Tenzou felt himself ripped from his strangely lighthearted dream by a light ray of sunshine landing on his eyes. With a little sniff, he opened his eyes, moving to rest his arm over his face to block the offensive sun from stealing his sleep.

Except that he couldn't move his arm.

Tenzou whipped his head around as he panicked for the half a second it took for him to recognize the form beside him. He felt his heart catch in his throat as the memories of the night before flooded back to him as if he'd never fallen asleep.

"You sure are uppity in the morning." Kakashi murmured without bothering to open his eyes.

The young shinobi had no idea how to answer his Senpai. He found himself in shock that it all hadn't been some kind of wonderful dream. Looking back, it seemed impossible. He'd had his first kiss, something he'd never even considered, with the person who had come to mean the...well. Only thing anyone had ever meant to him. He'd never really had anyone except for Danzou, but all members of Root knew there were no real relationships in the organization.

He found himself blinking furiously as a finger approached his face so close his eyes crossed to follow it. Kakashi lightly poked Tenzou in the nose, holding his finger there as he gazed at his kouhai with his usual careless, half-lidded glance.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Tenzou flushed a brilliant neon red. "Ah...sorry. I just. It's just a little surprising."

The copy-nin's expression held its place as he gazed at his friend for a few seconds of silence.

"You mean waking up beside me?"

The raging red flush decorating Tenzou's tender cheeks deepened. "Ah...yes."

"Well, we still have our clothes on."

Tenzou made some kind of gurgling sound in the back of his throat. "I-I-I-I know that! I'm not...I mean, I know it isn't anything that dramatic, but you're usually so removed from everyone so it's taking me a second to-"

Kakashi took the liberty of silencing Tenzou by hooking an arm around his neck and jerking him down to the mattress. He made a point of covering Tenzou's mouth with his forearm, levelling him with a piercing, but un-intimidating stare. "Remember, little Tenzou, you brought this on yourself. I didn't ask you to open my world with your psychiatric voodoo."

Tenzou glared in annoyance and the muffled sounds of "Yes you did!" vibrated against Kakashi's silencing limb.

Kakashi leaned in, his expression softening, his voice a whisper. "Are you okay with me being here?"

The flush returned full force. Kakashi lowered his arm enough for Tenzou's lips to sneak over them. "Yes."

When Kakashi continued to pull the two of them closer Tenzou found himself unconsciously slipping his face below Kakashi's arm again.

"Could I come back tonight then?"

Tenzou's wide, captivated eyes answered Kakashi's question. The younger ninja slowly pulled Kakashi's arm down, as if it was his barrier against the things that made him embarrassed, excited and uncomfortable and he'd gathered the courage to lower it. "I'd like that."

For one magical moment, a gentle smile spread over Kakashi's face. Tenzou found every thought buzzing around his head blown clear away and forgotten forever. Without a word Kakashi released Tenzou and stood. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned loudly. Kakashi jumped off the bed, landing lighter than air just beside it, and sent a tired glance over his shoulder to his companion. "Don't forget to show up to therapy today. It's a strict order that I am not to be left alone with Ami ever again."

Tenzou shook his head. "She's actually a very nice person, Senpai."

Kakashi pouted, the expression emphasized by the visibility of his entire face. It made him startlingly more attractive. "You're taking her side..."

It seemed like Tenzou had a cross between real confusion and affectionate annoyance dancing in his eyes. "Of course. She's trying to help you."

As was his custom Kakashi waved Tenzou's comment off as if it was a bit of bad wind. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, turned on his heel and walked to Tenzou's door.

"See you later."

Tenzou watched his Senpai leave with so many emotions back flipping around his noggin he hardly had any idea of where he should start sorting them out. He was stunned that their sessions together had reached Kakashi to the point where he would open himself up as much as he had the night before, and even that morning. Not to mention the fact that Kakashi was...

...Attracted to him? Even as he said it to himself in his head, it sounded impossible. Not that Tenzou had the slightest clue about his or anyone elses sexuality, but Kakashi had always seemed like a person to be admired, barely understood and hardly reached. Yet...he knew what it felt like to sleep beside him. It was the warmest and safest he'd ever felt.

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As Tenzou approached Ami's office he realized he was more nervous for this session than ever before. He had no idea how to act around Kakashi now that they were...uh. More than friends? Special friends? Deeply acquainted? The confused little ninja didn't know. Despite the fact that he'd barely ever had a friend, he had the general idea of what a boyfriend was. He just didn't understand if that's what Kakashi was (eventually?) getting at.

Luckily for him, the bubbly therapist was there to greet him at the door.

"Tenzou! Great to see you. Are you ready for today?"

Not really. Was Tenzou's initial thought.

"Of course, Ami-san. Is there anything special you'd like me to do?"

The way Ami's face lit up made Tenzou want to throw up a little.

"Actually, now that you ask...I was thinking maybe we could push the envelope a little more than usual, you know? Kakashi has had progress, but he's still holding back quite a bit in his sessions. We left off last time with how he's decided to kind of...personify himself by embodying someone else. I want to see if we can get him to tell us why he refuses to let himself have friends. I understand why, but we need him to admit it. I want you to do whatever you think is necessary."

Tenzou wrung his hands in nervousness. "Okay. I think...that makes sense."

Ami lifted a delicate eyebrow and gazed down at Tenzou in mild suspicion. She noticed he was a lot more nervous than usual; as if he was hiding something.

When were these children going to learn that she could see through all of them like freshly polished glass?

"Unless you think there's reason why I should change the direction of this session?"

The tone of Ami's voice told Tenzou she pretty much knew he had reason to think something, at least. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he should probably tell her what happened. Not...all of it, of course, but if Ami was supposed to help Kakashi she needed to know every detail possible.

"Ah...he...opened up to me a little last night. On his own, you know? It seems like he wants to try to at least have me as a friend he can talk to. I think it shows good progress."

Ami squealed so loudly that Tenzou actually jumped a good inch. She snatched up his hands and held them tightly in her own, her eyes positively shimmering.

"THAT'S AMAZING! Of course it shows good progress! Wow, wonderful! Having you on board is really making a difference, Tenzou! You know what? Go in there and just play it by ear the way we've done the last two times. I'm just so proud of both of you."

Tenzou couldn't help but absorb some of her positive energy. He absolutely beamed right back. "Okay! I'll do my best."

They shared a radiant smile.

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Kakashi was slouching in his chair, one arm thrown over the back of it, waiting for Tenzou to enter. When he did, he had the slap-happiest little ear to ear grin that made Kakashi slightly suspicious as to how their session was going to go. When the little mokuton user took his seat, Kakashi leaned forward and cleared his throat.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, Senpai." Tenzou replied cheerfully. "But we should probably get started now, right?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "I suppose so."

Taking the hint like a good little trooper, Tenzou wiped the smile off of his face and attempted to get serious. He fidgeted slightly in his chair, not really knowing where to start.

"Ah. So...Senpai." he began, wringing his hands slightly in his renewed nervousness. "I...want to talk about the...ah...attributes you adopted from your old friend." and before he knew it, Tenzou was heading down the path Ami wanted him to. He realized it as he spoke, but if he was honest with himself, it seemed like the natural way to go. "I know you did it because you think his way of living was better than yours. You know, maybe it was...maybe it helped you in some way. But, now, after all this time, have you ever tried to really discover who you are without him?"

Kakashi stared in shock, almost as if he hadn't been expecting Tenzou to take their therapy session that seriously. Shock slowly morphed into tension, fear and discomfort. It was obviously not an easy topic for Kakashi.

"What do you mean? What you see is who I am."

A sort of chilling terror was starting to creep its way up Tenzou's spine. He suddenly became paranoid that he would upset Kakashi and ruin whatever it was that they had started. Maybe he'd make him angry and he wouldn't want to come by his apartment anymore. But, what kind of friend would he be if he cheated Kakashi for selfish reasons? He swallowed his insecurities and pushed forward.

"But, you mentioned how you do certain things only because he did. Like being late, and not taking the rules seriously. Things like that. How many of those do you have, that maybe you're just doing for the sake of emulating him? But maybe, they aren't really you?"

Kakashi quickly looked away. There was the usual tense silence for a long time. But...there was something different about it. It seemed like Kakashi was actually taking the time to think about what Tenzou was saying. To really dig deep and see.

He dropped his head suddenly. "I don't know."

Tenzou licked his lips. "I...well, I maybe have a few...things I've noticed." he began, his light voice slightly shaky. "I think that your aversion to being close to people is not you. I don't think you're really that cold. I ah..." he flushed, ducking his head. "I think you're actually really warm."

His embarrassment quadrupled when he realized Ami was listening to everything he was saying, and quite possibly, Hiruzen would listen to it at some point too. But it was too late to turn back now.

"I think...your sense of humour is you, but the...level you take it to isn't. You seem to use it as a buffer. Whenever you want something in between you and a person or a situation, you insert it there. And I think the way you're always in the past, and never looking forward, isn't you. You're such a good strategist, it doesn't make sense. And you're logical, you know? Living in the past, something that's over and will never be repeated, isn't logical. It isn't you."

The look Kakashi was giving him simply arrested any other thoughts he could have put into words. It was this...digging, aching, surprised, and...something else. This amalgamation of emotions that seemed to shift like smoke. As if, part of Kakashi didn't want to hear it, part of him was surprised someone else had noticed, part of him disagreed, and part of him admired and wanted Tenzou because he'd seen it.

It passed between them with seconds that seemed to drift into eternity.

"If so much of what I do isn't me, then you've never known me." Kakashi finally answered, his voice husky. "How do you know what is 'fake' and what is real?"

"Because whatever is fake puts a wall between you and everyone else." Tenzou answered confidently.

Kakashi sat back in his chair. The look in his eyes hadn't faded.

Once again, they were trapped in each other.

"If you take that wall away." Kakashi began slowly, his voice thick with something, his eyes never drifting from Tenzou's. "What does that leave?"

Tenzou took a deep, shaky breath, not realizing he'd done it till his lungs were full of air. "It...just leaves...bravery, loyalty, justice...and...a broken heart, I guess..." he answered softly, unsure of how his answer would be received.

For the first time, Kakashi was absolutely speechless. It was impossible to guess what was going on inside his head, but that look, that fierce yet muted look, had not left Tenzou during their entire confrontation. It told the young mokuton user that Kakashi saw some truth in what he said. He saw something he recognized.

The door to the room opened. Tenzou slowly, slowly broke his gaze from Kakashi and turned to Ami. She gestured for him to come to her, so he did. He didn't look back, because he felt there was nothing else he could say. He didn't know where else to go with the conversation.

Or...he didn't know where to go with it that was available for public enjoyment.

When he reached the hallway Ami merely placed a gentle and on his shoulder, smiled, and told him he'd done well and could go. He didn't want to know her reasoning behind it, so he merely did as he was told and left.

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Tenzou returned to his apartment, not really in the mood to indulge in any of the usual ANBU activities. He'd seen a couple of his teammates floating around the base doing something or other, but the last thing he wanted to do was socialize.

He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking. About Kakashi. About who he 'really' was. If what he'd spouted in their therapy session was all a load of crap. But...it wasn't. When he thought about his Senpai, what he was to him, bravery was what came to him first. And then loyalty. And then his burning, powerful sense of justice. The broken heart part...he'd always sensed something sad about him. He knew he'd had to kill one of his friends against his will, and that would tear anyone apart. When he first met Kakashi, he seemed like the kind of person everyone wanted to be. He was handsome, ridiculously talented, very intelligent, witty, calm...everything a popular person was.

But as soon as you spent time with him, real time, you realized he was like a wall of ice. Because anyone who spent real time with him threatened to get too close. And then he would be hours late for any meeting you had with him, which would frustrate you, and want to push you away even more. And then he would tease you, and it would frustrate you, and it would push you away even more. And then he would ignore you, or he would talk down to you, or he'd talk around you...and it would frustrate you...

And so, most people would stay at a comfortable arm's length. After all that, you'd think Kakashi would be considerably less popular. But he was too cool. He was too talented. He was too charming when he chose to be.

Perfect, is what he was. Until you threatened his bubble.

Tenzou couldn't believe all the things that were coming to him. All the things he'd known for the past two years but had never really thought about. Because...it didn't matter if Kakashi had walls, he was his Senpai. He still respected and admired him. He would always respect and admire him.

He rolled over on his bed and closed his eyes.

Respect and admire.

Is that what that feeling was at the very base of his stomach? When Kakashi kissed him? When he held him?

Respect and admire had been easy.

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Deep down, Tenzou's intuition picked up a presence. A spirit. A soul.

He jerked up in bed, but found himself pinned. For the second time that day he experienced a very fleeting extreme panic. When his skilled eyes adjusted to the night, mere seconds, he realized he had nothing to fear.

Kakashi was gazing down at him, his legs straddling Tenzou's waist. As soon as he was awake, Kakashi sat back, resting on Tenzou's stomach and hips. His gaze seemed dead, vacant, but it wasn't. There was something there.

"Senpai..." Tenzou whispered, gazing up at his captain, flat on his back.

"Tell me more about myself." Kakashi requested.

Tenzou's mouth suddenly felt dry. His abdomen was on fire where Kakashi sat on it. There was something thick in the air he couldn't name, but he'd felt it before.

"Are you upset with me?" Tenzou asked softly.

Kakashi leaned forward, balancing himself by resting his hands on either side of Tenzou's head. "What would you do if I was?"

"Apologize..."

"Hmm." Kakashi purred, his eyes narrowing just so. "I'd rather hear more interesting things than that from your mouth tonight."

The breath caught in Tenzou's throat as a wave of fire whipped down his legs and to his toes.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I told you already. Tell me more about myself."

Tenzou was confused, confused as to what Kakashi's intentions were. But there was something about the darkness, Kakashi on top of him, his eyes shining in the moonlight, his powerful arms bare, the muscles on his chest outlined through his top.

"I...I told you, Senpai."

"Was that all?" Kakashi whispered, leaning even closer to Tenzou. "That's all I am?"

Tenzou found he had to fight to get the breath into his lungs. "I think it's a lot. You're..a lot of good things. What do you think you are?"

Kakashi barely hesitated.

"Trash." Was his harsh answer. However, it didn't reach his eyes. They were surprisingly void.

"Why would you think that?"

"I've never accomplished anything of any importance."

"Neither have I, really. Am I trash?"

That seemed to make Kakashi think. He stood a little taller, as if he needed room. He gazed down at Tenzou long and hard, the mokuton user laying prone in the same position he'd woken up in. It felt like he was glued to the mattress.

"Of course not." Came the answer, Kakashi's voice softer than Tenzou had expected.

"So...you aren't, either."

"We're not the same. It's different. I let people down; you haven't."

"What if I did?" Tenzou asked, gaining confidence. "What if I tried to help someone I cared about and failed. I tried really hard, with everything I had. You knew that; you could see it. But I still failed. Would I be trash?"

Now Kakashi's eyes looked scared. They looked panicked. Like he was following Tenzou's reasoning and couldn't argue against it. Like he didn't want to consider what that meant for himself.

Whirling around, Kakashi spun his legs over the side of the bed and hopped off Tenzou in one fluid movement. Before Kakashi could get to the door Tenzou was off the bed and behind him.

"Senpai!"

Kakashi stopped. Tenzou stood there, fists clenched, emotions high, stomach in knots, and an all-consuming urge wracking his entire being.

"...Kiss me..." Tenzou whimpered, unable to look up as he asked.

And in the next moment he felt someone grip the front of his top and whirl him around so fast all he could do was yelp in response. His back hit the door, his head snapping back against the wood. He was in a daze, barely able to register what happened, when a surprisingly gentle pair of lips captured his. Kakashi's warm, hard body was all around him. The kiss was gentle, but searing and long. Tenzou was overcome with want. He whimpered again, deep in his throat, and threw his arms around Kakashi's neck. He suddenly felt ravenous. He could barely control himself.

They kissed for as long as they had breath. They parted just slightly, panting heavily, eyes glued together. Tenzou still managed to look innocent and flustered despite initiating their intimacy.

"I don't understand you, Tenzou." Kakashi breathed. "Why do you like me? When you know my past? When you say that my personality is made of walls?"

Tenzou blushed, glancing down. "I...never really...dissected your behaviour until recently. It didn't really matter. Senpai is Senpai. Sometimes you're ah...hard to deal with, but...it's what's inside of you that I'm friends with. It's...well..."

Tentatively, Tenzou removed one of his arms from Kakashi's neck and gently poked him in the heart. "This. In here. You know? Sometimes you hide it for a long time. But you can't make me forget that I saw it. Or...what it did for me."

Kakashi seemed effectively cowed. Tenzou was just so openly genuine that one could not argue with him. What he said was what it was. Even if Kakashi didn't want to admit it, had been fighting against it for years, Tenzou saw real good in him and he was an intelligent enough person not to be creating things in his head because he wanted to. He was a ninja; he saw underneath the underneath. It was an insult to his intelligence to imply he didn't know what he was talking about. How could he not? It had been his job to read people since he was 6 years old. Just like Kakashi.

The copy-nin took a tiny step back from Tenzou. He dropped his head.

"This is a bit much." he whispered. Without another word, he pulled Tenzou from the door, gently enough that his friend could come with him on his own accord. He lead them to the bed again, where like the night before, he clutched Tenzou to him and dropped onto the mattress. It was just...so wonderful to fall asleep next to someone. It made him feel whole. Especially with Tenzou, someone who he had to admit, he trusted a whole damn lot.

Silence followed as the two lay together, partially intertwined. Kakashi wanted Tenzou so badly it freaked him out. He wanted to dirty him, to hear him pant, call his name...

He felt horrible, because he didn't know if it was wrong or not. He'd never really wanted anyone like that before. He didn't know why it WOULD be wrong...Tenzou wasn't really that much younger than he was, and he'd been through a hell of a lot more than any civilian 15 year old had. It's just that...he was so sweet. And open and kind. And Kakashi wasn't. He...damn. He couldn't even call himself trash without thinking of their conversation earlier. Maybe Tenzou was right and he was being too hard on himself.

He looked down at his kouhai's now sleeping face. His long hair gave him a whole other element of dainty sweetness that made Kakashi feel like a terrible human being for wanting to touch him. But...Tenzou obviously wanted Kakashi, too. So. How wrong could it really be?

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