CHAPTER 3: Perfect boyfriends only exist in missions…
You don't realize the power they have
Until they leave you and you want them back
Nothing in this world prepares you for that
Kakashi managed to retrieve the scroll from Tsunade the day she asked him to.
He wanted to get it started as fast as he could so he could get done with it just as fast, and also because he didn't want to think too much about it.
He told Sakura about it the night before and she agreed. That was definitely a surprise. So, all that's left for him to do was to enjoy the month and then get paid; give Sakura her portion because she was very much willing to cooperate and…that's it. It's done.
No room for guilt here. He thought.
However, the scroll seemed to complicate things a bit because it detailed all the things that Tsunade wanted him to do for the mission a.k.a. Sakura.
Some were remarkably detailed like: What to do in situations where Sakura falls asleep inside a janitor's closet in the hospital and gets locked inside with no food or drink and the building collapses, while the others were just vague. Like task #27: WATCH.
Watch what? A movie? The sunset? Torture and Interrogation with Ibiki?
It was a good thing that he was already in cahoots with Sakura so, he was confident that things will be relatively easy especially since he had the checklist as some sort of a guide.
That's why, on the same day he got the scroll, he immediately went to her to ask what she wanted to do. She didn't say much about the mission except a lively: LET'S GET IT ON! Then, he began mentally ticking things off the checklist as they walked along the plaza and proceeded to parade their fake relationship.
That's what he did for three days, and in those days, Kakashi had already accomplished a few, like:
- Make sure you compliment her every single day (no repetition of words!)
- Hold hands while walking (Your fingers need to be intertwined);
- Bring her lunch at the hospital and eat with her on the rooftop because I know you're allergic to hospitals (Ask her how her day went and pretend to listen to boring stories of civilian patients. Make decent remarks.);
- Foot rubs every Mondays because Monday is usually Sakura's surgery day;
…And other few simple ones.
He didn't want to check everything off on the list in a rush even when Tsunade told him that he could mix and match different tasks together in a day, and come up with a few of his own if he finishes all of it. What's important was that he should always be there for her during the span of one month (except when summoned for emergency missions), and that he couldn't cheat his way through because for every day that he spends with Sakura, a single photo of them would land on the Hokage's desk as evidence.
Apparently, the Hokage had managed to involve even the ANBU on this little project of hers but he didn't mind as long as none of their privacy gets extensively violated.
However, three days was also enough time for the news of their sudden relationship to be broadcasted all throughout the village.
During those days, he enjoyed nasty looks from the more traditionally inclined civilian elders, unabashed gossiping of majority of the female population, proud cheers from his fellow male shinobi, and one particular day where he got accosted by two blondes—Ino and Naruto, who interrogated him about his relationship with Sakura because apparently, no one had anticipated any romantic relationship to ever develop between the two of them.
Luckily for him, Sakura had foreseen the incident upon the commencement of the mission and both of them had come up with a simple, believable script.
That's why he had no qualms handling both raging blondes in front of his friends while managing to slip mouthfuls of food in front of them one evening. It also helped that his Hot Jounin friends, as what Ino called them, cooperated during the said interrogation because they too, were accomplices to it.
'Yes…the beautiful sparks of love and passion had always been there.' As Gai put it.
'Kakashi likes his kunoichi smart and beautiful. Sakura fits that description.' Hayate rasped.
'Sakura was the one he was waiting for so he'd finally get his ass checked in the hospital.' Raido supplied.
'Ultimate fulfillment of sexual fantasy!' They shouldn't have let Genma talk.
'Kakashi was definitely smitten.' Asuma supplied just to make everything seem coherent and believable.
Honestly, even he didn't find his friends convincing enough… maybe because he truly knew who they were, but it looked like Ino and Naruto had bought it—and that was enough.
All those events transpired three days ago. Today was the fourth day and Kakashi was already exhausted. He had not slept at all. Not even a wink. He also refused to let any alcohol in his system because he didn't want Sakura to handle the mess he could become and simply relied on some left-over soldier pills for the past few days.
But this was his last straw…
He had managed to see Sakura during the day but felt a bit bad because he had to suddenly cancel their dinner plans and he actually needed something from her.
The soldier pills weren't working anymore. It felt like his chakra reserves were being tapped out slowly. And so, with the remaining energy he had left, Kakashi dragged himself towards Sakura's doorstep and knocked.
It was 9:45PM.
Sakura opened the door clad in a loose, sleeveless white-with-pink-polka dots top with ruffled straps and similar shorts. It looked like she just got out of the shower because droplets of water were still falling from the tips of her shoulder length hair to the front of her sleep wear.
With the little energy he had left, he still managed to give her a small smile but almost fell forward because he could no longer force himself to stand.
"Kakashi?! You look like shit! What happened?" Sakura immediately wrapped an arm around his waist and helped him in but the moment she made contact, he felt as though he was being engulfed by healing chakra. Like he was floating on cool, calm water that was so clear, he could see the bottom.
A few steps inside her living room and Sakura sat him on her peach love seat. She removed his hitai-ate and ran a hand over his brow then down his neck.
"Are you sick? Is this the reason why you cancelled? You should've told me immediately I could've gone to you."
"I'm not sick." He answered and made a grab for her hand that kept on checking a change on his temperature and placed it over his flak vest—directly over his heart. "It's just…it's insomnia."
Sakura was looking at him weirdly as though she knew he was lying. Like he wasn't telling her all there was to it. Fortunately, the heartbeat beneath her palm hadn't betrayed him but that did not erase the worried look on Sakura's face.
"Do you have any sleeping pills?" He then asked just to break the tension.
Two…three pops of pills probably won't make him remember whatever dream was waiting for him—only the bitter after taste, but he'll take it. Unfortunately, Sakura shook her head.
"No. No sleeping pills for you but…why don't you stay for the night and I'll make you some tea, hm? Chamomile with valerian root.
Kakashi wanted to protest. He really did. But Sakura's sofa was so inviting. Even her hand over his chest added to his further desire to stay there and sleep and…he could tick of one of the items on Tsunade's checklist. Maybe a few if he played his cards right.
Damnit! He cursed. He was dead tired and this was what he was still thinking of…
"How's having a bath first sound like? Can you stand?" Sakura asked, cutting him off from his internal debate. But Kakashi tried and was surprised because his knees hadn't buckled on his way up.
Did he only need to sit down and rest? But that was what he was doing just before he went to Sakura's apartment—sitting on a tree stump after a sparring session with his bunshin. Maybe Sakura did channel some healing chakra in him…
He then took the first step…and almost crashed if Sakura hadn't held him up.
"I haven't seen you this exhausted since the Land of Moon, Kakashi. It brings back memories. Hehe." Sakura remarked and thoughts of them when they were both so young flashed through Kakashi's mind as they stood in her living room looking at each other.
"Ah, that's where you're wrong, Sakura. I'm pretty much exhausted since birth." He said as he extracted himself from her and tried to stand on his own.
"I see. You were probably an extremely wrinkly little baby with a tuff of wild silver hair."
"That's what my father told me."
Sakura snorted and began ushering him towards her bathroom.
"There's an extra toothbrush inside the drawer. Feel free to rummage around. There are also lots of fluffy towels in there. Oh, and if you need a shirt, I still have your old jounin tshirt."
She reminded him of a particular sparring session where numerous kunai and shuriken rained on him which caused several tears on his clothes. But Sakura assured him that she had already repaired it and merely forgot to give it back.
Honestly, he never thought of having it back. That shirt had been in tatters if he remembered correctly.
"Just leave your clothes outside so I can drop them in the washing machine and dryer later. Okay?" Sakura gently ordered.
Without protest, Kakashi did what he was told after having been pitifully assisted into the bathroom.
He remembered what Sakura said about it needing an overhaul, but when he looked around, nothing seemed in need of repair. That's when he noticed the tiles. It was an assortment of colors and sizes which didn't really complement one another that it can awaken any person's inner OCD.
"Figures." He whispered before shutting the shower curtain and allowing the spray of warm water to rain on him while bracing himself over the tiled wall.
Kakashi came out freshly dressed and a little energized. The old shirt Sakura spoke of came out pretty well after being repaired, and the patches, which were of the same color as the material, were expertly sewn in on the fabric that the stitches seemed invisible. However, that particular shirt didn't have an attached mask so, he supposed that it was probably about time for Sakura to see his face. As for his pants, he was surprised that a set of jogging pants (which were a little short) and boxers were waiting for him. He was curious to know why Sakura had them. Maybe he could ask later.
Kakashi then padded his way towards Sakura's yellow kitchen and heard the sound of water being poured in yunomis.
"If you're wondering about the pants, they're Naruto's. He crashed here one night, all tattered and beat up from a mission that I had to buy him new clothes because I can't have him recuperating naked. But don't worry. They have been washed and steamed so they're perfectly safe to wear. Aren't you glad they aren't orange?"
Sakura must have felt that his presence was close because she turned, beaming, but was immediately replaced with a horrified reaction as she screamed and covered her eyes with the palm of her hand.
"WAAAAAHHH! Cover up! Cover up!" She screamed and then abruptly turned so that her back was once again facing him.
Kakashi was taken aback.
That was the first time he experienced such kind of response concerning his face. It was such a violent reaction that he wondered whether all those people whom he let live who had the chance of seeing his face and called him good looking were all bunch of big fat liars.
"I am covered up."
"I meant your face. I feel like I got blinded for a second." She said, her back still turned to him but her statement made him smile.
At least that settled the question of whether or not he should start terrorizing all those people who fed his ego because they told him he had a pretty face but apparently, he did not.
He wasn't a narcissist but he honestly thought he didn't look bad, and with what Sakura just said, he felt like his ego had just gotten its well-deserved boost. So, he was willing to let things pass.
Then Sakura began pointing a finger behind her. "Uhh, there's a box of surgical mask on the top left cupboard, you can use them." She said and he proceeded to the place she pointed at and indeed saw a box of the standard surgical masks used in hospitals. He got one and put it on.
"Okay, you can turn now." He called.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Kakashi heard her sigh.
When she faced him, there was a tinge of blush staining her cheeks which grew darker when he decided to approach her. Then he noticed that her right hand was over her heart as though she was calming her breathing. And she indeed was because he could clearly hear the sound of her heartbeat.
Kakashi then gently placed both of his palms on the either side of Sakura's waist and rubbed small calming circles on her as he intently watched her lips part in order to speak.
"I'm sorry. My heart wasn't ready yet." She smiled shyly.
"Too much?" He asked as he nuzzled the side of her cheek with his masked nose.
"Yes. Too much." She agreed. Giggling a little bit because of the intimate contact.
"What about when I kiss you then? You still won't let me remove my mask?" He asked after drawing back a little bit to look at her. He saw her eyes widen a bit in surprise but a soft smile bloomed on her lips.
"Is this going to be our first kiss? Are you going to kiss me now?" She asked.
"Only if you want to."
There was a brief pause as Sakura seemed to consider what he said. But then her eyes slowly slid shut and she tilted her chin up waiting for his next move.
"I want to." She said softly and Kakashi took that opportunity to slide the surgical mask down.
"Don't open your eyes or you'll get blinded by my good looks."
Sakura giggled and he felt soft little puffs of air brush his chin.
He found out that he adored looking at Sakura's face like that. There was so much innocence in her especially now that all her guards were down.
"Please stop smiling like that unless you want me to kiss your teeth instead." He teased.
This time, she let out a laugh that bubbled for a while that she had to bury her face on his chest and grip on his sleeves just to control herself.
"But I can't stop! I've been dreaming of the time I'd get my first kiss."
"In the kitchen?"
"My kitchen is a nice place." She said and she lifted her face from his chest and once again tilted it up to him. Her eyes were still closed, cheeks still stained with that rosy color, but now she was calm.
Kakashi suddenly felt the need to touch her…to feel the warmth of her skin on his fingertips. So, as carefully and as gently as he could, he dragged his fingers down Sakura's cheek. His thumb then brushed her lips, parting them ever so slightly, and made her wait as he stared at her delicate features unfit for a kunoichi of the leaf. Then, when it looked like she was about to open her eyes…he kissed her.
One item down. Plenty more to go.
It was an innocent kiss that lasted for only two seconds and he ended it by leaning his forehead over Sakura's because he thought her heart was going to pop right out of her chest with how fast he was hearing it beat.
It just proved how innocent she still was in all these and he had to remind himself that he needed to make things as wholesome as possible for her.
That was how he wanted things to go, at least.
Eventually, he had to step back and slide his mask back in place because if he hadn't, he was positive that he was going to kiss her again.
"You can open your eyes now." He said softly and he watched as her eyes fluttered open, saw up-close how her pupils dilated, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't mesmerized.
Kakashi definitely had to give Sakura space to allow her to take in what happened because it looked like she needed time to come down from whatever high she was on. However, it seemed like that wasn't gonna happen anytime soon so, he waited for a few heartbeats more before finally bursting her bubble.
"I'll take the sofa after I drink your tea, Sakura."
Sakura's face automatically turned into a frown.
"Huh? You're not gonna take the bed? I honestly thought we were going to sleep on the same bed. Isn't that a part of the uh…boyfriend experience?"
"It is but…"
Things were turning out to be a piece of cake but he wasn't sure if he's happy about it or not.
Kakashi began scratching the back of his neck like how he always did whenever he felt uneasy or unsure. But then, he noticed that Sakura was looking down and was dragging her feet back and forth, invisibly drawing imaginary lines on the floor, which she also always did whenever she too felt uneasy. Then she spoke.
"Am I making it hard for you?" She asked. "I'm sorry. To sleep is the only thing I'm capable of right now. S-sex is…sex is still too much. I think…"
It's not that. He thought.
Sakura was making it so easy for the checklist to be fulfilled that he was afraid he'd run out of things to do but…how difficult could it be to make an 18-year-old fall in love? With the way things were going, he was sure he didn't have to do much.
This time, Kakashi stepped back in her space and urged her to look at him. He cupped her face once more and began to gently rub his thumb over her cheeks while her big green eyes looked at him.
"Sakura, you're actually making everything easy for me that sometimes I feel guilty because it seems that you're doing all the work. So never think that you're making things hard or that you're a burden because you're not. And I promised to take things slow with you. There's no need to rush. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here." Kakashi assured her because that was the truth. She was making everything so easy and he wasn't going to go anywhere. They only had a few weeks left, and if he handled things correctly, he was positive that they'd just fall back to their same old ways. As Exes. Ex-sensei and ex-student.
.
.
.
Kakashi and Sakura had finally made it to bed that night after having the tea warm their bellies.
He was the one who switched off the light because Sakura still stubbornly refused to see his face, but they now lay side by side, staring at the ceiling, adjusting their eyesight to the darkness with the help of whatever distant light source there was. Then, Sakura spoke.
"Kakashi? Is cuddling part of the experience?"
Kakashi smiled in the dark because he knew it would eventually come to this.
The bed was pushed in one corner under a window covered in sheer white curtains that allowed the cool night breeze to flow through. It was definitely an ideal night for cuddling….and mentally ticking of items in his scroll.
"Face the wall." He gently ordered. If he could see Sakura's face, he was certain that she would've been frowning.
"Am I being punished for something?"
Kakashi chuckled.
"No, Sakura. Just face the wall and then raise your head a bit."
Kakashi had no problems seeing in the dark with the aid of his sharinggan, but he waited for the sound of shuffling before he himself turned to face the back of her head. He then encircled her with his arms. One arm slipping through the crook between her neck and shoulders while the other went across her waist. He pulled her flush against his, their legs and feet tangled in a comfortable mess under the covers.
It was complete silence for a while. Then, Kakashi felt Sakura sink thoroughly within his embrace as she placed an arm on top of his—the one that was splayed across her stomach.
"Oh, shit. This is bad. This is sooo bad."
She cursed, which made Kakashi lift his head a bit to peer at her through the shadows. She was the one who asked for cuddles. Why was she cursing now?
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"Hmm… I don't think I could ever sleep the same if I don't get cuddled like this. You're so warm, sensei. It feels so good." She murmured then she gasped.
"Now, that sounded dirty. I like it. Please keep using it more." He teased and Sakura slapped his arm playfully.
"It just slipped, okay, Kakashi? There." But then she snuggled herself closer to him. Her hand was even absently rubbing his arm as though seeking for more contact.
Without warning, Kakashi kissed her exposed shoulder.
His lips lingered on her skin for a bit because she felt so soft and smooth and equally warm, and she smelled really nice. Like flowers. Like her name.
Focus on the list. He thought. When suddenly, Sakura spoke and Kakashi immediately pulled his head back a few inches away.
"Did you just kiss my shoulder?"
"Yes, is there a problem? Did I make you uncomfortable?" He asked warily.
"What? No! I was just…surprised." Sakura confessed and they fell into silence again. Then after a beat, she asked…
"Do couples really do that? Kiss shoulders?"
Kakashi paused to think for a minute before answering. She was right, it wasn't on the checklist. But then, memories of two of his closest friends flashed through his mind and suddenly, kissing the shoulders seemed the most intimate yet most normal thing to do. And so he said…
"I think so. I always see Asuma do it to Kurenai."
"Ah yes. They look like a really good couple."
"They are."
"So, uhm…don't go kissing my shoulders too much. I might get used to it." Sakura said with a chuckle.
"Okay." Kakashi agreed but pulled Sakura even closer than before.
"Do you want me to kiss your shoulders again?" He eventually asked.
"Yes, please." She said and so he did, and based on the sound of her voice, he was sure that there was a smile playing on her lips.
Kakashi kissed Sakura's shoulders a few more times. His lips softly touching the skin of her shoulders, leaving invisible kiss marks here and there while gently rubbing his hand over her stomach, careful not to stray. Then, he heard her murmuring things like: You've got nice lips, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and Sasuke were wrong, and why are you so good at this? I'll be kissing your shoulders too, you'll see...this feels nice…so nice…so warm…
Sakura's voice gradually faded and her breathing evened out as he left one final kiss on her shoulder blade.
She had already fallen asleep…
That night, Kakashi lay in bed with a woman in his arms, feeling content. And for the first time in a very long time, he wasn't feeling the usual anxiety on the thought of a frightful slumber because things felt different but it felt right.
Checklist aside…everything felt right.
Kakashi woke up at 6 A.M., waaay past his usual waking hour if he ever got to sleep and was surprised because it was the first time he wasn't jolted awake. Even the bitter taste of dread at the pit of his stomach was absent. Instead, he felt suspiciously refreshed, energized, and most importantly, clear-headed.
Was this how it felt to have a good night's rest? He usually hated the early sun rays, even the chirping of the birds, but none of that was happening at the moment and he actually felt terrified.
What was even more chilling was the fact that Sakura had woken up before him and had left the bed. He hadn't felt anything at all and that had never ever happened before.
Sakura was the second-hardest person to wake up back when Team 7 still did missions. Naruto was the worst but Sakura had the temper and she was like an incoming thunderstorm in the morning. All sulky with the non-stop grumbling and occasional breaking of some of their camp tools. Now, he didn't have to witness that early morning rage.
Was this the effect of the tea? He thought. Because if he knew back then that drinking tea would have this sort of effect, he would've bathed in the concoction instead…
Kakashi finally decided to get off Sakura's bed; and since he was a conscientious person and he respected other people's personal space; he made an effort to fix the bed like a good little guest.
He then looked around the pastel-painted room and immediately saw his clothes already freshly laundered and pressed.
Kakashi sensed that Sakura was somewhere around the apartment so he figured to take a quick shower first before meeting her. He appeared in the kitchen a couple of minutes later, following the scent of mouthwatering chocolate and saw Sakura washing what looked like baking tools.
He also purposely dropped the mask because he was wondering what her reaction this time would be.
"Well, someone had a wonderful sleep. That makes two of us." She said and turned to smile at him from where he was leaning across the kitchen's partition wall.
"No violent reactions about going blind?" He asked when he noticed that she was looking straight at his mask-less face.
"Nope. I blinded myself enough watching you sleep a while back and healed myself afterwards so I'm all good." She confessed while modestly fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"Did you now? So, does that mean that I could freely go to you right now and ask for my good morning kiss?"
Sakura gasped and he saw her hands flex as she gripped the front of her dog printed apron, which reminded him so much of Pakkun.
"Good morning kisses are included in the boyfriend experience?"
A lot is included in the boyfriend experience as per Tsunade's checklist. His mind went off again.
But just like what he did last night, Kakashi walked towards her and held her waist. He pinned her gently on the kitchen counter while her small hands moved to rest over his flak jacket as though it was an automatic bodily response.
"If you want, we could also have midday kisses, kisses after lunch, after-snacks kisses, good-evening-good-night-midnight-snack kisses…name it and I would be happy to oblige."
"Just call them daily random kisses, silly!" She giggled but he noticed that her eyes had shifted to his lips. And he didn't know whether Sakura was aware but he watched her bite her bottom lip before looking back up at him to ask…
"So…are we going to have our second kiss now?"
"Why? Are you keeping tally?" He inquired but he was already closing the distance between them to maybe try his luck on biting that soft bottom lip she just bit.
"Hmm. Maybe...but there's something I really want to do." She whispered against him and he could already feel her breath on his lips.
Unfortunately for him, Sakura suddenly drew back as though remembering something important…more important than kissing, apparently, and he couldn't do anything but to begin inwardly reciting the shinobi rules to reign himself in, while Sakura went about searching for something behind her.
She then excitedly hovered a chunk of brownie in front of him.
"I want you to try these first, Kakashi! You're gonna die once you get a taste of it." She claimed.
"If that's the case then I guess I'll have to pass…"
Sakura pouted at him and of course he got defeated by that technique. So, using his mouth and while still holding her in place, he took the small but thick slice of brownie she held up before him...all the while staring at her eyes, her nose, her lips, then back to her eyes again as he chewed.
When all of a sudden…he began to have a coughing fit. Just like a cat with a fur ball stuck in his throat.
"What in the world—don't tell me you're allergic to chocolate?" She asked and worry was evident in her voice.
Sakura kept rubbing his back tenderly as he bent over her shoulder while forcing his cough to subside.
He was even about to tear up, goddammit!
But then, he felt that she started channeling healing chakra on his back. That's when he squeezed her tight against him before releasing her and looking straight at her beautiful face full of worry.
"I thought I died for a second back there." He said while clearing his throat.
"I'm sorry. I had no idea it was bad for you. I mean I would have known but you don't submit yourself for medicals! So how would I know?"
"I'm not allergic, Sakura." He assured her because he wasn't going to go and break his long streak of avoiding his check-ups just because she thought he was allergic to chocolate. "…and the brownies taste wonderful." He added. It's true. It did taste wonderful.
"So, you were just pretending? Because you had me worried back there." She asked with a nervous chuckle.
"Maybe." He replied.
He would never tell her that he choked on the small piece of brownie just because he wanted to entice her with his chewing. Apparently, it was difficult to make chewing look sexy—and he had found it the hard way.
"So, what was it you wanted to do?" He asked so they could both finally move on from the brownie incident.
Sakura's blush suddenly crept back on her cheeks, but her fingers reached towards the mask that had pooled on the base of his neck and gently slid it back up.
"You wanted to be kissed with my mask on?" He asked, surprised because it was the first time that someone had slid his mask back up his face when he offered some kisses. But Sakura was shaking her head.
"When I get a random craving for cotton, I'll tell you. What I meant was this. I wanted to do this."
Just as she was flattening the fabric over the bridge of his nose and out over his cheeks, Sakura's fingers slipped along the edges and gingerly slid his mask back down, taking her sweet, sweet time with it. And when his mask had reached the base of his chin, Sakura ran her thumbs over his jaw… and kissed him.
The motion caught Kakashi off guard because he had not expected her to initiate anything remotely risqué this early in the relationship. But he could feel the tremble in Sakura's lips—not because she was terrified, but because she was trying her best to keep it together.
So, Kakashi took the lead as he lifted her and sat her on the kitchen counter.
This was far from the innocent kiss they shared last night as Sakura tried her best to match the careful yet confident movement of his lips but he wasn't complaining because it was still raining checkmarks for his list… especially when Sakura's legs automatically fell open to give him a closer access to her.
The heat in between her thighs had not escaped his sharp senses but he chose to zero in on her soft, warm lips and sensual little sighs which he found incredibly seductive and alluring to the ears. He also loved the feel of how her fingers were splayed on the nape of his neck, unmoving on that spot yet giving him the most wonderful massage, he could almost sigh.
If kissing Sakura without tongue was already this ridiculously erotic, what more if he taught her the ways of the mouth?
He was convinced that she would make a lot of guys cry with these sensual little lips of hers—so eager and so curious, it aroused him.
Thus, with all the remaining willpower he had left, he began reciting the shinobi rules…starting from the last rule this time, when suddenly, Sakura's stomach grumbled… He was saved.
"I'm sorry." She breathlessly uttered as she reluctantly detached herself from him and Kakashi had found another look that he liked on Sakura—swollen-kissed lips and a deep shade of blush adorning her fair cheeks and slender neck.
She was obviously embarrassed because she was looking everywhere but him, but Kakashi nudged his nose to her cheek, which made her smile and sigh in defeat.
"Would you like coffee and brownies for breakfast?" She eventually asked. And he answered her with a smile and one more quick kiss, then helped her down from the counter.
A WEEK INTO THE RELATIONSHIP…
"Spill it." Ino prodded Sakura.
They were in that restaurant again. The one with the red umbrella and a bricked-flooring landscape surrounded by a 3-foot tall picket fence, and Sakura was watching Ino tapping her index finger on the wooden table.
"Spill what?" Sakura asked innocently.
"Spill the details why you've been sighing dreamily for the better part of the hour!" She urged, her blue eyes staring intently at her and demanding her for answers even when she was supposed to be begging for it.
"I am not sighing, Pig. I'm breathing."
"Well, that sucks because that means you're a noisy breather."
Trust Ino to torment her with cruel words especially when things weren't going her way and she wasn't getting the answers that she wanted.
"C'mon, Forehead! I've been asking you for days now! I need details! Details about your relationship with Kakashi-sensei!"
Sakura had to suppress the roll of her green eyes because the whining had begun, which will surely be followed by guilt-tripping her into admission. Unluckily for Ino, it was not going to work on her now because Kakashi had unknowingly trained her for this.
Being with Kakashi for a week had made her develop nerves of steel because if she hadn't, she'd be jumping Kakashi every frickin' opportunity she could get because that man was just so…yummy.
She then asked Ino why she wanted specifics even when she already knew what her friend was going to tell her.
"Because I'm your best friend and I'm really curious and because I only turned my back for a few days and now you suddenly got yourself a boyfriend from the Hot Jounin Collection! Is this out of desperation because I taunted the state of your vagina?"
Sakura was chuckling but she really wanted to strangle Ino for mentioning her vagina…again.
"It's not out of desperation, okay, Pig? It's just a simple realization of feelings after my outburst from before. Didn't Kakashi tell you this already? You and Naruto ambushed him on the street, didn't you?" She explained and now, it was Ino's turn to sigh.
"Okay, fine. Feelings or whatever… Spill to me your sex life then." Ino demanded as if that wasn't a part of the details she was asking for.
"Ino, even if you read my mind, I'm not going to be able to spill anything because there's nothing to spill."
"What do you mean?" Her blue eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
"You're already a week into the relationship with one of the hottest jounins in Konoha and you're telling me that nothing happened yet?!"
Sakura nodded.
"Why? Why? Why? What the fuck are you even doing? Why?"
Actually, that was her question too but she liked to continue her role of being the conservative friend for much longer. Especially in front of Ino because the woman could spread gossip like wildfire.
Nevertheless, that did not stop her from recollecting memories of her and Kakashi and how he had made her feel for the past few days.
The truth was, she was still in very much disbelief about the whole Boyfriend Experience thing because nothing he does seemed to be the same as all those books she read. Oh, wait. There's one! PLEASURE! He's made her feel pleasure, which was so similar to the tingling sensations she gets whenever there was a particular smutty portion of the novel she was reading.
Really, that man has made her feel like there were fireworks going off after another in her belly and that was merely a result of a handful of kisses. She even had to remind herself that they were still above the neck area and that it may take some time and a lot of courage on her part to let things go further south.
Nonetheless, she felt proud because she had considered herself to have officially graduated from being a prude. She was no longer a first-kiss-virgin. Kakashi took that away already, but Ino didn't need to know that.
"People in relationships typically do not sleep with each other just after a few days of being together." She reasoned out but Ino was now banging her hands on their table.
"YES! THEY! DO! Especially when the other party is as hot as Kakashi-sensei! At least that's what I'll do. That's what I did with Sai!"
By that moment, Sakura pondered how come Ino never experienced any embarrassing situation. She was almost yelling already—yelling names even, but people didn't stop to look. Was it just luck?
"That's you." Sakura pointed at her with the fork she was using for her dessert. "But I'm not you. That's why I'm taking it slow and I am actually enjoying it."
And she knew that she was lying to herself because as much as she really did enjoy what's happening to her dating life, she was starting to want Kakashi. Not "fall-in-love-want," she promised Kakashi that won't happen, but the more carnal meaning of want.
When suddenly, a hand shot out from nowhere and grabbed her in the face.
"Sakura, listen to me closely. You do not take things slow when it comes to Kakashi-sensei. You should be fast! As fast as a wild animal! You should devour him while you still can."
Sakura was appalled at what Ino said.
"What is he? A meat?" She said as she swatted Ino's hand away from her face.
"No. But I heard he's got a pretty nice meat…if you know what I mean."
"INO!" Sakura yelled.
Somehow, she felt like she was experiencing some kind of déjà vu. "This is my... boyfriend we're talking about so could you please chill with the harassment?"
Ino merely shrugged her shoulders and continued anyway.
"Do you have any idea what the other female ninjas are saying about Kakashi-sensei nowadays?"
"Nope. And I don't care. As long as they're not saying anything bad about him then there's no reason for them to meet my fist."
Sakura smiled but obviously, there was no stopping Ino's mouth from yapping especially if it meant spilling the tea.
"Well, listen to this. I went to that boutique the other day, the one where I bought that cute little blouse, remember? And there were several kunoichis there. I overheard one saying…"
Then Ino goes off imitating whatever show she was able to witness.
"What? Kakashi Hatake's off the market? When? Aw, that's too bad. I was planning to get it on with him, I heard he's really good…I heard he boned…###...yeah! She told me! And…"
The rest had been converted into the Konoha national hymn as what Sakura always did whenever Ino got overboard with her talking.
"So, what I'm saying is… our quiet Kakashi-sensei seems to sleep around a lot and that he's got girls everywhere." Ino concluded.
"Had."
"What?"
"He had girls everywhere. Now he doesn't. It's just me." Sakura confidently claimed.
"And how are you so sure?" Ino asked.
"It's Kakashi-sensei. I trust him with my life." She answered resolutely. "Besides, it's unhealthy to wallow in retroactive jealousy. It just takes up your time and energy and…"
"Retroactive what?"
"Retroactive jealousy." Sakura repeated, slower this time. Yep, this was definitely a severe case of déjà vu.
"That's what you call the feeling of getting jealous over your lover's past relationships. It sometimes gets borderline obsessive. That's the unhealthy, toxic part." She explained, hoping that Ino's lady lizard brain would get it but her friend only looked at her with disdain.
"Stop making up medical terms, Forehead! You're making me feel like I'm sick or something!
Sakura wasn't pointing fingers but she was proud of Ino for assuming that it was all about her—because it was her.
"I'm not making it up. It really exists! But if you're offended by it, we'll I guess that sucks."
"I hate you." Ino grouchily spat but Sakura knew that's just how she was.
"Don't come crying to me when other girls are suddenly mean to you. I'm just telling you all these as a friend because I'm concerned for your well-being, so you should..."
"Oh! There he is! Shit! I completely forgot we had something to do! I'm so sorry, Ino!"
Of course, Sakura was lying.
She just wanted to escape Ino at that moment because her prattling was slowly eating away at her sanity.
That's why, even when she saw that Kakashi was with some of his usual jounin friends, she yelled his name and waved for him to come over. Well, more like internally begged to be rescued.
Kakashi, Asuma, and Genma had just come from the Weapons Shop to collect the new sets of kunai and shuriken they ordered and were headed towards the Hokage Tower after being summoned by an ANBU.
Genma and Asuma were casually talking as they walked along the streets while Kakashi, as usual, had his head buried on his little orange book when he heard his name being called loudly.
Kakashi had already noticed Sakura from a mile away but since they were going in another direction, and they won't even be approaching the restaurant, he thought that it was best if his group just silently moved along especially since Ino, Sakura's precocious little friend, was there. However, no one had expected that Sakura would yell his name while having that extremely distraught look on her face.
The three of them stopped. Kakashi took a deep breath and patiently tucked his book away while Asuma turned to him and gave him a questioning look.
"What's wrong? Trouble in paradise?" Asuma asked as they decided to slowly approach the two.
Kakashi perceived that there was something terrible going on because Sakura had this really stiff smile on her face and she looked like she was about to cry. It reminded him of the time when Naruto caught a kunai on his butt cheek and was pretending that it was nothing.
"I don't know. I'm pretty sure I left her happy this morning." And he did. He was positive he did.
That morning, Kakashi had slipped inside Sakura's room through her bedroom window to surprise her and also to tell her to have a nice day. However, he had found her in the middle of zipping up her skirt in front of the mirror and running her hands over her body to flatten out her standard medic outfit. Sakura was already fully dressed and yet he had found that simple gesture of hers unbelievably tempting…
And so, with all the energy he'd somehow amassed over the past few days after spending his nights with Sakura and only slipping home to bathe and change, he found himself striding towards her as he pulled her into a twirl and kissed her.
He had slowly introduced to her the ways of the mouth as he called it. Taught her how to use her tongue, when to use her teeth, how to breathe properly while in the heat of it and she had been an enthusiastic, eager student that they ended up back on her bed, short of entering into the forbidden territory of dry humping if Kakashi hadn't willingly stopped.
Too close. He reprimanded himself especially when he saw that dreamy smile back on Sakura's face.
.
.
.
Kakashi must have spaced out for a few seconds because Genma jumped in front of him and began walking in a backwards manner as he addressed Asuma.
"Our little brother seems preoccupied and it's not because of his book. Hm?"
Kakashi wanted to trip him so bad but maybe he could do that another time.
"Why not share to us what's on your mind because it'd be dangerous if you keep zoning out like that, Kakashi. Besides, everyone's wondering where you've been for the past few nights because you haven't been in the pub. Anko misses her jounin baby brother." Genma teased, his senbon glinting under broad daylight.
"I reminded them about your mission duties, but they wouldn't believe me. Said you were off gallivanting elsewhere. So, Genma here, is actually waiting for answers to preach to the group tonight." Asuma supplied while cocking his head over to Genma who had a gigantic grin on his face.
"I need details, man! You've been glowing since the last time I saw you. So, what'd you do, huh? C'mon, say it while we're still out of earshot."
Kakashi frowned at him but was thoughtful for a moment.
Aside from several close encounters to forbidden territories, he had been having plenty of restful and undisturbed sleep because of Sakura's tea and lots of cuddling. Whatever it was that Genma was insinuating, none of that had happened yet. He was just simply enjoying sleep like the most normal of civilians. So, that's what he told his friend.
"Nothing. We slept. That's all." But then he remembered the brownie. So, he told his friends that he had eaten brownies. Lots of it.
"What? Don't lie, Kakashi. And about that brownie… Is it a special brownie with whipped cream and strawberries on top? Or cherry? Or…" Genma's words would've sounded innocent if not for that stupid looking grin and bobbing senbon on his mouth.
"It's a regular brownie, Genma. What the fuck are you talking about?"
Before Genma could even react, Kakashi had gone ahead towards Sakura to escape his friend's sexual innuendos. When he approached the restaurant they were at, Sakura met him over the fence and pulled him over for a quick hug.
"SAVE ME!" She whimpered but when she let go, that strained smile was back again but she was gracious enough to smile genuinely at Asuma and Genma who had made it behind him. That's when he peered over her shoulder to look at Ino.
"Why, hello there, Ino. It's good to see you again." He greeted, donning his good-natured smile or whatever it is that people see on his face when he smiled.
"Same to you, Kakashi-sensei." Ino winked at him. It was probably a tic. That woman loves to wink.
Then he looked at Sakura and remembered her dog-printed apron.
"Pakkun and the rest of the pack are waiting by the river at the training grounds. If Ino wants we could also take her to bathe the dogs. We could use extra pair of hands to get that mud off." He said, loud enough for Ino to hear. If Ino did come, he could simply summon his ninken and make his little white lie a reality.
As expected, Ino reacted in their favor.
"What? Oh, hell no! Wet dog has never been my fragrance. You can go ahead and take Sakura, Kakashi-sensei. And you better shower her with kisses too!"
"Will do." He replied and watched Sakura mouth a silent 'thank you' to him.
"And sex!" Ino added, and of course, the blonde just had to yell it on top of her voice which made Sakura flush in embarrassment, Genma snickering like a fool, and Asuma frowning at Ino like a disappointed father.
"Ino! You're such a pig!" Sakura yelled back as she made it beside him and held the side of his flak jacket for some moral support.
"See how grumpy she is? She needs it."
Their small group left the cackling blonde at the restaurant as they made their own merry way towards the tower. But Sakura couldn't help but apologize to Asuma and Genma for disrupting whatever it was they were doing before she called for Kakashi.
"Sorry about that. Ino had been killing me inside me with her words."
"I get you, Sakura." Asuma told her as wisps of white smoke floated around him from his lit cigarette. "That kid had been my student for the longest time and I'm still surprised I got out of it with my sanity intact."
"Are you sure, Asuma? A crazy person doesn't know he's crazy." Kakashi remarked.
"Fuck you, Hatake. You're lucky you had Sakura to keep you sane. In my team? Shikamaru confessed multiple times that he was about to lose it because of Ino, and you know what Chouji did? He'd offer us his chips. Do you have any idea how dire the situation is if Chouji offers his chips?" Asuma replied snarkily while he jabbed a finger to Kakashi's left shoulder to make a point. When suddenly, Genma's head popped out in between the two and dangled his arms over the shoulders of Kakashi and Asuma while looking over at Sakura who was on Kakashi's right.
"Speaking of fuck you…" Genma interjected, coughing ever so unsubtly that Asuma decided to blow his cigarette smoke over Genma's direction so he'd have a real reason to cough while Kakashi brought out his Icha-icha in order to block the smoke from going towards Sakura.
"Noooo!" Genma protested. "Shizune will kill me if I meet her smelling like smoke."
"Then choke on it more." Asuma said as he blew another one over his direction.
"Kakashi…Asuma's being mean to me." Genma pouted.
"Have you thought about the possibility that you deserve it?" Kakashi said as he gave his friend his standard eye-crinkle which had Genma pouting even more and transferring to Sakura's side instead.
"Heartless bastards! The both of you." He spit back before putting an arm over Sakura's shoulder and smiling down at her.
"I'll tell Shizune-san!" Sakura suddenly remarked which made Genma flinch and immediately removed his arm over her shoulder as though burned by her words.
"Even if she doesn't tell Shizune, Sakura can throw you over her shoulder, and you'd be confined in the hospital for weeks and Shizune would know anyway." Kakashi opined while Asuma chuckled beside him.
Genma gave them all a hurt look and yelled, "Evil! The three of you are evil!" As he remained beside Sakura while maintaining a respectful distance.
"But Sakura…" Genma finally caught her attention. "I heard Kakashi had been staying night after night at your apartment." He began, and Sakura being the innocent woman that she was, kept nodding on Genma's words, which made the latter deviously smile.
"Would you perhaps care to share to the group the details…ehem…of why Kakashi had been suddenly glowing like the sun lately?"
"Ignore him." Kakashi whispered to her but Genma had amplified his engaging charm.
"What's the secret, Sakura?" He asked, and without missing a beat, Sakura responded…
"Chamomile tea."
"C-chamomile tea?" Genma stuttered.
"Yes. For a deep and restful sleep. If you want something stronger, add a valerian root." Sakura beamed at him.
"That's it? That's the secret? You mean you didn't…in the bedroom…" Genma began pawing his hands all over the air just like when there's a mosquito in front of your face and you can't kill it.
Kakashi and Asuma chuckled when Sakura frowned.
"You mean…spar? In the bedroom? Why would we do that? It's the middle of the night. My neighbors are sleeping." Sakura said and she was totally serious.
"Give it up, Genma." Asuma said as he transferred beside him and gave the man a pat in the back. "She's too pure for the world."
Sakura then looked towards Kakashi for an answer. She probably had an idea but only wanted to confirm.
"He meant sex." Kakashi disclosed which made Sakura turn red in embarrassment. She then turned back to Genma and said…
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Genma-san. I thought you were having a seizure. But none of that happened! I'll give you a brownie if you want."
Genma's shoulders slumped further and this made Asuma and Kakashi laugh even more while Sakura still looked so perplexed. That's when they finally reached the tower…or more specifically, the front of the Hokage's Office.
"Huh? What are we doing here?" Sakura asked, confused that she too was suddenly there.
"The Hokage called for us." Kakashi answered.
"Yeah, I thought I have one more free week." Asuma complained, but he put out his cigarette, threw the stub on the potted plant in the corner and knocked.
"Oh, Sakura?" Kakashi whispered and leaned over her. "Act surprised in a bit."
Sakura nodded.
The double doors to the Hokage Office opened and they all watched as Tsunade lifted her head to look. She had probably expected for the three of her best jounins to appear but the look of surprise in her face was clear when she saw Sakura there as well.
"Oh, Sakura, you're also here. Great." She said as she motioned for all of them to come closer but she addressed Sakura first. "I heard you and my favorite jounin are in a relationship?"
Sakura blushed, gave Kakashi a little side look, and nodded timidly.
"Then, I'm sorry to say that…"
Sakura was beginning to look confused because she knew that this was her Hokage's crazy project but then…
"I have to take Kakashi away for a few days. Three days at most. I have to send these three to the border camps to retrieve some important scroll." She explained as she pointed and twirled her finger towards the three jounins beside her.
"I'd ask a chuunin to do it but it's vacation season that's why there seemed to have been an influx of C-rank and B-rank missions lately. You know, rich people needing escorts. I'd have asked you too but you've got hospital duties so it came down to the three of them.
Sakura watched as Tsunade pushed some scrolls in front of her, and Kakashi and Asuma moved to get it. Tsunade began briefing them about its contents but reminded them to still read the scroll for the complete details.
"You three leave at daybreak tomorrow. Any questions?"
The jounins shook their heads in silence.
"Good." But then Tsunade frowned and addressed Genma. "Genma, you alright there, boy? Why the fuck do you look like you're having a stroke?"
Kakashi suddenly looked up the ceiling while Asuma snorted, but he cleared his throat as disguise and spoke. "I'll slap him back to sanity, Hokage-sama. Don't worry about him."
"Do that." Tsunade said sternly. "Now, leave. Sakura, you stay." She ordered.
The three jounins bowed before exiting the office but Kakashi lingered for a second longer to brush his hand over Sakura's back and also to kiss the side of her temple…and then he was gone.
He had just left her with an intense fiery blush even when she still had to face the Hokage who had a knowing smirk on her red-painted lips.
When the double doors closed and they had finally been left alone, Tsunade motioned for Sakura to sit over the red sofa in her office as she stood up to join her there.
"So, you finally got yourself a boyfriend, and it's the famous copy ninja to boot!" Tsunade grinned at her as she stretched herself over one end of their seat.
Thanks to you! Sakura thought but she decided that that response was better kept in her head.
"Ehehe. Yes, shishou. Things had been very sudden." Sakura chuckled sheepishly.
Then, Tsunade began asking her how it all happened and Sakura had told her the story that she and Kakashi had practiced; that it was simply a realization of feelings long-hidden after Kakashi had heard her outburst in public. She would never tell Tsunade that Kakashi had willingly blown his cover.
Her shishou looked thoughtful for a moment as though she was wondering whether it was possible (based on her story) for Kakashi to have made her his girlfriend immediately a day after being given the mission. She had probably made sense of it because then she asked…
"Is he good to you?"
Sakura hadn't even hesitated. She just nodded her head jerkily in response.
"Kakashi-sen…Kakashi is very nice and I feel really happy, shishou. I guess I was just surprised that there's so much more to him than what meets the eye, and I saw all of that during these past few days that we've been together."
"Then I'm also assuming that you've seen his face?" Tsunade asked again and she nodded.
A small, shy smile graced her lips as she recalled the first time she saw it clearly. But all her sweet reminiscing had been broken by Tsunades's next question.
"Then, how about the sex? I need a performance report!" She demanded with a laugh.
"Shishou! You're the third person to ask me that today!" Sakura said incredulously but Tsunade only shrugged.
"Well, people can't help but be curious especially when I've heard great reviews of the copy ninja." She said as she kept grinning at her like a creepy dude, eyebrows wiggling up and down to make a point. But when Tsunade figured that there was nothing for Sakura to divulge on that aspect, she changed her line of questioning.
"How about bullies? Are you experiencing any kind of bullying lately?"
Sakura frowned a bit because she remembered hearing something similar from Ino, and apparently, her shishou was also aware of it.
Was the risk of getting bullied that high just because she was now hooking up with the copy ninja? Well, it's not a surprise. But still, Sakura answered truthfully…
"Apart from Ino's usual goading, there's none, shishou."
"Good." She said, as though relieved to hear that statement. "But feel free to slap some bitches along the way if there be any." She added. "You hear me, child?"
"Yes, shishou." Sakura affirmatively answered.
"Very well, Sakura, you may leave now." Tsunade then stood up and ushered her towards the door. "Oh, and… Kotetsu and Izumo had found some new 'old medical scrolls' that need transcribing. You can bring them home if you want and work from there. Just submit an accomplishment report to the head nurse. Now go and spend time with your jounin boyfriend before he leaves for tomorrow.
Sakura gave her shishou a smile and a curt bow before leaving.
That night, Kakashi was back in Sakura's apartment after coming from his own flat to pack his necessities for his 3-day mission. His knapsack was now sitting beside the door ready to be picked up early the next day when he and his friends depart.
He was lounging on the peach love seat together with Sakura and was currently having an experience of a lifetime because his head was on Sakura's lap, and he was allowing her to brush his disheveled silver strands with her fingers.
He would've chosen to stay in his own apartment while waiting to leave but the promise of comfort brought by Sakura's pastel colored palace was more than enough to convince him to leave his desolate, monochromatic space.
But Kakashi noticed that Sakura had been squirming…a lot. She was sitting perfectly still actually, but her mouth said otherwise because he was watching it twitch like Sakura was speaking but only to herself and in secret. She was probably having a practice conversation in her mind, and so he asked…
"What's wrong?"
"Huh?" Sakura responded but she seemed distracted.
"You seem unsettled. Care to tell me what's wrong?"
Kakashi watched as Sakura sighed and her green eyes shifted from his silver hair towards his onyx gaze.
It was clear that she was hesitating. He could actually feel the internal struggle going on inside her but he patiently waited, and when it looked like Sakura had finally sorted out what she wanted to say, she spoke.
"Three people today asked me about sex…with you. Like everyone assumed we've already done it and they wanted details. But when I tell them we haven't done it yet, they'd have this look on their faces as though asking me, why haven't you hit that already?!"
Kakashi lightly chuckled because of Sakura's choice of words. Then she continued…
"Does having sex need to be rushed? Do I have to rush it?" She asked him and she really looked concerned about it. "And I know you'd only tell me not to worry about it because we promised we'd take it slow and take our time…but I guess, what I really wanted to understand is…why do some people think that I need to hurry it up regardless if they know about the mission or not?"
Kakashi allowed her to breath and to sulk and to let her process the things she said on her own. But when the frown on Sakura's brows deepened, that's when he spoke.
"I'm not sure if this will help but these are the words of Tsunade-sama: We shinobi, carpe diem the shit out of everything."
Sakura's frown intensified even more.
"Yeah, okay, I get it. But what if I'm not ready to seize that particular day in my life yet? Oh, and then there's the other women."
Kakashi's eyebrow raised and his exposed eye squinted a little bit. Other women? Ah! Other women… He thought and he automatically knew what she was talking about.
"Is it okay to ask you about things involving your other women? I think Ino got to me a bit." Sakura asked even though the hesitation in her voice and looks were obvious.
"Okay. But first let me clarify. I don't have other women at the moment. I did, but now it's only you."
"That's what I told her!" Sakura exclaimed and for a moment Kakashi thought that his face would meet her palm because her hand suddenly flew and slapped the sofa's arm rest. That would've hurt. He thought.
"Thank you for the favorable endorsement, and yes, you can ask me anything and I will try my best to answer them. Let me help you clear whatever it is that's bothering you."
Kakashi encouraged her. It was better not to leave nasty things that might brew into a dark pit inside her mind while he was away because if there was one thing Kakashi did not understand about women, it was their extremely unusual thought process.
Women could make any illogical, unreasonable things reasonable and it was terrifying.
"Really? Are you sure it isn't too much?" Sakura worriedly asked but Kakashi simply shook his head.
"No, it's not too much. Fire at will." He urged.
"Okay, then here's my question. Is it true that you had a lot of women?"
The first inquiry was like a hit to the solar plexus but he could take it. And so he nodded and chose to elaborate further.
"A series of one-night stands as you might call them. But I have never been in a relationship before. This is actually a first for me."
"Really? Why?" Came her second question.
"Why what?"
"Uhh, the second one because I can't fault you for being sexually active at your age. I mean, it's perfectly normal. It's actually really interesting to know that you're so…energetic. I guess it comes with the territory." She said as she hovered a palm over his upper body and Kakashi could hear the med-nin voice talking. He also knew that Sakura wanted to tell him that she hadn't expected him to be so virile, but he guessed that there were still some words that could make medical ninjas feel shy.
"Thank you for the consideration but let me answer everything anyway." He volunteered.
"One-night stands are…not for everyone but they are fun especially when both parties know that it's just that. Only casual sex. No strings attached. It also kind of helps me sleep? Like alcohol…after twelve bottles."
"Yeah, you mentioned suffering from insomnia…" Sakura droned when suddenly, a lightbulb seemed to have switched itself on somewhere in her mind.
"Were you thinking of doing it with me already? The night you first came stumbling here?"
"No." Kakashi didn't even pause to answer because pausing might make Sakura think that he was thinking of a believable reason to evade the question—but really, he was only there to tell the truth.
"I honestly came for some sleeping pills because you're the only medic I know who might have some or has an access to it without asking me for a prescription."
"Oh, sorry for assuming." Sakura blushed.
"It's fine. It's a perfectly valid train of thought." Kakashi assured her.
"Then what about the relationships? Does it mean that if the Hokage hadn't given you this mission, you'd still be single and continue with your series of one-night stands?"
"Yes." He admitted again. "I'm just not good with relationships, Sakura. I'm only actually managing to survive all these because the Hokage gave me a checklist."
By this time, Sakura's glowing smile had returned to her face.
"Checklist? Can I see?"
"No." Kakashi said abruptly.
He would never show Sakura what sort of embarrassing things Tsunade had written there for him to do including all those things he had already accomplished. Some were just otherworldly.
Sakura must have heard him sigh because just then, she curled over him and embraced his head. This gesture of hers made him chuckle not because his masked face was directly at her breasts but because he found it cute.
"I think you'd make a great boyfriend, Kakashi. You're doing it wonderfully now." She murmured over him before leaning back to the sofa.
Kakashi then took that opportunity to get up and sit beside her so he could hold her hand and cup her cheek.
"And I also want to tell you that you don't have to put unnecessary pressure on yourself especially about sex. We're not going to do anything you aren't ready for, okay? Besides, there's more to a relationship than sex." He proffered. "For example, I could replace Ino as your best friend. I give awesome foot massages, I am a great listener, and I would never fight you for a cute blouse or shoes or bags…"
"That's a tempting proposition! And I think I do want you to be my best friend." Sakura beamed at him as she squeezed the hand that was holding onto hers.
"Oh, but first can I ask you for something?"
Sakura nodded, waiting.
"Can I have brownies to go for tomorrow? I want to give some to Genma so he can shut the fuck up."
Sakura giggled and bobbed her head in affirmation.
"Do you want to make them with me?" She asked.
"Yes." He said, eye-crinkling in amusement. "And while we're at it, allow me to cook for dinner. What do you want to eat?" Kakashi asked as he stood up and helped Sakura up too as they padded their way to the kitchen.
"What can you cook?" She eventually asked back.
Kakashi grabbed Sakura's dog printed apron and put it on himself as he turned to her and confidently said with a smirk…
"Everything…as long as there're ingredients. And I swear…you'd die once you get a taste of it."
But Sakura's response was unexpected, because instead of verbally replying, she hugged him instead.
"I'll miss you." She mumbled over his chest and for a while, Kakashi just stood there, stunned as her embrace tightened.
"I'll only be gone for three days, Sakura. I'll be home before you know it." He said as he eventually brushed his hand over her hair and kissed the top of her pink tresses.
Sakura hadn't said anything in return but the familiar feeling of anxiety intruded his senses and realized it was coming from her.
She was worried about him like how she always worried about everyone when they were out on missions. But now that she could freely act on her feelings, she just stood there and hugged him—hugged him like there's no tomorrow.
That's why, to settle the turmoil she was currently feeling, Kakashi wrapped his arms around her too and held her close…and he didn't let go until she felt safe that she could.
A/N: This may be the final chapter I release for this year because I truly need to face the "current, most-important thing in my life, which obviously isn't happiness" that I've been consciously abandoning for quite a long while. I swear I'll get back to this by February next year, and maybe I could delve into more internal thoughts of Kakashi and Sakura because this chapter had been a whirlwind. Probably more interaction with friends too? And if you guys have thoughts on what you want to happen next...or things you want to see, you are free to leave a review, put #PROMPT and i'll see what I can do when I get back.
Thank you so very much for reading...always...and ADVANCED HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR TO ALL!