Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto, that's why it's called 'fanfiction!' Anyway, I would like to point out that I do own Aria and any other original characters of my own design...Enjoy the next chapter!

Warning: Fluff alert!

Kakashiflew all around town, trying to find a store with a copy, but the story was the same everywhere: each store was magically out of books, but inthier place was a small pouch ofcoins. Aria had cleaned out every store in town and no one had ever seen her.Putting on his darkest expression that sent ememies screaming in terror before him, he changed his course to search for a certain red-headed assassin.

Unfortunatly for his three lovely students, they happened to get in his way.

"Kakashi-sensei!" a shout echoed from the training grounds. Naruto leapt down and ran over to his second-favorite sensei and eagerly greeted the seething silver-haired ninja. When Kakashi kept walking, Sakuraand Sasuke exhanged a wary glance and frantically attempted to call the loud-mouthed boy back.

Thier attempts went unnoticed by Naruto as he suddenly appeared in front of the Jounin's path. "Hey Kakashi-sensei! I'm talking ot you!" The older man still didn't answer as he took a deep, cleansing breath. Naruto however was not to be ignored. Without warning, he snorted and turned away with a pout "Fine, I'll go find Aria to hang out with!"

That set the ninja off. Rarely did he ever lose his cool; only when his teammates were in danger or somebody insulted his village. The fact though that someone had DARED mess with his reading material pushed him off the deep end. Slowly turning around, Kakashi fixed his dark eye on Naruto and glowered at him with the upmost danger that screamed 'Get out of my face or die!'

All three teenagers stepped back and drew closer together. Yes, thier normally mild-tempered mentor had finnally snapped. It was a shame really to lose such a noble andstrong ninja, but they all knew that Kakashi had never really been all there in the first place.

Grinding his teeth together, Kakashi spoke in a deadly tone. "Aria...stole...BOOK!" With that wealth of information, he disappeared in puff of grey smoke.

The three young ninjas exchanged glances and shuttered with wide eyes. That was scary...

"Hey guy!"

Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke all spun around and looked at the source of the new voice. There, standing behind them was Aria, dressed in all black with a beaming expression.

Sakura was the first to speak up, "Aria, what did you do to Kakashi-sensei?"

The assassin grinned and looked at the sky. "I had a bon-fire..."Aria paused for effect and then looked down at the teenagers "with Kakashi's books as kindle."

All three members of team seven gasped in horror. "Oh my gosh, Aria, you are so dead! Kakashi loves those books more than anything on earth and he is going to kill you!" Naruto announced.

Aria cocked an eyebrow and looked at the younger students. "Hmmm, you think he's really that mad huh?" all three ninjas nodded vigorously. "Oh, alright I'll go talk to him." with that, the assassin leapt off and dissapeared.

When she was gone, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto all bowed thier heads in sorrow and sent a silent pray for poor Aria.

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Kakashi stumbled back to his apartment in anger and frustration. Not only were his beloved books missing, but so was the culprit...Aria. He wasn't all that mad anymore, no, all he wanted were his books and then he would be a happy man again. Opening the door, he flicked on the lights and looked inside.

There, one his sofa, was the Golden Assassin, causally cleaning her daggers in the dark as if nothing had happened.

When she saw him, she offered asmile and waved. "Hey Kakashi, sorry for the intrusion, but I knocked a bunch of times. People started to look at me strangely, so I came in through the window. Where have you been?"

Kakashi looked at the woman for a moment before silently closing the door and locking it. "You stole them didn't you?" he accused.

Aria looked at him thoughtfully"I have no idea what you are talking about." She sheathed her dagger and then sat up. "And even if I did, I believe that money was left in each place." Aria was smirking and her eyes danced with laughter.

Kakashi was in her face in a second "I'll just go to the next town to get them." Kakashi said. Aria tensed a bit and smoothly tightened her grip on her weapons.

Aria didn't blink, but looked at him even more smugly. "I heard something about the Golden Assassin being sighted in those areas."

Kakashi ran his hand his hand through his silver tresses. "I can't believe that you went to every town and took every book. How did you do it? Better yet, how did you get in here without me knowing?"

"Like I said, I don't know anything about 'stolen' books, but I'm an assassin and just so you know, your security stinks." Aria stood up and tossed a small bag up in the air before catching it again. "So, I just came by to say 'hi' I don't have any clean clothes and I'm off to find some things to wear. See you later." Aria looked over at the window and made her way towards it.

Kakashi appeared in front of her again and loomed over the woman with muderous intent. "I want my books Aria."

The woman sighed and put on a surrendering expression. "Fine, well there is one more..."

The man perked up instantly and looked at her eagarly. "Really?"

His voice sounded so hopeful that Aria almost regretted her next statement...almost. "Nope, I was just kidding, bye!" The woman made a break for the window, only to be stopped again.

"Wait." Kakashi was even surprised that he had actually called out to the book-murderer. "Listen, I'm going to have dinner soon. Why don't you stay?" Aria looked at him and frowned, not buying the whole 'I am so innocent' act. Kakashi felt his heart begin to thump harder and he realized that he was holding his breath.

"Thanks, but I really have to get some new clothes." Aria answered.

Kakashi stepped forward and reached out for her arm, "I'll come with you and then we can have dinner together. How does that sound?" Aria looked at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and sighing.

"You're not going to let me out of here until I say 'yes' are you?"

"Nope." Kakashi grinned. Finally, Aria nodded and turned toward the window. "Have you ever heard of a door?" Kakashi asked.

Aria looked at him and a light blush appeared at her cheeks "Right, the door." She grumbled before moving out of his grasp and sulking out. Kakashi laughed and followed her, locking the door behind him.

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Aria immediately set off in the direction of the clothing stores and Kakashi briefly wondered how she knew which way to go before remembering her eyes. Together, they strolled down the streets in companionable silence. Kakashi looked up and caught the jealous glances that men shot him and smirked behind his own mask.

"Stop smirking perv!" Aria snapped before turning into a nearby building. "You really don't have to come in with me. I can pick out my own clothes."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "I'm here to offer my professional opinion and take out my frustration on you for the massacre of my books."

Aria snorted and began to sift through the piles of pants. She quickly found one in her size and held it up. Kakashi looked at her for a moment and watched her inspect it with the full power of her eyes. Quickly, Aria discarded the pair and moved to the next and next. At last, Aria looked up and moved to the shirts, obviously finding nothing that she thought was suitable.

Six stores later, Kakashi was about to tear his hair out in frustration. They left the last store with a total of two shirts and two pants. "May I ask what was wrong with ALL of those other clothes?" he asked.

"They had weak threads that wouldn't have lasted in a fight. I need something that will hold up." Aria answered patiently, "Look, I can just go if you're sick of me for today."

Kakashi looked at her and smiled ruefully, "Oh no, I held up my end of the deal and you have to hold up yours."

Aria scowled at him and looked down on her purchases. "I'm filthy, let me at least go back and change at least."

Kakashi looked down at her and smiled "Stop trying to escape; I'm not torturing you; my shower works fine." Kakashi laughed as a blush rose in her cheeks.

"I really hate you sometimes." Aria shot back and fell into a fuming silence. They made their way back to the apartment and Kakashi opened the door for her, signaling for her to enter. Quickly, Aria rushed into the bathroom and disappeared with a withering look at Kakashi.

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Aria turned on the water and stepped in the shower. How long had it been since she had had a real shower? Two, three years? The warm water cascaded down her body and she reveled in it; all her troubles seemed to vanish down the drain. Not trusting Kakashi's shampoo, Aria pulled out her own and dumped it on her hair. The smell of mint drifted around the bathroom, making Aria want to just fall asleep.

At last, Aria finished and stepped out of the shower. She looked around and her stomach suddenly dropped; there wasn't anything to dry herself with. Damn, Kakashi. You planned this didn't you? Aria swallowed her pride and knocked on the door. "Um, Kakashi? Could you…um...hand me a towel?"

Kakashi had been waiting for this moment and smiled from his position behind the door, he looked at the towel in his hand and called out to Aria. "What? I can't hear you from behind that door."

"Damn Kakashi I know you're on the other side of the door; I can see your shadow. Give me that towel." Aria shouted.

"Well, you have to open the door for me to give it to you." Kakashi explained reasonably; this was really fun. He loved to tease her.

Aria took a deep breath and did a few quick calculations in her head. Without warning, she whipped the door open and snatched the towel from Kakashi's grip; all without exposing more than her arm. "Idiot." Aria scoffed while she locked the door and changed into one of her new pairs of clothes. At last, she emerged wearing a clean pair of black, baggy pants and a dark violet shirt that had a gold design stitched on the tips of the sleeves. Her hair was curled back with a silver comb with two strands of hair that hung around her face.

Kakashi was waiting for her and the sight nearly knocked him down; she was absolutely stunning. "Well, I have cooked an amazing meal of instant ramen for both of us." Kakashi grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

Aria smiled at him and winked, "Better than what I have sometimes." In a flash, she slid down into a chair and waited to be served. Kakashi took a moment to recover and then scooped the noodles into her bowl and then the same to his own. The ninja sat down and looked at Aria, waiting for her to begin eating. Apparently, she was doing the same for him.

"Oh! Right, your mask." Aria suddenly exclaimed and quickly turned around to allow him to eat in peace. She had completely forgotten that he always wore it and wasn't about to let her see it. Instantly, she dove into her own meal and emptied the bowl. After waiting a few minutes, she asked if he was finished. No answer came and Aria eventually decided to turn around.

He wasn't there. Aria looked around and still didn't see him. Confused, Aria decided not to press into the subject and thought that she should leave. It wasn't often that she ate with other people and when she did, they were either a troop of male assassins or she was downing the meal between strides while being chased by ANBU agents. She must have offended him. Silently, Aria got up and awkwardly returned her bowl to the sink. Hot breath suddenly surged down her neck and Aria spun around. There was Kakashi standing there without his mask. In the words of Sakura he was HOT.

Aria's mind raced with emotions she never felt before she couldn't tear her gaze away from his face and suddenly felt the heat in her face raise. Quickly, Aria spun around and looked up at the ceiling, counting ceiling tiles. Forty-seven…Forty-eight…Forty-nine…

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked behind her. Aria gulped, still refusing to look at him.

"You, uh, don't have your mask on." She said softly. A chuckle sounded behind her and Aria was simply dieing to turn around and look at him again.

"I know that, contrary to popular belief, I'm not that dense. I believe in your words, 'is it that bad?'"

Aria was really confused, but still refused to turn around. "Um, I'm really not the expert in that department; perhaps you should ask someone else. It looked fine to me though." Aria galnced out of the corner of her eye to the window. If she made a break for it right now, she could make it. "Right, so I'll see you later, thanks for dinner and everything…" Aria shot for the door, only to be stopped by Kakashi who grabbed her around the waist.

That hot blush came forward again as Aria found herself caught by Kakashi; his hands were planted around her waist. Think…Think…THINK! Hmm, this feels, well nice, wait what! Where did that come from? RUN, run as far away as humanly possible.

Kakashi was equally surprised by his actions, but since Aria had stopped and hadn't killed him yet, he just kept his hands where they were. Her stomach was smooth and her waist was well-muscled. Wow this feels nice. She really is gorgeous. Kakashi thought to himself.

Aria took a deep breath through her nose and silently let it out of her mouth, willing herself to calm down. "Uh, Kakashi, you can let go of me now…" Aria felt the warm hand slide back across her waist and she instantly found herself missing the warmth. Things were so much less complicated when she had Hiyu and Uio by her side; they would have massacred Kakashi before he could have even touched her. "So, I'll be going and I guess I'll see you later…" Much later. Aria called over her shoulder before nearly flying out the window.

Kakashi looked out the window before moving to close it. What had he done wrong? Was it his face that had frightened her away so quickly? Why had she run? A thousand questions passed through his mind as he caught a glimpse of a small, quick shadow jump from roof to roof before disappearing into the night.

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Aria took her own advice and ran. She ran hard; each pounding footstep brought her farther away from Kakashi and closer to sanity. At last, she found that her feet had subconsciously brought her to her camp and pack. Shakily, Aria resolved that she would watch over team seven from a distance, not letting them see her as much as they had. It was safer that way.

Love was not for assassins…Fear was not for assassins…Emotions were not for assassins…She was an assassin…

Aria drifted to sleep, still chanting this to herself as an eerie lullaby.

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So, what did you all think? I added a bit of fluff to this chapter, but nothing too bad I hope. Not the terribly romantic type as you can plainly see. Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers and please continue because I love hearing from you all!

Sandsifter