Chapter 22: Take My Breath Away

Yoshino and Shikaku made their way back to his apartment, Shikaku fumbling with his keys as he had that night that seemed ages ago. This time, when the door clicked open, they didn't even make it to the couch. As the door closed behind them, Yoshino was pulling him to her, as he crowded both their bodies against the wall in the entryway.

Pressed between his body and the wall, Yoshino's pulse was thrumming in her veins. He loved her. He actually did love her. She'd known for some time know that's how she felt about him, but just hadn't articulated it yet. Pulling away just a little from his kiss, hands held flat against his chest, she whispered, "Shikaku, I …I think I love you, too."

Kisses on her eyes, the top of her head, then hot against her ear, where his voice rumbled in her ear in a low octave that thrilled down her spine, "I do love you, Yoshino." Nibbles on her ear, lightly grazing along her neck, beard scratching wonderfully rough at the tender skin on the side of her throat. Then kissing along her shoulder, tendrils of her hair slipping down tickling at his face until he kissed the back of her neck near her spine and her knees just shut off, just turned to jelly.

Swaying into him, her legs may have refused to work, but her arms still did. Hands were on his forearms, skating up and tracing his biceps on up to his shoulders, she circled her arms at the back of his head and pulled herself up against him as he raised his face to hers from where he had trailed kisses across to her other shoulder. He covered her mouth with his own, hot and insistent, his tongue demanding, kissing, claiming, taking what he wanted and what she so willingly yielded.

Both of them breathless, they paused, his forehead resting against hers. In the darkness of the room, she felt him smile, one hand cupping her cheek, the other raised to her hair.

"I don't have any idea how these damn things work," he whispered huskily against her as he tugged both her hairsticks out with a single jerk, her dark hair cascading down around his hands, her shoulders, "but I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

Both hands on her shoulders now, he skimmed one down her body, over the swell of her breast, down to her waist, slipping around behind her and cinching her hips close to his own, other hand closing around a fistful of her black tresses, tugging firmly, urging her to arch her head back so that he could kiss down her throat along her collarbone, down her chest as far as her blouse would allow.

Sable lips and scratchy chin back up to her other ear, he whispered, "We could at least go sit down," one hand on her hip, turning her toward the living room where the couch was.

Yoshino hesitated. "No, I .. I don't want…"

Shikaku sighed. He understood. It had been less than a week ago since she'd almost been… And plus he'd known all along now that Yoshino wasn't your average twenty-something friskier kunoichi, usually warm and willing for a little apres-mission hook-up. He could wait. "It's okay, we don't have to do anything you don't want to do," he said trying to sound reassuring rather than frustrated. Understanding but frustrated nonetheless. Gentle pressure on her hip, starting to turn them toward the living room again.

"No," she replied softly, looking away unable to meet his gaze, "I…I don't want to go to the living room. I want to go to your room."

She looked up at him and her eyes were the same as the first night they kissed, two dark pools and he'd be damned but he was going to drown in them. Kissing her once again, his hands on either side of her face, her hair spilling down around them, he was sure that Yoshino was the ocean and he was going to drown in her. And nothing else mattered.

"Yoshino, you should wait. It's only been a w…"

"Only you," she cut him off, knowing full well what he was going to say. As if Tsuyoshi, the bastard, had anything to do with this. With her, with Shikaku, with what she felt toward Shikaku. Her hands cupping his face now, drawing herself up against him, feeling his body pressed against hers, along the length of hers, she whispered, "I only want it to be you."

All-consuming kiss now and she felt him bend, one arm at her back, one behind her legs scooping her up and carrying her down the hall. He let her drift from his arms, holding her at her hips as she steadied on her feet for a moment, feeling his bed brush the back of her legs.

Arms at his shoulders she brushed back his outer vest first, then his jounin vest, they each settled to the floor with a soft sound. Yoshino stood with her hands on the fishnet shirt at his chest, fingers plucking gently at the net, feeling the warm skin between the strips of fabric. Delicately, she traced the outlines of his muscles through the shirt with her fingertips, the tugging the shirt up from where it was tucked into his pants, she reached her hands up under it, savoring the feel of nothing but his skin beneath her hands. Shikaku jerked the shirt up and off to land in the floor with his vests.

With his hands on her shoulders, Shikaku slid the blue silk haori she was wearing off where it puddled in the floor like liquid. Kissing her softly and sweetly he tugged at the knot of her obi, slipping it undone and dispening with it as well. Warm hands beneath her tunic, gliding up to gently cup her breasts, unclicking the little clasp of her bra between them. He straightened and lifting the hem of her tunic he pulled it off of her, fingers returning to pull gently at the shoulder straps of her bra, sliding it off her arms.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered to her, pulling her up against him , the heat from his chest burning her up, consuming her. Yoshino couldn't imagine a feeling as wonderful as this, her bare skin up against his, her breasts pressed flat against his chest in his embrace.

Roughened fingers plucked at the waistband of her pants, meeting in the front to undow the drawstring and slide them down her legs as she stepped out of them. He skimmed his hands back up calves and thighs and over her hips as he stood again and repeated, "You are so beautiful."

Yoshino thought she would melt under his gaze. Hands on his shoulders, she sank toward the bed, Shikaku following. He knelt above her, one knee between her thighs. Her hair was fanned out around her, framing her face against the white of his pillow. Unable to bear just his gaze on her any longer, but yearning for his hands and his lips and his body against, she reached up, drawing him down to her.

"Shikaku," breathy whisper as her breathing was very rapid now, "Shikaku, I want you so much, I need you."

She whimpered in delight as his lips touched her at her cheek, her throat, shoulders and chest, one large palm covering her breast, heat from his hand causing her to gasp out loud and moan his name.

To hear his name from her like that, so heavy with desire, nearly drove him insane. He moved his hand aside, kissing the underside of her breast and trailing his tongue up to flicker around the center before he covered her with his mouth. Yoshino clutched his shoulders, arching up into him.

He kissed further down, lipping at her hipbones, dipping his tongue in to her navel, half mad with desire and delight that he was the cause of her pleasant little moans and gasps.

Sitting back up, he slipped his thumbs beneath the elastic of her panties on either side drew those down off her legs as well. He was now settled between her legs, kissing his way back up from ankle to calf to knee to thigh. His hand was gentle but firm, pressing her thighs a little further apart as she tensed in a sudden bout of nervousness.

"Shhh," he whispered, his lips tickling along her thigh as he made the sound. Yoshino gasped aloud as he explored her with his tongue, gentle, seeking then softly kissing back onto her belly. Dipping one hand between her legs, he teased her with one finger, then a second as she whimpered beneath him, begging for him.

Pausing from his work, he quickly shed his pants, stretching his body back out over hers, kissing her, twining the fingers of one of his hands with those of her own, gripping tightly, he sank into her.

And Yoshino forgot where she ended and Shikaku began.

Outside, Chouza and Inoichi were returning home from a courier mission, Kakashi dozing on Chouza's shoulder as he carried him along like a sack of potatoes. As they neared their apartment, Inoichi stopped and looked up at their building. He plucked at his friend's sleeve. "Hey Chouza, let's go to your mom's house and see what she's got cooked."

Chouza looked at him in surprise. "Are you crazy? It's after midnight."

Inoichi shrugged, "Well, let's go see if my mom's got anything to eat then."

Brow furrowed, Chouza looked at his friend in disbelief, too tired for this nonsense tonight. "Again I ask, are you crazy?"

Inoichi nodded his head toward there house. It took Chouza a moment but he finally said. "Oh. Okay. Yeah, let's go to my mom's house."

As they turned to walk off into the evening Chouza said, "You know Inoichi, there's hope for you yet."