One Day at a Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters and make no money from this.

Day Three: Splish-Splash

Sweat coated the duo's exposed skin generously, soaking through the thinner parts of their clothing. As soon as the sun had peaked in the sky, the temperate had sky rocketed. Nature sure had a great timing when it came to bestowing a heat wave upon them. Not a single word was exchanged by the two ninjas until the sky had turned dark and filled with stars, only looks needed for them to be able to agree on something as simple as deciding when to take a break and get going. The air had finally cooled around them now that the sun wasn't blaring, but it remained hot and humid nonetheless.

"Kakashi, isn't there a stream or something close by? I swear, everyone can smell us within a mile. This isn't professional." She sounded out of breath and exhausted. He was pretty certain that she was only exasperated by the heat and he wouldn't be surprised if half of it was just exaggeration. The little minx could be very manipulative when she wanted something. Though, he had to admit he wouldn't mind a dip in chilly water right now. The sun had been so strong today, the water would be the perfect temperature after having absorbed so much heat. His chin tipped up slightly and his lungs filled with a long and deep breath as he searched for the scent of mud and fish.

"Just about half a mile up ahead." His legs carried him a little faster, encouraged by the promise of a swim. A groan was emitted by the woman behind it and his eye drooped some more as he anticipated her next words.

"Kakashi-sensei, carry me!" He turned to glare at her, wondering how she could ask this. He was hot and tired, too. She could be such a whiny bitch at times, he wished he could just...

"I swear I'll make it worth your while when we come get back to Konoha." She sing-sang, bowing to a perfect ninety degrees with a sweet look adorning her cute face.

"Hop on." Came his response as he showed her his back, bending his knees and holding out his hands. He wished it was tonight that his free hot meal and full-body massage could be. Whenever she said this, he could be certain she was offering him an easy ticket to a free meal and her heavenly touch. Seriously, no one was better than her when it came to massages. She just sent you drifting on this fluffy pillow-like cloud to relax deeply while you experienced paradise. It was definitely worth a little more exertion for today.

He heard her squeal before she ran to him and climbed on his back quickly. He couldn't hold in the sigh that escaped his throat. So much for being so tired, she seemed full of energy now that he was doing all the work. His gloved hands gripped the back of her thighs when her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and he lifted her up to a comfortable position before he resumed his walk. She wasn't that heavy, really. He assumed her to be a hundred pounds only. His two-finger push-ups required much more effort than carrying her, yet were still easy to him. He could definitely do this if he got the promised reward.

"Kakashi-sensei, your back is wet. It's gross." He never understood why she made this kind of comment. Had she really expected him to be as dry as the desert with the sun being so unkind to them? She was so bossy.

"Well, what did you expect?" It was obvious that she was aware of the annoyance laced in his voice, yet she didn't seem to care. It wasn't surprising, really. This was how it always was.

"I was just saying. I think I'm more sweaty than you are anyway. Here." Her arms disentangled from him, allowing her fingers to press against the muscles between his shoulder blades as she worked her magic. Ooh, looks like she was giving him a little extra freebie. She must've felt a little guilty. He loved that girl. He groaned loudly as she hit the right spot a second later. Damn, that particular bit had been causing him pain for the past month. Maybe he should request her help more often.

"How do you know just where I'm hurting?" He breathed as he hung his head down a bit, trying to enjoy her touch as much as possible while he could.

"I can feel it. I just need to drag my fingers across your skin like this and I know what's going on underneath." Her tone was purely professional, her explanation mechanical as if she had said it a hundred times over, but when he felt her fingers glide down his arm and back up, he couldn't supress the shiver going down his spine. Damn it, this girl had the touch of an angel. She would make one lucky man happy some day.

"You had a puncture wound in your arm, just there, below the elbow about two months ago. You didn't tell me about this. Was it bad? I can't tell anymore at this point." Right, he'd blocked a shuriken. She had stopped her ministrations to his shoulderblade, sensing that she'd undone the damage he had inflicted to his poor body. Instead, she was now leaned fully against him with her arms back to their original position. Her cheek rested comfortably against the side of his neck. A little affection brewed in his chest for her right then. He was her closest friend, the person she spent the most time with. He prayed the gods that he would never do anything stupid enough to have this priviledge revoked, because he was deeply attached to this pink-haired devil that lay against his back.

She could be a whiny, bossy bitch at times, but he didn't know what he would do if he was to lose her. As much as he hated to admit it, she had sneaked past every of his barriers, one by one, until it bothered him to not hear about how his favorite student was doing for longer than a week. They were always close to the rest of Team 7, of course. She just had this special place in his heart, probably because she was the only girl in his team. Plus, she wasn't so bad. Her role was without a doubt that of the mommy of their group. She bossed everyone around and feared for their security all the time, but she was also there whenever one of them got hurt to nurse them back to health. As horrible as her unpredictable temper could be, he knew that she was really just a sweet and caring woman. A manipulative one who had him wrapped around her finger, but an amazing friend nonetheless.

"It wasn't that bad. Just a shuriken, it healed quick enough. Stop trying to get my medical history. It doesn't hurt, I promise." He reassured, not even lying for once. She hummed quietly against his neck, apparently trusting his response. That must've meant that she'd known exactly what state his arm was in. It was incredible how easy for her it was to diagnose people. It was like a second nature. That girl had really been born to heal, not to kill. She was a great fighter nonetheless thanks to her inhumane strength, but her forte was really the control she had over her chakra. It allowed her to do so many great things after all, like those out-of-this-world massages.

It hadn't taken so much longer to reach the stream. As soon as his female friend had jumped off his back, he had stretched it, his joints popping loudly. God, how old was he getting? The girl had quickly gotten ahead of him, disposing of her clothing without hesitation until she was stripped down to her underwear. It wasn't long before the jonin imitated her and walked to the edge of the stream. She jumped in the water first, disappearing under it for a few seconds before resurfacing and closing her eyes in pure delight.

"What are you waiting for, old geezer?" She teased him as she floated on her back, enjoying the way the water cooled her overheated skin. Did she really have to make a remark on his age? Already thirty-eight. Time just flew by. What he wouldn't give to be twenty again. Bah, who was he joking. He was in his prime. A ninja was like a fine wine, it only got better with age. The Third had proved that in his last battle. He ha been fearsome even in his advanced age. He slipped in the water quietly, unlike her.

"Look who's talking. You can't even walk by yourself." He threw back, his tone all too serious. There was no doubt that she didn't see him in any way as an old man. She was well aware of his peak physical condition and that it wasn't going to deteriorate any time soon. She was the one did who his physicals every year, after all.

"I just know how to get what I want." She purred, now standing in a shallow part and rubbing the grime off her thighs. It reached up to her mid-thigh only. He observed her for a second, noticing how this time she wore simple black cotton undies. She had never worn the same underwear twice to his knowledge. It piqued his curiosity, to say the least. Was it only luck, or did she consciously choose one she knew he had never seen? Or was she such a clean freak that she only wore them once before throwing them out? He'd have to investigate her underwear drawer some day.

"Only because you're lucky enough to have a sensei who's willing to give into your every whim. Your massages are too damn good to pass up on." He retorted, his still masked lips curving into a broad smile. She gave an indignant huff.

"It's like I said, I know how to get what I want. I made you carry me."

"Or did I trick you into giving me massage? You even gave me a free one on the way."

Her cheeks reddened a little, though he would be stupid to think she was being shy. He had experienced this moment often enough to know that it only meant he got her riled up. And that if he kept doing this, she would throw a tantrum. When she gave no other response, he proceeded to try and clean himself of the sweat that had dried on him all day. It really was uncomfortable.

As usual, they didn't speak much more for the night, only bidding each other good night when she went to bed and he took the first shift of watch. Snores came from her way a little later, signaling that the kunoichi was fast asleep. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to feel disturbed by this. Her company was warm and comforting. Addictive even. The last time he had felt like this towards someone else, it had for Rin and Obito, his two best friends.


Chapter Four: Click Here