Rating: T

Words: 2200

Pairings: Kakashi/Sakura

Warnings/Summary: Mostly fluff, brief dip into smutty but not too much, Genma (I feel like my Genma should always come with a warning)

Author Notes: Short piece written for KakaSaku Week 2016 on tumbler. The prompt was salty. Enjoy, review, pm, whatever!

Heat rippled in waves off the sand, distorting Kakashi's vision when he stared at it for too long. There were no clouds in the cerulean sky, only brilliant sunlight baking the world beneath its golden rays. A faint breeze blew from the ocean and waves crashed against the sand. Kakashi's eyes drifted shut from the rhythmic lulling and he nestled into his chair, Icha Icha covering his face.

A high-pitched shriek shattered the peace. Naruto, Kakashi thought hazily. He opened an eye as second scream tore through his pleasant seclusion. Somehow, Kakashi had convinced himself that this trip would be a good idea; he'd even planned it. Well, that might have been overstating things slightly. Kakashi told Shikamaru they were taking a trip to somewhere sunny, and left the details to the more capable man.

Though the sound hadn't issued from Shikamaru, Kakashi found the man near the source. Nara stood waist deep in the water with Ino on his shoulders, both laughing, as their friends surfaced a few feet away. Naruto shook water from his hair, complaining that it wasn't his fault, as Sakura threatened to punch him. Things were finally getting back to normal. The war had been difficult on all of them and watching the four of them act their age instead of Kakashi's made the silver-haired man smile. Not that there was anything wrong with being thirty-three, of course.

Leaning back, Kakashi glanced down at Icha Icha Tactics. Though he knew the entire book by heart, having it open provided two things. First, it covered his bare face. The mask attached to his shirt so when Kakashi removed it, he'd lost the familiar safety net. Thankfully, everyone was too preoccupied to notice. Reading also made him appear busy. When they'd arrived, both Naruto and Sakura had tried to drag Kakashi toward the water. He'd firmly resisted their attempts until they gave up.

Kakashi reclined beneath an umbrella and watched his former students and their classmates act like young adults rather than shinobi. Well, most of them were. Guy and Lee raced each other down the beach on their hands in the names of youth and endurance but that was hardly unusual. Further down, Choji returned with more food in his hands while Sai sketched the scene before him. Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Ino were play fighting in the water, the girls attempting to topple each other off the boy's shoulders. So far there had been no mention of shadow clones or shadow possession, but Kakashi suspected it was only a matter of time.

"I'm sure Sakura wants you," Genma's paused just long enough for Kakashi's gaze to flick up before continuing. "I'm sure she wants you to join them, I mean. She's been throwing herself at you all week." Genma had been teasing Kakashi over Sakura for weeks, even before they came to the beach, convinced that they were sleeping together, or on the verge of it.

"No she hasn't," Kakashi replied adamantly, forcing himself not to look at Sakura in her red two-piece as she perched on Naruto's shoulders. "Some of us live in the real world, not in a fantasy like you."

Genma nodded as his hazel eyes shifted to the book in Kakashi's hand. "Sure you do."

"Why are you wasting your time with me? It looks like you have your hands full already," Kakashi glanced at the two women, civilians by the look of them, gazing longingly at Genma. They were clearly enamored with the shinobi after only a few hours.

"They only want me for my body." Genma sighed dramatically but Kakashi didn't buy it. Genma never care why a woman wanted him, as long as she did, in fact, want him. The man stretched, completely aware of the muscles moving beneath his skin. One of the women gasped and swayed into her friend, eyes locked on the ninja's back. Genma grinned and glanced over his shoulder. "I'm not the only one who has an admirer."

Unbidden, Kakashi turned his attention to the pairs in the water. The girls were locked in a fierce bout, Sakura's hands tangled in blond hair while Ino gripped her friend's shoulders. That's a terrible idea on water slicked skin-Kakashi barely completed that thought before Sakura let out a screech. She threw herself backward, dragging Naruto under the water with her legs, as Shikamaru's mouth dropped open, salt water splashing into his face. Ino looked equally stunned, hand still closed around the red fabric of Sakura's top.

Kakashi's former students came up together and Naruto coughed, spitting out water. Sakura only surfaced as far as her chin. Shikamaru spun away from her so quickly that Ino slid from his shoulders. As he watched the drama unfold, Kakashi suddenly realized how warm the air was. A blush burned across his cheeks.

"I've heard nosebleeds can be quite serious," Genma teased, smirk on his lips. "Want me to get you a towel?"

Unconsciously, Kakashi touched his face, then glared at Genma. "Do you want me to send you back to Konoha?" The other man burst out laughing.

"Narrruuuto," Sakura yelled and half a second later the boy was skidding across the surface of the water. Ino cowered behind Shikamaru's shoulder, face pressed against his back, as she tossed the garment to the other girl. When Sakura stood up, her top was back in place through some kind of feminine magic that Kakashi didn't understand and she was looking furiously between her friends.

"I didn't see anything Sakura-chan, there wasn't anything-I mean I'm sure they're nice but-" Naruto sputtered through apologies, going from bad to worse. "Tell her Shikamaru. I didn't see anything, I couldn't have."

The Nara avoided being dragged into the argument as Sakura growled loud enough for the men on the beach to hear. Genma laughed again. "Gods, that one is all fire from being around Tsunade. Good luck taming that." Before Kakashi could come up with a reply, the man had gone back to his own women.

The pinkette huffed in annoyance as she stepped out of the water. Kakashi's mind was so preoccupied by what it had just seen that he forgot to turn away. Water glistened on her tanned skin and without asking his mind's permission, Kakashi's eyes traced the winding path of a stream down the curves of her abs. He definitely wasn't thinking about the way the combination of water and sunlight highlighted Sakura's muscles. When he tasted the coppery tang of blood on his lips, Kakashi jerked his attention away. Pulling the towel from his lap, he dabbed at the crimson liquid. It was time to put his shirt and mask back on, no matter how warm it was. He reached for hit and startled when a bottle of water appeared next to his head.

"That wasn't very observant for a shinobi, much less the Hokage. Is your smutty book that distracting?" Sakura leaned against the back of his chair, trying to read over Kakashi's shoulder. He took the water from her and rested the book against his lips, effectively blocking her view. Sakura laughed. Had it always been that musical, or was this a new development? "I'm old enough to buy it myself, you know?"

"Then you should. I don't share well." Kakashi regulated his tone to one of disinterest as she settled next to him in the sand.

Sakura made a sound in her throat and tipped her head back, drinking deeply from her own water. Kakashi watched her from the corner of his eye. She was mostly beneath the shadow of his umbrella but her legs were stretched out, toes in the sunshine. She glowed with the dusting of sunburn on her cheeks and shoulders. Her pink hair was darker from the water, and flecks of sand clung to her skin. Kakashi wondered if she would feel like fire in his arms. Would her lips taste like summer personified?

"You've been bleeding?" Sakura glanced at the towel in Kakashi's lap, startling him from his thoughts. "What did you do?"

"I cut my foot on a shell. It's perfectly fine," Kakashi fended off her efforts to heal him. "It's a good reminder to be careful."

Sakura rolled her eyes and tilted her head at him. "Why don't you come swim with us? It would feel good; it's too hot out here. You're sweating."

"Yes," Kakashi cleared his throat. "It is the middle of summer. Of course it's hot."

"You're impossible," Sakura grumbled and pushed herself back to her feet. Tossing her bottle by his side, she walked toward the water without a backward glance. Kakashi tried to tear his eyes from the sway of her hips, but it was difficult.

As much as he hated to admit it, Genma was right. Sakura seemed to be trying to drive him insane. Lingering touches that lasted a bit too long and flirting in an all too effective attempt to fluster him. She couldn't have planned Ino pulling her top off, of course, but the combination was maddening. This trip had been a terrible idea. Tonight was their last night before heading back to Konoha. Then, things could go back to normal.

Kakashi reopened his book to let the familiar passages calm his nerves. Jiraiya's scenes were evocative, immediately drawing the reader in, and the book as opened to was one of Kakashi's favorites. He let his mind wander, thinking of the way the main character nipped at his lover's throat, pulled her lithe body against his. They shoved clothing out of the way as he bent her over the desk, bodies straining with desire. His fingers wrapped in rose-colored hair while she moaned his name. The Hokage robes tangled around their legs as he pressed closer and felt the soft skin under his hands.

Gasping, Kakashi snapped the book shut and pulled his towel over his face to cover his blush. He wouldn't give Genma or Sakura the pleasure of seeing it. Laying the book across his lap, Kakashi covered his eyes with the crook of an elbow and listened to the steady cadence of the waves against the shore. He matched his breathing to that sound, calming his pounding heart. Heat crept into his body, eased the usually tense muscles, and his eyes drifted shut.

Fingers brushed through Kakashi's silver hair, scratching against his scalp in way that made him want to beg for more. Though he would never admit it, the man loved having someone play with his hair. It had been a long time since anyone had been close enough with him to do so. The breeze was cooler, caressing his bare skin, but the lullaby of the ocean was the same. Cocooned safely with the haze of sleep, Kakashi opened his eyes when he heard his name. It was evening, sky painted with blue and purple streaks and the sun dipped below the horizon.

Kakashi's mind leaped toward wakefulness when realized Sakura was looking down at him, cheeks as pink as her namesake. He tried to jerk away in surprise, but her hand tightened in his hair. She shifted with him to keep from overbalancing the chair and pitching them both into the sand. One horrified moment later, he realized she was sitting in his lap, thighs wrapped around his hips.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi's usually strong voice came out just shy of a terrified squeak.

Sakura hadn't touched the towel covering his chest and half of his face. She exhaled, gazing down at him with an expression somewhere between tender and demanding. With their faces this close together, Kakashi saw her in a way he never had before. Long eyelashes framed emerald eyes, her lips curled into a soft smile, and faint freckles scattered over her cheekbones and nose. God, she was gorgeous.

"Getting tired of waiting," Sakura breathed in response to his question. Kakashi's stunned mind struggled to process her meaning, even when she pressed against his chest. Slender fingers moved up to the towel and hooked on the edges. Her green eyes met his, asking permission as she started to remove it. Sakura took his silence for assent and to his surprise, she closed her eyes.

Despite that, Sakura's lips had no trouble finding Kakashi's, timid at first then more heated as she encouraged him to respond. He had wanted her for so long that Kakashi almost wondered if he was still dreaming, but the slight pain when her fingers tightened in his hair reminded him that this was real. Smiling against her mouth, Kakashi gently captured her lower lip with his teeth, enjoying the shudder of pleasure that ran through her body. When they pulled apart, Sakura finally opened her eyes and gazed at his face. Kakashi would always remember that their first kiss was blind because she fell in love him, not his looks.

Her eyes continued to examine his exposed face and Kakashi smiled at the blush deepening in her cheeks. His tongue darted over his lips, tasting the sea's salt from hers in the dampness of their kiss. He had never craved anything so much in his entire life. As night fell over the beach, Kakashi pulled Sakura against him, surrendering to sunlight.