A/N: Hi again all! Time for Anko and Kakashi to do a bit of shopping. Unfortunately, they run into some people along the way. Make sure you try and visualize in your head the looks on Gai's and Rock Lee's faces as they interact with Anko and Kakahi. It'll make it that much better. Oh yeah, and three more Icha Icha titles are coming up too! Enjoy!
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Anko and Kakashi wandered the village, trying to think of all the things they had to do before they went "home" and moved Kakashi in permanently. Anko suggested getting a key first, so they went by a hardware store and got him a brand new shiny key that he happily put on his key ring next to his old apartment key.
As they were leaving the store, they ran straight into Gai and Rock Lee. Kakashi did his best to avoid them, but he swore that Gai had some sort of Kakashi-radar and could pick him out of a crowd even if he cloaked his chakra and wore a disguise. Gai made a bee-line for Kakashi yelling, "KAKASHI! My eternal rival is back! And the fair Anko, your beloved is with you. Isn't it beautiful, Lee? The youthful budding of love."
"YES, GAI-SENSEI!" Lee shouted back. Both green-clag ninjas became instantly teary-eyed as they regarded Anko and Kakashi.
Gai said, "Dear Anko, I see you both leaving the hardware store. Is there something in your apartment that needs repaired or updated?"
Anko said, "Actually Gai," Kakashi started to giggle. She turned to him and said, "Shut up will you? Ignore him Gai. I guess you could say my apartment is being updated. We were here to get Kakashi a key since he's moved in with me."
Lee's eyes got slightly wider (if that was possible) while the tears flowed freely down his former sensei's cheeks. Gai said, "That's so wonderful, I feel like singing!"
Anko remembered the last time Gai sang. If he started again, she'd break down and cry, not from the beauty of his voice, but from the pain it inflicted. She quickly coughed loudly, trying to distract Gai from his caterwauling.
Kakashi on the other hand, giggled again. Anko backhanded him. Kakashi said, "Jeez! You've become quite the hitter since I propo, OW!" she backhanded him again because he'd almost blown their secret.
Gai stopped crying and said, "What did you say Kakashi?" Gai's eyes were intently trained on Kakashi's; trying to read what he was going to say.
Anko suddenly felt sick. She wondered, will he tell Gai? It would be one more battle he'd win against Gai – becoming engaged to a woman and getting married some day. But will he tell him? Will he blow our secret? I feel ill.
Gai wasn't about to let it go. He pressed on, "Well Kakashi? What was that you were saying?"
Kakashi said, "Oh, it's not important, it was just something I asked Anko earlier."
Lee said, "Gai-sensei! I thought Kakashi was going to say something about a proposal."
Gai's eyes got very narrow and he said, "That's funny Lee, I was thinking the same thing. So, Kakashi what did you say to Anko?"
Anko could feel her heart rate rising, as blood flooded into her face. She tried to look away from the situation developing in front of her. Each silent second felt like a small torturous uncertain eternity.
Kakashi said coolly, "If you must know Gai, and Lee, since I've been gone over two months, and I missed the lovely Anko very much while I was gone, I made a rather interesting proposition to her earlier that involved us staying in a horizontal position for a few days." Anko breathed out audibly, and then got a shocked look on her face as she suddenly wanted to hit him again.
Gai and Lee's cheeks pinked up instantly. Kakashi, suppressed another giggle, cleared his throat and said, "Satisfied? Or would you like to hear the exact words I used?"
Both Lee and Gai put up their hands and shook their heads, "no." Gai finally said, "Not necessary my friend! No, no thank you! Come Lee. I'm sure Lady Tsunade has something for us to do. Glad you're back Kakashi. Goodbye Anko!"
Lee squeaked out a, "Yes Gai-sensei," and the two turned tail and practically ran away from Anko and Kakashi. When they were a safe distance away, Anko backhanded Kakashi again.
"OW! Now what did I do?"
Anko got close to him and said, "You almost blew it! That was too close! I almost had a heart attack!"
"You worry too much. You know I can think on my feet."
Anko looked at him slyly, and said, "Good thing too, because you can't think too well when you're on your back." Kakashi's eye got really big while Anko grinned back at him. She started to slowly back away from him.
Kakashi said, "Come here. I think I need to spank you."
Anko continued to back away and said, "Not in public."
"Come. HERE."
"NO!" Anko turned grinning and took off running, with Kakashi right on her heels. As she ran, she felt like a school girl on the playground playing tag with her best friend. She felt free, full of life and very loved.
She dodged in and out of people on the streets, avoiding Kakashi's grabbing hands. She ducked inside a grocery store, slowing to a walk so she didn't alarm anyone. Kakashi followed her right in. Both were breathing heavily, giggling, when Anko said, "Time out! Time out!" She giggled again. "We need groceries."
Kakashi said, "I'm still going to spank you."
They both picked up shopping baskets. Anko said, "Promises, promises. You seriously have to be careful what you say! You almost blew it!"
"Are we going to argue now that we're engaged?"
"SHHH!!! There are people around!"
Kakashi stopped and looked her in the face and said, "Like it or not, I am going to marry you some day."
Anko's fiery temper cooled a bit. She smiled at him and said, "I know you will. But now, we need groceries."
Kakashi nodded and said, "Ok, let's do this." They wandered through the grocery store for about fifteen minutes, both of them looking very domestic while under their clothes, they hid more deadly weapons on them than a small army.
When they finally finished filling their baskets, they went to the check out line. Kakashi said, "Ok, wait. One quick detour," Anko watched him run off to the magazine section.
When he got there, he quickly scanned the magazines and romance novels until he found his beloved Icha Icha collection. He read each title quickly, "'Icha Icha Wanton Wanderlust,' nope, 'Icha Icha Mountain Top Ménage a Trios,' nope but a classic, 'Icha Icha Sensual Swimtime,' no ," he kept scanning thinking that maybe Naruto had sent him on a wild goose chase. He silently began to plan exactly how he was going to beat Naruto to a bloody pulp when he finally found it. "Aaahhhhh. . . come to Daddy." He picked up the brand new copy of 'Icha Icha Lascivious Lovers,' and ran back to Anko and the check out line.
He laid the book down on top of the pile of things he'd chosen to buy. Anko looked at him and shook her head. He said, "You're one to talk – look how different the things are in our baskets?" Anko's choices consisted of sweets, chocolaty syrups (which Kakashi thought served as great fun-time "enhancers"), snack cakes, rice, and a little fruit. She definitely favored the sweeter side of the taste spectrum. Kakashi's basket consisted of Icha Icha, protein bars, a few energy drinks, lots of veggies, some fresh fish, tofu, eggs and a few fruits too. He said, "I won't try and change you if you don't try and change me."
Anko conceded defeat. She knew that Kakashi's perverted mind was part of what he was, and she loved him for it. It made life fun and interesting. And as long as he accepted her affinity for the sweeter things in life, they'd have no problem what so ever.
After they paid for their purchases, Kakashi said, "Time to go home and unload this stuff. Plus, Asuma and Naruto should be there soon."
Anko said, "So when your couch moves in, with the rest of your things, are you going to plop your butt on your couch and read Icha Icha all night?"
Kakashi looked at her and said, "Maybe for a little while. I believe I still owe someone a spanking." Anko giggled at Kakashi and walked a little faster to keep away from him.
They made it home and put away their groceries, and nobody got spanked. Yet. Kakashi said, "I'm going back to the old apartment to pack some things. If either one of those lumps shows up here, send them to my old place. Question."
"Yes?"
"Got a place where I can keep my Icha Icha collection?"
"Do you want to display them, or have them handy for whenever you want to read them?"
"Either is fine – as long as they're safe."
"I have some room in the bedside table – underneath, there are doors that open and there are some shelves in there. You can put then there, and reach them whenever you're lying in bed bored."
Kakashi walked over to Anko and put his arms around her. He said, "If you're in bed with me, I couldn't possibly be bored." He gave her a quick kiss and let her go. "That sounds fine. I'm going to go. Be back in a while."
Anko said, "You've got your key. You can come and go as you please now."
Kakashi thought a moment, I've got the key to the woman I love's apartment. It's my apartment too. Things are changing so much – for the better. He smiled at her and after giving a slight wave, he left for his former home.
Anko puttered around their apartment with a smile on her face. In the space of 24 hours, the man she loved had not only come back to her, but had proposed to her, and was in the process of moving in with her. It was all so much at once, but she was adjusting to it. And she found that for the first time in a long time, she was happy. She was uncertain about a lot of things, she was concerned about not being the boss of everything anymore, but if it was Kakashi that was making decisions with her, she was ok with that.
Kakashi arrived at his former apartment and went inside. Since it had been closed up for over two months, it was a bit dusty and smelled like the inside of a cardboard box. He went inside and looked around. He said, "This place isn't so bad. It served its purpose. But it's not home anymore." He opened a few windows to let some fresh air in. He went to a closet in his hall because he knew he had a few boxes there. It didn't take him long to pack his essentials – his clothes, toiletries, some pictures, and his beloved Icha Icha collection. He just needed to move some electronic equipment, his tv, his couch, and everything else; which there wasn't much of, could stay. He thought as he looked around maybe I will hold on to the place, just for a little while. In case I have to come back and get anything else. Then whoever wants the place, can have what's here, or toss it.
He draped a bunch of his clothes that were on hangars over his arm and looked around his old place. The memories it held were still heavy in the air. The rare drunken card games with the guys; the random women he brought back for company that never saw the place twice; days and weeks he spent in bed recovering from missions staring at the same four walls of his bedroom; and all the empty times when there was just him and his plant. That was all before – before Anko. The memories of the times he spent there with her made the rooms seem alive. She was the bright spot in his life that pulled him through everything else. She made it all worth it. She'd changed his life for the better. And because of her, he found he could change. So with a look around his old place, he left with his first armload of things to bring back to their place.
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A/N: Awww. Closure is a good thing. But memories are even better.
Next up: Three ninjas move a couch, while having the worst luck possible. And Anko comes to a realization. See you soon!
