A/N: I have nothing to say. This story is kind of like a reverse harem, focusing on Sakura and Hinata. So I'd appreciate it if you don't hate them both, as that's just the genre I ended up choosing as this story progressed in my mind :P I have a few chapters up ahead so till then I'll be updating regularly.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think. Inspiration and a suggested direction can certainly help me update faster as well, depending if I get influenced enough to follow through. No flames please.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 1

Sakura & Hinata

The advanced classes were proving to be damn difficult, even for someone like her. But at times, they got so boring that Sakura thought the wall clock must be broken. She hated to be back in school.

After the war, they all had to resume their education. There were no more missions for awhile as peace was maintained, so they had plenty of time for further studies. Till then they had to hone their teamwork and leadership skills, not to mention study dull subjects like the History of Shinobi and Mission Analysis so that they could learn to analyse past missions. This way, they could become more efficient in executing the future ones more carefully and thus prevent further wars.

Some of them, like Shikamaru, had the privilege to get promoted to jōnin without taking the exams. Others, like Sakura, weren't so lucky.

"Haruno-san!"

Sakura tore her eyes away from the window and dragged them back to the front of the classroom to find Neji looking at her with his single eye uncovered by his hair, annoyed. The class snickered. She cringed, as some of her classmates were just freshly graduated, greenhorn chūnin. How dare they think that they were better than her, a seasoned kunoichi who had been part of the Fourth Great Ninja War? She had helped defeat Kaguya!

But apparently, the Hokage of all people thought that just being useful in select areas did not warrant her promotion.

"Yes, Hyūga-sensei?" she drawled.

Neji sighed. "Pay attention. I asked you to tell the class that if you were stuck in a forest with no water for miles around, how would you keep yourself hydrated?"

Sakura knew the answer to this one, thank the gods. She'd kill Neji later for embarrassing her in front of her classmates. How dare he act so uptight because he was a jōnin? More importantly, why did she even have to take full time classes starting from the basics? She even had to take weekend classes with Tsunade-shishou, who was training her how to use the hundred-healing jutsu successfully and to its full potential. Did anyone think about her social life at all?

"By tapping the tree and collecting the sap," she answered.

Neji's eyes clearly stated that he didn't like this any better than she did. He was stuck as a teacher on orders, as there were no new missions to lead. With their vast experiences and extraordinary minds, Neji and Shikamaru were their teachers now and it felt very embarrassing to be addressed as their students because they had originated from the same batch.

Shikamaru had been promoted to jōnin after the war because he was deemed to take his father's place in the future. He was currently undergoing training as he played the part of the Hokage's assistant. Neji has been a jōnin since the time the Konoha 11 sans Naruto became chunin.

"Correct," Neji said, tapping a diagram on the board which she paid no attention to. "However, if you are stuck in a desert, you have to be increasingly wary and conserve your energy. You should always be on the sharp lookout for..."

Sakura's mind wandered off again as she went back to staring outside the window. Ah, the new Hokage. He would always think of her as just his student. He had always cared for her so much.

But lately, she was beginning to think of him as more than just her ex-jōnin mentor. He was unapproachable before as her teacher, and now he was completely out of her league as the Hokage.

Just as she was beginning to turn back around before Neji caught her staring out the window again, she spotted Kakashi-sensei talking to Shikamaru outside and she perked up, looking at them with interest. She noticed Kakashi-sensei with his crinkly eyes and bored expression. Sakura actually knew how he looked like under that mask as well. Just after her brush-in with the Akatsuki member Sasori, she had had the privilege to treat Kakashi-sensei with her own hands. She had even fed him! Kakashi-sensei had almost nibbled her fingers as she did so…

As Kakashi walked away and disappeared from view, Sakura released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her heart had recently started to beat faster just looking at him. Sakura blushed as she remembered how he was her patient even recently, after the war. She had seen that illegally handsome face again and she had found herself unable to meet his eyes when he had his mask off.

How she had touched his chest and his arms. She had been under his company constantly at the war. The reanimated Zabuza had even referred to her has Kakashi's kunoichi! She almost melted thinking about that. Other than that, Kakashi had seemed unable to let her go at all during the time they fought Kaguya and even after they returned.

After that Sasuke had placed her under a genjutsu, she had woken up to find Kakashi holding her. She was resting on his lap and if it weren't for that dratted Sasuke again, she would have continued to lie there and have Kakashi fuss over her.

What a fool she had been to chase after that snake, Uchiha Sasuke. He had turned her entire life around even in his absence. Even his name now felt like a bitter taste in her mouth. He had left for his "atonement" and refused to take her with her. But he had apparently not minded the company of one Uzumaki Karin.

Right now, she winced at the thought that Kakashi had been there the entire time to watch her mull over someone worthless like Sasuke.

Even when she went to see Sasuke off as he left the village, Kakashi had stood there, watching her crash and burn as she threw herself at Sasuke once more. And Sasuke had rejected her, once more.

But Uchiha Sasuke had hurt her for the final time, she vowed.

After that nasty episode, she began dating Inuzuka Kiba.

Kiba took care of her unlike Sasuke had ever thought of doing, but she just couldn't bring herself to feel the same way about him. After her recent realizations and newfound feelings for Kakashi, she did not know how to break up with Kiba.

She tried telling herself that she was on a rebound. But Kiba was so nice to her, listening to her ramble constantly and curse Sasuke. She had even cried on his shoulder as he hugged her, patted her back, and kissed her. The thought of ever hurting him was scarier than the thought of being left alone.

Sakura and Ino had hooked up with their boyfriends the same night. Ino and her apparent rebound were madly in love; even if Ino's other half did not even know how to express his feelings properly to her in a dignified manner.

"You're actually not troublesome," he had told her as a means of a confession. Sakura wanted to slap her forehead at how Ino had giggled as she had told her.

The way Ino and her had both found a boyfriend was something out of a cliché drama movie. They were at a post-war celebration party, and Sakura had met up with a few friends and made plans to go together. News of Sasuke's company with Karin had reached her by a girl who had taken gossip as a profession, called Yamanaka Ino. Ino had been just as hurt as Sakura, and they were crying and drinking away their sorrows together at a table in the corner.

Pretty soon, of all people, Ino's only remaining teammate after the war had approached them, hands in his pocket and not even looking at them directly. He had requested a dance with her, even though he thought it was too troublesome, he had quickly added.

Shocked and in need of a companion to dance away her miseries with and maybe cry on his shoulder, Ino had accepted. Shikamaru and Ino had gone home together that night, and a lot of nights after that.

Looking at Ino working her magic on him even without trying, Sakura poured another glass of sake till it almost spilled out of her glass. When Kiba came up to her to request a dance, the alcohol was just beginning to get to her head and she was getting pleasantly buzzed. She remembered making out with him and how they were groping each other roughly against a wall, but she did not exactly remember how she had woken up next to him in the morning at his house, with Akamaru drooling all over her face.

The next time she hooked up with Kiba, she was in her senses. While the time together with him was certainly pleasurable and extremely knowledgeable where her body was concerned, he did not elicit the same feelings in her as Sasuke had done. Kiba was completely smitten in his puppy-dog love for her but he was not a fool. He was aware of the fact that Sakura didn't love him.

But Sakura was confident that she would soon begin to, given time. After all, Kiba was the closest person to her after her parents, and maybe Naruto. In fact, she was so fond of him that she loved every second of his company.

In fact, the best part about her early mornings was talking a stroll with him around the silent streets of Konoha as they walked Akamaru together.

The best part about her late nights happened to be when he was inside her and as his cries of ecstasy echoed around the silent streets of Konoha because of the pleasure she alone could provide him.

Ino apparently was the source of all her problems because again, it was because of her that Sakura began thinking about Kakashi-sensei in that sense.

Ino forever requested her company to the Hokage's office because she was hesitant and shy to go alone to visit her boyfriend. She always had something to deliver to Shikamaru and she forced Sakura to tag along.

One fateful evening as she waited for Ino to "be right back" as she led Shikamaru to his own attached office and shut the door behind them, Sakura was left alone in the Hoakge's room.

After awhile, Kakashi had wandered in, holding a book under his nose and closing the door behind him with his foot without looking at her. The way he smiled at her when he finally spotted her, even underneath his mask, she felt her heart skip a beat. The sudden knowledge that she was alone in a room with Kakashi was enough to send her fainting like Hinata.

That night when she slept with Kiba, she burned in shame and guilt that she had Kakashi on her mind the entire time. She was being disloyal to Kiba even by thinking about having Kakashi do to her what she was doing with him, but that did not stop her from having a mind-numbing orgasm.

In fact, after that, Sakura had begun to notice that she froze whenever she passed by Kakashi in the village or, like now, saw him outside her classroom window. He made her heart beat faster. She tried to tell herself that she was not guilty. After all, she hadn't particularly done anything had she?

She had not even shared this with Ino. Knowing Ino, news of her sex life might soon reach Suna if she found out.

Sakura sighed warily. She had no choice. She had to break up with Kiba.

But how?

She needed someone to advise her and confide in desperately, someone who was a good friend to her and understood Kiba just as well as her. Someone who would listen to her without judging, and be trusted to keep her secret.

She faces the front of the classroom. Neji met her eyes and gave a slight nod in relief before turning around to answer a question by a student.

Someone, she sits straight suddenly as inspiration hits her, like Hyūga Hinata.

-x-x-x-x-

Hinata sneezed. She had taken the day off from school today because she feared she might be coming down with a cold. She rubbed the empty eye beneath her bangs, underneath the constant eye-patch she wore over her right eye.

"Someone is thinking about you," her sister commented. "What if it's Naruto?"

Hinata blushed. "Naruto-kun… Does not think about me."

"You can't know that," Hanabi exclaims.

"Naruto-kun is busy these days, surrounded by a lot of admirers," Hinata said sadly. "I can't ever approach him."

"You're far more beautiful than any of them," Hanabi argued. "Naruto would be a fool to notice any other girl when you're in his vicinity."

Hinata laughs softly. "That's just ridiculous Hanabi."

Hanabi sighs. "You're too modest for your own good. Sometimes, you have to fight and take what you want."

Hinata smiles. "Hanabi, in two weeks I'm going to be an engaged woman, with a man I don't mind as a future husband at all. So I don't really see the point of your argument."

Hanabi twisted her lips. "What's the point if you still have feelings for someone else?"

While Hinata had accepted when her father had asked for her approval of the match he had suggested, Hanabi had strongly protested.

"She looks at him as nothing but a brother," Hanabi had cried.

Hiashi had raised an eyebrow at the outburst.

"I don't see the concerned daughter protesting."

"But she likes Naruto!"

Hiashi had turned to Hinata. "And does he like you back?"

Hinata had hung her head.

"That's not completely true. I also harbour fondness for the man who would soon become my fiancé. After all, I love him enough to give him my right eye. I would love to have him as a partner if that is what my family wishes. I have no one I'm interested in at the current moment, so I leave the decision of my betrothal completely to my father."

Hyūga Hiashi observed his daughter. "I'll give you this month to decide. Think it over carefully and come up with a final decision. Share it with me when you're ready. In the meantime, ask Naruto if he feels the same about you as you do for him."

There was absolute silence for at least a full minute, even from Hanabi.

"I'll ask," she had spoken finally.

It was true that Hinata planned to confess her feelings to Naruto once again. But unlike last time, she would wait to certainly get a definite response.

-x-x-x-x-