Bitten Kisses

Kakashi steels himself, body tense as he waits for Zabuza to make a move. He knows he's out there lurking in the forest, utilizing the cover his Mist technique employs so well (he's starting to really hate this particular technique in all honesty). The forest remains silent, and the Mist thickens as it wafts around him, obscuring his immediate surroundings. When the silence stretches on, the Copy-nin resigns himself to trying to sniff out Zabuza's location, only to pause when his ears pick up on the smallest crack of a branch. 

The Copy-nin spots the large obscure shape of Kubikiribocho hurling fast towards him, and he swiftly strafes to the right, causing the sword to pierce the tree that had been just behind Kakashi. The bark makes a distinct crunching sound as the steel embeds itself halfway in. The hilt of the greatsword hangs just above Kakashi's left shoulder, and Kakashi takes the opportunity to fish out his trusty kunai, Zabuza's scent growing stronger as the rogue shinobi closes in. Just as an arm juts out of the thick fog to reach for the sword, Kakashi swings his right arm in an arch, wrapping it around Zabuza's head and angling the kunai so that the sharp tip sat at Zabuza's nape.

Both shinobi find themselves sharing the same breathing space, with Zabuza's elbow hanging right next to his head as he grips Kubikiribocho's handle. A stolen glance earns Kakashi a peek at the bandages just barely covered by the black and white arm sleeves Zabuza wears, which explains why the scent of blood grows stronger now that Zabuza is quite intently invading his personal space. There's a faint impulse that chimes in the back of his mind, spurred on by the scent of blood and the potential threat of full blown combat. Kakashi has to reign this impulse in, this feral urge to just tilt his head and sink his fangs into the meat of Zabuza's bicep. He's a bit surprised with himself, having not felt such impulses since he was an anbu operative. Such things were kept locked tightly within himself, repressed unbidden instincts that screamed for him to fight with bare hands and teeth against whatever was threatening him. It had been a long time since he's encountered someone who could drag these hidden little quirks about Kakashi to the surface, to tempt him to forgo all his diligent shinobi training and just snap his teeth at the throat of whatever danger was present. 

However, it is in part thanks to Kakashi's diligent shinobi training that he does not act on these impulses and instead focuses on the rogue before him as the two locked one another in a stalemate. Zabuza could easily attempt to yank Kubikiribocho down and force the lower half of the blade to cleave through Kakashi's shoulder and further down his torso, while Kakashi in the same breath could drive his kunai right into the base of the swordsman's skull. One move assured instantaneous death, the other an agonizing slow death.

Kakashi draws in a breath, the action causing him to further pull in the scent of blood and saltwater that clings to Zabuza's natural odor, and the Copy-nin cannot help but wrinkle his exposed nose at how overwhelming it was starting to become. Zabuza's scent was by no means bad per se, and under much better circumstances Kakashi would even be willing to admit that it was pleasant to his particular tastes. Right now, deadlocked in a stalemate with Zabuza, it only served as a distraction that threatened to overwhelm Kakashi's strongest sense. It was half the reason Kakashi wore his mask like a second skin while out in public, as the smells of people and animals and plants would sometimes just be too much all at once.

"Alright Ka~Ka~Shi." The sound of his name being dragged out in a voice that he equated to a rushing current dragging over gravel snatches his full attention, lone eye narrowing at Zabuza. "Let's talk."

Ah, yes....that was what Kakashi had led with, wasn't it? To talk, ninja to ninja without his students or a civilian around so that Kakashi could let some of his true colors show. 

"Mm. So for starters....Glad to see you aren't rotting in pieces for the local wildlife to feast on. Guess that Hunter-nin made a mistake and didn't deal a lethal blow." Kakashi's eye locks onto what he can see of Zabuza's bandaged face, searching for any slight shift in his expression to garner insight on how to proceed. "Or that was the exact plan you two cooked up working together hmm?"

One of Zabuza's thin eyebrows arch upwards, and Kakashi is vaguely reminded of Naruto insulting him for being an 'eyebrowless freak' during their first encounter.

"Heh. Glad to see you're still lively as well Kakashi." Zabuza dips into Kakashi's space just a bit more, having only a single inch in height over Kakashi so that the pair were mostly matched face to face. "Aww, well aren't you the clever one. How long did it take you to work that one out?"

"The same day. You should have been disposed of right then and there, regardless of our eyes on you."

"Hm. And yet neither you nor those brats did anything to stop that Hunter from taking my body did you? Or rather..." In a risky yet brazen move, Zabuza actually releases Kubikiribocho's handle to instead press his thumb against the metal of Kakashi's headband, applying the slightest bit of pressure against his hidden scarred eye. "You couldn't have done anything about him. Not after wearing yourself out the way you did."

"A rather bold assumption considering you were put in a death trance in the midst of our battle after I stuck you full of kunai."

"Almost as bold as wandering off from your little students despite apparently figuring out I was still alive. Oh and the limp? Cute. Happy to know I left a lasting impression on you Kakashi."

Well...okay, Zabuza had him there, the asshole.

"Maa~ Well you definitely left an impression on my kids." Kakashi fires back with, trying to keep Zabuza talking as he worked out a way to come out of this without further bloodshed. Zabuza no longer had Kubikiribocho within his grasp, having chosen instead to keep his hand cupped over Kakashi's headband, ensuring the Sharingan was kept hidden. That didn't mean Zabuza was any less dangerous, and movement catches the corner of his peripheral vision. Kakashi spots Zabuza's other arm drifting out of the mist to plant his palm against the tree, effectively boxing Kakashi in. 

"Good. It was about time they got a taste of what being a real shinobi is like, not the kiddie games Konoha teaches their Genin."

Kakashi feels the bottomless pit of self loathing that dwells within him growing as he finds himself agreeing with the Rogue-nin. Konohagakure did not prepare them for the kinds of battles that Kakashi and by extension, Zabuza, fought at their age.

Although in fairness, their client had lied about the sort of danger he was in.

"It was quite the eye opener for them Zabuza, I'll admit. Are you expecting a thank you for it?"

"I'm expecting you to stop stalling and finally give me a reason not to kill you right here."

Damn, he dislikes being called out so directly.

"Well, my trusty little kunai here..." Kakashi prods at Zabuza's nape with the blade "...should serve as a good deterrent." The Copy-nin observes Zabuza's face as he seems to consider the threat, and Kakashi is momentarily struck by an intrusive thought that regards Zabuza as being sort of handsome. At least based on what he can see of the Rogue's face. It is most certainly not the time or place for such thoughts, but the adrenaline that could spike at a moments notice upon the lingering threat of danger could sometimes cause odd reactions to one's body. Kakashi himself had endured quite a few startling instances in life or death battles of becoming erect under duress, and there was something about bloodlust without a proper outlet that could easily be tipped into...well lust.

Wasn't killing inherently intimate in of itself? Using your body and skills to snuff out another living being's life?

Kakashi's thoughts are encroaching upon dangerous and fucked up territory regarding his current enemy, so the Copy-nin shuns them away as he directs his attention back to Zabuza, of the scent of blood and saltwater, of Zabuza digging his thumb into Kakashi's headband a little rougher.

"Besides Zabuza..." Kakashi continues on, watching as Zabuza tilts his head ever so slightly to peer at him through thin eyelashes, and the silver haired man finds something disturbingly familiar lurking in those brown eyes. Huh...maybe Kakashi wasn't the only freak here. "I don't think you want to kill me. Not right now at least." Experimentally, Kakashi drags his kunai softly down the back of Zabuza's neck, charcoal colored eye not missing the twitch of Zabuza's right shoulder.

"Oh? And what gives you that assumption?" Zabuza is pressing closer, the pressure against his covered eye increasing as Zabuza leaves very little space between their faces. Kakashi counts the scales in his favor when he catches sight of Zabuza's gaze flickering down towards his clothed mouth before returning to meet Kakashi's lone eye. Ah, he can work with this now that he has an inkling as to what Zabuza wants from him. He needed a way to soothe his bruised ego after all, and if it couldn't be immediately settled with a fight, then...

"Pride. We're both shinobi. Powerful tools to be used to get the job done in any way necessary. But...there is something very satisfying about beating someone down while playing on equal footing, isn't there Zabuza?" A flare of the rogue's nostrils tells Kakashi he's on the right track. "My poor kids may have caught you off guard-" Zabuza's eyebrows furrow at the reminder "-but the real you would have snuffed out their little lives easily if you weren't preoccupied keeping me imprisoned." Tiny stokes to fan the fire. "I'll be honest, I did in fact underestimate you just a tad. It has been a very long time since I've fought someone who could match me, much less someone who works with such...efficiency." The Copy-cat Ninja, admitting Zabuza Momochi was his equal and complimenting him in equal measure. He's sure Zabuza's pride is swelling, can see the shimmer in those dark eyes of his. It's perfect really, as Kakashi's veiled lips curl into a mean smile, ready to deal the blow.

"Besides...I'm sure I'm the best you've had in a while Zabuza, after being chased out of Kirigakure following your pathetic attempt on your Mizukage's life, being hired as some common thug by a rat like Gato, preying on civilians like a lowlife criminal. Must have been dulling your edges, blunting you a bit. Maybe thats why my cute little 'wannabe' ninja kids got the drop on you."

"Careful Kakashi." Is Zabuza's answering growl, the rumble in the rogue's chest his sharp hearing picks up makes Kakashi's ears tingle. Zabuza shoves forward, bare chest meeting his vest as he crowds Kakashi against the tree, broad enough that his body can encompass Kakashi's own as a solid weight (the man had layers of muscle stretching across his torso despite his ribs being visible when he moved a certain way, which hinted at malnourishment in one's youth).The swordsman's knee knocks against his lower thigh, trapping one leg underneath Zabuza's weight as the man slots himself against Kakashi's frame, the hand that had been pressing against his headband dropping to instead grip Kakashi's face. Kakashi pointedly digs his kunai into Zabuza's skin in retaliation, pricking it just enough for blood to bead at the surface. "Running that mouth of yours is what got you in trouble last time."

"Oh, are you sure it wasn't-" Kakashi's retort is lost among them as Zabuza is the first to initiate a different sort of fight. The Copy-nin finds his words stolen as Zabuza closed what minimal distance remained between them, crushing his bandaged mouth against Kakashi's masked one. 

Kakashi wouldn't really deem this a kiss, so much as Zabuza grinding his face into Kakashi's own with little finesse. Unfortunately, pressed as close as he was meant that Zabuza's scent was all around him, filling his nostrils and overwhelming him for just a moment. Kakashi tries to twist his head, or at least part his mouth partially to ease the ache in his jaw from where Zabuza was gripping him so hard. He growls in response, trying to properly slot their masked mouths together in something that could resemble a kiss. This was a new kind of battle, and Kakashi had rarely ever backed down from a challenge.

The Copy-nin finds himself hissing in pain, the sound muffled as he feels very sharp teeth begin to dig into his lips, tearing into his mask as Zabuza bites him, drawing blood easily. He feels what seems like jagged teeth tear into his bottom lip, splitting it open and causing blood to smear inside of his mask. His eye snaps open to glare at Zabuza, who takes it upon himself to peel back just enough to allow Kakashi to see his blood painting the bandages around Zabuza's mouth a striking red. Kakashi's blood outlines Zabuza's mouth from where it's seeped into the white bandages, which is what reveals to Kakashi that the smug asshole is smiling, as if he's won.

Kakashi lurches forward, chasing after him as he parts his own mouth, curling his upper lip so that his fangs are exposed as he catches Zabuza's lips in a proper kiss. Only to return the blow as he sinks his teeth in, his elongated canines piercing through his own mask and Zabuza's bandages, slicing through the other man's lips. He can feel Zabuza's snarl on his lips as their blood mixes, pooling against their respective mouth coverings, and Kakashi feels a wave of dark satisfaction wash over him when Zabuza is the one to pull away from him.

'My win.'

Kakashi finds himself further pleased when he notices that Zabuza's breathing has quickened, and does he spy color flushing just above the swordsman's cheeks? It makes for quite a pretty picture, and Kakashi is almost disappointed that his Sharingan cannot be used to burn the vision into his retina forever.

His tongue comes to lap over his lips, gathering the taste of his and Zabuza's blood and tracing the tear Zabuza's teeth had dug into his bottom lip. The action must have caught Zabuza's attention, for the other shinobi leans in as the hand gripping his face loosens. The Copy-nin tenses when he feels Zabuza's fingertips brush over the top of his mask and curl, his nose curling as he growls at Zabuza once more. Only this time the sound is ripped directly from his throat, resembling that of an angry wolf about to strike, his chest vibrating from the noise. 

The sound doesn't seem to have the full desired effect of making Zabuza back off completely, but it does stop him from trying to tug at Kakashi's mask. He halts, and now the two are back to staring one another down. 

He almost does wish the Sharingan gave him the ability to read one's mind, as he is ever curious as to what is running through Zabuza's.

During their little fight, Kakashi's hand had dipped, the kunai no longer pointed directly at the base of Zabuza's skull but rather just held lax in Kakashi's hand. It makes it appear as if Kakashi simply had one arm looped over Zabuza's neck, and Kakashi has to suppress the faint shudder that almost rocks through his frame when he feels a heavy palm clasp over his hip. There's something unidentifiable lurking in those brown eyes, an emotion that Kakashi can't decipher as the former Kiri-nin begins closing in once more, bodies fitting together a little better than before as-

"-Kakashi-sensei! Where are you?!" Sakura's voice faintly echoed through the trees.

Both men jolt, Kakashi withdrawing his arm from around Zabuza's neck while the other shinobi pries himself off of Kakashi, snatching Kubikiribocho's handle and tugging the greatsword from the tree as the wood splinters and cracks. Kakashi takes the chance to snag at his mask and pull it over his nose, while Zabuza kicks away from him, separating them from one another as they stood a few feet apart. 

The mist, Kakashi now notes, isn't as thick as it had been previously, having fallen to drift around both men at waist level. It was more than likely due to Zabuza's lack of concentration, coupled with the fact that the rogue shinobi still hadn't replenished his chakra levels. This allows Kakashi to get a good long hard look at Zabuza, the man standing just a bit away, Kubikiribocho propped up on his broad shoulder. Kakashi takes in the blood smeared across Zabuza's bandages, that unidentifiable emotion in cedar colored eyes, the way he was looking at Kakashi as if there was something he wanted to say.

Whatever it was, Zabuza decided to take it with him as the man forms a hand sign, his pointer and middle finger raised together. The fog that had spread across the expanse of their surroundings began to recede, bringing the forest floor into view as the mist seemed to wrap around and enshroud Zabuza.

When the mist evaporates...Zabuza is gone.

A moment of silence stretches across the forest before Kakashi allows himself to slump back against the tree, returning his kunai back to his pouch and replacing it with his Icha book as he heard Sakura approach. He flips the book open, concealing his face behind it as Sakura dug her way through a few bushes and bramble.

"There you are Sensei! You need to come quick, Naruto and Sasuke are fighting like animals while you're just hiding away to read that trashy novel of yours."

Oh, if only his little Sakura knew the half of it.

"Hmm? Oh alright, guess I better put them in time out then."

He snaps Icha Icha paradise closed with a decisive thump.