Author's Note: I'm taking a very short hiatus to publish a few other projects and catch up a little bit on this project. I'm a little obsessive about being ahead in my writing so I can ensure the quality is at least decent but lately I've only been a chapter ahead. Once I've gotten a few chapters written for this story and I have a good buffer set up, I'll continue with the weekly updates. Enjoy.
Update 10/30/2023: I was going to publish this today but alas, my paycheck was delayed by a week and my internet was suspended until I make my payment. I'm also in the process of quitting my current job to get a new one so I can stop struggling to make my payments. I'm a narcoleptic in America though, so the job hunt struggle is real right now. Will publish as soon as I get my internet paid for!
...
"Avurin! What did that guy want?" Naruto interrupted loudly from his seat on the other side of Kakashi. Avurin glared.
"None of your business, kid. Just some talk about job prospects," she answered. She felt Kakashi stiffen from where she was leaning over him to speak to his student and pulled away from him slightly.
"Really? THAT guy wants you to work for him? He's scary!" Sakura chimed in. Avurin nodded.
"He's a very scary guy but he's well-respected. I think I scared him pretty bad, though." Avurin couldn't help but smirk as the kids stared at her with varying reactions of disbelief, fear, and excitement. She glanced at Kakashi to see his reaction, internally preening at the soft, approving look he was giving her.
"What did you do?" Kakashi asked, his voice a low rumble in his chest, obviously feeling a little too strongly about her defending herself against Ibiki. She smiled coyly and fluttered her eyelashes a little dramatically.
"Well, I interrogated him, of course. He had some answers I needed and my kekkei genkai was up for discussion so I figured I would give him a demonstration." Kakashi's visible eye darkened slightly. He looked like he wanted to just pull her out of her seat and take off with her into the night.
"Did you get the answers you wanted?" he asked. She nodded.
"Of course I did. I'll tell you the rest at home, yeah?" she teased, lightly booping his nose through his mask. He swallowed audibly before nodding.
"What. Was. That?!" Sakura screeched from her seat. Avurin looked back at the kids and covered her mouth so she wouldn't burst out laughing. Looks of shock from Naruto, disgust from Sasuke, and hope from Sakura greeted her.
"Nothing, brats. Just messing with 'Kashi. Close your mouths and order your food or you'll swallow flies and starve." The kids were quick to start placing their orders with Teuchi. When he got to Kakashi and Avurin, they both ordered their usual orders and the man gave them a knowing look before turning away to start cooking.
Dinner was relatively normal after that, with the kids squabbling over various things and recounting their experiences with the first portion of the Chunin Exams. Avurin ate like an animal since she hadn't eaten since earlier that morning while Kakashi left his untouched for a while. Then she noticed the stares from the kids. She muffled another laugh that threatened to bubble out of her. They wanted to see Kakashi eat so that they would get a chance to see his face.
A small commotion that sounded like a wagon had lost a wheel outside of the shop momentarily distracted the kids. She watched as Kakashi somehow ate his food in a split second, gently adjusting his mask afterwards just as the kids looked back at him. Multiple groans and screams of disappointment rang out through the small food stall. She let the bubbling laugh out then, giving Kakashi a pat on the shoulder as he smugly just asked the kids what was wrong.
The moment felt nice. Avurin didn't get to see Kakashi with the kids often, if ever, so it was actually sweet to see how he teased them and ran circles around them with something as simple as seeing his face. To her, his face was a secret between the two of them and she knew that she was probably one of maybe two or three people in this world that had seen his face. She would feel possessive over that fact until the day she died. If he revealed his face for anyone just passing by to see, she wouldn't have enough energy to beat the women away from him every time they went out.
"Alright, I need to escort Avurin home and you kids need to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be tough so make sure you're prepared for anything when we leave for the next part of the exam, okay? Meet me at our usual place around eight in the morning and I'll escort you to the exam grounds." The kids nodded with bright smiles on their faces before waving their goodbyes. Kakashi pulled out some money to pay for the ramen and gave it to Teuchi before pulling Avurin out of the stall.
The walk back to the Hatake compound was quiet and Avurin found herself winding one of her arms around his, enjoying the small amount of time they were getting together before the next stage of the exam. She could see why Kakashi was stressed. She wasn't sure if he knew exactly what was going to happen for the next stage but just from the impression she got of Anko and how she'd bragged about how she was going to fail half of the remaining examinees, it wasn't going to be easy.
When they got back into the cabin and toed off their shoes, Kakashi was quick to pull down his mask and sweep her into a kiss, gently pressing her against the wall of the entryway. She let herself melt against him, running her hands along his arms as he pulled her close. He let go of her mouth to nuzzle at her neck and her breathing hitched. She'd forgotten about the marks.
"Not your usual outfit. Everything alright?" he mumbled into her ear as he mouthed at the high collar of her shirt. She gently ran a hand through his hair and nodded.
"I'm fine. You left some marks though. I'm okay with it, I just didn't want to walk into the exam room with them visible." He stiffened against her before pulling away sharply, pointedly staring at her covered neck. She brought a hand up to cover the spot where the worst of the bites was located through the collar of her shirt, yet continued to meet his eyes. She wasn't bothered by the bites but she already knew from his previous reactions that he would be. "I told you, I'm okay. This is okay. Don't freak out on me, 'Kashi."
"Show me." Of course he would demand that immediately. Sighing, she pulled her hand away and started pulling down the collar of her shirt, ignoring the way his breath hitched. It didn't look good that morning when they were fresh and she doubted the marks looked any better after being left to bruise even further for an entire day.
"I told you it's okay, I'm really not-" He cut her off.
"Don't. I hurt you and that's exactly what I didn't want to do last night." He ran a hand through his hair and turned away from her. She squashed down the sudden feeling of insecurity and dejection at his reaction. Of course he would be upset. Not upset with her, but with himself.
When he turned back around to look at her again, to stare at the marks on her neck, she could see the cogs turning in his head as he tried to think of a way to either pull away from her or otherwise fix what he considered to be a 'problem.' She sighed and let the collar of her shirt go, moving to walk further into the house.
"I'm changing into something more comfortable. If you want to look at these a little better, you can come talk to me when you're ready." There, the offer was there. Going to her bedroom, she pulled out some casual clothes for the night and started to change. Kakashi didn't join her but she tried not to let it bother her. Moving into the bathroom to brush her teeth, she glanced at her neck in the mirror and winced.
The bites were extremely prominent. Bruises ran down both sides of her neck where the bites had broken blood vessels with punctures where Kakashi's canines had pierced several spots on her neck. There were hickeys in between the bites too but she wasn't worried about that. She could see why Kakashi was upset. When she touched one of the worst of the bruises, she winced at the dull ache. A gentle hand pulled her own away from the bruises and she caught Kakashi's eye in the mirror.
"You're sure it's fine?" His voice was breathy with a wavering lilt she couldn't fully blame on his anxiety. She tilted her head to the side, noticing the mark near her ear that Kotetsu had noticed.
"Yeah, I don't mind. I guess it was so good last night that you got lost in the moment?" She laughed softly but she knew a small joke wouldn't fix Kakashi's mood. However, from the way his face visibly relaxed, she knew she had at least soothed some of the doubts he was having.
His arms wrapped around her midsection and he rested his chin on her shoulder, maintaining eye contact with her in the mirror. There was almost a decisive air in the stuffy bathroom as he seemed to search her eyes for any doubts or hesitation.
"I wanted to do it. I've been fighting it for a while but I've wanted to see you like this for weeks." She carefully controlled her breathing as one of his fingers traced the deepest of the bites on one side of her neck. Kakashi kept his eyes on her though, almost pinning her with his gaze alone. Time seemed to freeze and she had a feeling this was about more than what could be considered a really great night of sex. "I read about it a few years ago when I was studying my clan, trying to figure out what was normal and what wasn't so that I could blend in a little better. This isn't something that's only going to happen occasionally when I'm 'lost in the moment.' It's going to happen again and eventually I'm going to put one on you that's going to scar and that one bite is going to have meaning to me. So, I'm going to ask you again. Is this really okay?"
Avurin stared into his eyes, taking note of the exposed Sharingan recording this moment for him to revisit at any point for the rest of his life. This was important to him. To anyone else, this would just look like the result of a few rounds of insanely rough sex with a man that had a biting kink. To him, this was some ritual dictated by his biology. He fought against it and he lost. He admitted to it for the sake of being honest and not trying to hold himself back with her anymore. There would be questions from the people around her if they saw what he did to her, some would spread ignorance in the form of rumors. A scar in the form of a bite? That was a commitment and she would have to accept it as a part of him just like everything else. This time, it was visible and directly affected her.
"Yes, Kakashi. It's okay. We're okay." She spoke with a note of conviction she only saved for the most serious moments in her life. The visible relief in Kakashi's eyes was completely worth the stress of having to even discuss what she had initially thought was no big deal.
He placed a gentle kiss on the bruise he had been tracing, followed by another, and another. His breath grazed the sensitive and abused skin of her neck as he continued to kiss each mark down that side, all the way down to her shoulder where another deep bite had visibly broken the skin. His kisses continued, crossing over the nape of her neck where he'd left a small mark, before starting on her other shoulder and working his way up the other side. She tilted her head to give him better access and his thumb started rubbing small circles against her side. Nothing about it was sexual, if anything, the moment was simply intimate and relaxing, lowering her guard as she melted into his arms. When he was finished, he gave her one more chaste peck on her temple.
"You're amazing. I hope you know that." His chin was resting on her shoulder with his arms wrapped around her, both of them looking at each other in the mirror. She leaned into him and almost let out a light laugh at the hardness that pressed against her. She may be a little crazy, but she really enjoyed finding out about each of Kakashi's quirks. She really didn't mind the bites and she found satisfaction in how it obviously affected Kakashi.
"I'll happily accept more frequent reminders," she replied with a small laugh. His hand trailed upwards to cup her chin, pulling her face close to his to bring them together for a kiss. It wasn't rushed, just a slow pressing of lips in a languid kiss. After a moment, they separated, taking deep breaths only an inch away from each other.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. She gave him a quick lick to his lips, intending to tease him.
"I'm perfectly fine. How are you?" she teased. The way his eyes narrowed on her had her squeezing her legs together to ease an ache that she hadn't realized was accumulating to that point.
"I'm thinking we should go to bed." It was the only statement he gave her before she was being directed back to her bedroom by two firm hands on her shoulders. Finding herself being pushed into the bed, she felt herself bounce off of the mattress with a smile. She was finding herself surprisingly happy with the situation. Kakashi was on top of her within a few seconds, licking and kissing her neck. He was gentle, mindful of her bruises.
To her surprise, after a moment of having Kakashi ravish her neck, he settled down with his arms wrapped around her, smothering her into the bed. His face was buried into the crook of her neck and he was breathing softly, warm puffs of air brushing against her as she relaxed into the comforter. It wasn't about sex tonight. Having him so close and accepting a new part of him was enough for them tonight.
They fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
…
The rest of the Chunin Exams seemed to be going well. Avurin kept her distance during the second exam, not wanting to participate as things seemed to take a more suspicious turn. She hadn't missed the fact that foreign Genin were actively bullying Leaf Genin, specifically Team 7. Naruto's status as a jinchuriki wasn't exactly a secret, but the hyperfixation on Team 7 couldn't be blamed on anything else.
The exam in the Forest of Death made things more complicated. Avurin watched with a bated breath in the waiting room as Team 7 made their way through the exam and Kakashi remained tense. Something had happened and she wasn't quite sure what it was.
It wasn't until she found herself following Kakashi to a small room downstairs under the arena for the preliminaries with Sasuke in tow that she realized something very serious was occurring right under their noses. An intricate setup was created with Kakashi's blood that seemed to indicate that he was creating a seal. Sasuke was overall compliant but Avurin questioned her involvement with the procedure. Kakashi had swept her away after Sasuke's intense preliminary battle without a word, silently asking her to follow along with what was going on without questioning a thing in the meantime.
She trusted him, yet the mysterious seal on Sasuke's neck provided little to go off of in terms of the situation. It didn't help that he'd been so focused on the exams for the last three days that she had been forced to wait for the second stage of the Chunin exams to get close to a conclusion before she had even gotten a glimpse of him. It was on the last day of the second stage that Kakashi had brought her to the observation room to sit with him, a tense silence taking over the room as each instructor watched their teams either succeed in their mission or fail. Team 7 was part of a lucky few that managed to pass.
After their passing result, he had simply stood from his position and brought her to watch the preliminary matches. She couldn't help but notice that he had taken a very specific interest in Sasuke throughout those matches and her observations were only confirmed after he had brought both of them down to the room he had chosen for this sealing ritual. Avurin felt like she had missed something incredibly important.
The inscriptions were written in blood, it had to be serious. Avurin felt a pang of worry run through her as she watched Kakashi whisper to Sasuke from where she was safely placed outside of the circle. When he completed the hand signs for the jutsu he was using, Sasuke's screams of agony rang in her ears. She wasn't expecting any of this and had certainly not prepared herself.
"Kakashi, what the hell-" He held up a finger to silence her and she stomped out the immediate feeling of indignation that wanted to rise at being dismissed. After a few words were exchanged about the strength of the seal being derived from Sasuke's will, the boy collapsed on the ground and Avurin grit her teeth. She wouldn't run to help the kid, but the obvious dismissal from Kakashi still grated against her nerves since she was now in an awkward position of just watching the scene without knowing why she was there.
"My, you've grown, Kakashi. To successfully use curse sealing techniques, I'm impressed." A hissing voice approached from the entrance to the room and Avurin tensed, turning around as quickly as she could to locate the intruder. An oppressive aura of intense Killing Intent took over the room, forcing her to freeze in a feeling of terror she hadn't felt in quite a while.
"Orochimaru…" Kakashi muttered from behind her. She was directly between them and she found that she couldn't take her eyes off of the intruder, Orochimaru, one of the three legendary Sannin. Her fear increased at the knowledge of just who had interrupted them and she fought not to shudder.
"Unfortunately, I'm not here for you. I'm here for the boy you have hidden behind you. However, I didn't expect this little gift to be here. Tell me, what makes an Okita's kekkei genkai function? Do you know?" the man hissed as he took a step closer. Avurin wanted to fall back a step to get away from him, but she was frozen.
"Leave her out of this! You're not getting either of them!" Kakashi bellowed from where he was positioned in front of Sasuke. Avurin willed her legs to move and begged her body to cooperate with her. She remained frozen like prey staring into the eyes of a predator.
"There are theories that the kekkei genkai stems from a genetic difference in the vocal cords, however there hasn't been any advanced research done on an Okita that could use the kekkei genkai to confirm this theory. Why is it that only select individuals in each generation can use it? Another piece of the puzzle the Okita family has kept under lock and key. I'm very curious." He took another step towards her and she found herself finally able to draw her katana with shaking hands.
"N-Not another step closer!" she yelled. Her kekkei genkai wasn't activated and she was hesitating for very good reasons. If there was one person that she had to keep her family's secrets from, it was Orochimaru. He was a missing nin and his interest in her and Sasuke was more than reason for concern.
"Kakashi, you have to understand. You have a gift of your own. Is it so bad that I want the Uchiha's secrets for myself? And to have an Okita here as well… This is simply too good of an opportunity to pass up." Avurin couldn't contain the shiver this time. He was ignoring her, she wasn't a true threat to him.
"What game are you playing? You're deep in enemy territory. This is bold, even for you." Kakashi growled out. Avurin was still working through her fear but she listened carefully. If they were able to survive this encounter, they may get vital information from the situation.
"The Sound Village? That was my creation. I have my little pawns here and there to sacrifice and it got me here." Orochimaru was so casual with his speech, it was as if he truly wasn't bothered by the threat of Kakashi and a shinobi that could tell him to do something and he would be forced to comply.
When Orochimaru stepped closer to Avurin, now only a few feet from her, the chirping of a thousand birds filled the room.
"Step any closer and one of us is going to die here, Orochimaru." His voice was nearly feral, a tone Avurin hadn't heard from prior to that moment. Orochimaru's smirk only grew and his eyes gained a manic light.
"Sometimes I forget that you're a Hatake. Your father was more open with his special features that made your clan unique. You've always kept that mask on and never showed signs that you would ever be more Hatake than your non-clan mother. I see it just took the right push." Orochimaru's eyes trained on Avurin, blatantly staring at her covered neck.
"You won't touch her and you're not taking Sasuke! I'm ending this today!" Kakashi screamed, the chirping of the Chidori getting louder as he pushed more chakra into the jutsu. Avurin's eyes narrowed and she shifted her feet, backing away from Orochimaru slowly until she was standing several feet to Kakashi's side, making sure to stay out of range of the flickering electricity in the air. He was here for Sasuke, they couldn't let him get the last Uchiha. She had to get herself together.
Orochimaru laughed.
"You really think that seal is going to hold? He desires power. He will come to me on his own. You won't be able to stop it." Orochimaru turned away from the couple and Avurin's blade wavered as she shivered.
"Leave. Now." The command slipped out from her mouth despite the terror of engaging with the snake. The chakra drain of forcing such a powerful shinobi into a command like that was immediate and her knees shook as Orochimaru's feet started a steady pace towards the exit. She hadn't used a hand sign that time, yet she couldn't celebrate her small progress from her training while they were in such a dangerous situation. She would take notes on it later.
"Such an amazing jutsu. I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study it so I won't kill you today, Okita. I can't wait to see you again." His voice trailed off as he left the room and Avurin fell to her knees, taking gasping breaths through grit teeth as she stared at where the man had been standing. Kakashi's Chidori fizzled out but he remained in place, a barely-there shaking in his hands giving away how shaken he was by the situation.
"Let's get him to the hospital. He's not safe here anymore." Kakashi told her as he turned around to pick up the teenager. She pulled herself to her feet and sheathed her katana, trying to shake the shivering from her frame. She silently followed Kakashi as they made their way through several underground tunnels until they got to the hospital. She didn't ask how he knew about the tunnels and she didn't really want to know. She had a feeling it was related to Anbu but she didn't care. They were useful to avoid carrying an unconscious, shirtless teenager through populated streets.
Kakashi was efficient in getting a private room for Sasuke, even going as far as to send a missive by hawk to the Hokage to request Anbu guards for him. Avurin didn't quite know what to do with herself as Kakashi laid Sasuke in the bed before straightening his back with a heavy sigh.
"I'll protect you from Orochimaru. He won't get either of you. I'll be long dead before that happens." Kakashi grumbled as he turned to face her, his expression grave. She crossed her arms and stared at the ground in front of her. She had been absolutely useless. She didn't need protection, she needed to be able to protect herself.
A hand on her shoulder jolted her from her thoughts.
"We'll talk about training once the exams are done. I know what you're thinking and we're going to get you where you need to be as soon as these kids make Chunin. For now, stay with him until the Anbu guard arrives and collect your thoughts. I need to get back to the exams to keep an eye on Naruto and Sakura."
He left quickly, not giving her time to respond. Her mouth twisted into a firm line on her face and she sat down heavily in the chair next to Sasuke's bed. Putting her head in her hands, she scratched lightly at her scalp and stared blankly at the floor.
She had really needed a hug from the man that had left so quickly.
