Trying my hand at something without a lot (or any?) of angst. Entirely new ball game for me. Warnings are language.

x indicates flashback.

"You have got to be kidding me." Sakura said, nothing short of intense terror on her face.

Her mother sighed. "You're nineteen Sakura. It's about time you got out and- "

"Exactly!" Sakura interrupted, throwing her hands in the air. "I'm only nineteen! And in case you've forgotten, I'm a shinobi, mother! I can't go around having- having- " The idea was simply too terrible to say out loud. Had her mother lost her sodding mind? How could she even think that Sakura would consider something as primitive, something as sexist and embarrassing as a-

"Listen to me, Sakura," Her mother said sharply, standing from the kitchen table. "Just because you chose the life of a ninja doesn't mean that I have to suffer too. I want grandchildren! I want you to find a handsome, smart man with a little money so you don't have to risk your neck every day!"

Sakura massaged her temples, already sick of the same old argument. "I became a ninja because I wanted to, and I love my job, mother. That's not going to change."

"I knew it was a mistake, you getting your own place. It was bound to make you even more irrational and stubborn. This is what girls do, Sakura. Normal girls."

"And as you tirelessly remind me, I'm not normal. So the answer is no. Hell no." Sakura reached for her jacket, already on the way out the door.

"This isn't over!" Her mother promised, slamming the door shut as soon as Sakura was on the porch.

"Happy birthday to me." Sakura said through clenched teeth, flipping the hood of her jacket up and beginning the trek to her apartment.

oooo

...looking back I realize it was always there,

just never spoken...

Naruto and Sasuke away on some mission with Neji and Lee, Sakura was hoping that the evening could end in a stiff drink and a hot bath.

Kakashi, however, had different plans.

"I hope I'm not bothering you." He said, his sincerity feigned when Sakura, dressed in sweats, her hair wet, answered the door.

"Well you are, actually. So I'll just be seeing you then, sensei- " Sakura made to close the door, but Kakashi pushed past her.

"You shouldn't be so antisocial, Sakura." Kakashi admonished, setting a large, square package wrapped in sliver paper on her coffee table.

"I really don't think you have room to talk." Sakura said, not sure if there really was anybody more like a hermit in Konoha, excepting Sai, of course. "How long are you planning on staying?" She thought longingly of her bed, soft and warm and waiting for her to crash into it.

"Why yes, that would be wonderful, thank you, a drink is just what I need." Kakashi said, reclining into Sakura's couch. "Scotch, if you have it." He said, looking pointedly at the bottle of scotch on the table.

Sakura sighed, but went into the kitchen to get ice and a glass.

"Since the team is gone, and Ino is away on R and R, I knew your company would be scarce."

"And?" Sakura asked.

It now struck her as odd, very odd, that Kakashi was here at all. In all the time they'd known each other, he'd never paid her a visit. Besides, what was so bad about scarce company? Shouldn't one be allowed to seethe in the dark and nurse their sorrows with liberal amounts of alcohol, should they be so inclined?

"And nobody should have to be alone on their birthday." He said, indicating the package. "Open it."

"Oh, right, thanks." Sakura said, pulling the package toward her. She was slightly wary of what Kakashi would consider an appropriate gift for her. It doesn't matter what it is, she thought, act like you love it.

She gently tore off the wrapping paper, setting it aside on the coffee table, and opened the lid of the box. Deep intake of breath, she walked herself through the first motion.

And then she saw it.

"It's beautiful," She said, the gasp genuine. She held the dress, jade green and made of the softest material she'd ever felt, to her frame. "Sensei, thank you, so much." She looked up at Kakashi, who has looking determinedly into his glass.

"I only wish I had somewhere to show it off." Sakura said, laying the dress across her lap. Never had she been given something so elegant, something so surely expensive.

"Ah, then you do feel up to going out. Good. We leave in an hour."

Sakura lifted an eyebrow. "Leave? To where?"

Kakashi reached into his pocket. "It seemed the sort of thing you'd like." He handed her two tickets. She snatched them away, holding them up to the light, having recognized the insignia on the top of the tickets.

"These are real." She said, her breathing becoming off balanced.

"Yes," Kakashi agreed.

"Genuine third row orchestra seats."

"They're supposed to be very good...is that wrong?"

"These are seats so close to the stage that if I wanted to, I could reach out and touch the actors."

Kakashi stood up. "Hm. I don't suggest that. Not that I'm speaking from personal experience, of course." He shook his head. "Well, since you've accepted your presents with good grace, I should probably go change. I'll be back in a few." And without a further word, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

oooo

...you make me feel out of my element like I'm drifting out to the sea

like the tide's pullin' me in deeper makin' it harder to breathe...

Sakura was just spritzing herself with perfume when there came another knock at the door. She gave a final twirl to the mirror, smiling at the way the dress hugged her body. Perhaps this night wouldn't be a total wash.

She had a gorgeous outfit, that, oddly enough, paired very well with the heels that Ino had given her as a gift before she went away on R and R. She was going to one of her most favorite shows, and she could just forget all about her mother and her stupid, primitive ideas and just try and enjoy herself.

"Coming!" She called as Kakashi knocked again.

She opened the door, smiling. "You're on time for once, Kakashi-sensei. Very impressive." Well, that's what she had planned on saying. But when she saw him, his black suit fitting like it was meant for him, she couldn't even form a coherent sentence, let alone actually open her mouth for the words to come out.

He looked good. No, that would be an insult. He looked absolutely incredible. He'd made some effort at controlling his hair, and his shinobi headband had been discarded, only a strapless black eye patch covering his left eye. Of course, the lower half of his face was still masked, but Sakura only appreciated it more. It added to the whole enigmatic look he was undoubtedly (or effortlessly; she never could tell) going for.

If it had to be put down to one word, Kakashi was sexy. No, Sakura corrected herself, he looked sexy. Yes, Sakura decided, basking in the denial, that's exactly what you meant.

Not that she'd never thought of him that way before, though, if she was being entirely honest. He'd always been one of the most handsome men she'd ever known, if not the most handsome, she'd decided, after she'd finally seen him unmasked when he was brought to the clinic, (out cold, of course, by another jounin who'd been on a mission with him). She thought Kakashi had probably realized what she had done, because since that moment he was somewhat comfortable around her when he wasn't masked. Sakura didn't know too much about Kakashi's family, just what she'd gleaned from those who had known him when he was younger, but she had a feeling that he wore the mask so people wouldn't constantly tell him how much like his father he looked.

And of course working at the clinic, it was inevitable that she would have, at some point, given him a routine check-up, and she was always on hand when he needed to be healed. She'd seen more of her former sensei then could really be deemed appropriate, and was a constant source of jealousy among the clinic staff for her closeness with him. They could talk and joke, and he'd even had the decency to treat her to dinner (well, one time anyway, when she had managed to sneak out of the restaurant's bathroom before the bill came, leaving him to finally pay for a meal).

She supposed she was really lucky, to get to be this close to him, in a way that nobody else ever had. She highly doubted that he'd taken any of his girlfriends to the theater, bought them gorgeous dresses and made them feel like princesses. The common talk among Kakashi's exploits were none too kind in the romance department, but they claimed he more than made up for it in other departments.

Sakura shook her head. It didn't matter what other women said. It wasn't like this was a date, no matter how attractive he was, or how hopeful she was.

Gods above, her mother was starting to rub off on her.

"Sakura?" Kakashi said, having stood before her in silence this whole time.

"Oh, right, sorry. Um, well I'm ready if you are." She said, looking away from him. That was better; if she wasn't ogling him, she could act like a normal human being.

Kakashi nodded, and gestured for Sakura to leave the apartment first. She smiled at him, a faint blush creeping over her cheeks as she realized that Kakashi's eye had been doing to her exactly what hers had been doing to him. He was trailing his gaze down her form, then up again, almost in...appreciation? Sakura narrowed her eyes, confused at how this made her stomach leap. Okay, it was really time to stop drinking so much...

"This show," Kakashi said after a moment that didn't feel as awkward as it should have, "you've seen it before?"

Sakura nodded vigorously. "It's my favorite! What, you've never- "

Kakashi shook his head. "My duties don't leave much time for a social life."

Sakura gave a hollow chuckle. "That's not the way I hear it."

Kakashi chuckled too. "Women in this village like to gossip too much. I doubt any of what you've heard is true."

Sakura whirled around and began walking backwards, so she could face Kakashi. "So it's false, then, that you're an absolute god between the sheets? I figured that."

Kakashi smiled, tapping his chin with his index finger. "Well now, you shouldn't dismiss everything you hear, Sakura."

"Duly noted." Sakura murmured, the womens' words of how inconsiderate, chauvinistic, and downright rude Kakashi was not forgotten.

They walked along, the evening warm, hardly a breeze on the air. The street lamps cast a lovely glow around them, and if Sakura thought she'd be able to pull herself out of the fantasy, she could've very easily closed her eyes and pretended that Kakashi was taking her on a real date, a romantic evening that would end in passion, in-

"Ah, here we are." Kakashi broke into her thoughts, placing his hand against the small of her back to stop her walking.

Her skin burned under his hand, her mouth drying at the contact. It was a small gesture, one that, on his end, was purely innocent, and yet she couldn't deny how good it felt. She gave a huge swallow, then broke out into a wide smile. "Excellent! Let's go in, it's a lovely theater."

Kakashi nodded, and as they stepped towards the usher to hand over their tickets, he didn't remove his hand from her back.

oooo

x

"KAKASHI! Kakashi-senseiiiiii!" Kakashi took a deep, calming breath, knocking back a shot of sake as Naruto, dragging Sasuke and Rock Lee behind him, trudged across the bar.

"KAKASHH-" Naruto started to yell, but Kakashi clamped his hand over his former student's mouth.

"Please Naruto, keep it down." He said, exasperated. He'd just returned from an ANBU mission, and was wiped. Exhausted, sore, but more than anything, alone, and all he wanted was to drown what the hell ever he was feeling in endless shots of sake.

"Thanks," Sasuke said, passing his hand over his eyes. It appeared that he too had tired of Naruto's antics.

"What brings you here?" Kakashi said, tapping his glass on the counter, signaling the bartender for a refill.

"We're going on a mission!" Naruto said, pushing Kakashi's hand away. "Me and Sasuke and Lee and Neji, and guess what, guess what!"

"What, Naruto." Kakashi said, pressing the glass to his lips, feeling the soft burn of the sake against his tongue.

"I'm team leader!" Naruto said, lifting his arm up in a gesture of triumph. "Isn't that just the coolest!"

Kakashi smiled as he felt a bit of pride. It was Naruto's first time leading a mission, and even though he drastically needed to learn some manners, Kakashi had no doubt he was up to the task.

"That's great, Naruto. Really. Congratulations." Kakashi said, noting that Sasuke looked less than pleased at this information. Kakashi was sure Neji felt the same way, but being the shinobi they were, when push came to shove they would obey Naruto without question.

"We leave in a few minutes, so we need your help!" Naruto said, as Lee set a shopping bag and an envelope on the counter.

"With?" Kakashi asked, finishing the shot.

"It's my beloved Sakura's birthday!" Lee said, "and we all chipped in for her presents. There isn't time to get them to her, so could you deliver them for us?"

"Ungh!" Naruto said, looking at his watch. "WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" He thrust his arm out to show Sasuke the time, nearly punching him in the jaw, had Sasuke not anticipated this and turned his head in time.

"Alright alright." Sasuke said with a sigh.

"Thank you, Kakashi-san!" Lee said, giving Kakashi a bow before sprinting out of the bar after Naruto and Sasuke.

Kakashi sighed, setting down his glass. It was Sakura's birthday, how could he have forgotten? Well, to be fair, she hadn't been his student in a long time. No, she had become more like...well, a friend, as if he'd really ever had any of those. Which made it worse that he'd forgotten such an important day. He respected her, though, that much was certain. Her skills were exceptional, not only as a healer, but as a ninja. She'd really come into her own these past few years, and he was able to proudly say that he had taught her.

"Haruno? That pink-haired medic?" The bartender, a young guy who had been dispelled from ANBU and knocked down from jounin to genin because of his idiotic and often fatal mistakes on many missions, asked.

Kakashi gave a curt nod, holding his glass out.

The bartender whistled. "Damn, man. She's fucking hot. Ass like a peach, you know what I'm saying?"

Kakashi gripped the counter, unexplained anger coursing through him. This guy was talking about her, about Sakura, as though she were a common whore, somebody to hump and then dump.

Well

, a small voice that sounded suspiciously like his conscience said, it's not like you haven't done- and don't still do-the same thing about other women. Alright, conscience one, Kakashi zero. But it was Sakura, a woman truly in a league all her own.

But maybe what he was the most angry at was that he completely agreed with this slimeball. Sakura was beautiful, legs creamy and strong, hips shapely, stomach chiseled and breasts a large handful each. She was the perfect mix, now that he thought about it, of muscular and feminine. Could punch through the ground and cause a mini earth quake one second, then could laugh and toss her hair over her shoulder in a flirtatious gesture the next.

"You uh, hittin' that?" The bartender poured another shot of sake into Kakashi's glass. "Cause lemme tell ya friend, I wouldn't mind gettin into her panties. Bet she's always wet, hanging around those fine ass nurses all day."

Kakashi finished the shot in one swallow. "Oh?" He said.

The bartender nodded. "And I'm not the only one. She comes in here oh, coupla times a week, we carry her favorite brand of scotch, ya know, and you should see the heads turn. She could have any guy she wanted. Heard her mom, the bitch, was trying to get her married off."

Kakashi's eyebrow raised in surprise. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. Such a waste. But hey, you know better then anybody that a wedding ring doesn't matter when it comes to fucking, right? Damn, I'd do her every way. Bet she likes it from behind, like a pretty little slut."

Kakashi stood up, grabbing the bartender's collar. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare fucking talk about her like she's a worthless whore." He released him, shoving him roughly to the floor. "And thanks for the sake." He said, taking Sakura's presents off the counter and storming out of the bar.

x

oooo

...are you aware of what you make me feel?...

"This is it!" Sakura whispered, grabbing his arm. "The music, the lighting- them!" Sakura looked up at the stage with childish fascination, delight.

Kakashi smiled, mentally thanking Naruto, Sasuke and Lee for providing Sakura with such a great birthday. Oh, right. He should probably tell her that the dress and tickets weren't from him...ah well. There was a part of him- the same part that nearly dropped his jaw when he first saw her in the dress, first took in how well high heels accentuated the length of her legs, how the color of her skin was perfectly complimented by the shade of the dress, which happened to be the exact color of her eyes...and fuck him if her hair pulled elegantly to one side didn't show off the curve of her neck, the prominence of her collar bone, perfectly, as though she were purposely trying to torment him. A good torment, he acknowledged, glancing sideways at her bare skin as her eyes shone brightly. That part enjoyed the idea that she thought these nice things were from him. Maybe she would understand, somehow, how he cared for her.

"See how he's leading her down? It's the most epic, the most romantic scene in the history of...forever, don't you think?" She said, turning to him.

He couldn't speak, though he know he should. She was just so...so...he didn't really even know how to describe it. She was unique unto herself, a woman like he'd never known. It was so silly and idealistic of her to be in love with this entire story- a masked guardian angel of sorts looking after and honing a surprisingly talented and beautiful young girl, entrancing her and making her his, putting her under his spell.

Too similar, too familiar, for words, really. Or maybe he just wanted it to be familiar...

Sakura's smile began to fade into a confused look as Kakashi stared into her eyes. Had she done something wrong, said something wrong? He probably just thinks you're psycho, she decided. Yes, that would fit. She nearly salivated every time she looked at him, and almost protested when he had, just before they'd taken their seats, dropped his hand from her back. She'd managed to catch herself in time, so what had come out of her mouth had sounded like an obnoxious cough, and here she was, watching adoringly as a masked Phantom lead an all-too innocent girl to the bowels of danger and beauty and-

"It's amazing." Kakashi said quietly, averting his gaze back to the stage.

Amazing

.

oooo

...just close your eyes and kiss me you fool

what are you waiting for it's just me and you

this moment is yours you know what to do

just pull me close to you you fool...

"And who really gives, so to speak, a flying fuck about Raul? I mean honestly! He's really just in the way, don't you think?" Sakura gushed, as they were walking back to her apartment.

The evening was still mild, the ideal setting for a walk. Kakashi had been quiet since they'd left the theater, torn between knowing that Sakura was proving over and over again that she was quite compatible with him, that he could very easily see himself being close to her, and between reminding himself that though she was more woman than girl, she had still been a student of his. There were just some things that ninja didn't do.

But oh, the things he wanted to.

Sakura sighed deeply, slowing down to a stop. They were at a stone bridge, the area very dimly lit by a lamp post at either end. Below, the water gurgled and flowed soothingly.

"Something wrong?" Kakashi asked, as Sakura hopped up on the stone ledge of the bridge.

Sakura turned toward him, her face smiling. "Not at all. It's just been such a lovely evening. Huh. Who would've thought you'd turn out to be a decent date?"

Kakash tried to ignore the warm tingle on his fingertips at the mention of them having a date together. "I've been told I'm quite more than decent, actually."

"I've heard." Sakura said, trying to keep her voice even. This night had been so utterly perfect, really. Kakashi had been things tonight she didn't even know her sensei could be. A gentleman, considerate company. And Heaven help her if he wasn't turning her on more every second she spent in his presence. But all the things that were said about him! And yet, she hadn't seen any of his rumored behavior tonight, not in the least.

Kakashi stood next to her, his arms on the ledge, ghosting her thigh. They were quiet for a moment, then Sakura, in a moment of reckless bravery, reached out, hesitating for only a split second, her finger tips touching the top of Kakashi's mask.

oooo

...but the planets all aligned when you looked into my eyes...

Kakashi turned toward her, their eyes locking. It was as if they were on their own small stretch of land, like they'd dismantled from the entire village and maybe even gravity.

"It's my birthday. And...I want one thing." Sakura said, sure that this would be her only chance to do what she'd been fantasizing about all evening. AHEM a loud voice in her head made that all-too familiar, obnoxious, clearing-my-throat sound, and Sakura inwardly glared. Okay okay, since I was twelve. Geez, happy? Conscience one, Sakura zero...

Fuck. She was going to ask- she wanted- and hell, how much he wanted to, too- relax. This could be his only chance, though, to do what he'd been itching to for some time now. He wasn't fool enough to think that his attraction to Sakura- and possibly something deeper- had started just tonight. Whatever it was he felt for her, it had been growing for a while, possibly a long while.

"Oh?" He said, reaching over her lap and pulling her, so that his arms were on either side of her hips.

Sakura licked her lips. "Yes. I...I want you to kiss me, sensei."

Well, she'd done it now. He would jump back from her as though she'd spit on him, and he'd probably never speak to her again- the boundaries she'd just crossed! But she was sick of wondering, sick of living vicariously through the bimbos she had to work with. She wanted to know what it was really like, to be held by this man, to be kissed by this man. She'd been dating prepubescent boys, it seemed, when she compared them to Kakashi.

"You're asking me to kiss you." He said, making sure he wasn't jumping the gun, hoping she'd said something she really hadn't.

Sakura smirked wryly. "I know, you must be totally disgusted. But...can you? I mean, I know you've done so much already," she tugged on her dress, "but this kiss...it's important."

He could always blame it on the guilt; that it was something she was asking of him, as a gift, and honestly he hadn't gotten her anything, so could he, as her former teacher, as her friend, deny her this?

Sakura tugged gently on his mask. "Without it, please. I just...I need to feel you." She dropped her eyes from his, slightly embarrassed at how the words came out.

If anything, they only made him want to kiss her more. She was so raw, so straight-forward. It was another thing he liked about her. Most women preferred to play games, keep men in the dark. Not Sakura. She wanted all the cards laid out on the table, no guesswork, no silly drama.

"What if you beg for more?" Kakashi murmured, as he smoothed a flyaway piece of hair from her face.

If only you knew. "I'll try to control myself."

"No promises, though, I hope." Kakashi said, and then- well, and then it happened. Neither of them were expecting it, of course, though in retrospect, they probably should have.

The electric shock that had everything to do with the man before her shot through Sakura as Kakashi gently pressed his lips to hers, jolting her, pushing her forward off the ledge and into his arms. Sakura hastily grasped her arms around his neck, warmth spreading from her mouth, down her chest, into the pit of her stomach, coiling through her blood.

When Sakura was in his arms, pressed against him so tightly, Kakashi knew exactly what he had been missing all this time. He'd tried so hard to fill the void- the loneliness- with women, lush, loose women who were easily discarded. But Sakura...she was entirely different on every plane from any woman he'd ever dated, and this left him with an unwavering desire to be more than a former teacher, more than a friend or patient.

It also scared the shit out of him. But he wouldn't be a Hatake if he didn't dive head first into his fears, now, would he?

"Ah, sensei." Sakura said, once she'd broken away from him for air. She did, however, keep her arms around his neck, ensuring that there was little to no space between their bodies. She couldn't help it; Kakashi was, as she'd always heard, instantly addictive. She wanted more, needed more. One kiss, she knew, wouldn't suffice, not any more. But it was different for her, then for the usual women he had at his beck and call. She knew him on an entirely different level then anybody else, she was sure, and that made him- this- all the more special.

It also made it more dangerous. But such is the way of the shinobi, Sakura thought. The same principle applied in all areas of life, didn't it? Love was no exception. And Kakashi had always had an aura of danger. Maybe it was something that she'd always been, unconsciously, attracted to. But there was a lot about him, she was realizing, like that.

"Sakura," he said slowly, meeting her eye, "would you like to come back to my place?"

Sakura didn't know what, if any, intent the words held, but she trusted him, trusted him to go no farther than she was ready to. The thing was, she didn't know if she could trust herself. It was an exertion- control, that was- she was finding more and more difficult by the second. But she also didn't know if a chance like this would ever come again.

"I'd love to." She said, giving him yet another smile.