AN: well this is different I guess. Re-reading this chapter, I think Kakashi may have gone majorly off the charts OOC, although maybe he's becoming less OOC in context and more like he is in a few other fanfics I have read.

I don't know, what do you think?

It may be that he's just becoming more confident, but he seems a bit perverted in the determination, rather than that innocent naivety.

Oh well…

Sorry for Sakura being a prude, it's important for the plot.

2068 words in this chapter

Unmasked

Chapter 8- Him

As Sakura brushed her hair through in front of the mirror on her bedroom wall, she saw a silver flash in the reflection as the odd lock of her hair drifted up in a breeze.

She put down her brush and turned around to find Kakashi spread out on her double bed comfortably.

She gave him a curious look as she walked over in his direction "Kakashi? What are you doing?"

"I'm lying down" he smirked and rested his hands under his head.

"Why? Are you ill or something?"

"No, it's my holiday for today. So I'm lying in bed all day."

"But why are you lying on my bed?"

He shrugged "You invited me over"

"If you wanted to stay in bed, you could have just told me, I wouldn't mind" she scowled at him and went to leave the room.

He called her back softly "Come and lie down next to me. Relax for once."

"Kakashi…" she spun slowly with a sigh

"Please. It'll be safer anyway; Less risk of someone walking in on us." His eye crinkled in amusement

She couldn't stay off much longer and smiled lightly, turning and shutting the door before lying down against him. He looped his arm around her protectively and began to kiss her tentatively.

The longer he kissed her, the closer he began to pull her, until eventually she was lying on top of him.

"Careful" she warned, leaning up on one hand away from his mouth.

His head crashed back to the bed in confusion "huh?"

"Don't kiss me too strongly when we are lying on a bed together, I may get carried away."

"I don't mind" he leant up and began kissing her again; pulling her down to him so she couldn't say anything.

She pulled apart quickly and jumped off him "Nani?"

He looked hurt by her wide eyed expression and sat up beside her "What's wrong?"

"I don't believe you actually just said that. Is Genma putting pressure on you to do something?"

"No, when have I ever listened to Genma?" he began to reach for her again

"Then what is… oh, I get it." She stood up off the bed and glared at him "That is pathetically low Kakashi."

"I don't understand"

"You are just offering to sleep with me so I'll go public with you, right? You just don't want to have to go out into Konoha without your mask alone."

"Sakura, don't be ridiculous…" he began to raise his voice, but then thought better of it and rested his head back again "Never mind… just forget I ever said it. Come lie back with me?"

"No, I don't think I want to" she went to leave the room in a storm of emotional rain clouds.

He got off the bed to stop her "Sakura, I said forget it, we aren't going to fight, are we?"

She rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempts and kept walking "Apparently we are."

"I don't understand. Do you not want to…?" his eyes were flicking about nervously.

"It's… I don't know."

"You don't know whether you want to?"

"Oh, no, I know I want to…" she stopped in the middle of the main room, but didn't face him "But you have to understand. I have never had a serious relationship. With me…, I sleep with guys, and then afterwards, I leave and quite often I never talk to them again… I don't know how to deal with… I wouldn't… it would be awkward."

"Surely it would be the same, just with you waking and not leaving, just like when we slept together without making love." He had stopped by the door way, wanting to give her space.

"You see, it's not the same at all. I have only ever had sex; you are talking about making love. I don't think either of us is ready for that yet." She turned to him with a sympathetic face "Why did you suddenly decide that it would be ok?"

"I didn't, I…" he looked down at his feet "Gomen, I shouldn't have…"

"No, I'm not mad at you, not really, I just need to know." She walked over to him and took hold of one of his hands "Did you really feel ready?"

"I thought I did." He nodded slowly

Deep in thought, she sighed. "I think… when we do go public, maybe it will be ok? Then I know I won't just ditch you because it's awkward."

"You really think you'd do that?" he made eye contact finally, shock in his features.

"I have no idea. It all goes as part of my busy lifestyle, I get compulsive at times. It's nothing personal."

"Well when…?"

"When do we go public? I have no idea, but I knew you would ask that." She let go of him and walked off again. She sat down on the sofa and began to fiddle with the edge of her skirt "This is exactly what I was talking about before, that comes first, and then you'll ask me to marry you again. Don't say you haven't been thinking about it."

"Gomen Sakura"

"Stop apologizing." she mumbled quietly

"I'll just go home"

She whipped her head around to find him beginning to walk out the door "Don't you bloody dare!"

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her in bemusement.

She just sighed and rested her head against her hand "Gomen, I shouldn't be yelling. You came here for some alone time."

"I don't want to be here if you are going to be in a bad mood with me. As much as I want to see you, it's not worth it if we are just going to fight." He sounded angry and she cringed at being the cause of it.

Damn pmt… "Alright, I won't argue anymore. Next time, I'll just do as you say."

He strode over and pulled her upright with one arm, speaking in a commanding tone "Good, because lecturing doesn't suit you. I was your sensei, not the other way around."

He grinned and started to kiss her passionately again, taking a hold of her hip with his spare hand to bring her closer.

She tried her best not to respond, but eventually melted with the contact, unable to keep hold of her limbs as they clutched at his strong body.

He began to shift his weight again, letting go of her as he fiddled between them with something. What is he…?

She glanced down just in time as he began to slip off his jonin shirt and her eyes shot wide as she stepped away from him again "wha…?"

He smirked and took another step forward as the material slid to the ground "I won't let you ditch me. Trust me, I want this."

"Kakashi… not now" she took another step back away from him.

"What happened to not arguing?" he frowned at her, standing still

"Gomen, it's just the wrong time, if you get my meaning. Maybe in a few days time, is that alright?"

"Oh, well um…" he glanced away nervously.

"Trust me, you'll appreciate it more, and I'll be ready enough to make sure it's a pleasurable experience for you" she smiled faintly, trying to break through the awkward atmosphere.

"Next week" he stated

"Nani?"

"I'm uh… I'm being sent on a mission, class A. Tomorrow. I won't be back until at least Tuesday"

"Oh, Gomen…"

"No, I'm sorry for pushing it"

"Was that why?"

"Hai," he sighed heavily "I didn't want to leave you. I thought this might help to bring you closer."

"I just hate how inevitable this all is" She turned away from him and started to run a finger along some of the scrolls set out on a side table absently while she thought out loud to herself

"What do you mean?"

"You know it's true. At some point you will ask me to marry you. I can see you aren't going to get bored. Eventually, I will have to say yes and then that's it, everything else will come."

"I won't pressure you into anything"

"Not deliberately no, I never said you would force me to marry you, I just know I will. I seriously think it would just be easier to say yes now and stop wasting time."

He coughed in surprise "Nani?"

"Boyfriend sounds wrong. Lover is inaccurate. Partner is too general." She turned to face him again "I guess fiancé sounds better, don't you think?"

He shrugged but couldn't narrow his eyes back to normal as hard as he tried "You know what I think"

"Hmm…"

He walked up to her slowly and tried to take her hands in his "Sakura, are you seriously considering what I think you are?"

She didn't resist, and stared up into his eyes honestly "I think I might… Not now though. Next week."

"You will…"

"Ask me again next week, properly this time rather than some begging routine in the park, then you'll get your answer." She unconsciously began walking back to her bedroom, taking him with her.

"I love you so much it's unbearable at times." He grinned so wide it looked like his face would be stretched right out of proportion and began to kiss her again before they reached the other room.

They stumbled together as she began to kiss along his jaw line, his arms roaming her body as they attempted to walk at the same time. Sakura was giggling as they leant against the wall outside her room, continuing their affectionate contacts.

They were interrupted a few minutes later when they heard the door slamming and Sakura quickly pushed him inside her bedroom whispering to him sharply "stay there and stay quiet"

She sighed heavily and turned to greet Tenten, shutting the door to her room and standing in front of it protectively, panting from the make out session.

The angry voice called out through the apartment "Sakura!"

After a quick stomp through the main room, Tenten walked over to the bedroom door. "What were you doing in there?"

"What do you think?" She smiled weekly "You said you were going to be out for a while."

Realization dawned on the older kunoichi and she clamped a hand over her mouth "Oh, gomen, who is it, Kiba?"

"Shh… come on" she led her away to the main room, where they sat down on the sofa. "What happened?"

She let her head sink to her chest solemnly "We're getting divorced"

"You can't be serious"

"I am, I told him he wasn't worth it and made it fairly clear how depressed he has been making me, and all he cares about is the bloody clan politics, as expected. So I'm leaving him. I've had enough."

Sakura sighed in sympathy "Chocolate?"

She nodded vigorously in return "Hai… oh, but what about him?"

"Hold on" she quickly went and checked for Kakashi to inform him that she wouldn't be back for a while. Unsurprisingly, she found the room empty, and smirked to herself, grabbing her emergency chocolate stash and a bottle of wine from the kitchen before heading back to sit with Tenten.

"Is he ok?"

"Nice to know you aren't back to despising the entire male population." She smirked "He's gone already"

"It wasn't Kiba then?"

"Huh?"

She nodded to the shirt crumpled on the floor. "Kiba is ANBU so he doesn't wear standard jonin uniform shirts, ever."

Sakura blushed as she realized that Kakashi had gone back to his apartment without a shirt, and presumably covered in red marks. Please say that Genma went home…

"Don't worry, I'm not judging, and I'm not going to ask who it was. Just, if you are going to date my team mate, show him the respect of not letting him find out that you are cheating on him."

"He's gone now, so it isn't a problem. Can we not talk about it?"

"I didn't hear anyone leave"

"That's the great part about screwing around with ninjas; they can disappear when you want them to."

"Good for you" she grumbled, reaching to open the wine.

"Well that's the good side about divorce I guess. A chance to dip into the sea for other fish, and with Ino off the market, there'll be a surplus of choice."

Tenten froze in her movements. "I never even thought about being with anyone but Neji"

AN: duh duh duh! What could this mean?

Giggles manically to herself

Ok, so the chapter isn't funny, but it can be if you read it properly.

You just wait for the next few chapters; then the irony will hit you so hard you'll happily beat yourself senseless for missing stuff. Shlol.

Hmm… I want to do another poll, but I can't think of anything to ask…

Ooh, I know… what would you like to see an opinion poll of? I'll post the results in future author notes. claps hands together in excitement

Still ill and very tired but now hyper for one solid reason. My reviewers. Luffs ya all.

Oh and I always reply to reviews if I can, even if it's just to say thanks, but I have to do it, because otherwise it's antisocial, and I'm brought up properly to use my manners. (so typically British I know, but my family are snobs)

Stay shiny and show the luff

XX Belizma-chan XX