The Anatomy of Love

Written By: Banana007

Chapter 37: She Walks in Beauty


A/N: To the reader called "No Way", I left a response in the Reviews addressing your confusion.


Somehow his olive bowtie was more stifling than the ties he usually wore to school. So much so that Kakashi had to fight back the urge to tug at the collar of his dress shirt. It'd been many years since the last time he'd dressed up as fancy as this, and he'd spent the noon pressing out any old wrinkles in his suit.

Beside him, Kurenai chuckled softly in amusement as they watched a pair of students awkwardly dance together, unsure of how to sway in tandem to the music without stepping on each other's toes. Eyeing the young lovebirds, Kurenai rubbed her belly and quietly sighed, likely lamenting the fact that she couldn't quite dance with her husband anymore with her belly too big now.

"I still can't believe Guy would just bail out on a school night like this," she eventually said with a shake of her head. "I mean it's not like him to shirk his duties at the very last minute. Especially when he loves these kinds of events."

Kakashi shifted on his feet. He had called Guy earlier to ask for Goro's whereabouts, but he hadn't expected Guy to dip out of supervising the dance just to search for the kid. And Kurenai was right; it was very unlike Guy to ditch his duties at the very last minute.

"Something more important must have come up," Kakashi explained, not wanting Kurenai to worry too much over something that was likely nothing to worry about.

Kurenai snorted. "I suppose with Guy MIA, there won't be any dance battles tonight. Unless you're willing to get down on the dance floor? Teach the youngsters some old school moves?"

"I don't dance."

"That's what you would always tell Rin too," Kurenai hummed, only to stop when she realized what she'd just said. She glanced at Kakashi briefly as if to check that he was still present and not stuck in his head, then muttered an apology.

This time Kakashi lifted a hand to tug at his collar but only because the awkwardness was now stifling him.

He hated that people would accidentally mention Obito and Rin and then immediately clam up like it was some forbidden topic. He understood why Kurenai and the others tended to kill any conversation about their old friends – they thought they were sparing him of his scars reopening. Little did they know that his cars had never really healed close though.

Besides, contrary to everyone's belief, he didn't necessarily hate talking about Obito and Rin, especially when he had so many more fond memories of them than tragic times. But what Kakashi did hate was that every time Obito or Rin were brought up intentionally, they were used against him in some way. To pressure him into therapy ('Rin would've wanted you to get help') or nudge him back into the military ('This can be your chance to avenge Obito').

Kakashi tugged at his collar again, harder now as he silently wished that he hadn't needed to wear a bowtie for tonight. Kurenai frowned at his restlessness, but she was soon distracted by the return of Asuma who had just come back from fetching drinks for them. She thanked her husband with a kiss on the cheek but left her drink with him to go reprimand a boy for not keeping his hands above the girl's hips.

"I'm glad Kurenai chose to supervise tonight," Asuma commented, watching his wife waddle her way through the crowd. "Lately, the pregnancy's been causing her feet to swell, so wearing heels is uncomfortable for her. But I know she's been dying to dress up and out of those maternity clothes, so I'm happy to see she's enjoying herself tonight."

"Should I find a chair for her?" Kakashi suggested, already surveying the cafeteria-turned-ballroom for any available chair he could steal.

Asuma shook his head. "I'll grab one later when she's too tired to decline. She hates being coddled too much."

But his words went through one ear and out the other as Kakashi's attention was already far away and fixed onto the opposite side of the room. Exactly where he'd glimpsed just a flash of cherry pink hair.

He gripped the stem of his flute glass in anticipation, his heart already racing and swelling with hope. Then, like something straight out of a cheesy romance novel, the sea of students parted. Just enough for Kakashi's eyes to fall upon the lone figure who had stepped into the scene.

His breath caught in his throat as he forgot how to breathe for a moment.

Still eyeing his wife, Asuma sighed in adoration. "She looks so beautiful tonight."

Slowly, Kakashi raised his flute to study Sakura through the crystalline glass. Yes, very beautiful, he mused to himself.

He swirled the sparkling water around in his glass, letting the bubbles fizz and using it as an excuse to continue spying on Sakura from the distance. He observed how she kept her makeup light as usual, although he guessed the blush on her face was all her. The right side of her hair was pinned back too, leaving her rosy cheeks and demure smile plain for all to see. For all the boys to feast upon.

Not that he could blame them for ogling her (especially when he himself was guilty of the act). Sakura was a striking visage in that red floor-length dress that hugged every curve of hers. Even her dress's slit served to only stir the boys' appetites, though the slit reached modestly just above her knee to show off a toned leg of hers.

She was already a beautiful girl who, Kakashi noted every time she stepped into his classroom, tended to make boys' heads turn. But now in that dress, she made everyone's heads turn.

In Kakashi's peripheral vision, the boys nudged each other and smiled in Sakura's direction like wolves who'd smelled the sweet scent of the most exquisite prey. It didn't help that she appeared a little lost, standing all by herself and looking around the makeshift ballroom, wide-eyed and incredulous of the place she had seemingly wandered into.

The warm lights highlighted the wonder bright in her eyes as she drank in the sight of the tables ladened with electric candles and food, students swaying to the orchestra playing through the loudspeakers, and the veranda doors decorated with fake vines and flowers. So amazed by the cafeteria's transformation, she seemed completely, and unfortunately, oblivious to all the attention on her.

From the corner of Kakashi's eye, a boy had finally mustered enough courage and began heading towards her. Kakashi instinctively started forth but then froze after just one step.

Did he have a right to intervene? Did he have a right to choose for Sakura whether or not to accept the boy's advances? No, of course not. Besides, even though he was here for duty, he had no legitimate excuse to stop that boy from asking Sakura to dance. What could he say?

'Your shoelace is five centimeters too close to the floor and that's a hazard to your dance partner, so please step away from Sakura, go home, and never come back'? Yeah, real mature of him.

He watched on helplessly as the boy neared Sakura, his smile growing with every step towards the beautiful girl who remained oblivious to his approach.

Unexpectedly, it was Inoichi's daughter who saved the day with her sudden appearance. She stepped in out of nowhere and said something to Sakura before grabbing her hand and guiding her to the dance floor. All without even noticing the poor boy who'd been left behind in the dust. He now stood all by his lonesome, gaping in shock and then disappointment at the two girls now dancing together.

Kakashi's lips twitched into a smile as he lifted the flute glass to his masked lips for a sip of his drink.

"You're smiling," Asuma pointed out.

"The drink is good."

"... It's just water though?"

Kakashi continued smiling to himself. "Mhm."


How could a guy look so handsome in a plain black tuxedo and an olive bowtie? How could he look so handsome when he hadn't even taken the time to comb his fluffy hair back so that it didn't stand out as much? How could he look so handsome just standing there, holding the delicate stem of his glass with those calloused fingers that she knew could hold her as roughly as he held that glass gently?

How did such a person exist?

Sakura withheld a sigh as she continued staring at Kakashi just past Ino's shoulder. She then withheld a frown when a girl—someone from class—gingerly approached Kakashi, ignoring Professors Asuma and Kurenai. She seemed to be asking Kakashi for something only for her face to fall in disappointment when Kakashi responded with a crinkle of his eyes and a shake of his head. The girl said something else, prompting Kakashi's face to tighten with discomfort and even exasperation, but those who did not know Kakashi well enough would have never noticed such micro-expressions of his.

Again, Kakashi shook his head but more sternly now. This time the girl conceded defeat and walked away to lick the wounds inflicted by his rejection and his steeled gaze.

Then, without warning, those steel eyes flitted aside, sweeping past the mass of students on the dance floor to land on Sakura. Her heart reacted instantly with a skip as the blood rushed to her face. Suddenly feeling shy in her dress, she wasn't sure whether to break away from his stare or hold it.

"That's weird," Ino suddenly spoke up, forcing Sakura to tear her focus away from Kakashi and back onto her friend. "I could've sworn Tenten said that Professor Guy would be one of the supervisors for the ball tonight, but I don't see him anywhere?"

A bit surprised herself, Sakura took a quick gander around the room in search of the eccentric teacher. Sure enough, the entire ballroom remained absent of the boisterous man. Hm, it was a bit weird. She didn't know Professor Guy too much but since he'd taken over Mizuki's role as her new fitness instructor, she knew Professor Guy well enough to know that he was enthusiastic about school events. Which made it strange for him to miss a night like this. She imagined that he would already be tearing up the dance floor by now.

"Ooh, but I do see Professor Hotake," Ino purred out, swaying themselves clockwise for a better view of the teachers supervising from their corner. "I'm actually surprised he volunteered to supervise the dance."

"Why not?"

"Because stopping students from humping, making out, or spiking the punch bowl doesn't seem like his cup of tea," Ino explained, and Sakura had to agree with her. "On second thought, I guess a teacher as strict as him would be absolutely perfect for the job. And boy, does he look perfect in that tux. Bet he'd look even more perfect without it though," Ino added, biting her lip in appreciation of Kakashi's sharp image.

But admittedly, Sakura didn't appreciate her friend ogling Kakashi like that. She wasn't sure if it was because she felt possessive over Kakashi or because she just didn't want Ino to be eyeing him like he was a piece of meat. Maybe it was both.

"Aren't you already official with Sai?" Sakura asked, hoping to deter Ino's attention away from Kakashi.

As expected, Ino drew her eyes away and cast them around the room in search of her other partner. "Almost. Well, I'm actually not sure. Neither of us have actually used the official terms yet. Boyfriend or not though, that doesn't mean a girl can't appreciate a hunk when she sees one. If boys can have their pin-up posters then a girl should be allowed to enjoy her own eye candy too."

Again, Sakura had to agree with that, but she still disagreed with the idea of Kakashi being that eye candy. Geez, was she really becoming that possessive over him that she couldn't stand the thought of girls looking his way? It hadn't bothered her that much at the start of the semester (only a little). Why was it so different now?

"Even so, we're at school," Sakura argued. Her hand that was joined with Ino's was starting to feel clammy with unease.

Ino rolled her eyes before prompting Sakura to twirl for her. "So? It's rare to have a really hot professor. I bet all the girls in your class have imagined him naked—I bet you have. And I bet they've thought about his dick size too—not that his pants leave much room for imagination."

Sakura started to frown, even more so when a dancing pair bumped into them. "You shouldn't talk about Professor Hatake like that. There's more to him than just his good looks and body."

Ino seemed more bewildered rather than irked by the light scolding. "I didn't realize you know him that well? When the semester began, you were so intimidated by the thought of even sitting next to him on a public bench."

Feeling her cheeks redden, Sakura threw her eyes down to focus on their dancing feet. "I... He's really strict with students. But for good reason... I've just learned to respect Professor Hatake more, that's all. Wouldn't wanna be punished."

As if on cue, her ass throbbed faintly with the phantom pain of that ruler slapping her across the cheeks.

"I warned you not to take him," Ino sighed out, missing the way Sakura's cheeks had deepened in color. "But don't worry, you only have two more months left with him and then you can say bye-bye forever!"

Those words were meant to comfort her. Offer salvation to her GPA and any mental stress. Instead, Sakura nearly tripped in dismay.

She'd been so focused on the now that she hadn't considered the future all too much. Only two months left to go in the semester? It felt like it was barely yesterday that she had first met Kakashi and now she was already having to worry about the semester ending and their inevitable parting. School was the only way she could properly see him. The only chance she had to spend time with him without raising suspicion.

Once the semester ends... I won't be able to see Professor Hatake anymore...?

Eventually, their dance ended and Sai returned from the coat check counter to take over Sakura's place as Ino's dance partner. Sakura stepped aside to allow the lovebirds a moment to themselves for the next dance, and to allow time for herself to mull over her inevitable fate.

On her way off the dance floor, she saw one of the tables had been freed up and decided to sit down. To think things through and contemplate what Kakashi and her could do once the semester comes to an end. So far lost in her thoughts and worry, she didn't see the little spill on the floor.

The platform of her heel slipped on the wetness and Sakura swore she would have broken her ankle had someone not grabbed her by the arm.

She glanced up, half-expecting Kakashi, but the dark eyes that gazed down at her were not his. They belonged to... "Oh, Mr. Yakushi!"

She almost hadn't recognized Tenten's tutor without his glasses.

Kabuto smiled politely at her. "Fancy us bumping into each other a second time. You wouldn't happen to be looking for the bathroom again, are you?"

"No, I was just looking for a seat," Sakura laughed. "Oh! I just remembered I had never properly introduced myself. My name is Sakura."

"I know."

She blinked in surprise. "You do...?"

Releasing her arm, Kabuto shrugged. "Your friend Tenten talks about you during our sessions."

Oh. Still, Sakura remained confused as to why they would be discussing her in the middle of a tutoring lesson.

"Anyways, it's nice to officially meet you, Haruno Sakura," Kabuto said, offering his hand to shake with hers. Sakura accepted the gesture, noting that his hand was cold. "Is this your first time attending the school's charity ball?" Kabuto asked, tilting his head to the dance floor she had just crossed.

"Yeah, I'm a freshman, so... oh, but you already knew that since I didn't know where the bathroom was when we bumped into each other at the tutoring center," Sakura laughed again. She didn't know why she was kind of nervous around this guy. Was it because he was a senior and well-beloved tutor? Still, he seemed like such a nice guy.

"I did have my suspicions," Kabuto nodded, still smiling amicably. "You're from Evergreen high school, right?"

Again, she was bewildered by how well he already knew her. "Yeah, but how did you—"

"Most local students come from there, so I just assumed," he explained. "I graduated just when you came in."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yes, you're a senior. I remember the bulletin board at the tutoring center said that you're doing pre-med studies. So you're attending some school events before graduating?"

"Actually, I'm one of the organizers behind this event," Kabuto replied.

He took a few steps back, prompting Sakura to follow after him so that he could point out to her the large fishbowl propped on the center of the podium towards the end of the room. A number of tickets had flooded the bowl and one of the teachers stepped onto the stage to dump in a fresh load of tickets. One of those tickets was Sakura's.

"In about an hour, someone's ticket will be drawn, and that person will be able to choose which organization will receive the funds we raised tonight," Kabuto said, echoing the same words Ino had told her the other day. "One of the candidates to receive tonight's funds is the Seven Leaves. It's an—"

"An orphanage organization for children who lost their parents to the war," Sakura finished for him. "They've existed since the first World War as a non-profit."

Kabuto gave her an impressed look. "You seem well familiar with it."

Ah, well, it would be hard for Sakura to explain that the reason she knew so much about the little organization was because she'd done extensive research on it after Kakashi had mentioned he grew up in one of their orphanages. She'd also estimated which specific orphanage in the city he had come from. Which wasn't hard considering there was only one.

"I remember reading about that non-profit from one of my history textbooks," Sakura said, hoping that excuse was enough.

Kabuto seemed to accept it with a nod. "Yes, as someone who grew up an orphan myself, it's an organization I hold close to my heart. So I'm quite grateful for today's sponsors."

"The sponsors?" Sakura echoed, still reeling from the fact that Kabuto was an orphan just like Kakashi.

"The Uchiha Corporation, of course," Kabuto answered, pointing to one of the banners draped from the banister of the second floor. She didn't know how she had missed the red and white fan that symbolized Sasuke's business empire. "The CEO is a generous man. A shame he couldn't make it this time."

Feeling herself start to sway on her feet, Sakura grabbed the edge of the table closest to her. "Sa... I mean, he's attended before?" she croaked out, sweeping her gaze across the room to double check if he was somewhere around.

"Every once in a while when he was a student," Kabuto answered, seemingly oblivious to her panic. "Since graduating a few years ago, he hasn't attended since, but at least he still sponsors sometimes."

"So he hasn't visited the school since his graduation?"

"No, too busy running his empire now," Kabuto chuckled and grabbed a free flute glass to sip from, ignorant of the way Sakura's shoulders had drooped with relief. He set the glass back down upon noticing one of the teachers signal him over. "Duty calls, but it was wonderful to officially meet you, Sakura."

She could only nod as Kabuto waved at her before disappearing into the crowd of students to tend to business. Her legs felt like jelly now, and they shook with weakness when Sakura peered up at the banister hanging over everyone's heads—hanging over her head this entire time.

The room was too stifling now. As if all the air had been sucked out.

Finding it too hard to breathe, Sakura searched for the entrance she had come through with Ino and Sai earlier. The way was crowded with other students though and she whirled around, feeling like the room was spinning with her until she stopped at the sight of a staircase in the far corner. It was encased in shadows, and she thought that maybe it was closed off to students since it remained empty of traffic. But there was nobody around to stop her, so she slipped away to make her escape.

Her heels clacked loudly on the polished steps, and in the darkness, there was a slight chill in the air that grew colder as Sakura ascended to the second floor.

A pair of glass doors led onto the balcony and she quietly opened them despite the music still filling the air. The moment she opened the doors, a cool breeze greeted her and Sakura inhaled deeply.

She trekked over to the banister, ignoring the stone bench in favor of the view before her. The stone banister was freezing cold to the touch but she rested her forearms on it to admire the mountains overlooking the valley on one side and the sea glittering under the moonlight on the other side.

I wonder... if I had to marry Sasuke, would I still be able to have a view of home like this?

Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe Sasuke wasn't so bad as she made him out to be. Or maybe... maybe she was just telling herself that to feel better about her situation. To feel hopeful.

"So you came," someone spoke from behind.

And just like that, all the worries burdening her heart melted away the moment she heard his voice. With him here, it was easier to forget about her problems with Sasuke and her parents like they were just a blip in the distance.

Without turning around, Sakura smiled. "I just thought to make the most of my college experience. Not because a certain teacher sounded like he was inviting me to a ball. Because, y'know, that would be crossing the line."

"Still, I'm glad," he said, and she could hear the note of happiness in his voice. In the smile he was likely giving her right now.

Finally, she pivoted around to meet his smile with her own. Standing in his tux with only the moonlight to illuminate his handsome face, Kakashi bore the image of a rogue who had snuck into a party rather than a teacher dutifully supervising the students.

His eyes were already crinkling in the corners with mischief as he stepped closer to Sakura. Closer, and closer, until he was so close that he had her back pressed against the banister.

She watched and held still as Kakashi leaned in and inhaled deeply, humming in contentment of whatever he'd scented off her. Then, without warning he reached out and gently stroked her warm cheek with his index finger, trailing his finger down the sweet curve of her jawline and prompting Sakura to tilt her face back to expose her neck for him.

Her lashes fluttered as she felt almost drunk on his touch. When his finger dragged its way down the column of her neck, feeling her frantic pulse, she unwittingly parted her lips to release a shaky sigh.

"You have a bruise on your neck," Kakashi said softly. "It looks painful."

Her eyes shot open and Sakura had to fight back the urge to clap a hand over the bruise as well as her embarrassment. She'd buffed out the discoloration with color corrector, but it seemed the makeup had worn off under the hot light of the ballroom.

"It doesn't hurt much," she said, silently chiding herself for not adding concealer to hide it better.

Kakashi gave her an odd look then. "Do you know how you got it?" he asked, somewhat carefully.

She scrambled for an excuse. "I-I've always bruised pretty easily so I must've, um... scratched my neck really hard or something," Sakura chose to say, hoping her excuse didn't reek too much of bullshit.

But she didn't want Kakashi to misunderstand and think some guy had given her a hickey or anything like that.

"Is that so?" he murmured, still eyeing her bruise with a strange interest.

"So, what are you doing out here?" Sakura gestured around the balcony, hoping to distract him. "Aren't you supposed to be supervising the students?"

Raising his eyes back to hers, Kakashi straightened up and stuck his hands deep in his pockets. "Well, I just wanted to get some fresh air."

Hearing the nonchalance in his blatant lie, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure it can be quite suffocating to be surrounded by beautiful girls."

"Just the one is enough for me," Kakashi hummed quietly, his lips tugging into a smile as he watched her blush.

"Is that why you're here?" Sakura crossed her arms, feigning her own nonchalance.

"I'm just doing my duty."

"Which is to enjoy the fresh air while your colleagues do all the hard work?"

He tipped a brow at her in a silent challenge. "Which is to supervise my very naughty student strutting around in her red dress like some walking red flag."

She didn't know which had made her blush harder—that he had called her naughty in the middle of a very public and very crowded school event, or that he had called her his student with such possessiveness.

"It-It's my prom dress from high school," Sakura responded, but only because she didn't know how else to respond without tripping over her words. She ran a hand down the front of her dress, feeling shy as she watched Kakashi follow her hand down her body. "I never got to wear it, so..."

He looked back to her and tilted his head. "Why not?"

Sakura bit her lip uncertainly. "I... didn't have a date to prom unlike all my other friends. Nobody had asked me..."

Which was a little embarrassing to admit, if she had to be honest.

"You mean nobody had the guts to ask you," Kakashi corrected her, shaking his head as if exasperated by the cowardice of high school boys who didn't know how to ask a pretty girl out. "Which means they're fools."

Somehow that made her feel so much better and she couldn't help but laugh. "What? Are you saying you would have asked me out to prom, Professor Hatake?"

It was hard to imagine him proposing prom to her in the middle of class or in the middle of the school courtyard with a bunch of roses in one hand and a poster popping the question in the other hand. He seemed more like the kind of guy to leave her a note and a pressed flower tucked in the pages of her favorite book... which she honestly would've liked more.

"In another lifetime," Kakashi said, smiling softly.

In another lifetime where he wasn't twice her age and her professor.

Sakura sighed. "It wouldn't have mattered anyway since I don't know how to dance. At least, not formally."

Kakashi scratched his cheek at that. "Ah, then you and I are stuck in the same boat."

"You never tried at your prom?"

"I didn't go to my prom either."

She almost jerked her head back in shock of that. It was hard to believe that no girl had the guts to ask him to a dance. Not even one. "What? The military academy didn't teach their young soldiers how to dance?"

"I was on the frontlines of the war at the time," Kakashi simply said with a lackadaisical shrug of a shoulder. But then he paused and eyed Sakura warily as if he thought she was going to clam up and nod at him in pity.

His tension dissipated into bewilderment, however, when Sakura's smile merely widened rather than fell away.

"Well, there's no war stopping you this time," she hummed, offering her hand to him, palm up. He peered down at her hand, gaping at it like he wasn't sure if this was truly happening or if this was just a dream. Sakura giggled at his innocent reaction. "It's all right, Professor Hatake. I promise I don't bite."

A twinkle appeared in those calm grey eyes as Kakashi must've remembered those same words he had uttered to her on the very first day of school when they'd decided to share the bench together.

Slowly, he laid his hand atop of hers, emboldening Sakura to reach for his other hand and guide it to settle over her hip.

His throat bobbed sharply. "I-I'd hate to step on your feet," Kakashi warned her, his voice wobbly for some reason.

"Then I guess I'll just have to step on yours," Sakura said cheerily, much to his confusion until he saw her kick her heels off so that she stood barefooted before him.

Humming in time to the music playing within the building, she gingerly placed both of her feet atop Kakashi's dress shoes. The leather was warm under the soles of her feet, and so was Kakashi as he was forced to grip her hip tighter to make sure she didn't fall.

In this new position, they stood so close together that there was no space left between them. Her cheek rubbed against the silk lapels of his tux as she glanced up at him, studying the stormy grey of his gaze while he gazed back down at her, wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights.

"Now what?" Kakashi whispered even though they were completely alone out here.

"Now..." Sakura glanced at their joined hands, watching their fingers lace securely together before she draped her other hand atop his shoulder. "We sway to the music."

He seemed confused at first, so she guided him along with a gentle sway of her own body, humming aloud so that he could focus on the beat of the music with her.

Left, right... left, right... left, right... left, right...

She kept their dance simple. Nothing too fancy and no flashy moves. Just the move of their bodies rocking from side to side as they cradled each other. Eventually, his feet began to move as well, shifting side to side slowly and carefully to keep her feet atop his.

With the moon as their only witness to their slow dance, Sakura was not afraid to lean her cheek to Kakashi's chest. She heard a sharp intake of breath as she did so, but Kakashi didn't stop her. Not even as his heart pounded harder in response.

It was dangerous what she was doing right now—dancing so intimately with her professor in a secluded area with no one around to even consider chaperoning them. No one to witness their little crime. And she thought it absolutely asinine that something as simple as dancing with her teacher would be considered dangerous and immoral—even illegal. That it would be enough to get Kakashi jailed.

So stupid, Sakura thought as she nuzzled her cheek to his chest.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and embraced the moment as they held each other in their arms. Like this, it was easy to pretend that it was just the two of them in this world. It was easy to pretend that they weren't teacher and student. It was easy to pretend that they were more than just partners in this little crime of theirs.

But the thing about pretending was that it could only last for so long.

In the back of Sakura's mind, all her problems and questions festered, seeking answers out of a mix of curiosity and need. One question she had in mind was what Kakashi had meant when he said that she didn't seem to remember the other night. But the most pressing question she had above all was that patient she had glimpsed in that private room.

She had recognized that woman. Had seen her smiling wide and bright-eyed in those few photos Kakashi kept by his bed. And Sakura knew she had no right to pry into Kakashi's personal matters, but she had seen the way he'd stood hunched over that woman, his shoulders weighed down with an unbearable sadness. Possibly more.

"So..." Sakura started to say, "if you've never danced before... then does that mean you've never danced with Rin either?"

As soon as she finished popping the question, she winced. Crap, there had probably been a better, more gentle way to frame that question but she hadn't actually planned to ask it either.

Sakura peered up at Kakashi, wondering if the subject was too touchy for him. But instead of his eyes darkening with anger or ire, they had only softened with a sad sort of weariness. The kind seen in a person who had lost something dear to them.

"I glimpsed her at the hospital," Sakura felt the need to explain. "I-I didn't mean to but... I saw her there and I saw the way you were looking at her. She means a lot to you, doesn't she? You... love her."

He loves her with his whole heart, Sakura had realized long ago. And while she didn't know exactly what kind of love he bore for that woman, it didn't invoke any sort of jealousy in her own heart. Instead, the fact that Kakashi had loved someone so fiercely before only inspired happiness in Sakura. Just to know that he had lived and loved and had been loved just as fiercely in return... she found that thought comforting.

Lifting his gaze to the sky, Kakashi seemed to contemplate the stars for a long moment—contemplated her question and the memories it had conjured for him.

The sadness in his eyes still lingered and Sakura thought he would divert the topic to something else. Until, speaking very softly, he said, "I was supposed to dance with her for her wedding."

Sakura remained quiet even as their dancing slowed to the point that his feet had stopped shuffling side the side.

"Sort of like... a father-daughter dance," Kakashi continued. "But, since she had no father, she had asked me to take on that role instead."

"As her father?"

"More like a brother," he clarified for her. And like the skies clearing after a spell of rain, the sadness in his eyes began to lift, slowly but surely so that his feet started to shift and draw them into another slow dance. "Rin and I grew up together in the orphanage. She didn't have anybody, so I looked after her... and she looked after me too. In some way, she's like a sister to me... and Obito was my brother."

Obito. That other man who was in the photo. The one with the dark cropped hair and boyish grin and sporting what had looked like a sniper rifle.

But she hadn't seen him in the room with Rin. Unless he was a patient sequestered in another private wing? Or unless he was... dead?

"You once said to me at the gym that I reminded you of an old friend," Sakura tilted her head at him. "You meant Rin?"

The corner of Kakashi's mouth quirked into a faint grin. "No, I meant Obito—the one on the other side of the photo you saw. Like you, he was very earnest and eager to please. He was terribly afraid of disappointing people even though he always excelled in the end. I met him early on at the start of my military career, and the three of us became teammates... comrades-in-arms but, in many ways, the three of us were more like... family."

A family...

Sakura peered down at herself, remembering the family of three that she had once been a part of—and technically still was, but...

"I... I know what it's like," she mumbled.

"What's what like?"

She swallowed hard. "To have someone in your life, but... it's like they're gone. They're right there, but you can't talk to them. You can't be with them... Like with Rin," she quietly added, glancing up at Kakashi who met her with as much understanding as she had for him.

"And like with your parents?" Kakashi asked although it sounded more of a statement than a question.

Sakura held her breath for a second, waiting for the hurt to come because she normally didn't like talking about her parents—especially with her friends who were always questioning their whereabouts and work. But the hurt didn't come at all.

If anything, it felt like a thorn around her heart was unfurling itself as Sakura nodded and said, "I haven't seen them for years since they went abroad for work. Lately, they've been so absent from my life—more so than usual that I sometimes forget they're even alive."

She thought saying such a morbid thing about her parents—her only family—would be difficult to say. But, surprisingly, it hadn't. In fact, it was easy to say such a thing because it was Kakashi whom she was saying it to. And to know that he understood exactly what she meant made it much easier to say it.

"So even though I haven't been in your exact shoes before, I understand what you mean. What you feel," Sakura said, drawing her hand down his shoulder to rest her palm against his chest—against his heart. "To have someone present in your life, but not really... it kinda feels like being haunted by a ghost."

You couldn't see them. You couldn't hear them. But sometimes just that person's faintest presence in your life was enough to make the pain real.

"A ghost..." Kakashi echoed her, his eyes widening slowly with understanding. He nodded slowly. "Yes, that's... that's exactly how it feels."

They were both haunted by ghosts of their own, it seemed. But that they had found each other and understood one another's pain in some shape or form... it made it feel like they weren't so alone after all. Not when they had each other.

And for now, just that thought alone was enough for the both of them as Kakashi and Sakura smiled at each other. Their own griefs were not resolved, but merely shared, and right now that made the ache in their hearts much more bearable.

"You know, you remind me of Rin sometimes too," Kakashi added with a crinkle of his eyes. "Your urge to help others, your compassion, your no-nonsense attitude, and your stubborn faith in people even when they don't deserve it... I see a lot of Rin and Obito in you, and at the same time, you are..."

He paused briefly, his eyes scanning the stars for the right words.

"You are your own person," Kakashi affirmed. "You're Sakura."

"Not just Miss Haruno?" she couldn't help but tease him.

"No," Kakashi chuckled, his chest rumbling against her as he did so. But eventually his chuckles died down, replaced by a note of seriousness in the smile he gave her. "But I... I can't cross that line. Not again. I shouldn't..."

And yet there was that 'but' at the end.

They couldn't cross that line, but they wanted to. They shouldn't cross the line, but they would.

This was the part where they were supposed to step away from each other—draw the line between them once more—but Kakashi only held her hip tighter as Sakura lifted her hand off his chest to reach for his mask.

They had stopped dancing and came to a still, but Sakura only took this chance to stand up on her tiptoes atop his shoes.

And the night was dark now, but the moon and stars were so bright, highlighting the silver specks in the grey of his wide eyes.

Her fingers grazed along his strong jawline, tracing the clenched muscle until he relaxed but only enough to suck in a shaky breath.

Licking her lips, Sakura hooked her index finger onto the edge of his mask, waiting for him to stop her. But he didn't.

She was mildly surprised by his lack of resistance but that didn't matter as she tugged the mask down inch by agonizing inch. Her own hands were now shaking the same way Kakashi's breath shook and stirred her bangs. She could feel his hand on her hip slowly clench into a fist, bunching the red fabric as the tip of his nose was revealed, sharp and narrow like an aristocrat's.

"Sakura," Kakashi began to say just as the mask slipped down his full upper lip, soft and pale pink with a gentle cupid's bow. "Wait, th-there's something I have to tell you—"

She shushed him with a finger to his half-masked lips, relishing the softness of them and wondering if they would be just as soft against her own.

From the corner of her eye, Kakashi's throat shifted as she hooked her finger onto his mask once more and—

DING!

The sound of her phone going off with a text nearly gave them both a heart attack. Were it not for Kakashi holding onto her so tightly as he did, Sakura was sure she would have fallen over in a fright.

Her phone continued to go off with more text messages, one after another in rapid succession, foretelling of the urgency in them.

"I-I should go answer that," Sakura stammered out, breathless and feeling a little frazzled now.

"Right," Kakashi nodded, breathing hard just like her.

She waited for him to release her, but he didn't. They remained pressed together so that she couldn't tell whose pounding heart that was beating against her breast. "P-Professor Hatake?"

He blinked once as if snapping out of a trance, then finally released her, his hands sliding along her waist while doing so.

Shuddering from the cold bite of the air taking his place now, Sakura hurried over to the bench where she'd left her phone and heels. Ino's messages were already lined up in a long list of capitalized words, demanding where the hell she was and to hurry up because her ticket got picked.

Wait, her ticket got picked?

"Haruno Sakura, please come to the stage!" a voice rang out from within the building using a microphone.

She winced and turned back to Kakashi who was already smiling wryly at her, his mask fully back in place now. "It seems you're needed elsewhere," he said, though with just a hint of disappointment.

She gave him a sheepish smile and sat down on the bench to slip her heels on.

Kakashi approached her and, without warning, knelt down to pick up her other shoe. Despite the chill of the October air, Sakura felt her face flood with heat and the pit of her belly pool with warmth as she watched him take her other foot in his hand and slip the silver heel on for her.

When he peered up at her, his eyes crinkled and he chuckled softly at the way she blushed harder and looked away from him.

But the warmth in her belly faded the moment Kakashi stood up and stepped aside to let her depart.

Steadying herself with a deep breath, Sakura stood to her feet and made her way to the glass doors. She paused once she reached them and glanced back at Kakashi who had taken her place leaning against the banister, his hands deep in his pockets and his expression gently pensive.

She didn't want to say good night to him. While it had been a very nice night, it could have been a lot better. If only they hadn't been interrupted...

"I like your bowtie, by the way," Sakura said instead. Then she smirked at him and added, "Too bad it doesn't have a sushi design though."

And with that, she left him with a pleased smile on her face and a knowing grin on his own.


The grin on Kakashi's face slowly fell away as he remained standing at the balcony all by his lonesome.

He listened to the emcee's voice boom from the microphone, welcoming Sakura to the stage and directing her to pick from the slew of organizations she wanted tonight's proceeds to go to. Hardly a second passed before the emcee announced that the Seven Leaves orphanage had been chosen, prompting the crowd within the building to applaud the choice.

Kakashi wasn't so surprised by Sakura's choice as he was more preoccupied with other matters at hand.

One of them being that she still had no recollection of that night.

His hand curled into a fist and he turned around to watch the crowd of students start to spill out of the building to head home for the night. Among them was Sakura who walked arm in arm with Ino while another dark-haired boy at their side lifted his keys in a gesture.

So if she doesn't remember that night at all, then that means she doesn't remember our kiss either...

He should've known he wouldn't have that much good luck. But at least that confirmed his theory had been right. Those boys had drugged her with the Sharingan after all. Her strange complacency and unfiltered honesty that night had already been huge red flags.

The question was how did a bunch of brats like them even get their hands on such a drug? Even for the richest kid on the block, that would be no easy feat. No, it would've been nigh impossible.

And that wasn't the only problem.

Since Sakura had been doped on the Sharingan, that would mean she... She would never be able to remember our kiss.

Kakashi's fist tightened until he could feel his nails dig into his palms.

He could explain everything to her—tell her every little detail of what had happened between them that night. But it wouldn't change a thing. She would never be able to actually remember the experience herself.

If I tell her about our kiss, it'll only make her sad, knowing that she won't ever be able to remember her first time.

In some way, Kakashi supposed he had stolen Sakura's first kiss from her.

A part of him felt bad about it, of course. But guilty? Truthfully... no, he would be lying if he said he felt guilty about it. He would be an even bigger liar if he were to say that he regretted obliging her request for that kiss.

But he'd admitted to Sakura long ago—had warned her many times that he was not the good man she thought he was.

The fact that he desired his underage student in the most inappropriate way imaginable had already made Kakashi a criminal from the very beginning.

Watching Sakura from the balcony, Kakashi couldn't help but worry about her. While she didn't actually make trouble (for the most part, at least), trouble always had a way of finding her. And it was disconcerting to think that the Sharingan had somehow found its way onto the streets and in the hands of random college kids. It was bad enough that Mizuki had drugged his female students with it, but that drug could easily fall into the wrong hands of other people out there.

Monsters tended to wear all kinds of faces, and it was easy to walk right by one on the street without knowing it.

Passing a hand down his face, Kakashi sighed. He continued to eye Sakura's shrinking figure from the balcony, only looking away when his phone rang. He glimpsed the caller ID, relieved to see that Guy was finally checking in. Which had to mean that he had found Goro.

Previously — Saturday, 3:04 AM

A lone cat wandered down the alley, seeking out a cozy little box it could sit and take shelter in for the night. She found one such box in the far corner, a little damp around the edges but it would do. She only managed to step one paw into the box before the sudden noise of shoes scuffling toward her sent the cat scampering away for safety.

Kakashi slammed Arata against the brick wall, pinning him by his throat. Not as hard as he'd done so with the chain of the swing, but hard enough to leave the boy wheezing for breath again.

It had taken him an embarrassing while to track the punks down. While he had a keen nose for scents, usually it was Pakkun's duty to sniff out trails.

Still the boys reeked of enough booze and drugs to pollute the block, so it hadn't taken Kakashi too long.

"Who is your drug dealer?" he demanded, ignoring the way Arata scratched feebly at the iron grip around his throat.

"D-Drug dealer?" Arata choked out. "Have you gone senile, old man?! Do I look like some sorta junkie to you?!" the boy glanced at his friends for help but they were clearly out of commission with how they were still whimpering over the wounds they'd sustained earlier.

Kakashi could smell the brat's bullshit even under all the expensive cologne he wore.

He dug his fingers into the boy's throat. "You look like the kind of prick who drugs girls' drinks. Which is exactly what you did. Now you're going to tell me what you drugged that girl's drink with."

"I-I don't..." Arata started to say, but he faltered upon seeing Kakashi's eyes flash dangerously. "All right, I heard the guy call it a 'Copywheel', okay?! That's all I know—I swear! I stole it off him after he kept bragging on and on about how he could make anyone his bitch with just the word!"

"And who is this guy?"

Arata squeezed his eyes shut, thinking long and hard to the point that Kakashi would have thought the boy was just bluffing. That is, until he heard the name Arata gave him.

Because he knew that name, and Kakashi had hoped deep down that poor boy had nothing to do with it.

The sound of police sirens sweeping down the street interrupted them before Kakashi could even start to mourn. Red and blue lights lit up the alley as well as the smirk on Arata's bruised-up face.

"Cops are here," the brat snickered. "Yeah, you bet your ass I called them as soon as I figured you'd return to finish the job!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at him. "Maybe they're here for you."

"Or maybe they're here for the crazy old man beating up a bunch of kids," Arata spat back. He peered down at the hand still gripping his throat tightly, eyeing Kakashi's split knuckles. "Who's the one with the blood all over his hands, huh?"

At that, Kakashi took the moment to study the light coat of blood smeared across his knuckles. His gut twisted at the familiar sight and he instantly dropped the boy. He took one step back, hesitant at first until the siren of the police car nearby finally prompted him to flee the scene.

Currently — Sunday, 9:03 PM

Kakashi quickly answered the call that he had been waiting from Guy since Saturday. "So has Goro dropped by your gym yet? I really need to speak with the boy, Guy. It's urgent."

"Kakashi... Goro is dead."


A/N: When I was in college, my school used to hold monthly charity balls like in this chapter. It was nothing too fancy though, and you didn't have to dress too fancy either. The purpose of these events was not only to act as a fundraiser for charities but to also allow college students the chance to network with their peers, teachers, and important figures. This could hopefully get you a leg up or get your foot in the door of whatever field you sought since it's not just what you know but also who you know.

Also, fun fact: The title of this chapter is a reference to one of my favorite poems written by one of my favorite writers of the English Romantic period, Lord Byron (George Cordon). "She Walks in Beauty" is a poem allegedly inspired by the wife of Byron's first cousin. Byron was at a party when he saw her, and he was so floored by the woman's beauty that she became his muse for the poem.


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