A/N: I know I should be working on my other chapters to my other fics, but, this idea popped into my head yesterday and so far i'm really proud of how it came out.

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Chapter 1

The short breeze ruffled her hair, and she inwardly cursed the elements. One wrong move, a single sound, and her position would be given away immediately. Taijutsu was not an option against this opponent, actually, just being in his sights alone would render her useless, and she would lose. She could not afford to even have the wind as her foe, no. His enhanced senses would surely prove useful in the possibility that her sent would be carried to him.

As if on cue, he moved, and looked right at her. She stayed, for the kunoichi was unsure of whether or not he actually saw her. Her fears were confirmed when his eyes narrowed and he brought his speedy hands to his chest, already in the midst of his third hand-sign by the time she moved. Her training had paid off, for her genjutsu was faster than his attack, and she hid within her illusion, behind the jounin. Silent and deadly she was as she held the kunai to his throat.

Before he even hit the ground, a log was in his place. She stared with disbelieving eyes; she was sure she had him. Then a gasp fell through her dainty lips as she was caught by her ankles and pulled into the cold ground, blackness engulfing her completely.

The kunoichi awoke with blurry eyes, and she blinked until she was able to focus again. She sighed and sat up, realizing that he had pulled her out of the ground when she had blacked out. A sound made her ear twitch, and she caught a glimpse of orange to her left. An annoyed scowl replaced her blank expression and he flipped another page, not bothering to look back to her.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to beat me, Sakura," she loved the sound of the jounin's voice, it was like satin, and it caressed her ears as if it were his lips, instead of the words that came out of them. Suppressing a smile was not an easy task, so she looked to the ground instead, her pink tresses forming a curtain around her face.

"Hmm, I wonder where I want to go to lunch today…" his voice was thoughtful, but his gaze remained locked on the pages of his precious, smutty novel. Sakura grimaced. She and Kakashi had been training together one-on-one for a few weeks now. Winner of the sparring session was treated to lunch by the other. Of course, being under Lady Tsunade's wing for almost five years had made her cocky, so she accepted his bet, not realizing the stupidity of it. There was no way she could ever beat the copy ninja.

"But sensei….." she begged, dreading looking into her near empty money pouch. He finally looked at her and gave his famous eye crinkling smile.

"We're equals now, Sakura," god, she loved it when he said her name. "Call me Kakashi." He closed his book and stood up, stuffing it in his weapon pouch where it had always gone when he was done with his brief reading times.

For once, she did not follow his lead, but instead continued to sit on the hard ground. Too worn from the day's vigorous training session to even want to move at all, let alone walk him to yet another restaurant somewhere in Konohagakure. So she laid back and looked up at the sky, suddenly feeling as if Shikamaru should be here alongside her as she watched the clouds. She grinned at the thought.

"Are you coming?" the jounin asked, eyebrows raised, and still standing where he was a moment ago. She exhaled and gazed at a bird as it glided through the sunny skies.

"I'm too tired," she said simply, though she knew he would find some excuse to get her up and to their next meal. Kakashi sighed loudly, trying to sound forlorn.

"Alright," he began to walk away slowly. "And I was going to buy you lunch at the Aoi Toriniku…Oh well," her ears pricked. The Blue Chicken, her favorite place to eat, well, when she could afford it. Quickly, she jumped to her feet and skipped to the jounin's side, a cute smile plastered on her face, excitement in her bright green eyes.

"What's this about the Aoi Toriniku?"

He smiled at her response.

"Just a treat for all of your hard work," he said it as if she had really accomplished something, where in her mindset, she had not, especially nothing grand enough to earn a lunch from her former sensei at the most expensive restaurant in the Leaf. Though she did not argue, she'd be damned if she would pass up an offer as fine as this.

"Well, thank you sen- I mean, Kakashi," she could feel herself blushing. Ever since the first day they began training together, since the first words spoken between them in these few weeks, she had fallen for him. And she had fallen hard.

Of course, she knew that any relationship- no matter what ages they may be- beyond teacher and student was strictly taboo. In his head, she was sure; he viewed them as good friends. She knew he did not return her feelings, but the more they trained, the more he looked at her, the closer he would come to her, the farther down his hand would go from her shoulder, to her back, then her slim waist. Though they were only momentary touches, his rough fingers would only barely even brush against her clothed skin. But still, it was something.

"Sakura," he said her name thoughtfully, and her heart fluttered.

"Yes, sensei,"

He ignored the formal title. "Isn't your birthday today?" she was surprised that he had remembered, for he had never paid very much attention to anyone's birthday, let alone hers. She flushed crimson for having forgotten herself and wondered if this was the true reason he was taking her to lunch.

"Y-yeah, actually…" she smiled and he chuckled at her unusual stutter.

"Well then, today is your day, we can do whatever you want," he gave her an eye crinkling smile and put a light hand on her shoulder. She smiled back at him, though in her head she knew he really didn't mean anything. She could only pretend. But then an idea struck her.

"Anything?" she asked him with skepticism. She looked to him and he shrugged.

"Sure," he was trapped for sure now.

"Well, then show me what's under your mask," she teased. He hesitated then smiled.

"I'll think about it," her heart skipped a beat, even though she was sure the jounin was just getting her hopes up. But she couldn't help but wonder if he was serious.

As they walked in a comfortable silence down the crowded streets of the village, she tugged on her ponytail and let loose her long pink locks. Kakashi stole a sideways glance at her and grinned; he had always thought her to be beautiful, especially when her hair was down, it framed her face nicely. The two jounin rounded a corner and headed into the Aoi Toriniku.

There were many shinobi and villagers enjoying their meals and talking quietly. Among them, she spotted Sasuke (who had returned to the village 3 years ago after finally killing his brother and Orochimaru), and a familiar white and red hokage hat. They told the hostess they were here meeting friends and walked over to their table.

Sasuke looked up and nodded at them. "Kakashi," he then looked to the girl. "Sakura,"

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto yelled a little too loudly and she looked around, noticing several pairs of eyes on them as they sat down. But the jounin smiled at her friend, and realized that the two boys must be here in celebration of Naruto's one month of being hokage since the blonde was proudly wearing his uniform, which he seldom did while he was out and about.

Naruto, after having passed the jounin exam with flying colors, had joined ANBU. About 3 months later, Tsunade had graciously relieved herself of the title of Hokage and the village had chosen Naruto to be their Rokudaime. And though he still had his moments, she had to admit that her teammate had grown into a very mature and handsome man of 20. Though of course, she could say the same for Sasuke, who still lit that burning desire inside of her every time she caught his eye.

"Oh, I was going to go by your apartment later to give you your present, but since you're here now, well, here it is!" he grinned his familiar grin and Sakura looked at him as if he had two heads.

"You….remembered….my birthday?" she asked through a thick layer of skepticism. Naruto's face dropped and he lowered the white boxed present slightly.

"Why wouldn't I Sakura-chan?" he sounded hurt, and the kunoichi felt a bit of guilt, and hoped to lighten the mood.

"Well, I forgot it was my birthday until Kakashi-kun reminded me, so, I guess I really didn't expect anyone else to remember," she said with a light shrug and a smile as her mind went ballistic while she realized her mistake; Kakashi-kun? When had she ever addressed her former sensei as Kakashi-kun?

"Oh," the blonde chuckled. "Well, here, take it," he handed her the present and she gave him a genuine smile and a kiss on the cheek. He blushed. Sakura undid the delicate blue-ribbon bow and took the lid off of the white box. She nearly dropped her present when she saw the dazzling, sparkling, shimmering, sterling silver emerald and diamond bracelet. Being Hokage must've pulled in more cash than she first thought.

"Oh, wow….Naruto," she was at a loss for words. "Thank you, it's incredible!" she stared in awe for a moment, then looked to her right, where Kakashi was supposed to be. "Kakashi, look-," but he wasn't there, and neither was Sasuke.

"Sasuke said he needed to talk to Kakashi-sensei when you guys got here, you didn't hear them leave?" Naruto still used the old term for their former teacher. She flushed with chagrin as she realized that her senses should be keener than they were.

"No, I guess not…." She trailed off, wondering what Sasuke could need to talk to Kakashi about in private. "Here, put it on me," she held out her wrist to Naruto and smiled.

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"I think you should stop training Sakura, Kakashi," Sasuke said, a bored but firm tone in his voice as he watched the passing civilians.

"Oh," the copy nin raised an eyebrow and looked to his former student who was now nearly as tall as himself. The jounin was surprised that Sasuke would even show an interest in the fact that he was training Sakura, let alone be ballsy enough to tell him to stop.

"She is a friend I now hold close, and I will not let you break her heart like I did." His voice was still cold; his eyes still distant. The only thing that had really changed about the Uchiha was his attitude towards his friends. He put his hands in his pockets and pushed himself off of the building wall and began to walk into the bustling village, but stopped and tossed something to the jounin who caught it with ease. "Give this to her, will you?" he stalked off in his usual slouch and disappeared into the crowd.

Kakashi stood against the wall of the restaurant for a moment and then sauntered back inside, grabbing the chair across from Sakura and sat in it. She and Naruto were chatting, catching up on life, for they did not see each other often unless it was business matter. The kunoichi looked to Kakashi with a smile a moment after he sat down, and put her wrist up to eye level

"Look what Naruto got me, Kakashi!" he smiled and eyed the bracelet, knowing that Naruto must've spent nearly all of his pay to get her that. Her smile faded a moment later when she scanned the room. "Where's Sasuke?"

"He had to go get ready for a mission," the jounin fibbed and Sakura pouted, obviously upset that he didn't even say goodbye. "But he told me to give you this," her brows knit together in confusion; since when did Sasuke give her anything?

He handed her the little folded note and she opened it suspiciously, as if a snake were going to pop out and bite her. She scanned it quickly and gave it a quizzical look.

"What does it say, Sakura-chan?" nosy Naruto. She folded it back and stuffed it in her pocket.

"It just says 'Happy Birthday'," she smiled and Naruto just said, 'oh', as if he were expecting more. But she didn't fool the copy nin.

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Lunch had been fantastic, and the kunoichi had been enjoying her day so far. But that little note was still forefront in her mind, as if it were a glittering gem in a bed of dusty rocks. He had written down an address in his unusually neat scrawl, and a time; 21:00. She guessed he had meant tonight, he would've given her a date if he didn't. The kunoichi was anxious to see what this was all about, but she was also a little scared.

Kakashi was at her side, and she had asked him to be in her company for the rest of the day, and had also requested a second favor.

"I really don't see why you're so interested," he said after a moment. "You're a little young, aren't you?" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I am an adult Kakashi-kun," he hated to admit that he was getting used to her call him that. "And besides, over the years I've become curious as to how smutty those books of yours really are," he sighed, not really liking the idea of his former female student reading his porn. He was starting to wish he hadn't told her they could do anything she wanted to today, though he was truly considering showing her what was under his mask.

'And maybe you could show her what's under all those clothes of yours too,' he slammed that thought into a forgotten part of his mind and locked it with a key. He should most definitely not be thinking those things about Sakura, especially since they were on their way to his apartment to dig out the first couple volumes of Icha Icha.

'He did say anything, so……maybe I should ask for a kiss….' No. Absolutely not. The kunoichi sighed and looked down to her bracelet and bit her lip. 'It wouldn't hurt to ask….we are both adults, and that is completely acceptable,' No, no, NO! She groaned and hoped that Kakashi wouldn't ask her what was wrong.

"Something the matter, Sakura?" She tried to smile at him, and it didn't work, it came out as a grimace instead.

"I just can't figure out what I should buy for my birthday, that's all," she hated lying to him, because she wasn't very good at it. She knew he knew she was lying, but he didn't say anything more until they were inside his apartment, which was a nice, cool relief from the hot summer air.

"Is there something you'd like to ask me?" she stopped in the doorway and just stared at him mutely. 'Damn over-perceptive Kakashi,' she thought with agitation as she continued to look at him.

"No," she said simply as she moved her eyes to her shoes while she removed them from her feet.

"You're terrible at lying," he pointed out, still eyeing her with suspicion.

"And you read porn in public," she retorted, still not making eye contact with the other jounin. The kunoichi's eyes remained on the floor even though her shoes were now off her feet.

"Sakura," he said her name soothingly, but with an edge as if to say 'stop lying and tell me'. She edged her eyes slowly to meet his gaze. He had taken a step closer to her while she had been looking at the floor, but she didn't seem to notice.

It didn't feel right being in his apartment. When she had been here before, it was with Sasuke and Naruto, and she didn't feel the same way about Kakashi as she did now. The kunoichi bit her lip again and internally debated on whether she wanted to be stubborn or just tell him the truth. Or at least, one of the truths she wanted to tell him.

Tell you what," he said as he smiled. "I'll let you borrow my Icha Icha books if you tell me the truth, okay?" His hand twitched as if he wanted to put it on her shoulder, but he refrained. "And if you don't, I won't so much as open another of those books in front of you," he was still smiling, but he was teasing her now. She grinned at his word though she was slightly annoyed, and once she thought of exactly what it was that she wanted to tell him, her smile vanished.

"I don't want to…ask you something...so much as I want to tell you," she bit her lip again and Kakashi's breath hitched in his throat at Sakura's words. He had thought this was about Sasuke, but he knew now exactly where this was going. "But, I don't think I can tell you," she seemed to be arguing with herself until she looked up at him suddenly. "I should go," she grabbed her shoes and began pulling them on.

"Sakura," his voice was a purr, but he seemed to be pleading. He was battling himself for the right words. "Stay….please?" she stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, an incredulous expression plastered on her pretty face. This was way out of context for him. She put her shoe down slowly and stood up straight.

"Okay," she wasn't sure if that was the appropriate answer, but she didn't want to leave. Nerves had simply gotten the better of her. She took a step further into the room, bringing herself a little closer to him. Of course, during their sparring sessions they had been closer, but just three being only three feet from him made her heart accelerate. 'This is wrong,' she thought, but didn't care, this was what she wanted. And it was her birthday dammit.

They stood in awkward silence, both wishing the other would break the silence. Finally, it was Kakashi who did.

"Still want to see what's under my mask?" this time it felt like Sakura's heart stopped completely, and after a few seconds, she forgot how to breathe. So she stared stupidly at him, wondering if he was playing a joke on her.

"Yes," she breathed, taking another unconscious step in his direction. Ne nodded toward the couch and after a moment of hesitation, she walked cautiously over to where he beckoned her and sat down on the edge of the cushion. The jounin sat next to her a moment later and didn't protest when he fingers moved slowly to his face. She stopped when her fingers were lightly on the rim of the stretchy fabric. He waited patiently for her to continue. Sakura took a moment to regain her breath, and she slowly, oh so agonizingly slowly, pulled the fabric down until his entire face was revealed.

Her breath caught, but not at the sight of the large scar that ran down the left side of his face, just below his sharingan eye and to his chin, but how it accentuated his handsome jaw line, and perfect lips. She ran her fingers lightly down his face, surprised by how smooth it was. The kunoichi bit her lip and pulled her hand back gradually, and expected the copy nin to just place the mask right back where it was. But he didn't.

When all of her thoughts were back in order she gave him a half smile.

"Thank you," her eyes glimmered. "Kakashi," he smiled back at her, and when he did, she instinctively leaned forward a little more than necessary, but backed up when she realized she was probably too close. He gave her a more familiar grin then and ruffled her hair like he used to do when she was still a genin.

"So, I've granted your two wishes, now what will be your third?" his tone was light and joking, which made her feel more at ease with the beautiful stranger she knew to be Kakashi.

"Do you want truth, or dare?" she tried to mimic his tone, and it sounded authentic enough, though she was sure he could also hear her heart beating erratically in her chest.

"Hmm," he pretended to think about it. "I think I want truth," his eye crinkled when she cringed.

Sakura took a deep breath, but her voice was shaky.

"Do you love me?" he knew he should've picked dare. Actually, at this moment, he would rather be risking his life for the sake of the village.

"Sakura," his voice was pained. "I can't-,"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," she stood and turned around to hide the tears that were suddenly filling her eyes.

'Don't break her heart like I did…' Sasuke's voice rang in his ears and he knew that no matter what he said, she would be hurt. But he figured that she deserved the truth, though it was obviously going to be the choice that would hurt her more.

"Yes," he whispered and put his face in his hands.