A/N: Welcome to the last chapter of this story. Yes, it's short, and yes, it's supposed to be like this. Unfortunately (and there's no sarcasm here), I really don't have the time for anything longer right now. Maybe one day, who knows.
Four
The encounter in the park was the end of it all. Sakura didn't run into the Jerk in the university's library, or outside the anatomy class building or anywhere else for that matter. And that was good. Or so she told herself.
The truth was that she still watched out for any sign of unruly brown hair or a black leather jacket. And on top of that, she found herself scoffing over her own demure-good-girl act that she put on in front of her professors, her shishou, her parents and even her friends. It seemed that Kiba's words hat amplified the voice of the outgoing, emotional persona that she had confined to the back of her head years ago.
He was right, she had realized. She was putting on an act to meet everyone's expectations. They would flip if she acted the way around everyone the way she had acted around him – bantering, bitching, insulting, carefree. But she wasn't about to change anything about that. If her act opened her the door to becoming a doctor, then she'd determinedly keep it up.
Sakura sighed as she strode through the hospital's corridors on her way from the cafeteria to the staff room. The coffee in her hand eminated a delicious smell that she could taste in her mouth from the sips she had already taken.
"Yo, angel face."
She nearly spilled coffee all over herself and the floor. Sure enough, there he was, leaning against the white wall that made him look all the more sinister and dangerous with his worn jeans and leather jacket. The smirk was back on his face, quirking the end of his tattoos. "What are you doing here?"
Kiba pushed himself off of the wall and approached her, hands buried in his pockets as usual and she tried to ignore the way her heart jumped or the relief at the mocking glint in his eyes. "I found I've given you enough time to think and change your life, so here I am, princess. Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?"
"What?" She gaped at him, coffee forgotten in her hand. "What the hell are you talking about?"
He stopped directly in front of her, definitely invading her personal space. "Well, I'd like to go out with you, cupcake, so I'm asking you out for dinner."
A nurse hurrying past gave them a strange look. It must have been a weird picture for her – calm, nerdy, sweet, brilliant, demure Sakura standing entirely too close next to a wild, rugged, dangerous looking guy in a leather jacket. Without thinking, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the empty staff room down the corridor. She slammed her cup down on one of the tables and positioned herself in front of him angrily. "What the hell do you want, moron?"
"Dinner with you tomorrow night."
"I never said I wanted to go out with you," she exclaimed exasperatedly. "I don't like you!"
His smirk grew more devious. "You don't have to like me, pumpkin, that just makes it more interesting."
"I'm not even attracted to you!"
"That so?" he asked, quirking his brow at her. One step and he was invading her personal bubble again, standing so close that she could feel the body heat radiating from him. His warm breath was fanning over her cheek and lips and one of his hands slid up her arm so lightly that it left goosebumps on her skin. When it reached her neck and started playing with the short, soft hairs at the base of her head, she felt her breath hitch and her knees turn weak.
"Stop that," Sakura protested weakly. "That's cheating."
He smirked at the way her eyelids had lowered a bit. "You should have known that I'm not someone who plays by the rules, sensei."
"You're a jerk," she said but her voice lacked venom.
He made a non-compromising humming sound and then bent his head to kiss her. His mouth moved lazily, carefree, tongue sweeping over her bottom lip before retracting. His hand stayed exactly where it was, stroking the sensitive skin right under her hair. He touched her nowhere else and kept the kiss almost chaste, but it was driving her mad.
Almost whimpering, she lifted on her toe-tips and opened her mouth. Immediately, his tongue stroked over hers and he angled her head with his hand to deepen the kiss. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears, the warmth of his body was heating up her skin and she needed his hands. But he wasn't touching her except for the hand in her neck and his mouth slanting over hers and his tongue setting her on fire – but she needed his hands!
She fisted her hands into his jacket, soft leather crunching under her grip, and pulled herself closer to his deliciously warm body. As if on cue, the hand that had hitherto hung at his side now pressed on the small of her back, pushing her closer until she was pressed up against him. She moaned into his mouth when his hand dipped under her shirt and his warm, calloused fingers brushed over her skin.
When there was a loud clatter, Sakura jumped violently and pulled away. In the doorway stood her shishou's other apprentice, Shizune, who was staring at them with wide brown eyes, her mouth hanging open.
"Hi," Kiba said nonchalantly, the fingers of his right hand still distractingly warm on her back.
"S-sorry, I… didn't know-" Shizune stammered, apparently caught between embarrasment and surprise. "I'll leave you alone."
"No, no," Sakura said hurriedly, taking a step forward. "He was just about to leave, anyway."
He gave her a look of mild surprise. "I was?"
The pink haired girl shot him a murderous look. "Yes, you were, jerk."
"But you still haven't agreed to go out for dinner with me tomorrow night."
"And I won't!" she retorted angrily, almost yelling. "I told you, I don't even like you!"
"And I told you that I don't care." He was grinning shamelessly at her and she was about reply when a new voice floated through the room.
"I think I see now what took you so long, Shizune." The blonde chief physician Tsuande was standing behind the dark haired woman in the doorframe, watching the scene amusedly with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
Kiba grinned at the doctor, all charms. "Sorry to keep Sakura away from work, but there was something we had to clarify."
"We didn't clarify anything," she seethed, her shishou's presence forgotten. "You're so insufferable, Inuzuka!"
"Could I have a word with my apprentice for a minute?" Tsunade asked, stepping past Shizune into the room. "You will get her right back in a moment."
Sakura groaned. "Great. Now you probable got me fired," she murmured, shaking her head.
He ignored her and flashed another grin at her shishou as he walked out of the room. Shizune quietly pulled the door shut and left the two women alone. Sakura didn't meet her mentor's eyes, but instead chose to examine the worn linoleum floor.
Tsuande sat on one of the tables' edge, crossing her feet relaxedly and looking calmly at her young apprentice. "Sakura." As the girl cringed, she smiled. "You're probably wondering why I asked for a minute to talk to you alone."
The pink haired girl raised a shoulder, but didn't look up.
"I accepted you as my apprentice because you have potential, a lot of it. You are very determined about becoming a doctor and that's important because it makes you give your all. When I first saw you in your practical lesson, you stood out because you were so passionate about what you were doing and that's what I'm looking for in my apprentices." She shifted on the table without taking her eyes off of the girl. "Those last few weeks you were working with me, though, you were submissive."
At this, Sakura finally lifted her head with wide eyes. She seemed about to say something, but then thought better of it and her shoulders slumped slightly.
Tsunade smiled. "Yet again." The blonde looked up at the ceiling. "I thought about kicking you out. I don't need apprentices who don't know how to think on their own. They would be better off as nurses, but not as doctors. But after what I saw in here today…" She paused for a moment, then looked back at her apprentice. "I have hope."
"Shishou…" Sakura's tone was surprised, nearly shocked.
"This boy out there – he's good for you." When the girl gaped at her, Tsunade pursed her lips to hide her smile. "I can see that you're attracted to him and I can also see that he brings out your passionate side that you hid for far too long. Your temperamental side is what distinguishes you from other young, aspiring docotors, it shows that you care about people and about your job. That's what important. Not your reputation with the professors."
Sakura seemed to be shocked speechless. She was gaping at her mentor with an open mouth, frozen to the spot while the blonde woman smiled at her. She didn't even move when the chief physician stood up and exited the room, calling for Shizune to follow her. Only when Kiba walked hastily into the room – a worried look on his face, quite contrary to the nonchalant grin he had been wearing before –, grabbed her arms and bent his head to be on face-level with her did she wake from her stupor.
"She didn't kick you out, right?" he asked with concern.
She shook her head, still trying to process everything that had just been said to her. "No… No, she didn't."
When he pulled her into a relieved, bone-crushing hug, she fully came to her senses and buried her nose in his leather jacket that smelled faintly of smoke. "Yes," she murmured into his shoulder.
"Yes what?" he demanded loudly, pulling away roughly and glaring at her for the first time since she met him. "Don't tell me you were joking when you said she didn't kick you out!"
Sakura laughed, leaning her forehead against his collarbone. "Of course not, stupid. I meant, yes, I'll go out with you tomorrow night."
He sighed, grumbling, but wrapped his arms around her again nonetheless. "Don't scare me like that again."
"I didn't think you would be scared of anything," she teased, relishing in the warmth that seeped through his clothes.
Kiba's hand settled under her shirt on the small of her back once again. "You really think I'm stupid enough to answer to that?"
Sighing, she pulled away from him regrettably. "Not really. Listen, I've got to get back to work now. You distracted me long enough."
"Alright. I'll pick you up after your shift ends." He was grinning again.
Sakura's brows knit together in confusion. "How do you know when that is?"
"Asked Shizune," he replied.
"Figures." She emptied the cold coffee in her mug into the sink and deposited the used item in the dishwasher. They stepped out into the hallway together and she didn't care in the slightest when another nurse gave her a strange look as she swept past them after they had just exchanged their goodbye kiss. She not only didn't care but was also grinning devilishly at the thought.
After she had taken about five steps in the direction of her shishou's office, Kiba called out to her. She turned around with an inquiringly raised eyebrow. He was smirking shamelessly at her. "When do I get to meet your parents?"
She turned around and flipped him off.
A/N: In case it turned out you like this pairing, you might want to have a look at my other KibaSaku fic. Yes, I'm shamelessly advertising now. I'll admit that I'm a sucker for reviews.