Chapter 29!
Title: "Books and Bickering"
Disclaimer: I own nothing!!
NOTE: Don't forget to read the Note at the bottom when you get there… :D
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I checked my wrist-watch again as I walked down the street towards the hospital, contentedly.
'7:53'
Perfect timing.
I smiled to myself as I turned the corner, the fence of the hospital now in sight.
It was really strange, feeling so happy while taking this route to that hospital…. Yesterday, I had felt so much fear and confusion while running this road….
But I was so much more happier today….
And it wasn't because my parents had decided to drop my punishment, and let me out of the house… or anything any other teenager would probably be ecstatic about.
It was because of last night…
I had lain next to him for hours, feeling him breathe, feeling his arms… both of us recovering from that terrifying day by simply feeling each other…
Even though I had spent so much time with him last night, I still didn't feel like it was enough… I could tell that he didn't either.
"Eight… tomorrow morning…" He had told me after kissing me one last time before I had to leave at 11:00pm.
And now I was entering the hospital, walking up to that receptionist desk... it had been less than 9 hours from the last time I was here.
I was surprised to see that the strict, snotty receptionist had been replaced by the nicer one, who had helped me last night, at the front desk.
"Visiting Kakashi-san, Haruno-san?" She asked in the most polite way she could.
"Yes…" I responded, smiling to myself, already leaving the counter since she knew who I was.
She smiled back pleasantly…
Just as she was out of sight, I heard her speak up again.
"Oh-um… A man dropped these off earlier this morning, but he couldn't see Kakashi-san, of course…." I turned around to face her just as she handed me the bundle that this 'man' had left. "I didn't want to disturb Kakashi-san about this earlier… but if you give them to him, it should be okay, right?"
I finally looked down to what exactly was in my hands.
They were books tied together with a single twine string.
The blaring, trademark orange and green covers were showing shamelessly.
… Ero-sennin… I grumbled in my mind.
The receptionist smiled at me, apparently completely oblivious to the content of these novels, as well as how inappropriate it was to hand them over to a minor to deliver to their teacher.
But she didn't need to know that, I guess.
"Ah… thank you…" I said randomly, not wanting to burst her polite bubble.
I carried Ero-sennin's versions of get-well gifts to Kakashi's door.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm down… I was already way too excited to see him right now.
My hand found the handle of the door, sliding it open quietly.
"Kakashi?..." I called his name.
I slid the door shut behind me, carefully.
I looked down to the books in my hands again as I turned around…
…mind as well get this out of the way…
"Jiraiya-sama left you these at the front de-"
I stopped talking as soon as I approached his bedside… now I knew why he hadn't responded when I first came in.
Breathing slowly, one of his arms curled lazily over the top of his head. He was sleeping.
I had to smile like an idiot when I saw his sleeping face.
I really shouldn't be describing Kakashi-sensei in my mind as 'cute' right now…. That would be a little undignified…
…I couldn't help it…
Even though I had been eager to talk to him, to be with alone him … I couldn't bring myself to reach out to him or even say anything to wake him from his sleep…
He really needed his rest…
I set down the books on his bedside table as I took a seat on the single chair next to his bed.
I would've expected to get bored… but there was something extremely relaxing about even being in the same room as him… even if he was sleeping.
I listened to the birds outside of the window, sighing calmly…
After a few more minutes I gave the books on the table a second glance…
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Her arm was lying across his chest, fragile and warm.
He felt her hair falling through his fingers as he was moving his hand back to the side of her face again, starting a new repetition.
The left side of his chest felt a little heavy.
He could feel her muscles tense every time he took in a breath, like she didn't want to weigh him down.
She was really too attentive…
Even though his chest did feel only a fraction heavier when she was laying against it like that… he loved the way it felt, the way she felt…. the more she leaned on him, the more he felt of her, the more secure he felt... it was very pleasant.....
He ran his fingers though her hair again, trying to calm her down….
She gradually lost that tension… her muscles relaxed, but her arm on his chest tightened a little.
She finally settled against the side of his body.
He was so aware of every little movement she made…
…
… It was difficult to keep his hands from wandering…
…
His hands ached to touch more of her… her skin, her waist, her hips.
If it weren't for his considerable (albeit wavering) amount of self-control, his wounds, and the fear that if he touched her any more she would get too scared… he didn't know what he was capable of.
…
But if that ever happened, she wouldn't be the only one who would be afraid.
…
The thought of losing himself to those… adult instincts… scared him almost more than the thought of losing her…
But today was an exception…
He knew that these new, riskier desires were only because he had felt so much fear of losing her today, that there was a part of him that desperately wanted to tie himself closer to her. To make her his...
He just had to wait these feelings out…
….
… When did I become the kind of man that has these thoughts about a sixteen-year-old?
… Even if she's with me like this already… These thoughts… they're really too-
He sighed… feeling completely messed up…
He tried to brush those disturbing thoughts aside… focusing on her soft breathing, the scent of her hair, the way her skin almost glowed in the moonlight. Trying to calm himself with those details.
It worked…
Whenever he focused solely on the small things that made her so beautiful… all of his worries and fears died away.
He closed his eyes slowly, trying to take in everything of this moment.
He slowly forgot everything else that happened today, except her…
But as if his subconscious was trying to prove him wrong, his memory-based dream was abruptly skewed into a nightmare.
Everything was suddenly dark and cold… He was freezing and confused.
A nostalgic voice whispered a single word… "… Asaka…"
He didn't want to hear that voice or that word ever again...
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"Tsuzuki, wait!" He turned around, his shirt rippling in the salty, night air. He almost hadn't heard her undeniably seductive voice over the majestic crashing of the ocean waves.
"You can't talk me out of this, Hana." He warned her. "I'm going to track down Akihiko and find out why Mizuki is marrying Makoto." She listened to him, looking after him eagerly.
"Tsuzuki, before you go. I need to tell you something!"
She ran to him, stopping only inches from his chest, her slender fingers found the collar of his shirt urgently. He couldn't stand the wounded look on her face. Her full lips called his name again.
…
I turned the page.
…
This book was actually a lot more dramatic than I remembered the movie being… and it actually had a fast-moving plot…Then again, it was difficult to compare this to the movie… since I sort of repressed all memories of it, as well as the fact that I hadn't paid much attention to the screen in the first place.
But I had expected non-stop love scenes from cover to cover… there hadn't even been one, yet.
I skimmed down the new page, still catching all the details… I was always a fast reader… ever since by book-smart days at the Academy…
I started on the first paragraph on the next page, reading as Hana confessed her long-kept-secret love for Tsuzuki while trying to convince him not to leave her to chase after Mizuki, who was probably actually in love with that Makoto guy.
I didn't even realize that I had actually gotten involved with the characters so soon.
"…Sakura?..." My attention was suddenly snapped away from Hana and Tsuzuki rather harshly. Kakashi-sensei was up, calling my name a little groggily. "…. You should've woken me up soo-"
My small attempt to hide the book under my hands was thwarted.
His eyes found it.
He went silent.
I stayed silent.
His eyes were stuck on the orange book in my lap.
My eyes were stuck on him.
…
Neither of us moved.
…
Neither of us made a sound.
….
An awkward tumbleweed could have passed between us before the ruckus finally started.
"What are you reading?" He seemed really awake now, his voice asked with an incredulous tone. I could tell he was trying to remain calm.
I picked the book up from my lap… I didn't need to say anything, we both knew he could tell what was an Icha Icha book cover from a mile away.
"How long have you been reading that?" He asked me like I was some sort of troublemaking kid who had stolen candy or something.
And that was it… Whenever people used that tone, I always wanted to fight back.
Which was probably childish in enough itself… but I didn't really care.
"Since I got here…" I responded a little defiantly, shifting in my seat, lifting the book back to my face, reading again.
"Oi!"
I could tell he was fretting a little.
It was, once again, difficult not to think he was cute.
"What page are you on?" He asked a little seriously.
"… 37…" I muttered, looking over the page at him.
His eyes narrowed a little calculatively.
"Put the book down, now." He ordered seriously.
"Why?" I flipped the page, still reading.
A familiar hand suddenly snatched the book out of my hand. "Because you're too young!" He said without thinking.
Too young?... That sounded familiar.
All I had to do was give him a look and he knew exactly where he messed up in those words, I snatched the book back while he was still recovering from realizing his mistake.
"You're too young when there's a NC-17 rating." He added, correcting himself, reaching for the book again.
I shifted out of the way, already prepared for another snatch from him. "But I've already seen the movie, it shouldn't be too-"
"The movie was completely different." He cut me off a little frantically.
I had no idea why I thought it was really cute to see him this bothered.
"But it's actually getting interesting." I looked back to his face as I finished the sentence.
… He seemed a little surprised, but still distressed.
He didn't say anything for a second.
He closed his eyes and cleared his throat a little, leaning against his pillows again. "…Fine, but skip over pages 38 – 40…" He sounded like he was telling me the rules of a test.
"Why?" I asked, already turning the page to the one with the bold '38' on the corner.
"You'll see…" His voice didn't change.
I could have sworn that I saw his cheeks turn a shade of embarrassed pink when he said that, but he pulled up his mask too soon for me to check… the perfect defense.
I couldn't think about a blushing Kakashi-sensei too long, or I'd probably start freaking out.
I looked back to the text, trying not to smile, while also trying to ready myself for whatever he was talking about.
"Tsuzuki." She called his name again, her voice completely surrendered as his hands roamed her body, his fingers scrutinizing her womanly curves.
"Hana." He breathed her name against her hot neck. She shook under his fingers, moaning passionately.
"Tsu-zu-ki." She could barely whimper his name with that naturally seductive, siren-like voice as his fingers browsed along her inner thigh, sliding upwa-
I flinched away from the next words, which I caught a disturbing glimpse of.
The book was suddenly out of my hands, in the air again. "See? It's too much for you." He used his lecturing-voice.
He must've seen my slight reaction.
"It wasn't too much… I was only surprised." I reasoned to him, getting up from my seat, reaching after the book half-heartedly.
This wasn't so much about how much I wanted to read the book, but more about how I didn't want him to think I was some timid, little girl…
"If it was enough to surprise you, then it's more than you should know." He said with a serious, logical voice, as he pulled the book away from me, back to him.
I leaned over the edge of the bed, still reaching for it.
"I already know enough." I argued weakly, still trying to convince him to treat me a little more like an equal. "Yes!" My fingers closed around the orange binding, I snatched it back from him, using my chakra control a little unfairly.
But I was immediately distracted by my little victory.
His other hand had already wrapped around the back of my head, just like it had last night, pulling my down to him, just like he had like last night… but this time, he was a little bit more forceful.
I hadn't even realized when he took off his mask.
I didn't have time to think about that as my attention was suddenly stolen back to this fast-evolving kiss.
His tongue coursed through my mouth…. And even though I had started to think that I had finally caught on how to deal with this type of kiss, which seemed to be a Kakashi-sensei's favorite, he completely shattered that theory in a second.
The way he moved… I hadn't known Kakashi-sensei could do this… I couldn't really move, he was doing too much.
His hands found my shoulders, pulling me down closer to him.
My palms planted onto the edge of the bed, the book still heavy in my left hand.
Even if was only a kiss... it still seemed like a lot to me... I couldn't think straight.
His hands travelled along my shoulders to the corners of my neck.
I could barely focus on anything other than this new kiss.
I felt one of his hands brushed to my collarbone, I hadn't noticed the tugging on the zipper of my shirt until my neck was already exposed.
I didn't know what I would've done if I had known he had been unzipping my shirt.
His lips left mine, the sudden oxygen made my head spin.
His hands wrapped around my back, pushing me down to him, arching my back against him.
His lips travelled down to my neck, he stopped just above my collarbone.
I had almost gotten back all of my lost air until I felt him kiss the hollow of my collarbone like he had just kissed my lips. I started shaking when I felt his tongue graze my skin.
He had only done that once before, but this was so unexpected, I gasped a little... immediately feeling weird about it afterwards.
Then suddenly his lips were gone, his hands sliding back to my neck, I felt his fingers tug my zipper upward again.
I was still leaning over him, my breathing slowly returning to normal.
His hand brushed upward to my hair.
"You still need some more time before you can say you 'know enough'." He said gently.
I would've been upset with that almost-condescending sentence at any other time… but after what he just did, and how clueless it made me feel… I knew he was right.
He must've felt like he needed to teach me that...
I almost smiled at the ironic word choice, 'teach'.... but that was what he was doing.
Before I could think further into that, his lips found mine again… softly this time.
But it didn't feel like he was holding himself back…
It felt like… he was trying to savor... the softness of the moment… slowly, gently.
This feeling washed away all of the heat and confusion from that last kiss.
Everything was calm and cool now.
I felt better now.
…
There were so many sides to Kakashi-sensei, so many things he was capable of… I had just learned something new, and it would take some getting used to, but I looked forward to the time when I would be able to keep up with him.
…
His lips left mine. He looked up at me, his eyes narrowed with a smile. I didn't realize for a few seconds that I had already been smiling like idiot.
His fingers brushed through a few strands of my hair that were hanging towards his face… I could tell he liked doing that for some reason.
I leaned over him a little closer.
"… So… when can I read it?" I asked the unimportant question jokingly, letting my lips fall onto his for a second before he could say what I already knew he was going to say.
"Never…" He answered half-seriously, pulling himself up to my face for another.
I still smiled into the kiss.
"Hope you're not still sleeping, Kakashi!!!" A loud voice suddenly invaded both of our ears.
That brash tone, the high volume, and the fact it was a woman's voice.
Tsunade!
I immediately pushed myself away from him, and away from the mattress, practically falling into the chair.
The loud thud from my landing was completely silenced by the sudden whack of the sliding door being pushed open with tremendous force.
"Hope you're well-rested!" She shouted with her imaginably epic entrance.
It sounded like she was about to put Kakashi-sensei to work or something.
I heard Tsunade's heels walk into the room behind me, followed by a pair of heavier footsteps, I immediately recognized the second voice belonging to those footsteps.
"Mornin'." The older voice of a man.
Jiraiya-sama.
In a flash, two-thirds of the famous Sannin had barged into the room.
I turned around slowly to face them.
"Oh, Sakura, you're here!" Lady Tsunade noted out loud. She grinned widely down at me. My nerves calmed a little. She was always a lot of fun to be around… but still a little scary.
Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama crossed to the foot of Kakashi-sensei's bed.
"Uh-yeah… I just wanted to check in on Kakashi-sensei." I said, trying to make it sound like it was a casual visit.
"That's really considerate of you." Lady Tsunade said with a hint of praise in her voice.
I felt a little guilty.
"Did you get the gifts I dropped off?" I heard Jiraiya start up conversationally.
"Good Morning… and yes I did…" I heard Kakashi-sensei speak up, his voice suddenly back to its normal, casually polite tone… even when JIraiya mentioned the recently disputed-over book, Kakashi-sensei remained completely composed.
I looked over to him, he really was like two different people sometimes… so warm, kind, and intense when he was alone with me, but calm, collected, and serious when surrounded by others.
Somewhere along the way, he became like that without my realizing it.
"Hmm…." I heard Jiraiya hum from Tsunade's side, his tone turning upwards at the end, a little playfully.
What did that mean?
My confusion ran deeper when he suddenly formed a little box with his fingers, holding up the frame to his eyes, directing the snapshot at the bed, and then over to me.
Tsunade looked at him with just the same amount of confusion I felt… but she had that faint glint of skepticism in her eyes… like she already knew he was going to say something stupid.
"This scene…" He spoke up again, his voice serious. "This scene… it's… very…." He held his hands closer to his face, capturing both me and Kakashi in his finger-frame.
"… inspiring!…"
I blinked.
"The cute, anxious student staying at her handsome, almost middle-aged, teacher's bedside, desperately awaiting his recovery!" His voice grew louder with every adjective.
"Ha?..." Tsunade asked for me. Ero-sennin paid no attention to Tsunade's reaction, or mine.
Almost middle-aged?!... That's a gross exaggeration!
"This would make an amazing book!!" Ero-sennin immediately reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a little writing tablet and a pen, scribbling incessantly.
What the hell?!
"Oi…" Lady Tsunade spoke up, trying to get his attention, it didn't work. Ero-sennin was already in some sort of writing-mode.
He suddenly started up again, his voice growing louder and more exuberant with every word.
"It would be full of blossoming love, forbidden lust, internal discoveries, hot beating hearts, sweaty palms, and steamy night of skin-skin deeds!!...
I'll call it 'ICHA ICHA, SENSEI'!!!…
..oof!"
Tsunade retracted her fist from the Ero-sennin's stomach.
He rubbed the recently-punched area, pouting a little, as he usually did after Tsunade got on his case.
"Stop saying idiotic things…" She huffed to herself, fixing her sleeve.
Kakashi and I sat there… completely unchanged from when that monologue started… but I bet he felt just as nervous as I did.
Did Jiraiya-sama just sense something like that between us?!
"… I wasn't really serious…" He said weakly with a pained smile… anybody could tell he was lying.
Lady Tsunade gave him a good glare before turning back to face Kakashi-sensei.
"Anyways… We came here to discuss something with you Kakashi."
Tsunade was suddenly very serious.
She turned to me, making me a little fearful for a second.
"I'm sorry Sakura, but we need to talk with him alone."
My heart dropped.
"Oh… of course." I stood up from my seat.
I glanced over to Kakashi, he was already looking at me.
"Bye…" I said quietly.
He nodded, his eyes were still serious.
It was really hard to turn my back to him and walk towards the door, but I had too.
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She left, closing the sliding door behind her with a quiet clack.
He hated seeing her leave.
But he would've hated for her to hear this conversation more… if anything slipped, and she heard it… he didn't want to think about how she'd feel.
"Kakashi…" The Hokage called for his attention. He turned back to her and Jiraiya, their comical, yet dangerous, scene from a few seconds ago was completely forgotten, both of them suddenly adopted a severe air.
"Yes, Hokage-sama…" Kakashi responded respectfully.
She took a deep sigh, looking down to her crossed arms.
"I'm going to need you take over the Asaka-mission…."
Jiraiya looked over to her, staring at her with a solemn expression… Jiraiya seemed to have agreed with her choice.
Kakashi, on the other, hand couldn't stand for it.
He had been worried she'd come to this conclusion ever since he told her about it yesterday.
"With all due respect, Hokage-"
"I know how you feel about this case… your history with it…" She spoke up, interrupting Kakashi's rebuttal. "But you and your team are the only ones who can handle this…"
There was only a moment of silence.
"No…." Kakashi said almost defiantly.
Both of the Sannin members shifted on the spot, paying more attention to Kakashi who suddenly didn't seem so polite.
"I'll go alone… my team can rest…" He offered.
He didn't want Sakura there on this mission… if there was one thing he could control of this mission, other than not taking it at all, it would be that she stay here, where it was safe... and where she wouldn't learn unnecessary things that would only hurt her.
"You know as well as we do that it doesn't work like that… especially when you've been wounded like this." Jiraiya suddenly came into the conversation, speaking somberly. "Sending you again, alone, would only be a suicide-mission."
"I can handle it… I know what I should've done now." Kakashi argued further, sitting up straighter. He tried not to flinch with the little sharp pains running along his side when he spoke… it definitely wouldn't help his argument if he showed how much his wounds affected him.
"Yes, that's why you're the only one that can do this… but we can't risk you going alone... You're team is the most well-equiped; you have a perfectly fresh ANBU member, a highly skilled medic-nin, and a chakra-filled jinchuriki all on your team… They're completely capable of helping you." Tsunade rounded off her argument.
"Hokage-sa-"
"No more discussion… Team Kakashi will be assigned the Asaka Mission…" She stopped him harshly, her voice raised.
Everybody went silent for a moment.
"… Well... I guess we don't have to worry about the debriefing until you're healed…" Tsunade started up again, sounding a little awkward. Even if she was the Hokage, she still didn't like having to yell at Kakashi, who was not only a friend, but a near equal in talent.
"I heard your wounds were infused with wind element chakra. That changes things… " Tsunade continued, sounding more like the medic-nin she was. "… With your weakening counterpart chakra affecting your wounds, you'll need frequent medical attention… I'll have to assign someone for you."
Tsunade chewed at the nail of her thumb, thinking.
Jiraiya was already turned away from the conversation.
Kakashi knew it might be too risky… but, if he was going to have to take on the Asaka-mission… and have Sakura come with him… he couldn't pass up this chance.
"I have someone in mind…" Kakashi spoke up.
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Info Note:
'weakening counterpart chakra': just in case that was confusing, it was referring to the fact that Kakashi's Electric chakra is the weakest against the Wind chakra.
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Author's Note:
Had a tough time writing those Icha Icha excerpts… completely not my style…. Lol XD
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Anyways, I just wanted to let you guys know that I simply loved the idea of 'Icha Icha, Sensei' too much not to do something with it….
So, if you're interested, be on the lookout, sometime in the future, for a small spin-off fic: "The Great Jiraiya-sama's Data Gathering Adventures!!!"…. which will include plot summaries, excerpts, and most importantly, interviews!
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Thank you all again for staying with this fic and for the reviews and favoriting!!!
Thank you!!! :D