'Krazed: your reviews make my day, seriously. It's like writing a paper for English class based on a book you haven't read and then getting an A+ on it with little comments in the margins from your teacher and all their friends who read it. (That happened to me once, it was awesome. I wrote the essay in twenty minutes right before it was due. The kid next to me worked on it for a month and got a C-. I love my life.)
Ryuu: of course I will run away with you. Meet you in Panama? That's about half way between you and me… You'll bring chocolate, right? (I now have a globe sitting next to my bed because of you. I believe I shall buy it a hat… something French…) And no, I don't like Sakura on the show. She's too immature, and too much like a vast majority of my friends. I'm much fonder of characters like Kurenai and Tsunade who don't piss me off almost every time they open their mouths. Oh gosh, that was a little harsh, wasn't it? Sorry.
I quickly discover why it is that I can't find my towel, the man is holding it, just letting it dangle off his finger, as if he's teasing me. "Lord Toriyama…" I whisper, sinking back into the tub. "What are you-"
"Stand up, Sakura," blood rushes to my face. "I want to see what it is that has captured Kakashi's… heart."
I stutter for a moment, lost. What the hell is going on? "Kakashi doesn't love me for my body," I argue weakly. "There is nothing I can show you that has gone into Kakashi's decision to marry me."
"I'd like to see though, all the same," he says, watching me calmly.
"No," I say plainly. "Go look at someone else, I'm taken."
Hironori sighs, rolling his eyes as he drops the towel on the floor. "Ok, Sakura, let's do it this way. Let me see you, or I won't allow you to marry Kakashi."
I stare him down for a moment after those words. This man isn't attracted to me, as flattering as that might be; even now he's not putting off that 'vibe'. Why would he want to see me naked? There are no marks on my body other than scars. He knows who I am, and that I'm a ninja, so seeing the scars wouldn't validate any ideas he has in his head. Why else would he want to see me naked? Perhaps a test, to see if he thinks I'm good enough for Kakashi?
Or maybe another kind of test.
"No," I say solidly, dipping further into the tub. "I think you've miscalculated… my desire to marry Kakashi… isn't nearly as strong as my desire to remain faithful to him."
"Just a look, Sakura," he says with a coy smile. "That's not cheating."
"No," I say slowly. "But what happens next time you send Kakashi away? Just a little touch? A kiss? A fuck?" I laugh coldly. "I would rather die single, than give myself to you before Kakashi."
"You've not been with Kakashi?" He ask, seemingly surprised.
"No," I say calmly. "We're waiting until we're married."
"You're no virgin, and I know Kakashi isn't either." Déjà vu…
"There are more reasons to wait to have sex than simply to protect one's virginity. I don't have to tell you this!" I complain. "Leave me alone, I said no, now get out!"
"What if I refuse to leave?" He asks, smirking.
I narrow my eyes at him and I see a shift in his expression immediately. A small shift, but still there. Fear. I almost laugh, good, he should be scared. "I think you're forgetting, Lord Toriyama, I am a ninja, and not just any ninja, but an elite ninja, who happens to be engaged to another elite ninja, and socially accepted as the daughter of one of the legendary Sanin. I can make you suffer for years in the time of mere seconds. I can destroy your mind with a simple touch, and if you piss me off, I can castrate you from right here."
He smiles softly, and for a moment I'm scared he might call my bluff, but he simply puts his hands up in mock surrender, kicking my towel to me as he backs out of the room.
I sigh carefully, catching the towel and wrapping it around myself, suddenly not in the mood to be naked. I feel dirty again, just having his eyes on what he might have seen of me. I dry off quickly and get dressed. Tomorrow I must shop, and find something more conservative to sleep in. I put my head in my hands, a headache forming just behind my eyes, and crawl into bed. I find with annoyance that I miss Kakashi's warmth in the big bed, and have to hold a pillow against my chest as I sleep. Kami, what's happening to me?
Unfortunately the next morning Shinji doesn't come to see me, nor the next day. I spend most of the two days avoiding Hironori, who seems to be everywhere. After the third time of his, "Why hello Sakura, I had hoped I'd be seeing more of you around town," and third time of me having to heal the chunks taken out of my palms by my nails I transformed myself into a little serving girl, something like the nervous one who I met two days ago. After I completed my shopping I only returned to the palace to sleep, bathing at the public baths and spending most of my time on the outskirts of the little town.
I found a little clearing just outside of the village and determined it would be good for training, or releasing my anger, more accurately.
Before the sun starts to set on the second day of this madness I stare at the sky from the hole I had punched in the ground, watching the thinning clouds. Shikamaru would be proud. I laugh quietly at the one that looks like a mouse on an elephant head, and wonder at the one impossibly similar to the top half of a very familiar face. The lion chewing on its own tail makes me grin as well.
"You know, this place used to be much prettier." I look up in shock, to see Kakashi standing above me, looking at the ground disdainfully.
"You're back!" I gasp, jumping to my feet and wrapping him in a big hug. I would kiss him, but… no who am I kidding. I kiss his mask a dozen times, holding him as close as I can.
"Was it that bad without me here?" He asks, startled, as he cautiously wraps his arms around me.
"It's so dull, Kakashi, and I'll have to kill your boss if he ever speaks to me again, and I couldn't sleep at all," my words are filtered into his jacket as he holds me, but I feel him stiffen at my threat.
"What did he do?" He asks slowly.
"Oh he's a bad man, Kakashi," I hold him closer, feeling better already with him in my arms. "He wanted to test my loyalty to you!"
"Yes, I told you that in the first place," Kakashi sighs, "Now what did he do?" I pull away, biting my lip. Perhaps it'd be better not to tell him. "Sakura, what did he do?"
He tried to sneak a peek? Attempted to get me to flash him? Did his best to break us up? "He… he's a peeping tom, Kakashi."
Kakashi's silent for a moment, and for a minute I'm scared he'll chastise me for being overly sensitive, but his eye brims with jealously when he looks down on me. "What happened?" He asks, as if he's hard of hearing.
"He came in while I was bathing, and demanded I… show myself," I blush crazily, looking away. "He said we couldn't get married if I didn't."
Kakashi's quiet for a moment, but I can feel him tremble. "Did you?"
"No," I whisper, horrified at the thought. "I thought that next time you were gone he might…" I don't want to finish that thought. I don't have to.
"I'll talk to him," Kakashi says, but by the way his hand keeps twitching, as if reaching for a kunai, I get the feeling that he won't just talk to him.
I want to tell him not to bother, but in all honesty… I want him to bother. "How are your ribs?" I ask, poking at his side.
He smiles down at me. "All better."
"I'll see about that," I respond… later perhaps. I freeze at that thought. I've been spending way too much time alone or in the company of dirty minded people. I un-tangle myself from Kakashi's arms slowly and step away. Speaking of dirty-mined people… "Why didn't you tell me Shinji was his brother?" I ask calmly.
Kakashi shrugs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I thought you'd figure it out." I shift between finding that offensive or a complement: hiding information or positive I would figure it out on my own. "How is Shinji?" he asks with a little sneer.
"Why do you hate him so much?" I ask with a scowl. "So far he's my only friend here, so stop being such a jerk."'
"We're not here to make friends, Sakura," he reminds me quietly.
"It couldn't hurt," I argue, hands on my hips.
He sighs, turning away. "I'm not going to fight you, Sakura."
"Yes you are," I sigh, following him slowly. "You always fight me; it's what I like about you." He looks down at me, amused at my admittance of liking him. "But, I believe you owe me an apology."
Kakashi doesn't sigh, or roll him eyes, like I expected him to, but takes my hand in his. "I'm sorry I assumed you weren't as good as the boys, just because you were a girl, it was shallow thinking, and I have been proved wrong a thousand times."
I nod slowly. "Good start."
He doesn't complain, just chronologically apologizes for every little thing he'd ever done, some I didn't even realize he had been doing, some I had forgotten about. Most of them didn't really matter to me.
When we get back to the castle I cut him off at him apologizing for abandoning my training in favor of Sauske. "You've really put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?" I ask, the setting sun hiding his face in shadows.
"It's important to you," he says with a shrug. "Shall I continue?"
I smile softly and he looks away quickly. "Wait until we get back to our room, I think some of these ones coming up should be private, since they might have to do with missions." He nods, still not looking back to me. I wonder distantly what I've done; concerned I might have offended him. As we walk through the mansion silently I hear Hironori's voice through one of the walls. He's talking to a woman, who answers his question in a smooth, practiced voice, making me think she's a prostitute of some magnitude. Kakashi raises an eyebrow at me and I nod after careful thought.
He sighs and pulls open the door, barging in on Hironori lowering his lips to the scantily clad woman's neck. She scrambles away when Kakashi strides across the room, kunai in hand, and grabs Hironori, roughly pinning him face first to a wall. The woman streaks past me, holding pieces of clothing to her exposed skin and I watch in sick pleasure as Kakashi presses the kunai to Hironori's flawless skin. He lowers his masked lips to the man's ear and spits out a few choice words which I hear plain as day. "You may think you're on safe ground, pushing your weight around where you choose because we want something from you, but truth is; I simply came here because, as my friend, I thought you might want to help me. If all you're going to do is harass my fiancé and separate us as much as possible… well… I'm a ninja; do you think I'd flinch at one more man's blood on my hands?"
Hironori gasps against the wall, fidgeting. "Kakashi," he mutters, voice calm, but expression panicked. "Your fiancé quite loudly expressed her desire to be left alone. I haven't done anything since."
"You shouldn't have done anything in the first place," Kakashi hisses, shifting so Hironori hits the wall again, shaking the little table leading against it so the glass bowls on it clink against each other. Kakashi lowers his voice and says a few words in the man's ear that make his eyes widen in fear, or perhaps surprise, words I can't hear. "You understand?" Kakashi asks, loud enough for me to hear.
"Y-yes," he stutters, nodding.
"And?" Kakashi edges, waiting for something.
"I-I'm so sorry, Haruno-san," well it's a step up, anyways. "Will… will you pl-please forgive me?"
"Let him go," I say to Kakashi, sickened by the powerful man groveling.
"Yeah," Kakashi sighs, "this is for me though," he digs the kunai deeper into Hironori, allowing a thin like of blood to stream down the man's cheek. "If you get that healed… If I don't see a scar on your face whenever I see you, Hiro… I'll cut something off. Take care," he says, dropping the man and striding out of the room. Kakashi doesn't see it but as he leaves Hironori drops to his knees, bowing with his forehead almost touching the floor. Good. Stay there.
As Kakashi moves past me he pulls me against his side, walking with his hand low on my hip. A trill of excitement shoot through me realizing he's still angry. "Quite an eccentric way you have of talking to people," I comment. "That seemed a bit much though, didn't it?" No, it didn't. In all honesty it didn't seem to be enough. Kakashi apparently agrees.
"No, it wasn't enough, but still, that was stupid…" Kakashi mutters, anger staying in place. I'm almost happy. This anger he's been showing lately, when not directed at me, is actually rather… no. Not a safe thought process, that. His hand on my hip moves slightly so his first two fingers are under my shirt, touching my hip. I wait for some sign, some secret words, on my hip, but it's just his fingers, tapping against my skin impatiently.
The walls around us shake when Kakashi closes the door to our room behind us. I expect him to go pace on the other side of the room, or sit and fume quietly, or even start throwing things, but with one glance at me his expression changes. "Sakura?" He asks; voice haggard.
"Yes?" I ask calmly, watching him for any signs he might turn on me next.
"Close your eyes," he demands, reaching out to touch my cheek, suddenly so much closer to me, without having moved an inch. I can still feel the anger coursing through him.
"No," I say simply. "It you want to kiss me, you'll have to show me your face."
He growls slightly, hand going up to his mask. I don't even have time to see it properly, just a flash of skin before his lips crash against mine. Cheater. But my anger quickly dissipates as his lips move against my lips, and his body presses against my own. I gasp as his hands trail down my body, hesitating for one split second before giving my thighs a little tug. Without thinking I jump a little to wrap my legs around his waist, moving so he has to almost tilt his head up to kiss me.
A moment later I feel my back touch the sheets of the bed, Kakashi holding himself up just fractions of centimeters off of me. I groan against his lips, forcing my fingers through his hair as he moves his hands back up my body, slipping under my shirt. After a moment I lean up from the mattress, so that stupid shirt can come off. When he pulls away to pull it over my head I keep my eyes focused politely on the ceiling.
I flinch as his hands slide down my arms, and realizing what I've done I close my eyes. His hands have stopped, and his lips have not returned to me. "What?" I ask, breathless.
"What is this?" He asks, his voice scratchy. I don't have to answer; he's already comparing his hand to the bruise on my arm. "I did this to you?" He concludes, horrified.
"Kakashi, it's fine," I mutter, reaching out for him. "Just kiss me some more." But the passion sparked by his anger at Hironori is gone. He's pulled his mask back up, staring at me. I sigh heavily. "It's not as bad as it looks," I sooth, reaching out to him, pulling him against my nearly naked chest.
"I never meant to hurt you…" he whispers, fingers tracing the edges of the bruise with more care than I've ever seen him use.
"I know," I sigh. "It was an accident, don't worry about it."
"I have to… I have to…" He tries to pull away, but I easily pull him against me in annoyance, perhaps using a bit of my chakra strength.
"You have to stay right here, in this bed, with me," I finish sternly. "If you get up I will never forgive you."
"But I-" he seems so lost, it's almost cute.
"You've given me bruises and scars before," I say plainly. "My body can take a few hits, I'm a ninja. My ego cannot."
He seems to realize what I'm talking about then, realization dawning in his eyes. "Sakura…"
"Apologize to me some more," I say quickly, cutting him off, running my fingers through his messy hair as I hold his head to my chest.
"I'm sorry I didn't help you more with genjutsu." He says softly, "You're naturally very good with genjutsu, and with this eye I could've helped you to get better." Just like every other apology he's made today it's heart-felt and honest, as if he seriously regrets each and everything he's done to hurt me.
"Kurenai helped me with that one," I say softly. "That was actually how Genma and I got to know each other. She took me out drinking and he was there."
"Oh, and I'm sorry I told Genma I didn't mind if he tried to get you into bed." His voice is the smallest of whispers, as if he doesn't want me to hear. I almost don't hear it.
"Excuse me?" I asks, making sure I heard right.
"He asked if I would mind, I told him I wouldn't," Kakashi flinches when my fingers tighten in his hair. "I ended up minding very much, if it makes you feel any better. He talked about you for weeks."
"I left that big of an impression on him?" I ask, calmly digging my nails into Kakashi's scalp.
"He was obsessed with your hair," Kakashi nearly whimpers, "please don't hurt me."
I sigh, thinking of the irony of that statement, how he can hurt me, but I can't hurt him. But no, I'm not holding that against him, he didn't mean to hurt me, and I honestly don't want him to feel bad about it. I release my fingers from their hold on his scalp, slightly satisfied to see the roots of his hair turn slightly red with blood. And then quickly slap the back of his head. "Jerk," I growl, not daring to let him out of my arms for such a small offence, but still annoyed. "Why'd he even ask you?"
"I don't know," Kakashi sighs, but I get the feeling he's lying. "I think he just wanted to make sure I wouldn't kill him if you came running to me crying about what a bad guy he is."
"I wouldn't cry to you about something like that," I say with a snort of laughter.
"Why not?" Kakashi asks, looking up at me in honest curiosity. "That's what Ino did to Asuma…"
"That's not the same," I say, shaking my head. "Ino will cry to anyone who listens about what stupid things boys do to make her sad. I'd rather just forget it and move on. Besides, we never had that kind of relationship."
"I'm sorry I never worked to be a better friend to any of you," Kakashi says after a moment.
"I'm not," I say softly, "Or else this would be awkward."
Kakashi laughs softly. "Do you want to put on a shirt?"
"Do you want me to put on a shirt?" I tease. "You're the one who has their face on my chest…"
"No," he mutters softly, his fingers ghosting over my stomach. "It feels nice; you're warm… and soft."
"Ok, you're drunk, right?" I ask, suddenly suspicious. He laughs against my skin, moving his head as if trying to burrow into me. "Kakashi…"
"Sorry," he mutters against my chest. "You're heart is going crazy." I freeze in shock. Crap… "That's ok," he whispers, his fingers skimming across my stomach. "So is mine." I can't even think properly, much less put words together. "Like a humming bird," he says quietly, his fingers venturing further down my stomach, slowly but surely.
"I- Kakashi sen-" I bite my tongue, but it's too late.
"Kami, Sakura," he groans, pulling away slightly. "You make me feel so… evil."
"I didn't mean…" I stop. "It was just habit, I swear…"
"Yeah," he sighs, shaking his head. As he sits up he runs a hand through his hair, flinching, and then scowling at the blood on his fingers. He takes off the plain head band he had been wearing instead of the Konoha one since he left a few days ago and slips out of his jonin vest, heading towards the bath room. "It's been a long day," he mutters, grabbing his black sweat pants and another tank top with the attached mask. I swear he has a thousand of them.
Kami. I touch my chest carefully, feeling my heart flutter against my fingers. What the hell was that? While Kakashi is gone I quickly change into the least conservative of my pajamas. It's a hot night after all, or so I tell myself. I'm sitting cross-legged at the head of the bed, brushing my hair when he comes back, his hair wet and less bloody.
"Want me to heal the gouges in your head?" I ask, faking comfort.
He nods silently, his miss-matched eyes unreadable as he backs up to the foot of the bed and rolls backwards so his head is in my lap. I brush through some of his hair cautiously, moving it out of the way and glance at the four crescent marks in his head. He pulls the Icha Icha about the two of us out from his pack besides the bed and starts reading as I take care to move aside all his hair before stitching the openings together with chakra, healing hair into his skin wouldn't be very comfortable. Once I've finished I brush his hair out carefully, glancing at the pages of the book in his hands.
"Why do you keep reading that?" I ask, annoyed.
"I read everything Jiraiya-sama writes," he says sounding confused. "Why wouldn't I read this?"
"It's about us," I say with a huff, "doesn't it freak you out?"
"Not nearly as much as waking up to you calling me 'snuggle bunny' does," he says, sounding a little scared.
"You're still freaking out about that?" I ask with a laugh as I pull three little strands of hair apart from the others.
"It was weird Sakura," he mutters, turning the page.
I glance down at the picture of two Kakashi's and myself, looking more than a little flustered as they- "Holy crap," I mutter, looking back to his hair as I begin to braid it. "So 'snuggle bunny' is weird but looking at pictures of us in a threesome isn't?"
"It's not weird," he says, his voice light. "It's beautiful."
"Have you ever actually done that before?" I ask thoughtfully. "With a clone, I mean? I guess it would take away any problems of jealousy…"
"It's tiring," he says, with a final tone that is supposed to end the conversation, but to me just screams, 'I'm Embarrassed!'
"Oh," I sigh, smile on my lips. "So you can talk about other's sex lives but not your own?"
"Shut up, Sakura," he growls, turning the page to one without any pictures.
"Oh, sensei!" I gasp, reading over his shoulder. "That was amazing! I've never met a man like you!"
"Sakura…" He warns, trying to tilt the book so I can't see it, but I continue, making up my own dialogue.
"Well, that's not all I can do, my young cherry blossom, let me show you-" Kakashi snaps the book shut and reaches up to cover my mouth. I bite his hand, reaching over to take the book from his hands. "Give it to me," I growl, "It's about me: I want to read it!"
"No," he hisses back, moving it out of my reach. "You might get more ideas."
"Yeah!" I cheer as he puts the book under him. If he thinks that's going to stop me… "You said we could try out scenes from the book, let's do that!" He grabs my wrists as I try to dig under him for the book, unintentionally throwing my chest in front of his face. "Oops," I giggle, moving to slide my hand under him while he's appropriately distracted. Once I've got the book in my hands I hold it above my head, flipping through it for pictures. "Oh," I gasp at one that has Kakashi's head between my thighs. "This one!"
"Sakura!" he growls, reaching up to grab the book. I quite intentionally fall back onto the pillows behind me, putting him right back between my legs, face centimeters from mine. It feels natural to have him there. "Give me the book," he hisses.
"Only if you show me your face," I say with a grin, knowing he won't. His eyes narrow. "Or else I'm keeping it, and reading the whole thing, and then I'll repeat lines from it until you can't help but take me into the darkest corner you can find and-"
He groans loudly, perhaps more of a growl, his head hitting the bed next to mine. "Sakura… why are you doing this?"
"Because you're not!" I laugh dryly, slipping the small book off of the bed. "This is stupid, Kakashi. We're here trying to get married, far away from home where no one can see us, and both filled to the brim with sexual tension. Come on!"
"No," he says, shaking his head. "It's not… it's not right," his voice drops to a whisper at his last words. Perhaps because someone may be watching, or maybe because they're more to convince himself.
"Only because society says so," I whisper, trying to be comforting as I touch the side of his face carefully. "You've never followed their rules before. Why start now?"
"Because they're right, Sakura," he says softly. "Every time we end up like this… I can't help but-"
"Feel aroused?" I ask, lifting my hips against the proof behind my statement.
"Feel dirty," he says with a scowl, one hand drifting down to hold my hips in place against the mattress.
I sigh, turning my head away from him. "Get off of me," I order, trying to roll away.
"Sakura…" he mutters, voice apologetic.
"Get off," I repeat, giving him a little push. He moves from between my legs, to prop himself up on one arm next to me. "Turn off the lights," I demand, pushing myself into the pillows to fall asleep without Kakashi's arms around me.
When the lights go off, however, Kakashi returns to my side, fingers gently brushing my arms. I don't react as he pulls me into his arms, moving carefully so as not to startle me into killing him, I suppose. "Goodnight," he whispers against my shoulder.
"Night, snuggle bunny," I reply, smiling at my small victory: Icha Icha is now stashed in my backpack sitting half under our bed.
So I'm pretty sure fanfiction is broken. The number of hits won't change and I know they should be because 1: I've gotten reviews in the time since it stopped changing, and 2: I used my parent's computer to look at the story and the hits didn't go up, so anyone who knows what's going on… help? Any how, I think Kakashi's a little out of character this chapter, Sakura too, but you'll see why later. There happens to be a reason I (at least) find perfectly logical. The reasoning behind Kakashi's OOC-ness is a bit more obvious, I'll tell you Sakura's in the next chapter.