001

Their relationship started out innocently enough.

"Because I kind of like you." Sakura admitted, shockingly not as embarassed as she should have been, to which Kakashi retorted, "Well, I think I made it obvious enough that I liked you, too."

And so Sakura didn't even have time to marvel at the fact that here she was, a twenty four year old fully fledged jonin and world renowned medical ninja telling a man that was once her sensei, a man that watched her grow up into who she was today, someone equally feared and talented in their deadly art, that she 'liked' him.

And the mutual interest made her heart pound in her chest. She was ever so nervous and excited and definitely relieved she managed to put her feelings out like that. Still, her mind raced with a milion things she wanted to tell him and none of them were able to come out, no matter how hard she tried. Kakashi was an intimidating man and though she managed to force out a well anticipated 'I kind of like you', there was certainly a line.

Sakura was kind of intimidated.

Through their previous few weeks together, hanging out with no purpose - not at all training, not preparing for some random mission, not being pushed into international peace keeping deals as well-known ninja; instead going out for coffee or meeting at the park late at night to talk about books or movies or his dogs, which Sakura had grown quite fond of. Somewhere along the line, somewhere between Naruto and Sasuke doing their own things and ANBU tearing the rest of their insanely difficult to track team apart, Kakashi and Sakura had began to depend on each other and to grow closer.

As subtle as it was, she noticed it happening and she knew that Kakashi, as perceptive as he had always been, must have as well.

So much time spent building up to this one moment, standing in front of the door to Sakura's apartment at midnight. And now they stood in silence, Sakura's mind still whirling with the fantastic and the less-than, Kakashi his usual stoic appearing self.

She would think with him being he would have said something else. But then she also realized with him having been a teacher to her it might not be wise for him to make rash moves - but he said it! He said he liked her back!

She had probably been thinking it for minutes, since before Kakashi leaned back against the thin, metal railing, that she really, really just wished he would kiss her.

"Nice night, huh?" Kakashi asked, as if he were about to tell her he adopted another puppy or declined, yet again, to take on another genin team of his own. Here Sakura was practically ready for her own students. Yet she was a million times more ready for a damn kiss.

She could feel the question against her tongue, begging to be asked. Isn't he going to? Doesn't he want to?

"Yeah," She said.

Kakashi snorted, "I don't mean the weather, Sakura. I mean the sentiment. The thing as a whole."

They had seen each other earlier and she was definitely thinking things similar to what she was thinking now. She just hadn't said them. Neither had he. And he was, apparantly, okay with leaving things the way they were.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Sakura agreed once more, "I've been thinking about this for a while, you know."

"Yeah? Me too."

And another short lapse of silence. She wanted to ask it. She wanted to ask it so bad. She repeated it in her mind over and over and over until finally she could feel it slip past her lips -

"Aren't you going to kiss me?"

And Kakashi took his hand off the railing, "Sure."

He closed the three odd steps between them, her eyes glued to him the entire short time. That same hand tugged down his mask and that easily, there was his face. Her eyes took in the sight for the very first time, yet so overwhelmed and without much time she didn't get to really take it in; not before she could feel him touching her as he leaned down to seal their lips.

And she pulled away.

There was just something about kissing that gave her so much anxiety she couldn't help it. It took her literal weeks to kiss her first boy but since then she'd kissed a few others, she'd had sex with a few more; she just got so nervous sometimes. Kakashi made her so nervous. She grew aware that her legs were beginning to shake.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to do that." She said, blush spreading across her cheeks.

Try again! Was more along the lines of her internal screaming. She wanted him to try again. She could do it if he tried again.

And he did try again. His warmth, his scent, his lips just barely brushing against hers - and she pulled away again.

"I'm sorry!" She apologized, "I'm just so nervous!"

He laughed, backing off slightly, "That's okay."

This was the first time she had ever seen him smile. He had the most perfect, straight, white teeth. A jawline she knew was straight and rugged; the perfect facial structure. Clear skin. The typical little wrinkles beginning to form as you'd expect on any almost forty year old man. He was handsome. Maybe not Sasuke handsome, definitely in a more masculine way, but a big part of what she found attractive about Kakashi was his masculinity. His tall stature, his musculature, all that stuff considering she had never seen his face.

She realized he was staring. She could even feel him breathing in their close proximity.

Of all times, why now would she have some huge kissing crisis? She tilted her head forward against his shoulder and they continued on in silence.

But it was nice.

Kakashi pressed his lips against her hair, wrapping his arms around her and he assured her, "Don't worry so much about that stuff, okay? It's fine if you're nervous or don't have too much experience; I'm not an impatient person, you know... God, you make me feel so old. Maybe we shouldn't do this thing."

The medic jerked back, "What? I have totally kissed guys before. Like at least five. And I'm not exactly a virgin. You're just intimidating!"

"Relax, I'm kidding; I still like you."

She put her head back. She closed her eyes. She relaxed into Kakashi's embrace.

Her legs were still shaking.

They let time pass silently, five minutes, maybe ten. Sakura wasn't trying to keep track. She did, however, almost feel bad having him stay here and hold her when they should be kissing, bare minimum, maybe in the privacy of her bedroom. This didn't seem like a very Kakashi-like thing. Although, she supposed, he wasn't really complaining.

"You should probably head home," She finally suggested, turning her face into the crook of his neck.

"Probably," He agreed, but he didn't let go.

And Sakura knew there would be more to come.