Absolved.

The Pervy Sage.

[Song: Bad Touch - Bloodhound Gang]

"Who is your young female friend?" Jiraiya asked Kakashi, a sinful grin on his face.

"Master Jiraiya, this is Kairi of the Kazekage clan in Sunagakure." Kakashi introduced them, trying not to be annoyed with the way his friend was looking at her.

"You're one of those little runts that was always following Naruto and I, huh?"

Kairi's eyebrows shot up, and she seemed to be struggling for an explanation.

Jiraiya laughed and Kakashi couldn't help but join him.

"You really thought the three of you could outsmart a Sanin huh? You got balls kid." The old sage grinned at her, giving her a thumbs up. "Even if they are on your chest."

"Don't." Kakashi gave a warning look, which only seemed to amuse Jiraiya further.

"Oh, I get it." The sage beamed. "She's your special friend, huh, Kakashi?"

Kairi groaned out loud "I told you he's nothing but a pervert."

Kakashi had been about to defend him again, but the old man stepped in on his own. "I am not just a pervert... I'm also an author, a sage, a sensei, a sannin."

The Jonin watched her continue to glare at Master Jiraiya as he listed off his many titles, and was unable to help the laughter that had been going on for quite a while now.

"What are you doing on the road anyways?" He asked his friend, trying to break up the tension. "We weren't supposed to meet you until later tonight.

Jiraiya refocused, changing from the pervy old man into the legendary sannin. "Right, well I figured since we already know that the Akatsuki are after jinchuuriki.. I already know that they have the five tail, they took it from Iwagakure, the seven tail from Takigakure and the one tail from Sunagakure... And I haven't noticed anything while I have been here, so I figure we move on to Amegakure."

"They have three of them already?!" Kairi asked, sounding shocked.

Kakashi watched her face, she was trying to hide the way she was breaking. He understood her, she was picturing each of them as Gaara. By now they both knew that extracting a tailed beast resulted in the death of its human vessel.. He doubted anyone like Lady Chiyo had been there to save the other two. He nodded to Jiraiya and then put a hand on Kairi's shoulder "Lets go make sure they don't get anymore."

She nodded, and they set off.

He refused to look at Kairi once Jiraiya started bringing up his books, afraid she'd be giving him the most judgemental face he'd ever encountered. Instead he gave the Sage quick, short answers as he asked him about the newest edition to the series.

"Come on Kakashi, you're usually so excited to talk about my novels."

He tried to subtly let Jiraiya know that he was crossing a line in front of the Sunagakure Kunoichi but Jiraiya only burst out laughing. "Well well now, that is why she's so snappy at me, she doesn't know you're a pervert too!"

Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks, feeling like he might just faint from embarrassment. "Uh."

Jiraiya burst out laughing, clapping his hand around Kairi's shoulders who looked incredibly uncomfortable with the gesture. "Kakashi here is my number one fan."

"Oh is he?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

He wanted to disappear, to sink into the ground and not exist for a while. "I uh.. I told you, they aren't smut..."

"Smut?!" Jiraiya threw out the word like it was the most offensive thing he'd ever heard. "I'll have you know young lady, that I am a genius and those are my master pieces."

Kairi looked sceptical, and Kakashi almost died as he watched Jiraiya draw all three books out from a satchel and hand them to her.

"There, educate yourself." He nodded, patting her head.

She looked between him and Kakashi and sighed "What did I get myself into?"

Kakashi laughed nervously. He'd read the books in public so many times, in front of his students even, but with her it was different.. They weren't exactly smut, but there were definitely some pretty detailed scenes in them...

The group decided to get a hotel just inside the border of the Land of Storms, not wanting to get too close to the village hidden in the Rain that they may be noticed. To Kakashi's complete surprise, Kairi had actually opened Icha Icha Paradise and had been reading it during most of their journey, interested enough that she'd missed most of the times either of them had tried to talk to her.

He only finally got her to put the book down when he and Jiraiya came back to their hotel with the takeout they had gone to get. He was stunned to see she bent a page halfway through the book, she was reading it almost as quickly as he had the first time.

"Well, what do you think?" Jiraiya asked her.

Kakashi leaned in, interested in her answer as he began to set the food out on the table.

Kairi blushed, a deep shade that looked odd on her face and Kakashi couldn't help but smirk. "It's uh.. Not what I was expecting.. It is very relatable."

Jiraiya nodded, his hand on his chin like he was in serious thought. "Mhm mhm, I thought it would be to you two."

Kairi glared at him, and Kakashi found himself doing the same.

"There is only one bed in this room." She shifted the subject.

Kakashi stopped mid container opening and glanced into the bedroom portion of the suit, Kairi was right.

He'd asked Jiraiya to get the room while he looked for a good place to get food from. He should have known the old man would pull something sick like this.

"I just figured it would be good for us all to get to know each other a little better." Jiraiya nodded, eyeing Kairi with that sinful look again.

"Jiraiya and I will sleep on the floor." Kakashi said through his teeth.

--------------------------------

It was very late, - or early depending on how you look at it- when her nightmares started. Kakashi woke up the moment he heard her whimper, and he laid on the floor listening to her thrash around on the bed for as long as he could bare.

He finally got up off the floor, looking around the room for Jiraiya but he wasn't there so he must still be out doing his research. Kairi had blown up at him after dinner when Jiraiya had tried to peek at her changing, she'd stormed off to bed and Jiraiya had left the room saying the girls from Sunagakure always took things too seriously. Kakashi had meant to talk to him about keeping it cool around Kairi, but he was pretty tired himself.

He stood over her for a moment, debating on summoning her usual cuddle partners Buru and Bisuke but he changed his mind as she mumbled his name. He pulled back the blankets and crawled into the bed beside her.

"I'm here." He whispered softly into her hair.

Kairi thrashed for a little longer, but eventually she had curled into a ball against his chest, clinging to his shirt and Kakashi had drifted off to sleep as well.

He didn't wake up again until he heard her roll over.

"Good boy Buru." She mumbled sleepy and his eye shot open.

Kairi was patting the top of a white fluffy... Toad sage.

Kakashi cursed, and punched Jiraiya hard enough to launch the old pervert out of the bed and up against a wall.