Sorry guys! I know it's been a few months but school and work having been keeping me pretty busy! Although, it never helps when one isn't quite inspired to continue, but I got this out! Please enjoy! My work is never betaed by anyone else so if there is some, please direct me toward it! Thanks!

No promises on the next chapter though, sorry...

And if you don't mind, please review. I'm a little curious on the life of this story. Thanks again to every one who's waited so patiently! Gah life! :D

"Well?"

Sakura quickly began to rummage through her desk drawer, moving the endless amount of random items around as she searched for the said item.

"It's in here somewhere…" She was panicking in her mind as she rummaged even faster, pulling out the keyboard tray, and lifting the keyboard. The sight of the object in view made her heart slow.

He could see her face was relieved as she pulled the purple and black zebra printed house key from beneath the keyboard, placing it on the table as she put the keyboard back into place. He was going to have a talk with the specific woman who got him copies of such an interesting pattern…

Secretly, Sakura struggled with the keyboard ever so much. Too bad she couldn't throw it. At him. Or something of the sort.

"Got it, sir." The key was quickly picked back up, held in-between her index finger and thumb while waving it lightly to prove that it still existed.

A purple and black zebra printed house key…Is he…? Yeah. Right. And pigs can fly. I can't even kid myself on that.

"Good. Now make sure you go through these files." The three, one inch thick stack of manila files he held was placed neatly at the front of Sakura's desk.

Sakura started to frown at the very sight. Each looked important to say the least, but the amount was ridiculous considering the current time. "…What are they?"

"Future meetings and some accounting stuff."

…It's past five for eff's sake! Why couldn't he have given me these earlier!

"Bring them by my condo in the morning please."

Tomorrow? No! Nonononono!

"Tomorrow is Saturday…Mr. Hatake."

Did he not know the order of the days or something? Thursday, Friday and then Saturday…And so on and so on!

"I'm well aware of that. Do you know where my condo is?"

Why couldn't he be kidding?

Instantly realizing that this was no longer avoidable, "…It's off the southern waterfront, right?"

"Right, 2 1 2 2." He had enunciated each number, making sure Sakura had gotten it into her mind.

And she did. The way his lips seemed to purse when he enunciated two ever so slowly made him all the more…

"Yes, sir…" Aside from that thought, she was peeved though…Really peeved. Hopefully that was all she had to finish for him in the morning. Normal working people like to relax on Saturday and she certainly considered herself 'normal' to some extent. Besides, that's what weekends were normally for after all!

"Well then, you're free to go. See you tomorrow morning then."

Sakura wasn't sure how or when, but the man had already whipped out 'Icha Icha' holding it in front of his face as he walked away quickly. How lucky was she tonight to be doing work instead?

"Well…No gym tonight for me it seems…" Sakura muttered to herself, proceeding on clocking out and making her way home to finish all this 'lovely' unexpected work.

Damn CEO.

Damn Hatake!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"…So why didn't he give those to you earlier this month?"

"No idea." The pen she held was in constant motion, marking dates on the calendar and signing a few here and there. Thankfully she was nearly done. A couple pages to go and hopefully she'd be able to get into bed before 12:30. Considering it was 12:15 was late enough in her mind!

"…And you have to take it to him?"

"Yes…"

"…In the morning…on a Saturday?"

"Yes! Damn it Ino! Go away!"

"Thank god Shizune doesn't give me that kind of work! Well, whatever, good night then!" Ino waved as she made her way down the hall and into her bedroom, leaving Sakura to her lonesome.

"Last one…" Sakura murmured, placing the last date in the calendar book and instantly sighed with relief. While marking dates and signing papers, she made sure to keep everything organize and easily found when needed. The papers were quickly stacked on top of one another, with Sakura holding them tightly as she headed for her room.

She hadn't bothered turning on the light, considering she definitely didn't care any longer. The stacks were quickly placed on her dresser, plopping herself on her comfortable bed and nearly throwing her glasses on her side dresser.

The feeling of sleep overcame her quickly, eyes drooping fast, "Damn you Hatake…"

Kakashi sneezed. "Hn…Someone must be talking about me."

Quickly he shook his head, smiling at the thought. It was silly to say, but was amusing nonetheless. His eyes glanced at the clock, reading '12:23 A.M.' Definitely time to sleep. With that, the 'Icha Icha' book was placed on his side dresser, reading lamp switched off and settled into bed. He had plans later after all.

"Uh…" Sakura was stunned to say the least, as she walked through the hallway. The buildings were insanely large, with three separate buildings all housing condos and parking garages. "…2122." The doors were all painted a deep red, adorned with gold plated numbers to differentiate the many condos.

With her free hand, the keys were pulled out of her purse, locating the peculiar zebra print and stuck it into the keyhole, unlocking the door.

Well…here's to praying that there isn't a naked woman cooking or something of the sort…

The doorknob was twisted, door pushed open and Sakura walking herself through. To say she was a little surprise wasn't quite enough.

The little hallway she had walked into were a simple white, the walls decorated with pieces of what looked to be Japanese paintings. From that hallway, it expanded into an open living room, adorn with a simple black sofa, matching lounge chairs on the side and a coffee table set between it all and a double glass sided fireplace with a large flat screen television set above it. The fireplace seemed to give a glimpse into a bedroom, the master bedroom, if one assumed.

On a good note, a quick glance to the left and into the kitchen served a beautiful view of an immaculately, clean kitchen without a half dressed woman present.

Thank the higher above!

At least it seemed to be turning out well so far… Her heels echoed along the wooden floor of the hallway until she had stepped further into the living room onto the lush, brilliant white carpet, noticing how well kept everything was. The small bookshelf he had beside the fireplace itself was filled with many books, ranging from many genres and even a few she wasn't surprised by. And along the other wall stood a tall, glass case. It was taller than her, nearly by a foot and wider than her arms outstretched.

It was what the glass contained that was surprising. The man collected weapons? That was rather surprising, at least it was to her. Her eyes wandered the case from top to bottom, noticing the varying lengths of swords and daggers, even a few ninja stars. Shuri-something…Shurikens, she knew. Only because her father had some back at home, but aside from that, not much else. The items seemed to range in age from a glance, others having hints of surviving long years in not so great conditions and some that seemed absolutely new. The man kept his belongings in the best condition possible, she could see that a bit.

However, her attention had been deterred from the case, eyes following the light and fresh air teasing her senses. He had a balcony! The curtains had been pulled back, sliding doors had been pulled open with the screen in place. Sunlight and fresh air filtered through, lighting the room and a rather, slightly offsetting tall plant. Well, that was a random item she noticed…

She couldn't help but place the files onto the coffee table and make her way toward the view, the vast waters spread far and wide, sprinkled with boats of various sizes. Simple and beautiful and something she was quite jealous of. All she had to view was the building across from hers and occasionally a shirtless Shino. Although it wasn't always a bad sight, nothing could quite compare to the sight of the glistening water.

He had been in his bathroom at the time the door had opened, assuming that it was Sakura dropping by. Considering the only other woman and person who even had a key was working a morning shift at this moment, he had concluded it to be safe. And so when he stopped at the end of the hallway leading into the living room, he smiled noticing how she seemed to be caught up in the view.

T-shirt and jeans paired with boots…The beauty of simplicity, he thought, but he quickly rid himself of such an idea.

His arms stretched out to the sides, forearms resting against the frame of the hallway and leaned himself forward slightly. Just enough to stretch some of his taunt muscles while making sure not to fall on his face. No need for that embarrassment. It was bad enough he could imagine it actually.

"View is gorgeous, isn't it?"

Sakura jumped at the sound of his voice. She wasn't quite sure how long he had been standing there, but had turned around to see.

She immediately wished she hadn't.

Said CEO was standing at the doorway of the hallway, arms parallel to the frame wearing nothing more than a pair of jeans and allowing a glance at the waistband of what looked to be a pair of black boxers resting rather low on his hips. His hair was disheveled still, a little more than the usual, even lacking so in the gravity defying area. Wet strands clung over to the left side of his face, causing droplets of water to run down from his roots…down his face, catching off the line of his jaw and dripping onto a firm looking pectoral and further, running over the raised muscles and indentions, finally soaking into the black waistband.

"Well…" Kakashi began, dropping his arms, hand sliding into the depths of his jean pockets. Sure he was use to these reactions from the women he tended to bed outside his home, yet at this very moment, it was anything but. It made him slightly cautious, a bit nervous and even more so, it didn't help that she was still his assistant, Tsunade's niece and completely, entirely untouchable.

And for that matter, it would have been much more proper and less troublesome if he had walked in with a shirt on. The idea of being completely dressed would have been the best idea he had at the time, but alas, that wasn't how his mind wanted to work.

"Oh my…" Sakura whispered. Model would indeed be highly possible if he wasn't the CEO. The muscles on the man ran long and lean beneath the smooth, barely sun kissed skin. Skin fitted to every curve and dip of divided muscle, creating the defining lines along his pectorals, to the washboard abs and further down, V-lines dipping well below his waistband.

And then there were his arms…Sakura loved the abdominal muscles, but she loved the arms just the same. There was something about wrapping a hand around the well formed bicep and triceps muscles, the strength exuding from the muscles elicited a bit of an excitement within her.

CEO! CEO, Sakura! Do not! I repeat do--Is that a tattoo?

The black swirls along his left arm was hard to miss admittedly, considering the contrast, but…it easily added to his already sense of a gorgeous, older man.

His feet pattered along, jean ends sliding along the wooden floor, quieting as he hit the carpeted living room. Dark eyes quickly averted from the woman, instead concentrating on the files lying on his coffee table. It was hard though, as he continuously shifted to his wide eye assistant and back toward the files.

"…Is there something on me?"

Realizing she had been staring fully, her eyes quickly averted downwards. Away from the image of something seemingly sinful and decadent.

Her mouth parted, but closed. She couldn't even manage a squeak. Far too stunned at seeing such a new side of her boss, but she had to say something!

"N-no. None sir."

"Good. It would be troublesome if I had to take another shower. I may have had to enlist your help at that."

"…What?"

Kakashi simply chuckled and winked with a mischievous grin on his face. Though he shouldn't have, he did and well…enjoyed it. "Nothing… Are these the files?" He promptly set himself down on his couch, hands reaching for the said files.

"Yes…" Sakura hadn't missed the wink but decided to ignore it as she now stood on the opposite end of the coffee table, leaning forward as he opened the first file. "All the meetings within the next two months have been booked into the calendar and should any changes arise…" She took this time to stare at Kakashi intently. She hadn't thought about it now till this very moment, seeing him up close for such a time. Though lazy eyes often looked her way, she could see the very slow wear through the years, wrinkles beginning to show on a face that was still so young. The bisecting scar along his left eye had always been noticeable, adding even more. Even with all the faint wrinkles and the scar, he was attractive. The lazy eyes paired with a mischievous smirk made him devilish. High cheekbones, with a straight nose and narrow jaw reminded her of the aristocratic features seen so occasionally but yet so prized.

"I'll make sure to add them in if necessary," she finished.

Well, he had to admit she looked wonderfully so at the moment, bent at a 90 degree angle from her waist, hand pointed at the open file in his hand. She wasn't even trying and he was having a hard time with it at the very moment.

"Perfect." He closed the file with a single hand, placing it back on top of the file and stood back up. She had followed his movement as he did so. "Are you hungry?" His hand rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at his assistant.

"Yes, actually…" Sakura eyed him somewhat suspiciously. What was the man planning? "Only if you're paying though."

"Well…"

"Mr. Hatake…" Sakura knew that he was closer to saying yes once he started that…And at that moment, his hand rose even higher, to the back of his head, scratching at his head. Bingo.

"Yeah…alright." Kakashi nodded as he headed back toward the hallway. How his assistant was able to get him to pay for such without walking out was a miracle in itself, he had to admit. Well…maybe.

"Sweet deal!" Sakura murmured, ogling at her boss even more so now as she stared at the lovely, sculpted back of his. Oh there was hell to pay for knowing what he looked like underneath all that. Quickly she turned away, staring instead at her French manicured nails. The 'better' distraction at the moment.

"So is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" Kakashi asked as he reappeared seconds later, completely dressed this time with a black, v neck tee on.

Sakura did a once over at her boss, wondering why she had never seen him in normal clothes before. He looked so normal and not at all like the formality she was use to while they worked.

Not only that though…He looked absolutely handsome. Perhaps it was just her, but when she noticed a fit man wearing such a type of fitting shirt, she had to admit it looked rather nice. Just the way it rested and formed to their lithe bodies made it really quite appealing. Maybe it was the faint outlines of well formed pectorals and cords of muscles along the back with nicely chiseled arms that made it all worthwhile…that must be it!

"Am I alright?"

Her nose scrunched up momentarily as she noticed a very slight fault. He was nearly perfect, nearly being the fact that his sleeve was upturned that was bothering her entirely and so she made her way toward him. With her fingers outstretched, she flipped the sleeve back down, smoothing it out and smiled. Clothes that were upturned were a bother. Always and forever, she figured.

"That's better." She adjusted her purse handles resting on her shoulders, continuing to smile. "And no… Nowhere in particular, just food sounds good."

"Well, alright…I'll drive then." The keys were pulled out of his pockets as he said so, "I've got to make a stop after if that's okay. You've got nothing else to do after this, right?"

Sakura held in the slight exasperation that had suddenly appeared. He would somehow know she wouldn't have much to do today, but it was because she wanted to relax at home…And not be at his house…And to not see him without a shirt ever again.

"…No, not really. I had gone to the gym before I came here and was planning on relaxing."

…Well, maybe once more or twice. Thrice would be max.

"Can you spare a couple hours till then?"

She could see his mouth curving into his usual sly smirk, knowing very well she was going to accept. "Yes, sir…" At least she was getting a free lunch out of this?

"Alright! Let's go then, shall we?"

"We shall," Sakura replied dryly, feeling slightly uneasy. She followed Kakashi out the now locked door, down the elevator and into the garage. Hopefully spending a few hours with the man outside of work wasn't terrible. After all, she only knew him as a somewhat professional businessman more than anything else…and that very idea at the moment in comparison to what she was seeing now was making more of the uneasiness creep into her more.

The man had lead her into the condo's parking garage, which had to be at least two stories, if not more well below in the basement. A place meant for housing many vehicles of all shapes and sizes with each tenant(s) having their owned section cornered off for the attendants. Lucky ones. She herself was lucky to find a parking spot at times at her place!

The sheer size and quantity of expensive, well kept cars was hypnotizing. The hundreds of lights seemed to make the cars really gleam, as if none had never held a speck of dirt on its surface. It was an awe factor, so much so, that Sakura had literally run into Kakashi as he had stopped in front of three stalls before him.

Kakashi hid his chuckle, coughing lightly as he tried to hide his grin. The moment she had run into his back, her very hands gripped his shirt momentarily and then had quickly let go. She was by his side in seconds, face a little red with embarrassment.

"Sorry…" Sakura murmured, refusing to look at the man beside her. The man was hard as a rock! And even though she knew he was all muscle, she hadn't been ready for that!

At that thought, her cheeks deepen more in color as she looked ahead instead. Eyes widened at the sight of two motorcycles parked side by side in a single stall, one black and the other a red. And then the cars beside the motorcycle, one silver and one white. Each was well kept, clean and rather shiny, just like everything else in this place! Who the heck owned all these?

"Hmm…No motorcycles today," Kakashi murmured as he glanced over at his awestruck assistant. He had to smile though, wondering how she was so cute even with such a surprised look. "GT-R it is." He gripped the silver and black key/alarm, hitting the unlock button twice. The silver car flashed its lights twice. "Get in."

"What?" Sakura watched as he got into the silver car, turning it on, the roaring of the engine seemingly overtaking the garage. Immediately the driver side window rolled down as the sounds of the engine calmed, "Do you want a free meal or what?"

"Oh!" Sakura, finally realizing that it was his, made her way toward the passenger side and got in quickly. "Sorry…" She buckled herself in after closing the door, placing her purse on the floor.

The interior of his car was much like the rest of it, clean and well kept. Nearly all black, saved for the silver lining, it ran throughout the entire vehicle, across the dashboard, to the gauges and further back into the seats. A stunning car, certainly not meant for a girl like herself, so she figured.

Kakashi simply chuckled. "Surprised?" He looked at Sakura as he put the car in reverse, left arm braced against the passenger seat before turning around further to pull out of the stall safely.

"That's all yours?"

The incredulous stare toward him made him chuckle as he shifted into first gear. "Yes. Two motorcycles, two cars. Is it that hard to believe?"

"Well, I didn't know what to expect really…I mean, as long as I've worked for you I honestly had no idea which car was yours."

"Well I certainly hope you do now…You've been there what, a little over a year?"

"Yes."

"Well, I've been there since I was twenty-five…"

"And what? You've managed to get all that in five years? I can't quite imagine otherwise."

Kakashi laughed. So basically she was guessing he was thirty, which wasn't quite right. Sakura certainly had him in being in his thirties, but it wasn't anything as young as that. He quickly gathered his scattered thoughts, realizing he still had a car to drive as he shifted into third and an off duty assistant to answer as well.

"What?" Sakura questioned as she watched the man smile still, shifting the car smoothly through each gear. Experience.

"I'm flattered," he added, finally shifting into fifth as he made his way down the ramp and onto the freeway. "But…I'm older than that and those items took a bit longer to acquire."

"How old are you really?"

"What's today, the twentieth?"

"Yes."

"If I'm correct…And I usually am," he smiled as he glanced momentarily toward his assistant. "In two months and twenty six days, I'll be turning thirty-eight."

"What! You're lying!"

"I do not lie, Sakura."

"Are you kidding me? It's like when you were trying to tell me you were late by three hours that one time because you were helping an old woman cross the street! Or when that cat got stuck in the tree and that poor little girl wouldn't stop crying!"

"You have to help the elderly after all, and it was rather upsetting that the little girl was crying. I honestly never thought of you as the type to not have compassion."

Immediately Sakura slapped Kakashi on the arm. "Liar!"

"Ow! Abusing your poor, poor boss!" Kakashi added as he slowed, parking in front of a little café. "And to think, I'm treating you to lunch today too." The car was put into park, brake put in place as he turned to see look over at his assistant.

She hadn't even realized they had gotten off the freeway…but the infuriating man beside her was quite noticeable.

"You're horrible. I'll pay for my own meal!" She grabbed her purse, stepping out of the car and slammed the door shut. "Hmph!" The bag was slung over her shoulder as she stood on the sidewalk, staring at the café before her.

Kakashi walked up behind her, "Mean to me and my car. I should fire you, you know?"

"Please," Sakura turned around, looking upwards at the man, "You wouldn't survive without me."

Always the type to stand her ground, he knew. She likely would have stared him down. If it hadn't been for the height difference that was.

"Awfully full of yourself aren't you?"

"I know you. And I know you wouldn't make it without me."

"Hn." He smiled. "Let's go and eat." Walking around Sakura, he headed toward the café door. Being a gentlemen, he held the door open and waited patiently.

"You would drop the subject so quickly…" Sakura shook her head lightly as she made her way toward the café and through the open door. "…Thank you."

"Of course…" Following Sakura into the café, he pointed over her shoulder to the left, an empty table in the nearby corner. "There."

"What is this place?"

It was a warm feeling when one stepped into the little building. Walls painted a simplistic blue with white trim, each wall decorated with a picture of sort. Some were flowers, some were of the café itself in black and white. There were only a handful of tables and a couple workers within it all.

His hand grasped her wrist lightly, "I've been coming here for years…" He murmured, leading her around the occupied tables and directly toward the empty one. He let go of her wrist, allowing her to sit down in the empty chair and him across.

"Ah, Kakashi! So nice to see you again!"

Sakura looked up to see an older woman only a few steps away from their table. Her eyes a light blue, face wrinkled from all the years she had seen and lived.

"Hello, Fuyu. How are you these days?"

"Doing well, doing well…And who is this pretty girl with you today?" She eyed Sakura, sizing her up with a smile. "…A girlfriend, perhaps?"

Sakura stared at the older woman, her eyes wanting to pop out the sockets. "No, no!" Sakura immediately began, hands waving to help her point across… That was certainly one thing she wouldn't want to be mistaken for!

Kakashi chuckled. Sakura's reaction and the older woman's words were quite amusing.

"Not quite Fuyu. She is my assistant…Made her take work home last night for the first time and since she did them, I said I would treat her to lunch."

"Oh you are such a sweet young man! How have you not snagged a wife yet?"

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "Haven't found the right one…" Every time he had come, Fuyu had always asked the same thing. And every time, his answer was still the same.

"My gosh Kakashi, you've been coming here for over ten years now! But, I suppose everyone has their own time…Anyways! What can I get for you two?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So…" Sakura began, stepping out of the café and held onto the door.

"So…" Kakashi simply let the door swing shut behind him as he pulled out his key, disarming and unlocking his vehicle.

"So…you're nearly thirty-eight and yet you've never been married?"

Her question certainly took him by surprise. Was she going to attempt to set him up on dates now? He'd hope not. Those were the worst things in life he had ever experienced. Well, at least to the ones he actually agreed to in the past at the least.

"I believe that is my business. Not yours." His hand reached around Sakura, grasping the passenger side handle and opening the door.

"It's funny to know you as well as I do, but to not know very much at all…" Sakura murmured, bracing herself as she blindly sat back into the car. "Thank you."

"Of course…" He shut the door and rounded the car, getting in the driver's side. "One more stop…" The car was started and quickly pulled onto the road.

"Where are we going?"

"Going to visit an old friend…Takes about an hour to get there and back."

"What?"

"I'd consider you very lucky if I do happen to say so myself…" He momentarily removed his hand off the gear shift, finger pushing the stereo on. The car was suddenly filled with the faint sounds of alternative music playing through the speakers.

"You would…I wouldn't expect any less from you really."

Kakashi simply laughed. What a day this was turning out to be!

He cruised through the city streets before taking the ramp down onto the freeway once more. It was there he shifted a little harder, a little faster, picking up the speed. Merging into the very left lane, he began to test the speed limit.

"Do you always drive this fast?" The cars they were passed would begin to fade as they got further and further along the seemingly endless freeway.

"Do you always have something to ask?"

Sakura turned away from the road, staring at the man who seemed at such ease while driving. "Do you have to counter every thing I ask with your own question?"

"Do you?"

The smile on his face was hard to miss. He would be having fun with this she figured.

"Seriously, I have no clue what women see in you." Her eyes rolled at her own words. It certainly had something to do with his physical being…At least from what she saw, but she didn't want to dwell any further on that thought.

"Well…I happen to think they see a lot of me."

"One word: Ew."

It was hard not to chuckle at Sakura. Perhaps because he knew that look that she had given him earlier. It was far from 'ew.'

"Besides…Why aren't you married?"

A choked sound escaped Sakura. That wasn't quite what she had expected, to have such a question fired back her way. Besides, his answer and hers answer would indeed vary, but that wasn't any reason to give her full reasoning after all.

"That wouldn't happen."

"Why not?"

"Well…The past men I've happen to date have been jerks at some point. That's just not the kind of crap I'm willing to take. I mean, even I know I deserve better than that."

"You are awfully wise for your time of few relationships…"

"I just live life as I see it. There isn't such a thing like a fairytale and there certainly isn't much of a so called 'prince charming."

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely."

The hour drive had taken them away from the hustle and bustle of the city and into a quaint town. A simple place filled with simple homes with all the good and the bad that happen to come along with it.

"…Is this a dojo?"

Kakashi had pulled toward the sidewalk, an open spot graciously awaiting them in front of the old, brick building. It was a couple stories high, the paint once covering the bricks were almost nearly completely peeled off. There were few patches of white here and there, but was obviously unkempt.

A row of clear windows ran along the lower front of the building, entitling a view to any passerby. Of course, a simple glance during the day, as of now for example, would show that the room was filled with many boys of nearly all ages, practicing whichever it may be.

"Yes it is. My old dojo in fact."

"Oh?"

The engine was turned off as Kakashi proceeded to get out of his car, making his way around as Sakura did the same.

Sakura glanced around after stepping out. The other building across from the dojo was also worn, still occupied still, but having seen its time. Faded division lines ran along the two lane road, few cars even driving through. It seemed like a rough place to be in.

"Yes." With both doors closed, the alarm was quickly set. "Iruka and I needed something to keep ourselves out of trouble… As you can see, it's not the best place to live in…"

"Quite…" She had to admit she felt a little unease at the thought of being at such a place. At least she was there with her boss, she supposed.

"It's a ninjutsu dojo." He continued, holding the door open, allowing Sakura to go in first as he followed thereafter.

The room was large, floor covered half in grass mats and the other padded. Completely filled with the boys of all ages, yelling and practicing the day's set skill. The number of boys seemed to range from five to fifteen for the most part and still there were much older men as well.

"So cute. Are the older boys helping the younger ones?" Sakura murmured, glancing around as she slowly followed Kakashi along the edges of the room.

"Yes. The older students with the help of the sensei, help guide the younger students as they continue their training throughout the years."

"Did you do that?" Sakura paused. Did he still? Is that why he looked like he did?

Kakashi stopped in his tracks, turning around to face Sakura, "I did, as well as Genma and Iruka…It's why we've all known each other for so long."

"I see…"

"Kakashi?… Well, I'll be."

"Minato!" Kakashi grinned, hand reaching out toward the older man's outstretched hand, pulling him into a hug. "It has been quite some time hasn't it, sensei?"

"Quite…How are you?"

"Ah, I'm doing well. How are you?"

Sakura cautiously stole glances at the older man as Kakashi chatted with him. 'Sensei' as Kakashi had called him was dressed in nothing more than a pair of plain pants and shirt. The man was tall, about the same height Kakashi himself. The man's hair was blond, with streaks of light gray along the side and eyes blue, quite rich still with the passing years. Oddly, it reminded her of another blond hair, blue eyed man, but of a much taller and even younger looking version.

"And who is this?" Minato smiled, looking around Kakashi right toward Sakura.

Nervously, Sakura smiled and waved lightly before holding her hand out. "I'm Haruno Sakura, Kakashi's assistant."

"Haruno…Well, I'm Namikaze Minato," The man murmured, shaking her hand lightly. "You're…Kakashi's assistant, eh?" Minato glanced at Kakashi warily.

"Ah, yes. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Namikaze."

Immediately, Kakashi began shaking his head, even waving his hands to deter Minato's thoughts from such an idea. "Tsunade's grand niece," he mouthed.

"Ah…" he murmured, glancing at Kakashi suspiciously once more, but quickly turned back toward Sakura "…But please, call me Minato." Minato set his eyes back toward Sakura, "I must ask though, you are Kaoru's daughter, yes?"

A peculiar look came upon Sakura's face, "Yes, sir. How did you know?" She watched as Minato smiled, immediately reminding her of the blond model who had stepped foot into their office building recently.

"Ah, well, Kaoru and I often banded together at the parent meetings…Being single fathers and all."

It made sense now; at least Sakura hoped it did. She also hoped that she was right. "So that means you are Na-"

"Pop!"

"Speak of the devil…" Sakura mumbled instead. Well, that wasn't quite expected.

"Naruto?" Minato questioned, as a taller, blond hair, blue eyed man stepped in-between himself and Sakura.

"Pop!" The man said aloud once again, hugging the smaller man briefly before snapping back up to full height. "Pop, I…"

Minato's hand rose, stopping the others' words immediately. "We have guests son. It isn't polite to interrupt." Leaning around the man, he found himself looking at a surprised Sakura and Kakashi. "And yes, Naruto is in fact my son."

"Eh?" Naruto turned around, surprised to see the pink and grey hair within the same vicinity. "Sakura?…Mr. Hatake?"

"Hello Naruto, nice to see you again," Kakashi murmured. His hand rose, running through his unruly hair, wondering how it was so that Naruto would arrive today as well. Oh, such coincidence he supposed.

"Hello Naruto!" Sakura beamed, as Naruto leaned in for a light hug. "How are you today?"

"Doing good! What are you doing here anyways?" Naruto asked, head cocked as he stared between the two.

Though Naruto was about half a head taller than he, Minato patted Naruto's arm, immediately moving him to stand beside him.

"I suppose you don't remember Kakashi from many years ago when he use to come here for lessons and even more, when he use to help guide the younger ones." Minato directed towards Naruto.

With his head cocked still, Naruto stared at Kakashi a little more intently, his face a look of pure confusion. It was a sight to see a full grown man whose forehead scrunched up and mouth parted as his mind sorted. It was moments after that the recognition hit him full on. One hand had covered his mouth while the other pointed at Kakashi.

"Oh!"

Sakura suppressed the snicker she so wanted to release. Naruto was so dense at times and always made such peculiar faces.

"That's why you seemed so familiar! Didn't I say that at the shoot Sakura?"

"Yeah…Yeah you did," she answered, smiling.

"Oh yeah! " Naruto called out, eyes focused far behind them, his hand gesturing whoever to come toward them. Moments later, a woman joined Naruto's side.

Hair a deep violet with skin a creamy white, she only an inch or two shorter than Sakura. Nervously, light grey eyes looked upwards, waving ever so slightly.

"Hinata?" Sakura inquired, staring at the woman as a smile smiled appeared.

"Sakura…" The woman named Hinata murmured shly. She and Sakura hugged lightly, "How are you?"

"Well, very well! How are you? Oh my gosh I-" she trailed off. She hadn't been expecting Naruto or Hinata today, it was a bit of a nice surprise though. Well, aside the blustering blond man that was…And the younger one at that.

"It's been a while…" Hinata nodded, eyes focusing beside Sakura, "Ah! I'm sorry. Hello, my name is Hyuga Hinata," Hinata politely held her hand out.

"Hatake Kakashi…" he replied, grasping Hinata's hand and placed a light kiss upon her hand.

Sakura and Naruto stared at Kakashi. That was the last thing they had expected him to do obviously, considering people often shook hands instead…

Gentlemen…Partial check, Sakura concluded.

Hinata's face instantly turned red at his gesture. "Oh! I see, you were the one that hired Naruto and Sasuke for their previous model assignment."

"I did…Fine models those two." He ended his sentence with a wink.

Hinata giggled a moment, "Quite…" And then her eyes widened, turning around abruptly, "Minato! I'm sorry!"

"It's nothing, do not worry." Minato continued smiling kindly. "Well, if you don't mind, Kakashi and I will leave so we older men may conversant on our own."

"Okay pops!" Naruto grinned.

Hinata and Sakura nodded as the two men parted from their little group.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So…" Minato began, arms resting behind himself. "It's been some years…"

"It has."

"I also hadn't expected to see you until the wedding…"

"I could say the same myself…But after finding out whom your son had been, I had to see how well you were."

"And to bring your secretary as well?" Minato glanced at the man who had once been his pupil years ago upon taking over the school. It was hard to miss the slightly surprised look on his face at the mere mention of 'secretary.'

"…Assistant," he quickly corrected. "We had lunch because I had asked her to bring me work that I had her do the previous night. After hours. Mere treat for doing work on a Friday night and bringing it to my…"

"I've heard many stories of you over the years…None of which that can be cast in doubt because it has been set on such a path for so long."

Kakashi kept a straight face as he listened to his once sensei continue onto where he was likely headed. For those who knew him, it was a fairly obvious direction. For his direction had been set that way for many years, as far as fifteen if he thought about it hard enough. A long time of promiscuity, lucky to avoid any bouts of anything nasty or child conceiving lines. Just lots of sex with beautiful women in the passing years…What a life.

"Mind you," he quickly interjected, causing Minato to stare at him disapprovingly. He ignored it as he continued, "Forgive me, but I feel that I must remind you that this is the same assistant I've had for the last year. The same one who had once been much larger than she is currently. Not only that," Kakashi looked at Minato square in the eye. "I would never touch Tsunade's niece of all women, unless I really wanted to be left without man parts for the rest of my then would be quite unpleasant life."

"…I see. She is supposedly not your type."

He could see how a blond brow rose as he had concluded that sentence. The older man was figuring him out just as easily as he when Kakashi was but a teen.

"Well--"

"Ah." Minato's hand rose, stopping Kakashi's would be excuse immediately. "Let me finish now."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I remember one time he came in with a girl…" Naruto began as he made a face entitled to be his thought face, but was quickly replaced with a grin. "I must have been about five…" he shrugged, but continued. "And he was trying to act all sly and my dad easily flipped him onto his stomach. The girl wasn't so impressed after."

Sakura laughed lightly as she created the scenario in her mind. Too funny either way. "So he wasn't as sly as he was then I see!"

A sound of disdain was heard nearby, causing the three to turn their head. Kakashi and Minato continued walking toward the group.

"Really Naruto? Had to tell them that story?" Kakashi's voice held a bit of contempt, causing Naruto to cower slightly. "She laughed like a hyena too…" He seemed to shiver from the thought. Ever thankful that he had found out her absurd laughter beforehand, even if it was caused by being embarrassed by his sensei.

"Wow…" Sakura added in awe. Was it bad that she had imagined that it was a woman's body with a hyena's head, laughing crazily like one?

Kakashi's eyes narrowed toward his assistant, "I know you are imagining that…"

Sakura simply laughed, because both knew so well that it was true and she didn't have a need to deny it.

"Well, dear assistant, you and I must be off. It's getting a little late," he said, glancing at the watch wrapped around his wrist. It was nearly six, the two having been out for all of the afternoon and he didn't want to hold onto his assistant anymore than he had already.

"Okay," Sakura smiles that ever sweet smile he has oddly become accustomed too.

The two bid goodnights to the others and headed back home. The ride on the way back is mostly quiet, aside from the soft music Kakashi allows to play through his speakers.

The two arrive in front of his condo complex a little after seven, stopping to park behind Sakura's car on the curb.

"Thanks," Sakura murmurs quietly, gathering her purse off the bag.

"Of course," he replies, placing the car in park. Both are out of the car in seconds and he's walking with her to the four steps that it takes to get to her driver side door.

She doesn't know why she feels a little nervous, but brushes it off as she unlocks her car and gets in. "I'll see you on Monday then boss?"

"Of course. Have a good night and thank you for accompanying me today."

Sakura smiles as he closes her door and waves her off as she leaves.

"Hell…" Kakashi whispers, as he gets back into his car. His hands grip the wheel tight, but he quickly shakes his head out of such an absurd reverie. "Bad idea Hatake. Bad idea."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where the hell have you been all day?" Ino stared at Sakura as she walked through the front door, giving her a typical Ino look, so to say.

"Out with Mr. Hatake…" Sakura sighed tiredly. It had been a nice day she realized, but she didn't want to quite admit that and/or speak about said events.

"Doing what?"

"Work things. Anyways, I'm showering." Sakura cut in quickly before Ino could inquire anymore and made a beeline for her bathroom.

She stood under the showerhead, allowing the hot water to run through her long hair, creating hundreds of tiny rivers down the length of her curves. The water slowly eased the little tension within her, relaxing her as she thought about the day.

It was nice, without a doubt. It was also interesting to see her boss on a less professional level and looking so much more of a normal human being. A little delve into his personal life, which was definitely a rather nice change.

Sakura laughed lightly at her boss being a normal human. It's not like she would have expected him to be not normal, but then what was the definition of normal these days anyways? It didn't matter because the day was nice and she had all of tomorrow to herself.

"Thank god…" Sakura muttered as she turned off the water. The fluffy, white towel was quickly wrapped around her as she stepped out and finished getting ready for the night. She was oddly tired, she realized as she went about doing the necessary things for the night.

"At least the day didn't suck…" Sakura nodded at her own words, definitely thinking that tomorrow would be filled with doing nothing and relaxing all day. Yeah, that was the plan.

TBC in Chapter 8