Standard Disclaimers: I had this all written up, ready for a few draft changes, and then ready to go and lost my flash drive. Honestly, had totally lost motivation to write more until I got a few reviews in. Never want to make anyone feel like they have to review – but there's no denying it feeds an author. Thanks to everyone who reviews – and Esjay, McDiggin'It and Senju54 and especially E3-FantasyandReality for digging into a fic with an old update date and tapping me on the shoulder. Two chapters and an ending folks!
Warmth.
The subtle scent of flowers inextricably mingled with his own and with that of the pack…
The weight that pinned his chest and leg might have trapped him, worried him, but it didn't. Instead, it grounded him and felt secure. Welcoming.
There was no danger.
Semi-conscious assessment complete, Kakashi slipped back into deep sleep.
Tsunade and Kakashi were both adults.
Not only were they both adults, they were both mature adults whose life-styles encouraged a strong dose of practicality. Team work was essential when on a mission and shinobi, as a rule, tended to be eccentric. To survive the quirks of one's comrades, one quickly learned to be flexible.
This being the case, the discovery that certain things had arisen, shifted, and otherwise gotten grabby between the two of them during the night, was naturally handled with aplomb and a minimum of fuss.
Kakashi stopped spitting leaves within a few minutes.
Tsunade's red cheeks lingered for a bit longer.
Considering the rather sensitive place her hand had been, Kakashi considered that was only fair.
They didn't talk about their mutual early morning surprise as they ate a cold breakfast or as they started down the road again. For all intents and purposes, their sleeping entanglement was treated a non-event. It didn't matter that they'd spent most of the night apparently clinging to each other. It didn't matter that said clinging was quite intimate in nature.
After all, Tsunade had been still recovering from near-chakra exhaustion and a poisoning. The night was cold and it was only natural for her to burrow as close as she could to the nearest source of warmth. It was a purely physiological reaction.
And Kakashi was a man. His body reacted certain ways to soft curves and dexterous hands when they were pressed up against him. That, too, was a purely physiological reaction.
So, it didn't mean anything.
At all.
No….
Kakashi was an excellent liar, but even he wasn't going to try to convince himself of a falsehood that big.
The fact was that no matter which way he spun it, no matter how hard he tried to rationalize it, he was a jonin-level Shinobi of the Leaf.
No one laid hands on him, asleep or awake, without his notice.
The same was undoubtedly true for the Hokage as well.
Physiology did not trump years of instinctive self-preservation for either of them.
Though, in all fairness, perhaps her excuse held more water than his. Chakra exhaustion could easily knock a person's situational awareness askew. She seemed well enough now, setting a fierce pace for the village, but that meant nothing in regards to a few hours ago. Kakashi studied her as they walked, once more assessing her apparent energy level and health. Her square-shouldered form was graceful as she navigated their path through the trees. She was quick. Her breathing was even.
No, she was fine now; he'd bet on it.
Thus reassured, his thoughts slid back to those first few seconds of waking that morning. He lingered in the memory, replaying impressions and sensations.
Of course, the indulgence didn't bring him any new clarity. Quite the contrary - it brought him a certain prickling sensation that promised yet another nose bleed if he kept it up.
Enough was enough. Time to admit what needed to be admitted, if only to himself.
He was attracted to Tsunade.
In fact, he… was fonder of her than he should be.
He…
He cared about her. He respected her. He wanted to see her safe. He wanted to see her happy.
It didn't really matter what all of those things added up to, did it?
No.
It didn't.
Some things were best left undisturbed.
With that in mind he put his hands in his pockets and closed the gap between himself and the Hokage.
Just in case.
The rest of the journey was almost depressingly anti-climactic. The two shinobi continued the ground-devouring pace until they passed through the gates of Konoha, speaking little and stopping not at all. The two chunin on guard seemed a little perplexed by the unknown woman accompanying Kakashi, but apparently they'd been told something to explain it. They marked down the arrival, gave Kakashi a wave, and waited until the team was out of earshot to gossip.
Wordlessly, Kakashi and Tsunade made their way through the streets towards downtown. The sun was shining and the chatter of the village at peace eased some of the tension that had taken up place in Kakashi's shoulders. Of course he knew that familiar ground could be deceptive. Just because a place was familiar didn't mean that there weren't dangers. But still, it was a comfort to be in a place where he so thoroughly belonged. There were few streets here that he couldn't navigate blindfolded and drunk, and not a single one that he couldn't walk down with an Icha Icha in hand.
The intersection up ahead, for example, he'd travelled a thousand times or more. If he took a left there, it'd lead to Headquarters. If he took a right, to the Memorial.
"Mah, Tsunade-sama," he said as they approached it. "Looks like this is where we part ways."
She turned to look at him, a single blink betraying surprise quickly hidden.
"Heading home, then?" she asked. It was an easy question, delivered in a light tone. But, Kakashi knew a little more about her than he did before, and he could pick out the threads of reserve in her demeanor.
He shrugged. "More or less."
She nodded, "Alright. Good job on the mission, Kakashi-san. We might have run into a bump or two, but… good job." Something flickered in chocolate brown eyes. "Thank you."
He bowed to her.
Then, without a word, he turned on his heel and began sauntering away.
One yard. Two yards. The distance spooled out between them.
"Oi, Tsunade-sama," he called without turning around, "As Hokage, I'm sure you have perfected the technique of writing a mission report. So I think it just make sense for you to write ours up, yes?"
"Wha-?"
A perfectly timed shunshin carried him away before either shout or fist could follow him.
There. He could think of no cleaner break to give.
The mission was over.
It was all over.