Final Part

By the time Sakura had made it to her floor in the apartment complex, the weather outside had descended into a torrential downpour. If the constant pattering heard from the roof above her wasn't a clue, then the monsoon-like sight from her kitchen window as she entered her abode was the dead giveaway. It was just as well, it wasn't like Sakura actually had plans to venture outside any time soon, so she was content to have the hurricane continue to wreak its havoc to its heart's content. If anything, the mesmerizing sound of the repetitive rainfall did well to set the mood for the relaxing evening Sakura planned on having, to get her mind off of the… less than favorable circumstances she currently found herself in.

The medic allowed her mind to wander to her old sensei for the briefest of moments. She knew his favorite pass time was to find a comfortable spot in one of the thousands of trees that Konoha boasted, and bask in the sun while reading. But this current weather clearly didn't allow for that. What could he be doing instead? Probably sleeping. The bastard's notorious lazy behavior could put any old, stray cat to shame.

Okay, enough thoughts on that matter. She had allowed herself a moment's weakness, but that's all she was getting!

Sakura walked into her room and quickly stripped herself from her medic's uniform, eagerly unwrapping her chest bindings. She breathed in relief from finally being free of her stiff attire, and chose to slip into something much more comfortable. She slipped on a pair of white, capris yoga pants, and a comfy long sleeved shirt that was in her signature red color. The next order of business to attend to was to make a nice hot pot of tea. Though it was the summer season, the rain had brought a nice chill to the air with it, making it the perfect time to sip on a steaming beverage.

As she finished with that task she idly wondered which of her self-indulgent chick flics she should put on while she set about to making dinner. Were they the epitome of cheesy clichés? Yes. Did they install false expectations of romance into the human psyche? Of course. But Sakura loved them, even if they only served to remind her of the love life she didn't have.

She mentally decided which movie to go with as she reached into the particular cabinet where she kept her cans of soup. Standing on her tip-toes, not being tall enough to actually see into the cabinet, she felt around until her hand would come into contact with the metallic surface of a can. It never did. Channeling chakra into the palm of her hand, she hoisted herself up so that she could see for herself that she was, indeed, all out of soup. A minor setback, but not a big deal.

She hadn't really wanted to go all out for dinner tonight, but the busywork of preparing a meal was sure to keep her mind preoccupied. Sakura walked over to her fridge, intent on making some chicken, but as she opened the door she was once again met with the unwelcomed sight of empty shelves. Oh that's right… she had had that chicken for dinner on Thursday night. Sakura began to mildly panic as she scoured the rest of her kitchen for any sort of sustenance. She came up empty handed, even her stash of chocolate bars under the bathroom sink had been pillaged.

Past Sakura had probably put off grocery shopping until the weekend that she knew she had free. What an idiot. Sakura sighed as she looked forlornly out the window, willing the frustrated tears not to spill as she saw no sign of the storm letting up. Great kami, Ino was right. Sakura was turning into a hermit if venturing out into the world filled her with this much dread. But there was no helping it, Sakura had to eat and she was not so mortified that she was willing to starve herself in favor of facing the public.

She slipped on her sandals and grabbed her pink, cherry-blossom adorned umbrella which she kept by the door, mildly blushing at the juvenile parasol. It had been a present for her fourteenth birthday and she had yet to purchase a new one.

Turning off the stove where her tea sat and key ring in hand, Sakura locked the door behind her and headed back outside, much too soon for her liking.

There was a small convenience store not two blocks away from her. Modest in size, but it carried the essentials. Enough to hold her over until she was prepared to do some serious food shopping anyway.

Sakura carefully made her way along the water laden road, being mindful to step around the particularly deep rain puddles. She finally made it to the store, stepping through the automatic sliding doors and was greeted by the door chime along with a friendly wave from the elderly shop keeper. Sakura cheerfully waved back to the familiar face as she closed her umbrella and grabbed a basket to set about going shopping.

She wandered up and down the aisles, taking her time as she was not too eager to head back out into the rain. After browsing for a bit, she grabbed what she needed for the night and was just about to head out when something caught her eye. The gleaming shelves of various assortments of chocolate bars was just too good to pass up. Sakura meandered her way over to the chocolaty goods, trying to determine which flavor to buy this time. She had previously steeled herself into following the diet she had set, however… she had been working her ass off lately dammit! If there was anything she deserved in the world it was this!

Sakura had just closed her hand around her final decision when a velvety and decidedly sly voice sounded from behind her.

"That time of the month already, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura bristled at the words as there was no mistaking the owner of them. Why here? Why now? The kunoichi turned around and sure enough was met with the one-eyed crinkle of her sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei! What a pleasant surprise!" She exclaimed in faux excitement. Hopefully he didn't notice her tense up in his presence… or the fact that she had forwent wearing a bra, not expecting to actually run into anyone she knew. She prayed to the gods that her breasts didn't decide that it was too chilly for their liking. She subtly maneuvered her arms to provide them with cover, just in case. But if Kakashi took any notice of this, he didn't let on as he continued to smile at his student. "W-What are you doing here?" Idiot! What did she think he was doing at a grocery store? The reason for her being single was starting to become more and more apparent to her each time she opened her trap.

"Making sure you keep up with a healthy shinobi diet, of course. As I said before, Sakura-chan, you won't be getting fat on my watch."

"You can take the man off of the sensei roster, but you can't take the sensei out of the man, I suppose." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Actually I'm glad I ran into you." Kakashi said. Sakura regarded him curiously. "A mission check of mine just came in and I'm not really in the mood to spend this gloomy evening alone. Seeing as how neither of us have checked out yet, would you like to ditch the groceries and join me for a bite to eat?"

Sakura became flustered so suddenly that she nearly dropped her basket and all of its contents. Was… was he asking her out on a date!? Sakura immediately mentally smacked herself upside the head. Don't be ridiculous! The man clearly just stated that he was simply looking for a bit of company. A completely normal request for an ex-sensei to have for his ex-student! But still, Sakura wasn't sure if she could stomach an entire evening with the man she had been falsely reported to lust over.

"I- I don't know Kakashi-sensei, I'm really not dressed to go out at the moment…"

The silver-haired shinobi chuckled. "You overestimate the size of my pay, Sakura. I was thinking of something a bit more casual. A diner just around the corner, Mako's. Have you heard of it?"

Yeah, she'd heard of it. A place so laid-back in fact it was a favorite amongst the Konoha ninja to stop by right after a mission to grab a meal, even before they'd made it back home to shower. A ritual she'd been guilty of conducting once or twice since joining the ranks.

Sakura smiled, albeit a tad wearily. "Alright, since I can't come up with any more excuses, sure, I'd love to join you."

"Wonderful."

Kakashi waited as Sakura returned her items to the shelves and waved to the shop keeper as he departed, pink-haired student in tow. Once outside, the two stood under the store's awning as Sakura worked to get her umbrella open, puzzled as she noticed her partner wasn't following suit.

"Didn't you bring an umbrella?"

"Alas, my last umbrella was used to shelter a family of kittens that have taken up residence outside my apartment building."

"Just shut up and get over here." The bastard probably lived off of mooching things like this from others, never having the foresight to go out and actually buy his own. Men.

The two began their trek out into the rain, in closer quarters than they normally would have been in an effort to keep dry.

"Cute." Kakashi said noticing the cartoon cherry blossoms on the parasol.

"I said shut it." Sakura reiterated, failing, however, to keep the giggle out of her voice. The man looked a tad ridiculous, being one of the most feared shinobi in the land and here he was taking shelter under a pretty pink umbrella.

As the two walked, Sakura began to struggle in keeping the umbrella aloft, not used to sharing it with someone of Kakashi's height. It was all she could do to keep it from thumping the back of his head (though such an action might not be entirely undeserved). Kakashi seemed to notice this as he covered Sakura's hand with his own, gently releasing her grip and taking control of the parasol. This nearly had Sakura reeling backwards as for a second she misconstrued the gesture as an attempt for him to hold her hand.

"Thanks." She said gratefully. Kakashi merely smiled in return.

With both hands now free, Sakura took the chance to cross her arms protectively over her chest. The rain drops were like tiny freezing icicles and the wind had picked up, there was no way in hell that her nipples weren't all but ripping through her shirt now. Hopefully the diner would be nicely heated so that this wouldn't be an issue she would have to deal with for the entire evening.

Luckily, they soon approached the small restaurant and were escorted inside and seated immediately. As they were handed their menus and deciding on what to eat, Sakura couldn't help but keep sneaking glances at the man across from her. Sure they had been comrades for some time now, but she had never been in such a casual environment with him before. Though the situation was foreign it wasn't at all unpleasant. It was something she could get used to, Sakura realized.

The waitress soon returned to take both their orders and menus and she left them with what Sakura feared was going to be an awkward silence. Oh kami, what subject was appropriate to discuss in this kind of outing? She couldn't talk about boys as she did with Ino, and Kakashi wasn't obsessed with learning new jutsu as Naruto was, and she sure as hell wasn't about to have an in-depth conversation on the latest Icha Icha novel. Think, think, think!

"So how are you enjoying work at the hospital?" Kakashi's calm and collected voice cut through the medic's flurried thoughts. She looked up in surprise and then smiled, thankful for him for coming up with the topic. She could talk about her career all day, it was one of the things she was most passionate about.

"I love working there about as much as you hate going, I guess you could say!"

Kakashi chuckled good-naturedly. "A relevant insight. But it's definitely become a lot less of a chore these past few years, and I have you to thank for that."

Sakura couldn't hide the blush that bloomed across her cheeks. "I still have a long way to go. I'm not nearly as talented as some of the other medics there."

"I disagree." Kakashi said. "I trust you with my life, Sakura-chan."

The light-heartedness of the honorific did nothing to alleviate the significance and sincerity behind his words and Sakura was left speechless. To be acknowledged on a professional level by the Copy Nin was a high honor not at all lost on the pink-haired kunoichi.

The prompt arrival of their food saved Sakura from trying to conjure up some type of response and she instead focused her attention on the meal in front of her.

After a few moments of silence Kakashi looked over at the medic across from him.

"Actually, Sakura, I have something to confess. This get-together wasn't entirely random."

Sakura looked up from her food questioningly.

"It's an embarrassing situation really. But I knew I had to sit down and talk with you once I found out."

Sakura's chopsticks clattered to her plate. Oh no…

"I'm sure you know better than anyone how gossipy the hospital can be, and that's actually how I heard about it. Though I'm sure I would've found out sooner or later-"

Sakura coughed abruptly into her napkin, intentionally cutting her sensei off. So he had known about this crush nonsense all along. Well, if Sakura was going to go down regardless, then she might as well take what little control she had left of the situation and choose just how she was going to go down.

"I'm going to stop you right there, Kakashi," She purposefully left off the title to let him know she meant business. "I have no pride left after today but the least I can do is address everything head on. I didn't mean for any of our interactions at the hospital to come off romantically, just as I'm sure you didn't mean anything by only scheduling appointments with me. I do not have romantic feelings for you. I don't know how long this rumor has been going around, but I can assure you that it is not true."

The waitress, who had recently reappeared to check on how the couple was fairing, now stood awkwardly by their table, having heard everything Sakura had just said.

"I- I'll come back later." She said before quickly making her departure.

Kakashi was silent, unmoving and eye a bit wider than it normally was. Sakura wasn't sure why, she thought she had handled the situation like the mature adult she was growing to be.

"There's a rumor… you have a crush on me?"

This threw the young woman for a loop. "Yes, isn't that what you were going to talk about?"

"I was actually referring to the promotion you had gotten recently."

Sakura blinked. "My… my promotion?"

"Yes, I heard a couple of the nurses discussing it as I left the clinic today. I felt bad for not knowing about it and wanted to congratulate you. You got it last week, right?"

The cogs in Sakura's brain were struggling to return to their normal functioning, seeing as how they lacked the blood to perform properly as all of it had swiftly been drained from her body. Kakashi was referring to her promotion. This whole dinner he had wanted to congratulate her for that. Not address the crush rumor. Which he didn't even know about up until two minutes ago. When Sakura informed him.

The kunoichi grabbed her glass of water and chugged the whole thing in one gulp.

"Yup! Last week, that's right!" She stood up abruptly. "I'm sorry sensei, but will you excuse me for a moment? I need to use the restroom."

Kakashi didn't have time to say anything as Sakura all but sprinted out of sight towards the bathrooms.

Once inside wrenched on the faucet water and splashed up its cold spray into her face in an attempt to knock some sense into her.

Breathe, Sakura, breathe

Yes, she may have just confessed there being a rumor about her having a crush on her ex-sensei who was fourteen years her senior to said ex-sensei who was fourteen years her senior, but that's okay. Worse things have happened, right?

The most mature thing to do would be to walk right back out there and laugh the whole misunderstanding off. Yes, that is what any decent human being would do. Which was precisely the reason why Sakura launched herself out of the bathroom's lone window and fled from the restaurant and into the night.

The rain actually had the good grace to cease for the evening. As the clouds rolled past they revealed a beautiful night starry sky. The moon reflected crystal clear off of the surface of one of the tiny rivers that ran through Konoha, its glassy image only to be broken up by the occasional pebble here and there tossed into the water's abyss.

Sakura stood alone on the bridge, staring down into the inky depths of the stream as she lobbed in her pebbles that she had gathered from the riverside, watching the ripples each stone created.

Her mind had almost grown numb from what had transpired, giving her a clear enough head to consider the situation. What she had come up with during her intense contemplating disturbed her immensely. She realized she couldn't pinpoint which was worse: The fact that Kakashi now knew about the rumor… or that Sakura now knew the rumor to be true.

Sakura sighed as she dropped her last pebble into the water and lay her head down on her folded arms where they rested on the rail. At least Kakashi didn't know that part, for now at least. Hell, if everyone else was perceptive enough to discover the kunoichi's feelings before she herself discovered them, who's to say he wasn't as well?

What a sticky situation you have found yourself in now, Haruno Sakura The kunoichi thought to herself. She really did have a penchant being attracted to the unobtainable, didn't she?

The shocked look on Kakashi's face flashed back into her memory without warning, causing her to wince. Even if she had told him that it wasn't true, was the idea of being the object of her affections really that repulsive?

Sakura shivered at the light breeze that began to pick up. It was about time she headed home, she could accomplish just as much sulking there, with the help of Ino's trashy romance novel.

"You know, skipping out before the bill comes is more my thing."

Sakura wasn't surprised that he was here, just that he hadn't tracked her down faster. Maybe he had and had just been giving her space until he felt the time was right to approach. Sakura said nothing and didn't move, some unknown force seemed to cement her legs in place as he came to stand beside her.

Kakashi rested his arms on the railing next to her, gazing down at the silent rippling stream.

Sakura could feel his gaze on her but chose to ignore it. She couldn't look him in the eye just yet, if ever. She feared the truth would be too apparent in her gaze. Not much made it past the Copy Nin.

"You left this." He held out her umbrella.

"Keep it. I've been meaning to get a new one anyway."

"Thanks, I needed an umbrella. My last one was stolen."

Sakura arched a brow. "I thought you said it was a shelter for kittens."

Kakashi's eye narrowed vengefully. "The perpetrators."

Sakura couldn't help the unladylike snort that managed to escape her. How did he always manage to do this? To make her smile when she felt her worst?

"I'm so sorry, Kakashi-sensei. This is not a situation I would ever have intentionally put you in. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

Kakashi said nothing to this, which unnerved Sakura more than anything. Why couldn't he just accept her apology so they could move on? But the shinobi before her seemed to be deep in thought, choosing his next words carefully.

"I should be the one apologizing, Sakura."

This caught her attention, and the pink-haired ninja stood back up straight, looking at her ex-sensei curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I've actually heard people talking about this for a while. I'd never brought it up before because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. And also…" He paused for a long moment, not meeting her eye. "Because I didn't want to hear you say it wasn't true."

Now it was Sakura's turn for her eyes to go wide. She ran through the words over and over again in her head as if they were some sort of complicated mathematic calculation. He didn't want her to say it wasn't true. Which must mean that he did not want it to not be true. This was where he almost lost her. So that must mean… he wanted it to be true? But why?

One look at the shinobi as he spared her a glance told her exactly why.

Oh.

…

Oh!

"Oh…"

"Yeah…"

What a pair of articulate individuals they turned out to be. Kakashi had never been good at expressing any sort of emotion that left him vulnerable, and Sakura had never been good at stringing words together that made sense during a situation that left her flustered.

"I'm not." Sakura blurted out, red faced.

"Not what?"

"Saying it isn't true."

"But back there-"

"That wasn't true."

"Hold on." Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly getting lost.

Sakura sighed, getting irritated. She didn't like having to repeat herself especially when it was hard enough just to say it the first time around.

"When I said earlier that the rumor wasn't true, that wasn't true. It is true." It really made perfect sense to her, why wasn't he getting it?

"So what you're saying is…"

"I like you, Kakashi!" Sakura had to refrain from slapping her hand over her mouth. Saying it in her mind was one thing, but out loud it was entirely different. Almost like it was solidifying the fact, there was no turning back now. She began to smile and blush. It really was quite liberating to have your feelings be known. On top of that, the man before her wasn't threatening to leave Konoha to join some asshole's evil forces. He was still here, standing, and leaning in. Wait, leaning in!?

Kakashi gently cupped the side of Sakura's face, leaning down so that their eyes were level and their noses nearly touching. Sakura's heart ceased to beat for the next few moments.

"I like you too, Sakura." He said softly, his voice reaching a lower register she had never heard him use before.

She thought for sure he was going to kiss her, but he never moved the one inch closer to seal the deal. Just as Sakura was going to make the move for him, he took a step back, opening the umbrella back up.

"Mind if I walk you home?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched in irritation, before shrugging it off. "I suppose so." She resigned.

The two began their walk towards her apartment.

"Kakashi, it's not raining. Why do you have the umbrella open?"

"Because I like it. It's the first gift my girlfriend got me."

Sakura blushed at his words. "And since when did I agree to be your girlfriend?" She demanded.

"When you tried to lay a big one on me back there on the bridge of course."

The swift punch to the gut Kakashi received was not unexpected, but he still grunted from its force.

"My boyfriend could use a few lessons in the romance department, it seems."

"So it seems." Kakashi agreed, rubbing the abused area tenderly.

When they finally reached the stairs that lead up to Sakura's complex, she began to grow bashful once again. She fiddled with her fingers and couldn't bring herself to raise her eyes from the ground beneath her.

"This is goodbye, I guess." She surmised. Kakashi's hand came into view as he stilled her fidgeting and held her hand gently.

"For now." He responded. He gently raised her hand with his, attempting and succeeding in pulling her attention up from the floor. He leaned in once more and this time completed the distance.

Sakura had to fight hard not to swoon as she felt the warm cotton that masked his lips press softly against the curve of her cheek, where he had caressed her earlier. He stayed there for a moment and then retreated. Sakura could swear she still felt the contact from Kakashi's warmth even after it was gone, as if it had been forever seared into her.

"Goodbye, Sakura-chan." He said as he began to walk away. "I can't wait for our next appointment where I get to play doctor with you again." And with that he had vanished with a puff of smoke.

Sakura had finally gotten ahold of herself from the kiss and was once again reeling with embarrassment.

The rumor that she was in love with the Great Copy Nin wasn't true! She was in love with a great pervert!

A/N: So there you have it! I had an absolute blast writing this once I got going. I am now much more comfortable writing for this fandom than I was before. All I need now is your feedback! Please, please, please let me know what you thought and how you felt about this! I would immensely appreciate it, and it would compel me to visit this pairing again in the nearby future. Thanks for reading. Until next time! Cheers