Innocence-

A/N: Thank you for reviewing and favoriting.

.xxx.

You made a mistake on the day that you met me, and lost your way, you saw all the signs, but you let it go, you closed your eyes, I should've told you to leave because I knew all the time you couldn't handle me, but your hard to resist when your on your knees begging me ~ I'm not an Angel by Halestorm

.xxx.

"I'll have the hot-peach tea with two sugars, and no milk, please?" Kakashi gave his order politely when he was at the front of the line. He was cold and he was thirsty. Hot Chocolate was too sweet for his liking, and he didn't like plain tea or coffee.

He inhaled, taking in the sweet scents of the traditional tea shop and smiled. They used all natural ingredients so the smells weren't so harsh against his sensitive nose. The people running the shop were friendly and all in all, in his opinion it was the best tea-shop in Konoha.

Kakashi nodded to the shop owner and turned away with his warm peach tea in hand, surprised to find a bright and smiling Ino Yamanaka in his way.

"Hello, Ino-chan." He said giving her his common eye-crease in place of the fake smile that would be on his face other wise.

"Hello, Sensei, I was wondering if you and I could have a word?" She spoke in the sweetest voice she could muster. If she was good at something it was acting.

Ino shuddered; this was a man that could literally kill by just looking at you. He was also the man that had…mated… her best friend. Sakura wouldn't ever be able to be with another man but the silver haired Jounin. The bastard.

Kakashi thought about it for a second, "Yes, I suppose. What's up?" He answered when they exited the tea shop. He sipped at the warm liquid in the Styrofoam cup in his hand and glanced at the blued eyed blonde to his side. Hadn't Sai said something about her and Naruto getting in on in one of Konoha's elaborate dance clubs? Something about fondling breasts?

From a typical man's point of view, she was gifted in the assets area. They weren't overly large and she knew how to flaunt them. Any man would be lucky to have a woman built like her, except Kakashi. Sakura was the only woman he had eyes for. Hadn't she confessed her love to him? At least she knew how she felt; he was conflicted and confused wondering what on earth he was supposed to do with all the new emotions in his system.

She smiled at him, "Why don't you come into the shop? It's warmer in there." She gestured with her hand. Kakashi couldn't refuse that offer; he had goosebumps from head to tow from the chill outside.

When inside the flower shop Kakashi raised an eyebrow, confused, as Ino locked and lowered the shade over the front door. What was going on? Last time somebody pulled this stunt with him it turned out to be an intervention because they thought he was depressed. He was reserved! There's a difference, he mused thinking back on how Genma told him that depression was nothing to be ashamed of. While he was right, Kakashi found the conversation pointless because he wasn't depressed.

Ino turned to Kakashi, "We need to have a little chit-chat." She set her hand on her hip and shifted her weight to one leg. The joy gone from her eyes, the smile wiped off of her face.

"What about?" He sipped at his tea again. It was soothing and warming, calming him.

"Your Clan." She still spoke with that sweet voice, but her body language said something different. Vehemence, viciousness, and hate. She was on guard and ready.

He didn't answer, so she continued.

"I was helping Sakura run through some of her family's paper work, and your family's files got mixed in with hers. Me being the curious thing I am, read through some of the files." She walked towards the glass counter where the cash register resided. "There was this odd report on members of your family mating. I was wondering if you could tell me about that."

It was odd that she was searching though his stuff but Kakashi nodded slowly, "Members of my family mark a person, their 'soul-mate' of sorts. It's a chemical thing, something to do with pheromones. They only mark once, because every person has unique scents, even identical twins have different pheromones. After they're marked the marker becomes protective, sometimes violently so. That person is their 'soul-mate'; you'd protect them at all costs."

She looked down at the glass for a moment. He made it sound so simple, much simpler that it actually was, but Genma had warned her before that that was something he was very good at.

He watched her, "Is that all?" He had a feeling he knew that answer.

"Have you found your mate, soul-mate, person or whatever yet? As one of the only Hatake family members left in the village it would be a big deal if you had."

Kakashi shook his head 'no' while his heart ached with the word 'yes'. Sakura was his soul-mate. She was his. "Nope. Don't plan on it either."

Ino's head snapped up, "You son of a bitch!"

He looked taken back by the statement. "Excuse me?"

"You son of a fucking bitch! Sakura is your mate! How the hell can you deny that! You sunk your teeth far enough into her chest to eat her heart out, and you have the nerve to stand here and tell me you don't have a mate? Well, you know what Mr. Hatake, you can go die in a hole, you pathetic coward!" She screamed at him, her face red with anger.

"Who the hell are you to get into our business?" He retorted, his voice rising with authority.

"Her best fucking friend! She loves you, Kakashi! Then you go and sink your fangs into her and expect her to be okay? She knows about the mating thing, everyone does!"

"Stay the fuck out of our business! What happens between us has absolutely nothing to do with you!" He hissed. Who the hell did she think she was? What went on between him and Sakura had nothing to do with her.

They would figure out their relationship by themselves. They didn't need Miss-Gossips help with any of it, they were adults, and shinobi no less. They could handle it.

"The fuck it doesn't, Kakashi!"

"It doesn't!"

"I will personally kick your ass into that fucking hole, you pussy!" She stalked around the counter and came nose to nose with by standing on her toes. "You mated her. Admit it." She ground out between clenched teeth, her jaw so tight, she was sure if she tightening it anymore she would break teeth.

He looked down her nose into the angry blue orbs of her eyes. "No."

He wouldn't admit it. Not to Ino, the mouth of Konoha. He the hell did she even know to begin with? He was positive he hadn't told anyone…Sakura. Ino was her best friend. He snarled incoherently as Ino pushed her nose against his. She had a death wish, he told himself. That's why she was so damn close, and in his personal space. She was stupid for tempting him, for pushing this far.

"I said," She annunciated, "Admit it."

"I said, no." He snapped back at her.

He gasped in surprise as the palm of her hand connected with his cheek and a loud 'smack' resonated. Did she just bitch-slap him?

"You claimed her for your own. You own her heart. Shouldn't she own yours?" The blonde whispered her voice low and thick with emotion.

If he couldn't look her in the eye and say that she was his, then she'd make sure that Sakura never had to deal with him again. She'd make sure Kakashi's complication with Sakura was taken care of.

Kakashi closed his eyes and thought. Ino was just trying to prove a point and to put two and two together. Why was it, whenever women talked about people owning each others hearts, it made him feel soft inside? He felt like pulling a complete one-eighty and telling her.

That could end badly.

Yet, he wouldn't feel the guilt on his chest like a million shuriken had been embedded into his heart.

"I never said she didn't." He murmured hanging his head as his walls came down. He'd just given up, his softer side showing at mention of Sakura and her owning his heart. God, Genma was right; he was a softie.

Ino's eyes become softer as he answered her. "Does Sakura know?"

"No" He shook his head, "Just you."

She nodded, "She thinks the only reason your with her is the sex, and the fact that she doesn't care that you're a sadomasochist."

He looked up into her soul searing blue eyes at the mention of his big secret. Sakura, how much did you mention? He said to himself. He wasn't proud of what or who he was. He wasn't proud he'd taken her virginity, or marked her as his mate. He wasn't proud that he'd beaten, bit, and ravaged her. She was an ex-student, and a close friend, even though what had happened happened.

"At first it was, but the more I was with her, the more I thought about it, about her the more I realized that the feeling in the pit of my stomach was something more than lust." Kakashi swallowed hard, his heart felt like it was lurching into his throat to keep his secrets all to himself, "And you're completely right about me being a pathetic coward." He admitted, speaking softly, "I ran the hell away from her."

"Sakura loves you for who you are, Kakashi-sensei. So what's holding you back?"

"I'm scared."

.xxx.

Sai sat across from Naruto, watching as the blonde looked over his sketches and the book he'd used to compare them to different emotions and meanings. He wasn't happy with what he'd found, so much so that he was having Naruto check it as well.

"You sure your drawin's are right?" Naruto looked up scratching his chin casually in thought. He knew Sai was good, but it was possible for him to mess up wasn't it?

"Positive, I double checked."

The blonde nodded, "Alright, so they're hidin' something from us? What do ya' think it is?" He glanced back down at the papers in front of him. "Maybe we should run this by Hinata-chan, she's really smart." Naruto suggested getting up from his seat, picking up the papers and book with him.

It wasn't like Sakura to hide anything, Kakashi on the other hand did it all the time. So maybe he had done something to her and she wasn't saying anything? That couldn't be it; Tsunade would've killed Kakashi by now. So what the hell was going on?

Sai shook his head, "She's friends with Sakura she might know and not tell us."

"Yeah, but she's my girlfriend. She'll tell me."

"Not necessarily, women usually put friends before love don't they?" All the girls he knew did, even when he was in ROOT. Friends came first.

The zealous Uzumaki shook his head 'no'. "It depends on the situation, and this has to do with both Kakashi-sempai and Sakura-chan, so with it not being all about just Sakura; we should be able to get something out of her."

"Great. We're going to weasel the answer out of your xenophobic girlfriend. Just great."

"Yeah, I know." Naruto patted Sai on the back, "I saw Moegi leavin' your place the other day, you guys are hangin' out like you're connected at the hip. It's good you found a friend, she's a sweet girl, ya' know. A little clingy when it comes down to it, but she's nice."

Sai swallowed hard, "Yeah, she's a nice girl. She's a good listener, I like talking to her."

Talking, screwing… was there that much of a difference at this point? He'd gone against his better wishes from a couple nights ago and had sex with her yet again. He couldn't help it, she was attractive and she was a sweet girl as Naruto so kindly put it. He wasn't in love but rather in lust with her. So he was aroused by her, a lot of men were, including Naruto's youngest best friend. That could pose a problem later on for him though, Sai mused as he ignored Naruto's pointless bantering. Konohamaru was pretty protective of his female comrade, for reasons other than the obvious.

"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto called out, leaving Sai to stand at the edge of the Hyuga training field by himself. He didn't mind, Moegi was still on his mind and all he needed was a slip of the tongue to send him into the shitter.

The Hyuga heiress looked up and smiled at her lover, and Sai couldn't help but envy the connection they had. She looked happy around him and he was always talking about her, they were near perfect together.

"So, Sai and me were wondrin' if you knew what was going on between Kakashi-sempai and Sakura-chan; were gettin' worried about them."

"Did you try asking them yourself, I don't know anything?" She said with a shake of her head.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "You're a terrible liar around me Hinata. What do you know?"

Her face had this habit of turning red, and she'd look away from him. She just couldn't lie to him, no matter how hard she tried.

"I can't tell you."

"Give us a hint then?" Sai asked enthusiastically. Puzzles couldn't put themselves together, as he'd so often learned. Jutsu wouldn't do it, so it needed to be done manually.

"No."

"Pretty please, Hina-chan?" The blonde cooed.

She sighed, "I really shouldn't."

"We won't tell anyone."

Her pale eyes shifted from one pleading boy to the other, "." She blurted out, satisfied that they hadn't understood a word she'd said.

The boys looked at her, confused by her slurred together words. "Um, what?"

Hinata sighed, "I can't tell you anything. I promised." She didn't like lying to them, and she did like keeping secrets from Naruto. Relationships were based on trust, and if she didn't trust him, would he still want the relationship?

Sai nodded, "A promise is a promise, Naruto. We shouldn't pester her."

Naruto shook his head, "We need to know, baby! Please, tell us! Is something goin' on between Sakura-chan and Kaka-sensei, or what?" He needed to know. He didn't like being kept out of the circle that could be dangerous.

Her eyes shifted from one to the other, "Fine, but you didn't get it from me. Kakashi and Sakura have been seeing eachother behind your backs, and now they're mated, you know that whole thing with the Hatake family?"

If it wasn't for the fact that it was physically impossible, Sai was sure Naruto's jaw would be resting on the ground. He on the other hand, tried not to act so surprised by the news. Talk about a ton of bricks being lifted off of ones chest, he mused. At lease he wasn't the only person sleeping around behind that teams back, he just got the feeling that they wouldn't be near as forgiving because of his bed-buddy.

"Wait, so Sakura and Kakashi have been B.U?"

Hinata raised an eyebrow in question, "Huh?"

"Bumping uglies?"

"Yes, you can't tell them I told you though. Got it?"

Sai smiled, "Yeah, we promise. We just needed to know." He grabbed Naruto's arm, "Come on, blondie, we've got things to do. Thank you Hinata-chan."

She nodded, "See you later."

Naruto didn't speak as they walked back towards his apartment, still in shock that his innocent friend was screwing his perverse sempai. Her perverse sempai. Wasn't she supposed to be the smart one, the one that did right? Having sex with Kakashi Hatake was not right. Not morally, hell, not even unmorally. It was just weird, and dirty.

"Why would she sleep with him?" He asked. Shocked and horrified by the thought crossing through his mind for the ten-thousandth time.

Sai shrugged, "Maybe they're in love?"

"The only thing he loves is those hentai novels, and his flea-bag mutts."

"Pakkun isn't a mutt."

"Still a flea-bag."

"Anti-flea shampoo. Kakashi told me about it because it was costing him so much."

"You just got an answer for everything don't you?" Naruto mumbled as he flopped down on his unmade bed.

Sai sighed, mentally slapping himself. He didn't have an answer for Moegi and that seemed to be an even bigger problem than Kakashi and Sakura together in itself. How could he keep hurting her? He either needed to end it, or lie. He didn't like lying.

.xxx.

Sakura looked up from the book on her lap as someone wrapped their fist against her door. She glanced towards her clock, the only person that would even consider bothering her so late at night would be Kakashi. What did he want?

"It's open." She yelled and continued on with her story.

The oak board pushed in, and there in her doorway stood a sopping-wet Kakashi, and snarl on his unmasked face.

"You told someone."

She frowned, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You told Ino. About us, about everything." He stepped forward, and kicked the door shut. He kept his voice a low monotone as he spoke. "You had no right."

Sakura swallowed hard and snapped her book shut and stood up to face him and her fears. "I had every right. You ran out on me, you left me to deal with this," she gestured to the scabbed bite mark above her breast, visible from the low cut of her tanktop. "You told me that this was nothing, I had every fucking right to tell them."

Kakashi watched as she frowned and cursed his name. He had told her their relationship was nothing. He had left her to deal with the mating by herself, and he had run out on her. But he was scared, a coward afraid to face his demons and the pink haired kunoichi in front of him.

"I made a mistake."

She scoffed, rolling her emerald eyes at his patheticness. That's what he called it? A mistake?

"The night I looked at you and said yes. I lost my way, and just let it go." He closed his eyes, and hung his head, "I couldn't resist you, I knew I couldn't handle you, I just didn't know I couldn't let go of you either."

Sakura's brow furrowed at his words, what was he saying?

"Sakura…" Kakashi sighed and picked his head up, his mismatched eyes meeting her jade gaze. This was now or never, "…I love you."

.xxx.

He, cliffy. Cha:]

Until next chapter…