Work Text
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts’
'Inner-Sakura'
Actions and Narration
About 3-4 years ago:
The moon illuminated the Iwa office with soft hues. It consisted of two filing cabinets set flush against one of the side walls. Across those was a door, it was partially opened revealing a small baron closet. To the left of the closet was a good-sized saltwater tank filled with colorful coral and some angel fish. The space was decorated in rich reds and deep browns that contorted into a purple visage because of the blue moonlight shining through the blinds. A few potted plants sat throughout the room. Four were rather bulky, resting in each corner of the office space. Another was hung above the two filing cabinets—its leaves a dull yellow from lack of water. The last was a small bonsai tree that met the corner of the mahogany desk it laid on. Which was centered in front of the large window. The door sitting directly across from the desk was the only way in or out, traditionally speaking, and a faint pulse of music could be heard from down the hall. It was relatively quiet until a certain pink-haired kunoichi decided she had endured enough."Damnit Kakashi-sensei…” She hissed through clenched teeth. “Stop being a debauched Jiji and help me already!" Sakura had been going through papers and scrolls for 30 min or so with no luck in finding what they came for. She knew that he had already completed his part of the mission, but it annoyed her to no end that all he was doing was sitting there with his legs propped on the desk while reading his latest edition of Icha-Icha."Mmm, I’m sorry..." Kakashi looked up from his volume, his steel-blue-onyx eye curving into a horseshoe of mock sincerity."What were you saying Sakura-chan?” His gaze shifted back down to his book as he turned a page, hoping to stir her nerves even more, knowing exactly what was bothering her. He always enjoyed teasing his lone female student to no end. But that was only a nice addition because he was loving this latest edition. Though…perhaps…a bit too much.
'I should probably help her but…’
He smiled to himself, basking in the opportunity to annoy Sakura. Such mannerisms made him feel a bit like Naruto. He firmly understood why the most unpredictable ninja always enjoyed fluffing her feathers, it was just too easy and hard to resist. Though, he was pretty sure Naruto didn’t always do it on purpose since he usually ended up getting knocked into the other side of Konoha. However, if you knew how to play your cards right, and the Copy-Nin always knew how to play his—or so he told himself—then you could get away with it. Right now, just so happened to be one of those times. For he and Sakura had agreed on what their duties would be in the mission. Well, it’s more like they made a deal and Kakashi weaseled his way into getting the easier task. He did all of the scouting and had to find a way to get into the office, undetected, while she was supposed to find the scroll…. It was simple really, in and out. From what he could tell, during his investigation, no one was expected to come in anytime soon due to the party downstairs. Ultimately, he knew Sakura wouldn't do anything to him because they made an agreement and they weren’t pressed for time because of the party. So, he simply continued on reading. He would help eventually, but only when Sakura was inclined to ask—politely. Sakura sighed."Never mind…." She knew what he was doing. Oh yes, she knew he was purposely not helping her.
'I just had to agree, didn't I?'
At the time they were going over everything she thought she was getting the better end of the deal—she hated reconnaissance work. Nevertheless, she got the short end of the stick. Sakura knew what he wanted, for her to politely ask for his help, but she wasn't going to give him the pleasure. Not when she was 99.9% sure he sneakily took the simpler task for himself— anticipating the scroll wouldn’t be easy to find ahead of time. So, the kunoichi resorted to grumbling under her breath instead."Deceitful pervert and his stupid books! I swear one day I'm gonna shove his head so far up his ass there’ll be enough room to stuff the rest of his Icha-Icha collection with it!" She was going through one of the filing cabinet drawers for a third time, but stopped midway through and lightly stomped her foot in frustration while huffing… "Where is that damn thing!?" Deciding that her current state of mind was solely the fault of that one particular drawer, rather than the insufferable man still lounging away carelessly, she abruptly pushed it shut and moved on to another one—yet again. She was vaguely aware of her brow ticking in annoyance. He knew better, he really did… but her actions made it impossible to stop a small chuckle from escaping his masked lips. Which graced him with the pleasure of a heated side glance—it was more of an intense glare— and a few well-deserved explicit profanities. He almost laughed another time but was able to control himself. Knowing that if he didn’t, well… let’s just say his head would be graced with a knot resembling the size of Konoha itself. So, he just continued on as drifting thoughts about their mission ran through his mind. According to their source, some of the current disappearances throughout the nations had to deal with a highly deadly drug that killed its host within 72 hours. They told them of an office in Iwa that would have more information about the vile contraption. The scroll they were looking for would contain the location of a shipment of blue ink, which was supposedly the deadly poison in guise. When the Hokage asked their informant how they knew this and if they could provide any more information…all they said was that they had already disclosed more than they should, and when the shipment information was found Konoha would have what they needed to bring them closer to solving the problem. ‘Perhaps Orochimaru has something to do with it?’ A few minutes passed by with the occasional sound of a page being turned and drawers being opened and closed sporadically. He had anticipated Sakura giving in and asking for help by this point, but it would seem she wasn't having any of it. Because of that, he found himself in a rather embarrassing situation. A rather hard one at that. Now normally this didn't happen to him—unless he was home alone—but he wasn't prepared for the shift in the story. Normally…. he skims over the heated parts in public…. because normally, he knew when the old sage was transitioning into more…. intimate acts… even when the volume was new. Sakura didn’t catch it but if she had looked over at that moment, she would have caught Kakashi blushing. Alas, the man seemed to have changed the way he wrote this particular volume. Perhaps surviving his encounter with Pain had inspired Jiraiya to try a different approach. Which wasn’t something Kakashi had expected— though perhaps he should have— and the effectiveness of the unpredicted shift was quite prominent. He was lucky to have worn boxer briefs instead of boxers because he wouldn’t have had any chance of concealing the pickle he was facing otherwise.
'Well… seeing as I rather not have a boner in the presence of Sakura….’
He choked a little at the thought. ‘I might as well help her now….it should get rid of…’ His eye shifted down to the juncture between his thighs as he briefly bored at it forlornly.
‘…this…'
For the first time in his life, he felt the need to curse it for its libido. Considering his flawless track record though, he supposed something like this was bound to happen at some point. That train of thought led him down a self-loathing path that made him sigh in resignation. The love he had for Icha-Icha was too profound to allow the occasional hazards of his obsession to ruin his passion for the series. ‘No use in worrying about it.’ So, the unruly-haired man closed his precious belonging and slipped it into its special pouch. Then slowly rose from his position, being sure to swiftly move into his usual slouched stance to appropriately hide any unwanted exposure, while sliding his hands into his pockets. He then started to make his way over to Sakura’s side—still trying his best to conceal the pickle lodged between his legs— and slouched forward just a bit more for good measure as he got close. He opened his mouth about to ask if she had thought of the possibility of the scroll being hidden but was met with the palm of her hand slapping over it instead. Sakura noticed him walking towards her through her peripheral vision as she closed another drawer. She knew he was about to say something and felt the need to beat him to it by asking what the hell he wanted, but her mind was quickly pinched by the sudden sound of footsteps sweeping in from down the hall. She immediately put her hand over his masked lips, to prevent any unneeded sounds, and focused her attention on the door. Kakashi watched her silently trying to understand her sudden actions—slightly afraid she had somehow noticed the pickle he was in due to the harsh twitching of her brow—but he kept his cool knowing he’d probably already be dead if that was the case. He noted how her attention was focused on the entrance for a moment before shifting back toward him. He was slow to realize someone was coming their way, slightly surprised that she beat him to it, concerned that he hadn’t heard the footsteps before then. 'Why didn't I hear them before her?’ He gently removed her hand from his face… ‘Oh…. that’s right…the pickle…Well, at least it's gone now.' His lone eye locked with her gaze as he lowered his chin down and up in a short slow nod. She mimicked his action, silently conveying she knew what he was thinking. They needed to hide, fast. Without missing a beat both set into action. As quickly as possible two sets of legs rushed towards the only place available for hiding, the incredibly small closet. Kakashi was the first to make it. As he strode into the pitiful expanse of space, he couldn't help but be thankful for thinking of suppressing their chakras ahead of time— way before they even set foot in the office— but as soon as he turned to press his back against the wall, he wished he would have just jumped out of the window instead.
'It didn't look so small before….'
The reason for his digression wasn't really about the pickle he was in earlier. Though he was, once again, grateful for its departure. No, it was an entirely different issue… he took up the majority of the closet. ‘Fuck.’
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
Actions and Narration
Present Day:
Words exist with the unique purpose of expressing. Vast in the many ways a person can mold them into meaning something. In a moment they can evoke heartwarming feelings long buried deep within the soul, and within the next can just as easily rip them apart. They can hide things never showing what's behind closed doors, or be as equally revealing as the sun on a summer's day. They can swirl a mind into confusion or rinse it in a pool of clarity and, in this very moment, Kakashi Hatake, The Great Copy-Nin of Konoha…a man who can usually weave words together in any way he pleases— especially when he wants to weasel out of something— felt as if his brain was circling down a never-ending drain. In short, he was at a loss for words.
‘I misheard her, that’s it…’
He coughed, a poor attempt to hide his thoughts, ‘…after all… I was reading…’ Then glanced at Tsunade to find her being unusually patient with his lack of response and started sweating a little.
‘Then again…I've read during briefings before without any problems.’
He cleared his throat, having not said anything in awhile made it feel constricted, and stared at the pages of his little orange book. He, unfortunately, could no longer take in its colorful tale but it seemed as if the eligibly pornographic pages would magically shine some light on the conundrum currently whirling around his brain. Once more, he glanced up at the normally impatient Lady Hokage just to find her still waiting patiently for his response. Elbows propped upon her desk, hands intertwined, her chin resting on them slightly. Her honey-tinted eyes peered at him with a piercing regard. It was unsettling to see paired with the alien patience. His head thoughtlessly tilted to the side as his brows knitted together. An obvious look of confusion flashed through his charcoal eye.
'Did she anticipate this reaction from me?’
He straightened himself while opening his mouth to say something and yet, despite himself, he was still at a loss for words. His gaze quickly shifted to the side and his lips snapped shut
‘…She would have thrown something at me by now if that wasn't the case…Perhaps I’m dreaming?'
Tsunade patiently watched one of her best Jonin think over the mission.
‘I sure as hell hope he doesn't have too many questions… It’s not like it's hard to comprehend, even more so considering who he is... It just involves him working with a certain…someone…’
She looked at him, weighing the gravity of his behavior.
‘…knowing him, he's most likely going to try to talk his way out of it… Hmph, who am I kidding he will because it's Sakura.’
She fought back a sigh. ‘…Perhaps I shouldn’t do this…’ Her face contorted in irritation while grinding her teeth.
‘Tch, no. I have my reasons… I’m doing it!’
Somehow her beloved apprentice was the only kunoichi that wasn't enjoying her life for all it had to offer.
'Sure… she's engaged to Sasuke, and one would think she would be happy for it…’
She sighed again. ‘On second thought I rather not think about it.' So, while it was true that Tsunade could send someone else with Kakashi, she felt it would be good for Sakura to get out of town for a while. Even if it meant having to act like she was happily in love with Konoha’s number-one pervert. ‘Well, number two…. Jiraiya easily takes that spot.’ She scoffed at the thought of him, ignoring the twinge in her heart whenever she thought about how close they came to losing him during his investigation of Pain then quickly shoved those wistful tinges away— forcefully railing herself back on track. Tsunade knew that Kakashi was an honorable man and could trust him to be respectful. So, she felt her choice in this was safe. Plus, she thought it might be amusing—among other things—considering the mission report Sakura had left her a few years prior. Her attention was drawn back to him as he tilted his head, his eye displayed an obvious bout of confusion. She smothered the need to growl.
‘Of course, he’s not going to make this easy.’
She relaxed a little when she saw him about to speak, but quickly found her patience thinning as he failed miserably. 'Deep breaths Tsunade.' The blond sighed for a third time,
'You knew better. As if you could expect anything else from this man.’
Then straightened herself."Hatake!" Kakashi flinched from the sudden boom of her voice, and she reveled in his body’s skittish admission."Huh?" Until being met with more annoyance by his nonchalant reply. Not wanting to give him the pleasure of annoying her because he seemed to do it on purpose— most of the time— she did her best to rein in her composure.
‘Just breathe.’
Despite her efforts, her words were clearly forced and heavily mixed with frustration."Do you accept this mission Kakashi?" Kakashi shifted his eye to the side and rubbed the back of his neck as he choked slightly on tense laughter.
'I hope she doesn't kill me….'
Still, he did his best to give her his most charming smile, knowing—hoping—it would help ease the situation."W- What exactly is the mission again?" The instant he asked he cowered into his seat— the twitch of her brow emitting imminent danger. The air in the room suddenly felt heavy. Making him turn uncomfortably in his chair, sweat even more, and swallow audibly.
'Yep...I’m going to die…’
Sighing once more, she rubbed her temples with two fingers and did her best to calm down. 'Remember Tsunade, you need him… you can't kill him….’ She eyed him furiously through one eye and surveyed the way he started to laugh awkwardly—pitifully— yet again, then closed her eyes.
‘Mangle him a little? …No, no…. you need him for the mission, and you don't feel like having to heal him after mauling him to bits.'
After her short debate, she sat up, crossed her legs and arms, took another deep breath, and prepared to brief the mission…for a second time. The thought of it alone made her eyebrow twitch in the all too familiar way for the umpteenth time.
'He's not going to get off easy for this….'
She looked up with one eye to see Kakashi anxiously churning in his seat—again.
'Hmph serves him right.'
"Alright Kakashi, I’ll tell you one more time.” A gush of air expelled from his lungs in relief; Tsunade quickly squashed it.“But only one more time Hatake, I’ll be more thorough this time too since your brain seems to be elsewhere today.” He sighed, his hair seemingly deflating a little with it as if it were aligned with his sense of pride. She ignored his dramatic act of self-pity.“You and Sakura are to go to Kumo and stay at the Tsubasa Hotel Resort. This resort is very large, and you'll come to find a casino, theater, and free-for-all-fighting arena within it. Once there you are to locate the owner of the resort, Sukaretto Tsuki, and seduce her. Now, normally a mission such as this would only require your…. expertise… to complete. If she wasn’t certain that he was blushing at that moment she could have sworn she saw a glimmer of smugness glean across his features.“However, recent information shows that she only goes for men in committed relationships. She waved one of her hands around aimlessly.“I guess she gets a kick by being able to get someone else's man into her bed. Anyhow, this is where Sakura comes into play. During your stay, you two are to pose as a couple anytime you are in the presence of her or the public. Especially while in public since you might not always be aware of when she’ll be watching.” Tsunade eyed Kakashi then, to see if she could read what he was thinking, but he was back to his normal stoic self.“You must do so, or else you’ll compromise the mission and fail. After you have seduced her, you are to use your Sharingan to find out the location of an underground fraction. We believe it’s been smuggling highly dangerous drugs to a secret society in Kiri.”
‘Let's see if this gets a reaction…’
“Remember that scroll you and Sakura retrieved a while back in Iwa? The one dealing with shipments of blue ink?” He simply nodded. She held in a grimace that was threatening to surface from her disappointment. ‘Shit, I thought that would be enough.’“Well, this is where its trail ended. You’d think after the war everything regarding it would have fallen through. Regrettably, it would seem the same kind of disappearances have started again.” Her mind drifted off, thinking about the ninja who had come in earlier to brief her on their findings. They weren’t in the prettiest shape but nothing exertingly hazardous had happened. ‘I’m sure Sakura is handling it just fine.’“Anyway, it is unknown as to what the drug's purpose is being used for. And in case you don't recall, it is known to kill whoever has been injected with it within exactly 72 hours. Any of the effects beforehand are unknown.” Kakashi took on a more acute look. ‘At least he’s being serious this time.’“With that being said, you’re to see if she has any additional information regarding the drug as well. After you’ve acquired what’s needed you’re to return home. Do not kill the target unless it's necessary.” Her throat started itching for a drink, recurring thoughts of Sakura and the mess she’d gotten herself into.
‘The girl needs to get her head out of the clouds and make a choice.’
All of this, having her go on this mission with Kakashi, was her solution.“If you have to, killing her may be difficult. Her abilities are unknown. Hell, we’re not even sure if she has any. Tsuki constantly has her bodyguard, Shindo Suzu, by her side. Except, whenever she is "entertaining" her guest, and we’re not quite sure what he’s capable of either. ‘Soon, I’ll drink soon.’“With that being said, he always keeps watch outside of the room during it. Which brings me to the last part of your briefing. Sakura will have to keep guard over you from a distance while you are in the room with Miss Tsuki or… distract Suzu…. Can't risk something going wrong while you're in the process of obtaining the information…so in case something does, she'll be there to prevent anything from becoming disastrous.” She waited a moment for any objections; he remained silent—the urge to drink grew.“Again, once you have completed everything you are to return immediately. Do not, and I repeat do not try to destroy the operation by yourselves…it would be idiotic to even try. I have a layout of the resort and all of its inner workings, including Tsuki's room. I wish I had more intel for you, but this is all our reconnaissance team could afford without bringing up suspicions. This has been ranked as an S-class mission."
‘So, I heard her right…I’m not dreaming… how can she expect me to…?’
He eyed her warily. ‘She has no idea...’ Then noticed a particular gleam in her eyes. ‘Or does she…?’ He did his best to hide his suspicion.
‘Best act oblivious.’
After she finished explaining the mission for the second time, Tsunade placed her palms on the curve of her desk, leaned forward, and narrowed her eyes— daring him to challenge her"Once again, Kakashi, do you accept this mission?"
'She may be asking…but that look says I'll end up in the hospital if I refuse.'
He studied her hands.…the right one was dangerously close to a rather sharp-looking pair of scissors…
'Well, she asked so why not give her the pleasure of receiving a proper answer.'
Slowly, he closed his little book and lazily stood up, placing his novel into its pouch while doing so. He then slid his hands into his pockets and gave her his famous curved smile."No." Already prepared for the oncoming assault he easily dodged the deadly instrument flying towards him by slightly leaning to the right and grinned smugly.
'There's the short-tempered Hokage I know.'
“Dammit Kakashi!”
'Fuck! He always knows when I'm going to throw something at him. Tch, fine… saves me the trouble of having to heal him.’
Her patience with him was pushing her closer to death with each passing second— she needed to drink.
‘Though it would have been nice, but he's not going to change my mind he's going to accept this whether he wants to or not!’
She rolled back in her chair while reaching down to the little cabinet to her left and pulled out two cups and a bottle of sake rather ruggedly."Sit back down and have a drink with me Hatake." He did as she asked—knowing there wasn’t much of a choice—while running his hands through his hair in agitation. He then slipped his hitai-ate off, laying it on his thigh solemnly before turning his eyes toward the window to gaze outside. After the war, he managed to lose Obito’s eye and regain it. Well…sort of…the whole ordeal was a bit confusing with everything going on at the time. All that really matters is that he was regifted it. Oddly enough, he didn’t even need to wear his hitai-ate over the eye anymore since he could turn it off now, but he felt like the act of doing so was a part of who he was. He never shared the fact that he’s able to use the Sharingan in both of his eyes still either, it would be a hell of a surprise if the day ever came when he’d need to, and he appreciated that edge. She placed a cup in front of him and filled it to the brim. Then repeated the process with hers and took a hasty swig of it before leaning back against her seat— a bit more at peace with the comfort of alcohol. He got lucky when he discovered that he could just open one Sharingan without having to use the other. Ah, but we’re off track now. He took a deep breath while pulling his mask down. If it had been anyone else, well almost anyone else since there’re a select few who get to see him without it, he would have taken a drink through the material but she was his Hokage and had seen him without it anyway. 'I just don’t understand why it has to be me, what’s wrong with sending Sasuke?'"Do you understand the importance of this mission Kakashi?" He scratched his head and sighed while turning his gaze towards her."You know I do. Just like how I know you’re aware of what my problem is." She swished the strong beverage in her hand around a few times before emptying it of its contents in one swift gulp, then leaned forward to refill her cup."You mean Sakura…" She slid the bottle towards the insufferable man in front of her, reconsidering the possibility of turning him into mush, despite his handsome face. Kakashi accepted her invitation—silent demand—by quickly finishing his cup and refilling it as the liquid skimmed down his throat. It left an itchy burning sensation with its departure—he savored its scorn. He then took another swig of the rice liquor and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees while allowing the glass to hang within his grasp as he watched its content swish around. He tried his best to detach himself from the situation.
'Wonder what Pakkun is up to? Probably still sleeping away… '
"When was the last time you saw her?" He took a sip of his drink, he could tell they were both wishing that they didn’t have to have this conversation, but he imagined it was for different reasons. Then tilted his head to the side, still gazing at the golden liquid slightly swaying within his hand as he considered how to answer her question."Hmmm… It was shortly after her and Sasuke's engagement announcement. So, about a year ago, I suppose…I'd ask why he's not going instead, but I imagine that he's on a mission currently…. or has other obligations?" Tsunade ignored his question."Then it's safe to presume, considering your aversion to hospitals, that you probably haven't seen her recently either, right?”"Yeah…" It was a lie, but he wasn’t going to tell her the truth. They both squashed down their cups for a second time. Tsunade placed her glass down, deciding to forgo refilling it by drinking directly from the bottle then passed it to Kakashi. The two silently agreed on just passing it back and forth for the remainder of their conversation."Why are you asking?" He was pretty sure he knew why, but he needed to hear her say it—needed her opinions to be voiced."Because if you had seen her or anything like that then it would be easier to explain why I chose you as her partner, well besides meeting the criteria...She's not doing well Kakashi…. she’s losing herself.""Hmmm…" He hid anything that might have shown Tsunade his thoughts. In actuality, Kakashi caught quite a few glimpses of Sakura since the engagement party. It pained him to think about it, the possibility that she wasn’t happy. He wasn’t sure how to help— if there was even a need to. He didn’t catch any major signs of there being any problems with Sakura like Tsunade was implying. So again, he wasn’t sure what she was getting at with all this, well he was but he didn’t see how he could do anything about it. Let alone be the one to solve the problem. He didn’t care for the way she seemed to be stretching the story either, but he supposed he understood her need to—Sakura was the closest thing she had to a daughter after all. So, he played along for the time being.
‘Let’s see where this goes…’
"What else?" The golden-eyed woman squeezed the bridge of her nose.“If she's not at home, alone,” there was a clip to her tone as if she wanted to emphasize that particular point. “…she's working in the hospital…. won’t listen to me about taking a break….” Kakashi just shook his head blankly in agreement, knowing better than to argue. ‘Nothing out of the ordinary.’“She stopped hanging out with anyone about three months ago.” Again, he just shook his head. ‘Happens to everyone; sometimes people just need their space when they’re caught up on things.’“She's lost an unhealthy amount of weight, and.” His eyes shifted from their shared bottle to hers sharply, knowing the last bit was most definitely a stretch. He couldn’t help but sound a bit annoyed—growing tired of the bullshit.“And?” Tsunade took a huge gulp… not appreciating his tone and wishing for the conversation to be over with.“Fucking shit Kakashi! She’s just not herself ok!” He shook his head no when she tried handing the bottle back to him.“I don’t see how I can help with any of that.” She gave him a pointed look."Kakashi." He pretended not to notice.“Hatake, I swear, I’m not in the mood for your usual bullshit right now.” He simply scowled, his voice short and cut with sardonic bitterness."Right. So your solution is to assign a mission that might show her how there are other options for her? That resigning her life to whatever you think is wrong isn’t the only choice?" She scowled at him in turn."Precisely.""I understand how presenting Sakura with the opportunity to pretend…” This time, he gave her a pointed look. “…to be in love with another person might… This time, she pretended not to notice. “…show her that there are more options,” His look turned into a glare,“…but I fail to see why I'm the one you chose to do that. Let alone why you feel the need to take such drastic measures.” The disdain in her eyes said she wanted to smash his pretty face in, but he no longer cared—refused to participate in this little game any longer.“Surely, there’s someone else, like…I don’t know…Sasuke? If they’re having problems then maybe, just maybe, you should make them take a vacation or do this together rather than trying to play…” His hands waved around in exasperation. “…Whatever the fuck this is!”
'Because you have no idea what you're asking of me…and half of what you’re saying doesn’t even make sense. Every shinobi goes through a period of depression…every couple has their issues.'
She tilted her head back, taking in the remaining liquor with a few more large gulps then sighed and wiped her mouth with a brush of her forearm, her bodily form slumping with feelings of partial defeat."I would be lying if I said there wasn't anyone else Kakashi.” He didn’t fail to notice how she avoided answering his questions about Sasuke again, nor her inability to look him in the eyes.“With that being said, I wouldn't be lying by saying you're the only one that both Sakura and I can trust to not use this to their advantage.” She feigned ignorance, he knew she was hiding something.“I don't want her to move on to just jump right into another relationship…I just want her to see that there should …. could be more for her." He called bullshit—though that seemed to be the theme of this conversation."And you think that I'll just say ok because of what? Old bonds? " She wanted to smack the ever-living shit out of his filthy mouth."No! I don't think you'll just say ok, I know you will!” She opted for slamming a fist onto her desk instead.“Because I know, as odd as it sounds considering what I’m asking here, that you care about her just as much as Naruto and Sasuke. Because I know that those "old bonds" as you so uncharacteristically put it, mean more to you than you would ever care to fucking admit!" It left a spidering crack in the wood."Hmmm….” His eyes became fixated on it.“And what about Sasuke? How do you think he'll feel if Sakura decides to…. move on? As you so put it." 'Always with the act Kakashi…how long…’ She sighed. ‘…how long will you keep pretending? "I have… I think he'll be irate at first... but it won't take long for him to see that it's for the best. He may even realize that he's in love with someone else." That pulled his attention away from the crack."What makes you think that he's not in love with Sakura, let alone with someone else?"“Ahhh…” This time, her eyes fixated on the crack.“Well…I’m..” He merely stared at her, waiting.“Tch, don’t question my intuition Kakashi.” He half laughed/half scoffed.“Unfortunately, I’m questioning it.” She was infuriated, her eyes scorned and lips snarled into a sneer.“What the hell do you want me to say!? That I can’t stand their relationship; that it makes me sick thinking of how hard that girl worked just to fucking throw it away for what?!? Three days of bliss a fucking week, if that!”“She knew what it would be like to be with him, she chose this. She just needs time to find the good Tsunade, they both do, she doesn’t need—“What she needs, Kakashi…” The glare of her eyes pierced right through him.“Is someone to pull her out of the abyss she's found herself in. Fuck, both of them do and I can tell you now, it's not going to happen. Not while they’re together.” Then shifted into a shimmering plea, urging him to see.“I still don’t see why you’re choosing me.” The hooded flicker of his eyes told her he knew she was still hiding something—that he wouldn’t yield unless she laid it all out on the line.“Alright, Hatake. First, there’s your Sharingan.” The reflection of her own told him she was simply stalling but he tried to use it to his advantage anyway.“Sasuke has the Rinnegan, wouldn’t that be more usef—"“Second…” She pouted like she had wanted to keep this to herself.“…you and Sakura have chemistry.” His elbow slipped off his knee, momentarily stunned. ‘She knows?’“Also, Sasuke told me no.” Her fingers agitatedly thrummed across her desk. ‘Well, he didn’t say no exactly….’ Tsunade had spoken to Sasuke about it earlier, just to make sure that her intuition was right, he didn’t volunteer to go with Sakura nor did he even bother to ask who she wanted to send with her; as if he already knew who she was going to send. Close enough to a no for her.
‘…but Kakashi doesn’t need to know that.’
“He told you no?” She simply shook her head yes.“… Does he know that… that you want to send me?” She didn’t see why that mattered, it wasn’t like there was any substantial history between Kakashi and Sakura, nothing to warrant the Uchiha’s suspicions at least, but that was her opinion and there was more to this than she knew. So, she lied. Though she was certain the Uchiha had already figured out who she planned on sending—in the end, it was neither a lie nor the truth.“Yes.” He knew there had to be more than what she was willing to say and considering her comment regarding chemistry, well, she most likely knew about the closet incident.“So, you know?” But, once again, she feigned ignorance.“Know what?” This whole ordeal was starting to piss him off.“About what happened in Iwa.”“Ahhh that…” She didn’t care to acknowledge it, to give it any more thought than trivial nonsense.“Yes, that.” Didn’t see what the big deal was. They were all adults after all.“…Yes…I know.” Didn’t know how much effort he put into letting go.“That should be even more of a reason not to send me!” Didn’t know that it would mean more to him, that it slowly became more as years went by.“NO! If anything, that is why I’m sending you!” Didn’t know how thin of a line he had drawn.“You really don’t get it, do you? If I go…” His voice was filled with desperation. “If I go… I can’t promise that I won’t… that I won’t…” Still, she didn’t think he was hinting towards anything more than sex. So her voice was gentle yet somewhat critical and condescending.“That you won’t what Kakashi? Fuck your ex-student?” In reality, neither thought he meant anything more than that. At least one convinced themselves that it was the only thing they were referring to—having already deeply buried any other lingering notions.“For fuck’s sake Tsunade, yes! She was my student, it's wro—” “Kakashi.” Her voice softened, as if she could sense his turmoil—could see what he was unwilling to face.“We’re shinobi.” She didn’t know what would become of this, but both knew this argument was inconsequential because both understood the perils of shinobi life.“Are you really trying to sit here and tell me that something as minute as briefly teaching someone who is and has been a full-fledged adult for quite some time makes this wrong?” Both knew it was too short.“Yes.” That many aspects of such a life were bitter.“Kakashi, you more than anyone should know better…” That, in the end…. such things didn’t matter.“Our lives can end any second, such things are minuscule in comparison.” Kakashi felt as if a thundering shadow loomed over his head, none of it mattered and yet everything about it did.“Besides, it would be different if she was young, you’d already be dead if that was the case…” Felt that he was still too caught up in the past to be useful for such a thing.“Trust me, I almost hunted you down to beat you to a pulp when I first found out, but Shizune stopped me; reminded me that Sakura was 18...” If being broken was why Tsunade believed Sasuke and Sakura weren’t able to heal together, all he’d do was make it worse.“Beyond that, it’s not like you even really did anything with her, it was a simple moment of attraction…which is certainly not unheard of in this line of work.” Because he still felt broken. Had more questions about his past left unanswered, mostly regarding his mother, but none of that mattered in comparison to the true problem—his unyielding attraction towards Sakura. One that had them dancing across a thin line more than he’d like to admit, more than Tsunade knew.“Fine.” ‘I rather it be me than someone else if Sasuke isn’t going.’“Plus, before the war started, I’m pretty sure that Saku—” She looked at him in shock, expecting him to have drawn out the argument longer—that she would have to reveal more than she probably should to get him to go.“Wait, did you just agree to go?” But she was never one to shoot a gift horse in the mouth, and Kakashi was far too lost in his thoughts to catch her partial slip-up.“Yes, I’ll go.” So, she didn’t bother to address his currently growing bitter state.“Hmph.” But it did make her more resolved in her choice, Sakura wasn’t the only one she was trying to help here.“Good.” Fortunately, he was quick to regain his composure. "I imagine you’ve already spoken to Sakura?" ‘I doubt we’d be having this conversation if not.’"I did… for the most part…” ‘Then again…’“For the most part?”“Mmhmm, yes, for the most part.”“Wha—“Alright then, your mission starts two days from now at 6 am. I expect you to meet with Sakura sometime before then to prepare. She’ll get off from the Hospital around 4 today if that helps any." His eyes narrowed pensively, sensing she was trying to stiff him.
‘She hasn’t told Sakura it’s me who’s going…. has she?'
He readjusted his mask and slipped his hitai-ate back on. Then stood, bowing sarcastically as he started to bring his hands together to transport out but Tsunade had already accounted for this kind of behavior. ‘Think he can leave before I’m done talking, eh?’ Before he could complete his seal the well-bosomed woman spoke in a tone laced with innocence."Oh, and Kakashi." He paused midway through and looked up to see a sadistically sanguine grin at full bloom.
‘Damnit, I’m right, she hasn’t told her.’
"Hmm?" ‘Is she insane?!?’"I haven't informed Sakura the details of who her partner is yet, but you're more than capable of doing that, right?"
'Fuck… me…'
He fixed her with a sharp glare. She simply kept smiling smugly. He sighed.
‘I’ll just get Genma to convince Shizune to switch her sake out for water again. Besides Sakura’s smart enough to have figured it out anyway.’
"This is punishment for making you repeat yourself, isn't it?" Giving him her best innocent smile before going back to work, words that defied her expression fell from her lips."Smart ass! I expect it to not happen again!" ‘Though I know it will, fucking Copy-Nin, besides Sakura’s smart enough to see through my bullshit. Not much of a punishment if you ask me, I’ll have to think of something else later…’ Tsunade then looked down, opened one of the many files sitting in front of her, and waved him away. No longer concerned with whatever he was doing."Hai, Hai." 'Just you wait.' And with that his hands finished the seal, leaving behind a puff of smoke.“Shizune, get me Yamato!
‘I need him to fix this desk.’
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
'Inner-Sakura's Thoughts'
Actions and Narration
About 3-4 years ago:
Sakura cursed to herself, feeling outright ashamed by her current predicament. The chiseled form pressed firmly against her back warming her thoroughly, sinking her further into the chasm of humiliation threatening to overwhelm her senses. 'I should have paid more attention before squeezing myself in here….' She attempted to find some space but could only wiggle around a little. Honestly, she was surprised Kakashi-sensei had even fit inside. However, it’s important to note that she wasn’t unaware of how he had to scrunch himself into a half-standing/half-sitting position to do so.
'It's not like it would have changed anything! I mean… look, our chest is squished against the door!’
All of her fidgeting around only made the situation worse, but she wasn’t thinking right so it wasn’t surprising that she didn’t consider what it might be doing to the man behind her. 'Shut it! Now… if I could just get an inch of space…’ She huffed, slightly defeated…no amount of maneuvering around helped ease the sensation of warmth pressed against her backside. Still… she didn’t give up. Surely, she could get some space between them…right? ‘What are you even doing here? It's been years since I've heard anything from you!’ Predictably, none of her adjustments seemed to resolve the issue.
‘Simple, I’m here so you can’t deny how much you’re loving this.'
‘I am not!'
‘Prude much.’
She wiggled around some more—her forearms pushing against the closet’s walls for added leverage—determined to make space… inner thoughts be damned.
‘Oh, just shut it and help me figure out a way to make some spa—'
"Sakura." Her mind froze. The feel of Kakashi’s breath gliding across her ear caused an involuntary shudder to course down her spine, making her ministrations freeze up too. ‘Can’t ignore that now, can you?’ Just to pick back up with more ferocity.
‘Watch me!’
Because her need to make space had only intensified; albeit it was more so from the mortification of her body reacting to him in such a way rather than discomfort.
‘Gladly.’
The next thing she knew… a set of large hands were pressing into her hips, trying to still her movements—she instantly felt like she was on fire. A shaky breath left her drying throat. The pitiful expanse of closet space grew hotter. Her heart pounded in her chest, resembling the roaring rhythm she had accustomed to being in battle. It made her ears burn red with shame. All she could do was bite her lip to keep her hormonal self from saying anything."Sakura… stop fidgeting… Please…” Kakashi sounded like he was in pain, voice hoarse and partially broken with his raw plea. She ignored the way her stomach coiled from the sound of it—of hearing him saying her name in such a way.“From the sound of things, they're about to walk in." She closed her eyes tightly, knowing what he was asking, knowing he was warning her. Whoever was coming was almost there. Every fiber of her being refused to acknowledge it as anything else, but she did stop moving again—for the time being. Conflicting as it was, she immediately missed the feeling of his hands on her hips the moment he removed them. ‘Sounds like he was enjoying all that wiggling to me.’ ‘PIG!’
‘Hey! That pet name is only for Ino!’
‘It's not like he wants to hold me.’
‘Hmmm.’
‘And he can’t help how his breath touches me, or the way I can feel every…’
She gulped.
‘…inch of him forced against me….’
‘MHMM.’
She wanted to rip her hair out.
‘GAHH! There's no fucking room in here!’
But before she could beat herself…her thoughts… to a pulp, her attention was redirected by the sound of a name tickling her ear, but this time it wasn't coming from Kakashi, no, this time it was a woman's voice, and the name wasn’t “Sakura” … it was “Gin.” And, from the sound of things, Gin was about to have a good time. A very good time. 'Shit!’ She absent-mindedly started moving around again, if she didn’t get some space soon… she was sure to do something… something she probably shouldn't.
'Oooo perfect timing.'
She started to sweat. 'Go away you pervert!' With need…
'You do realize that I'm you, right?'
"AH!""Fuck, Junko, you're so wet." She blanched... 'Doesn't matter just go away! This is NOT how I imagined my day going.'
'But I can't, you might be in denial, but the deepest part of you likes this…. and refuses to deny that Junko’s the only woman turned on right now.'
…embarrassed by the pure adulterated hunger coursing through her veins… ‘Just fuck off already dammit! The two of you better make this quick!’ …To say she was panicking would be an understatement.
‘Because I need to get the hell out of here!'
At first, Kakashi simply ignored the situation and firmly kept his hands pressed against the side walls… even though doing so only caused his elbows to dig into his ribs…Which made the way he had squished himself in even more uncomfortable.
'This has to be one of the worst hiding spots I’ve ever been in.’
It was difficult to ignore Sakura’s perpetual wiggling, so he tried distracting himself.
‘Actually, it would be if it weren't for that one time with Gai…’
Which, in all honesty, may not have been the best idea; he suddenly felt nauseous.
'No… no… let's not think about that incident.’
Throwing up would be the worst possible thing right now.
‘It's hot, I can barely move, and Sakura's ass is pressed against me.’
If it had been any other woman, he would have surely found the situation amusing.
‘And…she keeps moving… it… right against my…’
But it was Sakura, so he was struggling to find the amusement in it.
‘Oh, kami…why!? I know it's uncomfortable as hell, but does she not realize that her…?’
He dared not to look; surely, she wasn’t doing it on purpose.
‘No matter…she just needs to stop.’
He felt a tendril of electric embers spark down his spine.
‘I need her to stop.’
…His mask was making it hard to breathe from all the heat.
‘Please… just… stop… Sakura!’
His hands clenched into fists; pressed themselves even harder into the walls.
‘She's not stopping…’
He tried as hard as he could to push himself further into the closet, but it was no use; he was as far back as he could go. ‘Not on her own…'"Sakura." Kakashi blinked owlishly as he felt her shiver. 'Did she just…did my brea—?’ A small blush peaked above his mask.
‘Nope, just a figment of your imagination Kakashi.’
He shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. ‘That’s right… just a figment… of your imagination...’ Then nearly choked when she started wiggling again. ‘Kami! It’s even worse now...’ He slid his hands over her hips,"Sakura… stop fidgeting…. Please…” And was mortified by the sound of his voice…but he needed her to stop, so he kept on.“From the sound of things, they're about to walk in." He refused to acknowledge how well her curves fit in his hands, then swiftly shoved them back against the wall—to safety. ‘At least she stopped.’ His jaw clenched tightly; the amount of stimulation he endured left him acutely aware of every single part of her lithe form still pressing against him. ‘Just stare at the ceiling Kakashi.’ A man could only take so much, but he was determined to keep his spiraling thoughts under wraps. ‘Just stare… and breathe...’ He prayed she wouldn’t start moving again. ‘...think of something else…anything else’ Then he heard the couple’s antics. ‘Junko?’ and started to lose his sanity. 'No, no, no… no!’ Sakura didn’t realize it—or so he thought— but the couple were reenacting a scene from Jiraiya’s latest novel.
‘Out of all the—’
Kakashi didn’t have a chance.
‘…Dammit…’
He should have just jumped out the window.
‘...she’s moving again…’
He should have… but he didn’t and now, he found himself embarrassingly aroused. It was beyond his comprehension, well perhaps it would have been if he still had his sanity. ‘Never thought of her like this…’ All of his senses except one—because he still refused to look down at her— were consumed by intoxicating sensations. If it wasn't the way Sakura was lightly rubbing against him, it was the sound of mystery Junko's moans warping his mind; if it wasn't Junko’s sweet mewls caressing his ears, it was the overwhelming scent of arousal filling the air. He gulped in trepidation. ‘…that I would ever even think of her like this…’ And that's when it happened when he lost all sense of rationality. A musky smell too delicate and sweet to be the other woman sweeping through. ‘...Fuck…’ The thought of Sakura being equally unable to resist the sensations surrounding them. His desire to grab her perfectly curved hips, to pull her closer and press into her, making sure she could feel exactly what she was doing to him. Of running his hands down her thighs, squeezing them whenever it felt right, before grinding against the very thing that had been plaguing him, then exploring the source of the wetness he could now feel on his pants. It was all too much… ‘… I want her…’ and rather bittersweet really, it being Sakura's scent that sent him over the edge. It managed to cause a bout of sanity to return to him. ‘…Fuck…I want Sakura…!’ But not enough to keep him from succumbing; especially when she suddenly ground herself into him and fisted a handful of his hair. ‘…Forgive me...’ Sakura was blushing profusely.
'Oh kami, I hope he doesn't notice how…’
She quickly forbade herself from thinking about it; she had sex before, granted not as much as Ino, but she definitely had experience.
‘How wet I am?’
She felt like dying from embarrassment. 'I thought I told you to get the hell out of here!'
'Hey! I'm not the one who's been rubbing herself against a man without bothering to think about what it might be doing to him. No question he's been sprung, poor guy didn't have a chance.'
Sakura tried to regain her composure; felt bad about not thinking about things with more clarity beforehand. ‘His reaction’s normal, I mean… it’s not because it’s me…it’s… friction…’ Only to be lost in the need to hear her name fall from his lips once more. ‘The raggedness of his voice when he…’ To have his hands roaming and holding her in places, she had never had the pleasure of feeling him touch before. ‘The feel of his hands on my hips...’ Her breathing hastened. Images of all the different ways she wanted him. ‘Oh fuck…’ To experience the satisfaction of him taking her right then and there. ‘Shit.’ And, as that thought crossed her mind, her body became electrified, her shorts becoming soaked from the pools of liquid seeping out of her as if her inner had pushed her off her proverbial cliff of logic and into the arms of her lust. ‘I can’t take it!’ Officially lost to the abyss of carnal desires, she slid an arm up and reached behind, taking hold of Kakashi’s silver locks as she ground herself against him. The next thing she knew, her wish to hear the delectable sound of him moaning her name was granted. It was so soft and low that only she could hear it. Kakashi hadn’t even realized he had said it—far too stunned and in awe to be coherent. Sakura knew what was next; felt the coming of a moan of her own as its vibrations started to make their way up her chest and into her throat. She ground herself against him with more fervor as it made her lips tingle; she was sane enough to muffle it by covering her mouth with the hand not tangled in his hair. Kakashi had caught it though. He took it as an invitation to grant another blissfully sinful wish. His hands started to roam, wandering over the curves of her waist and swell of her hips, making her melt further into him. One began exploring the inner part of a thigh, squeezing it shamelessly while simultaneously pulling her closer, making it hard for her to breathe as her body flushed against his fully. The other traveled up and between her breasts; his fingers burning the skin around her collarbone, neck, then jaw as they drew up. She tilted her head back for him, eagerly following the silent demands of his touch. His masked lips were just inches from hers, his eye dark and heavy. She curved herself into him even more, savoring the feeling of his length jolt with need. His eye widened and he had to press his mouth into the crook of her neck to cover a groan as he bucked his hips into her just once, instantly making her insides pulse. She couldn’t quite tell how large he was but it felt like he would stretch her out nicely. He traced his masked lips up her neck, then over her jaw; she desperately tried to control the sudden tremble ripping through her being but failed miserably. Her weakness served to feed his own, she knew it from the shaking of his form and panted breaths. She reached down and took hold of the hand still exploring her thigh and started to slide it up, to where she needed it the most. Their mouths were just centimeters apart, just a feather-light brush of fabric and bare lips and his fingers were close enough to her core to make her breath hitch in anticipation. But as lucky as Sakura had been—to have gotten this small moment of utter bliss— fate decided to rip it away. Because the next thing she heard was a loud crash and an explicit curse from the other side of the door."Fuck!” They went rigid. Reality swept the rug beneath their feet before they could even gather what they had done, what they were about to do.“We just broke the bonsai tree, Nomi." And all of the wonderful sensations they had been experiencing abruptly drained from their bodies. They wordlessly detached themselves as best as they could. Sakura was too frazzled to think clearly, she didn’t even think twice about the couple using their real names. "What? ...Oh…what should we do Kojiro?""…I think we should go.""Ok… Wait, look!""What? Oh, it's a scroll… It looks like it was inside the bonsai tree’s pot…?""Why would someone do that?""Hmm, I couldn't say for sure, but it probably isn’t anything good if they went so far to hide it." There was silence for a moment."Should we take it to the authorities?" 'For the love of! Don't you fucking dare take the damn thing after all the time I spent looking for it! In the fucking bonsai tree’s pot..!’ Sakura wanted to bust down the door.
‘Who the hell does that?!'
"…No, let's not, we have no idea what it's for and we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves if someone came for it. Come on, honey, let's go." 'That's right leave it, go on with yourselves. Seriously though who the hell hides a scroll in a potted plant?! I get that they were trying to hide it, but still!' Anger made it easier for Sakura to dismiss what had just happened. Using what he felt was the safest form of communication, Kakashi tried to let Sakura know it was okay to open the door by clearing his throat. Her body tensed under the weight of the sound, and he watched the back of her neck flush into a deep red."Oh… um…" He was a bit amused, though he mostly wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out."It's ok, Sakura… just…just open the door." but he couldn’t deny that he found her blushing to be rather cute."…Right" Which of course made him think,
'What the fuck’s wrong with me?’
As he stepped out of the closet's threshold, after taking a few moments to compose himself, Kakashi looked over to the remains of the previously beautiful bonsai. Sakura was already there, fiddling with the scroll between her hands; she was visibly distraught. Sighing inwardly, he did the only thing he knew he could— shift her focus to something else."You know, I was going to suggest to you earlier that it might be hidden." She seethed."No, you weren't!""Mmmm, if you say so, Sakura.""Tch, let's just go." He did his best to keep himself from chuckling as the fiery kunoichi stomped her way past him. 'That was easier than expected.'"And why couldn't you have told me that earlier, baka!" The words flew from his mouth before he could stop himself, he really did love teasing her relentlessly."What, and miss the show?" As she froze in place, the blush that prickled its way across her features was the best Kakashi had seen yet."You...” He pointed to himself, pretending to be confused.“Me…?” She glared at him knowingly. “You're such—” He raised a singular brow, still donning the act of confusion.“I’m such…?” She simply raged.“Ugh! Pervert!" And stormed out, not bothering to see if he was following. 'Hmmm…should I? ... Mah… I've teased her enough...’ He coughed; forgetting about this would prove to be difficult...but he would make sure to forget about it… or at the very least turn it into something they could laugh about. They left for home then. One feeling thoroughly embarrassed, while the other looked forward to all the ways he could get away with teasing her, desperately clinging to anything he could to deny his libidinous shame.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
'Inner-Sakura's Thoughts'
Actions and Narration
Present:
It was early morning; the sun barely peeked through the dull clouds in the sky as despair started to crawl its way into Sakura's mind. Another sleepless night, another morning left to begin her day alone. Tossing over to her side, she briefly noted the time before turning her attention towards the large window across her bed, trying to build up the will to get up as she searched for a little piece of happiness outside and sighed.
‘My shift starts in an hour.’
Her tired eyes caught sight of a bluebird soaring freely into the branches of a blooming tree. It quickly added a rootlet to its in-progress nest before flying off to find another. It reminded her of a certain pair of blue-eyed knuckleheads; it warmed her to think of the two.
'When was the last time I saw Ino or Naruto?’
Feeling a little more at ease Sakura rolled out of bed, and gently placed her feet onto the hardwood floor; it didn’t help ease the incoming assault of cold as she had hoped. If she wasn't well awake before she certainly was now, the shivering touch traveling straight from her toes, up her spine, and straight to her head. ‘I know the last time I spoke to them they were working on refurbishing their homes for a family…. I bet Sai and Hinata had a hell of a time watching those two try to organize things.’ She smiled a little before puffing her cheeks in disappointment. No matter how many times she asked if they could replace the windows, Sasuke always denied her; saying they had sentimental value. But everything in the house had sentimental value to him. The leaky faucet, the scuffed-up floors, the furniture, paintings: Anything, and everything was meant to stay the same for him. Nevertheless, she chuckled a little from her thoughts.
‘I bet they ended up doing most of the work instead. The only things Ino’s good at is putting together outfits or flower arrangements… and Naruto... well, is Naruto. Bless Hinata and her undying patience. I really do miss those two though…’
Truth be told she missed all of them. She had simply been too tired lately to put any effort into seeing them.
‘Maybe I should try seeing them after work today?'
She didn't really mind Sasuke’s sentimentalities too much. It was his way of keeping his family close to him, and she had no desire to take that away, but the least he could do was replace the damned windows. She was tired of getting out of her cozy bed and stepping straight into freezing temperatures.
'Well, at least he got me a nice fluffy robe and slippers to throw on. Even though they’re gray…’
Her nose scrunched a little as she looked at them lying across the room.
‘Red or even purple would have been better...'
‘And what's the point of having them when you don't even get the chance to wear them, hmm?'
She ignored her inner while sighing inwardly and urged her body to move faster to get her everyday attire on. The fresh clothes helped soothe the chill she had been suffering from as she continued through her morning routine mechanically: adjust clothing, slip on shoes, braid hair, place headband, go downstairs, walk into the kitchen, grab hospital coat off the counter, grab an apple, pocket the house keys, and leave. But today was slightly different; there was a note underneath the keys.
'He came home last night?'
Reaching out she picked up the little piece of paper as if it would disintegrate and turn into dust the moment her fingers brushed it. Leaving notes was not something Sasuke usually did. The words were tiny and a little hard to read, but legible."I’ll be waiting for you after work; I’d like to go out and have dinner later."
'He was listening to me after all.'
A small smile broke through at the thought of Sasuke taking her suggestion of them going out and spending time together in someplace other than the house, but the voice in the back of her mind kept telling her to not get her hopes up.
'Wait and see what happens, this wouldn't be the first time he said he wanted to do something but canceled last minute. I thought we were going to go see Ino and Naruto anyway?'
Pushing her inner thoughts aside again, she delicately folded the small note before sliding it into her medical coat and making her way out. Despite her doubt, Sakura started to look forward to her day, hoping for a somewhat rare amazing night with Sasuke. Most mornings at the hospital were pretty calm: check currently admitted patients, repair a few cuts, go over patient files, check if the Jōnins who need their routine medical exams had shown, and so forth. However, this was one of those mornings when a team just came back from a mission, and almost everyone on the team was left in critical condition. Broken bones, torn ligaments, ruptured vessels, internal bleeding, chakra depletion, and more. It was pretty serious but in Tsunade’s eyes it wasn’t anything major, therefore it was a piece of cake for Sakura to manage. Sakura was in the process of taking care of a deep puncture wound where the weapon of choice—a longer-than-usual senbon—had embedded itself into one of the unlucky women's ribs. She was halfway through pulling out the devil when one of her trainees rushed in. The girl’s frantic state almost distracted Sakura from her task."Sakura-senpai! Lady Tsunade wishes to see you!" ‘Impeccable timing as always Shishou.’ Sakura ignored the trainee and continued her work; too focused on waiting for the exact moment the cylinder-shaped weapon would be out of the Jōnin’s side. ‘She’ll lose an unnecessary amount of blood if I don’t do this right.’ Concentrating her chakra on the circular wound, she fought the gush of blood that wanted to pour out by encouraging its flow to slow. Her chakra noticed that the senbon had chipped some of the woman’s rib as well. ‘That will need to be healed too.’ She glanced at the girl waiting in the doorway. ‘What’s her name again?’
‘Umeko.’
"Thank you, Umeko, let her know I'll be there shortly. I'm a little busy at the moment." Placing the previously lodged weapon and bits of bone onto the silver tray at her side, Sakura wiped small beads of sweat off her forehead with one hand while the other kept working on closing up the wound entirely. ‘Have to work from the inside out.’ Her brows furrowed as she started the process of threading the woman’s internal tissue back together. ‘Something feels—’“…Sakura-senpai…” She glared at the girl for disrupting her thoughts. Umeko seemed to understand.“I’m terribly sorry… but Lady Tsunade said to come immediately…” She was still focused on the task at hand when Umeko moved to her side.
‘Must be important.’
Sakura wanted to reconstruct the damaged rib before leaving, but it was never good to make her Shishou wait. She sighed."Are you able to take over? I'm still in the middle of sealing up her wound and her third rib down needs to be reconstructed…” then eyed Umeko tentatively. “Are you able to do that?""Hai!" ‘Ok, good.’"Alright, we'll do it together for a few seconds so you can get the feel of where I’m at; then I'll take my leave. Sound good?""Yes ma'am!""OK… on the count of three...”“…One…” ‘Have to blend our chakras;’“…Two…”
‘…just right…”
“…Three!" ‘Perfect!’"I'll take things from here Sakura-senpai." She quickly set off and was already halfway out the door before answering her fellow medic."Thank you, Umeko, you did a great job… until later." Sakura walked through the halls of the hospital dazed. She was beyond grateful for the coming change of pace; she couldn't remember the last time she had been on a mission. ‘Far too long.’ But was conflicted with what would be required of her. Coming to a flight of stairs, she paused and gazed out a large window. Everything seemed vibrant. She could see children playing, running around uncaringly. Could see an older woman, who was her closest neighbor, buying fresh fish from a stand…. She frowned a little as she spotted a smiling couple walking closely together, arms wrapped around each other lovingly. 'Is that normal for all couples…?’ Turning once more, Sakura went back to walking to the bottom floor; her long-braided locks swaying slightly with each step.
‘… or is it only normal when they first get together...?’
Her meeting with Tsunade had taken longer than expected and her patients from earlier were currently recovering there.
'… I'm not used to public displays of affection…’
A sigh pressed fast between her lips before pursing out thoughtlessly in contemplation. ‘…Sasuke’s more of an at-home kind of guy…’ She knew Sasuke did his best; truthfully public displays of affection always embarrassed him. Nor was everything he told her a farce like Tsunade thought. There were just more important things to be addressed. The kind of things that could mean life or death for him and, in his opinion, her as well. She reached the bottom of the stairs, allowing her thoughts to continue as she kept walking down the hall. He had been working on the threat to the Uchiha lineage for quite some time. Despite what others thought, he wasn't neglecting her. She too felt it was best to stay on top of the enemy, even when it wasn’t exactly clear who the enemy was yet. If anything, not knowing just made it even more dire. The last time they had dinner together though, he told her he was getting close to finding out. ‘…maybe that’s what tonight is really about…’ She turned a corner and found her way to the room she needed to go in. As she settled her palms against the wooden door, her thoughts once more turned back to her mission. Thinking about how Sasuke still didn't know who his enemy was made her think of "the who" she was going to be paired with and, considering the requirements needed for the mission, her mind kept leading her to a certain silver-haired shinobi. ‘Guess that mission report came back to bite me in the ass.’ She wasn't sure how she felt about it. It had been ages since she had seen him. In fact, she was certain the last time they saw one another was during her and Sasuke's engagement party, and that had been rather awkward. Though she was glad that Kakashi had been helping Sasuke investigate things, he seemed to be the only one taking him seriously. Which made her grateful, but still she wasn’t sure how she would handle things if he was her mission partner. 'Maybe it won't be him.'
'Personally, I hope it is!'
Sighing audibly, Sakura finally started to push the large door open. 'Go to hell.' As she looked up from the floor, the medic was startled for less than a second before regaining her composure.
'… We're already there...'
She had no idea how or why she didn't notice anything before, but it was complete chaos. Nurses were in the midst of trying to hold down two of the patients, one of which was the woman Sakura had pulled the rod-like senbon out of. The other was a man who resembled her in appearance. Both were screaming eerily and convulsing uncontrollably; their eyes rolled back to the point where all you could see was white. She quickly looked at the names on their charts,
‘You’ve got this.’
And rolled up her sleeves at lightning speed."Umeko! Daisuke! Go help Suki with holding down our other patient! I'll take care of Miss Sadako." "What the hell, Hatake! You almost made me burn myself!" Smiling sincerely, the Copy-Nin jumped down from his current post in the window frame and stifled a laugh."I didn't know you were the domestic type, Genma." Genma looked back at the man threateningly, cooking all the while."Yeah, well don't you dare go tell Gai about it or—""What? Into the frying pan with me?" Kakashi chuckled softly as he watched Genma's eyes deadpan in a way that rivaled his usual look of antipathy."Think you're funny, huh?" Kakashi returned the favor, being sure to amp up the droop of his eye, unwilling to be one-upped by the senbon wielder."Alright, what do you want? It's not normal for you to pop in through my window at this time of day. Which, by the way, you should stop. Shizune is getting tired of having to clean your damn sandal marks off the seal." Kakashi turned his attention to the window, perusing the very small but still noticeable mark on its seal, and made his way toward it to half-assedly wipe it. He then turned his attention back to his longtime friend. 'He didn't say I needed to stop leaving through it...'"Speaking of Shizune, think you could get her to confiscate Tsunade’s secret liquor stash and switch it all out for water again?" Genma studied him from the side for a moment before looking back at the stove."Yeah, yeah, sure, shouldn't be a problem, especially after she sees the dinner I'm making her. What did the old hag do to you this time?"“Mah…it doesn't really matter, does it?” A bit of oil from the frying pan popped out, but Genma managed to avoid it. He then glanced his way again.“You arrived late again, didn't you?" Kakashi simply shrugged."I did but that isn't why. I have to go though, see you later?" Genma distantly nodded; he was more concerned about dinner."Yep, could use a good drink. See ya." After lifting a hand in his typical goodbye fashion, not that Genma even noticed, Kakashi stepped into the window frame once more. Which, of course, the brown-haired man did notice; he started complaining."I thought I told you to stop using the fucking window, man?" Kakashi ignored him and used his chakra to walk down the side of the building as he raised his voice so Genma would hear him."If my memory serves correct, you told me to stop popping in through it, you never said anything about using it to leave." As he took his final step and reached the ground, a loud crashing sound and multiple profanities started to fly out the window."Fucking shit, that's hot! Shit stove! Damn, grease! Fucking Kakashi you cocky bastard! Fuck!" 'Eh, Shizune will heal him.’ He was tempted to ask who was in the frying pan now but refrained; Genma would surely forgo asking Shizune to help him get his revenge otherwise. So, he pulled out his go-to book and started making his way to the hospital, thinking about how he was going to approach Sakura. Their last encounter was rather humiliating, mostly his fault—well his date’s, and he wasn't sure how to act around her now. 'I know it's similar to that one time, but it's—
‘No, it doesn't matter, just act normal and all will be fine...’
He stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sky; the position of the sun told him it was close to four. He had only said he needed to leave Genma's because… well, for one, he didn’t feel like having to explain what was bothering him, and two, he wasn’t even sure how to convey it… let alone sort through it all. The time had been the last thing on his mind, until then. ‘Must have wandered around for longer than I thought before getting there.’ After leaving Tsunade’s office, he aimlessly walked around and tried his best to sort through his thoughts. He told her every excuse he could think of to get out of it, the fact that none of his points changed her mind frustrated him beyond belief. The truth was that he missed Sakura. He would be missing Sasuke too, but Sasuke wasn’t the one he had been avoiding. In fact, they saw one another regularly. The Uchiha apparently found the party incident humorous and went as far as tracking Kakashi down to tell him. They had been meeting up for drinks or small talk ever since. Kakashi had also been helping Sasuke with a problem he was trying to resolve. Oddly enough, they never really talked about Sakura much. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t too peculiar considering everything. In the beginning, when Kakashi first realized his attraction towards Sakura, he playfully teased her about it, since she had similar… inclinations… Then, everything leading up to the war took so much of their time…the weight of it all made such seemingly frivolous things, at least that’s what he told himself, fade away. Things had become too serious with the war for it not to. Somewhere along then, feelings he wasn’t ready to face started rearing their way in. The moment he noticed; he made a point to distance himself. He didn’t avoid her but couldn’t go back to how things were before the war either. Distancing himself proved to be fruitful… until the engagement party. ‘If only I had chosen a different date…’ Kakashi settled himself against one of the shop walls across the entrance to the hospital, he was going to wait in front of the doors originally but found that Sasuke was already there— it was safe to assume he was waiting for Sakura. He had hoped to catch her today, so they would have more time to make plans and properly prepare for everything, as well as get used to doing what they would have to…not that it would really be a problem, it was more so a matter of practicing restraint. With Sasuke there though, he felt even more out of place, as if he was an intruder. But rather than leaving, he decided to wait and see whether or not Sasuke was going to do something with Sakura. If he was just stopping by to tell her something, then he could still follow through with his plans— it also gave him the opportunity to observe them. He felt that Tsunade was just being too motherly with Sakura about it all… he understood… he did… but he didn’t like her acting as if he would magically fix whatever the problem was either. His chest tightened anxiously, knowing he was just going to make things worse. The emotional roller coaster he was riding started to make his head hurt; he sighed while looking up at the sky. ‘This is going to be a challenge.’ It took some time and a lot of effort, four hours of nonstop work to be exact, but Sakura managed to save her patients; wouldn’t have if she hadn’t managed to quickly remember what Umeko had distracted her from earlier. It turned out to be a foreign substance she had never run across before. ‘Damn thing was practically untraceable.’ During her research, she discovered that everyone within the group from earlier had been subjected to it. But only the twins, Sadako, and Shinji showed signs of being affected. This meant that the possibility of it having another purpose was high—most substances only react to specific genetic codes if they’re cultivated for those codes. ‘So why theirs?’ She looked at the clock hanging directly in front of her, it was 3:12. ‘I’m sure I can learn something before it's time to meet Sasuke.’ Sakura took hold of the small dropper to her left and drew some clean blood she had taken from Sadako; then administrated a tiny droplet of it onto a slide. She repeated the process with the substance; the two mixed instantly… as if they were drawn to one another. ‘…Interesting…’ She carefully placed the slide’s top on, then began examining it under her microscope. Forty minutes later, after a lot of continuous studying, Sakura was still dumbfounded. She knew for a fact that the drug was drawn to Sadako's blood, but she discovered nothing truly substantial beyond that. After some time, the drug would start eating cells slowly, which wasn’t unusual; that was what most of the poisons she came across did. However, for reasons unknown, some of Sadako's cells started to mutate and form new ones; oddly enough, they suffered the same fate as the ones that were immediately eaten away shortly after. It reminded her of Orochimaru's experiments; the ones where he tried recreating certain abilities in other people, like Captain Yamato. But that wasn’t too helpful because Orochimaru had changed his ways… She was disappointed with her failure to find any resemblance between the substance and the twins’ DNA. She only knew that something about their genetic makeup made it react differently in comparison. Her gut told her that she was onto something but, if she was, what did that mean exactly? What were they trying to recreate and what was in the Mienai’s bloodline that made it act differently? As far as she knew their clan had been in Konoha for ages, and she had no recollection of them having any special abilities. Sakura looked back up at the clock and saw that it was five minutes till four. Sighing heavily, she started cleaning and closing up the lab. ‘I’ll have to visit Tsunade again before the day’s over.’ With her upcoming mission, she wouldn't have enough time to discover all of the contraption’s hidden secrets, but she was sure her Shishou and Shizune could… given time. After finishing her tidying, Sakura began leaving the hospital. She slipped a hand into the pocket of her hospital coat— which was new due to her previous one being covered in hazardous materials—and unconsciously fiddled with the note she remembered to keep. She was nervous about her meeting with Sasuke; anxiously hoping he would be outside waiting. After the day she had, some quality time with him was desperately needed. Kakashi was only there for a few minutes before his peripheral vision caught a head of pink emerging from the entrance. Not wanting to completely shirk Tsunade’s concerns, or so he told himself because he already knew most of it was bullshit, he took the opportunity to observe Sakura’s physical state. Her braided hair looked disheveled, and her eyes lacked the particular warmth he had accustomed them with...but her weight looked about the same as it always had…if anything her body seemed to be settling into womanhood completely—her curves accentuating the slim of waist. If her appearance amounted to anything, he went back to his original thoughts, Sakura was just overworking herself.
‘Tsunade was simply overreacting.’
Nevertheless, he kept watching them from afar discreetly—his book helping him hide his actions. Sakura stepped towards Sasuke and tugged a loose strand of hair behind her ear; a small smile gracing her lips as she did."I was surprised by your note this morning, some pretty interesting things happened during my shift today… I've been looking forward to getting to unwind with you.” He studied the way Sasuke turned his attention towards the horizon, then heard him sigh with hints of disappointment."I can't go now, something's come up regarding my investigations—can't dismiss it." ‘Wonder what...?’ Despite his concerns regarding what Sasuke said, he didn’t fail to notice how Sakura's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before returning, becoming a façade of what it was before… less warmth…less sincerity."I understand, well… maybe we can do something special later tonight? I mean once you're home. Tsunade said you already know that I’m about to leave for a mission…So, it would be nice to spend time together before I have to go, especially considering what I’ll have to do.” He cringed a little as she said this, knowing she was probably wishing it was Sasuke going with her… Noted the way hope filled the depths of her eyes, as the Uchiha, who he could only imagine was smiling at her sweetness, turned his attention back towards her. He took her hand while doing so, rubbing it softly with a thumb while speaking."I would love to Sakura b—." An immense amount of joy started radiating off her."Really! That's great! I can pick fresh tomatoes out of the garden and coo—""But I won't be back tonight, I'm sorry… Actually… unfortunately… I most likely won’t be back before you have to go..." Then witnessed how quickly she wilted; unable to hold back her disappointment."Oh." He kept examining the pair as Sasuke took the side of her face into his hand, regarded the way Sakura's brows tightened and eyes closed at the touch. How the man leaned forward to kiss her lips but was denied as Sakura noticed his intentions and turned away from him. Sasuke planted a small kiss on her cheek instead."I'm sorry Sakura… I really am... I know it may be a while before we see one another again… Since you'll be heading out in a couple of days. You know I have to do this though… and I hope… when you’re back that things are better… Whatever happens, I just want you to be happy…" He let the way Sakura took in a shaky breath sink into him, that horrible false smile returning to her face; Kakashi felt like even more of an intruder than before."It’s ok… I understand Sasuke, I guess I'll be going then… I love you..." Sasuke brought two of his fingers to the diamond on her forehead; just as he always did. Something about Sakura’s behavior towards the action told him that perhaps it wasn’t Sasuke that was the problem… because he obviously cared for her… rather it was Sakura… Kakashi just didn’t know why she seemed so dejected…this was what she had longed for after all, what she had dreamed about for years. He sighed. ‘Tsunade most likely just wanted someone to blame … makes it easier to accept… Especially when there’s no definitive answer…’"And I you, don't be sad Sakura… Everything will be ok… besides… “ His head turned slightly towards Kakashi’s direction, but not enough to make Sakura look his way.“It might be a good idea to start preparing for your mission.” ‘Ahh…So he noticed me, perceptive as always…’"I'll try making a quick visit before you have to leave, but I can’t make any promises… Goodbye, Sakura." Sasuke squeezed her hand tightly; tried expressing himself in ways he couldn’t with words, then transported out."…Goodbye… Sasuke..." Kakashi looked back up to the sky. Everything was proving to be far more complicated than he initially thought.
'…Feels wrong to talk to her now…'
Nevertheless, he stayed put. A few moments passed before she started walking, he briefly wondered if he would have to follow her but saw that she was heading his way. Figuring she would see him, he didn’t make an effort to move or make himself noticed, but she didn't realize he was there— oblivious to the world as she walked past him. He wanted to just go home, but that didn’t feel entirely right to do either, so he steeled himself before grabbing her attention. ‘Just act like nothing has changed…’"Yo!" Sakura halted in place, her head snapping towards his direction: eyes widening with surprise upon seeing his usual lanky form and hand up in greeting."Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi did his best to act like he didn't just witness her previous conversation, eavesdropping’s rude after all."Mah…we’ve been equals for quite some time now Sakura, makes me feel old when you use Sensei." She leered at him skeptically; he flawlessly kept his stoic front, though he was sure she saw right through him."Mhm, what are you doing here Sensei?" He tried to make the situation lighter by comically holding a hand against his chest—feigning a pained expression.“So mean Sakura-chan.” Sakura sighed and looked back at the hospital; her eyes quickly flickered back to him. Kakashi smiled and did his best to not rub the back of his head nervously by stuffing his hands into his pockets."Well, you see, this little birdie told me that—” She wasn’t having any of it.“How long have you been here?” He quickly averted his eye a hummed nonchalantly."Hmmm." She placed her hands on her hips while cocking her head to the side, lips curling down, and cheeks puffing out impatiently.“Well, how long?” His eye shifted back her way, gazing at her with a form of perceptive intensity, yet the sheen of his eye was still somewhat vacant—effectively hiding any deeper emotions.“Long enough…” Silence filled the air as she crossed her arms and looked absent-mindedly down the alley behind him, he could tell she was feeling overwhelmingly bare. Her voice was painfully empty when she finally spoke.“Thank you for not lying…” He didn’t know what to say, luckily, she did.“I imagine you’re here about the mission?”
‘Ah, so she did figure it out. Good, saves me the trouble of having to tell her.’
His stance shifted as his hands dug themselves further into his pockets.“I am… how about we get something to eat before we talk about it?” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, making him feel the need to make the idea of it sound sweeter."I'll pay, even for the drinks. Well, if you order any..." A wave of relief washed over him as a genuine smile swept over her delicate face."Alright I'll go, I have the perfect place in mind too." ‘I don't like the way her face just turned from sweet and innocent to downright wicked, best to act like nothing's changed...' He languidly made his way over to her side when she started walking and warily glanced down at her when she wasn’t looking."Great; where to…?""Oh… you'll see… speaking of seeing, why haven't I seen you around for oh I don't know, practically a year now?” 'Shit, her smile’s borderline malicious now—never a good sign.’"Ahh… well… you know… lost on the path of life and all that…" He chanced another side-long glance at her and was a bit terrified as her vicious smile was suddenly paired with a twitch of her brow. ‘She’s spent too much time with Tsunade…’"You know… I think I have an even better place in mind… I’m sure you'll love it." 'Well, there goes my wallet…fuck.''"That's… just… wonderful Sakura." Sakura didn't miss the sarcasm mixed in his voice and was filled with great pleasure in knowing he was displeased… It only seemed right after all. He had been avoiding her and as much as she tried denying it…she had missed him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts"
'Inner-Sakura'
Actions and Narration
About 3-4 years ago:
The journey back from Iwagakure was primarily silent. Minus an occasional question here or there that was cloaked behind professional courtesy. The trip from Iwa to Konoha took about 54 hours or so after all… It stayed that way until they were about two hours away from home. Because, ultimately, there was an odd combination of differently rooted trepidations mixed with airs of frustration and sullen confusion between the two. Sakura confined herself to staying behind Kakashi the majority of the way, and though he tried his best to remain vaguely impassive, Icha-Icha Impromptu dutifully in one hand while the other settled languidly in a pocket—except for whenever they ran— he couldn’t quite ignore the daggers she profusely kept shooting his way. He tried to overlook her anger towards him. He truly did, considering his actions and inability to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing… Well… it was easy for him to understand her sourness. At the same time, knowing everything would have been perfectly fine if she had just stayed still made him want to candidly point that out. There was certainly a lesson that could be learned here. Definitively speaking though, that was a problem within itself, because he apparently needed the same lesson. Mostly because he obscurely felt that he shouldn’t have been influenced by her actions to begin with. The hand he had in his pocket reached behind to scratch his head as if it would help him sort his thoughts. Even then, he couldn’t deny that he had enjoyed the moment. Which, justifiably, left him feeling like he should of at the very least had enough sense to resist recuperating her actions. In turn, this particular train of thought amplified when he considered how unlawful it was to lose control during a mission like that… He really shouldn’t have lost focus. Then there was the fact that it made him feel rather depraved and even though he did sorta do perverted-like things, he was certainly not lecherous like Jiraiya. Eventually, the combination of Sakura’s hostility and his stubborn roller-coasting trite wore him down to a rather contemptible brooding mess. A sulking Copy-Nin was hardly appealing and frankly… it was a bit cringy. As for Sakura, she simply couldn’t get past the fact she had even done it and begrudgingly blamed herself for her humiliating libidinous actions. For the most part, at least. Another part of her refused to even acknowledge it was irrefutably her fault. The battle between her apprehension and refusal to accept fault, left little room for her to sort through the confusing feelings of attraction that—resentfully—wouldn’t go away. She was stuck in a loop, briefly admiring his backside before roughly smashing her unwanted thoughts and wandering eyes to pieces, then glaring at him threateningly, just to go back to ogling the parts of him she found favorable. Then there was her anger towards him for acting as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t done a single thing to warrant her unsightly glares. It would have been easy to put the whole thing behind her if he hadn’t teased her so ingenuously after—as if the moment had been the most innocent thing in the world. She considered grabbing the back of his collar and shoving his head straight into the dirt; hard enough to bury it as if she was merely helping an ostrich hide. The thought of doing so was incredibly calming, but she also knew that deep down she simply hoped that all of this wouldn’t affect their dynamic. She worked far too hard to earn his praise and respect just to lose that severely desired recognition to a bout of hormonal unconscientiousness. In reality, she didn’t really think she would lose it. Nevertheless, it kept floating around her thoughts insistently. This was her state of mind until Kakashi’s seemingly lax state drooped dramatically as if he were a dog ruefully thrown out into the rain for doing something he shouldn’t have. It was then she realized that he was more than likely having just as hard of a time; it made her feel sorry for behaving so brashly. At the end of the day, Kakashi was simply a man… and it would be hypocritical of her to dismiss that, because… well... because she was simply a woman. Both sexes have needs, and she had undoubtedly stirred his... brazenly so at that. This line of thought made her feel a bit more at ease. Sure, they touched each other in ways that she had never even contemplated before, let alone considered to be possible with him, but she would whole-heartedly be lying if she denied ever having an occasional glance of appreciation towards his physique and prowess before the closet incident... Plainly put, she had never gone beyond superficial perusals before then... Nor ever thought she would. An exasperated breath expelled from her lungs; she certainly couldn’t leave him to sulk… ‘How can I fix this?’
‘Just talk to him.’
‘Wha—No... I can’t just…Can I?’
Kakashi hadn’t been moping for long before hearing Sakura’s exasperated puff of air. He had no idea how to repair this predicament, which just made him feel worse because… well… he was a grown man sulking. He felt just a tad bit pathetic and that never reconciled well with him, so he mentally slapped himself to snap out of it. It proved to be prosperous. With a little sanity back, he weighed his options. ‘I could take the direct approach…and just…talk to her about it…’ Doing his best to hide his actions, he chanced a glance back at Sakura while scratching the part of his neck just beneath his chin and noted that she seemed significantly calmer. ‘Then again, that might push us back to square one…’ Humming contemplatively, he considered whether or not a spur-of-the-moment training session would work. He had been meaning to work with her on expanding her skills but between Naruto’s extensive multi-shadow-clone training, missions, Pain’s attack, the reconstruction of Konoha, Sakura’s own obligations, and Danzo trying to take advantage of Tsunade’s weakened state— she had been lucky enough to not go into a coma after Pain’s attack— there hadn’t been any time. So, now… would certainly be better than never… It would give them something to focus on that was familiar, and it was hard to tell if they would get the chance to after getting back to Konoha. ‘Guess it's worth a shot.’ He slipped Icha-Icha Impromptu into its pouch before promptly reaching into another, hoping he still had some chakra papers left over from Naruto's initial chakra nature training. It had been a while since then, sure… but he had a habit of not fully cleaning out his pouches—never knowing what might come in handy. He only had to dig around for a few moments before his fingers brushed across some. ‘Aha!’ He swiftly pulled them out and smiled contently; there were three. ‘That’ll work just fine.’“Saku—”“Kaka—” Kakashi stopped walking and turned partially toward Sakura while clearing his throat to cover his chagrin over the two of them addressing the other at the same time. Things might be awkward between them for a while; surely some normalcy could be saved though. An image of the closet briefly flashed through his mind before he swashed it away while suppressing the urge to cough. He could feel himself blushing but was pretty sure it wasn’t extensive enough to peak above his mask. Besides, it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. On the other hand, Sakura’s blush could be seen and didn’t go away. He made a point to pretend like he didn’t notice and held up the chakra papers.“Have you—”“Are those—” Speaking over one another again made him shift his stance and laugh silently through a singular breath. Sakura could see his eye glint with a form of mirth. She decided to keep her mouth shut. However, she couldn’t help herself from smiling a little too. Perhaps putting it behind them would be easier than she thought.“Based on what you were about to say… I imagine it's safe to presume you know what these are…?” He raised a singular brow as she shook her head yes,“Have you ever used one?” Now that was something she had never done, she’d certainly read about them, made a point to read about each chakra nature as well as the Yin & Yang releases—but never used one. She planned on finding out what her chakra affinity was by herself, but the papers were really hard to come by now. A surplus of demand came about after Pain’s attack. Everyone seemed to want them suddenly; hoping to be better prepared for whatever else the universe had planned for them.“No, but I’ve been wanting to.” Kakashi was happy that his, somewhat, improvised approach was working; It wasn’t exactly what he had planned on going over with her originally, but perhaps this was better than what he initially had in mind. He was honestly a bit surprised that Tsunade never had her use one. He waved the papers around and smiled.“You must be excited to find out what your affinity is then.” Sakura nodded enthusiastically while making her way to Kakashi’s side and started to reach for one. He quickly pulled the slips back just as her fingers brushed against them; she was certain she saw a glimmer of trickery in his eye before it reverted to its typical sheen of ambiguity.“Now, now, Sakura don’t be so eager; these things are really hard to come by you know…” Her eyes narrowed charily.“What do you want?” Kakashi feigned a hurt expression as if he would never try using something like this to his advantage.“I don’t want anything really… thought it would be more fun if we guessed what it’ll be.” She cocked her hips to the side while crossing her arms incredulously. Her posture made her curves stick out rather openly, not that she noticed, Kakashi on the other hand had to fight his desire to gawk at them and swallow. ‘I’ve been cursed...haven’t I?’ Rather than waiting for her to lose her patience, like he normally would, he caved in to distract his wandering thoughts.“Alright, I was thinking we could make a bet and whoever guesses your chakra affinity correctly, wins.” In a beat her face flushed a deep red; unbidden thoughts about what he could ask for as a prize. Inner-Sakura’s eyebrows started dancing with giddy perversion. ‘Better yet, what we could ask for!’ She promptly launched her inner away with a strength-induced back-handed blow, then resisted the impulse to slap her palm against her face. Kakashi perceived where her thoughts had gone, for the most part, and blushed; he needed to clarify that he wasn’t trying to be perverted (which he really wasn’t, he was doing a pretty good job at keeping his thoughts at bay… mostly… at least he felt like he was) … Still, he wasn’t able to keep himself from putting his foot in his mouth; it was hard to simply ignore her reactions; he figured it was just his testosterone responding to her pheromones.“Are you blushing Sakura?” Granted he was too, but she didn’t know that, nor did she need to know... A part of him felt like he was being slightly deplorable for calling her out, but the other part of him felt that some meaningless fun might help make all these revelations a little easier to handle.
‘A little teasing should be fine…this time…’
She stared at him with an astonished expression, then scowled.“No!” He nodded his head as if her denial was completely true; she took it as him being smug… she also found it to be strangely endearing.“Hmmm… neither am I.” His uncovered eye dazzled with unvarnished mischief as if he knew something she didn’t; that told her all she needed to know… that he was purposely teasing her. ‘Perhaps… if I drop the honorific, he’ll blush too!’ She looked up at him demurely, hoping it would strengthen her plan.“Alright Kakashi… I’ll bite… What do you want if you win?” And was a bit peeved when all it did was make the specks of his eye dance impishly. She resisted the compulsion to pout. ‘Try licking your lips!’
‘Isn’t that a bit much though?’
‘Nooo… it’ll be completely harmless, I swear.’
‘That’s a load of bull! But… you’re right…it might work...’
She just had to wait for the right moment to do it.“If I win, you have to pay for the next meal Naruto cons out of me.”“Naruto’s stomach is a bottomless pit though!” “It’d be pointless to pawn it off on you if it wasn’t Sakura.” She glared at him then, he was quick to placate her.“What do you want if you win?” She looked to the sky for a bit, then looked back at him with the best look of hunger she could muster, for payback purposes only of course. “I want…” Then she licked her lips after making a point to look at his masked ones. When she redirected her eyes back to the entirety of his face, she saw the tiniest hint of a blush peeking through. She smiled triumphally. Which, unfortunately for her, told him she planned that little display.“I want... a new dress if I win…A nice new expensive dress.” If she was going to play dirty, then he was going to too. He briefly allowed himself to gaze at her without any reservations, his eye turning dark and heavy. She bit her lip, unable to look away, his eye darkened further.“Only… if you let me pick it out...” Her eyes widened; she wasn’t expecting that… The intensity of his eye caused all of the unexpected and confusing feelings she had been suffering from… to surface even more. It was only odd for her because it was Kakashi. If it had been anyone else (except for a select few) she would have already pushed them into a tree and had her way with them. But… it was him, so she didn’t. A part of her wanted to argue that it would be unfair if he picked out the dress, plus she wouldn’t put it behind him to cheat and get something cheap. Her devious counterpart loved the idea of it though; she effectively ignored those particular musings.“That’s not fair Kakashi-sensei!” His eye morphed into something akin to mirth, perhaps amusement, though some of the heat from before remained, creating a rather enjoyable sensation for her. “Oh...” Kakashi cocked his head to the side.“Why not?”“Because it’s just not!”“Isn’t the charm of a bet the power to set its conditions, to decide what you want and whether or not you’re ok with what the other bettor wants? I won’t agree to buy you a dress unless I get to pick it out. You’ll have to choose something else as a prize if you’re not ok with that.” She pouted sullenly.“Sounds a bit domineering to me.” He chuckled through his nose, his gaze changing back into that kind of way fully—teasingly—as if he was thinking about eating her whole.“Maybe it is.” A silent breath pressed fast between her lips as her stomach flipped. The green of her eyes turned darker shades until they resembled a deeply colored pine nettle. Then she peered up at him wantonly as if she hadn’t been shooting daggers his way less than 20 minutes ago... He had expected to make her lash out some of that fiery temper of hers …Not to ignite… something else… He cleared his throat and looked at the sky. ‘I’ll have to tell her I was teasing.’“Deal.” His head snapped back down, a mixture of bemusement and curiosity settling in his eye.“Deal?” She nodded, uninclined to say anything more about the matter. He was simply too perplexed to question her further… He did, however, have one more trick up his sleeve, as much as he liked the idea of buying a dress for her… ‘Picking one out might be a bit too much for me to handle...’“Alright then, I bet your chakra nature is Water.”“I was going to bet that!” He sighed convincingly….“Ok… then... I bet it’s Earth.” He held the papers out towards her; she was quick to snatch one up. Unwilling to chance being conned by him snatching them away again— not that he was going to. Then, he waited silently while admiring the way her face shifted into an almost serene-like illustration of concentration as she poured her chakra into the paper. He had only said water because he knew she would want to claim his guess for herself. A few seconds passed then suddenly the paper turned to dirt and crumbled to pieces. She hung her head in defeat briefly before snapping her head up, glaring at him accusingly.“You knew it was Earth, didn't you? You said Water on purpose!” He turned on his heel and started walking again. She followed suit, fast on his heels.“Perhaps…” Then whacked the back of his head, hard. Needless to say, he whipped his head around, giving her an incredulous look. Yeah, he’s joked around about getting hit by her before… but she’d never actually hit him until then. He pursed his lips and rubbed the sore spot sourly, not liking being roped in with the rest of the guys…“Really Sakura it was only a hunch. Besides you’re the one who decided to steal my original bet. If you hadn’t been so grubby for mine, you most likely would’ve won…”“I thought you were purposely saying the right one!” He laughed fully, his eye shimmering with lively warmth and curiosity.“So, you knew I expected you to steal it?” She looked at him as if he had grown two heads.“Of course, I did.” He was still laughing while speaking.“Why would I purposely set myself up to lose Sakura?” She turned her head away from him and mumbled.“Because I thought you wanted to pick out a dress for me...” Wanting to know why she was trying to hide her face from him—though he knew why, it was more so for confirmation purposes—he leaned forward and gauged her expression, finding her cheeks slightly flushed with chagrin.“I thought that you didn’t want me to pick one out.” They quickly turned crimson.“I didn’t… I mean I don’t! I’m just… I’m upset that I’m Naruto’s next meal ticket!” He hummed reflectively, not believing a lick of it.“Tell you what… as I’m sure you know… some people can use multiple chakra natures.” She turned and looked at him questioningly, he gently handed her another chakra paper.“It’s not very common, but sometimes… when someone has excellent chakra control… Like you… they can get the paper to show a different nature…”“What are you getting at Kakashi-Sensei, are you trying to say that you’ll get me a dress if I’m able to make this turn into something other than dirt?” He grinned and ruffled the top of her head.“That’s precisely what I’m saying. You know I’ve always appreciated how smart you are Sakura.” She huffed and swatted his hand away.“Don’t even try, as if buttering me up will fix it.” He made sure to smile at her with more sincerity.“Even if I was trying to, it wouldn’t change anything because it's true.” Her eyes filled with warmth and appreciation.“Well…Thank you then…”“Anytime Sakura.” Kakashi nodded his head towards the paper in her hand.“Ready to give it a go?” She didn’t answer him, simply focused on redirecting her chakra while simultaneously thinking of how she would need to pour it in differently from before. She would never admit it, but she was looking forward to him picking out a dress for her. Only a few minutes passed before the paper became undeniably damp. She beamed up at him.“Guess you owe me that dress now, huh?” Seemingly uninterested, he pulled out Icha-Icha Impromptu and started walking again. In truth, he was surprised that it only took one try, thought it would take two… at the very least. It took him three times to get it when he was younger. ‘Well, her chakra control has always been better than mine… So, it makes sense.’ “Mmmm… you mean the one that you repeatedly said you don’t want me to pick?” He started preparing to run off into the woods, he was pretty sure… from the burning intensity of her glare… that his next bit of information would set her off. “And don’t forget you still have to pay for Naruto’s next set of meals.” Sakura grumbled.“Yeah, So? Wait what do you mean by next set?” He slowly inched further and further away from her; making sure to prolong the inevitable blow.“Well… you see… I may have made a deal with Naruto before leaving…” Her patience began thinning rapidly, he could feel the rage starting to roll off of her.“If it was before our bet, it has nothing to do with me.” “See… normally you’d be right Sakura… but Naruto’s and mine didn’t officially end until just a few moments ago…” She started cracking her knuckles, he was just a few steps away from his goal.“What do you mean, it didn’t officially end until just a few moments ago Kakashi-Sensei?”“Well… we have this running bet… where whenever you and I go on a mission… I have to buy him ramen for a whole week if you hit me… and… well… usually you don’t… so I normally win… but you kind of did hit me… Meaning I lost that bet with Naruto…but only after you and I finished ours… Soooo….” She looked at him as if he had lost his head all the while fuming silently like a firecracker getting ready to burst, he took off in a sprint without a second thought. Then, she screamed his name and started chasing after him, still screaming and yelling all the while. The things she was saying were remarkably shocking: he couldn’t stop laughing. ‘Perhaps being roped in with the boys isn’t so bad.’ Kakashi’s willingness to give her another chance with the chakra papers should have been a warning sign. If he had taken the time to think about it, he would’ve realized that he was being a bit soft with her. After all, he would’ve never given Naruto the chance to get what he wanted still… Then again, perhaps it was only because he liked the idea of picking out a dress for her… He certainly found the concept of it intriguing… Particularly because it seemed that neither one of them would be arriving home the same as when they left, his heated gazes had been genuine and so had hers. He told himself it was simply hormones. That it was all it would ever be. It would take a while for him to realize that it would bloom into something more, and even longer to admit it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
As always❤️"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
'Inner-Sakura thoughts'
Actions and Narration
Present Day:
It would have been quiet if not for the varying civilians and shinobi bustling around, the chattering of their conversations meshing into a buzzing hum. Sakura had bluffed when she told Kakashi she knew where she wanted to go. In reality, she was feeling a bit lightheaded with the day’s events, knowing he had witnessed the conversation between her and Sasuke making her feel more vulnerable than she cared to admit. Some slice of her was partially happy that Kakashi was speaking with her again; then again, she knew that his appearance was only because of Tsunade rather than his inclination. 'Damn it, Shishou.’ She stilled for a moment and took a deep breath just to suspire all of the air in her lungs at once. She needed to reign in her emotions…
‘You just had to butt in, didn’t you?’
Kakashi stopped walking when she did but stayed silent, seeming to sense her need for it. Her annoyance with him wasn’t due to his absence, despite what she had said to him. She understood why he disappeared from her life… for the most part… At least she was pretty sure she did, and if she was honest, she was rather grateful for it. Even though she had missed him. She started walking again, letting her legs take them wherever they decided to go. If he noticed she was aimlessly wandering around, then it meant he was content with whatever she deemed necessary. Which she also appreciated. He always seemed to know what she needed. ‘Even then…’ Her inner echoed,
‘Even now…’
For a time, they may have danced around… well… she wasn’t sure what to call it. He had been there for her. All she had to do was reach out, and he was there in one way or another. As much as she thought about it before the war… once things became overwhelmingly hectic… such thoughts became displaced, unimportant. Instead, they became fixated on a singular purpose. They were replaced by the fighting spirits of everyone standing by their sides, the wills of their comrades merging under a single flame: to rid their world from the evil hands of Madara and then Kaguya. Then, once things had finally fallen into place… when peace was found, she was overjoyed. Memories of celebrations and outings with those closest to her flashed through her mind, along with somber memories of the ones they mourned. In short, she was never really allowed to explore whatever was between them before the war, at least not to the extent she wanted. Then, after the war, he reverted to his old ways… completely enigmatic and invasive… Then again, she did the same. In other words, a bridge was made, and she wasn’t sure why… well she had an idea but her actions with him before the war were embarrassing to think about. Then Sasuke asked her out, and she was elated. Eagerly accepted to go on a date with him. Just a week later, he proposed. She said yes to his proposal just as enthusiastically. It was what she had dreamed about for so long. Sakura’s eyes slid over to the side and assessed Kakashi’s profile questioningly. Wondering if things would have been a bit different if she had reached out to him. Wondering if he had hoped she would… Admittedly she had taken a lot from him before the war… He never asked for anything in return… not once. Subsequently, she assumed that was all she needed to know… figured it was best to just brush it off as if it… whatever it was… had never happened. It had been easy to do too.
‘Even more of a reason to forget about it, right?’
‘Yet, you haven’t.’
Occasionally, there were a few straying fantasies here and there, but that wasn’t too abnormal. Everyone fantasized now and then. She decided that it was mostly because she never really satisfied her curiosities regarding them, and like anything you never fully try there’s always some part of you that thinks about what it would be like to have it. But it felt odd to think about Kakashi after following her childhood dreams of being with Sasuke. It was even harder to think about it after their engagement party… It was why she was grateful that he had avoided her. Occasionally, she felt like she could feel him looking at her from afar… but whenever she looked… he was never there. No tuff of silver-white hair, masked face, or slumped figure— not even an inkling of his Chakra… She didn’t know if she had simply imagined it or not; he was skilled, but so was she. The possibility of it being in her head always brought a sense of panic because then it would mean she was seeking him out more than her husband. It made her feel guilty. Duly speaking, fantasies shouldn’t cloud a committed person’s mind to such an extent. But he was here now; there was no room left to avoid it all. Knowing what was to come from their mission, she couldn’t ignore it either. If the mission was something less demanding, perhaps this would have been the catalyst to renew their friendship. Her stomach felt uneasy; she was going to have to face a lot of things she wasn’t ready to face. ‘Why couldn’t you just let it be Tsunade!’ Kakashi made a point to keep to himself as they walked. It was relieving to see they could fall into things without too much awkwardness, but he could tell her responses and initial anger from earlier were shallow at best. ‘Guess it was more of a superficial threat….’ It was obvious that Sakura was just going through the motions. Her anger had quickly dissipated, being instantly replaced with contemplative amenability. Since she was absorbed in thought, he took the opportunity to do the same. First, he thought about the way Sasuke had reacted to his presence earlier. It would be safe to deduce that Tsunade hadn’t directly told him that it was him who was going; being there only confirmed Sasuke’s conclusions. Kakashi found this to be perplexing and a bit annoying since it would mean Tsunade lied to him. Surely, Sasuke wasn’t ok with all of this, was he? ‘No, it wouldn’t be that simple… Sasuke’s as complicated as they come. There’s more to learn here. Hopefully, he’ll come back before we leave: It would be advantageous to talk with him before heading off.’ Then he considered Tsunade’s play in this setup. The Sannin most certainly knew more than she was willing to let on, then again perhaps not. Either way, he’d played along… it was clear she’d decided to take matters into her own hands. He had honestly thought that he and Sakura had done well at keeping their… whatever… discrete... not that there was even really much to keep to themselves. This left him with two conclusions, the first being the obvious deduction, the one he had already made while talking to Tsunade: that Sakura’s mission report from ages ago most certainly included the closet incident. The second, more embarrassing conclusion, someone divulged the engagement party mishap to her. It was most certainly not Sakura; he was positive that she was as ashamed about it as he was. Sasuke was too much like him to say anything. Which left Naruto… ‘Of course, it was Naruto…’ From his peripheral, he could see that Sakura had stopped walking, so he stopped as well. He heard her sigh but felt it was best to continue keeping to himself for the time being. His previous thoughts continued their methodical path. At the party, Naruto’s reaction had been the most rambunctious—which was expected— but later, when Kakashi had anticipated the headfirst knuckleheaded to hunt him down and demand answers, Naruto had surprised him with a rather subdued response. It was funny to think about, really, Sasuke reacted in the way he had expected Naruto to, and Naruto reacted in the way he had expected Sasuke to. It was as if they had switched bodies temporarily. His mind went to the day Naruto talked to him about it. They had just finished sparring; the entire time Kakashi had been waiting for Naruto to burst into a fit of endless questions or, at the very least, annoying mounts of teasing— he never did. They were sitting next to one another in the grass, staring off into the field in thought. When Naruto finally spoke, he was quiet, as if he was afraid Kakashi would run off if he was too boisterous about it. Which he may have, so in retrospect, he was reminded of how much Naruto had grown.“Kakashi-sensei…” Kakashi blinked but kept his gaze on the field.“Hmmm?”“When did ya… uh… ya know…” He could see Naruto start making gestures with his hands, so he glanced over at him—“Start finding Sakura…?” Then looked back out into the field.“A while ago.” Naruto shook his head thoughtfully.“Ok…so umm… why was your date…ya know…?” Kakashi's brows furrowed.“I honestly have no idea.” (He did, but he had no intention of telling Naruto that.) Naruto’s face scrunched up as if he didn’t believe him.“Right… Do ya… umm… Are ya… ya know… in love… with Sakura?” Kakashi simply kept looking out at the training field, even though he could feel Naruto staring at him intensely, probingly.“I love all three of you… In my own way.” Naruto huffed mockingly.“That’s not what I meant, and ya know it.” Kakashi looked at him then.“I don’t… not in the way you’re asking.” He watched Naruto’s view shift to the side while scratching a whiskered cheek; Kakashi could tell he was thinking rather heavily.“But uh… isn’t it kinda weird that ya…? Uh...” He studied Naruto’s face twisting in thought for a moment before shifting his gaze back out to the field. His voice was soft as he observed the grass swaying along with the wind.“People can be attracted to someone they care about without having romantic feelings for them. Whether it’s weird or not doesn’t matter because nothing will ever come of it.”“Ya say that but…uh… are ya sure that ya don’t… um… that you’re not in—”“Yes.”“Because if ya are—”“I’m sure that I’m not Naruto.” Naruto stood then, brushing bits of grass off his clothing while saying.“Well…alright, that saves me a lot of trouble!” Kakashi’s gaze turned back to him fully, his brows knitted down, completely perplexed.“There’s nothing else you want to ask?” The knuckleheaded ninja grinned.“Nope.” Kakashi’s chin tilted down, his head tilting to the side as he shifted back in his spot on the grass, his brows furrowing even more.“Really?” Naruto’s grin grew from ear to ear.“Yep, that’s all I wanted to know.” He couldn’t help but return his smile with his usual crinkled one.“You know…you always surprise me and here I thought… Well, that doesn’t matter now, huh? Nevertheless, you never cease to amaze me, Naruto.” The whiskered blonde waved a hand dismissively, “Ahh stop it. Ya said it yourself a while back,” then pointed at himself with his thumb, “I’ve matured.” Kakashi’s smile widened.“I did say that didn’t I…”“Hehe, yep! Well, Hinata’s waiting for me; better head off before your habit of being late rubs off me… See ya!” By the time he was done remembering that day, Kakashi was pinching the bridge of his nose. ‘I should have known Naruto was going to say something. Should have the moment I realized he wasn’t going to bring it up again. Then again, maybe he didn’t and there’s something else I’m missing…’ He glanced around at their surroundings, noting they were the same as just a few moments ago. 'Must be walking in circles…’ He could feel Sakura assessing him from the side but decided to leave it for the time being. His new perspective left him wondering how much Naruto told Tsunade. Whether or not his actions and words that day had left Naruto with a different impression… if Naruto had told anyone else. If there was anything before the war that might have warranted this shit… He knew there was that one time…shortly after Sasuke tried killing Sakura… but… if someone had witnessed that then…well… it didn’t make sense for it to be coming up now. It’s also possible that his date from the party told somebody what she did, he doubted it, but it was still a possibility. He could assume that Sakura had confided in Ino, but he doubted she would say anything. He sighed. ‘If someone did say something, the whole village would know about the party mishap by now…gossip spreads fast here.’ Kakashi couldn’t recall any major signs of anyone noticing anything before the war, at least not to such an extent. Not to the point of basically being forced to face…this… head-on, like now. Shikamaru picked up on some things, but that’s what he does…so it was to be expected. He supposed there was Genma too… He still wasn’t sure if Gai had or not, his green leotard-wearing friend could be a real puzzle piece sometimes… So…it most likely wasn’t something from before the war, because he was pretty sure it would’ve been brought up much sooner if that was the case… Therefore, the most logical conclusion would be that damned party. He started thinking about every interaction he had with his friends and random people since then. The occasional odd snickers he heard whenever he would walk into a store or buy some takeout, the increased challenges he had been getting from Gai, the questioning looks he and Sasuke would get whenever they did things together, his unusual lack of luck at picking up women in bars— he had to fight back the urge to groan. ‘You baka…’ This revelation meant a lot of people could’ve played a hand in all of this, he wouldn’t be surprised if it all started with Naruto but by this point, there were too many variables to assume it was him instead of someone else. Or perhaps Naruto along with someone else… There was no telling where it all started now, but the truth of the matter was that people knew something. He felt like an idiot for not picking up on it sooner but decided to brush it off for later. The most important thing was making sure Sakura was okay with it if she’d give him a chance to bring it up. He was pretty sure she hadn’t realized that everyone knew something or another at this point— she would’ve already gone on a rampage if that was the case. So, his thoughts went back to how she responded to Sasuke earlier; it left him with a panging sensation in his chest. He could still feel her looking at him, so he turned his head to view her fully. However, he didn’t think when he did. If he had, he would have honed in his emotions better. He must have felt her staring at him from the side because he suddenly turned and looked at her head-on. Her heart jolted; there was an immense amount of raw awareness in his usual blank stare. She quickly averted her eyes back to the road in front of them. Her tongue felt dull, partially stuck to the ridge of her mouth, so she swallowed and rolled it around a little to help relieve it before speaking, but like usual— he was a step ahead of her.“Sakura, where are we going?” She stopped walking and turned so that she was facing him but made sure to keep her gaze off his.“I already told you that I have a place in mind.” She could vaguely see his head nodding in affirmation; his tone was similar to how he talked to them as Genin— when he would make up his obtuse stories about why he was late.“And… you’ve been to this place before?” She shifted her gaze up to his then, slightly irritated. The overwhelming stare from before was replaced with that familiar eye curve, along with a slight head tilt.She grumbled: “Of course I have.” Kakashi nodded again while looking around.“Then… you know we’ve walked around the same block about three or four times now?” She huffed in frustration.“No, we haven’t!” He snorted inwardly.“Well… If you don’t believe me…” He pointed towards an old shopkeeper behind her, and she followed his movement with her eyes. “…we could always go ask that—” She quickly grabbed his sleeve and dragged him off.“Alright, alright… I… get it. I was distracted, so shut it.” He didn’t bother breaking free from her grasp, simply smiled genuinely when he noticed the slight curving at the corner of her mouth.“So rude, Sakura.” Her face contorted between mixtures of annoyance and mirth.“Like you have room to talk.” He took pleasure in their familiar banter; ignoring the mumbling slurs and odd looks being shot their way. As long as she was ok, it didn’t matter. A little damage to his pride was manageable. He tried his best to keep her from noticing the negative aura surrounding them.“Hmmm… When am I ever rude?” She looked like she was somewhat insulted, but oddly enough, she was grinning.“You’re insufferable.” He agreed with her— internally.“That’s absurd.” She started pulling off into the food district; he briefly thought of the places she might be bringing them to, sweating when he saw that her wicked smile from earlier was back.“You know, I think I know where to go now.” But he didn’t let that stop him because at least she was smiling.“Ahh, so you were just bluffing before; I suspected as much.” She stopped dragging him then and poked at his chest accusingly.“Bullshit, you looked like you were about to melt into a puddle earlier.” He held up his hands in defeat.“That’s only because I was briefly afraid for my well-being. You may spare me the brutality you normally give Naruto, but my sweet-talking abilities only go so far Sakura-chan.” The expression on her face told him that he probably shouldn’t have said that… but he let her drag him off again anyway.“Tch. I’ll show you brutality. Sweet-talking my ass!” Then panicked when she turned them around and began heading towards the bar district. Granted, it was closer—cheaper— but their friends were most likely there, and considering his most recent revelation….“Wait, Sakura, this part of town—” He tried pulling away, but her hold was stone-tight. The fact that his sleeve wasn’t ripping in half was astonishing. Her voice came off as innocently sweet.“Hmm, so you know where we’re going. Good.” Her face, however, was not.“Aren’t you glad that I’m not taking you somewhere expensive?” He tried digging his heels into the ground to stop her— it didn’t help. Instead, it left a small trench and trail of upturned dirt behind.“Why don’t we—” She jerked him a little to stop his childish behavior, then grinned diabolically when she started hearing the person she was hoping to find. He was usually there at this time of the day.“How about not.” Kakashi truly started to panic when he heard him too, his eye turning into a saucer. She let him go when they made it to the front of the bar.“There’s this really nice dango shop—" but had to pull him back when he tried slinking off.“Nope.” Still smiling cheekily, cunningly, completely content with herself.“We could always—”“What YOUTH!” He looked at her pleadingly.“Please, Sakura.” She stuck her tongue out at him.“You’ve brought this upon yourself, Bakashi.” He looked like a puppy who’d been kicked…until he tried slinking off again. She was quick to hold him in place,“Sakura ple— At least long enough for Gai to take hold of him, shaking him by his shoulders while he stiffened up like a board.“My eternal rival!! I knew it was you I sensed! What a joy it is to see you! I heard about your upcoming mission. You’ve been bestowed such a great honor! With one of Konoha’s most precious flowers no less! Let’s celebrate this evening with a challenge that exemplifies our passion and youth! We’ll do so with one of man’s oldest and most treasured traditions! The challenge is simple, the man who drinks the most shots wins! The man who drinks the least has to…ehhh” Gai looked up to the sky; brows scrunched heavily in thought. Sakura laughed evilly inside, but her face was that of pure innocence. Kakashi knew better.“Pay for everyone’s drinks!” Gai’s face lit up instantly; Kakashi looked like he wanted to throttle her.“What a youthful idea, Sakura! Yes! Such a beautiful idea, befitting of a true man! Whoever loses must supply the drinks for the rest of the night! What an honorable feat she’s given us, my rival!”“Yeah… honorable… Look— Gai…”“OH! How rude of me! You and Sakura must have come to talk about the mission!” Sakura briefly questioned why Gai already knew about their mission but figured that gossip tended to travel fast. To be completely honest, she was far too happy basking in her devilish wit to concern herself with it, and it wasn’t like he knew the details of their mission—at least he shouldn’t know it. She had to hold back a snicker while watching Kakashi’s forlorn expressions.“Once you two are finished, we can have our drinking challenge. Yes! And don’t think I won’t notice you trying to sneak off before it’s done, Kakashi! I’ll hunt you down and drag you back here myself if I must! We’ll have this battle before the night is over!” Gai turned to Sakura and started shaking her hand as if he was congratulating her; she took it in stride. Cornering Kakashi in a situation he rather not be in felt like something to be honored after all.“Please be kind to my eternal rival, dearest Blossom. With as much as he’s hurt himself throughout the years, I’m positive he’s been cursed with incurable brain damage.” Sakura swore she could see some of Kakashi’s soul leaving his body as Gai went back inside. She couldn’t stop herself from bursting into a fit of giggles. Her giggling at his torment made it worse until he noticed a particular chakra signature inside.“You might be laughing now, Sakura-chan, but I’m not the only one that’s going to suffer tonight.” Sakura, of course, was affronted… wondered what the hell he meant by that.“Hey! What’s that supposed to mea—”“Foreheads here!?”“Oh god… Pig!” She tried to run off, but Kakashi made sure to keep her in place. He smiled triumphantly, relishing the moment. ‘Oh, how the tides have turned.’ Drinking himself into a stupor sounded like a piece of cake in comparison to whatever Sakura was about to endure.“Yes! She’s outside talking with Kakashi now; they’ll be in any moment! Soon everyone will get to watch my eternal rival and I battle to see whose kidneys are the strongest!” He started to head in, making sure to keep his hold on her, forcefully guiding her inside by her shoulders.“Well, let’s go Sa—” She tried prying his hand off her, but she couldn’t… not even with Chakra. She was baffled by how strong his grip suddenly was, panic engulfing her as she looked back at him pleadingly.“Wait! I change my mind; we can totally go to that dango—” He shook a finger at her as if she was a child again, not bothering to hide his pleasure in seeing her distraught.“Ah, but you already chose—”“Yes, I know… but—” Then he spoke to her in his authoritative teaching voice, the one he used whenever he was chiding them.“Remember Bakara-chan, a shinobi must be prepared for anything, especially when things don’t go their way. Honestly… I’m surprised you didn’t think this through more. Considering Gai already knows about our mission…Well… there’s going to be a lot of questions, and since they already know we’re here… It’s a bit late to go back… I did try convincing you to go someplace else.” She felt like tossing him across the village but flinched when she heard Ino yelling for her.“FOREHEAD, YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!” She put on her best puppy face.“Please, Kakashi.” He feigned being hurt.“Mah, I can’t let my eternal rival down, can I? Besides, you heard him, he’ll hunt me down and drag me back if we leave and I’m sure Ino will do the same with you. Also, it would be incredibly rude of you to not watch us drink one another into a stupor since you so eloquently supplied a punishment for the loser.” One of her cheeks puffed out, knowing he was right.“Baka thinks he’s so slick.”“Why thank you, I am rather slick when the situation calls for it.”“Shit, I said that out loud?” He didn’t answer her, simply smiled smugly. It grew when Ino started yelling again.“SAKURA, I SWEAR IF YOU DON’T—” Sakura managed to shove his hands off her shoulders then, though she imagined he let her considering his previous resistance, and started stomping in, face alight with fury.“SHUT IT, PIG! I'M COMING IN NOW!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
As Always <3"Dialogue"
'Thoughts’
'Inner-Sakura'
Actions and Narration About 3-4 years ago: The sun was starting to set. Its light seemed to enchant the atmosphere, creating waves of maroon pinks and oranges that crashed across the horizon and drifted into deep purplish blues. The clouds were sparse but the few that drifted along were soft and curled at the ends with fluffed tails. It had taken a shit ton of effort, perhaps it would’ve taken less if she hadn’t been so furious with the man—who was currently lounging lazily by her side on a tree branch. His laughter had flittered through the trees as she chased him. Feeding her rampaging spirit until she calmed enough to find him. Her inner winked at her then. ‘Told you it would work.’ She grumbled to her inner bitterly, ‘Perv.’ Her inner, naturally, smirked at her arrogantly—silently projecting: ‘If I’m a perv then so are you.’*Flashback* Kakashi had managed to lose her somewhere along the chase, his laughter abruptly dropping off along with his Chakra signature—as if he had suddenly decided to turn the fiasco into a training session. Sakura’s anger had calmed a little by then, but she was still flushing with lingering irritation. She had to close her eyes and take a deep breath to settle herself enough to properly search for him. She then concealed her Chakra signature, not wanting to give her movements away. Kakashi always hid his Chakra with excellent precision, but he seemed to have gone the extra mile this time around. She concluded that he was anticipating her to use this moment to practice the sensory system she created for herself a little while back. ‘Makes sense considering I asked him to help me with it.’ She muttered to herself sarcastically. “Shouldn’t be surprised about him doing this now either, impeccable timing…. as always.” She took another deep breath while shrinking towards the ground, a hand pressing into the dirt for balance as she exhaled through her nose and began orienting herself with her surroundings. After another leveled breath she calmly reached out with her Chakra, molding it across the ground and into the trees, opening herself to the symbiotic life throughout the forest. There were some birds happily chirping the day away and a pair of deer grazing peacefully. She felt the swaying of the leaves as they danced in the breeze and sensed various flowers and foliage sprouting throughout the space along with some bugs and little critters wandering about. She pushed further, slowly allowing herself to become one with everything around her. Then, she found him, just a couple of hundred feet to her left, refreshing by a riverbank nearby. She stood up slowly, trying to formulate a plan to execute before jetting off towards him. That was when her inner conveniently supplied her with a rather skanky idea. One that involved her making a shadow clone to engage him, whispering a kunoichi’s body could be used in more ways than one. Despite her previous reservations from earlier—when she was still bemoaning her actions in Iwa—the idea of getting the upper hand against Kakashi with the use of her body was thrilling. One, it would be embarrassing for him to succumb to such an act. She briefly considered that it might not work because he more than likely had trained himself to resist bodily advances but then her inner allocated that she wouldn’t necessarily be using her body in a traditional sense because the plan just involved her hand—so really it was the unexpected nature behind the action rather than bodily feminine persuasion. Sweet, innocent Sakura doing something that was in Icha-Icha Tactics, no one would ever expect it! Yes, she had read them but— for obvious reasons— would never admit it. Two, if it did work, she would derive pleasure from seeing him suffer a little. She wasn’t blind, she knew the gazes he had thrown her way while they playfully teased one another earlier were genuine. She also knew he would never act on those impulses. Kakashi may be a bit of a—somewhat—secluded perv, but he was a gentleman through and through. So, the thought of him suffering over something he’d never get to indulge in made her stomach flutter with vengeful glee. The fact that what she was about to do was outright audacious and a bit cliché didn’t matter in the slightest. She would do it without batting an eye and it would work, or so she thought… If she had taken the time to ponder the possible implications behind her devious plan, she may have changed her mind. As Sakura stealthily approached the riverbank, she was skeptical of the Kakashi she could see standing by the water. He looked like he was deep in thought, staring up at the sky, his presence emitting an essence of solitude. It was something she had grown to accept as a part of himself. Despite his more attentive behavior over the past year or so, she knew—understood—that there were things in his life that made him this way. Made him feel like no matter what others said or did he was alone in the world—that he was meant to stay that way. She didn’t like it, but it was there. After almost losing him to that crazy lunatic who’d puppeteered him away, she and Naruto had decided they would try to change that for him together. Now wasn’t the time to think about all of that though. After studying the man for a bit longer, she was 99.9% sure the Kakashi she could see was a shadow clone. Kakashi’s shadow clones always felt barer than the real him, at least they did for her. Naruto told her she was overanalyzing things like Shikamaru again when she told him. Nevertheless, with a shit-eating grin, she glanced over at her clone— whose smile was just as wild as her own before taming it into a coquettish simper— and jerked her head towards their target while silently projecting. ‘Time to flush him out.’(all-american bitch: Oliva Rodrigo) In a flash her clone appeared a few feet away from Kakashi, it was obvious he had been waiting for her by the lazy way he regarded her. When he finally settled his gaze on her clone, she was sure he was smirking arrogantly— could tell from the way he spoke— as he spun out a kunai and sunk into a defensive yet simultaneously offensive stance.“A flirtatious smile will hardly get you anywhere Sakura-chan, I thought I taught you better than that.” Her clone found his cocky response appealing. Sakura, however, did not. Felt like he was being a bit of a pompous ass considering he hardly trained her as a Genin. Though, she knew how he felt guilty about all of that, they already had multiple conversations about it… If they hadn’t, she imagined they wouldn’t have developed the form of friendship they had, let alone take missions alone together like this. A tantalizing titter pressed fast between her clone’s lips while staring at him unabashedly. She knew that look. It was the one she gave men who needed a little extra push to force them off the edge. The one that made them come home with her whenever she pleased. Kakashi simply chuckled huskily, the real Sakura did her best to ignore the flushing of her cheeks and fluttering of her stomach.
‘Never heard him laugh like that before.’
His voice was harsher than usual as he continued his conjecture.“Whatever you’re planning won’t work.” Her clone deviated from their plan then. Rather than rushing towards him— to execute the original crime— she unceremoniously dropped the kunai she held to the ground. Then mocked him by smiling at him in the way he always grins—with that crinkled eye— while feigning innocence.“What plan?” From her point of view, Sakura could see his hand tighten around his kunai. The rumble of his voice made her stomach clench restlessly.“Don’t be coy Sakura.” Her clone disregarded his warning and began unzipping her red qipao— steadily mocking him still. She then tilted her head ever so slightly—a sly grin playing at the corners of her lips—as she let her shirt join her kunai on the ground. The clone’s grin grew when his breath halted for just a second. Kakashi had seen her in her chest bindings over a thousand times, but recent events were playing in her favor. Pleasurable insinuation dripped off her clone’s tongue as she spoke,“Are you sure? Because you seem to like it.” Her clone took a defensive stance— noticing his demeanor shifting into a more commanding posture— and silently egged him on to fight with Taijutsu only. The aura rolling off Kakashi was titillating, ravenous like a wolf stalking its prey.“Yes, I’m sure.” Her clone’s smile turned saccharine, though the expression in her eyes and tone of voice was far from sweet.“Well then, I suppose I’ll just have to apologize for disrespecting your wishes Kakashi-sensei.” That set him off, in less than a second, he lodged his kunai in a tree and darted towards her. Her clone’s face was plastered with an elated grin, her trap had been set and his fate was sealed. Sakura was beaming, she had never gotten such a visceral reaction from him during a spar before. They exchanged calculated blows. Kakashi struck a fist aimed at her head, but she smoothly evaded it by leaning to the side. He lunged low and swung a leg beneath hers to swipe her off her feet, but she swiftly twirled herself over him— using his back as a springboard with the palms of her hands. He turned rapidly, tried grabbing ahold of her ankles, and cursed under his breath, “Damn,” when he scarcely missed them. Her clone’s feet dug into the dirt as she landed, muscles tensing instinctively to thwart his upcoming assaults. They flashed across the riverbank, parrying blow after blow. Amidst their spar, Kakashi haughtily remarked,“As you can see, your plan didn’t work.” He landed a kick then, her clone grunted and unceremoniously skidded against the dirt before regaining her footing. As she repositioned herself, her smile twisted into a predatory grin. Her eyes glinted with a knowing gleam as she wiped a smudge of mud off her face. She leaped towards him fist raised high to continue the onslaught. Their fighting picked up even more momentum, but her clone still managed to reply to his previous remark.“Oh, I think it did. You’ve never come at me this hard before.” Kakashi’s masked face was in view now, no longer being turned away from the real Sakura in hiding. She worried about her plan then, despite the energy radiating off him he looked as calm as ever. Her worries were washed away as he ground out her name, his tone drenched with warning. Akin to how he talked while teaching but laced with something darker. Something unbidden.“Sakura.” Her clone faltered for a moment, leaving an opening for him to round another kick into her side. The real Sakura bit her lip in anticipation. He was vulnerable, his leg just inches away from landing its blow. This was it, the moment for their original plan. She hoped her clone could hear her thoughts. ‘Now, do it now!’ It all happened so fast. In one moment, he was about to land his kick, and in the next her clone expertly swiped his leg down with her forearm, slid herself forward— until their chests were pressed together— and cupped him. Kakashi froze in place, his attention snapping to her hand, his eye wide— shocked into pure bewilderment.“You shouldn’t say a woman’s name like that when you’re as hard as a rock Sensei.” In less than half a second Kakashi’s clone poofed out of existence. Her clone stared at her hand—face beet red—before following suit. For a brief second Sakura questioned why her clone was blushing at the end. It wasn’t as if she had never felt a dick before, but then her clone’s memories fully melded with hers. She couldn’t help but look down at her hand then, face as equally red as her clone’s had been. ‘Oh.’ ‘It’s—’ ‘Don’t you dare—’
‘But its—’
‘Shut up, all that matters is that the plan worked.’
‘But its—’
Her attention was broken by the expulsion of a curse and the sound of tree branches breaking along with a loud thump from across the river. She immediately set off towards it, her inner started laughing, completely delighted. ‘We got him good! I mean his clone’s memories made him fall out of a tree! You got to admit that it was a great idea now huh?’
‘I don’t know… I kind of feel bad...or maybe a bit guilty…’
‘You only feel bad because his co—’
‘NO! We’re not going to think about that.’ Sakura had to run deeper into the woods than she had expected, but she found him easily enough—twigs and leaves smushed underneath his backside as he held his head and groaned in exasperation. Rapidly feeling meeker by the second— which may be rather odd considering her actions— she started fiddling with the hem of her shirt. He noticed her standing there awkwardly. His lone eye regarded her with disbelief and a hint of frustration.“Sakura, did you plan all of that or…?” A brow lifted as he looked up at her expectantly, waiting for an answer, patience running thin.“Well…um…you see…originally—” Suddenly, she felt a hand wrap around her throat as one of her forearms was forcefully twisted into the swell of her back from behind. The Kakashi in front of her popped out of existence as the real one pressed her arm further into her backside. She shivered as she felt him lean forward just enough for his masked lips to be inches away from her ear. She could feel his hot breath fanning across her neck as he spoke, his voice raw and the clip of his tongue irate, leaving any desire to escape depart completely.“You shouldn’t grab a man’s cock like that and not expect some retaliation Sakura-chan.” His hand around her throat tightened as he bit out,“Now, I know that my behavior in Iwa was inappropriate… No, our behavior—” While she understood what he was getting at, the close proximity of his body and the sound of his voice paired with the sensation of him squeezing her throat wasn’t helping. In fact, she couldn’t help but shudder with reckless need the moment his grip intensified. Her cheeks flushed as she felt him take a deep staggering breath— as if he could smell what his hold was doing to her sanity.“… and that we’ve been playfully teasing one another, but this…” His hand tightened even further… as if he was enjoying her reactions… as if he couldn’t help himself… as if it was the only thing keeping him together. Making her head feel light and fuzzy like freshly picked cotton.“…this cannot happen.” Anticipation warmed her body from head to toe as she keenly listened to the way he took another deep breath, but rather than removing his hold on her arm and pressing his hips forward to close the distance between them— as she had hoped— he began to slowly retreat. His voice was almost a whisper, contrite yet heavy with resolve as he finished speaking.“Never… do that again.” Her body immediately felt cold from his absence, but she could feel his stare boring into her—demanding she accept his mind. She was torn, a bit confused despite being aware that his reaction was duly caused by her actions… The sudden shift of playful teasing from early to…this. Even her inner was stunned into silence. She felt repentant but not enough to douse the fire in her veins. She knew that he was right, knew these cravings shouldn’t, couldn’t be explored. But the ringing of her ears and hammering in her chest told her that resisting this was going to be a bitch. She wanted to ask what he’d do to her if she did it again. She didn’t. Nor would she apologize, so she simply avoided looking at him and nodded her head. Silence filled the air until she heard him sigh in resignation as if he were completely drained. Then he apologized.“I’m sorry.” Her brows immediately knitted together, head lightly shaking no, as she tried to reassure him that she was fine.“There’s no reason to be sorry…” She closed her eyes tightly, still facing away from him, feeling a bit ashamed of how breathless her voice sounded, of the state she was in. Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose, the onslaught of opposing emotions currently plaguing him was beginning to form a headache. It took him practically three days to process Iwa and now. Well, now he had a whole new assortment of compiling and sorting he would need to do. He felt like he was on autopilot, not entirely sure what to do with himself but he continued speaking anyway—he had to ease the tension in the air somehow.“No, I shouldn’t have…I shouldn’t have done that in the way that I did. So, I apologize. In all his years…after all the countless hours of fantasizing about a woman taking a scene from an Icha-Icha book and using it against him… it comes true by the will of one of his students, and by Sakura no less. He would’ve suspected something like this from Naruto while using the sexy Jutsu, not Sakura. “Please…don’t… don’t worry about it... Ok?” Because this was Sakura— sweet… warm… care giving Sakura… The fact that she would even dare to do such a thing to him was an anomaly… Though he supposed that the Iwa incident was starting to cause a bit of a ripple effect. Plus, on top of it all she had liked his reaction… liked him choking her—because he could indeed smell her excitement—it was more than his mind could handle at the moment. His throat felt constricted, but his voice still managed to come out smoothly, like his typical bored drawl.“Alright then.” He wasn’t sure what made him feel worse, the fact that he reacted the way he had or her unexpected decision to use such a thing against him... Really what the hell was she thinking? He knew that he would be able to manage it after some time. Perhaps it would be a tedious and troublesome process— more like a hindrance to his sanity. He huffed inwardly,
'As if l ever had much of that anyway.’
But damn, he hadn’t felt out of control like that since his Anbu days. Which was why he had been sure to make his point clear. Such things could not happen…. wouldn’t happen…shouldn’t happen any more than they already had. He sighed again, his weight shifting to one leg as he slipped his hands into his pockets. He had wanted to go home after training some with her since they were now just about a shy 30-minute jog away from the village, but he knew that returning now would only make matters worse. They would have to talk about things.“Let’s just camp here for the night. We can delay our return for a day…. I’ll go get some wood for a fire.” Rather than waiting for her to say anything he simply set off to look for timber, needing some time alone to think. At least until he heard her stomach rumble, making him stop briefly to try and regain some form of semblance.“I’ll fish for some food too.”*End of flashback* (Wish I Knew You: The Revivalists) After recalling everything that happened, not knowing Kakashi was thinking about it too, Sakura couldn’t help but feel guilty… especially considering she was having a tough time not thinking about the way he felt or the way his voice had twisted her stomach into heated coiled knots—which she should not be doing. Kakashi had been clear and to the point with his actions and words, but a part of her really wanted to test him… wanted to know how good he’d make her feel. She was certain he’d coax out sensations she’d never felt before. All of her previous exploits were rather mediocre, she had been waiting for someone who could ignite her body with such ferocity. Of course, she still held on strong to her love for Sasuke, determined as ever, but she didn’t want to put her entire life on hold waiting for him. Sex was a great source of release, and it didn’t have to mean anything, she knew that for a fact because she still loved Sasuke. Though, at times, she did question her undying devotion to him. But worrying about it stressed her out even more. In the end, she wouldn’t know for sure until he finally came back to them… so there wasn’t any point in dwelling on it too much. Instead, she found joy in having a fun time with someone random, or sometimes people she knew, every now and then. One lasted for a few months, another just a few days, one lasted a few weeks, and then there was one that lasted for a year…. just casual flings dealt with care and respect. Helping her forget, helping her drown in pleasure. They were still sitting next to one another on a branch but far enough away for adequate space, a fire roaring softly beneath them as it slowly cooked the fish Kakshi had caught as well as some rice that he insisted on having. At first, she was worried that they’d burn but he’d assured her, rather distantly, that they would be fine. She sighed and looked back up at the sky. It was stunning, enough to absorb the unwelcome feelings threatening to darken her day. Truth be told, Sakura couldn’t remember the last time she had seen such a clear sky. As she continued gazing at its beauty, she spotted the moon and smiled warmly. Thinking of how seeing the sun sharing the sky with the moon was considered to be a good omen. She was pulled from her thoughts when Kakashi suddenly spoke.“A journey of spiritual growth and transformation.” Her brows pinched in partial perplexment as she turned her head and looked at him. It almost sounded like he knew what she had been thinking about—having once read a poem that described seeing the sun and moon sharing the sky with those same words. Kakashi fleetingly held her gaze with a lazy air then shifted it back to the sky. His back against the trunk of the tree, arm resting on his bent knee as his hand dangled a little with a turned-down copy of Icha-Icha.“It's rude to stare, Sakura.” Quickly averting her gaze, she went back to admiring the sky…her voice soft as she expressed her thoughts.“Sorry, I was just… I was wondering… well I was a bit surprised by what you said because I was thinking about the same thing. I can’t remember where I read it but…” She trailed off then, not sure how to complete her thoughts, partially taken back by how appealing the man looked just sitting there. The Iwa fiasco had really fucked up the way she saw him, or perhaps it simply brought deeply buried thoughts to light? To hell, if she knew… She thought she had figured it all out during their main journey back but obviously, that wasn’t the case. But it made sense, a person’s subconscious rearing its head tended to muddy things up… usually. Kakashi couldn’t help but grin, now that he’d had some time to cool off…he was ready to broach the topic of Sakura undeniably being a fan of Jiraiya’s works. He still had no clue how to oversee things, but he’d do his best to not let anything ruin the dynamic they had built. A part of him would always feel bad about failing her as a Sensei even though she had assured him and accepted his apologies… it still didn’t sit right with him. Which was why he was trying to make up for it now, here and there, whenever he could. Such as the sensory technique she was developing with his assistance— not that he had to do much. Perhaps, if they could come to an understanding about their most recent revelations, and rein in this bizarre attraction they were feeling towards one another… He could help her produce some kind of personalized earth Jutsu before they went to sleep. Not that he wouldn’t enjoy having some fun with her, but their history, among other things, would just make things far too complicated. Of course, that’s assuming that she would want to fuck him and that was why she did what she did—beyond trying to simply get the upper hand in a spar. He was fairly certain that, even if that was the case originally, she most likely wanted to fuck him now. Especially considering her reaction to being choked, Kami that was such a weird thought… Nevertheless, he didn’t need her to say anything to gather that she had most likely turned to sex as an outlet to deal with her feelings for Sasuke and it was most likely even harder on her now. Sasuke accomplished his goal of killing Itachi. It should’ve been the only thing keeping him from home, but the raven-haired shinobi was still out there somewhere lost in the shadows. Kakashi wasn’t sure if any part of the Sasuke they knew was still there… if he’d ever come back. He supposed that they would keep fighting for him and try to help him see the light as best they could. In his heart, Kakashi knew he owed them that much…especially Sasuke because he had failed him too. He was supposed to help him fight the darkness inside, understanding on some level why he felt the way he did… why he held so much hatred in his heart. Kakashi had been there, was still there— in that dark void— on his bad days… and yet nothing he said had helped… If anything, he felt like he had made things worse and simply pushed Sasuke into Orochimaru’s arms… in his lust for power. Mah, he had been lost in his thoughts long enough, it was time to call this feisty pink-haired kunoichi out and properly tease her. It was only right, considering how often she insulted him for his choice of literature and her actions from earlier. He was still rather salty about it, she should know better than to try crossing lines like that with him, even if they had crossed some already, even if he had the feeling that she would try to get him to cross more.“It’s from Icha-Icha Paradise.” Tresses of pink hair whipped around as she jerked her gaze his way, her eyes wide in shock like a deer caught in a light Jutsu before shifting into an expression of cold-hard denial. He almost snorted at the speed of shifting expressions.“No way! I must’ve read it somewhere else.” He couldn’t help but laugh then… Surely, she didn’t think she was fooling him? No, she knew better, she just didn’t want to admit it. Which was fine, he almost always enjoyed a challenge. “Mah, try denying it all you want Sakura-chan. We both know you read it in Paradise.” She crossed her arms and huffed while turning away from him, banking on the assumption that he wouldn’t mention her little cupping act.“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Of course… this was Kakashi, so she should’ve known better. Then again, perhaps she simply enjoyed this form of playful banter with him… She managed to keep herself from blushing while musing that they were sort of flirting.“Hmm, I’m sure you don’t… Then again, your little act from earlier said it all since it was from Tactics. So… why not just drop the act and admit your love for Icha-Icha?” ‘Of course, he’d have the balls to say it.’“Fine… I won’t deny reading them, but I, in absolutely no way whatsoever, love them. You have a weakness for them, so I decided to exploit it. Like that time Naruto and I tricked you into forfeiting during the bell test.” She had to bite her cheek as she watched the side of his mask-covered one lift, he was undoubtedly smiling smugly, and she hated how well he knew her— almost.“Hmm... I suppose… I’ll just have to take your word for it then... Even though we both know that there’s a difference between attempting to ruin a man’s beloved story by spoiling the plot and blatantly grabbing his cock.” Oooo he was asking for it, but something in his gaze stopped her from lashing out— from continuing their fit of banter. Something hidden underneath the swirls of mirth in his steel grey eye as he looked at her. Something akin to an analytical understanding of unspoken truths. She realized then what he was trying to do, attempting to lighten the mood. She also realized that he had apparently come to some sort of revelation about her while gathering wood and catching fish, that underneath all of that was a level of determination similar to Naruto’s ideologies. It was easy to forget at times, because of his aloof tendencies, but it was there. She had an idea about what it was too, what he had most likely concluded. She had a feeling— based on that hidden something within his gaze— that he had figured out what she had turned to in order to cope with her feelings for Sasuke. This was his way of telling her that he understood… that he didn’t want things to change between them, that he wasn’t judging her or questioning her choices. Well, perhaps the part where she wanted to fuck him— there was no point in denying it anymore— either way she appreciated it. So, instead of lashing out or spewing more nonsense, Sakura simply smiled at him warmly, somewhat dejectedly, then turned her gaze back to the sky. It was darker now, the sun having departed fully, the moon full and reflecting its vibrant light as stars began shimmering amongst the vast deep purplish-blue atmosphere. It was breathtaking and broke Sakura’s hardened shell, making her remorse from earlier return. The need to apologize finally sweeping its way in.“I’m sorry…for…you know...” She made a cupping motion with her hand while blushing, “…doing that to you earlier. I only wanted to surprise you and get the upper hand…but it got a bit…um out of hand…I’m sorry.” He simply hummed and mumbled “Don’t worry about it.” then summoned a clone to check on the fish and rice before going back to reading his book. A bit taken by her sudden shift in mood and perceptibility. Voicing the fact that it had made her partially confused feelings of desire for him solidify and shift into something no longer confusing but weighing… didn’t need to be said. She was sure he was as aware of it as she was. No, now she was profoundly curious, debating on whether or not to try and convince him to indulge in this attraction just once. To get it out of their systems and go on as if nothing had changed. They could have a good bout of fun and still be professional and friendly afterward, right? The yearlong tryst she had was with Shikamaru, and they remained close friends. Nothing weird happened between the two of them. They had simply taken comfort in one another’s arms, then went their separate ways. However, she supposed that perhaps that only worked because they were both in love with someone else. Once he grew enough balls to finally ask Temari out… their fun had ended and that was that. No harm no foul. She didn’t know too much about Kakashi’s love life, but she knew he was single. Sure, he had once been her Sensei and perhaps he was trying to take on that role with more finesse now, but in her heart— even if he had been the one to teach her the importance of teamwork and camaraderie, one of her most profound lessons— Tsunade would always be her true teacher. Which left Kakashi in some weird space between mentor and friend, even though she still called him Sensei. Perhaps, if she simply called him by his name, he would warm up to the idea of having a bit of fun with her. It was certainly worth a try, even though a part of her found the idea of still using Sensei rather kinky… and it would play into the whole dominant/submissive thing she was searching for. Another part of her recognized that aspect of it was simply too real to play into, so it might be better to merely use it as a term of endearment or some twisted form of reprimand. Well, none of it mattered for the time being. For now, she would just have to concentrate on getting what she wanted. ‘Alright inner me, got any ideas?’
‘Oh… I have plenty…’
As usual, she started gnawing on her bottom lip as she began plotting. The silent tether with his clone told Kakashi that their fish and rice were almost ready. He hadn’t quite voiced all of his concerns yet, hoping to discuss things more openly after a full belly. Hunger tended to make people irritable and he didn’t want to ruin the harmony they’d managed to build together the past couple of years, but wanting to do something and doing it were two completely different things. His lone eye narrowed as he spotted Sakura chewing her lip, it usually meant one of two things. She was either nervous or she was up to something. He wasn’t exactly sure which one it was yet but something in the air told him it was the latter, making him feel the need to intervene.“The food will be done soon.” Hyper-focusing helped Sakura solve problems and come up with creative solutions for a lot of things, but it also tended to make her a bit oblivious to her surroundings… While she had heard Kakashi, she wasn’t entirely sure what he’d said, too lost in her thoughts while listening to her inner’s ideas. She’d produced a pretty good one too, so she decided to use it to her advantage. All she had to do was build up the courage to do it, which wasn’t hard, and luckily the branch they were sitting on was rather thick. Otherwise, this would be more difficult than she’d like. With precisive ease, Sakura turned towards him and placed both of her palms on the branch. Then leaned forward, gradually adding more of her weight to her arms and hands until she applied enough pressure to keep her steady as she lifted each leg, one at a time until they were both in place. She shifted a knee partially in front of the other as she tilted her head and gave him her full attention, slowly inching her way towards him with each passing word, adding fuel to the fire. “I’m sorry… What did you say, Kakashi?” The moment she started moving… she verified his intuition. She had most definitely been plotting, and boy did she paint a pretty picture. The moon’s light captured her hair with a touch of lavender, making her skin glisten and her lips seem fuller. The crackling fire below emitted flickering shadows that hugged her curves fondly, which were out on full display with the way she had to perch on the branch as she crawled towards him, her hips swaying dangerously each time she shifted a knee forward. Then there were her eyes… those damn captivating green eyes that seemed to dance along with the fire’s rising embers, teasing him with heated promises he could never fully grasp. Heated promises he wouldn’t allow himself to have, but it was enough to temporarily keep him from stopping her. To make the foot that had been holding his knee up slip, allowing her to crawl into his lap and straddle him as he admired her beauty. If only he was younger or she was older… or perhaps even born during his time… yes, he couldn’t help but think, just briefly… ‘I wish I knew you when I was young.’
(The Curse: Agnes Obel)
Instead of dwelling on it or giving in more than he already had, he stilled his breath and smothered his libido as she fully settled herself onto his lap. He was sure to keep his hands to himself by folding the hand tightly clutching Icha-Icha over his stomach and letting the other go limp. Was sure to keep his usual lazy stare and voice in check as she licked her lips, inviting his to crash against hers amongst the night sky.“The food is almost ready.” The little minx smiled softly then as if she wasn’t testing his resolve by running her hands over his chest sensually— he was incredibly grateful for his vest at that moment— as if she wasn’t crossing lines by displaying a hunger unlike before… This was deliberate, calculated, not in the moment. This was unlike what had happened in Iwa, unlike what she’d done during their spar. This was a persistent choice, a stranglehold on his sanity, a curse.“Mm good, I’m starving.” He had to bite his tongue to keep himself from dishing out some cheeky remark, causing the corners of her mouth to twitch downward momentarily, slightly put off by his lack of response. Until she regained her determination, shown by the way she started inching her lips closer to his masked ones.“Sakura, I’ll give you one minute to get off me.” He supposed he was also grateful for all the seduction training he had undergone in Anbu or else he’d slip up like earlier and little Kakashi would be hard again, nevertheless he was prepared for something like this now, mind taunt with a willpower he hasn’t had to use in years. Which was a bit rusty.“Or what, Ka-ka-shi?” Which was why he was pliable to her advances. So, he couldn’t help but let his unoccupied fingers slip through her hair to softly tilt her head back, making her lips part deliciously, making his grip on Icha-Icha tighten even further. His guarded gaze bored into hers, silently enjoying the painstaking yearning he could see swirling in the depths of her darkening green eyes. Making him subconsciously gravitate his masked lips towards hers, making his voice a bit gravelly and rough.“I’ll have to make sure you keep your hands to yourself.” Clearly, after everything he’d experienced these past few days, Sakura wasn’t as innocent as he’d perceived her to be, no that was evident the moment she cupped him. Which made all of this more tempting, alluring, and hard to resist. Not being one for innocence. It also made her more predictable, now that he knew to expect this kind of behavior from her, but kami… he was tempted. Especially when his touch made her shiver and smile in a seductively sly way, telling him she knew exactly what she was doing to his sanity. “I think I might like that.” Teasing him, luring out his most primal cravings, urging him to surrender, to teach her a lesson. Sakura was a spirited person, it was evident that she would be as equally passionate in bed. Even so, time was running out, and rather than sliding off him she simply pressed forward, laying her chest flush against his, making his grip on her hair tense as she gently nudged the crook of his neck before whispering in his ear.“Actually, I think… I’d like that a lot.” Her breath ghosted across his masked lips as she turned her head back towards his mouth. It was almost irresistible, inviting, a trap, a stranglehold, absolute torment. His voice was now a hard rumble.“Sakura.” Hers, a breathless hum.“Kakashi.” A blessing, a curse. Two sides of the same coin.“Times up."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Euphoric was the only word Sakura could think of to describe the moment. Watching Kakashi’s foot slip, his eye dilating and growing darker for just a fraction of a second until shifting into a guard she’d never seen a man extimulate before. It was euphoric. A drug that kept her insides stirring. Urging her to consume more, to entice, taste— take. If just for a moment. Going for it all with no decorum, no restraint. Like a panther on the prowl, crawling with strict poised precision before slipping into his lap. Her senses were driving her mad, pleasantly delirious. The way he smelled like crisp sand sitting by a lake when it’s struck by lightning; warm and wooded like the trees of the forest during a morning fog. Mixed with that extra bit of spark. Melding with his chakra effortlessly. The way his thighs felt beneath hers was intoxicating. Safe and strong, definitive proof of the years of dedication carved into every inch of his stout yet limber musculature. She wondered what he was thinking while savoring his willpower to resist. Exemplified by his tense muscles beneath her touch and the flexing of his fingers as he tightened his hold on Icha-Icha. Which was a sign of an itch, of a need to touch. Which was exactly what she wanted, to break open the door and take each ounce of pleasure surging just behind that forcefully dulled eye. To consume him completely, if just for the night, one taste was all she needed, just one. Licking her lips was a completely thoughtless action, all she could think was that this man was a stranger to her, foreign, despite years of knowing one another. This Kakashi, this side of him was what her body was craving, had been craving since the moment she began exploring her sensuality. “The food is almost ready.” She surrounded his vest-covered chest with calculated brushes, focused on making him relax, on adding just the right amount of sensuous ease to his senses. Tried to break his resolve, mold his dedication in resisting into something else, into something far more satisfying.“Mm good, I’m starving.” For a moment she was disheartened by his continuous fathomless gaze, his endless stubborn will. It made the corners of her mouth curl in frustration, drawing his eye to her lips, making it flash a sense of hunger equal to hers, revealing how it deftly hid the hollowing want in the depths of his stare. She felt the frantic beating of his heart and watched the ticking pulse on the side of his throat. She could feel herself smiling smugly then, proud to have enticed her prey, of bringing him close to the brink. All she had to do was keep pushing, luring, trapping… She couldn’t help but inch her lips closer to his masked ones. ‘Taste.’“Sakura, I’ll give you one minute to get off me.” And kami the sound of his voice… so strained, so needy and yet commanding— unyielding. How on earth had she spent years around this man and never felt even an inkling of want like this? She felt powerful, in control… being able to weaken such a man as him. Was a brief moment of illogical behavior in a closet really all it took?“Or what, Ka-ka-shi?” Sakura couldn’t believe that it was just that. What they were feeling had to be something building beneath the surface, had to be a subconscious desire that neither of them was willing to see and the closet was simply their undoing. The precursor to unraveling their mental restraints. It was evident in the way her synapses lit up, the way every single one of her nerve endings tingled as he wove his fingers in her hair and gently yet snugly tugged her strands to make her look at him fully. To make her see what she was doing to him. It was as if the light of the moon was drawing them together, causing her chest to tighten as she held her breath in anticipation. His masked lips where so close.
‘Just a bit more.’
She could practically feel them brushing against hers as he spoke,“I’ll have to make sure you keep your hands to yourself.” And kami, those words, the implications behind them, the endless possibilities, such promise, such power… How could her body do anything but shiver with delight at the prospect of getting more than she ever knew she needed. The way he was looking at her…like she wouldn’t have any other choice besides bending to his will, as if he knew she would let him use her however he pleased. ‘Fuck.’ Sakura wanted it so badly, her core already pulsing and clutching at nothing other than unfulfilled promises and expectation. So, she smiled slyly…cunningly… seductively. ‘Entice.’ She was determined to get what she wanted. ‘Tempt.’“I think I might like that.” To feel even more of him as she flushed her body against his, pressing herself further against him. She felt the outline of his cock twitch against her center, and she had to bite her lip to keep herself from moaning at the uncontrolled response. His body was betraying him, and she would use it to her advantage and kami she loved the way his fingers tensed in her hair as she nudged her nose into the crook of his neck, as her breath puffed hotly against his ear as she whispered,“Actually, I think… I’d like that a lot.” He was so stiff, strained… each hard-earned muscle tight and wound, just itching to snap, to let loose, to consume. Her heart was pounding against his steady beat. She was so close, just a bit more and she was sure the floodgates would open. All she had to do was kiss him, mold her lips to his and she was sure he would break. Was sure because of the way his voice came out as a low muddled rumble,“Sakura.” Fuck that sound, the way he practically dominated her name. It made her breathless, made her feel like she was already melting in his arms.“Kakashi.” She wanted, needed, him to ruin her.“Times up.” ‘Wha—’ She had been so enraptured by him, by her need, that she had completely forgotten that he had told her she had a time limit… So, she was surprised when he quickly forced her arms behind her back. Was partially alarmed when her world began to tilt as he leaned them both to the side until they were slipping off the branch. All the while, she could feel him tying her wrists behind her back as they plummeted down. He twisted midair, with a grace that could only be accustomed to him, until he had fully flipped them both over, and then landed with both feet firmly planted on the ground. He let her go abruptly and meandered over to their campfire to examine the food his clone had been preparing as if it was nothing, as if they weren’t just moonstruck moments ago. She huffed out, displeased with the turn of events and anticlimactic shift in his mood. Though her stomach coiled at the thought of him coming back over and making use of the rather useless restraints he tied her wrists with.“You know, binding my wrists was rather pointle—” At least until she tried breaking them.“What the…” Then it dawned on her. The material he’s used blocks chakra and her eyes instantly snapped over to his face. He looked at her with a singular unimpressed raised brow while the fire flickered over his features. She said nothing. He simply pointed to himself, expression bored as ever while lowering down to sit on an overturned log.“Genius.” Her cheeks puffed out in partial indignation along with uninvited feelings of partial admiration.“Untie me.” He ignored her demand and went about plating his food as if she didn’t exist. The sentiment may have hurt her if it wasn’t for her lingering feelings of desire and confusion. She almost had him… could’ve sworn she did… ‘Ass.’ Besides the crackling of the fire and nightly symbiotic sounds, silence filled the air between them. She was incapable of doing anything beyond glaring at his nonsensical tuff of hair as she sat on the ground with her shins tucked beneath her. The glare intensified as his shoulders drooped with a monotonous sigh. He stared at the food on his plate for a moment before setting it to the side. Apparently, he’s incapable of eating now, which was perfectly fine with her. More than fine really. Then he turned his eye to her and merely stared at her for a good minute until finally asking,“If I untie you, are you going to go back to acting like a cat in heat?” Her face instantly turned red in a mixture of ferocity and vexing embarrassment.“What the fuck Kakashi!?” And her brow roughly twitched with bewitched aggravation because he had the audacity of looking at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.“What? It’s a legitimate question.” He was purposely screwing with her even though he won’t actually screw her, and it was pissing her off. But it also made her insides squirm even more, which just jumbled up her emotions even more and fuck! ‘This shouldn’t be exciting; I should want to smack the living daylights out of him…’“Alright, I’ll rephrase the question then… If I untie you, are you going to behave?” Kami was he trying to make her burst on purpose?? Wording it like that was ten times worse because her mind instantly supplied all the different scenarios he could use those exact words for and…. ‘Shit, I’m getting wet…’ She had to look away from him, had to try hiding her body’s responses because his tone was serious and not seductively playful. She wanted to say yes but she knew it wasn’t true and dammit maybe he was right in comparing her to a cat in heat.“Really Sakura?” His incredulous tone forced her to look his way again. She found him pinching the bridge of his nose as if it were solely her fault.“What!? I didn’t say anything!” He sighed and looked to the sky as if it could solve all his problems before turning his gaze back to her. Even though he was giving off a vibe that emitted frustration she could see that his pupil had dilated some, but she was too agitated by this point to find any joy in it. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Once again, they simply stared at one another in silence as the fire’s shadows danced around them. He seemed to be debating on telling her something and she was left to wonder what until he finally answered her.“You didn’t have to.” Her brows drew together in confusion. She didn’t have a clue how he knew what was going on inside of her because she knew she was keeping a rather picture-perfect image on the outside. Then he tapped the side of his masked nose, and her eyes grew wide at the implication.“Y-you… you can smell that I…When I…?”“Yeah…” And really, she started to wonder if she had been drugged or something, even though she knew she wasn’t, because that just made her walls thrum heatedly and her face flushed along with her pulsing need. She liked that she was incapable of hiding what she was feeling from him… Even though she wanted to. She wanted to get lost in that sense of no control… Even though she was starting to think twice about her actions now. “Fuck Sakura…” Kakashi turned his head and huffed out a breathy unbelieving laugh. “…you’re insatiable, you know that?” She couldn’t help but curl down and bury her face into her knees while mumbling,“Kami, this is embarrassing.”“Try taxing.” But his exasperated tone made her head shoot back up so she could glare more daggers at him.“Well, I can’t fucking control it!” He winced and lifted his hitai-ate to dig the heel of his palm into his eye…“You’re right…. Sorry… I didn’t mean it like that I just…” … then sighed before slipping it back down and silently gazed at the fire while pondering over his thoughts.“What?” And finally, her hormones began to quiet down from his somber expression.“I didn’t expect…” His eye closed as he let out another silent airy chuckle while shaking his head. “I didn’t expect this kind of reaction from you…” One of her brows raised in question. He blatantly teased her earlier while they were still on the road, and he obviously knew how her body responded to him after her ill-thought out sparring plan. What did he think would happen? That she would simply blush and tease back innocently forever? That she wouldn’t retaliate in kind?“What did you expect?” Her question made him look back up to the sky and scratch his chin absently.“Ahh well…”“You thought I’d be cute little innocent Sakura-chan forever, didn’t you?” He smiled at her with his usual curved smile.“I wouldn’t put it like that but that’s it… more or less…”“How would you put it then?”“Mmm…” Kakashi stood up and moved over to her until he was behind her and then she felt his hands undoing the binds he tied her wrists with.“We can talk about it after we eat.” Then he lazily made his way back over to his seat, and she rubbed her wrists as she watched him sit and keep his back turned towards her while picking up his plate and gazing at her from the side. “Food’s better when it's fresh and mine is already getting cold.” His head turned away from her fully then and he began eating. She would rather talk about it now, especially since he basically gave her a command, but as if on cue her stomach suddenly rumbled enthusiastically at the prospect of being fed. So, she silently conceded and went about making herself a plate. Afterward, Sakura settled herself on the ground with her back resting against the trunk of the tree they were on before and took a moment to admire the food. The fish looked exquisite, the rice was cooked to perfection, and the sauce he managed to make smelled absolutely divine. She eyed his backside skeptically, wondering where on earth he learned to cook. She’s not necessarily surprised that he can, because she knew he was just naturally talented at a lot of things. Still, it irked her just the slightest but then she took a bite and couldn’t help but hum in appreciation. It was positively delicious!“You know, you could easily be a chef… This is really good!” Although she could only see his backside, she could hear that he was smiling by the sound of his voice.“I’ve been told that before.” But something about the way he said it… also sounded acutely nostalgic… wistfully gloomy… She decided to change the subject.“Since we’re so close to home, do you think we’ll have to keep watch tonight?”“Hmm, I’d say it’s probably not necessary… but it's better to be prepared so I’ll summon the pack to keep watch.“Ok…”...…….….. The synergetic quiet of the night was beginning to feel awkward. Sakura wasn’t use to being turned down, and prolonging what she felt was only inevitable wasn’t to her liking. This was being turned into something complicated when it could easily be put behind them. ‘…I suppose hearing him out won’t hurt any.’ So, with that, Sakura and Kakashi finished their meals in hushed silence while the conversation to come hung over their heads.