Chapter 50:
A week passed in a flash, today was the day they would set out for the Land of Keys. Kakashi woke up early, the sun still hours away from making its appearance. Pushing himself up to go check over their gear, Kakashi quickly halted himself, remembering the blonde's admission to not liking waking up alone. He rolled over, back to the blonde's side, pressing soft kisses to his cheeks and lips, "Naruto, love. Wake up." The blonde grumbled but eventually woke up, humming against Kakashi's lips pressed to his. "Good morning, love. It's still very early but I want to go check over our gear once more before we leave today. You can go back to sleep, I just didn't want you to wake up without knowing where I was." Naruto smiled at him, pulling him in for a tight hug. "Thank you, Kashi." The nin laughed, "Of course, love. Go back to sleep, we are going to have a long day today." Pressing a kiss to the blonde's forehead, he pulles the blankets back up under his chin, rolling out of bed.
Giving the gear a quick once over, Kakashi is satisfied they will have everything they need. Hiroto was slated to arrive late this afternoon, well after he and Naruto were gone. Kakashi wrote him a quick note of thanks, promising to let the man know when they were on their way back home. He made his way to each of his hounds, giving them all silent affection, most of the dogs still sound asleep. He filled up their dishes with kibble and fresh water before returning to the kitchen to prepare coffee and breakfast. A yawning Naruto joined him shortly after, placing himself down heavily on the chair at the bar. Kakashi laughed, taking in the sleepy young man's wild blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, "Coffee?" the blonde nodded eagerly, trying to suppress another yawn. They ate their breakfast quickly, going over their planned route once more before cleaning up and getting dressed. Kakashi lingers a little longer in the bedroom after Naruto leaves, quickly collecting a small box he has hidden in his sock drawer, tucking it into his pocket. Exiting the bedroom and giving the house a quick once over, Kakashi shrugged his rucksack onto his back, Naruto following suit. Kakashi met the eyes of Pakkun, giving the pug a quick smile, "We won't be gone too long, Hiroto will be here to check in with you guys and make sure the house is taken care of. I might summon you at some point during our travels, hopefully for fun reasons. If not, we will be back home as quickly as possible." Pakkun nodded, tongue lolling out of his mouth with a smile.
They set off west toward the Land of Grass, Naruto with a sullen look on his face, "I feel bad leaving the dogs…" Kakashi chuckled and pulled the blonde in close to him, "They are only a summon away. Besides they are used to me being absent for months, if not years at a time. Honestly they have become too spoiled." Naruto shoved the nin away playful with a scowl, "I'm kidding, love. I will miss them too. It's been nice being home with them… and of course you." Kakashi kissed the blonde's cheek, finally releasing him from his clutches, "Come on, let's set some distance, I want to be through the Land of Grass by the end of the day."
In no time at all they were at the border leading into the Land of Grass, Naruto couldn't help but notice the tension building in Kakashi's shoulders. The region was similar to that of Fire Country, a lot of grass land and dense forest, although the forest here was dense with bamboo, unlike Fire Country. They traveled for a few more hours, traversing creeks and climbing hillsides. Kakashi was still overly tense, not having spoken in hours. Wanting to take a break to try and gauge the nin's mental state, Naruto called out to him, "I need a breather, I'm thirsty, Kashi." Kakashi directed them to a nearby creek before setting down his pack. It was clear to Naruto that the nin knew the area well and was struggling with something. Gulping back the cool water in his canteen, Naruto wiped his mouth, meeting the nins eyes, "Do you want to talk about what is bothering you, or will it only make it worse?" Kakashi's exposed eye went wide, before looking away from the blonde. The nin was silent for a moment. Turning his attention to the north, Kakashi finally spoke, "Sorry, love. I didn't mean to worry you. This area holds a lot of pain for me. Only a few miles in that direction is where I lost Obito… I'm fine, I promise… it just… it still hurts." Naruto stepped in front of Kakashi's glance, pulling down his mask and giving him a soft smile and a kiss on the lips, "I'm sorry for your pain, Kashi." The nin pulled him in for a tight hug, breathing in deeply of his comforting scent, "Thank you, love. Come on, let's get moving."
They continued to travel quickly west, reaching the border into the Land of Earth. They shifted their direction slightly south, wanting to stay as close as possible to the neighboring borders to try and beat back some of the unrelenting heat. The sun was setting low in front of them as they reached the outermost border of the Land of Claw. Kakashi found them a place to set up camp for the night, the area provided them less cover then he would like so they decided to forgo a fire. Tent set up, they sat inside huddled around a small lantern eating their dinner. Kakashi pulled out their map, checking their location, "We made pretty good time today. I think by tomorrow we will be able to travel through the Claw and most of the way through the Land of will mean we will only have about another half day's travel after that before we reach the Land of Keys and our gully." Kakashi smiled brightly at the blonde who had apparently been watching his face intently the whole time. Feeling his face flush under the watchful eyes of his lover, Kakashi asked, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Naruto smiled at him brightly, quickly looking away shyly, "No reason…" Not satisfied with the blonde's answer, Kakashi moved quickly to pull his empty dinner plate from his hand and pin him to the ground. Naruto gasped at the quick movements, eyes widening as he bit into his lip. The nin placed soft kisses on his cheeks and neck, murmuring, "Tell me, love." The blonde sighed happily under his ministrations, turning his face to offer up more of his neck. "It's just… I just love you so much Kashi… and you're so beautiful, inside and out. I'm so lucky." Kakashi's bit gently at the blonde's neck, his heart tightening in his chest, "No, love. Believe me, I am the lucky one." Helping the blonde strip out of his clothes, Kakashi pulled him up between his legs to rest his head on his chest. Naruto hummed happily, face pressed tight above Kakashi's heart, arms pressed into his sides. Kakashi was once again fighting his arousal, the blonde's warm skin pressed tight to his body, his breath dancing lightly across his chest, "Good night, Kashi." the young man whispered into the dark, pressing his soft lips to Kakashi's neck. Stifling a moan, willing his stiffening length to relax, Kakashi pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head, "Good night, my love." He ran his fingers through the blonde's hair, hyper aware of the weight of the young man pressing down at his groin. He laughed internally at the overwhelming amount of desire he held for Naruto, the insatiable hunger he evoked in him. Breathing in deeply, he focused on the sound of the blonde's breathing, trying to ignore how one of the young man's hand's had found its way to his chest, dragging fingers across his stiff nipple. Kakashi bit heavily into his lip, sighing once Naruto's hand finally stilled, falling quickly to sleep against his chest. A few more deep breaths and Kakashi was finally calm enough to fall asleep.