Chapter 2
Two days later, Mana twisted her hair into a bun with familiar ease. The sun had yet to rise over the edge of the treetops, but her day had already begun like usual. She pulled on a long-sleeved turtleneck to hide the last of Shisui's marks, slapping on some makeup on the final one he'd bit into her yaw in the shower, before heading out the door.
Travelling to the Research Centre over the rooftops took her some twenty minutes. The cool morning air made sure she was awake by the time she stepped through the facility doors, swiping her keycard to get access. She gave the guard by the door a wave before heading into the locker room–leaving her bag in her locker and slipping on her lab coat. She clipped on her access card as she left the room.
'Good morning, Nishihara-san,' the receptionist, Utamara, said as she reached the desk.
'Good morning, Utamara-san. Have you had a good weekend?' she asked and swiped her card again, and put her hand on the scanner, pushing chakra to her palm.
'As good as any,' he replied. 'What about you? You look like you've finally gotten some rest.'
Mana chuckled and fought the blush she could feel climbing her neck. 'I was surprised that I wasn't called on at all. It's the first time in months.'
'I heard Yamanaka-san petitioned Hokage-sama for that,' he whispered.
'Oh, really now?' Mana hummed. She should have guessed. 'Did something happen during the weekend?'
He scanned the logbook. 'Short of the usual stuff, it seems like the place is still standing.'
'How rare,' she laughed and stepped into the elevator after the scan cleared her. 'Have a good day, Utamara-san.'
'You too, Nishihara-san,' he said as the doors closed.
She pushed the button for her floor and stood back. The elevator descended quickly and with little sound, and within two minutes the doors opened again. Mana made her way down the hallway, towards her office. The offices along the way were still empty, as usual, and the small kitchen had yet to start to smell like coffee. She pushed the door to her office open, automatically reaching for the journal resting on the bureau just inside.
Sitting down by her desk, she flipped to the latest page and got to work. Her work at the Research Centre was familiar, something that remained the same no matter how much the rest of the world or its agendas changed, and it was the one thing she knew she was good at. There were a lot of question marks in her life, but her work at the Centre was not one of them. She knew the place inside-out and the people even better.
She wasn't a good shinobi but she was a good scientist, and like her mother had told her years ago: stick with what you know or you'll drown. And Mana had found what she was good at. Her life was steady, and simple–her work at the Centre just another reflection of that. The image of a certain Uchiha made itself known, pushing the contents of the journal from her mind.
He had been different from what she had expected when she first laid eyes on him. Kinder, more thoughtful, than the Uchiha reputation insinuated. Gentle, her mind provided for her. She huffed at her own mind and pushed the thoughts away. No use in thinking too much of it when it was just a temporary engagement–better to enjoy it and be ready to let go when the time came. And it would, she knew.
She refused to call the feeling that came with the thought sadness. A slight sense of bitterness, perhaps. Bitterness at the fact that it would take her a long time to forget him, how he had touched her, kissed her, even how he had spoken with her. She leaned back in her chair with a sigh. Returning to her regular life, with regular people–well, more regular than him and his...caste, at least–would be a struggle, but she would handle it.
The image of him hovering above her entered her mind; sweaty bodies sliding against each other, his hot mouth in her skin, his tight muscles moving under her fingers. She swallowed thickly and straightened up. It'd be easier if she didn't get reminded of him every five fucking seconds, she grumbled.
'Come on, Mana,' she mumbled and stood. 'It was hardly your first time, get a grip.'
A knock echoed in the room. She opened the door to come face to face with the lead scientist of her department, Fukuyama Seiho. He gave her a tight smile and a curt nod.
'Good morning, Fukuyama-san,' she said politely.
'Nishihara-san, do you have the blueprints for the latest model for the Imehara project?'
'Yes, one moment,' she said and stepped back to her desk. Shuffling through her drawers until she found the correct folder. She handed it to him without a word.
'Are you ready for the meeting?'
She blinked and glanced at the clock. It had already been an hour since she arrived at her office. She cursed mentally. How long had she been daydreaming for? Luckily, she had already prepared the week before. 'Yes. I'll just get my papers.'
'Good. Let's go.'
It was well past eight in the evening when Mana clocked out again. The morning meeting had dragged on well-over lunch and pushed everything back for several hours–despite skipping lunch Mana had been forced to stay late to finalise the paperwork for the prototypes the department heads finally agreed on.
She slung her messenger bag over her head as she stepped outside. The air was cool and refreshing. Another day when she hadn't seen the sun, she thought and jumped onto the nearest roof. She thought about her empty fridge and changed her direction–cutting across the library grounds to reach the main street. Another few minutes and she stepped through the door to her favourite tonkatsu restaurant.
The restaurant was as busy as usual, every table filled and the waiters bustling about to deliver orders. Mana sidestepped one of them as she headed to the counter. The owner manning the cashier smiled broadly as she stepped up.
'Mana-chan,' he exclaimed. 'It's been a while. How are you, my dear?'
'Ichida-san,' she greeted with as much energy she could muster. 'I'm alright. How are you? I see business is as good as usual.'
'We're being kept busy,' he laughed. 'What would you like today? I assume take-away again?'
'Yes, I'm just heading home for the day. Your glorious food and then straight to bed for me. Medium set with extra cabbage, please.'
'Would you care for some company?' someone said behind her. Turning around, she came face to face with one casually dressed Uchiha Shisui. 'Hi,' he said with a lopsided grin.
She blinked several times before her brain caught up. 'Hi.'
Something she couldn't name flickered in the depths of his eyes. 'So, company?'
'I'm having take-away,' her eyes slid over the crowded room and easily identified the group he had been with. 'And it'd be rude to your friends.'
'They'll live,' he said easily. 'A small bowl of your famous soba, to go, please.'
Mana sighed but didn't have the energy to fight him–something the smile growing on his face told her he knew. Ichida nodded and yelled the order over his shoulder. He motioned for them to step to the side while they waited, taking a pair of free seats by the bar.
'You shouldn't leave your friends like that,' she commented and rested her elbows on the surface, chin in hand.
He shrugged. 'We've been here for a few hours already. They'll live. Was surprised to see you here though.'
'It's good food and on the way home. I usually stop by here if I don't have food at home or the energy to cook.'
'Where have you been to head home now?'
'Work.'
'You're only going home now?' he asked with a frown, glancing at the clock by the cashier.
'It's not that unusual.'
'Mana, it's eight-thirty in the evening and you have an office job.'
She shrugged and stared off into the mirror wall behind the bar. 'Recall Ino's words, if you will. Your friends are staring.'
'Let them.'
'If you've been here for a few hours, you've already eaten,' she commented and glanced at him. 'Why did you order more?'
'People don't tend to enjoy being the only one eating. Plus, the food here is great.'
'I'll be eating and then going to bed, Shisui. I have to wake up again in,' she checked the clock before answering, 'eight hours. I won't be good company. You're better off staying with your friends.'
'You can say you don't want me to come with you,' he said, reaching over and tucking a few loose strands behind her ear.
'It's not that I don't want you to, it's just I don't see what you'd get out of it.'
'I get to spend time with you,' he replied easily, his charming smile slipping back on.
'Barely,' she snorted. 'What's the real reason?'
'You hurt me,' he said dramatically. 'Of course, that's the reason.'
Mana looked at the group still staring at them through the mirror. She didn't recognise them, but she did recognise the lecherous smirks and nudges that passed among them. She sighed. 'I'm not going to be some cheap joke to you and your friends if that's the kind of bet you got riding on this.'
'What?' he asked with a frown. The confusion in his voice made her nod towards the mirror. He exhaled harshly through his nose. 'Sorry about that. I was actually hoping to get out of here before they started going into that territory.'
'And there's the real reason, at long last.'
'I'll make it worth your while.' He got off the chair and stepped into her personal space with a devious grin. 'I promise.'
'No you won't because I'm going to eat and then go straight to bed,' she said pointedly.
'Some faith, please, little firecracker,' he chuckled.
'Moving onto demeaning nicknames now, are we?'
'What? I thought it was cute,' he defended.
She shook her head with a laugh. 'Fine. But if I'm going to be on the receiving end of some unpleasant rumours now, you're paying for the food.'
'I'll pay either way, but I can't control what they say.'
She turned to Ichida, who had been eyeing them for a long minute. 'Ichida-san, could you add another set and two pieces of cake? He's paying,' she added with a smirk.
Ichida laughed and nodded. He disappeared into the kitchen as Shisui stepped up to the cashier with a humorous sigh. 'What's the other set for? I already ordered.'
'Breakfast. I forgot to get groceries during the weekend.'
'You know, I've never been strong-armed into buying food for a woman before, especially not food I won't be eating as well.'
'If you're really nice I might share. Might.'
'Oh, so you're inviting me to stay the night, after all?'
'Sleep only,' she said pointedly.
'Don't think you can handle tomorrow otherwise?' he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her.
'I know I can't if last time is anything to go by,' she sighed but couldn't stop herself from returning the smile. 'We went at it for hours, and I'm already tired so no, I can't. I couldn't finish the paperwork tonight because I couldn't focus anymore, so I have to finish it before the morning meeting tomorrow,' she finished with a grimace.
'What's it about?' he asked as he paid.
'That's classified, I'm afraid.'
He accepted the bag from Ichida with a polite nod before they left the restaurant, ignoring the pointed stares of his friends. He waited until they left the sight of the establishment before he took her hand, halting her. He leaned down and kissed her. Chaste and brief, but still it made a wave of warmth rush through her. She met his gaze as he pulled back. She blinked and swallowed at the softness reflected in them.
'Something wrong?' he asked.
'You shouldn't kiss me like that,' she said and continued to walk down the street.
He followed her without missing a beat. 'Why not?'
'You should save those for the person you're not hiding.'
'Hiding?' he echoed with a frown.
'You're willing to let your friends have the idea of you sleeping with me, but not let them see you actually kiss me,' she said. 'Don't get me wrong, I get it. Just a comment for the future. Might be something to keep in mind for that person. Urgh, I can't wait to sleep,' she added with a yawn and stretched her arms over her head.
He remained quiet, studying her as they walked. Her tone was light, but she didn't look at him as she said it. He sighed and chose to move to a safer topic. 'Can you tell me about the paperwork now that we're out of the restaurant?'
'It's still classified out here.'
'I'm ANBU. Captain, I might add.'
'So smug,' she laughed. 'But no go, I'm afraid.'
He raised a brow as she opened the door to her building. 'Are you saying you have higher clearance than me?'
'Would indeed seem so.'
'Now who's smug?'
'It's the one thing I have over you, let me be smug,' she said and stuck out her tongue at him.
Quick like a snake, he leaned down and caught it between his teeth, pulling her into a deep kiss. A second of surprise and she returned it in kind. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as their tongues fought for dominance, almost missing how he slid an arm under her rear and picked her up. Her legs locked around his hips–his arm effortlessly supporting her as he climbed the stairs.
She slated her lips against his, slipping back into that warmth that had been simmering just beneath the surface. He was so easy to sink into–even his scent made her mind grow fuzzy. In the back of her mind, Mana sighed at the feeling of his body against hers. It had been two days and her body reacted to him like he was the rain after a drought.
He pulled back as he pressed her back into the wall next to her door. He sighed heavily and leaned his forehead on her shoulder–his heavy breath fanning over her chest. 'You're making this whole only sleep thing very difficult.'
She pulled the key from her pocket and unlocked the door as she huffed. 'Says the guy who initiated that kiss.'
'You kissed me back,' he defended.
She hummed and cradled his face, leaning in to speak against his lips. 'Yes, I did.'
He growled and captured her lips again as he carried her inside. He kicked the door close behind them with ease before putting the food on the living room table and unceremoniously pressing her into the couch to deepen the kiss. The weight of him on top of her was just enough to trap, but far from crushing her. The memory of the last time she felt that weight sent a shiver down her spine, and it took everything she had to pull away from his lips before she lost herself to that incredibly inviting intoxication.
She tilted her head back and closed her eyes to centre herself again. She laughed as he kissed her bared throat. 'Now who's making it difficult?'
'You should know,' he said against her throat, 'if you offer yourself like this to me, I'm going to take the opportunity. You've covered up all the other marks, maybe I miss them?'
'If that's the case,' she said and pushed at his chest slightly. He moved backwards immediately, following her guiding him backwards until she had enough room to pull her shirt over her head.
The marks were darker than he remembered them and bigger. That feral feeling rumbled in his chest again at the sight and he was unable to stop the pleased growl from making itself known. She laughed in response, her eyes gleaming. He leaned down and kissed her briefly before sitting up, pulling her with him. 'Much better.'
'Let's just eat. I'm starving,' she said with a shake of her head, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.
She slid off the edge of the couch and sat on the floor, back leaning against the furniture. As she unpacked the bag, he mimicked her. He stretched his legs out under the table and accepted the bowl. He watched her out the corner of his eye–her faraway gaze, the way her hand moved without conscious thought, the hits of dark circles under her eyes. Without thinking, he reached over and brushed his knuckles over her cheek.
She looked at him. 'What?'
'Nothing.' He coughed and straightened up slightly. 'Just thought you looked different with your hair up.'
'Different, how?' she asked and reached up to undo the bun. She shook her head slightly as the locks tumbled down her back, wavy from their imprisonment. She ran a hand through it, untangling any knots on the way.
'I don't know. Just different.'
'Is this a compliment or an insult?' she asked humorously. She reached over and picked up the soda can that had been included in the set.
'Just an observation.'
'Good, different or bad, different?'
'Neither. But I prefer you with your hair down,' he said and reached over, running his hand through her hair gently. 'You're much more relaxed when you have it down.'
'It gets in the way at work if I keep it down. Less work in the morning too. I just put it up and then run out the door, much easier than having to sort it out every morning.'
'Speaking of,' he said and glanced at the balcony and windows. 'You should put up better traps.'
'What are you talking about?'
'Your place is ridiculously insecure for a shinobi. Those traps aren't going to stop anyone.'
'I haven't put up any traps,' she said with a raised brow.
He stared at her for a long moment, his brain trying to catch up. Then, he frowned. 'There are traps on the windows, not good ones, but still something.'
'I didn't put them there. Must have been left from the previous owner,' she added with a shrug. 'I've never really opened those windows, I'm not home enough to need to.'
'Are you saying you don't have any protection set up?'
'Why would I?'
The genuine confusion in her voice threw him for a loop. 'You're a shinobi, what if someone were to attack?'
'No one knows I exist, Shisui,' she laughed. 'There's no point in attacking a nobody.'
'You put yourself down a lot,' he commented and studied her face.
She paused, speaking into the glass before drinking. 'Force of habit. It's just... easier that way.'
'What is?'
She gave a halfhearted shrug. 'Agreeing with people, rather than continuously fail to prove them wrong,' she said but didn't look at him. 'Easier on the ego, I suppose.'
'You're not a bad shinobi, Mana,' he sighed. 'I don't know who's been telling you that, but you shouldn't believe them.'
'And how could you possibly know that? I live in a tiny apartment with no protections put up, I can't even control my chakra during sex, and I spend my days in the Research Centre. Not exactly textbook for a good shinobi, now is it?'
He played with her hair as he spoke, eyes following the movements of his hands. 'You're not a nobody. You don't get a position at the Research Centre without having a good head, Mana. You have higher clearance than I do, that's also not something you get as a regular shinobi. As for the protection, yes, I agree that it's stupid to not have any put up, but that's easily fixed, and for the chakra,' he grinned and looked her in the eye. 'We can always train that control.'
She snorted and shook her head. 'You'd like that, wouldn't you.'
'Very much,' he hummed and brought a few strands to his face, kissing them. 'Using chakra can make... playtime a lot more interesting. Enjoyable.'
'I enjoyed myself plenty even without it.'
'Oh, me too,' he chuckled deeply. His eyes dragged down her body, eyes darkening. 'I thought those were proof enough of that. Of course, I'm more than willing to provide more if you so desire.'
'Of course, you are,' she said, fighting a smile.
He reached over and pulled her into his lap so she straddled him. He brushed his hands over her waist and hips, settling on her back comfortably. 'Still, playing with chakra is quite fun. We should try it.'
'Not today,' she said pointedly and yawned. 'And you do that at your own risk. I've already warned you my chakra control is subpar.'
'I'm sure I'll live,' he chuckled.
'No promises,' she yawned again and leaned on him completely, face in the crook of his neck as his hands moved over her back. She hummed comfortably after a minute. 'You're very comfortable.'
'Why, thank you.' He gathered her in his arms and stood. 'Now, I did promise you to make it worth your time.'
'I'm already half-asleep,' she mumbled against his neck as he carried her into the bedroom.
'Just relax,' he said and pressed a kiss to her temple. He placed her on the bed gently and removed her pants and bra before turning her over to lie on her stomach. He climbed onto the bed and settled over her thighs.
'What are you doing?'
'Showing you some alternative ways of using chakra,' he positively purred.
Before she could ask for clarification, he put his hands to her back and she sighed deeply. He worked his hands over the stiff muscles of her back and arms, pushing his chakra into her as he went. His hands slid over the marks, his eyes soaking up the way her muscles moved beneath his ministration. He worked in silence. Only her occasional sighs of satisfaction as he hit the right spots sounding in the room.
He moved downwards when he couldn't feel any more knots in her back and arms. As he worked her thighs, his eyes slid to her ass and he paused. Despite his smirk, he could feel the flush on his face as he recalled the unusual loss of control. He reached over and pushed her underwear to the side, revealing the perfect image of his hand. He leaned down and pressed his lips just next to it.
'What are you doing?' she mumbled, a breath away from sleep.
'Just appreciating you, and my... handiwork,' he finished with a chuckle.
'I couldn't sit properly all weekend, you know. I should have asked you to heal it when I had the chance. I've never been left this bruised before, even after training.'
'But it looks so good on you.'
She managed to twist enough to look at him over her shoulder. 'You do know how horrible that sounds, right? That you want me to be bruised.'
'Only if it's by me,' he said and looked her in the eye as he bit her, just next to the handprint. He pushed chakra through his lips, the pain of his bite changing to a rush of pleasure. She gasped, followed by a low moan. 'And only if it causes sounds like that.'
She buried her face in her pillow with a groan. 'You're horrible.'
'Only for you,' he chuckled and moved back to her back, pressing his lips to her tailbone. He kissed his way up, one vertebra at the time–pushing soothing chakra into her each time. By the time he reached the base of her skull, her breathing was deep and relaxed, her body completely melted into the mattress. A quick look with his Sharingan told him her chakra was completely unblocked, moving calmly. He pressed a kiss to the soft skin behind her ear, whispering against it. 'How do you feel?'
'Like I'd agree to anything right now,' she mumbled, her words barely making it out coherently.
'Maybe I should take advantage of that,' he murmured.
'Maybe you should.'
He chuckled–she was definitely not aware of what she was saying by now. He pulled the cover over her before he moved to leave the bed, pausing as he felt a tug on his shirt.
'Stay,' she mumbled, her eyes closed.
He smiled gently and sat back down. 'On one condition,' he said as he pulled his shirt over his head. 'Go on a date with me this weekend.'
She mumbled something incoherent as he lay down next to her. She moved sluggishly but eventually settled against him, head resting on his chest and arm draped over him. She mumbled something again, her lips brushing against his collarbone.
'I'll take that as a yes,' he chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist, hand settling on her hip.
'Yes,' she echoed through her sleep.
Mana yawned and stretched as her alarm buzzed on the nightstand. She reached over and turned it off, eyes still closed, before she let her head fall back onto her pillow. Which moved. Before she realised she had gathered chakra in her hands, she had been flipped onto her back and her hands pinned above her head. She stared up into the dark, amused eyes of Shisui.
Mana sighed with relief and dropped her head onto the mattress, her body relaxing. 'Fucking hell, Shisui.'
'And we were sleeping so well too,' he chuckled. 'Nice reactions, though.'
'Hardly,' she said and looked pointedly at his grip.
'If I hadn't been awake, you might have hit me,' he said and kissed the corner of her lips. 'You're very cute when you sleep.'
She grumbled something he couldn't make out. 'How long have you been awake for?'
'Little less than an hour.'
'I thought you'd have left if that was the case,' she commented. She frowned when he didn't let her go, instead, putting slightly more weight onto her. 'Actually, I didn't even think you'd stay.'
'I wasn't planning on it, but you asked me to.' He smirked when she flushed. 'And I couldn't have left without waking you, and seeing how tired you were, I would have felt bad to wake you up unnecessarily.'
'I'm a deep sleeper, I'm sure you could have left.'
He laughed. 'No, I don't think you understand. You were quite literally sleeping on top of me.'
'I–what?'
He grinned and leaned down to press his lips against hers. 'You migrated sometime during the night and when I woke up, you were as much on top of me as I am of you now. It was very cute.'
'Sorry,' she mumbled and looked away, her face a deep red.
He attached his lips to her neck, sucking a fresh mark. 'If you keep looking like that, I might struggle to stop myself from taking you here and now,' he said against her neck.
Her head fell back, baring her neck completely. 'If I didn't have so much work to do, I might have let you,' she breathed as his teeth scraped against her jugular. Her hips moved and ground into him.
'Fuck,' he hissed and a tremble went through him. His Sharingan spun to life without his command as he looked at her.
A slow grin made its way to her lips. She leaned up as much as his grip allowed, and nibbled at his jaw before she spoke, her lips brushing soothingly over the same spot. 'Did that turn you on? Have you been thinking of having your way with me since you woke up?' She didn't know where the courage came from, but she decided to roll with it–punctuating each sentence with a bite to his jaw or neck. By the shivers and darkening of his eyes at the actions, she imagined he wasn't against it at all. 'Have me moaning your name until I'm hoarse again? Writhing under you until I beg you to let me climax? Or,' she whispered against his parted lips, 'do you want to pin me down on all four and dominate me like an animal? Is that what you want?'
His breathing was laboured and pupils were blown out as he stared down at her. He let her hands go when she tugged at them, closing his eyes as she brushed them over his chest. When they ghosted over the hem of his tight boxers, he breathed a throaty 'Yes.'
She flipped him onto his back, straddling him, and kissed him deeply. She ground her hips down onto his crotch, drawing a groan from the man beneath her. When his hands came up to touch her, she slapped them away. Their tongues slid against each other. Their lips almost bruising at the force behind the kiss. And then she slipped away, leaving him cold and breathless–Sharingan spinning wildly as his eyes followed her movements.
Mana stood by the door, naked short of her panties, and a playful smirk on her lips. 'Tough luck, captain,' she curled the title around her tongue, making him shiver despite being several steps away. 'You'll just have to wait,' she said and slipped out of the room, her laughter echoing around him.
Shisui groaned and let himself fall back onto the mattress. Her words echoed in his ears, his gut clenching as it all replayed in his mind–her tone, her smell, her movements, her touches, everything crystal clear thanks to the Sharingan. In the back of his mind, he wondered if it was a blessing or a curse now, and he pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes with another groan.