So I kinda started this forever ago, but I got distracted by life and Hitsukarin things, so it's been sitting on my computer half-finished for like months. I finally was able to sit down and finish it. Of course, that break gave me time to think more about it, so now it's become a monster. Whoops.

High school AU because I've always wanted to write one! :D

I don't own Naruto.

Forbidden Love

He comes in as a substitute.

Iruka has been diagnosed with appendicitis and has to have surgery immediately, the strange man tells them. I'm just filling in for the time being.

He is tall, and though his disheveled silver hair would lead her to believe he is ancient, Sakura can see the youth in his slouch. He is lean, his compact muscles filling out his dress shirt and slacks in a way that makes her shift in her seat. Still, he wears some sort of black undershirt thats neckline comes up to cover the bridge of his nose entirely, as well as an eyepatch over his left eye. It's as off-putting as it is intriguing.

This dude is such a weirdo, Naruto says much too loudly to be polite. Sakura sighs. Normally, she doesn't share any classes with Naruto, because she is on the honors track and he isn't. But this is health class-asinine, but a graduation requirement-and so there is a first time for everything. She sinks in her sink a little as Naruto and Kiba snigger like the perpetual twelve-year-olds they are and pretends she doesn't know either or them.

The substitute doesn't blink, however, merely assigning them busywork and kicking his feet onto his desk. Sakura wonders if he even heard.

It isn't until she's sure his attention is on a neon-jacketed book that she gives Naruto a good one. His head snaps to the side from the force of her punch, and his hands reflexively cup his cheek. Sakura-chan! he yells. His clear blue eyes widen in surprise, then narrow in betrayal.

Stop being so loud, Naruto, she hisses out of the corner of her mouth. Her blond friend pouts, but shuts up, and she smirks.

But her satisfaction is short-lived. The substitute is no longer immersed in his book. Instead, his lone eye is fixed on her, unreadable.

So mortified she's sure her blush reaches the roots of her hair, Sakura looks at her desk in shame. But the silver-haired man doesn't say anything, and when she dares a glance at him, he is once again hidden behind his bright book.

~.~.~

One of her favorite pastimes is to go to her favorite café, sit at her favorite table, and sip on a chai latte. Sometimes she'll work on her homework, sometimes she'll people watch, but mostly she reads. It's her me time in the café; there she can relax and have time to herself without feeling completely alone.

The café is busy today, but Sakura had managed to get her usual table by leaving directly after school and beating the rush of people. She winds her hands around her trusty chai latte, enjoying the warmth it spreads through her body and inhaling the spicy, enticing aroma it gives off.

Since she's taken a break from reading and is now watching people as they order their coffee, she notices him immediately. Her face reddens again, and she curses her temper. Still, when he scans the café for an empty table that doesn't exist, she waves a hand at him. Kakashi-sensei!

His eye locks onto her before it smiles. He lifts a hand in greeting, but still looks for another table.

Kakashi-sensei! Sakura calls again, beckoning him over. It makes sense, she reasons. There is an empty space at her table that no one is using, and he is looking for an empty space. Besides, she feels like she needs to explain herself. She has never had a teacher think poorly of her, and she's not starting now, even if he is a substitute.

For a moment, he still hesitates. But then he walks over and slides in the seat across from hers.

He's still wearing the same clothes from earlier, only now the top button of his dress shirt is undone and his tie is loosened, making him look more relaxed. Even his posture looks at ease—he slouches slightly, long limbs flowing wherever they may. His visible eye smiles at her.

Hi, she begins, willing herself not to stare at his eyepatch. You may not remember me, but—

Third period? he interrupts. Sakura-chan, correct?

That catches her off-guard, and her mouth shuts in surprise.

At least, that's what your blond friend called you. He sounds amused.

That's right, she responds, wincing. I just wanted to apologize for today, Kakashi-sensei. Naruto's kind of an idiot, and he never knows when to keep things to himself.

His eye smiles again. That's quite alright, Sakura.

And I'm not usually so violent, she lies, so I'm sorry if I disrupted the class.

Kakashi chuckles. On the contrary. You dealing with Naruto means less work for me.

Relief fills her system. She didn't leave a bad impression.

Besides, he continues, taking a sip of his drink, that's not why I remembered you. You have very...unique attributes.

For a second, she wants to die, wants the earth to swallow her up so no one would ever see her ginormous forehead again. But then Kakashi continues, I've never seen anyone with that color hair before.

Me neither, she says before she can catch herself. A silver eyebrow rises in incredulity, and she mumbles, at least on no one younger than seventy.

To her surprise, he laughs, and Sakura finds she likes the sound.

Trust me, he says, and though she can only see one of his eyes, she can feel his wink. The carpet matches the drapes.

Sakura sputters, almost choking on her latte. What?

Nothing. She hears his smirk as he pulls out his bright orange book. Nothing at all.

~.~.~

It happens again a few days later. She's at her favorite table, drinking her favorite drink, when Kakashi-sensei appears, searching for somewhere to sit. He sees her, and she smiles, gesturing to the seat across from hers.

Do you come here often? he asks conversationally.

He's bought a muffin along with his drink this time, and Sakura eyes it enviously. Almost everyday. You?

I used to frequent the one a few blocks over, he replies, but this one is closer to the school, so I guess I'll be coming here for a while.

Well, you're welcome to sit with me at any time, she says, before realizing how strange it sounds and adding, it's not like I'm using the extra chair.

Naruto never comes with you? he asks curiously.

Sakura scoffs. Naruto shouldn't even be in the same sentence as coffee. No, I like to come here by myself and relax.

And your idea of relaxing is reading an anatomy textbook? he questions, voice full of mirth.

I plan on being pre-med when I graduate, she says defensively. You're a health teacher. Aren't you supposed to like this stuff?

Substitute, he corrects. I'm just filling in for a friend.

So what do you like, then?

He raises his trusty neon book, and for the first time, Sakura gets a good look at it.

Is that porn?! she gasps, loudly enough that a woman at the next table looks at them curiously. She lowers her voice in embarrassment. Porn? she hisses.

Kakashi looks deeply amused. Sakura wonders if he finds her particularly amusing or if he just never takes anything seriously.

You read that in class! she accuses.

I get bored, he replies.

Is that even allowed?

Kakashi looks upward. Hmm, I wonder.

Sakura just shakes her head. She can't believe this. He's steamrolling over everything she assumes teachers are. I knew it. I knew you were a pervert.

He doesn't even deny it, doesn't bother to look ashamed, and she finds this strangely refreshing.

His eye smiles at her. Muffin?

No thanks, she responds, trying not to laugh.

He pushes it towards her anyway. Are you sure? You've been eying it since I sat down.

She shakes her head, though the sight of the sugar crystals and blueberries makes it hard. I'm on a diet.

He looks at her blankly. You look fine.

Sakura sighs irritably, though she truly feels pleased. She shoves the muffin back to his side of the table. Just eat your muffin and read your porn.

Kakashi gives her a long look, but does as he's told.

~.~.~

The next day, he accidentally buys two muffins instead of one.

It tastes as good as it looks.

~.~.~

You know who I wouldn't mind having a piece of? Ino whispers.

Shikamaru? Sakura guesses.

Ino momentarily looks sick. Ew! No! How can you even say that? He's like my brother! She gags. Besides, that butch chick from Suna High has him completely wrapped around her finger. Makes me sick.

Kiba, Tenten says, mouth full of her sandwich.

Ino considers this for a second, twirling her chopsticks around. Well yeah, but that's not who I was thinking of.

It's not Naruto-kun, is it? Hinata asks worriedly.

Ino bites back a snort. Don't worry, Hina. He's all yours.

Well you can't be thinking of Sasuke, Tenten notes, because literally everyone wants to bang him.

I don't, Hinata says quietly. But Hinata has always been a special case.

Just come out with it, Pig, Sakura snaps.

Ino leans over the lunch table conspiratorially. The new health teacher.

Sakura chokes on her soda. Kakashi-sensei? she gasps a little too loudly. Her friends all shush her.

I forgot you have health this semester. Ino's eyes gleam, and Sakura leans away from her reflexively. What's he like?

What's he like? The man reads porn all day in public. He's aggravating and infuriating and perverted and lazy. But she feels strange explaining to her friends how she knows all of these things, so she says carefully, Weird.

Ino waves a hand. Everyone has a few quirks. Besides, he's hot.

How would you know, Ino-pig? Sakura asks incredulously. His face is covered. And from what you can see, he looks like he's in a gang.

It's the aura he gives off, Tenten says sagely. He's mysterious, and that's sexy.

But he's a teacher, Sakura argues, though she doesn't even convince herself. She stopped thinking of Kakashi as a teacher the moment she realized he wasn't going to act like one.

That's part of the allure. Ino inclines her head toward the cafeteria doors, and to Sakura's surprise, there is Kakashi. His hair is in its constant state of disarray; hands in his pockets. He walks right over to the vending machine, inserts a bill and presses a few buttons.

Sakura doesn't realize she's staring until he pauses, then turns his head to look straight at her. For a split second, her heart stops. But then he smiles at her, waves, and it is pounding madly in her ears. She hopes no one sees.

But Hinata has always had amazing eyesight. I think he's waving at you, Sakura.

He is, Ino whispers excitedly, bumping Sakura's shoulder with hers. Tenten gives her a sly smile.

She knows her face is red, but she lifts a hand and meekly waves back.

Girl, Ino says, the word dragging out several syllables. Kakashi leaves with his bag of chips. You better get on that before I do.

~.~.~

She has never thought of Kakashi in that way before, but now that her friends have mentioned it, she can't stop analyzing him.

He really does look like he's in a gang. But his eye is always kind, and from what she can tell, his hair is naturally that color. And though he is aggravating and infuriating and perverted and lazy, he is equally amusing and smart. She enjoys the place in her life he has carved out for himself; her coffee shop, her table, her me time—it has all suddenly become theirs, and she finds herself perfectly okay with that.

Sakura has always been really in tune with her feelings. So she understands what she feels when she sometimes comes late and finds him at their table—a blueberry muffin and her trusty chai latte (extra hot, extra foam)—waiting for her. She knows exactly why her stomach twists when he looks at her a certain way, or laughs, or winks at her in class like they share an inside joke.

She knows because she's felt this way before.

Still, she pushes it down, ignores it. She's always had a thing for unattainable guys, but this one—this one's a man, and she really has no clue how to handle that.

Even so, Kakashi is scarily perceptive for a man who never seems to be paying attention. What? he asks, and she realizes with horror that she's been staring at him. She wonders for how long.

N-Nothing, she stutters, hoping he doesn't notice how flushed she's getting. She picks at her muffin. I was just thinking.

About? he prompts. Of course he wouldn't drop it. Kakashi wouldn't be Kakashi if he wasn't difficult.

She tries to come up with a good excuse for her staring. About how I need to stop eating these muffins before I get fat.

You're not going to get fat, he scoffs. You were too skinny before.

You're just trying to get me to look like one of those big-breasted girls in that dirty book of yours.

That's impossible, he says so flatly that she can't help but laugh at his frankness. Sakura is flat as a board up top, and that isn't likely to change much. Still, she won't let that slip by unscathed. Shut up. What do you know?

A low rumble is heard, and when Sakura looks outside the window, she sees dark clouds rolling in, sees tree leaves quiver in the sudden gusts of wind. She groans, beginning to gather her things.

What's the matter? Kakashi asks. She usually doesn't leave for another hour or so.

I forgot it was going to rain today, and I didn't bring an umbrella. She zips up her backpack. I'm going to try to make it home before all hell breaks loose.

Good thing I have a car then, he says matter-of-factly, standing as well. He inclines his head toward the door. Come on, I'll drive you.

She hesitates. Thanks, but I'll be okay.

But his hands are already in his pockets, and he's already by the door, holding it open for her expectantly.

Sakura swallows hard and slips on her backpack, walking through the door without further complaint.

~.~.~

Unfortunately, they aren't quick enough. Halfway to Kakashi's car, the heavens open up and unleash their fury.

Sakura shrieks as the cold drops touch her skin, sprinting to an unknown destination. Before she can get too far, however, Kakashi grabs her elbow, quickly guiding her to a silver car and unlocking the door.

When she sits down on the passenger side, it is on something other than the seat, and a loud squeak fills the small space. Baffled and a little embarrassed, she retrieves a toy bone from beneath her rear.

Kakashi takes it from her apologetically, throwing it into the already cluttered backseat.

I didn't know you had a dog, Sakura says, breaking the silence.

Kakashi's eye widens, and then he looks pointedly away from her. Seven, actually.

It takes most of the ride for him to convince her that he isn't pulling her leg. He doesn't look in her direction the whole way, but she feels his gaze on her skin.

~.~.~

Kakashi walks her to her apartment door, which was impressive, considering she lives on the fifth floor of the building and the elevator is broken. After all the dog talk, Sakura is inwardly amused to see how he looks like a wet dog at this point, his shaggy hair plastered to his head.

Still, there is a sort of nervousness brewing in her stomach as she takes out her keys, a little anticipation. She's not sure what makes her do it, but without turning to face him, she asks, Would you like to come in?

His reply is silence, just long enough to make her dread having said anything at all.

You don't have to, she says hurriedly. I just figured that since it's storming so badly, you could wait it out a little. Dry off.

She chances a glance over her shoulder, and finds him staring at her intently, gaze unreadable. I'm not sure that's a good idea.

Sakura tries to not feel anything at the dismissal, but it was hard to ignore the way her stomach clenches. She turns away. Suit yourself. Thanks for the ride.

But, to her surprise, when she opens her door, he is behind her, so close that she can smell the rain on his skin. Her heart pounds, but she takes her time slipping her shoes off, reining in her nervousness. She steps inside, placing them just inside the doorway. When she hears the door click shut, she knows he has followed her. Would you like something to drink? she asks, ever hospitable. She still doesn't turn around. I think I'm going to have more tea.

Tea sounds fine, he answers. She hears the splat as he takes off his own rain-soaked shoes.

Sakura makes her way to her small kitchen, in a state of disbelief. After filling her kettle with water and leaving it to heat on the stove, she hurries to her bedroom to change out of her wet clothes.

Her skin burns when she catches her reflection in a mirror. Her white school blouse, completely soaked, now makes the red, polka-dotted bra she chose to wear this morning completely visible to whoever wanted to see.

Which Kakashi obviously has. He never mentioned it, never offered her something to cover herself, had merely averted his eyes and snuck glances when he thought she wasn't looking.

Pervert.

Equal parts angry and mortified, Sakura quickly changes into a tshirt and sweatpants, grabs a couple towels from her closet, and heads back out. She finds Kakashi in her tiny living room, scrutinizing her bookcase.

There's no porn, if that's what you're looking for, she snips, tossing a towel on top of his head. Serves the pervert right.

He ignores that, merely ruffling his wet hair with the towel and continuing to browse. Sakura wonders if he likes what he sees, or whether she should be embarrassed by her plethora of medical texts and bodice rippers.

The kettle begins to whistle, and she obediently makes her way to the kitchen and takes it off the burner. Two mugs with chamomile tea packets are filled three-fourths of the way with bubbling water. How do you like your tea? she calls.

Straight, he answers, and Sakura hums in agreement. If she is sick, sometimes she adds a little honey or lemon, but normally, she drinks the tea as is.

She brings the mugs into the living room, setting one on her lone coffee table and cupping the other between her hands. She folds herself onto her beat-up couch, the only other piece of furniture in the room, and pats the cushion next to her. Kakashi looks at her for a moment, then sits down on the other end of the couch. Sakura fights a frown.

He picks up his mug, stares at it, then sets it down without taking a sip. Sakura, where are your parents?

She stiffens at the question, then relaxes immediately. She should have anticipated the question. It's just me here, she says, inhaling her mug's fragrant steam. My dad died before I was born, and my mom passed away last year.

That is apparently not what he expected to hear, because he gives her his full attention, body turned in her direction and dark eye boring through her. Sakura shifts self-consciously. Where are your parents? she sasses in retaliation, not really caring about the answer but hoping to learn more about him.

Dead, he says so flatly that she almost drops her mug in surprise.

I'm sorry, she stutters.

Don't be. It was a long time ago. His tone softens. Do you live by yourself, then?

She nods, takes a sip of her tea. It's not so bad. Ino and Hinata visit when they can, so it's not like I'm completely alone. Sometimes even Naruto.

His head cocks slightly to the side, eye carefully blank. But you still spend hours of your day at a coffee shop. It is a statement, not a question.

Sometimes I just like to be around other people, she says defensively. She does not mention that she gets lonely living here, that her friends have lives outside of her but she just has her schoolwork and her empty apartment. She doesn't mention it because she doesn't seem to need to. He has already figured her out.

I understand, he says, and she knows he does, knows he feels the same. A hand reaches over and pats her knee a few times before he realizes what he's doing and quickly retracts it.

She knows it was supposed to merely be a comforting gesture, but electricity shoots up her leg, settling pleasantly near her groin. Sakura blushes to the root of her hair, and from the almost uncomfortably stiff way Kakashi is sitting, she bets he felt it too.

He still hasn't touched his tea. She wonders if he'll drink it through his mask, or at all. Why do you wear a mask? she asks. Her heart hammers in her ears, but she still places her own mug on the table and makes her way to his side of the couch.

Kakashi is still. Eye trained on her slow crawl and so, so still. Childhood accident, he grunts through his teeth, almost painfully.

She should stop. She knows that she should stop. But he isn't stopping her, so she continues until her knees hit the side of his thigh. Her hand trembles, but still she touches his cheek, travels along his jaw, feels the fabric on her fingertips. Apart from a single shudder, he is stone.

Your eye? she asks, her own flicking to the eye patch. He makes a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, and vaguely she is curious about this accident, about what happened and whether he is disfigured underneath the mask or just self-conscious. Mostly, however, she is as on edge as he is, the adrenaline pumping though her veins making her ready to spring at any moment. Of their own accord, her fingers ghost over his masked lips.

He jerks back, a hand snatching her wrist faster than she can process it. Sakura, he rasps, voice strained. Sakura, how old are you?

She blinks, dazed at this sudden turn of events. Seventeen, she whispers. He recoils as if she has smacked him, and she realizes her mistake. I turn eighteen in a few months…

But it's too late. Kakashi is shaking his head, is moving away from her. I knew this was a bad idea. He stands, and she can feel the revulsion roll off of him in waves. The rain pings off of her windows; her own panicked breath fills the empty space between them. I think I should leave.

And then he does, quickly, without sparing her another glance. The sound the door makes as it shuts behind him is simultaneously inconsequential and enormous.

Sakura is mortified. Her eyes burn, and she bites her lip, willing herself not to cry but not quite succeeding. She had read him wrong. She read him wrong, and now the only proof he was here is a damp towel and an untouched cup of tea.

~.~.~

For the first time in her life, Sakura purposely skips school. She calls herself in sick for three days, instead burrowing into her bed and eating disgusting amounts of ice cream. Ino texts her multiple times and even comes over and threatens to kick her front door down if she doesn't open it right now, but Sakura ignores her, and she eventually goes away.

On the fourth day, she is forced out of her cocoon by an important chemistry test. Miserable, she runs a brush through her tangled pink strands, slips on her uniform, and heads to school.

Ino takes one look at her and cringes. You look like shit. You're not still contagious, are you?

Sakura bites the inside of her cheek so hard she tastes blood.

~.~.~

She dreads seeing him again, dreads the awkwardness that is sure to occur, but when she finally makes it to health class, what happens is so much worse.

There are no more winks, no inside jokes or knowing glances. Kakashi's eye skips over her as if he hadn't just spent the last month buying her muffins, as if she's merely a piece of furniture.

Sakura traces the word ulna in her notes until it is nothing but a dark blob. Her hands shake. She doesn't look up.

~.~.~

A week goes by, and nothing changes. Kakashi continues to pretend she doesn't exist, and she does her best to do the same. She has decided that she just doesn't care anymore, that she just has to tough it out for a few more months and then she can graduate and leave it all behind her. Of course, just because her brain has rationalized this doesn't mean that her heart has.

She stays clear of her favorite coffee shop, afraid that she might run into him there and even more afraid that she won't. Instead, she goes straight home to her empty apartment and tries to pretend that she's not miserable.

~.~.~

Haruno.

It's unexpected, the voice, but what's more unexpected is its owner. Sakura recognizes it immediately, though she still doesn't believe what's happening until she looks over her shoulder and sees him standing there.

Sasuke-kun, she says in disbelief, her biology book not quite making it back into her locker. Instead, her arm falls limply to her side as Uchiha Sasuke talks to her.

Sasuke is, for a lack of a better word, beautiful, and every girl in her school pines over him, hoping he would at least look in their direction. Sakura had been the same way for a long time, making him chocolates on Valentine's Day and doing her best to look pretty for him. She even used the fact that he was Naruto's best friend to her advantage, tagging along with their mutual friend in hopes of catching a glimpse of Sasuke, or at least trying to get him to notice her. But at best, Sasuke only seemed to tolerate her. Mostly, she seemed to annoy him.

So Sakura has no idea why Sasuke would actively seek her out now.

He coolly leans against the row of lockers and fixes his dark gaze on her. I heard we tied for the highest score on the bio test.

Really? She hadn't paid attention. She's been a little out of it lately.

Most people failed. He tilts his head slightly. It looks like you actually have something up top, Haruno.

She wonders if she should be offended, but dismisses it. She supposes he's only seen her as a flirty airhead, because that's how she's always acted around him. Ino always told her, Boys don't like smart girls. It emasculates them; makes them feel stupid. Obviously, Sasuke doesn't fall into that category.

Well, I plan on going to med school, she offers.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow, impressed. We should study together, he says simply. So simply that Sakura wonders if she's entered the Twilight Zone. Or at least an alternate universe where Uchiha Sasuke is impressed with her and talks to her at her locker and essentially asks her out like it's the most normal thing in the world.

Y-Yeah, she stutters, baffled. The bell rings, and she finally stuffs the book into the bottom of her locker and shuts the door. She fully expects Sasuke to wander off, but he waits, and matches his strides to hers as she heads to the lunchroom. She feels everyone watching them, hears the whispers that they leave in their wake, and knows that the school's entire female population is wishing for lightning to strike her down.

It's interesting, she muses, that this is happening to her when she no longer cares. Though, it's possible that her disinterest is what got Sasuke's attention in the first place. Reverse psychology and all that.

What field of medicine are you interested in? he asks, hands coolly but casually stuffed in his pockets.

I'm not sure yet, she says, though it is a lie. She wants to be an oncologist, wants to save people from the disease that stole her mother. But this is information that she doesn't give out freely. It has to be earned.

They continue to talk niceties as they walk, but don't completely make it to the cafeteria, for the second time that day, Sakura is called by the least-likely person to look in her direction.

Haruno-san.

Sakura stiffens at the voice, stops in her tracks. Sasuke turns, a bored look on his face.

May I see you for a moment?

She could just keep walking, could just pretend that she's busy, that she didn't hear him even though she obviously did. But she has no viable reason to do so—at least not one others publically know about. So Sakura gives Sasuke a slightly strained smile—Go on ahead. It was nice talking to you, Sasuke-kun—and slowly makes her way past her sensei and into the empty classroom.

Kakashi closes the door behind her, and for the first time since he was in her apartment, looks at her, really looks at her. His silver hair is more disheveled than usual, and though it is only the middle of the day, his tie hangs limply around his neck, mostly undone. Though she can't see his face, Sakura can feel it in the air—he's furious.

She looks away, crosses her arms across her chest. Lets the silence drag on and does her best to pretend he doesn't exist.

What was that? he finally says so lowly that a shiver goes up her spine in alarm.

I don't know what you're talking about, she snips, still not looking in his direction.

Must you play childish games?

That reignites her own fury. But I am a child. Or did you forget why you've been ignoring me?

He inhales sharply. Sakura—

Oh, so you do remember who I am. I was beginning to wonder.

Stop it, he growls, I just needed some time to think.

About what?! she finally reels on him, emerald eyes blazing. Her teeth clench angrily. You didn't seem to need time to think when you drove me home, or when you ogled my chest, or when you followed me into my apartment, or when I was practically in your fucking lap—

This is wrong, he snaps, obviously trying to keep his voice down. Not that it mattered that much; most people were at lunch. It doesn't matter how I feel or how you feel. This is wrong. But that doesn't make it any easier to see you latch onto that prettyboy!

And for the first time Sakura understands. He is not disgusted with her. He is disgusted with himself.

But understanding doesn't lessen her anger or self-righteousness. She marches up to him and gives him a shove that barely makes him stumble backwards. You don't get a say in who I talk to, she snaps. You chose to give up that right.

And then she stalks away, slamming the door open.

~.~.~

She doesn't see him the rest of the day. In fact, after she goes home for the weekend and stews in her rage, she comes to school on Monday and realizes that seeing him ever again is unlikely.

Iruka-sensei stands in front of her health class. Long time no see!

~.~.~

Sakura dates Sasuke for about a year before they both decide they're better off as friends. She gets accepted into her top university, works hard, and graduates in the top of her class. She enters med school and becomes a workaholic, training under the world-famous Senju Tsunade and consequently having little to no personal life.

It is at this moment in her life that against all odds, Kakashi reappears. She is sitting in her favorite pub, nursing a beer alone and hoping to gain a little me-time in her chaotic schedule. The bar is decently full, but Sakura has managed to secure a small booth, and it's as she's poring over her notes that she sees a familiar silver head in her periphery.

Six years has gone by since she has last seen him, but her heart still pounds. Her wrath dimmed as she grew older and wiser—she realizes now that Kakashi was right to push her away, as the scandal could have ripped apart both of their lives. If caught, his teaching license could have been taken away at best and at worst, he could have gone to jail. As for her, getting into med school would have been next to impossible. The stigma would have followed them for the rest of their lives. So really, she should thank him for breaking her heart. Though it still hurts to think about, time has made it more of a dull ache.

But that doesn't make it any easier.

Kakashi is alone. He looks exactly as she remembers, though she can't tell if it's because he's aging well or because half of his face is covered and his hair is already silver. He scans the room, looking for a place to sit, and when he gets to her area, his dark eye snaps to hers.

For a few seconds, they just stare, and Sakura realizes that she can just go back to reading her notes and he will go on his merry way. They can both pretend that they didn't recognize each other, that they didn't see each other, and that chapter of her life will be closed again. Kakashi will give her that much.

Instead, she raises a hand in greeting, inclines her head at the empty spot across from her. It makes sense, she reasons. There is an empty space at her table that no one is using, and he is looking for an empty space.

Kakashi hesitates, then makes his way toward her. When he finally sits across from her, it is with such familiarity that she half expects him to slide a blueberry muffin her way.

Hi, he says, almost shyly.

She swallows. Hi.

A/N: So what happens after that? Whatever you want. Possibly, they rekindled their friendship, slowly got to know each other again, and then fucked and lived happily ever after. Possibly, they had too much to drink that night, fucked, and made everything so much worse. Maybe they sat there awkwardly and realized that they no longer had anything in common. This is the kind of situation that can really go many different ways. So choose your adventure, my friends. (I'm partial to the happily ever after part, but I am also a realist, so idk)

Sorry if the high school seems too American. My high school experience was in an American high school, so that's the only thing I could pull from.

Also, it might seem convenient to you that I killed off Sakura's parents, but honestly, I don't like her parents. I've always had this headcanon that Sakura was the Hermione of the group—super smart, and born to civilian parents. But then the anime had to go and ruin that with the strangest looking couple ever. But since they have literally only been in filler, I'm pretending that they don't count and I can do what I want. So in this fic? They dead, yo.

I also weirdly decided to use italics instead of quotation marks. Sorry if this confused anyone. I just thought it looked cool.

Let me know. ;)