(12/04/2011 - Nothing's changed in this fic, I'm just cleaning it up a bit. The centered foramtting was a little confusing to follow and there were a few spelling errors and what not. ^_^)

A/N-

This is my first KakaSaku that I've published and I am, as of yet, still a little unsure as to where I'm heading with this one. It's only going to be a two-shot, but I wanted to upload this first chapter anyway, while it was sitting completed in my folder.

I would actually like to dedicate this one to a fellow FF member; AlinaLotus, who has helped immensely with my development and encouraging me to GET POSTING! This one is a sort of 'thank you', and, even though you've already read the most of it, I hope you like it anyway Alina...XD

Other readers: If you haven't already, you really MUST check out her stuff. It is amazing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I think it's better that way anyways, because Masashi Kishimoto does a much better job at it than I ever would, and I'm not afraid to admit it...

It started with a simple touch; a soft caress from carless fingers against skin as soft as velvet and he was done for.

Kakashi should have known by now that nothing was ever simple.

Ever.

Not when the words 'Kakashi' and 'Women' were combined.

And yet, even as Kakashi lay on his back, bereft of any clothing and sweating in the aftermath of what would prove to be his greatest downfall and biggest mistake of his life – he knew that, if he had known restraint, perhaps 'simple' would be a word he could acquaint himself with.

But not anymore.

Simplicity was replaced with shame, guilt, disgust, rage but mostly hate. He hated himself right about now. He hated himself more than he ever hated any enemy to ever cross his path.

Why?

Right next to him lay the body of a woman whom did not belong to him. The body of a woman who he did not belong to. Yes, Kakashi belonged to someone…or at least he use to belong to someone.

He had a feeling that, when the confession came, he would be a very sorry, very sore ex-boyfriend.

Again the hate boiled in his chest and came out as a heavy sigh.

He looked over at the woman beside him, wondering what could possess him to make lov - no, he wasn't going to call it that, to have sex with someone other than Sakura. His gaze then moved pointedly down the length of his chest to the member between his legs. Ah yes, of course.

I hate you right now, he thought venomously.

He thought about what Sakura would say if she heard his thoughts. Well, she'd probably take an axe to it, is what.

His face turned sorry at the mental picture. Okay, so maybe not hate – but you've done me no favours here…

With this thought he stood, shaking himself from the vice like grip of the woman's fingers. She murmured his name and he flinched, not liking how it sounded on her lips anymore.

"Kakashi," she mumbled sleepily, "come back to bed…"

His pants were already on and he was fighting with his shirt, pulling it ferociously over his head.

As soon as this mission was over he was going to make sure that he never set eyes on her again. Sakura will never have to worry about his wavering loyalty ever again either…

A heavy weight settled inside his chest and it hurt.

Sakura.

God, Sakura!

For so long it's only ever been Sakura.

What's going to happen to them now that Kakashi has done the most unforgivable thing imaginable? Well, he had an idea what Sakura was going to do. She was either going to do one of three things. One; kill him upon confession, two; leave him and never trust anybody ever again (except maybe Naruto and Tsunade on the odd occasion) or three; all of the above.

Kakashi had a feeling it would be three…

And where did that leave him?

Well, according to the first scenario he painted for himself, that should leave him six feet underground and pushing daisies…or at best, shunned from everyone he considered his comrades and friends. Who was he kidding, as of an hour ago his life was doomed.

"Kakashi," came the insistent voice again. This time she was fully awake and sitting up, the white sheets draped over her bare shoulders to shield from the cold.

Her name was Ami and she was a new jounin to the ninja ranks in Konoha. They had been sent on a mission together, the fresh jounin with one of Konoha's most elite, to retrieve information about a group forming in Mist. As such missions go, it was a bore. That was up until Ami started talking about her fetish for books and, in particular, Icha Icha paradise. The mission was not so much of a bore after that. They would sit up for hours each night discussing various plots and schemes that could be potential Icha Icha material, even going as far as writing it down on toilet paper when notebooks were exhausted.

But one thing led to another, very huge thing and before he knew it, Kakashi found himself being stared at by a naked Ami who was sporting a very annoyed expression. Really, Kakashi couldn't give a damn. He was probably twice as annoyed as she was right now because of this horrible situation.

"Kakashi, get back in bed now," she said firmly.

She batted her dark eye-lashes and tossed her dark mane so it flowed down her back in black waves. Kakashi stared back with a carefully blank expression. He wouldn't let Ami know how much this affected him. He wouldn't even let himself know how much this affected because it was probably so much more than he needed to know.

He didn't want to know what that burning sensation in his chest was – it was ridiculously close to his heart though.

Instead he blinked once before turning towards the door of the small room.

Everything happened in quick procession after that.

The last thing he saw was a dark blur of hair and the pearl white flash that could only be skin before he was tackled roughly to the ground. His hand had gone to his side in a naturally reflexive motion of self-defence, his fingers failing to find purchase on his kunai pouch.

"Where are you going, Kakashi-san?" Ami asked, settling herself on his body that was pinned tightly under her. She straddled him and leaned her face in closer to Kakashi, her warm breath fanning across his face. Her lips were an inch from his own and her hair fell like a black curtain around them.

If this was something Kakashi read in Icha Icha paradise, he would've laughed at the mans' stupidity for turning his back on a trained Kunoichi. He would've smiled excitedly at the lust-filled woman thinking that the ninja on the floor should count his lucky stars.

However, this wasn't a book that Kakashi could read, laugh at, read again and then get over.

This was him, Hatake Kakashi, and this was not funny.

His pants were getting tighter, even as he willed the cause of the tightness away. Her lips, now even closer to his, turned upward in a triumphant smirk as she rolled her hips subtly against his own.

Kakashi couldn't suppress the small sigh that left his lips at the slight friction. It was then that Ami decided to close the gap, crashing her lips against Kakashi and immediately thrusting her tongue inside his warm mouth.

The only image that went through his mind was the picture of Sakura and her trusting eyes, her loving gaze as she watched him leave for the month-long mission.

That was enough to give Kakashi the strength he needed.

Ami's hips continued to grind against Kakashi's and her hands were wondering underneath Kakashi's cotton shirt to smooth over his torso. He lifted his hands to her waist. Thinking that he had finally given in, she sighed against his mouth contentedly, pushing her bare breasts against his chest.

Kakashi took the distraction to pull his mouth from hers and, with his hands clenched on her hips, he lifted her in one fluid motion and threw her in the direction of the bed. He didn't wait to see if he aimed right, but instead hastened for the door, slamming it shut behind him as he heard an outraged cry sound from within.

He ran swiftly and silently from the room and down the hallway looking out for an open window. As soon as he found one he launched himself outside, relishing the cold night air against and landed to the ground with skilled silence, the only hint of his movement being the slight shift in the air. He kept on running without any care as to where he was going, knowing only that he wanted to be away from the inn and this village and Ami.

Especially Ami.

He knew it wasn't her fault, but how could he look into the black depths of her eyes without hating her? Without hating what she now represented?

And so Kakashi just kept running until the logical part of his mind told him to stop. Stop because he doesn't know where he is, he doesn't have the shinobi necessities such as the essential weapons pouch and such, and also he realized that running away wasn't going to fix anything.

…

3 days later

Once upon a time the walls of Konoha were the most heavenly thing Kakashi ever saw. Especially after a month-long mission.

Today, however, as a silent Kakashi and a sulking Ami came to the gates, the only feeling Kakashi felt was dread. He felt it in the very pit of his stomach like a heavy stone that settled uncomfortably.

Through his debriefing with Tsunade he was a vacant, unresponsive mess. That was until Tsunade mentioned Sakura.

"I sent her home early today," she said absently while flicking through some papers. Secretly she was watching Kakashi's expression through lidded eyes but, as usual, his stoic expression gave nothing away, "she said something about cooking something nice for dinner. I can't imagine why…"

Ami, who was sitting next to Kakashi, her shoulder a little too close to him for comfort, glanced side-ways at him, sending him a knowing look that spoke volumes. Tsunade, while getting nothing out of Kakashi's expression, got a heck of a lot more from the simple glance.

Kakashi knew it when he felt the temperature in the air drop drastically. He could swear he even felt a killing intent rolling off her hunched shoulders. He wasn't going to stick around to find out. He stood quickly, scraping the chair against the floor, and turned towards the door.

"If that will be all, Hokage-sama," he said, bowing politely but quickly and exiting the room. If Kakashi had spared any seconds thoughts for Ami he might've considered telling her to do the same – leave. It seemed, though, that she didn't need any advice. Apparently that killing intent was more noticeable than he thought.

She closed the door behind her quickly and shook her head slightly.

"Whoa," she said. She looked over at Kakashi with a smirk on her features while Kakashi stared on impassively. "So…Sakura…" she prompted.

Kakashi turned away from her, but not before she noticed the venomous glare that was shot her way.

"I would rather our acquaintance ends here, Ami-san, at least on friendship level."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously for a second, pondering if he was serious or not.

Oh, she knew well enough that he was serious…now. But what about when his precious Sakura turned her back on him. Ami was sure she would, after all the stories she's heard about the Hokages apprentice, Kakashi would be lucky if that's all she did. So she smiled sweetly at him and turned down the hall-way. She was near turning the corridor when she looked over her shoulder, her eye-lashes fluttering beautifully.

"Of course, Kakashi-san, but perhaps you might want to hold off on that thought until after you've had a chance to speak to Sakura-chan first. Until then, my door is always open."

Kakashi watched her leave with a feeling of contempt and annoyance. He couldn't help thinking, though, that he probably will need a place to stay tonight…but Ami was the last person he would turn to…besides maybe Gai.

As Kakashi rounded the corner to their apartment the feeling of anxiety seemed to multiply ten-fold for every step he took.

He never ever thought he would have to face a day like this. It never crossed his mind that it was even possible for him to cheat on Sakura. But the fact remained that he did and, as much as he begged with the higher powers or tried to bargain with the devil, nothing was going to change what he had done.

He had to face it. He could do it. Hell, he had done worst before, hadn't he? A shinobi of his rank was required to do any number of things ranging from cold-blooded murder (he preferred to call it strategic assassination,) to relentless and gruesome torture. Confession should be a walk in the park.

Should be.

But the things that should be a walk in the park tend to like to twist themselves to the point where up is down, left is right and Kakashi's bravado is deformed into something akin to a whimpering, shrivelling puppy. Not that Kakashi disliked puppies. Just whimpering.

He jumped as he was pulled out of his reverie by the sound of the door snapping open. A familiar figure stood in the frame, the light from the kitchen illuminating her as some glorified angel. She had that smile on that was always reserved just for him and, when it would usually spark something warm inside Kakashi, it now sent a hollow, guilty feeling striking through his gut.

He just stood there a moment, staring at her delicate features, tracing every contour of her body hungrily with his eyes and drinking in every detail of her being. Her smile faltered as she no doubt noticed the tension that was running through him.

"Kakashi?" she said, moving towards him carefully, "are you going to just stand there or are you coming inside?"

Kakashi nodded and moved around Sakura, careful not to touch her, and towards the door. His gaze averted to the floor, to the wall, to the bookshelf, anything that didn't resemble Sakura and her angelic person. As if he could taint her with a touch.

He was instantly reminded of the time when they decided to take their ever growing relationship to this next level. This level that required the sort of dedication Kakashi didn't think himself capable of anymore. He had been so hesitant about it. There were so many odds against them – what would her comarades and friends think? He was her sensei for so long, she his subordinate. It was really quite unheard of. Kakashi couldn't fathom the thought of her losing status over something so trivial as a relationship.

But this was nothing trivial, of that he soon became aware. He relented and followed his heart, something that had remained mute up until then. Really, though, it was easy. Loving Sakura was like nothing he had ever anticipated. It came over him so suddenly and so powerfully that he knew as soon as he suspected it, that Sakura would be the only one. He could never feel for another what he did for Sakura. He never felt anything like it in the past either. It was unique and it was permanent.

Even after his stupid mistake, loving Sakura was not disputable. He would never be able to stop.

But he couldn't help wondering if, perhaps, she could.

Would his confession provoke the end of their relationship? Or would she be able to see past his flaws to the person that begged inside of him for her unconditional forgiveness?

Well, he wouldn't know until he told her.

He turned to look at her. Sakura was standing, her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed angrily.

This certainly was not a good start.

"What is it, Kakashi?" Sakura demanded, her eyes still dangerously narrowed, "You haven't even said 'hello',"

He cleared his throat nervously. There is no time like the present, he thought ominously.

"Sakura," he said, rolling her name off his tongue in that familiar way and adopting his firm voice. The glint in her eyes changed quickly to one of worry mixed with indignation that he should use that old, schooling tone with her, "I have something to tell you."

The mood expressed in her eyes showed many different emotions so far. But none as clear as the uncertainty, the worry that was etched in them this very instance.

A/N - So, thanks for reading. Please leave feedback and stay tuned for the second half...at least I think there is only one more to go...

We shall see, wont we?

But really, reviews would be awesome, at least to give me an idea as to how I'm going with this whole fanfiction thing...XD