it smelled like a combination of sawdust and paste. The little dog panicked for a little bit at first when I reached for the wildflower shampoo instead but soon calmed down and was once again his tail wagging happy little self.

He got more bacon for being so good while getting a bath and then we both settled down for a nap.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Kakashi you're keeping this one."

"Pakkun. You're looking… a little chubby."

"The pack outnumbers you ten to one and I speak for the pack. She's staying."

"Pakkun, why are you damp?"

"She knows how to scratch ears."

"Pakkun."

"She woke a little after ten o'clock had breakfast, studied and ate periodically through the day. At half past two we settled down for a nap. Now, you're keeping her right?"

"I'm trying to keep her."

"Try harder. I was only here for a few hours and already had her hand feeding me. Work harder at being cute and cuddly. Trust me when she gives you a bath it'll be worth it. Speaking of baths she didn't use that cheap pet shampoo on me but real moisturizer, with vitamin E and aloe for shine and strength."

"Pakkun that shampoo-"

"I don't want to talk about it and I don't want to see that 'pet' shampoo again."

"Alright. Thanks for watching her."

"Not a problem, this almost makes up for some of the stuff you drag me into."

"Out of curiosity how much did she feed you?"

"Probably about a pound."

"No wonder you're waddling."

"Yeah? And if she starts hand feeding you you're going to say no?"

"Goodbye Pakkun."