The Anatomy of Love

Written By: Banana007

Chapter 26: Fever Heat


A/N: There is a deleted scene for this chapter. Please see the Author's note at the end for the link.


It was the heat of explosions that awoke Kakashi.

His ears were still ringing and head pounding with a vengeance as he struggled to peel his eyes open. The first thing he noticed was the black tendrils of smoke curling towards the clouds. Some meters away, somebody shouted in alarm just as the ground spat fire and a couple of bodies sky high. The people sailed into the air like ragdolls before they rained back down to the ground, completely still and lifeless.

Kakashi's fingers twitched against the mud, his strength slowly coming back to him along with the adrenaline. People seemed to be screaming all around him, but he couldn't quite make out the words yet. But he could make out the words their lips formed, see the spittle, blood, and teeth fly out as they shouted orders at each other.

But there was one word that everyone seemed to be shouting the most: run.

Curling his fingers into fists, Kakashi hauled himself to his feet. His head still felt like it was splitting open and he was pretty sure one of his ribs were fractured, but he at least still had all his limbs and digits. He couldn't say the same for the soldier lying dead a few feet away; the one who'd had the misfortune of absorbing most of the grenade blast. Half of his face had been ripped off and the other half was quite literally hanging on.

The earth trembled and roared beneath Kakashi's feet as explosives and heavy artillery continued to pepper the land and riddle it and everyone else on it with holes. The tremors had his boots slipping against the mud but he caught himself with his hands. When he straightened himself, his fingers came away caked in blood.

His gaze dropped down to the ground as he realized that it wasn't mud that'd slipped him up, but because the ground was soaked in too much blood.

He looked away and scanned his surroundings for his rifle or a nearby weapon. The last thing he remembered was a grenade, a flash of sizzling heat, screams of agony, and then the earth spinning as he sailed through the air.

Never had he imagined that the frontlines would be this chaotic. Hearing tall tales of soldiers waging war on the frontlines for days without an inch of victory, Kakashi had always assumed that things would change once his unit arrived with reinforcements. After all, his Commanding Officer had decades of experience and dozens of medals to show off his wisdom and prowess, and Kakashi had been foolish enough to believe in him.

He'd been so foolish enough to believe that so long as there was a great leader in charge of the team, it didn't matter that his teammates couldn't work together. All that mattered was that they obeyed their leader's orders and completed the mission. And for a whole year, things had gone perfectly fine.

Until they'd gone to the frontlines where the gates of hell awaited them.

The moment the first shell had hit, his teammates had scattered like roaches, each of them prioritizing themselves over the team. But that had left their backs an open target, and many of them were quickly picked off one by one.

And so it was that Kakashi found himself here, stranded in the middle of a battlefield with night falling fast. If he stayed out here past sundown, then he was as good as dead.

And if he got caught to be thrown into a POW camp, then he was better off dead.

As if in warning, a bullet whizzed past his shoulder by mere inches.

He ducked and rolled across the ground, his weary bones aching in protest until he reached a nearby pile of rubble that he recognized was the remains of a shrine. Staying behind the broken wall, he unsheathed his tantō and strained his ears for any noise of boots squishing across the bloody ground.

The persistent noise of bombs whistling down on them and bursts of gunfire in between filled the pause as Kakashi waited, his pants shallow but controlled behind his mask. Singed skin and metal stung at his nose, smoky with the taste of death. He did his best to ignore it even as the stench cloyed his lungs like oil. When the seconds began to build, he risked a peek out to see if the coast was clear.

The edge of the wall he peered over exploded into pieces and he wrenched himself back. His eyes watered from the dust and bits of debris caught in them and he tried to blink them out while formulating a plan.

There was a sniper somewhere on the other side, but he hadn't been able to pinpoint where or how many klicks away. There was also the possibility of a spotter, but taking a knife to a gunfight in the middle of a battlefield wasn't exactly the best idea right now. Still, Kakashi was bereft of any weapon save for his tantō which didn't leave him with many options.

He glanced up to the sky where the dusky hues of sunset were already washing over the clouds. Darkness was creeping upon them... but perhaps that was exactly what Kakashi needed.

Reaching for the straps across his chin, he unclasped his helmet and held onto it while raising his tantō aside. This time, it was his pale blade that peeked out from behind the wall, reflecting the chaos and planes of fire pillaging the abandoned village. Among the fields scurried soldiers gunning one another down or chasing each other, their dark figures like shadows against the raging fires.

With careful precision so as to not flash any light, Kakashi angled his tantō to face north in the general direction from where the bullet had come from. Keeping his blade in that position, he quickly raised his helmet to sit on top of the wall he hid behind.

In a second, a muzzle flashed in his blade's reflection, followed by the zip of another bullet. His helmet fell off the wall and landed on his lap with a distinct hole marking the front and center of the plating.

"There you are," Kakashi muttered, tossing the helmet aside.

He plunged his fists into the ground, grabbing fistfuls of mud and blood to rake through his silver locks. Once his hair was slicked back and coated almost black, he sunk down onto his belly to count the seconds and minutes. He needed the sniper to believe he was dead and draw his attention elsewhere, so Kakashi waited for the minutes to pass and the temperature to drop.

He watched the sky darken and the stars begin to peep among the soft clouds, and then he began to belly crawl.

The mud was cold as ice and it clung to every inch of his skin, even somehow seeping past the thick fiber of his clothes. But it made for good camouflage too, so Kakashi made sure to rub some around his eyes as he crawled his way across the field. He paused and played dead only when needed, and sliced open the throats of others who impeded his path.

Their blood poured hot across his hands, making his hold on the hilt of his blade too slippery so that he was forced to keep his tantō clenched between his teeth. The tangy notes of blood staining his mask lit up his taste buds, but it was really the stench that got to him.

He could handle the foul odor of shit piled on shit, or the piss-stained pants of a frightened soldier, and even the pools of vomit splattered on clothes and shoes. Growing up an orphan, he'd grown an iron stomach for all that too.

But there was just no getting used to the malodor of rotting corpses. The fetid stench of decay and death always seemed to sink into his clothes and even into his pores, following him everywhere until he could hit the showers to scrub it all off. And that stench followed Kakashi now as he continued belly crawling his way through the scorching planes of hell.

It was only when he heard the caw of a crow, weak and pitiful, did he stop and listen.

The sound came again from the wayside, almost drowned out by the other crows circling high above. But there was something distinctive about this particular caw, and Kakashi's trained ears recognized the falsetto voice.

He peered up at the collapsed belltower ahead of him where the sniper was, but another weak caw had him gritting his teeth and twisting around to crawl towards the cry for help.

The mud started to thicken at his hands, his fingers sinking inches deep as he made his way towards a ditch where the ruins of a stone wall had fallen into. Kakashi drew close enough to the edge to look below and examine the rubble. A cloud of flies obscured his vision, but there was no denying the bodies piled atop of each other like mountains of corpses.

He silently gagged over the stench, but paused at the sight of a hand waving in the air among the dead. Its owner was pinned beneath the rocks, half of his face obscured in shadows and the other half crushed beneath the stone. And yet, Kakashi recognized those cracked glasses sitting horribly askew on the man's face with only one lense having survived the battle.

He checked over his shoulder first before tucking in and rolling into the ditch.

Down...

Down...

Down, he went...

A corpse with a bloated face softened his fall, and Kakashi hugged him close for a good moment to make sure he hadn't been spotted. When the sound of gunfire remained distant, he began to climb his way over the bodies and towards his teammate. Some of the corpses had been here for weeks, their decomposition advanced by the unforgiving heat of Sound's spring. Their flesh was sticky and disturbingly squishy as Kakashi crawled over them, but he tried to ignore that and the maggots crawling on him now.

When he finally reached his teammate, the man blinked open his one good eye, black as night but lit up now with the hope of a rescue.

"Took you long enough..." Obito rasped out from beneath the rock. "What, were you taking a nap or somethin'?"

Kakashi took a second to evaluate his friend's state and the rock pinning him down. Half of his body was beneath the rubble, leaving only one arm and leg free and half of his face intact. His face that was already deathly pale from the amount of blood he must have already lost by now.

They had to work fast.

"Can you move?" Kakashi asked, nodding to the rubble crushing down on his friend.

When Obito shook his head, Kakashi looked around for something he could use as either a fulcrum or lever. Keeping low to the ground, he scavenged the corpses around him in search of something—anything. He pulled out pocket watches with their faces shattered, photos of loved ones stained in blood, a few rusty kukris that then snapped when he tried to use them to lift the rock off Obito.

When there was nothing left at his disposal, Kakashi returned to Obito who let out a wet chuckle upon seeing his friend return emptyhanded.

"Aren't you supposed to be some sort of genius?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Just save your energy. I'll figure it out."

With a shaky hand, Obito drew his finger along the mud before pointing somewhere past his feet. "What about that?"

Following his finger, Kakashi blinked at the sniper rifle half-sunken into the mud. Obito's fire emblem engraved on the barrel stared back at him, coated in blood but the weapon overall looked intact. Useable. And with the cold hammer-forged barrel, it was made to be extremely lightweight and extremely durable.

Could it withstand the weight of the rubble though?

Kakashi remained hesitant as he took the sniper rifle in his hand and evaluated the barrel's length. He could feel Obito's gaze heavy on him and hopeful, so he said nothing as he dug the end of the barrel into a small cavity in the rubble.

The metal grating on the stone screeched sharply as Kakashi jerked the butt of the rifle up, angling the rock up as well. It budged inch by inch the more strength he added, his muscles burning with the effort to keep the stone wall rising higher and not fall back down on his comrade.

Below, Obito began to claw at the mud, dragging himself out with only an arm and a foot to scoot himself. It was tedious work, and every second Kakashi worried that the sniper rifle's barrel would bend or snap from the weight of the stone.

"Hurry it up!" Kakashi spoke through gritted teeth.

The gunfire had subsided to random pops now. Not a good sign.

Obito tsked in annoyance. "Easy for you to—watch out!"

Kakashi spun aside, one hand still propping the sniper rifle and the other hand reaching for his tantō. He saw the flash of steel coming for him right before he could block it with the tantō, but he did manage to kick his assailant in the gut. The force of the kick had the soldier stumbling back, but it also had Kakashi's other foot slipping in the mud.

He caught himself against the debris, his hold on Obito's rifle trembling with exertion now as his single arm burned for respite. Hot sweat dripped down his left eye and Kakashi tried to blink it back only to realize that it was blood.

He winced as the hot sting of pain started to throb over his eye like someone held the tip of a fire poker against him there.

"Kakashi!" Obito warned him.

The soldier dove forth for him but then reeled back when Kakashi slashed the space between them with his tantō, the pale blade singing in warning with the motion. The soldier tried to take a few swipes at him, his own kukri clashing against Kakashi's tantō several times.

The call of metal and sparks ringing out together drew a second soldier to their midst—this one with his own rifle. From the lip of the ditch, the man took aim at Kakashi, trying to find the right timing for his comrade to step out of harm's way first. Kakashi took one glance at the gun in the man's hands, and then threw his tantō at him. The blade flashed white under the somber moon above before sinking into the soldier's chest.

The soldier fell face-first down... down... down into the ditch to join the mass grave of allies and enemies alike.

In the corner of his eye, the other soldier's blade cut towards him again and he barely had enough time to weave aside. Shards of metal cut his ear as the knife shattered on the rock instead of slamming into Kakashi's face. The soldier grabbed at his own hand, hissing from the pain of the recoil.

Kakashi yanked the rifle out, letting the debris collapse back onto Obito who hardly had the breath to cry out in agony. Before the soldier could make a grab for the weapon, Kakashi slammed the end of the barrel into the man's Adam's apple. The 'crack!' of cartilage was just as soon followed by a distressed gurgle as the soldier clutched at his throat, his eyes bulging like a frog's.

Kakashi raised the sniper rifle, squinting through the scope to eye the man's strained face from the end of the barrel. He pulled the trigger.

Click!

Empty.

With Obito's life on the clock, Kakashi dropped the rifle and tackled the man into a pile of corpses. The squelch of decomposing flesh echoed in his ears as Kakashi and the soldier wrestled each other with their bare hands. Their boots slid haphazardly across the corpses and mud while they both fought to gain the upper hand against the other.

A hard punch to his ribs prompted a pained grunt from Kakashi who retaliated with a fist slamming the man's Adam's apple once... twice... three times until the man coughed up blood. Split lips peeled back to reveal bloody teeth as the soldier seemed ready to croak out for help, but Kakashi clamped his other hand down his mouth to shut him up. Beneath him, the soldier's legs kicked and flailed, fighting to throw Kakashi off before he could suffocate to death.

Kakashi pressed down on the man's mouth, bearing down his entire weight on him while keeping the man's wrists pinned down with his knees. Dark eyes gazed back at him, bulging with panic and begging for mercy, so much so that the red veins branching across the white of his eye seemed to bulge as well. Kakashi answered by wrapping his hand around the man's pale neck and squeezing as tight as he could, letting the heel of his palm crush down on that broken Adam's apple. The hands that clawed at his knees spasmed, fingers twitching to fight back even as blood spilled out from between Kakashi's own fingers.

Still, Kakashi pressed down on the soldier's mouth, his fingers gripping the jaw so hard that he unwittingly unclasped the man's helmet too. And when that helmet slid off to tumble into the ditch's grave, it was then Kakashi realized that he wasn't staring into the frightened eyes of a man—but of a boy.

A boy clearly no older than eighteen. Hardly younger than Kakashi himself.

The boy gazed back at Kakashi even as his pupils began to dilate, the black swallowing up the brown so that Kakashi was soon left staring into the abyss of death.

A drop of blood landed on the boy's pale cheek and streaked its way down like a tear. As if on cue, heat seared down his left eye like a trail of molten lava and Kakashi winced through the pain and blood.

He peeled back from the dead soldier to wipe away the blood flooding his vision but it kept coming. Before him, the boy's gaze remained empty yet focused on the stars above. For a second, all Kakashi could think was if the boy had been fighting for his country, or just fighting for his life. But the agonized moan of Obito snapped Kakashi from spiraling down those thoughts and he clambered across the corpses to reach his friend.

Spittle lined Obito's chapped lips as he winced from the pressure of the rock crushing him again. Sharp black eyes squinted at Kakashi and then to the sniper rifle laying at his feet. The barrel was severely dented and any hope of using it as a lever again was dashed by the thought that it would bend the barrel even more or possibly snap it.

"Just leave me!" Obito spat out along with a wad of blood. "I'm deadweight to you anyway!"

"Shut up," Kakashi growled, reaching for the debris with his bare hands now. "If you have the energy to complain... then save that energy... for living!"

Obito clammed up as he watched Kakashi grip the edge of the rock and try to lift it off. Kakashi could feel his fingernails split from the pressure, but he couldn't risk dropping the rock on Obito a second time. He had a feeling his friend would never let him live it down... if he survived, that is.

His shirt beneath the uniform he wore stretched tight across the flexed muscles of his chest and arms as Kakashi struggled to pull up the tons of debris weighing down. Fire seemed to lance through his shoulders as every fiber of his muscles burned in agony of the overload, threatening to tear from the immense strain.

Obito was already squirming his way out, but his foot remained stuck no matter how hard he yanked on it. A hot rush of blood reddened Kakashi's face, his neck muscles and its arteries bulging as he put in every ounce of strength he had left into one more inch. Just one... more... inch!

"Are all those damn muscles of yours just for show or what?!"

Kakashi glared at Obito for that.

"I said..." He braced his knees and squatted lower into position. "Shut... up!"

The debris groaned, sending a loose shower of dirt and pebbles as it was lifted off of Obito. The young sniper clawed himself out of harm's way with a pained hiss, allowing Kakashi to finally drop the entire wall. Panting for breath, the two men eyed each other before a grin broke across both their faces. Their victory was short-lived, however, as the sharp 'ziiippp!' of a bullet echoed through the field and hit Kakashi square in the shoulder.

The impact knocked him a step back, but he quickly recovered and dove to shield Obito.

"We have to get back to the LZ!" Kakashi grunted, clutching his shoulder to stem the flow of blood.

The night would give them all the cover they needed, but the problem was the sniper. With Obito dragging him down, neither of them would be able to make it out of the ditch without a hole in their heads.

"I'll get the bastard for you," Obito coughed out. With the hand that wasn't mangled, he pointed past Kakashi's shoulder to where the barrel of a sniper rifle stuck out among the corpses like a grave marker. The thickness and length of the barrel itself indicated that it was one of the more outdated but standard-issued weapons from Sound. The country itself had always been behind on technology compared to Fire country's innovative industries.

Kakashi glanced at the rifle and then at Obito, taking in the sight of his half-crippled body that was the very picture of a very bad road rash where his clothes were torn. At this state, he didn't see how his friend could wipe his own ass let alone a rifle that had to weigh 20 pounds, not counting the force of the recoil.

"I said I can do it!" Obito insisted, challenging Kakashi through the shattered lenses of his glasses still perched precariously on his nose.

His hard stare threw Kakashi back to their very first day of war when they'd stood side-by-side on that plane, ready to dive into the depths of hell together. Except unlike Kakashi, Obito hadn't been ready to die. No, his eyes had been full of fear behind those tinted goggles from the moment they'd leapt off the plane to fly through a parade of explosions.

But over a year on the battlefield could change a man, and the Obito before him now stared back with eyes devoid of any fear. It was completely different from how that boy looked at Kakashi as he quietly suffocated to death.

Kakashi nodded.

And so it was in the cover of near darkness that the two men planned their trajectory, angling for a cut around the back of the hill where the steep incline would give them some more cover so long as they remained hidden. It would take them longer to break into the woodlands which was just a klik away, but better than getting their heads blown off.

Kakashi retrieved his tantō while Obito checked the sniper rifle's magazine.

By the time they were ready to escape their little pit of hell, all sounds of gunfire and explosions had ceased until nothing else could be heard but the occasional scream of a survivor getting gutted. Swatting through the cloud of flies, he stumbled towards the slope of the ditch and pressed flat against the mound of dirt.

It was eerily silent now. Too silent.

He took a peek over the edge, surveying the scorched field and the bodies littering the mud or tangled in the barbwire. In the distance, a row of soldiers was looting the corpses, yanking off whatever perishables, ammo, or boots that they could scavenge. They were just a klik away, and normally Kakashi would've been able to outrun them in a flash. Carrying at least 200 hundred pounds worth of an injured comrade and equipment across muddy terrain though?

Even for the prodigious Hatake, that was pushing it.

A sharp crack in the distance told him the sniper had found a new target at least. For now, they didn't have to worry about getting a bullet to the head.

"So how's it look out there?" Obito asked when Kakashi returned.

Kakashi shrugged his good shoulder. "Easy peasy."

Obito grimaced at his answer but didn't protest when Kakashi slung him over the shoulder that hadn't been hit by the bullet. That didn't stop his bad shoulder from burning like a bitch when he started to climb their way out of the ditch.

"What the hell did you eat for breakfast this morning? Bricks?" Kakashi huffed out.

Obito wheezed against his shoulder. "If you don't hurry it up here, I might end up shitting those bricks on you."

The raucous cry of the crickets was at least enough to conceal their whispers, but neither of them dare made any more conversation as they slowly trekked across the field.

Beads of sweat were already piling across Kakashi's brow within a few feet, but it was more so from the pain of his left eye. The blood was starting to congeal now but it had sealed his eye completely shut, cutting his view in half. It didn't help that the throbbing had intensified so much so that it left him nearly dizzy with agony. Far worse than the bullet he'd taken to his shoulder—that one at least only radiated with a hot, blistering sort of pain but he'd had worse. He was thankful enough that the bullet wasn't the kind that exploded into flesh-tearing shrapnel, but he wasn't so happy that it hadn't come clean through his shoulder.

Several times, he nearly tripped and collapsed. Several times, he'd had to drop down among stray strands of barbwire and guts to play dead whenever someone's flashlight speared through the darkness.

But finally, after what felt like a thousand miles instead of just half a mile, the tree line came into view.

The bright viridian wall of trees sitting beneath the full moon looked like an ominous gate ready to swallow up any passerby, but for Kakashi it was a haven. Compared to Fire country, Sound was nearly barren of woodlands as it was teeming full of marshlands instead. He knew if he could just break past the tree line then he'd be able to make it safely back to the LZ.

He took a step forward, hobbling slightly with Obito's weight leaning him towards the left. But Kakashi managed to straighten himself and—

'BANG!'

At first, Kakashi didn't feel anything. Then there was a hot trickle and he peered down at the dark stain blooming across his uniform, just above his right hip.

He broke into a sprint.

Mud and blood squelched under his boots before flying off as he ran for their lives.

Another 'BANG!' but this time coming from just over his shoulder. He felt the recoil of Obito's sniper rifle jerk hard into his shoulder blade but didn't have the breath to ask if he'd gotten the bastard.

Normally, a sniper would find a spot where they and their spotter could stay still under their ghillie suit or whatever cover they could find. But Obito was a one-of-a-kind. An ace in the hole who, even with his glasses cracked and one hand incapacitated, could snipe down anyone and anything no matter the distance. The men in the unit had once joked that the guy could shoot down a fly several blocks away. While that theory had yet to be tested, Kakashi had no doubt about it. Sure, Obito needed glasses, but give him any sort of gun and he had the sharpest eye on the field.

So when Kakashi felt the butt of the rifle recoil against him, he knew they were home free.

For the most part.

His vision started to blur with dark spots taking over even as his legs kept pumping. Perhaps it was the adrenaline rushing through his veins that kept him going, but it was really the thought of another comrade dying on his hands that pushed Kakashi forward.

He ran, and ran, and ran through the thick bramble, past branches that clawed at his face, and headfirst into the wild thicket. Stray rays of moonlight pierced the canopy above, guiding his path when he could barely see anything. But such low visibility wasn't enough for him to notice the turned root that then tripped him.

The weight of Obito left him as they tumbled to the ground together. And yet, there was no more pain or even the searing heat of his wounds. Just a mindnumbing coldness that seemed to seep into the pores of his skin and sink into the pores of his bones, weighing his limbs down so that Kakashi could hardly lift a finger anymore.

At his side, Obito was murmuring his name. Probably to ask him if they could still make it in time for dinner.

Dinner... what was for dinner? Rin always treated him to Ichiraku Ramen after a particularly long day of hard work, but Kakashi doubted that she would reward him for his efforts if she saw him lazing around on the ground right now.

"Kakashi...!"

Something wet and soft dragged across his cheek followed by hot, rancid huffs that tickled his nose.

"Pakkun, go get Nawaki and the others!" Someone said, but their voice sounded too distant for him to recognize immediately. Not until he felt the person cup his face with a gentle but firm hand to ask, "Kakashi, can you hear me?!"

His eyelids felt like sandbags as he struggled to open them and meet Rin's kind but worried gaze.


It was the mumbling that awoke Sakura.

She rubbed away the remnants of sleep, stretching her arms and legs out like a cat that just had a really nice nap. Grabbing the warm pillow at her side, she snuggled closer until her cheek pressed against a very firm and thick bicep.

Huh?

She frowned and grabbed the muscle to give it a test squeeze, faintly impressed by the size of it.

But since when did her pillow gain muscles?

"Ugh..." Her pillow groaned.

And since when did her pillow make noise?

Her eyes shot open and she jerked back at the sight of Kakashi in her bed. No, wait, his bed!

That's right, she remembered now! Today was Wednesday, but Kakashi had canceled lecture and lab since he'd fallen ill, so she'd decided to pay him a visit and make sure he was doing fine. But then she'd found him on the floor and then... that happened!

Heart leaping in her throat, Sakura carefully peeled back the blanket only to sigh in relief when she saw her clothes were still on. Well, her top and underwear at least.

Reaching carefully across the bed so as to not wake Kakashi, she reached for her romper's shorts and moved to put them back on. Every second seemed to crawl by, the sweat dripping down her back as she tried to be as sneaky as possible in pulling her shorts back up. Her fingers shook anxiously against the button, but she was able to find the clasp and—'tck!'—press it back in place.

Kakashi let out a small groan. His thick lashes fluttered for a hot second, and then his eyes opened into slits as his bleary gaze fell on her.

Like a deer caught in headlights, she froze in place. The two of them remained staring at each other, one dumbfounded by the sight of his student in his bed and the other silently considering throwing herself out the window to escape.

"WHAT THE FU—?!" Kakashi jerked back violently from her, throwing himself so far away that he fell out of the bed and crashed to the floor.

There was a terse pause, and then Sakura slunk across the bed to peer over the edge, her jaw dropping open at the sight of her teacher having knocked himself out and lying unconscious on the floor. They were back to square one again.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" she muttered to herself, slipping off the bed to check on the fool.

His face was pale as the first time and still glistening with sweat, but he was breathing at least. Now how to wake him up?

She hesitated for a second, and then poked his shoulder before scrambling back, half-expecting him to jerk away and snarl at her like a wild wolf disturbed in his natural habitat.

Nothing.

She poked his face this time, letting her finger press delicately into his flushed skin.

He turned his cheek aside but nothing else.

Huffing impatiently, Sakura resorted to a light slap across the face.

SMACK!

"Ouch!"

Ah, maybe she came on too strong there.

Drawing away from him, she folded both hands over her lap as Kakashi sat up to rub his sore cheek. When he finally noticed the extra presence in the room, he didn't lurch away from her like earlier but merely gave her a dazed look like he was still half-awake and under the thralls of whatever dream he'd been having.

He blinked, and so did she.

"Sa... kura?" Kakashi mumbled, his words still weary if a little slurred with exhaustion. He frowned at the sight of his student sitting before him. "What are you..."

He paused as his eyes roamed up to her disheveled hair and then down to her even more disheveled clothes. Sakura held absolutely still, her tongue tied up with poor excuses for her unexpected visit. Besides, judging by the way his nostrils flared and his chest rose up and down in rapid, panicked beats, she knew there was no chance of calming him down now.

He finally glanced down at himself, his eyes widening at the stain on the front of his boxers (which she hadn't even noticed he had). In a flash, he snatched a pillow off the bed and held it before his crotch. Honestly, he hadn't been completely naked before, but now that he was acting like it and using the pillow to conceal the only clothed part of his body, he certainly did seem naked now.

Sakura clapped a hand across her eyes to at least give him a semblance of privacy.

"What happened?!" Kakashi demanded. "Why are you in my house?! How did you even get inside?!"

"I-It's okay, I didn't break in—I found your spare key and used the front door!" she explained, only to wince when she realized how much she sounded like a stalker or a really obsessed fangirl. "I-I came to check on you since you said you weren't feeling well and I heard a crash inside and you weren't responding s-so I found your key and… you were collapsed and hallucinating. When I got you back onto your bed, you… I mean, we... um..."

"It wasn't a dream then...?" The bedsheets rustled as if he was searching for something, and then he cursed under his breath. "I thought... Did I hurt you?!"

At that, she dropped her hand down and met his frenzied gaze. Though he towered over her, he seemed to sway as if he was ready to collapse any moment now. She stood up and sat herself on the very edge of the bed, hoping he would feel inclined to do the same. But the gentle creak of the mattress dipping beneath her drew a wince from Kakashi and he remained standing, hands clenching and unclenching.

"Of course you didn't hurt me!" Sakura insisted. "Nothing happened, I swear!"

Nothing too much, at least.

Kakashi ran a hand through his tousled hair until the locks stood up as if he'd been electrocuted. He began pacing back and forth and she turned her head side to side to keep an eye on him.

"Did any of my semen get on you?" He asked in a hoarse voice, still not looking at her. He paused and then swallowed hard before finally flicking those horrified, wide eyes to her. "Or... inside you?"

She gripped the bedsheets tight in her hands as hesitation rose up in the pit of her belly and threatened to spill out of her mouth in a pile of vomit. Kakashi himself looked ready to hurl as well.

"I-I don't know," she admitted helplessly. "I mean, it felt a bit sticky on the back of my thighs, but I've never... I don't think so…?"

She didn't even know what semen looked like let alone felt like, so how would she know for sure?!

Seeing her face fall in defeat, Kakashi grabbed at the roots of his hair as if he was holding himself back from shaking the naivete out of her. "Why didn't you stop me?!" he snarled.

Sakura flinched from his anger though she knew he had every right to be pissed at her. "I tried to! But..."

"But what?!"

But... I didn't want you to stop," she confessed in a whisper.

There should've been a mix of shame in that answer, but there hadn't. Not even a hint.

If Kakashi was disappointed or pissed off even more by her lack thereof, he didn't show any sign of it. Instead, he scrubbed his hand down his face, desperately trying to scrub away his sweat and fears. "Damn it, Sakura. Then you should take a morning-after pill just to be sure."

Her mouth dropped at the insinuation. "But you didn't put it in me!"

He gave her a withering stare. "Any activity that introduces sperm to the vaginal area can cause a pregnancy even without penetrative sex."

"O-Oh..."

Now she really did want to throw up, but she doubted it was a good time to ask where the guest bathroom was.

Kakashi shuffled over to one of the bedside tables which shook when he sagged against it, gripping the edge to support himself as he yanked open the top drawer. Sakura stood up, ready to catch him if needed, but she faltered at the sight of the contents within the drawer—specifically the opened box of condoms that was nearly empty, judging by how low the remaining condoms sat in the box.

Something in her chest squeezed and she herself felt ready to collapse. While considering if she should sit back down on the bed, Kakashi stopped rummaging through the drawer when he observed the bouquet of lavenders sitting innocently on top.

"Sakura."

She snapped to attention at the sound of her name spoken through gritted teeth.

Pointing strictly at the flowers much like a teacher would point at a mess his student had made, Kakashi glared at the bouquet as if it was the most offensive thing in this room. "Do you know what these are?"

Her brows knitted together in confusion. Was this supposed to be a trick question?

"They're... lavenders?" she answered uncertainly, still perplexed by his risen ire. "The florist said they would help you relax and get your blood flowing."

Kakashi merely scowled. "Because lavenders are aphrodisiacs," he grounded out, glaring at the pretty petals like they were poisonous.

"Oh," she said weakly.

"Their scent increases arousal for men," Kakashi clarified for her through a growl. "And I'm very, very sensitive to scents."

"Oh."

Oh, fuck.

As if on cue, his nostrils flared again and his gaze seemed to darken as he considered her. The blush across his face deepened and spread to the tips of his ears and she felt that heat in her belly start to pool again. Kakashi seemed to catch himself and he lurched away from the flowers to stumble towards the window. He heaved in deep breaths, but she could see the tips of his ears still red. Even the dip of his back had a new bead of sweat racing down as if just standing and talking to her was consuming every ounce of what energy he had left.

Sakura felt like a fool. She'd only had the best intentions for Kakashi the entire way over, but had only made things worse. It seemed ever since they'd met, all she was to him was a problem that wouldn't go away.

She peered down at her tightly clasped hands to hide the tears burning her eyes now. She would not cry. Not here of all places and certainly not in front of him. She didn't need to embarrass herself any further. She wouldn't.

"Please don't be mad at me, Professor Hatake," Sakura spoke quietly, trying her best to keep her voice level though the softness of it had Kakashi's shoulders sagging slightly. "All of it was just an accident. I only wanted to check up on you."

Kakashi sighed but turned away from the window to face her. His face was still pale but drooping with weariness as he shook his head. "I'm not mad at you, Sakura. I'm mad at myself. What I did to you was—is—inappropriate and illegal. I can get into big trouble for—"

"I won't tell anyone!" She finally took a step closer to him but froze in her tracks when Kakashi took a step away from her. Blinking back the tears, she gestured to the bag of cold medicine that had been left discarded by the doorway. "I only came here because I was worried for you! I wanted... I wanted to help you the way you always help me."

Kakashi tipped a brow in disbelief. "I thought you were mad at me?" he asked, regarding her with the same suspicion as he did with the lavenders.

"I was—am!"

But it didn't mean she was heartless enough to ignore someone in distress.

Kakashi rubbed at his temples as if her answer only distressed him further. "I'm sorry, but I think it's best for the both of us if you leave."

Her stomach dropped, leaving her feeling as if he'd just suckerpunched her in the gut.

Kakashi took one more look at her and she heard him ask something about a towel to clean herself up with. The question went in one ear and out the other but she gave a shaky nod. Whatever heat that remained in the room from earlier was instantly sapped as he coldly breezed by her to retrieve said towel.

She was still reeling from the sting of his rejection when another crash past her shoulder had Sakura pivoting around. Kakashi was slumped against the threshold, his hands desperately clawing up the door to grab the knob for support. He tried to clamber to his feet, but swayed and spilled out into the hallway instead.

"Professor Hatake!"

Sakura rushed for him and grabbed at his shoulder to help him up, but she was met by a surprisingly strong hand prying her fingers off him.

"I'm fine," Kakashi wheezed out, batting her hands away. "I very rarely get these kinds of fevers and they pass within a day."

"You're not fine!" Sakura argued back and shoved a hand beneath his sticky bangs to feel the scorching skin of his forehead. "You're burning up, and you were even hallucinating earlier!"

She dared not go into detail of his hallucinations. There was no need to embarrass themselves further by specifying how he'd pawed at her breasts like a depraved animal before trying to rut her into the bed, much to both her horror and pleasure.

But the remnants of that 'dream' must've still lingered in his mind because the more Kakashi tried to pull away from her. Only to faceplant onto the floor.

"I can take care of myself," he mumbled into the hardwood, though from his position on the ground he wasn't so convincing. "Besides, don't you have a date with that boy?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, both at his stubbornness and the derisive tone in his question. "That boy has a name—Kankuro. And my date is on Friday. Today's still Wednesday."

"... Oh."

"See?" She huffed and leaned down to help him back up. "You're obviously not well, so let me help you."

Kakashi tried to fight her off but she kept an iron grip on his wrist as she slung his arm back over her shoulder to heave him to his feet. "I appreciate the gesture," he said, still struggling against her, "but you're my student and this isn't—"

"Appropriate. I know," she snapped at him, feeling her panic from a minute ago quickly dissolve into annoyance at his persistent rejection of her help. It was understandable that he, as her teacher, would reject her feelings for him, but to reject her help in a situation as desperate as this one was just sheer stupidity on his part. "Look, what's done is done and there's no use crying over spilled milk."

Or in this case: cum.

As if thinking the same thing, Kakashi forcibly shrugged away from her and slumped heavily against the wall. His eyes had narrowed into slits as if he had trouble just focusing on her face, but it was his flushed cheeks and ragged pants that warned her of his dire state. Still, he shook his head when she reached for him again. "Sakura, please. Just go home."

Her hand curled into an angry fist. "You're being ridiculous right now!"

To prove her point, Kakashi staggered away and towards the staircase. He grabbed onto the banister, readying himself to take that very first step. Like a car wreck happening in slow motion, he teetered over the edge first before tumbling over.

Fed up with him already, Sakura crossed her arms and listened to every 'ooph!' and 'ugh!' and 'ow!' and 'shit!' he grunted out on every step of the way down (and there were many steps).

When the painful thuds ended and it fell silent downstairs, she neared the banister and glanced down to the bottom where Kakashi lay in a crumpled heap. He didn't leave any tracks of blood, but he remained still and lifeless at the foot of the stairs.

"Professor Hatake?" Sakura called down to him. "Are you still alive?"

There was silence for a moment, and then a strained, "Hnnggghh...!"

She took that as a yes.

With another sigh and a roll of her eyes, she made her way down the stairs, making sure to take her sweet time. She was in no rush to help him to his feet only so that he could try to push her away again.

When she finally reached Kakashi though, it seemed the fall had drained the rest of the fight out of him as he didn't struggle under her grip this time. This time, he leaned heavily against her for support, letting her guide his arm across her shoulders to help him back up the stairs.

"You realize that if you die on my watch, I'll have to dissolve your body in acid?" she told him as they endeavored the first step together. Sensing her sincerity, Kakashi paused and squinted at her, so she shrugged. "Otherwise, everyone will think I broke into your house and murdered you. I can't get arrested when I haven't even graduated college yet—my parents would totally ground me for life!"

Kakashi gaped at her, possibly dumbfounded by the notion that this girl was more concerned with being grounded rather than the idea of hiding her professor's dead body.

"Funny," he eventually said with a shake of his head. "Thought you'd say it's because you haven't had your first kiss yet."

She could hear the mockery in that cheeky comment and promptly dropped him for that. He tumbled back down the stairs, cussing and cursing every step of the way again.

When Sakura returned to pick him back up, she smiled sweetly at him. "Sorry, my hand slipped."

"Why do I doubt that?" Kakashi groaned out, hobbling up the stairs once more like an old man badly in need of a cane.

"Maybe because you lost too many brain cells from the fall," she replied innocently.

Kakashi scrutinized her. "Are you calling me an idiot?"

"Only an idiot would have to ask that."

That drew another scowl from him. "Need I remind you that I am still your professor?"

That word stoked the anger simmering within her and she practically threw him up the last step in retaliation.

"And you're also stupid, reckless, and stubborn!" Sakura snapped at him, grabbing his wrist to haul him back to the bedroom.

Without any strength left, Kakashi was helplessly dragged into the room and shoved onto the bed. This time she didn't care if he faceplanted into the mattress. Before he could recover, she pinned him down by his shoulder and snatched the blanket to wrap him up like a burrito, effectively restraining him so that only his face could be seen.

For someone weakened by a fever, he was still pretty strong, but he only managed to free his hand to scratch feebly at the knot she'd made with the blanket's corner. Otherwise, he was as snug as a bug in a rug and she intended to keep him that way.

Sakura surveyed her work, watching Kakashi wriggle like a newborn baby in his favorite kunai-patterned blanket she'd swaddled him with. When he tried to wiggle his way off the bed, she rolled him back to the center and onto his face. "You better stay in bed if you know what's good for you!"

"You're disrespecting your own teacher, you know that?" he asked into the pillows.

"Yes, you silly man!"

After squirming onto his back, Kakashi contemplated the hands she had on her hips and the mad blush that had taken over her face. Sakura didn't care if she looked like a crazy stalker right now; she was just too filled with ire over the ridiculousness of this whole thing simply because this man refused to be taken care of. Her mama had always said it was impossible to help those who didn't want to be helped, and right now Kakashi was really testing that theory—and Sakura's patience.

"I should punish you," he muttered.

She scoffed at that. "What? Are you gonna put me over your knee and spank me?"

"You prefer I use a ruler or my hand this time?" Kakashi retorted. When he realized what he'd just said, he winced and knocked his head back into the pillow in defeat. "The hell am I saying? You need to leave."

"And you need to take better care of yourself—which you promised me you would—but you're clearly incapable of doing that!" Her voice had risen into a shout, but Sakura didn't care. All her feelings of frustration and anger towards him came pouring out, and she would rather those than the tears. When Kakashi gazed back with that same apathetic, almost defiant, stare of his she shook her head. "You know, with your devil may care attitude, sometimes I wonder if you're trying to get yourself killed or something."

Kakashi remained silent at that, turning his blank face towards the window instead. As if he truly didn't care about her concern for him, about his fever, or about himself!

"That's why it's best if you leave," he said so softly she almost didn't hear him.

There was something about his expression right now that made him seem so small and vulnerable even though Sakura knew he could very well beat up a whole gang of thugs without breaking a sweat. And something about seeing a man, normally so strong and commanding just with his presence alone, now so defenseless and weak... it sapped her anger away until she could only feel... not pity, per se, but sympathy.

She sat herself down on the edge of the bed, giving him a respectful foot of distance. "You're really sick right now, and I think if it's life-threatening then who cares about propriety?! Please, Professor Hatake," Sakura almost reached for his hand only to remember he was still cocooned in the blanket. Sighing, she untied the knot and helped tug the blanket open enough to free his arms. "Let me take care of you, okay? Just for today and then we can return to being teacher and student when you're better."

Maybe the fever had also fried his brain. Or maybe she was, by some miracle, able to get through to him because he finally looked to her with just the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.

"Since the day we met, your tenacity has always been infuriating," he said, though his weary voice was absent of any more antagonism.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at that. "You're talking to an overachiever, remember? And there's nothing wrong with being very determined."

Kakashi snorted. "More like stubborn. But... I've always liked that about you," he said more quietly. Before she could even think of how to respond to that, he shifted his gaze past her shoulder and to the kibble still scattered across the room. "My dogs need to be fed."

Realizing he'd finally decided to accept her help, Sakura smiled at him. "Your dogs can wait. Right now, I need to check your temperature."

He gave her a small nod, and then directed her to open the top drawer.

Sakura hesitated at first before deliberately pulling the drawer open. The box of condoms was the first thing she noticed—and oh boy, was it noticeable what with the vibrant colors and large advertising words like 'PLEASURABLE', 'RAW', 'WARMING', 'DOUBLE ECSTASY', and her most favorite—'HER PLEASURE'

She fought back the heat rising in her face as she stuck a hand in and blindly rummaged through the drawer's contents. Only one time did her fingers knock against the contraceptives, the box rustling obnoxiously loud with the few that remained, but she quickly found what felt like the slim length of a thermometer and yanked it out.

"Here, say 'ah'"

Sakura raised the thermometer to Kakashi's masked mouth, but he gave her a dry look and took the thermometer from her to slip it beneath his mask. It was a bit of a funny sight, seeing the thermometer protruding under the mask, but her wry smile quickly fell away when he later handed the thermometer back to her.

"Professor Hatake, you're almost at a hundred and four!" She dropped the stick to press one hand to his clammy forehead and the other hand to her own forehead. He was sizzling compared to her. "You're really hot!"

"Ah, I'm flattered."

She gave him a dirty look for that. "This is serious! You could end up in the hospital! You should be going to the hospital—this fever is dangerous!"

"No hospital," Kakashi grunted, sinking further into his cocoon as if to hide from any doctors. "This is nothing."

Sakura huffed in disapproval but stroked back the locks sticking to his temples. "You complain I'm too tenacious but you're even more stubborn than me, you know that?"

"Better than silly or stupid, I suppose," he harrumphed like a grumpy old man.

"Silly, stupid, and stubborn," she corrected him. When he only grumbled in response, Sakura smiled and drew her hand down to cup his warm cheek. "What am I going to do with you?"

Kakashi merely sighed and leaned into her palm to soothe the heat of his cheeks. His eyes were starting to fall shut as he seemed to succumb to the thralls of sleep again. Not even a minute passed before he was already dozing off, his snores light and his breathing steady against her fingertips.

Chewing her lip, Sakura weighed what little options she had left on the table. What she wanted to do right now was take Kakashi to the hospital, but that was impossible without a car and she doubted he would let her drive his. Calling his colleague or neighbor for help was also completely off the table since it would be too hard to explain why she was in her teacher's house and why his room smelled strange. That weird pancake batter scent still clung to her shorts and the bedsheets, but Sakura still had no idea where it had come from.

Well, her first and foremost priority was taking care of Kakashi. Had he even had breakfast this morning? The guy was so concerned for his dogs' breakfast but not his own—the idiot!

As quiet as a mouse, she moved off the bed and ambled her way out into the hallway in search of a closet full of cleaning supplies. The dog kibble had scattered all over the hallway and staircase but she took the time to sweep up every last piece and set aside the dog bowls before retrieving a small cloth and a bowl to fill with water.

Kakashi was still fast asleep when she returned to lay the wet cloth over his forehead. She didn't think to buy any compresses, but hopefully this would do for now.

Before making her way back downstairs, she grabbed the lavenders and contemplated throwing them away. When the florist said the flowers would help Kakashi feel better and get his blood flowing, Sakura hadn't thought the woman meant in that way!

With a shake of her head, she tossed the flowers into the trash before moving to the window of the living room. It probably wasn't the best idea to flip open the window's blinds in case any passing neighbor might glimpse the random girl flitting about the professor's house, but her worry was washed away the moment the sunlight washed over her, warm and buttery. Immediately, the shadows of the house were dispelled and banished to the unseen corners of the room as Sakura went about opening every window in the kitchen and living room.

Each flap of the blinds opening to welcome in thick shafts of light that dispelled the darkness left Sakura feeling lighter and not like the house was going to gobble her up anytime soon.

Stepping back, she propped her hands on both hips to take stock of the living room now lit up and looking a little more lived in instead of gloomy. Satisfied of her illuminated workspace, she spun around to step into the kitchen but then noticed the tall cabinet fixed in the far corner of the living room.

She'd noticed it very briefly during her last visit, but hadn't actually gotten a good look at the strange-looking cabinet that seemed part bookshelf too. Upon closer inspection, however, Sakura saw that instead of books filling the alcoves, it was a supply of alcohol.

It's a minibar, she realized.

Rows of bottles labeled with brands that she didn't even recognize were stacked neatly together. Though there was some wine stored in a rack on the bottom, and a couple of beers organized in the middle shelf, the very top shelf was teeming with bottles of hard alcohol—some of which were far emptier than others. And on the little countertop space sat a silver tray of crystal glassware, waiting for a skilled hand to pour a drink.

She plucked a dark bottle out, feeling it sit heavy in her hand despite the little amount of liquid left sloshing within. The cap of the bottle was made of glass and shaped in an odd dome, but if popped off quite easily with the turn of her hand.

The smell of caramel caught Sakura off guard and she leaned in for a better whiff. Sweet notes of honey and vanilla rode on the aroma, but she also caught a hint of... charred wood? Somehow, it only served to enrich the smell of the alcohol and she even found herself yearning for a taste of the golden liquid.

She returned the bottle to its original place instead. Now was not the best time or place to get drunk.

It didn't surprise Sakura to find that her professor had a rich taste in alcohol, but there was something about him having a minibar in his house that struck her with discomfort... though she could not understand why. It left a sour taste in her mouth though, and not just because it reminded her of the shame of that time she'd puked all over Kakashi.

Deciding to leave the bar alone, she headed back into the kitchen to grab the apron draped across the kitchen island. Unsurprisingly, the apron was also designed with kunais, but it was large on her so she had to adjust the ties to fit it over her much smaller body.

As she tied her hair up, she examined the dishes in the sink—a mug and a bowl, but that was the extent of it. Seriously, they said that abs were made in the kitchen but did Kakashi even eat?

The next couple of minutes were spent washing all the dishes she could find, but soon enough she was already studying the inside of the fridge to figure out what to cook for him.

There was a pantry room just next to the fridge, offering her an abundance of ingredients she could play around with. And considering his fridge was empty of any leftovers, Sakura guessed that Kakashi didn't have any meals prepared for the week.

No problem!

Pulling her sleeves up, she set about pulling out all the ingredients she would need as well as the pots, pans, and other kitchenware. There was no need to cook up 5-star dishes, but Sakura still felt the pressure of cooking for someone who was older than her and far more experienced.

Growing up, Ino's mom had often taught her the more complex dishes that a simple tutorial online just wouldn't suffice, and Sakura could hear the older Yamanaka's constant word of advice that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach.

But when she finished cooking the rice porridge and gave it one last taste test with the ladle, all Sakura could think of was her mother's own words about love being the secret ingredient that could make any dish taste the best.

She gazed into the bowl of porridge in her hands, wondering if such 'love' would be okay to give to someone like her teacher. Somehow, Sakura doubted her mom would say such words now in a situation like this.

Setting the bowl of porridge and a mug of peppermint tea on a tray, she carried the meal upstairs. A quick peek into the bedroom revealed Kakashi still snoring within his cocoon and Sakura checked the wet cloth on his forehead first. It was warm, so she dipped it back in the bowl and wrung out the excess water before laying it over him again.

"Professor Hatake?" She gently shook him awake, careful not to startle him this time.

His eyes opened into slits and she tugged the blanket open to help him sit up against the pillows. His head lolled to the side and he barely had the strength to move it, so she cupped the base of his head and guided him onto a more comfortable position on the pillows.

"Here," Sakura set the tray on his lap, gesturing to the steaming meal before him. "I didn't think your stomach could handle too much, so I made you something simple and easy to digest. It's rice porridge," she explained when he stared listlessly at the bowl.

With a groan, Kakashi shook his head and started to sink down the pillows to go back to sleep. Sakura grabbed the spoon and scooped up the food to hold to his mask, preventing him from moving any further.

"C'mon, you need to eat something to regain your strength," she insisted, raising the spoon to her mouth to blow the hot steam away for him. He merely turned his face aside like a pouting child refusing his medicine. "Kakashi, eat it," she said more firmly and held the spoon closer to his face like a weapon now.

He made just the smallest whine in the back of his throat, but then took the spoon from her to carefully slip under his mask. She stayed to watch him swallow it down first just to make sure he wouldn't somehow choke on the damn porridge. As he continued eating, she took out the cold medicine and measured the sticky syrup in a small medicine cup before handing it to him.

Kakashi's nose twitched and then wrinkled, but under her stern stare he downed the syrup like a shot glass and Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at the way he winced.

"It's just medicine, you big baby," she teased him as he hurried to wash the acrid taste down with tea.

His appetite seemed to return with each spoonful of porridge he sipped at, and soon enough Kakashi was chowing down on the meal as if he hadn't eaten for a day. For a man who ate with his mask on, it surprised Sakura to see him able to eat so fast that he'd gobbled down the entire bowl in what felt like the blink of an eye.

She didn't even have the chance to try and peek at what lay beneath the mask.

The spoon clanged against the bowl as Kakashi sat back against the pillows, looking more than satisfied and with a bit of color back to his face now.

"Was it good?" Sakura asked him, noticing not even a single grain of rice had been left in the bowl.

Kakashi gave her a silent nod and didn't stop her as she helped fluff his pillows first to get him more comfortable.

He seemed shy with all this attention on him, reminding Sakura that he had grown up an orphan almost all his life. The thought that he hadn't had a parent to tuck him in bed like this for most of his childhood saddened Sakura, but more so because she knew what it felt like to want someone to take care of her during her own fevers.

How long ago had it been since her own mother had last laid a gentle hand to her forehead to check her temperature? Too many years had passed that such a memory was a hazy picture in Sakura's mind now. Maybe that was why she couldn't help but smile as she touched the back of her hand to Kakashi's forehead.

Though it frustrated her, she knew exactly why he had been so adamant in refusing her help. It wasn't so much that they were teacher and student as it was merely the fact that he, just like her, had grown up having to parent himself as well. And it was hard to accept other people's help when, for so long, they had learned to survive without help.

Kakashi didn't need to tell her all that when the way he subconsciously leaned into her touch was proof enough.

Beneath Sakura's hand, his dark eyes skimmed across her face before dropping to her top.

"I ruined your clothes," he mumbled tiredly.

"O-Oh, it's okay! I need to do laundry soon anyway," Sakura lied, choosing her words very carefully so as to not bring up what had happened earlier. She didn't know how much Kakashi remembered of his 'dream' and she preferred to keep it that way.

Besides, they were balancing on the edge of a very delicate truce. For now, at least.

He shifted slightly under the blanket. "If you want, you can take a shower and use my laundry room downstairs. It's the room with the glass door."

She blinked at him. "I don't have any clothes to—"

"You can borrow a shirt from me again... but only if you want to," Kakashi quickly added. He started to rub at his temples again as if the image of her wearing only his shirt just like last time was already giving him a headache.

Before he could even think to rescind the offer, Sakura nodded and stood up to do just that. But as she reached the threshold, she glanced back at Kakashi who was in the middle of a yawn.

"Um... you need to change clothes too, right?" she asked.

He paused at the question and Sakura watched the tops of his cheeks deepen from a feverish pink to a shameful red as Kakashi caught onto her implication. His eyes flicked down to his lap where the blanket concealed the stained boxers he still wore and pulled the blanket all the way up to his chin as if to hide his shame from her.

"I know you're in no condition to bathe yourself, but... I-I could give you a sponge bath," Sakura stammered out, feeling embarrassed herself now even though she wasn't the one left in her underwear. "Y-You know, with a towel and basin. I would just be scrubbing the places you need."

Even down there if he wants me to—ah, stop it, Sakura! This is a sick person you're talking about—don't take advantage of him!

"All right."

It took her a moment to process his answer, but Kakashi gave her a small nod to confirm, his face still a maddening red. Feeling a hot blush start to stain her own cheeks, Sakura quickly left the room.

The towels were in the closet just as he'd described, but they lacked the distinct kunai pattern she'd half-expected. They were soft though—incredibly plush and thick in her hands that she couldn't help but rub the material against her cheek first. She could already hear her mom warning her not to touch something that was obviously of expensive quality, but Sakura was more than happy to ignore that voice as she took the towel with her in her quest to find the bathroom.

Or the guest bathroom, at least. Some doors were locked, but she counted 4 bathrooms up and down the hallway. One of them was particularly large and fancy with one of those spacious porcelain bathtubs on one side and a spacious shower in the corner. But the bathroom itself seemed hardly used, so she ultimately picked the bathroom adjacent to Kakashi's room. It was much cozier in terms of space, though her mouth dropped at the sight of all the buttons and nozzles sticking out of the wall.

There was a showerhead on top, but it was too fancy-looking that she could barely even discern it as a showerhead.

A bit daunted by the contraption, Sakura stripped off her clothes first before taking a cautious step into the shower. Honestly, just the shower itself was as large as the entire bathroom at her own house, and she spent a full minute wandering around the open space before pausing at the selection of soaps sitting in the alcove of the grey and white marble tiles.

Plucking a familiar green bottle, she felt her heart do a little flip the moment she recognized the Minty Rainforest Mist shampoo paired with—a-ha!—its signature bodywash. A giddy smile crossed her face as Sakura realized her professor used the same shampoo and bodywash as she did. Even the conditioner!

Then... he wouldn't notice if I used his stuff, right?

She shot a look to the closed door of the bathroom, half-expecting Kakashi to burst in and accuse her of being the perverted stalker that he'd always suspected her of being.

The door remained closed.

With a shrug, she returned the bottles to the alcove before facing the real challenge here: which button turned on the shower?

There were nozzles and panels surrounding her from every side, but too many buttons to match them all together. And why the hell were there two knobs? What kind of shower was this?!

Glancing up, Sakura spotted a dial on the side of the showerhead and reached up to check it out. Much to her surprise, the showerhead detached from the hook up top and panic briefly shot through her at the thought that she had broken it instead. She'd never used a detachable showerhead before, and it only confused Sakura further when she turned the dial on the side of the head only for nothing to happen.

Holding the showerhead in one hand, she contemplated the puzzle of buttons before her to determine which one turned everything on. Hesitantly, she touched a button. Some LED backlight flashed red before a warm mist started to descend upon her from the ceiling panel.

She tilted her head back and frowned at the gentle mist settling over her bare skin and frizzing her hair. She tapped the button a second time and the mist came to a stop.

Her fingers skimmed across the other buttons in search of the one that turned the showerhead on.

A button with blue LED lighting spat out a harsh spray of ice-cold water at her breasts and she bit back a yelp as she scrambled to slam that button off. Sakura shot that button a glare and decided to test out the knobs instead.

This time, water burst out from the showerhead she held in hand and she touched the other knob to find out that it controlled the temperature of the water. Okay, weird, but she was getting the hang of it.

Still holding the showerhead, Sakura twisted around to glimpse the stickiness that had dried across the back of her thighs. She aimed the showerhead there, letting the delicious pressure pelt away the strange stuff clinging to her skin before returning the head to its hook.

The warm spray of the water continued even as Sakura tested out another button, surprised to find that it activated the nozzles surrounding her. More warm water shot out of the nozzles and sprayed her body from all sides. Holding back a pleased giggle, she raised her arms and let the water massage every inch of her body for a good while. It was only until her fingers started to prune did she finally grab the bodywash to lather herself up.

She popped open the lid and took a whiff of the 'minty rainforest mist' scent. The gentle smell clung to her as she ran her hands up and down her body, letting the thick bubbles foam and pop against her skin. It was the exact same soap she'd used for almost all her life, but just thinking that this particular bottle belonged to Kakashi's... had been used by him while he stood naked in the exact same spot she stood naked in right now...

Before Sakura knew it, her nipples had hardened. She tried to blame it from the wonderful pressure of the water as it rained down on her, but the room was suddenly dizzyingly hot. She tried to blame that on the steam too but... her hand drew down her stomach and she parted her thighs unwittingly—only to gasp as the spray of water from the panel in front suddenly hit her clit before she could even touch herself.

Her hand slammed against the marble wall, instinctively searching for a grip as she bowed forward from the sudden, intense pressure blossoming in the pit of her belly. Sakura bit her lip hard to hold back a whimper even as she blindly reached for the showerhead above and yanked it down to aim it between her legs. The hot spray was properly hitting her entire slit now, leaving her throbbing and pulsing there in synch with the showerhead's massaging spray.

The sensation was so strange, but not entirely foreign, especially as she felt her blood rush down, warm and pulsing so that when she touched her free hand down there, she felt her lips puffy and even slick at the seam.

"P-Professor... Hata... ke..!" Sakura couldn't help but gasp out.

The pressure deep in her belly throbbed harder and harder with each passing second to the point that her knees began to buckle.

She tossed her head back, letting the water raining above pelt at her breasts. Her nipples tingled as the sensation reminded her of the way Kakashi had eagerly squeezed her breasts just earlier. She imagined him doing that to her right now, squeezing her breasts and plucking her nipples. Her fantasy deepened as she imagined his mouth replacing his hands, teeth plucking the stiffened peaks of her breasts and his tongue soothing her with wet strokes.

"Yes..!" Sakura sighed, voice quivering in pitch. "Yes, Professor—oh!"

Even her thighs started to quiver and she had to sink to the floor for stability, dragging the showerhead with her.

She shifted the head closer for a better angle and her thumb accidentally flicked at the dial on the side. The pressure of the spray abruptly intensified, pounding against her clit in a rhythmic massage and driving her legs further apart. Everything was happening all too fast as that molten pressure in her belly swelled sharply. Before Sakura could even think that Kakashi was still in bed and just outside the bathroom, the pressure between her hips erupted.

Her orgasm tore through Sakura's core, tearing out a silent scream from her lips as well.

Her toes curled against the floor, thighs inadvertently widening as that pressure in her surged through her core like lightning.

Darkness bled at the edges of her vision while Sakura fought to stave off a moment of lightheadedness. A buzz of pleasure continued to hum in her veins as the spray of water continued to massage her clit that now felt too tender and sore. Grabbing onto the edge of the alcove for support, Sakura stood up on shaky legs and peered back at the door.

It was still closed.

The hot thrill of pleasure coursing through her was soon replaced by shame over the fact that she had just masturbated in her professor's shower while he laid incapacitated in bed!

Hurriedly, Sakura washed away any and all evidence of her orgasm. After shutting off the water, she grabbed the towel and wrapped it around herself before stepping in front of the mirror. She swiped a hand across the foggy panel and watched her reflection touch a hand to her cheek. Her skin was still rosy and flushed hot not from the shower itself but from what she had done in the shower.

Embarrassment roiled hot in Sakura's stomach, tainting the bit of ecstasy that still made her clit throb faintly.

She raked a hand through her damp locks and took a peek outside the bathroom. Kakashi lay immobile in bed with his eyes closed and the blanket still tucked high up to his chin.

Holding back a sigh of relief, Sakura tiptoed over to his dresser to look for a shirt. All of them looked too expensive for her to wear, and she didn't want another accident like that first night they'd met. As she opened the middle drawer, however, her eyes went wide at the grey shirt neatly folded within. The cheap cotton made the shirt stand out in stark contrast among the expensive shirts Kakashi had tucked it in with. Which was how Sakura recognized her father's shirt immediately.

Slowly, she picked it up and buried her face into the worn-out material. It was a bit startling to find her father's scent absent after so many years—now replaced by that chilly pine tree scent that she was starting to become more familiar with. Nevertheless, the distinctive, masculine scent drew a pleased smile from Sakura and she nuzzled her cheek against it much like a cat.

Hearing the bed creak from behind almost made Sakura drop it, however. She shot another glance back at Kakashi who, thankfully, was still fast asleep under his blanket.

She dropped the towel to the floor, her nipples hardening again from the cool air of the room as she hastily slipped the shirt on. Once again, Kakashi's scent wrapped around her like a warm embrace. Every breath she took, his scent filled her lungs, even following after her every step as she returned downstairs to toss her clothes in the laundry machine.

She watched her romper outfit spin round and round and round for a full minute. The little break wasn't enough to distract her of the fact that she'd masturbated with a showerhead... in her professor's shower... while he'd been mere feet away from her.

And a part of Sakura had hoped—no, wished—that he'd walked in on her and even join in.

It was wishful thinking though, and she hurried to find a basin and towel to continue her duties before such obscene thoughts could take hold of her.

Bubbles of Minty Rainforest Mist bodywash sloshed around the edges of the basin as she carried it to Kakashi's room.

He was already awake and whipped his face to her direction the moment Sakura entered. She smiled at him but said nothing while she set the basin and towel aside, though she could feel his eyes heavy on her figure.

Could it be...? Does he know what I did in the bathroom?!

Sakura gulped, keeping her eyes plastered on the warm, soapy water she swirled around with a fingertip.

"That's..." Kakashi started, jumpstarting Sakura's heart so that it raced wild in her chest. "That's the shirt you gave me the night we met."

Her heart slowed before leaping at the remark. So he remembers!

Biting back a smile, Sakura peered down at the shirt she wore and tugged the hem of it closer to her knee. "It's my father's shirt. Was."

Kakashi blinked at her, astounded by the revelation. The guilt flitted across his gaze as he studied the simple grey shirt once worn by the loving father of the girl before him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. You can have it back if you—"

Sakura was already shaking her head, her smile widening at his thoughtful gesture. "No, it's your shirt now."

Kakashi obviously wanted to argue with her, but he lifted his eyes to meet hers and the reassuring smile on her face, and the fight was soon drained out of him. He relaxed into the pillows, holding her stare until Sakura felt all too aware of the healthy blush still staining her cheeks from earlier.

Awkwardly clearing her throat, she tore her eyes away from him and back to the basin of soapy water. "Can you, um... take off your... I-I'll turn around," she said, twisting her face away and clamping a hand over her eyes to give Kakashi some privacy.

The mattress dipped and creaked under her as Sakura felt him shift on the bed. She heard the snap of his boxers against his hips and couldn't help but wonder if he needed her help taking them off. Without a doubt, she would help him if he wanted her to—no questions asked.

But of course, Kakashi remained resilient against even the slightest hint of an advance from her. When the bed stopped moving and the sheets stopped rustling, he gave her the all clear with a small cough.

Sakura turned around, meeting the slab of scarred skin that was his back. It'd been a while since she'd last seen his body like this, so she moved hesitantly at first, dipping the towel in the basin to get it soaked. His back was coated in a light sheen of sweat, but she found herself mesmerized by the contours of his muscles and how they flexed and cast shadows with a mere roll of his broad shoulders.

It still struck her as ironically sad that such a man as strong as him could still be made incapacitated by a fever. Sakura wondered how he would've fared had she not come over to check on him. Would he still be sprawled on the floor by the end of the week? Or would he be dead already?

She shuddered at the thought and set herself to gently wiping his back with the towel. She kept her strokes extra delicate over his scars even though many of the ragged tissue lines appeared to be years old.

The large scars looked far too nasty that she wondered if they'd been made by serrated blades or something, but the smaller scars far outnumbered them. It was a pitiful sight, and Sakura was glad when she was able to move on to his shoulders.

She was even more than happy to get a good feel of those firm biceps she'd seen the other girls in class drool over. They were very much large enough that she could easily fantasize him breaking boulders with a good flex, and they were also well defined that she couldn't help but trail her fingertips along the contour of the bicep.

She was just as fascinated with his triceps... and deltoids... and those sexy forearms with those veins she wanted to trace with her—gah, focus, Sakura!

Clearing her throat, she then dipped the towel into the basin and wrung out the extra water. "Raise your arms."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The title almost gave Sakura pause and she shot him a puzzled look, but his sleepy gaze was focused on the blanket. He seemed half-asleep already and she wondered if he'd mistakenly called her 'Ma'am' out of delirium. Either way, the title admittedly made her smile.

She carefully wiped his armpits, trying very hard not to ogle his face as she did so. If he was ticklish there, he didn't show it as his face remained impassive as ever. It was a bit disappointing considering he seemed to be a man of very few weaknesses, and the more conniving side of her was desperate to know what those weaknesses were. For research purposes, of course.

Things took an awkward turn when Sakura moved around to clean his chest, however. Her hands hovered uncertainly over the large X-mark scar slashed across his whole torso. This scar didn't look as aged as most others on his body, and the fear of hurting Kakashi was what stopped Sakura in her tracks.

"It's all right," Kakashi murmured.

Sakura's face reddened under his observant study. He must've caught the trepidation in her face and she was horrified to think that maybe he misinterpreted her expression to mean that she found his scars disgusting.

She traced the X-mark scar very carefully with the cloth, keeping a light pressure and a slow pace. His abs flexed sharply when she passed over his stomach the first time—a reflex as if just that simple touch was more than enough to have him throw his guard up.

Still keeping her hand light and gentle on his body, Sakura swept the cloth over his abs several times. She repeated the motion until the muscles stopped flexing and eventually relaxed under her massage.

"I don't mind your scars, y'know," she reassured him.

Kakashi didn't respond. Nor did he meet her gaze.

Lowering her eyes, she continued to wipe his other arm only to pause at the sight of the tattoo printed in blood red ink across the muscle of his shoulder. She'd glimpsed parts of it before, but never the full tattoo. It was very minimal in design with a spiral sitting upon a small curl—the image reminiscent of a flame.

Before she knew it, her fingers were reaching out to stroke the tattoo out of curiosity.

A hand suddenly grabbed hers, the grip firm despite the feverish heat of the fingertips.

Beneath damp bangs, Kakashi gave her a dark stare. There almost seemed to be a subtle warning in those eyes even as he slowly released her.

"... That was from my time in the military," he quietly explained, watching her gingerly wipe the damp cloth across the tattoo.

Knowing he didn't share too much about his past, Sakura's lips tilted into a pleased smile. "Your idea? Or a teammate goaded you?"

"No, it's a mark for members of a particular unit."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I don't know of any military unit that requires tattoo markings on their soldiers?"

Kakashi picked at a stray thread coming loose from one of the kunais sewn into the blanket. "Only Anbu members have it."

"Anbu...?" The cloth fell from her fingertips as Sakura shot her attention back to Kakashi, her eyes widening with understanding. "Wait, you were in the military's Black Ops? The Special Forces?" she nearly choked on the words as she was still coming to grips with the fact that this man before her was a soldier of the most elite unit to ever exist in any military.

He was trained in over a hundred ways to assassinate someone, and she had dared to call him an idiot.

How the hell am I still alive?! she inwardly screeched at herself.

Instead of raising his head with pride or any hint of smugness, Kakashi shrugged half-heartedly as if the title meant nothing to him.

"They called me a prodigy." There was a sharp bite in the way he spoke. His expression remained deceptively blasé, but there was a shift in the air around him. Sakura could almost taste the bitterness that rolled off Kakashi's words as he muttered, "They liked my name, my academy scores, and my achievements from the war. So I was able to join the Special Forces when I turned twenty—shortly after the peace treaty was drafted."

"The peace treaty? You fought in the Third World War?" Sakura reeled back from him, feeling like she was ogling a historic figure who'd decided to take a stroll out of the museum he belonged in. She hadn't even been born yet when the war broke out! "How old were you when you fought in the war? Eighteen?"

"Seventeen," Kakashi corrected her. "I graduated from the academy earlier than most, so they tossed me into the fray as soon as I got my uniform fitted."

"Seve—but that's still illegal!" She protested, flabbergasted that someone her age had been thrown to the wolves back then.

"People bend the rules when it's convenient for them," he simply said.

But it wasn't so simple for Sakura. She was disgusted that someone so young could be used like fodder. All in the name of—what?—glory and patriotism? The heat of anger started to bubble in her blood as Sakura thought of a young Kakashi fighting for his life just because the government had decided to break its own rules. The very authority that was charged to protect minors like him—like her too—had willingly failed them!

It was sickening.

There was a squishing noise as the wet cloth in her hand was squeezed hard. Sakura didn't notice when the anger in her veins simmered into a rage. But Kakashi only met her anger with confusion. As if the idea of a minor getting dropped onto the battlefield to kill or be killed was completely normal for him.

No, wait—of course he would think a 17-year-old boy killing people was a normal thing. He was an orphan with no parent to teach him how wrong that was. Instead, he'd been raised into the role of protector himself and the proof was written all over his body.

Her anger was soon swept away by a sort of sadness she hadn't felt in a while, but this time for the man with his head bowed low.

"That's why you have so many scars," Sakura whispered, reaching over to ghost her fingertips across the X-mark branding his chest and stomach. The cloth was still in her grip, and it trailed with her hand as she lowered it to touch a star-shaped scar above his right hip. The scarred tissue sat right on top of the sharp v-line of his hip and her thumb grazed the edge of the blanket that was kept draped across his lap to cover his privates.

Kakashi visibly shuddered. "Sakura..."

Realizing her hand hovered dangerously close to the very last place she was supposed to touch him, Sakura yanked herself away.

"U-Um, d-d-d-do you need me to clean your... um..?" Though she was lacking in words, she couldn't be any more obvious with the way she looked pointedly at his blanketed lap.

Kakashi's face remained blank but the red of his cheeks deepened and spread to the tips of his ears.

"I'll do it," he grunted, taking the cloth from her.

Sakura nearly fell off the bed as she turned around to give him a moment. The air of the room suddenly felt too stifling as she listened to the wet sound of the cloth slapping against skin and rubbing up and down. The noise was innocent, but it drew forth the dirty image of Kakashi's hand pumping across his length and she felt her own ears redden from the fantasy.

It was awful timing to be having dirty thoughts, but Sakura herself didn't necessarily feel awful. It seemed any semblance of shame had been left outside the moment she'd stepped into his house.

Kakashi, on the other hand, seemed full of nothing but shame as he shyly requested a pair of sweatpants from his dresser afterward. A fresh pair of underwear had been absent in his request, but Sakura chose not to mention that as she perused through his dresser for the clothes. Besides, she kinda liked the thought of him going commando.

"You should get some rest now," Sakura said after he managed to wrestle his pants on from beneath the blanket. "Your body is still weak, so I want you to stay in bed and get more sleep."

"And you should go home," Kakashi muttered, watching her tuck the blanket securely over his shoulders.

She held back from rolling her eyes. "Haven't we gone over this already? You're not my father, so you can't tell me what to do. And we're not in your classroom, so you don't have the authority right now. And if you're still worried that the FBI is going to knock down your door and arrest you for... pedophilia or whatever—I'll just tell them that I broke into your house to... I dunno, steal the answers to the upcoming midterm?"

"You're not worried your parents will ground you for life for that?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Actually, Sakura would be more worried about Sasuke's reaction if he knew of where she was and what she was doing right now. But it wasn't like their contract had mentioned anything about being allowed to take care of her teacher or not.

"Look," she reached out to stroke back the damp locks that had fallen across his brow again, "whether you like it or not, Professor Hatake, I'm not leaving you until you get better."

He seemed to pout at that, though it was hard to tell under the mask, but he conceded to her by sinking further under the blanket.

Sakura stood up and gathered the basin and the cloth discarded in it. "Now where are your dogs so I can feed them?"

"Backyard," Kakashi answered, suddenly sitting up at the question. "But the boys won't eat unless you call them by their names."

"They're all male?" Sakura asked as he reached into one of the bedside tables for a paper and pen. Nodding in reply, he proceeded to scribble down a list. "Are you sure your dogs won't bite me? If they see a stranger like me around on your property... in your territory..."

She had heard from Kiba how male dogs were very territorial even if neutered. It didn't matter how much training the dog was put through either; at the end of the day, a dog was an animal with wild instincts and no command would ever be able to override its nature.

Kakashi remained unconcerned as he looked away from her to stare out the window. "You have my scent all over you," he quietly explained. "They'll... understand."

His answer only left Sakura more perplexed, but she trusted him regardless.

On her way downstairs, she studied the list in her hand and her brows shot up as she counted the 8 names he'd scribbled down. When he'd mentioned his dogs, she assumed he'd meant his 2 or 3 dogs—not 8.

He'd also forgotten to mention what their breeds were, but Sakura quickly figured that out for herself when she stepped into the backyard. The space was large enough that she had to wander around in search of the dogs herself. Stepping off the warm cement of the patio, she trekked into the trimmed grass and made her way towards what appeared to be a fenced off section of the yard.

The gate was wide open, but no dogs inside.

"Woof!"

Sakura spun around, nearly scared out of her wits only to be met by the cutest little pug she'd ever laid eyes on. "Oh! Hello there!"

Several more barks sounded off and she looked around to find herself suddenly surrounded by 1, 2, 3—8 dogs, each of them staring at her with far too much seriousness than she would ever expect from them.

"Um, I'm here to feed you guys?" she lifted the bag of dog food and shook it to let the kibble rustle aloud. "Your master isn't feeling well today, so I'm here to take care of you all."

The dogs remained in place, watching her silently with not a single woof of protest nor agreement.

She supposed that was better than them trying to bite her head off for trespassing into their master's territory, so Sakura slowly walked past them to head back to the patio. From behind, the grass whispered with the sound of their paws trailing after her.

They all moved together like one silent stealth unit to the point that Sakura somewhat felt like they were predators stalking her, their prey.

But when she reached their food bowls where piles of kibble awaited them, they came to a halt.

Remembering Kakashi's instructions, Sakura pulled out the list and was about to start calling their names one by one when the pug trotted over to her. She watched on, puzzled when his snout pressed to her ankles and then wove around her calves as he seemed to be sniffing—or rather, investigating her.

He then stood up on his hind legs, bracing little paws against her calves to sniff at her thighs and pause every few nose twitches as if to contemplate.

Being a pug, he was the smallest dog here, and Sakura was surprised that the other dogs sat still on their haunches as they waited for the runt of the bunch to finish scenting this pink-haired girl.

Even though they were dogs, she could practically see the questions in their beady eyes as they observed her from a respectful distance.

Who is this girl?

Why is she wearing Master's clothes?

Why does she smell like him?

Did she kill him? Should we kill her?

There was something particular about these dogs that had Sakura holding absolutely still for the pug despite their adorable, beady-eyed faces. She had a feeling that they all knew how to rip her throat out in the blink of an eye if they wanted to.

As if to signal that she wasn't a threat, the pug finally retreated from her to stand at the front of the group. His little tail started to thump in small motions, and that seemed to prompt the other dogs to drop their guard as well. Whatever the pug had smelled from her had apparently been enough to satisfy him and the others.

"Um..." Clearing her throat, Sakura returned her attention to the names on the paper Kakashi had handed her. "Let's see here... Urushi?"

A blonde-haired dog with a wolfish grin immediately stepped over to his bowl at the call of his name.

When he didn't attack her, Sakura proceeded with the rest of the names on the list. "Guruko... Ūhei... Akino... Bisuke... Shiba... Bull and... Pakkun."

One by one, they approached their bowls only to stop and keep watching her continue roll call.

The last dog to approach his bowl was the runt of the bunch himself. Sakura tipped a brow when she saw all the other dogs—even Bull himself whose slobber was already dribbling all over his kibble—waited patiently for little Pakkun. Her brows rose even higher when the dogs waited for Pakkun to take his first bite before they, too, dug into their bowls.

"So are you the alpha of the group or something?" Sakura asked as she crouched down to observe the little dog chow down on his meal.

'The boys won't eat unless you call them by their names,' Kakashi's words echoed in her head.

If the dogs had to wait for their names to be called to be able to eat then that would mean... "Professor Hatake is the alpha of your group?"

As if to answer her theory, Pakkun raised his head and gave her a small bark. His tail thumped hard against the ground and Sakura laughed out loud, finding it adorable. Hearing her laughter prompted the other dogs to begin wagging their tails as well, each of them tilting their heads over their food bowls in curiosity of the girl before them.

"I'm Sakura, by the way," she introduced herself. "I'm your master's student. He's my teacher at school."

One of the dogs wrapped almost head to toe in bandages made a questioning whine, seemingly asking what in the world was a student doing here and not in school.

Sakura's lips twitched into a smile. "Can you keep a secret? The truth is," she cupped a hand around her mouth and leaned closer to Ūhei, "I have a really bad crush on your master."

Ūhei's brows drew together, giving him the appearance of one very concerned dog.

"I know, I know! It's not a good idea to be crushing on your own teacher—especially when you're not legal for him—but... what can you do?" she sighed and stood up, deciding not to ruin their meals with her woes.

Each of the dogs raised their faces from their bowls, their beady eyes keen with intelligence and tongues lolling out the sides of their mouth with excitement.

What? Did they want her to stay and... play with them?

Her heart swelled at the thought, especially since she'd always wanted a dog of her own since she was a little girl.

So... cute...! I want to pet them so bad!

Already her hand was moving forward to give them countless ear scratches and belly rubs, but Sakura caught her wrist to hold herself back.

No! Must not pet the doggos! Must... take care of... Professor Hatake!

It took every ounce of her willpower, but eventually Sakura was able to wrench herself away from the cute boys. Maybe there'd come a time when she could pet them to her heart's content, but not right now. Right now, she needed to cook some food to prepare Kakashi's meals for the week.

Before returning to the kitchen, she grabbed her clothes from the laundry room and put them back on. Her romper carried the clean smell of Kakashi's detergent, the scent of which was unfamiliar to her but comforting nonetheless.

Upon returning to the kitchen, she was surprised to find all 8 dogs there and just sitting patiently for her as they'd done so outside.

"I'm sorry, but I can't play with you right now," Sakura cooed to them, tiptoeing by their fluffy tails to shrug Kakashi's apron back on.

They didn't bark or whine in protest, but merely watched as she shuffled back and forth between the pantry and the kitchen. They remained Sakura's silent audience for the next hour or so as she chopped up fruits and vegetables, boiled pasta, seasoned chicken and meat, scaled fish (there was also a surprisingly large supply of dried saury in the pantry), and measured spices.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted Bull licking his dripping jowls as he eyed the food sizzling aloud in the pan. She smiled and plucked out a bite-sized piece of chicken, waving it temptingly at him. His eyes didn't blink as he followed her hand and the chicken in it side to side, his slobber dripping onto the floor.

"You want some?" she held it out to him.

To her confusion, Bull remained fixed to his spot. She tried to offer the piece of food to the other dogs, but they shared the same reaction as her: drool but nothing else.

"Wow, you guys are really well-trained, huh?"

Shiba lifted a bandaged paw to his snout and made a sort of wheezing noise that edged on the sound of laughter. Sakura couldn't tell if he was laughing at her or with her, but she was more amazed by the keen intellect in their gazes as they continued to observe her cook.

And they stayed like that for the next couple of hours in the kitchen.

Once the countertops were packed with plates of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Sakura took a step back to admire her work and breathe in the mix of spices that now hung in the air.

"Well, do you think he'll like them?" she asked the dogs, gesturing to the steaming dishes lined up on the counter.

Their noses twitched and, following Pakkun's lead, they began to swarm the counter, standing up on their hind legs to get a better whiff of the delicious smells wafting through the kitchen. For a moment, Sakura worried that one of them—particularly Bull who'd been eagerly eyeing her cook—would yank one of the plates to scarf down the food.

But when Pakkun settled back down on the floor, so did everyone else. The pug barked once at her and then wagged his tail, which she interpreted to mean as his seal of approval. With their approvals made, Sakura went about packing the food into storage containers and labeling each container with the day it was meant to be eaten on. She normally wasn't so neurotic with scheduling and labeling meals, but she also didn't trust Kakashi to feed himself properly this week without instruction.

Speaking of the man in question, he was still sleeping when Sakura decided to return upstairs to check on him.

His breathing didn't sound so labored anymore, and when she pressed the back of her hand to his cheek, his temperature didn't feel so hot as before.

But the sun was starting to cast a warm glow across his face and Sakura didn't want him waking from the disturbance. She tiptoed over to the window and closed the blinds, but her attention was quickly drawn to the potted plant sitting on the sill. The leaves were glossy and green with life, fanning out beautifully compared to when it'd been smaller back at her apartment.

Sakura smiled as she touched a fat leaf and watched it bounce giddily. He's been taking such good care of Mr. Ukki this whole time...

It shouldn't have pleased her as much as it did, and her heart swelled with happiness.

She returned to Kakashi whose snores had deepened. The medicine had kicked in by now and he had fallen into a deep sleep with the worst of his fever symptoms tamed for the moment.

The cloth across his forehead had gone warm again, so Sakura took the moment to soak it back in the bowl. But as she was wringing out the excess water, she noticed the picture frame sitting at the far back of the bedside table, almost obscured in shadows.

Her curiosity took over and she picked up the frame to study the three figures posing together in their military uniforms.

The photo must've been taken at least a decade ago, because the Kakashi staring back at her looked like an alternate version of him. His choppy bangs were still as tousled and fluffy as ever, his eyes a deep calm grey and—

Sakura squinted at his masked face.

The scar over his left eye was absent. The skin was smooth, if a little tanned, and free of any blemish.

She studied the uniform he wore—camouflage gear that looked as heavy as that sizeable assault rifle he touted across his front.

But what really stood out about this younger Kakashi was how happy he looked. Beneath his mask, his lips formed the vaguest hint of a smile, but she could see as clear as day on his face just how content he was at this moment. Even his eyes, normally apathetic if not roiling with dark conniption, had a brightness to their grey. A brightness Sakura had rarely ever seen, if not ever.

On the other side of the photo stood a man half a head shorter than Kakashi, but propping up a rifle almost twice in length as Kakashi's weapon. His hair was also a direct contrast with the way it was as dark as night and cropped very short. And compared to Kakashi, this man's eyes were dark, but his boyish grin was brimming with exuberance.

Together, the men appeared to be yin and yang, and in between with her arms looped around one of both men's, stood a beautiful girl with the kindest gaze and warmest smile Sakura had ever seen.

Though the backdrop of the photo was less than appealing what with the way rubble, smoke, and graffiti surrounded the trio, all three of them stood together as if they were at the happiest place in the world. They were clearly in the middle of a battlefield—or at least the aftermath of one—so Sakura could not fathom Kakashi's happiness.

If he hated talking about his military past so much, then why did the Kakashi in this photo look the opposite of the bitter man beside her?

For some reason, Sakura couldn't help but think that it had something to do with the girl casually holding onto Kakashi. She'd seen in school how Kakashi put a space between himself and others. Even for Sakura, it had taken a while for Kakashi to warm up to her—enough for the distance between them to shrink until, the next thing she knew, she was toeing a line she was not supposed to cross.

But this girl here was touching Kakashi so casually, so intimately...

I wonder... who is she to him?

Studying the girl hugging both men, Sakura raised a hand to finger the shoulder-length locks of her own hair.

Beside her, Kakashi's snores suddenly went quiet. The silence lasted for just a beat before he let out a moan—one full of agony that it had Sakura hurriedly setting down the frame to see what was wrong.

His brows were crinkled in distress, and beneath his closed lids she could see the rapid movement of his eyes shifting side to side. Just as she was wondered if Kakashi might be having a nightmare, he started to mumble. The string of words came out too fast and panicked that it sounded completely incoherent to her, but Sakura was more concerned with the way he was gripping the bedsheets so hard that his knuckles had whitened.

Taking his fist, she pried it open as gently as possible. His fingers were stiff and twitching, so Sakura laced her hand with his to give him something to hold onto. His grip was almost painful, but she didn't pull away from him. Instead, she leaned in closer and brushed away sticky, silver bangs to stroke at his temple.

"Sshh, it's all right," Sakura soothed him with tender caresses of her thumb. "It's okay... Ssshh..."

She kept stroking the tension away from him until, gradually, his brows relaxed and the wrinkle between them smoothened itself out.

"Y'know, it's hard to stay mad at you when you're like this," she whispered to him, letting her finger gently massage the scar of his left eye where it crossed over his brow. A low hum rumbled from him and drew a smile to Sakura's face. "It would be so much easier if you weren't so handsome and vulnerable."

Maybe then she wouldn't have this urge to kiss his brow right now even if just to comfort him.

As if he'd heard her thoughts, a dark eye cracked open, the grey of which was dull as Kakashi considered the girl tending to him.

His hand spasmed weakly around hers and Sakura could sense the desperation just at his fingertips as he seemed to tighten his hold on her.

"I failed you," Kakashi croaked out.

Not quite sure what he meant by that, Sakura merely shushed him. "It's okay."

His lashes trembled, but just as quickly as they'd opened, his eyes were falling shut again. On the edge of a deep sleep, he murmured something that Sakura had barely been able to pick up on. She heard a slurred 'sorry' that was then followed by the name of someone.

Rin.

The hand stroking his brow froze.

Slowly, Sakura twisted around from her edge of the bed to peer back at the photo framing Kakashi, the other man, and—

Bzzzt!

Her attention snapped to the phone buzzing sharply in her pocket. Ino was calling.

Sakura stood up to retreat from the room but the hand holding hers refused to let go. Eyeing Kakashi's sleeping face, she sighed and picked up her phone to answer it.

"Forehead, where the hell are you?!" Ino's voice screeched into her ear so loud that Sakura had to briefly pull the phone away lest her eardrums burst.

"H-Huh?" she barely had time to say before Ino was screeching like a banshee again.

"What do you mean HUH?! We've been waiting for you for like half an hour already! We only have so much time to rent the studio for practice, y'know!"

The studio..?

Oh.

Oh, shit.

Today was their first day of dance practice for the talent show!

Were it not for Kakashi still holding her hand, Sakura would've given herself a facepalm.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into the phone. "I-I got sidetracked with some stuff today."

She could practically feel the hot lick of flames coming from Ino's end as her friend huffed in annoyance. "What kind of stuff is more important than our dance practice?! And don't you dare say your studies because I know for a fact that you have perfect A's in all your classes! You know how hard it is for all of us to align our schedules together these days."

Guilt stabbed her in the heart and Sakura flinched. "I know, and I'm sorry but..."

"But what?!"

"But..." Sakura looked to Kakashi. "But... I ran into this stray dog and he's in really bad shape right now. I've been taking care of him for the moment. Just until he gets better."

She hated playing Ino's heartstrings like this, but she was well aware of how much the sassy Yamanaka had a soft spot for animals. Judging by the pause on Ino's end, the excuse had been enough to appease her.

"A stray dog?" Ino asked, her voice having softened into a coo. "Well... did you call Animal Control or a nearby shelter? I'm sure they can send someone to take care of him."

"No, he..." Sakura lightly fingered the end of Kakashi's eye scar. His lashes fluttered ever so slightly, but he remained peacefully asleep. "He's very distrustful of people. I think he was hurt by a lot of people in the past," she murmured, eyeing the edges of his X-mark scar peeking above the blanket. "Right now, I'm the only one he lets close enough to him."

Ino had fallen for the excuse—hook, line, and sinker. "Aww, poor doggie! Okay, fine! You get a pass today, but next time give us a call instead of having us worry, all right? Anyway, hope the doggie gets better! Take good care of him!"

Sakura smiled at Kakashi. "I will."

Whether he wanted her to or not, she had already made her decision. She was, after all, infuriatingly tenacious.

But, to be fair, Kakashi did admit that he liked that about her.


A/N: There is a deleted scene from Kakashi's POV that I have posted on my Tumblr. You should be able to view the post without having an account, but FFN no longer allows writers to embed links in their fanfics, so please open Tumblr website and include a / and then paste this link in the address bar: post/684991466774446080/the-anatomy-of-love

Or check my Tumblr profile and search the "deleted love cookies" tag.

Also, I know some of y'all may think it's cliché or sappy to hold someone's hand to calm them down from a feverish nightmare, but it is indeed a real thing. Unfortunately, in healthcare, there are many patients who don't have any immediate family or even friends to hold their hand during a stay at the hospital, especially during pandemic. Oftentimes, it's the nurses who hold the hands of dying or comatose patients and sometimes just that touch is all the healing that the person needs. A gentle touch can have a powerful impact on the health of a patient, and if you are interested in learning more then there is a wonderful documentary about it on Youtube called "How does touch affect our mental and physical health?"


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