Kakashi wiped the sweat from his eyes with the back of his hand and examined the wooden post in front of him. Splinters stuck out at all angles, the wood broken where the Jounin's fist made impact. Here and there lay traces of crimson blood, stark against the worn bark. Satisfied with his handiwork, Kakashi turned his scrutiny to his palms, cuts and splinters scattered and embedded into his flesh. Plucking them out without flinching or a show of pain, he did not realize someone was approaching until they flung their arms around his neck.

"Hey there, Kakashi," Anko whispered playfully in his ear, her slender fingers making as if to pull down his mask. "Something told me I would find you here."

He smiled and pushed her hands down, turning around to face her. Leaning in close and putting an arm around her waist, he pulled it down himself, slowly, slowly, agonizingly slowly. Anko's heart sped, her eyes wide and fixated on his features, rugged and yet at the same time pristine, handsome beyond belief mostly because they were rarely seen. Kakashi knew that she got a rush of adrenaline every time he pulled off his mask, and today he did it just to tease her, to see that wonder and loving look in her eyes.

He leaned in and administered a playful kiss upon her lips before scooping her up in his arms. She giggled and slapped at his shoulders, letting herself be carried off to the other end of the training grounds, farther away from Kakashi's bloodstained victim.

He set her down in the shade of a tree and kissed her again, his hand reaching back to trail idly through her hair. "You ought to wear your hair down more often, my Anko-chan," he murmured.

"Only for you," she smiled softly, and pulled out the band that held it in. She cast her arms about his shoulders and rubbed her nose against his.

"I must be the luckiest guy around," Kakashi said, pulling her closer to him. He dipped in to brush his lips against hers, at first teasing, then loving. Bliss enveloped Anko, filling her, her heart overflowing. This was it -– all her mindless fantasies, her romantic daydreams –- all fulfilled.

Suddenly Kakashi drew back, ears straining to catch a hint of what they had caught before. Anko tried to protest, but the Jounin put a finger to her lips to quiet her.

"Someone's coming," he said, alert. His eyes scanned the empty training area.

"It's probably just Naruto or one of the other kids," she said, slightly irritated. "You don't need to stop."

Kakashi shook his head and cast a glance over the grounds again. Slowly he turned back to her, and she smiled lopsidedly. "Are you drunk?" he asked jokingly.

She pulled him closer. "Just off your love," she replied before pressing her lips onto his.

"Kakashi!"

And he was gone in a puff of smoke, leaving Anko grasping thin air, staring straight through to Gai's frowning face.

"Anko?"

"Gai?" Anko's brow furrowed. He was the last person she expected to see here … suddenly she felt very cold, empty, exposed. She scrambled to redo her hair up into its usual ponytail. For some reason, it irked her when people she wasn't particularly close to -– especially men –- saw her with it down. "What are you doing here?"

To her surprise, Gai's doleful expression didn't change when he spoke up. "I should be asking you the same thing. Was that Kakashi I just saw you with?"

Anko gulped and stuttered before stopping herself. Why should I be ashamed? "Yes," she said firmly, eyes determined.

Gai nodded and looked down at his feet. What's with this? He's not being himself …

"You don't need to say anything, Anko," he said softly. "I guess I'll be seeing you later, then?"

"Yeah … later …" She was still confused. Only when he began to pad away did she realize that perhaps she shouldn't let him go. "Hey, wait up! Gai!"


***

Anko stared at her ramen in disbelief, Gai's voice bubbling around her. How many times had she heard him tell this story? How many times had she heard him tell his tales of unrequited love and long, lonesome nights? How many times had he murmured another's name when really all he was longing to do was murmur hers?

"Anko-chan, I think your ramen is getting cold …"
She lifted her head up to look at him. Misery didn't quite fit on his fea—on his handsome features. Yes, he is handsome, now that I look … No, misery did not fit. And discomfort did not settle well on his knuckles, which he cracked in his nervousness. "Hmm…" she murmured, patting his shoulder.

Gai looked at her, surprised. When she proceeded to dig her chopsticks into her bowl of ramen, unhappiness formed upon his face again.

His voice echoed in her ears, and in her mind she ran over and over his little speech that left her speechless and even more confused than before.

"Anko-chan, you don't know how long I've loved you, admired you from a distance. Even when I spewed out stories and strategies on how to win over someone's heart to my students and preached bravery and openness, I could never gather enough courage to talk to you as more than … as more than a friend. You don't know how much it … hurt me, to see you there with Kakashi"—he said the name with ice-cold venom—"when all this time I thought you returned my feelings to at least some degree!" It was then when his deep voice faltered, tripped over his own tongue. They had just ordered their ramen then — it was Anko's idea to come here to talk — and an awkward silence hung over their heads. Suddenly, she was very tired. All she wanted to do was go home.

"Ah, well," Anko dug some money out of her pockets and pressed it onto the counter. "I guess I'll be seeing you later, then?"

"Mhmm."

She left.
***

For a moment she was at a loss about where to go. Part of her just wanted to go home and sleep. She had stayed at Kakashi's place last night, as her apartment was too far away to walk to at the present time, and so hadn't gotten more than an hour's worth of shut-eye. But another part of her wanted to go there again, wanted to walk right up to him and pound on his skull and ask him what exactly was he thinking, just leaving her there alone and running off like some coward?!

In the end, it was the second part that won, and she set out determinedly towards his apartment.
***

"Why, Anko-chan, hello—"

"What the hell were you thinking?!" she spat, attempting to force her way inside. Kakashi moved to block her way and shot a nervous glance over his shoulder into his apartment. She regarded him with contempt and suspicion. "Hello? Earth to Kakashi! I said, what were you thinking?!"

The Jounin sighed and stepped out of the entranceway, closing the door behind him. He put an arm around her shoulders and guided her down the stairs and onto the street again. "My house is a mess, why don't we go for a walk and talk at the same time?"

"Well, you aren't giving me much choice, now are you?" Anko retorted.
After mulling it over on the way to his apartment, she decided that confusion was not an appropriate emotion if she wanted to take charge of this situation. Instead, she settled on anger. It wasn't too hard to be mad at him. In fact, it was perfectly logical, if one thought about it. She told herself this again and again, despite the nagging doubts in the back of her mind. One look up into that dark eye and she knew that she couldn't stay mad at him for long, not even if he stabbed her in the heart and left her there to bleed. No, she could never stay mad at that laid-back demeanor, casual posture, that nonchalance. It was impossible.

"And you aren't giving me a chance to explain," he shot back. Anko opened her mouth again, but he shushed her. She furrowed her brow. "Now listen … I had a feeling that Gai always felt something for you, something more than friendship, hmm? He's always so competitive with me on every level … almost like Sakura and Ino." He chuckled. She did not find it funny. "So obviously if he saw me with you, he would challenge me to a fight, ne? And I am not in the position to fight or do anything other than sit around or … or punch a bunch of wood. Which is one of the reasons that I went to the hot springs last night."

"Well, that's fine," Anko interrupted, not wanting to let him ramble on for too long. She would forget about her anger if she did. "But even before you knew it was Gai, were you prepared to disappear if someone saw us?"

Kakashi paused before nodding.

She stopped in her tracks and faced the Jounin, irritation surfacing on her normally placid features. "Now hold up a minute. Are you saying … are you saying that our relationship –- if we have one -– is merely physical? That you don't love me at all or have any feelings for me other than desire?" She pulled out the last word like it was poisonous, her face contorting as she enunciated each syllable.

"Eh … no." Kakashi scratched the back of his head.

"Well, then, what are you saying?" Anko asked as she placed her hands firmly on her hips.

He glanced around. Her raised voice gathered a crowd, eager to see what all the fuss was about. He leaned in. "Look, could we continue this conversation later, say, at my place?"

Anko shook her head wildly. "No, we certa—"

"Thank you for being so understanding," Kakashi whispered, pecking her lightly on the cheek before disappearing again in a puff of smoke.

The female ninja threw her hands up in frustration. She knew that she was close enough to his house to just head back there and demand a straight answer, but she made for her apartment instead.

There was still that inviting prospect of a long beauty sleep.
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***

Dan—Yeah, you're right. I noticed that too, but I couldn't think of any way to change it without really screwing up where I wanted it to go. I hope Anko's more in character in this chapter. Thank you for your comments!! n____n

Oh, and if you're wondering why Anko is getting so worked up about the whole you-don't-care-about-me-you-just-want-my-body thing, she's had bad past experiences with it. It'll make more sense in later chapters.