Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, see every chapter so far. I do apologise for the EXTREMELY long wait for the update, but I've been very busy with life, and had almost forgotten about this fic.

Read and review :) And I apologise for any OOC that may occur.

"Please don't tell anyone. I don't want people knowing just yet..." Tsunade cut me off.

"Okay, calm down gaki! Breathe. You've told me everything, let me analyse it before you get all panicked. Sakura obviously likes you as well, and the age difference isn't all that bad. Trust me. Age is just a number. I know Sakura, and she's accepting, so if you do decide to get together with her, don't try and hide her from things. Get to know her." I nodded.

"How do you propose I go about it? Sakura spends a lot of time with you, so..."

"Casually. Sakura hates big gestures." I nodded again. "Right. I'm going. I need to tell the Hokage. There will be ground rules." She slapped a hand onto my shoulder, meeting my grey eye with her own. "Good luck, gaki. You've found your Soul Mate. I can feel it. Don't get angry at her tomorrow."

And with that, she was gone, my curtains billowing in the wind as her retreating figure got further and further away.

Sighing, I privately mourned the loss of my neon orange book. As I got ready for bed, all I could think about was one Haruno Sakura and our potential future. Was Tsunade right? Was she my Soul Mate? Only time will tell...

In the morning, sunlight was pouring in through the gap where the curtains didn't meet, and I groaned, covering my eyes with my arm. There was a persistent knock at the door, and I grumbled, rolling out of bed wearing nothing but boxers (black silk), opening the door (unlocking it first) to see the Hokage with a stern expression on his face. I stepped aside.

"Come in, Lord Hokage!"

"Kakashi. It has reached me from intelligent sources that you wish to engage Haruno Sakura in a courting relationship. Is this true?" I nodded. "There are various ground rules that need to be set if you are to ever be allowed near her in such a way. You are, of course, aware of the consequences if you break up?" I nodded again. "Good. I trust you, Kakashi. However, if you harm her, intentional or not, I will banish you from this village and rid you of your status. Now, about these ground rules..." I gulped as the Hokage began to write rules down on a piece of paper, modifying them slightly for Sakura's copy.

Strolling down the path towards Ichiraku where I was to meet my Team, I felt incredibly empty without my beloved Icha Icha. Hopefully, I'll be reunited with it soon enough.

As I got through the door of Naruto's favourite shop, I gave the Team a one-eyed smile and a wave. Sakura was almost bouncing in her chair, Naruto was inhaling ramen so fast he should've choked, and Sasuke was rolling his eyes at Naruto's antics and Sakura's enthusiasm.

Sakura got out of her chair, and walked towards me. I handed her the rules, and she smiled, before handing me...
"Icha Icha! Sakura, how'd you...?" I looked at her in bewilderment. She started looking guilty, shifting her gaze away from my own.

"I took it from you the other day to prove to you that there are far more interesting things other than readable porn, but I swear I didn't realise how attached you were to it... when I said you couldn't find it yesterday, you looked as though a part of you had died, and I felt really bad, and thought that if I gave it to you here, you wouldn't be as angry as you normally are when you lose something like that. I'm really sorry, Kakashi – sensei. Please forgive me. And don't hate me for it, as your double said you would hate me, so I got really, really upset... Please... mmph!" I cut her off with a short, sweet kiss on the lips, head bent. As we broke off, I was bewildered. Never before had I ever heard her say so much in one sitting. Placing a hand under her chin and directing her gaze back to me, I smiled softly, all too aware of Naruto and Sasuke watching us share this intimate moment. "Sakura. Don't feel bad. I'm touched that you went to that much trouble trying to prove something to me, but never take Icha Icha. That book is honestly a rarity, and if I lost it, well... that'd be like losing you in the middle of a battle we were clearly winning... bad analogy, sorry." I pulled her in for a hug. My shirt started getting wet, so I pulled away and wiped the tears away from her face with my fingerless-gloved thumb. "Don't cry, love. Please." She sniffed, and smiled at me.

We took our seats beside Naruto and Sasuke, and I ordered some chicken ramen for everybody, wincing internally. This is gonna cost me some...

Sakura's hand found mine under the table, and she massaged slow, sure circles with her thumb into my palm, and I shivered in delight. Sasuke and Naruto had no doubt seen our kiss, but we'd also see theirs just a few hours previously

When I was writing this, there were weird double black lines everytime I pressed ENTER... read and review! :)