WOW.

Thank you for all your kind words and patience!

Hopefully I won't disappoint with the latest chapter. I wrote it in two days, so please if there are any mistakes I'll see them when the chapter becomes fully uploaded and I won't be able to change it. It's a regularly scheduled agony for me. My brain is like: here, deal with this, as a treat.

Special thanks to xXSakuraBlossomsXx, Ai's-Summer, chloemika, and all the guests who reviewed, and to all of you who optimistically followed this story because I (maybe?) seemed like a responsible person who posts her chapters in regular intervals. Thanks for sticking with me so far!

Gathering Information

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Are you hungry?"

I woke up to Kakashi's smile and suspiciously loving gaze. Quickly straightening myself I looked around for the clock on the nightstand. It was 06:46, phew.

Although it was kind of weird that Kakashi got up before I did, we had a full hour before we had to be at the Hokage's tower. Satisfied with this outcome, I stretched and put my hands behind my head.

Kakashi was looking at me expectantly.

"Oh, yeah, I could eat."

"Great!"

Someone knocked on the door politely announcing themselves and then immediately entered impolitely not waiting for an answer. I watched curiously as Kakashi's clone was pushing the door with his back since his hands were busy holding something. Once he turned towards me I saw he was carrying a breakfast tray. I gasped.

"You made me breakfast?! You're bringing me breakfast to eat while lying in bed?!"

Oh, damn, I could practically feel my infatuation with Kakashi is becoming full-on adulation. I was never allowed to eat in my bed so this was a pretty big deal for me. My mom was always convinced I'll make a mess and won't clean it up so the only occasions when she would allow eating in bed was when I was sick or she couldn't refuse me because it had been my birthday.

And on top of that (!) he made an elaborate breakfast for me! And it is a truth universally acknowledged that food tastes better when someone prepares it for you! For someone who had to blackmail Sakura with disclosing her most embarrassing childhood secrets in front of her teammates just to get a bite of something she prepared, this was the bee's knees!

And the food wasn't even something basic, like a sandwich, but it was a freshly made salad and eggs with furikake!

Wait.

Something's not right here.

As Kakashi's clone put the tray on my lap and disappeared I narrowed my eyes and turned towards Kakashi himself.

"What's the catch?"

His smile, attractive as ever, didn't falter even for a moment.

"There's no catch? I just wanted to welcome you properly and thank you for all your hard work."

Okay, now I'm sure something's up.

"What hard work? This is literally the first day I've slept over. You didn't even try and wake me up, let alone attack me in my sleep as you are supposed to do per our agreement. I have a lack of trauma to prove it."

He pretended to think about it. I say 'pretended' since I know Kakashi is a calculating bastard who plans his every move to the tiniest of details.

"You slept rather soundly last night which I thought would be difficult for you, what with the unfamiliar surroundings, and a person sleeping next to you, and everything."

"That makes no sense. Why would that be any different from any mission ever?"

Kakashi's smile fell. "Oh. That's how you see it."

He started taking the tray away from me.

"Noooooo, please, I was just kidding. Of course I don't see it as a mission! This is like a long-awaited sleepover! I love it here – it's everything I dreamed of and more!"

He was smiling again, releasing his hold on the tray. I could practically hear Smooth Operator playing in the background.

Afraid for my breakfast, I started wolfing down the food before he could threaten me again and then I had to release an unattractive groan.

Oh, Kami, Kakashi was celebrity chef material. How can I trick him into cooking for me all the time?

"Kakashiiiiiiii, it's so goooooood," I started wailing.

He patted my head affectionately, and then got up.

"Eat up and then just leave the tray in the kitchen. We don't have time to wash the dishes now ꟷ it's 10:30 already."

"What are you talking about? It's 7…"

I looked at the clock that was still showing 06:46.

"Is that clock broken? It was working yesterday!"

Kakashi beamed at me: "Oh, I took out the batteries so you would rest up properly."

"You did WHAT?"

Despite being 'speechless', Shizune continued to yell at me for the next 3 hours upon arrival.

xxx

I woke up the next morning, instantly suspicious. I courtesy-checked the clock, because Kakashi wouldn't use the same trick twice, or at least not twice in a row. He's too sneaky for that.

The batteries were inside and the clock was showing 07:02. I waited for a minute to pass, just in case, and when I saw it change I nodded at it, and went to look for Kakashi.

He was humming in the kitchen, wearing an apron, and making breakfast. On today's menu was miso soup with mushrooms.

"Oh, good morning, Mizu. Care to try? It's almost ready."

He took a spoonful of the soup without waiting for an answer and blew a bit on it uselessly (since he was wearing a mask as always) before offering it to me. He did that so casually that he almost avoided starting my inner fangirl turmoil. Almost.

I blushed furiously. Kakashi Hatake was feeding me his homemade meal. This life just got too unreal. Am I actually a character in some sort of lovey-dovey fanfic? Even for an alternate universe where ninjas and easy acceptance of dictatorship were real this was too much.

Of course the soup was great. I don't know why Kakashi wasn't the only one cooking in Team 7 seeing as that other food was inedible in comparison.

But wait ꟷ my ninja senses are tingling.

"Ok, what did you do now?"

He feigned innocence.

"I made breakfast? I think there will be enough for two days."

"Hm. Thanks, and it's amazing, I feel like each of my taste buds has been told unicorns are real and they get to ride them, but you don't really have to prepare breakfast every day, you know that, right? We can take turns, for once."

"It's no trouble, you seem to need more sleep than me. Besides, we'd be significantly more late than we are already if I were to wait for you to get up and prepare breakfast."

"Um, what do you mean "late", it's 7 AM I checked the clock and batteries and everything. "

He innocently continued blending the soup.

Kakashi, what do you mean 'we're late'?"

I turned towards the clock in the kitchen, and saw that it was…

"10:28? Why did you move the clock today, I don't need rest, I sleep 10 hours a night apparently!"

He casually turned me, so as to gain access to my shoulders and then started to massage them.

"Yes, but you've been under a lot of stress lately. Shizune's been yelling at you so much, I'm surprised you aren't constantly on edge. Just look how tense you are."

Dammit, I couldn't maintain my anger because I was melting in his hands. As a trained killer, Kakashi's knowledge of anatomy was no doubt impeccable. Even more impressive was how he applied that knowledge fully while giving me the best massage of my life.

The only thing that stopped me from changing my state from solid to liquid was the realisation that I was a moment away from moaning with pleasure.

I barely managed to will myself to face him again. The anger helped, though.

"Shizune has been yelling at me because we're constantly late, Kakashi! Now, move."

"But what about the breakfast?"

I sighed.

"You know what, Shizune will be yelling at me either way, so we might as well eat first."

"Right?" he said happily, while filling up two bowls.

"But I'll be making a sundial today, just so you know."

xxx

-Driiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin

I turned off the alarm. It was difficult to see, but I managed to discern that the clock was showing 7 AM. Kakashi opened one eye, and then yawned disinterestedly.

"Kakashi?"

"Yeah?

"Why is it dark outside?"

For a moment he looked confused, and then he seemingly remembered: "Oh, I must've accidentally put back the clock a bit too much."

I groaned, wide awake, but knowing that I'll never wake up on time if I go back to sleep now. Judging by the dark outside it must've been around 3 or 4 in the morning. Unfortunately, I couldn't know for sure since the sundial I've spent the entire day making needed sun to be useful.

I glared at Kakashi for being so inventive with his ploys, and he chuckled, fully aware of my thoughts. Even after his sultry, deeper-than-usual-because-he-just-woke-up chuckle died off completely, I could still see the remnants of gaiety in his eyes.

He dropped his gaze, and (could it be?) it kind of looked like he was looking at my lips.

"Can I touch you?"

Okay, Mizu, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Kakashi is your best friend. He doesn't mean it like that. You're just perverted. You've been sneaking to read his books in secret one too many times, and now you can't stop thinking about his hands on your body massaging you more intimately that the last time, and ꟷ

"I didn't mean like that, but ꟷ"

"No, of course you didn't, I didn't either, no way. We are in agreement. Of course you can touch me. I'll also touch you if you want to, just to show you I didn't mean it like that."

He stopped my blabbering by pulling me towards him, until our bodies were fully aligned and with enough space for him to take my left hand with his right and lace our fingers together. He used his other hand as a pillow.

Damn, he really is delightfully tall. I stretched to my full length and my toes were still somewhere at the level with his knees. Must be nice being able to reach all the shelves. Of course, it was completely wasted on him since he's a perpetual sloucher, but he was easy on the eyes regardless.

I smiled at him happily because he made me feel so comfortable. It wasn't soon after when I noticed I became sleepy again.

"Maybe I should get Shizune to only pay me a commission for every successful Hokage-collecting, since I can't seem to do it full-time," I said, yawning.

"Don't worry about it. Sleep."

I closed my eyes, falling asleep soon after.

Needless to say, we woke up at 11.

xxx

The very next day, I woke up to Bull licking my face. He very much wanted to go to the park and whined how Kakashi never spends time with him anymore, and I had been so outraged, we had to go that very instant.

We were four hours late.

xxx

That night, I was determined to go to bed early and atone for my failures so far. Tomorrow was Friday so this was my last chance this week to prove that I wasn't completely useless as a Hokage-collector.

Kakashi lay in the bed next to me, no doubt having prepared his latest sabotage manoeuvre for tomorrow. I crossed my arms, indicating I will not give in. Nope. No relaxing for me tonight. I will be vigilant even in sleep. Coincidentally, it just came to me that the ninja sleep technique would've been rather useful in this particular situation…

No. Effing. Way.

Was all this just a ploy so that I would learn how to ninja sleep?

Only one way to find out – the Getting Information trick.

The Getting Information trick was a rather simple one. It came down to this: first, ask a question. Second, maintain eye contact. And third, keep quiet until they break.

It was a simple technique that had served me well many a time. But will it hold up against Sharingan no Kakashi? Time to find out.

"Kakashi, are you actually trying to teach me to ninja sleep?"

"Yes."

It worked even better than I hoped!

…

Okay it was completely unnecessary, but I still got my answer.

I started slow clapping for ironic dramatic effect, but was secretly rather unironically impressed. "Congratulations. You have motivated me. I want to learn how to do it."

"That's great, Mizu, but can we do it tomorrow? We need to get up early if we want to avoid Shizune's screaming."

I'm amazed how close I get to just wanting to yeet him into oblivion at some moments.

xxx

Okay, not a great start.

After failing to drop Kakashi off at 8 AM yet again because I couldn't fall asleep until 4 due to extreme anger and afterwards embarrassment (when Kakashi started to spoon me in his sleep), I headed for the library.

In the library books the only thing mentioned about the technique was that it is learnt in the academy and that it requires chakra control. There were also some pictures of children praying next to their beds like some sickly Victorian boys for an unknown reason. Not helpful at all. Maybe I can benefit more from the first-hand approach.

I went to find Sakura first. She's fairly smart so she can maybe enlighten me as regards the workings of this technique. Or, maybe I can just convince her to beat Kakashi up for me and maybe accidentally on purpose aim for the head and cause a selective amnesia and I won't have to deal with this anymore.

"Sakura-chan, you have to help me, Kakashi is subtly coaxing me into learning how to ninja sleep."

She rolled her eyes a little too enthusiastically for someone who should be on my side.

I, of course, was offended that she didn't immediately jump to my defence, but I still needed her help so I explained the situation to her.

"I don't see how Kakashi being a pervert factors into this, but okay."

"Sakura-chan, he probably watches me while I sleep. That's definitely a red flag. Your sensei is a creep, I'm sorry you had to hear this from me."

She was on a roll with her eye-rolls, I'll give her that.

"Sorry, sis. you'll have to find someone else to teach you chakra control. I'm swamped."

"Chakra control? What does that have to do with anything?"

"That's basically what suimin no jutsu comes down to, duh."

"Wait – that's a jutsu? For real?"

Sakura gave me a look like she she's going to start telling people we aren't really related, and left me to stand alone in the hall of the hospital.

No wonder I couldn't find anything on it at the library. All my inquiries were about how to sleep like a dolphin. All the weird looks from the librarians were also suddenly understandable.

Whatever. If this was really a jutsu, and kids learn it at the academy, then I'll get this down in no time. And I know just the person to help me do it.

"Iruka-senpai! Fancy meeting you here!"

"At the academy? It is?"

I decided not to let Iruka deter me from my noble quest even if he was openly disregarding common social norms such is small-talk.

"I was wondering – could you show me how to cast suimin no jutsu?"

Iruka blinked in confusion. "Sure."

And then he proceeded to pray.

After three seconds, he looked back at me. "Did you get it?"

Got what exactly, Iruka? Your religious devotion? Is this guy even a teacher?

He smiled boyishly, but I wasn't amused. I crossed my arms, waiting for a better explanation than praying to Kami to give me the ability to be half-conscious while I slept.

"You put your hands like this," he put his palms together again, "and close your eyes in order to more easily separate a section of your chakra and create a thin barrier over your skin. The chakra serves as an alarm system of sorts."

No-Kami-effing-way. This was Chakra Control 101. No wonder everyone looked at me like I was pulling their leg.

I don't know why but I decided I want to immediately rub Kakashi's nose in my newly-acquired skill. He was so impressed he graciously bought me and fed me some dango on our way back to the apartment. I was pleased with my successful avoidance of sticky hands but was kind of crestfallen when Kakashi seemed to have so masterfully avoided them too even though he was the one holding the dango and had totally deserved it for not just teaching me such a basic jutsu.

Needless to say, next week, Kakashi was dozing in his Hokage chair at exactly 8 AM.