safety [Kakashi Hatake x OC]

thirty

"Do you trust me?" Kakashi asked, trying to hide how much pain he was experiencing in holding back the invisible box. Because he had more stamina and physical strength than Eri - who was pushed so close to him - he was probably contributing more to keeping them from being crushed.

She was taken aback by the question that she nearly forgot the crushing sensation on her back and shoulders, but she quickly stated, "Of course."

"Then I'm going to ask you to trust me. This might get uncomfortable." His voice was harsh and forced. He was clearly in pain, but all he could think about were the scratches on the girl's back as she did her part in keeping them from being crushed. "Lean on me. Put your hands behind my back and try to use your kekkei genkai to keep this box from closing in on us."

She grunted in acknowledgement and did as he instructed. As soon as she removed her hands from his chest, which kept a small amount of space between them, her body lurched forward, forcing their bodies incredibly close. Her nose was in his shoulder, and as if that weren't close enough, he found the back of her knees and brought her legs around his waist.

The position brought a bit of physical relief to the invisible prison, aside from the fact that she was straddling her roommate while feeling every constraint and rise of each muscle of his torso and shoulders.

"Alright." He whispered, and because she was so intimately close to him, she could feel the rumble of his voice at his throat. Her hands formed a seal behind his back, just like he had instructed. She concentrated her energy into activating her jutsu around her limbs to fill the invisible box with air. Had it worked, they would have felt a slight rush of wind around them, and they didn't.

Kakashi knew he couldn't use chidori to escape as it would also harm Eri, and that certainly was not something he was willing to risk, especially since she was already hurt. But once he realized that her kekkei genkai was not working within the unseen box, he formed a hand seal and sharply declared, "Genjutsu Kai."

The force dissipated, and the girl took a deep breath as if she hadn't been breathing inside the illusory box. While the extreme tension finally left her body, she didn't let go of the white-haired man, only dropped her forehead on his shoulder more comfortably as she caught her breath.

As soon as they were free, he lifted his headband, revealing the scarred eye that bore the Sharingan. He looked up to see Tomiichi standing over them in amusement, although now that his Sharingan, the stranger's genjutsu was useless.

"Ooh, a Sharingan." The long-haired man hummed. "I'm so scared."

Kakashi frowned, holding Eri until she was strong enough to get up, but he could feel how tired she seemed. She just wanted to stay there and fall asleep to regain strength in her body from the long mission and attack on their home. But, she couldn't relax just yet. She pulled herself together and climbed off of her roommate, assuming neither of them would speak about how close they were and the position they were forced into.

She stood to her feet, and the silver-haired shinobi followed. Sparks crackled at his fingertips, and it was clear he was ready to attack.

But as Tomiichi smirked in anticipation, clearly unaware of who exactly Kakashi was, Eri snapped.

She formed a hand seal and released a guttural yell. She launched towards the dark-haired man, using the nature of her jutsu to propel her forward fast enough so that he didn't have time to dodge her leg as she swung it around her body and slammed it into his side.

Kakashi knew this was her fight, so he stood back and watched. He was ready to step in at any second that she was on the losing end, but he didn't see that happening, especially with him keeping Tomiichi from using his genjutsu.

The dark-haired man raised a hand to catch her legs as she continuously kicked at him from unsuspecting directions as her kekkei genkai kept her afloat. He couldn't watch her feet to see where she was going, and it proved to be a problem as she dropped a heel above his head, slamming his body to the ground.

She then kneeled over him and punched him over and over again, breaking his nose and blackening his eye. "Don't you dare come into my home and claim me and my kekkei genkai." She scolded through gritted teeth.

Just before she could punch him a final time that would knock him unconscious, Kakashi intervened and gently caught her hand.