Disclaimer: I hope everyone realises that the original cast of Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

Chapter 22

"Why can't you get a post somewhere else?"

"Kakashi-"

"I mean, he could be spying on you. Or leering. The pervert, he's fantasizing about you!"

I rolled my eyes at him, shuffling off of his lap onto the sofa. I crossed my arms and waited for him to finish his rant. It was funny at first, but after a few minutes, it was a little tedious now.

"I should go and beat him up for even thinking such things, and I'll get Gai to help too!"

Okay, getting Gai involved meant that Kakashi's rant had gone a step too far. I grabbed his arm before he could leave the couch and pulled him closer to me. "Kakashi, you can't just go beating people up for possibly thinking of me in a sexual way."

"I know, but it's Genma."

"And?"

"..."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Is this because I've already been with him-"

"YES!" Kakashi cried, turning to face me fully now. The TV was still playing in the background, but now all it did was cast a flickering glow across half of Kakashi's unmasked face. "Other people might think of you that way, but he's the only one that actually knows."

I bit my lip, "He's not the only one who knows." It didn't help, but I thought it was better to be honest. Kakashi groaned, slumping back into the sofa with his eyes closed and a pout on his lips. I flipped over so I was straddling him, placing a small kiss on his lips. "Kakashi?"

"There were more?"

"Oh don't be such a baby over this. I thought we were both adults here."

"Yes, but I don't like sharing."

"Technically, you haven't shared yet."

One of Kakashi's eyes opened, glaring at me. "And that makes me feel so much better."

I sighed, running my hands through his silver hair, the big jealous baby. Trailing kisses up his neck, I couldn't help smiling when his hands reached up and gripped my hips. His thumbs were tracing circles on my stomach, and butterflies erupted inside me. "Kakashi... surely you know that there is no question of sharing. Had Madara not interrupted us that one time, and had our schedules been a little bit freer, I would already be yours." My hands trailed down around his neck and down his chest as I pushed myself a little away from him. His head popped up so he could still see me. "There's no sharing Kakashi, because I'm yours and no one else's."

A devilish grin spread across Kakashi's face, and I wondered what I'd released with my words. My thoughts stopped short though when I found myself on my back on the sofa with Kakashi hovering over me planting kisses all over my face. "I like the sound of that. My Natsuki and no one else's. Ever."

"And what about you? Are you mine too?"

"Of course."

I had to smile at his response, and I pulled him down onto the sofa with me into a hug. "Of course."

"So does that mean I can have you now?" I blinked up at him, what? "Natsuki-chan?"

"Now? Here?"

"Yes."

I slapped the back of his head, "Kakashi, I refuse to have our first time on the sofa! Can't you be at least a little bit romantic?"

"I can be romantic." Kakashi said with a pout, leaning forward to kiss me again when I stopped him.

"Slow down Casanova, anyway, you spent so long sulking that I have to go to my post now."

"What? No!" Kakashi cried, holding me tighter. I simply teleported out of his arms, finding smug satisfaction at watching him face-plant into the sofa. "That's not fair! And who's this Casanova?"

"You were the one who was sulking." I said with a smile, before leaning down and placing a quick kiss on his lips. "I'll be back later, although I think you have your own work to do too-" A pale hand wrapped around my wrist before I could walk away, and I found myself drawn into Kakashi's dark serious eyes. They seemed to have a hold over me, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him even as he stood up from the sofa and faced me fully. He pressed his warm lips to my forehead and wrapped me up in a tight hug, which I quickly returned, although a little confused. "Kakashi?"

"Stay safe."

"I always am, what's wrong?"

"I just have a funny feeling."

"You and your feelings" I said with a sigh, before pulling out of Kakashi's embrace. "I'll be back safe and sound, don't worry about me. Okay?" He nodded, and I waved one last time at him before teleporting to my post. I prepared myself for twelve hours of boredom.

It was maybe a few hours until the end of my shift, Genma and Raidou with me in our assigned area, when I started to have a bad feeling. One of those the-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck-standing-up bad feelings. I shook it off though, as a remnant of Kakashi's bad feeling before I had left him. But I couldn't quite shake the feeling. Like we were being watched. I decided to check what the others thought of this anyway, at least for peace of mind. "Hey, you two."

Both turned to me, Genma's senbon twitching slightly. "Hmm?"

"Do you two have a bad feeling or something?"

Raidou shook his head while Genma cocked an eyebrow at me, "You getting bad vibes, Uzumaki?"

I shrugged, rubbing my eyes tiredly, "Maybe, or maybe I'm just exhausted from the long shift."

"I'll go have a quick look around, just in case." Raidou said, before disappearing. Genma and I were then left in alone to stay on guard in silence. The only movement from either of us was the movement from our eyes or the slightest twitch of Genma's senbon. It was a while before either one of us spoke.

"So... Hatake, huh?" I raised an eyebrow at Genma, surprised by his topic choice. "You really like him?"

I nodded my head, "I love him."

"And he..."

"He loves me too."

"Hmm..." Genma flicked his senbon from one corner of his mouth to the other, "I just don't see it."

Now I was frowning, "You don't see what?"

"I just can't picture Hatake being a boyfriend, or being romantic or anything."

"But you only ever see him as a shinobi," I said, a small smile working its way across my face as I thought about the ninja in question. "You never see the side I see of him, when he is with me, or his closest friends. He's like a completely different person. Definitely not a genius about relationships, we sort of stumble our way through things, but it's humanizing seeing Kakashi not be an expert in everything. Not to mention that he's too cute sometimes."

Genma shuddered slightly, "Hatake? The great Copy Nin? Cute?" I nodded, chuckling a little at the face he was making. "But... you're happy with him?"

"He makes me so happy. But, why are you asking all these questions?"

"Why are you answering them?" I shrugged, waiting for Genma to answer my question. "I don't know... I don't have romantic feelings for you; I don't want to be on Hatake's hit list," I restrained myself from telling Genma that he already was on Kakashi's hit list most likely, "But I do care about you. We were only together for a couple of months, but I'd like to think we were still friends. And friends look out for friends, don't they?"

I smiled at him, "Yeah, friends look out for friends."

Genma gave a single nod of his head, eyes taking in the smile still plastered on my face. "Thinking of him?"

I nodded, "I can't wait to get back." And get back to what we were doing before my shift. Our talk died down back to a comfortable silence. A long comfortable silence.

"I wonder what's taking Raidou so long," Genma muttered to me. I nodded my head, a frown slowly working its way on my face. "Should we go look for him?"

"Don't bother." Genma and I turned at the voice, kunai out ready to defend ourselves. I was half surprised and half un-surprised to see a familiar figure in a black cloak with red clouds outlined in white, a terrifyingly familiar swirl of an orange mask hiding the face of the man. Not that the mask prevented me from knowing exactly who he was. And in true sense of déjà vu, under one of his arms hung the limp form of Raidou. He was tossed to our feet, and though both Genma and I wanted to kneel down to check on our comrade, we stayed crouched in our defensive stances. There was no doubt in my mind that should our backs be turned for the smallest of seconds and we would be attacked. "He's not dead, if you were wondering. Just a little... confused."

"Who are you?" Genma asked with a scowl on his face at the man who had hurt his friend.

"Names are unimportant, just come with me Natsuki-san, we have much to discuss."

"I'd rather die than go anywhere with you, Madara." I snapped back. What happened next was the most confusing few seconds of my life.

In a second Madara was within inches of me.

In a second he had locked eyes with me.

And in another second all I saw was black.

I was wondering whether I was in Madara's Mangekyou Sharingan world thing, while I was wandering around in this darkness. In that second of looking at him, I could understand the likelihood that I had become entrapped in a world of Madara's creation. But if that were the case, where was the evil man himself? Surely he should be here eagerly telling me what tortures awaited me, or getting straight to the torturing already. I was prepared though. I wouldn't tell him a thing. All I would think of would be Naruto, Kakashi and Azami and all the rest of my 'family'. I'd endure the fires of hell for them if I had to.

But there didn't seem to be any fire here, or anything other than blackness. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. It was like walking blind, but without knowing you were blind. I walked for what felt like hours in this empty, endless space, going nowhere from nowhere. I thought I was going crazy.

Sometimes I felt the slightest chill pass right by me, the subtlest breeze. Like passing by someone in a crowd, but unsure of who had brushed past me.

Maybe I was unconscious? But I had been unconscious before, and never had this experience. When I was unconscious before, I hadn't seen or felt anything, it had been like a dreamless sleep, and when I woke up I was usually in the hospital with Azami smiling down at me with a relieved look on her face. Here, wherever here was, I was still aware of myself, and I was moving.

And then I saw it.

A brilliant streak of yellow and white darting in the distance, casting a light on the emptiness around us and slowly growing in size.

I wasn't sure what it was, it could have been anything, but I was just so relieved that there was something other than myself here in this perpetual darkness that I hardly had a trace of fear in me. Stupid of me I suppose in hindsight, but it was what I felt. I knew I made the right decision though when I had done nothing to attack the streak approaching me.

A wave of warmth filled through me at who I saw, casting an ethereal like light around themselves.

The white cloak, with red flames of fire licking at the bottom, encasing the standard ninja garb, resting on smooth tan skin. As my eyes raised I saw the bright blonde locks of hair, tied out of the way with a hitai-ite bearing the leaf sign of Konoha. Bright blue eyes were gazing softly down at me, and a familiar wide grin showing shining white teeth. In the back of my mind I wondered whether seeing who I was seeing meant that I was dead, but the majority of my brain was geared to utter awe, wonder and surprising joy.

A deep, soft voice finally broke through the silence. "Hello Natsuki-chan."

Tears gathered in my eyes as I uttered the one word I seemed able to, "Yondaime..."