[The next morning Tsunade has a conference with Masami. Kakashi has joined in, and when Masami is unable to speak, he simplifies what happened and explains it to Tsunade. Tsunade rests her chin in her hand and thinks]
(Tsunade) "What would Itachi's motive be for doing this? It seems like a rather cold and barbaric thing to do, but from what I understand of him he doesn't do anything without calculating it first and involving it into whatever his greater goal is"
[Understanding Masami is a lot more damaged than she outwardly appears, Tsunade gives a command]
"Masami, you are to take a two week sabatical for your mental well being. At the end of the two weeks I would like you to be evaluated by a counselor before you return to your diplomacy mission. Kakashi, I would like you to be her guard. It is unlike Itachi to make a move without any follow through, so I need you to ensure Masami's safety"
"Yes Lady Tsunade"
[Kakashi and Masami answer in unison. Then Masami timidly asks]
"Milady, I would like to visit my parents in the Land of Water..."
"But you are concerned you'll face a greater risk of encounter with Itachi again, is that correct?"
"Yes ma'am"
"Because the Akatsuki are constantly on the move, I don't believe you'll be at any more risk of another encounter than if you were to travel anywhere else. It is likely that whatever business those two had at the Village Hidden in the Mist, they've already completed and moved on. I feel fairly confident in this assessment because they let you flee and they wouldn't wait around for any Leaf Shinobi to seek them out in their last known whereabouts"
[Masami is only slightly comforted by this and Tsunade can tell]
"In any case with Kakashi at your side, you'll be alright"
"Yes, you're right Tsunade"
"Please make sure you stop at the gate on your way out and leave a time frame for your return so we'll know if and when to be concerned"
"Thank you"
[The pair exit Tsunade's office, and as they walk they feel eyes on them but they try to shake off the feeling after scanning the area and not noticing anything]
:::::
[Guy snuck away from his Masami before she woke up that morning. First he went to the hokage's residence and crawled into a tree to peek into the window of the guest room, but found the shutters shut and locked instead. Swallowing a lump of anguish he heads to Kakashi's apartment. Peering through the sliding glass door, he sees they're both still asleep. Guy captures some images of the real Masami sleeping. Zooming in on her face he has to resist the urge to kiss his camera so he can pretend he's kissing her lips. Guy continues to watch watch as they wake and begin their morning. He's annoyed when he notices Masami enter the bathroom in her bed clothes then steps back out fully dressed. As Kakashi and Masami exit his apartment and walk towards the hokage's office, Guy snaps more photos. He watches them enter and is perturbed again as there are no go vantage points to spy into the hokage's office, so he waits. After some time they finally reemerge and as they step out of the building they both pause to look around. Not wishing to be caught, Guy hurries home]
[He stashes his equipment again then prepares some breakfast. Guy then serves his Masami the meal in bed]
"Thank you my hot sexy man!"
"You're welcome beloved"
"This is such a treat, I love it!"
"You deserve only the best..."
[Guy trails off as he casts a guilty look towards the ground]
"What's wrong Guy?"
"Nothing's wrong! Why would you ask that?"
"I'm not sure... something just seems off"
"No, there's nothing wrong at all!"
[Guy nervously chuckles, then his Masami squints her eyes at him]
"It's her, isn't it?"
"Who do you mean beloved?"
"You know exactly who I mean. Don't play stupid with me Guy"
"I don't want you to be so concerned! She means to me!"
"Are you so sure of that?"
"Yes! Of course I'm sure! ...tell you what. How about today we spend the day doing whatever you want to do?"
"Really?"
"Anything you wish my beloved"
"Well, I have been gathering some new home decor ideas, how about we start with some new paint to spruce this place up?"
"Sure! That sounds great!"
[By the end of the day every wall in Guy's apartment looks like it's been smattered with various hues of rainbow sherbet. He's not overly thrilled about it, but at least his Masami is happy now]
:::::
[Kakashi and Masami enter his apartment. As per the norm, Masami has all her belongings sealed away into various scrolls carried in her leather bag. Kakashi however needs to gather his things and pack them before they begin their journey. Her stomach audibly rumbles as he packs, so she wanders to the refrigerator. Seeing the bare shelves of a typical bachelor, she tells him]
"I'm going to walk down around the corner to buy some fresh fruit"
"Oh, do you want me to come with you?"
"No, I'll be fine. You go ahead and finish getting your things ready, I'll be back shortly"
[Kakashi watches her leaves and sighs]
(Kakashi) "...she'll be alright. She is home after all, nothing will happen to her here that she can't handle..."
[Masami exits the building and walks down the block to a local fruit vendor. At one side of the vendor's stand, she eyeballs the variety available. Reaching for a particularly ripe looking mango, her hand contacts with someone else's who was also reaching for the same fruit. When their hands touched it felt like a pulse of electricity so Masami immediately pulled her hand back then stepped around the stand to make a proper apology]
"I am so sorry about-"
[Who she saw standing there gave her pause. Iruka looked at her and his face flushed]
"-that. Iruka. I'm not sure how I zapped you just then"
"Yea, from what I remember you're not sure about a lot of things"
[He turned to leave, but Masami reached out to stop him. Where her hand touched his arm, his skin felt like it was tingling]
"Please, wait"
[Iruka sighed and turned around]
"Wait for what, Masami?"
"I'm truly sorry"
"You already said that"
"No, I mean for everything else. I'm apologizing for the way things ended between us and for the jonin trial, I had no idea you would be there. Tsunade didn't even tell me that it was a trial, she just told me it was an exhibition and that I needed to display the fullest extent of my abilities for the elders"
"Well I guess I should tell you thank you. In hindsight I didn't really want to be a jonin for myself... I'm actually grateful that I got to stay with my students. Although I must admit I'm a bit disappointed to see that you finally figured out what you wanted"
"Iruka, no, I-"
"If you wanted him from the start, you should've never wasted my time"
[Iruka's words cut Masami, and he knew it based her on her expression. He moved to walk away, but not before seeing her look down as a tear rolled down her cheek]
(Iruka) "Dammit, why do I feel so guilty now?! She's the one who hurt me! Not the other way around! ...I guess maybe I could've been more patient and used kinder words to express how I feel. Maybe I am a jerk..."
[Masami quickly dabbed away her tear and swallowed the rest of her emotion. She quickly paid for some fruit, then put the recent events to the back of her mind as she hurried back to Kakashi]
:::::
[Walking down on the streets together, Kakashi and Masami avoid the puddles that are drying up from the last two day's storms. They decide to stop and grab some lunch before they start their journey. Entering Ichiraku, they find Asuma and Kurenai already seated there. Asuma noticing Kakashi's pack asks]
"Are you two already headed out so soon?"
"Yes" Kakashi answers
"But you just arrived yesterday morning!" Kurenai points out
"Lady Tsunade put me on a sabbatical from missions, but we'll return in a week and all of us will have to get some drinks from Shushuya then" Masami responds
"That sounds great! Hopefully we won't be out on any missions then" says Kurenai
[The conversation lightly banters on as Masami and Kakashi order their food. By the time they are served, Asuma and Kurenai have already finished their meals, so they pay for their food and bid Kakashi and Masami fairwell. They begin to eat, but Kakashi pauses for a moment to smile. Intrigued Masami tilts her head at him and asks]
"What are you thinking of?"
"Just thinking about Naruto... ramen is his favorite food and this is his favorite restaurant. I just hope he's doing well out there training with Jiraiya."
"I'm sure he is doing excellent. He is your student after all, right?"
[Masami smiles at him then they finish eating quickly. As they leave out the gates they check out with Izumo and Kotetsu, setting up their expected return in a week. Giving them one last parting glance, Masami sends a flirtatious wink in their general direction and they both blush. Outside the gates Kakashi asks]
"Did you really have to do that?"
"Of course I did. Then they'll both me more inclined to keep track of the days until our expected return, and will therefore be the first to notice if we're late"
"You clever, clever girl!"
"I know"
"So do you want to use your speed jutsu?"
"No, I'm still fairly drained after exerting myself so much yesterday, so walking will just have to do. To be perfectly honest I'm not entirely sure of what the landscape looks like around here because I'm always zipping to the village or away from it, so taking the time to walk will be good for me. Besides, it doesn't hurt that I have excellent company either"
[Masami winks at him, and Kakashi has to fight the urge to kiss her right now. They're not terribly far away from the gates yet and he prefers to keep the level of their relationship secret. Being so accustomed to using her jutsu, Masami is pleasantly refreshed by the walk. She had forgotten how many things she misses when she just blazes on by them.]
[By that evening when they make camp, they're only halfway there. Laying together under the stars, they examine the constellations as they talk and fall deeper for each other. Kakashi starts kissing Masami, and she reciprocates while wrapping her arms around his neck. When he goes to move on top of her though, her body goes rigid and she stops]
"What's wrong?"
"I-I-I... I can't... Not yet"
[Kakashi moves back off her, and holds her close to his side instead. He kisses her on top of the head and assures her]
"It's okay. You just let me know when you're ready. I love you Masami"
"I know, I feel the same..."
[Masami buries her face into Kakashi's chest and melts into him]
(Kakashi) "I've spent so much time without her, I can't deny this burning desire inside me for her... But I have to because of that damn Itachi. i still haven't been able to wrap my head around what his plan is... Masami, please let me be as close to you as physically possible. I want to erase everything Itachi's done. I want to feel your skin on my body, I want to make you mine all over again. Let me chase away all the monsters and fill your world with light. If I could give you a perfect world I would, but I can only give you me and I thank heaven everyday that's I'm more than enough for you"
[Kakashi feels Masami as she slips into sleep so he kisses her forehead and follows suit]