Sakura fidgeted with the 'success in studies' charm hanging from her bag. Her first jounin exam preparatory class was Beginner's Sword, and though she had always admired the elegant simplicity of such a weapon, she had barely handled one before.

Add on her worries about Kakashi's sudden absence from her daily routine, and she was surprised she wasn't physically shaking. True, the Happiness charm had disappeared from his door, but she hadn't seen so much of a glimpse of the man himself in the last few days.

"Hey," a sandy-haired boy smiled at her, hanging his bag off the hook beside hers. "Beginner's Sword?"

"Yeah."

"Me too. I guess we'll be classmates. I'm Kenta, by the way." More students filed in, dropping off their bags and heading further into the doujo.

"They're all so young," Sakura murmured, biting her lip.

"I doubt they're much younger than you." Kenta appraised her. "Some of them might even be older, actually."

Sakura chuckled. "Right. Sorry, I keep forgetting."

Leaving the boy to ponder that statement, she moved to stand on the mats with the other students. The teacher appeared to be running late, but when he or she did arrive, Sakura wanted to look ready.

The door at the far end of the doujo opened with an ominous creak. The students turned their heads in unison, like a herd of prey animals reacting to a nearby predator. In the doorway stood their new sword teacher.

"Good morning class," Kakashi said, stepping up to the edge of the mats. "My name is Hatake Kakashi and I will be your teacher for this term."

Sakura might have laughed if she weren't so baffled. Was the universe having a joke at her expense? Her step forward had sent her two steps back, and she found herself once more as Kakashi's student. She tried to catch his eye, but his gaze seemed to touch everyone in the class but her.

"As this is a beginner's class, we will be using blunted practice katana until you're ready for the real thing. You will find them hanging at the back of the room, along with bougu armour." He gestured.

For a second nobody moved, but then as one the group began to surge toward the racks of weapons. Sakura tried not to get jostled or stabbed by her peers, grabbing a sword, helmet, breastplate and gloves and quickly withdrawing back to the mats. She hefted the blade in her hands; it was heavier than she expected.

"This sword is known as a wakizashi; a shorter version of the standard katana which can be wielded one-handed." Kakashi watched the class with his hands behind his back. "Form up into pairs, facing one another at either end of the mats."

For the next half hour of the class, Kakashi demonstrated some basic strikes and blocks, moving down both rows to make slight corrections.

"You never mentioned you'd be teaching again," Sakura said, when he finally reached her.

Kakashi didn't even look up from examining her stance. "Tighten your grip," he told her, before moving on. Sakura frowned at his back.

"The teacher's a bit of a hard-ass, huh?" Kenta, the boy from earlier, waggled his eyebrows. "But don't worry, he probably knows his stuff. He's one of the most powerful shinobi in the village, or at least he was when he still had a sharingan."

"He still is," Sakura said, stiffening.

"Quiet down everyone," Kakashi glared at the group. "The second half of the class will be dedicated to sparring. If, at any time, you hear me say the word 'halt', then you must stop immediately."

Sakura bowed to Kenta, before moving into the primary guard stance. The sword still felt awkward in her hand, but she managed to raise it for a strike to her opponent's helmet.

Kenta parried, and though Sakura could feel that hers was the superior strength, the clash of their blades still made her arm tingle. As if sensing her hesitation, the boy went for a strike to her sword arm. Sakura twisted her wrist to catch him at the last moment, but it wasn't enough to stop his momentum. Instead, both her sword and his twisted back toward her.

"Halt!"

Sakura froze, her own sword pressing against the throat protector attached to her helmet. Kenta backed off, and with the pressure of his sword gone Sakura was able to take a tentative breath.

All of the other pairs had paused and backed apart, and Kakashi strode between them as if walking through a guard of honour. He came to a halt in front of Sakura.

"Show me your primary guard stance."

She could see the others watching her from behind Kakashi's back. Sakura raised her sword, trying to read Kakashi's masked face.

Quick as lightning, Kakashi raised his own wakizashi and brought it crashing against Sakura's. She watched with dismay as the sword was knocked flying from her hand. Kenta took a step back as it clattered onto the mat near his feet.

"Your grip is far too loose," Kakashi reprimanded her. "You hold the sword like you're afraid of it."

Face burning, Sakura bent down to retrieve her weapon.

"I didn't say you could pick it up."

Her outstretched hand balled into a fist, and she looked up at Kakashi. "What am I supposed to do?"

"'What am I supposed to do, Sensei,'" Kakashi corrected her, and Sakura grit her teeth. He picked up her wakizashi in his free hand and nodded to the racks on the wall. "I think a bokken would better suit your level."

"A wooden sword?" Sakura screeched, and some of the other students exchanged significant looks. "It wouldn't last a second against the others."

Kakashi's expression remained neutral. "We have plenty of back-ups. You can have a proper sword when you prove you can handle it. Continue." He turned back to the front of the room, the others jumping back out of his path.

Sakura glared at the back of his head for a moment longer, before fetching a wooden sword from the racks.

"Wow," her partner gave a low whistle. "That was harsh. You okay?"

"Let's just do this," Sakura ground out, raising her bokken. It felt like a stick compared to the boy's steel weapon. "The sooner this class ends, the better."

"What the hell was that all about?" Sakura glared at Kakashi. She had practically chased him down after the class had ended, cornering him in a quiet part of the doujo. "I went through three swords in as many minutes!"

"Sorry." He glanced back down the empty corridor. "I just wanted to make sure nobody suspected me of favouring you because of our history."

"Well mission accomplished," Sakura scoffed. "And then some. That was completely humiliating, Kakashi. I thought we were friends."

Once again Kakashi gave her an evasive look, and once again her stomach clenched with anxiety.

"Not in there. In there, I'm your teacher again."

"How did you end up teaching Beginner's Sword, anyway?"

"It's not like I planned it or anything," he said quickly. "But Tsunade thought it would be good for my public image if I got back into teaching. I don't have time for a whole new genin team, but this is easy enough to juggle with my other duties."

"And why do you need to elevate your public image all of a sudden?" Sakura asked. She knew why, of course, but she wanted Kakashi to say it.

"Oh, a multitude of reasons," Kakashi shrugged. "Between the chronic genin-failing and the Icha Icha novels, I'm not exactly Mr. Popular."

"Kakashi."

"What?"

"I know you've been named as Tsunade's successor. Why didn't you tell me?"

Kakashi rubbed his masked face as if tired. "I haven't really had the opportunity."

"I live six feet away from you!"

"You said that pretty much the same thing happened in your dream," Kakashi added. "I thought it might be weird."

"The only weird thing around here is you, Kakashi," she poked him in the chest. "We went from seeing each other every day to barely talking. Did-" she took a step back, crossing her arms in an instinctive gesture of self-preservation. "Did you think I wouldn't need you now that I'm starting to feel a little better? Because I do."

Seconds passed in silence. Kakashi stared at the wall behind her like he was just waiting for her to finish and leave him alone, like she was any other annoying student that had cornered her teacher to complain about a class. Not too long ago, that's exactly what she would have been in his eyes. How much had she really grown up since then?

She turned and marched off, biting down on the thousand stupid things that would only make the moment worse. It would be nice if she could laugh off all her vulnerabilities with an airy 'congratulations on the big promotion!' and go back to whatever weird little normal she'd found in him...but if she opened her mouth she knew she was more likely to scream.

"We've had like five classes since then and he's still got me using a wooden sword! He must know that the second I get live steel I'm going to use it to run him through."

Ino looked up from the rack of clothes she was currently inspecting. Sakura was in the changing room nearby, her voice occasionally becoming muffled as she tried on different outfits.

"Is this why you invited me out today? Just to talk about Kakashi?"

"No," the answer was too quick and guilty to be entirely convincing. Ino rolled her eyes at the opaque curtain.

"Don't get me wrong, Forehead; I'm glad you're finally getting serious about updating your wardrobe, but I can't help but feel like you're only hanging out with me because you're avoiding him."

"Not true!" The curtain yanked back violently, and Sakura leaped at her. Her hands were warm against Ino's bare shoulders, her green eyes full of genuine love as they stared into Ino's. She was wearing a short dress with a dangerously low cut. Ino had been half joking when she'd pressed it into Sakura's arms and told her to try it on, but there was nothing funny about the way her shy little childhood crush looked in that moment. Ino took a step back for her own sake.

"Relax, I'm just teasing you." She flicked her hair over her shoulder; a nervous habit Ibiki was currently trying to beat out of her. It was a tell, and tells were liabilities. "Now give me a spin."

Sakura twirled self-consciously. The fabric was a green so dark it was almost black, and hugged her figure splendidly. Ino gave her a thumbs up.

"It's perfect."

"It's impractical," Sakura argued.

"For a mission? Sure. For a night out with your best friend? I refer you to my original statement." The girls needed a night off, damnit.

In the end Sakura bought the dress, along with a bottle green jacket, two pairs of dove grey pants, three sleeveless black shirts and a pair of sturdy black boots. There was still no splash of her old red, but Ino had to admit that the more elegant style suited her well.

Now they sat at a cafe, sipping hot tea and watching passersby through the large windows. Sakura had also ordered herself an anmitsu, despite it being the dead of winter.

"Do you want to go with me?" Sakura spoke up, breaking the silence. "To the jounin classes, I mean. I bet you could catch up easily enough."

Ino briefly considered, before shaking her head. "Sorry, but I'm way too busy shadowing Ibiki. Interrogation is nothing like Communications. I've never used my bloodline limit for something so...dark." She tried to put on a brave face, but Sakura's grimace told her she had failed.

"Sorry, Ino. I just realised I've been dominating a lot of our conversations recently. I should have asked about you way sooner than this."

"It's fine." Feeling bold, she stole a bite of Sakura's sweet dessert off the end of her spoon. Yep, it was completely wrong for the season. "Your weird problems are a welcome distraction from my mundane ones." Like my father's death.

"Seriously though, I want to reconnect properly with everyone." Sakura got another spoonful, popping it into her own mouth without any hesitation.

She probably doesn't even think of it as an indirect kiss when it's with another girl...

"So…" Sakura dragged the syllable out far too long; Ino was immediately suspicious. "Have you been seeing anyone recently?"

There it is. "Konoha isn't exactly full of beautiful women who are attracted to other beautiful women, you know." She sighed. "Or if they are, they must be hiding, because I don't know any of them."

"Nonsense! What about…" Sakura paused, staring up at the ceiling. "I actually have no idea who's gay or not," she confessed. "But surely you do?"

Ino made a non-committal noise. "Sometimes, yeah. But it's not like I have a dowsing rod for fellow gay people or anything."

"Are Izumo and Kotetsu gay? I always wondered."

"Did you just hear what I said?"

"Yes, but I also remember you saying that I should try and open my third eye about people's sexualities or whatever. I'm not making random guesses, I've observed people." Sakura grinned. "How about Yamato-taichou?"

Ino threw a napkin at her. "You're hopeless, you know that? Also, those are all men. Tell me when your 'third eye' finds another lesbian."

"Is Kakashi gay?" Sakura's voice was so carefully casual it was almost funny. It also hurt less than expected, which was a welcome relief. She had missed talking with Sakura like this, even if it was about men.

"No, he's straight. Or at the very least, he's attracted to women," she added, feeling her cheeks heat slightly.

Sakura leaned forward. "Wait, how do you know?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious when men are...taking notice of women."

"It is?" Sakura frowned, and Ino threw a second napkin out of sheer frustration.

"Aren't you supposed to be thirty? Are you seriously telling me you've never noticed when a man…" Ino trailed off before glancing meaningfully at Sakura's chest.

Sakura gasped. "Oh my god, Kakashi looked at your chest?"

"He was way more subtle about it than that, but yes. Honestly I don't even think guys are aware that they do it half the time."

"He's never looked at my chest," Sakura remarked, and Ino grinned.

"You almost sound disappointed."

"No. Shut up." Sakura suddenly became very focused on her anmitsu. "I'm just flabbergasted that it's apparently such a common occurrence for you. If a man stared at my chest like that I'd probably murder him."

"Maybe that's why they don't," Ino laughed. "Or maybe it's because there's nothing to see."

"Pig."

"Or maybe it's because you've only had eyes for Sasuke-kun for the last however many years."

Sakura's eyebrows knitted together. "Well he's a guy, and he hasn't done it either."

Ino's head snapped up so quickly that she felt something click. For a certified genius like Sakura, she sure could be dense when it came to the Uchiha. Ino had held her tongue and played her part, but it seemed her years of suffering in silence might finally be at an end.

Sakura shrugged. "Well, that's Sasuke-kun for you, I guess. He'd probably say it was a sign of weakness or something like that. Hey, enough with the napkins!"