I don't know how I feel about this chapter! Do you think Michiko and Shisui should give it another shot? :o
When the morning arrives, dawn cracking over Konoha in bright orange and pink hues, Kakashi wakes slowly to the light pouring into his bedroom. He realises he hasn't shut the curtains and curses groggily, moving to get up but finding himself weighed down by Michiko, who has nestled her head in the centre of his bare chest.
"Yare yare…"
Carefully lifting Michiko's head and laying her against the pillows, Kakashi slides out of bed and draws the curtains shut. As he does so, he hears a soft groan as Michiko stretches across the bed, in her sleep. As he returns to his spot, she snuggles back into him, grumbling incoherently.
For a while, Kakashi lays awake and relishes the strange sensation of having someone curl up beside him. He can feel Michiko's breath against his neck, and the warmth of her body pressed against his side. Her hair is splayed out over the pillows and when Kakashi rolls onto his side to face her he is flooded by her scent.
Staring down at her with his sleep filled gaze, he pushes some strands off her face with his fingers, wondering if she will wake up to his touch. She doesn't.
Soon, Kakashi drifts off to sleep, his hand resting in her hair, holding the nape of her neck firmly.
About an hour later, when it is nearly 6 am, Michiko's eyes flutter open, not because it is time for her to wake up but because she feels too warm. Waking up to Kakashi's bare upper body alarms her, and as she sleepily pulls herself out of his grasp, she is relieved to find herself fully dressed.
Sitting up slowly, she squints at the room. Light is peaking in through the curtains, but inside the room is still woven with the darkness and sleep of the previous night.
"Kakashi…" Michiko nudges him, "Taichou."
"Mmmm." Kakashi grumbles, turning his face away from her. Annoyed Michiko glances sleepily around the room, her head still spinning from the alcohol.
Although she barely remembers coming home, she has an inkling that nothing has transpired between them- she is sure she would never forget if something did. Peering at Kakashi's exposed, handsome face, Michiko contemplates.
'Would it be so bad if something did? Yes, of course it would be bad. And awkward.' Dispelling the thoughts from her mind, she remains in her place in bed, very still, in the hopes that Kakashi will stay asleep.
"You're awake." Kakashi mumbles, his eyes still closed as he slips in and out of the throes of slumber. Michiko hums affirmatively, yawning and stretching her legs, surprised to find them tangled with Kakashi's own.
Curious as to how she ended up here of all places, Michiko recalls their tiff in the street. Overcome by a sudden wave of tenderness, she reaches out and places a palm against the soft, scarred skin of his chest and feels the steady rise and fall of it as he breathes.
As Michiko shifts to lie down more comfortably, she feels the room spin with her.
"Yikes." She murmurs, eliciting a curious grunt from Kakashi, who reaches out and wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Now that she is awake, she feels a spread of tingles through her body wherever they are touching; in her legs, at her waist, on her face as their breaths mingle.
She can smell the alcohol on his and wrinkles her nose in distaste. Realising that she can either continue to sleep in this position or escape, Michiko weighs her options.
On the one hand, she wants to get home soon. On the other, she is increasingly curious about Kakashi's sudden tenderness towards her. She cannot deny that she has been jealous of the attention he has directed towards Nina at the bar the night before, and it certainly hasn't escaped her observation that he was hitting on her closer to the end of the night.
Curious, and perhaps (undeniably) swayed towards her taichou, Michiko decides to stay in bed. She gingerly nestles her face in the nape of his neck, inhaling the comfortingly familiar scent of his skin- he smells, as always, of cologne and tobacco. It leaves Michiko curious, because she has never seen him smoke.
"Are you okay?" He whispers into her hair, caressing her waist with his thumb. In his sleep, Kakashi loses all inhibitions of touching her.
"Yeah, I'm just dizzy." She murmurs, her voice catching in her throat from the intimacy of their conversation.
"There's some water on my side of the bed…" Pulling away from her, Kakashi reaches down and picks up the bottle, bringing it to Michiko. She sits up and takes it gratefully, chugging down it's contents- she is parched.
Now Kakashi lays with his hands behind his head, eyes half open as he watches Michiko. He questions himself for letting himself be so physically close to her. His mind has a singular trail of thought- Michiko's anger towards Nina kissing him- although he is sure that was just something that triggered her after he cockblocked Genma.
Michiko leans across him and places the now empty bottle on the bedside table. The closeness of her body sends tingles of warmth through both of them. Kakashi watches her quietly, his eyes heavily rimmed with sleep and his body thrumming with an odd sensation of pleasure.
Michiko is unsure exactly when her taichou was able to elicit such sensations from her. As she returns to her place and lies down again, both her and Kakashi are left awkwardly staring at the ceiling.
"Michiko." Kakashi starts, causing the girl to roll onto her side and look at him questioningly. He doesn't expect her to do that, and when he glances down at her, he feels his cheeks flush at the sight of her.
It does not help him at all that Michiko looks particularly beautiful to him with her loose hair and her flushed cheeks. Her lips look supple and inviting, and Kakashi has never had to struggle against himself as he does now.
"Yes, taichou?"
"I'm sorry about getting angry at you last night. I lost my temper."
"I'm sorry about getting mad at you too. I was being unreasonable."
Kakashi knows that if he broaches the subject of Shisui, it will ruin the intimacy of this moment between them, so he keeps the questions at bay. Knowing that she is watching him, he tilts his head and peers at her across the pillows.
"Can I help you?" He asks with a gentle smile. He's not sure anymore why he is smiling.
Michiko smiles too, her cheeks burning darker as she shakes her head.
They stay like that for some time, peering at one another. Kakashi can feel his heart hammering in his ears.
"Did it really annoy you when Nina kissed me goodnight?"
Michiko chuckles, "Maybe." She teases, feeling her voice catch in her throat and her heart threaten to jump out. Kakashi sits up on one arm, looming over her with wonder in his eyes. His eyes roam over her, flitting subconsciously to her lips as he laughs at her answer.
"Were you jealous?" He teases back, watching the smile slip from her mouth as her lips part in surprise. He feels the alcohol still in his body fuelling him.
"I…" Stuttering, Michiko shakes her head, "You wish." She wonders then if she is still mildly tipsy. She clasps her hands over her stomach, keeping her fingers from reaching out and running through his silvery hair.
"Maybe I do." Kakashi teases again, his expression replaced by a smouldering look that imprints itself on Michiko's mind. Caught in each other's gaze, smiles gone and replaced by wonder and curiosity, Kakashi bites his lower lip as he moves to lay back down. But Michiko's hand gently palms his face as she lifts her head up and tentatively places her lips against his.
Kakashi stills, a shiver running through his body as he feels her soft lips on his. At his lack of response, Michiko pulls away and panics.
"Sorry, I-"
Cutting her off, he leans closer and catches her lips hungrily. His hand finds itself tangled in her hair as Michiko tangles her own in his. Moving their lips against one another, they devour each other slowly. Kakashi's hands run down to clasp her neck firmly in his hand, pushing her down as he hovers over her.
The gesture fuels Michiko and she pushes up against him, turned on by the gentle chokehold he has her in. Straddling her, Kakashi trails his kisses, biting her lower lip roughly as he moves to her chin and down to her neck, finally releasing it as he marks her with dark patches. He runs a thumb over her scarred cheek, sending a shiver through her body. Michiko pushes against him until she can sit up, her hands scrambling to pull off her top.
She is consumed by the desire to feel his skin flush against her own.
With the shirt off, Kakashi closes the space between them again, his mouth returning to ravage hers as he runs his calloused palms up and down her sides. Both of them can feel the desire pooling from their body between their legs and in the heat of the moment, both entertain the idea of giving into it.
For Kakashi, this has been a long time coming- the desire has pent up carefully over several months and perhaps, years. For Michiko, this is a newfound curiosity that has taken hold of her and thrown rationality out the window.
As her hands find the waistband of his trousers, Kakashi pulls her hands away, laying her down and pinning them by her head. He parts her legs with his knees and Michiko responds by wrapping them around his waist. When he grinds into her, she mewls softly. The sound spurs him on, and he finds her lips with his own again, this time exchanging heat with their tongues.
Beneath him, wrestling for dominance, Michiko's mind hurtles across its thoughts, leaving her blank and focused entirely on the man before her. Kakashi however, breaks away from the kiss, his manhood throbbing as he pulls the brakes.
Both gasp for breath as Kakashi leans his forehead against Michiko's, "We should stop."
Wordless, the Sarutobi runs her fingers through his messy hair, watching her fingers disappear into the silver. She neither agrees nor disagrees, leaving her legs still wrapped around his waist as she holds him in place.
"Michiko." He says firmly, "Stop."
Deflecting his commanding tone with her defiant one, Michiko is unsure why she is resisting his orders, "Why?"
"I don't want us to do something we will regret." He explains, hovering over her with the temptation to resume their tussle.
"Would you regret it?"
Reproachfully, Kakashi finds her ankles and pries her legs away from around his waist, releasing himself, "I won't. You might."
Knowing fully well that he is right, Michiko does not argue and lays very still. The bed dips beside her as Kakashi lays down too, and the two resume staring at the ceiling awkwardly. Kakashi's hand finds hers and he threads his fingers with hers, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.
"Maybe once you've sorted out whatever is going on with Shisui." Kakashi starts, and then silences again, unsure of what he is trying to say. Michiko does not answer, unwilling to delve into thoughts about the Uchiha. She is sure that they are over, for a long time, if not permanently. She is unsure of how she feels about him at this point, her feelings convoluted by the knowledge of the politics and her own role to play in front of the clan elders.
"Shisui and I won't be together for a long time, if ever." She says in a small voice, "Too many complications."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Kakashi runs his thumb over her skin again, and the sensation sends sparks through Michiko's body. Feeling the tightness in her core, Michiko struggles against the desire to straddle Kakashi; it has been a long time since she has been with anyone physically, and just now, in the heat of this moment, her desire has returned, flooding her body with the throb and pangs of lust.
"Kakashi," She starts awkwardly, unable to finish her sentence- she doesn't want to sound desperate. Reprimanding herself internally, she remains quiet when Kakashi turns his attention to her. Kakashi leans over towards her and tucks a strand of her hair away from her face, "What is it?"
Shyly, Michiko chews her lips before she shakes her head, "Nothing."
"If we were to delve into this, what would that make us, Michiko?"
Startled by the question, Michiko shrugs and grins awkwardly, "I really don't know Kakashi."
Hurt by her indifference, Kakashi decides it is best to leave these waters untested. As he lays back down, disappointment fills him.
"Maybe, we can see where it goes?" She asks, sitting up to lean over him this time, spotting the disappointment on his face easily. Michiko is surprised to say the least, she wonders if her taichou harbours something for her that goes beyond this attraction.
Her words ease the tension he feels, "Maybe." He echoes, convinced that Michiko will never return his feelings.
"I'm tired. Let's sleep." He murmurs, fisting her hair affectionately. Michiko obeys, laying down with her head nestled over his chest and into his neck. She inhales his scent and runs her palm over his chest in a gentle pattern until Kakashi has slipped back into slumber.
With him fast asleep, and her own confusion from what has transpired between them, Michiko feels uneasy.
She slips out of bed and wanders out of the bedroom.
Kakashi's apartment is bigger than her own; there is a separate bedroom, a large bathroom with a shower and a tub, and there is a large kitchen and dining area with only a single couch that she supposes makes up the 'lounge'. The entire apartment is dark, even the windows in the kitchen have their curtains pulled shut. Looking for a source of light, Michiko pulls the curtains open and squints painfully at the day outside.
Next, she hunts down a glass and pours herself some more water from the faucet. The inside of her mouth and her throat feel dry.
As she leans against the counter, her gaze sweeps across to the dining area. There is a neat four-person table with a little houseplant in the centre. Next to it is a tall wooden shelf lined neatly with books that have been arranged by size. Curious, she creeps to the bookcase and reads through the titles, surprised to find several Icha Icha novels authored by Jiraiya.
'Maybe that's how he's so…skilled in bed.'
Cheeks flushing, she trails her fingers along the spines, her eyes landing curiously on a paper folder that has been stuck between the books. Recognising the colouring of the folder as that of the Anbu records, she pries it quietly from the shelf and sets it on the table.
The folder reads 'Sarutobi, Michiko'.
Her heart flutters, seemingly skipping several beats as Michiko stares at it. Quickly refilling her glass with water, she takes a seat at the table and flips open the file. It is filled with the usual Anbu Black Ops information: history, tactical records, mission accounts and reports, a death count.
It even includes the brief warning letter written by Danzo to the Fourth Hokage, requesting that Michiko be banned from the Chuunin exams due to her 'controversial history'. Michiko remembers this with a pang of resentment, knowing that Danzo has had it out for her from the start. Minato Namikaze had denied the request, understanding that the young girl was equal parts talented and a loyal shinobi of the leaf.
'Why are you in Kakashi's apartment?'
She takes the file and marches to his bedroom.
"Wake up, Kakashi."
The man is sleeping like the dead.
"Wake up!" This time Michiko nudges him and the man groans, rubbing his face. Michiko realises then that he is without his mask, "Taichou, why do you have my folder in your apartment?"
"What folder?" He grumbles, eyes fluttering open and shutting again as he puts his arms lazily behind his head.
"This." She tosses it onto his lap and he catches it, a sharp quick reflex that makes the muscles in his arms twitch.
Sitting up, he stares sleepily at the familiar object and then tosses it aside.
"I was looking into the attack on your apartment. There's no formal Anbu report filed about it, no track of the bodies- the lead went cold. I was investigating."
"The lead went cold?"
Kakashi nods, stifling a yawn. Michiko is quick to put the pieces together.
"I know why it went cold."
Alert, Kakashi feels himself lose a bit of the drowsiness as he peers up at Michiko with his sleep-lined eyes, "Oh?"
"The attack was done by Root. They faked it, Danzo has been on my case from the start." She alludes to the letter that Kakashi was also surprised to find initially, "- he doesn't trust me. The only reason I couldn't come back to the Anbu is because he deemed me a political threat after the kidnapping."
"What?" Kakashi knows nothing of this. He feels his sleep leave him, his gradually widening as he looks perturbed, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, the bodies all had those marks on their tongues- the one Tenzo has."
Kakashi nods silently, "It would make sense then, why Anbu didn't collect the bodies; Root probably had them disposed of before anyone could notice."
Nodding sagely, Michiko crosses her arms. Kakashi blinks at her, before laying down again and scratching his chest lazily. Striding across the bed to take the folder, Michiko sits down at the opposite end of the bed.
"Taichou. I need you to put this file back in its place."
"Okay." He murmurs sleepily, dozing off once again. Annoyed, Michiko leans across the bed and shakes him awake, "Oi. Kakashi."
"Hmmmmmmmm?!" Sounding annoyed, he groans and wakes up again, "What, Michiko?"
"You need to put this file back." She says urgently, "As soon as you can."
"Fine." He grumbles, "I will. Let me sleep."
Although Michiko is tired too, she feels wide awake.
'It must be fate that I ended up in his apartment to find this.' She glances down at the folder, certain that it is the one piece of evidence she needs for the task Itachi has assigned to her.
"You should sleep too." Kakashi murmurs, rolling over to face her. Staring at him with furrowed brows, Michiko shakes her head, "I'm going home before it starts getting busy outside. Can I have a clean shirt? I don't want to look like I'm doing the walk of shame."
She fishes her top out of the sheets and pulls it on.
"Just take one." He gestures to his closet, drifting back off to sleep. Michiko leaves the folder on the bed and pulls open the large dresser. She is hit with the distinguishable scent of her captain; a mix of cologne, detergent and , since she has never seen him smoke, Michiko fishes out a loose, black t-shirt and pulls it on over her top.
Fishing her heels from under her bed, she slips them on as she bids Kakashi a quiet goodbye. Hovering over his sleeping form, she nudges him with a hand and when he hums in his sleep, she leans down and kisses his cheek. His eyes flit open for a moment, before drifting back into his dreams.
She creeps out the bedroom window and takes to the roof, watching the early morning sun as it burns brightly in the chilly sky.
She ambles slowly, walking across the roof tops and leaping when she needs to. The morning is crisp and cold, and the double-layer she has on helps keep her chest warm. Her arms are covered in goose bumps from the chill though, and her hair sticks to the back of her neck. She feels something on her cheek and as she pries it off, she is surprised to find a small, curling strand of silver hair, undoubtedly from Kakashi's chest.
"Gross." She flicks it away, ignoring the fact that she smells entirely like him as she journeys home. She can't help but think about the file, the absence of any reports and what that could mean.
As Michiko arrives home, she slips off her heels to make sure not to disturb her uncle but as she slides the front door open, she is greeted by the scent of coffee and the sound of Hiruzen singing to himself in the kitchen.
"I'm home!" She calls, putting her heels in the shoe rack and walking across the cold wooden floor towards the large kitchen in the centre of the house. Sure enough, Hiruzen is busy brewing himself a large mug of coffee, one of Asuma's cigarettes in his mouth.
"How was it?" He asks, looking up from his mug to eye, curiously, Michiko's choice of clothing. He wonders where she has spent the night, although he is careful not to ask. As Michiko enters the kitchen and crosses him to get a glass of water, he recognises who the shirt belongs to immediately.
On the back, outlined in white, is the rarely ever seen Hatake symbol.
"It was okay."
Snapping back to his conversation with his niece awkwardly, he clears his throat.
"Where is Asuma?"
"With Kurenai."
"And where did you come from?"
"I stayed at Kakashi's. Had too much to drink."
Hiruzen nods, satisfied with her answer. Pouring himself a mug before offering it to his niece, "Do you want some?"
"Sure." Michiko joins him at the counter, pulling the stool close so she can sit on it. "Thank you."
She watches her uncle as he fetches a clean, teal mug from the cabinet for her. As he pours the coffee into the mug, he glances at his niece who is busy staring at the dark liquid. He spots the dark marks on her neck, quickly looking away.
He does not want to invade on anyone's privacy. Clearing his throat, he slides the mug across the counter to her, his eyes darting to the marks on his neck as he tries to control the urge to make a comment.
Ultimately, he fails.
"You are going to want to hide those." He says, gesturing to his own neck. Embarrassed, Michiko pulls her hair over her shoulder to hide the marks behind them, murmuring an apology.
Hiruzen laughs, "This is the age, darling. Don't worry about it."
Knowing that it is Kakashi's handiwork puts Hiruzen in a strange, giddy mood. He always liked the Hatake more.
"Oji-san." Michiko starts, sounding more serious, "I need to talk to you about something important."
"What is it?" Perching himself on the stool across her, Hiruzen becomes serious too.
"Do you remember the attack on my apartment?"
He nods silently, taking a sip of his coffee as he ashes his cigarette.
"There is no record of it in the Anbu. No record that any Black Ops were posted at my apartment for protection, no record that any bodies were collected even though some people dressed as the Anbu showed up."
"How is that possible?" In a quiet, dangerous voice, Hiruzen puts the pieces together, "That is too bold a move for Root to take."
"And yet." Michiko starts, "They did."
"How do you know for certain it was them?" He cannot write it off as speculation, nor can he affirm any suspicions without proof.
"You will have to take my word for it." She responds quietly, "I saw their tongues."
"And what, pray tell, inspired you to check their tongues?"
"I was suspicious." She counters, "I became suspicious when the Anbu that were meant to protect me disappeared."
Nodding wisely, Hiruzen murmurs to himself about Danzo. He does not want to make any comments in front of his young niece so he keeps his thoughts to himself, making note that Root will have to taper down the power with which they are taking such brusque and risqué actions.
"I will make note of this." He says finally, "Are you hungry? I can make you some toast."
Nodding, Michiko busies herself with watching her uncle prepare. He takes the bread from the bread box and slips it into the toaster, fetching some butter from the fridge and her favourite jam too.
After Hiruzen prepares her toast and sets down the plate in front of her, Michiko's stomach growls loudly.
"You didn't go drinking on an empty stomach, did you?"
Michiko gives him a guilty look as she takes her first bite. Hiruzen disapprovingly shakes his head, "You silly youngsters. You'll get it bad one day." He chuckles, recalling the many nights of too much drinking from his youth.
Those days were different, as were the people.
For one, he was already married at 18. Any drunken nights were spent in enjoyment with his wife. Hiruzen looks thoughtfully at his niece, wondering when, if ever, she will tie the knot.
"So, you and Kakashi is a new thing." He muses.
Flushing, embarrassed, Michiko nearly chokes on her toast, "What? Who told you?"
"You told me. You're wearing his shirt! Unless there is some other Hatake in this village."
Confused, Michiko glances down at the shirt trying to figure out how he recognised it. Sighing defeatedly, Hiruzen gestures to the back. Michiko looks over her shoulder, spotting bits of something written on the back. Withering in defeat, she gives her uncle a careful look.
"You can't tell anyone. Especially not Asuma."
"Oh, why would I tell anyone?" Rolling his eyes dramatically, Hiruzen finishes the last few sips of his coffee and sets about preparing to leave for the Hokage's office.
Michiko watches him thoughtfully, preening with joy as he pulls a face at her from the other side of the kitchen.
"Okay, kiddo. I'm off."
Bidding him farewell, Michiko retreats with her mug to her bedroom. It is cool inside, and the bed is unslept in. She has left some clothes strewn across the floor in front of the closet and as she steps over the mess, she mentally reprimands herself for her tardiness.
As she catches a glimpse of herself in the vanity, she is horrified when she spots the large, maroon hickeys littered across one side of her throat. They are large enough to look like bruises.
'Always being a pain in my ass, taichou.'