Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I just like writing about it.

Author's note: I also posted this over at Kakasaku LJ so if you read it there...yeah I'm shizune-senpai there. XD

One Shot Goodness!

Today was Hatake Kakashi's 38th birthday. The ninja in question had been ready to laze about on the rooftops and submit to his favorite ink covered pages of Icha-Icha Stealth underneath the blanket of the warm sunshine. Unfortunately for him, his 24 year old team members had other ideas for the man.

Truth be told it had all been Sakura's idea. She had learned from the loose lipped Genma that today was the special day and also that the shinobi hardly did anything to celebrate. Well she, with the help of her two best friends, was out to change that fact.

Naruto's present had come in the shape of a bowl of ramen at the, oh-so-familiar Ichiraku ramen shop. Obviously Kakashi was never one to pass up a free meal, even if it was ramen. The four had chatted easy enough as they enjoyed their dinner.

Sasuke's present came in the form of 'all the sake you can drink' at the local shinobi hangout, being rich had it's perks. Kakashi ever the gracious person humbly accepted his offered drinks without too much fuss. Soon after he had emptied a bottle, he was beginning to feel warm and fuzzy inside and his lips began to tingle just slightly. He knew he had a comfortable buzz going.

Not long after they had settled around their table, more familiar faces had shown up. Once they heard why the four were out celebrating an extra chair would be pulled up and another body would join in the conversation. Soon the royal festivities had drawn quite a crowd indeed. Four tables were lined up together and as the Uchiha had gotten drunker, more people were added to his tab.

Kakashi had to admit that watching his friends become drunken fools around him was much more entertaining than spending this time alone. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke who were now involved in a rather raucous rendition of "Grease Lightening" Kakashi could hold his liquor and knew how to take things in moderation. The only other sane person that remained at their table was no surprised to the Copy Ninja.

Sakura sat laughing and singing in her seat to her two best friend's rendition. Kakashi may be a Leaf ninja, but he was a man first. At first he couldn't understand Genma's infatuation with the pink haired kunoichi, he had known the poor naïve girl since she was twelve. Over the twelve year span his opinion of the girl had changed. She had loved and lost her own share of relatives and friends. She was now a hardened shinobi with great talents bequeathed to her from the current Hokage.

Kakashi also couldn't deny the fact that the girl had blossomed into a very beautiful cherry blossom. She kept her hair short over the years as an example of her self reliance and strength. Kakashi didn't mind, secretly he was fond of girls with short hair.

'Rin….'

Kakashi quickly shook that thought away as he sipped the clear liquid in his cup. The woman from his past had almost nothing in common with the Haruno Sakura of today. She no longer held her childhood crush on the Uchiha. She had bowed out of the running to her long time rival Yaminaka Ino some time after his rescue.

A short lived romance between the blossom and the number one loudmouth had been created shortly there after. It had fizzled when both came to understand that they were better off as close friends than lovers. In the end it had turned out well for Naruto. Hinata had finally plucked up the courage after realizing that Naruto was single again.

Sakura had taken to dating regular village men. Kakashi could understand her desire to shy away from shinobi men. It wasn't like they were guaranteed to survive through a day much less through a romance. Still to his great astonishment Sakura remains single. He was sure some lucky Joe would scoop her up quick.

As he came out of his reverie, he looked up to notice the object of his thoughts getting up and saying her good-byes. As Kakashi looked around at the drowsy eyed drunks surrounding him, he figured it was about his time to make an exit as well. It was hardly fair to be stuck lugging heavily enibriated body's around the streets at night on his birthday. Besides he figured Sakura's house was on the way to his apartment and a little company on the short walk home was always welcome.

As she came over and exchanged her goodnight and obvious Happy Birthday again he asked his question.

"I was just on my way as well, would you like some company?"

Sakura gave him a bright smile that reached her emerald eyes and nodded an affirmative. She hooked an arm around his own as he got up from his chair and Kakashi chuckled as they headed for the door.

As they started out on their journey Kakashi noticed that Sakura kept her arm around his. He didn't mind. It wasn't like she was some unfamiliar kunoichi, this was Sakura, his good friend and teammate. He could tell by her slight giggle as she questioned him that she had indeed felt the drink she had been sipping.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm surprised you're able to walk, what with all that sake you drank!"

The silver haired ninja just smiled beneath his mask and patted the arm holding his as he replied in a slightly melancholy voice.

"Well, you learn to hold you liquor better as the years go by I suppose. You'll learn that as well when you get old like me."

Sakura scoffed at him.

"Kakashi-sensei you are not old! Men like you are like a fine wine, they get better with age. Really, I can't believe you think that way…"

To say that the older ninja was surprised at her words would be putting it mildly. Kakashi had fully expected the young woman to make some sort of crack about him being over the hill, not comparing him to a fine wine. His visible thin silver brow rose as he took in her slight pout.

"Well, I appreciate the compliment Sakura."

This got the woman to smile again and he was glad. He'd much rather see the beautiful cherry blossom that way. As her house loomed into view before them a thought struck him. Ever the blunt conversationalist he got to the point.

"Sakura was the nights events your idea? Was that your birthday present to me?"

Sakura let go of his arm and moved to the bottom of her stairs and then faced him with proud smile.

"Yep! I sort of found out from Genma that you didn't really celebrate so….I hope your not mad and that you at least enjoyed yourself, well until every body started dropping like flies from the drunkenness…."

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled and he smiled behind his mask while waving her off with a gloved hand.

"Eh, don't worry It was fun. Thank you."

Sakura gave him a relieved smile in return as she lifted a hand in a goodbye wave.

"I'm glad to hear that and you're welcome. Well I guess this is goodnight then. Thanks again for walking me home."

Kakashi gave his own wave goodbye as he answered her.

"It was my pleasure as usual, night Sakura."

Kakashi turned and was about to continue on his merry way when Sakura called out to him suddenly.

"Kakashi! Wait, I…"

"Sakura?"

When Kakashi stopped and turned around, Sakura began retracing her steps back to him. The look on her face was a mixture of worry and….embarrassment. Kakashi was confused by her expression, just a minute ago she had been smiling while saying goodnight.

"Sakura is something wrong?"

A slight summer night breeze picked up and blew her hair around her as she smiled nervously for a second.

"N-no, actually there's something else I wanted to give you for your birthday."

Kakashi looked over the girl from head to toe with a quizzical eye.

"Sakura I don't believe I see the new volume of Icha-Icha hiding any where on you. What could you possibly have to give me to rival what you have already done?"

This time the nervousness had left her smile and her mirth lit up her jade colored eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei, you and your pervy books, I swear…"

Kakashi held up his gloved hands in mock defense.

"Hey, you koniochi have your "Men of Konoha" calendars and we males have our so called "pervy" books."

Sakura rolled her eyes but gave him a gleaming smile none the less. The slight patch of pink that graced her cheeks next did not go unnoticed by the famous Copy Ninja. There was that slight nervousness in her voice again as she next spoke.

"Well, you know they say that to refuse a gift given is in bad taste and really quit rude…"

Kakashi was thrown for a loop on that one. A gift that he might refuse, he was pretty sure that what ever she was going to give him, he would accept no matter how atrocious. He remembered the one time Gai had given him his very own green leotard to wear. Needless to say he had accepted the item, but fortunately it still hung untouched at the back, the very back of his closet.

"Sakura…I'm quit certain that I won't…"

She quickly blurted out his surprise interrupting his train of speech.

"A kiss…! I-I wanted to give you a kiss…"

Kakashi was left speechless. This young beautiful woman who he had known since she was twelve wanted to give him a kiss? It simply boggled his mind. He had never had any inclination that this situation would ever arise. It made him wonder what had brought this on.

Sakura's eyes cast to the floor in a mixture of humiliation and dare he even think it… disappointment. Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke.

"I-It could be with your mask on if you want…it doesn't have to mean anything…it's just something I wanted to do for your birthday is all…"

The way she dejectedly kicked at a rock with her black sandaled feet made him feel sympathetic to her plight. Truthfully he still had no idea how to answer her.

'Should I let her? She'll be hurt if I don't right? Besides, I'll just keep the mask on and it'll be quick. Then I'll just explain that this won't be happing again….'

Sakura sighed dismally as she started to turn away. She was obviously trying to mask her disappointment when she spoke facing away from him now.

"It's ok, just forgot I said anything. It's just better this way right? I'm sorry, goodnight Kakashi."

Kakashi came to his decision as the young woman began walking away. His hand reached out to gently grab her wrist before she got too far. Sakura stopped but didn't turn around. He kept his voice devoid of all emotion as he spoke.

"Sakura, I did say that I wouldn't refuse your gift didn't I?"

Sakura's head lifted up and she turned to face him with that smile he liked to see. It was infectious and he found himself smiling as well. He used his hold on her wrist to gently move her to a standing position in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak but she quickly cut him off.

"I know, I know, the mask stays on and It'll be quick I promise."

He just raised a brow at her uncanny mind reading while she just smiled up at him. Thankfully she had grown tall enough to be able to reach his lips without standing on the tips of her toes. She was still a few inches shy of him, but not by much now.

Kakashi kept his hands in his pocket as Sakura gently rested her hands onto the front of his green vest. They stood there smiling at each other silently for another minute before Sakura timidly leaned in. He watched her eyes move down to the area where his lips resided behind his mask and also watched as her tongue slipped between her lips to wet them.

He watched her emerald eyes slowly close as she closed the gap between them. His own eye closed as he felt the sudden warmth over his cloth covered flesh. He felt her faintly apply more pressure and then release. Then he felt her slightly turned her head the other way, lightly brushing his covered nose with her bare one before capturing his enclosed lips yet again.

The kiss was innocent and sweet with just a hint of an underlying…want for more. As Sakura's warm petals encased his bottom lip and slightly tugged, Kakashi began to feel the want arise in his own body.

If he had been thinking he would have quickly ended the kiss before it got too out of hand, but Sakura had quickly rendered his brain out of service. Her kisses were starting to become addictive and it didn't help that he couldn't remember the last time he had done this with a woman. He had kissed and slept with his fair share of women sure, but his last rendezvous had been quite some time ago. An elite jounin was nothing if not busy.

Soon his body began to react without much thought behind it at all. His hands had come out of their hiding and found their way into her silky pink tresses. He began to apply his own pressure behind their slow and deliberate exchanges. The need to remove the cloth made barrier began to build and crescendo.

He untangled an unsteady hand to quickly shed him self of the offensive material, but was halted as he felt her hands stop and cover his own. Kakashi got the hint and moved his hand instead to wrap around her back.

Sakura began to slowly inch the dark fabric down between them while continuing their hypnotic kisses. Her agonizing pace was driving him insane. As soon as the material pooled around his chin his naked lips sought hers out fiercely. Sakura's pale hands slowly retreated from the mask to rest on his broad shoulders.

Kakashi captured her bottom lip between his own. Sakura emitted a low moan from the back of her throat. This sound was like music to the silver haired ninja's ears. He wanted to hear that sound again by any means possible. With the pressure from the hand still wrapped in her short locks he deepened the kiss as he felt her mouth slightly part.

She tasted sweet like the fruit flavored drink she had been sipping earlier mixed with something that was unmistakably…her. He couldn't get enough to be honest.

Their kisses were no longer sweet and innocent, but hurried and hungry. The want and desire on both sides this time was crystal clear. They continued to devour each other for a minute longer before Sakura pulled back leaving Kakashi clearing wanting more. Each shinobi's well trained bodies were filled with ragged breathing and hammering hearts.

Through the small distance between them they stared at each other with darkened, heavy hooded eyes as they fought to catch their respective breaths.

Neither wanted to break the spell cast over them; neither seemed willing to take the first steps that lead to something more.

That is to say…until Sakura slowly leaned forward to capture a quick chaste kiss before brushing her cheek against his now bare one to whisper into his ear. Her slight breath on his lobe sent a chill down his spine, but her deep sure tone sent his blood running.

"Stay."

His voice seemed undecided.

"Sakura…"

Her voice on the other hand sounded venomously low.

"Don't you dare ask me if I'm sure…."

Her eyes flashed dangerously.

"I'm a grown woman Kakashi so don't treat me like some naïve teenager. I know what I want."

As he began to relax in her embrace again, her eyes soften as she gazed into his own. She softly added….

"I want this. I want you."

Kakashi answered her with a soft tender kiss and together still in each other's arms they made their way through her front door.

The morning found them still wrapped in each other's embrace, but this time with a lot less barriers in between them, mentally and physically.

It was a start of something new, something beautiful. They hadn't just given each other a single comfort. Their union gifted each with two things, both of which Kakashi had always craved for but had never believed he deserved.

One being hope, a hope for the future and the other you ask? It was the most important of them all to Hatake Kakashi and the one he truly believed he had not earned. It was the first step toward never dieing alone.

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Author's Footnote:

This was just a scrap I was gonna use for "Respect & Understanding" but decided to turn it into a oneshot drabble thingy...

Well, thanks for stopping by!