Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The two ninja framed Tama, walking along the busy festival grounds nearly drowning in their own shame. People were, understandably, giving them strange looks. Tenzou had never been so embarrassed and grateful for a mask in his life. He felt doubly worse for Tama, who unfortunately was not in disguise.
"At first I thought our dear captain was being sweet by offering to give us the easier shift. Now I think he was just being his general clever self." Tenzou muttered under his breath. It was loud enough for Tama and Gai to hear, however. The bowl cut shinobi sighed loudly and Tama just smiled.
"It's alright. I'm grateful for your help."
That, somehow, made Tenzou feel worse. He could tell Tama was embarrassed as well, and it made his chest clench with rage. Maiku was such an asshole. He was shaming Tama in the only way he knew how that wouldn't directly link back to him. Probably getting him back for the whole 'kissing another man for half the village to see' incident. The more Tenzou thought about it, the more he assumed Tama probably did that as a bit of revenge as well, even if it was subconscious.
"Have you seen anything suspicious lately?" Tenzou asked his poor client, attempting to talk about lighter subjects. Tama shook his head slowly.
"No. I..." he seemed to choke up slightly, and Tenzou leaned in with concern. "...I'm starting to feel terrible about this whole ordeal. Everything that's happened so far. It's my fault; I was selfish, and now you guys have to clean up the mess."
Gai's arm rocketed forward and his hand crushed Tama's shoulder so tightly the poor guy looked like he was in real pain. "DO NOT GO BACK ON YOUR BRAVE DECISION! YOU SPARED THAT POOR GIRL FROM A LIFE OF LOVELESS MARRIAGE!"
"Shhh!" Tenzou hissed, glancing around nervously. Poor Tama was already sticking out like a sore thumb, no need to draw the villagers attention to his blundered marriage contract.
Tama seemed grateful though. He laughed and patted the iron grip on his shoulder lightly. "Thank you. That's what my thinking was. Apparently both sides of the fence disagreed..."
Tenzou actually had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Tama, but obviously couldn't in public. Besides, they were supposed to be hired body guards. Casual conversation would seem strange.
Someone noticed Tama, stopped, and approached him with a smile. Tenzou and Gai both tensed, but Tama stopped and seemed to incline his head in greeting, indicating he knew their guest.
"Good afternoon, Tama-san. I ah...see you've got a bit of...help with you..." the man gave Tenzou and Gai a very confused once over before he smiled broadly and politely at Tama. "That's good. Yesterday gave us all quite the scare."
Tama bowed slightly in response. "Your concern is appreciated, Gaiko-san. Everything is under control, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Ah, yes. I'm glad help was so readily available. I've been saying for years that we need to get our own ninja! This is exactly why. Can't trust anyone out there."
Tenzou and Gai took the down time as an opportunity to look and 'sense' around a little. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and Tama seemed very comfortable with whoever he was talking to.
"Yes, my father has told me of your proposal. Starting up a ninja academy would be tough with no resident shinobi to teach them. The system is actually quite complicated."
Gaiko waved Tama's logic off with a huff. "Well, we're never going to get anywhere with THAT attitude. Did you find out why they were after you?"
Now Tama looked slightly uncomfortable. Tenzou could tell from the ever so subtle tense of his neck muscles that he didn't want to go there. "You'll have to ask my father, Gaiko-san. I'm being kept quite in the dark."
"Pft, nothing new there, eh?" Gaiko whispered as he elbowed Tama in the ribs playfully. "No need to worry, young man. Soon you'll be old enough to be a councilor as well. Then you can finally have some say in what goes on around here. Can't wait for that!"
Tenzou's eyebrow skyrocketed into his hairline. Huh. Maybe this Gaiko guy was an individual case, but he talked like he knew Tama, knew how the council treated him and favoured him, possibly over his father. If the public opinion was generally like that, than it definitely spiced things up a bit. It made a lot of what Maiku did seem a whole lot sketchier.
While Tenzou was trapped in his own mental world, Tama and Gaiko had finished their conversation. The older man waved goodbye to them as he melted into the crowd. Tama seemed slightly deflated.
"He seemed to like you." Tenzou commented casually. Tama shrugged lightly, picking up their slow gait again.
"I seem to be generally well liked."
Tenzou was so damn tempted to go there, but it was none of his business, so he shouldn't.
He wouldn't.
Don't go there.
Totally going there.
"Better than your father?"
Tama tensed instantly, so much that he actually faltered in his pace. Gai's head snapped over to them, relaxing slightly when no danger was present, but obviously listening much more closely. Tama recovered quickly enough and began walking again. He seemed conflicted as to how to answer.
"...Perhaps some people do."
All sorts of things started tumbling together in Tenzou's head so fast he felt dizzy. "Tama. Did your father know your preferences before he tried to...well...decide your future for you?"
The startled young man almost seemed to physically close in on himself at the question. "I can't say that for sure." he answered hurriedly. Tenzou felt bad for putting him on the spot, but if his new theory was correct, than their entire mission was a complete friggen sham and Maiku was a total nutcase.
"Tama..." Tenzou started quietly, slightly unsure of how to proceed without being insensitive. "Why exactly were you in an arranged marriage? I didn't think those happened much anymore."
The handsome young man turned away from Tenzou, his hands clenched at his sides. "Father wanted to unite our villages. I can't talk to you about our business in detail, I'm sorry."
Tenzou took that as his cue to stop asking questions, and did so. He could tell someone was looking at him and glanced over Tama's shoulder. Gai's expression told him he followed his train of thought. The two leveled each other with eyes loaded with information. When they looked away, both their jaws were set hard.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The rest of the day continued without incident. Around dinner time, Tenzou noticed something flit through the corner of his eye and he instantly, calmly turned to investigate. Kakashi, from his build and body language, was lounging against a tree. Tenzou tapped Gai on the shoulder, told him to watch Tama, and went to meet with his captain.
When he got close enough, Kakashi lazily spoke. "Report."
"Nothing at all. No suspicious behaviour, no attacks." Tenzou walked right up to his captain so that they were only inches apart. "But...I have to talk to you about something."
Strangely, Tenzou somehow knew Kakashi was gently raising one of his eyebrows under his mask. He continued. "I have a feeling there's even more to this mission than what has been revealed. I think Maiku was trying to get rid of Tama by marrying him off. I don't know if it actually had anything to do with creating ties with Flower, or any kind of village matter. I have almost no information to go off of, except a few clues, but I think people favour Tama over Maiku and that trash can't handle it. He thinks his son will unseat him in the Council."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He leaned forward, his mouth against Tenzou's ear. "What gave you this impression?"
"Someone from the village talking to Tama. He basically, in more words, said he couldn't wait for Tama to be a councilor so he could start making decisions for the village. I asked Tama if people preferred him over his father, and he looked scared and gave me a neutral answer that didn't really answer my question. I asked him if his father knew he preferred men before he arranged for his marriage, and he wouldn't give me a straight answer about that, either. It's just a hunch, but..."
Kakashi was silent for a moment, but it was a heavy silence. "So. There's the potential that Maiku could have been lying about the cause of the marriage. That would moot Flower village's rage towards Waterfall. Why would they go through the trouble of assassinating someone for breaking off a casual marriage..."
More silence fell against them like a lead curtain. The answer was obvious to them both.
"I'll inform our other team mate of your theory. Gather as much information as you can."
"Yes, Senpai." Tenzou whispered, his heart thudding against his chest. He could be wrong, of course. He could be way off mark. But if he was right...well, what did that mean? What would they do?
Kakashi was gone in the next second, and Tenzou missed him almost instantly. Kakashi felt like a rock, like a constant steady presence. He suddenly felt like he was in over his head, and he wanted his captain back to tell him what to do.
Gai appeared behind him and he banished his slightly panicked thoughts. He still had a partner in this whole thing, he wasn't alone at all.
"Everything alright, my friend?" the jounin asked, obviously concerned.
"Yes. I told our captain my...thoughts. Are you going where I'm going with this?"
"I believe I am." Gai answered, his tone so serious Tenzou hardly recognized his voice. Tenzou could see Tama slowly walking up to them, so he ended their conversation there. When the three were back together, they continued on their walk. Tama wanted to go back to the park, since he didn't get to the other day, so they headed that way.
Gai was obviously impressed with the beautiful scenery that greeted them, but it seemed to do the most good for Tama. He had been tense as a cobra since their unnerving conversation, but the park seemed to make his tension melt instantly. They found a beautiful stone bench, very similar to the one he first met Tama at, and the young man sank down into it gratefully. Tenzou and Gai stood at opposite ends of the bench, one facing north and one facing south, and soaked in the scenery along with their charge.
A few relaxing moments passed before Tama glanced up at Tenzou.
"I did always find it strange that you were so fit. No one who wears clothing that expensive would ever work hard enough to look like you."
Tenzou's shoulders sagged slightly with guilt. He turned to look down at Tama, knowing his face was hidden, but hoping his sincerity shone through.
"I truly apologize if you felt deceived."
Tama laughed genuinely. "Don't feel bad. I understand. I'm a little embarrassed, though. I unknowingly hit on my bodyguard. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
Tenzou shook his head lightly, fully aware of Gai right across from him. This was an awkward conversation to have with an audience. "You didn't. But...I have a feeling you knew exactly what you were doing yesterday." Tenzou added, his voice form, his gaze steady. Tama returned it, but said nothing. He looked back towards the creek without another word.
They stayed that way, with small chatter filling in the silence from time to time, until it became too dark and they had to leave. Gai and Tenzou walked a very silent, withdrawn Tama back to his home. When they reached the beautiful, three story structure, their charge suddenly whirled around and faced them. "Before we part, I'd like to speak to you alone." he directed to Tenzou. Gai looked a little startled, but recovered quickly and bowed every so slightly in consent. He leaped up, onto the roof, and was gone. Tenzou took a step closer to Tama, who had his hands on his hips in obvious tension.
"What's the matter?" Tenzou asked quietly.
Tama exhaled loudly, then pulled his head up to glance, searchingly, at Tenzou. "I really...don't want you to share this information with anyone else. There's no point."
Tenzou frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tama. If it has to do with this mission, I must tell them. They're all excellent men and I trust them totally. Whatever you tell me, you can tell them."
Another loud sigh from Tama, but from the way his shoulders hung, he seemed to give up. He gathered his wits, took a deep breath, and continued. "What you asked earlier...you were right. My stepfather knew I wasn't attracted to women. He was angry and disappointed, and married me off to straighten me out."
Tenzou started forward in shock. "Hold on. Stepfather?"
"Ah...yes. My mother died a few years ago, and my father died five years before her."
Oh crap. Things were making too much sense now.
"I..I can't say for sure what other motivations he had, but I can tell he's been angry with me for the last couple of years. My mother encouraged me to take a more active role in the council, especially since my father was once part of it, so I did so to honour her. Apparently I've been doing a good job, because I've gotten a lot of praise. My stepfather is an alright politician, I don't necessarily think there's anything horrible with how he does things, but I think the village preferred my father and expect me to follow in his foot steps. I can tell stepfather doesn't like that. That's all I can say."
Tenzou ran a hand through his hair, processing all the information playing bumper cars in his head as quickly as possible. "Do you think Flower would want you dead for breaking off that engagement, Tama?"
The other man stared at Tenzou, hard. They looked into each others eyes for almost a minute.
"No. She wasn't anyone special, just the daughter of someone my stepfather knows."
Wow.
Tenzou actually felt a little dizzy. He had to blink several times to get his bearings.
"We'll do our best to protect you, Tama. I'm sorry..." Tenzou breathed, unable to fathom how someone could be such a colossal asshole.
Tama seemed to suddenly be overcome with emotion. He rushed towards Tenzou, the shinobi having to take a slight step back to avoid them colliding. His handsome features were twisted with anxiety, and he looked the most panicked Tenzou ever thought he'd see him.
"I can't stand this place." he hissed, grabbing Tenzou's forearms. "I feel trapped. No one will ever understand, and I have nowhere to go. What am I supposed to do?"
Tenzou wished he didn't have to be masked for this conversation, because Tama clearly needed some kind of outlet and he felt cold and removed without the help of his facial expressions. "It's alright, don't panic. Do you have any friends to talk to?"
"Yes..." Tama answered, his expression suddenly so tragic Tenzou felt his heart lurch. "They were sent away, 'for their own safety'. He made it seem like he was sending them on a trip as a congratulations for graduating from their studies. You see, he controls everything...that's how easy it is for him to isolate me. And then...you came along...it made me happy, because it gave me hope that I could find someone some day, and not live a lie. You're everything I could ever hope to have. Its not so bad to want that, is it?"
Tenzou gaped in horror, with absolutely no idea what to say that wouldn't sound stupid. Tama was in a considerable amount of pain, and he didn't know if he'd be able to help. To think one of the things Tama was so distraught about was something Tenzou had gotten without even knowing he wanted it made him feel terrible. Kakashi had practically landed in his lap, right when he was ready to have him.
"Tama...of course not..." Tenzou attempted lamely. "Ah...I'm sorry, I wish I was better at this. But, if you keep being as brave as you've been, I have no doubt that everything will turn out alright. Honestly." Tenzou smiled, despite knowing it was hidden from view. Tama seemed to deflate slightly.
"Right. Brave...that's what got me into this mess." he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to unload on you. I've only known you for a few days, but..."
"It's alright." Tenzou whispered as reassuringly as he could. "Is there anything else you think we should know?"
Tama slowly shook his head.
"Okay. Please, get some rest. Don't worry, we'll watch over you."
It seemed like the other man had something more he wanted to say, but he thought better of it. He smiled weakly, bowed his goodbye, then turned and slowly walked up his steps. Tenzou quickly whipped up a wood clone to go in after him, just in case someone was in the house. When Tama was out of sight, Tenzou made his way up into the trees to meet with his team. They were all on various branches, clearly waiting for him, and probably listening. When he reached them, he crouched down low, sighing heavily.
"Man." he murmured.
There was a heavy silence among them all, as everyone slowly chewed on what was revealed. Kakashi spoke first, his voice low and grated.
"Is everyone of the assumption that Maiku was responsible for the men who attacked Tama?"
Three nods. Kakashi sighed. "This is very heavy. It's incredibly illegal, and heavy. Ignoring the fact that Maiku approached another village with a complete lie of a mission, he's attempted assassination."
"Do we reveal ourselves to the rest of the council, and tell them what our mission specs were? That should be enough to unravel everything, really." Tenzou asked quietly.
Kakashi rubbed his temples in open frustration, something he did not regularly do. "It goes against every single one of our protocols. But it would be the quickest solution."
"Well..." Genma started cautiously. "Technically, this mission is bunk. Maiku lied about literally every single detail. He's wasting our time and using us as pawns in some kind of twisted game he's decided to play. That alone should give us control over what we do."
"Theoretically." Kakashi murmured. "Are we all in favour of doing this?"
Three nods again. Kakashi glanced at the ground, going over a plethora of details quickly in his incredibly intelligent brain. He flicked his eyes back up at his team.
"We're not wasting another second on a non-mission. And our village isn't one to put up with traitors. We'll fix this and leave."
All three of them whooped and punched the air. Hopefully, what they did could save Tama. He didn't deserve to be treated the way he had.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The next morning, the Head of Council nearly leaped out of his skin at the sight of four very horribly dressed ninja's perched in various spots in his office. He nearly screamed his head off, but one of them stood and raised both his hands in obvious surrender.
"We're not here to hurt you. You must recognize us."
Gathering his wits, the man named Huriko answered. "Why...yes. You're Tama's body guards, aren't you?"
"Well, that's what we thought we were." Kakashi answered, reaching behind him and pulling a scroll out of his pouch. "Until we got to know Tama a little better. Did you know there was a marriage arrangement settled between Waterfall and Flower village? With various deals ranging from weapons and treaties signed in the process?"
Huriko stared at Kakashi like he had six heads. "What the hell are you talking about? I think I would have heard of that."
"Of course. You're the head of the council; it only makes sense."
Huriko looked like he was losing patience. "Alright, just what the hell is going on?"
Kakashi handed him their mission scroll. "This was the mission we were assigned. Maiku approached our village and asked for four shinobi. The mission said we needed to protect his son, and we needed to protect an 'artifact' that would be on display at the festival. When we got here, Maiku admitted the artifact meant nothing, and he only wanted us to protect his son from the potential wrath of Flower for having broken their wedding agreement."
Huriko looked confused and slightly horrified as he read the scroll. He looked down, and there at the bottom was Maiku's signature. "I don't...understand..."
"You should speak to Tama, in private. I think he will have more information for you. He told us there WAS a wedding, but it was just to a common woman and had nothing to do with the villages. And yet, Tama was attacked in public yesterday. What happened to the men who tried to kill him?"
Huriko turned white. "They...they escaped from the prison. No one understands how."
"Ah. Convenient." Kakashi concluded for him.
Huriko rolled up the scroll, but barely seemed to pay attention to what he was doing. "How long have you four been here...?"
"Since the first day of the festival."
Huriko shook his head. He was obviously in stunned disbelief, and needed more information.
"Talk to Tama. Go to his house. We'll be watching for another day, so no harm will come to you or him."
Huriko now nodded, looking determined. "Where are you all from..?"
Kakashi shook his head. "I would rather not say, just in case. It is a grave offence to lie about a mission, so if you do not do something about Maiku, our village may have to."
The Head of Council looked rightly cowed. "Of course...you must understand, this is all so sudden..."
"Yes. But, I believe things will make sense if you speak to Tama."
Huriko turned to grab his coat, and Kakashi knew they had succeeded. The rest was up to their charge.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The group of ninja waited outside of Tama's house quietly, taking up perch in his large oak tree once again. Tenzou was on the edge of his branch waiting to see what the outcome would be. He had no idea he'd get so personally attached to his first mission. Usually ANBU assignments were cold and ruthless. This one had been the total opposite.
The two Waterfall villagers talked for almost two hours, a sign Tenzou rightfully took as good. When Huriko finally emerged, his mouth was set in a grim line and he was booking it back to the Council. Tenzou had the strong urge to go down and make sure everything had turned out alright. A glance up at Kakashi told him he wasn't the only one.
"Go and see to Tama. I will head back to the council and make sure we're good to leave. You two." he turned to Gai and Genma. "Stay here until Tenzou comes back out. We'll all meet here."
Everyone did as they were told. Tenzou quietly slipped in through Tama's bedroom window to find him sitting on his bed, looking slightly shell shocked. When he saw Tenzou, his entire face transformed. He ran at the mokuton user and embraced him tightly. Tenzou took that as a good sign, smiled and hugged him back.
"All went well?"
"Well...what an understatement." Tama breathed, releasing the Konoha shinobi with a broad grin. "Huriko is very powerful, very kind, and he knows everything. I can't even..." he choked up slightly and had to clear his throat. "I...don't know how to thank you. I'm not sure what's going to happen next, but I feel like I finally have a chance to be happy."
Tenzou thought his face was going to crack in half, he smiled so wide. "That's fantastic."
Tama suddenly faltered. He looked down, nervous. "Hanj...haha, well...that's probably not even your name. But...I'd really rather say goodbye to your face."
Well, since Tama knew right well what Tenzou looked like, there was no harm. He peeled his awful, creepy mask off and let his smile shine through to Tama. "I sincerely hope everything goes well for you. If our captain decides things are finalized, then yes, we'll be going."
Tama took a deep, shaky breath. "Right. Well, thank you again. I wish...I mean, I don't know anything about you."
"That's for the best." Tenzou replied warmly.
Tama nodded, but he bit his bottom lip, which made it obvious he wasn't finished. "I'd really like...to say goodbye properly. I know I'm never going to see you again."
Tenzou blushed and tensed. He nervously tugged at the hair at the nape of his neck. "Tama...there's someone else. He wouldn't appreciate that."
Realization dawned on the young man's features. "Ah...right. Well, that's not surprising. He's lucky."
Tenzou decided that now would be a good time to say goodbye. He held his hand out for Tama. "It was a pleasure working with you. You're incredibly attractive, bright and kind. I'm not worried at all; you'll find someone worthy."
With a bright blush, for once, Tama returned the handshake. "Thanks. Good luck with...whoever."
The slight bitterness in Tama's tone made Tenzou laugh lightly. "Thanks, I'll tell him you said that." With a final smile, Tenzou hopped onto the ledge of the window, waved to Tama, then was gone. Tama watched him go, sighed, and closed his window.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
When Tenzou got back to the tree he was surprised to find Kakashi already there. He landed and instantly addressed him. "Senpai! What's the news?"
"We're clear. Maiku has been detained, and no one else is after Tama. Maiku ran out of money it seems."
"I don't get it. Why hire people to take out Tama, then hire us to protect him? Did he not actually want him dead?" Genma was obviously finished with the backwardness of this mission.
"No, it appears he didn't. He wanted him to leave. Marrying him off didn't work, so he tried scaring him instead. But, he wanted no blame in anything, so he hired us to make it look like he tried everything to protect Tama."
"Freaking' amateur. How is he in politics..." Genma grumbled.
"Wait. So..." Tenzou actually scratched his head in confusion. "He hired people to make it look like they were trying to assassinate Tama for breaking off a marriage that Tama knew wasn't high profile, in order to scare him off? So he didn't care, at all, that his own stepson knew he was behind the attacks? And if he tried to say something, he hired us to make it look like Tama's claims were impossible? But all someone would have to do is look into the whole marriage thing to see something was off. How was this ever going to work?"
"I don't necessarily think Maiku would have tied the attacks to the marriage if anyone from the council asked about it. That story was merely for us, for 'mission' purposes. He probably would have claimed ignorance. The main reason he wanted us undercover was not to keep Tama safe, but to hide the fact that Maiku had hired someone to protect Tama from a threat he wasn't supposed to know about. He, clearly, broke his own hired men out of prison so no one would interrogate them on who hired them. That is why he had no problems with us coming out into the open AFTER the attack, when it would make sense to hire ninja. Unfortunately, he never banked on us having enough integrity to ruin his entire plan in order to help someone we barely knew."
Gai absolutely beamed at this. "THAT IS CORRECT! ALL INJUSTICES SHALL BE OVERCOME BY OUR PURE HEARTS!" he shouted, jabbing a clenched fist up into the air and whipping out his hip. His bright smile flashed under his mask.
They all sighed.
"Let's head back to the hotel and pack up." Kakashi ordered, his team complying wordlessly. Gai, however, struck one more pose before he leaped off his branch.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
It took all of ten minutes for Kakashi and his team to pack up their two outfits and very much unused weapons. They decided to wear their horrible, fake uniforms home, since they'd at least be unrecognized if they were spotted leaping through the trees, which is exactly how they intended to get back. No more boring horse and carriage for them.
The journey back was pleasant, as most of them hadn't gotten much exercise in almost four days. It was definitely the oddest mission any of them had ever been on, but they all had a happy sense of accomplishment because, at the very least, they had helped someone. Hopefully.
They made it back to Konoha in just over three hours. The gate guards, obviously, stopped them quickly and asked them for identification. It was fairly hilarious to watch Kakashi rip a hole in the top of his mask and pull it down like a banana peel to reveal only his eyes to the startled guards. They laughed upon recognizing who it obviously was.
"Hatake Kakashi won't even reveal his mouth to gain access to his own village." One of them mused.
They teleported themselves back to the ANBU base, and upon setting foot on home turf, all of them broke out into ridiculous grins.
"Pretty awesome to be home. And almost in one piece!" Genma quipped, poking Tenzou in the side.
Kakashi sighed as dramatically as Kakashi could sigh and hung his head slightly. "I have to report to the Hokage."
He sent a sideways glance at Gai. The tall jounin looked like he would happily do it, but Tenzou tossed a heated glare Kakashi's way and the captain decided he had better do his job or risk the unimpressed wrath of his kouhai. He shot Tenzou a withering pout, which was easily rebuked, before he disappeared to make his verbal report.
Genma turned to Tenzou with a twisted grin that made the mokuton user know something embarrassing was going to happen. "Sooo...I guess you and Kakashi will be rooming together again, eh?"
Yup.
"Ah. I suppose so..."
"Well, considering how often you are probably going to bang, it would be the best option I'd think."
Gai had taken the smart route and disappeared into his room as soon as Genma threw the conversation down the gutter.
"Genma..." Tenzou sighed, and the senbon wielder merely grinned wider in response.
"Oh, come on. I am going to bug you guys about this for at LEAST a month. So, get used to it."
Tenzou sent his friend a withering eyeroll, which he quickly followed up with a smile as he turned his back and walked towards his much missed room. "You're just jealous."
Genma laughed loudly as Tenzou closed the door to the hallway. Finally alone and in a comfortable place, Tenzou breathed in the air around their cozy little room. He couldn't help but run his fingers gently over the edge of Kakashi's bed. He felt slightly giddy, because if the direction their relationship had turned was any indication, Genma probably wasn't far off in his accusations. It made Tenzou feel warm, and also, slightly confused. How he had suddenly landed himself with the captain of their ANBU team, and one of the most popular shinobi in their village, still frazzled him. But, if he was honest with himself, he saw Kakashi less and less as what his status merited, and more as the man he really was. Which...really, was a slow process. Kakashi was extremely withdrawn, even around people he obviously cared for.
Yawning, Tenzou flopped down onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow. Grumbling, he remembered he was still wearing his horrible loaned uniform. Without getting up, he wiggled out of his clothes and tossed them across the room. He'd been lazy enough to leave a pair of baggy pants and under shirt beside his pillow, so he slipped those on instead. Finally, he relaxed. There was just something about your own bed that made it magical. Before he knew it, he was drifting off into a light sleep.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The soft feeling of fingers gliding through his hair jerked him out of his nap. Tenzou's eyes popped open to find Kakashi standing by his bed side, watching him with soft eyes. Tenzou smiled up at him and revelled in the feeling of being able to enjoy the moment without worrying about anyone walking in on them.
"How did the debrief go?" Tenzou asked quietly. Kakashi absently continued combing his fingers through Tenzou's hair as he answered.
"Alright." he sighed, his lazy expression returning. "I have a ton of paperwork to do in order to officially file our sham of a mission." Kakashi did not hesitate in sending an accusing glance Tenzou's way. His told tightened on his kouhai's hair. "Thank you for that."
Tenzou felt sorry not even a little. "Pft, what kind of a captain are you, Senpai? You shouldn't try and make me feel guilty about not-oww!"
Kakashi yanked Tenzou's head to the side and the mokuton user jerked to a sitting position. He glared. "Oi, really, Kakashi-senpai? Oww!" Tenzou squawked, bouncing to the side of his bed as Kakashi jabbed him in the ribs with his finger.
"The kind who punishes his subordinates for their misdirected attitudes." the copy-nin responded, his voice monotone, but his eyes shone in a way that made it clear he was greatly enjoying himself. Tenzou narrowed his eyes. Game on.
The mokuton user launched himself at Kakashi, aiming for his stomach, but both his hands were caught. Tenzou pushed against his captains arms, but they were fairly equal in strength, so they budged only slightly. "Is there a punishment for lazy captains who only do the portions of their jobs that they enjoy?" he bit back, raising his leg and drilling into Kakashi's side with his knee. "I'm going to file an 'abuse of power' report against you."
Kakashi tossed himself onto his side, to avoid Tenzou's knee, but also to yank the other man along with him and throw him off balance. It worked, and Kakashi managed to straddle Tenzou's waist and pin him to the bed. "You're not in the position to file anything, kouhai." he purred down at his captive. "Why don't you be a good underling and do as your told?"
Tenzou struggled in vain against Kakashi, who had the weight advantage, before his head fell back against the bed again. He gazed at his captain with an uncharacteristically smug expression.
"Because I don't think you'd actually like that."
Kakashi grinned down at him, forcing his arms up over his head and pinning them against the pillow. He leaned in, his stomach muscles tensing, all of his weight on his arms and knees. "Oh. You think you know me now?"
Tenzou's face suddenly fell. "I wish I did."
Kakashi blinked, taken aback. He looked concerned, like he wanted to say something to placate Tenzou. A wicked grin spread across Tenzou's cheeks as he whipped his legs up and kicked Kakashi off the bed. Since his captain was already at an awkward angle, he fell back, startled, and landed on the floor with a loud 'plop'. Tenzou leaped up to stand on the bed, his knees slightly bent in preparation for a fight.
"Ha!"
Kakashi lay on the ground on his side, looking up at Tenzou with a look of obviously exaggerated sorrow. "You betrayed me..."
"Pft. Sore loser." Tenzou answered, his face absolutely glowing in his victory. His large almond shaped eyes shone. He looked like a little kid in a candy store. Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly, though he managed to still look bored.
"Maa...come down here."
Tenzou's wide smile went even larger. "Nope! You won't trick me."
Arms wrapped around Tenzou's body and he cursed loudly and colourfully. Of course, Kakashi would manage to sneak a shadow clone around to him, wouldn't he? "Oh, you're bringing jutsu into this, are you?"
Kakashi suddenly looked genuinely worried. "Wait. Tenzou-"
Wooden spikes burst out of his back and punctured Kakashi's clone. It's eyes widened in surprise before it was gone with a smokey 'poof'. Tenzou kept his hands together, grinned at his Senpai, and sent tendrils of wood spiralling towards him. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, accepting the challenge, and disappeared before Tenzou's mokuton could reach him. Whirling around as quickly as possible, Tenzou's eyes scanned the room. Kakashi didn't appear to be anywhere. He wondered if he would go as far as to leave the room. Tentatively, Tenzou stepped off of the bed. A hand shot out from under him and yanked hard, sending the mokuton user sprawling to the floor. Kakashi was under the bed, smiling happily. Tenzou merely smiled back and snaked a tendril of wood around his body towards his captains hand. It never reached Kakashi, as he rolled to the side and out from under the bed. Getting to his feet quickly, Tenzou attacked again with the mokuton. Kakashi ran up the wall, across the ceiling, leaping to the floor and back up the wall again as he fluidly dodged Tenzou's attacks. To get away from him in such a small space...Tenzou was losing focus from being impressed, and incredibly turned on.
Kakashi suddenly rushed at him and Tenzou tried to snatch him out of the air, but his captain was expecting it. He disappeared, reappeared on top of the wood tendril and used it as leverage to spear himself at Tenzou. They smacked into each other and both went flying towards the door. To Tenzou's surprise, he hit soft padding instead of hard wood. He craned his head up and looked straight at Kakashi. Arms wrapped around him again, his captain smiling into his face.
"Gotcha."
Kakashi's entire being radiated warmth, and it made Tenzou warm, too. His smile matched Kakashi's as his eyes shone. "Lucky me." was his honest reply.
The change in Kakashi's face made Tenzou's breath catch in his throat. He felt Kakashi's fingers tilt his chin up further, his hand resting on his neck, heat radiating through their skin. As the seconds ticked by, they could only stare into each others eyes. Kakashi's eyes glittered with affection, but not unusually, they were stained with something darker.
"I guess that remains to be seen." he answered quietly, the dullness behind the warmth in his eyes creeping through just that much more.
"Don't say that, Senpai. I can tell you're putting a lot of effort into...ah...this. You seem so different from when I first met you. We'll be fine if we try."
The darkness seemed to melt from Kakashi's eyes as his smile widened. "I feel different. You're having a strange affect on me."
"Oh? Is it because you can't be lazy?"
"I don't want to be." Kakashi replied so softly his words seemed to ghost across Tenzou's skin. There was a moment where both their hearts seemed to stop beating at the same time, where the air was so thick Tenzou could hardly breathe, and then they were kissing and it was all he wanted to know. It seemed the passion that gripped his body when they were together intensified with every new moment. Each time was never like the last, but better, as if knowing each other for another day was enough to make Kakashi's lips taste that much sweeter.
Tenzou turned around so he was facing Kakashi, straddling his lap, running his hands under his shirt and up his chest. It seemed he'd gotten annoyed and undone a lot of the bandages on his uniform during his meeting with the Hokage, which was quite handy for their current situation. The ground suddenly left him as Kakashi gripped him under his thighs and stood, carrying Tenzou back to the bed. The fire in Tenzou's groin surged as Kakashi tossed him onto the bed roughly and the two locked eyes, both their gazes heated. Kakashi stood at the edge of the bed and slowly peeled off his shirt, keeping his eyes on his kouhai. Tenzou did the same, both tossing their tops to the side at the same time. Pants followed, Tenzou lifting his hips to pull them down, Kakashi's eyes darting down to his pelvis. When they were naked, Kakashi slowly crawled onto the bed, over Tenzou, till their faces were hovering apart. They kissed again, pressing their bodies together. What started off slow and sensual was quickly becoming more heated. Their kiss was faster, deeper, their hips crashed together, chests pressed so close it hampered their breath. Tenzou moaned Kakashi's name, low and raspy. A warm hand closed tightly around his cock in response and he bucked into it, grasping Kakashi's in return. They kissed and touched each other, Tenzou's light gasps filling the room and brushing against Kakashi's lips.
Kakashi somehow procured a vial of oil in his usual crafty manner and quickly prepared Tenzou. The mokuton user rolled his hips along with Kakashi's fingers, a light keen in the back of his throat. Kakashi entered him, all of his self control going to starting slow, deep, working Tenzou into a slight frenzy. He was so warm, so tight, that Kakashi had to grip the bed post to keep his balance. He felt Tenzou dig his nails into his back and had to fight for control again. Everything about Tenzou drove him crazy. When his kouhai quietly begged for more, whispered it into his neck, he threw caution to the wind. With an almost bruising grip on Tenzou's thighs, he angled his hips and thrust into him so fluidly Tenzou's mouth fell open and his back arched high off the bed. He kept his pace until he felt Tenzou clench tighter around him, a deep groan catching in his throat. Both of them came hard, loud, as Kakashi fucked Tenzou right up against the headboard.
As their orgasms flooded their bodies they caught their breaths, folded against each other. Kakashi gently kissed the side of Tenzou's face, the mokuton user smiling at him happily, his eyes glazed over. Both slid under the sheets, Tenzou curled up against Kakashi, and merely enjoyed being together. The moment was doubly sweet as they had been robbed of it just the other night. Kakashi made a comment about Tenzou's lovely begging skills and the mokuton user swatted him in response. After a while of laying together, both slowly drifted off to sleep.
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