AN- This is a modern, college, semi coffee shop AU all rolled into one. It's chock full of cliche's and lots of fluff (although note, this fic will be rated M for a reason). This is not meant to be taken seriously. It's just something fun that popped in my head one day so hopefully, you'll have as much fun reading it as I've had writing it so far! Enjoy!

The early morning light colored Sakura's room in a dull gray and without even looking out the curtains, she could tell there were heavy clouds threatening to drop. She didn't know what time it was, only that it was far too early for her to be awake already. At the foot of her bed, she could feel her fat, white cat, Po, purring as he slept soundly between her feet. She was glad that someone was able to sleep even if she couldn't.

She sighed and reached for her phone on the pillow beside her and pressed the center button to light the screen. 5:43 A.M. Ugh. She tossed it back onto the sheets and groaned into the blanket as she pulled it back up around her chin. The blood drive started at 8 and she knew she had to be there just a bit earlier to help Shizune set up the booth. Why did she have to be involved with so many things? All for another bullet point on her future resume.

Sakura rolled onto her stomach, upsetting Po as she pressed her face into the pillow and hugged it close to her. The cat stretched and jumped from the bed, landing with a soft thump on the floor beneath her. She ignored him and shrank as much as she could into the warmth of her bed, wishing she could sleep for another four hours.

Her alarm wasn't set to go off for another hour. If she fell asleep right now, she'd get a decent nap in before she was set to meet Shizune. But, knowing she would be on campus, in front of the Science building for six whole hours only made her thoughts turn to a certain someone she was hoping would show up. He had made it sound like he wanted to be there when she had went to his office, smiling at her and flirting. The thought of him actually showing up made her eyes snap open and her heart beat faster.

How was she expected to manage a blood drive when he would be there, sitting in those chairs, staring at her the entire time. And then she'd have to sit beside him and make sure he was able to stand, offer him juice and cookies...Being that close to him was something she didn't think she was ready for. Could she stop herself from reaching out and feeling his skin beneath her fingertips?

Sakura groaned and buried her face back into her pillows, wishing she could purge her mind of all these fantasies of him. He was her professor, a very scary one at that! Even if they did feel attraction for each other, it wasn't like they could act on it. It would always be this frustrating flirting that would lead nowhere. And she'd be stuck with this infuriating ache that she hadn't felt in a very long time, a pressure that had been temporarily relieved by one drunken night back in May.

Of course, there was always one way to alleviate the heat that had built up between her thighs. She shook her head and wedged her hands between her stomach and the bed, refusing to stoop to that. It wasn't like she had never done it before but, never, ever thinking about someone who was her professor. It was wrong. How would she ever look him in the eye again, or sit in front of him in class, listen to his lectures? No. She wouldn't do it.

Unless…

If there truly was something between them and it wasn't just all in her head, did that mean he was feeling it too? What if this flirting they were doing was building up in him as well, and he was laying in bed, fighting with himself. She was his student. It was wrong. Would he give in and let his hands dip beneath the waist of his boxers? Would he be hard for her, gasp as he gripped himself, or whisper her name in the dark of his bedroom?

Sakura bit her lip as she pushed her hand down her stomach, her fingers trembling as she slipped them into her panties. She hesitated and let her eyes closed as she imagined Professor Hatake laying beside her, watching her as she slid a finger along the slick folds between her thighs. Gasping at how wet she already was, she drew a slow circle around her clit as her hips quivered into the mattress.

She imagined his touch on her body, pinching at her nipples and fingers dipping inside her as he pressed kisses across her shoulders. She thought of the way he said her name, wondering how it would taste on his lips. Her thighs shook as she moved against her hand, thrusting over her fingers that she wished were his. She gripped the sheets tightly in her fist and breathed a moan into her pillow. That smirk he always seemed to save for her, the way he had stared at her from the shadows on his friend's porch, him saying her name in just a way that drove her wild all flashed through her mind as her hips bucked over her fingers. She was coming hard, his face in her mind and his name on her lips as her entire body quivered.

Breathless, she rode wave after wave of her orgasm, surprised by how powerful it had felt. Her toes uncurled slowly as she blinked into the pillow, exhausted despite feeling electrically charged. Little jolts buzzed across her skin and she bit her lip, wondering if she had been that needy, or if it had to do with who she was imagining behind her closed eyes.

Whatever it was, it didn't change the fact that she now had half an hour before her alarm would go off and she would see him again. She would be face to face with the man she had thought of while touching herself.

Well, it was official. Sakura's day royally sucked. She had felt embarrassed all day by what she had did that morning and what she had been thinking about while doing it. Any free moment she had to herself, a flash of the memory sprung to her mind and her face would turn as bright red as a strawberry. Sure, she had done that before but never while fantasizing so vividly about a man who she shouldn't even be thinking about!

The entire time she stood beside the donation bus, greeting people and smiling as sweetly and brightly as she could, she couldn't help but scan the crowd for a familiar face. All of her friends had come by to participate, some faculty, and a ton of students who were promised extra points if they showed up. It had seemed that the majority of the people they had reached out to had remembered to show up...except one.

He didn't show up to donate, nor to even say 'hi' and give an excuse. He had just forgotten about her which made her morning all the more embarrassing. She had thought of him intimately and he didn't even think of her at all. It was frustrating and infuriating and she was pissed at herself. Did she not learn from her stupidity over Sasuke? What did it take for her to realize these unobtainable guys didn't and wouldn't ever be what she wanted them to be?

If that wasn't bad enough, an hour before the blood drive was over, she got a call from Tenten who was so sick from giving blood, she had passed out and was told not to work her evening shift. Since it was basically Sakura's fault for pushing her to donate, she had volunteered to take her fill in for her. Which was where she was at the moment, angrily wiping down tables at The Village Cafe while absentmindedly greeting customers and taking orders.

For whatever reason, the last few hours they had been utterly slammed and she was just now, thirty minutes to close, able to get around to the tables to clean them and pick up the magazines that had been discarded on the floor. The bell over the door chimed as the last large group left, and Sakura breathed a sigh. There was an older man in the back who looked as bitter as she felt and had spent the last fifteen minutes glaring icily at the group of college kids and a woman who had her nose pressed in a book sitting in the corner. They were regulars and Sakura was thankful she didn't have to remind them for the next thirty minutes that they were closing soon. She held a tray between her hip and her wrist as she piled mugs, napkins, and straws to clean and throw away.

She pushed the kitchen door open with her backside and dumped the dirty mugs in the sink, quickly rinsing them off and setting them aside to dry before wiping her hands on her apron. Her phone vibrated against her hip and she frowned as she dug it out of her front pocket. The name on the front made her gasp and she swiped the message open in a hurry. Sasuke was texting her? He was actually texting her first! This hadn't happened since July. Her heart was pounding as she stared at the message.

Hey

Her thumbs tapped at the keys in lightning speed. Hi :)

God, was the smiley face too much? She never knew when to send things like that and always felt that they came off more creepy than cute. Making her way back to the front, she took a seat on a stool next to the muffin case and watched the bubble of '...' blink. He was typing and judging by the time it was taking him to write it out, it must have been long. She was terrified of what it might say, but thrilled that he was thinking of her enough to text. Maybe she had been wrong about before…

Do you have Naruto's new number? I thought I had it but I must have lost it

She felt her shoulders fall as all the air was kicked out of her lungs. He wasn't thinking of her at all! He was thinking about Naruto! Angrily, she slammed her phone down on the counter and wondered if there was a stack of towels in the back she could scream into, or an old mug she could "drop" by slamming it into the wall. She snatched her phone back, typed the number and hit send, telling herself that no matter what, she would not text him anything else. If he wanted to talk to her, he would keep the conversation going.

Ten minutes had passed with no response and she felt her heart breaking a bit. It was clear to her now that she had come on too strongly in the beginning. She had looked desperate and no guy wanted a desperate girl. Apparently, he just wanted someone to fuck one night and he had thought she would be an easy lay. And that's exactly what she had been.

She snatched the rag from the counter and turned to the coffee maker and soda dispenser, hoping the burning in her eyes was from the fumes of the cleaner and not because she was crying. Letting herself be used was bad enough but crying over the guy who did it was just pathetic. The bell above the door chimed and she bit her lip to keep it from quivering. "Just a minute." She managed to say before stalling for time as she scrubbed at the buttons across the front panel and wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand.

She turned and tossed the rag into the bucket under the sink before glancing up at the customer. Her breath froze in her throat and she couldn't help but gape up at the other man who had been making her miserable that day. Great. What was he doing here? Coming to rub salt in her wound? Tell her to stop being a moron and to leave him alone? The memory of her morning came flaring up into her mind and she swallowed hard, her anger faltering a bit at the sight of him.

"I know you're closing soon, I apologize. My wifi's out at home and I need to send an email. It should only take ten minutes." He stepped aside as the older man nodded to Sakura and slipped out the door and into the cool autumn night. She didn't know what to say. She could see his briefcase was hanging from one shoulder and he did look as if he left the house in a hurry. His long sleeved T-shirt was a bit wrinkled and looked to have a few bleach splatters across the chest, something he would wear lounging around his house. She hated how cute it looked..

Sakura opened her mouth to say that it was fine and to tell him the wifi password but quickly clamped it shut as she folded her arms over her chest. Maybe it was the fact that she was already pissed, but she was suddenly feeling bold. "Why didn't you come to the blood drive?" It was the first thing she had thought of to say and almost regretted the tone of her voice. But, she was curious and needed to know if she should hate herself more than she already did. She wanted to get it out of the way, to know that she was silly for thinking he'd show up just for her.

Professor Hatake rubbed the back of his neck and ducked his head, not meeting her eyes. He stepped closer to the counter and put his palms down on the marble. "I'm sorry. I fully intended to be there but my friend went into labor...I rushed to the hospital and by the time I came back, you were leaving."

Shit. Now, she felt like a moron and a total bitch. Sakura dropped her hands to her sides and blinked, unable to say anything. Why was it so hard for her to not put her foot in her mouth around him? It was as if her brain took one look at him and turned to mush. But, she had caught the fact that he said he had come back as she was leaving and her stomach did a somersault. She had been so angry by the time it was over that she hadn't been looking for him anymore and he had seen her. "Oh." Was all she could say.

"Did you at least break last year's record?"

"No," She pushed her hair from her face and looked him in the eyes, her heart beat racing a bit faster. "We were one away."

His face fell as guilt blinked suddenly in his eyes. His human side was returning and so were the butterflies in her stomach. She didn't understand how he could be so different the moment he stepped away from his classroom. They were two different people but she was getting used to it. He didn't seem like he hated her now like he had when she had asked for a review. He was actually...friendly. "You're kidding." He said.

"Yeah, I am. We had almost fifty more donors than last year." It felt odd joking with him, especially since her mood had been so miserable ten minutes ago. Odd, but good. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who would like joking around and she waited, holding her breath for him to respond. She watched the look in his eyes quickly shift from surprise to that unreadable, dark smirk that sent chills across her spine.

"That's not funny."

Sakura giggled, pressing her hand over her mouth as she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." The woman in the corner of the cafe peered at them from over her book before gathering her things and making her way to the door. She didn't look back as the bell chimed over her head and the silence that followed made Sakura suddenly aware that she was alone with Professor Hatake. And he needed to send an email.

She cleared her throat and gave him the wifi password, forcing herself not to look at him as he settled into a seat by the window. The sound of his typing was soothing as she worked to finish her closing duties. She refilled the jars of tea and coffee grinds, counted the register down for the night, and swept the rugs in front of the counter, only allowing herself to glance his way when everything was completed. The table in the far corner, just over his right shoulder, where the older woman had been sitting held a mug and plate. Sighing, Sakura made her way through the tables, keeping her distance from him as she swiped the crumbs into the plate and pushed the chair in.

As she stood behind him, she took a brief moment to watch him type. His fingers moved a bit slow over the keys, as if he wasn't exactly used to typing. Did that mean he was old fashioned? It was just another adorable thing that made him seem less scary and intimidating. She wished he had brought his reading glasses with him and smiled at the thought of him wearing them as she made her way back to the front. She quickly washed the mug and plate before stacking them to dry and turned the kitchen light off.

Ten minutes until she could lock the door and close down for the night. Pushing her way through the door, she caught sight of him closing his laptop and slipping it back into the satchel he always had at his side. She didn't want to admit that she didn't want him to leave. He had made her night feel a bit better, and knowing he had wanted to donate today made her stomach flip flop inside her. As he pushed his chair in, she wracked her brain for anything else to talk to him about.

"What was the baby?" She rushed, a bit louder than she had intended and she resisted the urge to smack herself in the forehead. He shouldered his bag and raised an eyebrow. "Your friend. You said she went into labor. Did she have a boy or a girl?" She managed to calm herself down and speak normally this time.

"A girl." He smiled and glanced behind her at the darkened kitchen. "Do you always have to lock up by yourself?"

Sakura shrugged. "Sometimes. On the weekends, we usually have a bigger deposit so there are two closers but on the weeknights, it's just me."

"That doesn't seem very safe." Her heart jumped into her throat and she tried to make sense of all the swirling thoughts in her head. Was he trying to stall to keep talking to her? Should she ask him to stay? Ask him to stay! Her head was screaming at her, begging her to leap over the counter and grab him but she stood where she was, twisting a loose string from her shirt around her finger. "It does get a bit...creepy. The main light switch is in the kitchen so I turn it off and have to run to the front."

An awkward silence fell between them, Sakura wracking her brain for anything to say to get him not to leave just yet. She glanced at the muffin case and cursed herself for throwing out the old ones. If she had known he might stop by, she would have saved one to offer him. All she could think of was how they were sitting in the trash at the moment and she was left empty handed, about to watch him walk away. It would be three days before she could see him again and by then, he'd be back to his closed off self, wearing his stoic, hardened mask. "Well, be safe. I'll see you Monday." He turned and put a hand on the handle of the door.

"Would you care to stay with me? Just for the next few minutes." The words were out of her mouth before she could swallow them back and she mentally kicked herself. He looked back at her from over his shoulder, one slender eyebrow raising on his forehead. God, she hoped he didn't think she was an idiot.

Laugh! She told herself. Play it off like you're joking!

Before she could force herself to laugh it off, he nodded and put his briefcase down on the long table that stretched beneath the front window. "I can do that. Since I do owe you for not donating blood."

"Really?" She couldn't quite believe this was happening. An hour ago, she was pissed at herself for even thinking about him and now she was asking him to stay while she closed up. Something in her head was telling her this was a bad idea but, she didn't know if that was because it was inappropriate or because she might do something. No, she could control herself. Sure, she had had an orgasm while imagining him touching her but that didn't mean she was going to rip her clothes off and jump into his arms.

The sound of the stool scraping across the floor jerked her from her thoughts and she shook her head as he sat down. She turned to the register and opened the bag for the deposit. There was no way she was taking it all the way to the bank tonight. She scribbled a quick note for the opener, their shift supervisor, to take it before they opened. As she stuck the note to the front of the computer, she glanced at the clock and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, it was ten o'clock.

She crossed from behind the counter and smiled as she passed her professor. He flipped through a magazine as he waited and she tried to keep her fingers from shaking as she twisted the lock and flipped the 'open' sign to 'closed'. "I just have to count the deposit and turn everything off. It should be about ten minutes." Sakura hurried back to the counter and paused, her hands gripping the sides of the register, mostly to keep herself from falling to the floor. Her knees were much too weak to hold her up on their own. "Thank you for waiting. It really does get creepy here all alone. Especially since everyone can see in." She nodded to the wall of windows that ran along the front of the cafe.

Professor Hatake closed the magazine and set it back on the stack in the middle of the table, leaning an elbow on the back of the stool. "It's fine. But, I figured you'd have your boyfriend wait with you." The tone of his words made heat spread all over her and she blushed, shaking her head as she attempted to count the money. She was having a hard time concentrating on anything else aside from what he said. Inside, her mind was screaming.

"Don't have one of those." She said, shoving the bills down into the deposit bag before moving onto the coins.

"Ah, sorry. Judging by the look on your face when I walked in, I assumed you did and that he was making you miserable." Her fingers froze on the sides of the bag. Was she that transparent? She had been miserable but definitely not over a boyfriend. It was her own damn self making her feel like crap. Clearing her throat, she dropped the coins into the bag and scribbled the deposit amount on the designated slip.

"That wasn't my boyfriend making me miserable. Just your typical, run of the mill asshole." She muttered, a bit surprised that she had completely forgotten about Sasuke and his stupid messages. It was hard to stay angry when she had someone like her Bio-Chem Professor to look at. He made Sasuke look like a prepubescent boy in comparison. Maybe that was the problem. Sasuke was a boy and Professor Hatake was very clearly a man. Sakura's face burned as she zipped up the deposit bag and knelt to open the safe under the register. She threw it inside and slammed the metal door shut before popping back up. His eyes met hers as if he had never took them off of her and she resisted the urge to sigh. It was strange how with just one look he could make her feel as if she'd melt into a puddle on the floor or catch fire under his gaze. Could he see the affect he had on her?

"I just have to...uhm." She couldn't think straight, couldn't speak, couldn't look away from him. She felt caught, cornered like a bunny and she didn't mind. It was exactly where she wanted to be. Blinking, she pointed a thumb over her shoulder to the kitchen door. "I have to turn off the lights." It was hard to keep herself from running into the back, but she managed to remain calm as she pushed through the door and turned to the main light switches. Once she was out of his sight, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she sent a silent prayer to the heavens above to grant her the strength to keep her hands to herself. If he looked at her one more time with that same strange intensity he seemed to save just for her, she didn't know if she could resist the temptation she was feeling for him. It was almost unbearable and the heat she had thought she had extinguished that morning was quickly seeping back in.

Sakura hooked her fingers over the light switches, let out a breath and flipped the lights off one by one. The kitchen was bathed in darkness and she had to feel her way back to the door, pausing for just a brief second to glance through the window to where Professor Hatake was standing by the counter. Seeing him covered in the shadows made her almost sway on her feet. She dusted her hands on her jeans and grabbed her purse and jacket from under the counter, deciding that it was far too warm around him to add extra layers. She draped her jacket over her arm and dug for the keys as she made her way to him. "Thank you for waiting."

Professor Hatake glanced around the darkened cafe, the side of his mouth lifting above the freckle that Sakura suddenly wanted to kiss. "It does get creepy in here."

"Are you afraid of the dark, Professor?" Sakura hadn't intended her voice to be so soft and breathy, but her words were driven by something else inside her now. Something that wanted to push these forbidden boundaries they had between them. She was certain that being in a dark room with her professor was already against the rules. Why not break a few more?

Professor Hatake looked down at her as they stepped toward the door and smirked, closer to her than he ever had been before. It would be so easy for her to close the distance between them and press herself against his chest. "No, I like it."

Fuck. She had to get out of there before she did something really stupid. There was breaking the rules and then there was just being wreckless. Sakura twisted the lock on the front door and pushed her way out into the night, inhaling lungfuls of the cool night air. Professor Hatake followed her out and waited on the sidewalk as she struggled to find the key to lock the door. She cursed beneath her breath and jammed it into the lock with a quick twist. Turning to face him, Sakura caught sight of the black apron still hanging from her neck and she sighed. "Hang on." She muttered and turned back back to the front door to unlock it. Slipping back inside, she pulled at the strings behind her back, ducked out of the apron and tossed it onto the back counter where it slipped off the edge and fell to the floor. She ignored it and rushed back out the front door, locking it behind her for the second time before whirling around to face him. The lights from the lamp posts set a romantic atmosphere and seeing him stand there, his gaze so focused on her, made Sakura nearly swoon on her feet.

"Do you live close by?" She asked, pulling her purse strap up her shoulder. Professor Hatake's eyebrows lifted on his forehead and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he looked up the street.

"Um, sort of." He suddenly seemed a bit flustered and Sakura felt her stomach drop to the sidewalk beneath her. Oh god...He thought she was asking to go back to his house! She shook her head, eyes wide as her face paled. "No, I don't want to go home with you! That's not what I meant. I was just making small talk. I swear, I'm not trying to get you to invite me back home with you." She knew she was making it worse but her mind was racing, shoving things toward her mouth to speak that she knew she didn't need to be saying. By the time she clamped her lips shut, biting down on them to shut herself up, it was too late. For the hundredth time in his presence, she had turned into a bumbling moron.

"It's fine, Sakura. I didn't think you were trying to go home with me." Professor Hatake chuckled at her rambling and held his hands up to calm her. The tops of his cheeks, Sakura was relieved to see, were just as pink as she could imagine hers was. How could he go from being arousingly predatory to someone so adorable in the blink of an eye? It did nothing to cool the flames she had burning inside her at that moment and if anything, only fanned them further. "I actually live about fifteen minutes from here, heading out of town. I like a bit more peace and quiet than the city can offer." He pushed his hands into his pockets and turned to stare up the street, watching the headlights of cars pass by them.

"I live two blocks away. The noise isn't so bad...Not quite as loud as where Iruka lives, thankfully." She smiled up at him. Usually, she hated small talk but she was desperate to know anything about his personal life. He knew she didn't have a boyfriend but would it be rude for her to ask if he was seeing someone? Would he think she was being a bit too presumptuous? "You know," She started, taking a small step toward him. "I actually thought you were dating your friend who had her baby today. I saw you with her and just assumed."

"Kurenai? No." He laughed and ducked his head before lifting his eyes to meet hers. "I'm not seeing anyone."

"So, it would be alright if you walked me home?" It was out of her mouth before she could stop herself and her heartbeat filled her ears as she waited for his reaction. He stared at her, the laughter that had remained in the corner of his eyes fading rather quickly. Sakura was worried he would return back to the way he was in class, making her feel an inch tall and afraid of him. She wasn't so scared of him now...just afraid that he would tell her no. He took a deep breath and turned to glance up the street, as if he were looking for someone to step out of the darkness and tell them both that this was against some rule, and that they should cut it out before it was too late. No one stopped them and Professor Hatake sighed and nodded, turning back to face her.

"I can do that."

A breeze blew over them and Sakura shivered, but she wasn't sure it was from the cool night air, or the fact that he would know where she lived. Neither moved a muscle, hesitating as if this was a turning point, waiting on the other to move first. One step in either direction and they wouldn't be the same...Sakura turned to the left and glanced up at him, inviting him to follow her with a small smile. She felt his eyes on her and another shiver crawled down her spine.

They walked in silence, listening to the cars passing by and the wind blowing through the decorative trees planted every twenty feet on the sidewalk. A thousand things filled her head to say, but she stayed quiet. She knew she should at least thank him for taking time out of his night to keep her company but her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. Clearing her throat, she stepped around a trash can, her shoulder brushing his as she moved closer to him. "Thank you, for staying with me and walking me home, Professor."

"You're welcome." He glanced down at her out of the corner of his eye, lifting his lips in a small smirk. "It's Kakashi, by the way."

Sakura's steps faltered and she nearly caught a low hanging branch across her forehead as she tried to process this new development. They were on a first name basis and she felt as if he had just kissed her. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. "Not in class, though." He added as she directed them around the corner. Her apartment was only six buildings down and she seriously did not want this night to end yet. The thought of asking him into her home thrilled and terrified her. Was she capable of crossing that boundary already?

Trying hard to hide her grin, she pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay." There was so much more she wanted to say. Did this mean they would keep seeing each other outside of class? Did he want to? She wanted to say his name, wanted to know how it sounded, how it felt on her lips. A little voice in her head reminded her that she had already said his name that morning and a blush lit her cheeks.

The iron gate leading up to her apartment could be seen from where they were now and Sakura tried wracking her brain for any excuse to invite him up. She wished it would come a sudden downpour and he would be forced to stay to keep dry. The skies were clear however with not a cloud in sight and she couldn't help but sigh. Her steps slowed and she looked up at the two windows above the flower shop where her kitchen and bathroom sat. She was home and she had absolutely no reason to ask him to come up. Even if she did, he would never agree. She may have wanted to cross those boundaries but he knew better.

Kakashi looked at the shop windows before glancing up at the apartment above with a small smile. "This is me." Sakura said, trying to mask the disappointment in her voice. She put a hand on the gate and hesitated, turning back to face him. "Thank you, again. I hope I didn't take you too far from home."

He shrugged and glanced down at her. "It's fine. I could use the exercise."

"Yeah, right. You look great." Blood rushed to her face and she resisted the urge to smack herself in the forehead. Whatever. She didn't even try to cover it up. It was true, anyway. She pulled the gate handle and pushed it open, stepping inside but keeping her hand gripping the metal bar. "I'd invite you up, but that would probably be frowned upon." Her own boldness astounded her sometimes and she couldn't quite believe she had said it. A small part of her was thrilled that she was so willing to break the rules but the rest of her wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there for the next year. At least the ball was in his court now. If he wanted to come up, he knew he could.

Kakashi reached toward her and closed his hand around hers on the metal bar, pulling the gate closed with a loud clang, making her blink in surprise. The feel of his palm against her fingers made the air in her lungs disappear and she looked down at their hands. "Extremely frowned upon." The tone in his voice didn't quite match his words and she blinked up at him. He sounded almost as if he wanted to tell her not to tempt him, that if the gate wasn't between them and their situation was different...he would take her up on her invitation. Sakura opened her mouth and closed it, not exactly sure what to say. She wanted to apologize and tell him to ignore her stupidity but couldn't even find her breath as he took a step toward her. "Goodnight, Sakura."

He studied her for a moment, his eyes flickering across her eyes and down to her lips before he took a step back, his fingers slowly slipping from hers and turned back in the direction they had come. Sakura watched him, her feet frozen to the ground as she held her hand to her chest. "Goodnight…" She didn't know if he had heard her or not. "Kakashi."