Chapter 16

"I know you said you kept to yourself, but I didn't know you were an actual hermit, darling." Sakura groaned as she plopped down onto the couch to lay next to a sitting Kakashi, "You're making me feel very useless."

She rolled over to lay on her back and laid her head on his lap. Kakashi looked down to her from the book in his hand and rose a single brow at her.

"Don't say things like that. You're not useless."

"I sure feel like it!" she whined as she shot him an annoyed pout, "You're making my life way too easy! I'm gonna get soft! Top bodyguard and I spend most of my days lounging."

Closing and setting down the book he was reading, he reached over and poked Sakura's stomach.

"I like soft though. Don't you think it's a nice break? Not having to deal with so much stress on the job?"

Sakura quickly reached down and grasped his large hand in her own smaller ones. Bringing his hand up, she lazily played with his fingers for a second before she slid her fingers in between his and hugged it against her chest for a moment.

"I don't like being soft though. Being soft only gets you hurt and taken advantage of." she mumbled quietly as she traced circles on the back of his hand with her finger.

She glanced up to see he was quietly watching her as she lay there next to him.

"It's a nice break, but the stress never goes away. I double worry about your safety now that we're together." she added.

Kakashi simply hummed in a reply.

'I don't wanna talk about this anymore.'

"I have an idea." she suddenly said as she made to get up and kneeled next to him on the couch.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"Let's sneak out."

Sakura couldn't help the giggle that left her as she watched his face twisted into an unreadable expression.

"Are you fifteen years old? We can't sneak out!" he shot back in disbelief.

Sakura crawled off the couch and reached over and tugged Kakashi's arm to get him to stand up.

"Oh, come on! You need to live a little! You're thirty years old and you live like you're sixty!" she pleaded lightly, "Let's enjoy our youth while we still have it!"

Once Kakashi was on his feet, he stared down at her with a skeptical look. She took a moment to appreciate him as she smiled back at him.

"We can't sneak out. It's not safe!" he continued to argue with her.

Sakura put her hands on her hips and shot him a sassy look.

"Are you dense? You're safe as long as you're with me. I'm your bodyguard, Kakashi."

Kakashi just slumped his shoulders in defeat and the bodyguard felt her grin grow.

"What would we even do?" he asked, "I've turned down all the events I've been invited too this weekend anyway."

Sakura stuck her arms out then and twirled in place.

"Anything we want! It's Saturday night, I'm sure we can find something to do. There's more to life than fancy gala's and rich people parties, darling."

Her boyfriend shot her an unamused look then. As much as he said he didn't let his wealth decide things for him, Kakashi seemed to forget quite often that there are plenty of things to do outside his social class.

"Alright, then how are we gonna sneak out without informing security?" he asked next.

The young woman just smirked at his question and jerked her thumb into her chest.

"I'm head of your security and I have been informed since it's my plan, so we can walk out of this building whenever we want as long as I'm next to you. No one can stop us."

Kakashi just gawked down to her and she relished in the smug feeling she got from this. It seems the thought had flew over his head.

"Then what was all the talk about needing to arrange things before we leave!?"

"I like to go the extra mile, what can I say?" she shrugged before she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards their rooms, "Plus that was for things that didn't involve me! Since we're together, we can do as we please! Now come on, let's go! We gotta go get ready! Don't dress like you're a millionaire though!"

Thirty minutes later, Kakashi and Sakura stood by his front door putting on their jackets and other winter gear. It was mid-December and bitter outside now with snow falling at a constant rate these days it seemed.

Kakashi just opted to wear a blue jeans and an old green sweater he had in the back of his closet and a pair of tennis shoes. Sakura on the other hand had caused him to give her a low whistle when she stepped out of her room.

She opted for a pair of black skinny jeans and black t-shirt with an oversized crimson red cardigan and a pair of black combat boots. She had brushed out her long pink hair and let it hang loose besides keeping it pulled back with red headband.

Kakashi had never really seen her in street clothes before. She only wore professional work clothes, her loungewear, or pajamas around him. So, this was a nice change. It was a change he liked a lot actually.

'I definitely need to take her shopping more if she's going to look this good.'

He couldn't help himself as he pulled her in for a kiss when she walked over to him. It only got him a light slap on the arm and a slight dirty look in response, but she smiled nonetheless with a subtle blush.

"Okay, do you have cash on you? I'm sure the moment anyone saw the credit card you use would definitely figure out how rich you are." she asked as he pulled his beanie on.

"Yes, I left my card in my room to be safe and kept my I.D. and cash in my wallet. You're so damn bossy, you know that?" he teased as she rolled her eyes at him in reply.

"Let's get going then!" she sang as she opened the door.

The two guards who stood outside suddenly jumped to attention as they stepped out into the foyer.

"Leaving, Mr. Hatake?" the one on his right asked after clearing his throat.

"Yes, I'll be home later tonight." he replied simply, "Sakura will message you when we're on our way home. I'm sure you two can hold down the fort?"

Both guards just nodded adamantly in response as Sakura and him stepped into the elevator. He watched as his girlfriend shot one of the guards a big smile as the doors slid shut.

"See? It's that easy." she giggled as they soared downwards towards his private parking garage, "You need to do that again when we get to the car. No driver needed, I'll drive."

Kakashi just nodded and smirked down to her.

'So assertive. I love it.'

"Should I be afraid of your driving?"

He only got another slap in the arm in reply. He rubbed the spot she struck seconds ago and pouted at her.

"You know I'm your boss still! You can't go beating on me willy nilly!"

"Client, not boss. I'll do as I please, thank you very much." she quipped back.

"I'm technically your bosses boss. Let's not forget I own sixty percent of Senju Securities." he replied back instantly.

"Maybe so, but you don't sign my checks at the end of the day. Plus, boyfriend out ranks the client and boss status any day anyway." she smiled with a wink at him.

Kakashi just let out a small huff at her sass as they rode the last couple seconds in a comfortable silence. Once they arrived and stepped into the garage the next set of guards jumped up at the sight of their boss.

"Mr. Hatake! What can we do for you at this time of night!?" one of the three asked quickly.

They obviously weren't prepared for such an unexpected visit from him or Sakura. They had all been sitting around a small table playing cards when they stepped out of the elevator.

"Ms. Haruno and I are just gonna go out for a little while. Where are the keys to my SUV? The gray one?" he asked with ease.

One of the men quickly went to the rack of keys nearby and grabbed the specific set of keys.

"Where would you like to go, sir?" the guard who grabbed the keys asked as he began to make his way to the vehicle.

Kakashi held up a hand to stop the guard from proceeding any further before he moved it to point at his girlfriend.

"Oh, don't worry. Ms. Haruno is going to drive. You can just hand the keys over to her. You guys can just relax tonight."

The three guards just stared in surprise at his request and permission to "relax".

"Are you sure? We have no problem with unplanned trips, Mr. Hatake." the guard holding the keys quickly replied.

Kakashi just smiled at them and nodded a couple times.

"I'm sure, don't worry guys. Sakura is the best after all, let's have some faith in her. She'll make sure I don't go crazy. Plus, we won't be out too late." he reassured the three obviously wary men.

The man reluctantly handed the keys over to Sakura and together the two climb into the front seats of the gray SUV and Sakura drove them out of the private garage.

"I can't believe it's been that easy for me to just leave the building. You made it sound like it was a hassle to leave." he grumbled quietly after a few minutes as they drove along the darkening streets.

Kakashi sagged into his seat as he lazily looked out the window.

"I never once said that you couldn't leave whenever you wanted. I said that shortly after we met, you're free to do as you wish as long as I was informed and able to prepare myself in a timely matter. Remember the lunch incident? That's what I mean about being prepared."

Kakashi glanced over to the pink haired woman and shot her a sly smile.

"Seems I forgot that bit since we're dating now and around each other all the time."

Sakura just snorted a slight laugh as she drove along. He continued to watch her for a while and couldn't help but let his sly smile change as it turned into a smile of appreciation. He still couldn't get over how beautiful she looked tonight.

'God, I love her so much.'

He looked ahead after another moment and began to silently think about their future together.

She eventually turned into a secured parking lot. Shutting off the vehicle, she pulled the key out of the ignition and turned and smiled at him.

"Time to go have fun!" she said excitedly.

Getting out of the car, Sakura locked the doors as they made their way out onto the sidewalk.

"Where are we and what are we going to do?" he asked, curiosity clear in his voice as he watched her stuff the keys into her purse.

Sakura laced her arms with his and placed her head on his shoulder. He felt his ever present smile grow once again at the simple form of affection.

"We're in downtown Konoha obviously and we're going to have a date night." she replied simply.

Kakashi stopped walking which caused Sakura to stop and look up to him. He studied her with a surprised grin of his own.

"Date night?"

Sakura just shot him a dazzling smile in reply and nodded once.

"Yep, surprise! You were complaining last week that we never get to do anything romantic and the idea came to me earlier when I suggested we "sneak out"." she explained.

Kakashi just leaned down and gave her a soft kiss to which she eagerly returned.

"It was supposed to be me surprising you though." he playfully argued back as they started walking down the busy street hand in hand.

"Ah, see that's what you still get to do!" she quickly countered with a wink and a slight squeeze of his hand, "You can pick whatever we do tonight! It'll be a wonderful surprise for me."

Kakashi just let out a quiet chuckle at her reasoning.

"I think I can work with that." he replied and brought up his free hand and grabbed his chin to think over his options, "Oh, how about this. We've technically never been on a first date before and it's super cliche, but why not do something simple? Movie and dinner?"

Sakura's eyes lit up at the idea as yet another dazzling smile graced her lush lips.

"That sounds so romantic! That's perfect! It's so simple, I never would've thought of that!"

"I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. I'm not all rich guy stereotypes, you know." he teased with eye crinkling smile.

The two of them wandered around downtown Konoha as they made their way to the nearby cinema to catch a movie. They chatted and window shopped along the way since they were in a shopping district. He saw Sakura point at a beautiful notebook that was displayed in the window of a stationery store. It was a pale green leather bound journal with various shades of pink and red cherry blossoms printed on the cover.

'Perfect. I can get that for her for Christmas.' he thought to himself as he looked up to note the name of the store so he could order it in the morning.

Soon after that, they arrived at the tiny hole in the wall cinema.

"Hmmmm, the only two movies playing in the next twenty minutes are that kids movie about frogs or that paranormal movie about a demon haunting a shrine." Kakashi muttered as the couple looked over the showtime board outside the cinema, "Which do you wanna see? Animated frogs or haunted shrines?"

Sakura just giggled at the options.

"I think I can handle demons? I think we'd get bored of frogs really quick."

"You're so right." he said as they stepped up to the ticket booth.

A little over two hours later, Sakura and Kakashi found themselves walking down the sidewalk after leaving the cinema.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to step near a shrine ever again." she playfully cried as she clung to Kakashi's arm, "I know for sure I won't be sleeping tonight either!"

"I didn't think it was that scary actually." he deadpanned.

Sakura gawked up to him in disbelief.

"Then you're responsible for all my nightmares!" she shot back.

Kakashi just laughed at her misery as they walked along.

"No problem, love, I can work with that." he replied, "There's a twenty four hour diner nearby, we can grab a quick bite there to end our night before going home?"

Sakura hugged Kakashi's arm a little tighter as she nodded up to him with a smile.

The entire night had been perfect so far. She kept watch and on guard, but let herself fully enjoy the moment with him. She repeatedly thanked the heavens above for letting her find someone that brought her so much joy as Kakashi did.

It was like she was truly living the life of a fairytale. She had found her prince charming who cared for her truly and deeply.

She loved this side of their relationship. Everything had been so professional between them so far besides the few moments they shared behind closed doors. This was a literal breath of fresh air for them.

Sakura quietly thought about their future and how they would be able to continue this after her assignment was done and the investigation concluded when they caught the perpetrator. She would have to leave and go to another assignment and she wouldn't be able to see Kakashi as often as she'd like.

The sudden thought of leaving her job as a bodyguard came to mind but she quickly dismissed it and all the worrying thoughts that slowly began to plague her in that moment.

She wouldn't worry right now. She just wanted to enjoy the moment. Wanted to enjoy the night with this amazing man she was falling for more and more everyday.

Fifteen minutes later, Sakura sat across from the CEO in a corner booth as a waitress poured them each a cup of coffee and took their orders.

"I never expected you to come to such a place." she noted as she quirked a pink brow up at him, "It falls outside your usual frequented places. How'd you know this was here?

Kakashi shot her a smirk as he gave her a simple shrug in reply. The sudden sadness in his eyes didn't go unnoticed by her.

"I was sort of a brat growing up and gave my dad hell by sneaking out a lot to go hang out with my high school buddies downtown. We'd often end up here since this was the only place that was ever open late at night."

Sakura was surprised to hear this story from him since he always seemed so down to earth and relaxed. But she suddenly remembered that this Kakashi she knew now was not the same from when he was younger. He said he was a class act asshole for most of his life. She would've never taken him as a rebellious teenager growing up, she only figured adult Kakashi was the asshole.

But she had to remember he didn't have the perfect childhood either. He lost his mother when he needed her the most and his father was always gone away on business. He was alone and as a result he acted out.

"Oh, I never would have suspected you had fallen under the snobby rich kid stereotype at one point." she teased lightly as she sipped at the stale lukewarm coffee in hopes to help raise the mood.

A soft sigh left Kakashi and she looked up to find his mood had fallen even more. She instantly regretted her choice of words.

"Yeah, I gave my dad a lot of unnecessary trouble growing up. He didn't deserve that stress I gave him. Kind of feel bad about it now…" he trailed off as he stared down into his own cup of coffee.

Sakura reached across the table and grabbed his hand and gave it a hard squeeze.

"Don't feel bad. You were just a silly kid then and look at the respectable man you are now! From the stories you've told me over the last two and half months about you and your father proves that, that man loved and cared about you very much. Even if you did piss him off a lot."

Kakashi was quiet for a few seconds as he let her words sink in. Finally looking up to meet her gaze, he gave her a weak smile and she gave him and even bigger one back as she squeezed his hand again.

They chatted for a few more minutes about Kakashi being a rebellious teenager before their food arrived.

Sakura stared down at the giant waffle in front of her and drooled over the pile of strawberries and whipped cream that sat on top of it.

"Oh my gosh, this looks so delicious!" she sang happily as she readied her fork and knife and began cutting up her meal.

Kakashi just laughed quietly at her excitement as he bit into his own burger and chewed. They sat there for a few minutes in silence and savored each bite of the greasy oversized diner food.

"Say, do you have any plans for Christmas?" Sakura asked as she used a napkin to wipe her mouth.

She was only able to eat half the waffle before feeling stuffed while Kakashi downed his entire burger and half his fries before calling it quits. They had to ask the waitress for to-go containers and were just waiting for her to return.

"No, not really. I'll probably just stay home this year." he mumbled as he looked out the window to his left.

"Oh, did you travel before?"

"My father and I always went up to our cabin in Sugi for Christmas and the New Year, but now that he's gone…" he explained as he trailed off again.

Sakura felt bad for bringing up the topic to begin with. It was the second time she bummed him out in such a short amount of time. She mentally slapped herself for forgetting that his father only passed away barely six months ago, so Kakashi was probably struggling with it more now that the holidays were approaching.

"If you'd like, we can still go up there?" she offered softly.

"It wouldn't be the same." he replied as he looked back to her.

Sakura bit her bottom lip as she contemplated how to go about such a touchy subject.

"I'm sure he'd still want you to go up there, Kakashi. From the sounds of it, he wasn't the type of man that sat around moping when he was sad. He always pushed forward and endured. You said so yourself. Follow his lead."

She watched as Kakashi's unreadable expression slowly transformed into a more warm and thankful one.

"You're right, he wouldn't want me to be like this." he said as he reached across the table and grabbed her hand, "Plus, I'll have you up there with me, so I won't truly be alone. We can celebrate together. It's our first Christmas together after all."

Sakura shot him a loving smile at his agreement to go to the cabin.

"I'll start planning it out tomorrow. How long do you usually stay up there?" she said as he brain went on autopilot.

"Two weeks, give or take a day or two depending how the holidays fall."

Nodding at the answer, she started making mental checklists for the trip.

"Any special requests? We'll have to go shopping for a few things. I need to buy me some more wintery clothes."

Kakashi shot her a devilish smirk at her question and she felt her cheeks start to burn at the heated look and her anxiety begin to slightly shoot through the roof.

"Only that it's just you and I up there. I can finally get some proper alone time with you then."

'Oh my…'

Sakura forced herself to take an even and deep breath then.

"Um, I'm not sure if I can promise that given the safety issues. But, I can work hard at figuring it out where we won't bump into many people?" she gave a counter offered as she tried to keep her nerves down.

"I can work with that." he smiled back at her and she felt a weight be lifted from her shoulders as he continued speaking, "We should get going soon. It's getting pretty late."

With a silent nod, Sakura watched as Kakashi called for the check and she let her thoughts wander for a moment.

'Sakura, calm down… You can trust him.'

A/N: Ahhhh, who doesn't love a lovely fluffly chapter. They definitely needed that date night! Next chapter we meet a new character... but who is it? *eyes emoji*

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Okay, off to start working on Chapter 17! xx