Proximity: Chapter 1

A quick, squinting glance at the clock on the nightstand was all it took to make two things very apparent to Sakura.

First, it was 5:18 in the morning and there was no good reason to be awake so early.

Second, this was not her bed.

A suckerpunch of guilt knotted deep in her stomach with the realization. Worse yet, she wasn't really sure whose bed it was she had found her way into nor could she remember how she had ended up in such a predicament in the first place.

The last memory she had of the previous evening was when she had been standing at the bar with Ino, knocking back a few mixed drinks in celebration of Ino's successful re-opening of her family's newly renovated flower shop. From there, the night was little more than a blur of neon lights and pounding music. At some point she recalled running into Sai and the rest of Team 7, back from a successful mission from somewhere to the East. There were no clear pieces to put together the rest of the puzzle after meeting her boys, and truthfully, she wasn't sure where that fell in the grand scheme of her timeline.

With an uneasy sigh, she sat up with the blanket pooling around her waist, reluctantly inspecting the empty space next to her. Her partner was gone, but his spot was still warm. Relieved that she could at least get dressed alone, she tossed the blankets back and threw her legs over the edge of the bed. A cool breeze from an open window caught her shoulders and made her shiver, her nakedness a solid reality. Deciding with a silent determination that she was never going to drink again, Sakura settled her feet on the chilly hardwood floor.

After spotting her clothes strewn about, she took a moment to glance around the room while she grabbed her bra from the floor. She fixed the latch at her back as her eyes settled on an all too familiar photograph of the original Team 7 resting on the window sill.

Heat rushed to her face, eyes darting for other identifying, distinguishing features of her partner's room. To her horror, she recognized not only the shuriken pattern blanket but also the brightly colored book series tucked neatly into a small bookshelf across the room.

The guilty knot in her stomach tightened. Of all the people she might have fallen into bed with, Sakura had never imagined it might be her former sensei. She couldn't even remember how it had happened. There was no recollection of even leaving the bar, which horrified her more. What if they had done something in front of someone?

With some relief, there was no residual headache, but the sickness she felt in her belly was far worse than any hangover.

While she was no stranger to the walk of shame, Sakura wasn't in the practise of doing it often. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she'd made the mad dash from someone's bed to the front door. This wasn't going to be any ordinary morning-after flee, though. She was in her ex-sensei's bed - the Hokage's bed. A stealthy escape was of the utmost importance. What a wet dream this would have been for her ten years ago, when young adult Sakura had been brimming with a lust for life and had had a taste for her old mentor.

She silently picked up the rest of her clothes from the floor: the skirt, the low-cut sequin shirt, and her panites, all accounted for. Her shoes, unfortunately, we're not. She dressed quickly, not bothering to fix her crooked skirt or to tuck in the flowing shirt.

With the practised footsteps of a veteran shinobi, Sakura crept to the door on the hunt for her favorite pair of nude pumps. She peeked into the short hall which led straight to the front door.

Behind the bathroom door directly across from her, Sakura could hear the shower running. This was her best chance of escaping without encountering Kakashi in his own home. Chances were good that this was likely his way of giving her the opportunity to leave without meeting him face to face. He was probably just as embarrassed. The same questions were probably racing through his mind. How could they have done this? How did things escalate this far?

She spotted one of her shoes near the archway to his living room. There was a serious debate to leave them behind, but they were her most versatile and her most favorite pair, she couldn't bring herself to just leave them.

Sakura tiptoed down the hall to get her shoe, all the while listening to the sound of running water for any indication Kakashi might emerge from the bathroom. One shoe in her possession, she looked around for the other without wandering from the hall, but couldn't find it.

Creeping back down the way she had come, she clutched the pump in both hands, unsure what else to do with them. She was going to abandon the mate with a hope that it would somehow, mysteriously find its way home. Which it likely would.

She paused by the door, heart stopping with a shuddering palpitation as the pipes groaned and the shower turned off. Her time was up and she sprinted across Kakashi's bedroom to the open window, leaving without a second glance. There was no way should could handle seeing him. The guilt would eat her alive.

With an easy leap, she landed on the gravel roof of the apartment building, the rounded stones only a slight discomfort. The first glow of morning light was breaking on the horizon, making Sakura feel rushed for time. She didn't want to be caught like this in the light of day.

From rooftop to rooftop she bounded with great jumps, crossing the village to her own apartment building in what felt like slow motion, though she knew she could span the distance in the matter of a few minutes. Sakura worried her bottom lip as her home came into sight, her newest concern becoming Ino.

While her blonde roommate wasn't often an early riser, Ino had a penchant for worrying and had likely realized that Sakura didn't make it home. Which meant an awkward talking to and a pat on the back or the famous blue-eyed look of judgment. Sakura didn't want a pat on the back for this or the judgy look. She wanted to forget the morning like she had the night.

Sakura landed at her window and swore under her breath when she realized it was locked. With a grumble she landed on the ground and entered the building like a normal person, taking the stairs all the way up to the fifth floor. She produced her key from her skirt pocket and slipped it into the lock silently, pushing the door open as soon as it clicked.

Ino wasn't waiting in ambush in the living room, and Sakura released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

There was some comfort being back in the safety of her own home. It made her feel like maybe she and Kakashi could brush whatever had happened underneath the rug and never speak of it again.

Sakura practiced a speech in her head, mulling over what she might say if he approached her about it as she walked down the hall, past Ino's room and the kitchen to get to her own.

The sound of an accusatory throat clearing stopped her, rendering Sakura unable to move. She turned and met Ino's glaring stare, her manicured nail tapping the wooden table in the kitchen.

"Where have you been, Forehead?" The blonde asked, her voice laced with more concern than judgement.

Sakura glanced down at her disheveled appearance and gave her friend an uncertain shrug and a fake smile. "Just out."

"Just out my butt, look at you." She gestured openly. "You're even missing a shoe."

"I would really rather not talk about this right now."

"Last time I saw you, Kakashi was bringing you home because you were too drunk to make it." She said. "Besides, I know this strut too well and it's not like you to sneak in at 6AM. Spill the beans. Who was it?"

Sakura glanced around guiltily, clenching the shoe in her hands tightly enough to make the leather squeak. It took a moment, but Ino's eyes eventually widened with realization.

"Nooo."

"Ino-"

"You slept with Kakashi? That's so dirty! Was he any good?"

Sakura shrugged awkwardly, giving in with a few quick steps into the kitchen. She plopped down into the wooden chair next to her friend. "I don't remember. I just know I woke up naked and in his bed."

"You don't remember? At all?" Ino asked, shocked. "You shagged your sensei and you don't even remember?"

"I don't even remember last night. It's all fuzzy." She admitted, leaning in close. "He was already awake and in the shower and I was too afraid to stick around for answers."

"Wow. I mean, I trusted him to drop you somewhere safe, so I wasn't too worried when I got home and you were gone, but wow."

Sakura nodded dumbly and sat in silence for a moment. "Please don't tell anyone. I need to get this sorted."

"Yeah, I won't tell, but I'm definitely not going to let you live it down." Ino mused with a smile.

She rolled her eyes and got up. "I'm going to take a bath and then go back to bed."

If she could wash away the filth of last night, maybe she could wash away the shame of the morning. She could also take a few moments to examine herself naked and make sure there were no incriminating marks left behind, like hickeys or hand prints, which would confirm her fears.

Sakura was halfway down the hall when Ino spoke again, calling out to her. "What are you going to do about your advisory board meeting today?"

"..." She had truthfully forgotten about her afternoon meeting. It was a standard bi-weekly meeting she always attended. Despite the fact there would be other people around, like Naruto and Shikamaru, Sakura would still have to speak with Kakashi. She was among his most trusted advisors.

She steeled herself and closed the bathroom door. She was professional, she reassured herself. They could have an adult conversation and not be weird about what happened. If they could fight alongside one another in a war, they could certainly look past a night of poor judgment for the sake of the village.

Drawing a warm bath in the tub, Sakura dropped a few lemongrass bath-oil pearls under the steady stream and watched as they broke open, filling the room with the comforting scent. While she waited for the tub to fill, she discarded her clothes in a messy pile by the hamper, stripping down to nothing.

In the mirror vanity she took a moment to examine her neck and shoulders. At least Kakashi had had the decency to not leave any marks where someone might see.

As Sakura climbed into the bath, she spotted a new bruise on her inner thigh. The guilt she had been feeling doubled and made her woozy. Had Kakashi left his mark here of all places? At some point in the last few hours had his head been buried between her thighs? The thought of the famed Copy Ninja eating her out both thrilled and terrified her. It was morally taboo for a number of reasons, but even Sakura could respect the worldly lore that followed him. Were he any other person, the walk of shame she'd taken might have been a stride of pride.

She sat against the edge of the tub and healed the small blemish quickly, then sank down into the hot water with a sigh until all but her head was submerged.

Given all that she had been able to put together, which ultimately was very little, there was still room for this whole situation to be a giant misunderstanding. As she pulled and pushed water with cupped hands before fetching her wash cloth she reasoned that she was mistaken. Kakashi would never jeopardize their relationship, and Sakura liked to think that she wouldn't either. Not at this age, anyway. But alcohol had been involved and lines could be blurred.

Ino popped her head in as Sakura finished scrubbing her face. "I was thinking, all joking aside, I have a morning after pill in the medicine cabinet for just in case moments. This might count as just in case."

Sakura gazed at her friend softly for a few moments. "Thanks."

"Right. Enjoy your bath."

She sat back against the tub and sighed, pressing her glowing palm flat against her stomach and gave a quick search with her chakra. If they had had sex, they'd used protection or he'd pulled out. There was no sign of any ejaculate, which was an enormous relief Sakura didn't know she had needed.

Dipping her head beneath the water, she wetted her hair, taking a few minutes to shampoo and condition. When she was done, she drained the tub and climbed out, toweling off completely before wandering to her room.

She found a pair of black joggers and one of her old red training shirts, slipping into them both easily and into bed, dumping the wet towel on the floor. The sun shone brightly through her window now and made her pull the covers up over her head.

She was torn between worrying she'd fallen into bed with her old sensei and reassuring herself that she had simply misunderstood the situation. There was probably a good explanation for everything, from Kakashi promising Ino he would see her home to her waking up naked in his bed, clothes strewn about. Whatever the case, what had happened happened and now all she could do was pick up the pieces until things made sense.

Sakura woke hours later, just before noon, sweating beneath the weight of her duvet. She stretched out on her bed before getting up and padding into the kitchen.

She fixed herself lunch and went back to her room, sleepily looking over the minutes from the last advisory board meeting as she chewed a piece of her sandwich. She had a new resolve to face what she had done as maturely as she could. She would reap what she sowed and face the consequences of her actions. She could look past this and still remain good friends with Kakashi if he could do the same. They were both adults after all, she was no longer a bumbling twelve year old.

A new hospital renovation was on the agenda among a number of other topics, which meant Sakura would be fully invested. There was also talk of creating a new class in the academy which would require all ninja to have the most basic poison training in both treatment and utilization, which was another bullet point she was to have a lot of say on. That meant lots of face to face talking with Kakashi, which she was totally fine with. She was a big girl.

The nervousness that had dissipated in her sleep slowly returned as the two o'clock mark neared, building until she was an anxious worrying mess again. She changed into something more appropriate, donning her standard uniform, her mind running away as she traded joggers for shorts.

It wasn't like her to approach something so irrationally, she told herself while fixing her hair in a mirror. She was a level headed shinobi. This was nothing.

She grabbed her notes and left for the meeting, forcing her feet in the direction of Konoha's headquarters. Each step was begrudging, but she kept on until she was halfway up the stairs in the tower. She reminded herself of her purpose. She had braved far worse than a little embarrassment.

Setting her shoulders, she carried herself into the grand office with purpose, taking her usual seat next to Shikamaru and Kakashi, both of whom were yet to arrive. A list on the chalkboard against the far wall called out the board members who would be unable to attend due to missions outside the village.

"Hiya, Sakura!" Naruto greeted as he came in and took his seat across from her.

"Hi, Naruto." She smiled, instantly eased by his greeting. "How's it going today?"

"Oh, you know. Same old. Spent most of the morning training with Sai, we're working on a new ink-shadow clone combo that's gonna blow your mind."

"That's great.".

A few more ninja filed in, filling empty seats around the long table. Among them was Genma, who bobbed a senbon lazily between his lips. He looked like he didn't want to be in attendance anymore than she did. Following not far behind him were Kurenai and Sai, leaving only Shikamaru and Kakashi left to arrive.

The room hummed with quiet discussions as they waited for the final two members. Sakura listened with amusement as Sai and Naruto bickered between themselves about the victor of their last sparring match and who the real mastermind behind their new technique was. Naruto brimmed with frustration at Sai's calm, collected argument.

Eventually the board room door swung open, the Hokage and his main advisor involved in a serious discussion regarding a funding request from Kiri.

"It's about time." Naruto exclaimed, resting his chin in his hand. "We've been waiting forever."

Sakura's resolve wavered as Kakashi took his seat at the head of the table, setting aside the large, formal hat he wore. His gaze met hers and he offered her a friendly smile, eye crinkling happily. She gave him a tight lipped expression in return. She hoped he took it kindly.

Throughout the meeting, Sakura couldn't help glancing back and forth between her growing notes and Kakashi. He acted so normal, like he had not a care in the world. If he had any underlying anxiousness about what had transpired between them, he hid it. A few times she was able to cast aside all her doubt, in favor of pouring all her focus put into arguing meeting points, like the poison classes and hospital renovations. The renovations, much to her chagrin, were voted down for now, though nearly half the board had been in favor, including both Shikamaru and Kakashi. The poison application, however, was voted in and the predrafted rule was quickly signed into effect. All students currently in the academy would be required to complete the course before completion and allowance into the Chuunin exams. From there, they discussed offering more advanced courses in the future to allow students to specialize if desired.

There were a few other votes thrown into the mix later, including the possibility of setting up an embassy in Suna. Naruto offered to head the program as project manager, but everyone could tell that it was a thinly veiled excuse to visit Gaara.

"I think this is it for today's agenda." Kakashi finally decided, leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed across his chest. "Kurenai, was there anything you needed touched on again for the minutes?"

"No, I have everything. Thank you." She said, finalizing some of her notes. "I'll get these typed up and distributed to everyone before our next session."

"This meeting is concluded, then. Have a good day, everyone."

Everyone filed out, though Sakura stayed behind for a few moments and took the time to straighten her notes before standing up from her chair. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and scooped up her folder.

"You certainly wasted no time leaving this morning. We didn't even get to have breakfast."

Sakura froze, eye to eye with Kakashi, who stood relaxed in the doorway, his shoulder pressed firmly to the frame. She hadn't noticed him come back.

Heat crept into her face. "I…"

"You left your shoe behind. I'll drop it off later if you don't want to come get it." He said casually.

"Kakashi, I…" She shifted her weight uncomfortably. "About last night…"

"It was no trouble." He offered her another one of his friendly smiles. "Though I don't often share my bed with just anyone."

Was he… teasing her? Was he serious? She couldn't tell. "Did we sleep together?"

This question seemed to throw him for a loop, his eyess widening slightly. His brow knitted in what might have been confusion, but she also got the feeling there was some concern there before is expression returned to his normal, bored, half-lidded sleepy look.

"You don't mean as in just sharing a bed as friends, do you, Sakura?"

"I don't remember anything that happened last night." She admitted, looking down to her feet with a wiggle of her toes. "I woke up naked in your bed. I had a hickey on my thigh."

"If I was a crueler person, I would take this and tease you forever. It was a bruise, Sakura." He hid a grin behind his mask.

"Huh?"

"You've gone and made something out of nothing. If you had stuck around long enough this morning, I could have explained everything." He chuckled, coming into the room. The door closed behind him softly and he came closer, leaning with his hip pressed against the wooden stand. Sakura averted her eyes to his face and not where his body met the table. "You were quite drunk last night. Ino wasn't ready to go home and I didn't want you stumbling around on the streets by yourself. Naruto and the team had returned from a mission last night so they invited me for drinks. I offered to take you home, both to make sure you were safe and to get away from the party. When we got to your apartment, you couldn't remember where you had stuck your key and you didn't want to break in, so I offered to let you sleep on my couch."

Sakura listened to him, clinging to every word. She couldn't remember any of this, but it seemed real enough. It was believable.

"You agreed, so we went to my place. No sooner had my front door shut, you were kicking your shoes off and stumbling into the living room like you owned the place. You caught the corner of the side table with your leg, which is where the bruise is from. Once you were settled on the couch with a blanket, I went to bed."

There was a look of amusement on his face that irked her, but she gestured for him to go on with his story.

"Maybe an hour or so after going to bed, you came crashing into my room, complaining that it was too hot to sleep. You opened my window and started stripping. I tried ignoring you and rolled over like a gentleman, but you crawled into bed with me," He snickered quietly. "Then you talked my ear off for another thirty minutes or so before you actually fell asleep. I woke before you and decided to take a shower. You were gone when I was done, though I did hear you sneaking around."

If her face had been pink before, she was certain it was red now. Of course there was an explanation for everything. She had tried telling herself there was. How could she have been so silly as to let herself think that she and Kakashi had had sex? A wave of relief crashed over her and she took a few deep breaths.

"Do you feel better now, Sakura?" He mused, reaching out to ruffle her hair.

"Much better." She sighed, the weight in her chest was gone now. "I spent the whole morning worrying we had, you know."

"Rest assured Sakura. If I wanted to sleep with you, I would make sure you were sober first." He teased with a wink, making her blush harder. "Wouldn't want you to forget any of the juicy details."

"You're awful." She accused, though half-heartedly and more in amusement than anger. "Don't you have a job you should be doing?"

"Taking care of you is one of my jobs." He laughed. "But yes, I do believe I'm running late for another meeting. If you'll excuse me."

She nodded and watched as he adjusted his hat before leaving the room, long robes following behind him.

This was good. They were still friends and Sakura could, with a little embarrassment, look him in the eye. She was more concerned now with the fact that drunk her had thought getting naked was an efficient way to cool off. She knew Kakashi had a ceiling fan in his living room, which she easily could have turned on. Oh well, if that was the worse that had happened, she could live with it. At this point, she couldn't bring herself to even care what drunk nonsense words she had chewed him with.

Sakura stopped by the hospital on her way home, making sure to help with a few of the clinical cases that were piling up. There was a young girl with a first degree burn on her leg, an elderly woman with stomach pains, and a man that had accidentally cut the tip of his finger off while working. Sakura was able to treat all of them quickly and Shizune thanked her before sending her on her way.

It was just starting to get dark when she arrived home. As she closed the front door she was met with the wafting smell of Ino's cooking. She dropped her things in her room before wandering out to see what was on the menu for the evening.

"You were gone a long time." Ino said, glancing over her shoulder as she opened the over to check her broiling fish. "How did things go?"

"Fine. Good, in fact." Sakura told her as she grabbed plates from the cupboard above the sink. She relayed everything that he had told her, from the bar to getting naked and even his finishing comment about having sex with her sober, which in hindsight Sakura thought was an odd thing to say. She busied her hands setting the table and waited for Ino's response when she was done.

"Did he really say that?" She asked, setting a bowl of steamed vegetables on the table. She propped a hand on the counter, the other on her hip, standing slightly angled to look at Sakura.

Sakura nodded as she set out cutlery for them. "He did."

"I can't believe you couldn't find your key in your pocket, by the way. You haven't been that gone in a long time." Ino teased, turning to pull the fish from the oven.

Sakura plopped herself down in her chair and rested her chin in her hand. "I know."

Ino dished the meal out and dumped the pan in the sink before sitting down beside Sakura. "So real question, if you did have sex with Kakashi, do you think he would be a good lover?"

"Oh shush, it's weird to think of him that way." Sakura waved her hand in front of her face as if to shoo away the thought. She had considered such things long before this incident but she would never admit to such; seventeen year old Sakura had gone through a phase.

"Weird?" Ino cut a piece of her fish and stabbed it with her fork before pointing it accusingly at Sakura. "Five hours ago you thought you had. You can indulge me for few seconds and pretend."

Sakura swatted away Ino's fork and fought a giggle building in her chest. "Fine, fine, but just this once. Never again."

"Agreed."

"I think… he would be attentive, I guess? I mean, obviously he would pretend not to be because that's who he is, but I think he would be good in that regard." She managed after a few moments.

Kakashi was known for being unnessarily aloof and nonchalant despite actually caring. He was also sure to take his jobs very seriously, even if he procrastinated and put things off until they couldn't wait any longer. He knew when things counted. It didn't take a lot to envision him being that way under the sheets, too. He was probably into edging or something, something that would give him all the control while still making sure the job was getting done. He could pretend to not really care and tease his lover all the way to the point of climax before lazily taking a break only to repeat the process.

"I don't know. He can't be that good at everything, He's gotta be lacking something somewhere. Maybe…" Ino paused a moment to chew. "Maybe he comes too fast."

"You think?"

"I bet. He's probably all about dragging foreplay out because once he enters, he won't last even two minutes." She snickered.

Sakura bubbled with laughter. "Copy Ninja Kakashi can't keep it up."

"Worse yet, maybe he's not got a lot to work with. You think you're getting a sword but you're getting a kunai instead."

"That's mean, Ino. He can't help how big it may or may not be."

They laughed amongst one another through the rest of dinner, coming up with bigger, more ridiculous theories as to what Kakashi might be like as a lover. Sakura was practically in tears by the time she finished her fish and got up to answer a knock at their front door.

"Stop, Ino, you're so terrible." She laughed, making her way down the hall to the door.

"I'm just saying." She sang. "There's no way a man like that doesn't have a box of miscellaneous toys under his bed."

Sakura wiping her eyes as she opened the door, smiling like an idiot. She startled slightly, surprised to find Kakashi smiling at her, eye's creased. Her own grin faltered. He leaned in, braced against the doorway with one hand, her missing shoe in the other.

With a wave, he wiggled the pump in front of her. "As promised, Sakura."

"Thank you." She said, taking it from him easily. "I would have stopped by for it eventually."

"I was headed this way anyway, so I figured I'd drop it off." He said casually. Sakura couldn't place it, but she didn't trust the look in his face. Something in his eyes made her uneasy.

"I'd invite you in for dinner, but we just finished." She said apologetically.

He waved his hand at her, "I couldn't impose, so I'll be going. Could you give Ino a message for me, though?"

"Of course."

"Tell her that if a shinobi knows how to use their kunai correctly, they don't need a sword. She'll understand."

"Uh, sure." Sakura quipped. "Have a good night, Kakashi."

"You too, Sakura. I'll see you later."

He vanished with a flicker and Sakura closed the door, mulling over his message as she made her way back into the kitchen.

Ino looked up at Sakura and then her shoe. "He dropped it off?"

"Yeah." She said, face burning red now as realization dawned on her. "Oh… oh no."

"What?"

"He… he asked me to tell you that if a shinobi knows how to use their kunai correctly, they don't need a sword."

"He whaaat?" She gasped.

"He heard us. I'm going to die." Sakura said dramatically. If she had been embarrassed about thinking she had slept with him, she was more embarrassed to think that Kakashi had heard them speculating about him having a small package, weird fetishes, and a collection of weird bedroom toys among other terrible things. While she knew this was the kind of thing he would find eternally humorous, Sakura was sure she wouldn't be able to recover from being caught.

Ino burst into laughter, howling until she was breathless and wheezing and falling from her chair. Eventually, Sakura started giggling along.

When they finally calmed down, they cleaned off the table, washed the dishes, and wiped down the counters. Ino dried the plates and pans from the rack, arguing that with her new manicure, she needed to avoid the soapy mess in the sink.

"Do you want to watch a movie tonight, Forehead?" Ino asked, hanging the dish towel from the oven handle.

"Sure. Let me know when."

"I'll come get you. I've got to finish the laundry first."

"Okay."

Sakura wandered down to her room and undressed as she walked to her bed. She pulled on the joggers from earlier that morning and found a loose fitting top, then crawled onto her bed and propped up her pillows. She flopped down and got comfy, snatching her book from the nightstand.

It was an exciting tale about star crossed lovers destined to save the world at the cost of their love or perish together. Sakura was sure that the ending was going to be sad, but she was only half finished and she could imagine the plot taking so many turns that it was hard to predict what the outcome would be. Secretly, she hoped the ending was sad, because she could appreciate a good cry over a good book.

She managed to get through three chapters when Ino propped herself seductively in the doorway, crooking a finger in Sakura's direction. "Come hither, it's movie time."

"You're so weird." Sakura mused, closing her book.

"You're the weird one." She teased. "What do you want to watch? Sappy? Sexy?"

Sakura tapped her chin with her finger a few times. "You bought a few new ones the other day, right? Let's pick from those."

"Two of them are scary." Ino said, starting back down the hallway, her slippers rustling on the hardwood.

"Mm, not in the mood for scary. Let's watch sexy."

They both settled down on the couch in the living room with a big bowl of popcorn and their biggest blanket shared between them. Munching quietly, Sakura couldn't help her thoughts wandering as they watched. The main character's love interest reminded her a little of Kakashi, mysterious, aloof, and an unexpected jokester. He even kind of resembled him if she squinted hard enough. In the main character, Sakura could see a bit of herself. She was determined and dedicated and a woman not to be trifled with. While Sakura considered herself close to Kakashi, she couldn't see where the main and her lover really developed any sort of relationship. It didn't defer from the steamy scenes, luckily, and they pulled Sakura's attention back into the film.

Ino nudged her with her elbow as the lover went down on the main character. "That's Kakashi." She whispered.

"What?"

"And that's you." She continued as the screen panned to the main character's o-face.

"Oh my god, shut up." Sakura blushed, her mind returning to her thoughts from the morning when she had imagined Kakashi's face buried between her thighs. She shook her head to clear the image away, but it was no good as she started to imagine other things as the movie went on.

Ino laughed at herself and shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth before pulling the blanket up higher. "Oh, this is my favorite part. Shh."

By the time the movie ended, Sakura was concerned that they had made the wrong decision watching such a hard romance. Her head was filled with unsavory, inappropriate samplings of Kakashi, no thanks to Ino. What was a few dirty thoughts amongst friends, she tried to reason. He had probably had his fair share, too- she had crawled into bed with him completely naked, afterall. She couldn't fault him for anything she might have inspired.

She could, however, fault herself for getting so carried away. It had been a long time since she'd taken a lover and it was very, very wrong to be thinking of such a good friend in such a way. Not only a good friend, but someone who had been a mentor to her in her adolescence. There were always going to be taboos in that regard.

Despite those things telling her that she was crossing into unknown waters, she couldn't help that fascination that was now kindled within her. It was almost exciting because he was Copy Ninja Kakashi, copier of over one-thousand jutsu. Stats like that were enough to woo anyone who had any sort of understanding of the shinobi world. If she looked at him with an outside eye, he was an incredible specimen.

Sakura tunneled under her duvet after propping her window open and settled down into her plush mattress. She considered relieving some tension to her new fixation, but decided that that was taking things too far and instead grabbed her book and flicked on her lamp, reading well into the night.

Sakura woke with a yawn, and sighed as she tossed onto her side facing the windows. She stared for a few minutes, watching as rain clouds moved in over Konoha. She didn't mind the rain, and she knew exactly where the man occupying her thoughts would be on a day like this. It had been awhile since she had gone to visit those they'd lost in the war.

She got up and dressed and headed out to the memorial where Kakashi was already standing. He slouched with his hands buried deep in his pockets, eyes fixed on the epitaph. Silently, she came to stand beside him.

"Rainy days are good for paying respects." She said softly.

"Indeed." He agreed after a few quiet moments.

They stood in silence until the gentle rain subsided. Moments like this were locked away in Sakura's heart, saved for cherishing and fondly, if not sadly, looking back on. She couldn't recall the first time she had joined him at the stone in mourning, but it had become something of a habit to meet him, and she had joined him on every rainy day since. Sometimes they chatted about the past or about the future. Sometimes they didn't talk at all. Just being there for one another was enough.

Kakashi picked up his head and glanced to the sky, sighing softly. "What's on your agenda today, Sakura?"

"I'm not scheduled at the hospital, so I'll likely be floating around the office today. I might get with Iruka to begin looking at implementing the new program." She mused as they started walking back toward the village. "What about you, Hokage-same?"

He snorted with amusement at the name. "I've been invited to a wedding out in Iwagakure for the standing Tsuchikage." He shrugged before continuing. "So I've got some packing to do and I need to find my plus one."

"It'll be good for you to get away for a bit and Naruto loves when you leave him in charge, too. It's good practice." She replied. "You could detour to Yugakure on your way home and enjoy the hot springs."

"I rather like the way you think." He smiled.

Oh, if he had only known what she had been thinking the night before, she wondered how much he would like that sort of thinking.

"Sakura, why don't you go with me?" Kakashi asked, pulling one of his trusty books from his hip pouch. Sakura could see where he had taped the spine in an effort to prolong the orange cover's life.

"To a wedding?"

"You'd be compensated." He practically sang. "You'd be there not only as a plus one but as my own, personal bodyguard. Double duty."

Escort missions were easy money, and escorting Kakashi would be the easiest job ever. She weighed her options as she thanked a higher power that he wasn't being weird about what he'd heard last night.

"Sure. Why not?" She smiled, lacing her fingers behind her back as she tilted forward to look at him. "You've got yourself a date."

"We'll leave this evening. The wedding is in four days."

"Should I pack something wedding formal or just my usual?"

"Hm. Probably both. I would bring standard garb, too. Not sure what sort of wedding this will be." He mused. "I would hate for you to show up over dressed."

Sakura hummed in response and wandered quietly beside him for awhile longer. "I'll need to make arrangements at the hospital if I'll be out on missions. What time should we meet?"

"Ah, sundown seems like a good time."

"Right. I'll see you then. Or sometime after." She teased with a jab of her elbow. "Whenever you decide to show up."

He smiled with amusement and ruffled her damn hair with his gloved hand. They said their goodbyes and Sakura headed off to the hospital, putting in for her mission leave for and extended time. While there, she helped fill a few more clinical appointments and worked last into the afternoon. By the time she left, the sun had started setting. She cursed herself for not leaving sooner, but was pleased with the work she had done.

Thanks for reading. Chapter Two coming soon.