I do not own Naruto or any of its characters

Please enjoy!

Chapter One- Baggage

(Kakashi's Narration)

Kakashi stared at the empty suitcase laying on his bed. He always did this before he traveled; left his suitcase lying around as a wordless reminder to go pack, or else he knew he'd never get it done. He detested packing. And he was dreading this trip.

About a week and a half ago, Kakashi had gotten a call from his former student, Sakura Haruno, asking if he'd like to join her and her fiancé Naruto (another former student) for a trip to their time-share condo in Kiriagakure (whose economy had boomed since the end of the 4th Shinobi War). Kakashi accepted, thinking to himself that it sounded nice enough, plus, he'd gone with them to that condo before. He'd been dating Anko then, and Naruto and Sakura had invited another couple, Kiba and Hinata. But that was at least two years ago, and Anko and Kakashi had long since broken up, as had Kiba and Hinata. Last he'd heard, Anko was with Genma now, but it didn't really bother Kakashi anymore.

"We invited Ino and Shikamaru too", Sakura had said, "And they said they'd love to go. We're waiting to hear from Neji and Tenten, but they sounded pretty iffy anyway. We're staying a week, so make sure to pack enough, but don't bother bringing food, we'll go shopping once we get there…"

Kakashi had let Sakura ramble on, halfway listening and planning which clothes to bring for the week, wondering which room he'd have, when Sakura said something that brought him back to the conversation with a jolt.

"Oh, and Kakashi? We invited Amika, too."

Amika Untoru was another of Kakashi's former students, the same age as Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. She was an exquisitely beautiful girl, who had taken Kakashi's breath away the instant he had seen her all grown up. But he hadn't seen her in a long, long time.

"She's been so upset after her big breakup with Gaara, so I figured it'd be good to get her away for a while," Sakura had said.

Amika had always been a pretty girl, and had grown into the type of woman that was hard to resist. She had wide, luminous emerald green eyes and thick hair the color of caramel. She was tall and slim with a perfect little figure, and had a smile like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

Naturally she'd been involved with a strong of men throughout her life. She'd dated her childhood friend, Sasuke, and had broken his heart in half when she left. She'd had an on-again, off-again relationship that spanned well over a year with her lusty ex, Hidan. Kiba had been crazy about her when they were both teens, and Deidara always bought her drinks when he came to town. But Amika had dated Gaara for two and a half years. The breakup shook her.

Kakashi's attraction to her had started shortly after she'd started seeing Hidan. It was the night he'd noticed Amika as a woman for the first time, not just his pretty little student.

They were at a bar; "they" being Naruto and Sakura (who had been dating even then), Anko and Kakashi (who wouldn't officially start dating for another two months), and Amika and Hidan.

Kakashi hadn't seen Amika in what felt like ages, and he found he couldn't keep his eyes off her as she chatted animatedly and drank beer after beer that Hidan bought her.

"Kakashi-sensei, why do you keep staring at me like that? Have I got something on my face?" Amika had asked.

"Sure do," said Hidan, even though she didn't, "Let me get that for you." He smashed his lips into hers and kissed her forcefully. She smiled and melted into him. Kakashi felt his stomach burn with rage.

Kakashi had never liked Hidan. He thought Amika deserved a man who appreciated all of her, not just her looks or her body. Hidan was loud and obnoxious, the guy who'd place 100 ryo on the bar counter and apologize loudly for not having any small change. But Amika was crazy about him.

"Well sweetcheeks, I think we should head home," said Hidan, mischeviously nipping at her neck. "Later guys. C'mon babe." He slapped her ass and Amika giggled. Kakashi remembered drunkenly wishing that he was the one taking Amika home.

Years had passed since the night at the bar, but Kakashi had been infatuated with Amika ever since. Even when he dated Anko he still held Amika in his mind, sometimes going as far to pretend the woman in his arms was Amika instead.

He hadn't seen Amika since she'd broken up with Gaara, but he'd heard the breakup hit her hard. After all, Gaara had been the first boyfriend that had ever dumped her, instead of the other way around. But for the first time in years, Amika was single. Unattached. And he'd be going to the beach with her.

In a way, he dreaded seeing her. He knew his emotions would betray him when she was around, and he was afraid of what would happen were he to confess his feelings. He knew he could always call Sakura and cancel, but he knew deep down that cancelling wasn't even an option. He was going, no matter what.

Besides, he thought, trying to reassure himself as he began folding clothes into his suitcase, it's not like itll just be Amika and I. Sure, we'll be the only singles at the house, but we'll have four other people there with us. Sakura had called yesterday to confirm that Ino and Shikamaru were indeed coming, and of course Naruto and Sakura would be present.

Amika's not the only girl in the world, thought Kakashi, and I'm not the only guy. It just feels that way.

He zipped his fully packed suitcase shut and sighed.