The Anatomy of Love

Written By: Banana007

Chapter 15: Gentle Hands


A/N: There is music for this chapter so, again, I recommend reading this on AO3 because I embed music to heighten the reading experience of certain scenes that were written with the music in mind.


"Have I ever dreamt of having sex with a wolf?"

"No, I mean have you ever had... a sexual dream? You know, the kind that makes you wake up all wet and hot?" Sakura asked, keeping her focus on the bowl of ingredients she was whisking for tonight's dinner.

Having just arrived back from spending the weekend over at her parents' house, Ino was in the midst of restocking their cupboard with some spices and herbs her mom had insisted on giving to the girls. Just in time too, because tonight's dinner was chicken and soup dumplings and the girls now had thyme thanks to Mrs. Yamanaka.

And while their little kitchen had yet to fill up with the aroma of chicken broth, Sakura had already instructed Ino to pop open the window Kakashi had recommended rather than the one that led to the fire escape. Ino had given her a strange look but didn't argue on it although she did ask where Sakura had suddenly gotten the idea to rekey their apartment lock. Sakura had explained she'd gotten the idea from a thriller film—just a little white lie to keep her friend satisfied. Besides, the sudden mention of dreaming of wolves and wet kisses had certainly been more of an interesting topic.

"Hell yeah, of course I've had wet dreams," Ino answered as she rummaged through the cupboard for the baking powder. "The first wet dream I ever got was I think in junior high."

"Really? That early?"

"Boys aren't the only ones who get perverted thoughts, y'know."

True, but Sakura usually kept such thoughts locked away in the privacy of her mind. "So what was your dream like?"

"Hmm, don't remember much but I was having sex with some dude and then I got pregnant and ended up giving birth on a freeway before marrying a prince who lived in a castle in the sky." Upon hearing Sakura's stunned silence, Ino glanced back and shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, I'm not the one who dreamt of having sex with a wolf."

Sakura ducked her head to hide the blush on her face. "I didn't have sex with him," she mumbled over the staccato of her whisk mixing through the bowl of ingredients. "I was just... kissing him."

"Was there tongue? I bet there was tongue."

"I can't control what I do in my dreams," Sakura protested when she heard Ino snicker.

And it was the first time she'd ever dreamt of kissing someone let alone a wolf of all beings. She wasn't sure if that could even count as a real kiss since it had happened in a dream, but it had felt so surreal that she could almost feel the heavy lick of the wolf's tongue against her lips.

"Maybe you're secretly a furry?" Ino proposed, popping the fridge open for the milk and butter.

"What's a furry?"

"Never mind. You don't wanna know—and whatever you do, do not look it up if you're on Pornhub."

"I haven't even touched Pornhub in months."

"Really?" Ino threw her a dubious look. "Then what do you do when you get horny?"

"Study."

"Boo!"

Sakura frowned as Ino measured and then added the milk and butter into the bowl for her to whisk. "Anyway, I probably just had that dream because of that Red Riding Hood story I'm reading for Professor Jiraiya's class. Apparently, there's a sex scene between the girl and the wolf and I've been trying to figure out where it is for my essay about virginity and hymens."

"Professor Pervert's making you write an essay about virginity and hymens?" Ino cackled when Sakura nodded, deadpanned. "Sounds kinky. You know, maybe your dream is your subconscious telling you that you're ready to get laid. And Professor Pervert's essay is a sign from the universe that you're about to."

Sakura glared at the ingredients in the bowl now forming into a lump of dough as she mixed. If the dream was fate's way of telling her that she was going to lose her virginity in the near future, then it was certainly fate's way of reminding her that she was going to lose it to the one who was going to be her husband. And who else would that be? God, she didn't even want to say his name in fear of summoning a text from him.

"I think... I think I am ready to have sex," Sakura quietly admitted while Ino was distracted with sautéing the onions, carrots, and celeries in a pot. "Physically, at least. But emotionally? I'm not sure. I've never even had a kiss... or been in love."

And it was either because of the romantic within her or the virgin, but she wanted her first time to be passionate but sweet... and with someone she could wake up in the morning with and smile with love. It was an unrealistic dream, she knew that, but a girl could still dream it anyway.

Honestly, there were some nights when she would just fantasize what it would be like to have sex (or, as Ino liked to put it: 'to get filled up with dick'). To be so intimate with someone that the experience left you spiritually changed or emotionally charged as she often heard it was. But the thought of being that intimate was equally terrifying. It'd been so long since Sakura had felt the intimate touch from a loved one that she could no longer even remember her mother's own hand caressing her cheek or her father's rough pat on the head. It'd been too many years since that last touch of intimacy and love, and the little girl at the time had taken it for granted when her parents had left. Now something as simple as a kiss was making her freak out, or even just a pinky on her knee...

"Well, a kiss is usually the first step to sex anyway," Ino replied, stirring up the flour she'd just added into the pot. "That's why it's called first base. But you should just go at your own pace."

Sakura held back from reminding Ino that, unlike the average girl, she could not afford to go at her own pace. She was running on limited time with her doomsday clock counting down by the days now. In fact, she could whip out a calculator right now and calculate exactly how many hours she had left, but that wouldn't do her any good. So she sighed and continued to roll up balls of dough in between her palms. "How do you know when you're ready to lose your virginity though? Like, really ready?"

"First and foremost, check with the three C's: communication, consent, and contraception. Then, when you start to get into the mood of it... you'll know. Obviously, there will be nerves but who doesn't get nervous whenever they're doing something for the first time? Or sometimes you don't know, and it just happens. Tenten had no plans to..." Ino stiffened over the steaming pot of soup. "Oops."

"Tenten's had sex already?!" Sakura had practically squashed the ball of dough in her hand from shock. She narrowed her eyes at Ino who'd bunched her shoulders up as if to shrink away from the accusing stare. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Slowly setting the ladle down, Ino turned to give her a contrite smile. "She didn't want to tell you only because she didn't want you to feel left out for being the last virgin in our group."

And with Hinata about to do it with Naruto, she would be the last virgin. Well, she didn't feel left out per se. She honestly didn't care about being the last virgin in the group since she certainly would lose her virginity soon enough anyway whether she wanted to or not. But Sakura couldn't deny the envy that rose in her—envy at the thought that all of her friends had had the choice to have sex and that they'd even had the choice as to whom they'd have sex with. Sakura didn't have any choice save for the one that had presented itself many years ago.

"Well, at least I'd be the Final Girl who survives in the horror movie while you guys get butchered to death," Sakura sighed in dismay. "So then who did Tenten do it with?"

Ino snorted. "Who else?"

Who else...? No freaking way.

"Neji?!" Now that was even more shocking, and Sakura had to sit back in her chair to fully process this revelation. "Holy shit."

"That's what I had said. Right after I spat my drink out."

Out of the four of them, Tenten had always been the one who showed the least interest in boys and all things romantic. Which wouldn't be unusual, of course, but Sakura had always assumed it was because Tenten was just too busy with her Taekwondo classes and competitions to bother much. And when it came to books and movies, Tenten always perused the sci-fi or action genres rather than the young adult or romances. And even though it was no secret among the girls that Tenten had feelings for Neji, Sakura would've never expected that her friend would end up skipping the dating process and straight to the sex. The fact that Neji—uptight, by-the-book Neji—had done the same thing was just as shocking.

"But since when did they even...?"

"About two months ago when we were helping Neji clean out the house for Hinata and Tenten to move in," Ino explained. "You remember that day, right? Tenten stayed over for the night and... it just happened."

"It just... happened?" Sakura echoed her, a bit skeptical by the thought that two people could just go from talking to fucking.

"Tenten's on birth control anyway," Ino said with a shrug. As if being on birth control made it all the easier to make the decision to finally lose your virginity. Seeing Sakura's confusion, she added, "Sometimes when you're attracted to someone and have feelings for them, it just feels natural to do it. To kiss that person and touch them and be touched in return. All those feelings that are bottled up spill out, and all that pent-up sexual frustration explodes, and you end up doing it. So sometimes it just... happens."

"It just happens," Sakura repeated more to herself than to Ino.

Maybe it was because she was a virgin that she still didn't understand how 'it just happens' without any planning whatsoever. She'd seen it before in movies when the pair of love interests would start kissing each other after a tense pause, but she'd always thought that was just an exaggeration. And personally, she wouldn't like it if a guy suddenly kissed her without asking permission first. It'd been drilled into her head that verbal consent was always a must and that no one—regardless of feelings—was entitled to her body that they could just go right ahead and kiss her or touch her as they pleased...

But then she remembered Kakashi casually laying his hand over her knee and stroking her so gently with just the pad of his thumb... and she'd liked it. Just that one little touch had sent her reeling with shock that blossomed into elation as if someone had given her a dose of endorphins. Nobody had ever touched her like that. In fact, besides the occasional but casual touch from her friends and peers, Sakura realized that she wasn't really touched that often. Not in the intimate sense at least. Kakashi's hand on her knee might've been the first time in over a decade since she'd been touched with... well, maybe not love but... something that was almost just as warm.

And if Kakashi had first asked permission to touch her knee like that, Sakura was sure she wouldn't have had the courage to give him an answer.

It just happens, huh?

Lowering her ball of dough, Sakura raised a hand to touch her lips in memory of the warm skin she'd kissed not too long ago. Her body had moved of its own accord with no warning whatsoever as if kissing her professor on the cheek had just been the right thing—the natural thing—to do. But upon smelling the garlic and thyme on her fingers, Sakura wrinkled her nose and returned to balling up the last of the dumpling dough for Ino to cook in the pot.

"So have you done it with Sai yet?"

"Yeah, he was actually the one to initiate it even though it was his first time." A reminiscent smile slowly crept upon Ino's face as she watched the dumplings simmer in the pot. "He was really eager to learn and listen to all my directions. It wasn't perfect, of course, but it was still a pleasurable experience for us both and that's what matters. He's coming by later, just so you know."

Sakura frowned. Ino hadn't mentioned anything about Sai joining them for dinner on a Sunday night. "Shouldn't we be cooking more dumplings then?"

"Nah, he's eating out with Naruto but he'll be coming around afterward to study with me."

"Hmm... Is that why you're playing your sex playlist?" Sakura accused her, recognizing one of the songs that Ino usually played when she was preparing to get in the mood for something later on. The stereo had been playing faintly in the background, but now Ino was pulling her phone out. With a grin, she tapped at her phone to raise the volume of the music, slowly swaying her hips to the beat. "I guess I'm gonna be wearing my headphones to sleep tonight," Sakura groaned out.

"I'll send you my sex playlist to listen to then," Ino laughed out, grabbing Sakura's hips to guide them into a sway with her. "C'mon! The next time your wolf visits you in the night, you can show him some moves of your own." She punctuated her words with a sensual body roll, hips rocking forward and then back to imitate the action of sex.

Sakura rolled her eyes but smiled as she tried to copy the move, chest pressing forward, back arching, and then her hips following the motion with a roll. It felt awkward, but Ino nodded encouragingly and continued to body roll alongside her with their hips swaying side to side every few beats or so as the vibe of the music relaxed them.

"Is this really how it goes?" Sakura asked, feeling more like she was doing the worm than a sexy move.

"You gotta make love to the music, babe!" Ino said gleefully, raising her arms up and playfully thrusting her hips forth a few times to prove her point. "Dance like you're the snake that tempted Eve."

Easier said than done when Sakura had zero experience with seduction let alone flirting, but she followed Ino's example and raised her arms before letting her hands fall over her breasts. Hips swinging side to side like a pendulum in time to the beat of the song, she slowly slithered her hands down her breasts. She imagined it was Kakashi guiding her hands so that her fingers brushed over nipples that tightened instantly beneath her shirt. She bit her lip, hands sliding down her belly and to her hips.

"Now throw your head back and close your eyes," Ino murmured, already doing it.

"I feel awkward…"

"You're not awkward. You're sexy. You're just not used to this, but once you have a partner to make love with then you'll learn to feel really good and confident." Ino peeked over to check her. "There you go! Remember, you're making love to the music, so keep it nice and slow."

Nice and slow, Sakura reminded herself, letting the song's sensual vibes resonate inside her. Tipping her head back, she closed her eyes, pretending it was Kakashi's hands on her hips, directing her from behind with his own hips rolling against hers, the two of them dancing in sync together. Just as she rolled her hips a second time, however, Sakura frowned at the smell of something burning. She froze mid-body roll and gasped. "Oh shit, the dumplings!"

"Huh? Oh, crap!"

The soup was already frothing and spilling over the rim of the pot, prompting the girls to grab an oven mitt and turn down the dial on the stove in an effort to salvage their dinner. Once the steam had cleared and there were no signs of a fire hazard, the girls dared to taste test one of the dumplings. It was more crunchy than crispy with a few burnt spots, but it was still edible.

While scooping their dumpling soup into bowls, Sakura hissed and hunched over slightly as pain stabbed her right in the pit of her belly.

Ino looked at her sharply. "You okay?"

"My cramps are about to start soon." Sakura winced but straightened up to wash her hands at the sink. "I think this one's gonna be really painful."

"Ouch. And I thought my shark week was killer."

"Ugh, feels like divine punishment for not getting pregnant and wasting a perfectly good egg."

"Hey, as of right now, I'll gladly suffer through shark week than pop out a baby," Ino said, grimacing over the pot like the idea of childbirth was far more terrifying than summoning the devil. "You know, in psychology class, we learned that having children is actually bad for your marriage. Studies show that there's far less satisfaction in marriages once a kid pops into the picture because the relationship shifts from lovers to parents. So if it happens, always make sure to wrap before you tap," Ino winked at her.

Sakura almost retorted that she might need to talk to Sasuke about that on their honeymoon trip. Or worse—on their wedding night. Surely, he wouldn't want to start trying for children already when he had barely just graduated not too long ago and she was still pursuing her own degree... right? And if they did end up marrying—which seemed very likely at this point—then would the sex just... happen? Or would they have to plan and discuss everything first (and maybe even sign some NDAs)? Would his touches feel as natural and right as Kakashi's?

Would she even yearn for his touch the way she did with Kakashi's? Hinata had once said that her parents' marriage was arranged, but that her mother had come to love her husband in due time. However, as far as Sakura knew, love and in love were different things. On the same spectrum of love for sure, but different nonetheless. Now she wondered if falling in love was like sex; if it sometimes just happened at the snap of the fingers... or the mere kiss on the cheek.

.

.

.

Contrary to everyone else's opinion, Monday mornings were actually one of Sakura's favorite parts of the week. Besides that she loved school, she also had this sadistic love for the anticipation that came on the wake of Monday morning as she pondered over what she would be learning at school today.

So she'd brushed her teeth, washed her face, ate some cereal while Ino hogged the bathroom, grabbed a pair of shorts and a cropped white shirt to pair with her sandals, and then fretted over which lip gloss to wear today. But while she normally pranced around the place with some music on, today she was just doing everything mechanically like a machine with rusty cogwheels. Today, she wasn't excited for school but was dreading it.

The dread seemed to have drained the color of her face when she checked herself in the mirror, but Sakura didn't have time to dabble on a bit of blush nor did she have time to run into the bathroom and puke her guts out despite nausea rolling in her belly. So she swallowed down her fear, letting it mix with that nausea in her belly, and left the apartment with Ino who, thankfully, was still half-asleep to notice anything wrong about her.

But there were more problems on Sakura's plate today.

She was running late to class again, which wasn't really ideal for her when every step was followed by a sharp cramp in her belly. But unlike the first day of school, the reason for her tardiness wasn't because of Ino hogging the bathroom but because of the bit of nausea that was still churning in her stomach. All that excitement from Friday night had worn away, and her anxiety showed in the way she kept running her hands through her hair, playing with the ends as she dragged her feet to the science building. Knowing that she'd have to see Kakashi again in class when the last time she'd seen him had been in the shadows of his car after kissing him on his cheek had left her more anxious than she'd ever been on her way to class. The sharp pain of her cramps only added to the nausea too.

So caught up by the desire that'd been rushing through her veins during and after the movie marathon, Sakura had completely overlooked the fact that Kakashi was still her teacher. Her teacher who was nearly twice her age and had never expressed any desire to be kissed by her even if it was only on the cheek. She had acted selfishly and inappropriately, and all because of her stupid horny hormones taking advantage of her feelings and steering her down the path of stupidity. It was already hard enough to think straight in his presence, but now? Now she would have to face the consequences the moment she stepped into his classroom and sat in her usual front-row, center seat.

It also didn't help that they'd never talked about what happened at the Naked Run. Well, they didn't need to talk about her being naked since that was the point of the event, but there had been the matter of his erection and... how big and hard it had been against her belly... and how she'd wanted to rub—

Woah, stop right there, Sakura! You're about to enter his class for goodness sake!

She lightly slapped her cheeks and then after fixing her hair one last time, she strode into the classroom five minutes late. Nobody seemed to pay her any mind—not even Mei—but Sakura still kept her head down, feeling as if everyone in the class knew that she'd kissed the professor. 'It was just on the cheek!' she was tempted to shout aloud but pressed her lips tight instead. The stray whisper every few minutes only served to spike her anxiety even though it was always just a classmate whispering about a question from the powerpoint.

Sitting in her chair with her notebook open on the desk, Sakura spent the next ten minutes of class ogling the door through which Kakashi would appear any moment now. And when it finally did open, she tore her attention back to the notebook to stare at the notes she'd written on the Sliding Filament Theory. It was a whole chapter ahead of what they were currently on, but she didn't dare turn a page in fear of attracting his attention.

"Good morning, everyone," Kakashi announced as he set his bag down on the desk. "Sorry I'm late!"

His cheery tone ironically had everyone sitting straighter in their chairs, fearful of what it meant. A pop quiz? Too many low scores on last weekend's quiz? A surprise research paper on brain plasticity? But Kakashi merely went on to provide an excuse for his tardiness, as he did every Monday and Wednesday morning. It was always an incredulous fib that often included helping an old lady cross the street, saving a dog about to get run over by a car, or that there'd been a wet spell on the way to campus. Sometimes he would reuse the same excuse for the next session, but nobody ever dared roll their eyes. Not in front of him, at least.

After turning on the computer and tugging down the screen to display the powerpoint, he directed them to turn to page 287 of their textbook so that they could continue from where they left off on the section about the special-specific articulation of the joints. Prying her book open, Sakura flipped through chunks of pages to reach her destination. The sound of papers flapping filled the silence and while leafing through the last few pages, she peeked up. Slouched against the edge of his desk with his arms crossed, Kakashi was already staring at her, his face as impassive as usual. She ducked her head back down and accidentally jerked page 287 hard enough that it made a small 'riiip!' sound that awkwardly pierced the silence, making her blush even harder.

Her blush was quickly drained away, however, when another cramp tore through her lower belly. She bit her lip to suppress a gasp, fingers clenching tight around her pen until the stabbing pain passed and she could focus again.

For the next hour and a half, Sakura made it a point to keep her eyes trained on solely the lecture and her notes. Whenever Kakashi slipped in front of the screen, she would peer down at her notebook or textbook and wait until he'd moved aside and it was safe to peer back up again. It wasn't her intention to avoid Kakashi's gaze, but she just didn't know how to look him in the eye anymore. And when lecture was finally over, Sakura took advantage of the back door of the classroom so that she wouldn't have to walk right by Kakashi's desk. But even as she slipped through the threshold, she swore she could feel his eyes on her.

The fresh air of the outside didn't do much to ease her nerves either. So instead of heading over to the pavilion where she and Kakashi always sat together on their stone bench, Sakura made a beeline for the main courtyard. Ino had asked her last night after dinner if she could help post some flyers around for the Botany club. The club was planning for a marathon fundraiser on Friday and, as a new member, Ino had been tasked with spreading the word. Being a good best friend, Sakura had volunteered to help post some of the green flyers, especially if it meant giving her an excuse to steer clear of the pavilion.

But after pinning a flyer on the last bulletin board almost an hour later, Sakura found herself straying to the pavilion anyway. She didn't even realize she'd been heading there until she saw the familiar latticework that afforded their bench some privacy. She stopped at the corner of the science building, clutching the last few flyers against her chest as she squinted past the holes of the lattices and flowers decorating it. There was a lone figure on the bench, sitting at his usual side with his head bent down. She could barely make out Kakashi's figure, but she would recognize that lackadaisical slouch anywhere just as she would recognize that orange book in his hand.

He was reading Make-Out Paradise as usual, but Sakura faintly wondered if he was also waiting for her to take her spot next to him on the bench as she had been doing so since the first day of school three weeks ago. At this point, it was almost natural to sit beside him there. But today, she didn't have the courage to do so.

A chuckle suddenly emanated from him, deep and earnest. It almost bordered on a giggle, and Sakura tilted her head with a smile curling on her face as she watched his shoulders quake in amusement at whatever scene he was reading. Probably something perverted. No, definitely something perverted.

He's such a dork, she mused to herself. And yet she thought that made him all the more endearing.

So she continued to watch him fondly from the shadowed corner of the building. Not even the pain of her cramps could make her go away and find someplace to rest at although she did have to hunch over and brace a hand on the wall a few times. If only she had some Midol pills with her to relieve the pain, then she would not have to suffer like so. Sadly, she and Ino had been so caught up on moving into their apartment and preparing for college that medicine for menstrual cramps had never crossed their mind. Her last box had gotten lost somewhere among all the moving boxes too.

Lab class is going to kill me, Sakura thought through another stab of pain in her belly. She tugged aside her backpack to search for a lollipop she usually kept for emergencies like these. There was only one lollipop left: cherry-flavored—her favorite. She popped it into her mouth, sucking hard when another cramp ripped through her for a hot second. Sugar would worsen her cramps later, she knew that, but for now it would serve as a good distraction from the pain while in class. Still, she was not looking forward to sitting for three hours in utter agony.

As if on cue, Kakashi stood up to prepare the lab materials, prompting her to scurry away for the lady's restroom. There wasn't much reprieve there, however, and Sakura spent the next couple of minutes glaring at the vending machine full of overpriced feminine hygiene products before stealing into an empty stall to yank her shorts and panties down. As expected, there was no blood or even spotting yet. And the menstruation calendar app on her phone confirmed that she would have to suffer a few more days of cramping before her period would arrive—most likely on either next Thursday or Friday if her schedule remained consistent.

With a sigh, she yanked her panties and shorts back up before washing her hands and stepping out of the bathroom. She was met by the sight of some students sprinting across campus as if they were... wait. Frowning, Sakura peeked at her phone and gasped at the time. Shit, she was late!

Only one minute late but... ugh, crap, she really didn't want to walk into class and have everyone's eyes turn to her. As if they knew of her dirty little secret.

Shaking her head, she powerwalked her way to lab class. Running was no longer an option now that her cramps were throbbing more consistently. As she turned the corner for the side of the science building, however, a warm wind whipped through and pulled free one of the last few flyers from the crook of her arm. She spun around, leaning up on tiptoes to catch the green sheet but it danced too high above her head.

A hand suddenly snatched the paper out of the air for her and Sakura pivoted to thank the person. The moment her eyes landed on Kakashi, she yelped aloud and almost choked on her lollipop as the rest of the flyers spilled from her hands.

"Here, let me," he said, quickly kneeling down at the same time she did.

But because Sakura had such bad luck, of course her head had to bump with Kakashi's as they leaned in to gather up the fallen papers. Both teacher and student winced in pain and rubbed their foreheads with Sakura inwardly blaming her 'billboard brow' for hurting Kakashi. They immediately began mumbling 'sorry' to each other, and yet their apologies only seemed to heighten the awkward tension between them as they scrambled to collect the papers.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," Kakashi said as he handed over his stack of the flyers. To his credit, he actually looked sheepish about it.

"It-It's all right. Thank you," Sakura accepted the papers from him with a grateful smile. It was still too hard to look him in the eye, but staring at the outline of his lips didn't help either so she settled for the narrow tip of his nose. "If I didn't know you were a professor, I would think you're a ninja, Professor Hatake," she said, embellishing her attempt for a joke with a light laugh. She forgot the lollipop in her mouth though, so her laughter came out as more of a weird gurgle.

Ha-ha, kill me now, she thought as she clamped her mouth shut around her lollipop.

It must've done the trick in easing the awkward mood though because Kakashi chuckled quietly. But then his chuckles died down, and she felt his gaze heavy on her face as he said, "I didn't see you at our... at the pavilion."

The guilt that stabbed her was more painful than the cramp, and it was enough to draw her attention away from his nose to meet those smoky grey eyes that didn't look upon her as harshly as she'd expected. Was he not upset with her for crossing the line that night then? "I-I was putting up fliers for the marathon," Sakura explained, gesturing with the green stack in her arms. "Sorry."

And she meant it. She was sorry she'd been too much of a coward to sit with him and face the consequences of that kiss. She was also sorry that she couldn't even explain what she really meant by 'sorry'.

"No, it's all right, I understand." Kakashi nodded at the flyers, and she was bewildered to hear him so apologetic. As if he believed it was he who had crossed the line instead of her.

But why would he be sorry? Knowing she wouldn't be getting any answers and not wanting to bring up the cheek kiss here at school of all places, Sakura handed him one of the flyers to change the subject. "It's for my friend's club fundraiser. I think you should attend. You've got a, um..." Ripped body. "Good physique."

While Kakashi studied the information on the flyer, she ducked her head behind the stack of papers to hide her blush. Good physique was nowhere near a good enough description for how well-defined every inch of his body was. If the lower half looked anywhere as lean and ripped as the upper half, she knew a marathon would be a walk in the park for him.

"I do jog when I can, and I especially like a good run," he said, nodding slowly. "What about you? Will you be participating?"

"I'm not much of a runner, but yeah. To support my friend."

He folded the flyer and tucked it into his back pocket. "I'll have to check, but I should be free next Friday."

"Really?" She bounced on the balls of her feet at that. "I-I mean, that's good."

It was better than good—it was fantastic. While he hadn't exactly said that he would come and run with her, he had implied that he would at least try to come if he had the time. And it was that gesture that told Sakura things were fine between them. He wasn't mad at her, and his gaze was nothing but warm on her face as she pulled the lollipop out of her mouth to beam up at him.

As if sensing her mood brighten, Kakashi's mouth quirked into a subdued smile. All the remaining tension melted away as they smiled at each other. Sakura, feeling shy all of a sudden, absentmindedly pressed the lollipop to her parted lips. Kakashi's eyes flicked down to where her lips kissed against the bright red ball of candy and the smile seemed to stiffen in place as he watched her suck at it lightly.

"So then are you going to come, Professor?"

He snapped his eyes back to her, seemingly alarmed. "What?"

Twirling the lollipop against her puckered lips, Sakura blinked at him. "You said you like it. So does that mean you'll come?"

"I like... what again?" Kakashi croaked out.

He appeared distracted, and Sakura tried not to deflate in disappointment when he turned his attention back to her lollipop to watch her suck on it. Was he hungry? Was that why he was distracted?

"Running," she pointed to his hip where the flyer had been tucked away in a back pocket. "The marathon is next Friday and you said you should be free that day, so… Please say you'll come, Professor. For me?" she asked softly before sliding the lollipop deep into her mouth again.

The Adam's apple of Kakashi's throat bobbed sharply. "Yes, I'll... I'll come for you."

He'd answered so slowly, so carefully as he stared at the stick protruding from between her lips that Sakura frowned in concern. The tops of his cheeks were flushed a light pink, and she couldn't help but wonder if he might be suffering the early symptoms of a heat stroke. Older people were much more susceptible to the heat, after all.

She slid the lollipop back and forth against her tongue, contemplating if she should mention it to him or if he would interpret it as an attack on his age.

"Stop that," Kakashi grunted, grabbing her wrist to still the lollipop in her mouth. Freezing from the warmth of his touch and the memory of those fingers gripping her knee the other day, Sakura could only watch as he gently pulled the lollipop out of her mouth with an audible 'pop!' that had him swallowing again. "You should be using a banana…."

"A wh-what?"

"You should have a banana in your mouth," he murmured, still looking dazedly at the candied ball pressed to her lips. "Bananas are... uh, good for menstrual cramps."

Yeah, she knew that. But how did he know that? And why was he looking at her lollipop so weirdly? Just like he had with her cherry?

Maybe he, too, was still having trouble looking her in the eye after what had happened on Friday?

Oh crap, so that means he does feel awkward from it after all? Or... am I just overthinking things? Gah, I don't know what to think anymore! And why is he scrutinizing my lollipop so hard?! She only sucked the tip harder in a panic as she watched the edge of his jaw feather with tension.

Maybe he really is just hungry, Sakura thought. Judging by his sculpted abs, he had to be on a strict diet for that body. Then would that mean he really was suffering from a heat stroke? It wasn't just older adults who were susceptible, but she'd also heard that men in particular had a lower tolerance to heat. So if he was hungry and hot... oh no!

"Professor? Are you okay? You're looking a little too warm…."

The tops of his cheeks deepened in color. "It's really hot today," he said weakly.

Her concern swelled in her chest at that, and Sakura reacted instantly by grabbing his wrist and dragging him beneath the awning of the building. Again, it was probably a bad idea to manhandle her professor like this, but he let her pull him along without protest just like last time. Once they were in the shadows of the awning, Sakura stood up on tiptoes to observe his complexion. His cheeks were still tinged pink, and he was gazing down at her with glazed eyes, the smokey grey having darkened into an ashy shade.

Hesitating for a second, she slowly reached to touch his forehead and check his temperature, but then she noticed something red climbing through the fluffed ends of his hair. Bursting into a giggle, she reached higher on tiptoes to comb through the soft, silver strands and coax the ladybug out.

"Oh, I didn't even notice." Kakashi blinked out of his stupor before looking at the tiny bug trailing down her index finger. She was taken aback by how quickly he seemed to have recovered from his daze, but she liked to think it was pure luck thanks to the ladybug.

Luck, huh...

"Here, give me your hand," she said, beckoning for him. He obliged and she pressed her fingertip to his to build a bridge between them for the ladybug. It crawled off her finger to cross over and onto Kakashi's. "Now make a wish before it flies off. Hurry!" she insisted when he tipped a brow at her.

At her demand, he squeezed his eyes shut as the ladybug started to make its home on his palm. When he opened them, Sakura leaned in to gently blow the ladybug off him, but it clung stubbornly to his hand much to both their amusement.

"I think she likes me." He looked smug about it.

She rolled her eyes but her smile remained. "Wow, Professor Hatake, I didn't realize you're so popular with the ladies."

Wait, did I seriously just say that? She was about to cringe but Kakashi was smiling faintly at her.

"And you're quite," he paused thoughtfully, "punny."

He seemed quite proud of his own joke, and Sakura couldn't help but think: oh god, he really is a big dork. Again, the thought made her smile and she started to giggle at his joke. Even though it was possibly the most unoriginal joke she'd ever heard, his sincere attempt made it the most hilarious for her. Seeing her crack up, Kakashi began to chuckle as well, prompting the ladybug to finally take off.

It was another painful cramp that cut Sakura mid-laughter though, and she ended her giggle with a sharp intake of breath.

Kakashi was quick to notice, the amusement in his gaze dying away to serious concern. "Are you all right?" When she nodded tightly, he gave her a skeptical look. "I noticed you were walking strangely earlier."

Crap, had she been that obvious? Sakura lowered her lollipop in discomfort. "Um..."

"Did you injure yourself again?" he pressed her as his eyes ran up and down her body to assess for himself. "I can smell a little blood on you."

"Blood?" Sakura blinked up at him in bewilderment. "But I haven't yet... Wait, you can... smell it?" she asked, torn between horror and wonder for how he could smell her... her… well, she wasn't even bleeding yet!

"Yes, it's very faint, and it smells somewhat strange so I wasn't really sure, but..." His brows pinched together as he gave her a concerned once-over. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"N-No!" she answered hastily, still not sure whether to be touched by his concern or mortified that he could smell her... thing. "It's just, um... I-I get cramps when I'm about to have my..." She pressed a hand to her lower belly in gesture, too embarrassed to even say the word aloud for a guy like him even though she would not have minded had it been a boy.

It was easy to say she was on her period to a boy her age, but to say it to an older man—her professor no less—was different. Boys tended to make jokes about periods, so she was tempted to talk about it in front of them without a filter. Older men like Kakashi, on the other hand, had the experience and the maturity to hear the word 'period' or 'menstruation' and not be fazed by it. And she wasn't used to that, so all she could do was blush and cup her lower belly in gesture.

Kakashi's eyes widened at the hand on her belly as he finally realized what she meant. "O-Oh!" He at least had the sense to look embarrassed too, but two embarrassed people only meant double the awkwardness. Scratching his cheek, he nodded. "I'm glad. I mean, I'm glad that you're not hurt," he said quickly before taking a glance at their empty surroundings as if to check that there was no one to witness this awkward situation. "Will you be fine running next Friday then?"

"My cramps only last for a week, so they'll be gone by next Friday. They're just… really painful," Sakura said, wincing again when more pain knifed through her. Kakashi's brows were deeply furrowed with worry now, but she was beginning to feel shy as he eyed the hand on her belly. She pulled her hand away to set him at ease. "Geez, Professor Hatake! Instead of worrying about me, you should be worrying about the fact that we're late to class!"

She'd realized this only because the strange quietude of the campus had reminded her that almost every student was in class now. Thankfully, Kakashi had the sense to remember his position as a teacher and he didn't press Sakura anymore on the matter of her cramps as they hastened to lab class. The next three hours of class were agonizing as she'd expected, but she was now soothed by the fact that Kakashi kept stealing worried looks her away. As if he thought she was going to pass out from the pain. Well, it was painful (like all cramps are), but it wasn't that painful. Still, she took great delight whenever his eyes strayed to her, and she didn't realize she was smiling like an idiot at her paper until a classmate frowned in her direction.

She kept on smiling, of course, even as her cramps persisted.

And they persisted with a vengeance the next day, forcing Sakura to explain her situation to Professor Mizuki. He'd taken it in good stride and offered her a sympathetic smile before directing her to just take a seat on the bench today. That had surprised her since all of her previous teachers, regardless if they were male or female, always at least made her walk for some exercise. But Professor Mizuki wasn't popular with his students, particularly the girls, for no reason. He treated all the students like friends instead of inferiors, and Sakura couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as she sat down on the bleachers behind him.

"Thanks for letting me sit out, Professor," she said, picking at the wedgie of her gym shorts while his back was still turned.

"Anytime, Sakura," Professor Mizuki flashed her an appeasing smile over his shoulder. "You know you can come to me for anything."

"Even chocolate?" she asked, half-joking and half-serious.

He laughed with her. "I admit, I do keep some chocolate in my office if you're that desperate."

Still grinning, Sakura shook her head at him teasing her. Chocolate did sound nice, but a hot shower sounded even better. So she was relieved when Professor Mizuki asked another student to help him clean the equipment room after class as she bolted into the locker room for that hot shower.

But, of course, a hot shower was only ever a temporary solution to her monthly dilemma. On Wednesday, Sakura practically shuffled her way to school like an old granny in desperate need of her cane. Every cramp that twisted low in her belly made her breath freeze and thighs clamp together as if she could just stop that invisible knife from stabbing into her.

Kakashi seemed to notice today as well. It was painfully obvious by the way she was slower than usual in copying down the notes from his slides and how she would sometimes bite the tip of her pen to hold back a growl of frustration over her body punishing itself for not obliging with its biological drive. The only thing that brightened her mood was that Kakashi made sure to move onto the next slide only when she put her pen down. She hated holding up the class like this (even though they were probably enjoying the extra little breaks) and she especially hated slowing Kakashi down. But her cramps were inevitable, and Kakashi—damn him (but not really)—was true to his role as a dark knight, always at the aid of the hapless maiden even if her cramps weren't really a monster he could kung-fu the shit out for her.

And when they had sat together at their bench after lecture, he even offered to take her to the infirmary to rest.

'I prefer to rest here,' Sakura had told him. With you at my side.

So he'd nodded and tried to keep her distracted with a book of puns he'd found at the library the other day. The rest of her break time had then been filled with cringe-worthy jokes that were honestly almost as painful as her cramps. Which meant that they had definitely served their purpose in distracting her. And when Kakashi had finished off with, 'What did Cinderella do when she got to the ball? She gagged', Sakura had thanked him for his inappropriate joke with a sharp swat to his shoulder and a wheezing laugh.

But, like last time, the three hours of lab class was killer. It was already bad enough that she didn't have Kakashi's awful book of puns to keep her happy and distracted, but today the class had a cadaver to dissect. She was assigned to work on the biceps brachii muscle for thirty minutes, but the nauseating stench of chemicals and the frigid temperature of the storage room hindered her concentration.

Geez, this guy has a lot of adipose tissue! she silently bemoaned to herself while sawing away at the corpse's anterior arm with her scalpel.

After clearing away the chunks of fat and taking photos of the exposed muscle, she cleaned up and switched off with another student who also gagged at the pungent odor upon entering the room.

The minutes ticked by quickly after that, and Sakura spent the rest of the class gnawing at the tip of her pen to cope with her cramps. It was a bit of a struggle to concentrate on her classwork since the questions were more of theory than a simple copy-paste answer from the lab manual. The answers were there somewhere at the back of her mind, but a haze of exhaustion from dealing with her cramps for hours seemed to fog over the answers.

"If you need any help, Miss Haruno, I'm right here," Kakashi told her from behind his desk. He was reclining in his chair, feet propped up on the corner of the desk like he was now relaxing after a day of teaching even though there was still—she peeked at her watch—shit, thirty minutes left of class. She had never been this late in submitting her work, and she certainly had never been the last student to finish up as she only now realized that everyone else was gone.

This was why she always took her Midol pills as soon as her cramps hit. It made it easier to concentrate on her work, and it made her bathroom trips a far less painful process too (fuck those butt cramps). But despite Kakashi's offer to help her, Sakura's pride reared her head, flicked her hair back, and demanded that she prove she could do it on her own. That she didn't need anybody to help her because she had always done it alone all this time anyway.

Right. I've always been able to do things just fine on my own, she reminded herself. I can't slip up now and disappoint Professor Hatake.

So she pressed the tip of her pen to her worksheet and—she hissed aloud when another cramp ripped into her.

"Miss Haruno, please come here."

Sakura glanced over to where Kakashi was no longer reclining back in his chair. He was sitting straight now, fingers laced beneath his chin as he stared at her over his desk. Suppressing a sigh, she stood up and shuffled over to him with as much grace as she could muster.

"You're clearly in pain," Kakashi said gently. "I don't have any medication to offer you and it'd be very inappropriate to do so, but I... I know of a way to temporarily relieve your menstrual pain."

She blinked in surprise at him.

"Y-You do?" That wasn't quite what she'd ever expected to hear from a man. Or maybe... "You're not hiding any bananas up your sleeve there, are you Professor?" she asked with a teasing laugh.

Instead of laughing with her, Kakashi merely turned and rolled his chair back, beckoning for her to come closer to him. Sakura bit her lip, suddenly feeling like she was treading dangerous waters even though nothing had even happened... yet. But like a magnet, the pull towards him was too strong for her to resist and before she knew it, her feet were already carrying her over so that she stood directly in front of him right behind his desk.

Kakashi stared at her for a moment, and she tried not to squirm under his scrutiny. She felt like a student about to get a slap on the wrist for acting naughty even though she'd done nothing to warrant such punishment.

"May I touch you?"

Now it was Sakura's turn to stare at him. Had she heard him right? Kakashi simply gazed back at her expectantly as if he'd asked her how was class going for her.

Swallowing hard to still the butterflies going wild in her belly, Sakura gripped the hem of her shorts and nodded. Leaning forward, Kakashi reached for her and her eyes widened as she watched him gingerly press his hand to her belly. She was shocked by the intimate touch just as much as she was impressed by how his splayed hand covered almost the entirety of her stomach.

"Tell me where it's most painful," Kakashi calmly asked her, reminding Sakura that he was only trying to help her and nothing more.

But... was it appropriate for her professor to touch her there? It was only her belly, but still…

"Um, a little lower," she directed him as he dragged his hand down inch by burning inch. God, even though she was wearing a shirt, his touch still left hot tingles in its wake. "Th-There."

With his hand now resting against her lower belly, Kakashi paused and glanced up at her, scrutinizing her again as if to make sure he hadn't hurt her. The thought was ludicrous. By now, she could never imagine that he would ever hurt her—at least, not intentionally. He'd already had so many opportunities to do so and had always done the exact opposite.

But suddenly, Kakashi was drawing his hand away from her and Sakura found herself leaning in to chase his touch. She caught herself just as he cleared his throat and said, "It'll be more comfortable for you to sit down with me."

Before she could ask him what he meant by that, he was already spreading his legs on the chair—just enough to make room for her to sit down... in between his thighs.

Huh…?

Slowly, Sakura dragged her eyes up from the small space meant for her to meet Kakashi's gaze. His expression was as impassive as ever, giving no hint as to what could possibly be running through his mind other than what he'd just suggested aloud. Which was to sit between his legs. As if it was completely normal for a good student to do just that. Still confounded by this proposal, she swept her eyes across the classroom despite knowing that they were the only ones left here. She looked back to him and licked her lips, hesitant of how wrong this kind of situation was but how right it felt at the same time.

"Wh-What if someone walks in on us?" she whispered to him. There was no need to whisper since it wasn't like they had an audience, but she had felt the need to anyways... and instantly regretted it. Now she felt like they were definitely doing something wrong here.

"They won't," Kakashi answered quietly. "We're the last section that uses this room and the janitor doesn't come in until five. But," he looked away from her, "if you want me to take you to the infirmary, I think the nurse can give you some pain medication...?"

He'd set the offer on the table, and it was up to her whether she wanted to take him up on it or not. He'd even showed her the way out if she wanted to go right now and pretend that none of this had happened. The logical choice was to do just that and get some medication from the nurse instead. Yes, that was the right choice—the only choice she should be entertaining in her head right now.

Clasping a hand over her chest, Sakura silently willed her heart to calm down and stop urging her to go to him because this was not appropriate. This couldn't be. And yet... when she took just one step back and Kakashi's face remained as stoic and unreadable as ever, she felt like she had made the wrong move. It was a nagging instinct, and it reminded her of that one time she'd dared to play a match of Shogi with Shikamaru. Her very first move had been the move that sealed her loss and his victory, as the master Shogi player would explain afterward.

"Miss Haruno," Kakashi began to speak, but he shut up when she moved forth and plopped herself down right between his legs.

Her feet dangled above the floor with how high his chair had been raised to accommodate his long legs. She almost started to swing her legs back and forth out of anticipation but thought it would be too childish in his eyes.

"S-So now what?" Sakura asked, gripping her knees and trying desperately to ignore how wonderful it felt to be wrapped in his heat and smell again. She was soon distracted by the hand very lightly sliding around her waist to cup her lower belly again.

"I want you to take a deep breath for me and relax your body," he replied, and she bit back a shiver upon feeling his breath tickle her ear.

Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to relax herself as well as she could, but it was a challenge to do so when she was all too aware of his light exhalation stirring the hairs at the back of her neck. Or the warmth of his palms on her belly. Or the solid muscles of his thighs caging her legs in.

Kakashi waited patiently for her as she breathed in and out... in and out... in and out until her muscles gradually loosened and she was slightly slouched against his chest. Sakura then gave him the nod to go ahead, but she just as soon gasped aloud as his hands started stroking her belly in a circular motion. The pressure of his touch was gentle but firm, and it felt... good.

Is he... massaging me?

"The muscles of your uterus are contracting from high levels of prostaglandin," Kakashi casually explained as if he was in the middle of a lecture and not just rubbing her belly. "The surge of your hormones is also why your uterus must feel swollen right now, so I'm massaging your abdominal area to relax your uterus and reduce the spasms."

Sakura nodded slowly as the muscles of her abdomen quickly relaxed under his soothing strokes. But then she felt the sharp pinch of a cramp in the pit of her belly and she tensed against his chest in response to the sudden pain.

Her reaction didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi and he paused with his circular strokes. "Was that another contraction?"

She nodded tightly.

"Do you want to show me where?"

Yes, she did want to. Hesitating for just a second, Sakura took his right hand and dragged it further down so that his palm cupped the space below her belly button. She sighed aloud from the heat of his palm there. Usually, she used hot compresses to combat her cramps if she didn't have Midol pills, but a warm massage was just as good. Possibly even better.

"Mmm, that feels so good," Sakura sighed out, watching his thick fingers stroke her lower belly in circles. Her lashes began to flutter as the rest of her body seemed to melt under his touch. At this point, she was like putty in his hands, and Sakura felt a slow, pleased smile spread across her face. Screw the rules of decorum. This was a moment that belonged to only the two of them with nobody around to judge. Knowing this, she dared to close her eyes and lean her head back on a strong shoulder. "Professor?"

"Mm?" The timbre of Kakashi's voice had deepened as if he, too, was enthralled by the massage.

"Can we... Can we use the lotion?" Sakura asked in a whisper.

His hands stilled on her belly.

For a moment, she wondered if she had pushed it too far now. If this was where he would draw the line.

She held her breath and waited for his answer.

Remaining silent from behind, Kakashi pulled his hands away from her and she fought back a mewl of protest from the loss of his touch. But with her eyes still closed, Sakura heard the wet squelch of something, and she knew that he was pumping onto his hand some of the lotion that sat on his desk. It wasn't so strange to have a bottle of lotion on his desk since many students were expected to wash their hands after handling the 3D anatomical models, and those students often preferred to have some lotion to moisturize their hands after. But Kakashi had probably never expected that one of his students would one day need to use that lotion for a massage given by him no less.

So Sakura was pleased as she listened to the slick sound of his palms rubbing the lotion. Biting her lip, she reached for the hem of her cropped shirt, fingers pinching tight onto the thin material. The cool air of the classroom raised goosebumps on her arms as she rolled her shirt up to expose the flat of her belly. When his warm palms settled over the bare flesh of her stomach, Sakura couldn't help but inhale sharply as her heart jumped in her chest. The lotion helped his hands glide over her skin and she opened her eyes to watch him massage her, his fingertips skimming the waistband of her shorts.

His middle finger would snag the metal button of her shorts with every stroke, making a little 'clink!' sound each time.

Sakura didn't realize she'd been panting quietly until she had to gather enough breath to ask, "Could you go a little lower?"

Before Kakashi could answer, she was already reaching down with shaky hands to snap open the button of her shorts. Clink! She pulled her hands aside, accidentally resting them on the tops of his thighs but she couldn't be bothered to move them away. If anything, she wanted to stroke her hands down the firm muscles of his thighs because she could practically feel them flex firmly under her palms with just the subtle shift of his foot on the ground.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked her, his voice low and almost gravelly.

Underneath his warm palm, she could feel something hot pool in the pit of her belly. That molten desire from the theater was back now, and it was starting to leak out and stain her panties. And when Kakashi's hands drifted further down so that his fingers dipped past her waistline to skim the waistband of her panties, Sakura heard herself quietly whimper out a 'yes' for him.

This was wrong on so many levels, Sakura knew that. But she might as well have run right by every danger sign that cautioned her to slow down and turn back before it was too late because she was already too far ahead on this path. She didn't even know where this path would lead her to, but it would only be a few months later that she would learn this path was full of hardship and heartaches. For now, however, she remained blissfully unaware and all too content to just live in this moment with his gentle hands stroking away all her pain and worries.

"I'll massage your ovaries as well," Kakashi breathed against her ear.

"Wh-What?"

His thumbs dug right in between where her hipbones jut out, and Sakura heard herself let out a strange cry as he stroked in small circles there. It felt pleasant and ticklish at the same time but, more than that, it was... arousing. It wasn't even supposed to be arousing. This massage was intended to ease the pain of her cramps and relax her muscles—not make her horny and winding up with more tension. Tension that coiled tight in her core. Yet, her panties grew wetter and wetter as she was all too overwhelmed by Kakashi breathing heavily against her ear with his fingers rubbing dangerously close to where she really wanted him rubbing her, and the hard heat digging against her butt... wait, what?

Sakura whimpered as she realized the hard heat that had already been pressing against her for a while was his... thing. His... Oh, god.

Her hands trembled atop of his thighs as she struggled to keep from digging her fingers against him. She bit her bottom lip hard, hoping that the pain would snap her out of the hot haze that seemed to be clouding all her senses and judgment. But the pain mixed with the pleasure, and she only blushed harder as it zinged right through her core and dampened her panties even more. Her head fell back against Kakashi's shoulder as she furrowed her brow in a desperate attempt to hold back another strange cry. It was useless, and the strange sound spilled out from her lips, prompting a wave of embarrassment to flood her already red face.

"We should stop," Kakashi rasped out. But his hands kept stroking the soft flesh of her belly, lower and lower until his fingers were sweeping past the waistband of her cotton pink panties to rub just inches above her clit that was so swollen with need.

Under normal circumstances, she would've been horrified to let her cotton pink panties be exposed like this. They were one of her older pairs from freshman year of high school, and the worn-out bear design on the front was far from sexy. But these circumstances were far from normal, and it wasn't like the bear design could be seen anyway when Kakashi's fingers were moving over it.

"Keep going," Sakura gasped out, squirming on the chair now so that her clit could rub against her zipper—just enough to satisfy the ache building in her. "Keep going, Professor! Please, I... I need..."

She needed... what? At this point, was this massage even for her cramps anymore? She hadn't had a contraction for a while already, and any sense of pain or discomfort had long since been replaced by the thrill of pleasure and a different kind of ache. The kind of weird ache that felt like she was empty inside and needed something to complete her. Something hot and hard... like that thing still pressing against her butt.

Without thinking, she rocked her hips back, letting her butt rub the stiff heat right behind her.

It felt good. It felt right. So Sakura was confused when Kakashi suddenly hissed aloud as she rubbed against him there. Without warning, he pushed her away and she stumbled off the chair, grabbing the edge of his desk to catch herself. Still disoriented, she heard the sharp squeak of his chair swiveling and then the wheels rolling on the linoleum floor. When she spun around, Kakashi had already turned his chair so that the bottom half of his body was hidden beneath his desk.

"I... I think that's enough," Kakashi said in a rough voice. He grabbed the stack of worksheets the other students had submitted to him and began sifting through the papers with a finger even though he'd already checked through them.

With her face still flushed warm like a hot air balloon, it took Sakura a second before she remembered to button up her shorts. "Yes, th-thank you, Professor Hatake," she stammered out, still dazed and even a little woozy from the heat of pleasure thrumming through her body. Her insides felt like they were made of jelly. "I... I should do the... the thing... paper—work."

Kakashi nodded stiffly, still shuffling aimlessly through the worksheets in his hand.

Her body seemed to move on autopilot from then on as she returned to her desk to finish her work. The next ten minutes passed by in a blur, and Sakura had no idea how she was able to answer the remaining questions on her paper when her head was filled with nothing but static. She vaguely remembered scribbling, and then submitting her paper to Kakashi, and then thanking him for... For what? She couldn't even finish her sentence, so she'd cupped her belly in gesture instead.

He flinched. Just the barest hint of his lashes fluttering that the movement was nearly imperceptible.

"Please don't mention it, Miss Haruno," Kakashi had muttered, staring hard at her paper but not quite reading her answers.

His face was still as stoic as ever, and yet the way he just stared at her worksheet told Sakura that he'd switched to autopilot too. With the static still persisting in her head, she simply turned and left the classroom, her feet moving automatically—left, right, left, right. The only thing that reminded her that she was still a human and not a machine was the thunderous beat of her heart pounding against her ribcage.

On her way home, it took her a while to hear her phone's ringtone and Ino had impatiently greeted her when Sakura answered the call. As it turned out, Ino had been in possession of the Midol pills this whole time although she hadn't been aware of it until she'd stuck her hand into the smallest pocket of her backpack and found the little box of goodies. This was supposed to be fantastic news but... Sakura didn't need the pills anymore. Kakashi's massage had worked in alleviating the sharp pain of her cramps, and ever since she'd stumbled off that chair, she hadn't suffered a single contraction.

"Hellooo? Forehead? So do you want the pills or not?" Ino chuckled on the other end of the line. "You want the good stuff?"

"No, I'm good," Sakura answered slowly as she waited for the pedestrian light to let her cross.

"What? Are you sure? But you always get really bad cramps."

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

"... All right, are you holding out on me? What drugs are you on?"

Sakura almost rolled her eyes, but her body was still loose and almost humming with pleasure from the massage that she skipped instead. Skipped. Like a kid high on sugar and happiness. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd skipped in her life.

"I'm not on any drugs, Pig," she answered, ignoring the bewildered look a man gave her when she skipped again despite her textbooks thumping heavily at her back. "I just feel better now. Good. Really good."

On Cloud Nine, actually.

Judging by the stunned silence on Ino's end, Sakura could tell her friend was still dubious of her claim. But, since Sakura had insisted she was fine, Ino relented with a sigh and reminded her to defrost the chicken once she got home.

It would be nice if the chicken was the only concern on Sakura's mind as she continued to her apartment but, as soon as the call ended, her thoughts were quickly occupied by Kakashi once more. The full weight of what they'd done was now processing in her mind as all she could think of was... what was that?

What was that? What was that? What was that?!

That wasn't something a teacher did with his student, but also a student wasn't supposed to be masturbating next to her teacher too... But what she had done at the theater had been different. Yes, she'd touched herself next to him, but it wasn't like he'd been watching her or touching her too. Today, with the massage (if she could even still call it that), Kakashi had touched her and heard her make those strange cries that even she had never heard from herself before. And instead of stopping him, she'd asked him to use the lotion and touch her lower—so low that he'd almost ended up stroking the exact place someone like him was forbidden to touch.

But while Sakura had been the one to take things further, it had been Kakashi who initiated the massage in the first place. So... what did that mean for her? Did he offer belly massages to any girl who was suffering from cramps? Or was she the first? Some part of Sakura hoped that she would also be the last girl even though she knew that, too, was an inappropriate thought to have for her professor. But if Kakashi had dared to touch her like that despite their relationship as teacher and student, then did that mean what she thought it meant?

Does Professor Hatake... like me? In the same way that I like him?

It was a far stretch, she knew that, but if he didn't like her in that sense then why else would Kakashi touch her like that at all?

Maybe he's... a predator? Maybe he just wants my body? The thought had Sakura chewing the inside of her cheek in apprehension. It was hard to imagine Kakashi as that sort of bad guy the same way it was hard to imagine Naruto quitting ramen. If Kakashi was a sexual predator, then why had he never taken advantage of her during the many times she'd been alone with him and even naked?

And growing up as a little girl without her parents around to accompany her or keep an eye out for her, Sakura had run into her fair share of creepy men who'd often tried to lure her into their van with candy or some sort of trinket. Sure, Kakashi gave off dangerous vibes, but he didn't give off the vibes of those men. He'd never tried to lure her in with false promises or grab her without permission. He'd always asked if she was okay with this or that, and she'd always asked for more.

More... She'd wanted him to touch her more. She'd wanted his fingers to dip beneath the waistband of her panties and stroke her aching clit. She'd wanted to rub his strong thighs and hear him pant harshly into her ear in response. She'd wanted that, and so much more.

The loud 'bang!' of something dropping snapped Sakura out of her thoughts. She'd reached the gate of her apartment, and a boy with a dark mop of hair was struggling to drag out an armchair through the narrow gateway that was only spacious enough for two people to walk through. Other men in uniforms and hats were also carrying other furniture and boxes towards a U-Haul parked across.

"Daichi?" Sakura approached him as he dropped the armchair once more. "What's going on? Are you... moving out?"

He peered over his shoulder and Sakura blinked at the trepidation in his gaze. He eyed her warily for a second longer before returning his attention to the issue at hand. "Yeah, I am," he muttered, struggling to pull his chair through the tight space of the gate.

"Oh."

But that didn't make sense. They were barely four weeks into the semester. If it was too early to even put up the Halloween decorations, then it was definitely too early to be switching over to another apartment. In fact, Sakura had yet to pay off their first month's rent. So why would Daichi be moving out so soon?

Well, it wasn't her business to ask, but she could at least help him out. "Here, let me help you."

"No!" Daichi said sharply, yanking the chair out of her grasp when she took hold of the other corner to help pull it through the gate. Bewildered by his reaction, Sakura stepped back and watched him struggle to lift one of the chair's legs over the small ledge that marked the gate's threshold. Once he finished, he glanced at Sakura before taking a quick look around them. "I-I'm fine, thanks," he muttered, dark green eyes darting side to side as if he was in search of someone.

"Your U-Haul's over there," Sakura pointed to the truck right across them in case that's what he was looking for.

He merely grunted at her, and she frowned at his aloof behavior. He'd always greeted her with a cheery smile, but now he was acting like she was the last person he wanted to see. Is he that butthurt just because I hadn't paid much attention to him the last time we spoke? I mean, if Ino's right that he was interested in me, then I guess I could have been more upfront and rejected him.

But it wasn't like Daichi had been direct in asking her out either, so it wasn't very fair of him to treat her this way. Unless he was one of those 'nice guys' who pretended to be nice up until they realized they weren't going to get any pussy. Kakashi had warned that Daichi might be one of those boys the day he'd popped into her apartment to borrow her dryer, but Sakura still wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt when she wasn't entirely sure yet if that was truly Daichi's character. She hoped not.

Following him to the U-Haul, she waited for him to say something to her, but she may as well have been a ghost for all he cared. "Daichi? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," he grunted out while refusing to meet her eye. "It's hot out here, so you should go inside now."

"But—"

"Please," he ground out. "Just leave me alone, Sakura."

She watched him turn his back to her and begin organizing the boxes around the truck. It was clear that was the end of the conversation, and he didn't want to speak to her anymore. Not even to say goodbye. Admittedly, Sakura was more astonished by how eager he was to brush her off when he'd been just as eager to catch her attention last week. She didn't understand how fragile a guy's ego could be if he was that offended by her lack of attention for him.

With a shake of her head, Sakura retreated into the apartment to cool off. It seemed Kakashi had been right about Daichi after all, and if that was the case then all the more reason to move on and not waste any more time and effort on him. She didn't need Daichi spoiling her day when she was still running on the high of what had happened back in lab class with Kakashi.

And when Sakura flopped onto her bed to relax for a minute, she found herself already smiling again as she trailed a hand down to her stomach. The skin was soft and smelled like cocoa butter from where he'd rubbed the lotion. She almost didn't want to take a shower later despite her baby hairs sticking to the sweat on her neck.

Giggling quietly to herself, she began to rub her hand in the same circular movement Kakashi had done with his hands. It didn't feel as good as when he'd massaged her, but it didn't matter anyway since her cramps had yet to return.

Maybe... Professor Hatake likes me too? she thought to herself in the privacy of her room. Normally, if it had been a boy, then Sakura would've turned to Ino for her perspective on the matter to make sure she wasn't imagining things. She didn't want to misconstrue someone's intentions—especially not when there were nice guys out there who truly did exist as nice guys without ulterior motives. But Kakashi was the opposite of an open book, and it was impossible to read his face let alone his intentions.

And if he did like her in the same way she liked him, then what would that mean for them?

Ah, well, Sakura didn't need to worry about that yet. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the very likelihood that her feelings for Kakashi were mutual.

.

.

.

She was proven completely wrong the next week.

So excited to see Kakashi first thing on Monday morning after what had happened last week, Sakura had trouble sleeping and woke up late again. Usually, she'd panic but this time she'd smiled through her entire morning routine while Ino had screeched in the background about a pimple on her chin. And when she stepped into the elevators of the science building on her way to class, her smile had widened when she caught Kakashi in the elevator as well.

Believing that this had to be fate, Sakura tucked back her hair as she stood beside Kakashi and turned her smile towards him. He was staring at the digital numbers above the doors, watching the numbers increase at an agonizingly slow pace. Sakura waited a whole floor number for him to look her way, but her smile started to slip as he continued to stare at the floor number instead.

"G-Good morning, Professor Hatake," she said shyly, clutching her textbook to her chest as if that would hide the way her heart was leaping wildly within.

"Good morning," Kakashi calmly replied to the doors than to her.

Sakura's smile fell away. From the corner of her eye, he shifted on his feet and sighed aloud. She couldn't tell if that sigh was out of impatience or exhaustion, and if it was meant for her or not. Either way, it was only now that she could feel the cold tension that filled the small elevator and all of it seemed to be coming from him.

"It's hot today, isn't it?" she tried again, hoping she was just misinterpreting the mood and that he was just low on energy because it was early morning and maybe he was up late last night grading papers. "October is almost here but it's still hot enough to cook an egg outside."

She'd hoped he would chuckle at her lighthearted humor just like he'd done so with last week's punny conversation.

"Yes," Kakashi simply said.

Her hands felt clammy against the smooth hardcover of her textbook. "I'm excited for Friday. I... I hope to see you at the marathon."

"... It depends if I'm free."

He peeked at his watch and Sakura felt like she'd just been punched in the gut.

Ah, no, it wasn't a punch. It was just a cramp. They weren't as bad as last week but there was still discomfort. Discomfort that churned in her stomach as she remembered Kakashi's response the other day.

But you said that you would come to the marathon for me, Professor...

Had he forgotten?

The doors slid open and Sakura bit her lip as she followed Kakashi to his classroom. When he held the door open for her, she tried to flash him a smile but it seemed he found the ground far more interesting than her. In fact, it seemed he was interested in everything but her as she noticed Kakashi made it a point to look everywhere but at her throughout lecture.

An hour into class, she tried raising her hand for a question she didn't even need an answer for—if only to just make Kakashi acknowledge her. But instead of nodding at her with a 'Yes, Miss Haruno?', he'd simply announced that he wasn't taking any questions until after the lecture.

So she'd lowered her hand and started to chew the tip of her pen as he continued with his lecture. As if she wasn't sitting right in front of him, giving him the look of a kicked puppy.

But why? Why was he treating her so coldly just like Daichi? Was there some sort of secret virus going around that made males suddenly disinterested in pink-haired girls? Or... did this have to do with what had happened between them on Monday?

Sakura wanted to confront him, but a ball of fear sat heavy in her stomach like lead. If she really was just imagining his attraction to her, then it would be absolutely mortifying to ask him about it only for him to shoot her down. After all, he probably saw her as nothing more than a child. Yes, it was crazy to think he'd ever be attracted—either physically or romantically—to her when there were plenty of women (not girls) out there who were far more beautiful, bustier, and mature than her. Some of those women were even sitting right behind her.

Of course a man like Professor Hatake would never be interested in a girl like me. He's just way too out of my league, Sakura thought to herself as she watched the rest of the girls in class race to his desk once the lecture was over.

The girls, especially Mei, always wanted to strike up a conversation with him. Even the older women, some already in their late forties, were seen with more makeup than on the days when they didn't have his class. She could even hear one of the elderly students insist to Kakashi that he should meet her daughter who was around his age. Sakura clutched her textbook tighter and walked away. With him surrounded by his fangirls, there was no chance to ask him about Monday's belly massage, so she decided to wait for him at their pavilion instead.

But he didn't come, and she was left to suffer through the discomfort of her cramps without Kakashi around to distract her with more inappropriate sex jokes or even just his cringey puns.

By lab class, she wondered if Kakashi was avoiding her because he was just as confused as her with what had happened last week. And if he was confused, then did that mean he hadn't intended for the massage to be that... intimate? Did that mean he wasn't attracted to her after all?

"Thank you for your hard work today," Kakashi said to the worksheet she'd just handed to him.

Like last time, everyone else had already left, leaving Sakura and Kakashi alone in the classroom once more. She'd intentionally stayed behind this time, waiting for the last student to finish flirting with him before taking their leave. The silence was an eerie reminder of how this kind of situation had led to him massaging her belly, but she doubted there would be a repeat of that. Not when he refused to pull his attention away from the paper in his hand and look her in the eye.

Even so, Sakura was desperate to know what was going on in that head of his. What sort of thoughts were racing behind the smoky grey of his eyes that refused to relinquish any secrets. It was strange how she'd been able to interpret the meaningful looks his eyes would give her in the past weeks since they'd met. But now it was like staring at a stone wall. A wall he had finally decided to put up to keep her out. And that honestly hurt much more than the cramps tearing into her right now.

"Professor Hatake?" She stood on the other side of his desk, cupping her belly and silently urging him to look at her. "Um, my stomach is hurting from my cramps again. I-I was wondering if you could, um, massage it again for me?"

This time, it was her turn to put the offer on the table and see if he would take her up on it or not. It was still embarrassing to propose such a thing though, but Sakura didn't have the courage to straight up ask him if he could touch her again let alone if he liked her the way she liked him. Or worse—if the massage had just gotten out of hand and was purely accidental on both their parts. Her desperation for his answer outweighed the hot embarrassment flooding her cheeks right now.

"I'm busy. I need to..." he paused, lips pressing together beneath his mask, "check the microscopes. Make sure the objectives were returned to the correct positions."

Sakura glanced towards the cabinets where the class stored their microscopes. "I can help you, and then—"

"No, that's not necessary, Miss Haruno."

Translation: 'I don't want your help.'

"You should go home and rest."

'Please leave.'

But she didn't want to leave. Not when she was still so confused as to what that massage had meant for them. What it had meant for him. Had it really been just a massage to ease her cramps, or had there been a meaning behind his gentle touch?

"But my stomach still hurts, Professor," Sakura pressed him.

"... The nurse's office is still open."

That wasn't what she would've liked to hear. She especially didn't like how Kakashi was acting so dismissive towards her when he had been showering her with his attention since the night they'd met. It was only now she realized just how spoiled she'd been.

She tried to swallow down that lump of discontentment burning hot in her throat. "Maybe you could just teach me that massage you—"

"I can't."

'I won't.'

"But... you're my professor," was all she could say. Because what else could she tell him? 'I like you, and I like it when you touch me?' If she admitted anything like that aloud, then he would certainly be forced to draw the line between them and remind her of their relationship as professor and student.

Finally, he raised his eyes to her, and she could see that smoky grey was concealing something—something he was desperate to hide from her. "That's exactly why I can't," Kakashi answered, but it sounded more like a plea than a declaration.

Sakura gaped at him, not quite sure how to respond to that. So she left his classroom even more confused than the last time she'd left the lab room with her stomach still tingling from the warmth of his touch and arousal pooling deep within. Now she was leaving the lab room with that ball of lead sitting heavier than ever in her stomach. It weighed as heavy as the confusion that weighed in her mind, and it left her feeling worse than she usually felt while PMS-ing.

On her walk home, Sakura's feet dragged on the cement sidewalk. The textbooks in her backpack felt like bricks at her back and the sun cast a blistering glare on her. She felt sick... sick in the sense that she felt robbed of an opportunity she hadn't realized she wanted until it was already taken from her. It reminded Sakura of the time when she'd been offered the position of valedictorian for her graduating class, only for that offer to be rescinded after she'd taken too long to accept it. The memory was still fresh and tender, so she frowned and kicked a pebble to watch it shoot across the street.

Her frown deepened when she realized someone was following her. And that someone was a guy she was not excited to see.

She pulled out a compact mirror and Chapstick from her backpack and then pretended to touch up her lips. Angling the mirror, she eyed the man in the blue baseball cap just a couple of meters behind her. He was facing the window of the grocery store they stood in front of, pretending to browse the selection of oranges and apples that decorated the fruit stands out front. Sakura shifted on her feet, catching the man flick his eyes to her as she did so.

She stuffed the mirror and Chapstick into her shorts before retrieving her keys.

The next half hour was spent with her walking in circles around the same bank until she'd tried to lose him at a crosswalk. Of course, there was no one around to stop him from jaywalking, so he was quick to catch her at Kage park where she'd then tried to take shelter underneath the slide of the jungle playground. But then the kids had kicked her out of her hiding spot, so Sakura decided to ask one of the mothers around for help.

When she discreetly pointed out the guy wearing the navy-blue baseball cap that did nothing to hide his greasy black hair, the moms simply balked and left to check on their children. They didn't want to get involved with a girl stalked by a young man who had the beat-up face of someone who hung out with the wrong crowd. A dangerous crowd that probably dabbled in guns just as much as they dabbled in drugs. Sakura couldn't blame the moms for wanting to stay away from her, but it did nothing to help her either.

There was always the option to call the cops, but she was well aware that the police couldn't actually do anything to a man who had yet to actually do anything to her. It sucked, but she didn't want to wait around until there was nothing left but her decapitated head for the police to find. And by then, it would be too late. While Halloween was just around the corner, Sakura wasn't so eager to play an actual ghost.

An idea then popped into her head. Kakashi's phone number was listed in the syllabus she kept tucked in the back of the textbook. She'd even memorized it on the first week of school along with his e-mail. Then again, it was supposed to be a way of contacting him for any questions regarding the coursework, so Sakura doubted it was meant for calling her professor over to help her with a stalker. Besides, with how Kakashi had been so eager to avoid her today, she didn't know if he would just let her call go straight to voicemail.

"Oh, fuck this," she muttered to herself, stealing out of Kage park to pull out the pepper spray from her backpack.

In her other hand, she adjusted her keys to fit in between the fingers of her fist. If all else failed, the textbooks weighing heavy in her backpack would hopefully knock the shit out of him.

She hid behind the building of a diner, sticking close to the brick wall and ignoring the tempting smell of fluffy, buttery pancakes. Flies were buzzing around the dumpster behind her, but that only gave her the perfect place to dump the guy's body if she accidentally ended up killing him. Murder wasn't on her agenda today, but she was certainly feeling murderous as another cramp stabbed into her.

The moment the rim of the blue cap began to peek past the corner, she shot her arm out and pepper-sprayed the guy right in his face. He screamed, and Sakura grabbed the front of his tank top to slam him against the wall. In her grip, chunks of what felt like barely dried vomit squished between her fingers and she gagged over that more so than over the stench of weed and piss.

"What the fuck was that for?" Goro sputtered out, grimacing beneath the hands rubbing at his face.

"Well, what the fuck are you following me for?!" she snarled back, raising a fist to his face with a key tucked between each finger.

"I-I'm not!"

"Bullshit! I passed the bank three times and so did you!"

He shook his head, bleary reddened eyes squinting at her through the pain of the pepper spray. "It was a coincidence!"

"Look, I'm in a really bad mood right now," Sakura growled under her breath. She brought her fist closer to his eye so that he could see the keys she held menacingly. "Lie to me again and I'll jam my keys so far up your ass, I'll be unlocking secrets even you don't know about!"

Bloodshot eyes widened at the keys glinting dangerously close to them and Goro gave a frantic shake of his head. She could see how his pupils were blown so wide that there was barely a ring of blue left around them. "I'm the one being followed," he whimpered out, voice wavering like she was holding a sword to his throat rather than her apartment keys. When she scowled at him in disbelief, he nodded insistently. "It's true! Someone was following me earlier so... so I—okay, yes—I tagged you but only 'cause I thought you could kung-fu their ass!"

She gaped at him. "You what?! Does it look like I'm a fucking ninja?!" She shook her head at this damn idiot. "You're thinking of my other friend—she's the one who knows martial arts!"

"B-But I saw you visiting Might Guy's Mighty Guys last weekend! Don't you take boxing lessons with Guy-sensei over there?"

"No! I was—" Sakura paused, feeling a blush come on as she remembered the purpose of her visit to that boxing gym. But then she returned to scowling again as Kakashi's words, 'I can't', echoed in her head. "I was just delivering something. And anyway, what makes you think I'd even help a guy like you out?!"

Goro blinked back the last of his pained tears as he tried to smile at her, and she held back her own grimace at the sight of his rotten, discolored teeth. The ones he still had left, at least. "I-I can get you drugs," he proposed. "Any kind you want and I'll give you a discount. I even got some pure ecstasy, if you'd like. No stretching—"

"I'm guessing it's that kind of business that's gotten you into this mess in the first place," Sakura bit out, disgusted that he thought she was the kind of person to dabble in the same shit as him. "Look, I can't help you and I don't want anything to do with you or these bad people who are after you. If you really want help then you should just call the police."

He was shaking his head in a panic again. "I can't go to those pigs!"

"Why not? Scared they'll confiscate your lil' business?"

"You wouldn't understand," Goro muttered, eyeing her like she was too naïve and innocent for her own good.

The hot lick of anger flared in her chest and Sakura shoved away from him. "Then I hope I never have to."

She stepped away from him and turned down the corner to head back into the street.

"Wait! I swear, they're in the diner right now!"

"Yeah, probably getting high off pancakes and shakes right now. What did you do to even piss your friends off?" she snapped at him over her shoulder.

Goro wasn't even looking at her anymore. He was already studying the height of the wooden fence that blocked him off from the next neighborhood. "I... I stole something from them."

"What did you steal?"

"The wheel," he mumbled distractedly.

Sakura rolled her eyes at that. Here we go with this wheel shit again. This guy's definitely lost his marbles already—and, apparently, his 'wheel' thing too.

"Don't ever follow me again, you hear?" she shook her keys to punctuate her threat. "The next time I catch you stalking me, I'll call the police for you."

She knew that kind of threat was as useful as the keys in her hand, but it didn't stop her from glaring at Goro's back as he struggled to climb over the fence. If that was his means of escape, then good for him. So long as he was nowhere near her.

Spinning back towards the street, Sakura continued to stomp onward, hoping to never see that guy again. She paused in front of the diner, remembering what Goro had said about his own stalker waiting for him just inside. Worrying at her lip, she decided to take a quick peek through the front window just to see what in the hell had gotten him so paranoid that he'd tried to turn to an unassuming girl like her for help.

She observed each of the customers who occupied the booths, finding nothing unusual about any of them. There was a man in a business suit sitting at the counter and sipping his coffee while reading a newspaper. Two teenage boys dueling with their forks over the last pancake. A young mother breastfeeding her baby in the far corner. A girl her age taking a photo of her milkshake. And a grandpa wiping the ice-cream smeared all over a little boy's mouth. Even the waitress examining her nails behind the counter looked half-bored to death of today's snail pace.

Sakura pulled away and shook her head. Note to self: never do drugs.

She'd already made the mistake of imagining Kakashi's attraction to her. She didn't need to imagine more things like creepy stalkers.


A/N: A "Final Girl" is a trope in horror films that refers to the girl who ends up as the sole survivor of her group (or at least as the last girl standing) because she's a virgin and/or does not dabble in the vices of others. Hence Sakura commenting that she'd survive a horror movie.

I would like to thank Youtube's weird algorithm for recommending me that random "ease menstrual cramps with self-massage" video because that video inspired this whole chapter with Kakashi massaging Sakura.


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