Thanks to all my reviewers! Sorry for the late update, things have been pretty hectic with the Christmas/New Years break and all that jazz...
Anyway, i decided that this will probably be my long story...which will probably eventually tie in with "Ashita" (a ShikaxIno fic i started but which won't be picked up again until early March at the earliest i have my reasons for this)...the rating will probably also eventually be upped....going to go with the flow of the story on this one....
So, please bear with my slow updates and keep reading! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
Obviously, don't own Naruto, so don't lawsuit me....
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"Give me some time." He finally managed to say.
She sighed and smiled weakly as she nodded. What more could she ask for really? He hadn't outright rejected her, so there was still a chance right?
"Sakura-chaaaaaan! Kakashi-sensei! Have you seen Hinata?" An obnoxiously loud voice pierced the air. With no small degree of relief, both Sakura and Kakashi turned to face the rapidly approaching Naruto.
"No. You lost her already?" Kakashi teased his blonde haired ex-pupil.
"What?! Of course not! I just thought I'd see if she wanted to have lunch with me, but no-one seems to know where she is." Naruto explained as a faint blush appeared across his face.
Sakura smiled at the obviously love-struck boy. She was so happy for Naruto and Hinata who had recently become a couple. Possibly the cutest couple in Konoha, to be exact. At the same time though, she couldn't help but wish she could also be as happy and in love as they were.
"Maybe she's waiting for you at the ramen stall?" Sakura offered. It wasn't unexpected that the shy Hyuuga would save Naruto the trouble of finding her by simply waiting for him at his usual haunts. That was how they were. No games, just a simple, straightforward and honest relationship. They simply acted the way that they felt and they were so good for each other. Naruto seemed to make Hinata louder and more confident, while Hinata seemed to be the only one who could curb Naruto's more over enthusiastic tendencies and make him notice subtleties.
"Oh! I didn't think of that! See ya later!! I don't want to keep her waiting!" Naruto turned and left almost faster than when he came.
How cute. Unconsciously, the same thought crossed the minds of the two people left behind.
"I don't want to keep her waiting." The words echoed in Sakura's mind. How long would she have to wait? She knew Kakashi wasn't the type of person who could be rushed into a decision. He would always reach his own conclusions in his own unhurried pace. That was just how he was. Infuriatingly easy-going and serious at the same time. Speaking of serious, she just realized she was going to be late.
"Kakashi, I've got to go. I'm meeting Neji. I'll catch you around."
"Neji?" Kakashi kept his voice deliberately lazy, but Sakura picked up on the involuntarily half a millisecond hitch in his voice.
Way to go! Inner Sakura cheered.
"Yes. He has something he wants to show me." Sakura also kept her voice deliberately casual.
"Really? He needs a woman's opinion on a wedding ring for Tenten I suppose?" Kakashi knew Sakura had picked up on his slight irregularity.
Damn! How did he know? Inner Sakura shook her fist.
"Probably. Anyway, see you around." Sakura turned to leave so that he would miss the faint blush that she knew was rising from being caught.
But of course, Kakashi being Kakashi didn't miss a single thing. He noticed the faint pink on her face which somehow gave her even more charm. He noticed the way the soft strands of pink hair twirled in the air as she turned, the way her hips swayed and how long her legs were as she walked away. And of course, the image of her huge emerald eyes flickering with a million emotions was burned into his mind.
How did I get myself into this? Kakashi mused as he shook his head, somehow feeling perplexed. Of course, he knew his feelings for her had been growing for quite some time. He just never thought they would ever amount to anything. After all, she was his ex-student. He had known her since she was twelve years old. He had been there for her on her first mission, her training with Tsunade and then her romance and then breakup with Sasuke.
You love her. She's not twelve anymore Kakashi. She's twenty two. And she wants to be with you. Besides, age has never meant much to a ninja anyway. The mini devil Kakashi in his mind answered.
But she used to be my student! Mini angel Kakashi argued back.
Used to be! Therefore, not any more! Mini devil Kakashi hardly found mini angel Kakashi's argument worth rebutting.
Kakashi quirked an eyebrow. Now the voices were talking to him. He was seriously losing his mind. Shut up. He commanded quietly in his head, and with a poof, both the mini Kakashis disappeared.
Sakura chewed her lip in consternation. She couldn't believe she had confronted Kakashi with her feelings. It was crazy! And he admitted he loved her! Just thinking about it made her face turn bright red.
"Sakura-san." Neji's cool voice pierced through her consciousness.
"Huh?" Sakura looked up to see a rather amused looking Neji standing in front of her.
"You're in love?" Neji's flatly stated question was more a statement than a question.
Before Sakura could splutter out some sort of plausible or implausible denial as the case may be, Neji followed up with another coolly stated question.
"And he loves you?" Sakura turned an even brighter shade of red.
Neji smirked. "Well, just don't let that impair your judgment of what a perfect ring is."
"If you knew what a perfect ring is, you wouldn't have asked me to tag along now would you?" Sakura had finally found her voice. And her wits.
A twitch appeared on the side of Neji's forehead. "Whatever, let's just get started."
Neji 0, Sakura 1! Inner Sakura gloated.
After a few hours of ring searching, the perfect rings had been short-listed and Neji planned to subtly find out which one Tenten would definitely agree to marry him with.
Marriage. Sakura pondered to herself as she walked home. It seemed like such a grown up thing. Hard to believe that her friends were already starting to get married. But that was the thing with being a ninja. Life was too uncertain for them, so if you found the one you loved, you married them almost without a second thought. Of course, it helped that Neji and Tenten had been in love with each other since they had been genin team mates.
If only Sasuke and I hadn't split, would we have been the next ones to marry? Sakura was shaken out of her reverie as she took in a sight right in her line of vision. Naruto and Hinata were kissing gently under a tree, completely lost in their own world. Of course, this was about the closest to the Hyuuga household that Naruto could kiss Hinata without some member of her clan running out with a kunai threatening to severely hurt or maim him for corrupting the innocent Hyuuga heiress. She thought to herself wryly. I wonder if Kakashi would kiss me like that? Somehow he seems like the type to be gentle and slow, but passionate too. Sakura flushed crimson at that thought and ran the remainder of the way home.