The Anatomy of Love

Written By: Banana007

Chapter 25: Dream a Little Dream of Me


Water sloshed across the toe peeking out of her shoe as Nohara Rin slogged her way through the district's backstreets. In her arms, she clutched two burnt loaves of bread close to her chest. Although the bread had been given to her stale earlier by the neighborhood's baker—a kind man with an unkind wife—both of the loaves had since become soggy under the pelting rain.

Wet bread was the least of her concern though as another growl of her stomach reminded Rin of her true mission.

She splashed through a puddle to avoid a pair of rats struggling to climb up a dumpster. More water spilled through the hole of her worn-out shoes and she wiggled her soaked toes to push some water out, but to no avail.

Summer thunderstorms in Konoha City weren't unusual, but Rin hadn't expected one tonight when she'd decided to sneak out a back window to visit the bakery for the leftovers.

Wiping away the hair clinging to her cheeks, she braved the wet lashes of the storm. The rags she wore for clothes were soaked through, but she focused on protecting the bread loaves as best she could.

The alleys offered the little orphan girl shortcuts across the city, making it easier to traverse around without bumping into one of the neighborhood patrol officers. The bruises on her back were still healing from the last time an officer had caught her wandering about past curfew. But she was so caught up in rushing back to the orphanage that she did not stop to consider that the seedy areas of the city came to life at this time.

Her belly ached with a vengeful hunger that Rin could not bother with the sight of prostitutes doing their business behind dumpsters, or the stench of drugs and puke that clogged the alleyways. She kept her head down and shoulders tucked together to keep herself as invisible as possible, just as she was taught.

Of course, because she was a girl, every man that crowded the alley turned their head in her direction.

She shrunk back when one of them lurched toward her on unsteady feet.

"Hey, girlie," the man grumbled, his fetid words slurred and weary. He pointed a shaky finger at the bread she carried. "Whatcha got there?"

She gripped the bread loaves tighter, spilling some crumbs in the process. Her first instinct was to turn around and take a detour, but the 'splish splash' from behind was enough warning.

Rin looked to the woman slouched against the wall behind him—a silent plea for help or mercy. The woman merely gazed back, her eyes vacant of sympathy or anything else, even as the rain poured down her nude body and pooled beneath the dress laid soggy across her feet.

More crumbs of bread bounced onto Rin's shoes as she clutched the loaves harder and shuffled back. The man staggered after her just as lightning flashed and lit up the alley, revealing an eyepatch almost hidden beneath greasy bangs.

A soldier from the war.

Not good.

She pulled back, ready to flee in either direction with or without the bread loaves.

Her back bumped against something firm and she caught a whiff of that same putrid stench just as a hand yanked her up into the air by the scruff of her collar.

Rin yelped and the loaves splashed onto the puddle as she reached up to claw at the wrist behind her.

"Aww, what a waste of bread," Eyepatch clucked his tongue at the muddied loaves sitting below her kicking feet.

Rin shot the woman against the wall another look, begging for help. The woman remained pressed to her corner, keeping to the shadows as Eyepatch ran his eyes up and down Rin's scrawny body. While there was plenty to look at since her ragged clothes offered little cover, there also wasn't much to look at when she hardly had any meat on her bones. Still, the woman merely turned her eyes aside as Eyepatch trailed a finger across Rin's jaw to stroke the soft skin.

"Get your hands off me!" Rin snapped at him, yanking her face away from his touch.

Those grubby hands suddenly seized her by the jaw.

"Now is that any way to treat a hero?" the fallen soldier hissed against her face.

Tears sprung to her eyes as the man's fingers dug into her cheeks, his nails biting into her skin. Rin struggled against him, her own small hands scrabbling at his to get him away. But to no avail.

"I sacrificed so much for little shitheads like you," he snarled, gesturing to his eyepatch.

This close, she could see a little maggot wiggle its way out from beneath the eyepatch as if to greet her. This close, she could smell the faintest notes of rot beneath the funk of drugs and alcohol. This close, she could see the empty darkness in the man's single eye.

There was no light. No life. Just great enmity.

"We did a great service for you people," the second man holding her up by the collar wheezed out. "The least you could do is service us as thanks."

A cold shiver ran down Rin's back and she began to kick harder in retaliation. Eyepatch grunted when a foot caught him in the gut, but her shoe slipped off as he grabbed at the leg and yanked it aside. She screamed in a rage as her thighs were forced apart by meaty hands.

"Hey!" the woman finally called out to them. Rin stopped screaming, her chest swelling with hope as the woman took a step forward and... raised a finger to her lipstick-smeared lips. "Shut the girl up unless you want one of the patrol officers coming by."

Rin froze, giving Eyepatch's partner the chance to clamp a hand over her mouth.

With a disgruntled huff, the woman bent over to yank her dress back on. A few ryo bills slipped from one of the pockets and into the puddle to join Rin's shoe and bread loaves. The men waited for the woman to pick up the soggy bills and stuff them into her dress before she hobbled further down the alley.

Over the boom of thunder, Rin heard the click of the woman's heels gradually fade away as she left.

Ah, she was left behind again.

The rain streaked down her face, mixing with the tears as Rin heard Eyepatch hum thoughtfully while studying her. Then his hand was sliding up her thigh and dipping down the front of her threadbare pants—pants that she had spent weeks sewing together with what little materials Kakashi had managed to scrounge for her.

The front button flew off at the flick of the man's thumb. Rin watched it bounce across the cobblestones as she thought of how hard she had worked on sewing that button together. How her fingertips had bled from countless attempts.

Feeling a hand start to shove itself down her underwear, Rin closed her eyes and bit down on the hand silencing her.

A cry rose out from behind her and she plummeted to the ground with a splash. Eyepatch stood back, confused as to what had just happened and Rin took the chance to pluck out the single needle she kept pinned up her sleeve (because Kakashi was always getting himself torn up from fistfights around the neighborhood).

With a furious yowl, she twirled around and thrust the needle forth—directly into the other man's eye. He cried out and reeled away to clutch at his eye already pouring blood.

Rin began to dart forward to slip past him and make her escape, but pain exploded across the base of her skull and she fell to her knees. Her haggard reflection in the puddle stared back at her as she tried to breathe through the sharp throbbing at the back of her head.

A boot slammed into her back and she gasped before crashing into her puddle's reflection.

"Disobedient runts get the boot," Eyepatch chuckled into her ear.

Before she could respond, a hand twisted its way through Rin's drenched locks and shoved her face into the puddle. Her legs and arms flailed as she sputtered against the water and fought for breath. Her fingers dug into the stone pavement, fingernails splitting as she struggled to lift herself off the ground.

But she was just a little girl. An orphan whom no adult cared for—not even her own parents.

Her lungs squeezed and ached for air, but Rin could do nothing. Not even scream out her last breath.

Just as her mind began to go numb, she felt the hand in her hair yank itself back. The weight pinning her down was lifted and she turned her face aside to rake in the dank air of Konoha's slums. Over her heavy pants, she heard the sound of wet thuds. She recognized that horrid sound of flesh and bones.

With her cheek pressed to the ground, Rin raised her eyes and squinted at a lanky figure pinning Eyepatch against the wall and punching him in the face. No, not punching—hitting... with something.

A sickening wet squelch had Rin raising her head to squint harder at the sight before her. She caught the streak of silver hair before another flash of lightning illuminated Kakashi pinning Eyepatch by his throat while bashing his head with a brick.

The light faded, casting the alley in shadows again so that all Rin could hear were those horrible wet squelches of the man's head caving beneath the brick.

"Ka... kashi..." Rin called out to her friend.

The puddle she laid against suddenly felt warm and sticky. Slowly, she lowered her gaze down to the puddle of blood soaking into her pale skin and torn clothes.

So much blood streaming from Kakashi's direction and towards her.

She looked up, and through the darkness she caught Kakashi's eyes fixated on Eyepatch's battered face. Those eyes that were so cold like the chilled steel of a blade. They didn't even blink when blood splattered onto Kakashi's cheek as he kept striking the brick against Eyepatch's face.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

"Stop it..." Rin rasped out. She struggled to her feet and waited for Kakashi, but the rain must've drowned out her voice because he kept on slamming the brick into the man's head. Over and over until the alley was more slick with blood than rain. "Kakashi!"

Thud!

Thud!

"Kakashi, you'll kill him!" she screamed out, scrambling to her feet to rush at her friend.

She grabbed at his wrist, squeezing tight despite being much smaller than him. But even for a boy at 13, his strength was near immeasurable and Rin was almost flung aside when he pulled his arm back for another hit. She clung to him, her stick-thin arms wrapped tight around his torso as she tried to pull him away.

"Please stop it!" she cried against his soaked shirt. Her muscles burned with the strain of holding him back until, eventually, she felt Kakashi relax in her arms.

She peered up at him and glimpsed the wild glint in his eyes fade to that calm grey she was more familiar with.

"The other kids told me you had left to get some food for them," Kakashi muttered, lowering the brick in his hand. Blood dripped from it as well as his cheeks as he turned to crinkle his eyes at Rin. "We better hurry back to them then!"

Rin gaped at him—at the way he was smiling that fake, carefree smile while clutching a bloodied brick in his hand so tightly that his knuckles had whitened. She choked back a sob and slowly reached to peel his fingers off the brick, one by one.

The brick splashed onto the ground before Kakashi knelt down and picked up the little boot with the big hole at the toe. Wordlessly, he reached for her naked foot and helped her slip the shoe back on. Her little toe peeked out from the hole and she wiggled it to squish out the excess water while Kakashi gathered the loaves off the ground for her.

She frowned at the grime and streaks of blood painting the crust.

"Are you all right?" Kakashi asked as she did her best to wipe the muck off using the cleanest edge of her sleeve.

She nodded silently though the loaves trembled in her grip.

Kakashi touched her head, his palm warm and reassuring despite the blood coating his fingers.

"Let's go back before a patrol catches us," he said before taking her hand in his.

The lightning sliced through the sky again, blinding the alley with light.

Rin was screaming over the roar of the rain as Kakashi weaved past the trees littering their path and the bullets showering upon them.

He gripped her hand tighter when she almost tripped on an upturned root. She was deadweight for him, but he didn't dare loosen his fingers around hers as they sprinted through the forest. He pulled her along, guiding her through the shroud of darkness and sleets of rain.

Not once did he falter in his steps. Not when Rin slipped on the blood-soaked ground, forcing him to haul her up without pause. Not when Doctor Tsunade, slung across his shoulder, beat at his back with her fists and screamed her brother's name.

"Nawaki!"

The storm swallowed the young man's name as did the fire raging in the distance, its angry flames consuming the young combat medic alive.

Rin had fallen silent, her voice lost among the rumbling thunder and the screams of the soldiers fleeing the ambushed medical camp.

The forest was burning and with it their comrades. The explosions paraded through the woodland, rocking the ground like an earthquake although anyone viewing from the cliffs would just see a spectacle of beautiful balls of light and destruction.

The garlic stench of mustard gas was nearly suffocating but Kakashi dared not slow down. He ran like he did when he'd been a toddler racing towards his father's gutted body. He ran as he did when the neighborhood bullies had chased him through the streets to shake him down for money. He ran just as he did, if not faster, when he'd taken the brutal graduation exam that had weeded out countless promising cadets at the academy.

He ran, faster and faster and faster until he was just a streak of silver in the dark. A bullet shooting through the night.

And yet it was still not enough.

The shadows stretched towards Kakashi from behind. He could feel them encroaching with every step he took. And there was nothing he could do when they yanked Tsunade off his shoulder before she could do so much as utter her brother's name in mourning.

"Run, Kakashi!" Obito's voice echoed all around him, heavy with urgency. "Just run!"

He sprinted harder, his legs pumping and burning while his lungs felt as if they were about to burst.

"Kakashi," Rin said, his name soft and weak on her lips as the noise of the explosions drew near along with the shadows.

He dared not look back. He couldn't bear to.

"Kakashi," Rin called to him. "You have to let me go."

He shook his head and squeezed her fingers tighter, ignoring how cold her skin was now.

But the sudden yank of her hand nearly tripped him. He tried to shout for her to hold on, but there was a pressure bearing down on his chest, too heavy for him to breathe let alone beg.

The shadows enshrouded him, tugging Rin from his grasp despite his efforts to hold onto her.

"You have to let me go," she pleaded with him.

I won't, Kakashi thought. I won't let you go.

But try as he might, he could feel Rin slipping away from him until he was hanging onto her by just the fingertips. And then she was gone, the shadows ripping her hand from his and swallowing her whole.

"You're too late," a voice slithered through the darkness, digging into Kakashi's ears like an ice pick.

He continued to run even as that voice kept on taunting him, but his limbs now felt so heavy and weary that he felt as if he was running through wet cement.

Ah, maybe that's why his chest hurt.

I'm dying, Kakashi thought to himself.

An inkling of fear tingled at the back of his mind, but it was soon quelled by the notion that he might finally get some rest. For good. No more nightmares, no more ghosts, no more pain. Just the numbing embrace of an eternal slumber.

He liked that idea.

Stopping at last, Kakashi raised his arms out and closed his eyes to embrace defeat. Let the shadows take him too. He was tired of running, tired of fighting, and tired of surviving. Obito was right; a life of cynicism wasn't a life worth living, so why even bother living at all?

"What's your favorite color?" Sakura's voice abruptly cut through his slew of thoughts.

Kakashi jolted awake.

The last dregs of his nightmare pounded in his head like a headache. Squeezing his eyes shut, he took a second to ground himself back to reality. Ever since he'd met Sakura, his nightmares these days were harder to shake off than usual as they gripped his mind painfully like claws digging into his brain. He tried to run through some breathing exercises, practicing the 4-7-8 technique over and over again.

His heart was still beating a mile a minute when he finally sat up and took stock of his surroundings, ensuring that the bedroom he was in was real and his. That the gun in his hand was real and the safety still on. And that he was alive and not dead.

Slipping out of bed, he trekked over to the window and carefully peeled back the corner of the curtains to take a peek outside. After checking the streets were empty, he glanced at the gun still in his hand and sighed.

"You're safe," Kakashi muttered to himself as he slipped the gun back beneath his pillow. His hand itched for the weapon as soon as he stepped away from it, but he fought back that wave of paranoia rising within him. He fought back that need to check every room in the house, every camera in the corner, all the windows, and even the dogs in their kennels. "You're safe," he repeated aloud.

He glanced at himself in the mirror, taking in his tousled hair and the cold sweat still glistening on his chest.

With a sigh, he searched through his drawers for a pair of sweatpants to throw on. There was no need for a shirt since he would sweat through that too, so Kakashi continued downstairs to leave the house. At 2 in the morning, it wasn't exactly a bright idea to go jogging at this time of night, but he honestly didn't care.

He broke out into a sprint the moment his gate creaked close behind him. His sneakers pounded across the pavement as he sucked in the cool air of his neighborhood's quiet little cul-de-sac. The crisp air filled his lungs, but it wasn't enough to relieve that phantom sensation of rubble crushing down on his chest.

The X-mark scar on his torso began to seethe as the memory of that night wormed its way to the forefront of Kakashi's mind. He ran faster to escape the memory, but flashes of that night were already returning along with the stench of burning rubber and blood.

'What's your favorite color?' Sakura's question quieted the screams in his head.

He slowed down his sprinting to a jog, and then to a brisk walk as he used that question to replay the memory of them standing together beneath the flower shop's awning while waiting for the rain to stop. His breathing eventually evened out the more he focused on the sensation of her soft, small hands firmly holding his. Soon the pressure on his chest lifted until he could breathe with ease.

Her favorite color is red, Kakashi reminded himself as he recited her ramblings from that day. She likes apples, strawberries, tomatoes, and cherries. Inoichi's wife baked her a cherry pie for her birthday last year but she forgot to ask for the recipe. Her favorite kind of pie is actually pumpkin pie though, and she's excited for Halloween to come so that the stores will start selling it—and pumpkin ice cream.

Kakashi stopped at an iron gate.

So focused on the memory of Sakura to calm himself down, he hadn't noticed where he'd been going. Now he found himself standing at the entrance of the local cemetery.

A single lamp post marked the path as he pried the latch of the gate open, but he didn't need any light to find his way. Not when he'd been here countless times before—with and without his uniform.

His feet crunched on the dead leaves as he shuffled by dozens and dozens of tombstones marking the final resting places of his fallen comrades. The sound of guns firing off in farewell echoed faintly in Kakashi's ears as he walked through the cemetery until he reached one of the markers bearing a bouquet of daffodils.

The flower petals were already withering at the edges. It'd been a while since the last time he'd visited, and the guilt washed over Kakashi as he stood before the grave empty-handed.

"Sorry I'm late," he said to the gravestone. "I've been having some trouble with... a student."

He didn't normally converse with the dead. He wasn't the kind of person who believed that spirits lingered on long enough to listen to the woes of the living. But this time... this time, Kakashi just had too much to get off his chest. Besides, who better to keep a secret than the dead?

So for the very first time, Kakashi opened his mouth to speak.

He shared his grievances as a professor of Konoha University. How many of the students he taught were lazy and always looking for the easy way, and that they were nothing like the disciplined cadets he'd trained and studied with at the academy. How every time he entered a room, his eyes automatically strayed to the windows and doors to mark every exit point. How he sometimes missed the weight of a gun in his hand than the red grading pen he wielded nowadays.

"Mizuki got arrested, by the way," Kakashi added. "You always did say he creeped you out, so you'll be happy to hear his trial is coming up soon."

And then he explained about the girl he met that fateful night—Haruno Sakura. How she'd saved his life that night without even knowing it, and that he'd found himself drawn to her ever since. At first, it'd been merely out of gratitude and even curiosity, but then it'd grown into something else. Something that terrified him in the sense that Sakura offered a sense of familiarity... and also something new.

She reminded him too much of the past, and the past was something Kakashi often wished he could forget. But when it came to Sakura, she reminded him of only the good things from the past—glimpses of the fond memories he'd shared particularly with the people he'd once given his heart to.

His heart, yes—how long had it been since he closed it off?

But then Sakura had just stumbled into his life (quite literally) and reopened the old wounds. It hurt, but more in the sense of a band-aid ripping off and leaving him lighter and better... if a little sore. She stirred feelings in his heart that he hadn't felt in a long time and was scared to even think about.

And right now, it was a bad time to think about those feelings when she was going to go on a date with that boy—that Kankuro.

He was a good boy, Kakashi knew that. And he knew that he should be glad about her date with him. It would be good to have Sakura move on and find someone closer to her age. Someone who wasn't broken like him.

But even though Kakashi knew Kankuro would be good to Sakura, he still stood by his belief that a simple date could go awry, and it frustrated him that Sakura hadn't learned her lesson with Mizuki. She was still so trusting of people... and still so trusting of him.

The fact that she'd obeyed him the other day without question and pulled down her panties, knowing full well that Kakashi wouldn't actually do anything to her—well, anything she wouldn't like—had both pleased him as much as it had frustrated him.

How could she be so careless around him? She needed to be more cautious—more vigilant of the people she associated with. He wouldn't always be around to ensure her safety. He couldn't.

Especially not when she could hardly stand his presence now, which should have been a good thing. It was a good thing! He needed to push her away and this was the only way how. Make her see all the flaws that even his mask could not cover. Make her hate him.

What mattered was that Sakura would eventually learn her lesson. Learn to be more wary of the world and the predators that roamed about because, beneath the beauty of the city was the ugly reality. And the reality was that the whole system was still corrupt, and so were the people who built it.

"I told Dr. Sarutobi that I'm not cut out for this job," Kakashi shook his head. "I bet you would've agreed with me."

After all, guiding a team of special operations soldiers was far different and even easier than guiding a class of youths who spent more time on Netflix than studying.

He let out a soft chuckle. "But you'd tell me to lighten up, right? You would say that a life full of cynicism is not a life worth living. But... it's easier to say that when you're dead," Kakashi added, his smile falling away with bitterness. He stared at the name inscribed on the granite stone. "Sometimes... I wish I can just rest in peace like you."

The stone marker answered with silence.

Slowly, Kakashi pulled a hand from his pocket to touch the scar across his left eye. The raised tissue line was starting to ache again, causing his left eye to tear up from the pain. He knew the pain wasn't actually real, especially since the wound had already healed over, but it felt real to him all the same.

'It still hurts, doesn't it?'

'Only sometimes.'

'Pain, pain, go away.'

As Sakura's voice faded away, so did the pain of his scar.

Kakashi sighed and slid his hand back into his pockets. His fingers bumped against the velvet box that he, for some reason, had deemed to grab just before leaving the house. He hesitated at first, but then withdrew the box to pry it open.

Even with the rising sun nothing more than a haze of rose gold in the distance, the ruby gemstone sitting on the silver band shined brilliantly. Kakashi studied it a moment longer before placing the ring on top of the marker. "Sakura's a lot like you too, you know. Hopelessly... hopeful. And she hates my cynicism—just like you did. Although she's yet to call me a coward for it..."

Kakashi had a feeling she'd be slinging that insult at him in due time though.

"Sometimes, she reminds me too much of you both," he said, frowning at the ring. "How she gets flustered so easily but also isn't afraid to speak her mind when it matters most. And her belief in me..."

Perhaps it was that unwavering faith Sakura had in him that awed Kakashi the most. That kind of faith was something he'd only seen in the battlefield when his comrades found themselves balanced on the precipice of life and death. But he didn't understand why someone like Sakura would believe in him so much? Was it because he'd helped her out that night they'd met? What could she possibly see in him?

Was it perhaps... the same thing that Rin and Obito had seen?

If so, the more he hated the thought of Sakura trusting in him so much. The more he feared disappointing her.

"I can't fail this girl," Kakashi muttered. "Not her too."

The engagement ring sparkled back at him, but its owner was no longer around to share the usual reassuring words that would've lifted the ex-commander from his slump.

Drawing his gaze down, Kakashi stared at the name upon which the ring sat.

The seconds bled into minutes, and the minutes into hours, but he didn't move an inch. Not when the sun started to creep higher into the sky. Not when his phone rang with his alarm. Not even when an unexpected drizzle of rain fell upon him.

Kakashi remained rooted to the spot, shackled by his guilt and trapped in the prison of his own mind. Before him, the grave marker and the ring stayed silent.


The rain had deepened from a light drizzle to a firm pour as noon approached.

Sakura stared at the fat droplets dribbling down the window, thinking back to the other day when she'd waited beneath the awning with Kakashi at her side. In the background, Professor Jiraiya droned on about... well, she didn't even know at this point.

It wasn't like Sakura to have her head so far up in the clouds in the middle of a lecture—that was more of Naruto's style. But the sight of the rain outside had pulled her attention to that time, and she couldn't help but remember the scent of him embracing her as she wore his jacket. The way his eyes had run down her soaked figure as if he was mentally undressing her.

A light shudder ran through her and Sakura drew her shoulders together, pretending that she was cold even though she was far from it.

At least Professor Jiraiya was so busy ogling the curvier women in the classroom that he didn't seem to notice the one girl staring listlessly at the window. Or so Sakura thought until he called for her once class ended.

Naruto was already weaving his way past other students to meet up with Hinata for lunch, and Sakura scowled at his back when he slipped away without waiting for her.

As she approached the teacher's desk, she was still formulating an excuse for her lack of attention today when Professor Jiraiya closed his laptop to smile at her.

"I won't keep you for long, Miss Haruno," he said while reaching into his bag to draw out some papers. Her papers. "I just thought I should let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed reading your essay for The Company of Wolves."

"Really?" Sakura glanced down at the bright red A-plus marked at the top of her paper. She'd always exceled in math and the sciences, but literature was where she found herself struggling sometimes. And for a story so heavy in sexual themes and symbolism, her perfect score was a pleasant surprise.

"It was quite a refreshing take," Professor Jiraiya nodded at her with a certain pride in his weathered face. "And while reading your explanation about the heroine's virginity, and your interpretation of the red hood symbolizing her hymen, I couldn't help but wonder if you were talking about yourself?"

Her grin fell away. "E-Excuse me?"

"Ah, I don't mean it like that!" The older professor quickly rectified himself, shaking his hands frantically before Sakura could decide if that comment counted as sexual harassment or not. He opened his hands in a peaceful gesture, nodding to the essay in her hand. "I mean that there's a sincerity with the way you spoke about the heroine's sexual awakening. At this day and age, many people think The Company of Wolves is outdated with its feminism, so your take was interesting to read."

Holding the book in question close to her chest, Sakura frowned in confusion.

"A young girl gifting her virginity to a predator doesn't exactly sound empowering at first," Professor Jiraiya explained with a wry grin. "But you talk about how the girl is ready to embrace her womanhood—how she is ready to shed her childhood cloak and become a woman despite people still trying to infantilize her. You said that the real predator of the story is the heroine because, instead of becoming the prey, she is the one who tames the beast. She wanted the grandmother to die, she wanted for people to stop treating her like a child, she wanted the wolf to mate with her—she wanted the freedom to choose."

Surprisingly, a sense of relief had swelled in Sakura's chest upon hearing her professor reiterate her points. Truth be told, she'd pretty much just word vomited all her thoughts and feelings into that essay. But it was nice to be reassured by someone—her English professor no less—that they had understood what she truly meant and valued her opinion on it.

She peered down at the book in her hand, her finger slipping in between the last pages where her blood still marked the final line of the story.

"Yes, she wants freedom above all else," Sakura murmured. "But the red cloak, her grandmother, her image as a child—they were all holding her back from becoming the woman she wanted to be. But it was the wolf who gave her the chance for freedom, so she accepted it… and him."

Professor Jiraiya stroked his chin as he studied the hooded girl on the front cover of Sakura's book. "You know, nobody else in the class mentioned in their essays the heroine's desire for freedom. Only you did, and you connected it with the heroine's journey of maturity. You understood that the concept of freedom—of one's agency in their life—plays a significant role in the transition from childhood to adulthood. Well done, Miss Haruno."

Sakura couldn't help but beam from the praise. "Thank you, Professor."

"One more thing before you go," Professor Jiraiya stopped her with a raised finger. His eyes dropped down to the book in her hand, his aged face taking on a pensive expression. "This is something I like to ask my students sometimes when it comes to controversial stories like this one but, just out of curiosity, do you think mating with the wolf was the right choice for the heroine? Disregarding the bestiality nature of it all, of course."

Her brows drew together at the strange question.

"You mean... do I think she had a happy ever after with the wolf?" Sakura clarified, and her teacher nodded.

She chewed her lip in thought for a moment, her fingers stroking the worn spine of the book in her hand as she mulled over the question.

"Everyone has their own idea of what a happy ever after looks like," Sakura eventually answered. "Maybe from the audience's perspective, it's not a happy ever after. But from the heroine's perspective... She's the one who made the choice to marry the wolf—a predator whom she turned into her lover and protector. She's the one who made that choice for herself without anyone telling her what to do, and that's what matters most," Sakura nodded. "So I'm sure it was a happy ever after for her."

With that, Professor Jiraiya sat back, seemingly more than satisfied and even proud of her answer.

Sakura was still befuddled, but she didn't think much else about their interaction as soon as she exited the classroom.

A brisk wind greeted her as she walked, reminding her that it was the first week of October and the talent show was coming up in a few weeks. Ino would be dragging her to Hinata and Tenten's house later tonight to go over their choreography, but that their dance was the last thing that concerned Sakura as she made her way past the gymnasium.

Normally, at this time of day, the gymnasium would be full of rambunctious students hollering at each other to catch or throw the ball. Just a few weeks ago, Sakura had been one of those students. And with Mizuki as her fitness instructor, she had come really close to becoming one of his victims too.

A chill ran through her at the memory of his hand on her knee and she hurried past the empty windows of the building.

Tenten had heard rumors from the department that Professor Guy would be taking over Mizuki's sections, which didn't sound so bad. Although Tenten had also mentioned that Professor Guy's students tended to go home with their bodies so sore that they could barely walk. Sakura wasn't so excited for that, but she'd choose Professor Guy any day over someone like Mizuki.

As she cut across the campus's soccer field, her thoughts wandered back to Kakashi criticizing her for choosing to go on the date with Kankuro. Sure, the only thing she knew about Kankuro was his name... and that his siblings were gang leaders back in their country—but Ino had said he was a pretty normal dude! And friendly too.

'What does what happened with Mizuki have anything to do with Kankuro?'

'Like I said... naïveté.'

Gritting her teeth, Sakura stomped her way out the main gate of the campus.

What? Did he think Kankuro would try to drug and rape her too?! To hell with his cynicism!

She trampled past a puddle of water from this morning's downpour, too pissed to mind the splash against her legs.

It was one thing to be cautious and wary of people, but it was another thing to be cynical of everything and everyone and she didn't have the time or energy to be suspicious of every person in the world! She only had one life to live—and technically only a few months of freedom left—and she'd rather spend that time living with no regrets.

So when Wednesday morning came, Sakura found herself quietly seething at her desk while glaring at Kakashi's.

If he tried to punish her again then... screw it! She'd take a second round of his punishment with her head held high! Or... laid against the desk again—ah, it didn't matter! She wouldn't cave into him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction the same way he'd denied her the satisfaction of...

Realizing she'd started squeezing her thighs together, Sakura coughed and looked around the class. Nobody had noticed her sour mood. Not when they all had their faces stuck in their phones or laptops while the teacher still had yet to arrive. Even Mei seemed bored, if a little weary as she stifled a yawn.

Further back in the classroom, a hand shot up in the air and Sakura squinted at Kankuro waving at her. She smiled and waved back before turning around.

The clock above the whiteboard read it'd been almost half an hour since class started, but the teacher's desk remained empty. Still, nobody dared to stand up and take their leave even though it was now within their legal right to. Kakashi was just that strict.

But where was he?

It was normal for him to be late for 15 minutes—actually, it would be out of character for him to not be late. But never had he been this late before.

"The professor sent an email!" someone in the class spoke up.

Everyone paused with what they were doing, and then they all started clicking furiously away on their laptops or tapping on their phones to check their emails.

"Lecture and lab are cancelled for today," Mei announced as she read the email from her phone. "The professor isn't feeling well, but he said he'll post a review quiz this weekend and put up a midterm study guide for us to check out."

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the news. Everyone except Sakura.

Her stomach flipflopped with worry and disappointment as she remained sitting while everyone else stood up, happy to hear that their teacher wasn't well enough to teach today.

Even once the rest of class filed out to enjoy their free Wednesday, Sakura was still at her desk, gazing at Kakashi's empty desk opposite of her.

Professor Hatake's not feeling well...?

She took out her phone to read the email for herself, hoping it'd been a mistake. Or maybe Kakashi had sent another email cancelling the first one.

I've come down with a cold so classes are cancled today. Go home and study for tis weeken'ds revew quix and midterm study guide.

His words, though short and succinct, were riddled with spelling and punctuation errors. How sick was he that he couldn't even type out two coherent sentences?

Sakura gripped the phone tight in her hand as she strode out of the classroom.

"Sakura!"

She nearly dropped her phone, surprised to find that Kankuro had been waiting outside for her all this time while she'd been thinking of someone else. He peeled away from the wall he'd been leaning against and she slowed down for him.

"Hey, you heading home?" he asked through a yawn.

Feeling sleepy herself after spending the past nights restless and thinking of Kakashi, Sakura yawned with him before shaking her head. "No, I... I'm gonna run some errands."

Just as soon as she said those words, she frowned. Run some errands? Why had she said that when she didn't have any errands to run today?

"Oh," A note of disappointment resounded in that word, but Kankuro was quick to cover it up with a smile. "Well, are we still on for Friday night then?"

"O-Of course we are," she smiled back reassuringly, though it didn't feel as reassuring for her.

He seemed to perk up at that. "Great! I'll see you then!"

She waved him farewell as he pulled away from her to head home.

"Friday night, school library, third floor at seven," she repeated to herself, though with far less enthusiasm than on Monday.

With the elevators clogged with her classmates, Sakura decided to take the flight of stairs instead.

Her feet shuffled slowly on autopilot as Kakashi's words from his email kept replaying in her head. She could practically imagine him sneezing and shivering as he composed the email in the wee hours of the morning from his bed.

Had he even had breakfast? Did he take his temperature? Was he resting properly or doing work?

Those kinds of questions continued to pile atop of Sakura's worry as she ambled by the other classrooms full of students and teachers.

The tinkle of glass caught her attention, however, and she raised her head to glimpse into one of the chemistry rooms. Though the lights were on, she could see just past the blinds that there were no students in the room save for the teacher.

No, wait...

She squinted harder at the figure standing at one of the lab benches close to the closet full of flasks.

Ah, it was Tenten's tutor. If she remembered right, his name was Yakushi. Yakushi Kabuto.

She watched him raised an Erlenmeyer flask filled with a translucent liquid that sloshed around as he gently stirred it with a glass rod. He then grabbed a pair of crucible tongs to pick up the flask and hold it above a Bunsen burner spitting out a small blue flame.

He paused, and Sakura thought he'd noticed her watching him, but he only moved to twist at a knob by the lab bench's sink. The knob was connected to a nozzle which must've fed gas into the burner as the blue flame swelled beneath the flask.

Sakura watched on, amazed to see the translucent liquid bubble and fizz from the heat before boiling into a light shade of pink... and then a deep shade of blood red.

Kabuto reached for the knob again to shut off the gas, ending the demonstration.

Remembering that she should be on her way home to prepare for tonight's dance practice, Sakura turned away from the window and made her way down the rest of the stairs.

The sun washed warm over her face in perfect contrast to the cool wind of early October.

Although Konoha city boasted warm temperatures even during winter, Sakura made a mental note to start pulling out some sweaters for the coming weeks as soon as she got home. The white two-piece romper she wore today was cute, but the cropped top offered little protection to the wind nipping her exposed skin.

But instead of reaching the gate of her apartment complex, Sakura found herself standing before the automatic doors of the local pharmacy.

Somehow, along the way home, she'd been guided elsewhere by the thought of Kakashi bedridden with his cold.

Honestly, she didn't understand why she was worrying so much about him now when just the other day she'd been pissed enough to want to slap him.

Yet, here she was, perusing the aisle for cold medicine. Here she was, forking over some ryo to the cashier to pay for the medicine.

And now here she was, in the middle of the Yamanaka branch shop and looking helplessly around at the plethora of bouquets surrounding her.

"Hi, can I help you?"

The plastic bag of cold medicine crinkled in Sakura's hand as she whipped around to meet the florist, a young woman with her ponytail sleeked back and customer smile plastered on.

"Oh! Um, well, there's this guy—a friend... sort of... and our relationship is, um..." Slightly flustered, Sakura stammered through her blush despite the woman's patient smile. "Um, our relationship is a bit complicated right now, but he's kinda feeling under the weather today. It might've been something I said...? S-So he might also be a bit mad at me, but I want something to make him feel better while also help patch things up between us... hopefully," she added without much hope.

The florist had been nodding and sympathizing with this poor girl's plight the whole time. As soon as Sakura had finished, the woman raised a finger and pointed aside. "I think I know the perfect flowers for him!"

With a tilt of her head, she gestured for Sakura to follow her over to the wall at the back.

"Here!" She plucked out a bouquet of deep, vibrant purple petals decorating long stalks. "Give him these lavenders. The scent will help him relax and get the blood flowing."

Accepting the bouquet, Sakura leaned in to take a whiff of the light but aromatic scent of the flowers. "And these will help him feel better too?"

"Oh, trust me," the florist's eye twinkled before she winked at her. "Your guy is going to be feeling really good after you give him these."

Sakura stared at her for a second, unable to decipher what that wink meant. Some new sales pitch technique, maybe?

She laughed it off. "Uh, okay! I'll buy the lavenders then, thanks!"

The florist seemed more than pleased with the decision, and even a little excited as she giggled and clapped her hands before rushing to the cash register.

Though it was strange, Sakura thought nothing else of it as she walked out of the shop with her hands full of cold medicine and a fresh bouquet of flowers.

She remembered her way to Kakashi's house from here, but she still took her time walking as her mind raced with ideas of what to say once she reached his house. It was not exactly a common occurrence for an underage student to visit her single teacher at his house... alone. Though there was nothing in Konoha U's college handbook forbidding students from visiting their teachers, Sakura doubted it was appropriate.

So she looked over her shoulder at every corner of every street, ensuring that there was no classmate around to identify her.

Eventually, she reached the quaint and quiet cul-de-sac that marked Kakashi's house. Not that she needed his house marked for her. It was the only house on the street with a black, iron-wrought gate and a garage large enough to fit three cars.

His Toyota was parked on the driveway, and she hesitated first before approaching the car to take a peek in and make sure he wasn't hunched across the wheel unconscious. The windows were tinted too dark to see much inside, but she saw no outline of his figure.

Okay, then he has to be inside the house.

The gate swung open silently as she slipped past and then trekked up the stairs leading to his porch. Upon arriving at the front door, she stopped and eyed the doorbell.

But what should I say when he opens the door? 'Hi, Professor, I just came here to check on you and make sure you're okay. Not that I'm worried about you—in fact, I'm still pissed off'?

She shook her head. He'd totally close the door on me if I said that!

Then... 'Good morning, Professor! Everyone in class was worried about you so they sent me here to check how you're feeling?'

Nah, he wouldn't fall for that! He knows the class would be more than happy to have lecture and lab cancelled for as many days as possible.

Then what should I say?

As she brainstormed on the porch, the sudden 'BANG!' of metal hitting something jolted Sakura out of her thoughts.

"P-Professor?" she shouted at the door. When no one answered, she decided to knock. "Professor Hatake, was that you? Are you okay?!"

Still no answer.

She pounded a fist against the door this time. "Professor Hatake, it's me—Sakura! Are you all right?!"

Panic began to swell in her gut as the door remained shut with only silence answering her from the other side.

Maybe she could ask a neighbor for help? But it was still early morning; everyone would be at work or school at this time of day.

She took a step back and surveyed her surroundings. There was no potted plant to hide a key, and Sakura doubted Kakashi was that lazy enough to hide his spare key beneath the doormat or on top of the doorframe. Still, she checked just in case.

Nada.

She spun on her heel to study the front yard. Where would Professor Hatake hide his spare house key?

Under a rock? In a birdhouse? Taped beneath the window sill? Inside a lawn decoration?

There were no rocks in sight let alone a birdhouse, her finger stroking along the bottom of the windowsill caught nothing, and his lawn was bare of anything save for the sizeable sprinkler at the center.

Wait. A sprinkler that wasn't on at this time of day?

Sakura set her backpack and the other stuff down before approaching the sprinkler to study it. It wasn't entirely unusual for someone to not use their sprinklers in the morning; some people turned it on in the late evening. But maybe...

Bending over for a closer look, she studied the seam of the head. Her hand reached down and she let out a gasp as soon as her fingers met hard plastic instead of metal.

A fake sprinkler!

She grinned victoriously as she clamped her fingers just above the seam and twisted it clockwise. The top half of the head twisted from the motion and she continued to unscrew the fake sprinkler apart. She paused halfway to take a quick look down the street and make sure no one was calling the cops on a girl for vandalism.

Oh, don't mind me, officer! I'm just breaking and entering into my professor's house!

Eventually, the lid gave way to reveal a silver key within.

"Case solved, Detective Haruno," she murmured to herself, standing up with the key in her hand now.

Returning to the porch, she picked up her stuff before knocking one last time. Just in case. As much as possible, she would prefer not to break into her professor's house uninvited even if she did have the key.

As expected, there was no answer from the other side.

She braced herself first before inserting the key into the door's locks.

Ker-chunk!

She opened the door and poked her head into the dark mouth of the house. The blinds were flapped shut, allowing only the thinnest streaks of morning light to filter into the dim space.

She swept her gaze across the foyer but there was no sign of her teacher in sight. Nothing but...

Her eyes fell to the floor where a hint of silver glinting against a stray ray of light had caught her attention. At the bottom of the staircase lay an overturned metal bowl surrounded by pieces of what looked like kibble for dogs.

There were a few pieces scattered down the hallway, leading from the living room, but the trail was thickest going up the stairs.

"Professor Hatake?" Sakura called out, carefully stepping around the mess of kibble.

The trail led her past the bedrooms and bathrooms and further down the hallway to where she'd changed clothes in Kakashi's bedroom. The memory of that day stirred that faint, familiar heat in Sakura's belly but it was dampened by fear. Fear that something horrible had happened to Kakashi and she'd arrived too late to help him.

And that fear had her choking up the moment she reached the room's threshold and saw Kakashi's figure slumped at the foot of the bed.

"Kakashi!"

Kibble crunched under her feet as she dropped everything and rushed over to her teacher's side.

He was wearing only a pair of black boxers but his entire torso was slick with sweat. The same sweat glistened on his temple and stuck to Sakura's fingers as she cupped his cheeks in both hands to examine him better. The tops of his cheeks where the mask didn't cover were flushed hot, and she could feel the heat of his breath stir her bangs.

He was alive.

She heaved a sigh of relief before slinging a muscled arm across her shoulders to get him to stand up with her. He was heavier than he looked (a lot heavier) but Sakura sucked in a breath and grunted with exertion as she hauled him up. Using her bodyweight, she tried to nudge him onto the bed as gently as she could.

But somehow, in a tangle of limbs, she ended up flopping onto the bed too. With him on top of her.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," she muttered, peering down at the issue at hand.

His arms were loose at her sides, but the rest of his body weight bore down on her, making it hard for her to breathe. Trapped beneath him, Sakura tried to wiggle her way out, grunting with every effort.

She stopped as soon as she felt something stiff start to poke at her inner thigh.

A blush began to creep up her face and Sakura shot her teacher a look in silent accusation.

"Now's really not the time to be having an erection, Professor!" she hissed at Kakashi.

His lashes fluttered but he remained unconscious and unaware... well, except the part of him down there.

Trapped snugly between them, his erection continued to stiffen and poke harder at her inner thigh. Sakura looked aside, too flustered to muster the strength to keep on wiggling anymore. She resorted to tugging her arm out from where it was tucked tight between her stomach and his—wow, his abs are so firm... gah, focus, Sakura!

It took a minute, but she was able to yank her hand free and then the other. Grabbing his shoulders, she tried to shove him off her, but suddenly a pair of hands gripped her waist.

"Professor, you're awa—hyah?!"

His calloused hands had slid up her stomach to settle over her breast.

Her mouth fell open but all Sakura could do was gasp in indignation (or pleasure?) as that hand then gave her breast an appreciative squeeze.

Beside her ear, Kakashi groaned, his voice barely audible over her own panting.

Sakura had no idea what to do. Slap him or— "Ah!"

Or moan.

Wearing a thin bra and an even thinner crop top, she could feel the heat of his palm bearing down against her breast, his thumb stroking her clothed nipple to peak erection.

"What are you d-doing?!" Sakura cried out, her fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulders now.

That heat simmering in her belly ignited as Kakashi suddenly peeled away from her. Hazy dark eyes stared down at her from beneath his silver bangs, but his gaze seemed unfocused as it ran down the length of her body still beneath his.

She squirmed under his scrutiny and under his hand still gripping her breast possessively, but was unable to say a word when Kakashi dove in without warning. His mouth latched onto her neck, his sharp teeth scraping the delicate skin all the way down and across her shoulder. The pain had Sakura gasping, but the pleasure of it had her thighs squeezing together too.

Even through the thin cloth of his mask, his lips burned onto her skin like a brand.

Instead of fighting to escape, she found herself writhing from his rough kisses trailing down her body. The truth was that Sakura didn't want to escape. No, that was the last thing on her mind now as Kakashi kissed and nipped at every inch of her exposed skin—across her collarbone, along the length of her arms. Even her hands, he kissed and nuzzled like a dog welcoming his master home.

Sakura sighed beneath him, her mind hazing over with that same fog of lust that had kept her inebriated that day in lab.

Wounding both hands into his full head of hair, she cupped the base of Kakashi's head as his mouth neared that strip of flesh across her belly where her top had risen up. His teeth nipped her there—hard—and she cried out, gripping the roots of his hair in surprise.

Then his nose skimmed past the button of her romper's shorts, and her eyes widened in alarm. Before she could push him away, his hands flew to her thighs and yanked her legs apart.

She yelped, more out of protest than surprise this time. "Wa-Wait, not there!"

Those bleary eyes, dark with unbridled lust, flicked up to meet her panic-stricken face.

It was quite a sight, seeing her teacher kneeling before her with his hands bracing her knees apart and his handsome face hovering dangerously close to her crotch. The visage of him staring hungrily at her from between her thighs had any words of protest die in Sakura's throat.

Her silence was probably what encouraged Kakashi to dip his face in and—

"OH?!" Sakura clutched at the tufts of silver hair tickling her bare thighs as Kakashi buried his face between her legs without hesitation.

The pressure of his nose grinding against her clit had her arching her back in response. But it was the sensation of him inhaling her—breathing in the evidence of her arousal for him—that prompted Sakura to grind her hips against his face.

It was a subconscious move, and had she been more sober then she would've been mortified by her actions.

Something warm began to trickle out of her, quickly soaking her panties through and it was that feeling that reminded Sakura of her current situation. And how inappropriate this situation was given that he wasn't feeling well. And he had to be very ill to be acting this way, because she knew for a fact that Kakashi would never touch her this way if he was sober.

He was delirious! He had to be!

"P-Professor, I... I think you have a fever!" Sakura squeaked out through the sensation of his hot breath tickling her covered slit.

Her entrance quivered, swollen folds so sensitive as his lips brushed along her core.

But Kakashi seemed more than pleased by her wet panties as he pressed his face against her crotch and dragged in another breath of her scent. A low growl rumbled from his chest but Sakura wrenched her knees from his grasp before twisting around on her belly to crawl away. If she could get off the bed, then she might be able to stop this nonsense once and for all.

Her hand had only just reached the other side of the bed when those same pair of calloused hands from earlier abruptly grabbed her by the hips. She let out a gasp, clawing at the rumpled bedsheets as Kakashi dragged her back to him.

Without warning, the stiff heat of his erection pressed against her ass, silencing her of any complaint.

"You always make things so very, very hard for me, Miss Haruno," Kakashi rasped out, his words heavily slurred like a drunkard's.

How bad is his fever for him to be this delirious? Sakura thought before a hard slap on her bottom snapped her back to attention.

Her jaw fell open in indignation. Had he just spanked her?! Again?!

As if on cue, his hand fell on her ass once more.

"I know you like my punishments, you naughty girl," Kakashi mumbled, tripping over his words.

Her face reddened but Sakura couldn't tell if it was because she was blushing or because she was pissed off at this ridiculousness!

With a glance over her shoulder, she saw Kakashi pulling his hand back to spank her again. She reached over to stop him but the sudden yank on her shorts drew her attention down to his other hand there. Another hard yank had her falling over, her forearms bracing against the mattress to catch herself.

A third yank, and then the button of her romper's shorts flew off. She reached a hand down to grab at her short's waistband, struggling to pull it back up while Kakashi struggled to pull it down. "W-Wait!"

But Kakashi clearly didn't want to wait as his other hand had snaked its way back up her stomach to grip her breast again. Sakura pushed herself up to a kneeling position, keeping one hand holding onto her shorts and the other hand grabbing onto Kakashi's over her breast.

"Ah! Th-This is se-sexual harassment—ah!—you pervert!" she protested weakly, her strength and will waning against his demanding touches.

Kakashi merely growled and responded with a flick of his thumb to her nipple. That shut her up with a moan.

There was that weird ache returning between her hips again; that strange emptiness inside her aching and throbbing with every pass of his hands over her body. When the stiff heat of his cock nudged against her ass again, Sakura was confused to find herself arching against Kakashi instead of trying to pull away from him.

Kakashi answered with a low hum, and then his masked lips were pressing gently against the side of her neck. Like a lover's kiss.

He trailed those kisses along her shoulder, kissing away any and all tension until Sakura unwittingly relaxed against him, melting like butter with every press of his lips. Her heart thumped loud and hard in her chest, but adrenaline had quelled into a quiet hum, simmering for something else. For a release that she knew, on some instinctive level, only Kakashi could give her.

The waistband of her shorts fell away from Sakura's fingertips, though she paid no attention as she tilted her head aside to give Kakashi more access to her neck.

"Why do you always have to smell so damn good?" he groaned out, skimming the tip of his tongue down the column of her throat and tasting her sweet sweat.

The wet heat of him tracing her veins drew a pleased shiver from Sakura and she closed her eyes to relish the delicious sensation of it. Of his hands wandering up and down her body and touching her and squeezing her appreciatively despite the romper still in his way.

Several times, his fingertips skimmed dangerously close to the waistband of her panties, but he never strayed past it. Even though a part of Sakura wanted him to. Wanted him to slip a hand past those panties and just touch her there. Where she needed him most.

There was that inkling of fear in the back of her mind again. That fear of the unknown. She'd never been touched so intimately by anyone like this before—let alone by a man who knew exactly how to pleasure a woman. But she'd never been pleasured by anyone else, and the thought of her teacher doing it thrilled Sakura in more ways than one.

"Kakashi..." she couldn't help but sigh out.

Just that word—his name trembling on her lips—and it was like a switch had flipped in him.

His hand withdrew from her breast and that was her only warning before that same hand pressed against the center of her back to guide her down. With her mind so foggy with need, Sakura didn't think much of it when Kakashi had her lay her cheek against the bed. That masculine scent of him flooded her lungs and she smiled as she breathed in the sheets, breathing all of him in.

The hand on her back trailed down... and down... and down until it wrapped firmly around her hip.

Alarm bells rang in the back of her head and Sakura's eyes widened as she felt the stiff heat of him press against her ass again. Harder this time.

Her panties were hardly any protection from the scorching heat of him, but it was the sudden thrust of his hips against hers that had Sakura crying out. She flew forth from the motion, but the hand gripping her hip held her from faceplanting into the sheets.

Kakashi thrusted against her again, grunting as he did so.

Was he...? Was he trying to...?

The realization that her professor was trying to have sex with her struck Sakura with shock. But she didn't have time to register that fact as Kakashi's thrusts had quickly increased in pace and force, his grunts growing louder and heavier now. She had to brace both hands on the bed to hold herself in place, her fingers twisting the sheets tight as she listened to Kakashi's harsh pants grow louder and heavier against her neck.

Though they were still wearing underwear, as evident by the way he hadn't actually penetrated her, Sakura still shuddered at the sensation of his clothed cock dragging along her clothed slit. The solid heat of him felt bigger now that he had his pants off, and she found his size both impressive and terrifying. And yet her terror only had her growing more wet too.

Her arousal dripped down her inner thighs now in embarrassing, sticky strings. Or maybe that was him.

She couldn't tell when all her senses were flooded by the sensation of Kakashi everywhere on her and in her. His lips branded her skin, hands claiming every inch of her body, and the scent of him weaved its way deep into her soul, claiming her as his in every way she thought possible.

He rutted her like a wild dog starved for carnal pleasure, his thrusts so aggressive that were it not for his grip on her hips then Sakura would've fallen off the bed already. She wasn't used to such a brutal pace, but she raised her hips higher for more. As they were now, the bed squeaked and creaked in protest beneath them, but she was more focused on the sound of Kakashi's eager grunts.

His voice was unhinged, deep and almost bestial with the way he practically growled every time he drew a moan from her. And boy, did he love hearing her moan. It seemed he'd learned to attune his touches, kisses, and thrusts to the pitch of her voice, figuring out what made her sigh, gasp, cry out, or moan for more.

Sakura didn't even have to instruct him. It was like he knew exactly how to squeeze her breast in a way that hardened her nipples, how to stroke the soft flesh of her belly so that she shuddered, how to grind himself against her so that her thighs trembled with the urge to spread wider for more.

More Kakashi gave her, and more Sakura took from him.

More she gave him, and more he took from her.

Her skin prickled with excitement, burning hot everywhere now as that ache throbbed with a vengeance. But the feel of him thrusting against her with such wanton abandon filled Sakura with pleasure in ways she'd never experienced before.

Arching her back, she raised her hips higher to receive his thrusts better, feel his cock drag back and forth between her thighs and along her damp folds.

She wished she could see Kakashi's face—see that maddened blush across his cheeks that no doubt matched perfectly with the one she wore now. See that hunger in his gaze, the same one she'd glimpsed back at the pool, and be swallowed up by its intensity.

She wished she could turn around and moan directly into his ear as the tip of him grazed her clit at this angle, shooting pleasure through her core. She wished Kakashi would just rip her panties off and fuck her senseless right here, right now.

But through the lust fogging her mind, through the sound of his harsh pants and her own moans, Sakura still remembered that the man holding her right now was ill and likely not thinking very clearly. It was a crime to be taking advantage of his vulnerable state like this, but Sakura was done being a good girl.

She wanted to be selfish. She wanted to feel Kakashi embracing her just as he was right now. She wanted to hear him groan from the feel of her soft heat grinding against his hard heat. She just wanted him. All of him.

And with every stroke of his clothed cock passing along her clothed slit and grinding against her clit, that pressure in the pit of her belly grew. It was erotic—it was ecstasy, and sin, and need, and and something else... Something Sakura couldn't quite put a finger on, but it drew a cry from her anyway.

"S-Sakura..!" Kakashi uttered her name, his voice strained and shaky like a man desperate to restrain himself but also seeking relief.

"Professor! I... I'm close!" she gasped out, mouth falling open as she struggled to form the words on her tongue now.

The hand gripping her breast squeezed her again with renewed fervor, prompting Sakura's eyes to roll back as she sobbed through the pressure in her belly exploding hot with ecstasy. Her climax had hit her sooner than expected, and her sob rose and choked on a wail. It wasn't the kind of sound she normally made when masturbating. It was different this time, fierce and raw like the truth of her feelings rode in her voice.

Her mind seemed to whiten out, obliterating every thought of hers to the point that, for a split second, Sakura forgot everything. Even her own name. At that moment, all she knew was that her soul seemed to be singing, yearning, and wanting. All for this man embracing her. All she knew was pure pleasure throbbing through her whole body and lighting up every nerve in her.

All she knew was the name that she wailed out. Kakashi's name.

Behind her, Kakashi groaned harshly in her ear, stirring the pink locks as his hips stuttered against hers. Once... twice... three times—each time, her body jerked from the impact of his hips jerking into her.

His groan sounded shaky, but it was the feeling of something hot dripping down the back of her thighs that had Sakura raise a hand to cup Kakashi's jaw.

"Sakura..." he murmured against her neck.

She shushed him and stroked the edge of his jaw in comfort even as the strangely sweet and sticky scent of pancake batter filled the room. Out of everything that had happened in this room, it was the smell of pancake batter that struck her as most odd. The scent seemed most poignant between them, the sweet notes of it so heady that it left Sakura even more woozy in the head than she already was. It was so surreal that, as they collapsed together onto the bed, Sakura couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming right now.

If so, maybe that would explain why her eyelids were so heavy now. Why Kakashi's arm was slung across her waist, holding her against him. Why she heard her professor murmur her name with such tender care.

If this was a dream, she wished to never wake up.

It was nice, having someone hold her like this. Warm and secure.

Her lashes fluttered, and Sakura fought to keep herself awake so that she could enjoy every second of this waking moment. But her body was weary now, though her orgasm's afterpleasure still hummed between her hips.

Her slitted eyes landed on the lavender bouquet she'd set aside on the bedside table before helping Kakashi to the bed. While she couldn't catch a whiff of the floral notes, she wondered if the smell had had any effect as the florist had claimed.

That was the last thought that crossed her mind before her eyes closed, and she drifted off in the embrace of sleep as well as a strong pair of arms...


A/N: There are actual fake sprinklers you cn buy to hide your spare keys in lol


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