Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own anything whatsoever that belongs to the creators of the Naruto series.

A/N: First off, thanks for choosing to read my story! I have really enjoyed writing it so far & I wanted to share it with you all. I have given this story a Mature rating due to language & sexual content. Yes, I use the f-word in my writing and though this story does not contain extremely explicit, graphic, hardcore sex, I do write descriptive sex scenes when necessary. If you are neither comfortable nor old enough to read this type of material, this is my polite warning to you. Also, I am NOT a Naruto expert. I am admitting here and now that I absolutely do not know everything there is to know about the series, its characters, and its timelines. So, if you are an expert, expect to see some errors here and there. Some may be intentional, however, to fit the storyline. I am only mentioning this in hopes it will stave off some of the feedback about incorrect character history & whatnot. BUT, I am not discouraging in anyway constructive criticism. Reviews of all kinds are welcome! Anyway, that about covers it. Enjoy! :)

-BCerise

Sakura surveyed the conservative single bedroom house with pride as she placed one of her final moving boxes on the floor of her new home. It was cute and cozy in its own way, nestled comfortably in the downtown residential area of Konoha. She had picked it up at a decent price due to a few much-needed home improvements, but the independent kunoichi was a long time fan of DIY projects and she was thrilled at the prospect. Besides, these days, anything that kept her busy and her mind off of things was welcome.

Whistling a cheery tune to herself, she snatched up her keys to grab her last box and lock up the vehicle she had borrowed from a work friend. As she skipped down the front steps of her small porch, the sight of someone exiting the two story house next door caught her eye.

Eager to meet her new neighbor she paused to wave and call out a greeting, but her features froze in a half-smile when she recognized a familiar shock of silver hair. Kakashi?

Seriously? Her former sensei and teammate from years ago was her new neighbor?

"Sakura?" his low, even tone inquired before he leisurely crossed the short space between their front yards. It was surreal to see her old friend after so long. There was a time when they had all been close but those days had passed and were nothing but a fond memory for the bubblegum-haired kunoichi now that Team 7 had moved onto their adult lives and respective shinobi careers. It had been years since the last time she saw her former mentor.

Recently, she had been on a mission that kept her away in the mountains for almost two years. Over the summer, she had returned early to Konoha and began working full-time as a medic nin at the local hospital. Due to working practically around the clock and living in a pricy studio apartment near her work, she hardly ever strayed from the more urbanized upscale side of town. Because of this, it didn't surprise her at all that she hadn't run into the aloof Copy Ninja until now.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she gasped, the old title slipping habitually from her lips as her face broke fully into a smile.

"Yo," he replied casually, standing before her, his hands pocketed in a stance she remembered all too well. She was pleased to see the familiar crease beneath his exposed eye that meant he was smiling under his mask.

"I didn't know you were living here all this time!" For some reason, Sakura never thought of Kakashi having a home. Somehow, she always imagined him living in a cave or out in the trees like some crazy, ANBU ninja crap.

He shrugged.

"It's more like a storage unit. I really wouldn't call what I do here living," he replied cheerily and rather cryptically. "Moving in?" he asked, leaning over to peer up the steps and at the array of boxes and odd furniture that were visible through her open door.

"Yep!" she exclaimed proudly, reaching into the passenger's seat to retrieve her last box. "Just closed on the place yesterday!"

She turned and straightened to find Kakashi standing over her, his massive frame catching her slightly off gaurd.

"Let me help you with that," he said, lifting the hefty box out of her hands with ease before she could protest.

"Thanks.." she said, slightly breathless as she shut the car door. A strange feeling settled into her as she led the way into her new house. "So how have you been?" she asked, making casual conversation as they passed the threshold.

"Bored," he replied after a moment. "Tsunade thinks I pushed myself too hard on my last mission so she forced me to take some time off. I think that's just her clever way of telling me I'm old," he quipped. Sakura giggled at the comment, but knowing Kakashi, she was certain he almost died or something on his latest mission. Even when he was bleeding out and inches from death, Kakashi felt people were over-reacting about his state of wellbeing.

Setting the box on top of a random stack, he glanced around the empty living room area, taking in the peeling wallpaper and cobwebs that outfitted the dusty corners.

"So what made you buy this dump? Other than secretly knowing I live next door?" he teased, his one-eyed gaze flicking down at her. Sakura placed her hands on her hips and regarded him huffily.

"It's not a dump!" she exclaimed defensively. "It's just old and... loved," she replied happily, thinking of the past families that had probably occupied it for years.

"By what? Termites? Or squatters?" he asked, quirking a brow.

"Don't be a dick," she replied, swatting his arm playfully but she couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. It was good to know Kakashi was still his same sarcastic asshole self and even after all this time, they could joke with each other like they'd never been apart.

"You haven't changed at all, sensei," she said before busying herself with tearing off the tape of a box labeled 'dishes'.

"You don't have to call me that. You're not my student, anymore," he reminded her, his tone slightly off. She couldn't quite place her finger on what was different about it.

Sakura glanced up at the older man standing a few feet in front of her. What was this odd feeling picking at her insides? Something like...nostalgia?

"I know," she said, suddenly feeling awkward. "Old habits die hard, I guess."

"Old habits, indeed," Kakashi repeated, his dark, visible eye piercing her as she looked him over. It was ridiculous how much he towered over her still. She supposed his height never registered to her much when she was younger, just chalking it up to him being an adult (to an extent) and her being a teenager. But now that she was older and considered his equal, their uncanny height difference left a much more imposing impression on her.

She found it sort of funny that Kakashi had been in his late twenties when she trained under him as a young teen, the age gap seemed so prominent then. But now, years later it hardly seemed existent. She was twenty-three now, making Kakashi... What? Mid-thirties? It didn't matter since he didn't look a day older than the day she met him.

In fact, the only thing that had changed about his outer appearance was his clothing, though it was still dark and conservative in nature and suited him well.

...wait. What was that last thought? Why did she think his clothes 'suited him'? Was she implying he looked good?

Sakura shook the out of place thought from her head and turned back to her box, suddenly unnerved and painfully aware of the fact they were alone and in close proximity.

She wasn't sure why it even mattered. She had been alone with him a hundred times in the past for various occasions during training and other jobs. What was so different about now? Wasn't she just laughing with him a moment ago like old times?

"I'd say you've changed," he spoke at last, breaking the tense silence. Was it a tense silence? Or was she just the one being weird all of a sudden?

"A lot or a little? I hope that's not a bad thing," she replied, avoiding eye contact and trying to keep her voice level and void of the unexpected emotions bouncing around inside of her.

"I'm not sure. I can't tell," he replied, leaning back and propping a foot up against the wall that separated the kitchen and living room, his hands characteristically buried in his pockets as he watched her.

"Why is that?' she asked between loosening bubble-wrapped stacks of plates from her box.

"You're wearing too many clothes," he replied non-chalantly. Her head snapped up, catching his half-lidded gaze immediately. His face remained utterly passive, as if he'd just said the most mundane thing in the world.

Sakura blinked at him, her cheeks heating slightly at the jarring comment.

"What?" she croaked after a moment, her heart hammering.

"I just mean, I can't see your body."

Well, that clears things up.

Sakura glanced down at herself. This was a true statement, she supposed. It was early autumn and she was clad in a pair of jeans and a white pullover hoodie.

"I've heard of your accomplishments through colleagues. But when I heard about you returning to Konoha prematurely from your two year campaign abroad, I feared the worst."

"Feared the worst?" she repeated, still lost.

"I didn't want to see you return with some horrid injury. I just would hate to see the havoc the life of a jounin can wreak on a body, on the likes of you."

Sakura remained silent, taking in his explanation and lingering on his last words. She contemplated briefly all the possible hidden meanings that comment held but she forced herself to brush it off.

Seriously, what the fuck was her deal? It was totally uncalled for, for her to be reacting like this. Kakashi was a notorious flirt but never had he directed any such behavior toward her, so why should he now?

You're not my student, anymore, his words from earlier echoed in her mind.

Stop it, she told herself. This was her Kakashi-sensei she was talking about! Her perverted, lazy old teacher that had demeaned her and poked fun at her endlessly for years! He had infuriated her and her fellow teammates countless times but still, he had grown on her and in the end, he was strictly an old friend, simple as that, if no longer a close one.

She rested an elbow on the precarious stack of boxes beside her.

"Well, here I am. Still in one piece," she replied, giving him an encouraging smile. She had to admit that it flattered her slightly to hear Kakashi had been keeping up with her progress as a kunoichi. But wasn't that what a former mentor was supposed to do?

"And what a fine piece, it is," he replied with a mischievous glint in his visible eye. "Seriously though, I know you missed me and all...but did you have to move in next door?" he teased.

"Oh, please. I did not move in here just to be your neighbor," she said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly as she started on a new box.

"Are you sure about that? I'm almost positive there's a clear view of my bedroom from here," he replied, craning his neck toward the living room's far window. "And I've heard I like to sleep in the nude."

Sakura laughed aloud, her previous anxieties melting away. She was certain now that Kakashi had just been messing with her and she was taking things too seriously, like usual. She felt stupid about her earlier assumptions but she was relieved to feel more like herself again around her old friend. After a few more minutes of light-hearted conversation, Kakashi made his way to the door, claiming he had somewhere to be.

"Well, I'd like to break my kitchen in tonight, so you're more than welcome to come by and join me later for dinner, if you'd like," she offered sincerely. It would be nice to catch up with him some more since she was rather lonely these days. Naruto was getting married soon and Ino was really her only other close friend but she hardly saw her anymore, either, since she still lived downtown and worked the morning hospital rotations while Sakura worked the nights.

"It's a date," he replied with a smile and a wave before he was off. Sakura closed the door after him and moved to the window, unsure of why she was watching him walk all the way along the sidewalk before he disappeared around the corner.

Though unexpected, Sakura wasn't complaining about reuniting with her old aggravating but endearing teacher. He was like a breath of fresh air in her otherwise mundane civilian life and it was exciting and appreciated, to say the least. As she hummed to herself and unpacked kitchen utensils for that night, she dared to hope that things would be okay, after all.