Title: Remembrance

Rating: M

Genre: Drama/ General/AU, Non-massacre

Series: Sensei Series—as someone dubbed it.

Author: Juniper11

For: J-Pop's Blindfolded KakaSaku contest.

Warnings: Mature Content. Read at your own risk. Or don't read because you don't want to risk it.

It wasn't often that they went on missions together without Naruto or Sasuke but when they did it was usually a different type of experience. On the norm, when Naruto and Sasuke joined them, both Sakura and Kakashi were quiet while they listened to their teammates bicker back and forth about every ridiculous thing on the planet. Most times Sakura was able to grin and bear it—although the grin was more like a snarl and the bearing it was more like tolerating it for thirty seconds before she drew blood.

Kakashi, on the other hand, dealt with things differently. He would just egg the two on until they got so angry at each other that they knocked the other out for him. It was often difficult completing mission when Kakashi dealt with their annoying teammates. That's why Sakura preferred to use her method before Kakashi employed his—because even though the problem typically tended to be Naruto and Sasuke's fault she always ended up lugging around the unconscious member of their group. It was the only reason why she typically hated that Kakashi was their team leader.

When they were alone, though, it was a different ball game. Kakashi was…different, for lack of a better word. Not different in a bad way just not the usual man she was used to dealing with. Whereas, when the boys were around he tended to keep to himself. When they were alone he talked to her more—not a lot, just more, enough for her to notice the difference. He teased, joked, and was plain old fashioned good company which happened to be something she hadn't noticed before. Sakura found that she liked him. Not in the romantic sense. He just made a good friend. Truthfully, after these missions ended she found that she wanted to spend more time with him. Hang out, chat but whenever she suggested the idea he wasn't exactly thrilled about it. In fact, he completely brushed her off. It didn't anger her. She sort of expected it because, really, what do you get when the Elusive Copy Ninja loses his elusiveness?

She liked the level of mystique that he held and she wouldn't force him to let it go, but if he decided to let it go on his own…well that was a different matter altogether.

It was on one of these missions with just the two of them that it happened. Things changed between the two of them forever.

The mission was a simple one. Some goods had been stolen from a wealthy merchant in Tea Country and he wanted them back sooner rather than later. At first glance the mission didn't really seem like it should be A ranked. Some thugs robbed a wealthy merchant. It shouldn't take two able bodied Jounin to retrieve the goods.

The problem lay in the fact that apparently they weren't the first shinobi that he had hired for the job. Apparently, he had been dealing with another shinobi nation—which shall remain nameless-for months hoping to resolve the problem. That typically meant that the thief was no ordinary one—probably one of the shinobi variety. As it stood thus far, the shinobi hadn't killed anyone that went to retrieve the items. They all simply came back shamed faced reporting that they were unable to fulfill the mission. Any more details than that the man didn't know.

They had to listen to the merchant complain for thirty minutes about the last two guys that came back. The men wouldn't look him in the eye, wouldn't answer his questions as to why they couldn't bring back his goods and to top it all off they were rude. They told him to leave well enough alone—which was apparently an impossibility-so the merchant came to Leaf since he heard they knew how to handle business efficiently.

He was right because the Leaf Village is awesome.

And that's how Sakura and Kakashi got stuck with the mission that both of them, whether they mentioned it or not, would remember for the rest of their lives.

"Do you have any idea where the thief is, sir?" She sat in an office that screamed 'expensive' to any eye keen enough to catch it—and Sakura's was. She loved shopping even if the only thing she could do was look and not buy. She knew every single thing she wanted in her home but couldn't quite afford at the time. She wasn't poor by any means it was just that she couldn't afford her taste.

The first thing she noticed was the clock. It was a grandfather clock and it chimed the noon hour almost as soon as they entered the room. The floors were hardwood, oak in color draped in rugs that were to die for. The windows behind the desk of the merchant were covered in curtains that looked to be silk and were a golden hue. They were rather pretty since when the sun struck them they seemed to sparkle. His desk was cluttered with all sort of papers that in a way reminded her much of Tsunade—except he probably knew what each and every document was unlike other people.

Sakura looked at the merchant and to her he looked like everything a merchant typically was. His eyes screamed intelligence but he had to be intelligent to be this successful unless he was a swindler which wasn't a far fetched idea. The man was short-shorter than her at her five feet two inches yet he was by no means a small man. He was round in the middle showing that he was well-fed even if he was ill-bred. His hair, while not balding, had a slick oily quality to it that screamed 'wash me' but his smile was smooth, so much so that it appeared authentic.

"Call me Tsuki." He said and gave her a look that was meant to be seductive but fell short by a mile or two. Sakura looked at Kakashi, who happened to be leaning against the wall to the side of her, silently begging for help but he merely folded his arms across his chest and smiled at her obviously enjoying her distress. She would make him pay for that. She made a mental note for to take care of him when the mission was over with.

Sakura decided there should be rules that stated that you could beat the hell out of an employer if they were an ass and still get paid. She also decided the same should be true for teammates if they were annoying. Although she did sort of already beat her teammates on a regular basis but that was beside the point. The point was she was being hit on by a man who was probably three times her age, had equipment that probably wasn't even working properly, and her teammate that was beside her yucking it up. People murdered others for less.

Sakura bit her inner cheek in a sad attempt to distract herself from her irritation. "Tsuki," She began hoping that was the best way to get the information that she needed quickly so that they could just leave. "Do you have any idea where the thief is?"

He rose then stretching himself to his full height and strutted around his desk to where Sakura was seated. Inwardly, Sakura barfed; outwardly she maintained a polite mask even as he leaned into her personal space. His breath caressed her skin and she felt violated by that simple act. It made her want to clean her skin although she did notice in those moments that Tsuki, the amorous merchant, did have the prettiest, straightest teeth she'd ever seen—even at his old age, although she may possibly be exaggerating his age in her mind because she was annoyed. The medic in her wanted to make him open his mouth so she could examine the inside but she had a feeling that not only would it not go over well, but her actions would be misconstrued so she refrained.

Tsuki reached out and grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled it around his finger. "The others that I sent before said south of here." Tsuki licked his lips and pursed them seductively at her. Sakura's eyes widened and she was certain she had a 'wtf' look on her face when a kunai whizzed through the air severing her hair from her head. For a moment Sakura stared puzzled as pink strands of hair floated through the air and touched her shoulder, lap, and the ground. Once her mind registered what happened she then whirled around and glared at Kakashi not at all noticing that Tsuki was doing the same. At the looks he was received Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and said, "It slipped." Sakura sneered at Kakashi pissed that a very obvious portion of her hair was a good inch shorter than the rest. He was so going to pay for her a haircut.

"So, south you say? Is that all the information you have?" Kakashi said asking a question for the first time since their arrival.

"Only that it was near Degarashi Port." Tsuki said, not taking his eyes off Sakura.

"Well, if that's it then we'll be going. Sakura?" Sakura jumped out of her chair almost bumping into Tsuki in the process and moved over to Kakashi. "Have a good day, sir, we'll be seeing you shortly."

"I hope certainly hope someone will be something other than a disappointment."

:::

"Was it really necessary to cut my hair off?" Sakura said the second they were out of earshot. Sakura raised her hand and tugged at her hair forlorn. Kakashi walked swiftly in front of her throwing her off since he normally moved at a more leisurely pace.

"What? You don't like it? I kind of think 'lopsided' is a good look on you."

"And I kind of think kunaiuptheassius is a good look on you."

Kakashi paused in his walking and turned around gave Sakura a disappointed look. He shook his head slowly. "Really, Sakura, I thought you'd be more creative than that."

"You'll think it's really creative once I grab my kunai." Kakashi chuckled and Sakura had to force back a grin of her own at the sound since his laugh had the tendency to be contagious. "So what do you think is going on with this guy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you think it's a little odd that he hasn't harmed anybody and yet they never come back with the goods?"

"Mmm. Perhaps."

"Just 'perhaps'?"

"I suppose we'll find the reason when we get there. Don't you think?"

Sakura opened her mouth but found she couldn't argue with that kind of logic so she promptly shut her mouth. Then her senses came back to her and she said, "But don't you think we should have some sort of plan?"

"I like thinking on my feet."

"And that's exactly why you're always in the hospital."

"I'm not always in the hospital. Really Sakura you should work on your tendency to exaggerate. Meditate or something."

Sakura opened her mouth to ask him how mediating was going to help with her supposed 'tendency to exaggerate' but decided not to bother. She had a feeling in the end she'd just give him more ammunition. She felt his eyes on her and she knew he was surprised she let his last comment slide. A smirk formed on her face and she ran her fingers through her slightly demented hair. Sakura then pulled out a kunai and began twirling it around experimentally.

"So about this kunai…"

::::

The first thing that Sakura took note of was the smell of salt filling the air. She didn't know why but for some reason the sea thrilled her. It had to be the only perk of the mission being so close to it. The wind blew ruffling her hair more than usual since she had removed her hitai-ate and a smile came to her face as the scent of the water became so much clearer.

People filled the city and yet it didn't seem overcrowded or stuffy. People minded their own business and went about their way and still managed not be rude. It was her kind of city. If she were a civilian she wouldn't have minded living there.

Kakashi, who had taken the lead, slowed to a stop and then turned to look at her. "We're here." Sakura nodded her head already knowing this.

"So what's the—never mind."

"Well I'm pretty sure he already knows we're on the way."

"Why would you say that?" Sakura said pursing her lips. She hadn't noticed anyone watching them and she had been on the look out for such an action.

"Because your dear Tsuki isn't the type of man to let something go easily. I'm sure our perpetrator knows that by now."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Kakashi attaching their client to her. "He's not mine thank you very much." To forestall his reply she quickly asked, "What do you think he stole anyway?"

"You didn't ask?"

Sakura mentally counted to ten to keep from killing Kakashi. He had been in the room during the entire conversation. She was almost hundred percent sure that he was just screwing with her but sometimes she really did wonder about him.

"You know I asked just like you know he didn't do anything but give me a round about answer and then tried to turn the conversation over to my personal life."

"He's probably just lonely."

"Yeah, and that loneliness didn't stop you from throwing a kunai at him."

"Sakura, it really did slip."

"Liar!" Kakashi chuckled. "So how are we going to find this guy?"

"The usual way. Ask questions. Look around."

Sakura was struck for a moment by the 'brilliance' of his plan. "…I am so leaving you."

"Mmm."

"Just meet me at the docks at noon."

"If I find anything before then I'll send Pakkun after you." Sakura nodded her head and the duo went separate ways.

:::

Sakura searched the area asking various questions in hopes to find some information about their thief but unfortunately found none. She hoped Kakashi was doing better than she was because while she loved the sea she loved her home more and she just really wanted to get back to Konoha.

She ended up at a small food vendor—not because she was hungry or anything but because the guy had a face that was friendly. She did, though, order something to eat because:

1. People tended to be friendlier when you bought something.

2. She was, in fact, a little hungry.

3. She figured if she got something now Kakashi couldn't try to mooch off her later.

4. The vendor was hot.

He was a nearly six feet tall man that towered over her, but that really wasn't unusual for Sakura since most people did tower over her. His eyes were a sea green and they sparkled when in smiled welcomingly in her direction. His form was somewhere in between built and lanky. It was like he knew when enough was enough and she personally liked that in a man. His hair was long enough to pull back into a pony tail but not long enough to hang down his back. His hair was the color of sunshine and while Sakura was normally into men with hair of a darker persuasion his didn't bother her in the least. All in all the man was the definite total package—visually at least. She had very little knowledge of his actual personality so she couldn't grade him on that score.

The fish was awesome but that was to be expected since Tea Country had the best fish second only to Water. The vendor could see her appreciation as it was written all over her face and offered her more. Sakura took his offer—since it was free and would offer to Kakashi when they met a little later. If he didn't want it she'd be a glutton for once in her life and eat it herself. It was that good.

"I'm Sakura." Sakura said after she had put the package offered to her in her pack.

"Aiko." He replied with a nod and a smile.

"Aiko, I'm surprised, with food as good as yours, that you haven't gotten a bigger place. Are you new here?"

"Fairly." He replied tersely. Sakura noted that his body language changed slightly. She had a feeling that if she continued along that line of conversation he was going to brush her off and she'd have to leave.

"Are you single?"

Aiko let out a snort and immediately relaxed. She figured he thought she was just a young girl out to flirt with a hot older guy and she didn't mind him thinking that if he answered her questions.

"Aren't you a little young to be flirting with me?"

"I'm twenty years old."

"In other words too young to be flirting with me."

Sakura laughed. "You can't be that old. If I had to guess I'd say you're in your mid-thirties."

"And you would be wrong." Aiko said.

"So you're younger?" Sakura said giving him a cheeky grin but Aiko mock glared at her. "Fine. Fine. I'll let it go. So you're here in Degarashi Port starting a new life perhaps looking for a wife?"

Aiko chuckled. "Something like that. What are you doing here? I know you're not a local."

"Is it that obvious that I'm not from around here?" Sakura inquired.

"A little." Sakura nodded her head.

"I'm looking for something."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Any luck finding it?"

"Not a bit."

Aiko studied her for a second and Sakura made sure to put her best sweet yet hopeful look on her face. "Tell me what it is and maybe I can help you find it."

"It's a trunk. It's black with a picture of a dragon engraved in gold on the top."

Aiko paused as if in thought. His eyes darkened slightly but before Sakura noticed he said, "Actually, I think I've seen something like that before near one of the merchant's places across town. If you come back around two when I close up shop for lunch I'll take you there." Sakura mentally pumped her fist in the air since had finally gotten some sort of lead.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

:::

He was late. Now while that wasn't unusual it worried her because they were on a mission. There is a time and place for everything and Kakashi, of all people, knew that. Sakura stood at their designating meeting place gnawing her lip with worry wondering whether or not to go searching for him when he suddenly appeared.

"Yo." He said with a wave of his hand inadvertently causing Sakura's eye to twitch.

"Where have you been?" Her tone was slightly indignant, her arms were folded across her chest and her foot was tapping the ground. She could tell that he was considering doing something that would annoy her greatly so she let out a warning growl that only served to make him chuckle.

"I've found the trunk."

"…What?" Of all the things she expected to hear out of his mouth that was the last thing. She had secretly liked the fact that she had gotten a clue on their mission before Kakashi had. It wasn't often that she could say such a thing and it was something that generally made her damn proud of herself. However this time she only had a lead and he had already found the whole blasted trunk. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"It's on the-"

"Other side of town." Sakura finished, causing Kakashi to raise a brow. "One of the vendors told me. In fact—" Sakura pulled out the food she had stored and passed it to Kakashi. "I bought you something to eat." Surprise flickered across Kakashi's face at Sakura's little lie but Sakura didn't feel an ounce of guilt at telling it. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. She turned her back knowing he wouldn't eat at all while she was looking even though a small part of her wanted to take a peek.

"Where'd you get your intel?" Kakashi said once he had finished.

"From a vendor. He said he'd take me there at two."

"Not necessary. We'll go now while no one's there."

Sakura nodded her head feeling slightly guilty about standing Aiko up but dismissed it fairly quickly. "Alright then. Let's go."

:::

Trust, Sakura decided, can sometimes be a blind thing. It doesn't matter how well you know a person, how much you know you can rely on them, sometimes you still have to question their actions.

Sakura never questioned Kakashi because no matter what happened, for as long as she had known him, if he set upon a course of action they always came out on top—they may be barely alive, but still they were better off than the ones they went up against.

Well, apparently that wasn't always the case.

Sakura glared at Kakashi as best she could because she stood frozen in the entryway of the place where Kakashi had found their employer's missing trunk. It was in a home behind a restaurant that was fairly teeming with business.

The thief in question was none other than Aiko the friendly vendor that she had met earlier. The restaurant was Aiko's. She could tell by the delicious aroma of the food.

That should have clued her in but she had become lazy and trusted Kakashi to handle everything. It was a poor oversight on her part and she vowed that if they made it through this situation alive she'd never do it again.

Had she met with him as planned, Kakashi could have told her before hand that he was their perpetrator and all this could have been avoided. Although she wasn't exactly sure how since Aiko had been with her when Kakashi found the trunk but that wasn't exactly the time to worry about details.

"I'm not going to kill you." Aiko started off by saying. "There's no point in that because Tsuki will just send more of you and all it would is bring anger and vengeance to my doorstep. I've long since grown weary of that lifestyle."

"You're on a first name basis from the man you stole from?" Kakashi inquired seemingly bored and not a single care that he couldn't move a single bone in his body. Yes, they walked through the doors and disabled several traps which had somehow enabled a larger trap that they just happened to be caught in.

Sakura glanced at Kakashi surprised. She wouldn't have noticed that Aiko had used Tsuki's first name. She had been too busy trying to break free but she had since determined that was a hopeless endeavor.

"Of course I am, but I suppose he didn't tell you that either."

"What are you to each other?" Kakashi inquired.

"We were lovers." Sakura's mouth dropped open. Why in the world would a man as beautiful as he was want with that dirty old man that she had met? I guess this was a prime example of the saying opposites attract—although in this case it did have a small bit of 'likes' attracting.

Did that mean they were about the same age? That couldn't possibly be right unless he knew one of those age jutsu that her mentor employed. "I left him. His money was more important than me so I packed up my stuff and left."

"And your stuff included the trunk?" Sakura asked becoming more intrigued with the story. What was so important about that trunk that their employer would send shinobi after shinobi in order to retrieve it? Maybe there was nothing important about it. He could just be a petty man and they were trapped in the middle of a domestic dispute. Actually, Sakura was willing to bet money on the fact that it was a domestic dispute.

Why was it that whenever she went on a mission with Kakashi it turned out to be a weird one? Which one of them attracted the oddballs?

"Yes. I brought the trunk when I came to him and when I left I took it with me."

"What's in it?" Something about the look on Aiko's face made her wish she hadn't asked.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough."

Aiko walked over to the trunk, which was blatantly on display in the entryway of Aiko's home, and opened the latch. From where she was standing Sakura was unable to see the contents of the trunk but she did see Aiko pull out a pair of handcuffs. He dangled them from his fingers for a moment or two with a mischievous smile on his face.

Sakura's mind shut down for a moment.

It booted back up once she heard the handcuffs snap around her wrist. "Eww! Don't put those on me!"

Sakura didn't need to ask any more questions about the contents of the trunk. She had a feeling that she knew what was in there and wanted no part of it. What she wouldn't give to rewind their whole mission about thirty minutes and say 'screw it, let's go home'.

Aiko chuckled at her juvenile reaction. "You'll thank me later." His finger flew into an unfamiliar jutsu and Sakura could feel fear lodged in her throat choking her. Once he was done he lightly touched the handcuffs and they took on a green glow that Sakura recognized as charka.

"You will leave here and never return." His voice said and for a weird moment Sakura felt compelled to obey but she quickly shook it off. Before she could make a retort she felt Kakashi start dragging her out of the restaurant. It took a momentous amount of self-control to keep her from digging in her heels to stop him so that they could finish their dreadful task. However, she knew that discretion is the better part of valor so Sakura allowed herself to be dragged off.

:::

It took Sakura longer than she thought to break through the mental chains that Aiko had tossed on Kakashi's mind. It was mainly because the way he was staring at her was unnerving. It was also doing wicked things to her pulse and concentration.

She was glad that mind control was something that she was almost always able to overcome and since Ino was one of her closest friends she knew a thing or two about how to help someone else overcome the obstacle.

The first thing Kakashi said once she had healed him was, "Oh, we were defeated."

"You think?" Sakura replied her attention turning to their handcuffs. They were warm to the touch and flared white when they touched them simultaneously. She wasn't certain about Kakashi but she became rather…uncomfortable when they touched them together so she stopped doing it.

"Are we going back?" Sakura asked quietly. She didn't want to. Aiko had left them alive when he could have easily slit their throats. Still, she knew the answer to the question before she asked it.

"Of course." Sakura sighed. "Only when we go back we're not just bringing the trunk."

"What else are we bringing?" Sakura inquired and rose to her feet as Kakashi did.

"We're bringing her.

"Her? Kakashi that was a guy."

Kakashi raised a brow. "Sakura, that was a girl."

"That was totally a guy.

"Sakura, I know a woman when I see one."

"I know a guy when I see one."

"Apparently not if you think that was one."

"Women have breasts Kakashi. He had no breasts."

"Tight binding will give the illusion of a flat chest. You, of all people, should know that."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sakura's voice raised an octave or two at the statement.

Kakashi sighed. "Let's just drop it. We have more important thing to deal with."

"No. I don't want to drop it. It was a guy."

"She was in a relationship with your Tsuki who's very obviously heterosexual."

"He was just compensating."

"Sakura she had a body that was fuckable—" Kakashi cut himself and shook his head realizing the conversation was rapidly going down the drain. "As soon as we get these cuffs off we're going back grabbing the trunk and Aiko," Kakashi was sure to use the name this time in hopes of forestalling any more arguments about the gender of the mysterious Aiko.

"Why would we do that?"

"Look underneath the underneath, Sakura. This mission isn't just about some trunk."

"Anything else isn't our business."

"Yes, but I'm certain since we will have success in getting the trunk your Tsuki will then employ Konoha to bring his lover to him. We might as well kill two birds with one stone."

Sakura sighed knowing he was right but really still not wanting to deal with the hassle. "If we just wait Konoha can make more money."

"Why, Sakura, that sounds rather avaricious."

It was actually her being lazy but she decided she wouldn't mention it. Sakura sighed. "Well, at least I know why he rejected my attempts to pick him up." Kakashi paused for a moment or two while he let it sink in that Sakura was flirting with another woman. He was glad at moments like this that he wore a mask since they were essential for hiding nosebleeds.

"You hit on the enemy?" Kakashi's brow arched and Sakura rolled her eyes in response.

"Oh, whatever, it was part of the job."

"Was it now?"

He didn't believe her and somehow she knew he was going to hold this over her head for the rest of her life.

"And he wasn't even the enemy then. He was a lead."

"She was always the enemy. You just didn't know it. You should meditate on that."

Sakura was beginning to suspect a theme to the mission. It distracted her so much that she didn't even notice that Kakashi said 'she'.

:::

Several hours had passed and the two had decided to find the nearest inn and figure out what needed to be done to set them free. The fresh air wasn't giving them any ideas so maybe a night of rest would. Actually, Sakura was beginning to get several ideas concerning her confinement to Kakashi's side although none of them had anything to do with setting herself free….

She was checking out his ass. She was checking out Kakashi freakin' Hatake's ass and she was pleased with herself. In those moments, on that day, she felt like the cat that ate the canary. Whatever excuse she could get to look at the 'ground' behind him she took. And a fine ass it was. It was pert and cute and doing things to her body that some men couldn't even do with other parts of their anatomy. Sakura suddenly began fanning herself because the temperature outside raised a couple of degrees. Seriously where did that thing come from? Would it be wrong to cop a feel? Sakura was one to readily admit—only to herself—that she was a perv. But a perv for her former sensei? Did she know no bounds? Sakura peered behind Kakashi once more and thereafter realized that she obviously didn't have any bounds.

And what the hell was up with the stupid handcuffs? Yes…the cuffs. She'd focus on the cuffs before her eyes started drifting to other parts of Kakashi's anatomy…like his pack- "So…how do we get these things off?" Sakura said inspecting their cuffed hands and immediately cut off all thoughts in her currently very dangerous mind. The green glow of the handcuffs shone at them and Sakura found herself filled with foreboding.

"Aren't you the one good at charka manipulation?" Kakashi said raising a brow at her and Sakura scowled knowing he was trying to turn the tables to make their current situation seem like her fault.

"Aren't you the genius? The man of a thousand jutsu? Surely you've seen this before and know how it works."

Kakashi shrugged. "I am rather great." Kakashi said nodding his head. "And while I do know most things—I must humbly say that I don't know everything."

Kakashi turned and smiled at Sakura raising his free arm and scratching the back of his head; before she knew it she was smiling back. "So…what do you know?"

His face took on a pondering look, and then a heat so hot filled his eye that it spread to her due to her proximity.

"Mmm…I know that these handcuffs aren't necessarily a handicap." Something on his face told Sakura that wasn't what he intended to say but she found herself intrigued by his words so much so that she stopped walking forcing Kakashi to stop as well. He raised a brow at her unexpected stop. "And how is that?"

He hesitated a minute or two before answering and when he did his words came out slow, lazy, and sultry. "Well that depends on how you use them."

Sakura paused. Had she heard an innuendo in his voice? No…that wasn't possible. This was Kakashi. There's no way he could possibly be—

"So how would you use them to keep them from being a handicap?" Sakura said before she could stop herself. Sakura nearly smacked herself for asking the question. She felt like a trap had just been set and she had willingly jumped into it.

Kakashi slowly stepped closer to Sakura-not that he wasn't already close to begin with. It was just that he seemed to become the center point of the universe and she had the opportunity to stand with him in the middle of the world. "A wise person once told me that if you don't want an answer to a question—you shouldn't ask it."

Sakura felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest wildly. Her tongue darted out moistening her lips that seemed suddenly dry and she caught Kakashi's eye tracing the movement. What was happening to them? Did she care? "And if I want the answer?" Sakura said unknowingly moving closer to him.

"Then once you receive the answer you should accept it with open arms."

"Then that's what I'll do." Sakura whispered not noticing that Kakashi's eye had darkened considerably.

Kakashi looked down at their chained hands. "Then open yours Sakura and I'll show you the benefits—all of them."

Sakura opened her arms.

Sakura had been kissed before. She was no stranger to the act. She could honestly say that she had experienced all forms of kisses. A quick peck on the cheek, a deep thorough kiss, a kiss on the hand etcetera, etcetera, but she could honestly say that when Kakashi's lips met hers he put a distinct line on what a kiss could be like and what it should be like. Her body burst into flames as his lips gently, but firmly coaxed a response out of her. When she felt his tongue dart out to taste her she realized that his mask was gone but was too caught up in sensation to care one whit about it. His lips were soft and sweet, welcoming and hot, all consuming and erotic.

Why hadn't she done this before? It seemed foolish to deny herself the pleasure this man could have given her for so long. So much time had been wasted.

Kakashi's free hand reached around her and he trailed his fingers down her spine causing her to shiver and lean in closer to him. She heard him groan and she realized that she had been rubbing her chest against his in a slow, deliberate, teasing manner. His hand dipped lower cupping her behind and pressing her close to him. She could feel the length of him pressed against her and she let her hand brush over him.

He pulled a way and Sakura whimpered at the loss and tried to return to his arms but he denied her. It made her angry. Why? Why would he make her burn so brilliantly then push her away? Why start a fire to let it die out? Her question was answered but her mind barely registered it because suddenly they were moving.

The wind whipped through her hair blurring her vision but since Kakashi was taking the lead and pulling her along it didn't matter. Vision didn't matter. All she wanted was to feel, touch, taste…him.

She must have been slowing them down because she was unceremoniously swept up into his arms and he moved faster. Sakura took the moment of freedom to let her hands roam over his chest and hated that his clothing separated her from his skin but it didn't seem to matter too much to Kakashi as she heard him making noises in the back of his throat of appreciation.

He procured some sort of room for them before she knew it. She noticed the woman behind the counter giving her a look that screamed, 'I'm a jealous bitch' making Sakura realize that Kakashi's mask was down. Why was his mask down? He never did that. She blinked owlishly at the face that was revealed to her for the first time.

He's so beautiful.

The words passed through her mind and a silly smile crossed her lips. His face, almost feminine in its beauty, would have given Sasuke a run for his money in the looks department and yet his face was tempered by the scar over his eye that made him look more masculine. It was a fascinating contradiction, one that caused her to trail her fingers down his jaw line, over his lips and back up his face. He turned his face into her palm and kissed it lightly causing a shiver to flow through her body.

It didn't matter to Sakura who saw, what anyone thought. The only thing that mattered was him, her, a bed, and the word 'quickly'. Well, maybe not 'quickly' since that could turn out so wrong.

He laid her on the bed and quickly covered her body with his heat. Lips nipped at her neck moving down on the collar bone teasing her in a delightfully wicked way. Skilled hands removed her shorts and tossed them across the room. Sakura chuckled when she heard the shorts hit the wall with a soft 'thunk'.

Kakashi's hands then roamed to the bottom of her shirt, bringing hers along for the ride. His hands slid under her shirt and Sakura felt his eye watching her carefully as her body moved restlessly.

Her breasts were unbound and free. At that discovery Kakashi raised a single brow but Sakura merely shrugged. She didn't have enough to cause much of a fuss so there never seemed to be a need to bind them. Kakashi let out a grunt that Sakura took to be a sign of appreciation before he urged her to cup her breasts while his fingers brushed back and forth across her nipples lightly, teasing them distending them. Sakura arched her back into his touch wanting more yet still retained enough pride at that point to keep from begging.

Soon thereafter Kakashi slid her shirt off one of her arms and over her head.

And then he stopped moving. Sakura's eyes, which had been closed enjoying the sensation of both her hands and his, popped open.

"What? What's wrong?" She asked breathless.

"Your shirt…" He said looking down at their handcuffed hands. Sakura, seeing the problem, groaned. There was no way to get her shirt completely off her body since the cuffs would prevent it from completely coming off.

Kakashi stared at the shirt.

Sakura stared at the shirt.

Kakashi stared at the shirt.

Sakura stared at the shirt.

Sakura, snapping out of her daze first, snarled, "Damn the shirt and damn yours too." Sakura raised her free hand and tore his shirt off his body revealing Kakashi's skin to her greedy eyes.

His chest was covered in scars. It seemed not an inch of it was left unmarked. Her eyes darted up to his questioningly but even unmasked his face hid the answers to the questions she suddenly desperately wanted. However, the question wouldn't be answered and so she focused on getting what she could from the man on top of her. Sakura leaned up and trailed her tongue across one of the scars glorying in the fact that his body trembled in her grasp. Who would have thought that Sakura Haruno had the ability to make Kakashi Hatake tremble? Sakura tasted power and decided she liked it on the menu. She placed a light kiss on the spot where she had just tasted him then reached over and ripped her shirt off her body and pushed it aside.

Kakashi took that time to divest himself of the rest of his clothing and laying his nude body on top of Sakura who still wore a pair of lacy black panties. A hiss escaped Sakura when she felt the tell-tale evidence of his desire. Her hips arched upward pressing herself against him in a wordless demand that was ignored—because no one tells Kakashi Hatake what to do except his Kage and he didn't always listen to her.

Kakashi raised the arm that was chained to hers forcing hers to move as well. He stared at it for a moment and for a second clarity returned to his eyes.

"Sakura…these cuffs are what are driving us to each other. What we're feeling…isn't real. We may well regret it tomorrow."

Sakura bucked her hips once more in askance, "We'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow."

It seemed to be all the answer he needed before he surrendered to the force driving them.

Claiming her lips in a kiss that was not artful but rather purely carnal Kakashi spread her legs apart aligning his body with hers. His hips began to move slowly grinding against hers. Sparks of pleasure flashed through her body causing her to bite her bottom lip at the sheer pain the pleasure was causing her. She moved to wrap her arms around him but cursed remembering their hands.

"Sakura." Kakashi said once her had broken their kiss and leaned down next to her ear. His lips brushed against her eliciting a moan from between her lips. "Sakura." He repeated once more when she didn't respond since she was still distracted by the hips that hadn't stopped in their tortuous grind and the lips so close yet not close enough.

"Mmm?"

"Do you remember what I told you?"

"Mmm?"

"I'll show you how they're not a handicap."

He then slid her wicked piece of black lace to the side and buried himself deep inside her. Sakura's mouth opened in a wordless scream at the welcome invasion and Kakashi took that moment of distraction to raise both their arms above their heads thereafter entwining his fingers in hers. "Don't let go. No matter what…don't let go."

Kakashi's hips began to rock stretching her, filling her impossibly. At first he moved as if she was a porcelain doll and he would break her. Each stroke was slow, unhurried, and perfectly calculated to drive her mad. Her fingers strained to break free of his grip but his hold only tightened.

Sakura heard herself begin to whimper as she tossed her head back and forth. Her body was on the border of desperation and frustration at his leisurely pace. She tried everything she could think of to get him to quicken his pace. She raised her hips to meet every thrust. She tightened her vaginal muscles around him but all he did was groan and call her a naughty girl. She bit his shoulder but that only seemed to heighten her pleasure.

"Please." Sakura whimpered finally. Her eyes, which had been shut tightly, parted slightly to see droplets of perspiration forming on his brow. It seemed his endeavor to tease her had weighed as heavily on him as it did her. Sakura tongue darted out to moisten her lips before she let out her plea again.

"What do you want Sakura? Tell me what you want." Eyes locked at his question and Sakura answered with no hesitation.

"More, faster, harder—"

"Like this?" Kakashi inquired before sliding into her with a force that elicited a long scream from her throat that Kakashi swallowed in a kiss. He answered her plea moving inside her with a brutal force. Sakura longed to rake her fingers down his back to show her appreciation for his actions but Kakashi hadn't released his grip on her and although she could force him to let her go she didn't want to. Somehow, not being able to move as she wished made the pleasure more acute. All she could do was feel.

The bed springs wailed and moaned at the actions that were taking place upon it. Had Sakura been in her right mind she would have recognized that their actions could cause some hostilities with the people in the neighboring rooms but she wasn't in her right mind and even if she had been she probably wouldn't have given a damn. They would have been just jealous that they weren't getting the treatment she was.

It hit her like a ton a bricks. Pleasure crashed over her stealing her breath away, making her limbs weak to a point where she trembled rather noticeably. Kakashi's weight collapsed on top of her body soon thereafter and his hands loosened their grip but didn't let go. A smile worked its way upon her face before her eyes closed allowing her to drift to sleep.

:::

When Sakura opened her eyes it was to Kakashi's lips feasting upon her nipple. It seemed he knew the exact moment she was going to open her eyes because he his own rose to meet hers never once stopping his ministrations on her body—not that she wanted him to it was just that she saw something expectant in his eyes and she didn't know why.

Her body was hot all over and only his touch could ease the pain. "The cuffs fell off last night." Kakashi murmured but Sakura frowned confused as to why she was still bound…in fact now both her hands were—

"You put them back on me." Sakura said mildly irritated but not enough to yell about it especially when his calloused hands roamed freely over her body. Both her hands were bound together and stretched over her head. The small links between the cuffs were threaded through the headboard of the bed securing her so that she couldn't move. She tugged at the cuffs a little, rattling the bed.

"They're pleasure cuffs."

"You knew what they—" Sakura yelped when a single digit reached her core and slipped into her depths . One finger at first followed by a second and a third. He stretched her open touching her in all the right places. "Were?" She finally completed her mouth hanging open as she panted heavily.

"I figured it out later. These must be an older model. I think your friend Aiko is older than both of us think to have such an…antique." Kakashi took her neglected nipple into his mouth then drawing on it so hard that Sakura came hard in response. His chest rumbled as he chuckled as she came. Her muscles clenched at his hand as he continued to stroke inside her stretching her climax out as long as he could.

The cuffs fell off her wrists but Sakura was in too much bliss to notice. She rolled on to her side and curled up next to Kakashi's body. He draped an arm around her waist pulling her close but still continued on as in lecture mode as if he hadn't just given her two of the best orgasms in her life. "The purpose of the cuffs was originally to use on a single person—particularly on seduction missions. They enhance a person's desire-making it almost unbearable. However, if you put the cuffs on two people, like what was done for us, then the insatiable desire is directed at the person they are handcuffed to."

"Are you upset by this?" Sakura asked, laying her face against his chest.

"Right now?" When Sakura nodded Kakashi replied, "No."

"Will you be later?"

"We'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow." Kakashi said and Sakura laughed in response.

3 days later

Time had passed. Another day had arisen and reality had to be faced. Kakashi and Sakura lay in the bed side by side staring at the ceiling. Their days of wicked abandon had finally come to an end and needless to say things were…awkward.

"So…" Sakura began nervously. Her hands fidgeted with the sheet that covered them both in an effort to keep from wringing her hands together. If it had just been one night under the influence of the pleasure cuffs then they would have been able to shrug it off and go on about their business. However, that hadn't been the case. They had spent days together doing things to each other with and without the pleasure cuffs. Their actions had been quite deliberate, quite sane.

Sakura could still taste Kakashi in her mouth and shivered slightly at the memory.

"Mmm." Kakashi said and then cleared his throat. His hands were behind his head and they twitched ever so slightly with the desire to pull her close once more but Sakura didn't notice.

"I think it's safe to say that this mission is a bust."

Kakashi nodded his head and when he glanced out the corner of his eye to see that she wasn't looking at him replied, "Yes."

"So we should probably head back."

"Mmm."

"I need to shower." Sakura said but still didn't move.

"I do too." Kakashi replied and between them laid an unspoken sentence.

Let's shower together.

"You can go first." Sakura offered.

"No, it's fine. You can go."

Sakura, well aware that she was very naked, didn't want to get up first and expose her naked body to the man she had just spent three days having wild sex with. It was stupid really but she couldn't help how she felt which was weird and awkward. It was a million times worse than your average one night stand because she didn't want it to end.

"Is there a robe somewhere?" She asked and wished she hadn't because she suddenly felt stupid and of course Kakashi would make the situation worse.

"Sakura, I've already seen everything. Why would you need a robe?"

Sakura's face flushed in embarrassment first and then anger. Sakura snatched the single sheet that covered them both and wrapped around herself as she rose to her feet. She glanced at Kakashi to see his hands drop down to cover his privates and Sakura couldn't quite muffle the snicker that erupted from her. She turned away from him then and marched into the bathroom. She shut the door softly behind her and slid down onto the floor. Sakura reached up with one hand to cover her mouth while the other clutched her stomach as she let out a gale of giggles.

The nerve of him to criticize her for her sudden attack of modesty.

They left for home shortly after they had both showered and dressed. Sakura ignored the twinge of soreness between her thighs because with every ache she was reminded of the pleasure associated with it. Even with all her ignoring she was still in a semi-aroused state and she knew that if she saw any form of invitation in the face of her companion she'd let him take her.

He kept his back to her.

It wasn't long before they ran into a team that had obviously been sent to retrieve them. Sakura gave Ino a wan smile as her long time friend rushed over to her. She glanced at Genma and Shikamaru and vaguely wondered where Chouji was and why he wasn't with his team.

"Are you okay, Sakura? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Sakura looked into the concerned blue eyes of her friend and then glanced over at Kakashi who was talking to Genma. As if he could sense her eyes on him he turned and looked at her. Remembrance of the days and nights that had just passed flashed through her mind. A slow smile graced her lips and Sakura saw an answering smile on Kakashi's recently covered face that she would now forever be able to picture in her mind.

"Ino," Sakura began, "I don't think I've felt better in my life."

a/n: I've spent the entire day trying to come up with a name for this story.