The Vacation Chapter 3, a naruto fanfic

A/N:

Wow chapter 3 was full of mental blocks and about 0 motivation until these last two days, which is when I pretty much wrote all of this chapter. It's kind of all over the place because I had to get them to Suna and as I said last chapter I hate writing travel scenes! I apologize for any spelling mistakes because it's 3am and I read over this once and corrected anything I caught but anything else is going to be left as an embarrassment.

disclaimer: all rights belong to kishimoto

The next morning when Kakashi finally awoke, Sakura was packing her belongings into her backpack, slinging the canvas bag over her shoulder when she was finished.

"Morning! I figured we'd best get a move on if we want to make it to Suna by tomorrow." Though Sakura appeared awake, her voice held a husky layer which typically signaled tiredness or sleep deprivation. Her movements were sluggish and even as she leaned over Kakashi to kick him awake, he could see the shadows beneath her eyes. He wanted to tell her to go back to sleep but he knew that would not only waste their time, but also cross a line of authority he had not held over her in years.

The copy-nin gave a sheepish grin and covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow before following Sakura's example of packing his belongings into his canvas backpack. It was about time they got going.

Traveling was always boring since it was a simple repetition of a few motions such as jump, land, jump and so forth, but Sakura was occupied enough with her thoughts. Her relationship with Kakashi had changed so much in one night, and surprisingly, it felt normal, as if it was meant to be this way. They didn't talk as they traveled, but it seemed they were still communicating. She wasn't saying they were telepathic, but she seemed to understand when he jumped a few branches ahead of her, he wanted her to speed up. Or when he chose the branches beneath her, he suspected they were not alone. The quietness between them was no longer awkward but comfortable and friendly. Sakura caught herself staring at former sensei more than a few times and could only question what this feeling in her stomach meant. Not only was it desire but it was the feeling of…affection? Respect? She felt the need to be close to Kakashi, to learn his habits all over again and become someone he could lean on. The kunoichi knew the feeling of loneliness and grief, and she wanted to comfort Kakashi's sorrows no matter how deep they went.

When they camped that night Sakura placed her sleeping bag next to Kakashi as he hunched over their fire to keep warm, holding his palms out for the heat to lap at. As the previous night, he would keep watch first and wake Sakura in a few hours to switch roles. She never minded being woken up and he was grateful there was no sleepy wrath to face at 2:30 am.

The white haired ninja sat cross-legged on the end of his sleeping bag, one hand holding "icha icha pooltime" and the other idly rubbing the back of his neck. The way he looked so at peace and distracted, Sakura couldn't help but cave into the feelings that washed through her. Without realizing it she had quickly become infatuated with the idea of becoming close to her ex-sensei. She wanted more than anything for him to not only trust her, but seek out her company for support. Sakura silently wiggled from her sleeping bag, stood, and slid the bag so it was now perpendicular to Kakashi's. She ignored his questioning look as she slid back into the folds of her sleeping bag, though she bypassed the built in pillow for Kakashi's lap. Just as she suspected, he was warm.

"It's alright." Her voice was hushed and moments after the words were spoken, his tense body relaxed only slightly. It was true she had taken him by surprise when she moved her sleeping bag, but he would have never expected this. He would have also never expected his heart would threaten to break his ribs as her head rested on his thigh and as her soft pink hair cascaded into his lap. It was a slow movement but the hand which was previously rubbing Kakashi's stiff neck found its way into Sakura's locks, using its fingers as a comb and slowly brushing the short strands from scalp to ends and repeating. He wanted to weep when Sakura purred in response. He was going insane.

"Kakashi…I want you to know that you can trust me…I-I know what happened in your past and I understand it's hard to move forward from that, but if you ever need somebody, I'm here okay? You don't need to be alone anymore…" he nodded in response and the fingers in her hair never stopped combing.

"After the war was over…and I saw Obito again…I felt crazy…I felt like nothing made sense and this world wasn't right for me anymore." Suddenly Sakura pieced his odd behavior together over the last three years. His isolation and all the S-rank missions.

"You were trying to kill yourself, or at least hoping someone would eventually kill you along the way." Kakashi's eyes shifted to the ground beside his leg and he winced at Sakura's soft voice. It was the pity that soaked her words which made him feel guilty.

"Yeah."

His hand stopped combing because Sakura's pulled it from her hair to hold between her own. Her lids were closed over her eyes and Kakashi couldn't help but think how sweet she looked like that. It was if she could take away all evil in this world. Or at least erase his own demons.

"Well you're here now…so please…stay with me, okay?" If Sakura's eyes would have been open she would have clearly seen Kakashi's widen for a split second before a small smile played under his mask.

"Okay."

Suna had only changed slightly since Sakura had last seen it and the changes were subtle enough that if she was asked, she couldn't name them outright. Kakashi on the other hand noticed no difference as he aimlessly followed Termari through the sandy streets. To their surprise, Gaara and his siblings met them at Suna's entrance to welcome them in open arms.

"Sakura…Kakashi…I know the formality of this greeting is awful, but how is Naruto?" If it were anyone else, the two would have been offended by the Kazekage's concern for someone other than his guests, but the leaf shinobi knew how important Naruto was to the red haired man.

"He's fine!"

"He's fine." they chimed and to their relief Gaara smiled and began his speech on the hotel they would be staying, including its accommodations. Though Kakashi hardly paid attention to anything besides the frequent glances Kankuro was giving Sakura and her backside. It seemed someone had a crush on the pink haired kunoichi and it wasn't just Kakashi. Wait. What? The copy-ninja almost toppled over as the thoughts passed through his head. Perhaps this infatuation had manifested into something other than a passing thought and it was time Kakashi forced himself to come to terms with his emotions. No longer did he only want to protect Sakura from danger, but from other's longing stares and lustful eyes. He couldn't stand the thought of another man running his fingers through her hair or receiving the words she said to him the night prior, even if Sakura's intent was comfort. His dreams were filled with the scent of sweet pea and he decided it was becoming his favorite smell, just like staring at her legs was becoming his favorite pass time.

Kakashi accepted how he felt towards Sakura, but he still couldn't extinguish the burning in his gut which accompanied thoughts of romancing his former student. He knew realistically there was nothing wrong with it, she was an adult and no longer his student, but something in him was yelling that this was wrong on quite a few levels.

"Perhaps it's the age difference?" he thought the words were almost silent but the group turned to stare at the man who had not spoken more than two words since their arrival, surprised expressions played in their eyes while Kakashi's latched onto Sakura's, silently conveying a message of help.

"Ah well, thank you for walking us to the hotel! It's truly beautiful here and we can't thank you enough, especially on Lady Tsunade's behalf, for this wonderful opportunity." Sakura averted the group's attention back to herself and she watched as her ex-sensei visibly sighed in relief. "Jeez…that was a close one" the voice in her head relayed.

"It's really no problem. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you need anything at all." the Kazekage watched the two leaf shinobi with an eye of admiration and he couldn't help but smile as the groups bid their farewells.

The hotel was the same color as the rest of the buildings in Suna, a Persian orange which came from the sand the buildings were created from, but as the two stepped inside its walls, they couldn't have been more surprised at what they saw. The hotel was lavish with marble floors and granite countertops and Kakashi recalled that the Tsuchikage gifted large amounts of the stones to the Kazekage himself; apparently this is what Gaara had chosen to do with them. A fountain sat in the middle of the room and a chandelier hung directly above it, causing the water to carry flecks of golden shimmers from its light. As the two approached the desk labeled "check in" a woman with short black hair and fiery orange eyes smiled back at them. Her name tag read "Kyou" and her iridescent eyes hovered on Kakashi only for a second before fixating on Sakura, noticing she was about to speak.

"Hello, um, we're here to check in. I believe we should be under the Hokage's reservation."

"Ah yes, we've been expecting you! Let's see, Let's see…" Kyou trailed a black chipped nail down a long list of what seemed to be reservations. Some were highlighted and others had a thin line through them. Kyou tapped her finger twice on the paper and quickly opened a drawer to remove two keys. Placing them on the countertop she also slid what seemed to be a contract and two pens in Sakura's direction.

"All you, well actually both of you, need to do is sign here aaaaannndddd here," the same chipped nail tapped two blank lines on the white paper. "then you're good to go! I'll explain what your package includes after I file your paperwork."

Silently Sakura and Kakashi scribbled their signatures onto the designated lines. Sakura's contained a small flower made from the "O" in her last name, while Kakashi's ended with a messy paw print. They waited for Kyou to file the paper and only listened as she began, clapping her hands together and smiling.

"Okay, so! Your package includes full room service, free of charge, access to our indoor pool from 7am to 11pm, and access to our dining hall for free as well." The ravanette paused for a moment to make sure her guests were able to grasp what she had said. She was known to talk exceptionally fast.

"Your room has a private bathroom, which includes a toilet, sink, and luxury tub. A small living area, one bed, a small fridge and of course a coffee pot! There's a dining table located in a small alcove under the window beside your bed which can be used for dining purposes! Laundry is done daily by our cleaning crew as well as housekeeping! If you have any problems, the front desk here is open until 5pm! Please enjoy your stay!" Sadly Kyou's peppy voice and sweet smile was in vain, for Kakashi and Sakura both were stuck on a single detail Kyou tried her best to sneak into the mix. Her eyes nervously stared into two agape mouths and hallowed eyes.

"ONE BED?!" the combination of both voices was loud enough for other customers to turn and stare. Kyou only continued to smile as she tidied up her desk space.

"I'm sorry to trouble you Kyou, but we'll need to request a different room if that isn't a problem. We weren't aware that our room only included one bed and we would just like to be as comfortable as possible, you see." Over Sakura's shoulder Kakashi nodded at her every word, as if she was famous and he was part of her entourage. To their surprise the only answer they received was a large plastic sign that read "CLOSED" slammed on the counter in front of them. The women behind the counter no longer had a sweet look on her face, but one twisted with disgust and a coy smile.

"Desk is closed at 5, sorry suckers you'll have to deal with it. Honestly what's the big deal. My shift is over. I'm outta here." A hunch now graced her figure as she stomped into a room that read "staff only" above its door.

"WHY YOU! SHANN-"Luckily Kakashi was able to stop the fist that was about to collide with the pretty granite counter by swiftly catching the kunoichi's slim wrist. The look of anger she shot him only received a smile in return, it was best not to agitate her when she was angry.

"If it's a problem I'll sleep on the floor I really don't mind. My bed at home isn't much different from a rock s-"

"No it's fine. We can share the bed. We used to share your sleeping bag when I was younger all the time remember? Naruto would always manage to squirm into Sasuke's on cold nights so you would offer me yours. Now I'm offering you the bed. It's really no different, right?" It was true, he thought, except it wasn't the same anymore. When she was young he was her guardian, and offering her a small space in his bag was innocent. It was a form of protection. Now sleeping in the same bed was probably the farthest thing from protection Kakashi could offer. He turned to rebuttal but instead was greeted with the image of Sakura's bare back. In the time he spent reminiscing, she had managed to exchange her usual red top for a long baby blue t-shirt that read "trust me, I'm a doctor" across the bust in a comical font, but not only that, but she had forgone her bra and shorts, the long shirt scraping the tops of her knees. She would be lying if said she wasn't hoping for a reaction from the silver haired man and by the looks of it, she got one. Kakashi's jaw clenched several times before he suddenly rounded the bed to Sakura's side. He continued to walk in her direction until she had no choice but to mirror his forward steps with backwards ones of her own, finally her back pressed against the wall beside the nightstand. She was caged in by two arms and a masked face that was dangerously close to hers. She couldn't help but tilt her head and smile at the man who seemed so angry. Her tongue emerged from her mouth to smooth over her top lip, before returning to her mouth to make a single clucking sound. She was purposely pushing his buttons since it was about time she confronted this winding desire which lodged itself in her gut. Though she was his ex-student, she was still a woman and to her there needed to be no other explanation.

"I don't know how wise that is, Sakura." The voice in his head was screaming in protest of his every move, but he continued on until she was trapped. He hated the look in her eyes, as if there was nothing wrong with him doing this. He wanted to scold her for making him feel okay with the idea of sleeping with her when he wanted to feel guilty for something so normal. She made him feel hope. She made him feel as if it was alright to pool his mask around his neck and reach a hand into her hair. Even as his hungry eyes burned into hers, he saw no protest but an eagerness, as if she was saying "C'mon, do it, there's nothing wrong." When her eyes darted around his face, taking in something she had long sought to see, he only watched as her flicked to his eyes before settling on his mouth. His heart stopped when her pink lips gently pat against his pale ones. She hadn't even taken a breath before Kakashi's lips crashed against her own.

The kiss wasn't gentle, as she would have expected from a teacher. It was not only rough but skilled and as she leaned into him now, one of his hands left the wall to squeeze at her hip, his thumb rubbing a slow circle over the bone. When he nipped at her lower lip, the noise that came from Sakura had him seeing stars and the only thing he could do was mirror it with one of his own. It was sad, really. He had slept with a few women in his life time, all mostly quick exchanges where she made all the noise and he silently pounded away until he was more or less satisfied. Yet here he was. Succumbing to simply the noises Sakura made. He was sure she would drive him insane if he wasn't already. His tongue trailed across her upper lip, as if asking for entrance and she happily obliged, meeting it with her own and she was happy to realize he tasted sweet with a layer of cinnamon. When his tongue slid against her own she let out another moan before trailing her hands up over his shoulders and down his arms. Sakura's mouth skipped from his own to his cheek, and then his neck and when she quickly removed his vest and blue long sleeved shirt, her mouth immediately rained kisses over his collar bone and broad shoulders, nipping at his smooth skin frequently because the groans he gave in response were making her mad. She leaned back against the wall, pulling his weight with her own, causing Kakashi's muscular body to press into Sakura's, he didn't feel how close they actually were until Sakura's hips began to move against his own. He wanted to take her there against this wall more than he ever wanted anything in his life but he knew he couldn't. He knew this had to stop before they both regretted it. Sakura deserved so much more than him. She deserved someone who could make love to her in a bed instead of fucking her against a wall. She deserved someone who wasn't fourteen years her senior and practically waiting for death to show up at his door. Sakura was not simply pretty but the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and she deserved the world. She deserved all of the wonderful things he couldn't give her, so when he suddenly stopped and pulled his mouth from hers, why did it feel like he was dying?

"That was a mistake, I'm sorry Sakura. I should have never done that. I'm going to go for a walk." The look in her eyes made his heart feel like a blade had sliced through it, twisting and wiggling around once it had been shoved all the way through. He didn't slam the door when he closed it, but he didn't hesitate to lean his head against its cool wooden outside, his hitai-ate tapping against the room number.

When he returned later that night, Sakura was already asleep. He tossed around the idea of sleeping on the floor but he feared he was too drunk to safety lay down without hitting his head on something, so he tried his best to flatten himself on top of the covers without moving the bed too much.

He didn't notice the shattered lamp in the garbage can or the band aids across Sakura's knuckles.

That night they never drifted into the other's side of the bed. Sakura dreamt of cinnamon while Kakashi dreamt of sweet pea. The smell was getting stronger.

A/N: Cool! As always, here I am to bother you to please leave a review! It not only helps me as a writer but will ultimately help you as a reader! GO GO GO !