DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or even its characters. This fic is written solely for entertainment purposes.

Author's Note: First of all, please don't say that I'm on crack, just because I'm writing about a crack pairing. This story was intended to be published on AdultFanFictiondotNet, (with my other penname, AlwaysRemain) however I couldn't really get a grip of its UI and the fonts and stuffs didn't turn out pretty well like this site. Before anything, this is my first adult-themed fic and it'll contain several lemon scenes towards the climax and descending part of the story. (My friend, Jewel Green inspired me a lot in exploring such genre. Her stories are absolute greatness!)

I'm still a big ShikaTema fan in heart but, I'm also someone who likes to explore alternative pairings. I hope this story (if you ever read it) will not affect your outlook towards my other stories especially the ShikaTema ones.

In His Touch (No Strings Attached)

Full Summary: Temari gained the attention from a lot of men, unfortunately not the one she's after; who goes with the name of Nara Shikamaru. But somehow she found a friend in an unlikely person, the infamous Copy Ninja. It went from casual encounters to heart-to-heart understanding. Soon, because of her frustration, that friend 'sacrificed' their friendship by offering 'love' between the sheets. It was purely physical but every time they touched, she swore she felt completed, safe and wanted. And, everyone thought that Shikamaru was the only person who had to decide. Alternative Pairing - KakaTema.

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Part 1: A Fateful Encounter

It was her first external assignment as a Jounin after she was promoted by the Godaime Kazekage just last week. Until now, she had traveled for almost two days towards her destination, located east from her village. The trees rustled as she jumped from a thick-sized branch to another. The early afternoon rays pierced at her slightly tanned skin where the greeneries failed to shade her.

According to the writings engraved on the scroll, the also newly-appointed Kazekage had ordered her to become the official liaison between Sunagakure and Konohagakure and acting as a support to the village, plus she was given the responsibility to represent the village in the Chuunin exam board in Konoha since it was decided that the Hokage will be hosting the most anticipated event by hopeful young ninjas throughout five countries this year.

The golden-haired kunoichi noticed that there was a personal note attached separately to the scroll. Sighing audibly, she knew it came from her youngest brother Gaara. The note said:

Temari,

This is the only chance for us to establish a deeper and stronger relationship with our ally, Konohagakure No Sato. I hope that you will not let the village down and especially me, not as the Kazekage but as your brother. Have a safe trip.

Since he had taken over the responsibility of their late father as the leader of Suna, the red-haired Jinchuuriki had learnt to tone down his temper and ruthless killings little by little but he still couldn't find a way to get closer to both of his older siblings, namely her and Kankurou. It's not that Temari was still afraid of him, it was more like feeling odd especially after Gaara's fateful encounter with Uzumaki Naruto, another shinobi from Konoha. Back at that time, they were merely pawns for their father's political plans and it was to commence during their first Chuunin exam ever although the truth was that their skills were actually higher than a Chuunin level all along. It had been almost two and a half years since the day Gaara had ever said 'Sorry' to them and still she couldn't believed that her brother had changed.

Her turquoise eyes scanned over the note once again. The words were simple yet, it was so complicated for her to understand. Gaara was not the type to wish or greet you verbally, but maybe that was the reason. At least she knew that no matter how twisted their sibling bonds were, deep inside she knew that love exist if not possibly visible in the eyes of others.

This had been the first time she had traveled outside of Suna without her brothers or companion, or in other words, alone. She could take care of herself but in her previous external missions, she always had either Kankurou or another fellow Suna ninja with her. However, this time she had to trek across the all-familiar route to Konoha all by herself since such mission was not in need of a big party.

Konoha. The first time she ever cared about such word was when she had to assist in the destruction of the village. Then later, to redeem its trust and contribute their strength in the retrieval of a runaway village member, the acclaimed prodigy; Uchiha Sasuke. However, all in all the events related to Konoha would definitely bring her thoughts back to a certain dark pineapple-styled hair shinobi who thought that everything including breathing was troublesome. She couldn't deny the attraction she felt towards the only heir of the Nara clan ever since he had basically defeated her but in the end gave up during their first half of the exam finals. Later, she found herself waiting patiently (which is something not in her nature to do so) with him outside his teammate's operating room and lastly, when he sent her and his siblings off at the west gate of Konoha. Her brothers had noticed that their older sister was flirting, or according to Kankurou's vocabulary, 'flaunting her assets' to that lazy genius and time to time, the puppet controller had used that as an excuse to piss Temari off.

As her mind busy contemplating on the 'interesting' facts of her life, a sound of someone clearing his throat from behind her back shook her from her reveries. She took out a kunai from her waist pouch in a flash and spun her body around to face her mysterious 'assailant'.

The clash of metals echoed when her weapon was blocked by the other figure's kunai. She reached for her metal fan behind her back and drew it out in an instant. But before she could spread it open, the figure halted her actions by placing a firm grip on the metal spine.

"Yo…" A husky yet cheerful voice came from the mysterious person. The figure lifted his gaze and his cloth-covered face came in full view. As far as she could remember, there were a lot of shinobis who wore a mask but there could be only one man who left only his right eye visible and the other one covered for a reason.

"Hatake-san?" She remained calm although her eyes widened in sheer surprise upon seeing the infamous Copy Ninja from Konoha. They were so close that their faces had nearly touched if she had moved even an inch forward.

"Hai, hai. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to startle you just now." He smiled, or at least she knew he was smirking from the way his noticeable eye squinted in amusement. 'I must've looked scared out of my wits.' Temari cursed silently when she though that she had become a subject of amusement to the senior-level Jounin. The silver-haired shinobi pulled back both of his hands and tucked his kunai back into his holster. Upon seeing that he had no intention to fight, the tight lines of frown on her face softened a bit and she too, placed her fan in the sash behind her back. If they were ever to involve in a fight, Temari doubt she will survive it especially when she had heard from her former teacher, Baki about how the older man in front of her had acquired the prominent title of Copy Ninja himself. Hell, the least that he could do to her would be killing her and left her body to rot in the woods and she believed that he didn't even have to use his Sharingan eye for it. 'Drats.'

Sensing her discomfort, Kakashi stepped back a few meters with the intention to let the Suna kunoichi some space. Yes, their villages were allies but that doesn't complement the fact that they were perfect strangers to each other. He had seen her moving through the forest before and had grown curious when he noticed that she was traveling all alone. He had been following her for the past half an hour and she hasn't noticed his presence even when he didn't veil his chakra. He looked at her while she did the same. Both of them were waiting for the other's response. His black-colored eye bored into her cold cobalt ones.

"I didn't mean you any harm, Temari-san."

"Are you sure it's not your original intention…Copy Ninja?" She spoke in a serious, monotonous tone, giving an edge to the label. Her pink lips formed a small pout as her gaze narrowed skeptically.

Kakashi swept the back of his head as his grin grew wider. He had his fair share of encounter with females but this one is an exceptionally cranky and unpredictable girl he had ever crosses paths with. One moment she was sidetracked, then she was shaken and now, she was pissed off. He didn't know whether he should be proud or stirred because of the reality that he had seen a few different sides of her in less than one hour.

"My bad, Temari-san. I have no intention of having a fight. I was on my way back from a mission when I saw you. I was curious of why you are traveling alone." True, he won't give a damn if she was moving with her team but when knowing that she was by herself, it had sparked a slight concern especially when Tsunade had informed all the high-level ninjas of a few series of attacks by wandering bandits around the areas recently.

"Kazekage-sama had ordered me to do this mission and travel to Konoha by myself. That's all I could tell you." Her tone become softer a little when she realized that he meant well.

"Well then, since we're heading to the same place, I think it would be better if we be in each other's company."

He received a deadly glare in return. Cold sweats dropped along his temples and he cleared his throat in a reserved manner as he tugged on the collar of his light green vest. "Don't get me wrong, but Hokage-sama had received numerous reports of unexpected attacks on traveling ninjas around these vicinities. It would not be wise to journey alone, especially for a kunoichi. Shall we go?" He stepped aside and started to move forward, motioning for an aggravated kunoichi to follow him.

Temari gathered her feet and increased her speed to catch up with the silver-haired shinobi. One of her eyebrows raised in a perplexed manner. "Are you saying that I can't protect myself just because I'm a girl?"

With his eyes fixed straight ahead he replied, "I believe that you're a strong fighter, Temari-san. But-" There was a slight a pause as he turned his head towards her and drew her gaze at him. "-…they attacked in quite a number. You may defeat them if they were only four to five people but if they were more…you should know what would be the outcome."

Still, she wasn't satisfied with the masked shinobi's answer. No one had bested her in verbal arguments let alone tell her what to do, especially a plain acquaintance. "The worst that could happen is getting killed."

"That is, if they wanted to kill you straight away."

"Whatever do you mean?"

He let his eyes landed from her head to her toe in a swift glance before resting on the dirt-paved lane in front. "You're a woman, Temari-san. You should know what a bunch of evil and desperate ruffians would do to a single, attracti-I mean woman when she's at a disadvantage?"

She had forgotten the fact that she was still a female that time. Moreover, rape had never come across her mind since she always had her brothers by her side almost all the time and that made all the guys in a mile's distance cowered in fear. 'But, wait a minute. Did he nearly say that I'm 'attractive' just now?' She posted a momentary look at her now-traveling companion. He appeared to be like he had already dropped the issue. The golden-haired kunoichi just shook her head to stifle a laughter upon her own amusement. Maybe Hatake Kakashi was right, traveling with somebody might worth her time. Things were bound to get interesting indeed.

Or so, she thought.

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The sun was setting in the fiery sky and it had been more than four hours since they met in the woods. Along the journey, no words were spoken and the only noise audible had come from the forest creatures and the blowing wind. The atmosphere was filled with the air of doubts and vagueness between the shinobi from Konoha and the kunoichi from Suna.

Kakashi stopped in the middle of his tracks and tried to assess their surroundings. After a few seconds, he looked at the Suna princess and said, "There's a river up ahead, located north-east. I think we should camp near there for the night."

It's obvious that he was waiting for her consent.

Temari's answer came in a nod of her head and they both continued walking towards the flowing stream, waiting almost ahead of them. When they arrived at a certain spot, both of them decided that Kakashi would build a fire while Temari went to fetch some water. Their campsite was within a walking distance from the watercourse, making it a good seven minutes walk.

After filling their metal canteens to the brim, she splashed some of the cold water onto her slightly sun-burnt skin. 'Aah, it had never felt so good. I should get a bath tonight.' Her heart jumped in glee. A simple liquid would seem like a luxury to any traveling ninjas.

In a blink of an eye, she threw several kunais to several spots behind her causing four, five, no…six figures appeared with a similar lecherous smirk on their faces. Under the dimly lit surroundings, she could make out that they wore slightly dirty, ragged clothes while one of them wore a black patch on his left eye. But all of them looked not a day younger than thirty and have long scars on their cheeks, suggesting that they had been through rough times with their previous victims.

The eye-patched guy chuckled, "We've got a feisty one tonight, guys. This is gonna be one hell of a night. Why don't you show us a good time, sweetheart?"

She scoffed in response. She threw several kunais and shurikens towards her attackers but they avoided the projectiles with ease. They lunged at her in the same time and when they thought that they had managed to take her down, she disappeared in a puff of smoke, replaced by a small log.

Their leader muttered a few indecent words when they had fallen for the trick. "Che, Kawarimi."

Her small hilarity drew their attention back at her still statue, rooted firmly on one of the tree branches. "I don't think you wanna do that, besides, what makes you think I'll even bat an eye on either one of you and not throwing your sorry asses into the pits of hell?" She took out her Kyodai Sensu and spread it slightly, revealing three purple-colored circles. Much to the gang leader's chagrin. "Aww, spare us the clawing, hell-cat and come down here. We promise we won't hurt you if you be a good girl."

She snorted in disgust. "In your dreams." She swung her giant weapon forward, producing a massive wind attack on the group of hooligans, causing them to fly backwards in impact.

Her smirk was wiped away that instant when she saw that all of them disappeared into clouds of smokes, repeating the same technique that she used before. 'Dammit.' She was taken for a fool. Now, where were they? A sound of heavy breathing appeared from behind as a low voice growled at her, "That's the oldest trick in the book. Surprised that we knew?" The figure sniggered upon her careless mistake. "We used to be ninjas just like you."

He kneed her hard at the small of her back and bashed her on her shoulder blades, eliciting a scream from the fan-wielder ninja as she felt herself falling down to the ground from where she stood.

Her fall was complimented by bursts of laughter. "Who's laughing right now, bitch?"

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The Konoha Jounin stood in a crouching position after overthrowing two of his unexpected guests. Two down and there were six more to go. From his position, he could sense that there were actually two more behind him since he could feel their forms charging towards his direction. By using both of his bare hands, he flung the two of them to their own comrades, knocking them down instantaneously.

One of them held out a rusty blade in his hands and pointed it at the grey-haired man. "A Konoha shinobi, eh?" The daggy and dirty young man roared into small laughter. "When we've finished dumping your dead body in the river, we'll take good care of your girlfriend and gave her the 'ride' of her life. I bet she's good for a tumble in the hay."

If they were attempting to provoke the said Jounin, then they failed miserably in doing so. He gave them a contented smile, receiving puzzled expressions in return. "She's a strong kunoichi; she can take care of herself."

As if in cue, a shrilling scream echoed all through the dark forest.

"I don't think so. That must be her. Aww, the leader's having a good time and we're here to let him have all the fun." Another one of the goons said in a mocking disappointment and his comrades snickered in reply. "The leader always gets the good stuffs."

"If that's so, gomen ne. I have to cut this short." With that, Kakashi lifted his forehead protector and revealed his Sharingan eye. He had to resort to the last technique he wanted to use. There was not much time to waste. He had to find Temari. Fast. The three dots in the red pupil swirled automatically indicating its activation. A few startled gasps came out followed by a silence until one of them finally recognized the real identity of their supposed victim that night.

"We b-better g-get out o-f he-re."

A blue-haired guy snapped at his friend's statement. "What're you scared o' Shin? We're a lot more in numbers than him."

"He's not just a normal shinobi, Rai." The dark-haired man named Shin quavered in alarm. "He was listed in the Bingo book. Can't you see his eyes? Don't you recognize who he is?"

Kakashi took the chance as his prompt to introduce himself. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. A Jounin–level shinobi from Konohagakure No Sato. Please to be of 'acquaintance'."

"No shit!"

His hands performed a pack of seals before calling out, "Kuchiyose No Jutsu."

A pack of dogs from various types and sizes appeared, snarling their fangs at Rai and his gang. And that was all they could see before their worlds turned into pitch black.

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A dark crimson liquid trickled down from the corners of her mouth. She couldn't find the strength to stand up anymore after being slammed into a huge tree several times. She had managed to give her fair deals of injuries to some of her attackers but every time she did, she'll receive twice the strikes in oppose. Her fan had been long thrown by one of those bastards to god knows where, and that was a really bad thing for her. Summoning Kamatari, her deadly weasel was the only chance she has. A sharp pain shot in her abs where the gang leader had planted his fist there before. However, her heart saw a tiny flicker of hope when she caught a glimpse of her fan on one's feet and decided to gather up all her remaining strength to run for it.

"Tsk, tsk. Don't even think about it sweetheart." A man yanked one of her pigtails roughly, pulled her back and slammed her down to the dirt. A large hand ripped off a part of her sleeves and the back of her top. 'This is it. Am I going to end up being torn and killed tonight?' Her heart cried silently when her mouth tasted the bitter bits of earth.

She was flipped over like a helpless doll as if all of her strength was sucked dry. Hatake Kakashi was right; she will be and had been outnumbered. She shouldn't have been so mighty high of her skills and pride because right now, those two things had been the cause of her downfall. She was caught off guard. She hated being weak and she hated being wrong.

The same hand brushed across the skins exposed by the slits of her long dark blue skirt, easing up the material revealing her milky soft calf, knees and before he had the chance to go upward, she raised a hand to slap him hard on the face, only to be hammered on her own. A slow whimper escaped from her vaguely cracked lips as more blood oozed out.

Two of his minions came to hold her hands down with a sickeningly dirty looks on their faces. The leader gripped her face and jerked it higher as he straddled her on the hips. Furthermore, she could feel the bastard's prick against her abs.

"Let me go, you psycho!" She gritted her teeth and cringed away from having to stare straight into the face of her would-be murderer. A finger trailed along her collarbones and along the hems of her top.

"That's all they said, bitch. Right, boys?" His words were greeted with sounds of howling horny whistles. He slurred as he dropped her head back. Her vision began to get hazy and she looked up to see the day had turned into night. She never thought that she would lose her life or worst…her virginity tonight.

No matter how much beating she took, she still hasn't shed a single tear. "I see that you're a brave girl. Is it a Suna thing? You know, things won't get difficult if you gave in sooner. But, I like the challenge. I will break you down. I'll make you cry until you scream for me to stop." He let out a manic laugh as he took out a kunai and let the cold blade grazed against her cheek before slashing her sash into two. The knife was pressed deeper and besides the material, he had intentionally pierced her skin too, leaving behind a vertical trail of a bleeding gash on her stomach, extracting an anguish and painful cry from the fan-wielder.

"Aww, you're shaking like a virgin. Is this your first time, doll?"

"Go to hell!" She spat back venomously, just to be laughed at.

"I'm touched."

If she was beaten to death, that would be her choice of heaven than being humiliated like this.

Several images flashed at the back of her mind. Images of everyone that she felt highly of; Like Kankurou. 'Sorry I always called you names, little brother.' Gaara. 'Sorry I had never been a good sister to you. I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you need me the most and I'm sorry I let you down.' Shikamaru. 'I couldn't tell you how I much I felt for you.' She would never have the chance again to tell how much she really cared and loved each and every one of them.

"Boss…" One of her captors drawled subconsciously. His gaze was fixed straight at a spot behind his leader.

"What is it? Can't you see what I'm doing!"

"I think you should let her go now, boss."

"You idiots. What the hell are you-" He looked up to see his two lackeys had bolted off in a random direction. He quickly turned around and found out that his other gang members had disappeared only to be replaced with a dark figure, stood tall with a pack of vicious canines on his feet. Their sharp fangs glittered under the beam of the full moon. And the mysterious figure's eyes; one of black and one of red gleamed menacingly.

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He knew what was to happen if he was a few seconds late. He didn't dare to think of the possibilities. He couldn't shake away the look on her face that time. Her chakra was drained out during her fight and from what he saw; he might have been in time before the nuke-nin could take advantage of her.

He would not hesitate to use his Sharingan eye this time. He would make that bastard suffer and clean out the smirk from his face. He basically hated his own kind who dared to rob a woman's virtue and honor. Robbers? Murderers? S-Rank criminals? He could tolerate them all but a rapist? He decided in the exact moment that he'll strip that bastard of the only thing that makes him a man. His manhood.

"Who do you think you are, huh? The hero?" The one-eyed man stood up and took out a long katana. He set himself in a fighting stance. "You think you can take me down? I'm not as easy as those idiots." He goaded the 'intruder' again.

"How did you end up here?" The figure's low, voice growled in a warning tone.

"Thinking of saving your bitch?"

This bastard had been pushing his lucks too far.

"I said, HOW DID YOU END UP HERE? Answer the question."

"Who cares about that bitch any- oof!"

Kakashi couldn't contain his anger any longer and his fist shot up straight for the man's jaw. His other hand gave a sharp blow to said man's stomach, twisting his guts before pulling back and kneed him on his groin. The grey-haired shinobi thumped him in the face again causing him to fall to the ground with a loud thud, clenching on his injured body parts, howling in pain.

"What's the matter? Are all words you can use against helpless women to have your way with them? Now, answer the damn question!" The enraged Jounin hauled the man up on the collar of his shirt and placed his own katana at his neck.

"Like hell I would."

"Wrong answer." He raised the katana and hit the handle on the sorry man's face. The wheels of his Sharingan spun in haste. He was really bothered when he looked at the man's bloody face. "Don't ever call women of good breeding a bitch. I felt sorry for your mother to have raised a son that acted like a bastard. She would've been ashamed of you."

His lips tightened under the cloth mask. "This is something that should be a reminder to you." With that said, he raised the weapon to stab it at the bastard's crotch.

"I think he had enough, Kakashi." A small growl that came from a small-sized light brown dog had stopped him in the nick of time. "Killing him would spare him of the punishment he deserved. He can't even say 'help' for the matter. Besides, isn't Temari-san's condition much more important right now?"

Kakashi dropped the katana with a clank and rushed to the spot where the Suna kunoichi laid, immobile. His other ninkens had already gathered around her battered form, with one of them, Shiro, the light gray-colored one nuzzling her pale face. She was still conscious but she won't be long if he didn't treat her injuries quick.

"She had a deep cut on her stomach, Kakashi. It's still bleeding. Quick." Pakkun relayed the situation of the Suna kunoichi to his master. Kakashi pried open the slashed front of her kimono top. The gash went from the toned surface of her abdomen up until the middle of her chest, just below the under wires of her brassiere. In normal circumstances, he would've blushed but he was dealing with a life and death situation as he felt that Temari's pulses were going weaker. He performed a first aid healing technique on her. As the green chakra flowed into her wound, he saw the life went back to her face and her breathing became steadier than before.

He pulled down his forehead protector and forced a bitter smile on his face when a pair of turquoise orbs was focused scarcely at him. "Hatake-san?" Her voice sounded slow and weak.

He dabbed away the blood flowing from the corners of her lips using the material of his black arm guard and closed the exposed front of her top. "Hai, Temari-san."

The golden-haired Jounin succeeded in standing up, but the muscles on her legs refused to function at that time. Thankfully, the Copy Ninja managed to catch her from a fall. As an alternative, he hoisted her up in his arms, earning a small grunt from the young girl. "We should get you to the campsite."

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After treating her wounds, much to her protest, he persevered on accompanying her to another secluded area near the waters. She insisted on having a short bath, despite the wound that had just closed in. And right now, he found himself sitting on a big rock with his back against the river. He took out an orange-colored book from the pocket of his vest and flipped it open to a certain marked page. His ever faithful companion, the small ninja dog Pakkun sat down beside him, but facing the other way around. This meant that he had a full view of the bathing maiden.

The dog pawed at his own forehead protector while staring blankly ahead. "I remembered her. She was the sister of the Shukaku Jinchuuriki. I recalled that she was there last time." Kakashi knew he was referring to Naruto's encounter with Gaara during the previous Chuunin exam, two years ago.

Not looking up from his book, Kakashi remarked, "Yeah. Her brother, Sabaku No Gaara had been appointed as the new Godaime Kazekage."

Pakkun showed no hints of surprise on his expressionless face. Kakashi's left hand lifted the pup and turned its small body around, so that right now both of them were facing the same direction. "I don't think it's nice to peep on a girl." Pakkun scratched at the back of his ear while stifling an amused snort. "You told me to keep an eye on her."

"Hnn…" The corners of his mouth lifted into a smirk under the mask. "She may not looked like it but she must've been shaken. And having a dog watching her directly while she was taking a bath won't help either."

"She's still intact if that's what you're worried about."

"I know."

"Stop feeling guilty about it. It's no one's fault."

The sounds of sloshing water interrupted their conversation. His hands gripped tightly on the book he was holding. Somehow, finding himself reading such smutty material with an almost naked girl splashing around the water behind his back didn't go really well together. This is not just any girl. This is Temari of the Sand we're talking about. The eye-catching, well-endowed girl who oozes sex appea- 'Minds out of the gutter, Hatake.' Kakashi's voice of conscience reasoned out inside him. 'Dammit. If I can't stop thinking perverse thoughts about her, I'm no different than that bastard before.'

His inner debates never did escape from Pakkun's observation. He may be a dog, but he understood the tension his master was having. He recognized it since Kakashi hasn't been flipping to the next page since the last five minutes. He had never seen Kakashi being so affected by anyone before. To top it off, he had never ever saw Kakashi so enraged, almost out of his mind when he nearly cut the man's family jewels off.

No, not this much. But, maybe…he could use it to test his own sense of humor.

"Vanilla." He whispered to the silver-haired Jounin.

"What's with it all of a sudden?" One visible eyebrow was raised quizzically.

"Her scent."

"…" He didn't like where this is leading to.

"She has a very nice smell, Kakashi."

"What are you trying to do, Pakkun?"

His question was retorted with a heartily laugh from the pup as it rolled unceremoniously on the cold, hard surface.

The atmosphere might be light up on the surface but it was totally the opposite under the flowing stream, where the said kunoichi was clenching on her battered body and couldn't help but scream in disappointment. She was battling with her own emotions. She was ashamed of being weak, almost had a man forcing himself into her, almost got killed and it was all because she was careless and too full of herself. If it wasn't because of the Copy Ninja, she would've met her end in a very mortifying way. Her physical were scathed with a few bruises and cuts but in time, those scars will heal. But, what of her injured pride?

Deep under the freezing waters, her body shuddered with every tears that she shed.

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The walk back to the campsite was a very silent one, save for the occasional barks from her companion's summons. After a change of fresh bandages and clothes, she knelt in front of the burning fire. Kakashi offered her a few rations bar which she gladly accepted when he settled himself on the other side of the fire, so that now they were sitting face to face.

He was grossing over his usual reading material like nothing had happened and they were back to the original version of 'perfect strangers'. No talking but only stolen glances. Mainly between Pakkun and Kakashi to Temari, when they knew the other wasn't looking.

His ninkens were unleashed to stand guard for any other possible threats. One of them stood not that far from her, holding a sympathetic look in its eyes.

The night had sailed into midnight, from the way the full moon bloomed on top of their heads in the dark skies. His coal-black eye lifted up from the pages occasionally to sneak a glance at the sister of the Kazekage. Usually, he would find something brilliant to speak of with the intentions to obtain what was going on through her mind exactly. Unfortunately right now, the proclaimed genius ninja was speechless since he didn't knew her pretty well and he was doubtful about his own choice of words. Of what he had kept in mind from his observation during the Chuunin exams and his former student Sakura, Temari's temper was easily provoked and said girl was indeed, a fiery one with the strength of a grown woman. And her skills were at par with her attitude. Not trying to sound like a pervert, Kakashi silently admitted that he was actually impressed with almost everything about the turquoise-eyed female.

Her now-dried hair was put into its original four ties and the black yukata she was wearing had never seemed so thin before when the chilly night wind bit at her neck and arms. She crossed her arms and embraced herself in order to gather some heat. A million things were jumbling up inside her head and after chewing over the thought that a few things were amiss, she apprehended that she had forgotten to say her gratitude to her savior. Tch, even the word seems to be quite discomfited for her.

"Hatake-san…"

He looked up from his reading and in the dark surroundings, he saw her eyes glistened with hesitation and restlessness in the amber fire.

"I wanted to say…" Why did she have to sound like her voice was stuck in her throat? "emm…thank you for saving my life back there."

"Iie, don't worry much about it. It was my responsibility to help a fellow ninja."

"I'm not the type of person who'd really say thank you, but I really mean it."

"I understood." He was aware of what she meant perfectly. After all, she was a daughter of a Kage and that was adequate to differentiate between her level and normal people, regardless a ninja or not. The authentic look of selflessness on her face was already enough. He appreciated it.

There was a significant pause between the two of them.

"I want to ask a favor if it's okay with you, Hatake-san."

"Of course, Temari-san. I'll help you in anyway I can."

"Can you…not tell anyone of what happened today?"

"You know…" He clapped the book together and it closed with a soft snap. "I have to write it in the report to Tsunade-sama."

"No, I meant the part where…he almost…I was…" Her eyes drooped low and her cheeks flushed a light crimson when she let her sentence drawled uneasily.

A small bit of concern was tugging at the corners of his heart. "Absolutely. No one will hear of that 'situation', not from me. You have my word as a ninja."

He obtained a small, relieve nod as an answer to his words. "Although I hoped that you won't be thinking too much about it, Temari-san. They were missing-nins. The outcome is inevitable." He paused, taking a deep breath. "We all faced tough situation at times and-"

"Sacrifices are inevitable, I know. But there are things that you'd rather not give up willingly and you'd rather die than losing it."

Her pride. Her dignity.

She felt like a fool when she had been given back the same words she had once said to Shikamaru.

Hatake Kakashi thought that women were essentially not complex beings. Nevertheless right now, he had found the most complicated one of all.

"You should get some rest. We'll be having an early start tomorrow."

"How about you?"

"I'll keep watch. Besides, the guys are here with me." His head pointed towards the dogs. With them around, there shouldn't be anyone who dared to creep within a mile's radius without asking for a shredding.

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They continued their journey to Konoha as soon as the early dawn breaks. Temari had almost forgotten about her missing metal fan until one of Kakashi's dogs had retrieved it for her. He recognized that it was Shiro, the ever sunny grayish-white dog that sported a few spikes on top his head. The one that stood by her side all night long last night. Even if he asked it to go back, Shiro refused to comply with its master's commands and decided to stick with the blonde kunoichi instead. It barked gratefully when it received a ruffle on its spiky hair and nuzzled up against Temari's legs. Apparently, the dog had grown fond of the girl and it was known that Kakashi's ninkens excluding Pakkun had never showed any interest towards other people. Until now. So, it was a brand new thing for him.

"Lucky guy." Pakkun muttered under his breath, receiving a low chortle from the Konoha Jounin.

"What's its name, Kakashi-san?" She asked, as they leapt from trees to trees with Shiro and Pakkun moving between them.

"Shiro." He replied, still dissatisfied that Shiro had abandoned him for another person.

"Shiro? That's a nice name." She grinned at the said mammal. "Thank you for finding my fan, Shiro-kun. Perhaps, a treat should be appropriate?" Shiro jumped in excitement, emanating a small laughter from the tessenjutsu specialist.

Pakkun hopped on top of Shiro, its jet-black eyes blinking hopefully. "Hey, Temari-san. What about us?" She eyed the small pup before letting her gaze rested on the silver-haired man. "I'll think about it."

Oblivious to Temari, Kakashi was smirking under his mask. "I just might hold on to your words, Temari-san. And when I do, you can't go back on it." He was just kidding with her but he never knew that she would respond positively to it.

"We'll see about it, Kakashi-san." She raised one of her eyebrows and sealed her lips into a brief pout before giving him a genuine smile. Not her usual smug ones. She had somehow felt at ease with his presence. Who knew that the Copy Ninja owned a good sense of humor?

'Cute.' His heart skipped a beat.

What the he-? That's just great. His inner voice had resurfaced again and it's starting to betray his well-guarded emotions. What has this kunoichi done to him?

When he saw her unusually cheerful expression and the glowing beam on her face, it was as if she's a different person than yesterday. He couldn't deny that he was glad she'd gotten over the fateful incident. He realized that she had never drop a single tear even when she was in the brink of death last night, until Pakkun told him that she in reality had cried herself silently to sleep in the tent.

She did an excellent job in hiding her real emotions which she might considered as weaknesses however to Kakashi, she had actually sacrificed one thing last night; her icy facade. He couldn't grip what it was but he felt that there was something more to her than what meets the eye.

The interaction between those two was absorbed by the ever-perceptive animals. Shiro wriggled his body, drawing the small dog's attention. 'Hey, Pakkun! Are they, as humans would call it, 'flirting' with each other?'

'Hmm…maybe. She's not addressing him with his family name anymore. Besides, she's smiling at him,' came the silent reply.

'I like her.'

'We all do.'

At that time, they caught the well-concealed look on their master's face when he sneaked a glance at the kunoichi. It had sparked more curiosity.

'I think Kakashi likes her too.'

'Too early to say, Shiro. Don't get your hopes too high. You know what Kakashi thinks about attachment. Besides, it's impossible for someone like her not to be involved with someone else already.'

'3 bones says that she's not.'

'I'll double the bet that she is.'

'We'll see.'

'We will see, buddy.'

If only Kakashi knew what they were talking about, Pakkun swore they would end up as 'hot-dogs' for breakfast the next morning. Thank heavens he couldn't copy the Inuzuka clan's ability to be capable of understanding dog 'language'. If not, they'll be fresh meat for sure.

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"Are you saying that they were actually nuke-nins from Mist?" Tsunade cradled her face with her hands, staring deep into both ninjas in front of her. Her ruby painted lips formed a thin line as she scanned over the written papers.

"At least a few of them are." The son of Konoha's White Fang conveyed his report to the Godaime Hokage.

"How did they end up here?"

"That still remains unanswered, Tsunade-sama."

The flaxen-haired woman lifted her gaze as soon as she analyzed the situation. The younger girl that stood beside Kakashi had been another concern. "Temari-san…"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama?"

"I'm really regretful of what had happened. This might bring a bad image to Sunagakure. And to say that we've just established an official alliance," She let out a sigh. "…this problem must not be overlooked."

"I'm alright. We do not have any complications…at all." She lied, though there was a slight truth in it. The seventeen year old girl looked away at a random direction, carefully avoiding eye contact with the Sannin and especially her temporary travel companion. However, the older woman would not be taken for a fool, especially when she saw the fresh bruise on her right jaw and the kunoichi's slightly cracked lips.

"You can be honest with me, Temari-san."

Kakashi cleared his throat, deciding that he should try to discard the issue from being pressed any further. He had made a promise and he intended to keep it. "Gomen ne Tsunade-sama, but both of us have other matters to deal with."

"Alright, you are dismissed Kakashi. And Temari-san, I've assigned an escort for you. He should be here…"

The door was rapped slowly from the outside.

"…just about now. Come in."

The large oak door creaked open, revealing a smart dark-haired young man with a scowl on his slightly unexcited face. The young Chuunin hold back a look of surprise but one of his eye brows raised as he come to identify the occupants of the room. Putting his hands in his pockets, he grunted inaudibly. "You called, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, Nara Shikamaru. Of course you recognized who this is."

Obviously he did. 'The troublesome fan girl.'

"Good. I want you to escort her to an inn and make sure she's comfortable and settled down."

Shikamaru's forehead cringed with confusion. The Godaime made it sound like she wanted him to knock the girl off.

"Not in the way that you're thinking, Shikamaru!"

His face reddened upon the thought. "What? Geez…I wasn't thinking anything!"

"Okay then, it's all settled. You all may go now."

The three of them walked out of the office with Kakashi closing the door behind them.

"Aren't you glad to see me, Mr. Crybaby?" She teased the young boy with that conceited sneer on her face as soon as she got the opportunity.

Shikamaru grumbled low in his throat. "Tch. Troublesome woman."

Kakashi was about to leave when he suddenly remembered that Temari's wounds needed to be treated properly. Leaving the gash closed without a follow-up antibiotics medication could be fatal. He turned around to see her taunting the sole Nara heir, while the said boy was fighting off a blush and they both looked like a quarellling young couple. It was none of his business to interrupt them but he would be on his way once he suggested the notion to the younger girl.

Temari bleated playfully. "I've almost got beaten up on my way here, and you can't even be nice to me?"

"Eh? The fearsome Temari of the Sand got beat up? That's new." Miraculously, the Chuunin found it amusing but since he was so laid-back, the laugh came out dispassionately.

"Look, something happened. SO, shouldn't you be making me comfortable instead? You should help me get over it." She didn't mean it to sound so blatantly dirty, but she just liked to push the gifted genius's buttons and especially liked the way his face cringed into his trademark frown.

"Why me? Okay, fine…" he scowled, again. Another score for Temari. His hand grabbed her forearm, intending to drag her away from an inch close of making a ruckus just outside the Godaime's office. Temari flinched when she felt a burning sting at the spot where Shikamaru was holding. She didn't realize that it could be injured too. "Can't you be gentler, Shikamaru?"

"Whatever. Troublesome woman. Can we go now?" He started to walk away, dragging the Suna kunoichi behind. Another five seconds, he'll be having the Godaime's fist up on his face.

Temari's head jerked that instant. "Oh wait! Kakashi-san, I need to say-?"

When she turned around, the mentioned Jounin was no longer there.

'Goodbye.'

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End Of Chapter.

End Notes: I fully understand if by the end of this chapter, you're already getting your M-16 and hand grenades to kill me… (ardenilia bangs her head on the keyboard). If you think that my writing is something that can be polished and worthy enough to be pondered upon despite what pairing that I'm writing about, please do tell me in your reviews. I greatly appreciate it.