The hot midday sun was blazing down on Sakura and Kakashi as they faced one another in the middle of Training Ground 4. Sakura was in proper form, feet parted in a stance that would enable her to move quickly in multiple directions if the need arose. One arm was held in a guarding position in front of her face, the other held out in front of her with a kunai drawn. Kakashi stood about twenty feet her opposite, standing casually with his nose buried in an orange-covered book that no doubt belonged to the Icha Icha series. A vein popped in her forehead, her teeth gritted as she ran at him with the kunai. He wasn't taking her seriously, and it was pissing her off.
Kakashi simply jumped up, landing on a tree branch maybe fifteen feet above her now. He arched his eyebrow above the top of the book, leering down at her. "You can do better, Sakura. Show me how much better," he challenged her before going back to his novel.
Kakashi had thought this training session might help his student release some of the pent up frustration he was certain she was feeling. They were all feeling it. An air of tension had settled over the Village Hidden in The Leaves the day the Third had died. A lot of people's hope had died along with him, but the silver-haired shinobi was determined not to let Sakura be one of those people. She needed confidence in her abilities, and it was long since time for him to give her the same one-on-one treatment her counterparts had both received.
The determined kunoichi closed her eyes in thought, preparing a plan in her mind. There was no way she'd be able to sneak up on her sensei; not with that Sharingan he hadn't even bothered to expose. If stealth wasn't an option, she mused, speed was going to have to be her game. She bit the corner of her mouth as she focused her chakra, sending it to the soles of her feet before opening her eyes to glare up at Kakashi, who was still nose-in-book.
She launched herself forward with speed she hadn't realized she was capable of, not stopping at the tree trunk, but instead running straight up it. Kakashi lifted his head just as her foot landed on his branch, and he made a slight tsk-tsk sound from underneath the mask as he went to jump again. But this time, Sakura was quicker. As he leaped, she did too and then sent another burst of chakra to her feet which sent her directly into his back.
Kakashi lost his momentum and he crashed to the ground for only a moment before he deftly maneuvered to his feet one hand on the ground holding him steady as he turned to come face to face and nose to nose with Sakura, who had managed to clench the sleeve of his navy blue uniform in a tight fist. Her other one was at the ready, almost as though she were daring him to underestimate her again.
"How's that?"
Kakashi chuckled at her question, which hadn't been loaded. Despite having managed to catch him - and nearly managing to pin him - the young kunoichi still questioned herself. It was as endearing as it was worrying, the older shinobi thought to himself as he pulled himself up to his feet.
"Not bad," he admitted to her, his grey eye proud of his student and how hard she'd worked. "You've still got a lot of work to do though, Sakura. Battles aren't always going to be about speed. In this next round, I want you to focus on breaking out of genjutsu. It will be the groundwork for some more advanced techniques once you're more confident and balanced."
The pair didn't stop training until the sky was a brilliant orange mixed with soft pastel shades of cooler colors that promised sunset wasn't far away. By the end of their session, Sakura had not only managed to identify every single genjutsu he'd attempted to place her under, she'd also broken through a good amount of them. What she lacked in the skilled arts of taijutsu and ninjutsu, she made up for with an uncanny ability for the mental genjutsu. Though her confidence was lacking, her sheer strength of will would help her go far if she continued her training.
Dark blues and rich purples licked at the horizon line as darkness began its nightly descent over Konoha when they began walking towards the market. He had been reminded this morning when they'd woken up that there was no food in his kitchen, and neither of them could live off of apples for much longer. If he didn't get a good, solid meal in his stomach, Kakashi frowned, he just didn't know if he was going to make it. As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between sensei and student.
Sakura laughed, looking over at him as they walked. Neither needed to say a word as they reached the main street of the village, turning down a small street that led towards both the market and Kakashi's apartment. Once they reached the place, Sakura grabbed a basket and followed Kakashi as he moved from one aisle to the next, grabbing this and that. She wasn't focused so much on his choice of ingredients as she was on the way his uniform looked a bit tighter today. She chuckled, remembering his scowl this morning when he'd realized the clone had used the wrong temperature and let the clothes dry for too long. He might not like it, but she definitely appreciated the clone's mistake as his ass would stretch the fabric every time he'd have to bend over to a lower shelf, or become tucked just so into the long crack every time he had to reach up for something. It entertained her watching the way he'd discreetly attempt to tug the fabric back out every single time, not looking at her directly but hopeful she hadn't seen.
By the time they were done shopping, Sakura was willing to bet he had enough food for the rest of the week. He had bought a few cuts each of salmon and tuna as well as a heartier rack of ribs and a wide array of vegetables, fruits, and some more onigiri. While they'd been shopping, he'd discreetly tucked a new pack of soap underneath a loaf of bread, and she blushed at the memory of what she'd found in the shower the day before. Kakashi had showered again last night before they'd tucked themselves into bed; had he found what he'd left behind?
Does he know I saw it, too? Sakura thought to herself as he paid for the groceries. After paying, Kakashi gathered all of the bags in both hands before they exited the store and began heading towards the apartment. It was dark now, and a pleasant coolness had settled over the village. The walk was short and quiet, their footsteps on the dirt road the only sound filling the air between the two shinobi. Finally they arrived at Kakashi's building, ascending up the two flights of stairs to the top floor. His place was the last door at the end of the hall.
They had just stopped outside of the door when the silver-haired nin realized that his keys were in the pouch on his left thigh. The strap had come loose during the training session with Sakura and now, he realized as a blush crept across his cheeks, the pouch had slipped so that it was hugging his inner thigh. He was going to have to ask the kunoichi to retrieve the keys, he knew. A couple of months ago, that wouldn't have been a problem.
But now, all he could think of when he imagined her hand on his thigh was what she'd look like with her mouth in that vicinity, too. What her hair would feel like balled up in his hand as he guided her down his length - down, down, down - until her nose was flush with the skin of his taut lower stomach. He tried to speak twice, but the words caught in his throat before he was finally able to croak out, "The keys. My pouch."
Sakura didn't miss a beat as she retrieved the keys. Though the kunoichi had the strongest will of her teammates, even she couldn't resist gently pressing the fingertips of her index and middle fingers against his thigh, feeling a well toned muscle twitch as she slipped the ring around one of those slender digits. She stopped for a moment, enjoying the close proximity of her hand to the most intimate part of her sensei before she willed herself to pull her hand out and unlock the door. Her neck felt hot as a blush steadily worked its way up her face, turning from light pink to the shade of a freshly bitten strawberry in the matter of just a few moments.
Thankful the older man seemed to be preoccupied with his own thoughts, Sakura quickly unlocked the door and walked briskly into the apartment. She headed into the kitchen, flipping the light on and then setting about getting ready to put everything he'd bought away.
Kakashi moved slower behind her, his gaze lingering on the pink-haired woman as she fluttered about, opening cabinets and rearranging the counters so that there would be room for the numerous bags he was carrying. She was a beautiful mess tonight with her hair tucked up into a messy bun, her hitai-ate tied around the crown of her head, the metallic Leaf symbol gleaming under the kitchen light. She had streaks of dirt, mud, and dried blood from superficial scrapes and cuts adorning her slender arms and a sheen of sweat making her look like a delicious treat, Kakashi thought to himself as he sat the bags down on the counter, leaning back and taking her in again from another angle.
Her legs were the focal point from this spot. She had grabbed the salmon and tuna from one of the sacks and was now crouched over the fridge, her ass firm and jutting out from her body. Her tight workout shorts clung to her skin, riding up at her thighs, where there were faded grass stains. He recalled just how she'd gotten those stains, licking his lips at the memory of seeing her rolling their bodies in a vain attempt to gain control of a series of taijutsu moves that surely would have impressed Gai's love-struck pupil, Rock Lee.
She moved, and his thoughts were interrupted by the way she was swaying to a song she hummed under her breath. His own breath seemed to have suddenly vanished, and he swallowed hard and moved out of her way as she tried to reach into a cabinet behind him. He was so caught up in a flash of steamy mental images that he wasn't aware she was trying to get his attention until he felt the sudden impact of her fist roughly colliding with his shoulder.
"Hey!" He grumbled, turning to catch her frustrated glare. "What did I do now?"
"I was trying to ask you if you want some takeout since we trained all day," she repeated the question she'd already asked him four times. "So what about it?"
"Sure," he agreed with a nod of his head. "Why don't I go pick it up for us while you wait here. You worked hard all day, Sakura. You should be proud of yourself. Relax a little."
The silver-haired nin didn't wait for his pupil to say another word as he headed back out the door. He didn't need to be facing her to feel the pride radiating from the young woman. He smiled to himself, shutting the door. It seemed his little idea had worked. Sakura was feeling just a little more confident in herself tonight than she had the day before.
After Kakashi had disappeared behind the closed door, Sakura headed straight for the bathroom, bringing with her the new soap that Kakashi had bought. She was itching to get the day's grime off of her and feel clean again. She stripped her shorts off first, sighing in relief as the tight fabric gave way for her muscles to breathe. Next to go was her loose t-shirt, torn in a few places from the workout she'd been given by her sensei today. Whereas she was covered in dirt, grass, and blood, her sensei hardly had a scratch on him and only a few scuffs of dirt to mar the otherwise spotless uniform. She had improved, she knew, but he was right. She had a lot more work to do if she wanted to really be a serious threat on the battlefield.
Now that her shirt was off, Sakura removed her training bra quickly, thankful for the front clasp as her breasts fell free from the constraints they'd been trapped behind all day. She grimaced as her hand swiped over a thick streak of sweat that had been trapped between the bra's elastic and her skin before she turned the water on, hoping it wouldn't take long for it to heat up. Her muscles ached for the relief a hot shower promised.
It didn't take long at all, and she was so eager to get under the water that she almost forgot to grab the new bar of soap. The previous day's discovery wasn't even on her mind as she took the soap to her soiled skin. She decided to start from the top down and grabbed Kakashi's shampoo after thoroughly wetting her hair underneath the jet of water shooting down at her back. She scrubbed her hair for a little longer than she normally would, not stopping until she was sure there were no more leaves or twigs. Then she moved on to her face, setting the soap down on the shelf and using just her hands and the water to rinse away the grime. Sakura winced as her fingertips grazed over a scratch on her cheek, making a mental note to put some antiseptic on it once she was finished.
Satisfied that her face was clean now, Sakura set about cleaning her arms, taking the time to rub her muscles under the water as she did so. Her eyes fluttered closed for just a moment as she briefly wondered what it would feel like if Kakashi's hands replaced her own. She could feel the callouses now, pressing gently into her arms as they rubbed up and down slowly and methodically. Her lips parted at the thought, and she swallowed hard as she continued cleansing her body, continuing with her other arm before working down to her chest. Her breath hitched as her fingers brushed over her nipples. The pert nubs responded to her touch and became stiff as she gently twisted them this way and that. She imagined the way her sensei's mouth would feel there; hot and wet, his tongue driving her crazy as he traced circles around the areola. And she imagined the way his teeth would feel, grazing the sensitive flesh teasingly before nipping just hard enough to send a shiver down her spine.
This is getting out of hand, she tried to tell herself as her hands trailed further down. He's going to be back any minute.
But Sakura didn't care about that now. She needed to relieve the pressure that had been building up inside of her ever since she'd caught herself staring at Kakashi's ass in the market. A small moan fell from her lips as her index finger grazed over her slit, teasing herself for a few moments before finally slipping inside herself, her folds already slick with arousal. She pumped in and out of herself for about a minute before adding a second, and then a third finger in an attempt to coax out of herself the orgasm she knew she needed. She imagined that her fingers were Kakashi's cock, thrusting slow and deep at first before moving harder, faster, desperate to find her core.
"Oh, sensei," she called out in spite of herself, too caught up in the lust to stop herself as she inched closer and closer to the release she needed so badly. Once she was teetering on the edge, Sakura pulled her fingers out and rubbed herself to completion, letting out a loud moan in the process as her knees gave out and she slunk to the floor of the shower. She was unaware that, just before she'd called out his title, Kakshi had come through the front door and that he'd heard her moan and fall to her knees and that he was now hard as a rock, standing there in the bedroom's door frame, hand to cock over his jumpsuit, trying in vain to push it down as Sakura's breathy sounds and cries of passion replayed over and over in his mind.