Train Me!
Title: Train Me!
Chapter: eight
Rating: Pg 13 light cursing
Pairing: Naru/Kaka
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… I just drool over him!
Summery: Before the final phase of the Chuunin exams, Naruto begs Kakashi for extra training and is denied! Naruto doesn't take it very well.
Beta: aimless38 I couldn’t do it without her!!!!
~*~*~*~
I had climbed up to the top of a tall pole to get a good look at my village.
"Naruto!" came the familiar voice.
I turned my head but the person I found did not match the voice I had heard. Konohamaru was standing next to Jiraiya with both hands enthusiastically in the air.
"Naruto, is it you?" To the left of my little friend stood my old teammate in all her pink haired glory.
She started to speak more but the sight of her old crush behind Jiraiya caused a flurry of girly squeals. "Sasuke-kun!" She pounced on the poor boy for all she was worth and proceeded to hug the stuffing out of him.
He tried to remain stoic and Uchiha but it must have been difficult for him. It is rather difficult to look cool and aloof when you are turning blue.
I hopped down to join them, "You might want to let him breath Sakura-Chan."
Embarrassed, she jumped back so fast that the brunet stumbled slightly. She then tried to engage me in conversation.
It is not that I don't care for her, I really do! I just had a lot of time to think while we were away and came to a few realizations. Now that I loved someone else, I realized just how much I had overlooked where the kunoichi was concerned.
I was too blinded by a desire to be liked to notice just how badly she had treated me in the past. She earned a few points in the hospital when I brought back Sasuke but that was like a bandage on a surgical cut. It just wasn't going to cover up the bigger problem.
I had decided that as much as I wanted to be her friend and protect her, she would have to earn my trust before I could be a true friend to her.
With all of this in my mind, I brushed her off in favor of Konohamaru. "You sure have grown." I said to him and his friends.
With a cheeky grin he showed me how he had truly grown. His version of my sexy jutsu had improved greatly. He was so pleased with himself that I had to burst his bubble.
"I have learned a lot and grown myself. I don't do it like that anymore and neither should you! " I waited just long enough for his face to dissolve into disappointment. "I have created the new and improved `Sexy No Jutsu'", I hollered loudly.
Unfortunately, before I could display my new form, Sakura pounded me into the ground.
It was a long time until the temperamental woman allowed me to stand back up. "You have been training haven't you?" I asked.
She appeared surprised, "How did you know that?"
"You hit a lot harder!" I wined. I ignored the questioning glance from Sasuke. He didn't understand why I was slipping back into the role of a whiney fool.
While we where traveling, I was still a boisterous person but I had a focus for my energy. I was a lot less annoying in other words. Ani was using his eyes to ask me why I would revert back.
The truth is, bad habits are hard to break. My stupidity is a great way to keep people I don't trust at a distance. The look I sent him clearly said, `I don't trust her.' He understood.
We made our way to the Hokage tower without any further interruptions. I had missed the old woman very much.
"Tsunade-baba! " I called out as we entered her office. I saw the fire in her eyes until she realized that I didn't mean it in a bad way at all.
People where I come from are not very demonstrative at all. You would hardly ever see someone hug in public for instance. So it was a great surprise to my companions when I walked around the desk to hug one of the few people in this world that I saw as family.
She froze up for a moment before crushing me into her impressive bosom.
Now, I know that I am in love with a man, and that typically, men in love with men don't care about breasts. All I have to say to that is that if any gay man saw her humongous knockers, they would at least be turned bi instantly!
When she finally released me into the sweet air that I had been deprived of, my expression must have been slightly dazed. Sakura assumed that I had been aiming for that result the whole time and tried to hit me again.
I didn't feel like taking abuse for crimes I haven't committed and so I grabbed her wrist tightly. "I will not let you abuse me for hugging my … well," I hesitated, she was more to me than a sister or an aunt, so I decided to claim her as my grandma, "Soba." I finished.
Silence filled the room. I was almost afraid to look at the woman whose temper was as legendary as her losing streak for fear of her being offended. "Naruto?" she said all too quietly.
I slowly turned my head like it was rusty clockwork. I almost fell over at the tears in her eyes.
`NO! NO! NO! DON"T CRY!' I screamed in my head.
Feeling frantic, I almost kissed Ero-Senin's feet when he nullified the situation. "Tsunade-sama, didn't you have something you wanted to tell the kids?" He asked.
She cleared her throat and nodded her head, " I have decided that before you can take on your ninja duties again, your team must pass a test."
`A test?' I thought.
You will be team seven only until the next chunnen exam. After that, you will leave your Jounin instructor behind and become a fully-fledged three-man team. Until then, he will remain as a supervisor of sorts for your team."
`Kakashi won't be a part of our team much longer?' I was stunned. I couldn't fathom not being a part of his team. I would have to watch him go off on dangerous missions without me there to help.
"You will be tested on your team work," she continued. "I already know that all three of you are strong capable ninjas but you haven't worked together in a long time. As your powers changed, so did the dynamics of your team. You need to relearn each others limits and prove that you can help to support each others weaknesses."
A knock was herd at the door. Tsunade allowed the people from the other side to enter.
Sakura became all bubbly when Shikamaru entered along with Temari. "Look! Look!" she happily giggled. "Look who's back!" She gestured to Sasuke.
Shikamaru barely glanced at the Uchiha when he whipped his head in my direction. "Naruto!" He exclaimed with more energy then I thought he possessed.
"Shika, Temari! I am glad to see you! How is Gaara?" I was thirsty for news of my friend.
She smiled kindly, "Well thanks to you."
I blushed at the complement and turned back to the Hokage, "Are they part of this test of yours?"
Shika looked unhappy at the sound of work, "What test?"
"No," she laughed. "Look out the window.
Curious, I opened said window and hopped out onto the overhang for the windows below. There on the sun warmed awning sat my favorite silver haired Jounin.
"Kakashi." I breathed.
He appeared almost nervous to see me. "YO!" he answered.
I suddenly remembered that I had a present for him and so I dug around in my bag for it. I had long ago realized that his porn books were a complete front. If you ever caught him actually reading it and not just holding it in front of his face, you would realize that he
usually had a decent book with the indecent cover.
Knowing this, I made him a special gift that I dearly hoped he would like. I held out the new, unreleased copy of `Icha Icha Paradise.'
He lit up like a Christmas tree. I could tell that it was a faked reaction but I patiently waited for him to look inside. He was puzzled until he began to read the first page.
`Dear Koi,
I hope that you do not mind me defacing your precious book but I wanted you to have this. I spent the last three years thinking of you and righting you letters. I also kept a journal of sorts with random thoughts and excerpts from the books and poems that I read. (A few of my teachers sought to make me more well rounded in my mind as well as my body, and what do you know, I actually like to read a good book!) I have collected it all into a kind of diary for you. I hope that you like this little piece of me and I also still have the original contents of this book in the front pocket of my bag if you want it. I am sure you can pilfer it with out any trouble. (See! I have been studying! I now know words like PILFER!).
I waited with baited breath as he read my message. His single eye softened and he began to show real interest in the book he held.
"Stop messing around you two and get in here!" Soba yelled out the window. "Kakashi, are you prepared to test your team?" She asked him.
"Yes. Follow me." He dashed out the window again and out onto the rooftops.
We all raced to keep up with him. He took us to the place where we had our first bell test.
It was set up a little strangely. What appeared to be an obstacle course now met our eyes where open field used to be. "Today, you will work on trust exercises, tomorrow you will do a special mission to test your team work." He explained.
I had a bad feeling about this. I knew that Sasuke and I trusted each other completely. Both of us however had issues where Sakura was concerned. I decided to be honest with her for once to head off a huge disaster.
"I already know that I will fail today's exercises then." Sasuke appeared to agree with me but the other two were completely shocked.
Sakura decided to voice her opinion. "What is the matter with you idiot? You haven't even heard what the exercises are yet and you already don't think that you can trust Sasuke?" She attempted to hit me on the head and yet again, I caught her off guard by stopping her.
"I never said that I don't trust Sasuke." I calmly informed her.
Her confusion slowly turned to hurt. "Are you trying to say that you don' trust me?" She asked hotly.
"That is exactly what I am saying. I don't trust you to have my back if you are too distracted by Sasuke to pay attention to anything else." She opened her mouth in anger but I plowed on, "I don't trust you to listen to be when I have something important to say. I don't trust you not to say things thoughtlessly that hurt me a lot." Her mouth snapped shut.
"I don't trust you to be my friend as long as someone better is around or even if we are alone." These words had been locked up in me for far too long and I felt a heavy weight lifting off of my shoulders to fall onto hers. I went in for the kill, "I have no reason to trust you and every reason not to."
It broke my heart to see her cry because of me but I didn't regret my words, "I will always be your friend but I can't trust you to be mine." I finished.
Sasuke and I had long ago come to the realization that the only way we could ever have an effective team would be to confront Sakura head on.
Sasuke began his part in our well-rehearsed speech, "I don't trust you."
Her body stiffened she tried to interrupt but I held up my hand to stop her for him.
After a short pause, Sasuke continued, "I don't trust you because you claim to love me yet you don't know me."
"I know all about you!" She screamed.
He glared at her for once again interrupting him. "You and the other girls were too busy fighting over me to find out anything important. The whole lot of you were so impressed by my looks and name that you forgot about the boy I really was."
She looked like she wanted to argue but knew she couldn't. "You were so busy fawning over me that you got in the way and hurt your other team mate. I can't help but wonder how you would treat me if I lost my fortune in disgrace and became horribly scarred." He continued.
Her mouth dropped open at the mere possibility of the perfect boy becoming poor and ugly.
I turned to our Sensei, "I am sorry Kakashi-Sensei, and I know you had some trust exercises planned but we already knew the result. We both care about Sakura as a teammate but it will take more than one-day to build up the trust that is missing in our team. We request that Sakura have the rest of the day to reflect on our words and we
can meet back here tomorrow for the mission of yours."
Seeing the wisdom in my request, Kakashi agreed readily.
"I have faith that you can change and become a true teammate. You just have to work at it a little." I said kindly.
She smiled sweetly at me before I dashed away. I had an important person to visit that shouldn't wait any longer.
************ ********* ***KAKASHI* ********* ********* *******
I sat on a thick branch outside, watching him carefully. I had missed him so much it hurt.
He was my inspiration and my rock to lean on. Being away from him this long had felt like I was missing a vital part of myself.
He didn't notice me for a long time. I was a lot more patient now than in my youth so I waited quietly.
When he finally glanced in my direction, I was rewarded with his complete and utter shock. He stumbled to the window and threw it open.
I easily swung my body into his room and into his waiting embrace. "I missed you Sensei."
"I missed you too Naruto." He replied as he finally pulled back.
"Iruka-sensei? Who is that?" Asked a small girl in the front row.
He spared her a glance before returning his attention to me, "This is my little brother Naruto and he has been gone for a long time."
Understanding dawned upon the room full of students. "Class is dismissed early today, go practice for your shuriken throwing test tomorrow." Within five minuets, the room had emptied.
"Lets get some ramen while you tell me every detail you can recall of your journey." He declared.
I grinned my widest, "You said the magic word! Lets get ramen."
We spent the rest of the day at the counter of the Ramen stand catching up. When we entered the stand, the owner took one look at me and put out the closed sign so that he could focus solely on our conversation. He dished up servings of miso ramen for the rest of the day.
I learned all about the comings and goings of Konoha in the past three and a half years. They interrogated me about my time away. I had never had so much fun before in my life.
We laughed, cried and reminisced. I felt like I had a real family for once and the comfort of that thought warmed me through and through.
When the night drew to a close, I was reluctant to return to my dusty apartment all alone. Iruka must have read my mind, "I hope you don't mind but I kept an eye on your place while you were gone. I dusted and watered the plants so it shouldn't be too bad." he explained.
I was overcome with gratitude. My home would not feel nearly so empty and cold with the thought of the gentle chunen's care that filled it. I gave him my best smile and his answering grin told me that he understood and accepted my thanks.
I entered my apartment tiredly and dropped my heavy bags by the door. Heavy training and long travels had left me feeling grimy as hell. I wanted nothing more then to stand in the shower until all of the hot water had been absorbed into my skin.
Of course, that meant that I had to wait fifteen minutes for the long dry pipes to remember how to work and what hot water was.
At last, I was able to stand beneath the warm spray and melt into the wall. Water trickled over my head and down my body in comforting rivulets, the soap slipped across my skin with a silky slide, and my knees went weak with pleasure as I massaged shampoo into my blond hair.
An hour and a half later, I stepped out of the steamy room with a towel around my waist and another one over my head.
I flicked on the light in my bedroom and received the shock of my life. "As much as I liked your new look today, I must say that I love this one."
I dropped the towel from my head and stared into the miss-matched eyes of the man who had never been far from my thoughts. "What are you doing here Kakashi?" I stuttered.
"A sad pout graced his maskless face, "I have been waiting here for you since you left the training ground."
"What?" I shouted, "I was with Iruka-ni at Ichiraku's. We were catching up."
He nodded, "I figured as much. It's all right," he lifted the book I had given him up for my inspection, "I had a good book to read."
I am sad to say that I blushed lightly at his words. I tried to speak but he cut me off. "It doesn't say anything in this book of mine about all of the times you faced death."
My eyes widened in horror. I never wanted him to learn about those times. "I read all of the reports while you were gone," he growled, "And Tsunade told me about this last time with Kabuto because as your teacher, I deserve to know."
I swallowed painfully. "You are far too reckless with a life that is precious to me!" I had never before heard him raise his voice and I must say that it scared me a little.
I stood there uncomfortably, with his intense gaze on my exposed body. He slowly rose from his perch on my windowsill and approached me. I had to use a lot of will power to not back away from him.
I found myself to be in his arms a heart beat later. His mouth devoured mine in a searing kiss. It was a lot easier to do now that we where more equal in height.
Time lost all meaning as we each reveled in the nearness of the other. Our hands sought proof that we truly held each other and not the fantasies that had tortured us.
The rough fabric of his gloves created friction on my damp back while his bare fingertips soothingly danced up my spine. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled our bodies close.
His heavy breathing was music to my ears. I sighed in contentment to show him my appreciation. I was floating on a cloud and I never wanted to come back down.
His passionate kiss eased back into a sweet caress. Teasing nips and lazy licks drove me crazy when I needed something more substantial. It felt like he was trying to pull away and yet didn't want to.
I agreed with him, I didn't want this to end so soon. I pushed chakra into my feet and forced him back onto my bed.
We landed with a bounce that disconnected our lips. "Naruto?" He panted.
I couldn't allow him to talk. I knew that he would still claim that I was too young at sixteen and a half. I would not give him the chance to pull away if I could help it.
I straddled his hips and attacked his throat. I licked up his jaw line and nibbled at his pulse point.
I felt his hands land on my bare upper thighs and they trembled slightly. He refused to slide them up under my towel but my lover couldn't keep himself from tightening his grip.
I slid my hands up under his shirt. His skin was smooth and warm to my touch. I felt goose bumps sprout up in the wake of my fingers. I traced his ribcage with tender strokes and inched my hand higher.
I had never felt so bold and in control before. I felt like the world was mine for the taking if I could only have this man. My index finger brushed against the textured nub of his nipple and I raked my fingernail across it.
A second later, I found myself all by myself on my bed and looking up at a flushed Jounin on the other side of the room. He straitened his clothes and composed himself with a visible effort.
"I really want to continue this but you know we can't." he rasped.
"I will be legal in five months Koi. Why wait any longer?" I was not going to give up without a fight.
He seemed to think about it for a minute, "I want to be with you so badly Naruto, but I refuse to have any regrets about this. I want to treat you right and wait for you like I should. I know you will be well worth the wait." He was pleading with me and we both knew it. If I pushed, I knew that I could get what I wanted.
"So what do you suggest? You want to go home and sleep all by yourself again like you hopefully have for the past few years." I must have struck a cord because anger shot through his eyes like a lightning bolt.
"Of course I have been alone! I told you that you are the only one I want and I meant it! What about you and the Uchiha? Have you been lonely at night?" I could tell that he regretted his words the moment they left his mouth.
"I did occasionally share a bed with him," Kakashi appeared ready to kill the raven haired boy in a gruesome way, "But it was only because accommodations sucked in most places. He is my brother and nothing more."
Kakashi sagged with relief. Unable to keep his distance any longer, he came over to sit by me on the bed. He reached over to brush my heir from my face, "I missed you." He whispered.
"Stay the night and hold me?" I begged. "I promise not to push you, I just want you to be near."
He smiled at me and kicked his shoes off to climb into the bed. He wrapped his arms around me securely and drew me up tight into him. I rubbed my feet against his and stroked his arm in rhythmic circles.
I thought came to mind, "I just want you to know that you had better rest up the whole week before my birthday because you won't get any sleep from 12:01 on October tenth till at least midnight on the eleventh."
I felt him stiffen up behind me so I decided to tease him a little more, "Remember, I am the king of stamina and surprises."
I had a wonderful nights sleep but the circles under his eyes in the morning told me that his dirty mind had kept him too occupied to get any rest.
Chapter: eight
Rating: Pg 13 light cursing
Pairing: Naru/Kaka
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… I just drool over him!
Summery: Before the final phase of the Chuunin exams, Naruto begs Kakashi for extra training and is denied! Naruto doesn't take it very well.
Beta: aimless38 I couldn’t do it without her!!!!
~*~*~*~
I had climbed up to the top of a tall pole to get a good look at my village.
"Naruto!" came the familiar voice.
I turned my head but the person I found did not match the voice I had heard. Konohamaru was standing next to Jiraiya with both hands enthusiastically in the air.
"Naruto, is it you?" To the left of my little friend stood my old teammate in all her pink haired glory.
She started to speak more but the sight of her old crush behind Jiraiya caused a flurry of girly squeals. "Sasuke-kun!" She pounced on the poor boy for all she was worth and proceeded to hug the stuffing out of him.
He tried to remain stoic and Uchiha but it must have been difficult for him. It is rather difficult to look cool and aloof when you are turning blue.
I hopped down to join them, "You might want to let him breath Sakura-Chan."
Embarrassed, she jumped back so fast that the brunet stumbled slightly. She then tried to engage me in conversation.
It is not that I don't care for her, I really do! I just had a lot of time to think while we were away and came to a few realizations. Now that I loved someone else, I realized just how much I had overlooked where the kunoichi was concerned.
I was too blinded by a desire to be liked to notice just how badly she had treated me in the past. She earned a few points in the hospital when I brought back Sasuke but that was like a bandage on a surgical cut. It just wasn't going to cover up the bigger problem.
I had decided that as much as I wanted to be her friend and protect her, she would have to earn my trust before I could be a true friend to her.
With all of this in my mind, I brushed her off in favor of Konohamaru. "You sure have grown." I said to him and his friends.
With a cheeky grin he showed me how he had truly grown. His version of my sexy jutsu had improved greatly. He was so pleased with himself that I had to burst his bubble.
"I have learned a lot and grown myself. I don't do it like that anymore and neither should you! " I waited just long enough for his face to dissolve into disappointment. "I have created the new and improved `Sexy No Jutsu'", I hollered loudly.
Unfortunately, before I could display my new form, Sakura pounded me into the ground.
It was a long time until the temperamental woman allowed me to stand back up. "You have been training haven't you?" I asked.
She appeared surprised, "How did you know that?"
"You hit a lot harder!" I wined. I ignored the questioning glance from Sasuke. He didn't understand why I was slipping back into the role of a whiney fool.
While we where traveling, I was still a boisterous person but I had a focus for my energy. I was a lot less annoying in other words. Ani was using his eyes to ask me why I would revert back.
The truth is, bad habits are hard to break. My stupidity is a great way to keep people I don't trust at a distance. The look I sent him clearly said, `I don't trust her.' He understood.
We made our way to the Hokage tower without any further interruptions. I had missed the old woman very much.
"Tsunade-baba! " I called out as we entered her office. I saw the fire in her eyes until she realized that I didn't mean it in a bad way at all.
People where I come from are not very demonstrative at all. You would hardly ever see someone hug in public for instance. So it was a great surprise to my companions when I walked around the desk to hug one of the few people in this world that I saw as family.
She froze up for a moment before crushing me into her impressive bosom.
Now, I know that I am in love with a man, and that typically, men in love with men don't care about breasts. All I have to say to that is that if any gay man saw her humongous knockers, they would at least be turned bi instantly!
When she finally released me into the sweet air that I had been deprived of, my expression must have been slightly dazed. Sakura assumed that I had been aiming for that result the whole time and tried to hit me again.
I didn't feel like taking abuse for crimes I haven't committed and so I grabbed her wrist tightly. "I will not let you abuse me for hugging my … well," I hesitated, she was more to me than a sister or an aunt, so I decided to claim her as my grandma, "Soba." I finished.
Silence filled the room. I was almost afraid to look at the woman whose temper was as legendary as her losing streak for fear of her being offended. "Naruto?" she said all too quietly.
I slowly turned my head like it was rusty clockwork. I almost fell over at the tears in her eyes.
`NO! NO! NO! DON"T CRY!' I screamed in my head.
Feeling frantic, I almost kissed Ero-Senin's feet when he nullified the situation. "Tsunade-sama, didn't you have something you wanted to tell the kids?" He asked.
She cleared her throat and nodded her head, " I have decided that before you can take on your ninja duties again, your team must pass a test."
`A test?' I thought.
You will be team seven only until the next chunnen exam. After that, you will leave your Jounin instructor behind and become a fully-fledged three-man team. Until then, he will remain as a supervisor of sorts for your team."
`Kakashi won't be a part of our team much longer?' I was stunned. I couldn't fathom not being a part of his team. I would have to watch him go off on dangerous missions without me there to help.
"You will be tested on your team work," she continued. "I already know that all three of you are strong capable ninjas but you haven't worked together in a long time. As your powers changed, so did the dynamics of your team. You need to relearn each others limits and prove that you can help to support each others weaknesses."
A knock was herd at the door. Tsunade allowed the people from the other side to enter.
Sakura became all bubbly when Shikamaru entered along with Temari. "Look! Look!" she happily giggled. "Look who's back!" She gestured to Sasuke.
Shikamaru barely glanced at the Uchiha when he whipped his head in my direction. "Naruto!" He exclaimed with more energy then I thought he possessed.
"Shika, Temari! I am glad to see you! How is Gaara?" I was thirsty for news of my friend.
She smiled kindly, "Well thanks to you."
I blushed at the complement and turned back to the Hokage, "Are they part of this test of yours?"
Shika looked unhappy at the sound of work, "What test?"
"No," she laughed. "Look out the window.
Curious, I opened said window and hopped out onto the overhang for the windows below. There on the sun warmed awning sat my favorite silver haired Jounin.
"Kakashi." I breathed.
He appeared almost nervous to see me. "YO!" he answered.
I suddenly remembered that I had a present for him and so I dug around in my bag for it. I had long ago realized that his porn books were a complete front. If you ever caught him actually reading it and not just holding it in front of his face, you would realize that he
usually had a decent book with the indecent cover.
Knowing this, I made him a special gift that I dearly hoped he would like. I held out the new, unreleased copy of `Icha Icha Paradise.'
He lit up like a Christmas tree. I could tell that it was a faked reaction but I patiently waited for him to look inside. He was puzzled until he began to read the first page.
`Dear Koi,
I hope that you do not mind me defacing your precious book but I wanted you to have this. I spent the last three years thinking of you and righting you letters. I also kept a journal of sorts with random thoughts and excerpts from the books and poems that I read. (A few of my teachers sought to make me more well rounded in my mind as well as my body, and what do you know, I actually like to read a good book!) I have collected it all into a kind of diary for you. I hope that you like this little piece of me and I also still have the original contents of this book in the front pocket of my bag if you want it. I am sure you can pilfer it with out any trouble. (See! I have been studying! I now know words like PILFER!).
I waited with baited breath as he read my message. His single eye softened and he began to show real interest in the book he held.
"Stop messing around you two and get in here!" Soba yelled out the window. "Kakashi, are you prepared to test your team?" She asked him.
"Yes. Follow me." He dashed out the window again and out onto the rooftops.
We all raced to keep up with him. He took us to the place where we had our first bell test.
It was set up a little strangely. What appeared to be an obstacle course now met our eyes where open field used to be. "Today, you will work on trust exercises, tomorrow you will do a special mission to test your team work." He explained.
I had a bad feeling about this. I knew that Sasuke and I trusted each other completely. Both of us however had issues where Sakura was concerned. I decided to be honest with her for once to head off a huge disaster.
"I already know that I will fail today's exercises then." Sasuke appeared to agree with me but the other two were completely shocked.
Sakura decided to voice her opinion. "What is the matter with you idiot? You haven't even heard what the exercises are yet and you already don't think that you can trust Sasuke?" She attempted to hit me on the head and yet again, I caught her off guard by stopping her.
"I never said that I don't trust Sasuke." I calmly informed her.
Her confusion slowly turned to hurt. "Are you trying to say that you don' trust me?" She asked hotly.
"That is exactly what I am saying. I don't trust you to have my back if you are too distracted by Sasuke to pay attention to anything else." She opened her mouth in anger but I plowed on, "I don't trust you to listen to be when I have something important to say. I don't trust you not to say things thoughtlessly that hurt me a lot." Her mouth snapped shut.
"I don't trust you to be my friend as long as someone better is around or even if we are alone." These words had been locked up in me for far too long and I felt a heavy weight lifting off of my shoulders to fall onto hers. I went in for the kill, "I have no reason to trust you and every reason not to."
It broke my heart to see her cry because of me but I didn't regret my words, "I will always be your friend but I can't trust you to be mine." I finished.
Sasuke and I had long ago come to the realization that the only way we could ever have an effective team would be to confront Sakura head on.
Sasuke began his part in our well-rehearsed speech, "I don't trust you."
Her body stiffened she tried to interrupt but I held up my hand to stop her for him.
After a short pause, Sasuke continued, "I don't trust you because you claim to love me yet you don't know me."
"I know all about you!" She screamed.
He glared at her for once again interrupting him. "You and the other girls were too busy fighting over me to find out anything important. The whole lot of you were so impressed by my looks and name that you forgot about the boy I really was."
She looked like she wanted to argue but knew she couldn't. "You were so busy fawning over me that you got in the way and hurt your other team mate. I can't help but wonder how you would treat me if I lost my fortune in disgrace and became horribly scarred." He continued.
Her mouth dropped open at the mere possibility of the perfect boy becoming poor and ugly.
I turned to our Sensei, "I am sorry Kakashi-Sensei, and I know you had some trust exercises planned but we already knew the result. We both care about Sakura as a teammate but it will take more than one-day to build up the trust that is missing in our team. We request that Sakura have the rest of the day to reflect on our words and we
can meet back here tomorrow for the mission of yours."
Seeing the wisdom in my request, Kakashi agreed readily.
"I have faith that you can change and become a true teammate. You just have to work at it a little." I said kindly.
She smiled sweetly at me before I dashed away. I had an important person to visit that shouldn't wait any longer.
************ ********* ***KAKASHI* ********* ********* *******
I sat on a thick branch outside, watching him carefully. I had missed him so much it hurt.
He was my inspiration and my rock to lean on. Being away from him this long had felt like I was missing a vital part of myself.
He didn't notice me for a long time. I was a lot more patient now than in my youth so I waited quietly.
When he finally glanced in my direction, I was rewarded with his complete and utter shock. He stumbled to the window and threw it open.
I easily swung my body into his room and into his waiting embrace. "I missed you Sensei."
"I missed you too Naruto." He replied as he finally pulled back.
"Iruka-sensei? Who is that?" Asked a small girl in the front row.
He spared her a glance before returning his attention to me, "This is my little brother Naruto and he has been gone for a long time."
Understanding dawned upon the room full of students. "Class is dismissed early today, go practice for your shuriken throwing test tomorrow." Within five minuets, the room had emptied.
"Lets get some ramen while you tell me every detail you can recall of your journey." He declared.
I grinned my widest, "You said the magic word! Lets get ramen."
We spent the rest of the day at the counter of the Ramen stand catching up. When we entered the stand, the owner took one look at me and put out the closed sign so that he could focus solely on our conversation. He dished up servings of miso ramen for the rest of the day.
I learned all about the comings and goings of Konoha in the past three and a half years. They interrogated me about my time away. I had never had so much fun before in my life.
We laughed, cried and reminisced. I felt like I had a real family for once and the comfort of that thought warmed me through and through.
When the night drew to a close, I was reluctant to return to my dusty apartment all alone. Iruka must have read my mind, "I hope you don't mind but I kept an eye on your place while you were gone. I dusted and watered the plants so it shouldn't be too bad." he explained.
I was overcome with gratitude. My home would not feel nearly so empty and cold with the thought of the gentle chunen's care that filled it. I gave him my best smile and his answering grin told me that he understood and accepted my thanks.
I entered my apartment tiredly and dropped my heavy bags by the door. Heavy training and long travels had left me feeling grimy as hell. I wanted nothing more then to stand in the shower until all of the hot water had been absorbed into my skin.
Of course, that meant that I had to wait fifteen minutes for the long dry pipes to remember how to work and what hot water was.
At last, I was able to stand beneath the warm spray and melt into the wall. Water trickled over my head and down my body in comforting rivulets, the soap slipped across my skin with a silky slide, and my knees went weak with pleasure as I massaged shampoo into my blond hair.
An hour and a half later, I stepped out of the steamy room with a towel around my waist and another one over my head.
I flicked on the light in my bedroom and received the shock of my life. "As much as I liked your new look today, I must say that I love this one."
I dropped the towel from my head and stared into the miss-matched eyes of the man who had never been far from my thoughts. "What are you doing here Kakashi?" I stuttered.
"A sad pout graced his maskless face, "I have been waiting here for you since you left the training ground."
"What?" I shouted, "I was with Iruka-ni at Ichiraku's. We were catching up."
He nodded, "I figured as much. It's all right," he lifted the book I had given him up for my inspection, "I had a good book to read."
I am sad to say that I blushed lightly at his words. I tried to speak but he cut me off. "It doesn't say anything in this book of mine about all of the times you faced death."
My eyes widened in horror. I never wanted him to learn about those times. "I read all of the reports while you were gone," he growled, "And Tsunade told me about this last time with Kabuto because as your teacher, I deserve to know."
I swallowed painfully. "You are far too reckless with a life that is precious to me!" I had never before heard him raise his voice and I must say that it scared me a little.
I stood there uncomfortably, with his intense gaze on my exposed body. He slowly rose from his perch on my windowsill and approached me. I had to use a lot of will power to not back away from him.
I found myself to be in his arms a heart beat later. His mouth devoured mine in a searing kiss. It was a lot easier to do now that we where more equal in height.
Time lost all meaning as we each reveled in the nearness of the other. Our hands sought proof that we truly held each other and not the fantasies that had tortured us.
The rough fabric of his gloves created friction on my damp back while his bare fingertips soothingly danced up my spine. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled our bodies close.
His heavy breathing was music to my ears. I sighed in contentment to show him my appreciation. I was floating on a cloud and I never wanted to come back down.
His passionate kiss eased back into a sweet caress. Teasing nips and lazy licks drove me crazy when I needed something more substantial. It felt like he was trying to pull away and yet didn't want to.
I agreed with him, I didn't want this to end so soon. I pushed chakra into my feet and forced him back onto my bed.
We landed with a bounce that disconnected our lips. "Naruto?" He panted.
I couldn't allow him to talk. I knew that he would still claim that I was too young at sixteen and a half. I would not give him the chance to pull away if I could help it.
I straddled his hips and attacked his throat. I licked up his jaw line and nibbled at his pulse point.
I felt his hands land on my bare upper thighs and they trembled slightly. He refused to slide them up under my towel but my lover couldn't keep himself from tightening his grip.
I slid my hands up under his shirt. His skin was smooth and warm to my touch. I felt goose bumps sprout up in the wake of my fingers. I traced his ribcage with tender strokes and inched my hand higher.
I had never felt so bold and in control before. I felt like the world was mine for the taking if I could only have this man. My index finger brushed against the textured nub of his nipple and I raked my fingernail across it.
A second later, I found myself all by myself on my bed and looking up at a flushed Jounin on the other side of the room. He straitened his clothes and composed himself with a visible effort.
"I really want to continue this but you know we can't." he rasped.
"I will be legal in five months Koi. Why wait any longer?" I was not going to give up without a fight.
He seemed to think about it for a minute, "I want to be with you so badly Naruto, but I refuse to have any regrets about this. I want to treat you right and wait for you like I should. I know you will be well worth the wait." He was pleading with me and we both knew it. If I pushed, I knew that I could get what I wanted.
"So what do you suggest? You want to go home and sleep all by yourself again like you hopefully have for the past few years." I must have struck a cord because anger shot through his eyes like a lightning bolt.
"Of course I have been alone! I told you that you are the only one I want and I meant it! What about you and the Uchiha? Have you been lonely at night?" I could tell that he regretted his words the moment they left his mouth.
"I did occasionally share a bed with him," Kakashi appeared ready to kill the raven haired boy in a gruesome way, "But it was only because accommodations sucked in most places. He is my brother and nothing more."
Kakashi sagged with relief. Unable to keep his distance any longer, he came over to sit by me on the bed. He reached over to brush my heir from my face, "I missed you." He whispered.
"Stay the night and hold me?" I begged. "I promise not to push you, I just want you to be near."
He smiled at me and kicked his shoes off to climb into the bed. He wrapped his arms around me securely and drew me up tight into him. I rubbed my feet against his and stroked his arm in rhythmic circles.
I thought came to mind, "I just want you to know that you had better rest up the whole week before my birthday because you won't get any sleep from 12:01 on October tenth till at least midnight on the eleventh."
I felt him stiffen up behind me so I decided to tease him a little more, "Remember, I am the king of stamina and surprises."
I had a wonderful nights sleep but the circles under his eyes in the morning told me that his dirty mind had kept him too occupied to get any rest.