Sakura awoke feeling groggy and misshapen. She tipped her body upwards, her sense of balance lacking any real sense, and the light pitter patter of naked feet sounded as she swept herself to the bathroom.

She let out a heady sigh as toothpaste met bristles which met teeth. Apparently, Sakura's bladder was not to be ignored, and she cursed foamy toothpaste out of her mouth as she ripped off panties and reached the toilet just in time.

She sighed, proceeding to jam the toothbrush in circular motions across her molars as she finished relieving herself. She reached for the toilet paper just as the door creaked open. A half naked man strolled to the bathroom counter, groggy with early morning syndrome, pooling water from the sink into his cupped palms, repeatedly splashing the liquid onto his face. Sakura froze, watching him, as the slanted toothbrush poked out of her foamy lips. His eyes were shut when he grabbed for the towel on the counter, rubbing his face and ruffling his grey hair.

Kakashi glanced sideways, finally, and saw Sakura frozen in place; half tugging at toilet paper, toothbrush pulling her mouth downwards, sitting on the toilet. His eyes widened.

"Um, hi," Sakura managed, but her words sounded muffled from behind minty foam.

Kakashi smirked. "Is that sanitary?" He finally queried, and, annoyingly enough, made no motion of budging from his slumped lean against the bathroom counter.

Sakura forgot herself for a moment, and stared at the half slant motion his lips had taken. She still wasn't used to seeing his mouth move, and the concept that he even had a mouth was titillating in of itself, so when he frowned and crossed his arms she knew it had something to do with the fact that she had been staring.

Either that or it was the toothpaste saliva that continued to trail down her chin.

Or the fact that she was half naked, underwear still pooled at her feet, taking a piss.

"You're one to talk," she said, ripping the toilet paper from the roll. But it sounded more like, "You're un to 'alk."

"Oh? And what exactly do you mean by that?"

He clearly was going to use her compromising position to his advantage.

"Half of the," a heartbeat of a pause (which did not escape Kakashi's notice), "stuff you did last night could really not be considered sanitary," Sakura said pointedly. She hoped her cheeks hadn't flushed as she remembered the way she had desperately groaned against his chest before their release the night before.

"Mm, I guess you have me there," he mused, cocking his head to the right, looking her up and down.

Sakura could feel her body twitch.

"Now LEAVE!" She finally said, revealing an irked expression that could not cover the hint of a smile that accompanied it.

Kakashi laughed as flecks of foam spewed from her mouth. She flung her toothbrush directly at his face, annoyance getting the better of her.

He dodged the flying foam covered stick artlessly, and continued to stroll slowly to where she was still sitting. On the toilet.

Sakura could feel herself becoming horrified.

Fuck! Can't he just let me pee in peace!?

She watched as he continued to step towards her. She felt cornered.

He pulled a dark piece of material from his pant pocket, and dipped his head inside the material. Sakura realized the dark cloth was his mask, his safety blanket. He let his mask fall to his neck, not quite placing it over his face. Not yet, anyway.

A far away part of Sakura wondered what time of the day he was completely himself, if he ever was. Was it in the morning? Or perhaps when, or if, he might awake in the middle of the night to a sound somewhere amidst the darkness? Was he himself then? And when was the exact moment when he began to sheath himself away? Was it after coffee? Immediately confronting consciousness?

How much time did he set aside to prepare his deliberate crawl into his shell, how much time did he set aside to make sure no one caught a glimpse of the real him?

Sakura had caught a glimpse of the vulnerable man behind the mask last night, and she silently hoped she would get to catch another glimpse this morning.

These silent thoughts of hers went unacknowledged by Sakura, her waking mind too consumed with Kakashi's heady approaching steps. He had this look on his face that she couldn't quite place. Her stomach couldn't quite place it either, she thought, feeling it fill with butterflies at the sight of his lips, his eyes, his dimpled cheeks...

He had finally approached her, crouching down, and she could feel his breath. His dark eye smoldered, the other closed shut by his scarred eyelid.

Do eyes smolder? She remembered reading the phrase in a book once, remembered how she had rolled her own eyes upon reading the description. Heh, "smoldering eyes"; for christ's sake, this wasn't a dirty romance novel. But this was the only line that came to mind when she watched his deep set eye fight against a half heavy lid, holding her gaze all the while.

In his crouched position, he lifted a single hand to her face, and held her jaw just so as his breath swept over her pink cheeks.

Sakura would've had quite a few things to say to him at this very moment, and most of them would be very specific, very vulgar threats that she would most certainly make sure were executed with exact precision and without mercy, if only she weren't so completely mesmerized. Unfortunately for her, somewhere in the space of time between meeting Kakashi-sensei as a young girl and becoming a seasoned jounin a considerable number of years later, he had gained the ability to hypnotize her in this way. Perhaps it could be called "the art of seduction".

He had used this ability for his own selfish needs last night, much like he was using it for his own personal amusement right now. "Abuse of power" might've been an accusation Sakura employed at this time, if she had half the sense to pull herself out from under his gaze.

She didn't.

His face inched closer to hers, and she felt the heat of his skin. She let her lids close on foggy green eyes, imploring his lips forward. She wanted to feel him touch her, just as he had last night. Suckling, nipping, tasting, she was ready for it again. Her breath grew heavy.

Seconds slid by, Sakura acutely aware of his grip on her jaw. She forced her eyelids open, impatient, staring at him expectantly. He merely smiled, bringing his fingers up to wipe away the dribbles of foam that had escaped her mouth, and brushed his lips against her ear.

"Would you mind hurrying up, Sakura, I still have to take a shower."

"Ugh, you fuck!"

Kakashi reeled back, sniggering, and dodged the variety of objects she managed to throw towards his person (a roll of toilet paper, a tissue box, and was that a toilet scrubber?) as he slipped out the door just in time.

Sakura couldn't help a small smile as she shimmied back into her underwear. He was pretty darn cute, she'd give him that. She washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror.

Sakura looked upon a tired shinobi face. She rubbed at a blooming crescent bruise along her neck.

The markings of him on her flesh. The only real evidence she had that reminded her last night had not been a mere dream.

Last night.

There had been a bridge, she had glanced across the bridge, and she had crossed it. She didn't know if she had burned a few other bridges along the way, or if she could go back across that same bridge.

Sakura looked one last time at her reflection in the mirror. Two piercing, powerful emerald orbs stared back.

Two nervous, unsure orbs.

As she left the bathroom, Sakura absently wondered what would become of her and him after the bruise would fade.

AN: This is my first fanfiction story (nerve wracking, eep) so leave reviews and thanks for spending the time to read!