Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Title: The Submission

Author: elle6778
Rating: M/R
Genre: General/Romance

Summary: Sequel to The Temptation. Naruto and Sakura had a bet going on. But how did Kakashi end up being dragged into it? Kaka/Saku. 50-shinobi Theme No 3: Tossing a Coin.

A/N: This is a two-part story. Note that it contains sexual situations and if you're underaged (below 18, as far as I'm concerned) or if such things makes you uncomfortable, please do not continue. And it helps if you don't take the story too seriously as well. All that said, I hope you'll enjoy the story.

The Submission by elle6778 – Part 1

Dusk had settled upon Konoha hours ago. Most of the village's occupants had retired for the night, and all but one of the businesses had closed for the day.

The establishment was a twenty-four-hours restaurant-bar at the centre of the village, mainly frequented by the Konoha ninjas who kept odd hours. There, the voices of both male and female ninjas filled the air, drowning out the music which filtered out from the modest sound system.

The noisy atmosphere did not appear to affect the conversation between the boisterous Naruto and his long-time rival Sasuke.

If one could call it a conversation, Sakura mused with an inward chuckle.

His face turned to Sasuke, Naruto was just jabbering nonstop while Sasuke kept his attention fixed firmly on the cup of sake in front of him, looking completely disinterested at whatever it was that the blonde was saying. Seated opposite them were Hinata and Sasuke's blind date. Hinata was smiling gently at Naruto while the blind date, a Hyuuga kunoichi, looked as if she wished to be anywhere else but there.

Sakura grinned inwardly at that fact, mentally rubbing her hands together in glee.

"I can't believe we're just sitting here watching this," a grumble sounded opposite her. "This is the last thing I want to see."

Sakura shifted her gaze away from her friends who were seated two tables to their left back to Ino, who was frowning down at the plate between them. The blonde Yamanaka was viciously stabbing the gyoza with her chopsticks.

Chuckling, Sakura took a sip of her sake before she spoke. "What? I thought you gave up on Sasuke long ago, Ino."

Ino tossed her an irritated look. "Exactly. So that's why I prefer to stay home with Chouji than to come here to do spy on Sasuke's latest blind date, Forehead. It's a waste of my time."

"Well, I want to see what's happening, to make sure Naruto don't cheat. But I can hardly barge in on a double date, can I?" Sakura retorted with a scowl.

"Then go get yourself someone so that you can make it a triple date," Ino shot back.

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Sakura said, "Who should I pick, huh?"

"Hmph. Yes. That's a hard one. No one wants to be seen with you," Ino said snidely.

Sakura glared at her friend.

"Hm, okay. Maybe I can persuade Shikamaru or Shino to go with you," Ino added after a while.

"I can find my own date," Sakura ground out, irritated by Ino's not-so-subtle insinuation. And she was not lying either. It was simply that she did not want to give anyone the wrong idea. She was not interested in most of the available male shinobi population, and it figured that the one she wanted was out of bounds.

The blonde smirked. "Fine. Who then?"

"I suppose Shikamaru or Shino would do."

Ino chuckled. "I knew you'd see it my way. Now, which one do you prefer?"

"Either. I don't mind."

"Shall we toss a coin then?" Ino asked, retrieving said coin from her purse and holding it up.

"Toss a coin for what?"

Sakura turned her attention upwards at the familiar voice to find Kakashi staring down at them, his visible eye crinkling slightly at the corner. Without waiting to be invited, he seated himself opposite her in one of the two spare chairs.

"Sakura needs to find a date," Ino said flatly.

Kakashi's eye rounded slowly, obviously surprised by the revelation. "Oh…"

She blanched at his reaction. "It's not what it sounds like, Kakashi. I want to see what's going on…" She jerked a thumb in Sasuke's direction. "…over there. But I don't want to be the fifth wheel."

"Ah... I see." The Icha Icha book made an appearance. Behind his book, Kakashi asked absently, "So what's so interesting over there?"

"Naruto and Sakura have a bet going on. She-"

"Ino!" Sakura interjected quickly. "You big mouthed-"

"What are you calling me?!" Ino interjected, affronted.

"Yare-yare… Calm down, you two." Kakashi darted a glance at the table of four. "Hm, looks like they are leaving."

Sakura perked up. "Oh, they're done!"

"Finally," Ino muttered. "I'm going home."

Barely hearing what her friend had said, Sakura stood up. "Come on, let's see how it went."

Grabbing Kakashi by the sleeve, she dragged him along with her until they exited the restaurant-bar. Once out in the open, she scanned their surroundings until she saw her two teammates. They were alone, which probably meant that the two Hyuuga had left to go home by themselves. Grinning, she rushed over, all the while not letting go of Kakashi's sleeve.

"Naruto!" she called out as she reached them, a reluctant Kakashi finally stopped to detach her grip from his attire.

Naruto beamed. "Sakura-chan! And Kakashi!"

"Hn."

"Yo!"

She fixed her eyes on Sasuke, noting that he was wearing an expression of extreme boredom. But then again, that was his usual look, so she would not read too much into it.

"How did it go?" she asked Naruto cheekily, knowing fully well how it had gone.

Naruto turned to Sasuke instead. "Hasaki is cute, ne, Sasuke? She's just the right age as well, two years younger than us. She's eighteen now and I heard she's going to try out for Jounin in a few months."

Practically holding her breath, Sakura waited for Sasuke's verdict. Would Sasuke finally go for it this time? She doubted it. Sometimes, she wondered if Sasuke even wanted to get married in the first place, despite his oath to revive the clan. Whilst Sasuke seemed willing enough to allow Naruto to assist him in finding a wife, the Uchiha barely had any input on the selection. For some reason, Sasuke seemed reluctant to settle on anyone, not that it stopped Naruto from fixing him up for dates. Naruto was convinced that he could find someone for Sasuke, while Sakura bet that it would only happen if Sasuke actually went out and looked for one himself.

"No. I don't like her," came Sasuke's response.

Sakura's fist shot into the air. "Yes!"

Both Sasuke and Kakashi gave her identical stunned looks, but she ignored them. What did they know anyway? This was one non-physical way she could compete with Naruto on an even ground. Sparring was out of the question, because Naruto would never truly use his true skill against her.

Grinning widely, she spun around to face a chest-fallen Naruto and extended her hand. "Pay up!"

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto complained. Then with a dejected look, he reached into his pocket to withdraw a few notes. "Here, one thousand Ryou."

Sakura beamed as she pocketed her winnings.

"You're placing bets?" Sasuke asked, wearing an incredulous look. "On the success of my dates?"

"I thought this one would seal the deal, Hyuuga and all," Naruto muttered. "What's the matter with you, Teme?"

Sasuke looked put out, while Sakura hid a grin.

"It's not that easy, I assure you, Naruto," Kakashi remarked suddenly. "You can't keep throwing women at Sasuke and expect him to marry them."

Naruto scowled. "It's not like he's helping. And I'm beginning to run out of ideas." And then, flicking a glance at her, he continued, "Unless Sakura wants to date-"

"I'm sure Sakura don't have time for such things," Kakashi interjected smoothly, causing Sakura to raise a brow. "Do you, Sakura?"

Kakashi barely ever take sides in conversations like this, which made her wonder what was going on. The niggle of suspicion she had about Kakashi when he had turned up at her place for the fried vegetable tempura resurfaced, making her wonder if there was any truth in it. Sometimes, it struck her that he seemed to be too aware of her for a simple friendship. However, knowing Kakashi, it probably had just been his perverted self surfacing. Sakura smirked, wondering if anyone had taken advantage of this perverted characteristic of his before. It was a weakness, sort of, although he thought he had hidden well from her. In truth, she had simply ignored it for the sake of their relationship.

"Sakura?" Naruto sounded worried now.

"Yes?"

"You don't want to go on a date with Sasuke, do you?" the blonde asked, looking almost pained. "I know you used to-"

"Hold it there!" she cut in quickly, realizing just what Naruto was about to say. "That's ancient history, so please don't bring it up again."

Naruto sagged in relief. "For a second, I thought… he trailed off. "Well, that would be so wrong…"

"Hm," was the only response from Sasuke.

A quick glance at the Uchiha told her that he was frowning now, probably displeased by the thought of dating her. She huffed inwardly. It was not as if she harbored any romantic feelings for him now. It was over a long time ago.

"Well, I'm heading home," Naruto declared, stretching his arms high.

Sasuke let out a grunt, and then inclining his head at her and Kakashi, he turned to walk towards the Uchiha compound. Sakura kept her eyes on his departing form, feeling a little misty at the thought of how much things had changed between them. Sasuke's relationship with Naruto might not have changed much from when they had been twelve, but his relationship with her was no longer the same. There was some sort of wary distance between them now, Sakura noticed. She was not even sure they could be considered friends. Despite the frequency of them seeing each other, which was unavoidable considering they were both Naruto's friends, she and Sasuke barely talked.

Her eyes shifted to Kakashi to find him watching her. When their eyes met, he gave her an eye crinkle which brought a smile to her lips, and banished the thoughts of her non-existent relationship with Sasuke.

"Up for sparring tomorrow?" she asked.

He nodded. "Usual place and time?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't even know why I bother, but I'm going to say it anyway. Don't be late!"

He chuckled, and without replying, he raised a hand to her and disappeared, leaving her to shake her head at the cloud of smoke he left behind.

If she was harboring anything close to interest for someone at the moment, she would say the closest candidate would be Kakashi, as out of bounds as he was. After all, she had gotten to know him better over the last year or so ever since he returned to Konoha and stopped taking those long term away missions.

But she was not really, was she? Harboring the romantic sort of interest for Kakashi, that was. She frowned inwardly at the thought, turning the idea over in her mind as she recalled their recent interactions. They had met up occasionally for training and for meals, and she knew that she had enjoyed his company immensely during those meetings. Her stint in ANBU for a couple of years had given them more in common, and the conversation was usually interesting, albeit heated at times.

Sakura sighed. She had these thoughts for a while now, and deep inside, she knew what it meant.

Perhaps she was just a little too interested in Kakashi for her own good.

000

000

Another week passed before another 'date' was lined up for Sasuke. Sakura found herself placing another bet with Naruto and in need for company once again for the event the next night. This time, however, Ino refused to go with her.

The blonde did not even look up from her flowers. "No way, Forehead! You can go do that triple date thing if you want to spy on them so much. Just leave me out of it."

"Oh, come on, Ino. It'll be fun!" Sakura cajoled.

Ino shot her an incredulous look, hands pausing in the middle of some flower arrangement. "Fun? Are you listening to yourself?"

Alright, maybe she should admit that she had been a little bored recently. Life had been quite monotonous, with hospital work and routine training. Work as a shinobi was scarce when there was peace. Not that she hoped for war, but now she had to find ways to entertain herself. And as inane as this venture was, it was something to do.

If Ino did not want to come, it meant that she had to find someone else. Ticking off the list of 'safe' male shinobi in Konoha, Sakura finally settled on two they had spoke about before.

"Fine, then. Get me Shikamaru or Shino and I'll leave you alone."

Ino blinked thoughtfully.

"What?" Sakura prompted.

"I think both of them are out on missions this week."

Sakura groaned. She was out of options then. Perhaps she should just be the fifth wheel and be done with it. A little embarrassment was worth the front row seat, after all. The other option was to sit by herself. However, that would only be inviting unwanted attention from the drunken half of the patrons in that restaurant-bar.

At the moment, she could not decide which the lesser evil was.

"Guess they're out of the question, then," Sakura sighed. "Never mind. I'll think of something, I'm sure."

With that, she left the Yamanaka flower shop to walk aimlessly around Konoha. She just had to decide if she wanted to join them and form a party of five, or sit by herself at the next table. It should not take her long to decide, surely.

And then she saw a flash of silver hair in the distance.

The second she caught sight of Kakashi, an idea sprung into her mind. The Copy-Nin already knew what was going on, right? So maybe he would be willing to help her out.

Besides, she liked having him around.

Inner Sakura snorted derisively at that.

Okay, perhaps she more than liked having him around. Ever since their reunion those months ago, she knew that she was growing increasingly fond of her ex-sensei.

Once again, Inner Sakura let out a derisive snort.

Sakura closed her eyes briefly. Oh, who was she kidding? Fine, perhaps she was a little infatuated with Kakashi. Just a tiny little infatuation, nothing more. It would go away, and besides, there was really nothing she could do about it unless Kakashi returned the interest.

She frowned as she wondered if he could be interested in her. More than once, she had caught him eyeing her lips speculatively. He probably could not help himself, as perverted as he was.

And then she grinned inwardly, feeling a little daring all of a sudden. Perhaps asking him to be her date would give her a better idea of what was going on with that. Spending time with him in a 'date' setting would definitely give her some clues if he was interested in her, right?

So, all in all, it was a good idea to ask him to accompany her.

That decided, she proceeded to put her plan in motion.

"Kakashi!" she yelled loudly, waving to catch his attention.

The silver-haired nin halted instantly, lifting his eyes from his ever-present orange book before him. As Sakura ran towards him, she wondered how Kakashi always managed to walk and read at the same time without tripping over something. It had always astonished her that he managed to do so.

"Sakura," he greeted with an eye-crinkle when she reached him.

"Kakashi," she repeated.

A single brow quirked. "What is it, Sakura?"

"I need… uh…" she paused, wondering how she should phrase the question. How did one ask such a thing? It all seemed so simple before, but now, faced with Kakashi, it was a little more awkward. What if she damaged their friendship irreparably?

"Sakura?" Kakashi prompted, looking a little concerned now. "What happened?"

Kakashi would not quit their friendship just because of one date, surely. She took a deep breath and gave him an earnest look. "Come on a date with me."

Right in front of her, Kakashi stiffened visibly. His single visible eye blinked slowly, once, twice and then the corner of his eye suddenly creased. A chuckle escaped from behind his mask as he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"You almost got me there," he said with another chuckle. "Good one, Sakura."

"Kakashi…"

"You're getting good at catching me unawares." Another chuckle followed, sounding a little uncomfortable this time. "Seriously, what is it, Sakura?"

She scowled at him, feeling a little offended. "I'm being serious!"

The laughter left his eye. A single blink followed before he asked in a wary tone, "You are?"

She nodded resolutely. "Just one meal, Sensei. In that new tempura place."

He flinched visibly, making her frown in confusion. Then she blinked when the skin above the line of his mask reddened slightly. Was Kakashi actually blushing? With the mask on, one could not be sure. All this because she mentioned tempura?

But before she could mull over it further, Kakashi shifted, sticking his hand deep into his pocket and then quickly pulling it back out again.

"Here," he offered.

Sakura looked down to find a coin cradled in Kakashi's palm. A little confused by the gesture, she glanced back up at him questioningly. "That's a coin."

"Yes. Tossing a coin will help," he suggested, eye creasing as he smiled. "Your original idea, if I'm not mistaken."

"Tossing a coin," she muttered, eyeing said coin in his palm.

Kakashi nodded. "That's your best option."

"Really?" she responded flatly, finally understanding his intent.

Kakashi obviously did not want to go with her. And for some reason, it hurt. Surely that was an overreaction. She could not be hurt by this, could she? If Kakashi did not want to go with her, then she would find someone else or go by herself. No big deal, right? Only, not that the idea had presented itself, she really wanted him to go with her. She also wanted to prod him to see if he dropped any clues about how he felt about her. Though that might not be necessary if he did not even want to go on an innocent date with her.

"Sure. You pick two candidates for this… date. Toss the coin to pick one, and I'll make sure that the lucky winner will be free for the date," he explained cheerfully.

Sakura scowled, and then crossed her arms over her chest. Kakashi was nervous, and she could sense it. She began to suspect that there was something more to his objection. There and then, she decided that she would not just let this go.

She would exploit Kakashi's weakness.

"I'm insulted, Sensei," she declared, taking a step to bring them so close that she had to crane her neck to look up at him.

He blinked once, obviously taken aback at the way she had addressed him. She had not called him that for a while, and never in that tone.

"Oh?" he croaked.

"Yes. I'm insulted," she repeated in a more determined voice. "So you rather foist me off on someone else than to go out with me. I thought we are friends."

Kakashi looked taken aback. "Ah, Sakura… It's not quite like that."

Her eyes narrowed, reaching out to grab the front of his vest tightly. "Then explain."

Kakashi sighed. "I can't."

"So, you would go out with me if I ask?" she asked in a honeyed tone, the hand gripping his vest loosened to flatten against his chest.

He looked uncharacteristically flustered, and that gave Sakura the courage to press on. She was really on to something here. Now that she thought about it, Kakashi always reacted like this when she got close.

Realizing that he had not responded to her question yet, she decided to turn up the heat. Leaning closer to him, such that their faces were merely three inches apart, she tilted her head.

In a soft voice, she asked, "So? Would you say yes if I ask again nicely?"

There was an odd flicker in his eyes. "Perhaps."

Her brows furrowed, her act wavering. "What kind of an answer is that?" And then she sighed heavily. "Fine, then, if you don't want to help, I can't force you. I guess I should ask Genma or-"

His hand circled her wrist before she could let her hand drop. With a long suffering look, he relented, "Alright, Sakura. I'll go with you. Just this once."

Her delight was real, sending a smile spreading across her face. "Thank you, Kakashi!"

She hugged him abruptly, feeling him tense at her action.

After a while, he muttered, "Okay, okay. Now that you've gotten what you want, you can let me go."

Grinning widely, she released him and stepped back. "See you tomorrow, then. Meet me at six at the bridge."

Kakashi simply nodded, but she could see the faint tinge of pink above his mask before he turned and walked away. She watched him until he turned the corner and disappeared from her sight before heading back towards the hospital.

The conversation with Kakashi had been most revealing indeed, she thought with a small smile. Perhaps her feelings were not so one-sided, after all.

She would just have to prod him subtly tomorrow night.

000

000

The next night, Sakura found herself seated at a table for six with Kakashi, Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke and his date. Neither she nor Kakashi had gone overboard with their dressing. She had a black, sleeveless top and a short red skirt, worn with 2-inch heels, while Kakashi was wearing a long-sleeved black top and dark grey pants. Naruto was decked out in his usual orange, while Hinata wore a purple dress.

Mitarashi Keiko, Sakura noted, was dressed casually, seemingly not out to impress Sasuke at all, who wore a similar outfit to Kakashi. The kunoichi was Mitarashi Anko's cousin and the familial similarities were unmistakable with the dark hair and curvaceous form. Unlike Sasuke's subdued Hyuuga date, this one was practically crackling with energy and enthusiasm.

And then she slanted a sideway glance at Kakashi. Well, all was not lost. She could still do the other thing she had come here for. Much to her surprise, a disgruntled Kakashi had turned up only ten minutes late to walk her to the restaurant, which was a record, in her opinion. They had made the journey on foot, and Kakashi had been on edge the entire trip.

He was still on edge right then, she noted.

The man was truly discomfited by the idea of being her date, that was clear enough. Good friends rarely threw such fuss for something so innocent, which begged the question why. Her suspicion from yesterday still stood, and she intended to do something about it today.

Deciding to make her move, Sakura leaned forward towards Hinata, who was seated next to Naruto. "So, that recipe you were telling me about the other day…" She shifted so that her left thigh pressed against Kakashi's right one. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him tense. Hiding a grin, she continued, "It was really good. Do you think you can write it down for me? I'd like to try it some day."

"Of course, Sakura," Hinata replied with a soft smile. "I'm happy that you liked it."

"Which recipe is it, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, the yakitori chicken," Sakura supplied, shifting once again, allowing her thigh to slide against Kakashi's.

This time, he jumped, abruptly removing his leg away from her.

Slanting a curious glance at him, Sakura asked, "You okay, Kakashi?"

He nodded, but he kept his eyes on his still-full glass.

"Kakashi?"

He turned to her, and Sakura's grin almost escaped at his obvious reluctance. So, Kakashi was responding. How interesting.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sasuke lean forward towards Keiko to say something. Well, that was something new. Sasuke looked almost as if he was actually interested in a conversation with his date this time. A little belatedly, she realized that she was paying more attention towards Kakashi than at the couple she had set her bet on. And considering that Sasuke was actually more responsive than she had ever seen him behave before, Sakura winced inwardly when she realized that she might lose this bet to Naruto. Damn!

Sasuke was seated on Kakashi's left, and Sakura leaned across the Copy-Nin to say to the Uchiha, "Neh, you're not telling her about our missions, are you?"

Sasuke gave her a small scowl.

Keiko laughed. "We're all shinobi. What else should we talk about?"

"Good point," Sakura agreed. Perhaps this girl would suit Sasuke, after all. "So, you're planning on taking the jounin exams soon?"

Keiko nodded. "It's about time."

"It's not too bad. You'll do great, Keiko-chan," Naruto exclaimed.

"I heard you specialize in weapons," Sakura commented.

Nodding enthusiastically, Keiko proceeded to tell them about her interest, while Sakura listened intently, still leaning across Kakashi. After a few minutes, Sakura marveled at the way Keiko could go on about the topic. Honestly, it was getting a little too detailed, she thought as she shifted her weight.

Sakura did not move from her position, and she could feel Kakashi tensing more and more the longer she remained there. She grinned inwardly, wondering if he knew that she was doing all this deliberately. He had to suspect something by now. Kakashi was not that clueless, after all.

"Uh, Sakura, can you move a little?" Kakashi finally asked, his voice tight. "A little… crowded here."

"Sure, Kakashi," she replied, twisting her head up to smile at him.

And her breath caught in her chest when she saw how he was looking at her. She doubted that he knew that his one visible eye was currently sporting a look of hunger at an intensity she had not seen before. It confirmed to her that whatever he had said to her, and however he had acted previously, Kakashi actually wanted her. Physically, at least.

Encouraged by what she had just seen, Sakura placed a hand on his thigh casually to push herself back straight. The hiss Kakashi released then sounded almost painful, and at the same time, she had to stop herself from caressing the tight muscles under the fabric of his pants.

Taking pity on him, and on herself, she removed her hand and continued to eat. Anyway, she should tone it down a little. For all she knew, Kakashi might be uncomfortable because he genuinely did not want her to touch him, perverted or not. Maybe he was squeamish because she had once been his student, not that she agreed with that particular reasoning.

Before she knew it, dinner was done and everyone stood up to leave once the bill was split. Interestingly enough, Sasuke paid for his date, something he had never done before.

But what was most surprising was the fact that Sasuke agreed to walk Keiko home. Sakura sighed, realizing that she had really lost the bet this time. How the hell could she predict that Sasuke would be interested in Mitarashi Anko's cousin? Her bet would have been someone demure, quiet and strong, with the exception of any Hyuuga. The Uchiha clan did not really get along with the Hyuuga, after all.

Once Sasuke and Keiko had left them, Sakura turned around to find Naruto grinning at her broadly.

"He likes her!" the blonde declared triumphantly.

"He hasn't said anything yet," Sakura pointed out grumpily, even though she admitted inwardly that Naruto was right.

"Hm, Sasuke does seem quite attentive," Kakashi mused.

Sakura glared at him. Whose side was he on, anyway?

Naruto grinned. "Heh! He's walking her home." He extended a palm out at her. "Now, Sakura-chan."

Rolling her eyes, but resigned to it, she reached into her bag to pull out a few notes. "Here," she said, handing them to a very pleased Naruto.

Naruto took it, and then frowned. "What happened to your fingers, Sakura-chan.

Sakura looked down, and then grimaced when she realized that her fingertips were strained blue. A further inspection inside her bag told her that one of her pen had broken, and had leaked. Great, just great, she thought sourly.

Glancing over her shoulders at the restaurant, and then back to her friends, Sakura announced, "Well, I'm going inside to clean up before walking home. You guys don't have to wait for me."

Naruto frowned slightly. "Sure? We can wait."

"Just be quick," Kakashi added.

Sakura shook her head. "Not much point, is there? We're going in different directions anyway."

Kakashi looked contemplative, while Naruto only shrugged. "Alright then. Goodnight, Sakura-chan."

"Have a safe trip home, Sakura," Hinata advised.

Sakura smiled at her. "I will. Goodnight, all of you."

000

000

Once Sakura had used the facilities, she walked back out into the corridor at the back of the restaurant. There were doors on each side, and she noted as she read the small plastic signs stuck on the surface that some were storage rooms and some were offices.

She was just passing the manager's office when her senses pricked, telling her that there was someone right behind her. Her steps instantly halted, but she did not turn around.

There was no danger, after all. Her senses recognized his signature.

She had not expected him to follow her, but then perhaps she should have. The things she had done earlier were enough of a motivation for him to seek her out, after all. And perhaps it was something that she wanted him to do, subconsciously.

She felt warm air caress the back of her neck just a fraction of a second before she heard Kakashi's softly spoken words.

"Playing games, Sakura?"

000

000

A/N: And that marks the end of the first half of this story. Part two will be up soon. In the meantime, please review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778: