Right, so I guess this was a fairly quicker update than usual, considering how I thought that there wasn't really much of a plotline in the previous chapter, as I had just…lost myself in my music, letting my fingers type up everything in a flow. But thanks for the reviews that I got since then :bows:

Changes

Chapter Eleven

Shall We Dance?

They seemed to cling around her more than usual. She sat on a bar stool, taking shots of alcohol, enjoying the burning sensation as it seeped down her throat. It was quite pleasurable, and her body hungered for more. The sexy waiter said that it was on the house, and that she could have as much as she wanted, so she didn't hesitate. Downing the contents of another glass, she felt her senses go wild as her mind was about to burst and she felt a hand slither around her waist.

"Want to go somewhere else?" that same, sickening voice demanded into her ear.

"I thought I told you to go away!" she got up from the bar stool and almost fell to the floor, flat on her face. The ecstasy of his hands roaming her body made her cry out, her stomach clearly becoming quite upset. Grabbing at the counters to support herself, she stumbled to the direction of the restrooms; more so, she walked into a room to find something to puke in. Finding a toilet, she bent over and released everything through her mouth, burning her throat severely in the process.

'Shit…I'm going to be so sore in the morning,' her head ached as she stood up and stumbled to a nearby sink, washing her face and wiping the sweat from her face. When her headache seemed to have started to disappear a bit, she stood up straight and walked to the door. Stepping into the dark hall and turning around the corner, she felt something hit her, and she blacked out.

Leaning against the tree in her lingerie and a cloak, she strained to get away from the leash. 'I feel so helpless,' her mind scowled as she tried once more to break off the material, but it wasn't working. "What kind of idiot is he? And what the hell did he do to this thing?"

Crouching at the roots of the tree for what seemed like ages, clutching onto Itachi's cloak as if her life depended on it to keep herself warm, Tsumi shivered. 'Damn that Kisame…'

"Where are you going, idiot!"

"Get back here!"

"Somebody help me…"

"Where are you!"

The last voice echoed through the woods and a man burst into the clearing from the tree branches. He had astonishingly silver hair and a mask over his face. He wore a green vest and black clothes under it. The band around his head covered one of his eyes, gleaming in the sunlight. It took him just a split second to realize that there was a sexy lady tied to the tree in her underwear. But it was the cloak around her that caught his eye…

He landed in front of her cautiously. "What are you doing here?"

"My boyfriend ran off to hunt down an idiot that walked in on us," she explained calmly.

"I haven't seen you around before. Are you from somewhere else?" he asked her, gazing at her cloak.

"In fact, I am," she replied, "and so is my boyfriend."

"What is your name?"

"Hageshima Kobochi," Tsumi replied with the quickest name she could think of. 'I could be on a wanted list for all I know…'

"It's nice to meet you, Hageshima-san. My name is Hatake Kakashi."

"And it's nice to meet you, Hatake-san." Tsumi smiled a brilliant smile. 'You won't get anywhere if you act like a bitch,' she reminded herself.

"Please, call me Kakashi," he smiled.

"Then you can call me Kobochi. Do you mind passing me my clothes? This stupid leash wouldn't let me far enough; I can't reach for them," she said shyly, a false blush rising to her cheeks.

"Sure thing," Kakashi reached for her clothes and threw them at her, noting that it was just a bit of a problem for her to try to get her shirt on. "Do you want me to cut down that tree?"

"Oh, please do!" In a swift movement, he sliced the tree down and her leash fell limply to her side. She put her top back on, and then her skirt. Readjusting the collar on her neck that she'd failed to remove – still – she straightened herself up and looked Kakashi in the eye (well, the one eye that was visible). "Thank you very much," she said.

"Why do you have that cloak? Who does it belong to?" He couldn't resist; he just had to find out.

"My boyfriend and I bought it in a store when we were traveling," she explained. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"It's a cloak that has the same patterns as those from the group known as Akatsuki," Kakashi said quietly.

"Who are they?"

"They're a group of…just, never mind that," he cut himself off as she walked up to him and leaned into his face, her pearly skin closing in.

"How old are you?" she asked very, very suddenly.

"Twenty-six…why, how old are you?"

"Seventeen," she whispered in a seductive purr, causing him to gulp just slightly.

"Would you like some help with anything else?" he breathed out, but was interrupted when three shadows landed behind him: a girl with pink hair, the vessel of the Kyuubi and Sasuke. She gave him a quick glance, hoping that he would not blow her cover.

"Kakashi-sensei," the girl started, "Naruto was being an idiot! He ran off again!"

"More like he fell off a tree," Sasuke muttered so quietly that anybody hardly heard him, but Tsumi could make out the words with her sensitive ears.

"Sensei, who's this?" the vessel, otherwise known as Naruto, pointed rudely at the girl with the sexy black clothes and a leash around her neck. "Did you really come to find me, or did you run away to—"

"Don't be so rude, Naruto!" the girl smacked him on his head as she interrupted.

"Sakura-chan!" he whined.

"I'm Hageshima Kobochi, but you can call me whatever," Tsumi introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you," the girl known as Sakura smiled sweetly. "I'm Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto bounced about happily. "But you can call me Naru—"

He was interrupted by Sasuke, who just grunted in greeting with his arms crossed as he leaned against a nearby tree, looking like he didn't want to have anything to do with the rest of his teammates.

"That's Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura sighed heavily and her eyes filled with lust.

"Err…right," Tsumi – that's now known as Kobochi – slurred out before she noticed Kakashi staring at her.

"So what are we going to do now?" Naruto broke in. "Can we call training off and show Kobochi around Konoha?"

"I second that!" Sakura grinned.

"Sure," Kakashi shrugged as the two kids cheered and dragged Kobochi through the forest by her arms. He followed them at a slight distance behind, watching intently…

Sasuke fell behind. He took out a kunai and scribbled some words into the fallen tree trunk Tsumi had been tied to. 'I think I should just play along…aside from the fact that she was just seducing Kakashi before we jumped in, and those two idiots will be around with him all night…at least I know where they've been all this time. Quite convenient,' he smirked as he put his weapon back into his little pouch and strolled off to follow his teammates.

Even though he knew he could easily put the blame on his raging hormones, he didn't feel like it; he knew his feelings well enough. Step by step, he walked through the forest some distance behind Kakashi, thinking. 'Itachi's shirt was…there…' His eyebrows knotted together. Then, he heard Tsumi squeal and quickened his pace.

By the lake…

…Kisame was secretly snacking on some fish while Itachi lay there, sleeping. His beautiful dreams were interrupted by a whack on the leg by his partner, who told him that his girlfriend was still tied up to a tree in her underwear.

"Shit!" Itachi muttered as he made a mad dash back to the direction of their little clearing, only arriving to see that there was none of Tsumi's clothes or anybody in sight. There was only a half-destroyed tree lying on the ground with a message carved into the bark. Fuming, he tore the piece off the tree and read it quickly, relaxing just a slight bit. 'She's with Sasuke…all night…I'll have to keep an eye on her,' he decided before he grabbed all of their belongings and headed up to the mountains.

In the centre of Konoha…

"Kobochi-chan," Sakura grinned, "we need to take you shopping for a kimono!"

"Umm…why?" Kobochi asked, though she clearly knew why.

"Konoha's infamous yearly festival is tonight! You have to come with us in a kimono! Oh, please?" she begged.

Kobochi sighed. "Alright," she agreed, "but I don't have anywhere to stay tonight."

"You wouldn't want to stay with Naruto, and my parents probably wouldn't approve of it…"

"Come to my house," Sasuke suddenly spoke up, shocking everybody. 'Plans,' the half-siblings thought.

"Ummm…sure," she smiled. "Thank you very much!" He grunted again.

"Now that that's settled…oh crap, we don't have any money!" Sakura frowned.

"I'll pay," Kakashi said as he looked up from his book, "so go to the mall and look for something."

"Thank you!" Kobochi hugged him tightly, and he was quite thankful that he had a mask to cover his face with. His two devious pupils, however, sniggered as the third just stared blankly.

"Ooh…I see! You probably wanted her to stay with you, weren't you, sensei?" Naruto blurted out and got another smack in the head. "Saku-chan!" he whined.

"Even though it's probably true," she laughed as she grabbed Kobochi's hands and dragged her into the mall. "You guys can go to the arcade or something! Just meet us right here at dusk," she called as they disappeared through the revolving doors of doom.

"I'm going to get some ramen and then head home afterwards," Naruto said quickly as he dashed off, sensing that it would be a boring afternoon and that his Iruka-sensei would want to get some food with him, too.

Sasuke just walked off without a word and Kakashi shrugged to himself, flipping the page in his book and almost gasping noticeably as he walked through the revolving doors of doom.

Kimonos 4 U (please excuse random and horrendous name)

"Hoe! Kobochi-chan, you look so cute," Sakura squealed as Kobochi walked out from the fitting stall in a red kimono with a black patterning and did a few spins. "Okay, try this one on!" she giggled as she thrust a black kimono with a crimson pattern on its hanger at Kobochi and shoved her back into the fitting stall.

'Itachi's going to be around…I know he will,' her mind wandered as she stripped off the red kimono. 'Might as well find something that looks nice and will fit in Kakashi's budget…I don't want to kill off all his money within the first day I meet him! And he's quite a charming guy…' Pulling on the black kimono, she opened the stall and the other girl squealed at her again. Looking into the mirror, she checked herself out. This one was the best-fitting for her body, and it was black with a dragon pattern. That alone said it all.

"You so have to get this one," Sakura sighed.

"I have to agree," Kobochi nodded and went to put her regular clothes back on as Sakura went to get Kakashi.

"Sensei," she said as she poked her head out through the door, "we need you to pay! But I don't want you to see the kimono just yet; at least not until tonight," she winked as he got up from the bench directly outside the shop and placed his book back into his pocket. Grabbing his wallet, he paid the clerk in cash and then walked back outside so he wouldn't ruin Sakura's surprise.

Speaking of which, the girl was grinning madly as she rushed Kobochi out of the change room and got the clerk to wrap up the kimono. Afterwards, Sakura thanked her and then rushed Kobochi out of the shop to Kakashi.

"Sensei, we're good to go!" she grinned.

"Where to now?" he asked.

"Umm…I was thinking of taking Kobo-chan home to get her all prepped up for the festival tonight. You can just…head home?" the Haruno suggested as she skipped off with her new best friend. Then again, Kakashi didn't even notice because he was too busy reading his adult books.

Haruno Residence

"Kaa-san, I brought a new friend home!" Sakura called as she stepped into her house and took off her shoes, motioning for Kobochi to do the same.

"Oh? Who's this?" her mother asked as she walked into the small room and eyed the somewhat small skirt that Kobochi was wearing.

"I'm Hageshima Kobochi. It's nice to meet you," she said politely and bowed.

"It's nice to meet you too," Haruno-san said quickly and rushed back to the kitchen in which she'd come from.

"My room's upstairs," Sakura said as she dragged Kobochi all the way up the staircase to her room. Opening the door, she led the girl into her simple pink room – in fact, almost everything in it was pink; that, or green. She walked over to her closet and pulled out some make up and other necessities. At least they were for her. Kobochi didn't need any of this stuff; she liked her natural look.

They had a good few hours of time to pass until dusk, so the two girls chatted away happily, learning lots more about each other. They played some games while they talked about just about everything from a wide range starting from favourites to habits to hates to boys to hobbies to love and anything else that they could think of. 'She seems alright,' the Tsumi side thought to her conscience as she played along with her new identity.

When they had about one hour left, they started getting ready for the festival. They put on their kimonos – Sakura had a light pink one, which didn't surprise Kobochi one bit – and the Haruno applied some make-up to her face. The Hageshima, however, didn't see a need to it. They picked out masks: a tiger for Kobochi and a cat for Sakura.

The pair finished dressing up, and they looked stunning. Since they couldn't do anything about the leash and collar, they decided to leave them there. Sakura's mother gave her some money for the festival, and the two headed out. Arriving at the meeting spot, they sat down on a bench just as the sun was about to set.

"Saku-chan! Kobo-chan!" Naruto called happily as he jogged over happily in a messy, light-blue kimono with a fox mask in his hands. "You guys look great!"

"Thank you," Kobochi smiled. They talked for just a little while until the sun had started setting and Sasuke and Kakashi were nowhere to be found, so the trio put on their masks and headed down the street where the lanterns started lighting up and the festivities began.

There were different types of games and fortune tellers all over the place. There was the strong smell of food, and they were all having a blast. None of this was new to Kobochi; she too had grown up in Konoha, but she acted her part quite well.

As the sun had completely set, Sasuke decided to join them in his regular clothes, of course, because he wasn't really one for festivities.

"Kon ban wa, Sasuke-kun," a girl in a sexy black kimono with a tiger's mask on bowed to him before she removed it, revealing Kobochi's face.

His eyes went wide and his mouth almost dropped. "O-oy," he stuttered.

"Oy!" a more cheerful voice that belonged to Kakashi called over as its owner approached them. He was wearing a black muscle shirt, black pants, and his sandals. His black mask remained on his face, and he had an additional dog mask on the side of his head, too.

"Kon ban wa," Kobochi waved. The round, shining full moon was directly above them, it seemed, as they walked about. Sakura, who had just a little bit too much to drink, was drunk again.

"Sasuuuuuuukkkeeeeeee…" her voice trailed off lazily as she stumbled sideways, "Gimme a kiss, will ya?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "No." He pushed her towards Naruto, who gladly caught her and then carried her to someplace where she could be rested. The Uchiha, however, walked off elsewhere.

You know I am here…

"Augh, it's so stuffy here!" Kobochi wrinkled her nose as she coughed for fresh air.

"Follow me," Kakashi chuckled as he pulled her by her hand and they ran wildly down the streets, laughing. Sasuke, who was watching from afar, was not.

He dragged her all the way through a path in the forest where couples were kissing and cuddling and walking together. They ran and ran until they broke through the trees and arrived at a small creek that branched off the lake nearby. Stopping right in the middle of the wooden bridge, they panted and panted until they caught each other's eyes and laughed again.

"That was…amazing," she sighed.

"…yeah…"

Fireworks shot up in the sky, creating a beautiful sight. The two watched in awe from the quietness of the bridge on the lake. Kakashi snuck a few glances at Kobochi, whose face was lit up like a little kid that had just received a huge present. He couldn't help but smile beneath his mask. Realizing that he still didn't let go of her hand, he only grasped it tighter until she gasped and blushed.

'A fake blush,' she thought.

It better be.

She noticed he was leaning into her, and the first show of fireworks ended. (This made-up festival is being bent in such ways to make it fit for the chapter)

Come to me.

"I have to go to the restroom," she said quickly and she dashed off with him trailing after her in a stroll. He walked through the forest with all the sickening couples, and then back to the main street where all of the lanterns shone brilliantly and the people were all happy.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's voice called him over on a small hill where Sakura lay beside him, still as drunk as ever. Sasuke was still nowhere in sight.

Tsumi

She made a mad dash off the bridge to the forest, running quickly down the path until she knew that she'd lost Kakashi. Then, she took a turn into the trees and hid within them, waiting for him to pass her before she ran back to the bridge, where he was calling to her.

Come to me…

Running through the forest, she made her way to the edge of the forest, where she broke through the shrubbery and then she saw two kids. They looked quite familiar, and then she saw that it was a miniature version of herself and Itachi when they were younger. The boy held her hands as he led her towards the bridge, her tiger mask covering her face.

"Open your eyes, Tsu-chan!" he nagged and she pulled her mask off and opened her eyes.

"Wow!" she exclaimed as the fireworks burst into the clear, night sky and she took in the beautiful scenery around her. "How'd you know about this place?"

"I used to be all alone," he responded quietly, and she knew what he meant.

"Aww…you won't be alone anymore!" she hugged him tightly and he kissed her temple.

The two of them heard music, and the little Itachi bowed politely. "May I have this dance?" He took her hands as she nodded and they danced happily, waltzing around in their own little world.

In the blink of an eye, the real Tsumi saw a figure in a hawk mask appear before her, wearing tidy black clothes and a cape. He snapped his fingers, and the two kids seemed to have faded away. It was so silent that the music from the main streets traveled to them and she heard the classical music that had come from many different and distant places.

"Shall we dance?" She simply nodded, and he took her hands. Leading her, they waltzed to the music on the bridge where the lights from the festival and the moon reflected on the surface of the clear, clean water. They danced a carefree dance, as if nothing in the world could stop them from having fun. He spun her in circles and she giggled from behind her mask, twirling lightly on the tips of her toes. Her raven black hair fell down from the bun that it was in, the breeze carrying it in the air.

She started to laugh. Tsumi was having far too much fun. Not having the chance to do it in the longest of time, she wanted to make the best of it. As the waltz music faded, she did a final spin and landed in his arms; his hands twirled her arms so that he wrapped them around her, hugging her to his chest, allowing him to breathe in the luscious smell of her hair.

Holding her in the position for a moment longer, he kissed her hair as the breeze blew his cape around them; enveloping them. Spinning her around, he pulled off her mask and she pulled off his. Itachi's face had been revealed.

"Did you have as much fun as we did back then?" he whispered so quietly so that only she could hear him.

"Yes," she whispered back just as equally quietly.

Itachi reached around her neck and took off the collar, tracing a finger over the marks he had left on her neck. Then, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, slipping his arms around her waist. Her arms snaked up his chest and found their place around his neck, but the kiss was delicate; just a tease, as she could tell.

"Will you turn back into my Hayashibara Tsumi?" he asked after he pulled his tongue out of her mouth.

"Yes," she replied. "Yes, I will." And he kissed her again.

Somewhere in a tree nearby, a pair of eyes were watching intently, filled with emotions; they were tranquil, solemn, and yet angered all at the same time. Their owner clenched his fists, not knowing what his next move will be.

TBC