Sakura Haruno was a studious person. She strove to maintain high grades, retain the information she learned and develop meaningful relationships with her professors and teacher's aids. She was also a competitive person. Which was, quite frequently, to blame for almost every awkward/ embarrassing moment that she had ever experienced. Well, her competitive nature combined with her friendship with one Ino Yamanaka. Ever since that fateful first day of kindergarten when the two girls had met, the lethal combination of Ino and competition with Ino had become Sakura's hubris. Now, many people thought it strange that despite the deeply competitive nature of their relationship, the two girls were as close as friends could be. People also thought it strange that even now that they were both twenty one, they couldn't quite make themselves say no to each other when a direct challenge or dare was issued.

This issuing of challenges had also started in kindergarten, when both girls were vying for the attention of one Sasuke Uchiha. While the initial goal had been to get his attention, the goal quickly shifted to simply one-upping the other until Sasuke was all but forgotten as a potential love interest by the time 1st grade rolled around. The competition then shifted to who could read more, who could answer more questions, who could raise more money for the class fundraiser. By the time high school rolled around they had branched out from challenges focused around school and seeped into their familial lives and their individual hobbies. Needless to say, not many people understood the appeal of their relationship.

Yet, Sakura and Ino both accredited their friendship with getting them to where they were today; top of their class at their university, and about to graduate with high honors. Because while it may sound appealing initially to have a best friend that you agree with on everything and can hang out with and not argue, it is infinitely better in their book to have a best friend who is constantly pushing you outside of your comfort zone and pushing you to succeed in areas that you may have initially not cared to. Self-motivation is great and all but it pales in the face of motivation driven by competition.

The point of this not so brief history of the relationship between Sakura and Ino is to set the stage for where they are now: two weeks away from graduating university. More specifically, the two are sitting in their apartment on a Sunday evening, preparing their bags for the following school day.

"Ugh" Ino huffed as she threw herself onto the couch in irritation. "It's no fun finishing up a semester that we didn't take any classes together. There's nothing to compete in. And it's our last semester of college, Forehead! It's a disgrace."

Sakura chuckled as she sifted through the contents of her backpack. "Pig, it's not a disgrace. We've just had a lot of other stuff going on this semester. The future of our lives is looming ahead of us." She glanced at Ino, "Kinda makes the competitions seem less important when faced with potential unemployment."

Ino rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I don't know why you're still so worried about being unemployed. You know that if everything else falls through, Professor Hatake is ready to pay for you to be his research assistant while you get your footing after college.

A blush stained Sakura's face at the mention of her Professor. "I'm not gonna take advantage of Professor Hatake, Pig. He's already done so much for me. It wouldn't feel right."

"Oh puh-lease." Ino sat up and wiggled her eyebrows at Sakura. "You can't tell me it wouldn't feel right to see that man every day for the next four months at least?"

Sakura groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Inoooooo! That is exactly why it would be so hard! I mean, I trip over myself often enough seeing him the few times during the week that I do. There's no way I'd be able to keep this stupid crush a secret if I had to see him for hours a day!"

"Who says you'd have to keep it a secret?" Ino inquired, raising an eyebrow. "You're graduating. A relationship is totally a possibility."

Sakura shuffled over and sat next to Ino on the couch. "Yeah right. There is no way Professor Hatake wants a relationship, let alone with one of his students."

"Honestly Forehead, you are probably closer to him than anyone else."

"What are you talking about, Pig?"

"Well, let's see. You have known him for four years now," Ino started ticking points off with her fingers, "he asked you to be his TA after you were in his class for a month, you are the only student he asks to call him 'Kakashi', he's in constant contact with you for his classes on the weekends, which makes it obvious he doesn't really have a social life, you have a freakish amount of things in common, he brings you coffee for your early Friday morning TA hours, and last but not least you've actually seen his face!"

Sakura snorted a laugh. "Seen his face? What on earth are you talking about?"

"You know! He's always wearing those huge glasses and his hair is always flopping into his face and covering one of his eyes! No one gets to see his face!"

"What, like it's a privilege or something?"

Ino smirked at Sakura. "You definitely thought it was a privilege when you saw him without his glasses."

Turning bright red, Sakura shoved Ino's shoulder. "Shut up." She grumbled. "How do you even remember that crap anyways?"

"How could I forget!" Ino threw her hands up in mock irritation. "You come home all flustered one day and all I can get out of you are the words 'Kakashi' and 'no glasses'. Then, for a week after that you avoided him like the plague. I can only assume it was because he was so hot."

Sakura's face turned three shades deeper and she hid her face one more. "Oh my heck, Ino! This is why I don't tell you things anymore! You make them into a big deal and then I get even MORE embarrassed!"