Hi everybody! I meant for this chapter to come out sooner, but there have been some technical difficulties on the site. So, here is chapter eight. Enjoy!

Sakura took one last look in the full length mirror as the door bell rang. It was 7:00 in the evening on a Friday. She knew Kakashi would be waiting at the door for her. It was his birthday.

She took in the reflection staring back at her and smiled in an attempt to quell the nervousness that sat writhing in her stomach. It failed.

Sakura wasn't worried that she looked terrible. Even though she already possessed a natural attractiveness that earned her admiring glances, Ino had known just what to do to accent and enhance those features. Under the blond kunoichi's critical eyes, Sakura had turned into a "knockout," as Ino worded it.

The first place they had visited Monday morning was the hair salon. Ino had adamantly declared that Sakura was not allowed to wear her hair up. When Sakura had protested, Ino had scolded her.

She could still hear her friend's commanding voice as she pushed the roseate kunoichi into the spinning chair. "You always have that hair up in a bun, or a pony tail, or clips, or braids. Not this time, Sakura. Hair like yours should be left down."

Now, the trimmed bubblegum tresses were left unbound. The bangs were styled into light, feathery wisps. While the majority of her hair fell down her back, a few soft strands rested lightly on the delicately exposed neckline.

The roseate kunoichi wore a crimson dress of softly crushed cloth that sat elegantly on her shoulders and ended just before her knees. The material gently hugged the curves of her small body. Ino had personally picked out the dress for the safe but revealing cut of it. A thin, black lace bow tumbled down over the simple flowery pattern that adorned the bodice.

The only thing Sakura did have a say on were the simple thong sandals on her feet. Ino had been there only an hour earlier fussing over everything else, especially Sakura's face. While she had planned to go without make up, Ino had rushed over to the roseate kunoichi's house, beauty kit in tow, when she had heard the last minute news.

With an expert hand, Ino applied a warm shade of gloss to the full lips that brought out the darker tones of Sakura's bubblegum locks. A light addition of mascara accentuated the emerald eyes framed by the thick eyelashes. A touch of blush had also been applied to the porcelain cheeks and gave the kunoichi a rosy glow.

Ino had stood in awe at the transformed young woman before her. It was here in that Sakura realized the problem. If she could stop Ino in her tracks, she tried to imagine what the rest of Konoha would do, especially Hatake Kakashi.

Sakura took a deep breath as she picked up the petite hand purse resting on the counter and slipped Kakashi's wrapped gift into it. Tugging at every last ounce of nerve she possessed, the roseate kunoichi walked towards the door.

Kakashi was reading his favorite copy of Icha Icha Paradise when he heard the door click once as it opened and again as it slowly closed shut behind the now stationary figure only a few feet away.

Sakura felt her chest tighten as she looked over the man before her. Kakashi leaned against the cool wall of the house, beneath the shade of the porch's roof. His white dress shirt hung loose on his muscled frame in a very appealing manner, as did the dark blue jeans on his lower half. The collar of the shirt was left unbuttoned, exposing the silver chain of his dog tags and the tanned skin beneath it. A dark jacket was slung over his shoulder.

His silvery hair was spiked out in a tame manner for once. Sakura suspected the Copy Ninja had finally gotten around to brushing the mop of hair on his head, and the thought brought forth a soft smile from the kunoichi. He had opted to forgo the Konoha forehead protector that usually hid his Sharingan. However, he still wore the same silky black mask over the majority of his face. Go figure, Sakura thought to herself. She took a breath and stepped forward.

"Happy Birthday," Sakura said quietly as Kakashi's eyes still roamed the page. He finished reading the last line before delicately folding the page and snapping the book shut. As he moved to tuck the book into his pants' pocket, Kakashi looked up.

In the quiet evening of Konoha, the loud sound of an object slamming against the ground echoed through the street. Hatake Kakashi had done the unbelievable. He had let his Icha Icha Paradise book, not just any copy, but his favorite copy, fall from his grasp onto the hard wooden deck beneath him. He didn't seem to notice, though, and made no move to pick it up.

His gaze was fixed on the young woman standing before him. She blushed at the intensity of his staring eyes, and after a moment she reached down for the book. She held it out to Kakashi and he hesitated a moment before glancing down at it. Finally he reached out to grab the book.

"Thank you."

Sakura felt the blood rush to her cheeks as Kakashi's gaze lingered on her a moment longer. She ran a hand up her arm and looked at the ground. "What's the matter?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

Kakashi shook his head. "Nothing. I was just surprised."

"Ino gave me some tips," she said. Sakura turned in a circle for Kakashi. "Do I look okay?"

"Sakura," Kakashi said, "You look… beautiful." Sakura blushed an even deeper shade of red.

"I'm sorry," Sakura murmured, "It's just I don't do this very often…" Kakashi waved the words away.

"Don't worry about it," he said. Sakura tried her best to put on a smile. She gazed up at Kakashi.

"Well then," she said, trying to sound more confident, "Let's go." Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed the Copy Ninja's hand to lead him down the walkway. After a moment she paused and let his hand go. Kakashi came to stand beside her so he could see her face in the dying light.

"Wait," he said, "It's alright." Kakashi reached out, and Sakura felt his hand seize her own in a steady grasp. He gave a soft squeeze of encouragement. Sakura glanced down at their hands, then the Copy Ninja. His eyes were crinkled from his hidden grin as he started to move forward. Sakura matched her footsteps to his as they reached the street.

After a moment, Sakura found herself smiling back up at him as they walked down the street.

"I love this place," Kakashi said as he held out a chair for Sakura. She sat down and allowed him to push her chair towards the table.

"Thanks," she said as Kakashi took his own seat next to her. She took the menu from the waiter and began to skim it. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the prices of each dish. This place was expensive.

"Have you ever been here before?" Sakura glanced up and smiled at the Copy Ninja's question.

"No, actually," she said, "I didn't even know this place existed." Sakura ran the short trip from her house to the restaurant back through her head, but had trouble recalling the winding route through the alleys and pathways. It had been dark, and he had been holding her hand, after all.

Kakashi chuckled quietly. "Yeah," he said, "it's a pretty private place." He waved a hand at the surrounding area.

Sakura looked up from the menu and took a moment to observe the room. The candles in their thin black stands here and there about the room were the only source of light. Even so, Sakura could make out the fine tiles that graced the floor, the golden hue of the painted walls, and the cranberry curtains that hung from doorways and windows. There were only four other tables in their particular section when it could have easily fit fifteen. Sakura glanced at Kakashi as he continued to peruse the menu.

"I know what you're thinking," he said. Sakura blushed and closed her mouth she had just opened. Kakashi gazed up at her, his ebony eye and crimson Sharingan watching her face. "Don't even look at the prices. You are here as my guest, celebrating my birthday."

Sakura couldn't help but smile. "You think you know me so well." Kakashi shrugged.

"If you mean well enough to know that you would slip all the money in your purse over to the waiter on your first trip to the bathroom, then yeah," he grinned, "I guess I do." Sakura reached for her purse.

"Okay," she said, "then this'll blow your socks off." She reached inside the purse and pulled out a small box wrapped in sapphire paper and tied up in a silver bow. She set it down in front of Kakashi.

"What's this?" Kakashi eyed the box.

"It's a present. If I can't pay for my part of the bill, then you at least have to take this," Sakura reasoned as she pushed the box closer to him.

"Alright." Kakashi pulled at the shiny ribbon.

"I went to see Jiraiya a few weeks ago, him being the great ninja that he is, and asked him to make a present just for you. It's the only one of its kind." Kakashi glanced up at Sakura as he removed the paper. All that was left now was the box.

Kakashi tore the tape away and slowly opened the top. He pulled out an item wrapped up in white stuffing paper. He ripped the white sheets away. His eyes widened as he stared at the cover of the book he held in his left hand.

"S-Sakura…" Kakashi whispered as he stared at the gift in awe. It was a copy of Icha Icha Paradise, but the front read "Special Addition: To Hatake Kakashi on His Birthday; Love, the Amazingly Beautiful Pink-Haired Kunoichi Sakura." He chuckled quietly as he finished reading the title.

"Oh," she said, "He added that last bit all by himself." She watched the Copy Ninja's face for a reaction. He looked up at her with shining eyes.

"This is the best gift I've ever gotten. Thank you," he said.

Sakura nodded her head and smiled. "I'm glad you like it." Just then, Kakashi spotted the waiter eyeing their table. Kakashi waved him over.

"Do you like wine?" Kakashi looked intently as Sakura as she shrugged.

"I really don't drink too much," she said, feeling slightly silly that she was twenty one already and had only consumed three or four alcoholic beverages since she had reached the eighteen-year-old age limit.

"Would you like to try some, then?" Sakura could see Kakashi was smiling at her own comment about her alcohol intake. She blushed slightly and thought about it for a moment. Finally, she nodded.

"Good evening," the waiter said in an eloquent voice. "Have you had enough time to view the menu?" Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.

"Yes, I believe we have."

Two people walked down the quiet street guided solely by the midnight sky. There was no moon out tonight, and the stars twinkled from their lonely posts in the vast darkness. Sakura stared up at them sympathetically. She was not alone. Kakashi walked beside her.

The Copy Ninja and the roseate kunoichi strolled arm in arm down the road. It was Kakashi who had suggested taking the long way to walk Sakura home, and she could hardly refuse him. They walked in silence now, having stopped speaking a while ago; it was peaceful just to be in one another's company there in the quiet of the night.

A breath of wind passed across the village starting from the west, finally reaching the couple on the eastern road. It was the first true sign of a break in the longstanding weather of summer. Autumn was finally on its way. Sakura shivered slightly as the cool chill passed through her. She felt the goose bumps rise on her exposed skin and futilely tried to shake it off. Kakashi glanced down at her.

"Are you cold?" He leaned sideways to whisper in the kunoichi's ear. The warmth of his breath against her skin caused her to tremble again and Kakashi chuckled. "Sorry," he whispered, sending a chill through her once more.

"It's okay," Sakura murmured, "It's nice, actually." But Kakashi had already removed the jacket from his own body and draped it around Sakura. She moved closer to Kakashi until their sides touched, and he wrapped an arm around her. The heat radiated from both his jacket and body, and, along with the two glasses of wine she'd had at the restaurant, brought a slight flush to her cheeks. She was happy for the darkness that surrounded them.

All too soon they were at her street, then her mailbox, then her doorstep. They stood on the porch for a minute, and Sakura stared at the light glowing from the taller buildings at the center of the village. They would stay on into the early morning hours, when Sakura had already lay down to sleep. She inhaled a deep breath and found herself drowned in the scent of eucalyptus that trailed the Copy Ninja. The breath escaped in a heavy sigh and captured Kakashi's attention.

"Is anything wrong?" Sakura looked up to find his eyes fixed on her. One red and one black. She wondered how strange it was that she could make out the defining curves of those shining orbs, even when the night sky was devoid of proper light. She waved her hand in front of her face, but could barely distinguish it from the surroundings.

Sakura shook her head and laughed quietly. "No, but I think the drinks are getting to me. I can find you're eyes, but I can hardly see my own hand." She repeated the waving motion again, and Kakashi chuckled.

"It is kind of dark out here," he whispered to the silhouette of the roseate kunoichi.

"The porch light burned out the other day," Sakura whispered back. "I keep forgetting to change it."

"I'll come do it tomorrow," he replied. A moment of silence passed between them. Sakura gazed up at the face shrouded in shadows.

"Kakashi," Sakura murmured, leaving off the usual attachment of sensei when she called upon him. This did not go unnoticed by the Copy Ninja. He bent his head forward as two hands tugged at his shirt collar. Sakura whispered into his ear. "Since I can't see as it is, why don't you take off that silly mask for once?" Her voice no longer held the sound of teasing or laughter that usually ran through it when discussing the infamous piece of black silk. She was serious.

Kakashi remained silent for a moment. He smiled into the darkness. "How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?"

He felt Sakura's heated breath in his ear. "You should know me by now. I don't think I could lie to you, even if I wanted to." One of the hands released the collar and felt its way up the Copy Ninja's neck. Soon the fingers found the edge of the material resting on his cheek bone. One twisted into the rim of the mask. Kakashi made no move to stop her as Sakura pulled the silk material down.

Sakura squinted through the shadows, yet all she could distinguish in the dark was the outline of Kakashi's body and those eyes, the face still hidden from her sight. Sakura reached back up to the face again. She had to know it was real; that there was true substance behind the mask. Her fingertips search blindly through the darkness and finally landed on the face. The firm flesh of his cheek and the smooth skin of his jaw line slid beneath them. Then the trembling fingers discovered the simple curve of his mouth. Kakashi smiled against the fingers.

Kakashi felt Sakura's other hand tug at his collar once more; she was pulling him closer. Eyes closed, she tilted her head forward until she felt the back of her fingers on her own mouth. Kakashi's nose brushed against her cheek, and she knew she was exactly where she wanted to be.

"I just realized there was one more present I wanted to give you."

Sakura felt his calm breath as it blew against her lips. She hesitated. She knew what would happen if she moved any closer; what it would say to him; what it would mean to her. There was no turning back. One more tug, and everything would change.

She tugged.

Kakashi sensed the warmth of Sakura's mouth as it pressed gently to his. Acting on impulse, he traced a hand down her neck, past her shoulder, and placed it against the small of her back. He drew her closer and closer, until he felt the heat of her small body touching his chest.

Sakura's pulse surged from the sudden nearness, the physical contact of skin through clothing. She closed her eyes as Kakashi's lips brushed lightly against her own, and she melted into the warmth of the kiss. Her hands caressed the obscured face as they tried to memorize every curve. She wanted to remember it long after he was gone.

When Kakashi finally pulled his head away, he emitted a heavy breath into the air. Sakura buried her face into his chest, breathing onto his exposed skin. She listened to the rapid heartbeat below the flesh and wondered at what she had just done.

Kakashi removed his hand from her back and shifted as he pulled the mask up to his face once more. He tried to make out Sakura's features; what was he searching for? Fear? Embarrassment? Regret? Yet, he could find nothing in the darkness.

"Sakura," Kakashi murmured, brushing a strand of hair away from the kunoichi's cheek, "I lied back at the restaurant, when I told you that book was the best gift I'd ever gotten."

"So," Sakura pondered, "Then this one must be the best."

Kakashi chuckled. "How did you know?" He felt Sakura's body shrug.

"A lucky guess," Sakura whispered breathlessly as she smoothed out the collar she had held firmly crushed in her grasp only moments before. She closed her emerald eyes, trying to slow down her racing heart. Her stomach tightened as her mind and body clashed in the battle for control. She could ask him to stay, her body reasoned, just so she wouldn't have to be alone when the dreams returned to haunt her. She should tell him to leave, her mind urged, she wasn't ready for this.

Don't you still love Sasuke?

Finally, with that simple question resonating in her head, she backed away from Kakashi. She would have to be alone for one more night.

"It's late," Sakura murmured, searching in her purse for the house key. Kakashi nodded and stepped back, waiting for Sakura to open the door. The lock clicked and the door slid open.

"I should get going," Kakashi admitted as he turned away. But a hand grabbed his arm, and he glanced over his shoulder. Sakura stood in the doorway, a night light from the kitchen casting her into a dim glow. Her emerald eyes watched him.

"Thank you for tonight," she whispered. Her hand squeezed his arm, and she smiled. "Happy birthday, Kakashi." He nodded at the roseate kunoichi, a look of understanding in his mismatched eyes.

As the door clicked shut, Kakashi sighed and headed toward the street. He glanced back one last time at the Uchiha house. In an illuminated window from the second story bedroom, a silhouette was cast into the light. Sakura stood behind the glass, watching the Copy Ninja as he walked home.

Thanks for reading! Questions, comments, and helpful hints can be directed to the reviews section. Thanks again : )