Chapter 48!
Title: 'Closets and Come-ons'
Note: Not much going on, just want to say thank you guys for all your reviews, it must be troublesome having to think of something new to say after every chapter, but you guys do it anyways and keep my motivation up to write the next chapter. I really treasure every review I get!
Oh, and thank you Ava8 and for wishing me luck on my 'real life' stuff (I just came back from Grad Nite last night, I spent all of today sleeping and writing o-o), things are going good, I hope you enjoy this one! :D
OH, and just as a tidbit for those who read the author notes and also like listening to new songs, I recommend you listen to 'Resistance' by MUSE. I listened to it a lot while writing this chapter. I like the flow of the song as well as how a few of the lyrics relate to the chapter, too. ;)
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
[EDIT] WOW. I just looked at the word count. This is THE longest chapter I've ever written so far!
Isn't that weird?
…... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
For a second I wondered whether my eyes were closed, but after blinking in confusion for a moment I moved on to the possibility of being blindfolded, but that idea was quickly discarded when I suddenly felt the steady breathing on the side of my face.
All I knew was I was someplace dark… and cramped. I knew that wherever I was had to be really compact because my fellow inhabit-er of this tiny place was towering over me, practically squishing me against the wall behind my back.
It only a took a few moments for the jetlag/whiplash of being tugged into this tiny, pitch-black, closet without any warning to wear off and I could pay more attention to what was actually going on.
I heard the voices from before, even though I could tell they were fighting, they were now muffled almost to the point that I couldn't understand them, but I wasn't paying much attention to their tense and agitated tone patterns. Not when a voice much closer to me, only centimeters from my ear spoke out, calling more of my scattered attention to my current situation.
"Sorry about this… It was the best plan at the moment." Kakashi's teacher-voice was genuinely serious about that little unexpected apology.
I was confused for a moment why he would apologize about this improvised hideout, which seemed like a perfectly logical choice for getting out of sight. That was until I tried to move my head so that I could speak to him directly –which wouldn't make much of a difference since I couldn't see anything in this darkness anyways- and realized, after my nose and mouth came into contact with familiar skin, that if I was going to say anything in that direction I was going to have to talk directly into his neck.
I looked away from him, trying not to touch him too much.
We really are close aren't we?
I tried to look around, to get a better idea of the layout of this tiny closet, but my chin just bumped against his shoulder, it was smooth and a little damp.
Smooth.
Damp.
My brain froze for a moment. It was woken by the single tickling sensation of water dripping from my hair down the front of my chest.
Everything about this situation came crashing into my head all at once.
Here we are. Both of us in very little clothing. Both of us still dripping from the hot spring tunnel we had to take to get here. Both of us nearly pressed against each other in this closet which seemed to becoming increasingly steamier by the second.
…
Now I knew why he apologized just now…
…
Even though the voices from outside the closet went on, both of them using sentences full of insults and cursing, I was too painfully aware of every little detail of this little servants' cupboard we were stuffed in to even bring myself to care about the reason we were even in here.
I looked back to the man in the closet with me, seeing only the slight outlines of his figure in the darkness as my eyes were still adjusting. This seemed a little similar to what happened back in 'our' room earlier… but before I could worry about this situation evolving into anything like what happened in that room, I noticed that he really wasn't making any attempt to say anything or even look at me.
It was a little surprising since he had gone so far and had so much of his own fun back when we first left the party… He must really be serious about the mission right now.
That was something to be grateful for…
I guess…
Why was I a little uncertain about whether that was a good thing or not?
…I stood there in silence for a moment before I actually thought of a reason.
Maybe it's because his 'games' were never that unbearable and may-
GOD!
I stopped that thought before I could let it go anywhere I wanted it too.
Why did the closet have to be this small?
Why couldn't traditional Japanese architecture be just a little more convenient for hideout situations like these! I asked the Universe with childish panic as I couldn't help but focus on the details of this situation:
My back against the wall, his arms on either side of me, his hands against the wall on either side of my shoulders, his face bowing next to my left cheek, my face within grazing-distance of the corner of his neck, his left leg slightly kneeling in between mine.
I shuffled on my feet a little, trying to inch away from the man in front of me, and give him some more room since he was probably trying not to get distracted by the movement of the voices right now… and because I was trying not to get distracted either. But I only ended up tripping on my own foot and falling against his arm.
He didn't seem to even notice my awkward shuffling, he was looking towards the door of the closet.
I quickly pushed myself off his arm, getting my footing back.
I hadn't noticed until just now how firm his arms were when they were flexed like that.
My thoughts travelled a little before I cringed at myself, trying to get my thoughts back on track.
I guess the dark helped my other senses pick up more details.
Just as I finished that thought I realized exactly how aware I was about him, even if he wasn't touching me I could still feel his body heat radiate against my own skin. His wrists warmed the sides of my arms, his neck heated my face, his leg was practically burning the insides of my knees.
Stop thinking about that useless stuff! I scolded myself.
…
The air in this dark cubicle reminded me of a humid forest during a summer night.
I lifted my arms, feeling a little insecure with them just hanging by my sides. I reached for the wall behind him, hoping for some sort of support just in case my legs felt any weaker than they did now. I reached around blindly, groping for the flat and cool surface of the wall, but my hands met his bare back first.
It was smooth and curved since he was hunched over me a little. I moved my hands a little unintentionally feeling the lines and grooves of his muscles.
I couldn't bring myself to choose the wall over his skin.
Even if his skin seemed to burn my hands.
…
This was really starting to get a little uncomfortable… only because I was getting too comfortable.
…
We stood there in silence, the only sound beside the voices in the room next to us, was our breathing.
I tried to focus on the voices, and not on the way his skin felt, not on the way the room seemed to be getting hotter by the moment, and definitely not on how much I was actually starting to wish he wouldn't be so responsible right now.
I really shouldn't be thinking like that. I grimaced at myself, feeling a little guilty.
Of course he wouldn't do anything right now!
This is the mission! Right outside that door is the mission!
We're supposed to act professionally, like there's nothing between us, like we're the student and teacher we were only a while ago.
My mind did a little flip when I thought of how strange this would've been if we really were the student and teacher like before.
Would it be strictly professional, or even more awkward?
As if the Universe was trying to tell me to pay more attention to what was happening right now and not on useless 'what if' situations I was woken from my thoughts when I felt a single ice-cold droplet of water fall onto my left shoulder blade and glide downwards slowly.
I was confused for a moment where the water came from since my hair was slicked resting on the front of my shoulders, until I noticed the silver locks against the left side of my face were still wet.
My nerves flared into a sudden shiver when the water droplet ran past my waist which was always really ticklish, I shivered involuntarily.
I immediately tried to calm myself, but as if reacting to my sudden movement, I felt his arms shift closer to my shoulders, our skin touching.
I cursed myself for noticing just how hot his skin felt compared to the icy water droplets streaming down my back now that his forehead was resting on my shoulder, his hair draping over my skin.
What was wrong with me?
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
He focused on the voices, deciphering every muffled blurb of a sentence he could hear, focusing intently on the words that seemed to mean nothing despite the amount of attention he was paying them:
'Whatcha lookin' over there fer?' The masculine voice called towards the other person in the room briskly, his speech slightly slurred.
Kakashi listened for the reply, trying to keep his attention away from the pink-haired source of body heat between his arms.
'Momo likes to keep his money in his toothbrush case!' The woman responded as-a-matter-of-factly.
The source of the body heat, which he noticed was now growing warmer since the little closet lacked proper ventilation, stumble a little, distracting him.
He felt her arm prop against his own as he she moved around a little, her chin bumping against the side of his neck for a moment, he winced from the way his skin she touched seemed to fire a little.
He pulled his attention back to the voices with more difficulty than before.
'Don't take that!' The man yelled half-seriously.
'Ah, he won't miss it.' The woman brushed the man's order off.
'Imma tell 'im!' The man threatened childishly.
'Go ahead, numb-nuts.' The woman said lastly with an equally childish reply before a long silence took over, the man was no doubt too drunk to think of a comeback.
The longer the voices were quiet the harder it was to focus on not focusing on what was going on in this closet. He wished they would just say anything, anything, even if it was just more stupid bickering that kids could do better, just anything to stop him from losing himself to the five-foot-two distraction in front of him.
The distraction squirmed again, noticeably uncomfortable.
She wasn't alone with that feeling.
This situation was nearly unbearable for him for a number of reasons which were now growing more urgent as he had nothing else to focus on but them:
The way her hair smelled like strawberry shampoo now that it was wet, the way the air was getting humid and sweet with her scent, the fact the side of her neck was only centimeters from his lips, the fact his sharingan could see every detail in the darkness including how brightly she had been blushing for the past few minutes and the fact that her bra strap was dangerously close to the tip of her shoul-
Stop!
He mentally scolded himself for a moment, shutting his eyes tightly and turning away from her neck, trying to stop himself from looking any further into the details of this moment. Even as he stood there trying to block out how strong the urge was to kiss her right now, or to at least touch her, he was still completely aware of everything about her, so it wasn't surprising that he felt it when she suddenly shivered, breaking up the stillness of that moment.
In reaction to her sudden movement, and without thinking, he almost let his arms fold around her, but he stopped himself early and just ended up closing her between his arms tighter than before. His arms barely touching hers.
He felt her shivering under his touch, her skin was hotter than he ever felt it.
This is really too much. He grimaced at himself as he let his forehead fall a few inches, slowly resting it on her smooth shoulder; allowing himself at least that much contact with her.
I can't do anything.
I can't let myself do anything.
His closed eyes tightened.
I can't let myself cross that line again… I already saw how dangerous that was when we were in the room.
I had acted without thinking, confused her, and probably took things too far for her… again.
He hated how he had to add that last word onto that thought.
It hadn't seemed like a big deal at the time… but now, as he was forced into this unbearable situation while in a responsible mind-set, he was sinking back into his everlasting internal guilt-battle (he didn't know whether he was like this due to the fact that he was now on a mission and therefore instinctually more responsible than usual, or because being put in this closet with this girl seemed to point out just how weak his self-control had become since every second was a battle with himself to stop from touching her), he couldn't help his sudden change in perspective.
He had never had this problem before. He had always been respected and revered for his cool nature on missions, how he could block out all personal matters and emotions for the sake of a mission. That was the ideal mind-set for every ninja, and he had always been the best at it… but now, he couldn't help but notice how that hard earned image of his was crumbling with every moment that passed.
When did I get this bad?
How could I have let myself get to this point?
When did I start thinking it was normal to act like this?
He scolded himself a little too harshly as he thought back to what had happened in the room only minutes ago… the sensation of his hands sliding under the fabric of her dress.
He nearly frowned at the memory… he knew he shouldn't have pushed that far so fast, it was probably too much for her… for them, really…. But truth be told, he hadn't expected her to allow that. He thought she would stop him, set her foot down, and tell him off about being more responsible, then he would've just said something annoying, and just before she could get mad, kiss her and apologize, passing the whole thing off as a joke.
His complicated prediction hadn't worked out as it usually did.
Instead, his self-control wavered and he did what he wanted without thinking… and she didn't resist…
She was probably too overwhelmed…
He slowly opened his eyes, easing the tension of his near-grimacing expression.
His gaze found her face -which was so close to his that he could feel her breath along his neck- she still had that almost pained, uncomfortable, look on her face.
Almost the same expression he had just now, too.
He almost smiled at the strangeness of that coincidence before he thought through why she would be making that face.
She probably can't wait to get out of here.
Only a part of him couldn't wait either.
The less time they spent in this little cubicle, the less time he had to make another mistake.
If there was ever a time when he couldn't afford that mistake it was during a mission… like right now, as the subject of their secret reconnaissance was just on the other side of this door, he couldn't get distracted or give in. He couldn't push her any further after already slipping up not an hour ago.
His inner-battle with himself about responsibility and controlling distraction disintegrated into nothingness when he was suddenly irresponsibly distracted.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
I had thought, recently, that I had been the responsible one between the two of us… that he was only interested in games and how much fun he could have… but this time I was the one who was starting something!
I was the one who couldn't control myself.
I was the one who couldn't stop myself from being irresponsible.
I was the one at fault.
But I couldn't care enough to stop.
I wanted to be angry enough with myself that I could separate my lips from his skin, but it just didn't work like that.
Sure, the guilt and slight embarrassment of taking the initiative like this was more than a little daunting, but I couldn't help myself, and I had no idea why not.
I felt my lips land on his neck for the third time in the past few seconds, moving them along his skin, following the grooves of his bare muscles onto his shoulder, loving everything about the way it felt, loving everything about him.
The forest-like scent that never left him, the firmness of his skin, the even firmer muscles underneath, the way his arms twitched against my own every time I moved my lips even lightly.
My hands on his back rubbed upward clutching onto his shoulders from behind as I deepened the contact between my lips and his skin, traveling slowly back towards the corner of his neck.
I still couldn't see well but I could feel from the way his shoulders were rising and falling a little faster than calmly that his breathing was getting harder, as well as the fact that I could feel his breaths quicken down the front of my shoulder.
I almost let the lips that were currently pressed against his neck turn upward in a smile… it wasn't too often I got to see this side of Kakashi.
So this is what it must feel like whenever he messes with me…
I suddenly couldn't blame him that much for his games.
…
I let my lips travel upward a little, inching onto his neck.
His forehead rubbed against my shoulder briskly for a moment, as if he was warning me to stop without using words.
I wasn't going to stop unless he told me.
I pressed my lips against his skin a little closer as I moved my mouth up his neck.
And as if he had heard my mental requirement I had just made of him, I suddenly heard his voice for the first time since we had been crammed into this closet.
"S-Sakura…" His voice wavered, talking extremely softly so that the two people in the room who were still arguing couldn't hear him. But I didn't care about any of that, I just found myself captivated by the way he said my name.
I did say that I would stop as soon as he said something… but now I really couldn't bring myself to follow that rule.
I kissed farther up his neck, no longer grazing or lightly brushing his skin with my lips, but actually kissing him seriously.
"Stop…. This is too much…" His voice, sounding a little stronger and a little more serious, broke the silence.
But I pretended that I didn't hear anything.
I felt his arms and back tense when I picked up the speed of my lips. His breathing, the rise and fall of his shoulders, seemed to match the new speed I set as well.
I had no idea what I was doing or why I was doing it, but I knew I didn't want to stop.
I let my hands explore away from his shoulders: my left brushing downward a few inches to the middle of his back, clutching his muscles a little tightly, my right grazed around the side of his chest to his front, trailing up his chest to his neck, following the previous trail of my lips.
The hands that had been planted on the wall behind me slowly curled into fists… as if he was determined not to move them from that spot.
"S-sa…stop." My heart thumped with a little surprise when his voice, which actually sounded a lot more demanding and serious than before, couldn't manage to form a full sentence, or even my name.
I paused for a moment.
It felt like a sauna now. The surface of my skin was tingling sharply as if hot water was being sprayed onto me.
It was a little shocking. The way he was talking. He really was trying to talk me out of continuing this.
Maybe he's really serious…
Maybe he's actually trying to be more responsible like I've asked him to be, and here I am making a hypocrite of myself!
I probably shouldn't push him like thi-
'Push'
I was frozen for a moment with that weirdly appropriate word choice…
Was I 'pushing' Kakashi?
I was the one who was taking this too far.
He was the one who couldn't handle it.
I suddenly remembered the few occasions when I felt a little scared or embarrassed or freaked out about how far Kakashi would try to take things when he forgot himself, how my stomach would burn nervously and my legs would feel a little weak.
That can't be what's going on with him, right?
I lifted my lips from his skin for only a moment, his posture relaxed a little.
… There was really only one way to find out.
"Why?" I broke the silence, asking that simple question out of genuine curiosity, although it sounded like I was only playing with him. I was asking 'why' to his few attempts at telling me to stop.
Why would he want me to stop?
I could think of so many reasons why he'd want me to stop… but I could also think of a few of why he wouldn't ask me to stop, too.
I heard him clear his throat a little, as if he knew that his voice sounded a little… weak… just a few seconds ago. He picked his head off my shoulder slowly.
"You know why." I nearly sighed at the typically vague Kakashi-asnwer, using a slightly-rougher-than-usual voice.
But even without a straight answer, I still understood what he meant… or I think I did, at least.
He stood up a little, trying to straighten his posture even more, probably in an attempt to widen the space between us. My hand on his neck fell down to his chest unintentionally.
I lost all reasonable thought for a moment.
I shouldn't.
I shouldn't.
I tried to talk myself out of it... but it didn't work.
He had played with me when I didn't want him to… maybe it was finally his turn.
That sounded a little vindictive, but it's true!
"Do I?" My voice sounded a little strange. But I tried not to let my confidence waver.
I asked that question a little mockingly, letting my hand on his chest brush up his breastbone. I could feel his heart pounding, but it still wasn't as fast as my own.
I guess he really wasn't as nervous as I was… but he was still the one assuming less control here.
The entire atmosphere changed in only a moment after he spoke up just as his right hand lifted off the wall, his longer fingers prying into between mine, pressing my palm harder against his pec.
"If you don't stop, you'll find out."
My heart was definitely faster than his now.
The way he said that was a little scary. I couldn't tell if it was a threat. Or a warning.
But that's probably the way he wanted it to sound. To scare me out of picking on him like I just was.
…. But I wasn't scared.
For some reason, even though my stomach was burning anxiously and my legs were definitely weaker than usual, I wasn't afraid.
Maybe it was because I trusted that he didn't really mean what his said.
Right?...
Even with that uncertainty in mind I still gave no thought to the fact that I was leaning forward again, about to ignore his warning/threat until something interrupted me.
"Just go do yer shoppin, Imma stay here en clean up yer mess." I whipped my head towards the door suddenly remembering that there was a world that existed outside of this closet, let alone a mission that was taking place out there too.
The sound of a door closing.
Somebody left.
It was the woman who left, right? Where's the man?
I reached for the door latch with my left hand, about to open it a crack to take a peek.
"He's still there." Kakashi's voice whispered, his tone completely different from before.
I managed better than I thought I would've to keep my mind off of what had just happened between us, much better than I thought since I just came up with a plan out of nowhere.
My fingers closed on the latch of the door about to open it, Kakashi's other hand landed on mine, stopping me.
I look up at him quickly.
"… I gotta plan." I explained with enough vagueness to make him proud.
He didn't seem convinced, now with both of his hands on mine, my right still pressed against his chest, I felt like he was being not only protective of me as his subordinate, but that his personal protectiveness was keeping me from leaving this closet.
I was almost tempted to stay here with his warmth and his heartbeat, but I had finally managed to resurrect some responsibility of mine with this plan and I couldn't give it up now.
"I can handle myself." I offered the simple phrase with as much conviction I could give it.
After a long moment I saw the figure of his head nod only slightly, high burning hands let go of mine. I suddenly felt like I was freezing even before I opened the closet door letting the cold night air of the room with an open veranda hit my skin.
I shivered a little as I quickly jumped across the threshold, my whole body feeling cold, reminding me that I was only in a something of a bathing suit.
"Eh, what're you doing-" the sudden scratchy voice spoke out loudly making me jump a little just as I clacked the closet door shut behind me, I turned around just in time to see the bleach-blond man with the golden chain strung along his face give me a look that made me feel even more naked than before. "… here?" He finally finished his slurred sentence after a long pause, taking his time to eye me.
His eyes were still wandering.
In an attempt to call attention to the fact that I was an animate object and not just something to stare at I answered his question the best I could.
"I just wanted to see you." I lied, using a sweet voice, immediately trying to change my body language to fit the character of Kyousuke-san's fiancé, Hanako.
"Re-really?" He stuttered like a young boy for a moment, like he couldn't really believe that I really just said that after appearing out of nowhere in my underwear.
Well I guess the 'get-the-hell-away-from-me' vibe I was sending him at the party must've actually hit him if he thought this was unexpected.
Then again, judging from his slurred speech and the way he was wobbling on the spot by the doorway as if he was going to lose balance at any moment, I think he was probably too drunk to think straight.
"Uh, yeah…" I agreed a little readily, hoping he wouldn't come to his senses and figure out this was a lie.
He took a few steps, sauntering towards me. I kept my feet from taking a few step back from him as he got a little too close.
"What about that geezer of a fiancé?" He asked with a little hiccup at the end. I could smell the sake on his breath, but that didn't disgust me as much as his word choice in describing Kakashi.
Why does everyone think that just because Kakashi has silver hair that he's automatically a 'geezer'?
Besides, this guy looked like he was around the same age as Kakashi anyways!
I cooled my little inner-rant.
"He's not here, is he?" I asked that rhetorical question, trying my best not to let my inner annoyance show through and mask my voice with the best seductive tone I could muster.
Judging by the sudden disturbing smile that was now creeping across Hiroki's face, and from the barely audible shuffling sound from the closet behind me, my voice must've been more than somewhat convincing.
I didn't have time to wonder how I managed to learn that tone so well, or even what I should say next before I was interrupted by the man in front of me taking a few more steps closer to me, successfully bursting my personal space bubble.
His drunken eyes were focused in on my lips. I knew what that meant.
My brain frenzied, looking for a way to get back to my original plan.
"Wait…" I told him with my own voice for a moment, using only my fingertips to push his right shoulder back. He looked at me with a kind of annoyed puzzlement. Even if he was drunk he probably sensed my break in character.
I straightened my expression, softened my voice, and let my entire hand fall on his shoulder.
I suddenly thought of the perfect segue back to what I was aiming for.
I took a little breath and focused on my character, trying not to get embarrassed.
"I don't just pick any guy at random to be with…." I suppressed a cringe as my hand brushed his shoulder a little. "He has to be powerful…"
He seemed to calm down a little. Like he was suddenly full of self-confidence.
"That's me." His smile widened with sickly charm as he took another step towards me, I ended up taking one back, but I forgot the closet was right behind me, my back hit the wall a little loudly. I quickly took my hand off his shoulder, snapping it to my side.
"Really?" I asked with a little panic in my voice, but Hiroki didn't seem to notice as he put his arms up, hais hands on the door beside the sides of my head. His leer intensified, he seemed to enjoy the fact that I was cornered.
I fought the urge to punch him.
"Yeah, I'm Momoshita's right-hand man." He explained as-a-matter-of-factly, his drunken eyes only a little higher than mine. "And after tomorrow night we'll have the entire region under our control and I'll be first in line for it all." He finished proudly, petting his own ego.
This was exactly where I wanted to conversation to go. I forgot my irritation for a moment, falling back into character.
"How?" I asked with faux-seductiveness, but genuinely curious.
He laughed a scratchy chuckle, definitely enjoying my character a lot more than I was.… and surely more than Kakashi probably was… He was just behind this door I was cornered against, he could probably hear every detail of this stupid voice I'm using. I pushed that to the back of my mind as Hiroki started up again.
"Momoshita and I are setting up a big deal with the Yomasa clan. Our weapons for their money, and they're stupid enough to think they can trust us." He guffawed as if he told the funniest joke of the month, his textured voice cracking with every inhale.
My plan was actually working better than I thought it would!
"What?" I tried to coax some more details out of him. I wished I had the stomach to reach out and touch his arm or something, but even if my brain told my body to, it wouldn't follow orders. But maybe that was for the best since after I showed some more interest in the deal with the Yomasa clan he actually seemed a lot more sure of himself, taking a step closer.
I had really had enough of being cornered into small places and revealing clothes for one day.
"Right after we make the deal, we're gonna force control over the clan and take over. And then I'm gonna get some of my guys and get rid of Momshita." He was almost salivating now. I didn't know whether he was just a drooly type of drunk or if power made his mouth watery, but it wasn't half as disturbing as the weakness of his loyalty and lack of shame. I wanted to punch him for completely unselfish reasons now.
But I didn't show my emotions at all.
"Is that powerful enough for you." He asked lastly with cheesy charm, closing in to the point his elbow was flat against the door behind me.
I was quick to stop his face with my hand.
"Not quite." I answered a little firmly, my fingers fanned over his forehead, my palm against his drooly lips.
"Huh?" He asked stupidly as I searched for something to wipe the saliva from my hand. I settled for his suit sleeve. He didn't seem to notice anything other than the fact I was touching him.
"You could just be saying all this." I answered his syllable of a question. "I need to see it happen… at the party." I inched towards my goal, hoping he wouldn't get smart at the last moment and figure out this was what I was aiming for the whole time.
His eyebrows drooped in stern confusion for a moment… I could almost see the wheels and cogs in his head turning, oiled by alcohol to the point that they weren't turning correctly.
I was getting a little nervous until he spoke again.
"It'll be a hassle with the old man, but I'll find you a seat for it all…" He half-promised, maintaining the concentration-face of a schoolboy before changing back to his self-confident drooly face. "And then after…." He trailed off, stepping closer again, forgetting the facepalm I had just given him a few seconds ago.
"'After?'" I asked innocently. Playing stupid.
"You can leave that geezer for a little while and spend the night with me." There were so many things wrong with what he just said.
"... Right." I couldn't help but agree to that statement a little stiffly.
And, again, showing no sense of discipline or training, he leaned his chain-decorated face down to mine. His arm that wasn't propped against the door behind me suddenly found my waist.
I didn't hesitate.
"We can't do anything right now." I tried to sound cute and gentle, but the fact that when my hand pulled his away from my waist I heard a few of his knuckles crack, kind of ruined the 'sweet rejection' façade. I pulled him away from wall by the recently cracked hand, fixing the whole cornering thing he had going.
He didn't seem to really mind the way I was blowing him off right now though, not when I said something so completely gross I hated every syllable of it:
"But I promise you'll have fun tomorrow night."
He gave me one hell of a perverted look, his eyes wandering over me.
My hand grabbed his shoulder a little tightly, I didn't waste any time in turning him away from me and towards the front door of the room. But that didn't stop him from trying anything else.
"Wait. You sure we can't have some fun right no-"
It all happened so fast.
Hiroki tried to turn around, to talk me into whatever fun he had in mind.
I kept pushing him towards the door, trying to think of something to say to turn down his invitation.
But it all came to a halt when I suddenly saw Hiroki hit the ground, flying backwards a little, completely knocked out. I almost didn't see the fist pull back from that somewhat powerful punch.
I turned around quickly.
Kakashi just stood there as if he had been standing there the whole time.
Even though I definitely wasn't adverse to the thought of punching Hiroki square in the face like that, and had entertained the idea myself a few times, I was still quick to get confused by Kakashi's actions.
"Why'd you do that?" I asked bluntly up to him.
"Not even a 'thank you'?" He asked down to me a little sarcastically as he walked passed me to Hiroki.
"You knocked him out." I stated the obvious a little harshly, making it more of a demand for his reasoning than a strament.
Kakashi knelt down to the blonde lackey, picking up his arm, not showing much regret for his actions.
"He can't go back to the boss remembering meeting you." Kakashi suddenly sounded serious again as he started pulling the drooling Hiroki, who has now lost all control of his salivary glands, across the floor.
"Why not? He was going to let us in on the deal." I pointed out to him, feeling a little put off that Kakashi just waltzed into my plan and cut it short like that.
"Yes, he was..." He agreed gently before using a pointed voice to finish his sentence, "But you'd have to keep your promise, too." Everything kind of went quiet for a moment as Kakashi pulled Hiroki rather carelessly through the doorway, hitting the blonde head against the jamb. "I've known men like him for years. He wasn't going to wait until tomorrow night to get what he wants." I followed him into the futon room, feeling like he was lecturing me.
"He shouldn't remember anything tomorrow morning." He said lastly, giving Hiroki's arm one last forceful tug onto a futon that had already been prepared by the roomkeepers.
This way, it looked like Hiroki had drunkenly staggered into the room and decided to pass out on the first futon he saw.
Kakashi, stepping around the lackey-filled futon, showing no more interest in anything in the room, walked back to the doorway. I followed after him again.
"I could've taken care of it if he tried anything." I reasoned at him finally, feeling a little insulted. I was glaring at the back of his silver head, feeling more like a student by the second.
"I know that." He agreed shortly. "I didn't punch him to protect you." He explained plainly as he walked back through the middle room, I didn't see his face, but I swear he must've had his 'serious' face at that moment. It was always the face he had whenever he understated something, to make it sound unimportant or professional.
I immediately figured out why he had punched him and wasted no time in pointing it out.
"So… " I edged onto my sentence as Kakashi opened a linen cupboard, looking for something. "You did it 'cause you were jealous." I said bluntly, hoping to see an embarrassed Kakashi come up with some sort of other excuse for punching the drunk drooler in the other room.
"That's half of it." He said simply, closing the cupboard and moving onto the one next to it. I stumble a little at his sudden agreement to my accusation. I still couldn't see his face, but I had no idea what expression he would've had saying that.
He just admitted to acting out of jealousy…
Usually guys freak out and deny their jealousy to hide their childishness. I thought back to Naruto whenever he'd punch Sai for calling me ugly or something and then swearing it was only because Sai was 'being stupid'.
… In a way, Kakashi's complete acceptance of his childish side almost made him more of an adult than any other adult I knew.
"Then what was the other half of it?" I finally asked as I recovered from that weird thought process just now.
He turned around, completely unashamed and offered a single sentence as an answer:
"Because hearing you two make those kind of arrangements, however fake they were, pissed me off a little." He wore a smile, using his gentlemanly charm for that blunt sentence.
I stared at him in silence unsure of how to handle that until he turned around, he reached into the cupboard searching for something.
Wait…
My brain suddenly worked through the reason he just gave me.
"That's still considered jealousy, you know." I pointed out his false logic just before a soft white fabric plopped on top of my head, covering my face.
"I know." I heard his simple voice admit that just as I felt a soft source of pressure against the fabric that was covering my lips.
I reached up to whatever he had just dropped on my head. The fabric was coarse, but warm. A towel.
I suddenly felt grateful, I was getting tired of being cold and wet.
I pulled the towel off my head. For a moment I swore he was correcting his posture, like he had just leaned over a few seconds ago.
It finally hit me.
He had just kissed me through the towel.
And I had been too slow to realize that a few seconds ago.
...
That...
That was kind of...
Kind of really...
Cute.
Against my better judgement, I suddenly felt my stomach bubble happily for a moment as I wiped my face with the warm material of the towel, looking at him as he towel-dried his hair a little roughly.
…
How could he be so annoying, so responsible, and so romantic in one day?
…
"Let's get back to the party." He interrupted my staring when he turned back to me as he was still brushing the towel up and down his arms and chest.
"Uh, yeah…" I agreed weakly as I hurriedly wrapped the towel around me, having forgotten to dry myself while hypnotized by him. I could see him almost smirk in the corner of my eye. I decided to ignore it and move on into conversation.
"We've been gone a long time, they're probably wondering why it's taking so long." After only a moment silence that passed after I said that I suddenly remembered our excuse for leaving the party ('to take a bath' as Kakashi-Kyousuke had said so suggestively)…
My comment now seemed more than a little inappropriate.
"Uh-well…" I stammered a little, feeling like a little kid again despite the progress I made in this department of our relationship just minutes ago.
I only heard his laugh for a few seconds as he started walking out of the room.
I followed after him once again, adding to the 'little kid' feeling.
But just as I was a foot from catching up to him, his hand suddenly took mine, pulling me out the door behind him.
My stomach bubbled again as I couldn't help a laugh of my own.
Even though this relationship could get weird and crazy sometimes... I loved moments like these.
The small reminders of why I feel like this, of why we're together.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
He pulled her across the threshold, her hand warm in his.
She laughed warmly.
He smiled to himself.
Tonight had been a strange ride, they both acted out and tested some boundaries, but he knew that the real struggles of this mission weren't going to start until the following night.
Some part of him kind of looked forward to it.
But he didn't know that things wouldn't go according to plan after the red-dressed mob-mistress turned the corner, about to go search her lover's toothbrush bag for more money but instead spotting Kyouske and Hanako Satake walking hand-in-hand out of her room.
And that things would definitely get unpredictable when this woman decided to have her own fun with this situation.
…... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
…
…
…
…
…
…
Next chapter will be out sooner than this one!
Can't wait to share what's in store with you guys!