Inspired by Mongrelssister's fanart.
The first training session of the newly formed Team Kakashi had gone on way overtime, not one of the 3 members noticing until Naruto's stomach had growled rather loudly, giving away his position and allowing Kakashi to send a barrage of shuriken flying towards his direction. Too late though, Naruto had leapt up from where he previously lay crouched, and shouted to the other 2 members, "AH! I almost forgot! I'm meeting Hinata at Ichiraku's for ramen! Sorry Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, I'll see you guys tomorrow!"
With that he disappeared, leaving in his wake the rustling of shrubbery where he previously stood. Sakura jumped down from the tree she was hiding in, and gave a soft sigh with her hands on her hips. "Geez, Naruto." But immediately, she smiled. At least that idiot would be spending some time with Hinata, she thought endearingly. Moments later, Kakashi appeared, having apparently teleported from his previous location. He looked at Sakura and shrugged, smiling with affection at her. "You've both grown, Sakura."
Her perspiration had long dried off, and now sitting on the thick branch of a tall tree, the cool night breeze raised goosebumps on Sakura's skin, causing her to shiver slightly. She loved the feeling though, and took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, crisp smell of the Konoha forest during night time. This was her home. She smiled and turned her head slightly to gaze at the large, round moon that seemed to be just an arm's length away. The sight was breathtaking.
"I never knew you liked the moon," Kakashi's voice came from beside her. She turned and saw that Kakashi had his face buried in the new book: Icha, Icha Tactics that Naruto had given him just 2 days ago. Sakura's lips twitched at the sight of the Icha, Icha book, remembering their unexpected but celebrated victory over their lazy but powerful former sensei. "I don't," she replied, "Not particularly, anyway. It's just that it's really beautiful tonight. And the moonlight gives the forest an ethereal feeling."
"Hm," He said non-committally, face still turned towards the book.
Sakura huffed at his lackadaisical response and complained, "I've hardly seen you around in 3 years, and now that we're together again as Team Kakashi, you're ignoring me in favour of a book?"
Kakashi's half-smirk was concealed behind his mask as he pointed out, "I'm not ignoring you, Sakura."
Well, it was technically true that Kakashi wasn't ignoring her, Sakura thought, but what they had could hardly be considered a conversation. After all this time, Sakura thought that Kakashi would at least be a little more interested in her. It was the books' fault, she concluded. "What's so interesting about that book anyway? Naruto said it was boring." Sakura frowned and moved slightly closer to Kakashi, peering over his shoulder and trying to catch a glimpse of the contents of the book.
"Naruto wouldn't understand this book," Kakashi said as he moved said book away from Sakura's line of vision.
Unperturbed, Sakura leaned in even closer, shifting once again to try and peek into the book. "Let me have a look then, maybe I'll understand your obsession over the series. Come on, let me see!" She cried out, making an unsuccessful lunge for the small, green book.
Kakashi chuckled at his former student and purposely held the book up high, on the other side and away from Sakura. "There's a reason this book is rated 'R', Sakura. You can't read it." Sakura gave a small pout at this point of time, and something tugged at Kakashi's heart. "Okay tell you what. If you can grab it from me, I'll let you take a look. Hell, I'll even read it to you if you want," He teased.
Sakura's mouth opening in an 'O' of surprise, but she quickly recovered, smirking. "Deal, Kakashi-sensei." She ignored Kakashi's protests of her still calling him 'sensei', but focused instead on her thoughts. Now that she secured a chance at finding out what was inside those damned Icha, Icha books, she couldn't let Kakashi win. This time, she calculated her actions before making the lunge, surprising even Kakashi by her swiftness. Three years could do a lot of things to a person.
Kakashi quickly realised that Sakura was serious. He tensed, waiting for her next move. Moments later, she lunged yet again, and failed again, as Kakashi expertly maneuvered out of Sakura's way. "Dammit," She cursed. The next few seconds were a flurry of movements, neither of them refusing to give in yet. The sight was a funny one to behold, two shinobi prancing around the thick branch as if they were dancing.
"You're going to have to do better than this, Sakura," Kakashi said in a teasing voice, though inwardly he knew he was proud of Sakura's spectacular growth.
Sakura gave a growl of frustration. "Kakashi-sensei you're not being—" In that moment she diverted her attention, she tripped over a vine that was coiled around the thick branch and lost her balance. She felt her body tipping over, falling, and there was nothing that she could grab or hang on to to prevent her fall. Shit, she thought, she was going to have to expand chakra to cushion her fall. Things could get nasty if she fell from that height unprotected.
Suddenly, however, she felt a pair of strong hands close around her own and pull her back with such a force that it caused her to land with a 'thud', smack against Kakashi's chest. It resulted in them both tumbling back onto the tree branch with Sakura in Kakashi's arms. Silence succeeded the commotion and she hadn't even realised that her eyes were closed until she opened them. And when she did, she found herself staring into the lone, visible eye of Kakashi's, his face barely centimeters away from her own. For a moment, she just stared back, transfixed. But then her eyes widened considerably, overwhelmed by the fact that she was closer to Kakashi than she had ever been in all the years she'd known him. At a loss of what to do, she parted her lips in surprise, only dimly aware that her heart rate had accelerated in the last few seconds.
Somewhere in the haziness of Kakashi's mind, it registered that he was much too close to Sakura for his own good. It was surprising that he could even make coherent thought, for being in Sakura's proximity seemed to intoxicate his mind and make him do things he couldn't find reasons for. He didn't even know why he did what he did, preventing Sakura's fall. It wasn't as if she could not take care of herself, he knew as well as her that she could break her own fall. But somehow he acted instinctively, reaching out to grab her before she could slip off the tree branch. Now with his arms around her, he could feel her warmth; he could smell her scent, that light flowery, citrusy scent he couldn't quite put a name to. He could also see—up close, those unique jade green eyes of hers that intrigued him the first time he landed his eyes on her. Basked in the moonlight, there was a glow all around her that seemingly illuminated her form, making her pale, scar-devoid skin glimmer. She was beautiful, he thought. He found no words to describe it, and her beautiful was one-of-a-kind, because it wasn't the pageant-pretty kind of beautiful, but it was the Sakura-beautiful kind of beautiful, if that made any sense.
They never broke eye contact, and soon the tension was almost palpable, hanging around them like steam, nudging and closing in on them. Although the night was cool, heat surrounded them, unbearable and smothering. Sakura was so fluttery that even her ears seemed to burn, her cheeks red and flushed from Kakashi's unrelenting stare. It felt like someone was blowing a bubble with molten lava contained inside, and it was increasing in size rapidly, threatening to burst any moment. Sakura thought it was too much to bear, and she opened her mouth to speak, hesitant. "Kakashi…?"
To Kakashi's short-circuited mind, however, it sounded to him like she was pleading. —Pleading for him. That look on her flushed face, and the hands that were placed on his chest. Dammit, he wanted her. Without thinking, without planning, without even considering the consequences that were to come, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Sakura's. The moment he sealed the kiss, he knew. He knew that it felt right.
Sakura's eyes widened even further, if that was possible. Kakashi-sensei was kissing her? After all this time, after all the worrying that she'd gone to, trying to stamp down the growing feelings she thought were occurring more frequently each time she saw her former sensei. She'd missed him, after Naruto went off with Jiraiya the ero-sennin, and she'd longed for his company, many a training session or two, but he never stayed with her long. And now here he was, kissing her. What is this, what is this?Her mind thought frantically. But as she felt Kakashi's masked lips move along her own, she couldn't care to analyze his actions any longer. Screw it, all she needed was Kakashi.
Their surroundings reeled and seemed to explode in a frantic turbulence of energy so powerful that both Kakashi and Sakura were carried along with it, mindless and on fire with passion and desire. Kakashi, annoyed that the mask was preventing him from tasting Sakura, broke the kiss for a second and yanked it away with a frustrated growl, groaning when he finally felt the contact of Sakura's moist, hot lips against his own. He pleaded entry and used his tongue to sweep against hers fully, delirious, lost, and drunk on the sensation.
Unnoticed by either of them, a small green book fell through the air and landed on the ground far below them with a soft, dull, thud.