Author's Note: Ahh, I'm sorry this is a little late... though, technically it's still Friday... hehe.
Stuff just kept popping up and I didn't have time to get on the internet and upload this until now.
Anyway, this one's got a bit of fluff, so hopefully that makes up for it. :)
Thank you to Angel42497, BlackRose723, and Echo Uchiha for the amazing reviews on Chapter Ten. You guys rock!
Reviews on this chapter would make me uber happy! :D

Twelve: Almost

When I exited the hot spring and had reunited with my matching robe and slipper set, I began walking in the direction of the resort building, following the rows of twinkling lamps that lined the paths. I pulled the doors open and was greeted by the familiar chilled hotel air that soothed my still burning skin. A shiver shot down my spine as my body struggled to adjust to the rapid change in temperature, and in my momentary spasm, I had almost crashed into one of the hotel employees.

The woman, who had simply dismissed my near collision with her, wore a smile on her full lips. "Dinner is ready, Miss. Allow me to escort you to the dining hall."

"Oh," I breathed, a bit surprised, "Alright then."

I followed her down the hall until we had reached a set of large double doors just before the lobby to the left. The woman pushed both of them open to reveal another room that matched the elegance of the rest of the place. When my eyes ceased examining the surroundings, and had actually focused on what had been placed on the dining table, my jaw dropped. A wide array of seafood, as well as bowls of rice, chicken, chopped up fruits and veggies, and bread, had been laid out to fill almost every inch of the giant wooden table. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi had already seated themselves. "Enjoy your meal," said the woman as she latched both of the doors behind her.

I took the empty seat next to Kakashi, and, the moment I did so, Naruto immediately began piling helpings of food onto his plate. I smirked at his impatience, although I was impressed that he managed to contain himself until my arrival. Sakura rolled her eyes at the blonde boy as she situated her chopsticks in her hand and reached toward the sushi platter. Leaning toward Kakashi, I whispered, "A night at a fancy resort and a feast prepared just for us? Wow, Kakashi, I'm really impressed."

In my utter amazement, I hadn't noticed that his eyes were wide in shock. "I ordered the standard… just the standard dinner… and this is what they gave me…" After a heavy sigh, he whined, "I'm going to be broke."

I grasped a helping of steamed vegetables and dropped them onto my plate. "Quit complaining and just enjoy this amazing meal," I told him before taking a bite of my food, "If you have to sell your house, you can come live with me."

My comment brought a smile to the masked man's hidden lips. "Fair enough."

Much to my surprise, we somehow managed to finish the entire spread of food without leaving a single scrap on our plates. I'm sure it was mostly thanks to Naruto's enormous appetite. Leaning back in his chair and patting his belly with his hands, Naruto sighed, "I'm stuffed."

"Me too," Sakura agreed with a satisfied smile, placing her chopsticks on the small holder to the left of her plate.

"I'm glad you guys enjoyed it," Kakashi said with a slight hint of a pout.

I gave my sulky friend a reassuring pat on the back while beaming gratefully at him. He returned my gesture halfheartedly, trying (and failing) to look happy, despite his inevitable future poverty. "Well, I think we should get some sleep now," I suggested, "We've got another long day ahead of us."

"Yeah," Naruto and Sakura replied in unison while nodding. They each rose from their seats and began in the direction of the exit, thanking Kakashi for the meal along the way.

Before I could stand up to follow them, Kakashi had, like a bolt of lightning, disappeared from his seat beside me. It wasn't until I felt him place his hands on my shoulders that I realized he had teleported directly behind me, and, although I was a ninja of Jonin level, I couldn't keep myself from flinching at his sudden movement. He leaned down to place his lips mere inches away from my ear. "Meet me outside on the patio after Sakura falls asleep," was all he whispered.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I watched him nonchalantly shove his hands into his pockets as he walked out of the room. He was definitely a strange man. I didn't dwell on his odd behavior for more than a few seconds before dismissing it with a shrug of my shoulders as I left in search of my room.

Opening the door to my room, I noticed that the lighting was dim, only the flickering flames of a few candles on the nightstands illuminating the darkness. Sakura had already situated herself in one of the beds, her eyes closed and a blissful smile on her lips. "Comfortable?" I asked her while I pushed the door shut.

"I'm going to sleep like a log," she replied in a small, tired voice. I could tell that sleep was already pulling at her conscience, lulling her into its peaceful escape.

I advanced further into the room to kick off my slippers at the foot of the unoccupied bed before extinguishing the candles' flames with a forceful breath. The bed's heavy gravity pulled me into its warm embrace, engulfing me in a swirl of soft blankets and pillows, and I knew it was going to be difficult to pry myself away to fulfill Kakashi's request. In an attempt to keep myself awake long enough to do so, I broke the stillness of the room by grumbling, "Sleep well, Sakura."

I waited for a reply, but after a few moments of silence, I realized that Sakura had already fallen asleep. "That was quick," I whispered to myself while rolling out of bed. My legs, having tasted the comforting relief of bedtime, were heavy, unwilling to carry me to my destination. Forcing them to move, however, I slipped back into my slippers before tiptoeing to the door that led to the patio.

The air was much cooler without the steam from the hot springs to warm it. My body quivered as a gentle breeze drifted along my exposed skin, so I crossed my arms tightly over my chest in an attempt to combat it. I moved my eyes to the left to find Kakashi casually leaning against one of the wooden columns that supported the roof. He had changed out of his complementary robe and instead wore his Jonin pants and his black muscle shirt that attached to his mask.

"Naruto's already asleep too, huh?" I quietly asked, disrupting the tranquility of the night.

Kakashi turned his head to face me, his messy hair falling over his Sharingan eye. "You kidding?" he smiled through his mask, "Naruto fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow."

I advanced further outside to stand beside my best friend. "So," I sighed, "what's on your mind?"

"Nothing really," he simply answered.

I was a bit confused. "Then… why did you want me to meet you out here?"

Kakashi averted his gaze to the dimly lit garden area that faced the patio. "I just wanted a chance to hang out with you, that's all."

I didn't exactly know why, but hearing him say that made me really happy. My lips stretched into a small smile, and my heart fluttered in my chest. "Oh, alright."

After a few moments of silence, Kakashi turned to me again. "Let's go for a walk."

"Through the gardens?" I guessed.

His grey hair swayed as he nodded. He reached out his hand for me to take, and I immediately obliged. Our shoes scuffed against the rocky paths that weaved through the trees and flower bushes, and, despite the nighttime darkness, the view was incredible. A rainbow of colors surrounded us everywhere we ventured, and the fragrances of all the different plants swirled together in a pleasant aroma. Being a ninja, I got to travel into the wilderness often, so I had obviously seen my fair share of exotic vegetation. But there was something different about walking through a garden, something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"Are you still worrying about Toshiro?" Kakashi asked.

The sound of his name brought me crashing back to reality; the reality that we hadn't found a single lead on the people who might have been planning to kidnap my student. Suddenly, my delight faded to a feeling of dejection. "Well, I wasn't until now," I replied.

"Good," Kakashi simply commented.

"Good?" I repeated, furrowing my eyebrows. You just reminded me that one of my students is in danger and all you can say is "Good?"

"You got a chance to relax for a while, which is a good thing," he explained to me, keeping his eyes on the path in front of him.

"Oh," I said softly, "yeah, I guess you're right."

"And it's all thanks to me and my noble gesture," Kakashi announced in a proud tone.

Rolling my eyes, I used by right elbow to give him a playful nudge against his shoulder. He stumbled over his feet and eventually toppled over into one of the flowerbeds. He landed on his butt with a muffled 'thud,' and I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the surprised expression he wore on his face. He hadn't been on the ground for more than a second before he swiftly hopped back up to his feet and dusted off his pants, shooting me a glare as he did so. "Is that how you're going to thank me? How rude."

"I'm sorry," I choked through my laughter, "but I really can't take you seriously when you have little pink flowers in your hair!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, crossing his arms over his chest. One of the buds fell from his hair as he moved. "I happen to think they're beautiful."

His defense only increased my amusement. I doubled over as I tried to stop the spasms in my gut and catch my breath. I laughed so hard that my sides began to hurt. I tried to take a few deep breaths, and in a matter of minutes I managed to slow my breathing enough to actually articulate. Returning to a normal, standing position, I fought the smile on my lips as I approached my glowering best friend. "Let me help you," I offered, reaching my hands upward to pluck the flowers from his hair. I placed them back in the bush that they had originally sprouted from, hoping that nobody would notice the difference.

"I'm not going to thank you," Kakashi frowned, his arms still crossed tightly over his chest.

"You are something else," I grinned, rolling my eyes at him. I grasped his hand in mine and pulled him along to continue our journey through the garden. When he stopped dragging his feet, I assumed that he had dropped his little charade for now. Rewarding his decision to quit pouting, I turned to him and finally said, "Thank you, Kakashi. It really was amazing of you to treat us like this."

He averted his eyes to lock with mine, and a grin enveloped his features. "I may be going broke, but it was definitely worth it."

I laughed. "You're not going broke."

"But if I do, does your offer still stand?" He asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"Of course," I answered.

"And you'll cook me dinner every night?"

"Don't push it," I glared.

We followed the path until the foliage ended and the floral fragrance faded. The hotel was in sight, and, for some reason, I felt a jolt of disappointment shoot through my body. It meant that our night was probably coming to a close. "That was nice," I smiled, hoping my emotions would mirror my gesture.

"It was," Kakashi agreed.

I examined him as we approached the building. His facial features were masculine, having lost the fleshiness of childhood years. His muscles bulged underneath his form-fitting black shirt. His toned arms swayed slightly as he walked. I smiled at him, noting that he was no longer the young boy who had helped me through my depression so many years ago.

In my daze, I hadn't noticed a bed of rocks in my path. I walked straight into them, and though the hard mass had stopped my feet from continuing forward, my body kept advancing on. My eyes widened, and I inhaled a sharp breath of air. I reached my arms forward to break my fall, but before I could bear any weight on them, I felt something pulling me away.

The sudden swirling of my surroundings left me somewhat confused, but when I focused on Kakashi's face directly in front of mine, confusion fled away from me. I looked into his mismatched eyes, his gaze unwavering as he stared back at me. I could feel the slight tickle of his hair against my forehead as it fell over me, and, even through his mask, I could feel his warm breath against my skin. His arms cradled me just above the ground, and I noticed that I was actually gripping his shirt with mine. My face began to redden, and my mind raced as I frantically tried to figure out exactly what was happening.

I swore I saw him leaning closer. I swore I felt the pressure of his hands on my back harden. I swore I saw his eyes slowly falling close. And, despite the fact that my mind had decided to stop functioning, I think I let my eyes close. I think I lifted one of my hands toward the fabric of his mask. I think I even pulled him closer.

And then…

Laughter.

Kakashi and I simultaneously jumped away from each other to examine the noise. In the distance, a group of young girls were entering the bathing area for a midnight dip in the hot spring. Their laughter filled the air, followed by the splashing of water as they all jumped in.

I couldn't bring myself to look at Kakashi, so I looked at the ground instead. My cheeks burned in embarrassment as I realized what happened. Kakashi cleared his throat nervously before saying, "We should get some sleep."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

We walked back to our rooms in silence, and I was actually surprised when Kakashi pulled me into a goodnight hug. I slipped back into my room and crept toward my bed, cocooning myself in the blankets. All I could think about was what had just happened. Well… what had almost happened. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, and I was somewhat disappointed when I realized that this was, in fact, reality. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that Kakashi and I had almost…

Kissed.

There was only one thing that shocked me even more than the almost-kiss: the fact that, as I thought about it, I couldn't stop smiling about it.