Chapter 52!

Title: 'Schedules and Schemes' Part: 2

Note:

This one has a weird cut off. Sorry.

…. … …. …. … … … … …. …. …. …. …. … … . .. . . . .

"Hmmm…" I hummed lightly as the water reached up to my neck, warming my entire body smoothly.

I was suddenly grateful again for the fact that Kakashi had booked the Couple Suit which had this private bath. And now that I was finally relaxing, I could think slowly and carefully about everything without any sort of interruption or distractions.

Before finally remembering that I had this bath all to myself right now and had changed into the bathing suit Ino forced me to buy before leaving for this mission I had just been sitting in my room for a good hour, trying to figure out what I could do with my time. I would've gone for a walk but I had decided on the bath idea for fear that if I took a walk that I'd accidentally bump into one of Momoshita's men… or worse, Hiroki.

Just the thought of talking to him again weirded me out.

…

It wasn't as if Hiroki was all that scary to talk to… anymore… not when he seemed so different now. It was just that I had no idea who he was or what his motives were, if I said anything off-key I'd have no idea how he would take it.

I waded my arms through the water, making little waves that smoothed out after only a few feet of travelling.

But he did seem rather calm about the thought that Kakashi-Kyousuke and I could be hiding something.

Why would he be okay with that?

If he was just lying last night because he was drunk or if he's actually somehow turned into a different man because of the side effects of the Takoa root, then wouldn't he still be loyal to Momoshita.
Last night he was practically salivating over the thought of overturning Momoshita, but he's so different now… then again, only because his manners were different, maybe it didn't really effect his traitorous intentions.
Maybe he's okay with the fact that Kakashi and I may be hiding something because he wants our help to get rid of Momoshita.
So even though he isn't really different, maybe he's just nicer about betraying Momoshita….

Is there a way to be a nice traitor?
I lowered my face to the surface of the water, my mouth submerged in the water. I breathed out between tense lips, absent-mindedly entertained by the little air bubbles that popped at the surface.
Could he actually be useful to this mission?
Does that mean he's not our enemy anymore?
I guess that would be nice… not having to worry about another enemy, but gaining an ally… even if he's a little weird.

And unpredictable.
I thought back to some of the things he said in our minutes-long conversation that seemed to take hours but seconds at the same time, wiping back my hair with damp hands, the ends dripping a little.
'I wasn't thinking last night when I advanced onto you like that… Not that you're not my type or anything. You really are. I think that's why I couldn't stop myself last night, but I-'

He'd been so awkward, he almost reminded me of an older, blonder version of Iruka-sensei in the way he tripped over his words like that. Then again, Iruka-sensei would never say anything like that.
Just the thought of it is kind of weird.
But I had been a little surprised. I never really thought about being a 'type'… especially not one that a dual-personalitied yakuza member could like.
It was flattering… in a scary kind of way, though.

Not that any of that mattered anyways... I shouldn't even be thinking about this right now.

'There's something about you and Kyousuke that you two are hiding, isn't there?'
Looking back on it, he sounded really gentle, like he knew exactly what he was asking but didn't want to alarm me.

He was probably already planning on asking that since the moment he walked up to me.

… Again, guys and their plans always seemed to send me through a loop.

…

'Until then'
And that's all he said after disturbing me so thoroughly only a few seconds before.
But the way he just walked out of the room casually, his hands in his pockets…

For a second he no longer reminded me of an even awkward-er version of Iruka-sensei, but seemed a little more like Kakashi in that moment. Kind of cool.

How could a man go from a drooling, power-hungry, touchy scumbag to a well-kept, charming, kind-of-gentleman in just a few hours?

And how am I supposed to talk to him later today?
I have no idea whether to keep up my act as Hanako or to just go as myself… Why do I feel kind of nervous?... It'll just be like any other time I've gone to negotiate with an enemy or ally or something. No big deal. It's nothing to spend several minutes thinking about or something….
AGH!

Water crashed around my ears as I ducked my whole head into the warm, cloudy water, looking for just a moment of peace even if I had to hold my breath. I watched the clouds of dark pink hair float around my face. I hadn't really noticed till then how deep this hotspring actually was, at least seven feet. They must've kept the deepest and widest for the Couple's Suites.

What the hell is up with this mission!
I asked mentally in a childish panic, definitely hating the way I was freaking out about everything so easily, and even letting this Hiroki guy make me doubt myself and freak out worse.

I'm supposed to be RELAXING right now!
I complained at myself, ruining my relaxation for a few seconds further before I heard something.

Through the water the sounds were distorted, but I could still recognize that voice and definitely the words that I had already heard this morning:

"Having fun?"

My eyes widened with a little surprise before my head broke back through the water, the cold air hitting my skin uncomfortably. I took in a gasp of air slightly out of my need for oxygen but mostly out of shock. I really wasn't expecting him back this soon!
I wiped the water from my face, keeping my back to him. It wasn't that I was embarrassed that I was in only a bathing suit or anything –especially since the water had been treated herbally and was now too murky to see through-, it was more like I was embarrassed because I had been sitting here doing nothing but freaking out about a mission that Kakashi seemed to be taking in stride.

"I was just trying to relax." I answered truthfully, trying to sound professional, but failing.

"Did you have a stressful morning?" He asked from behind me a bit of nonchalant curiosity in his voice.

My hands that had been brushing my hair back stopped for a moment.

"Did you already talk to Naruto and Sai?" I asked the water in front of me, already waiting for his answer.

"Yes." I could hear the small smile in his voice.

"So you…" I started, already turning around.

"Naruto was sleeping, but Sai told me a few details." Kakashi spoke up. He was just kneeling there at the edge of the bath, still in his casual attire that I had seen him wear a few times throughout the years, his mask was still up like he forgot about it. "That you talked with our old friend during breakfast and that he seemed to remember something about last night and offered you a spot at the meeting." He finished with the tone of a captain reporting back reconnaissance information, but he smiled down at me, for no reason I could think of.
I was distracted from Kakashi for only a moment when I realized the definite lack of details in that information.
Why hadn't Sai told him about the fact I had to meet with Hiroki later?

Or the fact that Hiroki was a little different now?

Sai's words finally came back to me.

'Perhaps he had other motives for meeting you in private, too.'

…

… Wait.

Was this Sai's weird way of trying to protect my reputation for Kakashi. Like he didn't want Kakashi to know that I'd be meeting a, now handsome and gentlemanly, man who had potential feelings for me?
...
That was… thoughtful?

No.

That was really weird.

Sai must be really set on trying to 'help' me. He even withheld information from his captain!
Then again, nobody seems to be taking this mission as seriously as I am, like they think it's just some stupid little vacation-mission where they don't have to worry about the integrity of the rules anymore!
And these two once-ANBU members are the ones breaking more rules than anyone else!

What is up with everyone!
Isn't this still a mission!
We should act more professionally!
I stopped my inner rant at that, paying more attention to reality.

"Yeah, but he was act-" I spoke up finally, fueled by the urgency of my thoughts, about to tell him everything that was going to happen. But he cut me off with a polite tone, like he didn't think there was anything else about Hiroki worth knowing. Proving my thoughts right that no one was really caring about this mission as much as they should!

"I guess it's all for the better. I had planned for this, just in case he managed to keep some of his memories."

"Wha-?" I asked monosyllabically, suddenly distracted from my thoughts when his words connected to the fact that I just noticed the single white shopping bag resting on the cobblestone path beside him. He reached over, his hands undoing the fancy little bow on the top of the bag that was keeping the handles together.

"I have some business to attend to as soon as possible, before the party, so we're going to have to get changed now."
He said vaguely as the bow loosened and he reached inside the bag, looking away from me. I didn't even wonder for a moment what his 'business' was since I've become so used to him always having plans, but I did notice after a moment of hesitation that word: 'we're'.

"Why me? I still have a few hours." I spoke up a little defiantly, wading myself to the edge of the water. Stretching my neck to see what exactly he was pulling out of the bag at that very moment.

"I just wanted to be the first one to see you in this."

…

He smiled at me, showing off the subject he called 'this' as if he was proud of it. I stared blankly, water drops breaking the silence as they dripped off of my hair and back into the water.

…

"You didn't get that for anyone but yourself." I laughed a little nervously, as if this was just a bad joke or something. Pointing at the cloth in his hands a little accusingly.

His smile widened underneath his mask as if I had just given him the greatest praise he could've expected.

"I thought you'd like it." He said softly with a conversational tone, like I had just said 'I love it!'. He opened it more to let me get a better look at it.

I wasn't going to just look at it. I reached over to the towel I left a few feet away, hurriedly wiping my hands and arms, Kakashi smiling down at me as I did, making me feel like a kid again… but I knew he didn't think of me as one, especially not since he bought me that.

I hurriedly took it from his hand.
The fabric was actually a really nice, deep violet color and it was soft like satin but there was just so little of it. I mean, it definitely had a long train, but there was a slit in it and the even though the top of the dress seemed like it was supposed to hook behind my neck, there was a big piece of fabric missing from the torso area. I stared at it for a few seconds more, trying to figure it out. I had no idea how this dress would work. He stared at me staring at it; I didn't have to look at him to see the smile he was wearing.

I almost sighed, but I ended up telling myself not to.
I wasn't going to let him have fun with my reactions anymore.
I put on a fake smile that wasn't the product of the nervous laughter from before.

"You know what…" I started, picking up the conversation where he left it. "… I think I do." I said simply, holding the fabric up in outstretched arms, as far from the water as I could get it, admiring it with more admiration than I definitely felt.

"Really?" He asked up, a hint of shock disrupting his trademark nonchalance.
I nodded my wet head.
"Yeah, I was just thinking about how covering a reasonable amount of skin in public is overrated nowadays." I blew my cover with that, but I couldn't resist.
He chuckled a little, at me again.

"Well, I did have a more conservative alternative if you weren't comfortable wearing that…" He started, catching my attention instantly, "… but I'm glad we don't have to worry about that." His smile never faltered even though mine was now forgotten.

"Wait, really?" I asked up to him with more expectation than I wanted to show.
After a moment of quiet in which he didn't say anything I knew I had been played.

His face said 'no' to my question, but I could tell that he was proud of himself for breaking my act.

"You know, because of that I think you're schedule just cleared up." As soon as I spoke those words I showed no hesitation in my next decision to toss the dress several feet away, pull myself out of the water a few inches, letting my hands grab the fabric of his shirt, and then using my unfair advantage of chakra-induced strength to tug him forward, making him lose his balance.
I started laughing at the look on his face before gravity actually did its job.
A giant splash later and I felt a lot better about this entire mission.
I couldn't stop laughing, I didn't even look for his reaction after the splash subsided I was practically cackling, gripping onto the edge of the bath, feeling my face turn pink with each guffaw. It wasn't until a moment later that I wished that I had been paying more attention to the fact that I didn't see him.

I felt a hand snake around my waist, an arm tightening my back against his chest.

My laughing stopped as battle-instincts kicked in, but I was still smiling more widely than I have since last night.
I pushed myself away from him before his grip could tighten around me anymore. I turned myself around as fast as I could, but it still wasn't fast enough to dodge the sudden splash of water heading for my face. A moment later when I was sputtering the water off my lips and wiping it out of my eyes I heard his laughter pick up over the sound of the water. I let my own laughter return as soon as I started pushing large waves of water into his direction ceaselessly. I could only see him through the curtain of murky water for a moment, but just the sight of him was enough to make me lose any sort of battle-composure.

Completely drenched and still fully dressed, his face still masked by the mask that was now sticking to his face tighter than usual, outlining his lips and smile with more details. Even his hair was a complete mess, even messier than his hair was last night when we broke into Momo's room, the strands were hanging around his eyes and face messily in almost a cute way. But my momentary glance at him was over before the water I sent rushing towards him could even find him.
He disappeared.
It didn't take me till the water waves settled before I knew where he'd gone.

I ducked under the surface, leaving my eyes open, already looking for any sort of sign of him. My eyes widened underwater, stinging a little, when the moment I turned to my left I saw him suddenly come out of nowhere. I tried to push myself backwards through the water to get away, but my efforts were spoiled when his hands landed on my waist. I squirmed a little, crashing back up to the surface as he did. His arms only curled around my back, pressing me against him, squeezing my elbows together in front of me, and making it twice as difficult to try and get away so I could splash him in the face like I wanted to.
I hadn't really noticed the look in his eyes till after he let one of his hands reach up to the back of my head, his fingers weaving into my dripping hair. It was clear to me at that moment that he had already forgotten about the little water war we had been waging only a few seconds ago. And even though I had been thirsty for victory just those few seconds ago, I suddenly found myself taking his lead and forgetting the battle, ready to proclaim armistice.

I lifted my hand to his face now that his gripped loosened a little. I folded back the fabric of his mask just a little too slowly, but it still didn't stop his lips from finding mine as soon as I uncovered them even though the mask was still gripping onto his chin. It was always so surprising how one moment I can be so confused or so worried or, like just now, so playful and he could still change the atmosphere into this in only a second.

But this time was a little different, and it wasn't the fact that we were waist deep in water, it was something else.
His lips moved faster than they had in a long time, he hadn't been this intense since... the Asaka mission… then again, I had been the one to clumsily set the atmosphere that time. I tried not to think about that as I was busy trying to catch up to his pace, letting my hands grip onto the sides of his head, pulling him closer.

But just as I thought I was about to catch up to him, his lips left mine. I was only confused for a moment until I suddenly felt the water rushing passed us as he started moving backwards a little, guiding us through the water. His back hit the rock wall behind him with a little bump that reverberated through me. Before he even leaned down I planted my hands on the rock behind him, pulling myself up a few inches, my lips reaching his. Even though I was the one who started the kiss he still didn't seem at all caught off guard and picked up the pace again.

It was strange feeling his slightly rough hands roaming along my bare back in and out of the water. His hands were so warm against my skin that was cold above of the water, and feeling his touch through the water blurred the feeling of his hands but intensified the amount of attention I gave to even a single movement of his fingers. I shuffled a little, struggling to keep myself up to his height for the kiss, I extended my arms, pulling myself up even farther, my elbows locking. With my new height I had no other way to keep balance but to let my chest anchor against his. I could feel his warmth through his drenched shirt, even his hearbeat against mine. I wished I could run my hands along his chest, just to feel more of the warmth, to feel his heartbeat, to make him feel the same things his hands made me feel. I loosened my arms, giving my hands a rest from the gravelly surface of the rocks that had been digging into my palms a little before. He only crouched down to me, not seeming to mind any sort of inconvenience as long as his lips were on mine.

I felt my hearbeat quicken with a nervous anticipation as my hands found the fabric of his shirt, trailing down to the bottom and gripping onto it. I started lifting the now water-heavy fabric up, farther and farther, he seemed to understand what I was doing before I could figure out how to continue any further. I was a little surprised at how willingly he broke the kiss and pulled at his own shirt, tugging it over his head in a matter of moments before he leaned down to me again. I was a little disappointed when I realized I'd forgotten that he had an undershirt on.
Maybe that's why he was okay with taking the other one off.

I let my hands go through the same motions, a bit more determined this time. I pulled up his undershirt a little quickly. He didn't make any move to take it off himself, he only kissed me like nothing else was happening, but I wasn't giving up. I peeled the thin fabric up to his chest exposing his muscles as much as I could. He still wasn't doing anything else.
I let my hands leave the fabric, finding the surface of his slightly cold chest, my hands that had been in the heated water only seconds before no doubt feeling as soothingly hot to him as his hands had felt on my back. His kiss slowed for a moment, as if his attention was suddenly elsewhere.

My hands roamed around his chest, rubbing along his muscles a little quickly. Whenever my hands would graze his abs I would cup some of the hot water, raising it upwards and letting it drip down his chest. His lips left mine as I did that, breathing a little harder than before. I washed the water over his chest a few more times, my hands never leaving his skin. I could feel his heartbeat quicken under my touch. I let my hands find the fabric of his shirt again, which was now slipping downward a little, but just as I did his hand unhinged from my submerged waist and landed on mine, he took the fabric himself and pulled it over his head just like before.
Like he finally gave up.
His entire torso and face were uncovered now, but I couldn't really admire the features I've always love about him when he picked up the kiss that I had forgotten already. His tongue pushing through the border of our lips almost as urgently as the way his hands were now gripping onto the small of my back.

I loved it when he kissed me like this. I remembered when it used to be so embarrassing, when I didn't really understand why he liked it so much, I couldn't really explain it now either, just that it made me feel closer to him. Which wasn't something that I wasn't feeling anyways now that his hands were moving against my skin again, up and down my back. Every time his fingers trailed up the curve of my back they would hesitate around the back strap of my bathing suit top. My stomach flared nervously every time he did. I could tell he was thinking about doing something. I broke the kiss in shock when in one of his repetitions his fingers actually slid underneath the strap, followed by his whole hand.

I arched my back a little strangely, my waist pressing against his and my shoulders pulling away from him.
His hand shot out from underneath the thin strap as if he hadn't been thinking, both of his hands landed on the sides of my waist, only his fingertips touching me, he pushed me away a few inches. I suddenly regretted making such a big deal.
"Sorry, we sh-" He started up the traditional 'I think we should stop' conversation that I really didn't want to hear right now.

"It's ok." I only spoke up for a moment, my lips feeling weird now that I was using them to talk. That weirdness didn't last long when I let them find his only a moment later, not giving him the chance to say that it wasn't ok or that he didn't want to do anything else.
He kissed me back a little hesitantly, holding himself back, his hands still stiff against my waist.
I really didn't want to stop this. I needed more.
I let my tongue inch into his mouth, trying to pick up the pace as before, coaxing him with his favorite kiss. He followed my lead, his hesitation weakening, hopefully realizing that I really wasn't bothered by any of this, that I actually wanted more and that he didn't have to be worried about me right now.
Things were still moving too slow.

My hands found his on my waist, I pulled them around my back, leaving them there, trying to tell him to do what he liked.
I let my own hands travel up his arms, over his shoulder, up his neck. I suddenly remembered the mark I had left there yesterday. Taking this opportunity too, I broke the kiss. He seemed a little happy about that actually, as if he was really trying not to let himself enjoy this as much as before. I pulled myself up by his shoulders, pressing my chest against his bare skin now, water dripping down between us. I felt his hands tighten against my back a little with that. I focused on the kiss mark on his neck, it wasn't as red as yesterday, like it was already fading away.

I let my lips find the mark, even just the contact from my lips made his neck stiffen a little warily. I tried to remember the way he kissed me last night when he wanted to 'return the favor'. I kissed his skin a little deeply, improvising. He strained his neck a little, definitely letting me know that this was affecting him.
I sucked against his neck a little, feeling like I was probably doing something really weird, but the way his hands flinched on my back, tightened their grip, the way I swore I heard his breathing get a little faster… maybe it wasn't as weird as I thought. Following his example from last night I let my tongue brush against his skin lightly .

"Sa-kura." He called my name, sounding a little labored, but actually a little more bothered than he did when I was doing something like this in that closet yesterday night. I decided not to take his voice as something to worry about, but something I wanted. I wanted him to enjoy this, to forget about worrying about me.
My own lips found his neck again, a little determined.
I kissed him for a moment, innocently travelling up his neck.. My lips found his ear, and remembering something he had done to me a very long time ago when he was trying to prove the fact that we weren't exactly on the same playing field when it came to stuff like this, I let my teeth nip at his earlobe with a little strength. Hoping he'd understand exactly what I was trying to prove.

He hissed inwardly faintly, as if his breath was caught in his throat, his hands tightened against my skin, both of them gripping onto my back now. He pulled me closer against him instinctually. He must've been really sensitive here. Not really sure what I was doing, I bit him again. He moved on the spot a little, leaning against the rock behind him more, his hands flinching, a groan sounded in his throat. And before I could wonder whether or not my advances had worked or just scared him away, I felt his hands slide up to my shoulder blades, pressing my chest against his own even tighter.

"That's enough, now." He spoke for the first time in minutes. His tone was full of warning. As if this wasn't about how much his was worried about me, but how much he was worried about losing control.
That actually made me feel a little better and I didn't know why but as soon as he said that I suddenly felt like it was a little test of power. I decided to act out again, if only just a little bit.
I let my tongue trace his ear, wondering what it felt like.
His neck arched a little in reaction.
As soon as I was sure that he was probably going to pull me away from him, and tell me just how much we needed to stop, I felt his right hand slide upwards, his fingers landing on the back of my head, as if he actually wanted me to stay there for a moment longer.

My stomach jumped as my heart skipped a beat. He had finally forgotten about worrying about me, right?
Unsure of what he wanted me to do I decided to push back the embarrassment of the moment and let my tongue graze the length of his neck and back up to his ear, feeling a little weird about it.
He moaned involuntarily.
I stopped everything I was doing… I still wasn't used to that sound from him, it was so out of place, the fact that he could actually lose control of his voice. I didn't want to do that to him too much.
I pulled away from his neck, leaving the kiss mark nearly twice as red as it was before, and letting my lips find his again. Before I could even worry if he was still worried I felt him start his favorite kiss again, as if nothing had happened.
Did I actually mange to get him to act normally? Usually he wouldn't listen to me and would just stop things from going any farther than before.

But now as I was even curling my leg around his he didn't show any hesitation.
Then again, it's not as if I could feel his leg since his pants were still on.

A suddenly dangerous idea came to mind, one that I didn't even know I would try to act out in only a few moments. He continued to kiss me as intensely as before as I let my hands fall down his chest, farther and farther. My fingers found the waist of his pants.
What am I doing?

What am I trying to prove?

Why do I want to do this?
I gripped onto the front of his pants, my fingers closing around the top button. I had no idea how I could be doing this without freaking out, I mean, yeah my heart felt like it was going to burst right now, and it felt as if even if I wasn't kissing him right now I wouldn't have enough air to make my lungs and stomach stop burning with this nervous energy. But the fact I couldn't see my hands, that the water was so murky that I couldn't really see what I was doing, I think that's what helped me. It was like nothing below the water existed even if I could feel my fingers push the button through its hole.

Two hands found mine faster than I thought was humanly possible.
"What are you tr-" He spoke against my neck. He was nearly breathless, his voice sounded so confused though, as if he couldn't have predicted any of this.

"Just this." I answered vaguely, as if promising him that I would try anything else, just this.

He was quiet for a long moment.
My heart started hammering when I felt his hands move from on top of mine and travelled up my wrists, lightly holding onto me, but making no attempt to pull my hands away.
It was like he was giving me permission but was willing to pull my hands away whenever he thought I was having second thoughts.

I hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath that only shook on its way to my lungs uncomfortably.
I tried to convince myself that this wasn't a big deal, they were only pants, and he had boxers on underneath, and I had seen him in his boxers a couple times before… but it was like, by simply doing this, I was taking a really big step.
My fingers travelled down to the zipper, barely holding the tab as I started pulling it down really slowly, feeling more and more like stopping myself with every little link that the tab separated, his hands on my wrists made me feel a little more sure of myself, though.
We both stood there in the water, my head resting on his shoulder, his on my neck, our hands hidden underwater.

After what seemed an eternity the zipper reached the bottom.

I slowly let go of the zipper, raising my hands to the waist of his pants again, tugging them downwards a little. His hands left my wrists and did the rest of my job for me. I raised my hands out of the water, resting them on his arms a little weakly as my forehead rested on his shoulder, unsure of what to do next, hoping he take charge and say something.
As if knowing exactly what I was thinking his hands found my waist again, he started to guide me to his right, following the same route himself. It was only a moment before I could feel the rocks of the edge of the hot spring pressed against my back and he was where I was standing before, in front of me.

I still wasn't sure what to do, but he was.

He grip on my waist tightened as my feet suddenly left the rocky bottom of the bath. I was now a foot taller than I was before as he scooted me onto the edge of the hotspring, and out of the water.
Sitting on the cold rock and out of the steaming water, I was freezing now, but my whole body felt like it was hot anyways.

He took a few steps forward, his face now several inches below mine. His hands fell from my waist, trailed down the front of my legs to my knees.

I took a sharp breath when his fingers slid between the crease of my knees, trying to pull them apart gently. I couldn't force myself to relax my legs and let them part the way he was trying to tell me to do.

I thought I was the one who was ready for anything now, but this seemed a little too much, actually.

I finally looked at Kakashi even though I hadn't in the past few minutes. His face was even more handsome than I remembered it, but the almost pitiful smiling he was wearing really made me feeling like I was 14 again. But again, I knew he didn't think of me as that 14 year old... not when he was doing this.

His hands left my knees and I was scared that he'd say this was all we'd do today for a moment, but I was a little relieved when his warm fingers grazed up my arms gently, giving me goosebumps. His hands landed on my shoulders, pulling me forward a little as he leaned in. His lower waist was pressing against my knees, I felt kind of selfish for keeping him at such a distance.
His lips landed on the bottom of my neck, pressing against my collarbone gently.

It really couldn't have been considered a real kiss, the way his lips were just grazing up my neck carefully, but it felt really nice.

By the time his lips landed on mine I felt a little bit better, a bit surer of myself. I barely noticed it when his right hand fell back to my knees, sliding between them easily and pushing them apart slowly.

He took a few steps in between my legs, the rocks at the edge of the bath were taller than the ones he was standing on before. With my slightly higher position our height was almost exactly the same, allowing the kiss to get a little deeper.
I could feel the same amount of emotion and intensity from before build up again. I could feel the way my skin burned to be touched by him, wishing his hands were everywhere at once.
But he broke away.

"Do you think this enough now?" His voice was full of more control than I had heard it in the past few minutes, but I barely even noticed that when I was hung up on his words. Was he asking me like he had only been humoring me to this point?
Was he asking me this because he was trying to give me an excuse to back out?
Was he asking me this because he thought I couldn't handle anything more than this?
It didn't matter what he was thinking when he asked that, in the end all of the possibilities were of him thinking I wasn't capable or ready enough for any advancement in this part of our relationship.
Feeling a little challenged I decided on answering his question the exact way he wouldn't expect me to.

"It isn't." I responded simply, pushing my lips onto his before he could say anything else…

I could tell he was a little shocked though, but not as surprised as he was when I suddenly grabbed his arms, scooting back from the edge of the bath and pulling him towards me.
His hands planted onto the stone ground on either side of me as I continued to scoot away from him, my lips barely keeping contact with his. I was a little proud of myself for successfully taking the lead for the moment as he actually pulled himself out of the water and onto the edge of the stone with me.
But I had no idea what I was going to do next.
As if the Universe knew my dilemma my hand slipped on a puddle and slid out from underneath me, making me fall flat on my back. If he knew that was a mistake or not, I didn't know, but it didn't seem to matter to him when I noticed that he still hadn't broken the kiss and his hands were holding him up over me by the sides of my head.

This all seemed to happen really fast, but I didn't waste any time in forgetting the little rocks that were digging into my back and letting my hands find his shoulders, pulling him down a few inches to deepen the kiss. Once again, as if letting me know that he was okay with a little bit more, I felt his tongue enter the kiss. I lifted my head off the ground to meet him in the middle
It felt just as amazing as before… even if I was so cold now that I was laid out on the cold stone, but the fact that his body was leaning over mine seemed to cancel out any discomfort.
That familiar need to feel him against me, to feel his hands anywhere on me came back to me stronger than before. I let my hands roam along his back, tracing his muscles and following the curve of his back up and down.
It still wasn't enough.
I thought I was kind of lying when I answered his question just now, I thought I was just being a bit of a challenger –having learned a few things about challenges from Kakashi- but now, as my skin felt like any part he wasn't touching was suffocating and tingling with anticipation, I couldn't help a moment of shock with myself. That even though I could've been so shy just a minute ago, I could want him so entirely in this moment that I couldn't even think about being embarrassed.

But maybe I was the only one who felt like that.
Even now he seemed to keep his distance.
Feeling a little selfish but not really caring, I let my hands on his back pulled him down even closer to me, his body heat warming me a bit more. He didn't seem to care, he was so focused on his tongue, which was now brushing past mine more aggressively than I ever felt before.
Something was definitely different.
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Onward!