Chapter 11: Honesty Policy


(Friday September 19 Inn on the Border of Konohagakure & Amegakure Inn's Restaurant)

~Nina~

Nina attempted to dissuade her mind from hyper-fixating on their recent run-in by stuffing the last steamed dumpling in her mouth. This mission's beginning was so much rougher than she'd expected. Pushing the empty plate to the side, she poured herself a green teacup. There was no bitter backstory that could make Nina feel bad for Deidara.

Nope.

He was a genuine sociopath, killing people because he wanted to.

~Kakashi~

Kakashi slid a beige envelope across the table's surface towards his mission partner. Tsunade had tasked him with 'looking after' Nina because she'd proven incapable and unwilling to care for herself. So, when one of the Inn's clerks had knocked on the door of their room offering a range of massage services, he hadn't hesitated in making the necessary arrangements.

Since Nina's mind was elsewhere, Kakashi reached out for her hand. "The most important part of this mission is total relaxation," he said, placing the card in her upturned palm.

"That's fundamentally impossible with who I am," Nina quipped, setting down her cup of green tea. She held up the envelope with her elbow on the table, "And this is?"

"A solution," Kakashi replied.

~Nina~

Nina almost missed the way Kakashi had always been at arm's length before this mission. Even without touching her, he'd found a way to torture her with his closeness. Her overactive mind spun into overdrive.

As a part of unsavoury missions, Nina learned to graciously accept gifts ranging from an outlandishly priced jewellery set to erotic lingerie ensembles. All of which came with the expectancy that she'd repay the gifter with acts of sexual gratification.

Does Hatake expect something of that nature in return for this massage voucher?

"Thank you," Nina said, sleeving the voucher back into the envelope.

Her stomach twisted into a nervous knot. Kakashi had never shown himself to be the type of guy who'd treat her that way.

Could he?

The Copy-Nin's dirty laundry wasn't exclusive to Konoha's rumour mill. Nina had heard anything from questionable hearsay to slanderous campaigns across the Five Great Nations.

Fuck that.

She trusted her ability to read people much more. There was no questioning that Kakashi was a man who knew how to get what he wanted, but just how far did that get him when it came to...?

Nina shifted in her seat, fidgeting with the edges of the card. "Hatake?"

"Hm?" Kakashi turned his head to look at her.

Taking a slow breath, Nina forced herself to meet his eye. Emotions ran like blood beneath her skin. She heard it beat in her ears and felt it tingle at her palms. "Uh, never mind," she lied, putting down the envelope and picking up her cup to take a sip.

This is bullshit. I should be so much better than this teenage awkwardness.

Kakashi rose from his side of the booth and slid in beside Nina. "What is it that you wanted to ask, Sarutobi?" he probed.

I shouldn't ask. Except…

Except she wanted to know.

To silently uphold the facade of a couple, Nina shoved down the urge to allow fear to put an end to this mess through flight. "Just how many women have you been with?" she asked, her voice small.

~Kakashi~

Kakashi saw no sense in wiggling out of this question with his usual trickery. They'd arrive in Amegakure tomorrow with a heavy disadvantage of too many unknown boundaries if he did.

"Do you mean in a relationship, or are you asking me for the number of women I've had sex with?" Kakashi questioned back.

"Aren't they pretty much the same?" Nina scoffed.

He didn't hesitate to answer, countering with another question. "Have you had sex with all the guys you've dated?"

"Well, no." Immediately Nina flushed and drew her legs up to sit cross-legged. The strangely nervous edge to her posture made Kakashi worry that he'd tipped the kunoichi with a walled-up heart past her limits and cut short the thrill of their amicable inquisition. Neither spoke about intimate matters so plainly.

From their first days together in ANBU, Kakashi had learned how rare it was for the kunoichi to say more than what was necessary. Acquainted with the heavy toll of being an ANBU operative, he and Nina adopted an 'honesty policy', and up until this mission, it'd only shown face in their raillery.

Kakashi helped himself to a cup of lukewarm green tea. "To answer your question, Sarutobi, yes, I've had sex. Although, I haven't made a point to keep count." He took a sip, letting his fingers slide down the ridges encircling the cup. "Relationships are a bit of a grey area." Tapping his finger against the side of the cup, he thought about how he was best to explain himself. "The extent of my efforts could be classed as a romantic getaway. But I don't choose to see it that way. Sometimes there's a need to travel."

"That's a lot of trouble for a fling," Nina mumbled into her cup. "Best you have this back then."

Setting his cup down, he pushed the envelope back to her. "No, thank—"

"Hatake, those services aren't che—"

Kakashi jammed his index and middle finger onto the envelope, halting Nina from returning it a second time. "I know," he said, locking eyes with the kunoichi. "Be that as it may, paying someone else to lay hands on a prospective bedmate is counterproductive for me." Repeating his earlier action, he turned over Nina's hand and laid the envelope on her upturned palm. "Nothing of that sort is my intent for you."

~Nina~

"Good," Nina said. It was the one word that made it past her knotted tongue as she quickly traded the envelope for her drink and gulped down the remaining liquid in one mouthful.

She leaned forward to retake the envelope, but the Copy-Nin's hand wrapped around her wrist as she did. All her muscles pulled taut in frustration as she tried to jerk away; the more she tried, the tighter Kakashi's hold became. His face was close to hers—closer than she believed necessary.

"What?" Nina asked after a prolonged silence. Her eyes followed Kakashi's eye that flitted to their hands.

"How many guys have you been with, Sarutobi?"

Stunned, Nina hoped that a conveniently placed hole in the ground would swallow her up. Furthermore, she couldn't decide if she was angry or humiliated.

"That many, huh?" Kakashi teased, sitting back and crossing his arms across his chest.

"N-no—" Nina started to refute but was cut off by another taunt from Kakashi.

"Oh, so you've kept count?"

Furious, Nina clicked her tongue.

"Excuse me, Miss."

"Fuc—oh." Nina blinked in confusion, but the Inn's attendant just smiled politely back at her. Searching the restaurant, she caught sight of Kakashi disappearing out the doorway they'd entered. As if he sensed her eyes were on him, he gave her a final look back. Unless Nina was mistaken—which she wasn't, even at this distance—a ghost of a smile played its way onto Kakashi's masked mouth.

Tch.

The attendant cleared her throat softly, "Sorry, Miss, but our therapist is ready to see you."


(Konoha's Medical Clinic)

~Sasuke~

"No," Sasuke snapped. Ayame flinched, and the waiting room erupted into hushed whispers.

If the word got out…

If Naruto finds out, I'll never hear the end of it.

"Thank you, but it's unnecessary," Sasuke added, fighting to lessen the harshness of his tone.

"Okay. I'll be sure Dr Haruno receives this," Ayame said, giving him a friendly smile.

Despite the suspicions and anxieties hammered into Sasuke by a lifetime of hurt, he knew that he was an even bigger fool than Naruto if he didn't at least try. The small gesture of bringing Sakura a meal enabled him to get his feet wet—acclimatising to the temperature of something more than their long-standing friendship before diving in the rest of the way.


(Border of Konohagakure & Amegakure Inn's Spa & Bath House)

~Nina~

Nina laid back with the cloudy water mostly covering her modesty—a mix of bath salts and some sweet-smelling oil meant to aid in easing aches and pains. It did. But her mind hadn't moved passed the unfinished conversation between her and Kakashi. Whilst she hadn't answered his question, she also believed he didn't want her to.

Deep in contemplation, Nina chased the petals swirling around on the water's surface with her submerged fingertips. The dynamic shared between her and Hatake was soft, playful, and endearing—though she'd never dare openly label it as that. It didn't matter how flirty or friendly he was; Nina didn't have any interest in dating, mission or otherwise.

Shinobi always worked that way; they were trained never to trust anyone or catch feelings for another, romantic or platonic. They were supposed to remain distant. Impartial.

Okay, so not always.

There were exceptions like Kurenai and Asuma, Nina's parents, andMinato and Kushina. There was also Hanako and Shiranui.

Heh.

It's exactly what it was, even though her Uchiha friend was determined to describe it as anything close to a relationship.

With her index finger, Nina lifted a petal from the water's surface and admired its intricate details.

A week-long date with Hatake, huh? I should think of myself as lucky.

She scoffed at her own sarcastic musings and sent the petal fluttering back down to bathwater.


(Inn on the Border of Konohagakure & Amegakure Nina & Kakashi's Room)

~Kakashi~

Feeling the build of a second sneeze, Kakashi reached for the tissue box on the bedside table.

Nngh.

The sharp jolt had him nursing his left shoulder. As much as he didn't want to burden Nina any further, the painful twinge in his left shoulder called for her medical expertise.

About twenty minutes later, and without looking up from reading, Kakashi greeted the returning kunoichi, "Welcome ba—"

His eyes widened, finding difficulty accepting that who he was looking at was indeed Nina Sarutobi. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but she looked—reflexively, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply—smelt incredible. Feminine. An aromatic blend of floral fragrances balanced out with traces of vanilla.

Opening his eyes, he watched as Nina toed out of her shoes, her free-falling hair shielding her face from his view. Careful to hold his book just so, he lowered his gaze and noticed Nina's missing chest bindings—a thin fabric tube was all that bolstered her breasts.

Using the enhanced perception of his sharingan-eye, Kakashi zeroed in on the trail of a single water droplet originating from the notch at the base of Nina's jugular. He momentarily lost sight of the droplet when it plunged into the valley between her breasts before reappearing in the dip of her sternum. He followed on as it conjoined with a second, smaller droplet. Boosted in size and weight, the droplet spilled speedily down her bare, toned abdomen, and sunk into her belly button, never resurfacing.

Good grief.

Kakashi's concentration on reading was long drew one leg up, hoping to discreetly disguise the uncomfortable tent made by his semi-erect cock under the dark fabric of his pants. Realising he was still staring at Nina, and she was staring back quizzically, he got up from the bed and politely excused himself to the bathroom.

Waiting for the shower to heat up, Kakashi seized the sides of the basin. Staring at the fogging mirror, he willed his mind to think of something to distract him from the painful throbbing and attention calls of his crotch.

Kakashi dropped his head, eyeing the growing bulge beneath the soft fabric of his pants. As inconvenient as it was, erections were a normal part of having a penis and were bound to happen whether wanted or not.

A shinobi had two choices on a mission: deal with it now or later.

Tugging down on the waistband of his pants, his cock sprung free, slapping weightily against his lower abdomen. Stepping into the steaming shower, Kakashi did what he could to ignore it. Detouring his hands to other unwashed parts of his body, he rubbed his soaped-up hand close to his pelvis because he needed to wash there and nothing more than that. His hand ventured further downward because that area also needed cleaning. Then a little lower.

Fuck.

His cock hurt like hell.

Kakashi wrapped his hand around his aching cock and gave it a couple of quick jerks.

Mhmm.

While increasing speed, his hips rocked in time with his weak-fisted strokes. Bracing one hand on the cold tiles and the other pumping his length, he closed his eyes, letting scenarios play out within his mind—each filthier than the last.

With his knuckles turning paler than usual and his thumb repeatedly and expertly slipping over his swollen cockhead, he knew he was too far gone; his only option was to keep going.

Close, so close.

Kakashi's head fell backwards, the water splattering his hair to his forehead, as he felt himself edging closer each time his shaft drove out of his fist.

Shit.

Just like that, Kakashi's mind aborted sexual satiation and brought forth something else—the tiniest stirring of guilt. Sighing heavily at his sudden receded arousal, he angrily flicked the shower faucet to a frigid temperature. He should've just opted for one in the first place.

Out of the shower, Kakashi bundled up the second towel he'd used to half-dry his hair and pegged it into one corner of the bathroom. He'd nothing to feel guilty for. But, for reasons unbeknownst to him, the smidge he did feel seemed to be tied to Nina.

Balancing on one leg at a time, Kakashi pulled on his briefs and black sweatpants.

Did I proposition her for a no-strings-attached fuck?

No, he hadn't.

He slipped his head through the top of his black, sleeveless undervest, followed by his arms.

Did I think of her while unabashedly jerking myself off in the shower?

Of course not.

Kakashi was well-experienced and well-read enough that she'd only been the initial visual stimuli that led to his arousal. That left him asking himself one final question.

Could I?

Affixing his mask in its usual place, Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. They needed to find a way to make this work for the next week. From his mind, he ousted anything other than normal, decent behaviour between partners on a mission.

~Nina~

The bedside table lamps dimly lit the room enough that Nina could read for a little while. Book in hand, she slipped into bed under the clean, pressed sheets; very much a novelty for a shinobi, as were hot showers.

Nina nestled further against the unusually plush pillows, welcoming her unnaturally relaxed state. Listening to the ambient sounds of the shower, she looked at the uninhabited half of the bed. It'd been a long time since she'd shared a bed with anyone.

Hanako included. Before Hana's thing with Genma, Nina would often wake to tiny Uchiha cuddling into her as if she were a human teddy bear.

Hearing a few heavy slaps of water hit the shower floor, Nina stared at the bathroom door. On the other side of that door, Kakashi was…naked.

Erm.

Shaking her head, she redirected her wandering imagination to the words she was supposed to be reading.

Dropping her book to the side, she drew her knees and the blankets up to her chin.

Hatake is a teammate.

Nina sighed and positioned the book onto the tops of her blanket-covered toes. Her conviction wobbled as her imagination wandered off in its own merry—unprofessional—way.

Ironically, Nina's professional experience as a medic made the conjured image of the Copy-Nin near picture-perfect.

Fuck. He is nice to think about.

Hearing the shower shut off, Nina, too, placed her book on the bedside table, calling it quits on reading, and turned off the lamp.

Feeling the dip of Kakashi's weight as he quietly slid into the bed, Nina rolled onto her side. "Feel better?" she asked.

He twisted to turn off his lamp, then laid down on his back and sighed.

Nina flattened the pillow where it partially blocked her view of him, incidentally causing their fingers to touch. They had yet to undergo any training he'd spoken about in the morning.

Was he lying earlier about his intentions?

Kakashi's hand shifted again, his fingers threading through hers. "Goodnight, Sarutobi."

Nina closed her eyes, "Goodnight, Hatake."

*End of Chapter*