dedicated to: Straykat1206 for winning the bid in the help_japan community. I'm terribly sorry this is super late, and I really hope you like it nevertheless. I owe you one more oneshot! :)

beta: Stella, as usual! She's awesome, you guys. Any further mistakes are mine, yo.

Cuddler
by: cutecrazyice

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The first night it happened, Sakura wasn't sure whether to be horrified or fascinated.

There they were, stuck in a makeshift tent after days of traveling and not finding any nearby villages for shelter, backs turned towards each other and sleeping soundly. Well, he was. Sakura had just finished organizing tomorrow's schedule in her mind and was already in the process of closing her eyes, ready to take a sleep well-earned.

Five minutes later, something long and sinewy settled on her waist, pulling her backwards until her spine felt warm and a sweater-covered chest came in contact with it.

She froze.

Kakashi didn't snore, but his deep breathing remained, signaling that he was fast asleep and enjoying said sleep thoroughly. Her hands fisted as a masked nose nuzzled her neck, warm breath through the cloth making her skin shiver. She was so going to punch him if he was going to quote some Icha-Icha line, opening his eyes and stating how this was all a joke and she should lighten up.

He remained sleeping.

He smelled like pine and a hint of smoke, and she let the scent drift through her senses, reminded of home and fire and forest at the same time. It was comforting, alluring. Soft, yet dangerous.

Half an hour later, he still remained sleeping.

Every time she tried to move away, he would just pull her back, settling his face on her neck like it was some sort of pillow. Figuring it was useless to wake him up when they both needed rest, she closed her eyes and reluctantly proceeded to sleep. She could enjoy his embarrassment tomorrow, when he blubbered apologies and crawled at her feet (not likely, but she was still hoping) so she wouldn't have to beat up his face anymore.

When she woke up, he was gone. She crawled out of the tent and found him fixing them breakfast, some fish caught in the nearby river. She waited for the apology – even if it wasn't the blubbering or the crawling type, at least a sheepish look, then.

There was none. He greeted her cheerfully, offering her the food and not speaking at all until it was time to pack up their stuff and continue travelling.

She wasn't pleased – and when Sakura wasn't pleased, she spoke up.

"Aren't you going to say anything else?" she asked.

He looked at her blankly.

"About last night?"

"Last night?"

"Yes." She folded her arms.

"Oh. Oh, yes."

There it was. He was going to apologize. After that, she was going to give him a lecture about how rude it was to just wake up in such an awkward position and not be sorry—

"Next time, make sure to close the tent properly. The mosquitoes were feasting on our blood last night."

She blinked. Then her mouth hung open for half a second before she closed it, staring at him suspiciously and trying to decipher any sense of mischief in his exposed black eye.

There was none. He looked completely innocent – and not the I'm-too-innocent-and-I'm-hiding-something kind.

She knew him enough to read that it was the I'm-really-innocent-this-time kind.

As they trekked the rest of the forest to find the next village, Sakura contemplated what she had just discovered and wondered whether this was her new blackmail weapon or just…new information that she could keep all to herself, like a little secret not meant for anyone else.

What did you know?

Kakashi was a cuddler.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The second night it happened, Sakura didn't know whether to be embarrassed for him or for herself.

She was lying on her back and staring at the tent ceiling, calculating the number of hours she could sleep before she had to wake up and fix them breakfast this time. It wasn't long before her eyelids drifted shut, her mind growing numb and wonderfully fuzzy.

It wasn't long before something warm settled on her waist, rough fingers digging on her lower hip for purchase.

Then she was dragged towards him, his face settling near hers and his palm moving until it was splayed on her stomach. His deep, even breathing vibrated in her ear, sending soft tremors down her spine.

She opened her eyes and glared at his unruly hair. Then like a slimy snail, she maneuvered herself as quietly as possible until she was out of his grip, feeling worried that he hadn't woken up at all. Instead, he rolled around until his back was to hers. Sighing, she closed her eyes again and slept.

She woke up three hours later to something heated on her cheek – and something rough kneading her breast. Disoriented, she turned to face the source and was met with a quiet murmur before naked lips covered her own.

Three things processed through her mind at once.

First, his hand was under her shirt, rubbing her breast over her chest bindings.

Second, his mask was gone.

Third, he was kissing her quite thoroughly.

Her mind blanked after that. She wasn't entirely sure if she responded to the kiss or not, but she was pretty sure she arched into his hand slightly – enough to have him tug on her chest bindings, as if wanting to remove them. Suddenly her brain started working again, and she panicked. Why was she responding? Wasn't she supposed to punch him? Ease away? Wake him up and demand an apology?

Before any of those options could fully form in her clouded mind, he stopped.

Then, with a quiet murmur, he turned around and went back to sleep.

"I—what—" she whispered-squeaked, mouth dropping open as he simply murmured again and promptly snored.

So, new information: Kakashi sleep-moved and snored.

She stared at his back for hours and hours, unable to return to her much-needed sleep. When morning came, armed with bags under her eyes and a steadily increasing temper, she prepared the food and waited for him to come out.

He did so quietly, packing the mini tent without preamble and moving to sit on a log beside her.

She glared.

He stared at the rice cakes she had bought from the last village they stopped in, hunger in his gaze. The look made her glare vanish and her mouth dry, even when she knew it wasn't directed at her.

"Can I have a piece?"

Of me? Of my skin? Of—

She halted those thoughts and pushed the rice cakes in his hand abruptly.

"Eat up," she squeaked before turning around. She heard the faint sound of cloth being pushed down against skin and imagined him placing the food in his bare mouth, chewing softly and hands—

"I'm still hungry."

The husky tone in his voice had her whipping her head towards him, cheeks reddening.

He stared back at her innocently, mask back in place.

"Do you have any more rice cakes?"

"No. We need to go," she snapped. Then she proceeded to stalk as far away from him as possible. Two things came to her mind once she did, horrifying her beyond belief.

First, he had no idea that he kissed her.

Second…she couldn't stop thinking about it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The third night it happened, Sakura wasn't sure if becoming aroused was the proper response at all.

They were staying in an unknown village's dingy motel, sharing a lumpy bed and stomach full of the cheapest food they could find. They were running out of money and had to save up. Too tired to think after running into a couple of rogue ninjas earlier that day, the pink-haired medic nin plopped in half the bed space and proceeded to go to dreamland.

She woke up to darkness, and fingers caressing her under her skirt.

The drowsiness of waking up so abruptly took over for a while before her senses kicked into full gear. When she finally saw and felt him, there was only time for her eyes to widen and her mouth to fall open before he cupped her over her panties and made her pupils nearly dilate.

Oh, Kami. He was asleep, and his movements were sluggish, but oh, Kami.

The friction was unbelievable, and so was the pleasure moving through her skin and slowly simmering her blood. A soft moan came out of her mouth before she could stop it, and she had to place one hand over it to stop another one from erupting. She needed something else. Something more tangible, something that would make her bones melt and the yearning stop—

As if in answer, his naked mouth found hers once more. This time, she didn't resist, kissing him back as softly as possible, afraid to wake him up and mortify the both of them. What she was doing was forbidden, and could downright be considered an assault…but there was no harm when they were both asleep, right (at least, she was pretending to be)? It was okay, right?

He nipped at her jaw and kissed her skin, and she sighed contentedly, not wanting any of the sensations to end at all—

"That's right, baby. Kiss me back."

The alarm went off in her head – and without thought, she abruptly pushed him away, applying enough chakra to have him toppling on the wooden floor with a loud thud.

Baby? Not Sakura, but baby?

There was a quiet groan of pain as he knelt up and blinked at her. Her breath caught as his face reflected the moonlight in the shadows, showing scars and paleness and possibly one of the most devilish faces she had ever seen. Then it was gone, the mask back in place and him looking at her disapprovingly.

"That's low, Sakura. I could have killed you in my sleep for carelessly removing my mask like that."

Her mouth dropped open and a sound somewhere between a hiss and a growl came out.

"Oh, screw you."

Then she hogged the blankets and hid her head under, seething and lamenting the fact that he probably thought she was acting idiotic.

The next morning, as they sat in the motel's cafeteria and ate runny eggs and oily sausages, her head ran with images of her ex-sensei in all kinds of lewd positions with faceless girls, them moaning his name and him groaning baby. It wasn't any of her business, really, so there was no point in asking—

"How many girls have you slept with?" she blurted out. Inwardly, she smacked herself.

He eyed her in confusion. "And this question is relevant because…?"

"Because I'm doing an advanced checkup so you don't have to go to the hospital anymore when we go home. For STD and possible diseases."

"I always use protection, Sakura."

Which meant he slept with a lot of girls. A lot. She knew it. Blood boiling, she glared at him and shoved the food in her mouth with fervor.

"So…how many guys have you slept with, Sakura?"

She nearly choked. "What?"

"Since you asked me that, why can't I ask you?"

"That's—that's none of your business!"

"Do you always use protection—"

"This conversation is over," she snapped through her full mouth. She saw his one exposed eye trail down as she swallowed her food, his expression blank. Then she remembered his voice last night, and wondered what his expression would have been if he'd been awake, and kissing her fast and hard instead of sluggishly, his hands touching her under her clothes and—

She stomped at Inner Sakura's naughty whispers as her blood heated.

There had to be a way to prove that he wasn't innocent in all this.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The fourth night it happened, it was Sakura who initiated it first.

She had pretended to sleep in the double bed of the motel they stayed at in another village, completely aware that her teammate-slash-ex-sensei was still awake beside her, reading his favorite orange novel. The steady turn of pages calmed her outwardly, even as her heart beat nervously at what she was about to do. She tried to slow down its beat, not wanting to be embarrassed at getting caught in her little plan.

Twenty minutes later, she pretended to snuggle to her measly pillow.

Ten minutes after that, she got rid of the pillow and proceeded to snuggle closer to him, burying her face in his shoulder and wrapping one arm around him. His hands were trapped, and she felt him momentarily freeze.

"…Sakura?"

She merely buried her nose in his sweater, smelling him again and trying to tamp down the excitement it brought to her senses.

Focus, girl.

She waited. Pretended to snore.

The initial freezing turned to sighing as he slowly pulled his arms out of her grasp and placed one hand on her head uncertainly. Then he drew her closer, letting her head rest on his chest.

He was so, so warm.

Before she could lose her nerve, she placed her arm around his waist again and splayed one leg around him, effectively hugging him. Then she began to place her lips on his sweater, feeling him stiffening again before he gradually, eventually relaxed.

He smelled so, so good.

Could she do it? Would she do it?

Hurry up, you. Hurry the freak up! Inner Sakura yelled impatiently.

Without further ado, she rolled again until she was straddling him. Then, eyes still closed, she lowered her head and began to kiss him all over.

Oh Kami, oh Kami, oh Kami…

His hand slowly trailed down her hip. It took all her effort not to jump as heat flared in her belly, travelling down, down…

She heard soft rustling – then she was suddenly kissing a bare mouth that felt hungry and oh-so-good. She moaned as his hand tilted her head to angle the kiss deeper, and almost lost control when his tongue came out to play.

Then he was rolling her hard and before she knew it, his mouth and hands were gone and she was flat on her back on the bed. The impact was so sudden that she had no choice but to open her eyes, still surprised and hot and confused.

After blinking her eyes several times (and secretly steadying her heart), she turned to look at him and saw that his eyes were back on his orange book, and there was a pillow on his lap.

"Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"What…what happened?"

A pause.

"What are you talking about, Sakura?"

Oh.

"What woke me up?"

"Nothing. Maybe you were having nightmares."

Oh.

Disappointed, she pretended to yawn and turned to her side away from him, trying not to throw something as she realized three things.

First, he would totally have taken advantage had he reallybeen pretending to sleep-move days ago.

Second, he probably groped all the girls (or boys?) who slept in bed beside him.

Third, he didn't want her. Hence, he pushed her away.

The last thought left her feeling unexpectedly hollow.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The fifth night it happened…well, it didn't happen.

They were both awake and back on the cramped tent, him staring at the ceiling and her pretending to rummage through her travel pack. Technically, it was their last stop before their final trek to Konoha, and they were almost near the border that it was okay to not be as alert and tense as they used to be – in theory, anyway. In truth, the tension was so thick that one could cut a knife through it and probably be electrified.

That's how Sakura felt, anyway.

She tried to reprimand him when he began taking out his book and turning the pages. He ignored her.

She tried to lecture him on the evils of porn and the bad influence his habits were inflicting on Naruto. He ignored her, and later on told her to go to sleep.

Oh. So he wanted her to sleep first. He was totally not into her. The images of girls all over him flitted through her mind again and suddenly she snapped. Grabbing the orange book and tearing it to pieces, she was only able to make out Kakashi's surprised hey before she was straddling him, ready to tear him to pieces, too.

He immediately quieted. Then,

"What is this all about, Sakura?"

"You!" Sakura yelled furiously. "You and your stupid habits!"

"…my what?"

"You and your floozies!"

"What—"

"You and your dumb touches!"

"My—"

"Why did you stop last night, you ass!"

There was complete, utter silence after that as Sakura realized the mistake she just made. But too stubborn to back down, she stayed where she was, not caring that she was probably humiliating herself in the process.

He was going to get that well-deserved punch first.

The silence went on as Sakura tried to stop the floozy images from harassing her and Kakashi's expression remained unreadable. Then he sat up until they were face to face, and slowly removed his mask. His face was distracting, and so was the scar moving across his jaw (why had she not noticed that the first time he unmasked in the shadows?) like a beautiful little mark.

She froze.

"So you were awake last night," he murmured. "And kissing me."

"So what?" she scoffed defensively, folding her arms. "It's not like you're not used to it, what's with your dirty little habit of sleep-kissing and being such a manslut and—"

Her tirade ended in an undignified squeak as he uncrossed her arms and dragged her closer, his indecipherable expression turning dark.

She panicked, of course – and when Sakura panicked, she mostly babbled.

"Manslut," she hissed. "You big old manslut – why are you touching me?"

His hand on her hip was doing wonderful things to her senses, and she told herself to shut up, shut up—

"You seriously need to control those hands, and yourself, you big old…you…stop. Stop."

His mouth was so near, and hers was itching. Pushing away from him, she yelped in surprise when her arms were grabbed and she was simply held in place. She glared at him. "You idiotic piece of man who would never see the light of day once I'm—"

"Stop talking," he growled. Then he cupped her head with one hand and leaned in.

No. No.

"I am not one of your—"

He succeeded the tug-of-war and brought his lips near her ear, whispering words that had her eyes widening and all movement stopping.

"I don't sleep-move. Or sleep-kiss. Never did."

Her mind processed slowly.

"So that time—"

"Yeah."

"You were purposely touching—"

"Yeah."

"And kissing—"

"Yeah."

"But why?"

A pause.

"Do you really have to ask?" he replied evenly.

Silence.

"…oh."

Her cheeks bloomed, pink coloring them as she suddenly turned shy, not knowing what to say anymore – or where to place her hands, for that matter. But he fixed it for her by taking those hands and placing them on his shoulders. Then his stayed on her waist, slowly dragging her shirt up. Up.

"Did you place the chakra around us? To hide our location?"

"Y-yes," she stuttered.

"Did you place the silencing jutsu? So no one outside could hear us?"

What was supposed to be precautionary camouflaging measures suddenly became something much more erotic.

"Yes," she breathed, trembling as his hands moved, slowly heating up every inch of her skin.

"Good," he rasped.

Then he was flipping her and steadily removing her clothes – and she was gladly complying and doing the same.

Nobody heard the reckless, delicious abandon of their earth-shattering climax.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Naruto stared at them when they arrived at the gates of Konoha, highly puzzled at the dark circles under their eyes and the satisfied looks on their faces.

"You look like hell, guys."

Kakashi's eyes crinkled. "Got attacked. Thoroughly. No sleep."

"And some sleeping habits really bothered us," Sakura chirped happily.

It was the oddest conversation the blond has ever had as of late.

a/n: Reviews are loooooove! (and yes, appreciated!)

up next: NejiSaku oneshot & SasuSaku oneshot!