Chapter 11 One Night
The bell rang as it was pulled from the string. The small chime cut through the intensity between Kakashi and Sakura like a well-sharpened katana. The spell was broken, the moment gone.
Kakashi stood, holding out his hand to help her to her feet. She took his hand and pulled herself up.
"It's a tie." Kakashi stated with an eye-creased smile. He opened his palm to show the bell he had just taken from her and pointed to the one she held in her hand.
"Huh?" She was still distracted from the brief moment they had just shared. "Yes, a tie" She tried to smile back but it came out rather pathetic. "Do you mind if I keep this?" She held up the bell. "For old times sake."
"Sure."
"Thanks." She place the silver bell in her pocket without noticing he did the same with his.
"It's getting late, we should call it night," he said, looking up at the sky tinted reddish orange by the setting sun. It seemed to be mocking him. A flash of passion had sparked between him and Sakura but it had gone out in less than a minute. Much like the sky as the sun sinks into the horizon; a burst a fire colored rays before it goes black.
"Oh right." She replied following his gaze towards the western sky. "Well good evening then." She turned and began walking away her head hung down and she shoulders slumped.
"Sakura! Wait!" He sprinted over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. He knew he probably should have let her go but he hated seeing her leave looking so gloomy. Though he might have tried to pass it off as being a good friend and cheer her up, he wanted to be with her even for a bit longer.
She looked up at him curiously. He still had his lower face and his sharingan uncovered. His face was so attractive. The scar that ran through his scarlet eye just added to his ruggedly handsomeness. She knew the side effects of over using the sharingan though. He was especially vulnerable since he couldn't deactivate it.
Soft green chakra glowed around Sakura hand as she reached up and placed it on Kakashi's sharingan. It flowed gently cooling the optical nerves and relaxing the muscles that had been stressed from the extreme amount strain put on them.
He leaned his head into her hand. "That feels good." His voice was a low rumble of pleasure. She lowered his headband over the eye letting it rest. "Thank you."
"Were you going to say something before?" She asked curious as to why he had stopped her from leaving.
"Yes, I was." Coming back to himself from the high of her healing chakra had given him. "Would you like to go to dinner? My treat?"
"Ummm…" Sakura blinked in surprise. Kakashi asking her to dinner and offering to pay that was unusual. He usually made some excuse to leave when she and Naruto brought up the notion of getting something to eat since Kakashi would have likely be the one paying the bill.
"I'm sure you have plans with your friends so forget I asked." He felt stupid for asking. She was young and had lots friends of course she had plans.
"No, No. I don't have other plans," she said quickly getting over her surprise. "I would love to go dinner."
"Shall we?" He held out his arm and she laced hers in his.
The restaurant was small but cozy. Sakura wasn't surprised she had never seen much less enter the place. From the outside it didn't look like much. The front door was very easy to miss and there were only semi-faded letters on the door proclaiming the establishment as a restaurant. There were only about ten tables scattered around. The scent of food wafted pleasantly from the kitchen. It reminded her of good home cooking something like you would eat at your grandmother's house.
A large balding elderly man with a jovial face came bouncing up to them, his hands outstretched in welcome. "Kakashi, my boy!" To Sakura's surprise the man bear hugged Kakashi. "It's been a while since you have come. Yuuna will be so happy to see you."
"I hope she isn't too upset with me for staying away so long." Kakashi said embracing the man back as a son would his father.
The man gave a hearty laugh that seemed to come from deep in his belly. "Of course not. But you know she is going to want to feed you the whole contains of our pantry." He turning to Sakura and he beamed. "Hello there, pretty lady." He took her hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I'm Tarou the owner for this humble eatery but your presence has brought new life into it." He smiled brightly and Sakura instantly liked him.
"Thank you. I am Sakura." She replied.
"Beautiful name for a beautiful young lady." He ushered them to a nearby table.
Tarou smacked Kakashi on the back good-naturedly. "It's about time you got yourself a girl."
Kakashi opened his mouth to say that Sakura wasn't his girl but Tarou was off calling to his wife. "Yuuna look who is here!"
A copious figured woman with flaming red hair came out from what Sakura figured to be the kitchen. She was wiping her hands on her apron when she caught sight of the silver haired jounin. "Kakashi!" she exclaimed and ran over to hug him too. She shook her finger at him motherly. "Just look at you. You are practically skin and bones."
As the woman fussed over him, Sakura couldn't help but think it an exaggeration to call him skin and bones. Kakashi wasn't a big man. He was slender but muscular. He had a very nice physique in Sakura's opinion. Again she tried to get rid of the picture forming in her mind of his body.
"This is Sakura." Kakashi motioned to the pink haired woman. "She was my student and is my friend." He emphasized the words student and friend but the words were lost on the older couple.
Yuuna clapped her hands, noticing the young woman for the first time. "Hello, love. It's such a pleasure to finally meet Kakashi's girlfriend." She shook Sakura's hand and turned her head to face Kakashi. "She is lovely, Kakashi."
For the second time since they had entered the family restaurant, the Copy Ninja opened to his mouth to correct them on their misassumption but to no avail. To Tarou and Yuuna, Kakashi and Sakura were lovers.
They placed their orders. Actually, Kakashi ordered for Sakura saying that she had to try this certain dish. She didn't mind since she had never been to the restaurant and she trusted his taste. The husband and wife team bustled to the kitchen to prepare the meal whispering about how cute the young pair looked together.
Sakura giggled and blushed at her being mistaken as Kakashi's girlfriend. She noticed that Kakashi's cheeks were also a bit rosy.
"I'm sorry about that." Kakashi apologized. "They can get a bit excited sometimes."
"It's ok." Sakura laughed. "They are very sweet. I like them a lot."
Kakashi smiled. "I'm glad."
The meal was delicious and the conversation was also wonderful. Kakashi found himself laughing and talking more with Sakura than he had with anyone else. Kakashi had never really dated (though this wasn't a date he reminded himself). He had been with women before but only colleagues whom talk was kept to work or casual topics or random women he would sleep with on away missions, there wasn't much chat involved with those interactions.
As they ate the meal and talked the restaurant had filled up with customers. It was apparently not as hidden as Sakura had first thought. She hadn't really notice the tables around them being taken up with diners at first because she was captivated by the charming man in front of her. She hung on his every word. He was witty and had great stories to tell. Unlike most men she had dated, he listened to her talk and was genuinely interested in what she had to say.
"Oh no." Kakashi murmured burying his face in his hands.
"What?" Sakura asked. She didn't have to wait long for her answer.
"Awwww!" An all too familiar female voice shouted. "Lookie, boys. If it isn't the adorable couple, the Scarecrow and the Cherry Blossom."
Sakura turned in her chair to see Anko along with Kotetsu and Izumo walking straight towards them.
"Hi, Kakashi-san, Sakura-chan." Izumo greeted them. He suddenly looked at the seated pair taking in the scene. "You two aren't on a…"
"No!" Kakashi stated forcibly.
Anko raised an eyebrow, not believing Kakashi. That no was said too strongly to be true. Maybe neither of them knew it but they were on date. Plus she had seen how the two acted around each other when they were alone and it wasn't how ex-sensei and ex-student or even friends interacted. There was definitely something more, something deeper going on.
Izumo grinned. "In that case, we'll join you." He pulled up a chair next to Sakura and sat, putting his arm on the back of her chair. The Copy Ninja's exposed eye narrowed at the sight but he remained silent. "You know," Izumo went on, "it's Kotetsu birthday."
Kotetsu grinned a bit embarrassed at the attention shifting to him. "Just another year older. No big deal really."
"Birthdays are a big deal. It's the day one is born what is more important than that," commented Sakura. "Happy birthday, Kotetsu-san."
"That's is what I have been trying to tell this knucklehead all day." Anko pulled up a chair, Kotetsu taking a seat next to her. "Thank you, Sakura-chan," shrugging in surrender, "I guess a bit of celebrating wouldn't be all that bad."
"Great!" exclaimed his best friend. "Sake, please."
Kakashi was about to protest to the drinking but was stopped by a small hand on his forearm. He looked at the jade eyes of the owner of the hand.
"It's just a drink or two in honor of our fellow shinobi," she whispered.
He nodded his agreement. Sakura had a point. Birthdays were important especially to shinobi who were confronted with death all the time. He would know that better than anyone given all the lives he had watched be cut short. Birthdays were a celebration of birth and life.
A few hours and countless bottles of sake later, Kotetsu's birthday was in full swing. The group was rolling with laughter at a funny and if he wasn't drunk somewhat embarrassing story of the birthday boy.
"It was a very cute bum by the way," hiccupped the raven-haired kunoichi, tapping him on the nose. He smirked and whispered something in her ear. "Oh really now." She laughed and the pair was soon engrossed in a private conversation.
With his two companions oblivious to anything or anyone besides each other, Izumo turned his attention to the pretty young medic at his side.
"Sakura," he said.
"Yes?" Smiling more brightly than usual thanks to the effects of the alcohol.
"We have never really spoken much, other than your first Chuunin exams and random times in the hospital. I think it's rather a shame that I have missed on getting to know such a remarkable and may I add beautiful woman." He leaned closer and his hand moved from the back of her chair to her shoulders.
"Oh!" She was surprised by the flirtation. She had never seen the jounin in that way. Now that she really looked at him as a woman and not a fellow shinobi or medic, he was handsome. She stole a quick glance at Kakashi. He had pulled out his orange covered book and was reading. Just because they had shared some moments that might be seen as romantic didn't mean he felt the same way for as she did for him. He didn't seem to mind another guy hitting on her so why not indulge in some innocent flirting with no strings attached.
Sasuke had been the last man to be romantically interested in her but anything with him was loaded with complications and emotions. Izumo, on the other hand, was drama free.
She smiled coquettish. "I'm not sure why we have not gotten to know each on a more personal level." Letting the alcohol erase any shyness, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "A man of diverse talents like you is worth getting to know."
His mouth dropped open as her innuendo made its impact. His astonishment was quickly replaced with excitement. It seemed he was already visualizing what talents he would show her.
However, Izumo's many talents would remain a mystery to the sake-induced uninhibited woman, much to his chagrin. At that moment a gloved hand wrapped around Sakura's wrist.
"Time to go." Kakashi voice was even but definite. He pulled Sakura to her feet and out the restaurant.
"That was sudden." Izumo frowned at seeing his potential date for the rest of the night being dragged away.
Anko looked away from her assured date to look at the vanishing pair. "Not so sudden." She laughed at the two befuddled faces staring back at her. "Men, they never get it."
"Ok, Kakashi, what was the big idea?" Sakura demanded, finally succeeding in halting the silver haired man's gallop.
He had towed her at such a speed that they were already standing in the hall outside her apartment. She rested her hand on the wall of the building catching her breath while he stood holding out her key. 'How did he get that?' She thought
"What do you mean?" he said unperturbedly.
"Oh I don't know. Let's see." She threw her arms up in irritation. "I was having a nice chat with Izumo and you come sweeping in and yanking me away."
"Sakura, I'm not sure if you noticed but Izumo was making advances towards you," he stated as if explaining the situation to a child.
She rolled her eyes. "No shit. I was coming on to him too."
Kakashi become very serious and lowered his mask to reveal his whole face. "I know, which made it evident that it was time to get you out of there."
"And why is that?" She was fuming now. Who was he to interfere in her love life? She snatched the key from his hand. And on that note, who was he to pick pocket her house key?
"You don't think Sasuke would mind his girlfriend flirting with another man?" He spoke the word girlfriend just above a whisper.
Sakura froze, her hand still on the knob of the door she had just opened. "Girlfriend?" Her anger faded away as she turned and faced one sad black eye. Her voice, too, came out soft and low. "I'm not Sasuke's girlfriend."
"You aren't? But I thought…."
"Sasuke has told me that he has feelings for me but I don't share those feelings," her voice faltered, her eyes were glued to the floor.
"I see." Things were starting to make sense now. Seeing Sasuke and Sakura kissing, then finding her crying and later Sasuke leaving flowers on her doorstep.
She could feel the anger rising again. 'I see' that was all he had to say to her. Did she have to spell it out for him? Maybe she had been right back at the restaurant. He didn't see her the way he say Keiko.
"Thank you but who I decide to give me attention to is none of your business." She stated harshly and walked deliberately in her flat. She was about to slam the door on the Copy ninja and his indifference when she felt the door resist. A strong hand had taken her by the waist and spun her around.
Kakashi's face was full of passion. "I'm making it my business since I want all your attention."
She didn't have time to think or speak. He kissed her like no one had ever kissed her before. His lips were soft and gentle but full of desire. She responded instinctively. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her hands in his silver hair pulling him deeper into their kiss.
He tighten his grip on her waist, directed her backwards further into the apartment, closing the door with his foot.
Sakura couldn't believe this was really happening. Here she was in her apartment kissing her former sensei, teammate, friend, the famous Copy Ninja. Her rational side kept trying to reason it all out. She wanted him more than she had imagined but this would be her first time. Kakashi Hatake was not the settling down type. Was this just a one-night stand for him? If so that is not what she wanted for her first time.
Her thoughts blurred and any objections flew out the window (be it helped by the liquor she had drunk early) as he moved his lips from hers down her neck to where it met her shoulders, removing the strap of her tank top to provide him unobtrusive access to her soft skin. The smell of vanilla and the heat emanating from her tight body was the most aphrodisiac he had ever felt.
His hands moved up under her top, reaching her perky breasts. Her nipples responded instantly to his gently fondling making her moan into his ear. He could feel himself hardening at the sound of her pleasure.
He growled as he licked his way further down to her breast. His hot and wet tongue licked and nippled the erect nipple. She tasted so sweet he wanted more. One hand held her tight by the waist for support while the other traced from the breast he had been caressing down her rib cage over her hips to her firm thighs moving inwards and under her shorts.
He touch was hunger but gentle. A warm electric sensation began to build in Sakura's stomach and slowing spread where his skin made contact with hers. She felt herself moisten. She spread her legs apart slightly to give him admittance.
"Oh…Kakashi." His name came out as a low rumble from the back of her throat. She began working at his jounin's vest, which slide off easily and then at his undershirt. Both pieces of clothing were left discarded in a heap on the floor.
He kept kissing her breast as he began moving his fingers in circles on her clitoris sending waves of bliss through her body.
She threw her head back and arched her back in satisfaction. The silky skin of her neck called to him and he shifted his lips' attention to delicately sucking and kissing it. She purred her delight at the regained kissing of her neck.
"Sakura, I…" He whispered but was interrupted by a loud pounding knock at front door.
Sakura's and Kakashi's snapped to attention staring at the door. Who ever that was had the worst timing in the world and she was going to make sure that would be remedied even if it meant the death of said person.
Kakashi sighed and he laid his forehead on her shoulder. Maybe this was sign he thought though he didn't believe in signs. "You should see who that is." He extracted his hand from inside her shorts and stepped back.
She lowered her tank top and walked grumbling murderously to the door. Opening with a great swoosh she about to yell at whoever was on the side but no sound came out when she saw the fifteen year old kunocihi with orange hair and rosy cheeks standing there out of breath and frightened.
"Moegi, what is it?" Sakura couldn't think of what could make the girl so scared to come knock on her door so late.
Kakashi was right behind Sakura his undershirt and mask back on and pulling his vest on in a moment at hearing the worried tone as she asked the question.
Moegi, taken aback at seeing the silver hair jounin in her role model's apartment, gaped up at him.
"Forget about me right now. What is wrong?" His voice now had an edge of urgency.
"The team sent after Itachi Uchiha is back." She gasped between breaths. She had visibly rushed over with the news. "And Sasuke-kun is injured. Onee-san, you must come. The Hokage and Shizune are healing Yamato-Taicho.
"Ok, let's go. Moegi, you lead the way." Sakura said with the authority of a seasoned medic.
Sakura turned to Kakashi. Both their faces were lined with anxiety.
"I'm going with you, too." Kakashi said.
The three sprinted off to the hospital.
Concern for their friends and guilt for what they had been doing overwhelmed the two jounins. Yes, Sakura had not accepted Sasuke's advances but she hadn't rejected them either. Kakashi sensed this fact as well.