Chant d'Automne

Chapter 7: We’ve Chased Our Pleasures Here

Gingerly, Hinata picked her way along the rocky embankment and through the scraggly plants that grew next to the stream. She was looking for a calm, shallow spot in the water, secluded enough to bathe, but the stretch where they had made camp was too narrow and rocky.

Soap in one hand, and a thin towel over her arm, the young ninja had set out to restore her personal hygiene. However, the search for a suitable bathing spot was proving difficult. She got dirtier with each step, burs sticking to her pant legs, and dirt sliding into her sandals, which were now more brown than blue.

Every few seconds her thoughts came back around to Kakashi, the book…her crime. No, it wasn’t a crime. Bad judgement? Probably.

What would Kakashi do if he found out? Whatever he could think of, it couldn’t be that bad. The worst that could happen would be that he would refuse to train her. What else could he do? Sic the ANBU on her? He would revile her- that would be disappointing. His company was…unique. She would miss being around him in some ways. She could rarely tell what the man was thinking or how he felt. Oddly, that made him less stressful to be around. Unreadable as he was, he returned kindness with kindness, a smile with a smile. He had a personal sense of fairness, she decided. Besides being insanely attracted to him, she admired him, and cared what he thought.

From upstream, a faint tinkling sound reached her ears. A few more steps, a little dirtier… but, Ah! Salvation! Quite unexpectedly Hinata had come across exactly what she had set out wanting to find, but not really expected.

An oblong pool, water still save for small shimmering ripples where it flowed in and out, was nestled inconspicuously amid long-branched, drooping trees, bushes and wild flowers. The dark greens and muted white and pink of the flora contrasted sharply with the unnaturally bright blue sky, visible through the canopy and the golden light that poured through the air like oil on water.

She eagerly stripped off her clothes. First the heavy purple jacket, then the equally impractical dark pants. Really, what was she thinking? It was the end of summer, the hottest time of the year, and she wore all dark, light-absorbing colors, and had long dark hair that stuck to her face and neck when she got sweaty. Disgustingly dirty sandals were next discarded, and last her hitae-ate, which she placed carefully inside one sandal. Then, soap in hand, she slipped in delicately.

The water was heavenly. At least, what she imagined heaven must be like. It was soft, relieving, healing. It felt like… sex.

No! Of course it didn’t. She couldn’t say that because she had never actually done it. There was that one time with Kiba, but she had always thought something so brief and, well, unsatisfying shouldn’t count. And it hadn’t been all the way. She hadn’t really been into it either, Kiba had just persuaded her that she should try it and, as a naïve fifteen year old, she had made herself believe him. Stupid.

But real sex… She mused as she lathered her entire body with vigor. Soap had never smelled this good.

Real sex was probably closer to the rather florid writing in Icha Icha Paradaisu. Maybe not exactly the same. She definitely didn’t have any ‘aching globes.’ She looked down at her breasts and wondered, before she could stop herself, what Kakashi would think of them. Would he be aroused? The thought sent a pulse to the pit of her stomach.

Hinata quickly splashed water over herself, washing of the soap- anything to distract her from the warmth radiating from her core.

There was no harm in thinking about him, though, she rationalized. No one was around and her thoughts would be in the privacy of her own mind. No one would know.

She ducked under the water for a second, just to clear her head. This mild obsession worried her. She had always thought of herself as rational. After getting over Naruto (admittedly, he was now more ‘desirable’ than when she had had a crush on him), she had promised herself, no more obsessions.

The shock of the cold water all over her sensitized skin, however, only exacerbated her state of arousal. And the waves, rippling from the waterfall, tickled her legs constantly too, as if trying to seduce her to do what was on her mind. It was not a life or death situation. Who would possibly see her if she did this? Kakashi was otherwise occupied…

She waded to a rock that jutted a little above the water level and perched on it carefully. This was not a standing-up activity, not for girls. She giggled slightly to herself when she realized the implications a ‘standing-up activity’ had for men, especially in the context of what she was doing now. How strange… she normally wouldn’t have made that sort of dirty-minded connection, but being around Kakashi so much made her more aware of those things.

As she moved her hand downward, between her legs, she relished the heat of the sun coming down on her, that she could feel it on her stomach and legs and toes instead of just her face. He was a pervert. She said this to herself over and over, as her hands, one on a breast, one between her legs, made increasingly faster motions. He was a pervert, and, for some reason, that turned her on.

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Hinata made the walk back to camp on slightly shaky legs. Her heart was still beating faster than normal, and there was still a slight tingling radiating from there. Kakashi was probably back at camp, wondering where she was. How could she face him? She couldn’t simply forget what she had done, what had passed between him, and how she was beginning to feel. Or how he felt. She was sure he did.

She reached the small clearing where they were camped and scanned the scene. Kakashi wasn’t there. Neither was his tent, or any sign that anyone had been there except her.

Had she taken too long? It was entirely possible that he had grown tired of waiting and left without her. Although, he needed her research, didn’t he? That was his incentive for being here in the first place.

There was a rustling behind her and she turned-

Coming face to face with Kakashi.

“Yo!” Kakashi’s usual greeting seemed more an expression of surprise.

They stood almost chest to chest. Hinata was miffed to discover that the top of her head only came up to his shoulder.

“Kakashi!”

“There you are. I saw you take- I mean, I see you took a bath!” She had never heard him stumble over his words before.

“Y-yes! She stepped backward and tripped, but Kakashi grabbed her arm in time. They then realized how close they were and took a few uncomfortable steps apart.

“It was-” she coughed “- enjoyable.”

He gave her a sideways look, not missing the double entendre. “I’m sure it was. Are you all packed?”

She looked over at her things, still scattered on her tent. His eyes followed her gaze.

“Not quite, hmm?” He crossed his arms and loomed over her. His hair seemed to darken to shadowy gray, and his visible eye became hooded and a bit menacing. “I gave you half an hour, and it’s been over forty-five minutes now.”

“Sorry, sensei…” Oh, gods. Did he know? He had noticed she was gone. He could have found the book!

“When I tell you to be somewhere at a specified time, I expect you to be there.”

“Yes, sensei.” Reprimands from imposing figures were nothing new to Hinata. Her father had never failed to find something to criticize about her, whether it was that her hair was too short, or that her cooking was not very appetizing. The only appropriate way to respond was to calmly and quietly accept the criticism and move on.

“I told you not to be late, didn’t I?” He continued.

“Yes, sensei.”

“Ah!” He brightened and laughed, and the dark cloud that seemed to surround him dispersed. “Then you’re off the hook this time. I was late too, so if I punished you, I would have to punish myself as well.”

Hinata wondered briefly what kind of punishment he had planned… her mind immediately considered all kinds of indecent possibilities. Tied up in the woods, with no one around… how obscene! He obviously meant extra exercises. He would watch her run laps and do push-ups, and she would get sweatier and sweatier until she had to take off her jacket, under which she was wearing a thin white tank top… Sometimes she wished she had the courage to make it obvious how she felt.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of trees and blue sky. Kakashi led the way for the most part, so she got a nice view of his ass for the better part of seven hours. They made only one stop, to replenish their water supplies, and then kept moving.

There was little conversation, as Hinata was too busy trying to keep up. Her body, out of shape due to disuse for a few years, was still adjusting to the rigorous ninja standards. Ten meter jumps used to be easy, a daily occurrence during training, but now each on was a strain. Kakashi had noticed early on, but only reminded her that she had asked for this. His only consolation was that they would reach the town by the end of the day- if they kept going.

Hinata had been unable to suppress a sigh, which her teacher’s sensitive hearing picked up on, although he was ahead of her and moving quickly.

“Just a little farther,” he called back.

“Okay,” she panted, too out of breath to say anything else.

Just as she said this, despairing that her body would give out before then, the spaces between the trees widened. The town, as promised, came into sight. She hadn’t had many expectations, but it was much larger than she had anticipated. It occupied a small valley, filling the corners and encroaching on the small hills to the north. And south. A shining river wound through the buildings, looking untouched and pure among the shadows and smoke. Further off, at the eastern end of the city, Hinata could see a taller edifice, shrouded in foliage, seeming at once to stand out and blend in. It shone the same gold as the river, a beacon to travelers and pilgrims. At her prompting, Kakashi explained that it was the palatial residence of the country’s eccentric feudal lord.

Wanting to know more, but not wanting to bother her teacher, Hinata began to take off her backpack in preparation for camping.

“What are you doing?” Kakashi looked at her, his profile washed in light from the setting sun.

“Shouldn’t we set up our campsite before it gets dark?” She asked.

“You can, if you want.”

“What about you?”

“I know a good place in town.”

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Author’s Notes: Aah… I am so, so, so sorry for the time between updates! School work and personal issues all converged this month into one giant, congealed mass of crapiness. Unfortunately, this mass has yet to completely dissolve, so future updates, probably through mid-June, may be similarly late.

So, I have a question for everyone: Would you prefer more frequent, one-chapter updates? Or do you want me to continue posting two chapters at a time (so updates are fewer and less frequent)? If no one says anything, I will continue to post two chaps at once.

Must give credit to the Doors, for chap title. From the song “Break on Through.”