Following You Part 2

[edellin]

Title: Following You
Author: Edellin
Rating/Warning: M for violence
Summary: Written for the AU challenge of the KakaSaku LJ community. My theme was witchcraft/wizardry.  Witch Hunting. People say you can love someone that doesn't love you back, go to the deepest depth of hell for that someone. But can one love the man that captured her and decided she was going to be burnt alive? Can that man, who so easily labeled her as a lesser being, love her too?

She woke as she felt the sun on her face and cracked her eyes open unwillingly. The hunter was preparing something close to the fire but she couldn't see what. With great difficulty, she sat up and let a small cry of pain escape her. Her back was still in a lot of pain, due to the awkward position she had been during the first night, the countless hours of walking and the bad stance in which she slept.

He turned to look at her and she saw something in his eyes that confused her, even scared her. It was a glimpse of an emotion she couldn't identify; it was close to interest and fascination but also something else that made her feel she was in danger. She bit her tongue and tightened her fists until it hurt to overcome the sense of fear and took a big breath.

She had to give this whole unplanned plan of hers another chance. Before she opened her mouth, though, he spoke. "You have approximately three weeks, witch," he told her in an emotionless tone. Her eyes widened in surprise and then she felt a wave relief wash over her; she had some time.

"Thank you," she mumbled in a low voice. He gazed at her for a moment and she felt again that same fear and danger coming out of him. After a moment of silence she decided to take a step forward and try to approach him. "My name is Sakura." she said in a low voice again. For some unknown reason she couldn't talk to him in a higher tone than that.

He didn't respond and she wondered if he had actually heard her but when he got up and moved closer to her, she knew he did. "Really?"

She nodded and leaned back, feeling he was way too close for her to feel comfortable. This was not wise according to her plan; she shouldn't make him think she didn't like his presence but her body acted instinctively.

"Did your parents give you that name because of your hair?"

She shook her head and took a big breath to calm herself; her heart had accelerated and she felt her blood rush wilder in her veins. "It was my grandmother's name."

"So it's a coincidence you have that name and that hair color, huh?" It was more like a rhetorical question but she nodded in agreement. He chuckled slightly as he viewed her face. She wanted to lower her gaze and hide her face somehow, anything to make him stop looking but she remembered her plan, her only way to return home and prolong her life, so she looked back at him bravely.

"Your hair color is weird too." she stated after a moment. It wasn't just the color, though, that was peculiar; it was also the style. Not bad or unfitting for him. Now that he was so close, she took the chance to study his face too, or what she could see of it at least.

He was actually good looking. He had that masculine beauty that followed a mature man. Different from the beauty her previous boyfriends had with their baby faces.

More appealing, she decided. Time had been good with him. If she survived, she would try to be with someone older than her. Well, he wasn't that old. He seemed to be around his early thirties.

"Still you like it." This brought her out of her random thinking and she glared at him. Was she that obvious?

"N-No!" she denied and turned away from him.

She heard him chuckle behind her and she felt even more embarrassed. "Don't worry, you are not the only one," he said and she turned to look at him with a dumbfounded expression. "My name is Kakashi." he said and again went close to the fire.

The following night, Sakura sat down and lay down tired. The hunter went to her and tied her legs. She waited for him to finish and then lay more comfortably. He got up without saying anything and went to gather branches for the fire.

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes tiredly. She had to initiate a conversation again so the small progress they had made that morning didn't go to waste. She shouldn't let him over think the situation because he was going to over analyze it; he seemed that type of person, the one that always tried to think and plan his actions, concerning his work at least.

And she needed a bath. She was sweaty and hadn't had a bath for four days. He could say whatever he wanted about her needs and how inhuman they were, but she needed to clean herself. Even if she was to die in the end, personal hygiene was important.

Soon he returned and placed the branches along with some stoned to keep the in place. He raised his hand and soon fire was born out of them. He looked at his hand and then glanced at her.

This surprised her for a reason. Could this be a chance for her to learn about his magic, and maybe the magic the hunters used generally? She took a big breath and gathered her courage to speak.

What was the worst that could happen to her? What could he do?

He could rape her but he didn't seem to be the type to do that. He looked like the man who got enough sexual satisfaction in his life; not a sex deprived person. He also seemed like the man who liked to feel wanted. So rape was something she didn't think of him capable of doing, of wanting to do.

He was going to kill her; he had reduced her to an animal, lower than a human creature. He had stripped her of her powers so he couldn't really do anything worse to her. "Isn't it a sin to use magic?" she asked him finally.

He raised his head and just looked at her for a moment. "We are not the same." he told her and turned away from her again, taking out of his bag something to eat.

"Says who?" she asked again. He looked at her again, while chewing, with an annoyed look.

After swallowing, he got up and went to sit in front of her. "Someone," he answered.

She chuckled at that and a crooked smile appeared on her face. "You don't have an answer." she threw him, challenging him to deny her accusation and show her once again who was the man behind the occupation of the hunter.

Kakashi's eyes flickered in anger but didn't reply to her comment. She smirked at him and lay back, trying to seem relaxed and cool, while in the inside she was feeling ready to explode from the nervousness. His presence close to her was again affecting her heartbeat. Her body was reacting for an unknown reason to his. And the worst thing was that he seemed to understand that.

"Or perhaps you weren't lying." she told him after seeing that he was not answering. "Maybe someone really told you that. Just someone. A person so insignificant that could only be described as someone."

"My teacher," he said to her. "He told me that I am not like you."

"Did he justify that statement?"

He looked at the fire, this time him avoiding her eyes. "Because I have human blood in me." he muttered lightly. "Sakura." he added and turned to look at her.

"Human blood?" she asked confused. Of course he had human blood. She had human blood, although he didn't accept it. They both did. How was that relevant to the justification?

Kakashi kept looking at her face and she did her best to not blush or anything because of the intensity his eyes held. "I am half a wizard and half a human" he admitted to her.

She widened her eyes for a second and then understanding finally hit her. That explained a lot about his abilities; he was trained by the parent that knew of magic. "That doesn't make you half human." she calmly stated. "You are just human, fully human."

He chuckled at her words and looked at the stars. "Says who?" he asked, imitating her earlier question.

"Logic," she answered easily. "Emotions." she added. "These two rule human's lives and they both show that we are both humans. Having a gift from a divine being, however you believe it to be, is nothing to feel ashamed of or sad about." She moved a little closer to him. "It's not the power by itself that is godly or evil."

He seemed now uncomfortable and ran a hand through his silver hair. He looked around, everywhere but her face and that made her feel a wave of female power rush over her.

"Can you say that every human is from the moment they are born good or bad?" she asked him. He froze for a moment and then raised his head and looked at her with a cold and angry look.

"You are not human." he told her coldly.

She answered his look for a moment, wondering if she could help the man see how wrong he was. He was of a magic heritage but if he continued to think like that, he'd hate himself for the rest of his life; he could never be in peace with his nature. Her compassionate nature took hold of her and she felt a need to comfort the man, to try to show him how beautiful the gift was. He was obviously in distress with himself because he was using magic to capture others whose only crime was that they used magic.

"Says who?" she asked him and moved a little closer. He looked back at her and a moment of silence ruled. Then he got up and moved away from her.

He sat down close to his stuff and lay down, turning his back at her. "Go to sleep," he instructed, finishing their previous conversation.

Sakura made a grimace at him mockingly and lay down too, looking at the stars. Then suddenly she remembered something she wanted to ask him and sat up by jumping up. "I forgot!" she exclaimed and he turned to look at her surprised and annoyed by her catching his attention again. She turned at him and blushed slightly. "I need to bathe."

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "And don't start that again about me not being human so I don't have needs that mortals do." she cut him as he opened his mouth to retort. "I am going to die a horrible and painful death, but I still want to be clean until the flames take over my body."

He seemed to tense because of what she just blurted out. He opened his mouth, or seemed to do that behind his mask, but didn't say anything for a moment. "Now?" he asked rather lamely and she raised an eyebrow. His tone was nearly shy.

He seemed to be so much like the cool, dark guy, the perfect hunter that didn't go against the rules and always succeeded, it was almost funny for him to ask anything in that tone. She held back a smirk and tried to keep her expression as neutral as possible.

"Or tomorrow morning?" she offered an alternative option. A moment of silence ruled between them before she smirked at him. "You don't have to join, if you don't want to." she added in a fake shy tone. "You can just hold my clothes while I bathe so I won't escape." she crawled to him and he looked at her suspiciously. "I won't start running around naked." she told him, sounding a little offended.

"I am going to be there." he told her and moved closer to her. He untied her and she stretched after she was able to move her body. "Let's go." he said and started walking. They reached a small lake and he sat on a rock and stared at her.

She started taking off her clothes but before she even managed to get her blouse off, she felt his eyes on her, and that strong feeling of fear and danger took over her again. Why? She wasn't that afraid of him when he was cold and more distant towards her. She looked at him and he stared back at her with a strange look, a look that was hiding something but she couldn't tell what.

"Can you turn over?" she asked but again her voice was low. He didn't move like he didn't hear her. "Please?" she tried again, louder this time.

He turned his head so he wasn't directly looking at her but she was also not out of sight. It was the best he would offer her, so she started undressing again. This was the plan, for him to be interested, but for some reason now she didn't want that attention.

Maybe the reason she felt that fear and danger coming out of him was the beginning of lust? Maybe she was succeeding without realizing it? She glanced at him briefly, to see if he was still looking away. Or maybe he was just toying with her so she wouldn't dare to try to escape? He may not want her to relax because they exchanged names and had a more humanly relationship now.

Or all of them?

He may lust her but that is a basic urge all males have. He could just fuck her and the next morning send her to her executioner. She couldn't be the first witch he captured, neither the first female that was trying to use her womanly characteristics to use him. A previous witch, older and more experienced than her, may have tried it.

And possibly failed. Was she too naive to think that she had chances winning this, getting out of here alive just on her own?

She was afraid that, yes, she was. She took off her pants and underwear and immediately jumped into the lake.

The water was cold and she shivered. It was enjoyable, though, the feeling of water and its coolness.

She relaxed inside the water and let out a sigh of exasperation she didn't know she was holding. Her body was forced to its limits and now all the pain came back, showing her she needed to rest well. But she couldn't do that because her well being didn't matter to him and she was meant to die. There was no reason for him to let her rest. He probably wanted to bring her as soon as possible to her pyre and get paid for his hard work.

His hard work equaled her death.

Sakura wanted to hate him. Before her capture, she did hate all the hunters for not letting them be, but she couldn't hate him for any reason. She glanced at him, who immediately looked away. She couldn't hate him because he was like her; he just felt ashamed about it.

In a way, he needed more help than her; she was in peace with herself while he... he was in need of an excuse for who he was. She studied him and he looked back at her with those mysterious dark eyes. How would it feel to despise yourself for being your parent's child?

Sakura adored her parents and their deaths cost her a lot. She was proud of them, wanted to prove to the world around that she was strong and unique. She wanted her father and mother to be proud of her, wherever they were. She always felt them close to her.

They always tried to help her, save her.

She dove down to wet her hair when she suddenly felt a strong wave of magic crush her. She felt lost in its power but not afraid. The power was welcoming her, hugging her protectively. She felt amazed and overwhelmed thanks to the magic that ran inside her, thanks to that wave. Nature was on her side it seemed.

Her eyes opened suddenly and she looked above, where her captor was. If she didn't appear soon, he would suspect something was wrong. Some divine power was giving her this message, this chance to use it to her advantage. She quickly concentrated again and merged her now released power with the lake energy. She desperately sent a sign to her people through the water. Somehow witches that were affiliated with the water would read her scream for help, hopefully. And if they didn't make it to save her, they would be warned about the hunter that used magic to capture her. They would know his face, his aura. At least they would survive and protect themselves.

This was perhaps her last gift to them, her last expression of love and respect. This was how her parents and tribe taught her to live, always thinking of her family, village and its well being.

She moved her legs and rose above the water again, taking a big breath. She shook her head and smiled a genuine smile. She was refreshed and in a way happy. The feeling of that power left her and she again felt empty because of the hunter's spell but even that couldn't make her sad at the moment.

She looked again at the man and she gave him a challenging look that made him gasp. She closed her eyes and smiled slightly; she was affecting him and he certainly lusted her now. She felt a wave of feminine power rush over her body and reached the core of her being. She was pleased, flattered by his interest. If she played well with the one string luck gave her, she could win, perhaps, and could return home.

XXX

The hunter was not sure if that was a good idea. She was affecting him way too much with her clothes on; if he saw her naked and wet he couldn't be sure that he would control his urges. Every passing moment, he desired her even more. From the moment she showed him how human she was, from their first verbal interaction, he was tempted to try her, see how she would speak as he made love to her, how she would react during the morning next to him.

But these thoughts and queries should be buried deep inside his head. No matter how unique his body felt next to hers, how smooth her skin was, how peculiar her looks, she was a demon in heart. This was the only truth.

She was a witch; a strong one, too. She was using this appearance to mislead others, faking innocence and emotions. This was what God's representatives said. This was the truth and he should never question it.

But... again... he couldn't help but not think that he was also using magic. He was half human from his mother but also half wizard from his father, who was killed when he was very young. He hardly remembered him. His mother died before his father but, from what he remembered, they were happy, in harmony. He was respectful towards her and he was broken after her loss.

He shook his head slightly. He didn't think of his father usually; he wanted to forget they were related. But... he felt loved by his father.

He took a breath and suddenly felt sad. The girl asked him to look away and he did; although he could still watch her from the corner of his eye. He resisted but stole a glimpse. He only managed to get a very general idea of her body but the image, despite how little it lasted, was breathtaking.

She had smooth skin, with no marks, and he suddenly wanted to dip his teeth in it and leave a mark; his mark.

He shook his head again and she jumped into the lake. He turned his head and looked hungrily at her body, guessing how it looked, under the water. It was night so he couldn't see anything; the water was so dark.

But her bare shoulders with her head on top of the water, as the light of the moon fell over them was so sensual, it made him tremble. He could see nothing of her body but this little part of her, exposed at him who knew she was naked under the water, as it was kissed by the silver light aroused him to no end. He had never felt so drawn to anyone. Not even the best whore he'd been with had made him so quickly aroused.

She was not attracting his body , for he could control his body. It was far worse, far more unique than anything he had ever lived. Her aura, her magic, was flirting with his. It was the first time he felt he could connect with someone that way.

He didn't need to hide from her, like with all the other lovers and relationships he had. He was a creature of magic with her and she knew and she accepted. Because they were the same.

He took a big breath and bit his tongue furiously, until he felt the taste of blood. He looked at her again; she was under the water, but her form was slightly visible, betraying only that she was there but not the details of her body. She looked again, as she was enjoying the water, so human.

Then after a painful long moment, as he was gazing at her body, admiring its mystery, ~ it was like nature was hiding her from him, him and his wild emotions ~ she appeared again and this time most of her upper body was in his view.

The sight was simply delicious; her small but tight breasts, looking like they were made of something else but human flesh, her wet hair that now seemed longer because of their stated and glittering because of the moon. He wanted to cry for a reason.

She was not playing with his magic; she was playing with his fantasy, his mind, his imagination. She had pressed a button he didn't even know existed within him and freed all those sexual fantasies. Before he always considered women that were normal and usual his type because they were what he wasn't, but now he found the idea of a mermaid, a fairy, an elf, a creature from the supernatural world far more fascinating.

As she was smiling, he understood the difference between that smile and the ones she had been giving him during their conversation. This was a genuine smile of happiness. Just taking a bath and enjoying the water was a reason for her to be happy.

Then she did the sexiest thing anyone had ever done to him; she turned and gave him a challenging look that made him gasp automatically. And he understood then that he was near a trap. Whether it was her trap or Satan's, he didn't know. Maybe they were the same. It didn't matter right now.

What mattered was that she was forming a bond with him and he was not trying to stop it. He couldn't remember when that started between them, the challenge, the small attacks of who could affect the other more, but he was certain that he was losing.

It was her fault. She initiated that stupid mind game. Maybe it was her revenge on catching her and leading her to the pyre; an emotional, magical and now also physical sex foreplay. Whatever it was, if it continued it would be impossible for him to return to his monotone, dark and lonely life.

This sight of her and his sudden hunger for learning her, magically connecting with her, being one with her in both spirit and body, for everything magical related, would never go away. She would always exist as the ultimate living fantasy that was not part of his imagination but of his past.

It would always be a reminder that he could have her, if he just went against the code. He could give in and get lost.

But he wouldn't. It was against the sayings, against the teachings. If he gave in, it was like he was accepting that he was like her and if he did that, he would never be able to hunt witches again and he would never finish this journey.

XXX

After an hour they were again where they had camped for the night. She was again tied and he was again sitting away from her. In a way, he was scared of her.

The tables were turned in a way now. She was watching him and he was hiding from her eyes. After cleaning herself and experiencing that unique feeling of power from the water, she was more confident in herself than ever. She clearly could make him hers. His magical side was being drawn at her and it was the first time that was happening to him.

She expected him to be silent all night, in need of some privacy and solitude, so he could put aside all the unwanted memories of the previous hours. But he surprised her and spoke.

"Sakura?" he tried to catch her attention.

"Yes?"

"Were you from the beginning able to use..." he seemed to be in a difficult position, like saying the word was so difficult, so forbidden, that he was afraid of saying it. He shook his head and turned his back at her completely and hugged his knees. "Never mind."

"Magic," she then offered simply. "You wanted to say magic." He didn't want to look at her but she was certain that she had his attention now. "Yes, I was able to use it from the beginning in a way."

He turned this time, curious perhaps, and looked at her eyes. "What do you mean?" his eyes asked but he didn't voice the question.

"I was always able to feel the power of nature, the magic in the air, but for many years I couldn't do spells. I was both restricted and unable to perform them. You see, in my village, there is a law that says we can't use magic for whatever reason and whenever it pleases us." he clearly seemed interested now and shocked perhaps. Again she felt a sudden wave of anger; he really did consider them inhuman. He had never thought that they had laws. "The magic is a gift and it can only be used appropriately."

He stayed silent for a moment and then his expression turned to a furious one. He was no longer able or willing to hide his emotions to her; they had somehow, just in some hours, broken their outside wall and played a dangerous game with more honesty than before. "You are lying."

"Am not."

"You are!" he insisted. "You can't have laws, you can't have an organized society that is founded upon laws," he paused and took a big breath "especially laws like that."

She was silent and he dared her with his eyes to answer. "Look in my eyes." she told him, nearly commanding him. He looked. "In my village there is a law that restricts us, its citizens. We are not allowed to use magic whenever it pleases us and for whatever reason." he kept looking at her with an angry expression. "Kakashi." she told him and his eyes moved to her lips, that, for the first time, uttered his name. "I am not lying."

He let out a breath and turned his back again.

"It doesn't mean that everyone obeys. Like with your laws, not everyone obeys. But you can't blame a whole race for one's crimes." she told him and she suddenly felt tears in her eyes. "If that's the case, then your race should be extinct too." she let the tears roll down her face, until they reached her lips. "Our race, Kakashi." and she let out a sob and turned her back at him as well.

They didn't speak again for the night. She cried to sleep, as silently as she could, and he stayed awake listening to her soft sobbing and the pain in it.

Our race, Kakashi.

Why did she say that, with so much pain in her voice?

XXX

The next morning he gave her food and they didn't even exchange a look. He didn't want her to talk again; it was painful and wrong, misleading. He didn't want to talk to her either. But he also felt that if he didn't tell her, now, something, they would never say anything else.

That was what logic was telling him he should do, but the idea didn't sit well with him. If she didn't talk, and they didn't communicate, that game would not continue. That challenge would not continue.

"I was able to use my powers from a very young age." he blurted out and waited to see if she would continue it.

In the end, she did. "How young?"

"Six years old," he said.

There was an inhale, a pause and he turned to look at her, to see if her facial reaction. What he met was a shocked Sakura, with open eyes and a half opened mouth. "Six years old?" she asked.

He nodded hesitantly and instinctively she tried to get up and move closer to him, which resulted in her falling down and her face meeting the ground. She let out a small gasp of pain. He was suddenly worried over her and without thinking, he moved to her side, helping her get up. "Six years old?" she repeated.

"Yes."

She let out a laugh and then a saddened expression was on her face and she looked at him again. "Six years old."

He felt his heart beating faster and hesitantly touched her shoulder. "What's wrong with that?"

She looked down and bit her lip. "It's proof that you are awfully strong" she said. He didn't understand her way of thinking. Why was that a reason for her to look so sad? "It's proof that so many like me will get burned, because they will not be able to defeat you, not able to escape from you and your magic."

She looked at the food and put it aside. This suddenly was no fun again. It was a desperate situation, a labyrinth of emotions and situations that she wouldn't get out of. She eyed the food again, the food he prepared, and suddenly she felt disgusted by it.

"I am not hungry." she said.

He looked at the food and then at her. "But you haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning," he told her weakly.

"I am not hungry," she repeated and looked at the sky "nor will I ever be again for the next weeks."

He hesitantly put the food closer to her again, but she simply moved it aside again. He took it then and looked at her once again. "I will keep it." he told her. "If you feel hungry later, tell me and we will stop for you to eat."

She looked at him, with her green eyes so empty, that he was suddenly alarmed by her look. It was in a way frightening. He had seen and admired those eyes the previous night when they were full of that determination and inner strength and it took only three words of his to push her into an emotional void.

"I will never be hungry again," she repeated. "Whenever you are ready, untie my legs and we will continue."

They walked the rest of the day without talking. This time he didn't put a rope to hold her; he just had her hands tied down and walked next to her. He offered the food to her again at night but she pushed it aside, saying the same words.

I will never be hungry again.

He hated those words. He was the cause of those words and the situation she was in. This continued for three more days, him offering food and her simply saying those words. It saddened him how disgusted she seemed to be with the idea of eating something he prepared.

She had given up and she had done it in the most human way possible. She didn't cry again but he saw her mourning her life every time she looked at the world around her. It pained him to see her like that.

Why did her current state affect him like that? He shouldn't feel anything for her.

It was one thing to lust someone, sexually desire her, and another to care because he was caring for her to the point that her now pale skin and sickly look worried him. He wanted to yell at her for not eating, tell her that what she did was stupid, but he couldn't because he was leading her to die. He was the one that made her not to want to eat. Why should she try to protect herself, take care of her body and its needs, when in two weeks approximately, she would get burned?

She would die a horrible and painful death as the flames would take over her body. That's what she said and he suddenly felt that he was the one that was going to get burned. He imagined how the fire would melt and eat his flesh as he would scream in agony. The sight was displeasing. He looked at the beautiful girl walking next to him and imagined her in that position. He didn't like it either. If it wasn't for his hard and strict training, he would probably have wept.

She didn't look well. She seemed dizzy as she stumbled upon her feet and fell. The hunter quickly caught her so she avoided crushing with the ground. She went limp in his arms as she had lost consciousness because of how much she pushed her body.

He gently lay her down and as he looked at her, pale like the dead and breathing so lightly that it seemed like she was not breathing at all, he felt for the first time guilt for what he was doing.

Before he had doubts, but now he felt guilt, like he knew that he was doing something wrong. He took her in his arms and hugged her, waiting for her to get up. After some minutes, she opened her eyes and tried to get up. He didn't let her, just held her in his arms.

She tensed when she understood what he was doing. She suddenly felt alarmed by how close they were, how much he could hurt her. She took a big breath and pushed him away weakly, her body moving with difficulty.

It was her fault, she guessed, that she was so weak; she had neglected her body but in a way she didn't care. It didn't matter. Maybe dying due to starvation was better; it would at least be her choice to die like that.

The hunter held her closer and she pushed him again, not wanting to get close to him. She should hate him but he was not just the hunter anymore; he was Kakashi. He was not just a character with no other characteristic but her captor. He had a name, a past that was troubling, and emotions. They had a relationship and that was the scariest of all. She couldn't hate someone when his actions were, if not justified, understandable.

And every time he tried to feed her, she felt bad for not wanting to eat. He did it so humbly, so gently, that she was angry at him for the same reason he was angry at her.

Why did he look so human? Why did he look so nice and act so well? He was the monster that her mother mentioned to make her sleep or eat. He was the ruthless killer that didn't know of them and their life, their way of thinking.

But he was a wizard and one that was in pain.

One that was in denial and hated himself for past mistakes and his own nature. For being his father's son.

One that was her killer.

One that she would force herself to hate.

She pushed him again but this time he pulled her in a real hug. "You have to eat," he whispered in her ear and she shivered because of the contact.

She tried to push him again but he didn't let her. Suddenly she felt herself being squeezed on his chest by his one hand, while the other hand opened his bag. She started pushing him away, moving frantically in order to put some distance between them.

Suddenly he let her go and she fell on her back. She let out a cry and quickly looked at him, her eyes betraying the anger she felt. He took a piece of bread and brought it close to her mouth."Eat," he ordered and pressed it to her lips that were closed. She turned her head stubbornly and he sighed in exasperation.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye and she watched him bite the bread and chew it slowly in his mouth. This confused her for a second and then she understood what he intended to do. He grabbed her and pinned her on the ground while he positioned himself on top of her. She stubbornly closed her mouth and the man, using his brutal strength, opened it and before she could react he crushed his lips on hers, forcing her to take into her mouth the chewed food.

His lips were soft and for a moment she stopped resisting and just let him move his lips and guide hers. He moved back and closed her mouth again, forcing her to swallow. She looked at him with accusing eyes, which moments later watered and she started sobbing.

He didn't move; just looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. She raised her eyes and for the first time looked at his whole face.

"Why?" she sobbed and trembled as she lay down and more tears ran down from her eyes.

He didn't answer at first and just untied her hands and gave her the rest of the bread. She took it into her hands and just stared at it, crying silently. She was not angry anymore with him or herself. She was just tired and had given up on both life and escape.

Silently, she gave it back and looked again at him with red eyes but no more tears. He didn't take it and she just shook her head to emphasize her denial. Hesitantly, he took it without taking his eyes away from hers.

"I will feed you like that, if necessary," he declared and she closed her eyes.

"I will never be hungry again," she told him once again and her eyes hardened and more tears threatened to fall down, but she didn't let them. "I don't have a reason to." she moved closer to him and pressed her body to his, bringing her face, her lips close to his. "Give me one valid reason for me to continue taking care of myself and I will." she challenged him.

He took a big breath after hearing her tone, looking at her eyes. She was coming back with her fierceness and inner strength.

But that wasn't for long, he knew. She would continue to not eat unless he told her a reason to do it. He, her captor, now had the task to persuade her to take care of her body and needs to live. It was ironic, really. He was the one who would make sure she'd die but he felt that he had to protect her so she would live.

He couldn't find something to tell her; he just knew that he had to feed her. It was illogical, irrational, but somehow that moment, it made so much sense to him. He had to make sure she'd eat. There was no reason why he should do that or what reason he had to do that.

He just needed to make sure she was going to eat.

He bit and chewed again while he kept her steady. She fought, resisted, but his strength overpowered hers and she found herself again pinned on the ground, him on top of her and his found again inside her. She refused to open up to him.

Then suddenly she felt a hand trailing down on her body softly and she felt aroused by that mere touch. It was like that feather light touch by that skin made her skin react in a way that no other male had ever managed to. It was intoxicating.

It was awfully enjoyable that one moment and she slightly gasped, forgetting what the man on top of her was planning to do momentarily. Then she felt his tongue delving into her mouth and the food was brought inside hers. She swallowed and let out a moan when the hand slightly touched her again and the man's lips were on hers again. She opened up this time and initiated the kiss, teasing him with her tongue, biting slightly his bottom lip and bringing her hands to rest on his shoulder and after a while to grab his hair.

It was all instinct. Neither of them thought about what they were doing, what they were supposed to do. They just acted upon instinct. How bad could that be?

Kakashi let out a gasp and pulled the female so she was sitting on his lap with her legs sprawled open and she could feel the evidence of his desire. He hugged her tightly and let his head rest in the crook of her neck, inhaling simultaneously the scent of her hair. He had never thought of doing that but at that moment he felt he had finally succeeded in doing something he desired for a long time.

The female moaned again and slightly opened his eyes. As he hugged her even tighter she hugged him back and tears rolled down her face.

That's not right.

But it felt so right, so nice, so easy to give in.

It's the plan!

But it felt so nice that it could easily stop being the plan. It could be her desire in a matter of seconds.

This has to stop.

But she couldn't find the inner strength to push him away, especially when he started sucking slightly on her neck. She eyed the man as she grasped again his hair and pulled it slightly. She took a big breath and bit her lip.

It has to stop now!

And she pushed him, showing him they had to stop. She got up off him and turned her back immediately at him, embarrassed. The silver haired didn't protest. She heard him take a big breath to calm himself and he got up too.

She turned to look at him and she saw he had once again covered his face with that mask. "This must never happen again," he simply said.

The pink haired witch nodded in understanding and raised her hands so he could tie her again. "Do not ever initiate something like that again," she answered him back "My well being is none of your concern, hunter." she said in a cold voice.

He took the rope and started tying her hands. This time the tie was lighter. She could even untie them on her own, if she tried carefully. He brought the rest of the bread and put in his back. "You'll eat it later," he declared.

"Do not ever initiate something like that again," she repeated without confirming that she would indeed eat the bread later.

The idea to eat something he made was disturbing. She just wanted this whole ordeal to finish. She wanted to die since she couldn't escape.

And the plan was not a solution. He did desire her, even perhaps deep inside care about her well being, otherwise his reaction towards her not eating couldn't be explained but it would never work. He was no idiot and his words were evidence that his mind didn't want to obey his body's desire and naturally in the life of a hunter, the mind would overpower the urges.

He would burn her, be there to witness it and continue for his next hunt, forgetting her.

But, it had really felt like he was also drawn to her as much as she was. That was also why the plan of seducing him wouldn't work; because she liked it way too much. And she was certain that if they continued this, whatever it was, she would be the one affected the most, not the man.

It was always that way; women felt more than men. She learned that by experience; her previous boyfriends were more interested in what they would gain from her than her as an individual, while she looked at the whole package, both the outside and the inside. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be a very good judge of people's character when it came to romance at least.

She had been treated badly by her previous boyfriend and, due to her stupidity and obsession-confused-with-love feeling, she overlooked it and tried to keep him as close to her as possible.

It was futile because he decided to leave and she could do nothing but beg him to change his mind. And he would, as usual, ignore her.

This was how men treated her. This was how the men she always found herself attracted to were. It was her type and she knew the hunter fit in that category. Maybe he was a little more sensitive at some subjects but in the end, it would be the same; she would be abandoned again.

This time, though, she wouldn't return home and cry herself to sleep. This time would be the last one. Somehow the idea that she would be the stupid little girl who fell for the hunter's charming looks and paid for it didn't sit well with her. She had tried so hard to get stronger both in magic and spirit. She had promised herself she would grow up.

And she intended to keep that promise.