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chapter eight//confusion
Kakashi was tired of this little game. He had heard her moan when he'd kissed her, she had climbed willingly into his arms, and she was looking extremely cute when she was pissed off. He'd seen her eyeing him after he'd emerged, dripping and naked, from the shower. He had to know whether there could ever be something there, anything at all. If there wasn't, he would find somewhere else to live. And if there were…
So Kakashi leaned forward, cupped her cheek gently, and kissed her from behind his cloth-covered mouth.
He sat back, and waited.
------oooOOOooo--------
Sakura sat stone-faced for a minute, though Inner Sakura was getting her cardio in by running around frantically. Apparently, Inner Sakura went into vocabulary-deficit mode when emotions ran high. The only three words currently being spoken, in rapid succession and ad infinitum, were "oh" "my" and "God".
He had kissed her. Oh my God, she had been kissed. 'He kissed me' Sakura thought to herself. Inner Sakura wasn't the only one at a loss for words.
With this realization firmly in place, Sakura blushed. Her face turned darker than her hair—a healthy shade of Embarassment Pink. She glanced at Kakashi, who seemed to be laughing to himself at her reaction. She wasn't that readable, was she?
Biting her lip, Sakura looked down at her hands. She pretended to be extremely intrigued by the bones and muscles working beneath the skin as she twiddled her fingers.
Taking a deep breath, Sakura took the plunge. She stopped staring at her fingers, looked up at Kakashi, moved so close to him that they were quite comfortable, pulled down his mask, and kissed him.
It was now Kakashi's turn to be surprised. That passed quicker than Sakura's, however, so he began contributing to this new-found hobby.
They played it safe for a while—neither wanted to push the other one too far at this point, though it was hard to claim that excuse when each had instigated a different kiss.
Sakura took this close-mouthed kiss as a new exercise or lesson—she had never, or if not never then very rarely, been kissed. Kissing one's hand was nothing like having a pair of lips moving against yours. Your hand couldn't really vary the speed of the kiss, or put its arms around you, or nibble on your lip. No, it really wasn't the same at all.
Kakashi was amazed at Sakura's reaction, never expecting her to do something so bold. She was feisty, sure, but she wasn't completely stupid. (Stupid, in this case, meaning kissing someone she'd known all of a week without the cover of alcohol.)
Whatever Kakashi thought, he was sure enjoying this kiss.
And, by the small moves she made—inching even closer, holding Kakashi's face gently in her hands—Sakura was, too.
True to form, however, a knock came at the door just as Sakura was building up the courage to open her lips a bit.
Sighing, the two disentangled themselves. Sakura went to the door, opening it to see the face of the woman from the office. The woman smirked, seeing how the two roommates attempted to look presentable.
"Package."
"Couldn't you have left it in the mail room?" Sakura asked, eyeing the brown-paper wrapping. She noticed that the tape holding the paper closed had been carefully lifted, then replaced.
"Too big." The woman spied Kakashi, stared at his face and froze.
Sakura looked behind her to see what the big deal was. When she'd gone in to kiss him, she'd pulled down his mask but hadn't seen his face. She was too focused on finding his lips. The office woman, however, certainly noticed. Kakashi made eye contact, then pulled up his mask.
"Good bye." Sakura took the package, closed the door and turned around.
"Caught en flagrante delicto."
"But we weren't having sex."
"We could be."
Sakura walked back over to the couch, and slapped Kakashi's bare upper arm.
"Way to ruin a moment. Is that all you ever think about?"
"You know what they say about guys. We only have enough blood to function with one head at a time." He paused for dramatic effect. Sakura's look went from confusion, to realization, to indignation. She hit him again, harder this time.
Kakashi pulled Sakura down onto his lap and held her there.
"I'm not sure that I got a good enough sample."
"Sample?"
"It takes approximately ten minutes of solid kissing to determine whether two people are compatible. That's scientific fact."
"Pig."
"I'm a guy, I already went over this."
"Shut up. I need to deal with this large package."
"But I'm behind you."
"Pig."
Kakashi laughed, but released Sakura to go retrieve a pair of scissors. She came back to the couch, but sat next to him instead of on top.
Tearing open the paper, Sakura used the scissors to cut the packing tape. She opened the cardboard box, and lifted out a note and an item wrapped with tissue paper.
Dear Sakura, the note read, I forgot to tell you this on the phone, but I'd like you to be a bridesmaid at my wedding. Please say you'll do it? Since you're not at home, I sent the dress to you. I got the measurements from some of the clothes you left here. The wedding is going to be in the city on July 5th—no use having it here, Shikamaru doesn't know where HQ is.
The wedding is going to be at the Midori Hotel. You'll have a room there, so you can help me get ready. The reservation is from July 4th to the 6th. It's a double-occupancy room, too—maybe you can bring your new roommate, so as not to let the opportunity slide. 'Typical,' Sakura thought, Ino's never been one for subtlety.
I'll call you soon, and don't get pregnant too soon.
Ino
--------oooOOOooo---------
The dress was beautiful. Ino had always worn rather revealing clothing, and she pushed for Sakura to do the same. However, it seemed like Ino was now gaining in maturity and conservativeness. Of black silk, the dress was a maxi length with spaghetti straps. There was black beading and silver embroidery, and the hem was tastefully asymmetrical.
Sakura held up the dress, and Kakashi look lazily at it.
"What's that for?"
"Remember that friend who's getting married? I'm going to be one of her bridesmaids."
"Hn. When is it?"
"July 5th."
Kakashi looked at her and read the note, then looked at the dress.
"I'm going with you."
Sakura stood up, letting the dress fall to the floor.
"And the wedding is next week."
"What? You can't just invite yourself to a wedding that you haven't even been invited to! That's just…impolite and wrong!"
"Are you saying that you're going to travel alone, then?"
"Well…"
"Exactly. Now, how many people does your room at the hotel hold again?"
"It's a double…" Sakura grumbled, wishing that she'd never let go of the note.
Kakashi looked satisfied. "I like this Ino already. After all, we don't want to let this…opportunity go to waste."
"You said that the wedding is next week. That can't be, it's not summer yet!"
Kakashi pointed to the day's newspaper.
"June…but Ino said the wedding was this summer? It sounded like she meant next summer."
"Obviously she felt like it was far away. Or she's been living underground for so long that she doesn't know what the date is."
Sakura wasn't about to tell him that, in fact, ANBU headquarters were underground. She also wasn't going to let him slide with that comment about Ino which could also be construed as one against herself. She hit him again, picked up the dress, and walked into the bedroom.
It had been a little less than a week in the apartment, and Kakashi had his first lead on Ino. He wasn't sure whether or not this Ino was the right Ino, but it couldn't hurt to find out. He didn't want to tell Sakura why he was so glad to go to a wedding—besides the fact that he could spend time with her—because he was afraid to let out too much information to a civilian.
Shikamaru, though, would be a different story. Kakashi was sure that there was only one in the country, and that one was a Sharingan agent. Shikamaru was one of the top strategists, preferring planning missions to actually executing them. Besides himself, Shikamaru was the laziest agent.
'But at least I complete missions instead of playing board games and staring at clouds.'
Deciding to get to the bottom of this, Kakashi pulled out his phone and called his fellow agent. After a few rings, a bored voice yawned, "Moshi moshi?"
"Yo."
"Kakashi?"
"Yeah. Are you getting married to a girl named Ino next week?"
Silence.
"How did you know?"
"My roommate is one of her friends. She's going to be one of the bridesmaids."
"Only bridesmaid, actually. Ino doesn't seem to have a lot of friends. Troublesome, the wedding is already small enough as it is because of me."
"I see. I'm coming."
"Eh?"
"With Sakura, I'm coming with her."
"Oh. Will you be my best man?"
"Yes, but there's something you need to know about Ino. I'm not so sure about her—what's her background? Where's she from? And is she an ANBU agent?"
"Why would she be? That'd be so troublesome…"
Kakashi pulled out the Bingo Book and flipped to Ino's page.
"Is she blonde?"
"Yes."
"Roughly twenty-one years of age?"
"Yes."
"Good reflexes?"
"I guess so. But that doesn't prove anything."
"And they call you the master planner…just watch your back, ok? Don't spill anything about the agency."
"I know. I'm leaving after we marry, though. I'm going to go through debriefing with Sasuke, then move into someplace in Akatsuki."
------oooOOOooo-------
Sakura came out of the bedroom, and saw Kakashi on the phone. She went into the kitchenette, made a snack, and sat down next to him, cross-legged.
"Who are you talking to?"
Kakashi held his hand over the phone, and said that it was a friend of his.
"Listen, I've got to go. See you soon."
"Ja ne."
Flipping the phone closed, Kakashi turned to Sakura.
"My friend's name is Shikamaru. He's…"
"Getting married to Ino?"
Kakashi eye-crinkled. "Small world, neh Sakura-chan?"
"Guess you can be my date to the wedding after all."
"Who says I want to be, now?"
Sakura pouted. "Fine, I'll just ask…Itachi."
Kakashi sobered and demandedly stated, "No. You will not see that man again. He has no respect for women, and you are too special to be treated like shit."
"You're doing it again! I'm not some little kid who needs protection from bullies all the time! I can fend for myself."
"I'm doing this because I care, believe it or not! You can fend for yourself? Then why have you been attacked twice in the past few days?"
Sakura sighed, holding her hand to her head. She put her snack down on the table.
"Why do we always end up fighting?"
"Because we're not afraid to say anything."
'Except the fact that I'm a secret agent with orders to capture your friend Ino.'
"Yeah, you're right I guess. Anything."
'Except for the fact that I'm a secret agent with orders to capture you.'
Sakura sat on Kakashi's lap, and he wrapped his arms around her. He pressed his mask-covered lips to the top of her head, which fit neatly in the crook of his neck.
As they say, there is a time for everything. This was not the time to be talking about themselves. That would come later. Now, it was time for a peaceful silence.
------oooOOOooo-----
When Kakashi woke up, he had a crick in his neck and a weight on his lap. Said weight shifted towards his chest. Amused, he smiled, and gently shifted her so that he could get some food. He hadn't eaten all day.
Grabbing some food from the rather empty fridge, he heard a moan from the coach. Nothing sexual, mind you, but more a…breathy whine of a moan. Yup, nothing sexually arousing at all about that.
But this was Kakashi. He read porn daily. Hourly, even. And if he heard a female moan, there was no other way he would construe it. Moment-ruining be damned.
-----oooOOOooo----
Sakura lifted her head and sat up slowly. Rubbing her forehead, she started thinking. 'Was that all a dream?' She hadn't slept that well in a long time. She heard the fridge open and she let out a moan. 'Maybe it was a dream…because if this were still a dream, I'd wake up on Prince Charming's chest. And this couch isn't a good substitute.'
She heard a low chuckle from the kitchenette.
"How do you feel?"
"Disappointed."
Kakashi walked back to the couch, food in hand. "Why?"
"Nothing. It's really nothing."
"Ok."
Sakura hit him. He really didn't get it, did he? If he were a dream guy, he would have read her emotions like a fairly easy book. He would have moved closer, and asked her to tell him what was bothering her. But no. Kakashi simply didn't care. In fact, maybe she would take Itachi up on his offer of fun elsewhere.
Kakashi noticed how quickly Sakura shut up, and he got the vaguest hunch that something was wrong. Maybe she'd seen a bug. Was she afraid of bugs? He didn't know.
Sakura sighed and fell back onto the couch, hitting her head on the corner of the armrest.
"Great. Just peachy."
Kakashi moved closer to her, putting her arm around her and rubbing her head a bit. He didn't say anything, just sat there.
"Sakura?"
Would he ask how she was? Would he make her feel better, not that rubbing her head wasn't good enough but it really wasn't and now she was rambling.
"Yeah?"
"Are you afraid of bugs?"
"Erm…no. Not really."
"Ok."
Sakura got up, and grabbed her keys. "I'm going to work out." She walked out the door. So, she'd found the most un-sensitive guy ever. He followed her out to the gym, though, but he still didn't bother to ask how she felt.
She pouted as she went through the various machines. Treadmill, bicep curls, upright row…She focused all her attention onto executing the exercises with the utmost concentration and anger.
"If you keep doing that, you're going to hurt something."
Sakura let go of the handles of the last machine she'd used, letting the weights drop with a clank. She stood up, and turned to face Kakashi.
"Thanks."
"Is something bothering you?"
"Now you ask? You kiss me, and then leave me on the couch? Do I mean nothing to you?"
"Of course you mean something. I was hungry."
"I'm less important than your stomach?"
"Sakura, you're blowing this out of proportion…"
"OUT OF PROPORTION? You took my first kiss, and then dump me, and expect me not to take this badly? Well listen here, Kakashi, because I will not let this simply pass! In fact, maybe I should change the locks. Or move out. I'll go back to living with Ino. It sure beats living with an insensitive jerk!"
Kakashi put his hands up in self-defense, half-expecting her to start lashing out with her fists. He was right about that, because she shortly started hitting him. Hard.
"Ow…ow! Sakura, stop that!" He grabbed for her fists, holding them tightly. Sakura's eyes were tearing up, and her lower lip was trembling. She looked more like a grumpy child than anything else at the moment.
Kakashi threw Sakura over his shoulder after a moment of thought, and walked her back to the room. She continued hitting him now that her hands were free again, and Kakashi endured the jabs until he threw her down on the bed. He pinned her down by sitting on her.
"Get off of me!"
"Nope. You're acting like a spoiled brat, Sakura. Now, we can talk like two sane adults or we can go our separate ways on bad terms. Your choice."
Sakura pouted. Someday, she would get him back for this.
"Fine, fine, we'll talk."
"And you won't resort to violence?"
"Yeah, yeah." She had a slim senbon holster at her hip if she should need it.
Slowly, Kakashi got off of her and moved to sit cross-legged. Sakura set up, and sat facing him. Talking never seemed to get them anywhere. They would end up fighting. She knew it. It was just a matter of time now.
"What?"
"I'm hurt, Sakura. You call me insensitive, a jerk. And I resent that. Now, what are your issues with me?"
"My issues? You kissed me and then dumped me! Do I need to say it again?"
"Ah. Might I remind you that you kissed me back?" Kakashi eye-crinkled above that stupid mask of his. Sakura wanted to rip that mask off of his obviously-smirking face.
"I give up." Sakura got up. "I'm going to go stay with Ino until the wedding. See you then."
With that, Sakura gathered up some of her stuff. She opened her cell phone, about to call Ino and tell her the news, when a strong pair of arms encircled her. She felt herself get turned around, and she looked up at Kakashi's face.
He loosened his hold a little, but only enough to pull down his mask and kiss her chastely.
"Bye."
Sakura raised her hand to push him away, and she walked out the door, touching her lips. Damn him. Now her thoughts were all jumbled again. She risked one glance backwards as she walked out the door, noticing Kakashi's face for the first time.
His silver hair flopped a bit over his forehead, and one eye was still covered by that droopy headband of his. Normally, guys tended to look metrosexual if they tried to pull something like that, but it really did work for him. His one uncovered eye was dark, and fairly unreadable. His face was long and narrow, and his lips were masculine yet soft.
Damn him again. Now his face would haunt her, and every time she thought of those masks she would have the urge to pull it down and see his face again.
She quickly turned to go, and made it all the way down to the lobby before she realized what she was doing. Leaving Kakashi behind. The man she…lusted. It couldn't be love, they'd only known each other for a week. She would leave behind all of their problems, including their histories and backgrounds.
And the mission? That was effectively ruined, now. Maybe she'd just tell Tsunade to send another agent. But…there weren't that many. And it would be hard to get Kakashi where they wanted him. That was just another problem to be dealt with. Sakura didn't want to deal with anything to do with that infuriating man right now.
Sakura ran towards Konoha Forest, back to her home of so many years. She was leaving one set of opportunities for the familiar one's at ANBU Headquarters. At least there, she knew what she was doing. She was in control.
And that's what mattered.
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A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm sorry it took so long to update, I've been busy dealing with final exams.
What do think? Are Sakura and Kakashi OOC? I don't really plan these chapters, I just sit down and write.
3 Reviews til an update.
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