Chapter 36: Frayed Strings

Panting, Sakura slowly opened her eyes to find Kakashi staring back at her with the biggest grin on his face. She started to chuckle as she reached two fingers to pick out a nut that was wedged in the chocolate sauce that was peppered in his silver hair.

"You have so much chocolate in your hair you almost look like a Dalmatian, Kakashi," she teased as her laughs began to finally subside.

He playfully huffed with a slight chuckle. Taking her hand in his, he started to affectionately suck each of her sweet tasting fingers. "Your hair looks much worse right now," he murmured.

Smiling, she slid from his sticky bare chest to lie beside him. They stared up at the kitchen's ceiling as both caught their breaths. Completely sprawled out nude in the middle of the kitchen floor, they started to laugh again once Kakashi pointed out that somehow there was chocolate sauce on the ceiling fan.

"H-how in the hell did that get there?" she laughed. "My God, Kakashi!"

"Don't blame me. Look at all of the chocolate-covered imprints of your butt all over the cabinets." He hummed and added with a small smile, "They kind of look like hearts. It's cute."

She fought back a blush, slowly brushing a thumb over his wrist that was across her stomach. "Well, you shouldn't have rubbed two whole bottles of chocolate all over me."

"But that's the fun part, Sakura," he darkly added.

She sighed. "That wasn't even part of your damn book!"

"I can make some story changes if I want to," he pouted. "After reading it for so many years, I think I have the right to."

"You made me recite the lines word for word!"

"But isn't role playing fun?" he mused.

She sighed and muttered a quiet, "Well, maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Fine, yes," she grumbled, hating to admit that he was right.

"So, can we do the next chapter tomorrow?" he asked in a hopeful voice.

Long silence.

Turning her head to meet his mischievous eyes, he gave her a pleading pout. Rolling her eyes, she shifted up slowly onto her elbows and started to stand up. Reaching her hands out to him, she offered to help him up. Her foot slowly began to slip from his weight as she pulled him up from the floor.

"Gosh, it's so slippery," she sighed, nearly falling backwards before he caught her.

"It's kind of fun like this," he said, slowly pushing a foot out to slide across the kitchen like he was ice-skating. "Let's keep it this way."

"I'm so not cleaning this anyway," she claimed, eyeing the syrup covered floor tiles. Cautiously, she made her way around the kitchen by clinging along the counters, trying not to fall.

"Hey, you're just as much at fault here," he pointed out.

She narrowed her eyes at him as she started to follow him. "It was your idea."

"Takes two to tango, Flamingo-chan."

Sighing, she pretended to ignore him until she suddenly slipped, toppling forward into his back before he whipped around to catch her.

"Thanks, Turtle-kun," she sighed in relief.

Grabbing a couple of napkins from the kitchen's island, she wiped her feet before stepping into the living room that was adjacent to the kitchen with Kakashi's help. Tossing him the napkins, she waited for him to step next to her. Staring at the kitchen together from the archway, they began to chuckle again.

"Okay, you're right. This is kind of bad," he admitted.

There wasn't a clean spot left in the kitchen. It was like a tsunami wave of chocolate sauce had crashed into the room, devouring nearly everything in sight. Besides the smudges of chocolate, there was a various mix of nuts, whip cream and strawberries scattered about. Perhaps he had gotten a little too carried away, but she had to admit that she did, too. The aftermath was messy beyond belief, but it was a fun experience she'll probably never forget anytime soon, at least until next time.

"I think I'm officially as much of a pervert as you are now," she sighed.

"It's about time," he teased.

Grinning, Kakashi flicked the kitchen lights off and turned her towards the stairs. "Let's worry about cleaning it tomorrow."

"How on Earth are we going to clean everything?" she asked, carefully heading up the stairs and making sure to not touch anything else with her sticky fingers and legs.

"Hose," he replied simply.

"What?"

He smacked her naked butt, making her gasp in surprise. "Don't worry about it."

"Kakashi," she playfully warned, feeling him snake his arms around her waist as they reached the top of the steps. Slowly, he moved his hands down her stomach, making her breath hitch in anticipation as his fingers moved lower and lower.

A mischievous grin appeared across his face, pushing her inside the bathroom. "Need to get you cleaned up."

Sakura sighed for the sixth time, concentrating on the road descending beneath the car as she clenched her small fists around the steering wheel. Kakashi was next to her in the passenger seat, too groggy this morning to even attempt to read Icha Icha like he usually did. Also there was the small fact that he was having a hard time not to have a panic attack as he watched his pink-haired lover drive his car. Why did he have to agree to let Sakura drive today? He inwardly sighed.

He knew exactly why, of course. She had asked to take the car this morning so that she could talk to her mother today in private. He wouldn't have minded taking her after work and even offered to, but she wanted to be alone and didn't want him to worry. He knew they should talk things out at some point, but he worried for her. He didn't want her to become upset. If he went with her though, that was like entering the cave of a crazed dragon who probably wanted to bite his head off. He'd rather take his chances with Sakura maneuvering around the dead squirrels in the street, nearly hitting other cars in her wake.

A jolt of the car made his hand squeeze discreetly against the inside door handle. "Their already dead, Sakura," he sighed.

"It's disrespectful to further deprecate them," she reasoned.

"They're squirrels."

"And?"

"…"

He kept silent, knowing it would be best not to argue on the matter if he didn't want an added headache this morning. He also wanted to at least part ways on a happy note, especially knowing she was going to see her mother later.

After the incident of her mother finding them in a position that she probably never cared to see ever in her life, she hadn't contacted them for several days now. He was happy of course, but ultimately felt guilty. It was his idea after all to let her find them like that. She had given Sakura the silent treatment before, but this time seemed different. Had he driven her mother into that much of a shock? Maybe. She'd get over it, wouldn't she? Maybe.

Her lack of communication was making Sakura feel guilty, too, finally making her suggest dropping by her mother's house this morning. He simply replied it probably was a good idea if she did. If they talked and something positive came out of it, he'd feel a little better after the fact. Figuring the subject was sensitive enough as it was already, it would be best if they both talked without him there, but if she asked him to go he would of course. He just had a feeling it would end up disastrous if he did though.

Feeling another swerve of the car, he winced while he braced a hand against the dashboard. He wondered why in the hell there were so many dead animals on the road in the first place. The town was quite forested, but this was ridiculous.

"I'd hate to see what you'd do if there was a live one running across the road," he muttered.

She hummed, staring a little more intensely on the road. "I'd avoid it."

"While not crashing into anyone else, right?"

"Depends."

"…"

After a moment of silence, Sakura let out her seventh heavy sigh.

"Okay," Kakashi said softly, relaxing his hands a bit from their death grip against the dashboard. "What else is on your mind besides dead squirrels?"

"What should I say to her?" she asked, frowning a little as she slowed the car, approaching a traffic light.

"I don't know, you know her better than I do," he replied with a shrug.

She pouted further at that unhelpful reply.

"Just be straightforward," he added with sincerity. "Really, why don't I just come with you," he offered.

As much as he didn't like the idea, it would be easier to talk to her mother about it if he was there as support.

Shaking her head, she said, "No, it's an embarrassing subject… and she's my mother. So, I think it's best if I try to talk with her first. She probably just feels ashamed of me, I guess."

"Don't think that. Like I said before, sex is a natural thing between two people. We love each other and we're both consenting adults. Well, more or less adults."

"More or less?" she repeated, with a raised brow.

He sighed, not really enjoying pointing out facts that he liked to keep buried away in the back of his mind. "By Japan's law, you're still a year shy of being considered a legal adult at twenty. Age of consent is something else entirely however."

She skewed a look at him. "Did you do a lot of research into that?"

"Not too long after we first got together," he admitted. "I wanted to know what I was possibly getting myself into by falling for you."

"What if I wasn't of consenting age?" she asked, mildly intrigued of what he'd do.

"I'd be screwed," he sighed.

"In more ways than one," she jested, though he was probably being serious. Giving him a sideways glance, she grinned at his amused smile.

"Anyway," he yawned. "I'm pretty sure your mother realizes by now how much she was invading our privacy to begin with. So, don't worry too much. If it goes really badly, you know where to find me."

"At the school?" she asked in surprise.

"That's where you're dropping me off," he said dully.

"But you'd be working."

"It doesn't matter," he murmured matter-of-factly. "You can always come to me no matter what the reason."

She hummed thoughtfully, hiding a warm smile to herself. Even if it did go horrible with her mother, she wouldn't want to come crying to him at work. It was enough to know that the offer was there though. It showed how much he really cared, making her heart happy in so many ways.

Pulling in front of the high school, her eyes searched the familiar premise feeling how strange it was that it really hadn't been too long ago when she graduated from this place. Now here she was dropping off her former sensei. Never would have guessed she'd be doing this in a million years.

Kakashi turned to her, caressing a fingertip along her jaw to pull her to his unmasked lips. Kissing her tenderly, he pulled away with an appreciative smile before tugging his mask up.

"Have a good day at school," Sakura said in a motherly tone, patting the top of his head like he was a child in a joking manner.

Scowling at her playfully for doing that, he tickled her in retaliation, making her squirm in her buckled seat with a squeal.

"Kakashi!" she laughed, poorly attempting to smack his wiggling fingers away from her stomach.

Finally stopping, he rubbed his hand briskly on the top of her head like she had done to him. "I'll see you a little bit later, love you."

"Love you," she beamed.

"Please don't crash the car trying to avoid squirrels," he murmured before shutting the car door behind him.

Sticking her tongue out childishly at him as he waved goodbye, she carefully pulled out from the school and back into the main traffic. Sighing once more, she wondered if she should really go see her mother. It was the right thing to do, she figured. Her mother tended to give her the silent treatment when she was upset. It was exactly what she had done when she was perturbed over her disappearance during the week she was secretly in France. After a few days, she knew her mother would be willing to talk about things, but she just had no idea what to say about the subject of sex in general. It was embarrassing, especially since she had been caught doing such a thing.

Her mother never did talk much about the birds and the bees when she was growing up. Her only thoughts on the subject were that she needed find the right person and get married first. Obviously, Sakura had skipped on the second criteria. Her mother didn't take it well at first, but she seemed to accept it when they had the most awkward conversation of her plans with birth control. Of course, she supposed protection was different than actual acceptance.

Sighing yet again, she continued down the familiar streets that led to her old home. When she finally parked in front of her house, she was having even more feelings of trepidation once she stepped out of the car. She hated dealing with her mother when it came to confrontations, but someone had to be the bigger person instead of trying to ignore everything that's happened. Might as well be her this time around.

Strengthening her determination to do this, she walked up the steps and gave a brief knock to the door. It felt weird doing that in a place that's been her home for years. She still had the keys to open the door if she wanted, but she didn't feel right doing so. Slowly, she was becoming a stranger to her former childhood home. Somehow that thought seemed a bit depressing.

Sakura looked up once she heard the locks being opened from the inside. Her mother cracked the door open, looking surprised to find her standing there.

"Hello, Sakura," her mother said formally.

"Hey, Mom… um, could we talk?" she asked, glancing down towards the steps as she waited for an answer.

Without a word, her mother stepped back and opened the door to invite her inside.

Feeling a little intimidated under her mother's questionable gaze, she quickly stepped through and slipped off her shoes without thinking like she had so many times before here.

Sakura calmly walked towards the living room, turning to see if her mother was following. They both sat on the separate ends of the couch.

Picking up the remote for the television that was on, her mother made a few clicks with her thumb on a button to drown the sound. After a brief moment of silence, her mother sighed and said, "Well?"

Sakura shrugged, fidgeting a finger against the sofa and said, "I, um… wanted to see if you're okay. It's been a while since I've heard from you."

"Here I am. So, now that you've seen I'm alive, anything else?" she asked dryly.

She sighed, crossing her arms together as she looked towards her mother. "Obviously you're upset."

"Mortified is probably a better word."

"Look, I didn't mean for you to see that."

"Right," her mother said in an unconvinced tone. "He certainly did."

"It was an accident, but about what he said to you before you ran off, he was just upset at how often you kept coming over. So was I," she admitted. "You were making it hard for us to just be alone together. Coming over everyday at all hours isn't normal even if I am your daughter. You couldn't have been that oblivious that we needed space. Why did you keep coming over unannounced? It's rude."

Her mother shrugged, staring off into the flickering television screen that was on mute. "I wasn't comfortable."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, slightly confused.

"I'm having a hard time not looking at you as my baby girl still, I guess," she sighed. "I didn't expect you to change so much once you left for college. Frankly, I wasn't prepared when I first came over that morning and saw you wrapped up in that sheet. It made me realize how much I don't like the fact that you two are sleeping and living together. I know you're growing to be an adult, Sakura, but I can't help but feel it's too soon for you to be like this with someone already. With how much older he is than you, it almost seems sick."

Offended, her daughter glared and spat, "Seems sick?"

She sighed. "You know what I mean."

"That you're still fucking as judgmental as ever," she shot back. "You said you'd have an open mind, Mother."

"Sakura," she warned, not liking her daughter's sharp words. "I'm trying to have an open mind."

"Like hell you are. You already knew that we were being intimate before we came down here. You know how long we've been together now. Why in the hell are you acting like this now?"

"Because it's blatantly in front of my face now?" she said impassively.

"It's your own damn fault for barging in the house. People don't do that!"

"But you're my daughter and-"

"That doesn't matter!" she cut in. "You keep trying to mother me and pretend like I'm not capable of doing anything! Or whatever I do is wrong. I'm not living with Ino anymore. I'm living with someone who I have a serious relationship with. What the hell are you thinking, seriously?"

Her mother sighed and hesitantly said, "I came over unannounced all the time because I wanted to be sure nothing was going on that I shouldn't know about. What goes on behind closed doors is entirely different than on the outside. I know from experience and I was miserable for many years without anyone else knowing."

Gripping the seat of the couch angrily beside her knees, Sakura said, "I've told you, regardless of how old we both are, no one's taking advantage of anyone. Kakashi isn't a bad person. Why are you so wrapped up in the stupid things? He's there for me and loves me. Can't you see that?"

"I'm just…" her voice faded. "I'm just afraid to say its okay. I don't want to get behind someone when I'm not quite sure what he's really about. You're so serious about him and it scares the hell out of me. He seems like a good man, but so did my first husband. My worst fear is him ending up exactly like he did."

"I'm not you!" Sakura yelled. "I'm not a kid. Stop trying to control every little thing and let me become independent. I've been trying to be considerate about you worrying like you always do, but now it's just ridiculous. It really hurts how much you don't seem to trust me. What's even worse is that you can't even be happy for me when I need your support the most. Everyone else is happy for me, but you."

"I'm sorry, but it's-."

Cutting her mother off with an annoyed groan, Sakura pulled out the necklace that was tucked away inside her shirt and held it up. "You see this? This was his mother's necklace. You've heard what happened to his parents when he was a kid, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Her mother said faintly, glancing at the necklace almost apologetically as it dangled in Sakura's hand.

"Do you have any idea how much this means to him? How much it means it me? You're right that you don't know what goes on behind closed doors. You don't know a damn thing about his life growing up and you don't deserve to. You think he's simply insincere and untrustworthy just because he's a little older than I am?"

"Over a decade older," her mother remarked.

Sakura burned a glare at that comment. Sighing, she dropped the necklace gently back against her chest. "You know what? I give up. You'd probably never be happy no matter who I choose to be with."

Rising up from the couch, she went straight towards the front door and made a point not to look back.

"Sakura," her mother called out, making her hesitant in turning the doorknob to leave.

"Just don't," she replied back, feeling the hurt she felt start to flare in her throat. Taking in a deep breath, she opened the door and shut it firmly behind her.

Whispering a curse under her breath, she went inside the car and started the ignition. With a deep exhale, she calmed down a little from the burning anger that was beginning to ache in her chest. She felt so tired of everything; she was tired of arguing, tired of trying to please her mother. She knew it was about time she started to give up on making her mother happy. What was the point if she was just going keep becoming miserable right along with her?

Why did it have to be so hard for her mother to let go and simply let her grow up? Her mother was doing everything a parent shouldn't be doing. She was practically smothering her in her beliefs and undermining her decisions, like her relationship with Kakashi, in almost every way. It was so disheartening that she couldn't just let her be happy.

Part of her understood why her mother was worried because of her own dark past, but that was just that. It was in the past. Why was her mother so terrified of her making a mistake when it came to who she loved, or anything else in her life? Everyone makes them at some point. Nobody's perfect.

Of course, she realized that her mother was always about perfection as she grew up. If her mother wasn't cleaning or organizing things almost obsessively at home, she was making sure Sakura did what she was expected to do. She only managed to be salutatorian of her class simply because of her mother's drive for her to make high scores in her classes. Sometimes she felt grateful that her mother drove her in that way. It helped her make good study habits, which in the long run was making it easier disciplining herself to study for medical school.

Then again, she never was a fan of her mother's self-imposed pressure and backhanded comments. She never even congratulated her on even being salutatorian of her class in high school. Most parents probably would have been very proud. Being second in one's class was no easy feat in any high school. Her mother simply shrugged at the news, asking who received valedictorian. Sakura could tell she was disappointed, even if she didn't say it.

Feeling tears start to sting her eyes, she sniffled and tried to compose her thoughts. She never really thought about how she felt about it before. It was easier not to dwell on the hurtful actions her mother did that always seemed normal at the time. It was always best not to think about what it all really meant to her and leave it in the back of her mind. She couldn't pretend anymore not to be upset when it came to Kakashi though. He meant so much to her that no words could possibly describe. The fact that he was such a good man in the first place just made everything even harder. He was the best thing in her life and her own mother couldn't see it. Maybe she just refused to see it.

Hearing a knock against the car window, Sakura jolted in her seat and glanced to find her mother giving a weak wave. Wiping her eyes, she sighed and rolled the car window down with the press of a button.

"What?" Sakura asked in a brisk tone.

"I'm sorry," her mother said apologetically. "Come back inside. I don't want to end things like this with you."

"Are you actually going to listen to what I have to say? You know, I've realized what a terrible mother you are," Sakura said harshly.

"I know," she said softly. "I am."

Sakura glanced at the sincerity in her mother's face and sighed. Turning the car off, she reluctantly opened the car door to follow her mother back inside the house. She felt so tired of hanging onto the hope that her mother would truly understand and accept her. They had done this before. How was this time going to be any different?

With every step she took, the more her legs felt heavy with hate. She really wanted nothing more than to just turn back around and leave, but she remembered she had made a promise. The only reason she still kept walking forward was for Kakashi.

"If you're really going to listen, then I have something to tell you," Sakura murmured, closing the door softly behind her.

Kakashi sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his chair as he held his book up with one hand, munching on small portion of a sandwich with the other. Someone cleared their throat to gain his attention, but he firmly glued his eyes to the page he was reading.

"Kakashi, come on. We've already planned everything out for this Saturday. Guy said you agreed to bring Sakura, too, earlier this week!" a voice pleaded.

Taking a hidden bite of his sandwich behind his book, he rolled his eyes at hearing another fake cough to egg him to respond. Slowly, a finger appeared over the words he was trying to read, coming dangerously close to touching his chicken sandwich.

Snapping his book shut, he barely missed the trespassing finger, but smacked the intruder's hand with a loud whack.

"Ow!" Genma hissed.

Glancing around the round table he was seated at, Kakashi scowled at the various faces staring back at him. "Can't I eat my lunch in peace?"

"Just say you'll both come already," Tenzo mumbled between his bites of a sushi roll. "Then we'll leave you alone."

"It's not like it's just us. Anyone else who knows you will be there. It's just a general mix thing. You don't need to worry," Asuma added, even though they couldn't smoke inside the building, he was tapping a pack of cigarettes in his hand out of habit against the table.

Kakashi raised a brow at his friends. "Why are you all so adamant about her coming?"

"You've never dated anyone this long ever in your youthful life," Guy said, looking to be on the verge of tears. "It's beautiful."

"Or even combined of all who you've dated so far," Aoba added.

"And there's a be-," Guy started to say.

Genma jabbed Guy in the ribs, making him wince. He smiled, twirling a toothpick between his teeth, trying to play it off.

"Uh-huh," Kakashi said unemotionally, clearly seeing his friends were plotting something.

If their scheme had anything to do with Sakura he wanted no part in it. They were decent guys overall and were mostly harmless, but sometimes their shenanigans were pretty childish in his opinion. Of course, most of the time he joined right along with them in their antics, but that was beside the point.

Clearing his throat to break up their whispers, he added, "I said I'm the only one going already, so stop pestering."

His friends exchanged silent looks between one another before returning some of their attention to their own boxed lunches.

It's not that he didn't care for most of them to finally meet her, but not at one of their infamous parties. If his disaster of a birthday bash was any indication, it wouldn't be a good idea to invite her to come along. This was a small town, so they were usually bored out of their minds on most weekends and were probably planning something ridiculous once they heard he was coming back for the summer.

After the exhausting week with dealing with her mother, he really just wanted to spend a quiet night at home with Sakura for the entire weekend, but he supposed attending a little party wasn't that bad. As long as he didn't drink too much he'd be fine and have a good time like he usually did. He couldn't deny that he did miss his silly friends here. They were basically his only friends, really. It was kind of them to throw something together for his stay back. It was probably just an excuse for them to drink though, but no matter.

Yawning while making a small stretch, Kakashi started to pack his things to get ready to leave.

"Kakashi, you still owe me," Genma said, extending his hand across the table and patiently motioning his fingers as a hint to place some form of money into his palm.

"Oh, right," he replied like an afterthought, crumbling the left over paper bag from his lunch, he flicked it towards Genma's head as he sat up from his chair, making the others chuckle.

"Jerk," he mumbled half-heartedly, rubbing his nose as he tossed the trash back towards Kakashi.

Kakashi easily deflected it and simply offered an eye-crinkle of a smile. Making a simple wave of a gesture to say goodbye to everyone else, he left the teacher's lounge to prepare for his next scheduled class.

As he walked down the hall, he pulled out his phone from his front pocket to send Sakura a text asking to let him know if everything went okay. He hoped it didn't go too badly, but her mother did seem the type to turn everything into some kind of argument. He didn't know much about her mother and their relationship before he entered the picture, but he had a good idea how hard she seemed on Sakura. She seemed to hold high expectations for her daughter, but so did most parents. It was understandable in that sense, but there had to be a balance somewhere, else it only did more damage than good.

He could tell when he met her that there was some good somewhere inside of her. It was clear that she loved her daughter. Perhaps she just didn't show it in the right way all the time, but it was there. It gave him a small bit of hope that she would accept them. Then everything would be perfect. Everyone would be truly happy finally.

As easy as it was to just ignore Sakura's family and be solely together in their own little world, it was the last thing he would ever want. It wasn't just that he didn't have a family of his own. Someday he wanted to make her his wife.

Nearly seven years ago, he had witnessed a marriage where the bride's family refused to attend the wedding. He went as one of the bridesmaid's dates at the time. The couple's friends were there, but there was a sadness that lingered over the entire ceremony like a heavy fog. The empty seats meant for family inside the wedding hall were evident enough of what was going on. He didn't say anything at the time, but he didn't want Sakura to experience something like that. That just didn't seem fair.

Trying not to think too much about the subject anymore, he focused the rest of his day on teaching and grading stacks of assignments built up over the week. He sneaked a look at his phone every now and then in hopes that Sakura would have messaged back. He started to worry after not hearing from her in three hours, but finally received a reply before the start of his last class of the day.

'Sorry for the late reply. I'm fine, but we need to talk. Don't worry. Love you and miss you~'

Naturally he was still worried regardless of her telling him not to. 'We need to talk' was stereotypically always some kind of bad sign. Maybe the talk with her mother didn't go well? Or worse… she invited her mother to live with them without asking him first. He shuddered at that thought.

After he locked up the classroom when his final class was dismissed for the weekend, he took his time and strolled towards the front entrance of the school with his hands in pockets, looking indifferent as ever to the small crowd of teachers and students passing him. He stopped in front of one of the many windows near the main lobby of the school, watching as students made their way to walk home or be picked up by their parents. He recognized a few of them, since he was slowly getting to know his students from his classes and martial art team. Although the hours were getting a little longer than he liked some days, he did enjoy teaching. It was nice putting effort into something that had meaning in someone else's life, even if it was a small significance; he liked to believe it was the little things that mattered anyway. It certainly was the case for him.

Hearing a message tone from his phone, he brought it out to find Sakura had texted him that she was almost there to pick him up.

Feeling an arm suddenly wrap around his shoulders, he raised a brow at Genma as he started to lead him outside.

"So, are on your way home, old friend?" Genma asked.

"Are you trying to pickpocket me now?" Kakashi asked back, eyeing him suspiciously of how close Genma was clinging to him.

He sighed, releasing him instantly. "You know me too well."

"Uh-huh. So, give it back," he said, holding out his fingerless gloved hand. "Petty thief."

He huffed, revealing the wallet he had snatched from behind his back and opened it. Rolling his eyes, he tossed it back to Kakashi in disappointment. "Of course, it's empty. I hate this game with you. Seriously, when are you going to pay me back?"

"I find it quite amusing," he said in good humor and added, "Never."

Genma made a depressed sigh, glancing across the line of cars that shifted in turns through the looped driveway in front of the school. Seeing that Kakashi hadn't moved except to bring out his book from his back pocket, he smirked.

"Oh, so I'm guessing Blossom drove you today, huh?" he asked.

Kakashi hummed in response, not really agreeing or disagreeing to his deduction.

"Cute," he taunted.

Flipping a page, he remained silent as he waited. After a minute, he glanced at his brown-eyed friend and sighed. "Shouldn't you be going home?"

"I don't want you to be lonely while you wait."

"I'd rather be alone."

"Lies," he murmured, peeking over Kakashi's shoulder at his book.

He hated when people read over his shoulder. "Shoo."

He sighed, looking bored as he waited with folded arms across his chest. "Oh, that's her, isn't it? Isn't that your car?" he asked, pointing towards the vehicle.

Glancing from his book, he hummed in agreement. "Bye-bye then," he called out, making his way towards the pick up area.

Genma cautiously followed after him trying to stay hidden, emerging as soon as Kakashi pulled the car door open to get inside.

Holding the door open with his elbow, he peered inside with a charming smile plastered on his face. "Oh, Sakura-chan, it's been so long since I've seen you. You look so lovely," he commented.

"Hello, um, Genma was it?" Sakura asked, glancing at Kakashi's annoyed face.

"The one and only," he replied.

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi tried to the close the door without much success. "Move your big head and go home," he sighed, yanking the car door repeatedly to smack it into Genma's side.

Ignoring Kakashi, he said, "I just wanted to personally invite you to a little get together we're having tomorrow. It's a welcome back party for Kakashi!" he said happily, patting Kakashi's shoulder in a friendly way.

Kakashi shot him a glare.

"Oh, really? That sounds fun. It'd be great to finally meet everyone," Sakura said with a bright smile.

"See you both there then!" Then in an instant, he disappeared, shutting the car door behind him.

"Jerk," Kakashi mumbled under his breath towards the window, watching Genma flee towards the teacher parking lot on the east side of campus. He figured he was up to something since he didn't go straight home like he usually did. Looking to Sakura, her smile faded a little as she shifted gears and started to drive forward. She was looking a little somber.

Before he had a chance if she was okay, she asked, "What time is this party? You never mentioned it before."

"Last minute kind of thing," he replied, hoping she really didn't want to go all that badly. "Honestly, I don't know if it's best if you go. I think they're scheming something stupid," he added.

"Why's that?"

"They're acting a little weird wanting you to come so badly," he murmured.

"Well, maybe they just want to meet me. I know they're older than I am, but if they're friends with you, they can't be that bad. Iruka-sensei's your friend, right? He's really nice."

"Eh…"

"Kakashi, you didn't want me at your birthday party either."

"That was different. It was a guys-only kind of thing and I don't want you around if there's probably going to be drinking."

"I won't drink anything," she promised.

"It's not you I'm worried about," he sighed. "Why do you want to go?"

She shrugged and warmly said, "It's just nice to be where ever you are."

He sighed. Clearly, she was trying to pull at his heartstrings. "Now that just makes me feel bad."

"Seriously though, it would just be nice to meet your friends. You're not ashamed or anything of us, are you?"

"Of course not, Sakura. That's not why I don't want you to come."

"Well, then I don't see any problem. So, then I can go?" she asked hopefully.

He hummed. "First, tell me what we need to talk about. It sounded kind of serious…"

Biting her bottom lip, she said, "Oh… well, what would you say if I was pregnant?"

"…What?"

TBC

[ Author Note: I'm evil beyond words, I know. T_T

Sorry how long this took to get out. I was lost on the path of life (and perhaps I didn't realize until yesterday how long it's been since the previous update).

I kind of wanted to make Kakashi's Icha Icha fantasy left up to your imagination. I challenge you to use your smut thinking skills to tell me how chocolate made it up on the ceiling fan without hands. =p

Anyway, your thoughts/ramblings are appreciated!

I always forget to say this, but ty for reading. *gives cookies*

Chapter edited by: CelestialCircumference ]