Convenience

-Theirs was relationship bore completely out of convenience. The first night the two found solace in one another had been shortly after the passing of the third. That cursed mark, an unwanted gift from her former sensei, had become activated due to all to familiar nightmares. He was not surprised to see her there. He knew sealing jutsus .

Maybe, his hand had lingered on her shoulder a bit to long once he had finished. Maybe she just didn't want sleep alone that night, or sleep at all. Either way it was she who had placed her lips over his first and surprisingly he did not recoil.

He knew she had what they call commitment issues, abandoned by the person she admired and perhaps at one time loved more than anyone . She knew he had lost every person he had ever loved and kept to himself.

Good, so they both knew what to expect from this.

When she stumbled off of him that night and began dressing herself again neither expected it to become a regular occurrence. But several times in the weeks following he would wake to his window being slid open in the night and a purple haired woman smiling down at him. Some nights they were intimate, others she'd just want to curl up next to him. He didn't mind really. He understood the desire to not be alone. No matter how hard a ninja may become, one still feels the desire for human touch, for intimacy.

The first night she had one of her night terrors in his presence, he had the courtesy to pretend he was asleep. She liked that. The second time he had woken her to stop her shaking. She was thankful for that. The third time he had woken her by wiping the tears from her face, and held her very close for the rest of the night, gripping her smaller hand in his. She was embarrassed. So embarrassed she had not shown up at his place in two weeks.

Out of concern for his colleague, he told himself, he would just peak in her window on his way home from training his subordinates. She was there twisted in sheets covered in sweat, shaking uncontrollably. With a sigh, it was he who now crept through her window, untangled her from her bed sheets moist with sweat and tears, and blotted her face with a cold wash cloth. She had woken offering him a brief smile of gratitude to which he replied to with a simple nod. As he moved to make his stealthy leap through the window from which he entered, she firmly grasped his wrist with a somewhat shy smile on her face, a look he was simply not used to seeing her wear, but none the less he obliged to her silent request for companionship.

He is beginning to wonder what he's doing.

She is a special jounin, specializing in her work at the academy and chunin exam organization, he is training a team. She doesn't go out on missions too often. He leaves quite frequently, and sometimes for months on end. But when its convenient they meet each other in the night. And in years of sharing the same bed and sometimes one another's warmth and bodies, they've rarely spoken, through words anyway.

One night she sat up suddenly from his embrace surprising him a bit and turned to stare down at him. Furrowing her brows in confusion she asked,

"What's the name of that place, that little dango shop across from the lifestyles building?"

"Okashi."

"O…ka…shi," she repeats slowly, laying back down beside him.

"We'll go sometime…"

She nods before burying her head below his chin to hide the pink blush and the coy smile forming on her face. 'like a date.' As the night passes the blush fades…and the smile turns to a frown.

She beginning to wonder what's going on between them. Regaurdless from that night onward they talked much more.

His team has split, pretty much gone their own ways with their own individual sannin. She still has work, but he has much more free time. They spend a lot of it together. Out. In public.

On several occasions he's reached for her hand, but she always avoids it, suddenly growing an itch at the back of her head, or having to scratch her cheek, or stretch suddenly. He only sighs a bit and continues to walk beside her. They've become much like another pair of jounins always spotted together, and their are rumors.

Actually it was conversation with one of said jounins that ultimately caused fear to rise deep within her.

"You and Kakashi… I never would have thought."

"What! Please we're not-"

"Oh Anko… come on. Just how you could always tell about me and Asuma, I can tell about you and Kakashi." Kurenai states in her usually calm and oh so sophisticated voice. Anko only stares down into her tea.

"Are you blushing?" the elder woman whispers before taking another sip of her own beverage.

"Oh stop! We're just fucking!" She states loudly causing Kurenai to cower a little from the auspicious stares they receive. She always tries to alter it, make it seem like its not becoming…like she's not…

"I don't believe you" the elder woman smiles a little at her life long friend.

"You don't have to. It's just about convenience. He needs to get off, I need to get off, so, we do it togeth-"

"Whatever. I haven't seen you so happy or giddy or that look in your eyes since Or-" the woman pauses quickly catching herself. "Oh!…, since…since you we were young." the red eyed woman corrects herself before staring into her tea.

Anko knows what she was going to say and for a moment both are quiet. It's confirmation.

This relationship is starting to feel like something she lost long ago but the outcome will be different.

She avoids him. Stays out all night. Hangs out at all the places he's least likely to suspect. Hides when she thinks he's coming. Insists she has a lot of work when he shows up at her office. But he never leaves just sits there and reads that stupid book until she's done, then insists on walking her home. She starting to panic. She goes out of her way and puts forth her best efforts to avoid him but how does one leave someone who won't leave you.

This relationship is turning into something and its nothing convenient.

She stares at him now. Sitting there with that lazy look, in that lazy eye, as he lounges lazily in the arm chair that adorns one corner of her office, with his nose buried in that toxic orange book. That's it. He's toxic. He's so close to having that power to break her…hell he already does but she won't give him the chance to.

Standing up storms over and stares at him until that dark eye drifts up to gaze at her. She can tell he smiling under that mask and it only makes it worse.

"Your smothering me." she says in annoyance shrugging her shoulders . He only blinks still observing her.

"Did you hear me? Your smothering me! I can't breathe like this!"

He only tilts his head before nodding at her and just like that, just like that , POOF he is gone. And its more lonely than It ever was before and she's enraged.

How dare he actually leave. She's livid and she slams the door so hard as she storms out that it bounces back opened. The weather apparently is feeling just as torrent as she is. She's on the hunt now. How dare he actually leave. Maybe she had told him to, but he wasn't suppose to actually…go.

She's fuming…literally. The heat of her body is causing steam to rise from her as she tears through the muddy streets of Konoha. Where is he? Oh she has good idea.

Arriving at the monument she finds she is greeted by no-one, not a soul, not a chakra reading…nobody.

Her piecing scream of pure frustration rips through the air, only to be followed by a

"Yo."

She turns around drenched. Angry. Pissed. Drenched. Hurt. Raging, Drenched. And he's smirking at her. She can tell. Mask or no…she can tell. And that one black eye is squeezed shut as he scratched behind his head. She raises her hand high and suddenly his eye is opened in slight shock as she grasps his hand firmly.

"Don't ever leave again…okay!" Its meant as a demand, but comes out as a question. His hand is slippery and wet in the onslaught of rain but she grips it firmly.

He nods. She should know by now he never leaves anyone behind. Bringing his other hand up to wipe her wet and dripping bangs from her eyes he smiles gently before resting his head on hers then leading her back towards his home. She won't pull away anymore. She'll try this again…lived through it once right. She turns to look at him no longer confused and having forfeited her efforts to push him away. She won't let go. And the people who once again flood the streets of Konoha stare and giggle and gossip at the two very wet and well known jounin that make their way down street hand in hand.

Conveniently its stopped raining.

---

Haha another new something Instead of updating the old things I've written…well actually this is really old. I have a lot of old things I've written just saved on my computer. I was cleaning it out before I head back to school and I found this. It was only partly written so I decided I liked it and I finished it, however I don't know. I don't think I quite achieved what I was originally trying to convey? I don't know that's the bad thing about starting things and not fully finishing them and I have lots of pieces like that. A piece all about tenten one about Hinata and itachi another short piece on Orochimaru and anko, a funny story about Hinata and ino, theres so much half written stuff…I'm a mess. Also i don't think the gram. is that bad in this one but...tense changing i change tense so much but what the hell just go with it ne. We'll say its for effect and not because im lazy

Any hoo yea. I Hope you liked this and I hope you'll review!

Thanx for taking the time to read.

-Serena-Chan