Disclaimer: I own nothing but the lame plot. D:

Pairing: Kakashi x Sasuke

Re-Rejuvenated

By: yukuro

Stage Three: Adolescence

If Kakashi thought he was miserable before, he was ready to take that back and call the moments he had been spending lately compete agony. A week had already passed since he lost control and kissed Sasuke, but he was still agonizing about that moment despite the time. He should have expected to be ill received. After all, Sasuke was more innocent than he appeared. Also, he could not exactly overlook the fact that the person who had suddenly kissed him was his teacher. Oh, and in child form. That pretty much took the cake.

Kakashi was expecting the dark haired teen to be mentally traumatized, shocked, awkward, shy, something at least. He needed some kind of sign to figure out what Sasuke was feeling. But Sasuke was completely unchanged. In fact, it was as if nothing had happened at all. Kakashi vaguely wondered if Sasuke had simply forgotten or thought it was some kind of dream. Also, it was not helping that Kakashi had not grown in the slightest since that occurrence. It was like a bad reminder. Groaning out loud, he dropped his head soundly on the table on top of his share of Iruka's paperwork he was previously attempting to fill out.

"You know, acting like that really isn't going to help your situation," Iruka commented wisely, placing another sheet of paper neatly on top of the stack to his right—the "complete" stack.

He had been putting up with Kakashi's various tortured expressions and acts for the past week, ever since Kakashi woefully blurted out everything that happened the moment he stepped into the room the day after the incident. The way Kakashi was, Iruka had to wonder if Kakashi was actually experiencing a woman's puberty rather than a man's. At that, he chuckled quietly to himself. He supposed he should be grateful. As far as he knew, Kakashi was far from sociable when he was young. This was probably another opportunity for him to live his life, and Iruka got to be part of it. That was an honor, wasn't it?

"But it makes me feel better," Kakashi moaned, lifting his head with several sheets of paper stuck to his forehead. "Why doesn't he say anything about it? I just don't get it."

"Ever considered, oh, I don't know, talking to him about what happened?" Iruka asked grimly with an exasperated sigh as he reached over to retrieve the papers that were stuck to Kakashi's forehead. All right, so maybe he had to reconsider how fortunate he was to be a part of the situation. After the papers were safely in hand, Iruka extended his other arm to pat the teen's head affectionately. "Kakashi, don't lose your adult rationale."

"If he's trying to forget, I figure I shouldn't bother him about it," Kakashi sighed in a more serious tone as he sat upright and ran a hand roughly through his hair.

"Isn't that your answer then?" Iruka asked gently, replacing his papers onto the stack. He silently noted that Kakashi looked just a bit more miserable right then. Quietly, Iruka went on, "Although it's hard, part of being an adult is knowing when to give up everything for a child's sake. I'm sure you know that."

"I hate being an adult sometimes," Kakashi grumbled, falling forward again to rest his head on the table.

Seeing that Kakashi's mood had brightened from the previous solemnity, Iruka smiled. Laughing lightly, he teased, "That's a little ironic coming from your present state, you know."

"You were the one who had to point out the fact that I'm still an adult," Kakashi accused childishly. "Ah, and here I thought I could enjoy being a kid again for a while."

"I think you've had enough fun as it is," Iruka declared loudly. "In fact, from what I hear so far, you're practically exploiting your use of situation." A bit of a devious expression came onto Iruka's face as he stated offhandedly, "But you know, if you're bored, I can always enroll you in the academy again. We'll be off summer break soon…"

"No thanks," Kakashi replied instantly, crossing his arms before him just for good measure while Iruka snickered to himself. He smiled slightly to himself once Iruka returned his attention to his work. Over this course of time, he had made himself a good friend, and he had Sasuke to thank for that. He had Sasuke to thank for many things that had happened. He had not wanted to admit it, but this second childhood really was more fun since Sasuke was at his side. Kakashi chuckled quietly to himself. Now he knew a little how Naruto felt.

"Hmm… It's getting to be that time soon…"

Blinking, Kakashi looked up, snapped out of his train of thought. Iruka was gazing out the window at the setting sun with a slight frown. Kakashi had almost forgotten that Iruka was assigned a mission for that day and would have to leave early. Glumly, he helped the man organize his papers and put them away into his bag.

"Sorry I can't stay longer," Iruka apologized once all the papers were put away and Kakashi was staring out the window in boredom. "But Sasuke said he wouldn't be out long today right? He should be back any minute now."

As if on cue, there was a brief knock on the door and Naruto barged in. Grinning widely, he greeted the two, "Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei!"

"What are you doing back, Naruto?" Iruka questioned, walking towards the blond to tap the top of his head lightly with a file he had in hand. "Did you finish your mission already? Where's Sasuke?"

Naruto shrugged and slipped his sandals off. Standing up straight again, he explained, "Actually, we finished our mission a while ago. Sasuke and I were waiting at Tsunade-no-baachan's to submit the special report. Anyway, he's still there now. Since we knew Iruka-sensei had to leave early, Sasuke asked me to come keep Kakashi-sensei company."

"Does he really think I need a babysitter all the time or something?" Kakashi mumbled to himself.

"Nah, he's just worried about you," Naruto laughed, miraculously hearing Kakashi's mumbling from across the room. "He tries really hard to hide it though. What an idiot. Trying to act cool all the time."

Kakashi was suddenly immensely glad for his facemask. He was probably uncharacteristically blushing right about now underneath the black cloth.

Iruka smiled, knowing that Kakashi probably needed to hear those reassuring words from someone besides him. Reaching for his sandals, he asked the blond, "What's the occasion, Naruto? It usually doesn't take very long to submit a report. Even a confidential one. What's holding Sasuke up for so long?"

"Hmm," Naruto hummed thoughtfully for a moment, bring his hand up to tap his chin. "Tsunade-no-baachan wanted to talk to him about something, or something like that. Oh, and Sakura-chan's coming back for her extended mission today."

Kakashi froze.

"Oh, a date?" Iruka teased, nudging Naruto lightly.

"It better not be!" Naruto exclaimed firmly, crossing his arms. "Well, I doubt it anyway. I mean, if Tsunade-no-baachan wanted both of them for something, it's probably work related. Although, I am a bit worried."

"About Sasuke or Sakura?" Iruka teased again with a wider grin.

"Iruka-sensei!"

The two at the front door were so busy teasing each other, they failed to notice how tense Kakashi had suddenly become. There was something extremely unnerving about a mix between Tsunade, Sakura, and Sasuke. Especially Sakura and Sasuke. Kakashi most definitely could not forget Tsunade's original intention for him to stay with Sakura since she was a medic and could better provide for his situation.

Staying with Sakura meant he would not be able to stay with Sasuke anymore. And not staying with Sasuke anymore meant he would not be able to tease him, watch him sleep, wait forever for him to finish his showers, and bother him all the time. Kakashi did not like this at all. He may have been acting self-centered, but he decided to blame it on his child form later.

"I'm going."

"Huh?" Naruto and Iruka asked simultaneously as Kakashi pushed away from the kitchen table and disappeared into the bedroom. Confused, the two exchanged glances.

When Kakashi reemerged, he had a handful of familiar scrolls at hand. Once he returned to the living room, he dropped the scrolls on the floor and plopped himself down into a sitting position beside the pile. Naruto and Iruka were still watching him curiously, unsure of what he was planning.

"Ack! I'm going to be late!" Iruka exclaimed in a panic when he realized he had been dragging out his time. Securing his papers and sandals, he opened the door and slipped out, not before warning sternly, "You two behave. Naruto, make sure you keep a close eye on him. He's been unpredictable these days."

"Kakashi-sensei is always unpredictable," Naruto laughed as he waved goodbye to Iruka. Once the door was shut again, Naruto let his hands fall on his waist and returned his attention to Kakashi, who looked like he was trying to chose from the scrolls. Strolling over, Naruto asked in curiosity, "So what are you doing with those? Going to summon something?"

"I'll just stick with Pakkun," Kakashi finally decided, lifting his hand to his lips.

Naruto sighed when Kakashi ignored him and proceeded to bite his finger for some blood. It was almost funny. Suddenly, he felt like the teacher and Kakashi was the student. The blond grinned to himself. It was way too funny.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu," Kakashi mumbled, pressing his hand down to the ground. In a small poof of smoke, Pakkun appeared on top of the pile of scrolls and saluted his master.

"Well then, are you going to let me in on what you're planning, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, squatting down to help clean the scrolls up.

As if suddenly possessed by an evil spirit, Kakashi turned to grin wickedly at the blond. Devious glint in his eyes, he asked offhandedly, "Say, Naruto. You're worried about Sasuke too, aren't you?"

Blinking in surprise, Naruto drew back, fully aware of the bright red blush that was staining his face. "W-What are you talking about? Obviously the one I'm worried about is Sakura-chan!"

"Right, right, whatever," Kakashi said with a careless wave of his hand.

"Argh, you don't believe at all do you?" Naruto grumbled, dropping his head into his hands in mortification. "Just tell me what you're planning already. I've done all the mental preparation I can."

"When I was a child, all I could think about was following the rules no matter what," Kakashi said suddenly in a hushed tone. So soft that Naruto almost missed his words. Pakkun mutely lay a paw on top of Kakashi's hand. "Living like this now…is not like me at all, but I still feel a little relieved."

"Change is good though," Naruto said with a spreading smile. Laughing, he went on, "After all, I really can't imagine a Kakashi-sensei that's such a stickler for rules!"

Kakashi was silent for a moment, before laughing aloud with renewed vigor. Patting the top of Pakkun's head affectionately, he declared, "Well then. My spirit's renewed! Now to find out what Sasuke's up to!"

It took a moment for Naruto to fully process what Kakashi was suggesting, but once it went through his brain, he nearly felt his jaw drop open. When Kakashi began to cheerfully give out instructions to the small dog before him, Naruto felt a sly smirk cross his lips. He rather liked this version of Kakashi. "Spying on Sasuke and Sakura-chan? Kakashi-sensei, I think I like you this way."

"Don't call it 'spying,'" Kakashi said firmly, rising to his feet as Pakkun hopped onto the windowsill. "Call it 'information gathering.'"

"Or 'research,' as Ero-Sennin likes to call his blatant voyeurism," Naruto commented with a roll of his eyes. With a glimmer of excitement shining in his blue eyes, he pumped a fist in the air. "Yosh! Let's go then!"

"As usual, you're such an energetic student," Kakashi commented cheerfully, as he strolled leisurely towards the window. Secretly, he was rather glad Naruto was there to accompany him. It was the first time he was doing something so deliberately immature and intrusive. It pays to have someone with experience to guide him? Or something like that.

Just before Kakashi took hold of the windowsill, Naruto grabbed hold of his shoulder and pulled him back with a rather evil grin. "Just a second, Kakashi-sensei. You can't just go out like that. You'll be discovered, right? How about a disguise?"

Kakashi, slightly perturbed, exchanged glances with Pakkun before asking reluctantly, "What exactly do you have in mind?"

With a wink, Naruto stuck his hands together and transformed into his feminine form, which had become rather infamous by now. Kakashi immediately shook his head. "No," he declared flatly. "You do know by now that everyone recognizes you like that, right?"

"It's not me that has to disguise himself," Naruto replied wickedly, leaning closer to the younger teen. "Kakashi-sensei…"

Pakkun slapped a paw over his eyes.

"Frankly, I can't use any kind of jutsu in this state," Kakashi admitted. "I'm not allowed to risk disturbing my chakra flow."

Naruto shrugged it off immediately and waved his hand as if it were a small matter. "We can always do it the old fashion way."

"I'm not dressing in drag," Kakashi almost pouted.

The blond laughed out loud. "Let's just try it for fun! Besides, you might make a cute little girl!"

Even Pakkun let out a chuckle at that.

"I don't think this is funny," Kakashi grumbled as Naruto flattened his spiky hair. Uncooperatively, he shook his head out of the blond's grasp. "I think just a cloak will be enough."

"Aww, that's no fun at all," Naruto complained, but complied, releasing his hold on the smaller teen's head. An idea coming into his head, he commented slyly with a smirk, "You'd do it if Sasuke asked you to."

"…no way," Kakashi scoffed. He could hardly believe he was actually having this discussion. Any chance of retaining his adult mentality must have completely slipped away. Under his breath, he mumbled, "I'd rather see Sasuke do it."

Naruto snickered at that comment but went to retrieve a cloak for Kakashi anyway. No wonder Kakashi always used to tease them when they were young. It was so much fun teasing kids. Naruto vaguely thought to himself that he could get used to Kakashi being a child. Definitely. It was just too much fun. Which randomly gave him an idea.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Pakkun commented to his master as Kakashi absent-mindedly scratched behind the dog's ear.

"If you can call it that," Kakashi sighed in response. Turning to glance over his shoulder, Kakashi called, "Naruto! Did you get the cl—…"

Sasuke was standing behind him, hands clasped behind his back and…blushing in a very Hinata-esque fashion. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"K-Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke began quietly, eyes trailing the ground nervously. "Don't go."

Kakashi sighed yet again and turned to stare stonily at the teen. "Nice try, Naruto," he said loudly, making the blushing Sasuke twitch. "Sasuke hasn't called me 'sensei' since the first day we met."

"Che."

In an instant, Naruto transformed back and tossed Kakashi the cloak with a grin. Excitedly, he asked, "But you know, I stunned you for a second, didn't I? Ah, I knew it. I'm good."

"I hate to interrupt, but I can see Sasuke from here," Pakkun called from where he was perched on the windowsill. "He's with Sakura."

That made Kakashi instantly dash for the window with Naruto strolling after him with a little less urgency and a mildly amused expression. Perched over the edge of the sill, Kakashi squinted slightly to observe the pair as they made their way down the village streets. They were actually quite a distance away, so Kakashi figured he would have to leave immediately if he were to catch up with them. Tossing the cloak over his shoulders sloppily, Kakashi secured the hood and leaped nimbly onto the windowsill. "Let's go, Pakkun."

"I guess this means I have to lock the door," Naruto sighed while tossing his arms up. As Kakashi slipped out the window, the blond retreated to the front door to place the lock properly in. Smirking to himself, he muttered in amusement, "So Kakashi-sensei does let his guard down sometimes. I wonder if Sasuke's aware of that."

Once the door was safely locked and the windows were all tightly shut, Naruto ducked out of the last open window and perched himself on the roof. He had locked up in a hurry, but Kakashi was already a good distance away from him. Naruto almost laughed. He would definitely have to tease them about this scenario later. It was just too cute for an adult like Kakashi worry about Sasuke on a date. Although, Naruto reminded himself, he himself had not completely grown out of that habit. Shrugging to himself, he smoothly leaped to the next roof, intent on catching up with Kakashi. This time, he would just be there to observe.

---

From the moment they first ran into each other in Tsunade's office, Sasuke dreaded this. Sasuke was well aware of Sakura's increasingly impressive medical jutsu skills. He was also well aware of the fact that he was indeed housing someone with a rare and distinct medical problem. It hardly took a genius, although a genius Sasuke was, to figure out what Tsunade was going to request when she asked to speak with the two of them privately. Sasuke had simply failed to realize he was very agitated over the situation. Or rather, the reason why.

For a good part of their stay together, Sasuke had thought Kakashi was a burden or that he was annoying, clingy, and other such things. Despite that, he had never thought of parting with his child-sized former teacher either. In fact, he had not even dreamed of the possibility of pushing the task off to someone else. He had reassured himself many times it was simply because he hated giving up on something he started. He did, after all, consider this a mission just like any other. And with that, he would rank it an A in difficulty. Maybe even S.

At times he felt guilty for thinking of looking after Kakashi as a mission. Particularly when the presently younger teen acted unbearably sweet and thoughtful. Sasuke was almost disturbed at times when he remembered just exactly whom that façade of an adorable teen was. Despite all that, he still had not thought of passing him along to someone else. Even though sometimes, Kakashi did act like a manipulative little devil.

"Why don't we get some tea?" Sakura suggested, tapping the side of her face thoughtfully. "It's been a while since I've been home. I really miss the village's atmosphere."

Sasuke managed a tiny quirk of the lips that had taken Sakura years of experience to recognize as a smile. The girl simply smiled casually back and returned her gaze in search of her favorite tea spot. Years ago, she would have had her heart leaping out of her chest at the mere thought of a date with Sasuke. But she was older and more mature now, and she knew well enough Sasuke thought of her only as a comrade. Her feelings for him would never change, but she had converted them completely into friendship and camaraderie for now. A comrade should never betray another's trust, after all.

"Since I asked you here, I'll treat," Sasuke stated calmly as he followed after the girl. The thought of their outing being a date never even crossed his mind. In fact, being on a date with anyone in general never crossed his mind. In this case, Sakura was his friend and she had been out of the country for a long time. He may as well welcome her back accordingly. Plus, he was a gentleman—at least that was what he was told. He vaguely figured that meant he had to be nice to girls, a task that he had struggled with for many years.

"Good," Sakura laughed, "I expected no less."

Sasuke had to admit, he liked this carefree Sakura much more than the Sakura that was constantly pining for him and acting phony to catch his attention. In other words, he enjoyed being just friends with her rather than any other way. It had taken long enough to get their relationship this way, but Sasuke liked it. In truth, he had secretly been a little jealous of the friendship Sakura and Naruto shared. His relationship with both of them was completely different. When he thought about it more, his relationship with Kakashi was more like that of Sakura and Naruto's. Suddenly thinking of Kakashi made Sasuke flush for some unfathomable reason, and he ducked his head and grit his teeth to hide it from Sakura. If anyone, he blamed Kakashi for this.

"Something wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with a glance over her shoulder as she ducked into the small café.

"N-Nothing," Sasuke grumbled a bit gruffly, still keeping his head low until his blush disappeared. It was annoying that Kakashi could still embarrass him even when he wasn't around, Sasuke thought miserably to himself. Yet another reason why he despised Kakashi.

"It's actually rather crowded in here," Sakura commented. "Let's sit at a table outside. We wouldn't want other people to hear about Tsunade-shishou's request."

Nodding in agreement, Sasuke slipped back out after Sakura and slid onto the bench at the nearest table. He was still so busy being sullen over Kakashi being annoying even from a distance that he almost missed a familiar tingling sensation on the back of his neck. He almost completely failed to notice it until Sakura spoke up calmly, "I believe we're being watched. They're reasonably far away though. Across the street."

Snapping out of his daze, Sasuke snorted. Honestly, he had been expecting something like this. "It's probably just Naruto. Leave the idiot alone."

"Hmm," Sakura buzzed musingly as the waitress brought them two steaming mugs of tea and a teapot. "If it's just Naruto, they why don't we invite him over. He already knows about Kakashi-sensei, right? It shouldn't be a problem."

For a moment, Sasuke considered it. It was vaguely entertaining to think that Sakura would be the one to suggest such a thing. A few years ago, the girl probably would not have even dreamed of suggesting such a thing. Despite Sakura's invitation, Sasuke smirked wickedly. "Let him suffer a bit. It's amusing to see him squirm."

"Still haven't changed," Sakura commented with an amused smile. "Sasuke-kun, I see you get along with Naruto as well as ever."

Sakura had gotten so good with the way she spoke, Sasuke was having difficulty determining whether or not she was being sarcastic. Shaking his head, Sasuke reached for his tea and pushed the matter aside. Naruto was not on today's tea topics. That could be saved for next time. Or something like that.

"Well then," Sakura began, placing her teacup down after taking a sip. "We may as well get down to business. I still have a report to fill out."

Pushing everything else into the back of his head, Sasuke closed his eyes. "Right. Sorry about that."

---

"Why do I keep getting the feeling they've already noticed us?" Naruto asked gloomily, as he slumped over in his chair to catch his breath. He had underestimated Kakashi's urgency and ended up running quite a bit at top speed to catch up with the other teen. They were presently sitting in a restaurant across the street and two over from the one Sasuke and Sakura were at.

"Because they have," Kakashi replied simply as Pakkun, who sat comfortably on Kakashi's lap, relayed to him what the two were saying. Cheerfully, he went on, "But since they think it's just you, they're not taking any action. At least, that's what Sasuke proposed. He's so cute."

Naruto made a face at the last comment. It was so weird hearing something like that come from Kakashi's mouth. Especially when he was such a small size. Then again, everything about what had been happening lately was weird in itself. Sitting in a restaurant, not eating anything, having people stare at him for being with a cloaked figure in the middle of summer, and listening to Kakashi gush over Sasuke's cuteness was so not helping. Just when he was sure the situation could not get hopelessly, possibly worse, he was promptly proved wrong.

"Naruto?"

The blond winced at the familiar voice as he slowly turned in the direction of the call. Shikamaru and Neji stood before him with similar quizzical expressions on their faces. He then realized what the situation looked like. He was with a suspicious looking figure in an odd place. Wait. Wasn't this that restaurant started by that one pirate who was rumored to be a transvestite or something?

Naruto's jaw dropped open on its own.

"It's not what it looks like!"

"Its not what what looks like?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "We're here to meet someone about a mission, but what are you doing here?" Noting Kakashi, who really did look rather suspicious, he added, "And with, uh, interesting company?"

"Nothing!" Naruto instantly protested, unaware of the fact that denial simply made him seem more suspicious to the pair.

Kakashi said nothing, as if oblivious to the new arrivals' presences. In fact, he was so concentrated that it seemed likely that was the case.

"W-Why exactly are you guys meeting someone here for a mission anyway?" Naruto asked in attempt to change the subject as the two pulled out chairs at the table and seated themselves temporarily.

Neji shot the blond an odd look. "Why not? Shikamaru's uncle runs this place."

Oh, that's right. The pirate's restaurant was next door. Oops.

"I can't hear if you keep talking," Kakashi snapped a bit irritably from where he sat. It was the first thing he had said since Shikamaru and Neji had arrived. The two were slightly taken aback by how familiar the voice sounded, and how they were unable to identify it.

The remaining three at the table then simultaneously turned in the direction of the fourth party's gaze.

"I guess it's a good thing Lee went to run errands today then," Neji sighed.

"Because the girl he likes is on a date with the guy she used to like?" Shikamaru asked dully, making the longhaired jounin twitch visibly.

Frowning, Neji shot the younger teen a glare. "Shikamaru, the way you word things is so…"

"Sexy."

Neji sputtered, flailed, and flushed all at the same time, making Naruto edge away from him slightly and others at the restaurant stare. Shikamaru could only sigh and turn slightly towards the new arrival. "Ino, I told you not to tease him."

The girl, who really was running an errand for her parents, simply shrugged. "Oh, you know Neji-san knows it's true. He likes it. Otherwise he wouldn't be with you."

"Define 'with,'" Neji demanded with a dark glare, face still considerably red. Shikamaru was hardly helping by shrugging with a slight smirk on his face.

Naruto's jaw opened and closed several times as his gaze periodically trailed over towards the still very focused Kakashi. Before he could ask the others keep their voices down a little, Kakashi rose up from his seat suddenly and pulled away from the table without a word. Naruto blinked. He had been so distracted by the others, he had forgotten to listen in with Kakashi on Sasuke and Sakura's conversation. "Ka—uh, I mean…"

"I'm going back," Kakashi said quietly, walking swiftly away from the table.

Naruto was worried. Kakashi sounded serious there. Could that have meant the conversation had been bad? "Ka—I mean, you! Hey!"

Ignoring Naruto, Kakashi continued his dash back to Sasuke's house. He had already heard more than he needed to hear.

---

"It was Tsunade-shishou who proposed the idea, but what do you think?" Sakura asked frankly as she poured them both some more tea. "She did say it was your decision after all, despite how she sounded. I'm willing to go with whatever you decide on."

"Kakashi can be…a pain," Sasuke started slowly, eyes concentrated on his teacup. "He causes trouble and makes fun of me all the time."

"But?" the girl asked wisely, a tiny smile crossing her lips.

"But," Sasuke admitted in a low murmur, "he takes care of things, and I know I can trust him. He came to me first, and I just can't let him down."

"You do know why he came to you first, right?" Sakura asked, smiling firmly now as she came to understand the situation more. "Kakashi-sensei trusts you and thinks your important enough to see his weakness. Don't you think you can say that he really likes you?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment before closing his eyes in slight embarrassment. In an almost inaudible tone, he muttered, "I never doubted that."

Sakura laughed. "Well then, Sasuke-kun. The reason you asked me here today is because you want to ask…?"

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke kept his eyes closed and raised his voice a bit, although still muttering, "Please let Kakashi continue to stay with me."

"You don't have to ask twice to know what my answer will be," Sakura replied with a smile. "Seeing you happy is what's most important to me. Tsunade-shishou probably won't be completely pleased, but I'll definitely follow your decision."

At that, Sasuke could not help but offer the girl a soft smile. "Thanks, Sakura."

As Sakura laughed yet again, Sasuke blinked when a flash of a cloak crossed the corner of his eye. He turned his head, but saw nothing. Frowning slightly, he returned his attention back to his tea company. He could have sworn he had just seen Kakashi going down the street in the direction of his house, but… He shook his head. He probably just imagined it.

"By the way, Sasuke-kun," Sakura piped up suddenly as if the thought had just occurred to her. "If Naruto's over there spy on us, who's keeping Kakashi-sensei company? Didn't you ask Naruto to do that?"

Jumping up, Sasuke let a curse escape his lips, which Sakura politely ignored. He had completely forgotten about that. Paying the waitress for their tea, Sasuke apologized to the girl in a rush, "Sorry, Sakura. I'd better get back."

"Don't worry about it," the girl replied with a wave of her hand. Gesturing at the restaurant Naruto and the others were still hiding out at, she commented, "There's plenty of company across the street. I won't be lonely."

"Thanks," Sasuke breathed before dashing for his house, disappearing into the crowd.

Alone at the table, Sakura closed her eyes and continued to smile to herself. Letting out a content sigh, she said quietly to the empty chair across the table. "You already like him too. Don't you see that, Sasuke-kun?"

---

Sasuke was slightly out of breath when he reached his front door. He paused for a moment to catch his breath before making a move to open the door. It was rather peculiar, but there was no light streaming from the crack at the bottom of the door. Sasuke had to frown slightly at this observation. Either Kakashi was not home, or something had happened. Perturbed by both options, Sasuke pushed the door open and reached for the lights. Before he could reach any source of illumination, however, he was completely stunned by the vision before him.

"Welcome home, Sasuke," greeted a tall figure. Once the figure stepped closer, Sasuke felt his body freeze in shock. Kakashi had definitely grown, and the new development was making Sasuke slightly wobbly despite his rigid formation.

"I finally grew again," Kakashi said with an eerie smile as he drew closer still to Sasuke. Once they were only inches apart, Kakashi hovered over Sasuke and muttered in a serious voice, "Sasuke, I'm finally eighteen."

The dark haired teen was slightly confused by the now taller Kakashi's words. Slowly, he tilted his head upwards to gaze questionably and a bit irritably at Kakashi—another fine mistake on his part. Sasuke hardly had time to blink again when Kakashi grinned at his opportunity and swooped over for a sweeping kiss.

"K-Kakashi!" Sasuke exclaimed in a pant, pushing the taller teen away in a flush. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm finally the same age as you," Kakashi muttered seriously, bringing his arms to pull Sasuke into a tight embrace. "Isn't it ok now? I really want to stay with you too. You already got Sakura's permission, didn't you?"

Flushing wildly now, Sasuke pushed at the tall teen vainly. "So that was you! You bas—!"

Silencing him with a kiss, Kakashi would not release Sasuke's lips until the dark haired teen loosened and slumped slightly in his arms in humiliation. Chuckling, he murmured, "Sasuke, you're so cute."

"Quit molesting me, you pervert," Sasuke growled in a low tone. "And turn some lights on!"

"No," Kakashi replied with a light tone of cheer in his voice, ignoring the way Sasuke glared at him. "I won't stop this time. I can finally say it now."

Sasuke's glare intensified. Teeth gritted, he asked, "What?"

"That I like you," Kakashi replied with a playful smile, but in a tone that Sasuke found unmistakably serious. Slowly, his embrace around Sasuke's waist tightened and his head lowered for another kiss. "I've tried so hard to get to this age for you, Sasuke. Don't make me let it go to waste."

Even as Kakashi's hands wandered to places they really should not be, Sasuke found himself unable to fight back. He could only blush furiously as Kakashi's hands wandered up his shirt while his lips were attached to Sasuke's neck. He was unable to explain the reasons for his behavior. It was too draining. The way Kakashi was touching him was too distracting, and even though his mind was in a flurry, his body seemed to be craving every continuous touch.

He was hardly out of his daze when he felt Kakashi sweep him lightly off his feet. Sasuke was sure his brain must have shut down already, because if it were still active, it surely would have protested to the way Kakashi had sprawled him onto of the bed. Before his hands wandered again, however, Kakashi paused, looking uncertain. Sasuke vaguely noted that Kakashi, who he had always named a pervert, suddenly looked very nervous. He almost laughed, but kept it to a soft grin. Kakashi really was cute after all.

"I thought," Sasuke muttered slowly, face turning a brilliant shade of scarlet, "you said you won't stop this time?"

"It's your fault for tempting me," Kakashi groaned as he surrendered his conscience and leaned forward again while removing his shirt. Heart skipping a beat awkwardly as he observed the dark haired teen's flushed and willing expression, Kakashi pressed close again, where he would not rise again that night. "Sasuke…"

Sasuke was sure he had seen stars somewhere, but the curtains had been tightly drawn over the windows. His body was still aching even though he had already slept several hours since Kakashi tiredly collapsed on the bed beside him. On the inside, he frankly felt very strange and somewhat confused. His brain seemed to still be on leave, as his rationale had yet to return to him. What was he supposed to feel at a time like this? He still had not figured it out completely yet, but he could feel his heart pounding loudly as Kakashi pulled him close in his sleep.

Maybe, just maybe, he was starting to understand a little what Kakashi was feeling.

Although his eyes were closed, Sasuke was sure Kakashi's eyes had suddenly opened. He continued to feign sleep as Kakashi slowly slid away from him to sit on the edge of the bed. The silver haired teen sighed and ran his hand roughly through his hair once before quietly rising to retrieve his clothes. He apparently had his mind completely occupied with thoughts since he had failed to notice Sasuke was awake.

Once Kakashi had slipped out the window with a lingering glance at him, Sasuke opened his eyes and sat up slowly. Something about Kakashi's expression had bothered him and he fully intended on finding out what he was up to. Wincing as he got onto his feet, Sasuke dressed himself with as much haste as his aching body could manage and climbed out the window after Kakashi.

When Kakashi had finally slowed to a stop, Sasuke was surprised to find himself hiding outside of Tsunade's window, the single lighted window in the village at this time of night, while Kakashi knocked on the door inside. Sasuke felt his brow furrow as he wondered why Kakashi would visit Tsunade in the dead of the night. Particularly after what had just happened between them. Flushing at the memory, Sasuke shook it out of his head and returned his attention to straining his ears to hear what was being said inside.

"Tsunade-sama," Kakashi stated firmly the moment Shizune let him into the room. Icy seriousness in his voice, he stated with resolution even as Tsunade glared rather coldly at him, "I have a request. Please consider it."

Tsuzuku.

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A/N: Another long chapter to apologize for slowness. Next to getting sick, I've really been caught up in a whirlwind of just horrible crap in general, so you'll have to forgive me this time. D: Other than that! Re-Rejuvenated is reaching an end soon! It's already the second to last chapter! Waah… I can't really believe it myself. How will things turn out for Kakashi and Sasuke? I guess we'll have to find out :D (Doesn't it worry you that I, the author, am saying things like that too? XD) Oh and a little ShikaNeji, heh. I do so love them too. (Author's guilty plug—many apologies.)

Next Stage Preview:

"Please let me stay like this."

"There is a reason I tried to keep you away from Sasuke."

"Worst case scenario: you will die. Are you willing to risk that?"

"I don't want an idiot who would throw his life away."

"I knew you were an idiot after all."

"This is the end, isn't it?"

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Yes. 8D Miscellaneous quotes. Are they in order? Haha, no clue! (Just kidding. Mostly. Truth be told, I haven't started writing the next chapter yet. It's just in my head. D: But I'll be writing it as soon as I finish these notes.) Well, in the meantime, please carefully consider who said each of these lines. It's not very difficult to tell, but a cookie to a person who gets them all correct. ♥

Oh. One more stupid little thing:

OMAKE:

Naruto: Listening to Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke act all love-love is so embarrassing.

Pakkun: You're telling me. I had to sit there and tell Kakashi everything those two were saying.

Naruto: ...are you sure you told Kakashi-sensei correctly?

Pakkun: Then it was wrong to tell him that Sasuke wanted to do H-things with him?

Naruto: ...

Thank you for your support so far! Please continue to support me with your reviews. They really whip me into working faster. 8D Thanks again for reading.