safety [Kakashi Hatake x OC]

twenty

Kakashi coughed, losing his composure and muffling the ends of his words, nearly dropping his novel in the water.

But Eri looked at him with wide eyes, blinking until he regained his nearly unfailing composure. She heard exactly what he said, but she didn't quite comprehend what he meant. She felt her stomach churn, but she couldn't tell if it was a result of a good or bad emotion. All she knew was that it was uncomfortable.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, because the woman didn't know what to say and the strangely not stoic man dared not to say a word, she climbed out of the hot spring and muttered, "I'm going back to the room." She slung the dry robe over her arm and headed back down the path to their room.

He finally turned to look at her, watching her walk away because of his increasing inability to filter his words and hold himself together around her.

Then he remembered his responsibility and got up to follow her. "Eri." He called after her just as he caught up to her. "I'm not supposed to leave you alone."

"Oh yeah." She stopped abruptly and he nearly tripped trying to keep himself from bumping into her. She tried to remember what it felt like to not have him around all the time, but she couldn't recall exactly what she felt because it was hard to imagine him not being there. But she forced a tight-lipped grin and chuckled as she turned to him, "Sorry for walking off on you; I forgot you were supposed to be my constant babysitter."

He rubbed the back of his head, clearly confused by the whole situation - as was she - and took her robe from her arm. He then wrapped it around her shoulders to cover her relatively exposed body. "I'm sorry that you have to have a so-called babysitter."

Eri's dark eyes were big again as she looked up at the taller man who's hands were holding the robe at her collar. He was hesitant to let go, but neither knew why.

Kakashi realized he wasn't breathing, and once he took in a deep breath, he released her and broke their gaze. She made him feel certain things he hadn't felt before, but he still barely knew her.

Yet, his kindness was something that the mauve -haired woman hadn't experienced either. The churning in her stomach rose to her chest, but it felt more like a heavy weight than a twisting pain. She realized that there was something more than just a little more than strangers between them, and it wasn't just companionship.

"Let's go sit for a while." He finally suggested, heading back to the room as she quietly walked beside him. Perhaps it was the discomfort of always being around the genin and not being alone together at the end of every day that made them feel particularly odd once they were finally alone again, or it was just that they were getting closer to each other.

Meanwhile, back at the large hot spring, the quiet little "episode" was not unnoticed by Kakashi's students. Sakura's attention was drawn from Sasuke as she asked the two boys, "Did you see that?"

"See what?" Naruto blinked, looking around for whatever Sakura was referring to, completely ignorant of the adults' absence.

Sasuke released a short chuckle through his teeth. "He's a pathetic man." 

"I wonder what he said." The pinkette hummed quietly, then caught herself for thinking too much of his ways with women. "Probably something stupid." She answered herself, and then asked, "How long do you think it'll take for him to realize -"

"That Kakashi-sensei likes Eri-san?" Naruto interrupted her, surprising the other two with his awareness of the situation.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed in shock. "You knew?"

"It was obvious." He rolled his blue eyes.

The girl laughed. "I don't think he knows that."

Naruto squinted his eyes and stuck out his tongue bitterly, "Stu-pid!"

"We'll just have to play matchmaker."

"It will be a secret Team Seven mission." The blonde declared eagerly.

"Are you in, Sasuke?" Sakura's eyes were wide and excited. The thought of getting her teacher to date a pretty, young woman that was constantly around thrilled her. 

The gloomier character sighed heavily, but nonetheless, he agreed. "Why not?"