This is the eleventh in a series of stories that were created from my previous fic, "Twenty Men." The theme number can be explained once you read it. I am proud to dedicate "Project: Twenty Men" to Aloha Laney. Please don't kill me.

Title: Icha Games

Author: Ita-ta

Pairings: KakaSaku

Theme: 11

Rating: T+ for older teens.

Disclaimer: All Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Note: Please review; they fuel my drive for writing. (Sorry for the craptastic title.)

Summary: There go his Icha Icha books.

Icha Games

Kakashi had the mother of all headaches beating in his skull as if to stop him from getting anything accomplished today. He groaned, pulling the covers of his bed over his eyes in order to snuff out the light that was shining through his shut eyes. He could will the headache away, staying in bed for the next hour, because his team wasn't to meet until then. He'd be okay, and apologize to Obito afterward.

It was an hour later that Kakashi rose from his bed, the time not helping him in anyway. He gingerly squinted in searching for his headband, which he'd carelessly flung across his room the night before in exhaustion. He stumbled to his bathroom, leaving the light off and the shutters closed. It was light enough that he could make out his surroundings, but dark enough so that his head wouldn't wail every second.

He knew part of the reason why his head was pounding like Naruto had stomped on it. His former student was filling out nicely for a nineteen year old. He would not have those thoughts about her, she was still a teenager. She was still his student. He groaned again, the pounding getting worse as his thoughts whirled.

He stepped out of the hot shower, steam billowing out as he pulled a white towel around his waist. He grabbed a small towel to rub his hair dry, shaking the last bits of water out doggedly, when he was finished. He quickly changed into a comfy pair of blue sweats and a cottony green shirt, forgoing any flak vest. He did slip his forehead protector on lopsided as usual, the constant pain from his Sharingan feeling a bit more amplified today. He slipped on his sandals and headed for his destination, by means of a teleportation jutsu.

Sai, Naruto and Sakura were waiting for him for their training session together. Sakura held back on the yelling for she could see the strain in his face, even with his mask on. Naruto had no such qualms though and he belted out a complaint in his usual boisterous manner. Sai merely looked on expressionlessly.

Kakashi subtly winced from the loudness of Naruto's voice, but focused on formulating a training session. "Sai, you spar with Sakura, keep her on her toes. Naruto, practice with your element jutsu expansion. You've almost got the Katon down." He watched as they nodded and Naruto took off to the side, shouting his commitment to get it right that day. Sai moved a little ways away and Sakura followed reluctantly, eyes trailing after Kakashi in concern.

For his part, Kakashi settled high up in a tree branch where it was darker and less harsh to his head. He then pulled out his worn copy of the third Icha Icha that he was re-reading. He needed something to take his mind off her lingering worried gaze and his pounding head.

It seemed he'd been reading for longer than he thought and that his migraine was hindering his time perception because he was being pulled down from the tree by a petite cherry blossom. Sai and Naruto were nowhere in sight and it had turned to early evening. Their afternoon had gone by quickly. His attention focused on Sakura, who was guiding him back into Konoha, in the direction of his house.

"I don't need to be walked like a cripple, you know." He commented, his voice quiet with a teasing lilt to it.

Her response was equally quiet but instead of teasing, her tone had a wry edge to it. "I know, but I'm not planning on leaving you by yourself with a migraine you can seem to get rid of." She paused and her perceptive emerald gaze met his unruffled one. "Plus, your Sharingan is adding to your pain and this is causing you stress which is making the whole debacle worse."

He hated that she was so perceptive and to be a medic-nin as well helped her discern the condition of his health rather easily. They were at his apartment, Sakura easily finding the key and slipping it in. He knew he shouldn't do this, but he was feeling too weary to summon the willpower to fake it and shoo her away. Besides, nothing was going to happen as long as he was careful. Yeah, famous last words, a snide voice said in his head.

He let her lead him into his living room, sitting him down on his worn, but comfortable couch. She had slipped into full medic mode, where she did everything in a purposeful, no-nonsense way.

She pulled off his forehead protector and set it aside gently, unsurprised to find Kakashi had shut his left eye. She brought her hands up to his temples, her fingers cool against the heat of his skin. Then she carefully sent cool, refreshing healing chakra through his temples and into his head.

After a few moments, the pain receded and Kakashi couldn't help the groan of relief that escaped him as the constant pounding quieted to a piano tone before disappearing completely. He reached up to place his hands on her wrists in a message that he was fine now but she made a noise that sounded like a tutting. Realizing that she was still connected to his brain and that he was powerless to stop her without hurting either of them, he resignedly settled his hands back on his lap.

She directed the chakra through the channels of his eyes, focusing on his left and removing some of the blockage that had built up in the strain since the last time she'd healed him. She repaired some of the deteriorating channels and heard the contented sigh that escaped him as relief flooded through his chakra stream. She knew he was exhausted from dealing with the pain and stress all day and most likely didn't get that much sleep.

Carefully, as she knew he'd catch onto her intent and attempt to stop her if she disengaged from him and gave him the opportunity to dislodge from her, she got up, removing one hand while keeping the other still connected to his brain and sat behind him instead. He growled at the dirty trick, knowing that he still could do nothing against her. She put her free hand on his back and slowly worked the other hand down to meet at his shoulders.

Then she began to massage, chakra aiding her in loosening the knots in his muscles and healing some of the strain from earlier battles. He bit his lip in an effort not to groan but couldn't help himself as she untangled a particularly painful knot of muscles. The sound reverberated all the way up her arms and she smiled at the pain she was taking away. She was also subtly sending bits of chakra back up to his brain and slowly descending him into a relaxed sleep. Once she finished, she completely put him out, knowing that he was too far under to fight it.

Sakura set his shoulders down as she got up, pulling him so that his legs wouldn't hang off the other end of the couch. She put a pillow behind his head on the arm of the couch and settled a blanket over him, satisfied that he would sleep for a very long while. Deciding she would monitor him in case anything happen, she started to look for something to occupy her.

The pink-haired kunoichi set to cleaning up his kitchen and then his bedroom, settling on his newly made bed when she finished. Her eyes strayed to his bookshelf that held many of the colourful volumes of the series that he so loved. She was nineteen and a naturally curious person. What could it hurt? She retrieved the first of the volumes and started reading, crossing her legs comfortably beneath her on the bed. Hopefully the plotline will be somewhat decent.

- - - - -

Kakashi woke up hours later, warm, comfortable and pain-free. He almost did not want to get up, but he sensed her signature in his bedroom and so he had to investigate. He was pretty sure that it was masochistic curiosity that drove him to seek her out. The copy-nin threw off the blanket, getting up slowly to not have a head-rush. Then he travelled the short distance to his room and the sight that welcomed him was …bizarre to say the least.

Sakura was sitting calmly on his bed, half-way through the fourth novel of his series, the other three in a pile beside her. She was not blushing or seemingly embarrassed, just comfortably engrossed in a good novel. He watched, nonplussed, as she turned a page.

Sakura slowly looked up from her place in the book and raised an eyebrow at Kakashi. "What?" She questioned, emerald eyes shining innocently.

Kakashi was more or less thrown for a loop. His (former) student was sitting on his bed, reading his questionable novels! She was innocent and was supposed to blush and stammer profusely when reading one of those novels. She was most certainly not supposed to calmly read them while sitting on his bed!

"You were clearly going to be sleeping for awhile and I had to stay and monitor you so I had to find a way to occupy myself effectively." She explained as he still gave her that nonplussed look. "These aren't half-bad actually."

"But why are you reading those books?!" He nearly spluttered, brow creasing in mounting confusion.

Sakura looked puzzled herself for a moment before understanding dawned and she giggled a little. Then her expression changed, eyes becoming mischievous and lips curling into a sly smile. "Why, Kakashi-sensei did you think that I was that naïve?" She let the honorific roll off her tongue languidly, like a cat and she noticed the shiver that he tried to suppress.

He didn't respond and she decided to take advantage of his silence, slowly getting up and stalking over to him, making sure that his eyes followed every sinuous movement. Sakura stopped in front of him, stretching with her arms up in a cat-like gesture, the hem of her shirt lifting to reveal an expanse of milky white skin. He stiffened, whole body becoming rigid with tension. She was quickly reversing what she had done in terms on muscle tension but she would right it soon enough.

Finished stretching, she leaned in real close, standing on her toes to whisper in his ear. Her warm breath on that sensitive area made his breath hitch, and what she said next did not help him in regulating his breathing. "I think you'll find that I'm not a little girl anymore, Kakashi." The next gesture was a calculated one, designed to make his breathing more ragged and self-control etch a little more away. She slid her body against his, circling him, but slipping her legs between his and brushing her torso against his back. She twisted back around to his front again, her hand trailing a blaze of heat from his shoulder, across his chest to settle at his hip. This elicited a soft gasp from him, mismatched eyes widening in surprise and pupils dilating with a much more base reaction.

"Sakura," His voice came out much more roughened than he meant it to be and his breath hitched again before he could say more as she rubbed circles into his hip with her one hand and trailed designs on his torso with the other. "What are you doing?" He winced internally at the state of breathlessness he seemed to be in.

His stiffened muscles seemed to melt into her caressing touch, body rebelling against his better reasoning. "What do you…?" She stopped speaking in order to brush her lips along the column of his neck stopping to quietly growl in his ear. "…Think I'm doing?" The question was innocent enough out of context but the way her hand was sensually rubbing a trail of fire on his chest through his shirt was answer enough for him.

Before he could put another word in edgewise---it was going to be a protest---her hand trailed down and slipped under the hem of his shirt allowing for skin on skin contact. It didn't help that while already being hypersensitive to her presence, he knew that she was using a minute amount of chakra to loosen the muscles and make them more responsive to her touch.

All protests died on his tongue then, his mind becoming blissfully blank as she slipped the other hand under his shirt and used both hands to perform the task. He hazily allowed her to slip off his shirt, too lost in the haze of pleasure she was creating in him to listen to the reason in his mind.

Sakura leaned up to trail open-mouthed kisses along his neck, teeth nipping at his earlobe, back down to nuzzle her nose in the junction of his shoulder and neck. She kissed the little dip delicately and he moaned, the sound reverberating pleasantly between them.

Kakashi recognized the sound as something he made and that helped him to escape the spell that Sakura was casting over him. He was slowly stiffening once more, mind clearing for his reason to help him slow her down and then come to a complete stop. His mind was screaming at him that his was wrong and that he should disengage now. He did so, gently pulling away, skin breaking out in goose-bumps to protest the loss of her warm hands.

Sakura looked up at him, the curiosity quickly encompassing the hurt that she may have been feeling, camouflaging the confusion that she felt at his retreat as well. Her eyes expressed her question for her, no need for words.

"We can't, Sakura." He answered her unspoken question, eyebrows furrowing downwards and the beginnings of another headache starting to pound in piano.

She didn't reach for him, knowing that he wasn't going to respond favourably if she did. "Why can't we?" She asked softly instead.

Kakashi sighed, suddenly very tired and he wearily ran a hand through his always disheveled silver hair. "It's not …right." He reluctantly admitted, mismatched eyes locking onto hers and holding her gaze steadily.

Sakura's eyes twinkled with some secret amusement, as if he didn't know about a joke that had transpired. "Kakashi, I'm nineteen. I can make my own decisions." She watched as he opened his mouth to protest and she put her finger to his lips, effectively silencing him for the moment. "Second, I'm not your student anymore and as much as you don't want to admit it, I'm catching up to equal ground with you in terms of skill and power." She didn't mention the intelligence part, as that had been established a year ago when she beat him ten-to-one in shouji.

"Lastly, how can this be wrong…?" She had lowered her voice to a purr and slid around him in a circle, this time brushing her hips teasingly against his in addition to the sensuous circles being rubbed into his hips. His breath hitched again as she molded her entire body to his, setting his skin on fire. "When it feels so right?" She whispered into his ear, letting her hot breath cause delicious shivers to run down his body.

He was quickly losing his tenacious hold on his self-control and he needed to get out of this fast because his body was hands-down agreeing with the last statement she presented to him. He started to pull away, but her arms reached up and hands interlaced at the back of his neck. Their legs were twined together, and his hips were brushing deliciously against hers with every slight movement.

To push him over the edge, she kissed the junction where his jaw met his neck and trailed a sensual line down his neck with her tongue. When she reached his most sensitive spot, the junction of his shoulder and neck, she delved her tongue into the little dip, mouth closing over the area completely. She writhed a little there and at that moment, a strong shudder ran throughout Kakashi's body and a low, guttural moan escaped his lips.

Tenacious self-control damned, this woman had stretched his limits to the edge and that last move sent him over that proverbial cliff. His arms came to wrap around the small of her back, pulling her upwards and deliciously pressing them together. He nudged her forehead to get her head to angle upwards and the moment it did, his lips hungrily sought hers. His kiss was gentle but impassioned, and he was not waiting for permission. Kakashi took a sort of vengeful satisfaction in nipping her lower lip and getting her to gasp, a point in his favour after she had so easily maneuvered him. His tongue delved in, sweeping along the walls of her cheeks and sensually wrapping itself around hers, causing a tremor to run through her. While he was doing this, his left hand moved upwards to tangle in her hair, a low sound of appreciation let loose at the sensation of silken locks in his rough hand. His right hand slipped under her shirt and he let the rough calluses on his hand do some of the work for him as he ghosted his touch in a pattern on her back. The sensation of the rough pads of his fingers on the sensitively soft skin of her back was a delicious one and she let a little sound of satisfaction loose when they broke for air.

Kakashi made his own sound of approval before lowering his head to place a kiss at the corner of her lips teasingly. It was time for a little payback. He trailed butterfly kisses down the column of her neck, pleased when she tilted her head to give him better access. He nipped and sucked on the pale skin, quickly turning pink with flush. He shifted the neck of her shirt over with the hand that was previously in her hair, tugging it so it was off her shoulder. His hand then returned to playing with the silky pink strands of her hair.

His mouth continued to suck and nip all the way along her shoulder, tongue swirling in a circle at the curve to her arm. He then started backwards, placing open-mouthed kissed on the way. He made it back to her cheek, which he very gently kissed, then moved to the other side. He trailed little kisses down and paused by the shell of her right ear. He let his breath cause a shiver to run down her spine.

A smirk formed on his lips as he nuzzled the back of her ear and experimentally pulled at her earlobe with his teeth. A low moan escaped her as he pulled and his tongue slipped out, licked around the lobe and he was gratified to feel her shake through her body. They were almost even now, except for the fact that she still had more clothes on than him.

He set to fixing that, his hands coming to her sides, sliding up the bare skin and taking her shirt up with them. She unlocked her hands from his neck in order to let him slide it all the way off, letting it fall to the floor. He pulled away for a moment to take in the sight of her black bra, lace design on the outside being the only feminine thing about it. No ruffles or patterns, just simple lace. He decided then that it suited her.

Sakura watched a little apprehensively as Kakashi's mismatched gaze took her in, but was reassured when their eyes met once more. There was a dark intensity in the way he was looking at her, a hunger lurking there.

Before Kakashi could do what he was planning to do while he'd been taking in the sight of her body, Sakura moved first. She smirked a little as one hand tangled in his hair, mussing it sexily, appreciating the softness of the strands on her fingers. Her other hand trailed downwards, nails dragging along the length of his chest in a feather-light touch. He hissed as she did this and it gave her more courage to do what she did next.

Sakura trailed butterfly kisses down his chest, dipping her tongue into his navel, making his breath ragged once more. Her breathing, previously ragged due to his ministrations, was calmer and she felt a sense of triumph as she made him gasp by nipping at the edge of his navel. She travelled back up, pausing at his left pectoral. Curiously, she kissed the nipple there and was amused at the sharp intake of breath she was rewarded with. She nipped the other and his chest rumbled in approval, delicious shivers running through him.

He very gently pulled her back up, arms at the small of her back once more. He couldn't have taken much more of that… curious exploration from her. She had no idea how sensual she was to him and he knew that he was having an equal effect on her.

His rough hands slid up the expanse of her belly, pausing at the ribcage. His eyes looked for her approval and she answered in a kiss. He slid his hands up and the roughness and warmth started her into a gasp, which he took full advantage of with his tongue. His thumbs started to move in concentric circles and her breath hitched as they broke apart, darkened emerald eyes smoldering at him.

He gently guided her to his bed, letting her flop down as her knees met the edge and she lost balance. He slowly slid her beige medic's skirt off and stood straight up to look at her. She was wearing only her bra and skin tight shorts that revealed the lines of what she was wearing underneath.

Both of their breathing was ragged as he descended upon her, nuzzling her neck in affection. Who needed Icha Icha novels when they had beautiful cherry blossoms to keep them company?