Author's Note: Here is the next installment! I hope you all enjoy!

title: closet space, written for littlegreenstrawberry
prompt: I have you shoved against the wall but now I can't stop looking at your mouth
pairing: kakashi x sakura
genre: romance / humor
rating: k+

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Let me know what you think by reviewing! Favorite and follow, also!

"This is your fault!"

Kakashi chose to overlook her verbal jab, continuing to run down the empty corridor like she hadn't said anything at all.

Sakura struggled behind him, her geta clattering with her frantic movements. He half expected the mass of silk she was wrapped in to slow her down, but she kept up with him well enough, hefting the kimono so that it bunched around her waist.

"I almost had him," The pinkette continued to gripe as they turned down another hallway.

Kakashi ground out his retort. "Now is not the time Sakura."

He reached out for her then, slender fingers wrapping around her left forearm.

Without warning, Kakashi dove into an open room, dragging her along with him before quickly and quietly sliding the door shut behind them.

The closet was cramped and dark, the only light filtering through was from the torches in the hallway that bathed through the paper screens. The copy-nin pushed his female teammate up against the far wall, wrapping his slender frame around her own in an effort to keep her hidden from view should someone find them.

There was a short pause; then shadows fell across the doorway, a parade of stomping feet reverberating throughout the hall.

"Make sure we find them," The nasally voice of one of the guards panted out as they passed. "Boss wants to handle them both personally. Especially the girl."

There were a few grunts of approval before the sounds outside the closet entrance trailed off, the group of soldiers continuing their venture down the corridor.

Kakashi strained to listen for any other movement beyond their hiding place, but all he could hear was Sakura gasping for breath as she tried to calm down from their recent sprint.

"Remind me again why I agreed to take you along for this?" The rosette questioned, her chest pressing against his own as she panted for air.

"Maa," Kakashi murmured, unperturbed by her ire. "Without me, who would keep you on your toes?"

The petite woman released a snort, and even though Kakashi couldn't see it in the darkness of the room, he was sure that unladylike sniff was accompanied with her signature eye roll.

"I wouldn't call blowing our cover 'keeping me on my toes,'" Sakura grumbled.

She tried to maneuver around him but stumbled, legs catching in the many folds of her formal dress, and she fell back against the rows of shelves behind her.

"Ow," She hissed through gritted teeth.

Unconsciously, Kakashi moved closer, propping one hand on the wall above her while the other weaved through cherry strands, caressing the back of her head which was now sporting a rather impressive bump.

His inquiry was in a hushed tone, "Are you alright?"

His fingers ghosted over her scalp, but before he could assess the damage further, Sakura shoved his hand aside, gathering chakra in her hands as they worked to soothe the bruise, the closet now bathed in a soft, green glow.

"No, I am not alright," She snapped. "I'm in the most uncomfortable pair of shoes that I have ever had the liberty of wearing, my teammate decided to take it upon himself to attack without waiting for the signal, blowing our cover, and now my head hurts. So, no Kakashi, I am not alright."

The silver-haired shinobi allowed her words to mull around in his head for a bit.

Yes, it might have been his fault that they were currently caught up in this situation, but it still seemed a little unfair to allow him to shoulder all the blame.

Naruto assigned them a two-man assassination mission.

A warlord had risen to power in a village on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, stealing from civilians so that he could fund his raids and killing off the those that refused to recognize his authority.

Their job was simple, take out the leader and dispose of as many of his lackeys as they could during their escape.

The first, and the most significant issue presented itself when they arrived at the border town and took in the sight of the stone citadel which their target called home. The fortress was impenetrable, and it would take far too much effort to break in only for them to then try and sneak around undetected.

They considered just storming through the front door. That thought was quickly tossed out the window, however. It would be too messy, and with only so little information on the forces they were dealing with, they both figured it would be best to come up with a different approach.

Luckily for them, the mercenary horde had a particular nightly ritual, one which allowed a select few women from the local brothel to enter the manor under the pretense of…entertainment purposes.

A borrowed kimono and a quick makeover was all it took for Sakura to gain admittance and Kakashi – using the momentary distraction of the girls arriving for the evening – slipped in undetected.

Their assignment had gone smoothly at first.

Sakura played her part adequately, and Kakashi kept an eye on her from the shadows.

The second issue came about when Sakura persuaded their target to join her in a more secluded area of the mansion.

For Kakashi, there was something about watching his ex-student, a flush on her cheeks as she leaned into the caress of a man more than twice her age, that stirred something in the pit of his stomach.

The copy-nin didn't doubt Sakura's ability to carry out this assignment, to land the killing blow right before anything could progress too far.

However, observing the criminal's hand trail slowly up Sakura's thigh prompted him into action, and the kunai was out of Kakashi's hand before his mind even caught up with the movement.

His unannounced effort to end their mission early would have been considered beneficial…if Kakashi hadn't missed.

A blood-curdling scream from their boss as the throwing knife embedded into his shoulder was all it took for half of the manor's forces to close in on them.

"Are you even listening to me?" Sakura ferociously whispered, gaining his attention once more.

The light emanating from her hands allowed Kakashi to take in her features. Her hair was a tousled mess from them trying to escape, and her vibrant jade eyes were glowering at him, but what really caught his attention were her lips.

Sakura had painted them crimson, borrowing some type of cosmetic from one of the other girls before they arrived at the citadel.

He watched her throughout the original application, dark hues immediately drawn to the back and forth motion of her finger as it brushed across her mouth.

He was mesmerized by the way her lips moved, the way they curled into a smile, or how that twisted into a pout, how they parted when she laughed.

What was once so pristinely decorated was now smeared; a dark red streak smudged onto her right cheek. Kakashi's fingers twitched and he had to fight down the mounting urge to touch her.

"Kakashi?" Sakura murmured again.

Hazy charcoal orbs darted up to lock with concerned emerald.

"Are you alright?" She questioned.

His eyes darted back to her mouth, watching as Sakura began to gnaw on her bottom lip in a worried gesture.

And then, all too suddenly, Kakashi became aware of their positions.

Sakura was pressed against him fully, arching her back as she tried to get away from the shelf digging into her shoulder blades. Her was face upturned as she looked at him, breath caressing the side of his neck.

Despite the layers of fabric separating them, Kakashi could still feel every single one of her curves, and he tried not to listen to his rapid heartbeat as it echoed in his ears.

Abruptly, Kakashi pushed himself off the wall. Their hiding spot was quickly becoming a bit too stifling for his tastes.

"Come on," He rasped, voice huskier than he intended. The gray-haired male tried cleared his throat to combat its sudden dryness before adding, "We need to get out of here."

Without looking back at Sakura, Kakashi moved towards the door, tossing it open, and disappearing into the hall.

He tried to ignore the rising heat in his cheeks for the remainder of their escape.

Thank you for reading!

word count: 1,388
last edited on: 05/17/18

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