Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or the concept of the drunken kiss, that well-worn plot device.
Yet Another Drunken Kiss Fic
"And if you win?"
"I get a kiss."
A silver eyebrow raised.
Green eyes sparkled in response.
"A kiss?"
"Yeah, why not?" Spoken indifferently, even coolly, but he could almost see the anticipation quivering beneath .
"Why not?" There were at least a dozen reasons. He did not give voice to any of them.
"Alright."
A smirk touched shapely pink lips.
"Unlike my mentor, I'm not in the habit of losing."
"I'm sure."
She got slowly to her feet and made her way to the bar. He could not help admiring the way her hips swayed in time with her long pink locks as she walked.
She returned with a large bottle of a colourless and highly volatile liquid, two shot glasses and half the customers of the bar following at her back, all eager to see the Copy Ninja and the Hokage's apprentice drink each other under the table.
She placed one glass in front of him, the other in front of her place, and the bottle between them, then sat down.
He poured the first round, and she picked up her glass, then paused, waiting for him.
He slowly lifted his glass, quirking an eyebrow at the look of suppressed excitement on her face.
"Kanpai!" Their glasses clinked, the surrounding ninjas cheered, and it began.
It ended a few hours later, with a very tipsy pink-haired medic leaning against her former sensei for support as he helped her home through the darkened streets to her apartment.
Sakura's luck at poker may have been better than her blonde mentor's, but it didn't give her any more of a head for alcohol than the average nineteen year old girl. She stood before her door, rummaging through her handbag for her door keys, before giving up in frustration and allowing Kakashi to pick the lock.
The door swung open, but the girl didn't enter. Instead she looked up at her sensei with a frown on her face. He smiled back at her blithely.
"What's with that face? Are you that disappointed at losing in front of everyone?"
"No." Her lower lip pushed out in an adorable pout.
"Then what's wrong?"
"It's not fair. I really wanted to kiss you."
A peculiar thrill rushed down his spine. Suddenly that pink lower lip was looking awfully tempting.
"Did you now? Hm…what can I do to make it up to you?" he mused, "Well, you were very close to winning the game, so how about I give you a consolation prize?"
"A conshtellation prize? What's that mean?" Sakura's brow furrowed; a pink lock of hair fell down between her eyes, but she didn't bother to push it back. Kakashi did it for her.
"This." And with that, he leaned down, grasping her shoulders gently in his gloved hands and pressed his masked lips to her cheek. The jasmine scent of her hair, the warmth of her skin, her soft gasp of surprise; it all threatened to undo him. He lingered for a moment then drew back slowly.
Wide green eyes shone up at him like jewels in the moonlight. Kakashi took this as a sign to get going before he made any more fatuously romantic analogies. The owner of the small hands now fisted in his jounin vest disagreed.
"Er, Sakura? I think I need to go now. You can find your way to your own room."
She was not listening, her face still dreamily tilted up to his, eyes now closed as a deep sigh of contentment left her lips (those pink, tempting lips).
"Maybe not." With a sigh, he swept one arm under her knees, caught her around the shoulders with his other arm and carried her over the threshold.
The next morning, the Hokage's apprentice was late to work with a terrible hangover and no memories but the certainty that her former sensei was good at picking locks.
The next morning, Kakashi went to meet his genin team with a spring in his step, wondering how long it would take Sakura to realise that he had found her secret stash of Icha Icha Paradise and borrowed a few copies.
Author's Note: It is a well-worn plot device, and I'm know this isn't the best handling of it out there. I just couldn't resist having a go at it. What did you think?