FINALLY I'm finished with a new exciting chapter!
It took some time (sorry) but I'm finally done.
I hope you'll enjoy it. Things are finally starting to change between Toshi and Kakashi!
"This was a bad idea…" I muttered leaning against the railing of the ship and looking down at the waves crashing into the side of the ship.
I must admit that I had been pretty excited about being on a ship for the first time, not to mention that I'd never seen so much water in my life. Probably, I'd been a bit arrogant about sailing when Kakashi and I boarded the ship. He had warned me that some people get sea sick, especially with the kind of waves that were today.
Now I couldn't fight the sleepiness that fell over me like one of the crashing waves I looked at, and I was also starting to feel sick.
"I'm sorry to say this, but tiredness is the first sign of seasickness. You should probably lie down." Kakashi sat close beside me, worrying more than I liked.
There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. I was afraid that I would puke if that wind wasn't keeping my mind clear.
"At least look at the horizon, that always helps." Kakashi continued when I didn't reply while he rubbed my back concerned.
I frowned, fighting with my eyes not to close, focusing intensely at the horizon. Kakashi sighed seeming to be completely unaffected by the rocking ship as he looked at the waves. His body shielded me partially from the brisk wind and I knew he was freezing more than I. Even though we had two separate rooms on the ship he refused to go down stairs and leave me alone up here. I was neither capable or in the mood for going indoors.
"Is she okay man?"
A fellow who smelled abruptly much of alcohol peeped at my face while speaking to Kakashi and I was suddenly glad he was there. I closed my eyes, concentrating on controlling my rigid body. I was notgoing to throw up in front of Kakashi!
"She's fine. Thank you." Kakashi barely looked at the guy, but his tone indicated the he should leave us alone.
"I can look after her if you want to go downstairs man." The fellow said, crossing the general boundaries of space between strangers. I snapped my head to Kakashi, as a wave of panic rushed over me. I felt too weak to defend myself, even if he was a civilian.
"We're fine." Kakashi said, smiling to the man.
"Pretty girls are always taken." The fellow muttered as he wandered off. A chill ran over me, who could think of taking advantage of a sick woman?!
"Don't worry Toshi. I'm watching him." Kakashi said, once again rubbing my back for comfort.
I was suddenly aware of my body again, and this time the sickness came over me strongly since I wasn't leaning against the railing anymore.
"Shit." I mumbled slamming my arms and head to the railing once again, this time letting my eyes close.
"You know, you will feel better if you give in and take a nap. You can put your head on my lap if you feel too vulnerable out here."
He knew me too well sometimes. I couldn't fall asleep or lay down because I was too afraid that something was going to happen, or if I would die. But his words calmed me the slightest. The thought of him being right beside me while I was sick was comforting. That way he would notice if I was about to die… Well, I always feel like dying when I'm sick.
"Thanks." I muttered. But I didn't have the strength to lie down. I was certain that I was going to puke if I moved an inch of my body.
Slowly I put a hand down beside me, my palm sweaty and warm against the cold wooden floor. I just sat there for at least ten minutes and looked at the horizon, feeling that I could doze off at any minute. Kakashi sighed;
"Toshi just lie down already. You're a ninja, you have experienced much worse." He said.
I clenched my eyes, suppressing an immense amount of nausea. I tried to listen to him, my mind fighting over my body but I just couldn't get myself to close that distance between me and the floor.
I heard Kakashi sigh once more, and moving a bit before I felt his hands on both my shoulders.
"Here I'll help."He said, gently tilting me to the side and towards him.
I tensed, while trying to follow the movement without losing control of my body as I let him tilt me to the floor. I would normally have felt pathetic as hell, but at the moment I just felt comfortable about being with him instead of being alone. He grabbed me a bit so I didn't fall to the floor and then put my head on his lap as the rest of my heavy body made contact with the floor. I had to focus a bit, to get used to the new position, but felt a bit better and relaxed on the floor with a chin on his warm thigh. I didn't have the strength to say thanks, but felt his hand clench my shoulder as if he was reading my mind. The tiredness was even harder to deal with in this position and after five minutes I lost the fight to my body's demands and fell into a deep slumber…
.
I woke up later by dusty rain hitting my face. Faintly, I opened my eyes, feeling slightly better and less sleepy. As my eyes adjusted, I noticed that I wasn't by the railing anymore, but sat under an open shed at the center of the ship. People were crowded together under the shed and luckily it was quite a wide shed. I felt Kakashi's thigh under my head and noticed that we were sitting closest to the wall. Dusty drops of sea water hit my face once again.
"You moved me."I stated, rolling around to my back and looking up at him.
He looked down at me in surprise and then chuckled;
"There was no need to sit directly in the wind." He said. I crossed my arms in thought and looked away from him.
"I can't believe I slept so heavily that I didn't notice you moving me." I muttered.
He shrugged, and continued to stare at the horizon far away as if I had awakened him from a deep trance. I studied him in admiration for a moment, wondering to myself if he was being peaceful or just deep in thought. I never seemed to be able tell the difference, it wasn't like he was a man with many expressions. Hard to read was a better term, which was a term I'd used a lot in my time with Kakashi.
"Do you feel better?" he asked suddenly, taking me by surprise.
"Yeah actually." I said a bit startled and told myself that I'd enjoyed enough time resting on his lap.
I sat up and stretched my arms and my back with a loud yawn while he watched me.
"I'm not very brave when I'm sick." I admitted, looking apologizing at him while scratching the back of my head
"Nope, you're pretty pathetic." He said with a smile in his eyes.
"I guess." I muttered embarrassed and crossed my legs to sit better.
I was already feeling better as Kakashi went to fetch some food for us by the small cantina at the ship. Todays menu was apparently set on porridge which wasn't much of a tasty meal, but at least healthy. We were eating silently where I'd woken up as several sailors had already approached me. I don't wear any make-up and I don't dress very girly or revealing, actually I'm always wearing Konoha's basic uniform, but still some men had the nerve to ask me how much I would cost for a night. I had one thing I wanted to say; get the hell away from me. But instead I decided to act on common sense instead of impulses.
"I'm flattered. But I'm not for sale." I said calmly as I had digested the question the first time someone had asked.
As the third, toothless and gnarled man had asked me Kakashi decided to comment on my behavior.
"Your reactions are a bit out of character." He said and put down his empty bowl.
"Well… That's because we're on a ship in the middle of nowhere." I said munching the last bit of porridge in me.
I hadnoticed that Kakashi had been watching me silently, his body tensing up as the men had approached me, as if he was ready for whatever was coming. But I liked his positive reaction.
"You should keep that attitude up—"he leaned against the wall and put his arms over his head relaxed.
"I would never have imagined that you would be so popular though. Little, lost, innocent Toshi from a small town." He looked to the sea, again, lost in thought.
"What's that supposed to mean?! Just because I'm not a normal girl, it doesn't mean that my looks can't attract." I said memorizing the men coming out of the bar I had met the same day as Kakashi and the kids had 'picked me up' from my home town.
I wasn't convinced by what I said. I never really had the time to think about other men and how I looked to them and also, I didn't even know how to actually flirt or get intimate. Sure I knew some basics, but I don't think I would ever be able to flirt seriously and really mean it.
"I didn't say that you can't attract, obviously you can." He said with a mysterious glimpse in his eye.
"Sometimes, I don't even want to get you." I said with a sigh and folded my arms on my chest and leaned against the wall.
"I didn't know that you wanted to get me. You sure don't make it obvious—" Kakashi said as I raised an eyebrow at him as he twisted my words—" I mean besides that time where you allowed me to stroke your neck in the woods. I really got youthere."
Again he poked just the right place. As If I wasn't embarrassed enough, now he had to rub that episode into my face. I felt my cheeks heat up again, and quickly tried to suppress it. The memories hit my subconscious like a pleasurable drug and sent shivers down my body. I was happy that I could keep a good poker face.
"That's not funny. I don't think I will ever be able to make you understand how sensitive the skin on me neck is!" I objected.
"Well I got a hunch." He said while chuckling with himself.
.
After some more discussing, relaxing and staring into space we decided that it was about time to go to sleep. As the darkness started to fall upon the sky Kakashi and I withdrew to our cabins. For some reason I felt kind of nervous. I had my own little cabin, with one bed at the far end of the room (which was a room about three footsteps long) and besides that there was a few shelves. Both ends of the bed was hidden behind both walls in the room, as if they could barely fit a bed in there. There was one, small and round window over the bed and that was it. Kakashi's cabin was right beside mine which made me feel slightly more at ease. As I'd smoothed out of my clothes (leaving the thinner clothes on) I lied down carefully in the cold bed. I soon found out that I was starting to either get seasick or just nervous-sick… I couldn't really tell, but figured that if I fell asleep it would be over soon.
But I woke up in the middle of the night after a bad dream. I felt sick, and my body was shivering and sweating when adding the adrenalin kick I got from waking up from my bad dream. I was so sure I was going to die in here. Not just because I felt sick, but I was vulnerable, I could get raped by some of those nasty looking men from before. Had I remembered to lock the door? I tried not to hyperventilate and didn't dare to move, afraid that I was going to puke. But I had to do something. I had to find Kakashi! I sat up in my bed and got a feel of my body, and was sure that I could faint every minute. My body was still shivering and I was starting to panic and felt disorientated in the dark. I got up quickly tugging my pillow with me and tumbled to the door, opening it with all my weigh. The hallway was empty, but scary at the moment, but my priority was to get in reach of Kakashi before I would faint.
I huddled against the wall and moved forward, praying that no one would see or hear me. My legs felt oddly wobbly and I had to take in deep breaths to concentrate. I knocked at Kakashi's door and opened it quietly, not waiting for him to answer. It was dark inside his cabin and I could only make out his covered figure from the moonlight that shone in through the small window. I stepped inside quickly, feeling disorientated because of the rocking ship.
"Toshi, what're you doing?" he asked groggily and moved a bit under the covers.
I liked that he recognized my presence and that he didn't seem to be that much on alert. I felt relieved that I was finally in his room, but now I didn't know what to do. I just stood there dumb-founded as I thought about what I wanted from him.
"I-I feel very sick." I whispered as a wave of panic rushed over me again. I quickly rushed to his bed and sat down at the edge, starting take in deep breaths once again.
I heard him sigh tiredly and move around to face me.
"Are you sea-sick again?" he asked and I still couldn't see him very clearly.
"I don't know." I whispered. I wanted to tell him that I was scared too, but I was a ninja and it didn't seem very fitting.
"Don't worry Toshi. You won't die." He said not sounding very concerned.
"Can I sleep in here?" I blurted out, exhausted from talking and sitting up. He was silent for a moment as if he was a little stunned by my question.
"Sure." He finally said and moved over to make room for me.
I lied down carefully, making sure that I wasn't too close to him. He turned around with his back towards me and started to sleep again, as he swooped some of his cover over to me. I enjoyed the warmth for a moment before I started to feel uneasy again. This wasn't helping at all! My body started to shiver again, and I started to concentrate on my breathing. This time it felt even worse than laying in my own room. The feeling of having Kakashi beside me sickened me in this state, especially because I felt like I was being annoying. I tried not to focus on the rocking ship beneath me. The room was completely black now and I could hear how it started to rain outside. My forehead was cold and sweaty and I felt stiff and paralyzed even though I was still shivering. A loud thunder clap echoed outside and I tried as much as I could not to disturb Kakakshi with a yelp. My heart beat was faster than normal and I was sure that Kakashi was sleeping again. If I was about to die, then he wouldn't be able to save me cause he was sleeping. The thought ran through my head over and over until he started to move again. He turned to me, his scent hitting me suddenly, making me feel worse.
"I can't sleep when you're so out of it. You're shaking the whole bed with your shivering." He said, eyes closed as if he was still trying to sleep.
"Sorry." I whimpered
"Come here." He said in a sigh and took a grip of my arm and pulled me over to his side and turned on his back. He swooped his arm under my stiff body and tugged me in to his.
If I didn't feel stunned before, I sure did now! Talking about out of character…
"Don't worry so much Toshi. If anything happens to you, I'll surely wake up, okay? You're just sea-sick." He said already seeming to fall asleep, as if this was no big deal.
I didn't know what to say or do. All I could think about was how nice and secure it felt to lie so closely to him. The way I could feel his breathing and the thin layer of fabric between his stomach and my arm, it was all so new. I could feel his hand on my back like every inch of me was suddenly hyper sensitive.
"Thanks." I muttered, trying to control my heartbeat for a whole other reason.
I didn't know what was going on inside me, but I knew it was something that I had to keep to myself, just like in the woods when he had stroked my neck. He would never get to know what was happening inside me, cause I barely knew what it was myself. All I knew was that I once hated him, and now it was completely different.
His words got to me, and I started to relax as the shivers were dulling. I suited myself a bit and let out a deep satisfied breath and closed my eyes while enjoying his warmth. I listened to his silent breathing and his slow and steady heartbeat. The before scary room was now kind of cozy and secure as the rain pricked outside and the waves crashed against the side of the ship. But I was in here, with one of Konoha's best ninjas looking after me… Surely I would never experience a situation like this ever again.
.
I woke up the next morning in the exact same position I fell asleep in. The first thing that came to my mind was that I felt very hungry. Kakashi, had apparently had a very good grip on me the whole night through and I squirmed a bit, feeling unsure about the whole situation, even though I enjoyed it very much. The second thing that came to my mind was that my one foot was extremely cold, so I quickly pulled it inside the cover and accidentally woke Kakashi with the cold. He sat up in a rush and looked groggily and alert around, as if he had forgotten that I was there. The temperature in the room was so cold outside the cover and it hit me like falling into a cold pond of water!
"Someone slept well." I commented and pulled the cover to get some warmth.
"What's going on?" he asked still looking overly like he was still dreaming.
"Okay it doesn't seem like you to sleep so tight." I said and tried to pull the cover down at me again.
His eyebrows furrowed while he seemed to realize what actually was going on. He looked annoyingly cute with that morning hair and that expression.
"We must be here." He said and lied down again to get some warmth himself.
"You don't say." I said, pulling the cover all the way up to my neck.
The space between us was immediately strictly none-physical as it used to be. We shared a moment of silence. Mostly I felt I a bit awkward cause I had no idea how he felt about sleeping so closely. It was his own choice though. If he hadn't taken the initiative nothing would have happened.
Kakashi's POV
He couldn't remember the last time he had slept so well. He looked at the ceiling, feeling the warmth coming off of Toshi. She was right, he slept very tight and it was disturbing and wrong. He was afraid it was because of her laying so close to him… But he had tried that many times before with other girls. He was in a state of shock; this was exactly what happened when they fought that lion and she had created that strong wind. He'd had that one moment of hesitation, of weakness which in the end could kill him or her. All the time they'd spend together was starting to get to him and the bond they had was stronger than he had hoped. The feelings he had, not necessarily loving feelings, but a feeling was there, a bond a caring feeling. He wasn't even sure himself. That he'd held her the whole night was not such a big deal, she was a friend after all, but it was the fact that he'd slept so well, almost un-alert. Maybe it'd felt a little bit nicer than what he had anticipated.
"Were you sea-sick again last night?" he asked, turning to her.
"Um yeah I think so." Toshi answered, dogging her face a bit under the covers. He noticed her blush of embarrassment. It looked kind of cute on her, with her hair all messy and her eyes sleepy.
"Honestly I don't know what got over me. I was so panicked last night and coming here was the only thing I could think of to make me feel better." She admitted shyly.
"Of course. Out here we only have each other. So if anything feels wrong you can always come to me." He answered.
It wastrue, and they couldn't let their personal feelings get involved. If this would affect their teamwork and communication it would be fatal!
He took one last moment to enjoy the warmth before he got up with a sigh. As soon as the cover fell off he got goosey all over and immediately wished to be under the covers with Toshi again. He got rid of that urge quickly, it was for no good. He quickly took his on his cold shirt and vest before sitting by the edge of the bed.
Toshi's POV
I felt I bit disappointed when Kakashi got up. Maybe I'd been enjoying this a bit too much. Surely Kakashi seemed unaffected as he always did, as he sat at the edge of the bed.
"I'm going to summon our backpacks now so we can get some winter clothes for this cold." He said and started to perform a seal.
.
I trudged lightly to my bedroom after receiving my backpack. I felt kind of odd leaving his bedroom like that, as if we'd done something secret and private. I plumped into my bed, freezing as hell as I started to search the heavy backpack for some winter clothes. I could see my breath and blew occasionally in my hands like it was going to stop the chill. I pulled out some warm, thick underwear and started to change into that before found a large white cloak with a high neck. It was layered with lamp wool on the inside. I found a black pair of thick gloves and some heavy boots too. I was quick to change, the cold was too unbearable. The outfit was a bit more heavy and clumsy compared to my other ninja clothes but at least it would keep me warm. I used some time after that to fasten my scroll to the backpack even though it was quite inconvenient. I caught a glimpse of myself in a small broken mirror that hang on a locker and noticed how messy my hair was. I liked the cloak though, and tipped the large hoody that hang on my back, up over my ears. Almost dragging my backpack to my back I stomped awkwardly out of my cabin and decided to go outside, trying to hold my balance in the rocking ship.
The wind took a harsh grip in me as soon as I stepped outside, and my cloak fluttered wildly to my left. I found that I liked the sound of the fluttering cloak as I looked around for Kakashi who I found to the right side of the ship. He seemed to be looking at the sea, his cloak, identical to mine, flapping in the wind almost soundlessly. His backpack was standing against the railing next to him as he gazed to the horizon. I threw my backpack beside his and went to stand next to him and found myself struck with awe as soon as I saw what he was really looking at. Icebergs towered up in the horizon as the ship maneuvered around countless blocks of ice that were so gigantic that I got chills by the mere thought of being stuck between two of them. The water looked almost unnaturally blue with the ice floating around in it… I could barely believe what I was seeing. A rush of excitement ran through me. Seeing such wondrous things was truly a thing that made me glad that I'd met Kakashi.
"It's amazing." I said in marvel and caught Kakashi's eye briefly.
He looked somewhat glad by my reaction and shrugged nonchalantly.
"They are. But they seem to be recalling other feelings when you have had a battle on those ice chumps floating around everywhere. "he said, seeming to recall a battle long ago.
.
We stopped at a small harbor which could only be a harbor for hardcore fishermen. The mood here was gloomy and not very welcoming to outsiders. Fishermen were yelling commands out to each other here and there; some were making the ship ready for fishing and other were already unloading tons of fish from their ships. I walked closely next to Kakashi as our outfits stood out in the crowd, and there were no women to see.
"We'll have to walk to the next village where a ride will be waiting for us. It'll probably be a good seven hours walk." Kakashi said and looked into the sky and continued—"Luckily the weather seems pretty good."
"Well at least the sun will be a bit warming." I muttered. The long walk with this heavy backpacking would be good training, but probably also hard.
Apparently it was impossible to keep roads clear of snow I noticed, as Kakashi and I started to enter the rough wilderness of this snow landscape. It was harder to walk as I had to lift my knees higher, and was also wearing heavy clothing. The mountains of ice stood high around us like tall giants, simmering in silence in all their greatness. This land felt ancient.
"You look fascinated." Kakashi commented in front of me, looking over his shoulder. I was subconsciously walking in his footsteps to make my trip easier.
"I've never seen anything like this place." I said still looking around me, taking a good notice of the wind that grained so coldly on my cheeks that it felt like sandpaper.
"I bet you that you're going to be tired of them after a few hours." He said.
I shrugged, maybe I would, and maybe I would not. But I could sense that he had experienced a few things here.
.
After a few hours the sky started to get cloudy and the wind picked up just the slightest. I had no idea how Kakashi could find his way around here. Surely there was the slightest hint of a path all the time, but still, I was glad that he was leading the way.
As anticipated I started to get tired and restless at the same time. The landscape kept changing from mountains to simply flat lands. The scroll and the backpack were heavy as hell, and I was also starting get tired in my legs and my shoulders. I was hoping that we could take a small break soon, also because some of my fingers were starting to get cold. But the landscape seemed to never change, and I kept reminding myself that we would have to walk at least 5 more hours to be at the village were some on would give us a ride, to the actual village our mission was centered around.
"Are you keeping up?" Kakashi asked, seemingly concerned about me.
"Yup. Just a bit tired that's all." I panted, forcing my feet through the heavy snow at the same time.
"I know the snow is heavy on the feet, but we have to keep moving as long as the weather is clear. We can't afford to be caught in a storm." He said, seeming to pant a bit himself.
"I know, I'm not complaining." I said really not much up for any talking at the moment.
He responded by chuckling the slightest and that was about as much as we talked the whole trip. Six hours past by before I knew of it. I was too concentrated on how my body felt to actually notice how far we had walked. My hands were quite cold and the darkness had already started to set upon the sky. My legs ached and I was fighting with my body to keep on going. I didn't know how Kakashi was feeling but he sure didn't seem too affected like I felt. I didn't want to unload my scroll on him or ask for any breaks, cause we both just wanted to get this walking over with and it was unfair to burden him just because I was a tad weaker than he.
"Will we be able to make it before sunset?" I asked short of breath.
"Yeah don't worry; we'll be able to see the village soon." He said.
I closed my mouth with a sigh, a tiny spark of hope starting to grow in my stomach. Not long after I could see the faint light of houses in the distance and soon I could see the village we were supposed to find a ride in. The relief I felt was overwhelming and I fought the urge to squeak in happiness.
"That was about time!" I breathed and started to walk a bit faster.
"You can say that. Even I was starting to get tired." Kakashi admitted and sat up the pace along with me.
"I'm telling you my legs are killing me so much right now that I can't even feel them anymore." I told him, the excitement evident in my voice.
"We were too late to book a dog sleigh for this route but I'll make sure we get one on the way home." He said and smiled to me (by now everyone should now that when Kakashi smile, he smiles with his eyes.)
.
The village was quite empty at this hour, and it made it seem even colder than my first impression. The houses were made of thick wood looking warm with the lights shining out of the windows. Apparently we had to find a small inn where our escort would be meeting us. Even though I felt sweaty and warm despite being in the cold, I fought the urge to just throw my backpack off and sit down in the street and wait for Kakashi to find the inn. But I'm stubborn, so I didn't complain or say a thing until I stepped inside the warm room of the inn. We found our way to the bar where a robust man sat with a beer in his hand. His hair was dark, but his beard indicated that he was still young.
"Are you Nobuo Ryo?" Kakashi asked causing the young man to jerk in his seat.
He looked at us a bit bewildered and then seemed to recognize us.
"Yes I am! You are the Konoha ninjas, right?" he said brightly and extended his hand to shake Kakashi's.
"Yes. I'm Hatake Kakashi and this is Toshi." Kakashi said as he shook Ryo's hand. He shook mine too smiling excited. He seemed to be a nice guy and I immediately felt comfortable around him.
"Nice to meet you Toshi!" he said, seeming to look intensely at me without blinking.
He coughed slightly as me and Kakashi waited for instructions, and he seemed to be a bit baffled as he looked funny at both of us.
"I'm sorry! You must both be tired of the trip—" he took a pull at the glass finishing the beer and continued—"come with me, I'll show you to the dogs." He jumped off the bar stool and threw a few coins to the inn keeper and marched past us.
Being inside in warm surroundings, finally able to relax I realized how tired I was. I hadn't felt it before because my body had been in work-mode but now the tiredness came crashing over me. We went outside once again, and walked around the inn where we were met by barking huskies (a dog race). All I wanted at the moment was to get that freaking bag of my back and sit down. Ryo whistled at the dogs that were still attached to the sleigh and they all seemed to get excited.
"There isn't much space; I have to take some supplies back home. You're probably going to be a bit cramped." He said and moved some things around to make space for our backpacks.
"The ride is much appreciated." Kakashi said and threw his backpack off his back.
I didn't wait one second to throw my backpack into the snow and the relief was almost breath taking.
"God that feels good!" I breathed, stretching my back in pleasure.
Ryo took mine and struggled a bit to pull it onto the sleigh, while Kakashi lifted his own as the polite person he could be at times.
"You can just sit here with your legs up." Ryo said and padded the part of the sleigh Kakashi and I was supposed to sit at.
It was the back part of the sleigh, so one of us would have the luxury of leaning against the backrest, which of course Kakashi beat me to. He was quick to sit down, throw his legs up and sigh comfortably while I stood there, looking at the space I had. Ryo sighed irritated, like I was retarded and rolled his eyes at me. I knew very well that Kakashi knew himself that he had taken the good seat.
"You sit like this!" Ryo maneuvered me over to the sleigh, pushed Kakashi's legs apart with a hasty movement at plumped me down right between Kakashi's legs and then placed Kakashi's legs closer to me once again.
"I'm sorry but someone's going to fall off if you don't sit close." He said and moved to the back of the sleigh.
"Fine." I muttered, feeling that some of my personal space had just been invaded.
Of course, at the same time that tingling feeling started to grow in my stomach. I was once again being close to Kakashi in a way that wasn't very team appropriate. Well, maybe it was just me who was being paranoid. When thinking about it, it could've been anyone who was assigned to this mission, and they would have to sit with him the exact same way. No, it wasn't that bad, I told myself.
"Forward!" Ryo yelled as a command to the dogs.
The dogs barked eagerly and the sudden pull in the sleigh tilted me backwards against Kakashi's chest. I tried to suit myself better but found it impossible to sit upright right in front of him. I sighed heavily having no will or strength back to fight Kakashi and me's rules of space.
"I hope you don't mind." I said and gave in, disconcerned about Kakashi's feelings about it.
"You just relax." He said, seeming to relax more comfortably.
Quickly we were out of the town and the darkness spread around us like a blanket. The only thing that lit up was the small lamb Ryo had hanging on the side of the sleigh. The silence was overwhelming as we swooshed through the snow into the emptiness. I felt comfortable sitting against Kakashi, feeling his chest rise and fall. I lifted my hands and started to blow hot air into the gloves to warm my fingers now when I had the time to do it, and also before I possibly would fall asleep.
"Are your hands cold?" Kakashi asked me.
The closeness of his voice took me a bit by surprise before I responded:
"Yeah a bit. But they've been cold for a while."
He folded his arms around me, leaning his head over my shoulder se he could see what he was doing, and started to take off his gloves.
"Take my gloves on. I can warm yours up meanwhile." He said.
His head on my shoulder moved every bit of attention I had in me to him. I didn't know what I was feeling when his face was so close to mine, but it sparked the memories of the forest, in the trees when he had rubbed my neck and had the same closeness as now.
"Here." He said holding out his gloves for me. I snapped backed to reality and removed my own quickly and awkwardly handing them to him, is he handed his to me.
Sure enough his gloves were still very warm, and it sent chill down my arms. He leaned back again as he had taken on my gloves, and sighed satisfied.
"You seem tired." He noted as I leaned back against him. He was probably referring to tiny fraction of time when I spaced out just before.
"You too." I said, noting that he was starting to show his true condition.
He chuckled, my head moving in the rhythm of his chuckles.
"Thought I hid it pretty well." He said
"You did until now." I said, lowering my head into the neck of the cloak.
He chuckled again and remained silent.
After a while I started to fight the sleepiness. I was way too comfortable sitting up against Kakashi and also my hands were warm again. A few times I caught my head tilting as I was drifting into sleep but I forced myself to stay awake and slightly alert to my surroundings. I looked at the clear sky where the starts stood bright; brighter than home in Konoha. I wondered what kind of problems we would face in the village and how the people were. One thing I knew for sure was that I liked where I was now and hoped that the trip would last a while longer.
That's it for today. I'll try to work on the next chapter as soon as possible.
I really appreciate the favs and reviews I've been getting, they help me keep up the good spirit.