The Rewards of Lying

"Am I drunk, Sakura-chan?" he slurred into her ear as they stumbled along.

She struggled to keep her face straight. "No, Kakashi, you're only a little...tipsy."

He laughed, loudly. "You're such a bad liar."

A pink eyebrow rose. "Is that so?"

Kakashi nodded, leaning even more of his weight onto her. "Yup. Like that one time when I caught you reading—"

"For the last time, I wasn't reading it!"

He slanted a drunken glare at her. "Sure you weren't." At her sigh, his eye creased, and he patted her on the head. "S'okay, Sakura-chan, you don't have to be embarrassed about it with me." He hiccuped, and then continued on with a dramatic edge in his voice. "Icha Icha is a siren call to all, tempting even those with exceptional self-control."

Sakura smirked. "I assume you're alluding to yourself?"

"How perceptive of you," he gasped with no trace of sarcasm whatsoever. "You always were my smartest student," he said, smiling beneath his mask.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."

"Prettiest, too," he remarked.

She rolled her eyes. "And you're just now figuring this out?"

He shook his head, slowly. "No..."

Something inside her stilled, waiting for him to continue. When he remained silent, she prompted him, "Oh?"

He chuckled nervously, his hand rubbing his neck. "Nah, you'd probably use one of them killer punches on me."

"No, I wouldn't!" At his look, she knew he'd read the eagerness in her voice. Shit. This man was dangerous, even drunk.

"Mm." He cocked his head to the side. "How old are you now, Sakura-chan? Twenty-two?"

"Bingo. And stop calling me Sakura-chan."

"Boyfriend?"

She winced slightly. "No, still single."

"Whatever happened with Sasuke?"

Shrugging, she said, "Nothing, really. We tried to date once, but it wasn't the same as before. For either of us."

"Ah." He slid his gaze from her to the building coming up on the right. "Home sweet home," he breathed as they reached his door. "I think I can take it from here," he said, turning to go in.

She stared at him. "So you're just...what—what was that all about? You never even thanked me! You're just lucky you're an adorable drunk. I would've abandoned you a long time ago if you weren't."

He shook his head, tsking. "There you go, lying again."

"I'm not lying!"

"I know what you were thinking, walking me home." He smirked. "You wanted to kiss me, thinking I wouldn't remember it in the morning."

"What?!" she screeched. "That's insane!"

He managed a stern look. "Now, now, I'm starting to get offended with all this lying. Not to mention you might wake some of the neighbors up."

"I am not lying!" she muttered furiously.

"Methinks the lady dost protest too much."

And then suddenly her back was against the door and he was leaning into her. She gulped, hoping against hope that he wouldn't hear her pounding heart and increased breath rate.

"Such a bad liar..." he whispered.

Sakura was close to fainting. She had wanted this for almost two years, ever since Sakura had sought him out to keep up with her training and to help him with his own. Soon they were meeting on a regular basis, and she gradually realized that her feelings for him ran deeper than friendship (and that Ino-pig really had been right about how sexy he was). She had wanted more.

And now, she was so close to that more. She could feel his hot breath even through his mask, his leanly muscled body pressed close to her. She was blushing all over, she was sure of it.

He hooked a finger in the edge of his mask, inching it down. Her eyes locked onto his face as it was finally revealed to her. She gasped and might have even said something, but then his lips were on hers and all she could do was feel.

After a long minute, or two or three, they both pulled back, breathing heavily. She sighed happily, and then a thought struck her. "Kakashi?"

"Hmm?" he murmured against her neck.

"Are you really drunk?"

He paused, considering his options. "No." He ducked just in time, barely missing her fist.

"Kakashi..." she growled.

"What?" He raised his hands innocently. "It all worked out. Perfectly, I might add." His eye creased.

Her eyes narrowed. "Were you going to try to seduce me?"

"I would never..." He grinned wickedly. "Alright, yes, I would."

She crossed her arms. "And how would that work, with me thinking you were drunk?"

"I got you to kiss me, didn't I?"

She certainly couldn't deny that, and he knew it. A smug bastard, but an adorably clever one, too, she thought, finally giving in.

Laughing, Kakashi pulled her close and kissed the tip of her nose. Her arms wrapped around his middle, and he asked, "You know why I did this, don't you?"

She snuggled against his chest. "Same reason I didn't abandon you earlier, I suppose."

Kakashi smiled, and no more words were needed.