Author's note:

This AU popped in my mind and I got SO psyched for it. And I figured it'd be a nice break from Among My Stillness and Meet Me Under.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic I've whipped up for ya'll ;)

I currently don't have a Beta for this so forgive any spelling or grammatical errors

Everything hurt. Her calves hurt. Her thighs hurt. Her damn chest from wearing that wretched corset hurt. Since when did strippers wear corsets?

Fuck if she knew, but she had decided after tonight she would not be enticed to do that ever again.

Sakura stepped into her small two-bedroom apartment, her friend Ino passed out on the couch with the glow of the TV as the only source of light illuminating the space. She glanced at the clock, reading it was just past 1 in the morning. She sighed, tossing her keys into the little ceramic bowl Sarada had made for her in elementary school. She tossed her bag on the floor next to the door and traipsed over to the kitchen, dragging herself to the fridge and taking a quick look, finding it was nearly empty, causing yet another sigh to escape her.

She exited the kitchen and made her way to the modest living space, examining the box of half eaten pizza left on the coffee table. She lifted the lid and grabbed a piece, glancing at the TV and seeing a re-run of an episode of The Bachelorette that had previously aired. She scoffed, finding these women to be so vapid. She really didn't understand how Ino could stand watching it.

She suddenly heard her inebriated friend stir on the couch below her, looking over to see Ino partially awake.

"Huh? Whazzat?" she asked, voice still thick from sleep. Sakura sat herself down on the floor, grumbling softly as she stretched her limbs slowly and carefully while taking another bite from her pizza.

"Rough night?" Ino asked, sitting herself up and stretching her arms out as she let out a long yawn.

"You could say that… I think I need to cut my hours," Sakura said, hugging her legs to her chest as she rested her chin on her knees. Ino shrugged, grabbing a piece of cold pizza from the box and taking a bite.

"I'm sure Jiraiya won't mind," Ino said and Sakura shook her head, letting out an exasperated sigh, "That's not the issue," she said, turning her head slightly to face her blonde haired friend, "I need the money," she said simply and Ino nodded her head, the only thing she could really do in that situation.

"I mean… isn't what's-his-face supposed to-"

"No."

"But Sakura-"

"Ino, just- no, okay? That's not an option anymore," Sakura said, bringing herself to a stand as she looked down the hallway, "Sarada did alright tonight?" she asked and Ino nodded, finishing her piece of pizza and brushing her hands off on her thighs.

"Yup. Did her homework and we had dinner," she said, getting up from the couch but Sakura stopped her.

"It's late, just stay here. This part of town gets dicey at night," she said and Ino immediately nodded, mumbling yes, mom underneath her breath as she collapsed back onto the couch, curling into the blanket that covered her.

Sakura smiled to herself and shook her head before making her way down the hallway and to her bedroom. She quietly opened the door and immediately began stripping off her clothes, sitting herself down on the edge of the bed and allowing herself to settle into her body after another long and tiring day.

It hadn't always been like this. She had a plan. She was on track. But life happens, she supposed, and you just have to roll with the punches. Those punches began at the end of high school, when she got pregnant with Sarada with he who must not be named as she so maturely calls him. She was on track to go to college where she was going to enroll in a pre-med program and eventually go to med school, but she never got as far as actually applying. She had barely finished pre-med and was now a washed-up nurse technician during the day and stripper by night.

Some glorified single mom she was.

She didn't necessarily regret it. She had Sarada and that was more than enough to accept her life as it was now, but there were definitely things she would had done differently.

This apartment complex for starters… she thought as she lay down in her bed and stared at the water stain on her ceiling that seemed to be growing larger the longer she looked at it. She scrunched her nose, smelling the burnt scent of the heater kicking in and turned to her side, shoving her face in her pillow. She grumbled lowly as she wrenched her comforter over her, too depressed to even brush her teeth.

Just then she heard the incessant ringing of her alarm going off and her heart almost stopped, being so exhausted to the point she thought she had fallen asleep and it was already time to get up. She reached for her phone and squinted at the bright screen, seeing that it read 1:30am and her heart steadied a bit. She had a notification that read,

Parent /teacher conference 09/31 6pm

She groaned, having completely forgotten anything having to do with Sarada and school. She felt extremely guilty when Sarada went to her about the parent and teacher conference, making sure to emphasize that it was mandatory. Sakura agreed, obviously, knowing it was important that she go. She vaguely remembered going to Jiraiya to tell him she wouldn't be coming in at all for her shift that night and he immediately approved the request. She was the pervy bastard's favorite, so she had a leg up in that regard.

Sakura flopped back down on the bed, intent on closing her eyes and catching up on some much-needed sleep before she was faced with yet another trying day.

"Mom, don't you have something more… professional you can wear?" Sakura heard her daughter ask and she scrunched her nose, looking down at her attire. She was wearing dark wash tight fitted jeans and a rose-colored short sleeve blouse that showed a bit too much cleavage since it was laundry day and she had to resort to borrowing one of the bras she performs in.

"What, I don't look good?" Sakura retorted and Sarada just rolled her eyes, "Mom, you always look good but the other moms and dads are gonna be wearing suits and stuff from their jobs."

"Alright, first of all where on earth are these people working where they need to wear suits and Sarada, neither of my jobs require me to wear anything fancy. I'm a nurse and a bartender, which I'll happily tell your teachers if they're curious enough to ask," Sakura said, making her way over to the dining table and ruffling Sarada's hair, coaxing a grumble from her daughter before turning to leave.

"Fine. Just don't be late!" Sarada called after her as Sakura waved from the front door, plucking her purse from the ground before pausing, turning to Sarada and shooting her a knowing look, "What are the rules?" she asked, raising her brows at her daughter and she could sense she was fighting to roll her eyes once again.

"Don't open the door for anyone, even our lonely neighbor who has eight cats and always comes over asking for butter, for some disturbing and unknown reason," Sarada said in a monotone voice, having had to repeat the phrase many times already. Sakura winked and clucked her tongue in approval, "That's my girl," she said and closed the door behind her, locking the dead bolt before turning and bounding down the stairs.

As Sakura stepped outside she closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh air. The apartment was starting to get stuffy as of late and she needed to start thinking about upgrading. The small two bedroom one bath was starting to get claustrophobic now that Sarada was older, and Sakura also couldn't help but notice that her daughter never brought her friends to their place. She couldn't blame her, but it still stung a bit.

With a sigh Sakura made her way over to her sedan, unlocking and wincing as she heard the creek from the front door as it opened. She really needed to get that fixed. She climbed in and tossed her purse to the other side, turning the keys in the ignition and feeling the engine roar to life. And then seeing the oil change required warning.

That too I guess, she thought to herself and shook her head.

She grumbled to herself as she pulled out of the parking space, setting course for Sarada's school which was a bit outside city limits. It took about a half hour to get there and Sakura would always drive her in the morning, since the hospital wasn't too far from her school.

Maybe it is time for a change… Sakura thought wistfully to herself as she merged onto the highway, letting the windows down and allowing herself to take in the last of the summer night air, humming to herself as the radio soothed her slightly aching soul.

"Shit, fuck, shit, fuckity fuck…" Sakura grumbled to herself as she not-so-gracefully made her way down the long hallway, looking left and right like a crazy woman as she read the plaques on the doors, looking for a Mr. Hatake Sarada had told her. She found herself at the end of the hallway and looked to her right, sighing in relief as she found her destination.

She opened the door and peered inside, immediately feeling her stomach flop and the awkwardness of being the last person to show settle in as all eyes were on her. And of course, Sarada being the know-it-all, they were all wearing suits.

But then her breath hitched as her eyes drifted to the front of the room, for a man was leaning his backside against the front of his desk, donned in grey chinos that fit impeccably and a white button up that was currently straining from the flexing of his muscles as his arms were crossed over his chest. She looked higher to his face and could feel her legs start to buckle from underneath her.

He had a handsome and young face. Very Clarke Kent- esque and strong. He had wispy white hair and was currently sporting a crooked grin with… was that a beauty mark on the side of his mouth? Sakura shook her head, hearing a cough emanate from the room.

Get a grip, Sakura, you're not in high school again, she mentally chastised as she put on an apologetic smile, trying not to get lost in the one Mr. Hatake was giving her.

"Ehhh, sorry I'm late. I had to drive from the city," she said and Mr. Hatake gave her a reassuring smile.

"No need to apologize Ms…?" he trailed, cocking his head slightly.

"Haruno," she said politely, her attention immediately being drawn to the coffee in her periphery, "Sarada's mom," she continued as she made her way over, plucking a cup and filling it with the liquid. It looked a bit light for her taste but it was neither here nor there.

"Ah, I was hoping I'd meet you tonight. Sarada is a very bright student," she heard his velvety voice call out and she felt her heart flutter, pride in her daughter making her smile and she turned to face him before taking her seat but was interrupted by a parent.

"That's nice," one of the suits said, voice dripping with sarcasm which made her scowl, "but what about the material you'll be going over this semester? I want to make sure my daughter is well versed in the classics," they said and Mr. Hatake nodded, giving Sakura one last smile before turning his attention to the suit.

She heard him talk about Shakespeare and Tolstoy and some other old goon she didn't recognize. No disrespect to Mr. Hatake but Sakura had always been drawn to the sciences. She loved logic and numbers. English and the social sciences were always her weakness.

She licked her lips before delving into the coffee before her, bringing her mouth to the rim and taking a sip before immediately coughing and wanting to spit it out. All eyes were on her once again as she looked around the room, shrugging slightly.

"Sorry. Really bad coffee," she muttered with a slight laugh that no one else thought was funny. Mr. Hatake chuckled slightly before returning his attention to the grumbling mother before him.

Sakura sighed, finding her daughter was correct yet again.

Sakura was currently staring at a chalkboard on one side of the room, hands behind her back as she observed the various quotes and excerpts, reading them in slight interest as the last of the parents began trickling out. She felt a presence slowly approaching her and she fought the urge to tense up, wanting to remain cool and collected. Her breath hitched as she felt him behind her, close enough to feel the heat from his body but it soon disappeared as he backed up into a desk behind them.

"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun," she heard him read from behind her and his voice made her sigh slightly. She could listen to him read to her forever if she wanted. She turned around and smiled, finding him leaning against the desk she had been sitting on.

"It's beautiful," she murmured and he smiled slightly, "It's Jane Austen. When Mr. Darcy tells Elizabeth when he fell in love with her," he stated and she gave him a coy smile.

"Are you a romantic, Mr. Hatake?" she asked and he chuckled, bringing himself to a stand, "When I want to be," he said and made his way to the front of the room, shoving his hands in his pockets. He walked over to his desk, plucking a piece of paper from it before making his way back towards her.

"Sarada is a very bright young lady. And a fantastic writer," he said, handing over the paper he was holding over to Sakura, "What is this?" she asked, looking up at him before reading what looked to be a short essay.

"Well, their assignment this week was to equate one of their parents to a famous character in a selection of novels I gave them. She compared you to Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice," he said and she looked up, staring into his eyes which were filled with such curiosity, "Are you familiar…?" he asked and she scoffed.

"Yes, I'm familiar. I've read it to her multiple times," Sakura murmured. Even though she didn't like the subject, she couldn't deny that she loved to read, and Jane Austen was one of her favorites. She wasn't the least bit surprised that Sarada had chosen to pull a character from it.

"Well Sarada pointed out the similarities; yours and Elizabeth's fierce independence, your humor, your penchant to find happiness in any situation," he said and she smiled ironically, knowing deep down her and Elizabeth shared another similarity, which was their habit to hide how they truly felt.

"Well she gets her pick for dinner tonight," Sakura said with a slight chuckle and handed the paper back to Mr. Hatake. He shook his head, "You should keep it. I already recorded her grade. Tell her she did a wonderful job, as always," he said with a wink and she nodded her head, folding it into thirds and gingerly placing it in her purse. She sighed, looking towards the door.

"I should probably get going," she said, glancing towards the clock and seeing it was 7:30. Mr. Hatake nodded, stepping away from her to give her space. He made his way back to the front of the room and turned swiftly, holding out a hand but hesitating.

"Uh… don't worry about the other parents," he said suddenly and she tilted her head, giving him a slightly confused look. He chuckled and brought a hand to the back on his neck, giving it a rub.

"They can be a bit judgey… most of the kids are from the area and it's pretty... affluent," he said and she could sense that he was trying not to offend. She gave him a soft smile in reassurance and she could see that he was beginning to lighten up.

"No worries," she said with a wave of her hand, "My job doesn't really require me to go to work in fancy clothes; well, not suits," she clarified and it was his turn to tilt his head. She laughed slightly as she started backing away, already enjoying the bit of mystique she was creating for herself. She could sense that he wanted to press a bit more but he let it go, allowing for her to turn towards the door and show herself out.

"Oh," she began, looking towards him once more and he raised a brow at her, "Never ever make coffee again. It tasted like tar," she said and he barked out a laugh, throwing his head back slightly, revealing his slender neck and Adam's apple which bobbed, causing her to lick her lips.

"Noted," he said as he brought his head back down, giving her a stiff nod before she waved, letting herself out and closing the door quietly behind her. She sighed and rested her back against the door for a moment, processing the events of the past hour.

The man was handsome, there was no doubt about that. She wondered what Sarada thought of him and if she had a little crush on him. She wouldn't blame her if she did, he really was easy on the eyes.

She bit her lip, pushing off from the door and making her way down the hallway, the satisfying clack of her heeled boots reverberating off the marble floors as she exited the school, welcomed by the familiar embrace of the night that she had grown so accustomed to

.

"So, how did everyone's parent teacher conferences go?" Kakashi heard Genma ask as he nursed his coffee mug to his chest. Everyone grumbled, saying things along the lines of fine, the usual or typical rich parents.

Kakashi nodded his head, able to sympathize with that last statement. The parents of these children were in fact rich, which was why he was thrown threw a loop upon seeing Ms. Haruno. She was an enigma indeed, at least compared to the rest of the parents. When she had walked into his classroom he was suddenly hit with color, which didn't seem like much but the rose color of her shirt stood out among the sea of monochromatic tones he was so used to. Her eyes were also the most intense shade of emerald he had ever seen and her hair pink hair certainly made a statement. What he was most surprised by was how natural it all seemed. It all fit together perfectly.

And then their little flirtatious banter that he would have been a fool not to notice. Her asking if he was a romantic based on his reading choices to her chastising him for brewing terrible coffee.

It was like a breath of fresh air.

But it was neither here nor there. It's not like he'd ever see her again and before he thought too long and too hard about it he broke that train of thought, noticing his friend clear his throat as he set his mug of coffee down onto the counter.

"Hey, so we're still on for tonight, right?" he heard Genma ask and Kakashi raised a brow.

"Tonight?" he asked, giving Genma a confused look as he tried to pin down what they had agreed to do. He was under the impression that he had no plans that night, which he always looked forward to.

"Dude, we're going to that new strip club tonight. For your birthday?" Genma said enthusiastically and Kakashi immediately groaned, throwing his head back.

"I'm pretty sure I emphasized that I was against doing that. And if it's my birthday shouldn't it be my choice as to what we do?" Kakashi asked, throwing his friend a sidelong glance. Everyone else seemed to be fine with just listening in, keen on how this conversation was going to pan out for the two friends who were complete polar opposites.

"Normally, that would be the case but I don't even remember the last time you were remotely close to a woman, Hatake," Genma said and he scoffed, shaking his head as he bent down to cradle his head in his hands, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"You can't even touch them," Kakashi pointed out logically and immediately felt Genma's gears start turning but held out a hand to halt him, "Which is not a reason for going but if I wanted to be with a woman, I would. I'm not completely out of the game."

"Well pretty much everyone has agreed to go sans Kurenai; sorry Kurenai," he said, not even pausing to look at her and she just shook her head, "so you're pretty much obligated to go,"

Kakashi groaned once again, looking over to everyone in the room as they nodded eagerly, his gaze settling on Kurenai as she slapped the back of her husband's head in response to him giving Kakashi a cheeky thumbs up.

"Fine," he said with a finite tone and Genma clapped his hands in approval, jumping down from the counter to give Kakashi a handshake. Kakashi sighed and extended his hand, grasping his hand and holding it for a moment, giving him an instense look, "I'm not paying a cent though," he said and Genma smiled, nodding his head in understanding while giving him a cheshire cat grin.

Kakashi could already hear the music blaring from a block away. He groaned inwardly, shoving his hands in his pockets as his group of friends, four of them including himself, made their way to the club. There was a line already forming and Kakashi held out hope that they could maybe skip because of the wait, but immediately grumbled to himself when he saw Genma bouncing form bounding to the front.

He heard him say something about a reservation and it automatically made Kakashi want to split from the group and walk in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Birthday boy!" he heard Genma shout and Kakashi immediately seized up, shooting his friend a glare and approaching him with a menacing look, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him aside.

"Hey, man! What gives?"

"I've already agreed to being dragged out here so could you refrain from embarrassing me any further by implying that I have even a sliver of desire to be here?" Kakashi seethed and Genma nodded slowly, shaking his arm out of Kakashi's grasp, "Damn, dude, alright…" he said and made his way back to the bouncer.

Kakashi let out a breath, shaking off his nerves and looking towards his other two friends who both gave him an apologetic look. Genma signaled for them all to go in and Kakashi held his breath, following his friends into what he considered Hell with sparkles and sequins.

The music immediately started giving him a headache and Kakashi closed his eyes, trying to calm himself as Genma led them to a booth at the corner of the room.

Good… Kakashi thought in relief, slipping into the booth and doing his best not to look up at the already naked dancers, Genma hasn't chosen the closest seats possible.

Genma took their drink orders and bounded for the bar. Kakashi had told him to get a whiskey, needing something strong to get through the hour and a half that he had agreed to be there. He looked over to his friends who were entirely too enraptured by the dancing women and he sighed, bringing his gaze up to allow himself a peek.

So far he saw nothing that really interested him. He supposed they were pretty, in a conventional way but he much preferred unconventional.

Like the pink haired single mom you met last night? he heard his inner monologue speak and he slammed the thought out of his head, focusing on a dancer who was currently upside down on a pole and descending slowly in a corkscrew- like fashion. Her hair billowed out in soft waves and for a moment it looked strangely familiar. Though he supposed pink and purple hair wasn't so strange in this scene.

His breath hitched slightly as she completely descended the pole, straightening herself and swiveling her hips in a figure eight as she lowered herself to the floor and slowly made her way up again, earning cheers from the crowd as they stuffed crisp bills into her garter belt every time she would lower to the ground.

She then knelt down to all fours, crawling to another stage while making sure to put extra sway in her hips as well as perch her ass as high as it could go.

He felt himself growing hotter as she made her way to the corner stage, the one closest to his group and he felt himself leaning forward, needing to get a closer look to see her face, hoping it was as gorgeous as the rest of her. She lifted herself to her knees and spread her legs, almost doing a split as she trailed her hands up her sides tantalizingly slow. She brought her hands to her breasts to cup them slightly and let her head fall back, her mouth falling open into a sigh that made him start to perspire.

"You like that one, eh?" he heard Iruka say somewhere in his periphery and all he could do was nod slightly, completely enraptured by the woman several feet away from them. He heard Iruka chuckle and hand him something hard and crisp. He looked down momentarily and saw that he had handed him a bill.

"You should go up to her," he said and though Kakashi wanted to more than anything, he didn't know if he had the courage to.

But by some stroke of luck Genma had returned with their drinks without getting distracted at the bar and Kakashi immediately grabbed his, bringing the glass to his lips and downing the whiskey in one fell swoop, shooing a shocked Genma out of his way as he scooted out of the booth and made his way to the stage.

Genma looked to his friends, an astonished look on his face and Iruka and Asuma just shrugged, chuckling slightly, "Just needed some of that liquid courage I suppose," Asuma said, nudging his elbow into Iruka who only laughed a bit harder.

Kakashi felt time slowing down. He could see her in front of him and her figure slowly becoming clearer as he inched closer. He scrunched his brow, finding something so familiar about this girl but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He had approached the stage, finding she was looking the opposite direction but saw that she had noticed him in the corner of her eye, swiveling slightly to look towards him and he noticed her eyes widen immediately. In recognition.

Which caused him to as well.

Because it was then that he knew just where he knew this woman from. He would notice those eyes anywhere. Paired with that hair. And that angelic face.

Her eyes had widened, but then she noticed the crisp bill he had been holding in his hand and her gaze softened, looking to him and bringing her hands to her breasts, pushing them together to enhance her cleavage and he licked his lips, maintaining their now lust filled stare as he slipped the bill into her cleavage. She sighed at the contact and practically purred,

"Hello, Mr. Hatake."