Summary: What started out as Sakura's innocent crush is now proving difficult to get rid of; even a relationship with Kiba Inuzuka isn't distracting her from her feelings for Kakashi. When Kakashi discovers he might be falling for Sakura in return, how will Kiba react to someone trying to claim what he thinks is rightfully his?

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know if you like the way it's progressing!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters used in this fic.

The sun blazed in the sky above Konoha, yet, thankfully, a small breeze cut through the blistering heat, rustling the leaves and gently billowing Sakura's pink locks into her face. She paused, tucking her hair neatly behind her ear, before taking the first bite of her dango. Hanami dango was her favourite, and she relished in the sweet taste for a second before turning her attention towards the silver haired Jounin sat beside her at the food counter.

She had already eaten breakfast only a few hours before, but waiting for Kakashi in the blistering heat had made her mood sour, and if the silver-haired nin was offering to buy her a sweet treat as a rare apology for being late, Sakura wasn't about to turn it down.

"I thought you didn't like this stuff, Kakashi?" Sakura asked, looking back down at the remaining multi-coloured skewered balls on her plate, before picking them up and taking another delicate bite.

Kakashi hesitated for a fraction of a second. Sakura still called him sensei, of course, but she was getting used to dropping the honorific when they were outside of training. After everything they had been through together, countless missions and innumerable near-death experiences, the formal walls that were once between them were well and truly destroyed. At 21 years old, Sakura was a Jounin and an adult, and outside of missions and training, there was simply no need to keep up the formal title. It was something that Kakashi was still getting used to, although he had to admit to himself, he liked the change.

"Who doesn't like dango? I just don't have that much of a sweet tooth. I'd rather be reading." He finally answered.

Sakura scoffed, "yeah, that and you don't want me to see your face. I bet you have buck teeth." She stuffed a third piece of dango into her mouth and licked her lips with a relish.

At this, Kakashi carefully placed his book face-down in front of him, a mischievous smirk was on his face, clearly visible by the turn of his lips through the thin mask and the crinkle of his exposed eye.

Slowly, he leant in towards Sakura, whose eyes were quickly growing wide with rapt attention, is he about to show me his face?! She thought frantically, trying - and failing - to still her pounding heart as she instinctively edged backwards on her stool at the approaching Jounin. Still, closer he leant, until they were almost nose to nose and she was leaning uncomfortably far backwards to try and disguise her surprise at the sudden absence of distance between them.

She tried to swallow her dango but her mouth was suddenly devoid of moisture, instead, she spoke thickly, "'Kashi what on earth are you-" she was stopped short with a small gasp as he raised his head upwards a fraction, his mouth almost touching her nose. What is happening?! Is he going to finally show me his face? Is he about to kiss me? Why is he smirking like a damn teenage boy?! Her mind was racing with possibilities as her cheeks grew pink, what was he playing at?!

At this distance, she could see fine laughter lines around his eyes, and when she noticed the way his dark eyes sparkled with humour, her heart started pounding in her ears as she was reminded once again of how attractive her former sensei really was.

"Sakura," Kakashi all but whispered, and the pink in her cheeks quickly turned to beet red as her breath caught in her throat at his soft voice so close to her face, she could even feel the hot warmth of his breath on her nose. Kami-sama, please, show me that face! Sakura prayed silently.

Suddenly, he lifted his chin further so his mouth was eye level with her, "I think you'd see through my mask if I had buck teeth, wouldn't you?" He started laughing abruptly, low chuckles reverberating through her stunned silence as he sat back properly in his seat, dispelling any thought Sakura might have foolishly had of an intimate moment between them, "maybe you're just nervous that I'm so devilishly handsome, you wouldn't be able to keep away from me if you saw my face?" Another round of dry laughter brought her out of her reverie, as she realised his true intentions were only to prove her wrong by way of a joke.

As the realisation sank in, she spluttered on her dango - when did she stop chewing?! - and swallowed roughly before sending a growled warning at the lazy man sat beside her, who was coming down from his fit of laughter with quietening chuckles, while turning his attention away from her and picking up his book once more.

Sakura straightened up, willing the blush to die down from her face, and, with one swift movement, lodged a dango skewer into the middle of his Icha Icha copy. Or, she thought she did. It seems the Copy-Nin was as quick as ever when it came to his most prized possession, and the skewer was now firmly stuck into the table where his book was resting a fraction of a second earlier. The remaining sweet treat on the stick slid down to the table with a plop, and if she was not still embarrassed from her misunderstanding of his earlier intentions, the sight of his dumbstruck face staring with a mixture of surprise at the would-be fate of his book would have made her feel equal parts amused and guilty.

"What was that for?" He asked indignantly, finally tearing his eyes from the offending weapon.

"Yo-you got all up in my space! I thought you were going to k- to show me your face!" The fading blush on her cheeks came back at full strength with her almost-slip-up, and she fought to regain composure after her embarrassing misunderstanding.

"Sakura-chan, it was only a joke! I can't have you thinking I have buck teeth, I have an image to maintain." Kakashi held back another bout of laughter, instead only showing her a crinkle of his exposed eye. Inwardly, he thought of how easy it was to wind up the pink-haired kunoichi, and how satisfying it was to see the attractive blush rise up in her cheeks.

Sure, he mused silently as Sakura spluttered to choke out her witty come-back, it may have been a little insensitive to make it seem like a more intimate act than it actually was, especially knowing her current crush on him, but he just couldn't help it. Underneath the stoic, bored exterior, Kakashi was a jokester at heart; it was one of the reasons he enjoyed playing tricks on Team 7 when they were mere Genins, and without his hidden sense of humour, he wouldn't have lasted so long being Guy's friend and rival.

"An-an image to maintain?! What 'image'?! Nobody knows what you even look like!" Sakura finally got out, too caught up in his response to notice that the blush was still hot pink on her cheeks.

Kakashi did let out another chuckle - albeit a more subdued one than before. At this, he thought to himself, when did he ever laugh so much? He was usually so covert in his joking that most people didn't realise he was teasing them until after he was gone, and that was part of the fun for him. But Sakura, she picked up easily on his wit and, even when embarrassed and blushing, still managed to call him out on it. He was having more fun teasing her than he thought he would.

Hearing his laugh, Sakura's temper started to die down, until she was reluctantly giggling along and returning back to her remaining dango skewer.

"'An image to maintain', what bullshit", she laughed a little louder this time, and Kakashi found himself silently admiring how she was finding it easier to see the funny side of things as she was maturing. At one point, Sakura's embarrassment would have sent her into a temper so severe you'd have no choice but to run from her punch.

Of course, Sakura wasn't herself without her famous temper - one that had only been nurtured under Tsunade's tutelage, but now she wasn't taking herself so seriously anymore. With age and maturity, she quickly moved on after a bout of anger or embarrassment, and it was a quality Kakashi, and the rest of her friends, seemed to appreciate. Although, he thought as he rubbed the still-tender spot on his forehead from this morning, she seemed happy to dish out a punch or two when she thought the situation called for it.

Just then, Sakura's attention was caught by a gruff hand on her shoulder, she spun away from Kakashi, a giggle still leaving her lips and a blush still on her cheeks from their conversation, when it suddenly fell from her face.

"Ah, hey, Kiba," she said, as she tried to hide the way her previous amusement was fading quickly. If the look on his face was anything to go by, Kiba had witnessed them laughing together, and had also seen the pink dusting on her cheeks. Something in her stomach dropped when she realised he may have even seen how closely Kakashi leant into her just a few minutes before. Of course, they were doing nothing wrong, but she knew for a fact Kiba would have been able to sense her heart racing at the intimate behaviour, and that was a conversation she didn't want to have.

"Sakura. What are you doing here? I thought you were going to come and see me after you got some rest?" Kiba's voice was straight and to the point, and Sakura didn't miss the way his eyes narrowed in Kakashi's direction. In true Kakashi style, he was thankfully pretending to not hear their conversation and was back to being buried nose-deep in his trusty book.

"Yeah, about that, I promised Kakashi a while ago that we'd train every morning when I got back from my mission," plus, she added silently, you were being possessive and annoying and I didn't want to just be a booty call for you to get your 'scent' back on me.

"Well, that's just tough, isn't it? I haven't seen you in a week, I expected you to come and see me after we spoke outside your apartment. Anyway, I'll leave you to it, it seems like you're enjoying yourself an awful lot, if your blushing and giggling were anything to go by." Kiba stole another glare at the back of Kakashi's head, and it was this that tipped Sakura over the edge.

For the third time that day, but for a vastly different reason than before, her temper flared. She hadn't been this erratic since her teenage years, but today was shaping up to be a unique one.

"Kiba," she started, and her voice was nearing a whisper as to keep her slowly rising anger at bay, "let me get one thing straight,"

Hearing this, Kiba tore his jealous eyes away from Kakashi and looked defiantly back into Sakura's jade green ones.

"If I want to train every minute of every day, I will do. If I want to sit and eat a meal with my friend," she emphasised this word while jabbing a finger into the young dog-nins chest, "I will do. If I want to giggle, and - and blush, and spend time with someone other than you, I will do. You won't make feel guilty for doing that. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to return to my meal, and yes, I'm going to continue to enjoy myself." With a final prod into Kiba's chest, Sakura turned away and stuffed some of her remaining dango into her mouth with a settling feeling of relief.

Although she wished it hadn't been as public and embarrassing, she had been meaning to put Kiba in his place for a while. It wasn't like Sakura to hold her tongue, and Kiba's jealous ways were becoming too much for her. After a long and drawn-out upset with a certain black haired missing-nin, she refused to be unhappy for the sake of a man ever again.

Thankfully, as the food stall was currently only occupied by herself and Kakashi, she had avoided anyone other than the copy nin witnessing her argument with her boyfriend. Nevertheless, she heard Kiba give a low growl behind her, his temper was one to match even hers, and she was sure to have ticked him off with her public tirade. Sakura listened, still facing away from him and finishing her food, as Kiba readied himself to start his less-than-happy response.

However, before he could get a chance, Kakashi stood, and in the blink of an eye, was nose to nose with Kiba, Icha Icha book forgotten. Sakura looked up, her lips parted in silent surprise and her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I think Sakura-chan was pretty clear. I'm sure you'll see her later." Kakashi kept his tone friendly and a fake smile on his face, but Kiba recognised the thinly veiled dismissal.

With a huff and a second of consideration, Kiba swallowed his retort and turned on his heel, angrily striding away in the direction of the training grounds, most likely to release some steam, Sakura figured.

She let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding, and avoided Kakashi's eye when he took his seat next to her. Could today get any more embarrassing? She thought silently as she chewed the last of her food, first I get my skirt stuck in my underwear and gave Kakashi an eyeful, then, for the love of all things holy, I actually thought he was making a move on me - damn hormones - and now, to top it all off, Kiba caught me blushing and giggling like a damn school girl at the fucking perverted sensei himself. Sakura let out an audible groan at the realisation that her first day back from her mission was proving to be a stressful one.

"So, that Kiba," Kakashi said after a moment, "he's a nice guy, huh?" he threw the kunoichi a sidelong glance to assess her reaction. He knew making light of the situation was risky, but he couldn't explain to himself the way his blood boiled when the young Inuzuka was shamelessly displaying his possessiveness over Sakura.

It wasn't like Kakashi to step in and speak on behalf of his former students, but who was Kiba to act like he owned Sakura? Since the day Sasuke Uchiha had walked away from Konoha, and from the pink haired girl's declaration of love, Sakura had grown stronger, more independent, and eventually transitioned into the strong ninja before him. It was insulting to hear Kiba act like he had some control over her, when Kakashi knew all too well the lengths Sakura had gone to in order to prove herself to her peers.

Finally, Sakura swallowed the last of her food and slid off her stool gracefully, "yep, he sure is one of a kind." She tightened her fists in annoyance. As she waited for Kakashi to finish counting out the coins to pay for the meal, she added quietly, "I don't know why I bother with him, it was only a fling."

If it weren't for Kakashi's acute hearing, he would have missed the remark, but instead, he finished paying for the meal, and walked past Sakura, setting off in the direction of the opposite training ground to Kiba. He said back equally quietly, "you could do better, you know."

He didn't know where the comment came from, but as he pondered his own words he thought of how ill suited the two ninjas actually were - Kiba was loud and brash, jealous and quick to anger. Sakura was passionate; loud when she wanted to be heard but quiet as a mouse when she was focused and observing those around her, and though she used to be jealous, Kakashi guessed she had either grown out of it, or knew better than to act upon it now she had matured. The only thing they visibly had in common was their temper, and even then, Kakashi couldn't help but think that she needed the opposite in her partner to bring out her calm and collected side.

Sakura followed him silently and didn't respond. From where Kakashi walked, he couldn't see her reaction. He wasn't sure she even heard him, as she lacked the enhanced hearing the copy ninja had.

Safe in the knowledge that she wouldn't question his uncharacteristic interest in her love life, Kakashi continued pondering her relationship with the dog-nin. Kiba's personality symbolised everything she had grown out of, and Kakashi's thoughts kept wandering back to who else would be better for her.

Try as he might to not care, he thought that someone older would complement her maturity. The suitor would have to be calm and collected, but playful enough to make her laugh as she so often liked to. Someone who was gifted as a ninja was a must; the apprentice of the fifth Hokage at least deserved a challenge during friendly sparring. Finally, of course, Sakura was drawn to mystery and a painful past in her love interests, if the young Uchiha was anything to go by.

He silently scoffed to himself, although she had grown out of her infatuation with Sasuke, he remembered her swooning every time he activated his Sharingan, that would be a bonus for any potential future boyfrien- oh shit.

Kakashi halted his thoughts, so surprised by his own musings that he temporarily stopped walking, leaving Sakura to overtake him on their way to the training grounds. Older, calm, makes her laugh, mysterious with a painful past, Sharingan...Did I just describe myself?!

"Kakashi...?" Sakura's voice cut through his realisation like a knife, had he been unknowingly picturing himself as a better lover to Sakura than Kiba? Eyes wide, he looked up to Sakura, now stood waiting for him with a hand on her hip and an impatient expression on her face. Really, he thought, it was no wonder she had a slight crush on him, he ticked all those boxes without even realising it. He tried his best to bring himself out of his reverie as she was growing more and more impatient waiting for him to answer her, but it was to no avail; the thought that he would, in theory, be a good partner for Sakura was too shocking for him to get over.

No, no, no. No way. Kakashi stopped himself short, he could not allow himself to think like that. He had no romantic feelings for Sakura, and though he couldn't disagree that she had grown into a beautiful woman, Kakashi would never exploit her crush on him for his own personal gain.

But still, I can't deny we are a good matc- no, no, no, this time, Kakashi visibly shook his head to dispel the thoughts. Kakashi was not a good match for anyone. Kakashi was troubled, lonely, and infinitely unlucky. Anyone he had ever cared for, he had failed to protect.

Rin, Obito, Minato, Kushina, Sasuke, heck, even Sakura and Naruto could feasibly owe their success to Tsunade and Jiraiya. No, it would not do to dwell on those thoughts. He would be a terrible match for Sakura, and it was unwise to convince himself otherwise.

"What are you doing stood there staring at me like an idiot? Come on, we've wasted enough time this morning already, we need to train!" Sakura had enough of waiting for him to snap out of his unexpected daze and continued on her way to the training fields.

Coming out of his deep thoughts, Kakashi followed behind her, slouching slightly more than usual under the weight of his realisation and subsequent self-berating. How ridiculous of him to assume, even for a second, that he would be better suited for Sakura than Kiba. Sure, Kiba was possessive and jealous, but Kakashi was terrible at protecting those he cared about. Maybe if he had feelings towards Sakura, he might think differently, but he didn't. He let out a sigh as he sped up to catch up with the pink haired kunoichi.

She definitely deserved someone better than Kiba, but Kakashi wasn't that someone.