This is one I've been writing for a while, you can tell because the writing is drastically different from the first chapter to the last. It started with a character study on 'fuck buddies' and a plot spawned from the research. The concept of the fuck buddy has always kind of fascinated me, so I wanted to get my hands dirty. This also is pretty much just an excuse to ship one of my favorite parings, and shamelessly put up chapters and chapters of sex involving Genma.

Update 5-8-14: I had a little confusion with a few specific things like shinobi ranks and character heights and ages when I first started this, but I have gone back and I think I fixed most of them? I'm sort of an adjective whore as well, especially in these first few chapters. I'm trying to fix that, I swear. If you see any mistakes or titles or whatever that are glaring, don't hesitate to let me know. Also, a lot of this was beta'd by my good friend LiralenLi, and wynteruniverse on Tumblr did a read through for me, so thank you both for that.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Genma closed the door carefully behind him and stared into the shadowy space of his apartment. No light filtered in through the window, as the sun had not yet begun to rise, and he made no move to turn on the lights. His trained eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, but he saw nothing of the walls or the furniture in front of him. His lungs expanded, giving him air, and his heartbeat, pumping blood through his veins, but he felt nothing. He was numb, suffering from a strange kind of shock. After the events of this night, the special jounin did not know how to think; he didn't ever want to feel again.

He moved slowly through the small foyer and down the hallway, passing framed pictures of friends and colleagues, students and teachers, past lovers, and heroes long gone. He felt their eyes on him, their knowing looks, and disapproving stares. They knew what he had done and were disappointed in him-who wouldn't be?

He kicked off his sandals, stripped out of his t-shirt and jeans, and slipped into the bathroom. The hot water from the shower nozzle felt good on his fingers and even better on his back and shoulders as he stepped under the spray. Genma sighed heavily and reached for the bar soap. He ran his palms over his face and scrubbed at his chest and stomach. He lathered up his hands and placed the soap back on the rack before he washed between his thighs and over his wilted sex. He turned the temperature up and stood with his back to the nozzle. The water started to scald his flesh, but he didn't move; he needed this. He needed to feel as if he had at least tried to sanitize himself after what he had done. Cleanse his body of every trace of his mistake.

He barely toweled off before he padded naked into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. He didn't want it; but he had been drinking last night, and he knew he was dehydrated even if he didn't feel thirsty. As the cool water rushed past his lips and over his tongue, he tried to muster up some remorse for last night, a little sadness, anger, something. His total detachment from the situation, and the absolute void of feeling was disturbing. Was this how he was going to deal with it? Was he broken for good? Was he going to live out the rest of his life as a zombie?

A tapping on his window jarred him from his bleak thoughts. He turned and saw a Hokage messenger bird pecking at the glass; a tiny scroll attached to its leg.

The tokujō sighed softly and set the bottle on the counter.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me…"

The hallway outside the Hokage's office was buzzing with activity. It looked like every available special jounin in the village had been summoned. Several people waved to Genma as he made his way up the stairs and found a spot where he could hold up the wall. Ebisu stood a few feet to his right, and nodded to Genma in acknowledgement.

Genma nodded back, but quickly turned his gaze to the floor. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and rolled his senbon over his tongue. Blending into the wall wasn't really an option, but Genma knew he had a spectacular scowl. Pretty much everyone knew that bothering the orally-fixated jounin this early in the morning when he plastered that look on his face, took either a colossal amount of courage or an unbelievable amount of stupidity.

He's gonna be here… Genma thought to himself. They've summoned all of us. He's gonna be here and I'm going to lose it. If I see him, I'm going to break down in front of everyone…

"I didn't think you drank that much last night." Aoba's bored voice interrupted Genma's thoughts. The slightly taller nin teased the end of his senbon with his tongue and chuckled without any humor. He should have known Aoba would talk to him, even with the scowl. His friend wasn't stupid or particularly brave; Aoba just didn't give a shit.

Genma turned and saw that the dark-haired man had scooted up next to him and now regarded him with interest. Well, at least, Genma thought he was looking at him with interest. It was hard to tell with the ever-present sunglasses.

"What makes you say that?" Genma asked softly.

Aoba pulled sunflower seeds from his pocket and tossed them into his mouth. "You look like shit."

Genma made a face. "Oh, thanks. I keep forgetting why we're friends, and then you go and say pretty things like that."

"I'm serious, dude," Aoba pushed off the wall and shoved both hands into his pockets. "Did you get any sleep at all last night? And where the fuck did you run off to? Iruka had a conniption 'cause you were buying the next round."

Genma looked away, trying not to think about what had happened last night.

"I didn't go do anything," he said. "I felt sick, so I left."

He felt Aoba's eyes on him for a few more seconds before his friend gave up and started popping seeds into his mouth again.

"Okay, but you're with me on this rotation and I'm not gonna go easy on this mission just cause you have a hangover."

Genma growled. "I don't have a hangover! And what do you mean I'm with you on this rotation? I was with Yuki last time, so now I should be with… um…"

"Me."

Genma folded his arms across his chest. "Oh yeah… okay, you're right."

"Didn't know you hated partnering up with me that much."

"I don't hate partnering with you, asshole." Genma pushed off the wall and scrubbed at his eyes. "I'll be fine with whatever, just as long as our team leader isn't Gai again."

Aoba's shoulders slumped and he groaned loudly. "God, don't remind me. I had nightmares about spandex and spring time and fuckin' 'youthful frolics through the forest' for weeks after that."

Genma smiled and pulled the senbon from his lips. He reached out his hand, palm up, in a silent request for Aoba to share his seeds. His dark-haired friend complied and the two stood in silence, chewing their salty treats, waiting for the Hokage's doors to open.

Ten minutes turned into twenty, and Aoba started to whine. Twenty turned into thirty, and Genma's mind started to wander. He was getting more and more nervous, watching the top of the stairs, waiting for the one person he did not want to see. His teeth clicked on the metal in his mouth, knowing that at any moment, he was going to walk in. Genma's heart started to thump a little harder in his chest.

"Dude, you are seriously scaring me."

Genma startled as Aoba's quiet voice breathed across his ear. The lighter-haired tokubetsu turned to glare at his friend.

"And you're starting to annoy me," Genma growled. "Let it the fuck alone."

"Normally I would," Aoba whispered quietly, leaning in, "but if I'm gonna go on a mission with you all bat-shit crazy, staring off into space, daydreaming about whatever random-ass weird shit you daydream about, I'm gonna break both your legs so I can have different partner."

"Shit, I love it when you talk dirty to me." Genma grinned.

"Kiss my ass." Aoba popped another seed into his mouth to hide his smile.

"Who's kissing whose ass?" A bored voice sounded from behind Genma.

Genma glanced over his shoulder to see Shikamaru, standing with his hands in his pockets, a cocked eyebrow, and his quirky half-smile pulling at his lips. As he gave the lanky ninja a quick once over—a habit he knew he needed to break; he did it every time Shikamaru came around—Genma marveled at how the young man had grown up to be the spitting image of his father. Minus one or two scars.

"Why?" Genma's grin widened to show his teeth. "You want in?"

"Absolutely not." Shikamaru laced his fingers behind his head and yawned. "It's too fucking early. I got a superb hangover from those crazy blue things Iruka-sensei was making us drink last night, and I've already had enough trouble this morning with this asshole." He nodded his head to the side and Genma turned around fully to see who the tall ninja was talking about.

When he saw who stood behind him, Genma's world suddenly froze. His heart leapt up into his throat, and he wished he could disappear.

Oh, shit. Fuck. Goddamnit.

Raidou stood next to Shikamaru, his hands buried deep in his pockets, and his gaze staring a hole in the floor at Genma's feet. There were dark smudges underneath his eyes, and his usually healthy, bronzed skin looked ashen.

Genma wanted to flee. He wanted to teleport back to his apartment, bury himself under his covers, and stay that way until he wasted away into nothing.

"Wow, Rai." Aoba whistled at Genma's side. "You look worse than Genma. What the fuck did you two do last night? You both left so early! You guys hit up another bar?"

Genma flinched and forced himself not to back away, to not break down, or throw himself at his scarred friend and beg for his forgiveness. He felt heat creeping up into his cheeks, and he used every tactical trick he knew to calm his chakra and soothe his racing heart. He glanced at Shikamaru, and almost winced when he found the younger man studying him. The genius no doubt had already sensed his distress, but Genma was determined to push it aside anyway. Keep it hidden until the mission was over. There was no way this thing would be resolved quickly, so the best thing to do, was to get passed it for now. Deal with it when he came home.

"I just went home," Raidou said quietly. "Had a headache."

"Raidou was complaining of his comatose hangover all the way here," Shikamaru muttered, his eyes never leaving Genma. "I'm sure I'll get to hear about it all through the mission too."

"Not if you have Gai as your team leader," Aoba piped up.

"Shut it, you jinx." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed and he made a face in Aoba's direction. "I'm gonna take Genma's senbon and shove it up your ass."

Aoba laughed as the two nins continued to bicker between each other.

Forgotten, and wallowing in his shame and self-loathing, Genma returned his gaze to Raidou. The older man was looking at him with tired eyes. The redness that Genma saw there threatened to break the younger man's heart. He prayed that Raidou's wan color was from the drinking last night, and not because he had been…

Genma looked away and stared at the floor. He was disgusted with himself. He was filthy, a dirty rotten scrap of a man, and he wished he could go back and replay the last night over.

The two stood there, surrounded by their friends and colleagues. They were covered by a blanket of comfortable and easy chatter, but were nevertheless trapped in the most uncomfortable silence of their lives. Genma was just about to open his mouth to try and apologize to his friend, but Raidou beat him to it.

"Are you okay?" The scarred man asked quietly. "I didn't… hurt you… did I?"

Genma's head shot up, not believing what he had just heard. Raidou met his eyes with a warm concern, and the muscles in his jaw clenched over and over. Raidou always ground his teeth when he was nervous. Genma couldn't think straight when the taller man looked at him like that. Even after everything that had happened, everything that Genma had done to Raidou, the scarred man was worried about his best friend. His best friend that had betrayed him.

God damn everything, he still loved Raidou so much…

I'm shit… Genma thought, I'm lower than shit…

"I…" Genma started, but then the doors to the Hokage's office opened, and Umino Iruka emerged, followed by the majority of Konoha's elite jounin. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking haggard and stressed.

"Tokubetsu," he said, his teacher's voice ringing clearly through the hall, "I've called you here because Konoha needs every able body for a mass mission. It's relatively simple: we need information and we need it quickly. There have been over fifty cases of girls between the ages of sixteen and twenty disappearing in the last month and a half. We don't have a lot of time. We need to move quickly to prevent more disappearances, but saving as many of the girls already taken is also a top priority.

"Three squads are being sent to each surrounding country, and two are being assigned here to help the chuunin safeguard the village." He turned to a small blonde girl holding a large scroll in her hands, and nodded to her. "Yoko-kun, my assistant, will assign you your squad leaders, and they in turn will explain your specific missions."

He turned back to the gathered tokubetsu and smiled ruefully. "I categorized this as A-rank because even though it's not high risk, it is priority, and it's going to be difficult to coordinate. Be safe, and tread carefully." He turned and moved back into the Hokage's office. "They're all yours, Yoko-kun," he said over his shoulder.

Yoko stepped forward and started to read from the scroll. As names were called, ninja started to pop from the area to meet up with their assigned team leader and plan their departure.

"Yamano Yuuko and Fukawa Shuji," Yoko called out.

"You're with Gai… You're with Gai…" Aoba muttered under his breath beside Genma, and the long-haired nin heard Shikamaru mutter a curse under his breath as well.

"Your team leader is Senju Ando."

"Damn." Aoba shoved a few more sunflower seeds into his mouth.

Genma felt Raidou's chakra signature before the older man touched him. As the scarred jounin's hand brushed his arm, Genma flinched and twisted to the side. He looked up and almost whimpered at the hurt look he saw on his friend's face.

"Namiashi Raidou and Nara Shikamaru."

"You're with Gai… You're with Gai…" Aoba kept repeating under his breath.

"Fuck you, I'll kill you," Shikamaru mumbled in retaliation.

"You're assigned to Hyuuga Neji."

"Aww!" Aoba whined and made a face at Shikamaru.

The Nara, on the other hand, grinned and stretched lazily. "Cool."

Genma felt Raidou's hand on his arm again, and this time he didn't pull away. The older man's breath was warm against the flesh of his ear and it sent tremors down the Genma's spine.

"Genma, I'm so sorry for what I said to you last night…" Raidou's voice was so filled with hurt that Genma had to tap into his chakra again to keep himself under control.

The dirty-blond turned to face his friend and almost choked on his words. "We don't have time for this right now, Raidou…"

"Shiranui Genma and Yamashiro Aoba," Yoko called.

"Ah, not Gai… not with Gai…" Aoba chanted.

"With Gai… with Gai…" Shikamaru chanted around a grin.

"You are assigned to Hatake Kakashi."

Shikamaru cursed under his breath.

"Awesome," Aoba grinned. "Suck on that bitches."

Genma barely heard his assignment or Aoba's celebratory banter with Shikamaru as he pulled out of Raidou's grip. "Please don't do this now," he whispered close to Raidou's damaged cheek. "We can talk after the mission."

"I just don't want you leaving thinking that I hate you," Raidou whispered back.

Genma's eyes stared somewhere over the older man's shoulder.

"Don't you though?"

Raidou's body went still, and Genma felt he could die right there. He looked at the floor again and slowly backed away from his friend. He got about three steps before his back hit a solid chest, and strong, gloved hands gripped his arms, steadying him.

"Woa, Genma," a smooth voice drawled. "Are you still drunk? You left the bar almost five hours ago."

Genma recognized the voice and growled low in his throat. He was not in the mood to be teased. He turned around and came face to face with the one and only, Hatake Kakashi. The bastard's one visible eye was crinkled, giving away the fact that he was grinning underneath his mask.

"Why does everyone think I'm this crazy party whore!" Genma hissed. "I had two drinks last night! I am not in the mood for your shit, Kakashi! Let's just decide where to meet so we can get the hell out of here!"

Something flickered in that one visible grey eye, something that seemed a mixture of surprise and sadness, but then it was gone almost as fast as it came. Kakashi's playful slouch disappeared and he put up his hand in surrender.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "South gate in fifteen. Bring civvies, and your wet weather gear."

A poof of smoke and leaves, and Kakashi was gone. Genma stood staring at the place where his friend had been standing, feeling like he had just kicked an injured puppy. He turned back to Raidou, desperate to get out of the Hokage tower and back to his apartment before he lost it completely.

"When we get back," Genma said to Raidou.

The scarred jounin nodded slowly and wiped at his eyes. "Okay… be safe, Genma. Tread carefully."

"Tread carefully, Raidou," Genma returned.

Raidou made the hand signals for a teleportation jutsu and poofed away. Genma ran his hands over his face and turned to see Aoba eyeing him suspiciously.

"What?" Genma asked.

"You better tell me what the hell is wrong with you on this mission," Aoba muttered. "I can't believe you just talked that way to Kakashi-san."

Genma felt a pang in his chest. Aoba was right, he had been cruel to Kakashi and he hadn't meant to. The Copy Ninja did not deserve to have Genma take his frustrations out on him like that. He should apologize as soon as possible.

"I'll see you in fifteen," he said.

"Ten," Aoba corrected.

"Whatever."

Dark clouds rolled across the sky as Genma reached the South Gate with five minutes to spare. Kotetsu and Izumo waved to him as they slouched in their seats in the guard box. Genma grinned and waved back. It was such an unfortunate thing to still be put on gate guard even after being promoted to jounin. But then again, knowing Kotetsu and Izumo, they probably had asked for it.

The tokubetsu leaned against the large wooden beams supporting the gate arch and pulled his senbon from his lips. He replaced it with a cigarette from his flack vest and searched for a lighter. He found none in his pockets and cursed under his breath.

"Hey, Zumo!" he called. "Got a light?"

"Negative," Izumo called back in a bored tone. "Kotetsu fucked with it and now the flint's out."

Genma sighed and leaned his head back against the beam. He'd remembered his chap stick, jerky, and his soldier pills, which he always forgot, but he hadn't thought to pack a lighter? Oh well, his mood could only get so bad, and he was already pretty deep in it. What was nicotine withdrawal on top of a little old-fashioned heart ache and self-pity?

The quick appearance of a chakra signature beside him, and a snap of fingers brought forth a little light. Genma turned to see Kakashi holding a small ball of flame in his palm. The special jounin didn't need to ask and he leaned forward to light the tip of his stick.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"No problem," Kakashi murmured back.

"You're a little early aren't you?" Genma asked, pulling smoke back into his lungs. "Didn't expect you for another twenty or thirty minutes."

Kakashi shrugged. "Didn't want to sit around my apartment."

"Ah."

Genma breathed in and exhaled slowly, his body tingling with the effects of his first cigarette of the day. He didn't really smoke that much, just when he was out drinking or when he was particularly stressed. He could make a pack last him a couple weeks if he tried.

He studied Kakashi as the younger man let him enjoy his smoke. The Copy Nin's eye looked sad and tired as he watched the sun rising over the Hokage monument. Genma felt bad all over again for how he had treated Kakashi before, so he stepped closer and spoke quietly to keep the gate guards from overhearing him.

"I'm sorry for how I acted earlier, Kakashi. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Kakashi's head tilted to the side and his single eye rolled to look directly at him.

"It's fine, I noticed something was wrong, but I teased you anyway. My fault."

"Nothing's wrong," Genma said defensively.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Genma smirked and scratched his stubbly chin. Shit, he'd forgotten to shave.

"That's Kakashi speak for 'I'm gonna coax it out of you later', isn't it?"

Kakashi's eye crinkled and he pulled a scroll from one of his weapons pouches. "Yes."

Genma shook his head and chuckled softly, "Whatever."

As the long-haired ninja turned again to watch the sunrise, Aoba landed softly beside him and wiped crumbs from his chin.

"Okay, so where to?"

Kakashi tossed him the scroll. "It's all there if you want to read it, but basically we're just going to some small city between here and Suna. There's a dealer there that's possibly a farmer."

"Farmer?" Aoba asked as he skimmed the scroll.

"Slang for a dude that runs drug mules," Genma stated.

"Eewww," Aoba made a face. "Is that what they think is happening to the girls?"

The Copy Nin rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. And this guy's supposedly a stubborn one, so that's why we have Genma."

"Oh, yay, torture," Aoba said with no enthusiasm and looked up from his reading. "So how about me?"

Kakashi rolled his shoulders and started walking through the gate. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked merrily at a rock.

"Cause you have a good sexy no jutsu."

Aoba nodded. "Roger. When do we- woa, wait a minute! Sexy no jutsu!?"

Genma heard Kakashi snicker underneath his mask, and the long-haired nin had trouble covering his own laugh.

Kakashi crouched, readying himself for a leap into the trees.

"Let's move out."

"Seriously guys," Aoba whined as he adjusted his shoulder straps for the tenth time. "Why am I doing this again? Wouldn't Ino or some other jounin with real boobs have been a better candidate?"

"Shut up, man," Genma shoved a piece of sushi in his mouth. "Youh hook grea'h." He adjusted the volume on a tiny earpiece and handed it to his friend. Aoba took it and fitted it into his ear.

Genma sat in the living room of the safe house in a quiet corner of the town. The small apartment was bought and paid for by Konoha under an anonymous name and used by ninja traveling through on their way to Suna.

"Great, huh?" Aoba asked as he stood.

Actually, Aoba really did look good. The female version of himself was a little shorter, with a slim but fit body, small, perky breasts, and lightly tanned skin. 'Her' eyes were big and brown, almost devistating with the little bit of eye shadow and mascara Genma had applied. Aoba's long dark hair hung in ringlets from a high pony tail, secured by a long black ribbon. Kakashi had given Aoba an outfit that could probably have fit in a contact lens case. The short skirt was a green, brown and black plaid and the shirt was black and strapless with small tears up the sides. The jounin had rounded out the ensemble with thigh-high fishnets and over the knee leather boots.

Genma looked at him for a few seconds before answering.

"Well, I'd fuck you, but it's probably just because I know you're really a dude."

"Okay," Aoba pointed a finger at him, "be nice to the straight guy."

Genma grinned at his friend. "But I am! I just paid you a compliment. You know you really should stop cheating yourself out of what you really want."

"Pu-lease," Aoba pulled at the fishnets, snapping them into place. "Hey, you ever been with a girl? I actually can't remember if you ever told me that or not."

Genma nodded. "Yeah, at first. But then I did both for a while, and then I decided I just liked the low maintenance of guys."

Aoba nodded. "Yeah, that I can understand… Shit, how the fuck do chicks do this?" He bent one knee at a time, watching the top of the fishnets carefully. "These things keep slipping down and I'm gonna trip over these goddamn heels. Girls are amazing."

"I think they kind of suit you," came a voice from behind Genma.

The special jounin turned in his seat to see Kakashi had returned from his recon and was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. He had replaced his uniform with slim jeans, a dark blue button-up shirt, and a leather jacket. He had left his under-armor on because it attached to his mask, but his forehead protector was gone. In its place was a black eye patch. Genma liked it when Kakashi was sans forehead protector. His hair was less crazy and lopsided (not that he didn't like the crazy) and it hung down nicely over his eyes—or eye as it was, kind of sexy-like.

Genma whistled. "Now, that's what I'm talking about. Damn, Kakashi, you clean up real good."

Kakashi's eye crinkled and he chuckled in reply. "I talked to the bartender and got a good layout of the place. It's pretty straightforward, and they have a security system so I didn't bother with cameras."

"Meh," Genma said, "cameras are a crutch anyway."

"Oh, yeah," Aoba muttered. "Why would we want stuff that makes the mission easier? That's stupid."

"Quit your bitching." Genma held the tray up to Kakashi, "Sushi?"

"Thank you."

Genma turned away, knowing Kakashi wouldn't eat if he was looking at him, and chuckled at Aoba who was still fiddling with his stockings.

"You could have brought some garters or something," Aoba mumbled under his breath.

Kakashi snorted and sat on the couch across from Genma and swallowed his bite of sushi before answering.

"I have some leather ones, but I think they'd be too big for you."

"Big?" Aoba looked at him with his eyebrow cocked.

"Yeah." Kakashi stretched and folded his hands behind his head. "I know a teacher with killer thighs."

Genma turned to face Kakashi fully. "Are you serious? Iruka sensei's into that?"

Kakashi looked at him, his eye crinkle getting deeper. "Don't you know?"

"No, I don't." Genma sat forward, interested. "I heard he's kind of wild."

Kakashi shrugged, "Sometimes."

"Oh my God." Aoba groaned from across the room. "I'm never going to be able to look Iruka-kun in the eye ever again. You guys are fucking terrible, especially you, Kakashi-san." He pointed a finger at Kakashi, "Aren't you like, supposed to be a role model or some shit?"

"I thought I was role modeling just fine," Kakashi chuckled. "Besides, Iruka is proud of the way he is and his sexuality. He's not ashamed of it and neither am I."

"Even if the majority of the village doesn't believe it," Genma added.

Kakashi nodded, chuckling again, "Yeah, even if almost no one believes it."

Aoba pointedly ignored them, and left off pulling at the stockings. He stood straight and held up his hands.

"I give up, this is gonna have to do. If they keep falling, I'll just take them off."

Genma opened the laptop on the coffee table and started tapping away at the keys. A few moments later he had a screen open showing all seven of the building's security feeds.

"Secure network, ha."

"Good?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, we're set to go whenever you want. You want Aoba to go first?"

"Yes." Kakashi nodded and turned to their friend. "I'll follow in about a half hour."

Aoba sighed and stretched his arms over his head. "Okay, just don't start jerking each other off and forget about me."

"Oh, don't worry." Kakashi ran a hand through his hair. "It wouldn't take us half an hour to jerk each other off."

"Yeah," Genma added, "Kakashi's got those gloves, and I'd get tired after a few minutes and start using my mouth—"

"OKAY!" Aoba turned and headed for the door. "I know I walked right into that one, but give me a break!" The door opened and slammed behind the special jounin after he stepped out.

Genma snickered as he finished off the last of his sushi, and grinned across the coffee table at his team leader.

"I wouldn't keep doing it if he didn't react like that," the Copy Nin sighed.

Shrugging, Genma set the sushi plate on the table, "He doesn't mean half of what he says anyway."

Kakashi snickered. "He's even more fun than Sasuke."

"Yeah, but Uchiha's actually gay, isn't he?"

Kakashi nodded. "He's with Naruto."

Genma nodded. "I thought so. Everybody knows, why's he still in the closet?"

"There is no closet, that's just the way he is," Kakashi stated, and Genma heard the affection in his words.

"I hear the adoption finally went through."

Kakashi nodded as he sat up. The jounin rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed, and Genma was charmed by Kakashi's obvious happiness at his new charge. Most would say that Kakashi was the farthest from a father figure one could get, but if they could see the way he looked when he talked about Sasuke, they would think differently.

"I know he's too old for it to really matter anymore," the Copy Nin murmured, "but I want him to have everything. Of mine, I mean. I could just put him in my will, which I have, but helps with paperwork and all that if you're actually related."

Genma smiled. "You're a great person to do that for him, Kakashi. There's still people out there in Konoha that want him dead."

Kakashi shrugged. "All the more reason to make sure he's taken care of should something happen."

"But it's not really just the money and estate though, is it?" Genma asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "No. It's also to let him know I really do trust him, and think of him as family."

Genma nodded slowly, touched by his friend's generosity and caring.

As Genma watched his friend relax and think about more pleasant things back home, it hit the tokujō that Kakashi was acting strange. It had taken a shift in his attitude to really see it, but as soon as the older man saw Kakashi happy, it was obvious that a few seconds before, the silver-haired nin had been preoccupied with something that troubled him.

I'm slipping, Genma thought to himself. I've been thinking too hard about not thinking of Raidou that I didn't notice something was wrong with Kakashi.

"Everything okay besides?" Genma asked directly; he knew it was best when talking with Kakashi. "You seem kinda down."

Kakashi chuckled again, "Says the guy who was practically crying outside the mission room this morning."

Genma froze, "I was not."

The younger jounin held up his hands. "Okay, you weren't."

Sitting back, Genma sighed heavily, knowing he was being childish. Kakashi stared at him, calmly but expectantly, waiting for Genma's inevitable caving. There was going to be no getting around talking with the Copy Nin about his problem, but now was not the time. He needed to do it over a drink, and not in the middle of a mission he was a key part of.

"Later, okay?" he asked in a low voice. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet. After the mission."

Kakashi sat forward and plucked the second ear piece from the table. "That's fair. I'll buy you a drink or something."

Genma watched his friend's long fingers press the piece into his ear. His movements were sure and precise like any ninja, but Kakashi's characteristic gracefulness was missing. It was rare to see the elite ninja looking so unsure, and it troubled Genma.

"Kakashi," Genma started. "You've got a few minutes before you gotta go."

Kakashi looked at him through his lashes. He sighed softly and rested his elbows on his knees.

"I think Ibiki kicked me out…"

Genma sat up. "What?"

Kakashi looked at his hands. "I told him I wanted to stop seeing people on the side, move in officially…" The Copy Nin chuckled without humor. "He didn't really like the idea…"

"Did he actually say it was over?" Genma asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "He didn't say anything."

"He could have just been a little shocked. Copy Ninja Kakashi isn't really known for his exclusiveness."

Kakashi laughed, his head tilting back as his one visible eye looking up at the ceiling.

"No… no I'm not. I just thought since we'd been together for three years… I don't know."

Genma dropped his arm and slid his own hands into his pockets. "I'm really sorry…"

Kakashi looked at him and his eye crinkled. "We can buy each other a drink then when we get back."

Genma nodded. "It's a date. Now get out of here before I make you give me a hand job."

Forty-five minutes later, Genma was drying his hands on a small hand towel as the door opened. The special jounin didn't look up because Aoba's chakra signature had given himself away a few minutes ago.

"Nice job," Genma called over his shoulder. "You're an awesome slut."

"Shut the fuck up." Aoba's chuckle was cut short with by a hiss of pain. "Can you get me a dressing? This thing fucking hurts. His bodyguard—the one with the Mohawk? He's a missing nin, isn't he?"

"Well," Genma snickered, "not anymore."

Genma pulled a med pack from his bag and turned to exit the bathroom. When he saw his team mate standing in the kitchen, back in his male form, but still wearing the skirt, tank, and high heels, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh, damn, Aoba," Genma breathed. "You look a hell of a lot better now than when you left."

"Yeah, you know what?" Aoba was glaring, but his eyes were filled with mirth. "I'll kill you. Just give me the dressing and get me my uniform."

"Fine," Genma sighed, "such a waste."

He tossed the med pack to Aoba and turned to get the younger man's clothes out of the bedroom. When Genma returned with Aoba's pants and under shirt, the living room's side window opened, and a large body came over the sill and landed with a loud thud on the floor. A slender, masked figure slid gracefully inside after, and Genma shook his head.

"You even managed to conceal his chakra signature. How the hell do you do that, Kakashi?"

Kakashi stood with his familiar slouch and shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets. His eye crinkled from a hidden smile, and he tilted his head to the side in feigned embarrassment.

Genma shook his head and pulled his fingers through his hair, securing his dark blond locks in a tight bun at the base of his skull. Blood on the skin and clothes was one thing, but blood in the hair was something that Genma always tried to avoid.

"You got smelling salts?" the tokujō asked.

Kakashi nodded and bent to lift their prisoner and set him in the chair Genma had prepared. It sat in the middle of the living room's open space, atop a large piece of rolled-out plastic. The jounin tied the man's arms and wrists together, and then duct-taped the prisoner's calves to the chair legs. Genma watched him the entire time, still enchanted by the younger man's smooth movements. Even while doing something like this, and slightly distracted on top of it, Kakashi was one of the most graceful figures he'd ever seen.

"I should just wait and let him wake up on his own," Genma muttered. "His headache would be worse."

Kakashi looked his way and chuckled softly.

"Well, I could whack him on the back of the head a couple times before I bring him out of it. He'd feel that."

Genma snickered in reply and shook his head. "I'd love to see that," he pulled a chair from the table and set it directly in front of their captive, "but it'll be easier to get the information out of him if he doesn't have brain damage."

As Genma made himself comfortable, Aoba retrieved his long-sleeved shirt and sandals and headed for the door.

"You guys have fun," he said. "Last time I stayed around to watch Genma do his thing, I couldn't eat for like a month."

Genma waved to him and turned to his team leader. Kakashi pulled a field med pack from his flack vest and dug smelling salts from the small, mesh pouch. He ripped it open and held it under the prisoner's nose.

"Gyah!" The man's eyes opened, and he started to struggle even before he had taken a look around.

Genma didn't move. He sat nonchalantly, waiting for the man to notice him. When he did, the prisoner's eyes widened, and they flicked to Kakashi momentarily before turning back to Genma, and then back to Kakashi.

Kakashi held up a hand. "Hi."

"What the fuck do you want with me, shinobi?" the man growled. Sweat ran from his temple, getting caught in the several days' worth of stubble covering his jaw.

Genma smiled and lifted his leg to rest his ankle on his opposite knee. He leaned to the side, placing his chin in his hand, and tapped the tip of his senbon on the wooden armrest.

"I want to know where the fifty-three girls that have disappeared over the last two months have gone."

The man snorted and spit onto the plastic. "You're asking the wrong person."

Kakashi's fist connected with the prisoner's face. To Genma, the punch was nothing, merely a warm up for what was to come, but the man taped to the chair before him groaned in pain and threw his head back as blood gushed from both his nostrils.

Genma lifted his hand, nimbly rolling the sharp piece of metal over the tops of his fingers. There were several ways to go about an interrogation, and Genma had been taught all of them thoroughly. The tokujō had always found it more effective to do less, just let the prisoner sit and stew over what could happen to them. Unfortunately, there was not enough time for something like that. Psychological torture took days and sometimes weeks to be effective. The classic to the point method was what was going to be the surest route this time, and that was fine. Genma liked the to the point method. Ask the question, if they don't answer right away, hurt them. Ask the question again, if they don't give in, hurt them some more.

It was old fashioned, but hey, why reinvent the wheel?

"Seriously, sir," Kakashi said sweetly. "You're gonna want to start telling my friend here stories about smuggling girls packed with drugs over country lines before he gets bored."

The prisoner snickered, turning his face to wipe the blood from his upper lip on his sleeve. He met Kakashi's eyes and sneered, showing a straight line of blood stained teeth.

"Go to hell," he growled.

"Oh dear," Kakashi sighed.

"Fuck you."

Genma then stood, ready to begin what was probably going to be a relatively short session. He flipped the senbon through his fingers and opened a pouch at his side that held nine more of his deadly weapons.

"Kakashi," Genma said, his voice flat. "Hold his fingers."

Genma sat staring at the sunset when Kakashi came to talk to him. The team had completed the mission, extracted the information, and gotten out of the town almost six hours ahead of schedule. Now they were back in Konoha territory, but still a day from home. Aoba had suggested a short camp, as the three of them hadn't slept in over forty-eight hours, and Genma always turned in better mission reports when he wasn't running on fumes.

Genma had offered to take the first watch, but Kakashi hadn't even pretended to get ready for sleep. The moment Aoba's snoring had started, the Copy Nin had moved up behind Genma and straddled the log the tokujō was sitting on. Facing him, the masked ninja folded his hands together between his legs and stared at the older man.

"You know," Genma muttered, "it's really creepy when you do that."

Kakashi nodded. "I know, that's why I do it. But I also know it's the fasted way to get my teammates to talk to me."

"What are we talking about?"

Kakashi tilted his head to the side. "Are you going to clean up?"

Genma looked down at his uniform. Blood splatter covered his flack vest, and the browning mess caked his hands and arms. He was sure his hair was crusty as well, but he hadn't had the nerve to check yet.

"It'll come out. I'll wash when we get home."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, but scooted closer before he spoke. "Do we really have to wait until we get home to talk about what's fucked you up so bad?"

Genma felt pressure at the backs of his eyes. His restraint was slipping fast after the session with the prisoner. He desperately wanted to go home and report and get back to the safety of his apartment before he broke down, and if Kakashi was going to keep talking to him in that caring and gentle voice, he was going to snap.

"Please, not now, Kakashi," Genma's voice trembled. "I can't do it now. The mission is over, let's get the info back and finish reports before I open myself to that." He felt Kakashi's hand on his shoulder and he took a deep breath. "Thank you… thank you for caring. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you're worried about me… But if I let it out now…"

"Okay…" Kakashi squeezed and rubbed the tense muscles in Genma's shoulder. "I won't press you now. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry."

"Okay, I'm not sorry."

Genma chuckled and slapped at his cheeks. "Okay, I think… would it be all right if I slept?"

Kakashi nodded. "I'll take the first watch."

Genma smiled at him, his heart beating heavily at the tender look the younger man was giving him.

"Thank you."

Kakashi shrugged. "It's fine… Don't forget I'm here if you need me."

Genma nodded, but was startled out of his appreciation of Kakashi's kind look by Aoba's annoyed groan.

"God, you guys are so fucking gay…"

TBC