"You missed, again." Sasuke flipped his hand absently and tilted his head. Naruto whirled with a huff and stared, eyes narrowing before marching forward, "no one asked you to be here."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes with a 'hn', shifting against the pole at his back as he dropped his gaze to the porch. He didn't need to explain to him that he was anticipating one of the Higurashi kids to stumble upon them firing weapons at the dummies and offer to show their own skills… it was the same thing Naruto wanted after all. "How do you keep missing?"

"You know what—"

"Hey," Kagome frowned as she opened the door, half of her hair pulled back into a bun on top of her head as she leaned against the doorway with her ankles and arms crossed, "no fighting."

Two pairs of eyes blinked curiously, never having seen the woman out of her casual clothing she chose when she wasn't working.

"You're dressed up."

"You look nice."

Kagome's brow lifted slightly at the statements, smoothing down the front of her sundress and clearing her throat. "Thanks?" she didn't quite know how to take their words, shoving from the wood and dropping her hands, "no Sakura?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly at her hasty subject change, sharing a glance with Sasuke before turning back, "no, just us."

The woman hummed and brushed her hair over her shoulder, gripping the door to shut it as she stepped back, "well I've got some errands to run…"

"Okay."

"Sure."

"You buying that?" Sasuke mumbled.

"Hell no."

Kakashi peered around the building and glanced both ways before stepping onto the street, pulling his hand from his pocket as he approached the woman to brush a finger against the back of her arm. "Sorry I'm late," all of his excuses wouldn't work, lost in thought at the Memorial Stone where he had been spending more time of late.

"It's okay," Kagome smiled softly and shuffled nervously. Her hands smoothed down the front of her dress again, glancing down with a frown, did she look too nice? Did it make her look too eager? "I didn't think we'd find a day that worked with our schedules."

"I didn't either but I figured Team 7 had enough of weed pulling for the last week and a half." Kakashi's voice filled with the smile on his face, glancing around subtly before landing his eye back on the woman in front of him, leaning in and lowering his voice to keep from being overheard. "You look nice."

"Thank you," she blushed at his compliment, "I'm not too overdressed?"

"If anything I'm underdressed, let's grab some food." He began walking slowly, his hand at the small of her back before pulling it away. 'Can't give anything away,' as per her request he'd comply. He was never big on public displays of affection, seeing it or being apart of it during his brief relationship when he was still ANBU, but he wanted to show her off.

'It's just a normal thing,' Kagome slid into the bench across from him with a faltering smile, 'we've done this dozens of times.' "How are the kids doing?"

"They're fine," he leaned back and arched a brow, "no mission talk today."

"Right."

"Hurry up, Sakura." Naruto beckoned the kunoichi over his shoulder, bouncing anxiously on his feet. "Anything?"

Sasuke shook his head slightly, eyes scanning the buildings before slapping the blonde on the shoulder, "there."

"What's going on?" Sakura huffed at the lack of information she was given, blinking at the pair in front of them. Her hands lifted in surprise, gripping the arm's of her teammates and tilting her head, "is that Kakashi-sensei? Is he on a date?"

Naruto swallowed hard as Kagome laughed at something Kakashi said, her hand falling against his arm lightly and stepping closer. "We gotta do something…"

"What'd you have in mind dobe?"

Sakura glanced between them, this was the most she had ever seen them get along, "wait, are you going to break them up?"

Sasuke and Naruto shared a look, the Uchiha lifting a shoulder in silent question before Naruto grinned mischievously. "Kakashi-sensei isn't getting his hands on Kagome," he answered finally.

"But—"

"Sakura," Naruto turned pleading blue eyes to the girl, "you don't know her like we do." Turning back to the couple, his eyes lifted before climbing up the wall beside him, darting across the rooftops and jumping to the balcony above them. His tongue poked out, tipping the bucket over to drench the pair.

Sasuke's shoulders dropped when Kakashi managed to pull Kagome out of the way of the stream, glancing up before guiding her away. "Sasuke, I'm not understanding the issue here." Sakura turned her emerald eyes to the Uchiha, "what's the big deal?"

"Kagome starts dating Kakashi-sensei and that means…" his eyes drifted away as his brows furrowed, barely registering Naruto dropping from the roof beside him. "It means she won't be around for us," the jinchūriki frowned with his answer, crossing his arms.

'Why won't he rely on me like that?' Sakura sighed softly at her inner voice, "how do we get them apart then?"

"Man nothing worked," Naruto dropped his head to the counter of the Ichiraku Ramen shop, ignoring the biting of the headband across his forehead. "It's like he knew everything we were going to do before we did it."

"I think I saw them holding hands too," Sakura propped her head in her hands, feeling as disappointed as the boys as they waited for their food, "everything did the opposite."

Sasuke glared just beyond Teuchi's head, "you should have put a stop to this before it got this far, dobe."

"How the hell is this my fault?"

"All you did last week was tell him to stay away from Kagome."

"And all you did, teme, was ask if they knew each other with your stupid Uchiha glare!"

"Order up," Teuchi smiled and settled the bowls in front of the trio. "I'll get another order started for you, Naruto."

"Thanks old man," the blonde grinned and rubbed his hands together. "How did they even spend the whole day together? Kakashi-sensei isn't even that great."

Sasuke moved the noodles around his bowl, not feeling hungry as he gazed into the bowl. Since the massacre he had kept the woman at arm's length, shoving off every one of her attempts to mother him, but the idea that she wouldn't be readily available or around any longer made his stomach twist unpleasantly. "Why would she even get involved with our sensei?"

"It's a conflict of interest," Sakura waved her hand flippantly. She didn't like seeing her teammates so mopey, even Naruto's bouts of silent made her on edge, she preferred him boisterous and annoying as much as she yelled at him for it.

"What's a conflict of interest?"

Kagome smiled as they whirled to face her, Kakashi standing beside her with a knowing look in his visible eye. Naruto's stomach dropped, sputtering and shrugging before turning back to his food. Kakashi inhaled deeply and shook his head, lifting his arm to place over Kagome's shoulders as Sasuke's face darkened and Sakura nudged Naruto. "You three okay?"

"Get your hand—"

Sakura laughed nervously clamping her hand over the blonde's mouth. "We're alright sensei…"

Kagome's chin dropped to her chest, lifting her head as she licked her lips, "Sasuke can I see you for a second?"

The Uchiha glanced between them, shooting an accusatory stare at Naruto before sliding from his stool and begrudgingly followed the woman. Kakashi moved for the vacated stool beside Naruto, ordering a bowl of ramen and turning to the boy beside him, "you dumped the water this morning."

"No!"

"Um… sensei, we all had a hand…" Sakura's face flamed at the admission. Kakashi's eye gleamed dangerously, silencing the girl before turning back to Naruto, "you realize tomorrow is going to be a bad training day, I don't like my personal life interfered with…"

"But—"

"Naruto," the jōnin's voice left little room for arguing, thanking Teuchi for the food as he mulled over his words. "Kagome and I have known each other since before you, however…" he slid the bowl to the blonde, bribery or a peace offering he'd let Naruto decide. "I know you are one of the most important people in her life if not the most, so I wanted to make sure you were okay if Kagome and I were to see each other."

"Me?" he blinked.

Kakashi smirked at Sakura's squeak, he could swear the girl had hearts in her eyes at what she presumed to be a romantic gesture. "Naruto," he pressed softly, "may I date Kagome?"

Naruto swiveled on his stool to peer between the cloth at Kagome's face as she smiled at the disgruntled Uchiha. "Depends," he swallowed hard with a frown, "how hard is tomorrow going to be."

Kakashi ruffled the blonde's hair as he stood, pulling his wallet out and frowning at the contents before laying most of his money down, he'd pay for their meals too like a good sensei. "I'll take that as a yes, see you tomorrow."

He sidestepped Sasuke stalking back inside, placing his hand on the small of Kagome's back as he guided her from the ramen shop. "How'd that go?"

"He's Sasuke," she shrugged and tilted her head, "moody and aloof as normal. How'd Naruto handle things?"

"Well after I informed him that I knew they were behind the pranks of the day, I made sure he knew tomorrow would be hard." Kakashi moved up the walk to the front door, lifting his hand to brush her hair over her shoulder, "other than that I think he's handling it well."

Kagome nodded, turning her head slightly for his lips to brush against her cheek. "Not in the open."

"Why, because of our 'reputations'?"

"Yours more than mine."

"Mine?" he blinked hard, what did that have to do with anything? No one in the Leaf would care. Kagome nodded, saying nothing else on the subject as she tilted her head into his hand more, "don't be too hard on them tomorrow."

Kakashi shook his head at her swift change of subject, eye drifting past her head. "I'm asking Old Lady Ito if I can borrow her cat, the one that likes to run."

"Oh, that's mean," Kagome winced at the implications behind his words, those kids were going to be exhausted if they ever got the cat. "Um… I had fun today aside from the kids trying to ruin it."

"Good," his thumb caressed her cheek lightly. 'She had fun,' pride washed over him and he had kind of gotten the blessing of Naruto besides. "I'll see you—"

"Tomorrow, I'll drop off some bento's for you guys before I go to work."

He nodded carefully, tilting his head slightly when she stepped closer. 'Good night kiss,' he bent lower, happy she had changed her mind over the gesture as her hand lifted to his mask. The door slid open, Kagome shoving him back as they turned, Sasuke and Naruto staring passively at them with tilted heads.

"Naruto said I can stay over," Sasuke stated.

Kagome hummed and poured her lips, shooting an apologetic flavor to Kakashi before moving to the door, "yeah, that's fine."

"Good night, sensei." Naruto grinned, shutting the door in the exasperated mans face.

Kakashi's eye tucked in annoyance as he turned, he never anticipated the two to cling to Kagome in his quest to claim her as his girlfriend. Naruto and Sasuke were going to make him work for it it seemed, 'alright, I can play their game too.'