Help In the Unlikeliest of Places

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Unfortunately, for Sakura, dejectedly walking toward the women's baths, 'seizing the day' would have to wait for another time. Right after coming to the conclusion on the bench earlier that Kakashi had another thing coming if he thought she was going to let him slip away, Sakura had marched herself directly to his apartment door. Unfortunately, after a good three minute pounding… just to be sure that he wasn't in there pointedly ignoring her; it became obvious that Kakashi wasn't home.

Her courage had dwindled then, but not by much. But after a thorough check of certain trees, rooftops, training grounds and dropping casual questions here and there, it became apparent that he either didn't want to be disturbed or was out of the village. And at this point Sakura wasn't sure which.

Sakura went about peeling off her sweat soaked clothes in the changing room outside the actual bath area. Apparently she wasn't the only one with the idea. There were many voices on the other side of the sliding door. One seemed to be louder than the others, making Sakura smirk with her good fortune. She knew that boisterous laugher belonged to a woman who enjoyed sharing tales of her newest conquests.

Mitarashi Anko was enjoying a soak, a woman who could probably shed some light on Sakura's dilemma.

The kunoichi hurriedly wrapped a towel around herself and her hair. The moment she slid the rice-papered door open she noticed that she recognized more than just the Forest of Death chuunin examiner. It seemed Hinata's former sensei was soaking beside her. Not only that, but apparently they recognized her as well.

Stopping in mid sentence, the naked dark haired woman turned to the ruby-eyed equally naked kunoichi next to her. "Hey Kurenai, look who it is." Hooking a thumb over her shoulder, Anko gave a feral grin, pointy teeth and all. Leering she snickered, "It's Hatake's little Pinky."

After giving a smile to the younger woman slipping into the water across from them, Kurenai whispered warningly out of the side of her mouth, "…Anko."

Ignoring her long time friend, the snake using kunoichi pointed her finger at Sakura. "You." The finger then pointed at the empty space on her other side. "Over here-" Her dark eyes flashed. "-now."

Normally Sakura wasn't one to blindly follow orders given outside of a mission or her work, but as she made her way over to the space specified with a returning smile to the Yuuhi woman, Sakura had her reasons. For one, she needed to know where Kakashi was. And for another, Sakura, like most sane people, was…slightly weary of the fanged woman. Like with Yuuhi Kurenai, Sakura wasn't exactly on a personal level with Anko. And it was known that if Anko didn't know a person she was more than likely to kill that individual than talk to them…unless said individual could provide her with some form of amusement.

Needless to say, Sakura took up her spot with more than just a little trepidation.

Kurenai continued to try to dissuade her meddlesome friend. "Anko, I really don't think Hatake would want you to-"

Kurenai found herself looking into a blank faced Anko flatly saying, "I don't care." Turning back to the Sakura, who was trying not to appear as if she were dismally comparing measurements, Anko poked her in the shoulder with a sharp red nail. Getting right to the point, trading her usual leer for a tone clearly wanting answers she asked, "You wanting a piece of ol' one-eye or not?"

Kurenai sighed at her friend's lack of tact, but feeling she ought to be used to such situations by now. Sakura wide-eyed, thrown for a loop that Kakashi's friends obviously were aware of the happenings between them, managed to get out a dazed, "Excuse me?"

Anko sucked her teeth, crossing her arms, not one known to hold much for patience. In a tone as if speaking to a person holding largely less faculties then her own she stated slowly, "Yes or no cherry blossom." A dark brow rose as she pursed her lips. "It's not that hard."

Kurenai spoke over the woman's shoulder with something close to compassion. "Just answer her question Sakura. It's easier that way." Shaking her head she added tiredly, "Trust me on this."

Sakura, not about to tell something so personal without at least having some questions of her own answered, crossed her arms calmly. Turning this into a little business deal of sorts she started, saying craftily, "I'll tell you if you tell me something in return."

Anko, already impatient and never one to have anything she wouldn't willingly talk about freely, waved her hand in a 'come on' way. "Fine, fine. Ask away little girl."

With some hesitation Sakura asked the annoyed woman, "…Why do you want to know?"

Anko didn't hesitate for a moment. With a loud snort, Kurenai rolling her eyes behind her in a 'here we go' way, Anko began her explanation. "I don't know if you've noticed or not, but Hatake's had a hard-on for you for months now since our piece of shit friend tainted his brain on some mission they had together." With a blasé look, picking at her nails, she added, "Shurunai told us."

Sakura was dumbstruck to say the least. She found her self inwardly asking, 'What?'

The words 'months now' rang in her ears. Then flashes of past memories and feelings swept over her. Things like: coming back from a certain mission finding Genma mysteriously bandaged saying he 'fell down some stairs', the mysterious feeling of eyes constantly on her during missions or…anytime Kakashi was around, Genma's previous comment to Naruto of 'You don't have what it takes to soften Kakashi's resolve…or should I say harden?', And finally Kakashi's behavior that night on the Hokage Mountain with her. It all made sense now. Sakura couldn't believe she hadn't put two and two together beforehand. But then again, who in their right mind would have thought that she would've ever caught his eye?

As Sakura thought about it some more, with her mouth resembling that of a frog catching flies, it made sense that his attraction to her was a byproduct of some third-party involvement. She felt like she should have known that he wouldn't have woken up one morning and said to himself, "Even though I've been around her for years, used to teach her, and am her leader… Hey, I think I like her!"

Still in a daze of shocked comprehension, Sakura mumbled out in wondrous tones, "…Oh my god."

Kurenai finally giving in, pursed her lips and nodded. "It's true." Looking past her friend, the genjutsu master explained. "Look, Anko here just wants to put a stop to Kakashi's-"

Anko finished the woman's sentence with a loud irritated, "Goddamn moping!" hitting a fist into the water at her side, splashing liquid onto all three of them and some unfortunate souls unlucky enough to be in the same vicinity. After dipping herself in the water and slicking her dark hair back, Anko looked pointedly at Sakura. With water dripping from her lashes, in a no-nonsense tone she said, "So you either do or you don't." Sakura was on the receiving end of another poke as Anko finished with narrowed eyes. "Which one is it Pinky?"

Sakura turned and faced the chest high wall behind them picking at the marbled tiled floor. Sighing, not wanting to be forced to tell the actual truth, she replied shaking her head, "I don't like Kakashi like that."

There was more splashing of water with a heated angry "Damn it!" piercing the air from the disappointed older woman beside her.

But then Sakura realized something. She decided that she might as well pluck up the courage right now and say the truth. If she was going to be serious about wanting to be with her former leader than she knew this was the first step. She couldn't be afraid anymore. A kunoichi in battle was never afraid. She knew a person had to have courage to get what they want. And she wanted nothing more than to be with Kakashi, other people's opinions be damned. Besides, it looked like at least as if Anko was on her side…however consoling that was. Turning to the pissed off woman beside her still splashing water, Sakura, stilling Anko's thrashing hands with her own, said with conviction, "I love him."

Anko, too surprised to initiate amputating Sakura's hands for the breach of her personal space, simply, wide-eyed got out a stunned, "Oh, well that's-" before smirking, adding a snorted, "- different," with amusement.

Kurenai was busy chewing on her lip grinning happily on Anko's other side. This was juicy gossip too good to be true to her. She knew no one was going to believe this, she hardly did herself. She, Anko, and Gai had a feeling that the younger kunoichi might have been harboring some kind of attraction to their silver haired friend after watching her hurriedly exiting the bar that one night, but not one of them had seen this coming!

But this was good news indeed. They'd all been saying for years how Kakashi needed a woman to keep him grounded and not so…tight-assed. But the major hurdle was always the same. Kakashi was never one to let anyone get close to him, except for a few select friends…and his two remaining former students. Kurenai knew the man had a soft spot for both his two former teammates. She also knew that because of the uncaring facade that he always kept up, any 'paternal' emotions that some sensei formed with their gennin had never arisen. She knew that the young woman and the kyuubi container had become something close to friends with Kakashi, but not to the extent that herself and the others had of course. So in Kurenai's mind, she adamantly asked, 'So, why not take the next step Kakashi?'

Kurenai, being the smart woman that she was, could also see where the younger woman's attraction stemmed from. She, like half the village, knew what type of man Sakura was known to gravitate toward. All one needed to do was think back to the Uchiha she had once proclaimed she loved at the drop of a dime. It didn't take a genius to see the similarities between the two; she knew it wasn't just the sharingan.

In that moment Kurenai believed that Genma's perverted influence had definitely turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Pumping a fist in the air comically, Anko, apparently sharing her friend's enthusiasm, loudly proclaimed, "That's great!"

Sakura's smile, from the obvious blessing being given to her from two of Kakashi's close friends, fell. Dejectedly, she shook her soaked locks sighing, "No, it's not."

Anko's toothy grin fell. "Eh?" Sakura received another poke. "Why not?"

Kurenai, smartly guessing what the fool had done, asked, "Did he give you the whole 'I'm a ninja first and a man second' spiel?"

Sakura sighed and swished some water around with a hand, giving her a somewhat vague, "More or less."

Anko poked Sakura in the shoulder rather hard, laughing out, "Ha! Don't you worry about that girlie!" Sakura tried not to shiver as the woman put a well toned arm around her bare slender shoulders. Winking, Anko added mischievously, "Don't worry kid, you've come to the right place."

Now, Sakura wasn't quite sure about having another naked woman so close to her…especially Mitarashi Anko, but she did know that she could probably use their help. These two women where experienced in …life in many ways that she wasn't. Sakura inwardly shrugged thinking, 'What could it hurt?'

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That Night…

Konohamaru, bored, poked at the fire taking his turn at watch. His fearless leader for this particular mission slept a few spaces away from his two other teammates, Moegi and Udon. He had been ecstatic to learn that his 'big brother's' former sensei and team leader was taking Ebisu's place for this mission since Kami had smiled down upon him and his friends, giving the uptight Mr. Four-eyes the flu.

But his elation was quickly nullified after spending the first four silent hours with the all famous Copy-nin. Throughout the five day mission, their esteemed leader had hardly said more than two words outside of instructions pertaining to their duty as bodyguards for a local lord wanting to hold a celebration of sorts at his large and gaudy manor. Konohamaru didn't know what was worse, the utter silence or the fact that he was actually missing Ebisu.

Either way, he couldn't wait until their return to the village tomorrow. Naruto's examination was to come to an end that day. He couldn't wait to see if his Nii-chan had actually made it. Then again, Konohamaru argued smirking, 'When's boss ever failed at something?'

His smirk turned to a scowl as he poked at the dying embers a little harder. The words in his head turned slightly irked here. 'Except when he got us lost on that hiking trip… And that one time he tried to get me and Udon into the women's' baths. And that other time he almost got the three of us killed, peeping on that scary pink haired lady he likes. What's her name again?'

"…Sakura."

Konohamaru nodded his head scowling, remembering the beating she had given them. "Yeah, that's it." Then his scowl fell. "Wait…"

The grandson of the -passed but not forgotten- Third turned to the source of that particular moan. His young dark eyes took in the sight of his team leader rolling over in his sleep, smacking his lips behind his mask.

Raising dark brows high to the sky, the 17 year old said awed, "…No way."

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Back in Konoha…

Pink painted toes kicked pink colored sheet from a heated body. Sakura couldn't wait until she received her next paycheck. Oh, that beige air conditioner she'd been eyeing had her name written all over it!

Sakura flopped onto her stomach trying to will her body to become ten degrees cooler. During the process, she thought over what the two older Kunoichi had helped to cook up earlier that day. It was a plan that would leave her with either one of two outcomes and she sorely hoped for the one more so than the other. Regardless, Sakura knew carrying out the plan meant having to do something that required courage and bravery…even more so than any mission she had ever conducted.

But Sakura was more than willing to do so, for the reward was far greater than anything even her new occupation could afford. Hatake Kakashi. And what was better than that? Sakura couldn't think of anything. That was for sure.

Sakura forced herself to sleep, knowing that she had a full day ahead of her. There was a celebration the next day to orchestrate after all. Sakura smiled into her pillow thinking, 'I haven't forgotten about you Naruto. Don't you worry.'

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Early Afternoon the Next Day…

"Uzumaki Naruto's room please."

The bored middle-aged woman at the Konoha reception desk looked up from her magazine to find a masked silver haired man slouching before her. After looking through the list of occupants housed in the building, her finger slid to the name in question. With a smile she kindly read, "Room 103." Looking him over now…not unlike a hungry person sizing up a nice side of prime beef, she added quirking an eyebrow. "Would you like me to show you the way?" The blonde woman gave a toothy grin, "I don't mind."

Kakashi bowed slightly saying, "Thank you, but no."

The older woman shrugged, going back to her magazine brushing him off. "Suit yourself."

Kakashi made his way to the nearby stairwell, heading to the floor above. Upon handing in his mission report, Tsunade-sama had given him the lowdown on Naruto's examination. There had been good news and bad news unfortunately. The good news was that the younger shinobi had passed with flying colors. The bad news was that in doing so the outgoing blonde had earned himself a spot in the recovering ward. But Kakashi wasn't worried. No one healed faster than Uzumaki Naruto that was for sure.

Upon reaching the door labeled '2nd Floor', Kakashi pushed his way through and stepped out into the brightly lit corridor. The moment that he had, the familiar voice of the young man he had come to see echoed down to his position.

"-should've seen it!"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, it being more than evident that Naruto was indeed still in his usual high spirited status. But hearing the next voice made his smile falter.

There was a shocked familiar voice yelling, "Naruto, you destroyed the entire compound!"

Kakashi, even under duress, shook his head at the young man's brashness. He rolled his eye as he heard the obviously injured shinobi reply with a timid, "Yeah…but everyone got out ok."

He found himself smiling as he heard the woman's tone turn not to one of anger, but to one of 'I should have known' as she sighed out, "Oh, Naruto…"

As Kakashi finally neared the door, one look through the small square of class told him his assumption had been correct. Naruto had a guest of the female persuasion. Sakura had come calling as well. Immediate thoughts of coming back at a later time were steadily surfacing as his hand paused in mid-motion of grabbing the door handle.

But the moment before he turned to leave, Naruto looked over Sakura's shoulder, beamed, and then waved.

Sakura turned as her friend suddenly bounced in his hospital bed waving his bandaged arms and hands like a lunatic. "Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei! I made it, Kakashi-sensei!"

Sakura turned and watched the man that had been plaguing her heart and mind, a man she hadn't seen in three weeks wave behind the glass and then walk through the door. A smile graced her surprised features, one that she couldn't hold back even if she had tried. In that moment she knew the old saying was true. Absence really did make the heart grow fonder. She had missed him, so much so that the impulse to reach out to Kakashi was so great that she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from doing just that.

Hands in his pockets, Kakashi moved to lean against the wall to the side, nodding his hello to the blonde. Sakura watched with a heavily beating heart as he did the same to her. Her heart skipped a beat as his eye rested on her image, but her elation dropped significantly as he quickly turned his attention back to Naruto.

Flatly Kakashi asked, "What's this I hear about destroying a compound?"

Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head…his bandaged appendage doing more of a rub than a scratch actually. In guilty tones he explained looking off to the side, "I uh… did that thing you guys always tell me not to."

Sakura shook her head as Kakashi asked with a slight chuckle, "You mean you lost your head?"

Naruto sighed out a, "…Yeah," before perking back up to his usual self, proclaiming loudly, "But it worked!"

Sakura poked the leg hidden under the white sheet, asking astutely, "But at what cost?"

Naruto hung his head, unrestrained blonde hair covering his features, pouting. "Sakura-chan…"

Sakura flicked him on the top of the head, making Naruto look back up smiling as he caught her own. Sakura turned her attention to Kakashi then, forcing her eyes to remain on his. Compelling her words to come off as casual as they were meant to be, Sakura patted Naruto's leg beside her saying, "There's going to be a celebration in-" She rolled her eyes at her grinning friend. "-the idiot's honor tonight."

Kakashi raised a brow, eyeing Naruto's many bandages. "Is that wise-." He nodded at the blonde "-given his condition?"

Sakura smacked the leg under her hand smirking, earning a howl of pain in return. "This is Naruto we're talking about remember?"

Kakashi pursed his lips behind his mask, nodding thoughtfully. "Point taken."

Rolling her eyes at the pouting blonde, she commented, "Anyway-" Emerald eyes flicked to Kakashi's one, smiling, scrunching her nose in a playful way. "You're invited."

Naruto jabbed a bandaged finger at the man leaning against the wall, shouting, "No reading tonight Kakashi-sensei!" Blue eyes narrowed behind the accusing finger adding forebodingly, "You'd better come out."

Pushing off from the wall Kakashi gave them an indistinct, "I'll think about it."

There was a grumbled, "…Think nothing," as the injured of the three crossed his arms and stuck out his bottom lip.

Sakura smirked adding her own two cents. Eyeing the silver haired man with mirth in her emerald eyes, she laughed out, "Don't make him start with the puppy eyes Kakashi. You know its next."

Sakura almost melted, being on the receiving end of one of Kakashi's famous eye-creases.

Bending his head in defeat, Kakashi sighed out a, "maybe," in return, before waving, adding a "Nice job" over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

Naruto beamed as Sakura smirked, thinking that a 'maybe' was a far better answer than a 'no'. Not wanting to let the man out of her sight just yet, Sakura quickly scrambled off her stool going after him, giving Naruto a hurried goodbye of "See you tonight".

Naruto waved unseen to the woman quickly departing the room.

Sakura caught up with her easy strolling target. Keeping things light, she mimicked his pace, slouch, and hand positions exactly. After a silent minute of heading down the stairs, Sakura mimicked turning a page of the imaginary little book she was holding beside the quiet shinobi. Finally, Kakashi turned a narrowed eye upon her, apathetically inquiring, "Something I can do for you Sakura?"

Sakura continued the lethargic perusal of her pretend paperback for a moment before giving him an answer, eyes still on its made-up pages. In an obvious façade of boredom she replied with an effortless, "Nope."

They lapsed into comfortable silence, as they passed the reception desk. The lax medic on duty looked up from behind her 'Kunoichi Monthly', regarding the masked man from before with a simple nod. Her dark eyes turned to the young woman at his side, smiling and waving. "Sakura-chan, how's your friend doing?" Her smile turned to a scowl as she remembered chasing him back to his room earlier. "He hasn't tried to get out of his bed again has he?"

Sakura waved back over her imaginary book. With a smile of her own she said, "No. And he won't." Smirking, thinking back to the death threat she had laid upon him, she said reassuringly, "You can trust that Yome-san."

'Book' in one hand, pocket around the other, Sakura hurried ahead and pushed the glass doors open with her back, mimicking what Kakashi was known to do on several occasions. The receptionist laughed, as Kakashi seemingly ignored the younger kunoichi's behavior, passing by with ease.

Sakura winked at the kind receptionist, who just laughed again and waved her off, before heading to the outside.

She inwardly smirked, seeing as how the man who had kept away from her for so long was patiently waiting on the top of the steps now. He was masking this under the guise of scrutinizing his pages closely, but she knew better. He had never waited for any of them before, usually disappearing in a cloud of smoke the moment he could get away from them. She was half surprised he hadn't 'poofed' away during her short conversation with Yome. Her inward smirk grew even wider as she realized the implications. Kakashi obviously missed her as well.

Feeling pretty good about herself, what with knowing that little tidbit, Sakura, still reading her imaginary book, came up beside him. Eyes scanning imaginary lines, she said in speculative tones, "Hm, Junko seems the dense type, you know?" Sakura ignored the narrowed dark eye that slid to her image. Pointing to a spot on her palm or a place in her so called 'book' she began, "See here? The beautiful enemy kunoichi professed her undying devotion to him during their fight."

She sighed in an over-dramatized fashion, shaking her head. "But he just ignored her words and continued their battle." Sakura made a play of closing the make-believe paperback, making another show of putting it away in her hip-pouch. Afterwards with Kakashi still looking at her, puzzled, out of the corner of his eye behind his own book, she crossed her arms, nodding her head once. In a dreamy voice, eyes in a fake glazed state, looking out over the crowded street, she sighed out, "They could have had something wonderful."

Ignoring Kakashi's raised eyebrow, Sakura turned to him then. Before he even knew what was happening, Sakura, cheery smile in place, waved once saying happily, "See ya tonight Kakashi!" before disappearing in a shower of pink petals.

Kakashi quirked a brow confused for more than one reason.

Usually it was himself who disappeared in such a way. And what exactly had she meant by those cryptic thoughts from that imaginary book of hers? But most importantly Kakashi asked himself, 'How did she know Junko's name?'

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Sakura smirked evilly as she turned the key in her door. She wasn't too worried about Kakashi not showing up that night. She was relatively sure that part was already covered. Emerald eyes lingered to the little black dress hanging in her closet then. It was a little black dress that most women owned, a dark piece of silky fabric that clung to all the right places and showed off more than it should. Of course Sakura was never one to actually have any such thing hanging in her own. Not being the type to have ever bought anything so revealing nor one to go out and buy something she'd definitely never wear again, Sakura had simply…borrowed one from Ino.

She had of course lied about her intentions, saying she was tired of pining over her mystery man, wanting to find some 'action' that night. Ino had of course become the bestfriend that she was known to be sometimes, hip-checking her out of the way and finding her the perfect ensemble in two seconds flat. Of course Ino's idea of perfect was far off the mark of what Sakura was looking for. She had to be daring that night but her conservative side had screamed…not too daring.

Sakura was never the type of woman at ease in her own skin like her friend; even now she still had reservations about her body. But she had made compromises and found something suitable and to her liking, hence the little black dress. It was tasteful, yet provocative, silky, yet slightly see-through in the right light. But the most important thing about it was, once she had slipped it on…even before looking in the mirror…she felt beautiful and bold. It was a mindset that was a prerequisite for the night to come.

Anko had been uncharacteristically generous and offered to lend the 'in need' kunoichi one of her own…but Sakura had delicately declined…the moment it was suggested. Ino's dodgy tastes were bad enough. Sakura had shuddered to think what appalling washrag the older woman would have produced. Images of leather and netting had come to mind. Sakura wanted something that said, "Come here big boy" not "You may call me 'Mistress' slave!"

Inner Sakura snickered at the comparison as Outer Sakura went to start her bath. She had a few hours of primping to do; actually, it was more like a few hours to soak in the bath, psyching herself up for what she needed to do.

Her two 'seduction' coaches had told her to treat this as she would a mission of the same sort. First, she was to get inside his head, figure out his likes and dislikes. What interested him and so forth. Sakura felt some reassurance that she could already sign off that part of her imaginary checklist. The rest would come that night.

Inner Sakura pumped a fist sounding remarkably like a recovering shinobi she knew, 'He's not gonna know what hit him!'

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"Ten bucks says he doesn't even look at her."

"Remind me again why we're doing this?"

Asuma rolled his eyes, ever-present cigarette in place. "A friend in need and all that." Genma shot him a look, making him sigh. In gloomy tones, the bearded man told the truth. "Old lady would have my ass if I didn't."

Genma huffed, kicking a stone on the street that lead to a certain silver haired jounin's apartment. "Yeah,yeah, but why am I here?"

Asuma's answer was a blunt, "If I'm going down, you are too."

The other man sighed, his own object embedded between his lips. "Great. We're all going to hell and I'm driving the bus."

There was a pointed, "You always were," answered with an like-minded, "This is true."

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After thinking things through, making his way home to his apartment earlier that day, Kakashi had been determined not to go to the little shindig he was so kindly invited to. He had steadfastly decided to stay the hell away from his and his friend's usual watering hole in favor of staying inside, far away from the pink haired kunoichi that was… his new found weakness.

Unfortunately, his genius brain hadn't calculated in his two so called friends who wouldn't take no for an answer. Apparently, they were invited as was the rest of his usual group. Kakashi figured Sakura, the perpetrator of the event, -no doubt with Ino's help- had probably invited half the village.

Still, he didn't see why his friends were so persistent about his company. Then again, they were all inside the village for the night, a feat that wasn't known to happen but once every blue moon these days…kind of like his sex life.

So, here he was sitting at a table, tipping his chair back listening to another inane story Gai was enthusiastically telling about some bad guys he tore into on his last mission. The only difference between this night and any other was the extra bodies lining the other tables that had been pushed together. The other occupants, besides his friends, included such people as: the chuunin from his previous mission, members of the old rookie nine, Umino Iruka, Shizune, and even the Hokage herself.

Of course the guest of honor was there as well. Naruto had slapped him on the shoulder with a loud exclamation of, "I knew you'd make it!" leaving Kakashi feeling slightly guilty that he had come under forced actions.

The guilt left the moment Naruto moved from his seat further down the table to the empty chair beside him. He didn't mind the younger man's boisterous laughter so much anymore, but still…small doses.

It didn't look like his fortune was turning out so well that night. On his other side sat a woman who was known for the same ear-rattling laughter. His only reprieve was the empty chair between them that the kunoichi had deemed her leg rest. He felt some relief in knowing that no one was foolish enough to even come near it. He knew anyone that dared would be on the receiving end of nasty glare promising things that would no doubt be followed through if the ignorant fool persisted.

Kakashi inwardly sighed, not being around the usual crowd meant having to resort to lightening reflexes. It was something he had gotten used to over the years, what with wanting to keep his lower features hidden.

As Kakashi took a sip of his drink in blinding speeds, he couldn't help but wonder…

Turning to the blonde beside him, who was laughing at something Konohamaru had said, Kakashi Idly he asked, "And where is our illustrious hostess?"

Naruto took a deep swig of his drink and pounded his large mug on the table, loudly proclaiming, "She's late!" Snorting he turned to his former team leader, audaciously poking him in the shoulder, "Kind'a like you Kakashi-sensei!"

"Yes, but I'm here-" A dark eye roamed the table then, before adding somewhat morosely due to not actually being the one tardy this time, "And she's isn't."

With Konohamaru not so subtly eyeing the Copy-nin with a smirk, Naruto waved him off, "Aw, she'll be here." After another swig of his drink, he explained cheerfully, "Ino ain't here yet either." Rolling his eyes at the vain priorities of a female, he guessed, "Sakura-chan's probably trying to pry Ino out her door." Naruto shrugged, too used to such things from the Yamanaka woman. "She's probably busy trying to convince Ino that her butt doesn't look fat in her dress or something."

Just then manicured fingers latched on to his ear from behind as a highly irritated feminine voice asked darkly, "Whose butt looks fat?" With Naruto face scrunched up in pain with lots of 'ow's following, Ino, giving Konohamaru a flash of cleavage, leaned down whispering dangerously in Naruto's ear, "The only fat butt around here is the one on your shoulders Naruto."

Naruto spluttered out his apologies, pale and sweating as Ino promptly changed moods, taking up a seat next to the quiet Hyuuga on Naruto's other side. Kakashi chucked behind his mask shaking his head about to turn back to another one of Gai's absurd stories when several things happened. With the sound of the door being opened came many heads turning to look directly behind him. This was followed by Asuma's cigarette falling to his vest burning a hole in his pocket making Kurenai whack him in an attempt to put out the small smoldering fire and Genma's senbon clattering to the table with a dazed "you owe me ten bucks" falling from his lips.

As he turned, Kakashi missed Ino and the Hokage's smirk, Naruto's dropped jaw, Hinata's light blush, and the rest of the table's shocked expressions. Konohamaru -unwittingly guessing correctly at just who the kunoichi had obviously dressed up for- waggled his eyebrows at the back of Kakashi's head as the man turned. If Kakashi had looked to his other side, he would have noticed the wink given to the new arrival as well as the removal of the woman's sandaled feet from the chair between them.

But he hadn't.

And he wouldn't…

… because right now, he was too busy ogling the sexy picturesque bit of kunoichi that was quite obviously… dressed to kill.

The white hot desire to do all the things that he had just recently fantasized about in his dreams overcoming him, Kakashi was positive in that moment about two things. One, in the long flowing dress, Sakura looked good enough to- well… the words he wanted to use were much too graphic to speak aloud. And two, Haruno Sakura was definitely his weakness.

She was a weakness Hatake Kakashi feared he might not be strong enough to survive. But as his wide dark eye roved over: the shapely shoulders exposed by the little black straps, the generous amount of cleavage from the V-neck dip, the high cut slits exposing creamy bits of thigh on either side of her toned legs, the way the material clung to the rest of her body showing off a curvaceous shape he had only seen in his dreams, Kakashi couldn't help but desperately think, 'Oh, but what a way to go…'

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To Be Continued