TheTrickIsToKeepBreathing

Chapter 1

Summary: Haruno Sakura has no idea that her life is in a rut. She was perfectly happy with how things were going, until she accidentally sees Hatake Kakashi in an all new light and can't seem to get him out of her head.

Breathless and drenched in sweat, Sakura stopped on the road and put her hands on her knees. Her feet were aching in her shoes and she could feel the steady pounding of her pulse vibrating through her body but, it felt great. She had slacked on her training for the past 8 months while she worked hard, night and day at the hospital, training for her new position as Nurse Supervisor.

Tsunade had kept a close eye on her throughout her clincals and the last thing Sakura wanted was to disappoint the Godaime. But, now that she had been chosen, her life could regain some of it's former enjoyments. She enjoyed having the evenings off immensely and decided to start running again to get back into shape.

She had gone far today, pushing her body it's limits. Every muscle in her body burned from the run, giving her energy and strength. Sakura walked to a nearby tree and pressed her back against it, propping herself up for a small rest before the run back. She leaned her head back and shrugged the strands of her ponytail over her shoulder. A cool breeze blew it back over her collar and Sakura shivered as her skin crawled at the sensation.

She turned to glance behind the tree and blinked in surprise. The river cut through the forest behind her, glittering brightly in the evening sun. A swim sounded divine and just what her muscles needed after such a long run. The kunoichi hurried to the river bank, glancing around quickly to make sure she was alone. She reached out with her chakra and was satisfied that no one but the passing doe could see her.

Sakura pulled at the band in her hand and sighed in relief as her pink locks fell around her shoulders. She raked her fingers across her aching scalp and wondered if she should cut her hair again. After taking a position in the hospital, she had neglected her appearance, opting to just let her hair grow instead of keeping it practical and above her shoulders. It currently fell between her shoulder blades and though the length annoyed her, she couldn't help liking it.

Quickly, Sakura kicked her shoes off and set them on a nearby fallen tree trunk. She pulled her black shorts off along with the red tank top, folded them and set them on the log before hurrying back to the water's edge. The summer nights were hot and tonight, the air was thick and humid. Even in her bra and panties, the material clung to her sticky skin. She pulled at the backside of her panties and stuck a toe in the water.

It was cool but warm enough for her tastes. Sakura stepped into the river until the water came to her waist. She dipped her hands beneath the surface and brought up handfuls to her arms and chest. She sighed with a smile and walked up stream. A few meters up, the river cut back toward the east. Several boulders jutted out from the bank and Sakura submerged herself completely in, deciding to swim to them and back. A quick dip to cool off. She rolled onto her back and brought one arm over her head and back down before repeating it with the other. The sky turned purple over head and the first stars of the night twinkled like diamonds.

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, lazily swimming through the water. She focused on the way it moved through her fingers, the way her hair was floating around her neck and drowning out everything but the bump of her heartbeat. With another sigh, Sakura spun onto her stomach and kicked her legs until she reached the boulders. She held onto the one nearest to her and pushed the hair from her face as she tread water. The sky was growing dark quickly and she knew Ino would be wondering where the hell she was if she stayed out too long.

Before Sakura could push off the rock to swim back, she felt a small ripple of chakra through the water. Blinking, she moved around the stone as quietly as she could and craned her neck to see around them. In the dim light of the twilight, she couldn't see much. The feeling that she wasn't alone still crept along her spine and she wondered if she was imaging things. Just as she decided to swim back to her clothes, the bushes parted and a figure stepped out onto the river bank.

Sakura ducked back behind the rocks to shield herself from view but still kept an eye on the dark figure just a few meters away. They were dressed in dark ninja style clothes, but from the trees, she couldn't make out any recognizable features. She bit her lip and gripped the rocks to hoist herself up a bit higher. From her position, she was wedged between two of the boulders with a third keeping her relatively hidden. She could see them but she was almost certain they couldn't see her.

It was a man, and she blushed as he slipped his jacket and shirt off and laid them neatly on the river bank at his feet. Sakura suddenly felt like a pervert. She was watching someone undress. How angry would she have been had she found someone watching her? Shaking her head, Sakura ducked down to step back into a water until a flash of silver hair caught her sight again. She scrambled back into her hiding place with her breath held.

What the hell?

Kakashi stepped onto the surface of the water, strolling along the water's surface as if it were solid ground. His head was bowed and the shadows fell perfectly over his face. Sakura could see that he was indeed completely shirtless, but that didn't mean his mask was down. She bit her lip and leaned closer to the rock, pressing her chest against a patch of moss that grew on it's side.

The sliver of the moon in the sky made his hair appear as if it were glowing and gave enough light for Sakura to see the lines of muscles that spread over his back and sides. He stopped in the middle of the river and stood as still as a statue, staring down at the water beneath his feet. Sakura bit her lip hard, wishing she had just turned back before she had ever saw him. It was too late now. He was far enough out on the water to see her if she started swimming back now. She would have to run along the river bed to prevent from behind seen.

She turned but another thought came to her. If he was without that mask, what harm would it be to sneak a peek? He would never know, she would never, ever tell anyone that she had spied on someone like a creep...What's the worst that could happen? Pursing her lips, Sakura turned back to her former sensei and raised her eyebrows as she watched him move. He stepped out with one foot and brought his arm down in a sweeping arc over his head.

He moved slow and gracefully, taking short steps as he continued the movement of his arms. Sakura had seen him use these moves before during training. It was a warm up for his body and mind. He had told team 7 that it helped him focus on the chakra moving through his body and that he needed inner peace to be able to master it. Out here there was nothing but peace. She could see why he chose such a serene place.

Kakashi swept an arm to his left and turned with a quick step and Sakura sucked in a breath as he faced her direction. She steadied herself between the rocks and stared. There was no mask on his face and the light of the moon shone barely enough that she could make out his face.

She could see the discoloration of the scar that ran down his left eye to his cheek, but there was nothing hideous or absurd hidden away that she and Naruto used to giggle about. He was...completely normal looking. Normal and handsome, she guessed. No acne or boils. His nose was straight and his lips a bit pouty. She could tell that his bottom lip pulled to the right just a bit but whether it was from his concentration or a scar she wasn't sure.

Sakura's stomach tightened and she suddenly felt ashamed. It was as if she had seen him naked. In a way, she realized she had. If he was fully naked, she knew the first thing he would cover up would be his face if someone were to walk in on him.

And she had spied, like a horny, peeping Tom. Pursing her lips, Sakura turned away and slid down the rock side. She braced herself against the boulder with a shoulder and reached down to steady herself onto the water. Using her chakra, she found the surface and stood on it easily before risking a glance back. She turned, knowing she shouldn't have. She already felt awful enough but a final glance? Her stomach twisted but she did anyhow and gasped at the sight of Kakashi staring straight at her. His eyes were locked on to hers, narrowed and darkened from the shadows around him. It send a shock wave through her body that she was certain she had never felt before.

Her concentration faltered and her foot slipped through the surface. Losing her balance, Sakura fell with a splash into the river. Even submerged in the water, she knew she was in deep shit. As soon as her head was completely under, she kicked off the boulders and swam as hard as she could back toward her clothes, hoping Kakashi was too busy bothering with his own to come after her.

She fought to stay under water for as long as she could. Her legs were aching and her lungs burned for oxygen but she didn't dare surface until she was sure she was close to where she had stripped. Black dots swam across her vision and she coughed out the last remaining bubble of air from her lungs before she broke through and gasped. She could just barely make out the log where her shorts and top still lay perfectly folded ahead of her.

Sakura ran up the river bank, breathless and her vision still swimming. Stumbling against the fallen tree, she grabbed her tank top and jerked it down over her head. The material bunched around her chest and she ignored it, moving on to her shorts. "Who's there?" Kakashi shouted, closer than she realized. She could see him hurrying around the boulders, still shirtless and still mask less.

Gasping, Sakura forced her shorts up her thighs and cursed as she dropped one of her shoes onto the river bank. It bounced and she spun, watching in horror as it rolled down to the water's edge. "Screw it." She whispered to herself. She would literally die of embarrassment if Kakashi knew she had been spying on him. Heat spread from the top of her head down to her chest and she wasn't going to stick around and face him.

Not after barely saying a word to the man for the past year. It was mortifying.

Sakura turned back toward the road and ran. She ran harder and faster than she had in a very long time. With every pounding of her feet on the road, she pushed herself just a bit further. Her left foot, bare and bleeding, was aching by the time she could see the lights of the village. She doubled over at the doors, breathless and sore. Sakura checked in with the guards and limped into the city. Even with all the distance between them, she kept glancing over her shoulder.

With only four blocks to her apartment, she decided to slow down to catch her breath. She kept an arm around her stomach, hoping the shooting pain in her ribs would cease soon. She was almost certain Kakashi hadn't seen her. Even if he had, she would have been hidden by the shadows of the trees. Nodding, Sakura was sure she wouldn't be found out.

She passed by the windows of the tiny cafe where she had sat at hours earlier. The lights were dark and the doors locked up for the night. Sakura glanced at her reflection and was thankful she didn't look too dreadful. Her face was still awfully flushed. She bit her lip as she wondered if it was from such an exhausting evening, or from the way Kakashi had looked right at her as she peeked at him from the rocks...

AN- Hi, this is my first Naruto fanfiction so I hope I'm doing the characters justice! I appreciate constructive criticism so please let me know how I'm doing or if you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks!