"Kakashi! You're on time for once; I think I just died of shock." Asuma was already seated at the table in the meeting room, one arm wrapped in a sling and a bandage across his face.

"What the hell happened to you?" Kakashi asked, taking a seat beside him.

Asuma shrugged. "Mission went a little south...damn rogue ninjas fucking up every body's plans. But we got out alive. I'll heal alright, thanks to Ino." Kakashi noticed a very slight softening of Asuma's eyes when he said the blonde girl's name.

"I see."

"Yep, and I got a week of R and R out of it. As soon as this little pow wow is over with, I'm heading to the hills to relax."

Was it mere coincidence that Ino happened to be away on R and R as well? Could it be...no, Kakashi thought, it couldn't. It literally could not be...but then, look at him. He was falling for his own former student...a former student who was, at this very moment, in his apartment, waiting for him to come home.

He quite liked the idea of having somebody to come home to. Just to look forward to seeing her face, her smile, to talk about the day. It was something he'd never experienced, and something he desperately wanted. The feelings were clear; he was, help him, in love with Sakura. If he hadn't realized that the feelings had been budding for years, he would've just thought he'd gone simply crazy.

"What a coincidence," Kakashi said, "I've heard that your miracle healer is away as well."

Asuma skipped a beat. "Oh?" He said, a moment too late. "That's good for her, she works her ass off."

"Mhm. And a nice ass, too." Kakashi dared, his suspicions confirmed when he saw the indignation flare up in Asuma's face. "I hear she gives unbelievable sponge baths, knows exactly what to do with those hands."

And that was the final straw. Asuma stood up, the chair he had been sitting in flying behind him. He tried to grab Kakashi around the throat, but Kakashi, ever quick, easily dodged him and hopped onto the table. He shoved his foot into Asuma's chest, thrusting him back into the wall.

"You're crossing lines here, Asuma," Kakashi said, fully aware he was calling the kettle black.

"Fucking hell, you moron! I'm injured here!" Asuma regained his balance, breathing a little heavily. "And there are no lines to be crossed. She's a fucking adult, now. I'm an adult. I'm not her sensei any more."

"Then why not go public?" Kakashi asked, because had thought the same things, to justify what he felt for Sakura.

"Her dad." Asuma said, retaking his seat. "He's going to blow the fuck up. You know we've been friends for years. We're waiting for the right time."

"And when will that be? When someone calls "here comes the head!"?"

Asuma rolled his eyes. "Don't be fucking retarded. After this week, if all goes to plan, we'll tell everybody." Asuma reached into his pocket and produced a small, black velvet box. He flipped it open, showing Kakashi the diamond solitaire tucked inside it.

"You're serious?" Kakashi asked, looking up from the ring.

Asuma nodded. "Does it get any more serious then dropping pay checks from three fucking missions on one damn ring?"

And Kakashi could see himself buying a ring for Sakura...but she didn't want to be married, as she'd made clear when they'd talked, earlier, of her mother. And did he? All he really wanted was somebody to be there for him, somebody to hold and to love. Sakura was all of those things. What would marriage give them that they couldn't have on their own? He didn't believe, now, that it was possible for him to belong to another woman anyway.

"Say Ino doesn't want to get married," Kakashi ventured, putting his arms behind his head.

Asuma shrugged. "She doesn't, actually. Says she doesn't want to have a family and then not come home one day. Well fuck, we all take that risk, don't we? But I love her, and sure as hell she loves me. I'm not gonna miss out on this just because of fear. And I think, deep down, that Ino likes the idea of being married. Commitment, the dress and the cake and all that shit."

Kakashi nodded. For once in his life, Asuma made sense.

oooo

...you shouldn't kiss me like this,

unless you mean it like that,

cause I'll just close my eyes and I won't know where I'm at...

Sakura checked the clock for the hundredth time. Kakashi should be back any time now. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, that she needed to say to him. She didn't know how he would react, but she'd seriously thought these past few hours, and her heart wrenched at the thought of not being with Kakashi, of not waking up next to him. She was more comfortable around him than she was around anybody else, even Ino or Naruto.

Kakashi made her feel alive, like she had a purpose. He took her breath away, made her feel things she always thought were beyond her reach. She would, she now knew with a fierce conviction, give anything for Kakashi's love.

And she'd be damned if she was going to end up like her mother- bitter and alone, harping on the shambles of a broken marriage, a wasted life, blaming the world for her own troubles. She would never be like that. She'd made up her mind. She was going to be happy, or die trying.

The front door of the apartment opened, and Sakura's heart leapt. She stood from the bar, where she'd been sitting, and met him halfway across the living room. He was handsome as ever, though Sakura much preferred him maskless and with both eyes visible. Still, she certainly couldn't complain. His jounin uniform hugged him perfectly, sculpting his muscles and accentuating his lithe movements to perfection.

He reached out for her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his lips into her hair. "I missed you." He said, realizing now just how much he actually had.

"Really?" She asked, pleased.

"Of course. And you look lovely, as always."

Sakura laughed. "I hope you don't mind I sort of raided your wardrobe. What do you think?" Sakura stepped back from him, twirling around once.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, unable to contain himself, "I need to talk to you. To tell you something...to ask you something."

Sakura cocked an eyebrow. She hadn't expected this. Those were her lines, she'd even practiced them before he'd come home.

Kakashi took her hand and led her to the sofa, turning so he was facing her. "Is everything okay?" Sakura said, now a little worried. It was possible, entirely possible, that she'd misinterpreted Kakashi's advances and feelings. Maybe he'd decided this was a mistake, that she should leave and they'd be better off forgetting this whole affair.

Sakura's stomach clenched, her throat tightening. She couldn't even bear that thought.

Kakashi touched her cheek, running his thumb across her lips. "Last night was...enlightening. I feel like I'm finally there, Sakura, and it's because of you. It's like staring at the same painting for seven years and then suddenly, you see it."

"See what?" Sakura asked, not entirely sure where Kakashi was going- if he was going anywhere- with this.

"The reason the artist painted it in the first place." He leaned in then, kissing her with his entire self, one hand lost in her hair. His lips massaged hers, and the more he tasted her, the more he wanted her.

Sakura let her eyes fall shut, allowing herself to lean into the kiss, even though she didn't know if it was such a good idea. Kakashi could, for all she knew, be telling her that their relationship must go back to what it was, former teacher and former student, healer and patient, friends who hung out once in a while. He may not be meaning to make her pulse throb in her wrist, in her neck, to set her lips burning.

...I do swear that I'll always be there

I'd give anything and everything and I will always care

through weakness and strength, happiness and sorrow,

for better for worse, I will love you with every beat of my heart

from this moment I have been blessed

I live only for your happiness

and for your love I'd give my last breath...

Kakashi released her, his hand resting on her shoulder. "I never wanted love," He said, before Sakura could say anything, "I thought it'd be easier, less messy, that way. To be on my own, to only care about myself...I could see what I wanted, go where I wanted, do anything I pleased. And even when I became your teacher- you and Naruto and Sasuke yes, were important, but still just my students- I was interested in myself. But then you grew up Sakura, and I noticed it, but I pretended not to. It was easier. Because I didn't want to make a mistake, I didn't want to get hurt. I'm a very selfish person and I have an incredible self-defense mechanism."

"Sensei," Sakura began, still lost. Was he telling her that he wanted to continue to be alone, or was he building to something more?

"Let me finish," He said, pulling a rectangular box from the front pocket of his vest. He slid off the couch, bending on one knee in front of her.

Sakura didn't think it was possible for her eyes to go any wider. All of the air had been sucked from her lungs, and there was just no. Way. This was happening.

"I know you don't want marriage, and I'm not asking that of you. I'm asking you to stay here. To be with me. To try, Sakura, because the idea of you stepping through that door and not coming back is more than I can deal with." Kakashi opened the box, revealing a brand new, shiny silver key.

Sakura threw her arms around Kakashi's neck, and he felt the tears from her eyes against his skin. "I was so scared," She whispered, tightening her grip on him, "so scared that you didn't want me."

"How idiotic would I have to be," Kakashi said, wiping her tears away with the back of his hand, "to not want you, Sakura? I need you."

Sakura sat up straight, taking the proffered box from Kakashi. "When can I move in?" She asked, her eyes glittering.

Kakashi grinned, bolted for the door, swung it open, reached for something, and came back with his arms full of boxes. "I've already gotten most of your closet." He said, setting the boxes down. "We can make another run after you've changed."

"And what will people say when they find out?" Sakura asked, not entirely surprised that Kakashi had somehow broken into her apartment.

"Oh, they'll be jealous, of course. But, my darling Sakura, we'll just have to carry on." And when he kissed her again, she tasted like what she really always had been to him; she tasted like home.

Not too sure how this one came out-I'm really not good at writing anything that could be fluff. So reviews are doubly appreciated. As always, thanks for reading.