A/N: Hello, everyone! :D I'm back with an update after a much-too long hiatus. I've been actually making an effort to plan this fanfic beforehand, which is very much an obvious contrast to my previous fics. Let me just say that I hate this senior year of highschool, but I know it's probably more like a breath of fresh air considered to how swamped I'll be during college. Ughhhh... T_T Anyway, here it is! The 3rd chapter!

Please read and review! Even if you tell me I suck, it will help me stride towards improvement. Also, I have an important question. The next chapter will include a lemon. I'm wondering if I should just sort of make it subtle, or go all out and make it my first lemon posted on this site? I'm just paranoid about getting in trouble and getting booted off the site. D: So let me know what you'd like!

Rhymes of an Hour

Chapter 3:

One Prelude

---

Sure enough, Kakashi proved that he was no liar, and after having a day full of a nausea-inducing headache, Sakura was able to recuperate enough to return to work two mornings after her fated drinking encounter with Ino. That same pesky issue was still clouding the back of her mind, but she chose to try and push it away until she could have a pain-free night to really think back through it.

She arrived at work 15 minutes early, pushing the door to Tsunade's office open slowly, and tiptoed inside so as to avoid disturbing a potentially napping Hokage. She set her things down silently, and flicked her eyes up in the direction of her shissou's desk, surprised to find it vacant. She let out a tiny sigh of relief, and plopped down in her chair, looking over the neat stack of papers that Shizune had laid out for her. They consisted of typical town things, such as permit requests for public functions, shinobi rank advancement exam requests, and other bland types of things that Tsunade herself was probably legally required to do herself. As she put her pen to the topmost paper, the office door opened swiftly.

Tsunade trudged in, rubbing her eyes with her fists lethargically, and then gave Sakura an amused look. "Well, aren't we diligent this morning?"

Sakura glanced up at her, and smiled weakly. "I just figured I'd get a good headstart today, shissou."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tsunade said, waving her hand in dismissal. "Actually, it's a good thing you're here early. There was something I wanted to go over with you quickly."

Sakura's heart leaped in her chest. "Yes?"

Tsunade stole a nearby chair and dragged it over, sitting herself down. "About... what I proposed two days ago."

"You mean the ladynin stuff?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. I, well... I wanted to apologize for how I sort of was pushing you into considering it. After you came out and told me that you were a," she cleared her throat to signify the term that Sakura so painfully recognized, "I realize that I shouldn't have continued trying to push you into it. That was wrong of me, and I apologize."

"No, no really, shissou," Sakura said quickly. "I was completely fine with it. In fact, I have been considering it more since you brought it up..."

A look of surprise and another emotion that Sakura couldn't fully place swept over Tsunade's features. "Really?" she asked, leaning back in her chair. "But Sakura, you realize that you can't unless--"

"Unless I were to somehow become unvirginal, yes? Yeah, I know."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Well, I mean, the job will be waiting for you whenever it so happens that you become available, so there's no rush. I was just pushy because... Well, because too many of our good ones are retiring to spit out babies."

Sakura nodded, a little too eagerly.

The blonde hokage merely blinked. "So I just wanted to get it straight that I'm sorry if I came off as rushing you..."

"No, not at all."

"Then... good!" Tsunade stood up promptly, and returned her chair to its original spot. She turned and flashed Sakura a smile. "So we're clear, then?"

Sakura nodded. "Of course."

"Well, then I'll just go... you know, head off and do my usual thing. Try to find new, creative ways to slack off and avoid work," Tsunade informed her amid stretching. "See ya," she quickly darted for the door, and was gone.

Sakura sat there, contemplating things while absentmindedly tapping her pen against the desk. Was it really bad that she was thinking about devirginalizing herself just for an employment opportunity? She bit her lip. Was it....whorish of her? A confident voice insider her head quickly shot down each doubt, reassuring her that her motives were sound.

---

As she headed down the steps and outside for her lunch break, she caught sight of her former sensei approaching with his nose hidden in a book. Immediately, a wicked grin spread across her face, and she called out to him, and waved, despite knowing he wouldn't be able to see it. Kakashi lifted his head, and his gaze fell on her, his eyes crinkling. Sakura hopped down a few more steps, leveling herself with him.

"'Afternoon, sensei. What are you here for?" she asked teasingly.

Kakashi folded down the corner of the page he was on as a makeshift bookmark, then closed the book and tucked it into his pants pocket. "Just checking in with Shizune quick to see if that ointment I requested is here."

"Ointment?" Sakura repeated, her nose crinkling. "What for?"

Kakashi tugged up his pant leg, then rolled it up to display a large gash on the inner side of his shin. Sakura gulped.

"W-Wha?! How'd you get that??" she demanded.

Kakashi shrugged, and she could tell he was smiling beneath his mask. "Kids these days. They're catching up to me. I had to substitute for Iruka early this morning at the academy, and today just so happened to be target practice day."

Sakura winced. "Ouch..."

"They're cute kids," Kakashi said, kicking his leg slightly to coerce his pantleg to fall back into place. "But boy, can they throw."

"Hmm...." The mischievous grin returned to Sakura's lips, and she poked a finger into his stomach. "Say, did you ever find out what ladynin missions are?"

Kakashi batted her hand away, shaking his head in defeat. "Nope. You got me there, Sakura. Revel in it as much as you like. To be perfectly honest, I don't really care much."

Sakura pouted her lips. "Oh, really? You don't?" Her expression brightened to one of smugness. "Fine, then! I'll revel in it, all right. See ya, sensei!" She hopped down the remainder of the steps, and exited the tower promptly.

Kakashi climbed a few more steps, and then glanced back over his shoulder at the door, a deep frown knitting his brow.

--

At last, at around 4:30 that afternoon, the last folder had been filed, the last exam approval requests had been stamped, and Sakura was pleased to find that the stack that she had come in to tackle that morning had now diminished to absolutely nothing. She spread her arms and stretched, letting out a half-hearted yawn, and then drummed her fingers on her desk, contemplating what to do now that work was essentially over.

Her stomach gave a weak rumbling, and forced her to acknowledge her newly-present hunger. She ran her fingers over her abdomen, wondering what to eat for dinner. Then, similar to a strike of lightning, something flashed inside her mind. Ramen. She could seriously go for some Ichiraku right now - not the crappy cup kind from the store, but a real big steaming bowl of chicken-flavored ramen, topped with veggies and accompanied by a smaller yet still large bowl of warm rice with just the right amount of shoyu poured on top. Dear Kami, her mouth was watering. She stood up, garnering a look of surprise from Tsunade across the room, who had been lazily filing her nails.

"You all done, Sakura?" she inquired.

"Yes, shishou," Sakura replied, pushing in her chair. "Am I free to go?"

Tsunade waved a hand, yawning. "Sure, sure, I don't need you anymore tonight."

Sakura beamed and made her escape before Tsunade could possibly think up another reason to keep her. She darted down the tower steps, nearly crashing into Shizune who was clutching a tray of tea and crackers. She quickly apologized and continued on her way, forcing the heavy door to the entrance open and claiming her freedom.

By now her stomach was practically wailing for that ramen. She wandered off towards the Ichiraku stand, admiring the mild colors of twilight that were smeared across the sky. Meanwhile a thought creeped into her head. Didn't Ino suggest, after dismissing Sakura as a lost cause far beyond her own skills, that she should go out and meet guys whom she wouldn't mind sleeping with? As the brightly lit ramen stand came into view, the idea began to seem more like a good one, and she knew that at this time of night her chances of seeing a nice-looking guy would be far from bad.

--

It was dusk when Shizune returned to the office after a short shift at the clinic, and she pushed open the door to find Tsunade in her desk chair, facing the windows.

"Uhm...Tsunade-sama?" Shizune timidly asked, flipping on the lightswitch. She saw Tsunade's shoulders heave with a sigh, and the blonde hokage swiveled around to face her.

"Oh, you're back early," Tsunade commented, raising her arms to stretch and letting out a weak yawn.

"Yes," Shizune replied, crossing over to her desk and setting down her things. "What have you been doing all evening?"

"Oh, nothing," Tsunade said, tapping her fingernails on the surface of her desk absently. "Just thinking."

"About anything in particular?" Shizune pulled up a chair, and took a seat.

"Surprisingly, yes," Tsunade muttered. "About Sakura."

"Is she okay?" A look of worry crossed Shizune's features momentarily.

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine. It's no big deal. I'm just trying to figure out what to do about her."

"Hm?"

"Shizune," Tsunade said, voice low. "Sakura's a virgin. I can't put her up to the task."

"Oh, is that what this is about?" Shizune leaned back, crossing her arms. "Well then, you'll just have to look for other replacements I guess."

Tsunade shook her head. "You don't understand. Nobody's really into signing up these days. That whole entire branch is dying."

"I'm not surprised, it's pretty archaic, Tsunade-sama."

"She was the perfect kunoichi to take part and really bring some life into it again. Things are starting to brew again out there, as you know."

Shizune nodded. "I do know, but still, if she's a virgin then there's really nothing you can do about it."

"Not necessarily..." Tsunade stroked her chin in thought. "I could always hire somebody..."

"Tsunade!" Shizune choked on her breath. "That's a horrible thought! You wouldn't dare!"

"Just somebody to act as her boyfriend for a little while, no real big deal," Tsunade said, waving her hand.

"That IS a big deal, Tsunade-sama," Shizune ground out, clenching her jaw. "I can't believe you'd even go so far as to consider that! Think of poor Sakura's feelings... At her age, doing...." She cleared her throat, a blush surfacing to her cheeks. "D-doing IT is still really intimate and serious to someone at her age. You can't just force it on her. Why can't you just wait for her to lose it naturally?"

"Because by then she may have already lost interest, Shizune!" Tsunade slammed her fist on the desk. "And, let alone the fact that it's Sakura we're talking about. She's not like other girls her age, she isn't going to be prowling for a steady boyfriend anytime soon." She relaxed and sighed, bowing her head. "She's too much like I was, at her age. Married to her job."

"Tsunade-sama..." Shizune murmured, watching the older woman grit her teeth while remembering something painful.

"And it's just that... Well, you know how hard it was for me after Dan died..." Tsunade began, her hair falling like a curtain over her eyes.

Shizune nodded as a curt, painful jolt went through her heart at remembering the loss of her uncle. "Yes, Tsunade-sama... I do. It was hard for everyone, really."

"Well, the way I coped was throwing myself back into my missions, as you know. And you know that I worked on missions that were very similar to those of a ladynin," Tsunade continued with a sigh. "It was just a great experience, and it helped me hone so many more of my skills... I really think that it would be worth Sakura's while to experience the same things..."

"What, are you trying to make her follow in each of your footsteps?" Shizune asked, arching an eyebrow.

Tsunade lifted her head with a small smile. "Maybe. Maybe it's just part of my plan for her to surpass me and become stronger."

"But Tsunade-sama, in order for Sakura to surpass you she doesn't have to become a seductive killing machine!" Shizune barked. "Besides, I can't imagine Sakura being a ladynin, her personality is too innocent."

"Which is why I want her to join that group and become a little... stronger, femininity-wise."

"There are other ways for Sakura to become stronger! Just look at me - I'm strong, and I'm certainly not involved in any of that stuff!"

Tsunade folded her hands under her chin, and smiled wistfully at Shizune. "When the time comes, I'll approach her about it again."

--

Sakura stepped up to the stand and one of the workers took her order. Just as she turned to catch a seat, she caught sight of a handsome man with chestnut tufts of hair wearing a Konoha Jounin vest.

She creeped over, planting herself conveniently beside him, and flashed her eyes up at him while making sure to bat her eyelashes as subtly as possible. "H-Hello," she greeted him, her heart pounding violently. Inner Sakura was having a field day. You're sure to mess this up, you idiot! Besides, this guy looks way too good for you! Sakura tried to ignore the unencouraging voice in her head, and was happy when the man looked down at her and offered a small smile.

"Why, hello. I don't believe I've seen you around here before..."

Sakura laughed as attractively as she could, which came out as a short sound that sounded similar to a scoff. "Well, you see I'm usually working during this hour. I got out early so I thought I'd treat myself to some ramen to celebrate."

The man grinned. "A grand idea indeed. Your uniform ..." He pointed to the simple white smock that Sakura wore over her usual clothes. "Are you in the medical field?"

"Actually, yes I am," Sakura responded happily. "I'm a medicnin waiting for my Medical Jounin certification."

"Oh, how exciting," the man said. He then turned around and scanned the evening bustle taking place on the streets, his eyes widening. "Oh, I must be heading off..." He gently patted Sakura's shoulder and hopped off of his stool, taking off in the opposite direction. Sakura frowned, and turned around to try and catch sight of his whereabouts. What she saw made her frown deepen. The handsome dreamy man she had been talking to had run into the arms of another smiling man just outside the vicinity of the crowd. They shared a quick kiss, then walked off hand-in-hand. Sakura's jaw dropped.

Haha, I told you so! Inner Sakura taunted.

Sakura scowled. Okay, so the first one turned out to be gay...But there have to be other attractive men coming here for dinner. The chef set her bowl down in front of her, and she slowly began to eat, trying to take as much time as she could. People came and left, mostly couples or small families, and she soon finished her meal with a sigh. She waved down one of the cooks and ordered a second bowl of ramen, to which the man obliged and began to fix for her.

Soon enough, another handsome man sat down beside her, but as soon as she caught sight of the gleam of his wedding band, her heart sank yet again. However, the man turned to her and upon receiving his order, began to lick his spoon seductively while giving her a wanton look. Sakura's cheeks darkened in anger, and she scooted down a seat to avoid the man's advances. 'What a creep,' she thought to herself.

After she had devoured her second bowl, she felt stuffed and disheartened. She paid for her meal and hopped off the stool, walking home with tears pricking at her eyes. If only she were Ino... Ino could whisk men off their feet just with one glance, and send them rushing to her side. All she could do was get creepy married men to look her way, and get hot gay men to talk to her. She groaned, beginning to regret the large amount of ramen that she had eaten when she noticed her stomach sloshing with each step. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to make the growing wetness disappear, which only caused more tears to well up.

With both fists rubbing at her eyes, she failed to notice that she was growing dangerously close to a distracted Kakashi, until it was too late. She bumped into him suddenly, and she let out a tiny yelp, dropping her hands and looking up to see Kakashi stuffing his book into his back pocket.

His eyes crinkled. "You all right?"

Instantly, all the self-loathing seemed to wash away. A smile creeped onto her lips. "Yeah... I'm all right." She discreetly wiped at the corner of her eye, and then jabbed him in the stomach with her fist. "You should watch where you're going more, sensei! You were reading that damned book and walking at the same time again, weren't you?"

Kakashi seized her hand gently. "And you failed to realize you were walking in my direction, obviously. Otherwise, I'm sure you would have walked around me." He released her, and she could tell he was smirking beneath that mask.

Sakura rolled her eyes, and bit her lip. "So, it seems like we keep meeting like this, huh?"

"Hm. It's true," he said, brushing off his vest.

"How's your leg?" Sakura asked quietly, kicking at the dirt beneath her feet.

"Eh, it's essentially better. That ointment Shizune gave me really worked wonders." He looked up, and saw the wetness of her eyelashes catching in the light. He frowned. "Are you all right, Sakura?"

Sakura glanced up at him quickly and self-consciously rubbed at her eyes some more. "Yeah, I'm fine, of course I'm fine."

Kakashi gently took her by the arm and tugged her beside him, beginning to walk. "Here, walk with me for a bit."

"Okay...?" Sakura found herself forced to follow him, and she nearly winced at the tightness of his grip on her arm. He led her through the streets which were now gradually becoming barren, and over to the village gates without saying a word. It was at this point that Sakura began to doubt her sanity, and began to struggle in his grasp.

"Sensei, where are you taking me!?" She demanded, trying to wriggle free. Kakashi merely glanced down at her, eyes creased pleasantly.

"Oh, no place too special," he responded simply, waving to the Chuunin who were guarding the gate. They saluted back, and Kakashi pulled her outside of the gates and into the grassy fields that lay just outside its reach.

"Sensei... you're not planning to rape me, are you?" Sakura asked, eyebrow raised. However, the idea of being raped by the older Jounin didn't sit too badly with her. She had to get her mind off of that stupid proposal!

"Heavens no, Sakura," Kakashi replied with a chuckle. "I'm just taking you to a little special place I like to go to whenever I need a little space to think."

A bright gleam caught her eye from the side, and she turned to see the familiar lake that lay not too far beyond the gates, and she smiled in recognition at her whereabouts. The lake's surface glittered with a crystal-like quality.

"Here?" she asked. "I would think that this is too scenic for you."

Kakashi shook his head, releasing her arm and striding over to the edge of the lake, and sitting down on a dry patch of sand. The fresh moonlight began to shyly poke its face out from behind the large puffy clouds, and the scene was essentially breath-taking. Sakura fumbled around and took a seat near Kakashi, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she gazed out at the moon's meek reflection on the water.

"It's so pretty..." she murmured absently, smiling as a gentle cool breeze swept over the pair and sent goosebumps tingling up her spine.

"It is," Kakashi agreed simply, and then glanced over at his companion. "So will you tell me what's wrong now?"

Sakura's head jerked in his direction, and she frowned. "'What's wrong'? What makes you think anything's wrong?" she asked hurriedly with a huff.

"I've known you since you were still a kid," Kakashi said. "Knowing you for so long gives me an advantage when it comes to read your feelings, although not much of one since you're basically an open book."

Sakura sniffed at the comment, and looked back out at the lake.

"Will you please tell me?" he asked. "Just spill your guts. I'll listen."

"You'll listen, but you won't understand," Sakura answered quietly.

"Oh, really? Well I suppose you won't find out until you try telling me it." Kakashi leaned back, and yawned. "So you might as well just tell me."

Sakura chewed her lip, trying to string the right words together, and sighed. "Okay, okay... It's just that I seem to have no talent whatsoever when it comes to approaching boys," she began. "And I feel so horribly awkward and unattractive when I try to talk to them, and all the good men out there are either taken or gay or creepy... And it makes me upset." The familiar bittersweet prick of tears at the corner of her eyes made her heart clench. She was so weak.

"That's not true," Kakashi responded, leaning forward and sitting cross-legged. "There are plenty of single, young men out there, and I'm sure that a large percentage of them would be interested in you. You have all the time in the world, so why fuss about it now? You're still so young, Sakura."

"I do NOT have all the time in the world!" Sakura cried, a little too loudly. She shrank back, clasping her hand over her mouth in embarrassment. Oh no... How was she going to get herself out of this one?

Curious mis-matched eyes flicked over in her direction. "Really? Why's that?"

Sakura's hand flew to her hair, and she nervously began tugging on the soft pink locks, struggling to come up with a justifiable excuse that wouldn't blow her cover. "W-Well, you know... I, uh....When a girl reaches a certain age, you know... She really starts to, um, get this urge to... You know...Sort of like a biological clock, you know?"

Kakashi broke out into laughter. Sakura's jaw dropped in shock; there were only a few incidents that she could truly remember Kakashi laughing during. Usually he disguised his amusement with obvious expressions, but to verbally let it out was somewhat rare.

"W-What's so funny?" Sakura growled.

Kakashi's laughter began to die down, but she knew a grin was on his face from the way his eyes were crinkled. "N-Nothing, just that you're way too young to have a biological clock crisis. You're what, 20?"

"19," Sakura corrected darkly.

"Exactly my point. Now what else is the problem?"

Sakura frowned. "Well... I don't know. I highly doubt that what you said about all those guys who would like me is true. It'd be true if I were Ino or at least looked like her, but seeing as I don't it just doesn't count for me. And well... I just don't want to have to end up like Tsunade did!" Sakura cried. "She loved that one guy that she was engaged to or something, and then he died and she never moved on and went to somebody else. I'll just be some tragic, broken woman with no one to love me and an incurable drinking problem!... Except that I won't have a fiance beforehand!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Sakura, you sound ridiculous. First off, Tsunade just isn't the same type of person as you. You're obviously more interested in men than she ever was. She was always more interested in her work, and she gave up on love after Dan died because it obviously just wasn't her thing. She loved medical jutsu and drinking and gambling way more than chasing after men. And would you say that Tsunade-sama is tragic or broken?"

Sakura sighed. "I guess not... Only when she gets so drunk that when she stands up she winds up on the floor face-down."

"Exactly," Kakashi said. "And for attractiveness.... well, you're a perfectly attractive girl for someone your age. And you're brainy, which many guys like and respect." He shrugged. "Hell, if I were 13 years younger, who knows."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at him in shock. "R-Really?"

He shrugged again. "You never know," he said easily.

She looked down at her lap, unable to stop smiling at her newly obtained knowledge.

"But I can tell that there's something more than all of this that's really bugging you. So quit using other things as an excuse and just tell me," Kakashi urged.

Sakura bit her lip and shook her head violently. "No, I can't. It's nothing big."

Kakashi heaved a sigh and stood up, "Well, if you ever decide that you are willing to talk, I promise I'll always be there for you, no matter what you need." He brushed off his pant legs, and began to slowly walk away.

Sakura balled up her fists and punched the sand beside her, leaving a small hollow hole from the impact. She bit her lip in thought so hard that she was surprised that it didn't split and bleed, and she nervously wrung her hands in her lap. "S-Sensei..." she called out shyly, when he was at least a hundred feet away.

Kakashi spun on his heels, and looked at her, waiting.

"There is something else... And I'll tell you it... But you have to swear to try and understand..." Sakura said, her voice shaking. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears that began to spill over and flood her cheeks.

Kakashi made his way back over, and sat down beside her again, warily eyeing the hole in the sand that was rapidly refilling. "Yes?" he said.

Sakura grabbed at the hem of her smock, scrunching it up in her fists as she thought over the multiple ways to say what she needed to.

"Sensei..." she began slowly. "I'm a virgin."

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up, and he gaped at her for a few seconds before clearing his throat awkwardly. "A-And? There's nothing wrong with that, Sakura... Many girls are.."

"You don't understand," she said. "I need to lose it, as soon as I can... and I can't tell you why, but I just have to." The smock in her grip began to grow moist with sweat from her palms.

Kakashi could only stare at her, entirely in shock. Was this a joke? Was his student really lamenting her virginity in front of him? Did he read too much Icha Icha while under the influence again? He rubbed at his eyes, and looked at her again, becoming more confident that this wasn't just a perverted dream.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she took in a short breath, looking up at him. "I just feel so useless... All I need is just one guy for one night who's willing to sleep with me with no strings attached. And I know that shouldn't be hard to find but I just have such horrible luck with finding men and I have such little confidence and all the boys I could sleep with are weird and I've known for too long but all the others are taken or GAY." She took a deep breath, which collapsed into a sob. "Just one night..."

"Just one night?" Kakashi repeated, eyebrow raised. "I don't understand why on earth you would need to get rid of your virginity so fast that you'd be willing to risk many things for just a measly one night stand. Honestly, Sakura, just wait until you get married or find the right man, or something."

"Like I said, I don't have the time to wait for that, and I can't just explain the whole thing to you. Just please try and bear with me," Sakura pleaded weakly, her voice wavering. She wiped at her eyes feverishly, feeling snot begin to leak from her nose as a result of all the crying she'd done.

"All right, I'll try and bear with you," Kakashi said, though his tone gave away his skepticism. He stretched and leaned back, resting his elbows in the sand. "In that case, what are your options?"

"Bribery," Sakura said quickly. "I would just need blackmail on someone first... Or I could just pay a guy to do it with me. What if I found a prostitute? Do we have any male prostitutes in Konoha?"

Kakashi clenched his jaw in an attempt to keep from slapping his forehead. "None that would want to do it with a girl, Sakura. Besides, that's too risky - too many potential diseases and other rammifications. What if you were to get pregnant as a result of just doing it with any old guy?"

Sakura shook her head. "That wouldn't be of any concern to me. As a medicnin I have access to all sorts of birth control jutsus that would nullify the possibility of pregnancy."

Kakashi puffed his droopy bangs out of his eyes, and lifted one shoulder in a makeshift shrug. "Well then, you don't have that to worry about that at least. What if you cling to the man you do it with?"

Sakura shook her head once more, this time violently. "Oh no, no, no, no... There's no way in hell that that would happen, I'm sure of it. I just don't see that happening at all, I wouldn't let it."

Something inside Kakashi made him seriously doubt her words, but he didn't voice the opinion. He was drawing blanks as far as the interrogation went, so he gave in. "Then I guess if you're so confident that it would work, you'll just have to find a guy."

"That's the point, Kakashi," Sakura strained, looking at him. "I can't find a guy."

"What about Naruto-kun?" Kakashi asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You two were always so close, and cute, too. I sincerely thought you two would have paired off by now and and done the deed already."

"Ew, that's disgusting!" Sakura scrunched up her nose. "Absolutely not! He's like a brother. Kakashi-sensei, do you support incest?"

Kakashi's eye twitched. He was really getting nowhere with this, wasn't he? "Of course not, Sakura. It was just a thought."

"Well, good." Sakura 'hmph'ed and folded her arms across her chest. She was surprised at how easy it was to discuss all of this with Kakashi of all people. The man who watched her go through every single painfully awkward stage since adolescence - the obsession with Sasuke, the heartbreak of losing him, the sudden overnight appearance of her breasts (that one was a classic) and so many more. She brushed her bangs behind her ear, and sighed.

"I'm sorry to say it, Sakura, but I'm all fresh out of ideas," Kakashi admitted, sitting back up and brushing off the back of his vest to make sure no sandy residue remained.

"I know," she murmured softly. "And I am, too..." Her lip quivered and she clutched her knees a little tighter to her chest, pressing her face down onto them as her body shook with a quiet sob.

Kakashi watched her, his expression softening. He then cleared his throat. "Well there has to be someone," he tried to assure her.

Sakura shook her head and said pitifully, "Nope... There's no one."

"Well..." Kakashi cleared his throat again, his eyes clouding over. "Would I suffice?"

It fell dead-silent. The only noise that bothered to make itself heard was the chirping of crickets around them. Sakura's body was frozen still with that question, her eyes refused to blink.

After she ran the question over and over again in her head for the 20th time, she finally broke out laughing. Tears, this time derived from the humor she saw, sprung to her eyes as she chortled away, rocking back and forth while still latched onto her knees. Kakashi merely stared at her, appearing a bit annoyed.

"Tha-That's hilarious, sensei," Sakura gasped. "I mean, really, I never thought you would have it in you to joke about something this---"

"I'm serious." The two words hit her like a five bricks dropped from above. The rest of her sentence died in her mouth, and goosebumps dispersed over her skin. After a couple seconds, she finally brought herself to look over at Kakashi, to gauge the meaning behind his words by the look of his face. His eyes were hard, glinting in the moonlight with an undeniable seriousness behind them. Her mouth went dry, and she tentatively swallowed in discomfort.

"W-What?" she rasped.

"I said," Kakashi began, tilting his body so that it faced her better. "That I'm serious." He finished the sentence with his eyes locked dead-on to hers, and they were so unreadable and impenetrable that Sakura was sure that she had to have gotten caught up in a crazy dream. Too much ramen - that was it.

"But you... I..." She laughed nervously. "Would you really..."

He stared at her.

"A-And when exactly would we do this?" she inquired, still sure that it was either a very well acted joke or just simply a dream. Another wispy laugh fell from her lips in disbelief..

"How about tonight?"

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END OF CHAPTER! Did you like it? :D Let me know in a reee-vyewwwwwwww! aka a Review! XD also i'm not too pleased with how the ending of this chapter turned out. T_T i imagined it more smoothly and stuff.