Chapter 11

Psychoanalysis

For the first time in Kakashi's natural life, he wholly and completely abhorred his absurd mask…

She'd kissed him.

Sakura had pressed her lips just beneath his jaw, and though the fabric of his mask had allowed him to feel the pressure and a hint of barest warmth, Kakashi was left wanting. Wanting to feel the sensation of her lips on his actual skin... He wondered if she heard the throaty groan that escaped him as she slid from his arms, down the hard planes of his body, and started back for the embankment to collect her belongings.

Kakashi stayed where he was – half contemplating just throwing himself in the current and letting it carry him downriver.

Sakura had kissed him…

Yes, technically he had kissed her first earlier that day – if you could even count the brush of his masked mouth over her knuckles as a kiss – but he had acted on impulse. Taking her hand in his had not been some calculated decision. It had been natural, almost a reflex. Sakura had just finished healing his wound and her small, delicate hand had been cradled against his chest – right above his heart. Her touch, familiar as it was in many ways, felt tender, and reached a deeper part of him that filled him with warmth. The brush of kiss was a thank you – but it was more than that, too. A vulnerability. A promise. A confession.

Her kiss on his neck had been a mischievous tease, hinting – maybe, that she felt something more for him, too. Kakashi was aware that Sakura had no idea what to do with those feelings – their little kunai game was evidence of that – providing something of a buffer to bar those feelings… Kakashi didn't want to push her even though everything about her was driving him crazy. He couldn't stop thinking about the feel of her body in his arms, pressed against him in the water. Her fingers in his hair. The curve of her side. Her hips locked around his waist.

Kakashi scrubbed a hand up the back of his neck, squeezing. Gods help him if he didn't walk around the rest of the night half aroused.

"Okay," Sakura said, interrupting his train of thought, "we should probably get the hell out of River Country before we make camp for what's left of the night."

He'd been thinking the same. There was an outpost building just over the border in Konoha, but it would be stationed and Kakashi wasn't sure he wanted to spend what was left of their return journey bunking in the barracks with fellow comrades. He was enjoying his alone-time with Sakura too much, and knew things would probably change the minute they got back. It would be a few hours out from dawn when they crossed the border, and Kakashi would just as soon torture himself with another two-hour hike to sleep in his own bed. "I have another idea," he said.

Sakura tilted her head. "I'm afraid to ask."

"There's a civilian village about two hours from here. There's an inn we could stay – give our clothes a chance to dry out while we sleep." Kakashi helped Sakura out of the water and retrieved his gray flak vest from where he'd left it. The night air had cooled, and walking around in soggy wet clothes and boots wasn't going to do either of them any favors.

Sakura straightened the straps of her backpack. "I can get on board with that."

"Wow, not even a hint of a protest." Kakashi was smirking beneath his mask.

"Well, you're paying, right?" She playfully nudged his arm as they began their trek across the open field and headed for the tree line. The stars above them twinkled in light of their banter. "And why on earth would I protest about dry clothes and a bed?"

"I just assumed you'd want to get back to Konoha as quickly as possible to start working on that antidote." He gently bumped his elbow into her ribs.

Sakura snorted. "As eager as I am to get working on it, I would like to be properly rested. A ninja is worthless if their mind isn't sharp."

"Who taught you that?"

The corner of Sakura's mouth twitched. "You." She skipped ahead of him, turning to face him as she jogged backwards. "Let's go, Kakashi, I'm freezing!"

Kakashi chuckled. "You still have energy to run?"

"Ninja," she replied with a wink.

Kakashi smiled and picked up the pace, leading the way as the two nin raced the moon through the night, and headed for the village.

oOoOo

The civilian village was one of the older villages in River Country that time had forgotten. Its streets were paved in dirt, and if there were footpaths, they were stepping stones half-buried within the dirt. Sakura had never been here before, but she could admit there was something incredibly charming about the rustic ambience of the village. The grasses grew long here, and appeared to be lush with community gardens of both the flower and vegetable variety. The layout was sweeping and tangled, a far cry from the busy straight lines of Konoha.

"How'd you find this place?" Sakura asked Kakashi in a quiet tone. He'd asked her to don her cloak and mask before they entered the village, just in case anyone was watching from the shadows.

"Coming back from a mission a few years ago with Genma," Kakashi told her. "We'd been stationed at an allied outpost for two weeks without any running water, and both of us were crabby and desperate for a shower. He had a relative in the village."

"Ah," Sakura said, nodding.

"The inn is just up the road." Kakashi pointed to a small two-story ryokan with traditional wood paneling and lattice work. A purple flowering vine wove through the wooden structure, its new blooms on display beneath the light of the moon. Decorative cream-colored wagasas hung above the windows, and real glass lanterns with live flame jutted from the entryway doors.

"What's the plan, Team Leader?" Sakura quipped as they approached the steps from the shadows.

Kakashi craned his neck, trying to peer inside the windows to see if any of its occupants were still milling around the lobby. The less people who spotted a couple of ANBU from the Hidden Leaf, the better. "I think this part of the mission calls for a disguise within a disguise," Kakashi said.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"This village doesn't see a lot of ninja… I don't want to cause any suspicion if Hattori's men happen to pass through and start asking questions."

Sakura looked down at their damp clothing. "Not exactly wearing civilian attire, Kakashi." But at least it was black and would hide the fact that they were still wet from the river.

"No, but technically you're not in uniform." Kakashi reached into the front compartment of his bag and withdrew a roll of bandage. "Give me your arm."

He meant her bare arm, of course – the one where she'd given herself a fake ANBU tattoo. Gently, Kakashi gripped her arm and began winding the length of bandage around the red mark. His fingertips grazed her skin, rough from the calluses. But gods be damned if his touch didn't send a bit of warmth flaring through her insides anyway… Sakura swallowed. "I take it you want me to go in there as myself and secure a couple of rooms?"

"One room," Kakashi corrected. "It's best if the innkeepers think you're alone."

Sakura tsked. "And then what? I'm supposed to sneak you in?"

"I'll find you. Just open a window," he said. Sakura could practically hear the mirth in his tone. He took her elbow and guided her over to a large bush within the inn's garden. "Mask and cloak," he said.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she pulled her ANBU mask off and handed it, along with her cloak and backpack, over to Kakashi. "First you tell me to put them on, and now you're telling me to take them off. Make up your damn mind."

Kakashi laughed quietly. "Use your ANBU name if they ask for signatures. If they ask what you're doing here, tell them you're visiting a member of the Shiranui clan. Genma's family will cover for us."

"Not bad, Kakashi," Sakura hummed her approval.

"They don't call me a genius for nothing," he teased.

Sakura chose not to retort as she slipped out from behind the bushes and casually made her way up to the front door of the inn. A small brass bell jingled when she entered, signaling to the front desk and the little older woman half slumped behind its wooden surface. The woman stirred, jolting upright as she brushed the front of her pale green robes and peered over the counter. "Well hello," the woman said after clearing her throat. "I must've dozed off reading my book."

"I'm sorry to disturb you so late," Sakura said.

Mentioning the word 'late' caused the woman to fixate on the clock above the fireplace mantel. "Heavens," she replied. "Whatever is a young woman like yourself doing out at such a late hour?" The innkeeper, with her gray hair pulled back in a simple, clean bun, frowned down the bridge of her long narrow nose. Her gaze slid to the length of bandage around Sakura's arm.

Sakura's heartbeat accelerated. "I ran into some trouble in the country. My carriage was looted by a couple of bandits and it delayed our arrival. I'm on my way to visit family – tomorrow," Sakura tacked on. It wasn't exactly the storyline Kakashi had fed her, but she hoped it was convincing.

"That's awful! Were you hurt?" Once again, the woman seemed to fixate on the bandage.

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch." Sakura gave the woman a reassuring smile. "My luggage was stolen in the raid, but I managed to get away with my purse." Sakura patted her hip pouch. "I was wondering, do you happen to have a room available for the night?"

"Of course, dear. You poor thing." The woman jumped out of her chair, spritely for her age, and loped over to a wall of golden keys. "Bandits are bad at the borders these days – or so I hear. I refuse to do any traveling because of it. You're a brave girl, making that journey alone." The woman walked back to the counter and pushed a ledger across the counter. "What happened to your company?"

"Hm? Oh." Right, her carriage was attacked… "They headed back for the mountain pass and wished me good luck." Sakura rolled her eyes for effect. "I think they were too scared to continue on."

"And they just left you?" The woman shook her head in disgust. "This new generation of men really curdles my milk if you catch my drift."

Sakura giggled. "Luckily, no harm was done." She leaned forward, picking up the pen and scribbled Kitsune into the guestbook with a made-up address in a made-up town she hoped the woman would be none the wiser to research. Then, she dug into her hip pouch and coughed up the ryo for their stay. Kakashi so owed her for this.

"Get some rest, deary." The woman handed Sakura a golden keychain and gifted her with a warm smile. "You'll find fresh linen and some light refreshment in your room. Breakfast starts at seven. Your room is upstairs and down the hall to the left."

"Thank you." Sakura took the keyring and glanced at the tag inscription. A little B with the number seven was engraved on its surface. She located the stairs, observing the simple, clean layout of the inn as she walked towards the lantern-lit corner of the stairwell and began her ascent. Once she made it to the second floor, Sakura took a left as she was instructed, and began scanning the doors for number seven, and found it was the second to last room.

There was a lantern in the room resting on the nightstand, its soft glow pushed out a circle of warm light and illuminated the clean white sheets on the single, full-sized bed. Sakura knew that was likely to be the case, and though she'd been in this exact predicament with all her teammates a time or two, there was something entirely more intimate about this setting and this time… The room itself was small and smelled of lavender, and the eastern wall was a framework of sliding-glass doors that opened to a balcony with the view of the garden and pond below. She made quick work of undoing the locking mechanism and sliding the door open. The breeze filtered through and ruffled the bedsheets that Sakura was trying hard not to think about.

"Nice."

Sakura's hand flew to her heart at the sound of Kakashi's voice. He was perched on the ledge of the balcony, peering in at their arrangement before jumping down onto the landing without a sound. "I swear to the gods, Kakashi…"

"What?" He deposited their bags on the small chest at the foot of the bed and found a chair to plop down in so he could take off his boots.

"You've got to teach me how to do that," she said, shaking off her annoyance at his sudden, ghostlike appearance. She'd known he was coming, sure, but she'd been too focused on that damn bed to be paying much attention to his arrival and he'd startled her.

Kakashi chuckled. "Tomorrow."

"Fine," Sakura said. She unzipped her backpack and took out a pair of shorts and a plain, white T-shirt. "I get the bathroom first."

"Help yourself." Kakashi was busy digging through his own pack, presumably for a dry set of clothing as Sakura slipped into the bathroom.

The shower, much to her dismay was on the antiquated side. A large faucet hung above her head, jutting out from the wall along with a pull handle, and by the looks of it, one had to hold it if they wanted to produce water… Sakura sighed and began peeling out of her damp clothing. She draped her things over the curtain rod, hoping they'd be dry by the time morning rolled around, and stepped onto the cool tile flooring with her bare feet. She pulled the handle on the shower, the pipes gurgled before sputtering to life, and blasted Sakura with a downpour of icy water. She screeched, jumping out of the spray, and grinding her teeth together against a chatter.

She heard the door open. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she gasped. "The water is just really, really cold."

"Need me to warm it up?" Kakashi's tone was dripping with sarcasm, but Sakura could hear the seduction of it in the underlying low timbre he'd chosen to use, and nearly pulled the shower curtain off its rod.

"Don't threaten me with a good time," she quipped, hoping she managed to keep her voice neutral. She must have succeeded because she heard him chuckle and then the door close behind him.

Sakura's heart galloped in her chest… She peeked outside the curtain to make sure she really was alone before braving the water again. It had warmed substantially, but Sakura's body was thoroughly flushed from the mere teasing of Kakashi's offer. What would she have done if he'd decided to join her? An image of Kakashi peeling back the shower curtain and taking her in his arms as the water slickened his lean-muscled body came rushing unbidden into the foreground of her mind.

"And now I wish the water was cold," she murmured under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut as she ducked under the showerhead. Washing herself one-handed was a bit of a challenge, but a necessary distraction to keep her mind from wandering down paths it had no business wandering. But earlier in the river… it had felt so good to be in his arms and –

And that was enough of that.

Sakura let go of the shower handle and reached for a towel on the counter. She dried herself off and pulled on her sleeping clothes, aware that the white T-shirt she'd chosen to bring was a little more translucent than she recalled and instantly felt her face flushing… Putting her wet bra back on was out of the question.

The door cracked open again and Sakura scrambled to cross her arms over her chest. "You done?" Kakashi asked.

"You ever hear of knocking?" she countered.

Kakashi hedged his way into the bathroom, ignoring her, and slipped behind the shower curtain still fully clothed. "You were taking too long."

"Boo hoo," Sakura said as she dug through her toiletry bag for her toothbrush. Kakashi's clothes joined hers along the shower rail and then the shower clicked on (which meant he was completely naked on the other side of that curtain) – gods help her. Sakura did her best to ignore this as she loaded her toothbrush down with more paste than necessary.

"Did you leave any warm water for me?" Kakashi whined from behind her.

A wicked, foamy grin split her lips. "Need me to warm it up for you?"

A scrap of black cloth hit the side of her head and then landed on the counter with a wet plop. Sakura narrowed her eyes, reaching for it with one hand as she continued to scrub her teeth with the other, and then nearly proceeded to choke on her own spit when she realized she was in fact holding Kakashi's mask in her hand. Just when she thought she had successfully one-upped the man, he'd gone and done something like this… "Ohhhh you just made a colossal mistake, Kakashi-senpai." Sakura was nearly shaking with laughter on the inside. She finished rinsing her mouth before wringing his wet mask out in the sink.

"You won't look," Kakashi said.

"You have an awful lot of faith in me…" Sakura grabbed the shower curtain, moving it a couple of inches just to test him, but Kakashi only chuckled. He was right… she wouldn't look. There was a part of Sakura that didn't want to see Kakashi's face. Not for some superficial reason like she was afraid he was ugly or something. She realized that that didn't really matter to her. There was just a familiarity about the mask, about it being his identity, and if she saw him without it, she was afraid she wouldn't recognize him… It was silly. Stupid, even. But she didn't want the way she saw him to change. Afraid that it might change the way she felt about him somehow…

Kakashi let go of the water handle. "A little privacy, please?"

"If you insist." Sakura shrugged innocently (not that he could see) and softly padded out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She helped herself to a glass of water from the wooden tray on the dresser across from the bed, and then eyed the bed through narrowed lids – as if the thing were something that could bite her if provoked. Hesitatingly, Sakura drew the comforter back, and sat down on the soft surface; the sheets cool against her bare legs.

Sakura had palmed the small guest bottle of lotion in the bathroom on her way out earlier, and now uncapped the lid to smell its contents. It smelled sweetly of lavender and honey. She squirted a healthy portion into her palms and began massaging the lotion into her legs – which is exactly how Kakashi found her when he exited the bathroom in nothing but his boxers and mask.

"That smells nice," he said absently, passing around the opposite side of the bed. He leaned down, shoulders flexing as he made a grab for the spare pillows and tossed them at the foot of the bed.

"Compliments of the inn," Sakura said, offering him a small smile as he plopped down on the mattress. There hadn't been a couch for either of them to take, and he hadn't asked if it was okay to sleep in the same bed with her… They all had before, in some form, but there was never an air of awkwardness to it because these were her teammates, her very best friends. Kakashi was merely doing what was natural, albeit sleeping at the foot of the bed instead. Fleetingly, she wondered if she should tell him that it was okay to sleep regularly, but maybe he chose this arrangement on purpose… to give her space? To draw a line between them because she so brazenly kissed the underside of his jaw earlier and he didn't like it?

Panic swelled and tightened in her chest. Had she made a mistake in doing that? Had she somehow misinterpreted the signs? Kakashi's thumb had swept over her ribs when he'd held her in the river… he'd pressed his temple to hers… Maybe he'd gotten caught up in the moment and now regretted it.

"What are you thinking about so intently over there?" Kakashi asked. He drew his arm below his head, the muscle in his bicep flexing as he propped his head up on the pillow.

"Hm? Oh nothing." Sakura could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and prayed it didn't show on her face.

"That crease between your brow suggests otherwise."

Observational asswipe, Sakura mentally chided. "Just thinking about the antidote." Bold. Faced. Lie.

"Don't stress Sakura. I know you'll be able to get it to work."

"Yeah, I hope so." She sighed and settled back onto her own set of pillows, realizing that the full-sized bed was in fact quite small for the two of them. She tucked her legs below the comforter, ignoring the accidental brush against Kakashi's thigh. "Is it okay to leave the sliding door open? I kind of like the breeze coming through." AKA this bed was going to get too gods-damned hot with the both of them in it…

"Fine by me," Kakashi said as he settled under the comforter.

"Good night, Kakashi," Sakura said, turning the knob down on the oil lantern and dousing them in shadows.

"Good night, Sakura. Sweet dreams."

oOoOo

Some call it the witching-hour, but it's three a.m. inside a small room at a rustic inn. The spring breeze ruffles a long, sheer white curtain, filling the room with the scent of jasmine. A man with starlight-colored hair has fallen asleep on his side with his arm draped over the legs of the sleeping woman beside him. He doesn't know it, but sleep had not found her so easily as she lay enslaved to the thoughts running rampant in her mind. As if he could sense this in his sleep, the man cradled the woman's legs and began sweeping his thumb, slow and rhythmically, over her anklebone.

His touch has the power to calm her – to lull her into peaceful slumber.

The woman with cotton-candy colored hair doesn't know the man is dreaming of her – his mind stuck on the image of her damp hair – soaking through the fabric of her diaphanous T-shirt, making her breasts even more visible through the thin fabric… He is dreaming of touching her, of pressing his mouth to those lush curves – of tasting her skin. He is dreaming of her beauty, and wishing to the gods that he could find a way to make the feeling expanding through his chest last forever. To give it a name and to not fear what it might mean if he did…

The man shifts in his sleep, tightening his hold on the woman's legs.

oOoOo

Hello darlings!

kcann17 - are you still breathing? ;) Thanks for the comments: gojo girl and thereddqueen. I appreciate you guys!

I hope you enjoyed this installment. Thanks for reading.

XOXO,
~Sparrow