"Kakashi-sensei … you're a boy, right?" The words came out before she could stop them. Her teacher didn't even flinch. He stared at her place sprawled out on the grass.
They had just finished a quick training session and had a few minutes to kill before her internship at Konoha Hospital. Sakura Haruno tried her best to convey a cool expression, but the teenage kunoichi could only hold his dead-eyed stare for so long.
She looked away, forehead breaking out into a cold sweat. She tried not to feel stupid as she watched the white, fluffy clouds float by.
"I was at one point," He deadpanned before turning back to his novel.
"Well- you know what I mean-"
"Yes, Sakura. I know I'm technically your teacher but I'm also a boy." He informed her lightly, "though I would prefer to be called a man if it's not too much trouble. Why?"
She forced a nonchalant laugh, waving her hand in the air like she was swatting away a fly.
"No reason," she rolled off before propping herself up onto her elbows.
She surveyed the grassy area, taking in the beautiful weather. The sky was impossibly blue. A cool breeze whispered the promise of autumn and she found herself thankful for the changing season. The hospital lab she spent so much of her life in had no air conditioning, the only respite from the heat a dinky little fan.
"Boy troubles?" He guessed.
A wry grin tugged at her lips. Busted.
In a few days the Hyuga clan would be throwing Hinata a large party for her 18th birthday. It was a momentous age, as she was finally old enough to be married off. It was less of a celebration and more of a festival. A huge shindig. The entire village was talking about it.
Everyone on the guest list had the opportunity to bring one person, and Sakura had been invited, which was great! The only problem… she had no one to go with.
She had seen boys fall all over themselves to invite Ino, and the young kunoichi had watched on from the sidelines, green with jealous rage.
Not a single boy had asked her.
She supposed Naruto would have, had he been in the village. He was off with Jiraiya who knows where. Even Rock Lee had seemed to give up his pursuit, and subsequently, she had been forgotten. Left in the dust.
"I guess you can say that," she sighed. Why weren't boys interested in her? Was she really that unattractive?
"I'm impressed," he mused, and that took her aback.
"Impressed with what?"
"How long you went without complaining about boys," he informed her from his spot against the base of the oak tree.
She bristled at that.
"What's that supposed to mean, huh!?" She snapped, sitting all the way up and craning her neck to glare daggers at him.
"When you were twelve, boys were all you worried about."
Her lips clamped shut at that, and a spike of pain coursed through her. When she thought of him all she could drum up was the image of a pair of black eyes, disinterested and cutting.
"Boy." She murmured, drawing her legs up to her chest before resting her forehead against her knees. "Only one boy."
"Oh dear," he said and snapped his book shut. The sound made her jump, head rising once again. "I didn't mean to make you upset."
"It's fine," she mumbled. "I'll just be a lonely old hag forever."
Kakashi chuckled before standing up and brushing grass from his black trousers.
"Why on earth would you say that?"
"No one's asked me to Hinata's coming-of-age party." It was embarrassing to admit, and she felt molten shame bleed across her cheeks. "I've come to the conclusion that I must be hideously ugly and will die alone. Boys don't even look at me. They love Ino and Tenten and even Hinata, but not me."
He was standing over her then, his tall, broad form eclipsing the sun and casting a shadow over her.
"Sakura," was all he said. "Stand up."
She looked up to find his gloved hand offered down to her. She sighed and clasped it with her own before he assisted her upwards.
Once standing, she found herself gazing up into Kakashi's single black eye. He was staring down at her with an indescribable sort of intensity, and she felt her stomach flip.
"Kakashi-sensei?" She asked, voice small.
It was then that she realized he also hadn't let go of her hand.
What was going on?
"Sakura," he said, voice steady, "you are beautiful."
The kunoichi's thoughts shuddered to a violent halt, emerald green eyes going wide. No one– besides her parents and maybe Lee– had ever explicitly told her that she was beautiful.
The warmth in her cheeks spread to her entire face, and she had to drag her gaze away. What was with this intensity? He had never said anything so kind, so… informal?
Moreover, did he mean it?
The loathsome voice in the back of her head whispered: Of course he didn't mean it. He thinks you're a child. An annoying, talentless little girl always getting herself into trouble.
"Why are you teasing me?" She grumbled, trying to pull her hand from his grasp.
He didn't budge, but her attempt was only half-hearted. If she wanted to, she could launch him across the entire length of the village with one chakra-powered shove.
"I'm not," he insisted. "You deserve to know the truth. The only reason why men don't approach you is because you intimidate them."
Something inside her clicked at that. She thought of all the times she had felt someone staring at her, only to turn and find a boy quickly looking away. Or all of the instances men would cross to the other side of the street after one quick glance from her.
All this time… she had thought she was unattractive!
"Then I'm just– just scary? They're afraid of me?"
His one eye crinkled shut in his tell-tale smile. At her revelation, he dropped her hand. It felt inexplicably cold in his absence.
"Sakura, you're the most powerful Kunoichi in the village behind Tsunade. You and your teammates have already made history."
The words sent an excited flutter through her chest. That actually did make her feel better.
"Ino isn't prettier than you. She's just more approachable."
Something twisted inside of her at that. Sure, it was nice to know that she was stronger and more prolific than her childhood rival… but being second in approachability still put a bitter taste in her mouth.
"What can I do?" She asked, voice barely above a whisper. "Y'know- to be more approachable?"
"Have you tried smiling?" He asked before giving her pink hair an affectionate tussle. It seemed as though he had grown tired of the conversation, as he pulled his book back out from its habitual resting place and spun on his heel.
She pouted, what kind of an answer was that?
"Thanks for nothing, sensei!" She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and watching him go.
He turned around then, bowing with a dramatic flourish.
"Anything for my favorite student!"
With that, he flickered away and Sakura was alone, heart beating a little too fast to be rationalized away.
What- what was that?
She felt an odd sort of tingling in her stomach.
"No," she murmured to herself. "There's no way."
She hadn't felt this way since-
"No!" She squeezed her eyes shut.
It was just a teacher giving kind, fatherly advice to his student. Her own father had called her beautiful before. It was no big deal.
No big deal. She reminded herself over and over again as she made her way out of the training grounds.
. . .
Later that night– right after she had gotten off of her shift at the hospital– she stood in front of the Yamanaka residence, feet cold with fear. Her knuckles hovered uncertainly above the wood of the front door. She closed her eyes, Kakashi's words echoing through her mind.
"Ino isn't prettier than you. She's just more approachable."
Gritting her teeth and stealing herself, she rapped on the door.
Several moments passed before the light in the foyer flicked on and the door disappeared beneath her.
Ino's mom, clad in an apron and wiping frosting off of her hands with a towel, blinked at her in surprise.
"Sakura!" She gasped before grinning and pulling the young girl into a warm hug. "It's been so long!"
The kunoichi had been expecting this, and she smiled before hugging her back. She had been over at their house quite a bit as a child, for sleepovers and dinners and such.
"Hi, Mrs. Yamanaka." She said in a small voice, and when Ino's mother pulled away and held her out at arms-length to appraise her, she felt like a child again. It was the same look her great aunts would give her before saying 'look how you've grown!'
"Please, call me Minori!" She grinned before tossing the rag in her hands onto her shoulder. "You've grown into quite the pretty flower!"
Her cheeks warmed. It seemed she had the face only a mother could appreciate.
Or a sensei, a voice whispered in the back of her head as she recalled Kakashi's compliment.
"Sakura," Kakashi said, voice steady, "you are beautiful."
"Ino!" The older woman called up the stairs, cutting through her inner reverie. Her face had warmed at the memory, and she prayed that Ino's mother wouldn't notice the sudden blush on her cheeks. "Your friend is here!"
She heard some shuffling before soft footsteps sounded on the ceiling above them.
"What friend?" Ino asked from around the corner. "I'm not expecting any-"
When the blonde girl landed at the top of the stairs, she locked eyes with Sakura. A flash of confusion flitted across her face before her expression settled on a more familiar emotion: smugness.
"Sakura-san," she cooed, stepping down the stairs in a mocking show of grace. "For what do I owe the pleasure?"
Even in her button-down pajamas, Ino radiated poise and beauty. Sakura's face warmed even further at the dramatic display of femininity. This had been a bad idea. She was stupid to have come here.
"Play nice," Minori said, throwing her daughter a suspicious glare. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."
"You got it, ma."
A tense silence expanded between the two girls as Ino's mother left the room.
"Hi Ino," Sakura grumbled.
"What can I do for you, billboard brow?" The blonde teenager asked, resting at the bottom of the stairs and leaning casually against the banister.
She clenched her fists, the childlike rage bubbling up inside of her once she heard that terrible, mean-spirited nickname again. It took her several moments of deep breaths to calm down.
She swallowed before turning her gaze to the ceiling.
"I need help."
. . .
"This is so embarrassing," Sakura grumbled that following Friday night, adjusting Ino's dress fruitlessly. It clung to her in all the wrong places. Or right places, according to her blonde friend.
It fit exactly the way it was supposed to, which was admittedly miserable.
The neckline plunged down way too far, designed to display a woman's most precious assets. Which was a great idea and all, but it looked stupid on her. She had nothing to show off!
It was a crimson red halter dress, and the skimpy material did little to hide her figure. It came just below the curve of her bottom, and she was sure if she bent over…
It made her blush just to think about.
"You look good, idiot." Ino rolled her eyes from her place behind Sakura. "God forbid you wear something other than that hideous lab coat. You want a boy to ask you to Hinata's birthday, right? If you've got it, flaunt it."
"I don't have anything to flaunt," Sakura grumbled, embarrassment warming her cheeks.
"Shut up." Ino crossed her arms over her chest. "You have a nice body."
Sakura shot the blonde girl a suspicious look through the reflection. "Very funny."
"I'm serious!" She snapped. Sakura didn't believe it for even a second. Ino hadn't given her a genuine compliment in years, why would she start now?
"I'm built like a ten-year-old boy."
"A ten-year-old boy would not have an ass like this." As if to accentuate her statement, Ino's flat palm slapped against her backside.
Sakura whirled around, pink hair fanning out as she shoved Ino away. The blonde girl stumbled back and onto the bed, her own skin-tight purple dress riding up her thighs as she fell.
They looked ridiculous in these dresses. They were so impractical. One measly little shove and Ino had almost flashed her lady bits. What if they were attacked? They'd be practically nude two seconds into any battle.
"Don't hit me!" The kunoichi seethed, anger flaring through her as she felt the full sting of the slap.
"Then stop talking bad about yourself!" Ino snapped, sitting up and smoothing down her glossy blonde mane in frustration.
"I can talk about myself however I want!"
"I thought you wanted my help, stupid!"
"Stop calling me stupid!"
"Stop being stupid!"
A sharp clink at the window. It would have been too soft for normal girls to hear among their bickering, but their highly-trained ears caught the noise immediately. They froze, both looking to the window in alarm.
Ino's blue eyes flicked to Sakura before she stood from the bed and glided to the other side of her room. The pink-haired kunoichi bit her lip, who could it be?
She pulled it upward, the cool night air immediately rushing into the room. Sakura shivered as she watched her friend peer out into the night.
"Oh!" Ino gasped, and a moment later, Sai materialized in front of her. "I thought we were meeting you there."
"You two are late. I didn't want to wait with the others." Sai said simply, black eyes roving the space until they landed on Sakura. He gave her a quick up and down. "Why are you dressed like that?"
Sakura's face flamed, and she clenched her fists in anger. It took all of her willpower to resist the urge to slap the ever-loving shit out of her teammate.
"Sai!" Ino gasped, hand covering her mouth in a feminine display of offense. "You can't say stuff like that to a lady!"
"Sakura-san doesn't look like a lady. She looks like a whore."
At that, Ino had to physically restrain Sakura from putting Sai in the hospital.
. . .
Konoha wasn't known for its raging nightlife. In fact, there were only two bars to choose from that stayed open past ten at night. Only one of which had any semblance of a dance floor. Ino insisted that the best way for men to make their move was while dancing, which seemed stupid.
With music so loud... how could you hear each other? With the flashing lights and dim atmosphere, you could barely even see one another! Hardly practical to meet a potential partner.
As they made their way up to the front doors of the club, Sakura's knee-length white gogo boots crunched loudly in the gravel street. She had wanted to wear her usual short-heeled sandals, but Ino had insisted that the shoes made the outfit. In addition to the boots, she had forced Sakura to leave her Hitai-ate at home, placing a thick white headband in lieu of the forehead protector.
To top it all off, she had pulled a flat iron through Sakura's pink tresses, curving the straightener at the tips to create a flirty flip-out sort of style. It didn't look bad, per se, but it was certainly out of Sakura's comfort zone.
She didn't look like a ninja tonight. She looked like some sort of pop star.
It should have made her feel good: after all, that was the whole point of her reaching out for Ino's help! Yet as the large bouncer waved them through after checking their papers, she saw his eyes linger on her exposed collarbones before traveling down the length of her body, and she wanted to turn on her heel and flee into the night.
Ino must have felt her stiffen beside her, and she locked a wiry arm around Sakura's, preventing her escape.
"Come on, Sakura," she cooed in her ear as she pulled her into the club. "Let's go show everyone how hot you are."
Ino and Sai practically had to shove Sakura through the door and into the hazy darkness. She blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust in the mood lighting.
"This way," Ino announced, pulling her to the left and down a narrow corridor, concrete walls lined with strange graffiti markings. The kunoichi felt her eyebrows furrow in confusion. This didn't feel like any other Konoha establishment. In a typical Leaf Village business, the vibes were warm and cozy, woodsy and clean. This place was… grungy. All iron and concrete. It felt as though it had been lifted from Amegakure and inexplicably dropped in the middle of Konoha.
How long had this place been here? How had she never visited before?
They turned a sharp corner until they were climbing a narrow set of iron stairs.
Moreover, how big was this building?
In a realization that tasted bitter, Sakura came to the conclusion that she had never been here because she rarely went out with friends. Her days consisted of three things: training, her internship at the Konoha Hospital, and errands. Was she really so boring?
The second floor was brighter and larger than the first, though only marginally. Smoke hung in the air, and Sakura realized that this must have been the restaurant portion of the club, though the kitchens were surely closed by now. The patrons mingled at the bar and lounged around with only glasses of shoujo and sake, no food to be found. It smelled faintly of barbequed pork, and Sakura grinned at the thought of bringing Naruto here one day. He wouldn't know what to make of it.
"There they are!" Ino called, tugging her along until she landed in front of a booth populated by their friends. "Hey, guys!"
They all turned their heads in unison to see who had interrupted their drunken conversation. Sakura noticed multiple reactions at once. Rock Lee's eyeballs just about popped out of his skull while Shino's drink had slipped out of his hands before splashing Shikamaru in cold, sticky shoujo. Kiba let out a low whistle and leaned back in his spot, before giving her a wolfy grin.
"Look at you!" Tenten mused, loud enough to be heard over the thrumming music reaching up from below. "You look hot!"
Sakura's face burned, but she gave a thankful nod in Tenten's direction.
"Sakura-san!" Rock Lee spluttered, scrambling to his feet before giving her several back-breaking bows in greeting. "It is so lovely to see you tonight! Looking so beautiful! Yes! So beautiful!"
"Alright, alright," Ino grumbled, as if annoyed that her makeover had worked a little too well. "Relax, everyone. Scoot over."
Sakura watched as Ino shoved her way into the booth on Lee's side, dragging Sai along with her. She supposed that the only spot for her was next to Kiba.
"Um- Sorry Kiba, if you don't mind-" Sakura had started, but the brown-haired ninja had already given her space to sit, a sparkle in his eyes.
"Don't even worry about it, Pinkie," Kiba purred, draping his arm over her shoulders.
Her usual reaction to such a move would have been to launch Kiba through the wall and into the starry sky until he was nothing but space dust, but this new Sakura… This approachable Sakura decided to let his heavy arm rest against her slender shoulders.
Sakura swallowed down her revulsion of being called such a name, and she gave Kiba what she thought was a flirty smile. It felt more like a grimace, and she was sure he would call her out on such a lie- but was surprised when he flashed her a sharp grin in response.
"Say, Sakura… Why haven't you ever come out before tonight?" He asked.
"Um, well-"
"Sakura-san is a hard worker! Yes! She spends all day healing others!" Rock Lee exclaimed, and Sakura looked to see him nodding furiously, sake in hand. She blushed in pride. "She is a saint! A beautiful saint!"
"She's got a stick up her ass, that's why." Ino just had to ruin the fun.
"Thanks, pig," Sakura smiled humorlessly across the way at her blonde friend, irritation whipping through her.
"Don't listen to her," Kiba whispered in her ear. "She's just bitter that you're the new hot girl."
Sakura's mouth went dry. She turned to look up into Kiba's face, and for the first time, she realized he wasn't bad looking. If you didn't mind the smell of dog, that is.
She took a moment to study him: his dark eyes were sharp and aware, the crimson markings on his face glowing in the club's light. Those attributes paired with the sharp fangs pointing out of his cocky smirk; he felt more like a predator than a potential partner.
Nevertheless, the way that he was staring down at her–an unabashed hunger in his eyes— excited her in ways she never thought possible. Had Kakashi-sensei been right?
Had she been attractive this whole time?
"You are beautiful." Her teacher's words rang out in her head. Even just the thought of Kakashi finding her, the stupid little girl who had soiled mission after mission with her cowardice, beautiful...
"She's turning red," Sai commented from across the way. Sakura shot him a cutting glare.
"You're blushing?" Kiba asked, craning his neck to see her face clearer. "Awww! Embarrassed, are we?"
Sakura turned her head away, pushing down the instinct to shove Kiba's face forcefully away.
"Have you ever tried smiling?" Kakashi's advice floated through her skull.
So, despite all of her reservations and the spike of anger that coursed through her, Sakura gave Kiba a sweet smile.
"I'm parched," she sighed, putting space between them as she edged out of the booth and onto her feet, "I'm going to get a drink."
"I'll get it!" Kiba offered quickly.
"No, I will get it, Sakura-san!" Lee cut in.
"It's alright," Sakura waved them both away. "I've never been here before, I'd like to see the menu anyways."
"Get us a round of shots while you're at it, billboard-brow," Ino rolled off, shooting her an annoyed look.
"Say please," Sakura snapped. She didn't make much at the Hospital, so purchasing a round of drinks was a big ask for someone of Sakura's income bracket. The least Ino could do was use her stupid manners.
"Please," Ino sang, enunciating each syllable with a venomous melody.
"And some gyoza while you're at it!" Choji chimed in from the back corner of the booth.
"They closed the kitchens two hours ago," Shikamaru rolled his eyes from beside him.
"Be right back!" Sakura waved goodbye and turned on her heel.
As she walked away and towards the bar, she let out a shaky breath, allowing her smile to drop away. What on earth was going on? The energy among her friends had changed completely now that she was wearing a bit of makeup and this scrap of material. She supposed they were used to seeing her in unflattering civilian clothes or stuffy ninja attire, but this just seemed a bit excessive. Could such a simple change really make the most jarring shift in the earth's axis? These boys had known her since she was twelve. Some even earlier. None of them had ever displayed a romantic interest in her before tonight. Sure, Lee had liked her, but that had been an odd sort of infatuation. Not real attraction.
Even Shino, whose world seemed to begin and end with insects, seemed to notice her change in attitude and clothing.
Had it really been so simple this entire time?
The kunoichi made her way to the bar, resting her elbows on the glossy wooden surface, feeling stupid. She could have done this years ago.
"Ino isn't prettier than you," Kakashi's incessant voice whispered in her mind, "She's just more approachable."
"What can I get you, girl?" The tough-looking older woman behind the bar asked her, wiping down a glass with a white cloth. She had a strange accent, and Sakura dimly recognized the lilt as remnants of a Rain Country dialect.
Ah, that explained the foreign feel to the establishment. It felt like Amegakure because the owners were from Amegakure.
"Well? You just gonna stand there all day?" The woman asked again, patience obviously wearing thin quickly. She had only been to the village hidden in the Rain once during a mission a few years back, and the civilians had been much like this: cold, tough, straight to the point.
Sakura opened her mouth to answer but realized very quickly that she had no idea what to order. She wasn't a big drinker. In fact, she wasn't a drinker at all.
"Um- well-" She began, floundering.
"Let's do a glass of plum wine for the girl," a voice came from behind her, smooth like warm butter and shockingly close to her ear. "And a round of sake for her friends."
Sakura whirled around, eyes landing on a handsome face beneath a Sand Village hitai-ate. Her emerald eyes blinked in surprise.
"Suna?" She blurted and then immediately cringed. Not a great start to a conversation.
"I commend your deductive reasoning skills," he said in a telltale Suna accent, giving her a charming wink of his brown eyes before adjusting his forehead protector. His sandy blonde hair shifted beneath his gloved fingers. "You're one of the Konoha kunoichi then?
"Maybe," she quipped, remembering Ino's advice: men like a chase. They like a mystery.
"Mysterious, aren't we?" He grinned, and Sakura found herself drawn into this man. The way he looked at her, the way he leaned against the bar, bringing them closer together; He was handsome, and he knew it. "Someone's been reading a few too many articles in Kunoichi Weekly."
"Is it working?" She asked, laughing.
"More than you know," he said, grinning. His Suna accent was charming, much like everything else about this man.
"Here you are," a voice came from behind the bar. Sakura turned to see a platter of drinks placed on the surface before her. As she reached for her wallet tucked away in her right boot, a crisp bill appeared in her line of vision, held between two fingers.
"Don't even think about paying," the man said, "this round is on me."
Sakura opened her mouth to interject, but he beat her to it.
"I insist."
She bit back her rebuttal, choosing instead only to smile sweetly. Who was she to stop a man from buying her friends drinks? He was only being polite. Though a quiet voice in the back of her head whispered: you know what he really wants... What Ino told you about men who buy women drinks.
"Are you here on a mission?" She asked, pushing down the invasive thoughts.
"Sorry darling," he said, giving her chin a little touch with the pad of his thumb, "that's classified."
Sakura couldn't help but bristle. Ever since she had witnessed Gaara's rise to Kazekaga, she wanted to know all of the goings-on between the two villages. She was actually quite surprised she hadn't heard of any Suna-nin stationed in the village through the grapevine in Tsunade's office.
"That's not fair," she pouted, "The Fifth Kazekage is a close good friend of mine."
"Oh really?" He sounded amused. Like he didn't believe her.
"It's true!" She exclaimed, "We took the Chunin exams together!"
He looked her up and down, something glinting in his brown eyes. It was like he was appraising her in a new light. Trying to suss her out.
"I don't believe that automatically means that you're friends." At that point, Sakura couldn't tell if they were still flirting–and this was playful banter– or if he really didn't believe that she was telling the truth.
She swallowed the indignation she felt rising in her throat.
I'm approachable. I'm the new and improved Sakura Haruno.
The petty part of Sakura wanted to inform this cocky ninja how she had assisted in the rescue mission to save the life of his precious Kazekage alongside Granny Chiyo. Sakura Haruno had killed Sasori in her mission to retrieve Gaara. She had slain a member of the Akatsuki. She sobered a bit recalling the memory of how she had watched the old woman push her chakra into Gaara's lifeless body. She was a part of his village's history even more so than he was.
"You're the most powerful Kunoichi in the village behind Tsunade. You and your teammates have already made history." Kakashi's voice rang out inside of her skull, loud and clear. Bragging about her accomplishments was not the way to go. Even though it would feel so, so good.
"You're right," she forced out, feigning bashfulness. "I guess talking to him once or twice doesn't count."
"Shall we carry these back to your friends?" He asked, skillfully changing the subject. He jerked his head in the direction of her table.
She nodded gratefully. Together, they took the two large flasks of sake and the little stacks of glasses across the bar. In her other hand, Sakura held the delicate glass of Plum wine, and she thought of how the ninja walking alongside her had ordered it for her. The thought sent an excited tingle up her spine. A boy– no, a man– felt that she was worth it.
"Took you long enough, billboard-" Ino's words fell out of her mouth the second her blue eyes landed on the tall, handsome Suna-nin beside her.
"Good evening, everyone," he greeted, placing the drinks down on the table. Sakura followed suit.
"Oh, Ryuu." Shikamaru piped up from his place squished between Choji and the wall. "I thought you were leaving tonight."
Sakura realized then that she had yet to learn this man's name. Ryuu. She watched his striking face as he recognized her lackadaisical friend. They must have crossed paths at some point during his time in Konoha.
"Ah, Shikamaru! The boss wanted to spend the night and get a fresh start in the morning," he said. Boss? Did he mean Gaara? The idea that Gaara had been in the village but hadn't said hello made her feel oddly excluded.
"You bought us drinks?!" Ino gasped, hearts in her eyes. "You're so kind!"
"It was nothing," he rolled off before giving Sakura a quick, coy glance. "Anything to strengthen the bond between our villages."
Sakura's face warmed, and she tried not to let him know how much she appreciated the gesture. Instead, she went about introducing him to her friends: "This is Ino, Sai, Rock Lee, Shino, Tenten, Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru– who you already know!"
"Hello everyone!" He said cheerfully, "I'm Ryuu!"
Kiba glared up at the man in suspicion while the rest of the group greeted him warmly.
"And you?" Ryuu asked, turning his warm chocolate gaze onto Sakura. "I never got your name."
"S-Sakura."
"Hello, Sakura."
"Let's pull up a chair!" Lee said, interrupting their admittedly intimate introduction, "that way there will be room for everyone!"
Sai was about to oblige when Ryuu held up his hand, halting him in place.
"It's alright," he said, "I'm with my group from the Sand Village tonight. It would be quite rude of me to leave them alone. I just wanted to extend my gratefulness at being welcomed so warmly in Konoha this week."
Sakura's smile fell, and just like that, she was unsure of Ryuu's intentions. She thought he had liked her! She thought… she thought he had bought the drinks to get her attention.
Now he was just leaving her? After all of that? He wasn't even going to try and pull anything? Nothing at all?
"Awww," Ino pouted, chin resting on her knuckles, "alright…"
"See ya later," Kiba gave the man a sarcastic salute, clearly enthralled at the man's departure.
"Are you sure?" Sakura asked, digging her toe into the concrete floor. She tried her best to look demure as she tucked a pink strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'm sure," he said. Disappointment coursed through her. She didn't have much time to dwell on her dismay at his sudden exit, as he had taken her hand in his and brought it up to place a soft kiss on her knuckles. "See you around."
"Bye," she murmured sadly as he turned on his heel and left. It felt as though a song had abruptly shut off before the end. Like an orchestra sputtering out halfway through a symphony, the dissonant note hanging in the air without resolve. That was it?!
Why had he bought her a drink?! Had Ino been wrong? Had he been the one exception? Had it really just been for the sake of good inter-village relations?
Feeling foolish and dejected, Sakura took her place next to Kiba once again.
"Forget that guy," Kiba urged, "he's nothing but a sand-eating creep."
"A sand-eating creep that bought us drinks," Ino said giddily, already pouring sake into the little glasses and distributing them around the table. "I think he's alright."
"That's true," the dog-loving ninja grumbled before quickly downing his shot. Sakura was looking at her hands, limp on the table, when Kiba nudged her. "Come on, loosen up."
Sakura shot him an incredulous look. She didn't want to be dramatic, but the rejection from the Suna-nin had pretty thoroughly doused her mood. She didn't feel like partying. She felt like going home and peeling off this god-forsaken dress before climbing into bed.
"He's right, Sakura," Ino jeered, Sakura looked up from her self-pitying stupor. "We came out to have fun!"
Something inside of the kunoichi stirred at that. Ino was right. She had gone through the torture of being groomed and poked and dolled up at the hands of her friend. It had taken almost an hour to get ready. To go and waste all of that effort at the first sign of adversity… it was stupid.
"Cheers!" Choji announced, raising his glass in the air jovially. Milky liquid sloshed out at his exuberant movement. He was clearly already inebriated. Sakura smiled mirthlessly, supposing that she had a bit of catching up to do.
With that thought in mind, Sakura took the little glass of sake and clinked it against her friends with a "Cheers!"
. . .
Her entire glass of plum wine and several more shots of sake later, the handsome, evasive Suna-nin had faded completely from her swirling, bubbly thoughts. The bar had become even more alive, the upstairs level populating with late-night patrons that milled about and gradually became more and more belligerently drunk.
Sakura and her friends were no exception. Somehow the group had ended up on the dance floor, dancing and moving to the thrumming bass that had grown so strong that it vibrated through her bones. Her head felt light, her limbs warm. It felt like she had dipped into a warm bath, and she couldn't stop giggling.
Was this what being drunk was? Perhaps this is why Tsunade had such a problem. This was great! It felt like all of her inhibitions had fallen away. She wasn't worried about anything, she was simply in her body, in the music.
Kiba was dancing in front of her, hands grazing her sides before landing on her hips. Their hips began to sway in tandem. It felt good to be touched, she realized. It didn't even really matter who was touching her.
Sure, he was cute, she could admit it. As she had been talking to him over the course of the night, she realized that he sort of resembled Naruto. It was like her teammate's features had been sharpened, his hair darkened.
He was no Sasuke Uchiha, but he would do.
She brought her hands up before clasping behind his neck, giving him a look she hoped was sultry beneath her mascara-coated lashes. He flashed her a wolf-like grin, eagerly bringing their bodies closer together.
"Damn, Sakura," he breathed, hungry eyes traveling across the expanse of her face, "where have you been hiding?"
"Good question." She laughed, thinking of all of the late nights spent hunched over blood samples at the hospital, or running last-minute errands for Lady Tsunade under the light of the moon. "Nowhere fun, that's for sure."
"Are you having fun now?"
"I'm having so much fun!" She cried back, face actually hurting from how much she was smiling. She hadn't enjoyed herself this much in years.
Something shifted in his expression then, and Sakura could see the desire in his eyes even through the smoke and flashing lights. He leaned forward, gaze flicking to her lips. She froze, foggy mind suddenly clearing.
He was trying to kiss her!
She had never kissed anyone before, and the thought of her first kiss being Kiba Inuzuka sent a sharp stab of anxiety through her chest. She had dreamed about this moment for years. Over and over in her mind, she had imagined the tender moment she would reunite with Sasuke, and he would declare his feelings before sweeping her up in a loving embrace.
No! This was all wrong.
She leaned back, drunken brain scrambling for an excuse to not let him place his lips on hers.
"Sakura!" A familiar voice called from behind her, sharply interrupting the moment. Thankful for the distraction, she whirled around, effectively breaking off the potential kiss–
– and coming face to face with a broad chest. It was clad in the typical flak jacket issued to all Konoha ninja. Her gaze traveled upward until it landed on Kakashi's masked visage, visible eye crinkled shut in his characteristic smile.
She had seen this man almost every day since she was twelve years old. His presence had been a constant comfort, steady and solid. Kakashi Hatake had been her rock. Her mentor. Her teacher.
Yet, despite all of this, Sakura Haruno's heart fluttered in her chest.
A/N: Hello everyone! After writing several 100k length fics I'm craving something short and simple and sexy. I've always loved Kakasaku, but for some reason, I've never had the balls to write it... until today :) I want this story to be easy and hot, but lord knows sometimes my fics snowball out of control. Please forgive any mistakes or stumbling passages, I don't have a BETA reader this time around.
Please consider reviewing! It inspires me to update sooner when I know people are looking forward to the next chapter!