"Is Hiromasa okay with us monopolizing your time so much?" Kakashi asked one day on Kazuko's second week having bodyguards. "He is welcome to join us, if he would like."

"Thank you, Kakashi, but he's fine. You don't have to worry about him so much." Kazuko couldn't tell him that Naoko was spending his days with the Konoha ANBU, since they were unable to go out during the evenings anymore.

Kakashi eyed her shrewdly, as he always did when they talked about her and Naoko's relationship. She knew he was suspicious of them, but until he came out and asked her directly, Kazuko was reluctant to volunteer any information.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Kazuko asked. Kakashi had picked her up early that morning, alone, having given his Genin the day off, and had told her that they were spending the day out. He had taken her to visit the bookstore and had made a stop at where Asuma was training his students before the two of them headed to lunch.

Kakashi was now leading Kazuko to some unknown location, his hand fit snugly in hers as they walked along the busy streets. She had thought about telling him off when he first grabbed hold of her, but she didn't really want him to let go, so she stayed silent.

"It's a secret." He turned to look at her, his eye sparkling with mischief, his grin visible even behind his mask.

Kazuko sent him a half-hearted glare. "I don't like secrets."

"Neither do I." He raised his eyebrow in reply before turning back to the path in front of them.

They walked in silence then, Kazuko feeling a stab of guilt at his words. She wanted to tell him—had almost done so on a couple of occasions already today—but she knew she shouldn't. She had no idea how he would take it. Would he be mad at being lied to? Would he accept the truth, or would he feel betrayed and refuse to see her anymore? The thought of him not wanting to see her anymore hurt more than she cared to admit.

"You okay, Airi?" Kakashi asked, his face close to hers, his eyebrow drawn down in concern. She realized he had been talking for some time now, but she hadn't been listening.

Kazuko's breath hitched at him suddenly being so close. "Yeah, I'm fine." She looked around at their surroundings and noticed they had come to a stop outside what looked like… "Are we here to watch a movie?"

Kakashi leaned back and grinned through his mask. "I figured you must be getting sick of sitting around watching the kids train every day, so I thought a movie might be nice."

She started to smile, thinking a movie might not be a bad idea after all, but then noticed the movie on display, her eyebrows rising to her hairline as she read the title. "And you thought 'Make-Out Violence' would be a good movie to see?" She asked, slowly turning to look at him. "Are you sure this was for me, or is it that you want to watch it?" He knew she hated his perverted book series, so surely he knew she wouldn't want to watch the movie adaptation of it.

"It just came out and I haven't had the chance to see it yet." He admitted, hand rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Kazuko laughed, unable to contain herself. "Why am I not surprised? Kakashi, you can be such a child someti—um, what are you doing?" She squeaked when his hand came up to rest against her cheek, his visible eye soft as he watched her.

He rubbed this thumb across her cheek, a soft caress that made her knees weak. "You're even more beautiful when you smile." His voice was a low rumble and he slowly moved his face closer to hers, eye flicking down to gaze at her lips.

Kazuko's heart sped into overdrive at his nearness. "Kakashi," she whispered, watching as his other hand lifted, a finger slipping under his mask as he prepared to lower it. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"Why not?" He challenged, moving closer still.

"Because I'm…" Kazuko couldn't bring herself to say 'married'. She was sick of lying to this man, who she had come to care about a lot more than she had wanted to.

Just when she thought Kakashi was about to kiss her—something she wanted more than anything in that moment in time—he stepped back and dropped his hand to his side. He turned around and cleared his throat.

Kakashi started making his way to the building. "Come on, it will start soon." He told her without looking back.

Kazuko's heart dropped when he didn't reach for her hand, and she thought, for the umpteenth time, that maybe she should just come clean to him, consequences be damned.

.

.

.

The movie had been cringe-worthy, made worse by the fact that Kazuko was much too aware of Kakashi sitting next to her. Every shift, every movement from the silver haired Jounin, had made Kazuko jump in her seat.

The walk home was silent. Kazuko didn't know what to say, not after their near kiss and that over-the-top romantic movie. She walked a couple of paces behind him, feeling awkward.

"I hope you enjoyed your day today, Airi." Kakashi said upon dropping her back home, eye not quite meeting hers.

The fact that he wasn't even looking at her now was the final straw. "Kakashi, wait." Kazuko reached out and grabbed his hand with both of hers, unwilling to let him go. She had spent a lot of time during the movie weighing the pros and cons of whether or not she should tell him her secret, and she had finally come to a conclusion. Even if he hated her for it, she wanted him to know.

He eyed her cautiously, his gaze flicking to their joined hands before settling back on her face. "What is it?"

She pointed to the door behind her and bit her lip before asking: "Do you want to come inside for a bit? Hiromasa won't be home until later."

"Do you think that's wise?" He replied, brow raised in question.

"To tell you the truth, probably not. But there's something I want to—no—I need to tell you. Please, Kakashi." She set imploring eyes on him and he sighed, defeated.

She pulled him inside behind her and maneuvered her way to the couch, tugging on his hand so that he sat down beside her. Kazuko's heart was in overdrive, her face hotter than a kiln, but she still managed to look him in the eye. She needed to see his reaction when she told him.

After minutes of silence, Kazuko realized she didn't know where to start. She became flustered under his unwavering stare, lost for words. Kakashi took her hands in his and rested them on the couch between their bodies. "If it is too difficult for you, you don't need to tell me." He assured her.

Kazuko shook her head. "No. I'm sick of lying to you, Kakashi." She decided the best place to start was at the beginning. She took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of a criminal known as the Night Demon?"

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at her question. "The Night Demon?" Kazuko waited patiently as he searched his mind for the name. "Yes, I think I have. I believe he is a notorious criminal, is he not?"

"Yes, that's correct. He has been active on and off for quite a few years, and he has slowly been making his way through all the five major villages, raping and killing innocent women. A couple of years ago, my sister was visiting her fiancé in Iwagakure at the same time the Night Demon was there. She wasn't a shinobi and was only planning on staying a short time to meet his family. The Night Demon preys on civilian women, and apparently my sister was the perfect target for him."

Kakashi moved closer, his eye watching with a sad understanding as she struggled to keep a leash on her emotions. She hadn't planned on telling him about her sister, but now that she had started, she couldn't seem to stop.

She cleared her throat, eyes leaving his to stare at the clock that hung on the wall behind his head. "Just like his MO, the Night Demon raped and killed her, leaving her body to be found by her fiancé later that evening."

Tears fell to her lap and Kazuko tried to blink them away. Kakashi's hands cupped her face, his thumbs brushing the tears as they trailed down her cheeks. "I am so, so sorry, Airi." He whispered before engulfing her in a hug.

She stayed like that, letting him whisper comforting words while she cried against his chest. She hadn't told anyone that story before—not even her ANBU comrades. The only reason Naoko knew of it was because he had been there the day the Kazekage informed her of the news.

Finally, Kazuko pushed away from him, rubbing the backs of her hands over her eyes. "Sorry, Kakashi. I didn't mean to get so emotional on you."

His gaze was so kind that Kazuko felt the overwhelming desire to crawl into his arms and stay there. "Don't apologize. I'm sure you've been bottling those emotions up for a long time now."

She sent him a watery smile, unsurprised by his wisdom. "You know me so well."

He chuckled in response, his hand reaching out to stroke her cheek soothingly. "I really appreciate that you trust me enough to tell me this, Airi, but I don't really understand. What does the Night Demon have to do with you lying to me?"

Right. This was what she needed to tell him. "You see, the Night Demon recently arrived in Konoha, and he is the reason I'm here. Hiromasa and I aren't really newlyweds; we are members of Sunagakure's ANBU and we have followed the Night Demon to your village in order to apprehend him. Also," Kazuko continued, "we came to Konohagakure under false names. My name is really Kazuko, and my partner is Naoko."

Kakashi didn't say anything, just stared at her blinkingly, his mind processing this new information. She cringed, wondering if she had told him too much too soon. "I'm really sorry for not telling you sooner, Kakashi." She said, trying to make him understand. "This is a classified mission. It wouldn't do your village any good if people were to find out there's a serial killer on the loose." Still, he remained silent. Kazuko bit her lip, worried she had made a terrible mistake. "Kakashi, please say something."

"I guess that means I can finally do this." Before she could ask him what he meant, Kakashi closed the distance between them, his hand on the back of her neck and drawing her closer as he pressed his lips to hers. His mouth was soft, and she melted into the kiss immediately, her hands reaching up to curl against his shirt. All too soon, he pulled away, his mask back in place before Kazuko had a chance to peek at what was underneath. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that." He breathed, eye flicking to stare at her lips, as if that one kiss hadn't been enough.

Kazuko's heart hammered in her chest, and she thrilled at the realization that Kakashi wasn't mad at her for keeping such a huge secret. She watched him, still looking at her lips and laughed. "I'm sure I can imagine."

Kakashi settled his gaze back on her and brought his hands up in order to cup her face. "Thank you for telling me. I understand that must have been a very difficult decision for you to make."

Kazuko shrugged, acting as though it had not been the most stressful thing she had ever done in her life. "Well, I figured that you had it half worked out, anyway."

"Not quite true. I had it seventy-five percent worked out." He grinned. "I knew you and Hirom—um, Naoko, couldn't be married. And the way you hold yourself betrays the fact that you're a mere civilian."

"Well," she shook her head, smiling. "I suppose you are a very astute man."

"Very astute." He whispered in agreement, moving in closer again, one hand ready to pull his mask down.

"Honey, I'm home!" Naoko walked through the front door, announcing his presence in his usual sing-song voice. He spotted the couple on the couch, much too close together to be involved in anything innocent. He blinked, eyes darting from one person to the other. "Uh, hello. Is this where I get mad at another man for touching my wife?"

Kazuko rolled her eyes at her partner, but she moved out of Kakashi's reach, a blush covering her cheeks at getting caught red handed. "That won't be necessary, Naoko. He knows."

To his credit, Naoko looked shocked at hearing her say his real name. Then, when her words sank in, he grinned and rushed over to them. "What? Kakashi, she told you? Does that mean that you two are," he eyed the both of them, waggling his brows, a sly grin spreading over his face. "you know?"

Her blush increased tenfold and she stood up, punching Naoko in the stomach as she walked past him. "Don't say such stupid things, idiot." She headed towards her bedroom, needing some time alone to cool down.

Enjoy the sweetness while it lasts. Mwahahaha. As always, reviews are most welcomed and enjoyed. Thanks for reading!