Iruka and Naruto became a somewhat permanent fixture in Sakura's home. She'd even ended up buying Naruto a bed of his own so he wouldn't have to keep sleeping on her spare futon.
As she was the earliest to rise, she added to her daily duties cooking a healthy traditional breakfast for her boys, and making Iruka a bento lunch to take to school. They formed a strange, but somewhat happy family.
It wasn't long, however, before Jiraiya stole the blonde away and she and Iruka were left on their own.
Sasuke, Zabuza and Haku turned up every evening to share dinner with them – occasionally joined by Kakashi and even Tenzou, who had decided he wanted to get to know the team he was supposedly a part of in another reality.
She was worried about Sasuke... it had taken him a couple of weeks to talk to her again, and even then his first words were demanding to know everything she knew about Itachi and Madara. He wasn't pleased when she answered that he'd seen it all already.
From then on he became more withdrawn, although he still took an active part in their team. He seemed to feel genuinely guilty about what he hadn't-yet-done.
"Sasuke," she'd sighed after another one of his depressed spells. "The you that you saw in my memories – that isn't who you are, you know that?"
He'd glared at her and asked her what she meant.
"The Sasuke I once loved, the Sasuke you still are – he died when Orochimaru placed the cursed seal on him," she explained. "That seal, it corrupted you. It tempted your dark side out and killed every good thing about you. It stripped your humanity away and left nothing but hate and bitterness."
"I still hate," he had stated.
"So do I," was her reply. "The important thing is to make sure you can still love. Even Itachi still loved you."
He had clammed up immediately at that, and become a hermit for several days... but after that he seemed a little lighter, and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't exactly want to scare him away all over again.
Another repercussion of the truth coming out was that the older generation became more familiar and respectful of her – while the younger generation became more distant.
Team Gai was always busy training, determined to be ready for anything.
Team Kurenai was especially distant – It was apparent that Hinata and Kiba didn't hate her... they just didn't quite know what to make of her. Kiba even became uncharacteristically silent whenever she was around, throwing awkward sideways glances at her when he thought she wouldn't notice.
Ino had stopped borrowing scrolls from her, choosing to frequent the library instead – she'd become more withdrawn herself, especially so around the pinkette. They'd attempted to keep their friendship, but since Ino's favourite subject was boys – which had become taboo around Sakura – they found they had very little to say to each other. They couldn't even keep up their farce of a rivalry – as Sakura had more experience, she won in pretty much every regard. As she discretely aged herself, she even beat Ino (for the first time in her life) at being more womanly. If they'd had spare time, they most likely would have been able to enjoy each other's company over dango and tea – but everyone knew Sakura never had spare time. And since Tsunade's arrival (Sarutobi had blackmailed her into succeeding him, although he remained a steadfast advisor), Ino too had much of her time taken up with an apprenticeship that (if she didn't know it all already) would have been Sakura's.
Both girls felt a shared dread that they were subconsciously training up Ino to replace Sakura... And each felt a distinct uncomfortable feeling when they were together. As if Sakura was 'The-One-That-Was-Going-To-Die' and Ino was 'The Replacement'.
Choji, who Sakura had been getting along with prior to the chunin exams, became suddenly awkward around her as well, although he would always endeavour to be nice to her. She preferred it to Kiba's silent treatment.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, was one of the few that became a little closer to her. They were the only two to pass the chunin exams, although they both knew Sakura was a bit of a fraud – she was already at sannin level, after all. Still, they often shared duties, and spent several shifts as sentry watching the gate together.
Shikamaru respected her. And she respected him – she had since the chunin exam in her own time as well. They even got lunch together several times, which seemed to upset Ino a little.
"She's jealous of you," Shikamaru had explained when she'd breached the topic. "And not 'coz you're out with me. Just because guys like you."
Sakura frowned. "They're just friends."
"You've still slept with a man before she's even had a boyfriend," he raised a brow at her.
"What!" she huffed. "It's not like it wanted to do it! And it wasn't even good. It was just... uncomfortable."
"Don't want to know. And it doesn't matter, in her mind," he yawned. "You're more popular than her these days and she probably feels like she can't fit your shoes."
"I'm hoping she won't have to," she frowned. "It's not like I want to die. I wanna see this thing through."
"And if anyone can it'll be you," Shikamaru shot her a sidelong look. "You better, you know – I don't wanna be dumped with this if you die."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she laughed.
"So," he said after a while. "You're not sleeping with Iruka-sensei?"
"WHAT?" she fell off her chair. "Who said that?"
"A lot of people think it," he put his feet up on the desk. "You guys live alone together after all."
"Naruto was there at first too," she pouted.
"And you make his lunch every morning," Shikamaru gave her another sidelong glance.
"I just – wait, how do you know that?" she narrowed her eyes at him, and he held his hands up in innocence.
"I was helping out at the Academy last month, remember?" he crossed his arms again. "Geez, your jumpy. Anyway, the other teachers give him a lot of rib about his 'cute young wife', and Konohamaru is always accusing him of stealing Naruto's girlfriend."
"I had no idea," she frowned. "What... what does Iruka say?"
"He gets all red in the face and starts stammering," he shrugged, sparing her a smirk. "But he never exactly denies it. He usually tries to change the subject."
Sakura frowned again, slipping deep into thought.
What did he think of her?
Moreover, what did everybody else think of this... Iruka was an Academy teacher, and those who weren't in the loop – the majority of Konoha, in fact – thought she was fourteen...
"What about the parents? Has anybody else said anything?" Sakura questioned her friend, deeply unsettled. "I can't imagine they'd be happy if their children came home spouting this."
Shikamaru shrugged. "I kept my nose out of it."
Sakura grimaced again. "I'll have to sort this out... Thanks for telling me, Shika."
As soon as Kotetsu and Izumo came to relieve them, Sakura left Shikamaru to take the report to the Hokage, making a beeline for her apartment.
Iruka should be getting home soon, and she wanted to talk to him before the others came over expecting food.
AAA
She decided not to attack him as soon as he entered their apartment. Instead, she let him have a shower and wind down a little.
While he was in the shower, she made a pot of tea and got out two cups. Sipping it slowly, she calmed her nerves a little.
'What do I even want him to say?'
'A "Yes, Sakura, I'm in love with you" would be scary as hell,' her Inner personality remarked. 'But a 'No, what the hell are you talking about?' would be completely embarrassing...'
'He's a nice guy... He's a really good guy... And he's talented. He can defend himself. He's understanding.'
'He also taught you as a kid. Which was less than two years ago for him.'
Iruka's entrance cut her internal dialogue short.
"Taking a break Sakura? This is odd for you. But good," he noted with a smile, sitting next to her and picking up the mug she'd put out for him. "I was just craving tea."
"Iruka-kun... Do you mind if I ask you something?" she asked hesitantly, and he turned his attention to her nervously.
"What about?" he asked cautiously.
"I was talking to Shikamaru today," she frowned. "He said you get teased about me a lot. That people think we're sleeping together."
He choked, and went red.
"I'm gonna kill him," he coughed, placing his tea back on the table where it wouldn't spill. "Don't let it bother you."
She bit her lip.
"The thing that confuses me though... is that Shika said you never correct them," she pouted at him.
He looked like a deer stuck in the headlights.
"W-Well, it... I..." he stuttered.
"You don't have to get defensive," she assured him, turning a little pink herself. This was awkward. "I just... I just want to know what you think of me. So I know where we stand."
The blood drained out of his face, and he looked terrified.
"I... I... I..." he choked and started shaking.
"Hey, hey," she reached over and touched his arm to calm him, if a little hesitantly.
"I... I don't know," he answered her, completely embarrassed.
"Has there been any complaints, or enquiries from parents?" she asked neutrally.
"A few have approached me, but I've told them there's nothing going on – that we live here with Naruto, but he's currently out of town," he pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's just harder with my colleagues, because they never believe anything I say about it anyway, so I just try not to react. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too, Iruka," Sakura sighed. "Maybe you should make your own lunches from now on. I should have thought about how it would look."
He buried his face in his hands. "I understand. I'm sorry I didn't tell you... It's just so embarrassing..."
"It's okay, I'm just glad I know now so we can address it," she frowned, and surveyed him silently. "This is the kind of thing you should feel comfortable talking to me about. I'm not going to lynch you, you know."
"I know."
"And I'm sorry to push this, but I really feel like I need to know how you feel about me Iruka..."
"I'd rather not explore that," he said firmly.
"But-"
"No, Sakura. I can't have you either way, so I don't want to go opening up issues that are best left alone. I just want to go on as we have been. Please."
Silence surrounded them for several minutes.
"I asked you to come and live here to make your life easier, Iruka-kun... I never imagined something like this would come up..." Sakura took a deep breath. "But if you think it would be wiser, one of us could leave – there's another room opened up a floor down that-"
Iruka's fingers pressed hard against the scar on his nose, almost as if he was trying to pinch a hole through his face.
"Please Sakura. Drop this. Nothing's wrong between us. Nothing has to change. I want to stay here with you. I'll make my own lunches from now on, but nothing else should change. It's just useless rumours. Please just drop it."
Sakura hesitated, but agreed, as she heard Zabuza and Haku approaching for dinner.
AAA
The next few months seemed to fly by for Sakura, without much change – she was busy as ever.
'No rest for the wicked,' Inner Sakura liked to comment.
Since Sarutobi had retired from his role as Hokage for the second time, he spent a lot more time openly training with Sakura. He also continued to coach her in history and politics. She was openly acknowledged as the most likely to succeed Tsunade, as soon as she was ready.
All she needed to do was live long enough to take up the position.
Her research had come a long way as well... With the hints she'd picked up from Jiraiya when he was still around, Sarutobi, Tsunade and Hiashi's help, she finally was able to unlock the key to chakra channelling. It wasn't quite the same as Naruto and Jiraiya's "sage mode", but it was just as effective. Hiashi, as she'd thought all along, had been the key.
With his keen byakugan, he'd been able to tell her exactly how natural chakra worked – that is, the chakra that flowed through the earth, water and air. She'd asked him for more details that he'd ever thought of himself, and she was finally able to tap into the external sources around her without using up her own supply.
She, however, was the only one who had the control to tap into it. Tsunade could also manage it for short periods of time, but not indefinitely – and she didn't have the time to devote to practicing it, as Sakura did.
She'd updated Shibi on her progress, as she'd promised, and he was grateful – if a little awkward. He knew that something had gone on between her and his son, although Shino wasn't the kind to give details.
Although he'd encouraged them before the chunin exams, once he knew the truth... well, that had been interesting...
He'd encouraged his son to drop the relationship and focus on his training. He, too, was terrified of the upcoming events – and watching their untimely deaths in Sakura's memory had been... he didn't want to think about it.
Still, he respected the girl – but tried to keep their interactions to a minimum, not wanting to increase his son's misery.
Sakura, likewise, didn't approach any of the Aburame's unless she had a particular purpose. She wasn't avoiding them as such... it was just... uncomfortable. She tried not to think how Shino would be feeling.
AAA
She'd kept in contact with Gaara as well, sending each other letters occasionally. She always made a note to say hello to Kankuro, Temari and even Baki each time.
They'd seen each other about three times since the chunin exams, once on a joint mission between Konoha and Sand, and twice when Sakura travelled to Suna as a diplomatic representative.
Although their contact was sparse, as they were both very busy, they exchanged presents at Christmas as well.
Gaara had needed Temari's help to pick something out, never having bought anything for a girl before. When he'd asked her, she'd been ecstatic, an evil grin covering her features. She'd dragged him all over Suna giving him ideas, but in the end – much to her chagrin – he didn't go with any of them.
Instead, he commissioned his puppeteer brother to construct a beautifully carved box for her – it had, due to Kankuro's love of making things complicated – three secret latches that you had to move before being able to open it. Thankfully, he'd also included a diagram of how to open it, otherwise she would have been puzzling over it for hours.
Kankuro had also determined that since he made it, it should count as a combined present from the both of them. Meaning he didn't have to waste his time thinking of something else.
Temari, on the other hand, had picked up some spices and herbs grown in Suna and sent them over.
Sakura had just as much of a hard time finding things for them.
Inspiration struck her easily for Gaara – she had found two panda soft toys: One black and white, the other pink and white. She told him she had been tempted to keep one and give him the other, but she liked the thought of them staying together as a set.
For Kankuro, she'd been sorely tempted to get him a doll, but decided against it. If he gave her something awesome, and she bought him a joke present, she'd feel terrible.
Instead, she made up a poison/antidote kit for the puppet master, using things only grown in Fire Country – and almost impossible to obtain in the desert.
For Temari she had a much harder time. She wasn't exactly a girly girl, but she wasn't exactly the complete tomboy that TenTen was either... In the end, she played it safe and used her skills to make a few concoctions for her. A healing salve imbued with chakra, a moisturiser and a few massage oils.
Iruka had been harder to shop for. In the end, she'd commissioned a 'mission' for both of them, which was secretly just a weekend vacation at a spa resort.
And really, Sakura had needed it too. It was the first break she'd allowed herself since returning to the past, and she spent almost the entire first day in the onsen, neither seeing nor hearing from Iruka at all.
When her skin well and truly resembled a prune, she got out of the water and began to walk slowly back to her room, feeling drowsy and relaxed. Until for some reason she started to think of Tsunade-shishou... But what did her old sensei have to do with anything? And why was she here instead of at her door?
The smell of warm sake surrounded her, and she realized she'd followed the scent to another onsen – one filled with sake, a giant bottle rigged up as a novelty waterfall.
'We're living Tsunade-shishou's dream...' Inner Sakura mused.
Letting out an amused breath, she dropped her towel by the side of the pool, grabbed a cup off the provided table, and entered the second onsen of the day – well, evening, now.
She drank a little, reclined a little, and let the fumes consume her, just glad she had this pool to herself.
In a way, he began to understand her old shishou.
There, on her own, tears started pouring down her face.
Why were things so hard?
And why did she have to do so much on her own?
She selfishly felt bitter at her role of saviour, ignoring for once all the effort her peers had contributed – continued to contribute.
In the end, despite their shared problems, the bulk of the task lay on her. And her fate would be revealed before long.
Would she die in Rain? Or live to beat Madara? Or die killing him?
A grimness settled on her.
Wasn't this the reason she had kept herself so busy? So she wouldn't have to think about all of this? So she wouldn't have to deal with it all?
The last time she had not cared about time passing, not had a though in her head, she was lying in between her deceased team mates, fingers linked with theirs, feeling them become more cold and stiff with each passing minute.
Despite being surrounded by steam, she felt the warmth rush out of her.
She felt dead.
Empty.
And she had a headache.
Moving robotically, she lifted herself out of the water, and started the walk back to her room.
Half way there, she bumped into something – or more someone, as she turned the corner.
"Saku – Whoa, Sakura!" Iruka tripped in shock. "Are you alright? What happened to your towel?"
She blinked. "Must've forgot it..."
Shaking his head, and attempting to avert his eyes, he steered her into his room, and sat her down on his bed.
"Just, uh... wait there..." he said awkwardly, and staggered into the bathroom to fetch a towel.
Rummaging around, he realized he was wearing the only dry one left. He swore, and pulled on some boxers, before taking the towel out to the young woman who was in a slight trance.
Trying to focus his fuzzy mind – truth be told, he was a little tipsy too – he wrapped the towel around her, and tried to snap her back to reality.
"Saku~ Sakura~" he cooed. "Wake up~~"
"Shut up, I'm so tiiiired Iru-kun," she mumbled, letting her head droop on him.
"You should get dry. It's not good," he muttered. "Being wet, I mean. You'll get sick."
Sakura glared at him. "Pssssht. Sick."
"Sick," Iruka repeated.
When Sakura later looked back on that moment, she decided it was the worst, most unromantic, stupid beginning to a relationship that anybody could possibly have.
"Sick," Iruka had said, and for some reason unknown to either of them, Sakura had interpreted that as an invitation to kiss him.
And Iruka, startled, drunk, and equally as desperate from months of repression and unresolved feelings threw caution to the wind and kissed her back.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
AAA
"What- What'd we do?" Iruka yelped, leaping away from the young woman upon awakening. "Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. Shit!"
Sakura groaned and threw a pillow at him, using the other one to cover her head. "Shut... up..."
Iruka paused from swearing, his fingers still gripping his hair, and stared at his companion like she was an alien.
"Sakura-chan," he breathed, his voice taking on an unhealthy squeak. "What did I do to you... I'm so sorry..."
Sakura, getting annoyed at his fretting, lifted the pillow off her face and glared at him.
"Shut up, Iruka, I've got a frickin' headache," she growled. "Just calm the hell down."
Looking away from her shamefully, he rubbed his eyes with his fists. He had a headache too, but to him there were more pressing matters. Still, the least he could do after – the least he could do was allow her some time to recover, so he focused on calming his breathing and tried to be as still and silent as he could.
He felt like he wanted to vomit, and it had nothing to do with the hangover.
After a few moments, Sakura sat up. Now fully awake, she massaged her forehead and released the tension.
"Oi, you ok there?" the pinkette asked her friend.
He just looked at her incredulously.
"Look, Iruka, we were drunk, I only even remember half of it, just chill out for a minute."
He shook his head in distress.
"I know you don't look like it anymore, but everyone thinks you're like... fourteen!"
"But you know I'm twenty," she pointed out. "And that's all that matters. It's not like anyone else has to know, anyway. This is between you and me."
"You -You're ok with this?" he stammered, shocked at her.
"Not really, but we can't exactly undo it," she shrugged. "People have done stupider things. I'm not trying to convince you it was a good idea, but what's done is done. Let's not make this worse than it is."
"...What do you want me to do?" he asked at a loss.
She flicked back the sheets. "Just come back. I'm tired, and now you've made me cold. We'll talk about it later."
Iruka hesitated, but obeyed. Lying his head down on the pillow and staring at his closest friend, he knew he was in love with her.
AAA
They never really did talk about it later.
Sakura shrugged it off as something stupid they did under the influence, and shouldn't worry about. It wasn't as bad as what she'd done when impersonating Kabuto, after all – and that she'd done sober.
Iruka wasn't exactly comfortable with this dismissal, for obvious reasons, but didn't want to push it in case he faced worse ramifications... like losing his friend and having to move out of their apartment.
So he let it lie, and before long it was time to leave the resort.
AAA
On their way home, much to their shock, they were approached by one Uchiha Itachi.
Iruka froze next to her, his hand near his kunai pouch.
"Itachi-san," she greeted him.
"Haruno Sakura," he replied in kind. "I bring a warning."
"I'm listening."
"You've gained Akatsuki's attention," he eyed her. "Do you know what this means?"
"That depends on what they want from me," she said evenly. "Itachi-san... I was going to find you eventually."
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Why might that be?"
"Use your mangekyo on me," she challenged. "And you will see."
"Hn."
As Itachi dragged her into his world, Inner Sakura reared up and negated the effects. They were both in a black void – connected in the mental realm.
"I know the truth about you," she told him gravely. "And Madara. And Akatsuki."
"How?" he demanded.
"I came from the future. Sasuke destroyed Konoha. The world was torn apart. The tailed beasts were on the rampage... I came back to change that. And I need your help."
They spoke for hours, although in real time it equalled to about ten seconds.
When they had finally finished, and the genjutsu was broken, Itachi nodded and left.
Sakura took Iruka's shaking hand in hers.
"It's okay," she told him.
He nodded.
They continued on their way.
AAA
Upon arriving back at Konoha, both Sakura and Iruka were very busy.
Sakura had to debrief the Hokage and the Intel squad, and spend days in planning with them.
Iruka had a pile of marking, and lessons to organize, and equally spent his time trying to avoid his roommate, and put himself in situations where she might accidentally interrupt him – only it never happened.
It so happened that they barely saw each other for days, until a week was almost up.
By the Thursday night, Iruka was pacing in his room, upset at his inner turmoil.
'She doesn't care, why should I?' he cursed himself.
He paused as he heard the door unlock, and Sakura's weary footsteps pad across the floor to her room. She was having long days at the moment, and Iruka hated it. He felt as though he was losing his friend.
Clenching his fists, he started to pace again, more slowly this time, letting his thoughts batter against his conscience as he had done every night.
Tonight, however, he bit his lip and reached for the door handle.
He'd had enough. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he had to do something.
His heart felt ready to break inside him as he exited his room, and went to enter Sakura's. As he opened the door, he knew she was awake.
He didn't say anything, but went and sat on her bed next to her.
"What's up?" she asked tiredly.
"I'm lonely," he answered quietly. Did he mean to say that? "And I miss you."
"I need to sleep," she said, and yawned for emphasis.
"Can I join you?" he ventured nervously.
She rolled over in response, and he moved into the empty space, putting his arms around her and giving her a gentle squeeze.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Thank you," she responded in kind, squeezing his hand before drifting off to sleep as well.
AAA
Shortly afterwards, Iruka practically moved into Sakura's room. His things were left in his room, because as far as anyone else knew, things were just as they had ever been.
Still, even as they became more intimate, they defined their relationship as "an extremely close friendship".
Neither of them knew if this was wise or not, but it brought them both comfort – so why not?
AAA
They only had another three months, however, until Naruto arrived back in town.
The Hokage had decided it would be best for them to have some time together as a team again to get back in sync before their mission to defend Idate.
Though as much as Sakura and Iruka were happy to see their blonde friend again – they were gutted in that Iruka would be back to sharing a room with him instead of her.
Sakura, despite her original hardness of heart, had found just as much comfort in their companionship as Iruka did.
They didn't know how Naruto would take the news, and they were unsure if he'd manage to keep it a secret. Thus... they were back to 'good friends'.
Still, Iruka was glad to have his ramen buddy back again. Every time he'd suggest to Sakura they should go, she'd just stare at him like he grew an extra head.
Sakura began training with Naruto and Sasuke every moment she could get.
It took Naruto a while to realize that Sakura had been promoted twice in his absence – she was now a tokubetsu jonin. He had freaked out, yelling loudly in his usual manner and Sakura had laughed heartily at him.
"She was already a jonin before she came back," Sasuke had pointed out. "And she's been trained by the Third and the Fifth – you shouldn't be so surprised."
"He's just bummed that I outrank him," Sakura teased, ruffling his hair. "By three ranks. Better get to work, Naruto."
AAA
It had taken a week before Konohamaru had finally managed to catch up with Naruto – and as such, told him the rumour about Sakura and Iruka.
He had characteristically completely overreacted and blown his top, and gone on a hunt to confront Iruka.
Iruka, on the other hand, had heard his cry of rage and decided to let Sakura deal with it, spending the rest of the day in hiding.
Naruto had run all over the village looking for the scar-faced man, but ended up crossing paths with Sakura first.
She was sitting on a rooftop eating dango with Kotetsu and Izumo when Naruto stormed up to them.
"Sakura-chan!" he yelled, landing in front of the trio. "What's this I hear about you sleeping with Iruka-sensei?"
She turned red with embarrassment as Kotetsu and Izumo cracked up laughing.
"Shut up you idiot!" she hissed. "I don't think they heard you in Suna!"
"Tell me it's not true," he whined, tears in his eyes.
"Geez, Naruto, who even told you that?"
"Konohamaru," he sniffed.
"So the rumour caught up to you, huh?" Izumo grinned.
Sakura punched him in the arm.
"Naruto, it's just a rumour. Ignore it," she glowered.
"So you're not... you know?" he looked hopeful.
"What would it matter if I was?" she pouted. "Either way, what I do is none of your business."
Kotetsu did a double take.
"It's true?" he yelped.
She stared at him blankly.
"Did I say that?" she asked, annoyed, before turning back to Naruto. "Look, that rumour only started up because he moved in with me – which you also did. It's not exactly the basis for accurate information."
"So... it's not true," Naruto sighed.
"I'll tell you now to clear up the point forever: I am not Iruka's girlfriend," she stated confidently, knowing it to be technically true.
Once Naruto left she smirked.
"We're just close friends. Extremely close friends."
Her two companions choked again.
"Are you serious?" Izumo asked in a harsh whisper. "You're really... Really?"
She just laughed and bit off another ball of dango.
"I just like stirring up rumours," she sniggered. "It's funny."
"You know," Kotestu began nonchalantly. "We could start up a rumour about you and me, right here."
She smiled and leaned in close to him. He gulped as her lips hovered a centimetre away from his own.
"Would this rumour involve me beating you until you're nearly dead?" she asked, her voice low. "And then burying you alive in an unmarked grave?"
Izumo laughed hysterically at his friends expression.
"I was thinking more along the lines of the rumour that's already going around," Kotetsu offered, attempting to brave it out.
"What, and have people think I'm easy?" she pressed. "You'd want to start such a thing? How cruel of you, Kotetsu!"
"But it could be fun, right?" he asked, charming smile back in place.
"Hmmm..." she sat back, thinking deeply. "I think I can think of something slightly better than that rumour."
"Being?" Kotetsu pressed. "You want the rumour to have a basis, right?"
"Yeah," she agreed. "I think so. And we've even got a witness."
"So, how is this rumour better?" Kotetsu leaned forward.
"How about I show you?" she smirked, and leaned forwards again.
Kotetsu's eyes widened.
But as she got closer she whipped a hand out and grabbed Izumo, pulling him in front of her and planting a noisy kiss on him.
Izumo froze in shock, and Kotetsu pouted.
"You're so meeean, Sakura-chan!" he whined. "I thought I almost had you."
She giggled.
"I think I killed him," she grinned, tapping his cheek a couple of times.
"Sa-Sa-Sa-Sakura-chan?" he stuttered in shock.
"While you recover from shock," she told the man half sprawled out on the roof. "I'm stealing your dango!"
"Oi!" he seemed to recover immediately and tackled the young woman.
"Too late!" she said smugly, her cheeks bulging.
Within seconds, Iruka appeared on the roof.
"Sakura-chan, has Naruto come by here yet?"
"Hey Iru-kun," she smiled. "Yeah, I told him we're not dating."
"She kissed me," Izumo grinned happily, and Iruka looked at her shocked.
"Just a little one," she pouted cutely.
"I... I see," he said.
She grabbed his leg before he disappeared.
He just looked down at her, hurt in his eyes.
Kotetsu and Izumo shared a look.
"It was just a joke," Izumo offered. "She was just teasing Kotetsu."
He glanced at him, and then back at Sakura.
"I want you to be my girlfriend," he blurted out.
She blinked.
"I thought..."
"I don't care," he gripped her shoulders. "I don't want you doing that with other people."
"...So you two are..." Kotestu voiced.
"Iru-kun," she pulled him down to sit next to them. "You know that's not a good idea."
"I don't want you with other people," he insisted.
"Okay, okay, calm down," she took his hands in hers. "I wish you'd said that earlier. I didn't think you cared."
"I care."
"Sorry," she squeezed his hands. "I'm sorry."
He looked away.
"We should talk about this later..."
He nodded, and turned to leave. Pausing, he turned back to glare at Izumo.
"Touch her again and I'll kill you."
"Iru-" Sakura started, but he was gone.
"I'm in trouble," Sakura sighed, resting her head on her knees.
"So how long..." Kotetsu began, feeling a little bewildered.
"About three months," she answered. "It was a long time coming, but we decided to just be friends."
"Good friends," Izumo repeated.
"Yeah."
"Please don't tell anyone yet," she begged them. "He's just mad. He hasn't thought it through."
"Thought through what?" Kotetsu prodded. "Why not just come out about it?"
She flopped back to lie down on the tiles.
"I'm twenty... but everyone thinks I'm fourteen," she stated. "It's... He teaches kids. In everyone else's eyes I'm only two years out of his class."
They frowned.
"And if word gets out, someone might get him to get to me," she frowned. "Things are just too damn complicated. Being friends was simple. Simpler, anyway."
AAA
Unable to concentrate on her training, she went home early. She found Iruka sulking in his room with a book.
"Iru-kun," she spoke when he didn't acknowledge her. "Iru-kun, we need to talk."
He closed his book and put it to the side, patting the spot next to him. She took it immediately, picking his hand up in hers.
"Iruka... you know we shouldn't go public," she voiced. "It'd cause you a lot of problems."
"I know," he looked at her sadly. "I suppose... I've been distant since Naruto got back."
She stroked his hand with her thumb.
"So have I," she admitted. "And I'm sorry. I was being an idiot today. Please know that it doesn't mean anything."
He nodded.
"I can't have you getting jealous all the time though," she looked at him. "You know what I'm planning to do to get into Hidden Rain."
He nodded again.
"And you'll be able to live with that," she tested warily.
"Just... come back safely to me," he looked at her, seeming very tired. "And never tell me about it."
"Okay," she leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around her.
She was struck once again by the difference between him and Shino. She supposed it was the age difference.
...
And then they heard the front door opened.
Sakura moved away from him, but hesitated.
"Do you want to tell Naruto?"
He paused for a moment.
"Perhaps we should... We should tell your whole team."
"Really?"
"I don't want them getting eyes for you," he touched her cheek briefly.
She shook her head.
They both entered the kitchen, where they could hear Naruto sing 'the ramen song' as he made his afternoon snack.
"Iruka-sensei! Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted them. "Do you want some ramen?"
"No thanks Naruto," Sakura shook her head.
"Naruto, we kind of wanted to talk to you about something," Iruka began. "I know you've heard about the rumours about us..."
"Yeah I did, but Sakura-chan corrected me," he grinned. "I was dumb to believe it. Sakura-chan would never go out with you, you're so old!"
Sakura snorted, while Iruka bristled.
"I am not old! I'm barely twenty five – and Sakura's almost twenty one! That's only four years!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Naruto shrugged. "As long as you're not going out it's ok."
Sakura raised her eyebrows at her lover, who just frowned in response.
"Naruto-kun," Sakura addressed him, leaning across the bench. "Would it be such a bad thing I did get together with him?"
"What?" he yelped. "You're not thinking about it! No! No way!"
"Why not?" she asked.
"He's... and you're... It's just gross!"
"Who else would you see me with?" she asked curiously.
"Nobody!" he cried.
"You know that's not fair, right?" she pouted at him. "Iruka is a good man."
"Yeah, and he should get a girlfriend," Naruto agreed. "But not you!"
"And you're adamant about that?" she checked. "There's absolutely no way to change your mind?"
"YES!"
"Okay," she sighed. "At least I know where you stand."
She turned back to Iruka and shook her head.
He grimaced.
AAA
Two months passed.
Team 7 went on several missions.
Iruka was often left back at the apartment on his own.
He was really, really not looking forward to their lengthy trip to Tea country.
Zabuza and Haku were also fairly busy, having been given positions in ANBU long ago. Occasionally he got visits from Tenzou, Hayate, or Kotetsu and Izumo.
Other than that, his life became fairly bleak with Sakura away.
He tried to busy himself with work and training, but he found himself missing her increasingly as each day went past.
And even when she was home, he couldn't do anything since Naruto was around. That and Sakura was getting a little grumpy these days. She wasn't made for secret relationships.
A few days before their long awaited trip to Tea, she resorted to hunting down Shikamaru. She dragged him into a secluded area, and he gave her a wary look.
"What's this about, Sakura?" he asked moodily.
"I want you to invite Naruto over for the night," she begged. "Have a boys night or something. Please."
He raised his eyebrows.
"May I ask why?"
She sighed heavily.
"I just... I need some time alone with Iruka before we leave on our mission."
"I thought you weren't together..." he frowned at her.
"We weren't then," she stressed. "Naruto can't know. We tried to tell him once, but he freaked out. We're gonna give it a while before we go public coz of the whole age thing."
"Riiight," Shikamaru shook his head. "You're really troublesome, you know that?"
"Can you do it?" she begged. "Please?"
"Tch. Fine," he sighed. "But you owe me."
"Big time," she gave him a hug. "Thank you."
AAA
Naruto bounded in to the room later on that day.
"Sakura-chan! Iruka-sensei!" he greeted them. "Guess what? Me, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, Choji, Shikamaru and Lee and Neji are all going camping for three days! Isn't that cool?"
Sakura grinned. She really owed him.
"That's awesome Naruto!" she answered happily. "Have fun!"
"Will do! I'll be back in time for our mission!"
He bustled about in his room filling his bag, and left in a whirlwind.
"He's gone?" Iruka blinked. "For three days?"
She slapped a security seal on the door.
"He can't come back even if he wants to now," she said, turning back to him. "We owe Shikamaru, by the way. I asked him to give us a little respite."
"Clever kunoichi," he murmured, kissing her deeply.
AAA