So here is the next chapter, please let me know what you think. Okay so I'll just say a few things: this fic does not necessarily follow the original Naruto storyline. War has just ended, Kakashi got to keep his single Sharingan somehow, and Sasuke decided to leave the village for good after the war (not sure if I'll have him appear), and Tsunade is still hokage.

Chattering and light laughter filled the small bar he was currently at. It had been a few days since he had arrived from a mission and it turned out most of his friends where in town. So as any healthy post-war ninja village, it's shinobi decided it was a good time to reunite at one of the local bars. So that's where he was, surrounded by fellow ninja in a stuffy run-down bar, and forcefully enjoying the evening.

"Ne, Kakashi, put that damn book down," complained one of his long time best friend, his senbon bobbing up and down as he spoke, taking a chug from his beer before nudging the masked shinobi to his right. Why one of his closest friends had to be as social as a rock, he didn't know.

"Genma," warned the only female with them. She was sitting right across the table from the senbon user, with a great view of the restrooms. She crossed her arms as a lovely smirk appeared on her ruby red lips, "No one can make him put his book down, except for Sakura." A few whistles from the rest of the people gathered around the table hollered at the mention of the renowned kunoichi's name. And such as it had done to the people around the table, it also provoked a response from the quiet masked shinobi they were taunting.

"That's enough, she's just a kid," murmured the copy-ninja, his only visible brow scrunching inwards. They had been pestering him with questions and lewd comments about the female in his team for quite some time, and it was starting to get downright annoying. It was annoyingly frustrating how the mention of her name made his senses pique, it was annoying how the male population- including himself- would turn her way every time she entered a room, and it was damn frustrating how he couldn't seem to get her out of her mind though she was just a kid (a beautifully toned 21-year old kid, with slender legs, and long silky pink hair).

"Well I'd like to have a kid like her all to myself," smirked Genma leaning back on his chair and intertwining his fingers over his chest in a relaxed manner, "Speaking of which, I might just make my move, if you don't mind Kakashi." Sakura and Ino had just entered a fit of giggles and snickers accompanied with a pink tint covering their cheeks and clumsy feet.

The table quieted down at the taunt. Much to Genma's delight the copy-ninja closed his book with a snap and turned his lone steely gaze towards him. Genma rose from his reclining position turning towards the ninja on his right and resting his chin on his palm, a cheshire grin on his lips as he waited for the man's reply. Oh it was fun to ruffle Kakashi's feathers.

But no reply came since the copy-ninja was abruptly tackled and faceplanted to the table by a rosette. "Kakashi-sensei!"

"Sakura dear, I'm also here," complained the senbon user a playful lull to his tone, reclining even closer to the pair of ninja, completely ignoring that one of them was flat on the table. Kurenai, Raidou, and Gai were giggling behind their hands or jugs of beer, the alcohol having already turned their cheeks a rosy pink and their senses a little foggy. It was always amusing to have a tipsy Sakura around.

The rosette laughed her laughter a delightful chime filled with mirth, "Good to see you too, Gen-ma!" She purred the last of her sentence while she reached a lone finger and ran it from the senbon user's jaw down to his chin, causing his senbon to clatter on the table. Hollering from Raidou elicited at the seductive act and as well as groan from the face planted Kakashi. Whenever she was down the road to drunkness, he was down the road to babysitter.

"Sakura, you're drunk," stated Kakashi, pushing himself along with Sakura off from the table with more strength than necessary for a tipsy girl her size, but then again she was no ordinary girl.

"And you need to get drunk," replied the pinkette, whispering into Kakashi's ear her hot breath sending shivers down his spine. Oh why did she have to be so damn sexy for a kid? It was hard to concentrate and even harder to refuse when she was pressed up to him like that.

"Love, you can get me drunk," smirked Genma earning a one-eyed glare from the copy-ninja and a giggle from the girl. Kakashi abruptly stood up making the girl to stumble backwards a cute pout at the sudden unbalance, adorning her glossy pink lips.

"I'm taking her home," announced Kakashi taking her her by the arm and pulling her in the direction of the door. He didn't pay attention to the snickers from his companions left on the table and he definitely didn't hear Genma's 'He's whipped' as he left without so much as a goodbye.

She struggled against his grip for a few seconds before allowing him to guide her. Before they reached the door, Genma stood up - Kakashi needed some pushing and what kind of friend would he didn't help- placing his open palms on both sides of his mouth and yelled: "You go girl! Make love to him, baby!"

The whole bar turned towards where Genma's gaze was pointed to. Witnessing a flustered Kakashi who was trying to pull a drunken Sakura -who was engaged doing pelvic movements to his back and winking at Genma's reply- out the door, the whole drunken establishment roared to life with laughter. Why did he have to like Genma? He should just chidori him on sight.

The laughter and whistles were followed by utter silence as the establishment's door swung to a close. The cold arid night air was like a punch to the gut compared to the warm fuzziness of the bar, but the weight on his arm from a tipsy kunoichi was a mix of both. Her pink hair, that seemed like a hue of purple under the moonlight, covered her face as she muttered incoherence under her breath and then giggled as she curled up closer to his arm.

"Sakura, I'm taking you home," said Kakashi untangling himself from her and pushing her upper back in the direction of her home. She clearly didn't mind (or forgot) the sexual movements she had just done to his rear, so if she could do that, she wouldn't mind walking on her own to her apartment.

"Kakashi," murmured the rosette, swiveling left and right while been pushed in the right direction. She was practically dragging her feet, one foot after the other, and her back was hunched over in a dejected manner.

"Walk."

He figured she was about to try to convince him that they could indeed return to bar since the night was young, just like she had done oh-so-many times before and he had rejected her just as many. But his thoughts were cut short as Sakura's shoulders started shaking minutely and a quiet sniffle echoed through the still night. But he remained quiet, he was never good with emotional conflict, much less with a crying rosette, usually leaving her emotional outbursts to cease on their own.

The periodic sniffle still continued and they were about ten minutes from her home.

"Kakashi?," repeated Sakura her intonation implying that she was not quite sure said man was still with her, after all the hand that had been pushing her was but a ghost of a touch since her crying started. A quiet grunt followed along with a slight push on her back. Typical of him.

A small smile caressed her lips as her back straightened just a little bit. She didn't know why or how, but she was feeling slightly better just knowing that he was there. "Sometime I feel alone," she explained slowing down her pace so his outstretched palm was completely against her back guiding her towards her apartment.

"That happens, after the war and so many were lost," replied Kakashi, his voice muffled by the ever present book on his face. He was at ease with her, ever since they had been assigned as partners for missions he had started to understand her a bit more, and came to know that she -ray of sunshine Sakura-had her low days were she just needed to know that things were normal in a way. But their slow-growing friendship and her femininity had made him an easy target for taunts from his friends.

Soon they came to a stop in front of two story building with a staircase to the left that would lead to her door (the second to the right). She had sobered up quite a bit on their 20-minute walk. "This is me," she said turning around to face Kakashi, a shy smile on her face.

"Yup," replied the man, putting his book away and smiling his signature crinkle-eye smile. Silence resumed as no one said a word. He stayed still as a statute waiting for the rosette to say whatever was holding her back.

Sakura started balancing on her heels, not quite sure how to express herself without sounding awkward. "Um," she spoke, twirling a strand of her between her index and thumb finger, "Do you want to? I mean…"

"Sakura," warned Kakashi. Was she seriously considering what Genma said? He did in fact have some sort of attraction - that he was never going to admit fully to himself or anyone- towards her, but she was just a kid and becoming one of his closests friends.

"No! I mean, can you stay? I don't want to be alone," she explained her cheeks probably a bright red but just a pale pink under the moonlight. He felt a mix of dejected relief, but he didn't let it bother him, instead he slouched his position and let his head with silver locks sway to the side in a childish manner.

"Mah, Sakura-chan, I feel rejected," he playfully commented, effectively relaxing her stance and a small smile to appear on her face. He really preferred her smiling face, and if he could help keep it he would, even it meant small childish banter on his behalf. So he patted her pink head and pushed her towards the stairs.

They entered her apartment and she went to her room to change as he waited by the living room window. He had been there quite a few times in the last months, but never because Sakura just wanted him there, so he was starting to feel a little restless. Though his thoughts couldn't go any further when a small 'Ready' came from her room.

He slowly took the few steps necessary to her room. Once he could see inside, she was already under her covers leaving a small space for him, but he acted oblivious,and though an innocent act he was not ready to cross that threshold. Instead he went up to her bed, and sat on the floor his back to her bedside, the smell of her clean covers lingering on his keen senses.

"Thank you," she murmured, before inching closer to him, her soft breath tickling the ends of his silver hair.

"Just fall asleep," he replied, opening his book on the page he had left off, trying to lock his senses away.

So here it is, the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. It's hard to write Kakashi, so I hope I at least did a decent job, please tell me what you think.

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