The Anatomy of Love
Written By: Banana007
Chapter 4: High Heart Rate
A/N: Again, I recommend reading this on AO3 where I embed music to heighten the reading experience. My AO3 username is TCOOKIES777 .
Today was going to be a particularly hot day with the temperatures climbing to the near nineties. It didn't help that there were no clouds in the sky, leaving the sun bare and bright, glaring down at Sakura, Ino, and Hinata as the girls made their way to the gym. They were wearing their matching sports bras today, with the matching sets of fitness leggings: mauve for Sakura; violet for Ino; cream for Hinata. They were ready to get sweaty in style.
They were also ready to check out the gym facility that was said to lead to an outdoor pool at the back. Passing by a large gaggle of other students—albeit dressed in swimsuits instead of gym attire—it seemed the girls weren't the only ones excited to see the gym that was said to boast a large variety of fitness equipment. Although, Sakura had a feeling most of these students weren't really interested in exercising as much as they were just interested in exploring the school campus and figuring out which were the best hang-out spots besides the community lounge and the rec rooms in the dormitories.
"About time you guys made it!" a girl sporting twin buns greeted them at the front counter the moment they stepped into the facility. Blowing a bubble from her gum, it popped before she peered through the set of double doors that led into the gym space. The low thrum of pop music could be heard from within. "You will not believe the crazy influx of girls all day today," Tenten said. "I mean, I know it's the first weekend since school started but, wow! There are way more girls than guys in there and it's only ten in the morning! I'm not sure if there's any Stairmaster still available for you, Ino."
"Ino thought to have some light breakfast before we go work out," Sakura said, fishing through her mini-backpack for her student I.D. card.
"It's not fun exercising on an empty stomach," Ino retorted back.
The three of them handed Tenten their IDs to be stored for their gym session before signing their names in. The slight trickle of sweat that had been crawling down Sakura's back was already dissipating as the facility's air conditioner cooled her down. She sighed, taking a sip of water from the bottle carried in her bag while waiting for Tenten to find a good cubby spot to store their IDs.
The heavy bass of the music spilled out from the double doors as a new song started from within. Some sort of pop music Sakura didn't recognize, but she knew it was used to let gym-goers feel a little more pumped up with some work-out music to listen to.
"How is your work so far, Tenten?" Hinata asked, letting Ino weave her hair into a secure braid. "You work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, right?"
Tenten nodded, fixing the collar of her green-collared work uniform. Konoha U's leaf symbol could be seen stitched over her breast. "Mondays and Wednesdays are just two hours though. Fridays are four hours. That's the max work hours I was allowed to request but at least the schedule's flexible around my classes. Ugh, you should've applied with me, Sakura," she added with a groan and leaned her cheek to the counter. "It's been so boring so far and my only co-worker just sticks her face to her phone the whole shift."
Face crinkling in disagreement, Sakura shook her head. "No, thanks. I've worked my ass off over part-time jobs back in high school already."
Not to mention the other jobs she did to add to her savings back in junior high. This year was supposed to be a well-deserved vacation from years of working during school and during summer. Besides, she'd already built up a large stash of savings to not need a part-time job for maybe the four years of college.
"Professor Guy was the one who recommended you for this job, right?" Hinata asked Tenten. "I hear he's quite… eccentric."
"I mean, he's a pretty nice guy but he can be very competitive," answered Tenten, her face drooping further in exhaustion from just the first day of fitness class she had on Wednesday. "I only wish I could have a coach who was easier on the eyes."
Ino whipped her head to Sakura, the tail of her blonde ponytail nearly slapping the face of another student picking up their ID from the counter. "Oh yeah! You have Professor Mizuki as your fitness instructor!"
"I hear he's quite popular among the students," Hinata commented. "He's very friendly like Professor Iruka and, apparently, they were childhood friends."
At the mention of her fitness instructor, Sakura winced. It was true; Professor Mizuki was roguishly handsome in the same way Professor Hatake was. The difference between the two instructors was that Professor Mizuki was far more outgoing and was more than eager to converse with his students while Kakashi often had the face of someone who would rather be facing a book rather than a student trying to make conversation about his favorite hobbies. It was a bit of a wonder how both professors were so popular with the girls, constantly attracting a furtive look during every minute of the class and even after.
Well, with Kakashi, she could understand his appeal more. He was so mysterious, letting you taste just enough of his personality, his personal history, or his looks that it left you wanting more. Professor Mizuki, on the other hand, was way too open with everyone. Not to mention that while he was handsome, he was nowhere near as attractive as Kakashi. His white hair had a strange tint of blue to it, incomparable to Kakashi's grey that sometimes looked like silver under the right angle. And his forest green eyes were much too dark unlike Kakashi's steel-grey eyes that either deepened or lightened in color depending on the lighting.
But it wasn't just that. When Professor Mizuki had set those forest green eyes on her during the first day of fitness class, she hadn't felt as excited as all the other girls who loved to bask in his attention. Instead, she had felt… weird.
During fitness class...
Nearly all the girls in class were following closely at the heels of Professor Mizuki as he went about the large gym court that offered an abundance of space. Sakura watched from the corner, taking her time collecting the volleyballs strewn about while the girls continued after Mizuki who was helping the boys out. She could hear them asking for his age, if he was single, why did he decide to become a teacher, blah blah blah.
The guy was amiable, which made it easy for young people to talk to him as they found themselves comfortable unlike some other professors who exuded a strict, almost appraising aura… like Kakashi. At the thought of him, Sakura giggled as she remembered the adult novel she'd caught him reading in Target, and then the silly sushi tie he'd actually dared to wear on the first day of school. Those endearing aspects of him contradicted the sharp look he'd give to a student who would so much as yawn in the middle of his lecture.
As if hearing her soft laughter echo across the room, Professor Mizuki turned towards her and ambled his way over. His crowd of fangirls trailed after him. Their voices were saccharine and rising in pitch to pull his attention back towards them instead of the one female student struggling to hold three volleyballs in her arms.
"Sakura?" Professor Mizuki said, flashing a disarming smile that had some girls twirling the ends of their ponytails. "Would you mind staying after class to help me put back all the equipment? Just for five minutes?"
The urge to refuse was strong. Her crotch was suffering from a really bad wedgie due to the issued P.E. uniforms that Sakura had made the mistake of ordering a size or two too small. The spandex of her shorts stretched tight across her butt, the hem digging into the cheeks of her ass. She kept finding every opportunity throughout the class to surreptitiously pinch at it if only to give her crotch a sweet relief from this damn wedgie.
"Sure, Professor!" Sakura answered, smiling through the pain. Just five more minutes and then she could head back to the locker room and hit the showers.
Everyone else seemed to share the same sentiment as they all raced for the locker room the moment Professor Mizuki blew his whistle to dismiss them. He then grabbed a metal cart and rolled it over to Sakura, following after her as she roamed about the court to toss the remaining volleyballs into the basket. She could feel his eyes on her and knew he wanted to make small talk to fill the sudden silence of the gym. Hearing him clear his throat in preparation, Sakura started to move faster to avoid having to linger behind for a conversation.
"Let me guess," he finally spoke up as she tossed the last ball into the basket. "You were in track-and-field back in high school?" When she stopped and stared at him in confusion, he nodded to her legs. "You're pretty quick on your feet and I noticed earlier while the class was doing the warm-up lap that you've got good endurance."
Oh. She glanced down to her legs. Ino had always said that her long, toned legs were one of her best features and often encouraged her to wear shorts, skirts, and dresses to show it off. Sakura supposed it was to make up for her modest breasts. "I was actually on the basketball team, but that was more for fun. P.E. was always one of my favorite classes anyway."
And her natural passion for sports had always made it easy to give it her all in every one of them whether it be tennis, basketball, wrestling, etcetera. It had shocked Naruto when she turned down his offer to join the soccer team with him—the girl's team at least.
Professor Mizuki began rolling the cart down the hallway that would lead them to the equipment room. Despite his decently tall height, his long legs moved at a leisurely pace, prolonging their conversation even more than was necessary. "Basketball, huh? Then you'll do great for the next unit: volleyball. I expect you've developed a really accurate hand-eye coordination after playing basketball."
She merely smiled back in response and tucked back a lock of hair behind an ear. The sound of their sneakers squeaking on the glossed maple panels replaced their conversation and Sakura was glad when he didn't try to push for more idle chatter and make it awkward. It wasn't that she hated chatting with her teachers, but it just wasn't ideal to hold a conversation when her vagina felt like it was being choked to death.
Hearing the jingle of keys, Sakura sighed in relief upon seeing the familiar blue door of the equipment room. The place was already crammed full of assorted sports goods and balls of various sizes. It seemed most people just liked to toss in or shove the stuff into any available corner rather than take the time to find a proper, accommodating space.
A basketball or two threatened to spill out of its overflowing cart as Professor Mizuki wheeled his own cart through. He stopped it beside a basket of badminton racquets, grunting as he struggled to fit the cart of volleyballs back in place. His last shove knocked aside a handful of hockey sticks leaning against the wall and he sighed, propping a hand on his hip to stare helplessly at the sticks now lying on the floor. A stacked row of hurdles stood between him and the sticks on the floor, however, and Sakura inwardly groaned to herself when Professor Mizuki glanced at her.
"Sorry, but you're smaller than me." He smiled sheepishly and stepped aside in gesture. "Do you think you can reach those hockey sticks?"
Well, there was no arguing there. She did have a better chance of reaching the sticks than him, so Sakura nodded and approached the stack of hurdles that presented themselves as the obstacle to her goal. It would be too much of a hassle to move the hurdles one by one and then reorganize them back in place right after, so she decided to get down on her hands and knees and reach through beneath the hurdles.
Professor Mizuki shuffled back to give her some space as she lowered herself further to the floor. Her elbows bumped the foot of the front hurdle, threatening to send it toppling down on her. She moved slowly and carefully, fingers stretching for the three sticks sitting just a few inches away.
"You're almost there, Sakura," he said from somewhere behind.
She grunted, arching her back further until her cheek pressed to the floor. After a moment longer of struggle, she gave up with a huff and took a second to catch her breath. Nope, it was a no-go. Ah, well, whoever was doing the hockey unit next could just move the hurdles aside and get the sticks themselves. As she caught her breath, Sakura realized the hem of her shorts had ridden a bit too far up the cheeks of her ass. She shot up, banging her head against the top of the hurdle.
"Ow!"
Professor Mizuki lowered the phone he'd been tapping away at and looked at her in alarm. "Sakura! Are you all right?"
No—fuck, that hurt!
"Y-Yeah, I'm okay," she said, rubbing her head with one hand while tugging her shorts down safely over her butt cheeks with a free hand. Had he seen it? Fighting off the heat of embarrassment, Sakura studied his concerned expression. There was nothing on his face that betrayed any idea he'd noticed her half-naked ass wiggling around in the air. Good thing he'd been too busy on his phone instead. "Sorry, I couldn't reach the hockey sticks."
He nodded and gave her a sympathetic smile. "That's all right. You've done more than enough help already, Sakura. You can go ahead and take your shower now."
Finally dismissed, Sakura murmured a quick 'have a good day' and then slipped past him while rubbing her aching head. She hoped there was still some hot water left. She deserved it after enduring that damn wedgie for far longer than necessary.
Upon entering through the double-set of doors that led into the exercise room itself, Sakura immediately saw what Tenten meant when she mentioned that there was a large influx of female students in the gym today. Nearly every machine was taken up, especially the machines that exercise the glutes. Following Hinata and Ino to a nearby cubby where they could store their bags and bottles, Sakura took a second to peer over to a corner of the room where a group of girls and boys had congregated and faced something.
Huh, maybe there was a bench press contest going on there?
After a few minutes of stretching first, the girls dispersed to do their respective exercise routines with Sakura heading for the treadmill to start off. Despite plenty of treadmills to go around, there were only three left in the corner for her to choose from and she picked the one on the left, right beside a girl walking. She liked warming up with five minutes of power walking before amping it up to fifteen minutes of jogging. Static stretches still weren't enough to loosen up her muscles, so she preferred some time on the treadmill before hitting the other machines and equipment.
Ten minutes into her warm-up, a light sheen of sweat was already building on Sakura's chest. She kept her breaths steady, inhaling the cold air blowing into the air-conditioned room. Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, however, and Sakura glanced over to her right to see who had taken up the third treadmill. She nearly stumbled at the sight of Kakashi cracking open that same orange book she'd seen him carry before.
Well, that explained why the gym was crammed with female students today. She remembered that the facilities like the fitness gym and the pool at the back were open to everyone, teachers and students alike. Even the families of students could visit and use the facilities if they wanted to. Still, she was surprised to find him exercising at the school gym rather than the local gym just a few streets away from campus. Then again, it was probably more convenient for Kakashi to use the gym here for free rather than pay for a membership elsewhere.
With only a single treadmill of space in between them, Sakura wondered if he intentionally chose the one further from her, knowing that it was her. Did he not want to be next to her? Was he still bothered by that night they'd met? But she thought they were making great progress over the course of the week, spending some extra time outside of classes to sit on their bench and talk about… well, the most arbitrary things like the food at the cafeteria.
Maybe I'm just overthinking it, Sakura thought to herself as she watched him amp up the speed of his treadmill. Maybe he doesn't even know that it's me... Wait, who am I kidding? I'm the only one with pink hair here!
Keeping her face forward, she observed Kakashi from the corner of her eye. Sweat glistened down his neck and over the top of his chest where his black shirt and mask didn't cover. The grey sweatpants he wore looked like the same pair from the night they'd met, and Sakura tried not to stare at his crotch for too long as she recalled Ino wondering aloud how big his dick was.
They say foot size indicates—gah, stop it, Sakura!
She licked her lips, feeling a bit thirsty now and regretting she hadn't brought her bottle along.
Minding his own business, Kakashi reached for the book positioned on the panel of the treadmill and turned a page. While he was jogging at a brisk pace, Sakura wondered how in the world he was able to read and run at the same time. She was more curious about that rather than how he was able to breathe through that mask of his. The longer she stared at him, the more questions she had for him. That probably wasn't a good idea either considering he was an enigma himself and she didn't expect him to be sharing all his secrets anytime soon.
Eyeing the bright digital numbers on his panel, Sakura nearly choked when she saw him running at 9.5, which was basically a sprinting speed. And he was making it look like he was taking a light run through the park. If she ran at that speed for more than a few minutes, she'd be tripping over her own feet by now.
Feeling a bit challenged by having a neighbor run so fast, Sakura decided to amp up her speed as well. A 7 was usually the max speed she went for when she wanted to sprint for a few minutes and build endurance. An 8 was only when she wanted to feel like running for her life. She went with 7.
But then one minute passed, and then a second, and a third… Twenty minutes in, Sakura was watching Kakashi still sprint with the speed and grace of a cheetah without any signs of slowing down. Faintly, she thought it was adorable how the fluffed ends of his silver hair flopped up and down with each step he made. Almost like a puppy's ears flopping around. She almost giggled at the thought of Kakashi with dog ears standing stiffly among his tuff of hair and hurriedly shook the image away to remain focused. Not that it helped because it only reminded Sakura of the burn in her lungs. Buckets of sweat seemed to be dripping down her back now too.
She slid her eyes aside to Kakashi again. Despite the beads of sweat trickling down his temple, he merely wiped it with the back of his hand before turning the next page of his book.
God, I wanna lick that sweat off his face.
Her eyes widened at the inappropriate thought and she nearly tripped again. Grabbing the rails at her side, she held herself up to keep her burning legs from collapsing. Oof, that was close. Stealing another glance at Kakashi, she scowled when he had yet to slow down in pace. Like hell she was slowing down first.
Yet, the muscles of her legs screamed for relief while her temple throbbed with a harsh, warning pulse. Dark spots started to form around her peripheral vision and Sakura just barely managed to slam a palm onto the emergency stop button before she dropped to the conveyor belt. Her calves were numb as she curled up, hugging her knees to her chest and dragging in deep breaths to calm her thundering heart rate.
The lower half of her body seemed to be vibrating like an overcharged battery.
"Miss Haruno?"
She tilted her head back to meet Kakashi's grey eyes tinted a shade dark with… concern?
He held out his hand to her and she grasped it, allowing him to haul her back up to her feet like she weighed nothing. "Are you all right?" he asked, hovering a hand over her shoulder in case she collapsed again.
For a hot second, Sakura forgot all about the burning ache of her legs as she inhaled the musk of his sweat and that chilly pine tree scent that was all Kakashi. When the concern in his gaze deepened, she broke out into a blush and hurriedly ran a hand through her messy ponytail to clean up her appearance. "Y-Yeah, I'm okay now. Thanks, Professor Hatake."
Why did he always have to catch her every time she fucked up and looked like a fuck up?
He glanced at her hand still gripping the rail before returning his attention to her face that was undoubtedly a full red now. "Are you dizzy?" If he was mistaking her blush for dizziness or some sort of ailment, then maybe that was for the best.
"It's nothing," Sakura answered a bit breathlessly. "Just a little more out of shape than I thought."
She held back a shiver when Kakashi briefly ran his eyes down to her feet as if he didn't believe her. Just like Professor Mizuki had said; she looked like someone who played sports. It would be hard to believe that someone of her athletic figure would be out of shape.
But when Kakashi looked at her like that, it was different from the strange feeling she got with Professor Mizuki. With Kakashi, his gaze was unreadable, dark, and mysterious… and it left her insides all gooey whenever his eyes lingered on her for too long. Like right now.
"Can you stand?"
Yes… No… Her legs refused to cooperate with her brain. Sakura knew she wasn't in the right frame of mind when, without thinking, she asked, "You don't happen to be out of piggyback rides by any chance, do you?"
He blinked in surprise and she bit the tip of her tongue lightly as punishment for her stupidity. Ah, too late to take it back now. Just as she was considering laughing it off as a joke, Kakashi slowly pivoted around and knelt to the ground.
Sakura's eyes widened and she vaguely heard the girl on the treadmill next to her stumble slightly.
"A-Actually, I was just joking!" she stammered aloud, drawing the attention of a few more pairs of eyes. The heat in her face was like a raging fire now. "Kaka—I mean, Professor Hatake, it's all right! My legs just need a breather," she pleaded to him in a whisper, practically dying of embarrassment now. Peeking over to Ino and Hinata on the opposite end of the room, she was a bit relieved to see them busy on their own exercise machines with their headphones in place.
"Just get on, Miss Haruno."
He seemed exasperated like he himself couldn't believe this was happening either, and she couldn't help but pout at that.
Well, it's not like I demanded that he give me a piggyback ride!
As if sensing her ire, Kakashi peered at her over his shoulder and any words of protest that might've still remained on Sakura's tongue died instantly under his hard gaze. A lick of heat curled in her belly as she moved to climb on his back, but Sakura chalked that up to the hot exhaustion of running too hard for too long.
"Thanks," she mumbled as he stood up.
He grunted in return and Sakura did her best to ignore the stares of the other students, particularly the venomous looks thrown her way by some of the girls. To distract herself from their jealous gazes burning onto her, she ducked her face behind Kakashi's back. His t-shirt was soaked through where her cheek rubbed and the smell of his fresh sweat mixed with his musk and pine tree scent flooded her lungs. She drew in a deep breath to slow down her heart rate.
Mmm, how does he always smell so good? She knew she wasn't going to wash this sports bra anytime soon. Not when his sweat was soaking into the material. No, totally not creepy to do that! I'm just… saving water and money… yeah…
She peeked down where his nape glistened, the fair skin bearing a healthy red flush from running on the treadmill. Licking her lips again, Sakura resisted the sudden temptation welling up in the pit of her belly.
She was grateful when they finally reached the bench in between the entrance and the storage cubbies.
"Do you have some water?" Kakashi asked as he set her down. She nodded, pointing to where her stuff was in the cubbyhole. He came back with her bottle, twisting the cap open before holding it out to her. "Drink your water and rest for a bit here. I'll get you a towel from the front desk."
Oh, you don't have to do that! That was what she should've said. Instead, Sakura pressed her lips and nodded when he looked expectantly at her for an answer. She watched him head through the double doors and swung her legs a bit impatiently on the bench while waiting for him. A ball of giddiness was bouncing around inside her, but Sakura tried not to dwell too long on the fact that she had actually got to ride on his back for the second time. It hadn't even been a whole week since the first time that night.
Maybe my luck is finally turning around! Psh, yeah right…
She tipped her head back, swallowing a mouthful of cold water and feeling it course down her throat. For some reason, it did nothing to soothe the heat still curdling low in her belly.
A fluffy white towel suddenly obscured her vision. Sakura glanced up to find Kakashi holding the towel before her, his own towel slung across his shoulders. He'd already wiped the sweat from his face and neck, but the top of his chest left her mouth watering a bit. Smiling gratefully at him, she mumbled her thanks and wiped the towel over her face, hoping her cheeks were no longer as flushed as they felt. She took another sip of water just in case.
Kakashi sat down beside her, leaving a respectful foot of space in between like the past two times they sat on their bench in between classes. "Were you trying to race me, Miss Haruno?" he asked her.
Sakura froze, feeling like a deer caught in headlights even though Kakashi was still keeping his attention forward. There had been no accusatory tone in his question, only curiosity. Chewing her lip for a moment, she then gave in with a sigh. "I suppose I was."
He frowned and turned to face her, his grey eyes flitting all over her face like she was a puzzle. "Why?"
Why, indeed.
"I like to push myself to do my best and then better than my best, if possible." Sakura shrugged. "I guess I've always been quite competitive like that."
Admittedly, she was competitive to a fault, but it wasn't something that she could help.
A slight crinkle formed in between Kakashi's brows as he appraised her. He was studying her again like she was a puzzle with the most bizarre, mismatching pieces, and he was dying to figure her out. "Something tells me you are quite the overachiever."
She snorted. "I'll take that as a compliment, Professor Hatake."
"Good, because that's exactly how I intended it."
Oh… She blinked down at her water bottle, the coldness of the drink a sharp contrast to the heat of her face. He's… complimenting me? Maybe he didn't think of her as a fool of a fuck up after all.
"Not that it's not commendable, because it is..." Kakashi said, stroking his chin. "But why push yourself so hard? Why feel the need to… overachieve?"
The question was sincere and innocent, but it had Sakura picking at the cap of her bottle anxiously. Kakashi's eyes flicked to her hands and she forced herself to stop and answer him. "I want to impress…" she trailed off, having not quite finished collecting all of her thoughts yet.
She wanted to impress… her parents whom she hadn't seen for years and had last spoken to over a year ago? Sasuke, her fiancé whom she'd never met? No, deep down, the truth was that she had just wanted to impress Kakashi. She wasn't even sure why. Maybe to flip his image of her so that he didn't just remember Sakura Haruno as that drunk girl gone wild that night, but as his best student. It was strange; she'd never wanted a teacher's approval and respect as badly as she did with Professor Hatake. Then again, she'd also never had an instructor as strict as him.
"I just wanted to impress some people," Sakura chose to say.
The last thing she expected was for Kakashi to respond with a sympathetic gaze that quickly ebbed away into something wistful. As if he understood exactly what she meant. As if he'd once stood in her shoes and was remembering that time in his life right now. As quickly as it came, he blinked away whatever memory he'd been seeing and focused back on her. "You have nothing to prove to anyone, Miss Haruno," Kakashi said quietly. "You alone are enough."
Sakura didn't mean to burst out laughing, but she did, and Kakashi quirked a brow at her in confusion. He'd been serious by what he meant. "Sorry, Professor!" she wheezed out, struggling to hold back another giggle. "But is that supposed to be a motivational quote from somewhere?"
That prompted a roll of the eyes from Kakashi, but then those eyes crinkled at her, the grey brightening with a hint of mirth. "Maybe. I…." He hesitated, and there was that pensive look again, thinly veiled by that mirth. "I had a friend who used to say things like that all the time."
Sakura nodded, smiling lightly at him. So he wasn't as much of a lone wolf as Ino claimed he was. "Must be a keeper, that friend of yours."
Kakashi's lips twisted under that mask as if he wanted to debate that idea, but he conceded with a chuckle that warmed her insides and prompted her to take another sip of water. "Something like that," he said, and she could tell he was grinning under the mask. If only she could see his grin, but knowing that she'd been the one to break his usually apathetic expression was more than enough for Sakura.
They smiled at each other for a while longer, but Sakura didn't mind the moment stretching for as long as it needed to. Unfortunately, the moment shattered when some amateur at the bench press accidentally dropped a barbell with a few too many weights than he could handle. The sudden 'bang!' of the weights crashing to the floor had both their faces breaking away to whip towards that direction.
Once Kakashi saw that the student was fine, he sighed quietly and stood up. "All right, keep up the good work then, Miss Haruno, but you should also know your limits. It's fine to stop and take a breather when you need to," he added with a stern raise of the brow.
"I'm young, Professor Hatake," Sakura said, rolling her eyes playfully at him even though she appreciated his concern. "I'm in tip-top shape!" And to prove it, she flexed her bicep proudly in display of her strength.
"Yes, you're young, and that's exactly why you should take better care of yourself. Your youth doesn't make you invincible, Miss Haruno." Kakashi paused, and his brows began to slowly knit together as he considered her. "Also, I would hate to see you get hurt again."
He's worried about me? She bit back a smile. He's worried about me.
"I understand, Professor Hatake," Sakura answered with a tilt of her lips.
Kakashi tilted his head at her, the action reminding her of a dog paying close attention. Wordlessly, he went back to the cubby and retrieved something from his own bag. When he returned to her, he held out something that crinkled in his hand. "Eat this and rest a bit more."
She looked to the peanut butter protein bar and slowly reached up to accept it. A bit surprised by the generous offer—even though it was just a protein bar—Sakura opened her mouth to say something. Thank you? No thanks? I love peanut butter?
Kakashi seemed to accept her stunned silence as a good enough answer, however, and he turned away to return to exercising. "Thank you," Sakura whispered, watching him slip on a pair of gloves as he neared a row of punching bags that nobody really used. They were grappling gloves, she noticed. Open-fingered training gloves that were mainly used for sparring like in mixed-martial arts competitions.
She eyed the way Kakashi punched the bag a few times, his form strong and graceful. He was a work of art; beautiful to study.
As if sensing her gaze on him, he raised his eyes from the punching bag and met hers. There was a tip of the brow, and then a sharp nod to the protein bar still clutched in her hand. Eat, he seemed to convey that command with just a meaningful look.
Laughing at the serious glint in his eye over a protein bar, Sakura shook her head but tore open the wrapper. She ate slowly, savoring each chewy bite even though it didn't taste as good as she hoped it would—no thanks to the many grams of protein in it. As she ate, she kept her eye on Kakashi, unabashed to watch him work out the punching bag since he was too busy with it to notice her staring. Or so she thought, until he looked at her again—maybe checking to make sure she was eating—and Sakura blushed and looked away, a bit embarrassed at having been caught.
Well, it's not like he can just tell me not to look, right? Besides, almost every other girl in the room was eyeing him up and down none too discreetly. Before she could fixate her attention back on Kakashi, Ino and Hinata were already approaching her, their faces lightly flushed from a good workout.
"You ready to go back home?" Ino asked, fixing her ponytail. She frowned upon noticing the wrapper in Sakura's hand that had magically appeared, but didn't comment on it, thankfully.
Sakura shook her head, trying not to focus on the corner of her eye where Kakashi remained in her peripheral vision. Ino slouched slightly in response. "But it's only been a little over thirty minutes." Pouting, she turned to Hinata to back her up.
"I don't mind staying a little longer," Hinata said with a wry smile. "It's important to stretch after a workout too."
Sakura nodded a bit too eagerly. Thanks, Hinata. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea, so I'm just going to stay and, uh, stretch some more."
Ino groaned at that, rolling her eyes dramatically at the two of them. "Ugh, Sakura, you always stay at the gym for over an hour."
"What? I just like exercising and I could use the stretches," Sakura argued back. Somehow, the image of Kakashi stretching along with her popped up in her head. She swallowed lightly and snuck a glance over to him only to find that his grey eyes were already on her. This time, it was him who looked away first to focus back on his punching bag. She couldn't tell if his expression seemed sheepish or if she was just imagining things.
"Fine," Ino huffed out in defeat. "Just remember we're supposed to meet up for dinner tonight, okay? So try not to keep Tenten waiting because she has to lock up."
"Okay, seeya guys then!" Sakura nodded, that ball of giddiness bouncing even harder in her now. Ino frowned slightly at her strange enthusiasm that seemed to come from nowhere, just like with the wrapper bar, but Hinata ushered her away, casting an inquisitive look at Sakura over her shoulder.
Once the doors had closed behind them, Sakura waited a full minute before she stood up and made a show of stretching her arms up. Sure enough, she could feel the front of her sports bra a bit damp from Kakashi's sweat and heat pooled in her belly as the smell of him tingled at her nose. She drank a bit more water to cool herself down before moving to toss the wrapper in the trash.
Taking a detour to make sure she passed in front of Kakashi, she made her way to the dumbbells and tapped her finger along each weight until she reached the 25 pounds. One guy nearby did a double-take when she lifted the weight off the rack with ease, the muscles of her arm tense but not trembling with the effort.
As she started her reps, Sakura kept her attention on the wall mirror where she could see the entire room. Some people had left already; no doubt the girls already had their fill of watching the school's hottest teacher work up a sweat up close in person. But Sakura continued to eye Kakashi from her vantage point, absentmindedly counting the reps in her head as she did so.
From this angle, she noticed a red curve on his left bicep peeking out from the sleeve of his shirt. A tattoo? It was impossible to tell what the design was when she could see only a tease of it. She didn't expect to catch him wearing tank tops anytime soon either despite the sweltering hot weather that hung over Konoha City. Hopefully, one day, she would be able to ask him about it.
I wonder when he got that tattoo though? He did say that he was a little more reckless than me when he was my age. She could imagine Kakashi dressed in a black shirt and dark jeans as a teenager, getting tattooed at some backstreet parlor shop with his friends goading him on. He was probably popular with the ladies then as he is now.
Switching her dumbbell to the other hand, she continued to mull over what kind of person Kakashi Hatake was at her age. She didn't notice he was standing at the side and quietly observing her with his arms crossed—not until she glanced up at the mirror and nearly dropped the dumbbell. Geez, the guy's a ninja! How long was he standing there while I daydreamed about his teen self?!
"You're pretty strong," he noted aloud, eyeing the 25-pound weight in her hand.
Hoping he didn't catch her slight stumble there—he probably did—Sakura eagerly continued her reps, no longer caring about the count anymore. "Yeah, so I've been told." Her proud smile began to falter though as she remembered how the boys in school would often tease her about her monster strength. For someone as slim as Sakura, it always shocked people when they saw how strong she was.
"It's impressive," Kakashi said, and hearing that brightened her smile again. His deep grey eyes ran up her body before landing on her face, his expression neutral but somehow warm compared to his usual stoicism during class. He stroked his chin as he contemplated something, almost hesitant. "Would you like me to give you some pointers on your form and technique?" he asked slowly.
The smile on Sakura's face widened. "I would appreciate it, Professor Hatake."
"So that's Professor Hatake, huh?" Tenten said, leaning far over the counter of the front desk to peer through the window of the double doors. "He's hot."
The two girls on the other side of the desk nodded in agreement.
"He should just take his shirt off if he's that sweaty," Ino mumbled. Upon hearing a snicker from Tenten, she grinned. "What? I just wanna count his abs, that's all."
"Bet you fifty ryo he's got an eight-pack under there."
"You're on."
"Sakura's right," Hinata said, "he looks like he could be a dojo master instead of a college professor."
Leaning against the desk, Ino gave the two girls an amused look as she twirled a finger around the end of her ponytail. "My dad says Professor Hatake was Special Forces in the military, specifically a commander in the Anbu Black Ops. Apparently, he rose through the ranks really quickly at a young age. They called him a prodigy."
"That would explain why he knows martial arts." Hinata squinted through the window. "Or that nasty scar on his eye."
"I think that scar makes him even more of a badass," Tenten sighed out, leaning her cheek against her hand. "It gives him that ruggedly handsome look, you know?"
They did know, and they nodded again in understanding. The scar on his eye was almost a signature look for Professor Hatake, and they were sure that nobody else could pull off a flaw like that as well as he could.
"He's done over a hundred S-rank missions during his service in the military," Ino added, watching Kakashi grab a heavy weight and demonstrate something to Sakura. The bulk of his bicep flexed beautifully and a giggle could be heard from somewhere in the exercise room.
After Kakashi set the weight down, ending the demonstration, Hinata glanced at Ino. "S-rank? What's that?"
"They're like the dirtiest, most dangerous missions you can do in the Special Forces," Ino explained when she was met with confused faces. "Top secret and undercover shit. Basically, only the best of the best are allowed to do the S-ranks. My dad didn't bother going into the details of it though. I'm technically not supposed to even know Professor Hatake was Anbu."
Through the window, Sakura could be seen giggling at something Professor Hatake had said, prompting the older man to crinkle his eyes at her and seemingly joining in on the merriment too. It was admittedly a bizarre sight to behold, considering the professor had been maintaining an impassive face since the moment Tenten greeted him at the front desk when he entered the facility.
"Does Sakura know?" Tenten asked.
Ino chortled and waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, if I tell her he's ex-Special Forces then she'd probably shit herself knowing she punched an Anbu Black Ops commander in the face that night. Can you imagine how freaked out she'd be?"
They could imagine it. They could practically see Sakura wilting right on the spot and falling to her knees before Professor Hatake, either apologizing profusely for her foolishness or begging for him to spare her life. Possibly both. Probably both.
"But they seem okay now," Hinata said, watching the way Professor Hatake casually touched Sakura's arm with both hands and directed her movement, extending and flexing the limb while explaining something to her. "She's not shrinking away from him."
It was true. Unlike with most cute boys whom Sakura had the strange fortune of attracting—only to quickly realize that they were not the nice guy they advertised themselves to be—she wasn't as shy when it came to Professor Hatake. In fact, it was obvious that she enjoyed his company and felt comfortable in his presence, even with his close proximity to her. Maybe throwing up on him had done more good than bad after all. It seemed it had broken the ice between them.
Tenten half-shrugged though. "I mean, he is just her professor. She doesn't have anything to be nervous about with him except for her grade."
Ino grinned, scrutinizing the way Sakura cocked her hip and gave the man a challenging look. Jade orbs glinted with something teasing, pink lips curling at the corners as she said something that had Professor Hatake tipping a brow at her in amusement. "Wait until she hears that her professor knows over a hundred ways to fuck her up."
"Or maybe he knows over a hundred ways to fuck." Catching the bewildered looks of her friends, Tenten raised both palms open in another shrug. "What? A girl can fantasize, and it doesn't help that he's so... sexy," she finished with a sigh.
But Ino frowned and glanced between the girl and the man still deep in conversation with each other. Their feet were parallel to each other, both of their shoulders relaxed too. "But Professor Hatake and Sakura? No way," she scoffed. "Forehead can't even play spin-the-bottle without flaking at the thought of kissing a guy no matter how cute he is."
Still, Ino couldn't help but notice how Sakura seemed rapt by what Professor Hatake was explaining to her. Then again, Sakura had never been one to shy away from understanding the science of how things worked. She was probably invested in the conversation with her professor because she had a sincere passion for learning. That's all.
"But they seem pretty comfortable with each other over there, don't you think?" Hinata suggested as Kakashi tapped a finger to the inside of Sakura's wrist. "They kinda look like they're friends now."
Ino's frown deepened as she watched Sakura smile brightly at her professor, all carefree and positively radiating. "Really..?"
"So remember that the exercise is more effective if you go at a steadier pace rather than trying to go as fast as possible," Kakashi said, giving a sideways glance to the young man sitting on a bench nearby and flying through his reps with fierce determination. He turned back to Sakura with a pointed look.
"Am I getting a grade on this, Coach Hatake?" Sakura teased him, testing out another rep to ensure her form was exactly the way he just taught her.
"No," Kakashi answered, reaching out to touch her elbow and wrist as she performed another bicep curl. "Only my silent judgment."
She pouted at him, glad for his fingers sitting lightly against her arm and guiding her through the technique as she found herself distracted by the warmth of his touch. "You won't even give me an A for effort?"
There was a twinkle in his eye as Kakashi chuckled quietly and shook his head. "Oh, but I'm not supposed to be an easy teacher. I'm 'crazy hard'," he repeated her words from the night they'd met, voice deep and gruff with amusement. "Remember?"
The dumbbell in her hand remained where it was against her side as Sakura gaped at Kakashi, speechless. The heat in her belly had revived with an unexpected curl and she felt her cheeks bloom red once more. Interpreting that for embarrassment, Kakashi eyes crinkled with a smile and his hand reached up to pat her head.
"Keep up the good work, Miss Haruno."
She made a silent vow to do just that.
.
.
.
It was almost midnight by the time Sakura came home. Since it was the weekend, Ino had left to go home to her parents instead of with Sakura back to their apartment. Much to her chagrin, there was still a pile of dishes waiting for her when she kicked her heels off. There was also still some homework she needed to catch up on, and she had sworn to herself that she would review Kakashi's lecture from Wednesday. That, and she still needed to spend at least an hour reading and preparing for next week's lecture as well.
Groaning, Sakura threw herself onto her bed with a loud 'flomp!', not caring that her butt was now exposed thanks to the skirt of her dress flying up from the motion.
She tapped through the playlist on her phone, setting it to shuffle before picking a random song. The music filled the small space of her room, making it easier to forget about the fact that she would be all alone in the apartment for the rest of the weekend with nothing but the oppressive silence for company.
Having just come back from dinner with the girls, Sakura should've been thinking about everything they'd discussed while chowing down on appetizers and clam chowder. Or at least be thinking of that delicious strawberry shortcake they'd shared for dessert. Truthfully, she didn't remember much of dinnertime or even lunchtime with Ino. It had all been a blur for the rest of the day and, several times, Hinata would have to quietly nudge her to snap her back to attention. She had asked Sakura once, while they were in the bathroom, if she was feeling ill or wanted to go home instead.
No, she felt completely fine, Sakura had reassured her friend. Great, even. Ino had insisted that she pushed herself to exhaustion at the gym, especially after Sakura had mentioned that she almost fainted at the treadmill. Yet, it wasn't exhaustion that had Sakura zoning out during dinner and picking at her garlic bread while waiting for the clam chowder to be served. In fact, all day today she had felt nothing short of contentment. A strange kind of exuberance had coursed through her veins all day like a drug, and she just couldn't seem to concentrate well enough since stepping out of the gym. It felt like that time she'd happily gorged on too many sweets one lonely night as a kid, but without the sugar crash.
As she laid in bed right now, going over today's events, she found her mind regressing to this morning's events at the gym. How quickly Kakashi had come to her aid the moment she collapsed on the treadmill. That he didn't hesitate to carry her to the bench—although she suspected he was punishing her with embarrassment for pushing herself too hard. And then he'd actually given his own food—just a protein bar, but still, it was generous coming from someone as aloof as him.
'Keep up the good work, Miss Haruno.'
Turning onto her back, she smiled up at the ceiling. She lifted a hand to touch the top of her head, remembering the warmth and comforting weight of his palm. Did he pat all his students on the head like that? Or… just her?
Sakura didn't take Kakashi as the kind of guy to just be so casual with someone. Whenever class was dismissed and a student—usually a girl—came up to him to make small talk or ask a question, he always seemed like he just wanted to disappear up a tree and have some privacy to his book. Or maybe he was just picky with the people he touched.
It had been nothing else than a friendly pat on the head. A touch of encouragement, nothing more.
And yet…
'I'm crazy hard…'
Slowly, hesitantly, Sakura drew a hand down her body, letting her fingers graze over a breast and then squeeze there. An experimental touch. More than enough to stoke the bit of heat simmering in her lower belly. The same heat that'd been pooling there since this morning. Maybe she was nearing her period or something. She tended to get pretty horny shortly before her menstruation.
Another squeeze, and she hummed, pressing a finger onto the nipple hardening beneath her bra.
Remembering the intensity of his gaze on her when he'd been working out at the punching bag, Sakura clenched her thighs together. She swallowed hard and flicked her eyes to the mauve sports bra still sitting innocently at the foot of her bed. There was another second of hesitation before she reached over to grab the bra and press the front of it to her nose. Was it her sweat that she was smelling? Or Kakashi's? She liked to think it was his.
She liked to imagine it was Kakashi's hand slipping down to her panties and stroking that finger right over the small wet spot at the center. The calloused pads of his fingertips would leave a delicious friction on her flesh, the perfect balance of a gentle but rough touch.
'I'm crazy hard…'
His voice was practically purring in Sakura's ear, deep and encouraging. Urging her to slip that hand into her underwear and give herself the pleasure she desired. And to give him a show. Let the gunmetal grey of his eyes darken like smoke still smoldering with heat.
"Professor Hatake…" she sighed out, breathing deeply into the sweat stain on the front of her sports bra. As soon as she said those two words, Sakura froze, her hand stilling against her wet mound.
No, this was wrong! Kakashi was her teacher! She shouldn't be having these thoughts about him.
But, a small voice spoke up from the recesses of her mind, nobody will know. Nobody will know if I touch myself to him. It's not like Kakashi is here with me now, and Ino's away at her parent's. Technically, there was nothing illegal about masturbating to your hot teacher either. If teenage boys could hang posters of pin-up models and jerk off to those women on a daily basis, then why couldn't Sakura do essentially the same thing?
'Keep up the good work, Miss Haruno.'
Kakashi's words echoed back, challenging her, goading her.
"Yes, Professor Hatake," Sakura moaned out, finally letting her fingers circle over her swollen clit and eliciting sparks of pleasure to surge through her.
Feeling her arousal trickle out, she hurriedly shoved her panties down, letting it dangle off her ankle so she could spread her legs for more space. The scent of her own musk made Sakura bite back a moan as she flicked her clit one more time. Finally, she slipped a finger into herself, letting the crook of it make the flame in her belly curl in response.
It wasn't often that she masturbated as she had usually been too busy studying or working. She didn't expect to be so sensitive like this though. The euphoria in her body continued to rise like a crescendo as Sakura continued to imagine Kakashi's fingers in her. She imagined him looming above her, his strong arms caging her in his heat as he murmured into her ear, 'I'm crazy hard, Miss Haruno'
Her toes began to curl and she gripped her breast more urgently, hips rocking and making the bed squeak a bit as she thought of Kakashi's fingers slipping deeper into her. Stroking her insides and coaxing her to climax for him. She would be his good student—no, his good girl, and she would cum for her professor on his command. That same commanding tone he used in class, and the same tone he had used on her this morning.
She gasped, back arching slightly.
The crescendo reached its peak and white-hot pleasure tore through her core.
"Professor!" Sakura whimpered through her release, turning her face to press it to the sports bra beside her head. The faint scent of his sweat tingled at her nose, adding to the fantasy of Kakashi touching her and surrounding her with the slick heat of his body.
As soon as the hot throbbing in her belly had subsided enough, she slowly slid her hand from beneath her dress. The evidence of what she had done now coated her fingers, dripping down the wrist where Kakashi had tapped his finger to explain the rotation of her muscle.
A mix of shame and guilt soon replaced the bit of pleasure still stirring within her, and Sakura closed her eyes so that she wouldn't have to look at her hand. Yet, all she could see was Kakashi with that twinkle in his dark eyes, and raising his hand to pat her on the head again, praising her as a good girl.
It took her a while to remind herself that nobody would have to know about what just happened. All she did was just touch herself, that's all. Nothing abnormal for a girl on the brink of adulthood.
Right, nobody will ever know.
Reviews are much appreciated and keep me motivated, thanks! :)