Frost Bite

Based on: "Snow Day" by haruhanna

They were lying in the snow together. A stale repeat of last week, the week before that, and the all those days since winter first began. One way or another, they found their place in the cold: Lying among the remnants of another childish snowball fight. Kakashi savoring Sakura's competitiveness, Sakura poised in anger as her body warmed.

"I always knew you were the type of woman who liked being on top," Kakashi commented teasingly.

Sakura's cheeks reddened. Kakashi's knack for catching her off guard with his comments was forever infuriating.

"Y-You…," she stammered threateningly.

She clutched the scarf around his neck with one hand. The scarf she'd, foolishly, bought for him nearly a year ago. The scarf he'd, equally foolishly, taken to wearing every time they went anywhere together. Sakura knew he only wore it because it gave him the chance to say, "Because you gave it to me, therefore it's the most precious thing in the world" when she asked about it, causing her to blush furiously and playfully smack his shoulder. There was really no end to how he enraged her.

"And you're the type of man who likes to be on the bottom," Sakura retorted smugly. "I'll keep that in mind."

Kakashi grinned at her.

"As long as you're on top," he responded.

Realizing she'd fallen for another one of his traps, Sakura's cheeks reddened even more. She very much would have liked to strangle him with that scarf, but unfortunately her current position did not allow for it. She wished she could get up, but Kakashi just happened to be an extremely good source of heat. Of course, that was the only reason she remained lying on top of him.

"Alright, that's enough of that," Kakashi told her, patting her head. "It's about time you got off of me, don't you think?"

Granted, he didn't appear bothered in the slightest.

But, rebelliously, Sakura remained. Kakashi's body seemed to have an unnatural warmth to it. Lying on top of him in this manner was similar to snuggling up against a dog in the middle of a cold bedroom. Unfortunately, she missed the irony.

"I'd get off you if you weren't so warm," Sakura replied. "You should do something about that. It's unsettling."

Chuckling, Kakashi stroked the top of Sakura's winter hat.

"I'm not that warm," he objected. "You're just really cold."

He added, a smirk in his voice,

"Or does your body temperature rise dramatically whenever I'm around?"

Annoyingly, Sakura's heartbreak quickened. How Kakashi could have such a pointed effect on her body, she would never know. She'd entered adulthood confidently, yet Kakashi was able to make her feel like a young student with a crush on her older sensei with ease. It wasn't fair and she detested him for it. The next time the snow was this deep, she was going to make it her personal mission to bury him in it.

"You're too obsessed with innuendos, Kakashi-san," Sakura criticized him lightly. "It's because of the books you read."

She loved to blame Make-Out Paradise for every perverted comment or innuendo Kakashi saw fit to sprinkle over their conversations. It was her way of getting back at him.

"I've actually been reading something different lately," Kakashi told her. "It's a book about romance and the female sex. I've been learning about what women like. Do you want to know the most interesting thing I've learned?"

Her heartbeat quickening further, Sakura nodded mutely.

Continuing to stroke Sakura's winter hat, Kakashi smiled broadly.

"I've learned when a woman you care about gives you something, you must treat it as if it's the most precious thing in the world," he told her.

He gently touched the scarf around his neck.

"But I already knew that," he added.

Never mind burying him in the snow. Sakura was going to absolutely murder him.