A/N: Before I sit back and let Tazicat12 take over, I want to thank all the lovely people who reviewed the last chapter. Your feedback is very much important to us, so please continue to shower us with your appreciation and brighten our day.

Hi, I'm Tazicat12.

I'd like to apologise for this chapter taking so long. I can only say life tends to interfere when you least want or expect it to. I've tried using a very large hammer to beat it into submission (or at least into a shape more conducive to writing) but haven't enjoyed much luck. I can only assure you Pan and I will be finishing this story, so bear with us.

Also, when the page total of this story reaches 250; I'm officially calling it a book. As it is, this chapter alone runs 56 and a half pages with the font size I use (Tahoma, size 9), so I'll probably reach it in the next chapter or two,

Anyway, welcome to date night in Konoha. Fasten your seat belts; it's going to be an interesting ride.

Unfortunately all rights to Konoha and its citizens belong, as always, to Kishi. It'd be a vastly more interesting place if it was mine but I'm limited to rare visits to traumatise the natives. If, however, this changes and living in Konoha becomes a future option, I'll be moving there to take up a lasting, passionate three-way relationship with Kakashi and Iruka.

That's right. I'm calling dibs on both of them. Deal with it.

Seven Days of Seduction – Chapter 12 – Just Another Eventful Day in Konoha Pt. 2

Pursuit and seduction are the essence of sexuality. It's part of the sizzle…

Tenten brushed her hair as she waited for the curling iron to heat. Released from her usual twin buns and freshly washed, it hit the middle of her back. She ran her hand through it, wrinkling her nose, briefly wishing for Ino's blonde tresses or Hinata's exotic purple tinted black. Heck, she'd be happy with Sakura's striking pink rather than being a boring brunette. She sighed. At times, when with her friends, she felt like a plain brown sparrow among exotic birds.

But on missions, she reminded herself, she was the one with the advantage. She blended in, could be disguised much easier, with far less help from transformation jutsus. And the less chakra an enemy could sense the better chance for survival. She supposed if she had to choose she'd go for that advantage, given she had to be alive to date.

She tested the curling iron, glancing in the mirror as she debated which would look better, loose curls or ringlets. She wanted a style with more bounce and movement than the loose waves she had when she let her hair out of her buns. Something, she grinned, that would make Ebisu's jaw drop.

Ringlets, she decided, with a glance at her waiting dress. A few loosely framing her face, the rest pulled back to cascade down her back. That and the criss-crossing straps also running down the back, she grinned, should nicely draw Ebisu's eyes down toward her butt every time she turned around.

Kakashi tracked down Sai near the Hyuuga compound. The ex-ROOT agent glanced up as he moved noiselessly toward him, nodding a welcome before returning to his observation. Joining him, Kakashi looked carefully himself, noting, to his approval, the position overlooked the main branch's private quarters. His eyes briefly followed various clan members, recognising several, including Hinata, before turning to Sai.

"I touched base with Yamato when I returned this morning. I understand Tenten has a date with Ebisu tonight?" he eased down into a comfortable crouch.

"Yes. It promises to be…interesting. Ebisu's reactions to her are quite educational," Sai's gaze never left his target.

"According to my source it'll take place at the Golden Katana. Is this a certainty?" Kakashi watched as the ANBU's head tilted in consideration.

"It seems to be the proposed venue, but," his eyes met Kakashi's in a quick glance, "Plans have been known to change, especially in social settings. I take it you wish to know if they do."

"Yes."

"I'm conjecturing this has to do with Sakura's part in the Kunoichi game?" Sai's curious glance was longer this time. "Yamato mentioned you two were conspiring to fool Ino."

"Let's just say our debut will be for credible witnesses," he rubbed a hand over his hair, "Ino will be a tougher sell, so tonight will be part trial run, part set up. It'll give us an idea of what we need to refine while helping convince Ino it's real. If she hears it from several sources, she'll be less likely to dismiss it."

"Ah, I see," Sai was intrigued, "Tenten will be able to give first hand testimony to Ino."

"And the grapevine will spread it over half of Konoha before she returns," his eye twinkled up at the interested ANBU. "I wouldn't be surprised if she hears several accounts between the gate and the village."

Sai gave a short understanding nod, impressed by the meticulous plan. He could see how the Jounin had amassed such a renowned reputation, both in ANBU and out.

"Oh…Sakura wanted to know how Hinata is doing," Kakashi said, expanding, "She went to meet Naruto after leaving Ino's. Sakura was concerned about her and wondered how it went."

"Yes, they met at Ichiraku's," Sai replied, "The Hyuuga was…surprising. At first glance she seems very mild but is capable of being quite formidable."

"Really?" now Kakashi blinked in interest, "That's an interesting appraisal. She must've impressed you. What happened?"

"She seemed quite withdrawn walking to the ramen stall," his eyes still on target, he pulled a sketchpad from his pouch, handing it to the Jounin, "I had my doubts about her, especially when she spent several minutes observing Naruto and Sasuke from a distance. I was beginning to think she'd back away when suddenly she…changed."

"Changed?" Kakashi flipped the pad open, leafing through sketches.

"Yes, like she was a different person, still quiet," Sai's brows rose slightly in memory, "Yet most definitely determined. Once at the stall, she requested a private talk with Sasuke."

"With…Sasuke?" amazed, Kakashi's brow rose, "A…fascinating development." He examined a sketch. In it an alarmed Sasuke seemed to be hiding behind Naruto.

"Yes. He was reluctant at first, believing, I assume, she was going to confess feelings for him. This confused her at first, then must have amused her, for she turned it against him by…teasing him," he turned his head slightly so he could see the Jounin's reaction in his periphery vision.

"She teased him?" Kakashi stared at a picture where the 'shy' Hyuuga laughed at an astonished Sasuke while Ayame giggled in the background and a mildly interested Naruto, mouth full of ramen, looked on.

"And laughed at his reaction," his head tilted in memory, "But it did achieve a purpose. He agreed to talk to her. They moved to a nearby alleyway to do so."

"That must've been an interesting conversation," Kakashi remarked, turning through sketches.

"It was, though I'm not sure if it qualifies as 'conversation'. She did the talking while Sasuke listened. She explained her attraction to Naruto and acknowledged they were rivals. She was very impressive, quietly dignified and composed. I believe Sasuke was quite daunted," he watched the Jounin's brow rise as he examined the sketch of the two leaving the alleyway.

"And stunned," Kakashi's eye merrily assessed Sasuke's face for a few seconds longer before shutting the book. "And what happened afterwards?"

"They returned to the stall for a time. Then Sasuke left to converse with the new arrivals," he gave the compound an assessing look, then turn to crouch as well. "That conversation was quite fascinating as well."

"Really…?" Kakashi glanced upward, estimating the time, "I'll have to hear about it later. I need time to prepare for tonight myself. What happened to Hinata and Naruto after that?" He handed the sketchbook back to Sai.

"They were still at the ramen stand when I left," He put the book back into his pouch, "I thought it best to report events to Yamato. Hinata's plan was to invite Naruto to walk with her and I presume to talk. From her activities," he tilted his head toward the compound, "I take it she had some success. She seems happy, yet also quite anxious and appears to be readying herself for a date. Will this be enough to alleviate Sakura's concerns?"

"Yes, it will. Thank you, Sai," he rose, careful to keep from exposing himself, "I'll be home for awhile, then I'll be moving to Sakura's. I'll presume our destination is the Golden Katana unless you get in contact. I'll also have the pack keep watch for you. They always know how to find me quickly. Will this suffice?"

"Yes, Hatake-san," Sai watched the Jounin leave, and then moved back to his post. The day, he mused, seemed to be filled with unexpected surprises. Now he not only had Tenten's date to look forward to but Kakashi and Sakura's performance as well.

He watched Hinata, in a robe, her hair wrapped in a towel, rush toward her rooms in the Hyuuga compound. Now, he mused idly, if only she conveniently chose the Golden Katana as well, his evening would be ideal. He'd have two of his targets in one place and the prospect of a very entertaining evening. It'd only lack Sasuke showing up with his mysterious target for it to be complete.

Hinata hurried into her room, her mind racing in several different directions at once. She was nervous, frantically determined to get everything right for her big date with Naruto. It didn't help that several of her relatives were staring at her as if her sanity was in question. She was starting to question it herself.

She forced herself to stop, take a deep breath and let her mind slow. One step at a time, she told herself. With reverent care she went to her closet to draw out the dress - the one she wanted Naruto to see her in so badly. She hung it on the edge of her dressing screen, opening the garment bag to smile at it. She ran her hand over the white design around the waist before walking away. She began vigorously drying her hair with the towel wrapped around it. Pausing in front of her full length mirror, she tossed the towel on a chair as she ran her hand through her tresses while considering.

She'd put her underwear on before drying her hair further, she decided, and then do her nails. She perused her choices, picking out a set in pale lavender. Laying it on her bed, she undid the sash on her robe. Just as the robe slide down her shoulders to pool around her feet, the door to her room slammed open.

"What's up with you?" Hanabi crossly snapped, charging into the room, chased by Neji, "All everyone's talking about is how you're acting weird." Hinata, totally naked, gave a startled shriek as she desperately sprang for the safe haven of her dressing screen. Neji swore, quickly turned his back to his cousin with a blush.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, Hinata," he called, rigidly staring at the door, "I was trying to stop her." His eyes widened helplessly as his uncle walked through the door to join them.

"Is this a family conference I wasn't invited to?" Hiashi's interested eyes landing on each of them in turn, "Or is Hanabi being ill-mannered again?"

"Very ill-mannered," Neji's quiet remark almost went unheard under his younger cousin's loud defensive protest of, "I just wanted to know why she's acting so weird." Hinata, hyperventilating, was too distracted to comment.

"Hanabi, your curiosity isn't an excuse for bad manners," the elder Hyuuga rebuked, "You barged into your sister's room without permission, I think it's best if you leave." His gaze grew stern as his youngest daughter clearly began to sulk, "Now please, not later, unless of course you want extra practice or chores to do?" With a surrendering sigh, she reluctantly moved to obey. Her father watched her out the door before turning back to the remaining two. He shared a commiserating look with his nephew before turning to his eldest daughter.

"Is there a reason for your…unusual behaviour, Hinata?" he gently inquired, "A problem you need help with, perhaps?" His gaze took in the underwear on the bed, the unfamiliar dress in its garment bag, his brow creasing as he added up the clues.

She was at that age, wasn't she, he sighed. He remembered her birth, the first time he'd seen her, held her, how she'd stolen his heart at first sight, his first and eldest. He deeply regretted the way he'd dismissed her as a child, thinking her unworthy to lead the clan. It was only in the last few years he'd come to appreciate the depth of her quiet courage and spirit. But now, just as he'd rediscovered her, she was naturally turning away to live her own life. It hurt to know he'd wasted years and could only blame himself.

"Then again," he smiled, "I surmise the true cause is more…positive than negative. Do I know the young man?" Neji shot him a startled look, then one over his shoulder at the blushing Hinata. Hanabi's head suddenly reappeared around the door.

"You've got a date…an actual date? With whom?" she loudly bombarded her sister with excited questions. "Do I know him? Is he cute? Is he a powerful shinobi? Is that the dress you're wearing? Wow, is that new? It's pretty! Are you going to put your hair up? Can I help? What sort of make up…"

"Hanabi," Hiashi's stern voice provoked a startled 'eep' from his youngest daughter, "I thought I told you to leave?"

"Um…" she stood at attention beyond the doorway, "Actually…you told me to leave the room, Father. And I am…outside the room…so…" she nervously fingering the hem of her shirt, "I'm really not disobeying you…" She looked hopefully at her father, "…and I really want to know who Hinata's date is?"

Hiashi sighed, rubbing his forehead in parental frustration. If she wasn't chosen to succeed him, he mused; his youngest had a fine future career as an elder, for the clan or even the village council. She already had the stubbornness and the ability to argue fine details down pat.

"I think we all should leave and give your sister some privacy to prepare for her date with…" he turned to look with polite enquiry at Hinata. Hanabi and Neji also gazed at her, her sister with open curiosity, her cousin over his shoulder with a faint, concerned frown. Still trapped behind the screen, Hinata sighed in resignation, realising they weren't going to leave until she told them. She gathered the last shreds of her dignity, taking a deep breath.

"I…I'm going on a dinner date tonight. With Naruto Uzumaki," she told them. Neji's eyes widened as he gave her a surprised smile. Hanabi looked like she couldn't decide whether the news was good or bad. Hiashi smiled, giving the dress another speculating look. He wouldn't be a good clan leader if he didn't know a great deal about its members. He'd discovered her feelings for the Jinchuuriki a while back and it gladdened him to see her following her dream of a relationship with him. He resolved to deal with any clan opposition as quietly as possible, before it reached her.

"You'll look beautiful in that dress. I hope Naruto appreciates it…and you," he turned, signalling Neji to precede him, "I hope you have a pleasant evening, Hinata. Now, Hanabi," he guided his youngest away down the hall, ignoring her glances back toward her sister's room, "You can come with me for a practice session. Perhaps, if he'd not busy, Neji will join us? I believe refining your technique with us will keep you busy and out of trouble for a while.

Sasuke dried his supper dishes as he considered things.

He still felt a sense of loss from conceding to Hinata but knew it was the right decision. He realised he'd probably feel a pang or two seeing them together, at least for a while. The time he'd spent with Naruto had helped. It was reassuring to know he wasn't losing his friend.

He grinned again, remembering the 'penalty' he'd proposed for yielding. Before the blonde managed to escape he'd come perilously close to talking him into agreeing. It still tickled him to think of one of Naruto's children with Itachi's name. And that one day he might be that child's Jounin-Sensei.

Now he just had Ino's challenge and Sai to deal with. He shook his head; wryly remembering when his only worry was acclimatizing to being gay. Now it seemed his life was full of unusual situations. He was scrambling to adjust. Firmly he turned his mind back to business.

He'd managed to casually glean some intell from Naruto without revealing his interest in Sai. Regrettably the blonde's knowledge was out of date, partially due to his target being ANBU. Sasuke knew he'd been in the hospital as recently as their last mission. It was the reason they'd been guided by an ink clone instead of Sai himself. His whereabouts since his release, beyond him being 'somewhere in the village', was presently unknown.

He debated his options. Sakura'd been his medic, but he doubted she'd know much more than Naruto. Kakashi would be able to find out his whereabouts but would be curious to know why. Sasuke shuddered just thinking what he might do to find out. This left Yamato as being his best bet. He also had a link to Team Seven, was ANBU and was usually teamed with Sai. But while he'd be less difficult to deal with than Kakashi, he was sharper than Naruto. Sasuke'd have to be careful about asking for information.

He ran through possible excuses for wanting it as he put his dishes away, deciding his best choice was to claim details were needed about their last mission. Though Sai'd sent an ink clone, he'd have gotten its memories after it dissipated giving validity to the claim. For a moment Sasuke hesitated, than resolutely moved to his phone. The sooner he had the information, the sooner he could contact Sai, be rejected and get Ino's stupid damn challenge over with.

Mind racing, Yamato put down his phone, reclaiming the tea mug, but not the book, he'd set aside to answer it. Could it be, he wondered. Was Sasuke's mysterious target, the person Sai was so determined to learn the identity of…Sai himself? He grinned, relaxing in his chair, considering the possibility as he sipped.

He mulled it over, taking time to see it from several angles as only an ANBU captain could. He thought carefully about the personalities of the two young men involved, hypothesizing their possible actions and reactions. He added Sai's current activities into the mix, debating both how it would be affected as well as its effect on Sasuke and Sai. He found himself chuckling several times during the process.

Should he tell Sai? He considered the question as he rose to get more tea. No, he decided, he'd let Sai find out for himself. It'd be much more interesting that way. Of one thing he was certain. He was truly looking forward to hearing Sai's report on the matter.

As he waited by the training ground entry, Ebisu idly thought of his latest book acquisition. Icha Icha Seduction was living up to his expectation, a true Jiraiya classic. He frowned slightly, hoping he'd placed it back in his nightstand's secret compartment with the rest of the series. Fastidiously he picked a speck of lint from his sleeve. It was a long shot Tenten would decide to come back to his place but if she did he didn't want to give her the wrong impression. A man of his talents, he mused, needed to have the best of reputations, otherwise who'd trust him to tutor their children?

"Ebisu-Sensei?" a soft, feminine voice called from behind him. He turned and then stood gaping at the vision walking toward him. She was flawless, he thought faintly as he took in the details.

The plum dress clung like a second skin, the interesting knotted design catching the eye. Her slender legs made the flared skirt swirl enticingly. Her hair, aside from a few ringlets framing her face, was held back in a jewelled band. It bounced fascinatingly with her movements. Delicate toes and fingers showing perfectly matching pedi- and manicures peeked from high heels, held an evening bag, pulled a lace shawl more firmly around her. Her makeup was impeccable, enhancing her features while seeming minimal. Her eyes sparkled as she approached, her lipstick faintly shimmering as she smiled at him.

Beautiful, was his only coherent thought. He was mesmerized.

Tenten enjoyed Ebisu's blatant admiration. Stopping in front of him, she carefully reached up, using a gentle finger under his chin to push his mouth closed. It broke the spell.

"Tenten," he coughed self consciously, "It's so good to see all…um," his eyes helplessly roamed over her, "…to see you."

"Have I been keeping you waiting?" she smiled radiantly.

"N-no, not at all," he stammered, "Even if you had, I must say, it'd…definitely be worth the wait. You look…look…" no word was adequate, so he settled for, "Incredible."

"Why, thank you," she demurely looked down, then back up again, "I think you look incredible too, Ebisu-Sensei." She ran her eyes over him, admiring how the dark dress pants and pale shirt clung to him under a navy blazer. He swore he could feel the path of her gaze and held back a shiver as he forced his mind back to the niceties.

"Where would you like to go for drinks?" he pushed his sunglasses back on his nose, using the familiar gesture to summon his poise.

"Would the Golden Katana be agreeable to you, Ebisu-Sensei?" she tilted her head, her ringlets shifting enticingly. He had the sudden desire to run a hand through them.

"Y-yes…yes it would," he fought the urge. "Shall we go?" he gestured for her to precede him. With another smile, she turned and started walking. Ebisu stood rooted to the spot, his eyes helplessly following a cascade of ringlets to crisscrossing straps and down to where swinging hips accented a perfect bottom. Behind his sunglasses his eyes followed its tempo. Gulping, he nearly swallowed his tongue along with the sudden flood of saliva. Ahead of him, Tenten paused to look back, disrupting the entrancing rhythm.

"Are you coming, Ebisu-Sensei?" she called.

"Y-yes…of course," he hurried to join her, offering his arm. She demurely looked through her lashes at him as she took it. Together they left the training ground, heading back into the village.

In a tree nearby, Sai's attention was drawn away by a gruff "Yo" from a branch slightly above him. Startled, his hand on a kunai, he looked up, finding Pakkun casually sitting there, looking back.

"No need for that," the small pug glanced at the kunai, "I'm just here to make sure the Boss gets the restaurant right."

"My apologies," Sai gazed inquisitively at him as he removed his hand, "It's rare for someone to be able to sneak up on me. It usually takes ANBU level ability."

"Then your rep's safe," the pug snorted humorously, "Me and the rest of the pack were ANBU right along with Kakashi."

"Ah, of course," he nodded understanding, "Again…my apologies, I should've realised."

"Yeah, well, back to business," Pakkun looked past him at the disappearing couple, "So, the Golden Katana's a go?"

"Yes, it shouldn't take them long to reach it," Sai's gaze returned to them also, "Will Kakashi-san and Sakura be joining them there soon?" Again he heard the pug's humorous snort.

"You know the Boss. He'd be late to his own funeral. Well," the small ninken stretched before calmly walking down the tree, "The sooner I get this to him, the sooner I can get him out the door to pick up Sakura. They'll get there eventually. You going too?"

"Of course," Sai joined him in his descent, "The evening is promising to be quite interesting."

No, Hiashi told himself, he wasn't hiding in one of the tall, flowering bushes in his own courtyard so he could secretly watch Hinata and her date. He just happened to be inspecting the blooms when Naruto arrived. It was just coincidence the best ones were in a spot that obscured him from observers. And if that spot also afforded him the opportunity to discretely observe the visitor and any clan members in the vicinity, it was just chance.

He noted one elder's disapproving frown at the nervously pacing visitor before turning his full attention to Naruto himself. The boy was definitely his parents' child, Hiashi mused. Nostalgically he recalled Kushina and Minato. Their son physically resembled his father, but exhibited much of his mother's energy and personality. It was good to see so much of them had survived in their only child.

Distracted, he almost missed the small figure edging stealthily through the foliage toward Naruto. His hand shot out, intercepting his youngest before she could accost their visitor.

"Hanabi," he inquired quietly, "Didn't I leave you meditating?"

"Um…I…finished early…?" she tentatively replied. He raised a parental brow. She gave a frustrated sigh, blurting a bit loudly, "I know Naruto's strong, but isn't he also sort of a doofus? Are you…" Hiashi firmly shushed her, "…Are you sure it's all right for Hinata to go with him?" she leaned close, intensely whispering in a scandalized tone, "Don't you know about the pervy contest he's got going with Konohamaru?"

Hiashi sighed. Of course he knew about the boys' ongoing Sexy no Jutsu contest. They were in the habit of carrying it out on busy streets in view of all. The village adults' attitude toward it was the same as toward Kakashi and Gai's rivalry challenges: They were hilarious to see or gossip about, but not the sort of behaviour you condone in front of the children.

He was loath to explain this to his youngest child though. The difficulty lay in the fact there were far more dangerous alternatives existing to shinobi. A little perverse nudity and weird challenges were innocent and healthy compared to the darkness one could fall prey to. Unfortunately, eventually Hanabi would learn of, and Hiashi prayed, resist falling into that darkness herself. As a parent, he naturally wished to protect her for as long as possible. Briefly, the two fell silent as he struggled with his response and she waited for his answer.

Then the sound of rustling in the undergrowth saved him, distracting them both with the awareness of a third presence easing furtively past them. Father and daughter cautiously peered though the shrubbery to find Neji peeking at the pacing Naruto. His bush was getting a bit crowded, Hiashi mused, clearing his throat. Neji started guiltily.

"Have you come to see Hinata off on her date?" his eyes twinkled at his mortified nephew, "Or just indulging an interest in horticulture?" Hanabi snorted at them, caught between amusement and annoyance. As Neji began to stammer an explanation, she glanced toward the house in time to see Hinata appear. Her awed gasp instantly drew her two companions' attention. From their leafy haven the trio mutely watched her approach.

Hiashi's eyes misted as he watched his eldest daughter walk toward her date, his throat tightening and his heart feeling like it would burst with pride. She looked so much like her mother had at that age, he thought. Hinata was a credit, no, a glory to her family and clan, a truly beautiful young woman. As much as his father's heart wished to deny it, his little girl had grown up.

He'd been right; the dress was beautiful on her. The colour was perfect, the white design frankly accentuating her feminine curves. Her hair, held back with tasteful combs, fell in a sleek dark river down her back. A white shawl graced her lovely shoulders, a matching evening bag held in slender hands. The undemanding beaded design on them shimmered, as did the simple iridescent white on her finger and toe nails. Her make up was perfect, accentuating her eyes, the curve of her lips. He recognised her elegant jewellery as a set her mother had worn when they were dating, passed down in turn. It brought back so many treasured memories.

Proudly he turned toward the Uzumaki, mentally daring him to find fault with his beautiful daughter, just as the young man circled from his pacing and caught sight of her. Naruto froze, forgetting to breathe after an initial gasp, his honest blue eyes widening in appreciative awe. As well he should, Hiashi thought in grudging approval. Hinata lightly blushed at her date's reaction as she walked the final few paces to stop in front of him.

"Hello, Naruto," her quiet voice reached the three hidden in the bush, "Are you all right?" The blonde, jarred out of his motionless state, blinked, faintly gasping for breath as he blushed as well.

"Um…yeah," he stammered breathlessly, "Hinata…you look…wow! Your hair…and that dress….you just… WOW! Believe it!" His frankly admiring gaze locked on her as he ran his hair through his hair.

Hinata's answering smile was radiant. Her blush deepened prettily as she demurely glanced away, by chance toward the bush. The trio hidden there instinctively shrunk back, inadvertently rustling the foliage. As the oblivious Naruto continued to gaze at her, Hinata shot a brief suspicious glance toward the sound. Deciding she didn't want to know, she turned back to her date.

"Shall we go?" she softly inquired. He shyly offered his arm with a smile. Then, eyes still locked on her, he led her toward the courtyard door, where Hinata barely managed to save him from walking into it as they passed by through to the street beyond. She glanced once back toward the bush before they disappeared from sight.

"See," Hanabi, first out of the bush, brushed her clothes as she grumbled to the others, "What did I tell you? He's a total doofus. I don't know what she sees in him."

"You wouldn't," Neji joined her, pulling a small bloom out of a fold in his tunic, "Not that your opinion matters. It's your sister's choice, not yours. You should be happy for her. I thought it went quite well. Hinata was beautiful and Naruto was obviously smitten with her. They were…" his brow creased as he searched for the right word, "Rather…sweet together."

"Sweet?" she scoffed, turning to her father as he exited the bush, "Father, you can't really…" she paused, her mouth gaping, "F-Father, are you…crying?"

"You're late," the small pug looked reproachfully up at Kakashi, as they raced across the rooftops, "If I were her, I'd bite your balls off." The Jounin smirked under his mask.

"Then I'm lucky she's not a dog," he replied. He could see the roof of Sakura's building up ahead. He shifted the rose bouquet he'd bought from the Yamanaka flower shop more comfortably in the crook of his arm.

"Still, it's a lousy way to impress your future mate," the small dog groused, "It reflects badly on you as the pack Alpha male. How do you expect her to take it seriously if you don't?" Pakkun followed suit as Kakashi quickly slowed to a stop. The Jounin glanced at Sakura's apartment before turning to his dog.

"I told you before, Pakkun," he glared at the ninken, "I'm not courting Sakura. We're just putting on an act to fool Ino. We're not serious." He turned to leave, "Its best if you go home. I don't want you bothering Sakura with this." He leapt from the building.

The small dog watched him land on Sakura's balcony before racing off. Once out of sight, he stealthily circled to a different building nearby and downwind. The Boss hadn't told him to go immediately, he reasoned, and the pack would want to know how it went. He'd just wait a bit. Ears perked, nose quivering, he focused intently on Sakura's.

Kakashi glanced behind as he landed on the balcony, heaving a relieved sigh as he watched Pakkun move off. He loved his dogs, but pack mentality had its disadvantages. Blunt honesty and an amazing degree of involvement in each other's lives was perfectly normal behaviour to them. Therefore they freely offered support, opinions and advice on any subject regardless of their surroundings or the consequences. This tended to be irritating and/or potentially embarrassing to their only human pack member.

Take their latest obsession with making Sakura his mate. They wouldn't consider it inappropriate or embarrassing to actively campaign on his behalf by telling her about his recent dreams. Kakashi couldn't quite suppress a shudder as he considered the potential results of that. No, he decided, it was best if he kept them far away from her for now. A light breeze played with his hair as he walked to the door, shifting the bouquet to knock.

"It's unlocked," Sakura's voice called, "Come in." He complied, stepping through the door, roses in front of him as his eyes automatically found her.

"Ready, Sak…u…ra…?" his voice died away as he froze in the open doorway. The breeze blew past him, lightly swirling around the woman in front of him, ruffling clothing and hair, before drifting back past him out the balcony door and downwind to the small ninken.

"Not serious…riiight," Pakkun snorted scornfully, "And I'm a wolfhound in disguise. Who're you trying to fool, Boss? The last time I smelled anyone that hot and bothered it was a gang of teenage boys during a girls' volleyball tournament at a nudist colony." And wasn't that a mission he'd love to forget, he growled softly, shuddering. He'd been severely tempted, and well positioned, to bite Kakashi's balls off himself, while spending most of it as an impromptu loin cloth. The diminutive pug never wanted to be that close to the Boss' exposed genitalia ever again. He still got the occasional nightmare.

Unfortunately, long study of the frustrating human species had taught the wise little ninken that, unlike canines, they had the ability to fool themselves. Despite his pack's good influence, Kakashi was no exception. Pakkun hoped his Alpha realised the danger before he messed up with Sakura. He decided to keep a cautious eye on them. Judging by the scent, Kakashi'd be too distracted to notice. He'd be safe enough until the restaurant. Then he'd report to the pack.

Time stopped. Kakashi stared, tongue-tied and entranced, taking in the details.

The simple red silk dress hugged Sakura's curves like a lover, its neckline dipping tantalizingly between breasts. Iridescent pale pink toes peeked from red high heels, while matching finger nails played fretfully with an evening bag. Her curled hair was drawn back with white enamelled combs. The pinks and greens of the elegant cherry blossoms on them, the same blossoms tastefully decorating the simple white silk shawl and evening bag, emphasized the colours of her hair and eyes. Subtle makeup refined her features, made her eyes seem bigger. There was an enticing shimmer on her lips. The breeze carried an exotic mix of a light floral scent with her personal musk.

"Kakashi?"

He felt dazed and divided, like he'd been hit with a very large brick then tossed into a chaotic tug of war, torn between two opposing sides, his good intentions and his raging desires. He knew he was in trouble. All he could do was stand frozen as this internal war was waged, his mind raging with wildly conflicting, confusing feelings and thoughts.

Desire, hot and primitive, growled, tempting him with wild, lustful memories of his recent dreams. It demanded he indulge its need to tear off that dress, run hands over those curves, through that hair. To do things to those fascinating, shimmering pink digits and lips and have them do things to him in return. Another light breeze danced past him, bringing another heady whiff of her scent. Its coolness made him aware of his own heat, how it rolled through him, balled in his belly and groin, heated his stare and made his mouth dry. He struggled for breath.

Good intention fought valiantly against desire. It counselled self control, to pull it together before he alarmed Sakura. It said he shouldn't feel this way about his former student, team mate and friend. She wouldn't understand, it whispered, didn't feel that way about him. It wasn't fair to her. It was only their recent experiences together, his dreams making him susceptible. If he lost control, gave in to desire, she'd never forgive him. This provoked an icy shiver up his spine, made shoulder muscles tense with the fear of losing her.

"Kakashi-Sensei?"

'Little Kakashi' wasn't helping matters. It clearly wanted to indulge. His crotch was feeling conspicuously tight. Victim of his third (fourth?) poorly timed erection in less than 24 hours; Kakashi felt an insane need to giggle. He tensed, horrified Sakura would notice before realising the hand holding the bouquet had dropped, effectively hiding his uncomfortably misbehaving body part from sight.

"Are you all right? Is…something wrong with my appearance?" anxiously Sakura glanced down at herself, the concern in her voice called him to action. He drew a deep breath, invoked ANBU discipline and then hurried to reassure her, editing his words carefully from the confusion inside him.

"You look…" totally edible and I'm starving, "…beautiful, Sakura." His mouth watered. "I had to take a moment to…" lust after you, "…admire you, that's all." He quickly turned away to close the door, hoping it'd give him time to calm down. Any illusion it was working shattered when he turned back. Blinking, he feverishly calculated his chances of getting through the next few minutes - he refused to speculate on the next few hours.

Her head tilted suspiciously, then she glanced down toward his groin, nearly terrifying him spit less by asking, "Oh…is that for me?"

"What…?" he gazed blankly, then realised she meant the bouquet, "Oh…right…so it is." He moved with studied casualness into the room, discreetly putting an armchair between them before offering the bouquet.

"Are you sure you're all right? You don't seem quite…yourself," her frown was worried as she took the roses. Kakashi prudently kept behind the chair.

"I was just thinking over a few details, Sakura," about what I'd like to do to you, "Don't mind me. You know how preoccupied I can get." He'd never been more grateful for his mask. He ran a hand through his hair, agitatedly sorting out his options for dealing with the situation.

"Um…ok…if you say so," she didn't sound convinced. She glanced around her apartment, vaguely sensing something amiss and uncertain what to do next.

"I think I'll grab a drink of water before we go," Kakashi leaned on the back of the chair, glancing toward the kitchen, "I got a little dry on the way over. You'll probably need to put the flowers in vase. You might want to put them in your bedroom. The scent would be nice for you to fall asleep or wake up to," and if you please leave the room, I can deal with this before you notice. That way neither of us will die from embarrassment. Especially me, since you'll probably kill me, "After that, do you need to do anything else before we leave?"

"Um…yes…" it was a good idea. The flowers did need water and, she decided, another careful spot-check in the bathroom mirror might be advisable. He'd been acting weird since seeing her. "You get your drink, Kakashi-Sensei. I'll be right back." Walking away, she didn't notice the spellbound eye glued to her ass.

Once she'd vanished, Kakashi strode to the kitchen, swearing quietly at the ache in his groin. There was no other way, he grumbled, turning on the faucet, letting it run cold as he moved to get a glass. He had too little time and too few options. This called for drastic measures. He'd have to use 'that', the one thing he never wanted to remember. He shuddered in apprehension, filling the glass before turning the faucet off. Then he leaned against the counter, glass in hand, eyes closed, letting his mind roam back in time.

Once, many years ago, travelling home from separate missions, teenagers Kakashi and Gai unexpectedly met at a small city festival in southern Fire Country. Both newly of legal drinking age, they'd joined the celebration. Then too much sake and one of Gai's challenges had led to a fiasco of epic proportions, which, before its end, involved a number of shrine maidens, geisha, some temple cats, Kakashi's ninken and Gai's turtles, the destruction of many festival attractions, the daimyo's wife and a manure cart. This was followed by a night leading the constabulary on a merry chase all over the city in which the two, despite their inebriation, managed the minor miracle of avoiding arrest. Only improvising a bold successful escape ended the incident.

When it was over there'd been three major consequences. They'd been reprimanded by the Hokage. The daimyo's wife adopted a cat, Tora, future bane of genin teams. And Kakashi was left with 'that' - traumatic memories which had ably abolished his sex drive for three solid, nerve-racking months until, terrified he'd become a eunuch, he'd sought Genma's help.

After several efforts to erase the ordeal failed, he'd settled for blocking it away. He'd eventually come to view 'that' as an infallible ultimate technique, instantly able to kill his sex drive for a duration of several days. Accordingly, he only used it in extreme situations, when it was highly imperative he not 'rise' to the occasion. Like now, when he quickly needed to deal with his untimely erection before Sakura's return or die. So, he reluctantly forced open his mental block, summoning the full horror of 'that'.

Kakashi and Gai had finally resorted to disguises to get away. The details were still fuzzy (he blamed the sake) on how they'd ended up as geisha. Kakashi'd played his role with proper shy modesty. Gai, being Gai…hadn't. Gai in full geisha makeup and robes had been disturbing enough. Being forced to witness him in full Springtime of Youthful Passion slut mode, shamelessly flirting…and arranging dates…with half the city police force during their escape had nearly traumatised Kakashi witless.

Even now his stomach twisted to recall Gai artfully flashing a leg at local constables as his eyes fluttered flirtatiously over a fan. Shivers went down his spine at the remembered sound of Konoha's Green Beast's 'seductive' giggles as, with outrageous posing, he'd displayed his formidable 'cleavage' to clueless admirers. Kakashi's eye twitched at evoked visions of his rival gazing admiringly into his victims' eyes, while his hands roamed boldly down arms, across cheeks, over uniforms and downhill to…other places. And that wasn't the worst of it. The faint taste of bile in his throat made him gag, as he saw again the kisses – with way too much tongue – he could never unsee.

Poor 'Little Kakashi' instantly shrivelled in dismay while his balls went into full screaming retreat into his abdomen, his libido going from hot to ice cold in seconds. Choking, he quickly yanked his mask down to guzzle cold water. Then, taking calming breaths, he firmly locked 'that' – the supreme horror of Geisha Gai - away again, indulging in a convulsive full body shudder before carefully setting the glass down. Still breathing deeply, he stood recovering, until footsteps sounded behind him. He pulled his mask back up before turning.

"Ah, Sakura," he smiled tranquilly, "Shall we go?"

Sai eased past a few more people, using the cover to move into position at the bar. Casually he glanced at Tenten and Ebisu just sitting down at a table, then back toward the door. It would do, he decided, until Kakashi and Sakura arrived. Then he'd reassess the best position to watch the action on both fronts.

He watched the couple order drinks. Tenten's manner was flirtatious, lightly touching Ebisu's hand, leaning toward him. A very appreciative Ebisu had his eyes glued to her. The byplay occupied him until a familiar blonde head in his periphery vision caught his attention.

It seemed to be his lucky night, he mused, as Hinata and Naruto arrived. He saw the girls share a brief glance as Naruto ushered her to a table in the dining area. When they were safely seated, Sai considered briefly, and then nonchalantly moved to a better position at a table, keeping both couples as well as the door in view. He sat down, ordering a non alcoholic drink from an attentive waiter, his eyes moving with studied casualness between his objectives.

He considered Naruto and Hinata as they perused menus and talked. Was this, he wondered, what was referred as being 'sweet'? Hinata's weren't the only blushes he saw. The interaction was tentative, explorative, the attraction between the two sincere yet shyly awkward. They seemed content to slowly discover each other, any sexual heat between them more potential than actual.

His eyes turned to Tenten and Ebisu in comparison. While Hinata shyly encouraged Naruto, Tenten daringly tempted Ebisu. They were fully engaged with each other, in action and conversation. They were far bolder, with more touching, more direct gazes, more obvious physical displays. The heat seemed to simmer between them like a living thing. He studied them intently, slowly sipping his drink before idly pulling out a new sketchpad.

Tenten coyly glanced away from Ebisu in time to see Kakashi and Sakura enter the restaurant. Her eyes widened as she took in the details, unconsciously gasping, "Wow, Sakura looks great!" No girl took that much care with her appearance unless she was deadly serious about the guy. She sent a covert look Kakashi's way.

It was the first occasion she'd ever seen him out of uniform. The man cleaned up impressively. The fit of his deep smoky grey blazer over black dress shirt and pants hinted at a fine physique. His mask, also black tonight, was ever-present, but his headband was replaced by an eye patch. Hints of crimson kept the outfit from being too sober, matching well with Sakura's dress.

The best part was their interaction. Tenten looked approvingly at their joined arms. She noted how Kakashi's head bent attentively toward Sakura's. In a restaurant crowded with people, they seemed to be in their own private bubble. It looked so romantic. She smiled, happy for her friend, yet also aware of a faint wistfulness.

"Yes, she is looking lovely," Ebisu's voice broke into her reverie, "And ordinarily I'd say Kakashi is a very lucky man. But," his thumb traced patterns on her hand, "Since I'm with the loveliest woman in the room, I believe that role is mine tonight." His gaze was so intense she could feel it on her skin, like a caress. Warmed, she smiled brilliantly. She sent good wishes in Sakura's direction, before returning her full attention to Ebisu.

Hinata shyly glanced away from Naruto in time to see Sakura enter the restaurant on Kakashi's arm. As she took in the details she reacted with an impressed gasp of "Ooooh." They looked perfect together, she thought longingly, the way she wanted to, with Naruto. She glanced covertly at the blonde.

Naruto'd followed her gaze. His eyes widened too, but he frowned slightly, his protective streak aroused by Kakashi's proprietary air toward Sakura. Uneasily, he wondered how he'd missed it. Had he been that preoccupied recently? Perceptively, Hinata guessed the cause of his concern. Impulsively she reached across to pat his hand reassuringly.

"I'm sure Sakura will be fine, Naruto," she quietly offered, "Kakashi-Sensei would never hurt her. You know that."

"Um…sure," grinning self-consciously, he turned back to her, "I know that. It's just… I didn't know they were interested in each other. Well, not that way, you know? It's…a surprise, that's all." He shot another suspicious look at Kakashi, "Maybe we should say hello? We can join them, just for a while, right?" As he started to rise, Hinata adroitly nipped his impulse in the bud.

"It'd be rude to impose on their plans, Naruto," she gently caught hold of his hand, "Maybe later we can say hello to them." She keenly appraised the couple, "But right now, they seem happy to be alone with each other," blushing, she smiled at him, "Like I am with you." With an answering blush, Naruto quickly sat down, his eyes now only for her…

A flash of silver and pink at the entrance caught Sai's eye. He sat up, his eyes widened appreciatively at Sakura's appearance. He'd never seen her looking so attractive. If he hadn't known this was to be a performance, he'd have thought Kakashi a very lucky man. He caught a brief glimpse of Pakkun through the door before the pug darted away.

He noted the others' becoming aware of the new arrivals, using lip-reading to discover their reactions. Tenten was clearly impressed before her attention was reclaimed by Ebisu. Hinata's reaction drew Naruto's attention. Interpreting the Jinchuuriki's concern, Sai glanced between him and Kakashi, hoping the Jounin had seen the danger. It'd be unfortunate if their performance was spoiled by an overprotective team mate.

As they took a table in the dining area within sight of the other two couples, Sai contemplated the angles, and then decided his present position was ideal. He ordered another drink, sitting back to watch as he finished a sketch.

If he had to make a fool of himself tonight, Sasuke thought dryly, at least he'd look good doing it.

He examined his appearance in his bedroom mirror. The black dress pants fit snugly, emphasizing the length of his legs. The deep burgundy shirt was of a looser fit, unbuttoned low enough to hint at the musculature of his chest. Since most of his blazers and jackets were emblazoned with his clan insignia, he'd decided to forgo one, to avoid provoking his target.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he thought over his plan. It'd be considered poor even by Naruto's standards, he griped. With so much depending on how Sai reacted to him, he'd concluded his best strategy was to ad lib as he went. Such spontaneity went against his nature. That was usually Naruto's part, while he supplied careful planning, Kakashi somehow combined the two to make it work and Sakura cleaned up after them.

Yamato'd told him Sai might be at the Golden Katana sometime around 7pm. Might, not would. Insufficient intelligence, he growled to himself, the bane of all shinobi. All he could do was go to the restaurant and see if the ex-ROOT agent was there. This was why he'd decided to arrive well after the specified time, to give the other enough time to arrive before him.

The irony of it being the same restaurant Hinata picked for her date with Naruto wasn't lost on him. He sighed, unhappy with the prospect of seeing them together so soon after letting the blonde go. It couldn't be helped though. The time limit Ino had imposed meant this might be his only opportunity to chase down the elusive Sai.

He glanced at a nearby clock before quickly moving to the bathroom to run a brush through his hair, careful checking in the bathroom mirror. He concluded it would have to do. After making sure he had his wallet and keys, he was out the door. It's time, he thought as he locked up. Let's get this over with.

Sakura disguised her secret peeks at the others as flirtation with an amused Kakashi. Covertly, she glanced toward Hinata while laughing at one of his comments. She admitted she hadn't quite believed the report from Sai. After years of listening to her shy friend obsess over the blonde, she'd come to doubt this day would ever happen. Now, she couldn't deny the evidence of her own eyes. There was Hinata, on a date with Naruto.

"I did tell you," Kakashi murmured, leaning intimately toward her, "Was it so hard to believe your old sensei?"

"I know…I'm sorry, it's just…" she barely suppressed a squeal at how sweetly bashful the couple seemed, "…they're so cute together!"

"It's almost enough to give you cavities, isn't it," Kakashi gazed admiringly at her, keeping track of the others in his periphery vision, "But if the sugar's on one side, the spice is on the other," his eye flicked briefly toward Tenten and Ebisu. Faking a demure glance away from him, Sakura observed them as she sipped her wine.

"Wow," she tilted her head as if regarding her glass, "I know Tenten was warming up to him, but this…" she leaned toward him, "It's like seeing a whole different side of her. I never knew she could be so…so…"

"Incendiary? Definitely on the spicy side." his amused eye regarded her, "I'm sure Ebisu agrees with me." She giggled in agreement.

"I don't think his eyes have left her since we arrived," she hid a glance undercover of eating, "I don't blame him, she looks fantastic. So does Hinata."

"So do you," his hand warmly covered hers. A shiver ran up her spine as she blushed at the compliment. She met his eye, unsure if she was regretting or enjoying their act. Perhaps, she mused, it was a bit of both.

Sai was amazed at the contrasts in the three couples' behaviour. It was enlightening to see such a wide variety of sexual behaviour.

On one end of the spectrum were Naruto and Hinata. Their attraction was obviously new, fragile, the couple fumbling a bit as they took their time, finding their way. Hinata was shyly quiet yet earnest while Naruto, honest as always, was self-conscious and a bit goofy. They had a sense of sweet sincerity about them. He had the impression the relationship could last, if they managed to find their way past their early awkwardness. He found himself hoping they would.

On the other end, Tenten and Ebisu were intensely passionate. Their relationship, though also new, was more physical, with a definite sexual sizzle between them. Their attraction was obvious, real and fast moving, leaving one speculating if it would last beyond its consummation. It reminded Sai of flames that burned brightly, hotly, yet all too briefly.

Sakura and Kakashi's act was in the middle of the spectrum, yet somehow seemed the most authentic. Yes, there seemed to be real sexual attraction between them, yet also the feeling of a connection, deep and genuine. He had the impression he was seeing a different aspect of an already existing relationship, a next step rather than a new beginning. As a performance its quality was astonishing. Sai would've sworn it was real. It made him wonder who the couple were really fooling.

Was their friendship giving depth to their act? Or were they honestly not aware of their possible feelings for each other? Sai made a mental note to bring it to Yamato's attention. The older ANBU had explained the perplexing behaviour of others to him on occasion. It'd be interesting to hear his insight on Kakashi and Sakura. He flipped to the next blank page in the sketchbook.

Teachers, Tenten was surprised to learn, heard all the best gossip. What truly amazed her was the quality rivalled – no, surpassed - any she'd heard from Ino.

It was obvious why once she thought about it. Kids always managed to see or hear things they shouldn't and would talk about it with other kids. Then there was the sheer number of parents, usually mothers, standing around gossiping while they waited to pick up said kids after school. Add in the fact the mission room, filled with gossiping shinobi, and the Hokage's office was in the same building. Teachers would get to overhear or be engaged in countless conversations. The Academy was literally 'gossip central'.

And Ebisu, though leading a genin team these days, had clearly kept his sources. He was also a goldmine of old stories. Tenten knew he was close to Gai and Kaskashi in age, but it'd never occurred to her he'd shared or witnessed some of their past escapades.

It was fascinating to find out, for instance, the tale of Gai-Sensei's green jumpsuit. It was such a basic part of him she'd believed he'd worn it since his Academy days, maybe longer, her secret theory being he'd somehow been born in it. On the rare occasions he put on something else it always felt oddly wrong despite how good it looked. Now, she was surprised to learn the jumpsuit was a legacy from his first jounin sensei, passed down in turn, as Gai had with Lee. And that, as a teenager he'd put it aside for a time to embark on an intense hunt for the 'perfect look'. This was conducted, of course, with extreme Youthful Passion to the dismay of everyone in his vicinity.

As Ebisu regaled her with vivid descriptions of the various styles Gai'd tried, from silk to plaid to leather, and even one epic journey into the world of spray-on latex, Tenten gleefully knew she'd have blackmail material for years to come. Her personal favourite was a suede western style outfit. The mental image of a young Gai-Sensei performing his signature taijutsu while clad in yards of eighteen inch leather fringe was mind-boggling. She granted it would've distracted and misdirected his opponents - by shocking the hell out of them.

She didn't dare think about him in latex. That was just too disturbing.

But it was Ebisu's account of the reactions and 'helpful' criticism from Gai's friends, Kakashi, Asuma and Genma among them, that almost had her on the floor. For example, the memorable first outing of the western suede when Gai joined the three for drinks.

At the first sight of him, Genma'd spontaneously spit out his senbon with such incredible force, it'd ricocheted off the bar, then off the back shelves, breaking three bottles before rebounding back to impale his own ass. He'd required medical aid from an amused Shizune, also present. Asuma, in the throes of a coughing fit after nearly swallowing his cigarette, wound up puking in a nearby alley. Kakashi, shocked immobile except for the widening of his lone eye, was left alone facing an exuberant Gai asking, "What do you think?" Forced to respond, the Copy Nin had gulped faintly, then instantly proclaimed, "Gai, you're the very image of a gay caballero." Totally missing the insinuation, Gai shed tears of Manly Joy at his Eternal Rival's Youthful approval.

Tenten could easily imagine the scene. As they continued to trade stories, she found she was enjoying her evening, and Ebisu, more than she'd ever imagined.

Sasuke stood on the roof across the street, studying his destination. It'd taken longer to get here than it should've, he disgustedly mused. It wasn't hard to figure out why. No one liked the prospect of being rejected, especially in a public venue. The chance of seeing Naruto with Hinata wasn't much of a draw either. So he'd kept catching himself slowing or being easily distracted. Even now, he was reluctant to press forward and actually enter the restaurant.

He sighed, glancing around the rooftops, his eyes absently catching and following the billowing capes of an ANBU patrol speeding off in the distance. He snorted, reminded of Sai. A light breeze dishevelled his hair and he absently swept a hand through it, staring across the street. He sighed again realizing he was still delaying the inevitable. Steeling himself, he sprang from the roof, landing to stroll coolly across the street to the restaurant.

"Um…Naruto," Hinata toyed with her food, "I-I'll understand if you don't want to answer this…but…I was wondering. I noticed there's a new Icha Icha out," blushing, she quickly added, "As I was passing by the bookstore, I mean. And I was wondering…well…why?"

"Why there's a new Icha Icha?" he stared at her over his forkful of food.

"It's j-just that, with Jiraiya dead, I wouldn't think there'd be more?" she bit her lip, "Or maybe it's a book he'd already written but hadn't been published yet?"

"Well, yeah," he grinned sheepishly, reaching for his drink, "The one just out was written before he died."

"Oh," she looked down at her plate in disappointment. She'd unexpectedly enjoyed the series. It was a shame it was ending just as she discovered it. She added without thinking, "What a pity."

"Hm?" he shot her a startled look over the rim, "What do you mean?"

"Um," her blush deepened as she struggled to answer, "For…um…his readers. Like Kakashi-Sensei. I mean, he seems to enjoy the series so much, he must be disappointed there'll soon be no more published. And…and for you, too," she gazed sincerely at him, "You traveled with Jiraiya for over two years and got very close to him. It must be a comfort, like part of him is still here with you, even though he's gone."

"Yeah, it is. Thanks Hinata," he grinned at her as he set his glass down. At the sight, she spontaneously smiled shyly back, her heart beating faster. Then, to her surprise, Naruto shot a quick glance toward Kakashi and Sakura. Then he quickly turned to lean over the table toward her. Her heart started to race as she instinctively leaned forward as well.

"But you don't have to worry about me or Kaka-Sensei," he whispered, his hand hiding his mouth from the other table.

"Naruto…why are we whispering?" she asked, mystified.

"Cause I don't want Kaka-Sensei to know what I'm about to tell you," he shot another quick glance at the Jounin. "I know you'll keep it secret. Because if he finds out, well…l don't think anything will stop him. Considering him, that's a scary thought." Her eyes widened. Just what, she wondered, was this about? What was she getting into? The only answer she could give him was an uncertain, "Um…?"

"The truth is the last Icha Icha published…isn't. Jiraiya left lots of unpublished manuscripts," he told her.

"But," she stared at him, puzzled, "Why weren't they? I-I mean, wasn't there quite a bit of time between each of his books? Were they unfinished novels? Or maybe he didn't think they were good enough?"

"No, no, that's not it. Or maybe sort of, I guess. I found all this out when I was travelling with him," he grinned in conspiracy, "You see Jiraiya didn't have any trouble with writing. Believe it! While I was with him he managed to average a book a month depending on what he was up to. And he'd been writing for years before that!" Her eyes widened as she added.

"So many?" she gasped, "But why weren't they published too?"

"Because Jiraiya really hated to edit his own work," his blue eyes sparkled merrily at her, "Or maybe he was just really bad at it. I could never figure out which. I do know he'd do anything to get out of it, even when his publishers were really on his case." He rubbed his whisker marks, "He used me as an excuse the couple of times they tracked him down. He told them he'd been using the time to train me."

"Had he?" she was intrigued but still puzzled about what Kakashi had to do with anything she'd heard so far.

"Not before the first time he used it. He usually took the time for his 'research'. But," he lifted his glass in a small toast, "You can bet I used it to make him give me extra training after that." Amused, she joined in on his toast. As they set down their glasses Naruto continued, "Then he finally got wise and I made a deal with him." Now thoroughly absorbed, she motioned him to continue.

"Well, I…um…agreed to take over the editing for him," he blushed at her startled laugh. Her hand flew to her mouth as she stared at him with dancing eyes. He grinned back and started laughing too. "I know, right? I wasn't even old enough to buy them yet, and there I was editing them." His grin turned thoughtful, "All those spelling and grammar lessons Iruka-Sensei taught us? I never saw the need of them except maybe for mission reports. He's always said no knowledge was wasted," he gazed earnestly at her, "Well, he was right."

"Naruto," she stared at him in speculation, "Do you mean you…"

"Yeah, I pretty much learned everything I needed to while working on 'Tactics'," he nodded to her, "After that, Jiraiya would give me his manuscripts to edit when he'd finished writing them. And, of course," his smile dimmed, "I'm his godson, so when he died, I got most of his estate. That included all of his unpublished work."

"So," astonished, she stared at him, "Now Icha Icha belongs to you? I-I mean you get all the profits from all the merchandise? Not just the books?"

"Jiraiya had a firm policy when it came to that. He didn't keep all of it for himself," Naruto traced a pattern on the table, "I decided to keep the arrangement he had." He looked up from it to her, "I get a third of it. It keeps me in ramen," blue eyes winked at her over a wide grin, "Among other things. As for the rest…well…the remaining two thirds are split four ways and donated anonymously. The hospital, for instance, gets some for medical research. He always had a crush on Tsunade-baa-chan, since they were kids, so it was his way of supporting what she did."

"And…and the rest," she asked quietly.

"It's donated to the Konoha Widows and Orphans fund, the Konoha Orphanage and the Disabled Veterans fund," he answered softly. He gazed at her, "I know he travelled a lot, so he wasn't in Konoha much, but that didn't mean it wasn't on his mind… or in his heart." Touched, Hinata, blinked back unexpected tears.

"That's…beautiful," she smiled gently. "So…no one knows about this but you…and now, me?"

"That's right," he grinned, "So, secret, right?"

"Of course," she smiled back, "But there're things I still don't understand. Why are we still whispering? And what does any of this have to do with Kakashi-Sensei?"

"Are you kidding?" his eyes shot to the other table before turning back to hers, "You know how Kaka-Sensei is about Icha Icha, right? And I've got every unpublished story Jiraiya's ever written. All of them! Do you have any idea what he'd do to get his hands on them?" he shivered, eyes widening in dread. "If he knew about them, he'd be relentless. There's no telling what he'd be capable of. Especially," he leaned closer to tensely whisper, "To me! Believe it! I'm talking major self preservation here! It was one of the first lessons Team Seven ever learned from him." He shot another wary look at the man in question, before earnestly advising in a horror-struck whisper, "Never…ever…mess with his Icha Icha!"

Sai critically examined the page. He'd divided it into three, to better show the contrasting behaviour of each couple. He frowned, and then with a quick glance at Sakura, swiftly corrected a small detail. He leaned back, satisfied as he turned to a clean sheet. He'd have much to discuss with Yamato, he decided, sipping his drink. His eyes scanned his vicinity before idly drifting toward Tenten and Ebisu. With a few simple lines he depicted how their heads tilted intimately toward each other, his hand sliding up her arm as they conversed. Then Sai randomly flicked his gaze to a corner, as if something caught his eye. After a brief pause, his gaze tracked back over the bar, across the new arrivals, toward the tables.

Then one face sunk in. Sai's eyes darted back to see Sasuke ease around a laughing couple to lean against the wall. Forgetting the others, Sai watched him. Gradually he became aware his pulse rate was racing, his breath quickening correspondingly. His grip on his pencil suddenly felt less firm. He checked, surprised to see his palms sweating. He absently wiped them on a napkin, his eyes back on the Uchiha as he pondered.

He'd found such reactions usually accompanied excitement, up to and including the sexual variety. Was he finding the arrival of Sasuke…exciting? He was considered very attractive and not just by girls. Having no idea of his true preference, however, his male admirers kept their opinions quiet around the touchy Uchiha. Then Sai blinked, wondered why he was considering it from a sexual angle. It was more likely his excitement was due to his chance to solve the mystery of Sasuke's target. Sai briefly considered opening a conversation with him to gain some clue before reluctantly deciding against it. Their past encounters had led him to conclude the Uchiha was wary of him and Sai believed he knew why.

He was well aware how his old associates viewed the man who killed their leader. Danzo's loss had been traumatizing to the orphans of ROOT.

Danzo'd used his years in ROOT to brutally mould them to ensure their absolute obedience and loyalty to him and him alone. But though he demanded loyalty, Danzo had never been loyal to them. Sai wondered if he'd ever truly been loyal to anyone. His agents were only disposable living tools of his will. Those who survived learned never to question this, not even in the silence of their own minds. Mind reading techniques, like the Yamanaka's, existed after all and Danzo had at least one agent capable of them.

Trapped in an unstable world where their names changed regularly and they could literally die on a whim, those agents had desperately needed a sense of permanence, one constant to hang on to. Danzo had made sure he was it, becoming the lodestone they revolved around. It wasn't surprising most came to revere him with an almost holy zeal. His death had overturned their existence, casting them adrift, instinctively seeking a replacement to cling to in the same way the drowning grasped for a lifeline.

Years later, the survivors still struggled to adjust to a life beyond ROOT. It was an ongoing battle none but the youngest, least trained, and therefore, least broken, would ever fully win. For the rest, the damage Danzo's training had done to their personalities and emotions were, like Sai's, permanent. It was understandable they viewed Sasuke with resentment, even hatred, as the man responsible for the hardships they'd undergone since Danzo's death. Sai often wondered if they'd ever be able to comprehend the truth. By removing Danzo from their lives, Sasuke had ultimately helped them all.

Sai did understand. But then, he'd long come to the conclusion he wasn't fully like his fellow ex-ROOT operatives.

In comparison he considered himself remarkably lucky. Shin had saved him, first by being his encouraging 'big brother', then, strange mercy, by dying before Sai was forced into lethal combat with him. Without his support Sai wouldn't have become Danzo's best artistic prospect to learn the powerful ROOT sealing technique. Regrettably, the duality of trying to master a technique that used emotion while maintaining ROOT's policy of emotionless ness made it flawed until after Danzo's death, but that worked in Sai's favour as well. Not only did the struggle to do so help fuel his curiosity about emotions and bonds with others, he'd been allowed leeway to openly study them.

Then fortune smiled again when he'd been placed on Team Seven. Naruto and the others had come to believe in him. They'd made him one of them, allowing him to experience emotions and bonds first hand. It'd helped him recover his buried feelings for Shin, enabling him to finish the book chronicling their relationship. Even in the horror of war, faced with his brother as an Edo Tensi undead, he'd been blessed. When Shin had seen their book, he'd peacefully passed to the pure world, leaving his influence on Sai's life untainted. So, though he'd had endured the same harsh training as the rest, Sai'd been able to grow beyond the limits of Danzo and ROOT.

How could he hate Sasuke? If anything, Sai was grateful. Even in his absence he'd had an influence on Sai's life. If it wasn't for Sasuke, would he have met Team Seven? It was Naruto's mission to recover the Uchiha that'd drawn Sai's initial curiosity. He'd realised only later how strongly it'd struck an involuntarily cord with his own suppressed feelings for Shin. His continuing fascination had led to the team becoming a major influential in his life, in competition with Danzo's. That'd given him the strength to undermine his training, to go against orders. Danzo's death hadn't impacted him as strongly as it had the others: he'd had his team to lean on. And any early worries his friends saw him only as Sasuke's substitute had long been put to rest before the Uchiha's return.

So, unlike his old compatriots, Sai's feelings for Sasuke were far more benign. Oh, he understood why Sasuke was wary of him. What he regretted was never managing to overcome that obstacle to forge the same connection with him that he had to the rest of the team.

He shook himself, dually uncomfortable with his memories of Danzo and the realization of how long he'd been staring. He forced himself to turn away, signalling a passing waiter for another drink before taking up his surveillance of the others. Sai found he had to fight to keep his attention on them. It kept trying to turn back to Sasuke.

Sasuke leaned against the wall as he cast an initial survey of the place. Than he began another, this time paying more attention to details and faces. He inwardly winced when seeing Tenten at a bar table reminded of their last encounter. It seemed, he thought sourly, his coming humiliation would have at least one informed witness.

Then, as he recognised her companion, his brow creased. He hadn't seen much of Ebisu-Sensei since his Academy days, when he'd taught the occasional class. He remembered after their first disastrous Chuunin exam, Naruto had loudly claimed Ebisu was a pervert. He'd been surpassed in perversion, however by the 'Pervy Sage', later revealed as Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. Knowing Naruto, he doubted he'd limited his opinion to Team Seven, so, it surprised him Tenten seemed to find Ebisu appealing. Sasuke'd always mentally paired her with someone like Neji or Shikamaru.

Curious, he watched them for a time, finding her bold behaviour shockingly at odds with the girl he remembered. Or maybe, he mused, feeling his cheeks heat, it was him, not her. He'd usually ignored most sexual behaviour, especially toward himself, dismissing it as tedious and unnecessary to his goals. Being actively pursued by a giggling, squabbling horde of fan girls had helped solidify his resolve. Now he knew there'd been a more natural reason for the aversion. In retrospect he was finding himself disturbingly inexperienced in an area most people likely assumed he was skilled in. He was struck with the unhappy thought his critics would gladly point to it as proof there might be other overlooked deficiencies in his other skill areas.

On that bleak insight, he turned back to business, becoming aware of how long he'd been holding up the wall. He pushed off it to move nonchalantly toward the standing section of the bar. Taking advantage of an opening, he slide into a space seconds after it was vacated by another customer. He ordered a drink, and then waited, glancing along the bar. A nearby group of civilian girls were obviously checking him out. Their giggling and admiring glances began to make him uncomfortable. Then he wondered how they'd take the news he was officially gay and therefore playing on their team. He turned away to hide a smirk. Still, when his drink arrived, he sensibly slipped away before they decided to approach him.

Absently, he passed through the crowd, occasionally sipping his drink as he looked around. Seeing a familiar golden blonde head he paused, then, after a quick survey of his surroundings, found a vacant bar stool. He purposefully turned his back, spending a few moments concentrating on his drink, the murmur of voices around him, even his own breathing. After downing the last drop, he looked into his empty glass, sighed, and then lifted it to get the bartender's attention. He watched the man move to fill his order before finally looking into the mirror over the bar. His eyes were instantly drawn to that bright head and its darker companion.

While Ebisu tried to get the waitress' attention, Tenten took the opportunity to look around. She started by checking up on the other girls.

Sakura and Kakashi were still steaming up their vicinity, she saw with a grin. Kakashi was soulfully gazing into Sakura's eyes as he tempted her with a forkful of food. He certainly seemed to know how to treat a girl. It made her wonder how far his talents extended. She'd have to grill Sakura later on um…various interesting things she'd always wondered about the Copy Nin. Like if the face was as hot as the rest of him and how well he kissed. And don't forget how firm his ass was. She had to know if Sasuke's tale of Sakura copping feels of Hatake tush was true. Happily looking forward to it, she glanced toward another table.

Her smile widened as she watched Hinata with Naruto. She'd almost cheered when she'd seen her shy friend walk in on her date's arm. For years Hinata had loved Naruto from afar, only dreaming of being with him. Now she was finally making her dream come true, like something out of a romantic fairy tale. And they were so unbelievably cute together! Tenten liked to think she was a tough, practical Kunoichi, but a secret romantic part of her was dying to squeal like a fan girl. She could feel it vibrating in her throat, on the verge of escaping, every time she looked at them. Quickly, she turned away before it did. The last thing she wanted was to scare the hell out of her own date.

She was idly running her gaze down the nearby bar when a familiar face caught her attention. Speak of the devil, she thought, recognising Sasuke. She watched him, wondering if he'd really go through with Ino's challenge, still feeling some lingering guilty for her involvement in the earlier confrontation. He ordered a refill, then looked reluctantly up into the bar mirror, his eyes searching and finding something. Curious, she calculated the angles, realising he was watching Hinata and Naruto. It reminded her he was the Hyuuga's rival. She worriedly glanced between them, wondering if he was going to make trouble and finding herself torn. She truly believed Hinata deserved her chance at happiness and, both as a friend and by the terms of their challenge, was honour bound to help her, but she couldn't help but feel for Sasuke as well. She wished somehow neither would wind up hurt, but feared it was a naïve hope.

She continued to watch Sasuke watch them, alert for signs of trouble, eventually becoming aware of something vaguely off about him. Outwardly, he seemed his usual self, poised and confidently cool. So why did she sense a sadness about him? Where did she get the impression he was hurting but gamely hiding it? Somehow he looked so lonely sitting there. It was completely at odds with how she usually saw him. Was she imagining it? Maybe her residual guilt was colouring her impressions? She hoped so; it was disturbing to see him so vulnerable and think she might be partially responsible.

She gazed at him, troubled, until Ebisu asked her preference in finger foods. Welcoming the distraction, she engaged in a lively debate with him and the waitress that considerably brightened her mood. By the time she darted another quick glance toward the bar, Sasuke was gone.

Sai followed Naruto's glare in Kakashi's direction while Hinata was preoccupied with a passing Hyuuga couple. Kakashi didn't notice, being fully engaged in his performance with Sakura. That is, if it really was a performance. Sai still had his doubts.

They were gazing into each other's eyes, Sakura giggling at something Kakashi was telling her. He reached across the table to squeeze her hand in emphasis. She blushed lightly, her eyes sparkling, lips parted in a smile. Mischievously she picked a piece of fruit from her plate, popping it in his mouth with a playful reply. His eye twinkled back at her as he chewed.

And Sai blinked, wondering belatedly how he'd failed to noticed before. He'd watched them feed each other several times; he'd never wondered how it was getting past Kakashi's mask. Was a hole in the mask being hidden by a genjutsu? He irritably shook his head, growling faintly at his own denseness.

With a genjutsu, it didn't have to be a hole in the mask being hidden; it could be the portion of Kakashi's face usually covered by the mask itself. It was just that Kakashi and his mask were so intimately entwined in his mind, thinking of him without it was nearly impossible. He doubted there were many people who could. The Jounin's looks were hotly speculated on, but Sai'd never heard of anyone openly claiming to have seen the bottom half of his face. He'd privately wondered, though, if Yamato was among the few so privileged.

It also meant Copy Nin Kakashi, the man no one saw without a mask, had been sitting all this time in a room full of people without one – and no one had noticed. He certainly lived up to his reputation. Sai was torn between amazement he even had such a jutsu and admiration of his cool nerve as he continued to effortlessly fool the entire restaurant. Including a certain blonde Jinchuuriki.

Sai's eyes darted back to the other table. Naruto's quest to see Kakashi's face was a thing of mythic proportions in Team Seven. His plans ranged from subtly cunning to outrageous beyond belief yet all ended in failure. When amused team members gave an account they were often met with open scepticism and thought to be telling tall tales. With the end to his pursuit literally in front of him, was there a chance Naruto'd also notice?

He watched the blonde aim another glare at the Jounin before Hinata reclaimed his attention and gleefully concluded, no, it was not to be. Hinata obviously had the majority of Naruto's attention. Keeping a protective eye on Sakura seemed to be a distant second. The mystery behind Kakashi's mask wasn't even in the running. Unless it was pointed out to him he'd never realise what he was missing. Well, Sai decided, as a conscientious member of Team Seven, there was only one course he could take. At the next good opportunity, he'd inform Dickless and make sure he never lived it down. Naruto's response were sure to be extraordinary, humorous and worth looking forward to.

After, of course, he reported everything to Yamato. The ANBU captain's reaction would also be interesting and possibly informative. Then, Sai blinked rapidly as another facet fell like a brick.

Sakura knew. Of course she knew; she'd been the one feeding Kakashi through his 'mask'. He'd been so engrossed by his discovery, it'd almost escaped him. In the field missing such a detail could have dire consequences. Countless lives could be lost. It troubled him to think he was being less than meticulous, even on an unofficial mission for a friend.

Under Danzo such a slip might've been enough to sign his death warrant. Of course, this wasn't the case and the man long dead, but he couldn't help the cold chill that ran along his spine. Suppressing a shiver, he reflected this was the second time he'd thought about ROOT's ex-leader tonight. It reminded him of other times he'd felt the icy grip of Danzo's ghostly influence. It had a habit of showing up to haunt him when he least expected it.

In his distraction, his eyes had been involuntarily searching until they found a distinctive dark head on the other side of the restaurant. Was it only hours ago he'd noticed it's resemblance to a duck's backside? He watched Sasuke slip with a shinobi's grace through the throng, carelessly sipping his drink as his dark eyes scanned the area around him. He tensed as someone caught his attention. Distance and the bad line of sight thwarted Sai's attempt to see who. Was he looking for his target? As Sasuke relaxed and moved on, Sai briefly studied the people around him before abandoning the search. It was impossible to guess. He had nothing to go on. He'd just have to see if Sasuke made contact with someone.

Still feeling a lingering icy shiver, he solemnly regarded the roving Uchiha. He wondered if Danzo ever haunted Sasuke too.

Hinata dealt with another Hyuuga interruption of her evening and suspected clan conspiracy. It wasn't her father, cousin or sister. Of the three, Hanabi had been the only one in doubt, but this wasn't her style. She tended to be very…direct. Hinata'd been surprised she hadn't waylaid Naruto in the courtyard, though, remembering the bush, perhaps she'd interrupted her attempt.

No, this had a hasty feeling and her family had known long enough to refine any plans. She faintly recalled a clan elder in the courtyard when she left but couldn't recall who it'd been. It could be significant. There were a few elders who were quite strict, particularly when it came to the main branch. It was possible one was doing this to keep tabs on her. She just hoped it wasn't a sign of future troubles.

In her periphery, she watched Naruto use the opportunity to send a warning glare toward Kakashi. Amused, she supposed she couldn't hold it against him. After all, he'd been very attentive to her all evening, only showing his protective streak for Sakura on the few occasions her own attention wandered. Plus it was entertaining to watch him trying to be sneaky about it.

Sakura paused in mid sip when she heard a quiet sigh. She glanced over at Kakashi, noting a faint furrow in his forehead. She finished her swallow carefully, nervously hoping it wasn't because of her as she set her glass down.

"Is something wrong, Kakashi-Sensei?" she asked uncertainly.

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Sakura," he leaned forward, to reassuringly pat her hand, "Though," he murmured quietly with an accompanying eye crinkle, "You really should drop the 'Sensei'. We are equals, not student and teacher anymore. And we are on a 'date'."

"Then what's with the sigh? I hope I'm not that boring," she was perplexed.

"It's not you at all. You're delightful company, Sakura. I'm enjoying myself immensely. It's my…um…" he aimed a quick flick of his eye toward another table, "Critic from the peanut gallery, over there." She followed it.

"Naruto? Why, what's he been doing?" she kept the other table in her periphery as she looked askance at him.

"Every time Hinata's distracted, he takes the opportunity to glare in my direction," his eye glinted in amusement, "It seems he's being protective of his innocent little Sakura-chan," he grinned at the indignant flash she sent him, "And is suspicious of my intentions."

"I can't believe him at times," she grumbled, "Oh, I know," she lifted a hand to forestall him, "He's always been protective, but there are limits."

"Thankfully, it looks like he's not going to interrupt our dinner. It seemed likely when he first saw us, but Hinata talked him out of it. I'm sure I'll hear all about it soon enough, though. Like during our next training session." He sighed, "I hope I survive it. It's not as easy to keep ahead of him as it once was." She shook her head at him.

"You shouldn't have to deal with that, Kakashi-Se…Kakashi. It's not your problem. Just give him to me," she sniffed, "I'll settle him down. Believe it!" she mimicked acerbically.

"Hm," with a thoughtful hum, he redirecting her attention with a quick eye flick, "You'll probably have an opportunity." She saw a lone Hyuuga engaging Hinata in conversation. As the clansman chattered away, Sakura could see the exasperation she hid from the intruder. Poor Hinata obviously wished he'd leave soon.

Meanwhile, a surprisingly, and suspiciously, quiet Naruto patiently looked on. As Hinata continued to be occupied, Naruto lifted his drink and turned their way. He sent Kakashi a heated "I've got my eye on you" glare over the glass as he sipped before turning back to his date.

"Oh, I don't think so," Sakura growled. She watched keenly, knowing her chance was coming as the Hyuuga talked on. This time, when Naruto lifted his drink and turned their way, she smiled, wiggling her fingers, drawing his attention away from Kakashi.

Hinata sent a brief apologetic look Naruto's way as she tried to find a polite way to end the conversation. As their visitor continued to drone, she saw her date lift his glass again, turning toward the other table. Suddenly, as the glass reached his lips, he started. Shifting slightly, she saw Sakura lower the hand she'd waved at him.

As the startled blonde looked at her over the rim of his glass, Sakura sternly locked eyes with him, dropped the smile, and then, with clear menace, made a fist, smacking it into the palm of her other hand. Naruto's eyes shot wide as he instinctively flinched back, choked and nearly spit up his drink as he began to cough.

"There…I think that'll hold him for a while," with a satisfied purr Sakura turned back to Kakashi. He bit back a guffaw before inviting her to clink glasses with him.

"I love your style," he grinned, "Thank you, Sakura. I feel much safer now."

To Hinata's secret glee, Sakura forcefully glared at Naruto while ominously smacking a fist into her other hand. It was a message even he could understand, making him violently flinch as he choked on his drink.

As he began to cough Hinata jumped at the heaven sent opportunity. With the excuse of aiding him, she hurriedly said her goodbyes, turning quickly away to end the discussion. Faced with her back and clear dismissal, her visitor had no choice but leave. Hinata hoped there wouldn't be any others. She patted Naruto's back, sending a quick amused glance at Sakura in silent thanks before finally returning to her dinner and date.

He couldn't fault Naruto's reaction, Sai conceded as his pencil flew over the page, documenting the byplay. They'd both been on the receiving end of Sakura's ire enough times to have a healthy survival instinct. Though, as usual, the blonde had been asking for it with his behaviour. At least he'd provided Hinata with a suitable excuse to escape her unwanted visitor.

He let his gaze drift to Tenten and Ebisu's table. They'd ordered finger food along with their refills, he noted. He watched for a time, then allowed his eyes to move over the bar to the last location he'd seen Sasuke. This time he searched in vain. His head tilted thoughtfully as he speculated the possibilities. The Uchiha could be obscured by the crowd, or be in another area of the restaurant. He could've decided to leave. Sai decided he had only one option. He'd keep an eye out for Sasuke. For now, continuing the surveillance on the three couples took priority.

It wasn't cowardice, Sasuke told himself. He preferred the term 'common sense'. He was intentionally leaving the area where Naruto and Hinata sat for last. If Naruto saw him, he'd want him to join them. The last thing Sasuke wanted was the role of uncomfortable third wheel on his ex-almost boyfriend's date with a girl who claimed he was her romantic rival.

And if he told himself that, he wouldn't have to acknowledge how right he'd been about seeing them together so soon. He wouldn't' have to think about how well they'd looked together. How they'd acted, with shy but definite growing interest in each other. He wouldn't see again the deep feeling in her eyes when she looked at him, or the honest attraction in his for her. He wouldn't have to feel regret for a lost chance. Instead he'd have a bit longer to resign himself to it until being happy for them was truth, without this feeling of loss. Or until, at the very least, he could face them without revealing it. No, he sighed, it was best to concentrate on the excuses he preferred, at least for a little while longer.

Plus, after their morning encounter, he had a feeling he didn't want to get on Hinata's bad side. Or maybe it was just Naruto's rampaging girl stories mixing with that old saying 'beware of the quiet ones'. Either way, an alarming mental image of Hinata, pissed off and ready to stomp his ass for attempted boyfriend theft kept popping into his head. So, saving that section for last was for the best. Really, Sasuke kept telling himself as he wandered, taking in the activity around him.

It was no wonder, he mused, that the Golden Katana was a popular venue. Its layout was very customer friendly. An elongated O shaped bar ran up the middle with shelving for bottles and glasses formed a smaller O inside of it. On the curves, the standing room sections, these shelves were higher, while along the sides, lower, so patrons seated there could converse across the bar. The large mirrors were suspended from the ceiling, meeting the top of the shelves on the curves. Bar supplies and simple, easy food dishes were brought up from a kitchen on the lower floor by small lifts, and then dispensed by the bartenders and wait staff. The tables ringing the bar were small, easily moveable, presumably so they could be grouped as needed. Many patrons roamed, greeting friends who were also in the vicinity or on their way to the dining section. Sasuke, just one more in the crowd, was unexceptional as he searched for Sai.

Wide three stepped stairs, interspaced with long banks of flowers, led down to the dining section, the area easily scan able from the elevated bar. It took up the sides and back of the restaurant, with the restrooms beyond it at the back wall and was serviced by two kitchens, located one per side. The linen covered tables were heavier, spaced further apart and booths with high partitions lined the walls. He thought he detected the faint hum of multiple chakra seals, perhaps one per table, to ensure greater privacy. Flowers were everywhere, small arrangements on tables and banked on the tops of partitions. The dining area personnel were more discreet and formal, providing quick, efficient service. Suitably impressed, he wondered why he'd never thought to come before.

As he gradually moved toward the back, Sasuke realised he was enjoying himself. Even if Yamato's info didn't have the desired results, at least the evening wasn't a total loss. He came across Shikamaru and Choji standing at the bar, spending several minutes talking before ordering another drink and moving on. Rounding the curve, he paused to sip while finishing his scan of the back dining area, sighing as one more potential turned out a stranger. He hadn't realised so many young men in Konoha shared Sai's physical description. Hell, when he thought about it, he did too. And, like him, they'd all decided to show up tonight.

He faced toward the front of the restaurant, evaluating the best way to search it. At a bar table, the back of another dark haired young man was briefly revealed, then hidden again by the moving crowd. Sasuke stared at the spot, his brow creasing. He hadn't seen the man's features but had a vague sense of familiarity. He took a couple of steps in that direction. A laughing young woman grabbed her male companion's collar, hauling him toward the bar, giving Sasuke another tantalizing glimpse.

Whoever it was seemed to be…drawing? Sasuke was sure he'd seen a hand purposefully moving across paper. He continued to stare, waiting impatiently for another gap in the crowd. At last a large group moved past and the way cleared enough to give him a better look. Frustratingly, the dark head revealed only one pale-skinned cheek that occasionally dipped toward a hand that flowed with quick grace across an open book. Sasuke unconsciously took a few steps closer. The behaviour, the subtle body movements, seemed increasingly familiar. Then, finally, the man lifted his head, looking across the room, providing a clear view of his full profile and Sasuke knew.

He'd found Sai.

An enthusiastic remark warned him. Hearing 'Sasuke Uchiha' giggled behind him, Sai looked back to see two girls staring intently toward the rear of the restaurant, excitedly chatting. Past them, as they moved in that direction, he could see it was indeed Sasuke moving forward. Sai concluded the Uchiha'd taken part in the common customer behaviour of wandering around the circumference of the bar. Knowing the girls hadn't heard the latest about Sasuke, he covertly watched with amused interest as they intercepted him. An intricate dance followed with Sasuke making attempts to escape which they, with impressive coordination, foiled.

Damn it, Sasuke thought irritably. Why couldn't he step out his door without coming face to face with fan girls? As the latest two examples of the breed were amply proving, he couldn't get away from them. He'd tried to be polite, but they were rapidly reaching his limits while over one of their shoulders he could see Sai still seated at the table. To say it was frustrating was an understatement. He glared at him, so tantalizingly out of reach while he was trapped just yards away.

When Sasuke glared in his direction for the second time, Sai was puzzled. He couldn't fathom why. Could it be his presence was irritating the Uchiha? But perhaps it wasn't him. He performed a discrete scan of his vicinity. He didn't see anyone he was sure the Uchiha knew but, of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility. He doubted it had anything to do with the Uchiha's mysterious target as he'd surely be pleased to find him, not angry. It was perplexing. In speculation, his eyes roamed the area again before returning to Sasuke. Maybe if he tried to follow the angle of his next look?

Unfortunately, the next unsettling stare seemed ready to bore into Sai's very bones. He quickly ran over the possible causes for Sasuke's irritation, but the Uchiha's continuing distance with him was the only thing called to mind. Perhaps being seen in an uncomfortable situation by an ex-ROOT agent was rubbing him the wrong way. He tapped his pencil on his drawing pad as he quickly debated, aware of his limited time.

"Come with us. It'll be fun," giggling, the blonde tried to slip her arm through Sasuke's again. Twirling a finger in her hair, her brunette friend levelled a supposedly seductive look his way. It didn't do a thing for him.

"I'll pass," he threw another frustrated look at the irritating space between him and his quarry. So near and yet so far, he griped.

"Oh, come on," she persisted, "You know you want to." He temporarily lost sight of Sai as the crowd came between them. With his attention off her, she ran her hand up his arm, toward his elbow.

"No, I'm sure I don't," he countered, shoving it off for the umpteenth time. He moved a strategic few inches, manoeuvring for position. The other one decided to change tactics.

"Maybe he's not up to it, Lei," her smile turned challenging, "Maybe he doesn't have the balls to take us both on." Okay, Sasuke thought, that's the last straw.

"I have the balls," he smirked in grim satisfaction, "But neither of you do. It's that little fact that makes you totally uninteresting to me. Now," he quickly used their confusion to his advantage, "I have better things to do with my time. Excuse me." He broke free and moved quickly away through the crowd.

But when he crossed those last few yards and finally reached the table, Sai was gone.

Hidden by the crowd, Sai could see Sasuke standing by the table he'd just vacated. It seemed he'd moved just in time. He slipped away, moving behind others whenever the Uchiha's eyes scanned in his direction. Travelling around to the other side of the bar, Sai lost sight of Sasuke as he sought a new post with a view of the couples. Calculating angles, he wandered until he was finally able to slide into a newly vacated bar seat.

He ordered a drink, spending the time until it arrived checking his environs. It clearly wasn't as optimal as his last location, he mused, but for now it would have to do. Maybe he could move to better location after the moody Uchiha left the area. He'd avoid him and hope he got over his irritation. It was better than becoming part of a possible altercation. He absently nodded a greeting to the Nara and the Akimichi further up the bar, opening his sketch pad to a new page.

"Oh my," Kakashi's interested murmur caught Sakura's attention. She followed his gaze to a woman with sleek, shoulder length red hair and smoky dark eyes. Her burgundy leather outfit had a distinctly predatory edge to it. Sakura could easily envision it accessorized with a coiled whip attached on the belt, or maybe wrapped around the strikingly sexy body with the handle draped negligently over one creamy shoulder for quick use. She frowned as the woman slunk past with feline grace before turning back.

"Someone you know?" it came out colder and sharper than she intended. Damn, it made her sound jealous, she thought, wincing. And she wasn't. Not at all. Really. Like she really cared what kind of women Baka-Sensei was interested in, anyway. Not happening, she firmly insisted to herself, belligerently biting into an inoffensive roll.

"More like someone Ebisu knows," his eye twinkled at her. "I've never had the dubious pleasure. This might be interesting. Yura's known to be a bit too… territorial at times. I wonder how Tenten'll handle it." Sakura gave the redhead a longer measuring look before sniffing dismissively.

"My money's on Tenten," she told him, "She'll crush her like a bug."

"So certain, Sakura," he gave her an interested look, "Yura is an older and um…more experienced woman. Very experienced in certain unusual areas, so I've heard."

"Are you implying she's a bit kinky or something?" she eyed him.

"I wouldn't call it 'a bit'," he grinned. Her eyebrows rose. They both watched the redhead pause; stare with a narrow eyed frown, then beeline toward their friends' table.

"Looks like we're getting an unexpected dinner show," Kakashi observed, "Crush her like a bug, huh? But are you certain enough to bet on it?"

"What kind of stakes are you thinking of?" she tilted her head, sipping her drink as she considered.

"Ebi-Baby! You naughty boy, why haven't you called me?" a throaty voice purred behind them.

Tenten looked up to find a redhead eyeing her date with a predatory smile. Automatically, she glanced at Ebisu. He'd frozen in his seat, his glass halfway to his mouth and a faintly panicked look on his face. With studied care he lowered the glass, turning to the intruder with a feeble grin.

"Y-Yura! What are you doing here?" he could feel sweat start to bead on his forehead. Her laugh was low and sexy, as she shifted closer to him, the deep burgundy of her outfit gleaming softly in the bar lighting.

"My boring day was turning into a boring night, so I thought I'd stop in for a drink," she swept back a lock of her sleek shoulder length hair.

"O-oh, really," Ebisu stammered. He glanced uncertainly at Tenten, trying to gauge her reaction. She was eyeing the finely textured leather vest, skirt and thigh length stiletto heeled boots with envy, wondering how the outfit would look on her and if she could get the name of the shop.

"And look who I find," Yura exposed generous cleavage as she bent, letting her hands roam over his shoulders to link around his neck, "One of my favourite distractions. Talk about perfect timing. I've had my eye on a new toy in Happy Ending." As she named the notorious local sex shop, Tenten raised amused brows. "I bought it this morning and I'm dying to try it out. Braided kangaroo leather," Yura's moan was almost sexual.

"Y-you did? Y-you are?" Ebisu felt like moaning himself. His carefully preserved reputation was crashing and burning, right in front of Tenten. There was no telling what she made of all this. Her reactions hadn't been very enlightening.

"Yes, I am, Ebi-Baby, very badly. You know how I am when I'm feeling…," she leaned closer to sigh into his ear, "…bad. You're so fond of high quality leather too." Tenten watched with interest, mentally ticking off another two seduction tactics straight out of the Icha Icha manual. It was almost like Yura was methodically going down the list, she mused, as she tried to add up all the ones she'd seen so far.

"I don't know, Sakura," Kakashi eyed the action, "Tenten isn't doing any crushing, bug or otherwise. Yura seems to be ruling the field. Are you sure you don't want to rethink that bet?"

"Oh, please," she casually popped a morsel in her mouth, "Tenten just isn't taking her seriously. I mean, look at her," she waved at the redhead, "She's coming on to Ebisu like a…a…stereotyped dominatrix in a really bad porn movie. It's almost unreal. I wouldn't take her seriously either."

"I suppose that's possible," he conceded, "A stereotyped dominatrix, huh? I wasn't aware you had such… broad understanding of porn, Sakura…" she choked on a mouthful, "…bad or otherwise. Maybe your recent foray into Icha Icha wasn't as unplanned as I originally thought." He shook his head in mock sorrow, "Where did my innocent little Sakura-chan go? I remember when you thought condoms were weirdly shaped emergency balloons," he mourned. She hastily glanced around before throwing a pea at him.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you," she hissed, blushing, "I was twelve years old, for crying out loud, only a few weeks out of the Academy. And I wasn't the only one. Naruto and Sasuke helped me blow them up."

"And we now know how they turned out," he waggled his brow at her, "Besides; I gave you all extra points for resourcefulness, despite your invasion of my backpack."

"After you nearly fell out of a tree laughing. And you took embarrassment points off for having to explain what they were really for," she shuddered in memory, "Like you were the one suffering the most embarrassment…or trauma. I couldn't look any of you in the eye for the rest of the mission," he grinned nostalgically as she threw another pea at him, "At the first opportunity I spent over an hour and an entire bottle of mouthwash gargling." Another pea was launched in his direction.

"And why," she pointed her fork at him, "Do you even carry so many - of all different kinds - with you?" she gestured questioningly, "I've always wondered about that."

"A shinobi must be ready for any contingency," he piously intoned. Without thinking she snorted, nearly spitting out her mouthful. She wiped her mouth with her napkin, pinning him with a sardonic look

"Sure," she observed sarcastically, "You never know when the enemy will suddenly appear and engage you in a deadly life or death orgy. Well," she continued over his laughter, "Either you're a very hopeful wishful thinker or Team Seven's had a really long run of bad luck with opponents all these years." She threw a last pea at him before pointedly turning back to the show.

"And I just went grocery shopping," Yura was breathing into Ebisu's ear, "I have a wonderful chocolate pudding mix as well as strawberries and fresh whipping cream," her smile was suggestive, "I've got such a…hunger…for it. I love the way you make it. You really know how to whip it," she stressed the last two words, reiterating, "You whip it good, Ebi-Baby." And it was official, he reflected, face flaming, the remains of his good name had now been publicly flushed down the toilet.

Tenten suppressed a grin as she followed the clues. Oh, my, she thought, how…interesting. This really was beginning to sound like something out of Icha Icha. Maybe she'd better rescue Ebi-Baby before the big bad redhead decided to eat him – among other things.

"After all, it's not like you're doing anything interesting anyway, unless you consider childcare fascinating," Yura flicked a quick scathing look of dismissal at Tenten, "So, why don't you send your baby sister home. It's probably past her bedtime. Come with me and spend the evening with a real woman."

An indignantly shriek of Oh, no, she didn't, rang through Tenten's brain as her eyes snapped to her challenger's face. She slowly straightened in her chair. Swiftly, she evaluated the intruder with a practiced look hot enough to ignite.

The eye catching outfit had several impracticalities no kunoichi would tolerate and though the owner appeared athletic, she wasn't anywhere near a shinobi's level. A civilian then, Tenten concluded. Unfortunate, that meant her first preference, to take her down with extreme prejudice, was automatically restricted. She gripped the table with fingers itching to cause mayhem, her mind flashing through various strategies that wouldn't get her arrested, as she replied with an icy smile.

"Baby sister, huh? I suppose that's better than looking like his mother," her hot gaze swept suggestively up and down. Yura, eyes narrowing, straightened, turning toward her with one hand still on Ebisu's shoulder. They sized each other up, instinctively generating a competitive intent to protect their 'territory', which rapidly increased to a palpable force. Trapped in the middle, Ebisu sat perfectly still, only his eyes moving to and fro between them.

"Maybe you are older than you look. I should've known. They usually don't serve jail bait in here," Yura sneered. Tenten's smile grew colder.

"Oh, I'm all grown up," she let her gaze roam over the other woman's body again, "And from the looks of you, you're overgrown. Or is it 'overblown'? I always get the two mixed up. Or maybe 'fake' is the word I'm thinking of?" For a second Yura almost quivered with fury. Her gaze locked onto the younger woman's. Then she smiled mockingly as she began to blatantly caress Ebisu's shoulders and neck.

"Be careful when you play with the big girls. We know all the best tricks and how to use them," she purred while Ebisu's eyes widened. Tenten just smiled back, her eyes on hers, while, unnoticed, she slipped a foot out of a shoe under the table.

"Really, I'd call that rather crude," her eyes flicked casually to the hand fondling her date, then locked again with her rival's. Meanwhile her foot began to travel up and down Ebisu's inner lower leg, from instep to knee. He involuntarily convulsed, an eye twitching.

"Then I'll just have to do better," Yura's hand disappeared down his shirt with a satisfied smirk. Ebisu voiced a faint. "Eep," as she ran it over his chest, finding and fondling each nipple in turn. Her stare into Tenten's eyes was a clear challenge that was accepted with a quirked brow and a cool look.

"Still not impressed," Tenten's foot began to massage above his knee, working upward and inward. His eyes darted between them desperately as his shivers became tremors. He unconsciously parted his legs, giving her more access as her foot merrily went on its way. She let bored amusement reflect in her eyes. Yura's, eyes narrowed, then her glower suddenly turned into a sly smile.

Sasuke, cautiously weighing the best way to avoid Naruto and Hinata, was caught cold by the nearby blast of intent. Instinctively activating his sharingan, he spun to face the threat before realising his mistake. He had a moment to recognise Tenten facing off with a redhead before said redhead's hand plunged down Ebisu's shirt, followed by Tenten's one foot assault up his leg. With a sense of unreality Sasuke realised they were on a collision course with Ebisu's genitals.

As the drama unfolded before his shocked eyes, he stood immobile, his jaw sagging and a resounding what the fuck echoing in his mind. It was like indirectly living one of his worst fan girl induced nightmares. He was totally unaware of the mute shinobi exchange that'd started up about the show in progress.

And he completely forgot to deactivate his sharingan.

Sai'd just noticed Kakashi and Sakura's increased interest in Tenten's table when a sudden spike of strong intent snapped his attention there as well. Momentarily, he was confused, due to its similarity to killing intent. But, taking in Tenten's situation, he realised its purpose was territorial rivalry. It seemed another woman was challenging her for Ebisu. He mourned the loss of his last observation point which would've given him a front seat to the show. His present position was tolerable but he feared blockage of his view if curiosity increased the crowd.

"Sai," an unexpected quiet voice spoke behind him, "Do you have any idea what's happening?" He glanced over his shoulder to see the Nara and the Akimichi, who'd also been alerted.

"An unknown woman has interrupted Tenten's date with Ebisu. I assume, from her actions, it's a female acquaintance of his with jealousy issues. The two women seem to be competing for him," he replied. The two glanced at each other.

"Tenten and Ebisu?" Chouji blinked, "Huh, I always thought she was interested in Neji. I wouldn't have thought Ebisu-Sensei was her type. Didn't Naruto claim he was some sort of secret pervert? Shikamaru looked thoughtful.

"It could be the latest round of the Kunoichi games," he deduced, "In which case, Ino's likely involved, perhaps Sakura and Hinata too." Impressed, Sai nodded confirmation. The Nara continued, "What sort of competition? I hope Tenten's not in a fight with a civilian."

"No, they aren't attacking each other, though it is oddly physical. Currently they're competing by sexually molesting Ebisu in public," he informed them. They gaped at him.

"Um," Chouji scratched the spiral on one cheek, "You wouldn't mind pointing out their table, would you?"

"See. Told you," Sakura smirked. "Tenten would've squashed her by now but her being a civilian means she has to use more… refined tactics."

"Refined?" Kakashi debated breaking out the sharingan, "That's not the word I'd use. Is there even a word for it?" he mused, "Public porn by any other name… I don't know whether to pity or envy Ebisu." He shook his head at the conundrum.

"Isn't two girls at once a popular male fantasy?" blushing, she studied the Special Jounin, a bit shocked at Tenten's nerve for doing…that…in the middle of a crowded restaurant. She'd amputate her own tongue, though, before she let Kakashi know it.

"Been hitting the psychiatry books lately, have you? In a more private location, sure," he absently began to hum, "Unless you're all exhibitionists."

"Or a pervert?" the song he was humming tickled her memory. She swore she knew it from somewhere.

"Not Ebisu's type of perversion," he grinned, "He's always tried to keep his perverted streak a secret to maintain an unimpeachable reputation. Not that it always works. It's not hard to figure out. Besides," he tilted his head slightly so he could fully follow the action, "I'm not sure how much of his… compliance… is due to enjoying this or just sensible terror from the sheer territorial intent those two are throwing out. I've faced deadly enemies who emitted killing intent with less force. Most of the shinobi in here are picking up on it." She glanced around and admitted he was right. They weren't the only ones interested. Even a wildly blushing Hinata and gaping Naruto had eyes glued to the scene. There was even a silent commentary going on between interested shinobi observers.

Damn, what was that song Kakashi was humming? It was driving her crazy because the words were on the tip of her tongue. She irritably shook her head and returned to the clash on the battlefield of Ebisu. Yura was working a downhill offensive while Tenten waged a cunning covert uphill defence. Kakashi hummed in the background. Then the coin finally dropped and she gasped, pinning him with an accusing look.

"What," he grinned mischievously at her, totally unrepentant, "You can't say it isn't… apt."

"Yeah, right," she failed to choke back a laugh, "I can't believe you at times. Now every time I hear that song I'm going to think of this." She turned back with the words rolling repeatedly through her mind:

'Oh! You'll take the high road,

And I'll take the low road,

And I'll be in Iwa before you'.

"Well, then I'll just have to go straight to my favourite," flashing a quick, wicked look into Ebisu's eyes, Yura's hand dipping lower still, with a teasing singsong of, "All the way!" He helplessly watched it travel over his stomach muscles. As it circled his navel, a faint drawn out wheeze escaped him, like a kettle about to over boil, before her fingers tangled in his pubic hair, following it down, under his belt. The redhead smiled in triumph at Tenten.

"Oh please," Tenten smiled serenely back, "You're so late and redundant. Isn't she, Ebisu?" Perplexed, Yura glanced at Ebisu, who was staring at his own lap. She looked down to where Tenten's foot happily massaged his crotch, while he followed its manipulations with bemused interest. She flushed with rage, pulling her hand out of Ebisu's shirt with a savage hiss. The insubstantial cloud of intent around them took a distinctly hostile turn.

An elbow in the ribs jarred Sasuke loose from the ongoing trauma. Snapping his jaw shut, he glanced sideways to see a Chuunin he recognised from the mission desk. When the cheerfully leering man indicated his own eyes with a temple tap followed by a gesture toward Sasuke's, he blinked, puzzled.

Then his eyes widened in horror as the hammer dropped, realising his sharingan had been activated throughout the whole ordeal. He face palmed, swearing vehemently under his breath as he deactivated it with a cross blink and a groan, knowing its recording ability had burned the incident into his memory. Now, no matter how hard he tried, he could never unsee it. He grimaced thanks to the amused Chuunin.

Then their attention was yanked back to a worsening situation as the intent abruptly turned hostile and he became aware of the silent dialogue around him. He began to follow it, as the older Chuunin occasionally contributed. When several shinobi indicated a specific dining table, he looked, astonished to see Kakashi and Sakura there.

"That doesn't feel good," Sakura instinctively tensed for action. She wasn't the only one. In her periphery she could see others on alert and the silent dialogue was now about a course of action. Naruto, his squabble set aside, was signalling Kakashi. As he acknowledged it, she turned her head slightly to follow the exchange, noting Hinata doing the same, as were several others in the vicinity.

"Do we step in?" Naruto's eyes asked, flicking quickly from Kakashi to the conflict. The Jounin calmly evaluated the scene, and then made a palm down gesture with a quick eye flick at Ebisu.

"No, give Ebisu the chance to handle it first." The tension noticeably decreased around them as others readily accepted the Jounin's situational call. Sakura uncomfortably examined Yura's face, and then met Hinata's eyes. The shy Hyuuga's worry mirrored her own.

"Are you sure that's wise, Kakashi-Sensei?" confident in Tenten though she was, she didn't want to see her get in trouble.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Sakura," his hand covered her reassuringly; "Ebisu's a Special Jounin. This is well within his capabilities."

"Alright, if you say so." she glanced over to see Naruto leaning to talk earnestly with Hinata before returning her attention to Tenten.

"Don't worry, Hinata," Naruto's hand covered hers, "Kaka-Sensei's pretty good at sussing out a situation. If he says it'll be fine, it will."

"I hope so, Naruto," she said softly, her heart beating impossibly fast at the contact, "I…I just don't want Tenten to get in trouble."

"Just watch," he reassured her, "It'll be fine. Believe it!"

As the intent turned hostile, Sai rose from his seat. The three followed the silent shinobi debate that flashed around the restaurant.

"This isn't good," Shikamaru keenly observed the scene, "Even if a civilian incites the situation, it'll go against Tenten if she does anything. Troublesome."

"Should we move in?" Chouji measured the crowd, "It might take time to get over there."

"Wait," Sai indicated Kakashi's table. They watched as he and Naruto conversed.

"I'll go with that," Shikamaru nodded as the Jounin's made his decision known. Sai eased back down in his seat.

"Let me guess. You're a kuniochi, aren't you? I should've known," Yura's eyes raked up and down Tenten, her voice harsh and ugly, "You filthy little bitch!" She didn't notice Ebisu's head jerk up as he frowned at her.

"Oh, honey," Tenten's eyes narrowed as she snarled back, "I'd return the favour but I wouldn't insult the canine species. The ninken wouldn't like it." It'd be worth arrest, she mused, if it meant she could beat Yura to a pulp. She removed her foot from Ebisu's lap, carefully slipping her other shoe off to ensure her footing.

"You're all the same," the redhead sneered, "Every single one of you was born a worthless whore." She stepped forward, her nails like claws, striking out at Tenten, who watched it come, eager for the excuse.

With a lightening interception from his seat, Ebisu caught it long before it landed. Disappointed, Tenten turned to find him regarding her with open contrition. Then he turned a striking look of cold distaste on Yura.

"E-Ebisu…?" unnerved, Yura gasped, trying to pull away from his steely grip.

"Yura," his voice was soft, ice cold, infinitely dangerous, "How dare you insult one of the kunoichi who protect this village. None are 'whores', worthless or otherwise. That was inexcusable. You were the one intruding on our," he stressed the word, "Date. I'd insist you apologise but I doubt any would be sufficient. I think you'd best leave. You've made a spectacle of yourself to the other patrons," he inclined his head, drawing her attention to their many watchers, "Who might not be as…lenient to such a deliberate insult." She uneasily looked around, now aware of many annoyed looks aimed her way.

"It'd probably be best for you to be less…noticeable for a while," he continued with soft menace, "Maybe travel might be best. Whatever you decide," his eyes were glacial, "I'd appreciate it if you never attempt to approach or speak to me…ever. If you do, I will not be responsible for the consequences." She stared at him, like a bird mesmerised by a snake, her face slowly blanching as his words sunk in.

"I suggest," he released her hand as if it burned him, "you hurry." With another uneasy look around, Yura moved away. The crowd shrank back, as if loathe being near her, leaving a noticeable space to mark her passing. Thus unimpeded, her pace quickened until she was nearly running when she reached the door.

"That was…impressive. Do you really think she's in danger?" Tenten looked curiously at him.

"I'd be more worried for anyone who tried," he growled, unable to believe he'd ever been attracted to the woman, "Stupidity might be contagious." Taking a deep breath, he turned to her, "I'm truly sorry, Tenten. I should've stopped her before it deteriorated to such an extent. I never knew she harboured such a baseless prejudice. I'll understand if you want to end our date."

"Why are you apologising?" she smiled warmly, touched, "It's not your fault she decided to show up tonight. She's responsible for her own actions, not you. It's not something to ruin our evening over."

"You…want to continue?" he gave her a relieved smile as she confirmed with a nod.

"Though," her eyes danced at him, "I was disappointed to lose the chance to belt her one. You owe me for that." It surprised a laugh out of him.

"What would you consider adequate repayment?" he turned away, signalling to catch a waitress's eye, completely missing the devious speculation in her face.

"I don't know. We'll have to discuss it," she mischievously ran a foot from his instep to his knee. His head snapped back to her with an audible gulp.

"And just FYI," her purr was teasing, "I happen to have a noteworthy collection of all kinds of…um… exceptional quality leatherwork myself. In fact, when it comes to leather and being able to…'whip it'? No one," she went in for the kill, "Does it better than a weapons mistress…Ebi-Baby."

"I-I'll be sure to remember that," he breathed.

"Well, that's that," Shikamaru concluded as the woman fled through the crowd.

"That was impressive," Sai made a mental note to discuss Ebisu's interesting reaction with Yamato.

"Yeah, I didn't know Ebisu-Sensei had it in him," Chouji nodded agreement. The two said their goodbyes to Sai before continuing on their way.

"I still say Ebisu stepping in negates the bet," Kakashi looked forlornly into his glass. Sakura, in the midst of her own triumphant sip, pointed a stern finger as she swallowed.

"You're not getting out of it," she scolded him. "Tenten was definitely ahead on points in the battle of Ebisu and we agreed she'd have won the catfight. His stepping in doesn't change the inevitable." She studied him, "You would've held me to it if you'd won. I've had to jump out of Yamato's birthday cake dressed in Icha Icha lingerie carrying your present for him. Talk about embarrassing. And why would you give another guy the Kama Sutra anyway?" she looked suspiciously at him, "Is there something you haven't told me, Kakashi?"

"Sakura," his air was hurt, "You know how easy it is for my Kohai to get stuck in a rut. As his Sempai, I have to look out for him, that's all. He needs more spice in his life. It's good for him."

"Sure," she smirked, "I've seen how you spice up his life. It's usually followed by him chasing you around the village, swearing he'll use wood release to hang you upside down naked from the first Hokage's nose. In view of your taste in birthday presents, I just wondered if I'd been missing deeper meaning in the 'naked' part."

"You wound me," she didn't trust his virtuous look for a second, "or maybe you're so interested in the 'naked' part because you have…" he eyed her passionately as he purred, "…designs on me." As she spluttered, he leaned over to pop a grape into her mouth. She hastily chewed.

"That's not going to work," she informed him, "And don't even try to give me some line about it being unreasonable. You agreed if you lost you'd entertain the kids stuck in the hospital on Konoha's Children's Day."

"I assumed I'd just be showing up and performing a few small jutsu or tricks," Kakashi grumbled, "You didn't mention the fine details until after I agreed."

"'When you assume you make an ass of u and me'," she gaily quoted, "I don't see what you're so worried about."

"My manly reputation for one," he morosely picked at his plate.

"You're making too much of a big deal out of this," she patted his hand, "It's not like everyone who know you will be there…probably," she grinned at his wince, "And even if they were, the odds of them recognising you are…" she held up a hand showing him her index finger and thumb nearly touching each other, "… really small."

"But costumes, Sakura?" he gave her a pained look, "Of…of…" he couldn't get it out. It was too horrible to think of, let alone speak aloud.

"They're not so bad," she waved reassuringly at him, "I'm sure you'll look fine. Now, what do you want to be – a Sailor Scout, a Magical Kitty, Spongebob, He-man…Pikachu?"

"Gee…tough choice," he gagged, "They all sound so… peachy."

Sasuke shook his head, still recovering from the unexpected x-rated clash. He threw another wary glance at Tenten. Apparently, even girls he'd considered 'safe' were capable of being impulsive and perilous creatures. It reinforced his desire to avoid contact with Hinata. To that end he took care to keep out of sight behind the crowd as he passed the table where she and Naruto sat.

When this took him near the bar he ordered another refill. As he waited, he glanced curiously at Kakashi and Sakura. He'd been surprised to see them but assumed it was due to Ino's challenge to Sakura. They certainly seemed to be enjoying each other's company. As he watched, he was struck by the naturalness of their behaviour and leaned on the bar to consider. Was there a real attraction between them? He supposed it was possible, despite the age difference. He was relieved Sakura was moving on with her life after that silly childhood infatuation, but it felt strange, seeing her interested in someone else.

The bartender returned with his drink as he scanned the area for Sai. When he didn't see him, he wondered if the ex-ROOT agent had left. Taking his drink, he meandered toward the entrance. Had he missed his only chance to find Sai in the limited time remaining? He sighed, discouraged. He was debating leaving when he was hailed.

"Hey," Shikamaru casually strolled up with a grinning Chouji. "Did you have a good seat for Tenten's surprise exhibition?"

"Let's just say I saw more than I wanted," he replied, hesitating before asking, "Was she always so… uninhibited? It's not how I expected her to be."

"It's a girl thing," they all glanced at the table in question, "They can change in an instant. Why do you think they're so troublesome?" Chouji snorted at his familiar refrain.

"To you all girls are troublesome," he cheerfully ignored his friend's mutter of "Because they are" as he turned to the Uchiha. "We were thinking of getting takeout and going someplace quieter. You can join us if you're interested."

"I appreciate the offer, but if I leave, I think I'll just go home," looking around, Sasuke added without thinking, "I didn't find who I was looking for."

"Who's that? The love of your life?" Chouji's question startled him. He hadn't realised he'd said it aloud.

"Um…" he thought fast, "Actually I was hoping to find Sai to clear up some small details about our last mission. One of his ink clones was involved, so he might be able to help."

"Last we saw him, he was over on the other side of the bar," Shikamaru gestured with a thumb, "We were with him during the excitement and left when it was over. He might still be there."

"I'd better go see," Sasuke glanced in that direction, "Thanks." He nodded farewell as he moved off.

"Yeah, don't mention it," the Nara called back as the two friends went on their way.

Hinata couldn't get what she'd witnessed out of her mind. She blushed, reminded of a scene from Icha Icha Tactics and what it'd been the prelude to. She reached for her drink, only becoming aware her hand shook slightly as she tried to grasp it.

"Are you alright, Hinata?" Naruto's regard was concerned.

"I'm fine, really," she smiled reassuringly at him, "I think I'm still… keyed up from before, with Tenten."

"Yeah, that was something, wasn't it?" he grinned, blue eyes bright with mirth, "I couldn't believe she did that either. And you know, until the end there, Ebisu was enjoying it waaay to much. Believe it!" He shook his head, chuckling for a second before sobering. He looked at her with a faintly puzzled look, "But I don't get what Tenten sees in that closet perv. I didn't think he'd be her type. I thought she liked Neji."

"Neji…tends to be very reserved," she said slowly as she considered, "It's very hard to read him at times, even when you know him well. I think…it would be very frustrating for any girl interested in him, even if she were very tolerant. Also, with Tenten, the added complication of being on the same team can be either a curse or a blessing if you're not careful. It's a big step, not one to be taken lightly." She tilted a hand back and forth, "It can be hard, especially for shinobi, to maintain a balance between your personal and professional lives. I think even if he's interested, he's been… hesitant. To her, it might come across as disinterest."

"Huh," he scratched his whiskered cheek, "I thought it was pretty common for people to be interested in their team mates. You hear or see it all the time. I mean, Tsunade-baa-chan was Jiraiya's team mate. I had a real crush on Sakura for the longest time, while she had one for Sasuke. I bet I could name several people, older than us, who married their team mate."

"I know,' she nodded agreement, "I think…it comes from going through so much with them. You see them at their best and worst; get to know them on so many levels. It's easy for that bond to change to something more intimate," she blushed again, "Like being lovers. But again, it's a balancing act. It's difficult to see a friend in danger," her voice softened with personal knowledge, "Its worse when it's the person you love. Even if you're guarding their back, there's a danger of it interfering with the mission. It's…a difficulty the two have to resolve at some point. Some can, some…have to find another solution. That's why when two team mates decide to marry, sometimes one changes to another team or even takes solo missions in or near the village. And, of course, if there are children, it's common for one to stay at home to take care of them," she regarded him with quiet sincerity.

"Wow, Hinata," impressed, Naruto stared at admiringly her, "How do you know so much? You must've really thought about this." She hid her smile shyly with her hand, enjoying his reaction.

"Well…I have, but it's more than that,' she explained, "When you're born in a clan, there are so many stories and examples around you. You can't help but learn from it."

"Yeah," he grinned wryly, rubbing the back of his neck, "I can see that. You know, he hesitated, wistfully serious, "Sometimes…I wish…" he shook his head, unable to continue. Touched, she understood.

"Naruto," she impulsively reached to lay her hand over his, "You may not have a family you share blood with but," she squeezed it reassuringly, "You have plenty of family you share your heart with." She diffidently admitted, "I-I've always admired that about you, your ability to open your heart to people and accept them into your life. I…" she glanced shyly down, "I…wish I could be as brave as you."

"Hinata," he blushed, staring at her incredulously as he upturned his hand to capture hers, "You're one of the bravest people I know. Don't you realise that?" as she looked up with an uncertain smile, he firmly nodded confirmation, "You're just quieter about it than most people," blue eyes dancing, he grinned unrepentantly, "Not like me, Lee or Kiba." He thought her answering smile was amazing. It was humbling and hard to believe it was due to something he'd said.

"H-hey," he blushed, stuttering, suddenly awkward and tongue-tied, "R-remember when we went to find the bikōchū beetle?"

Leaning casually on the bar, on the lookout for a familiar face, Sasuke looked searchingly up along one side of its gleaming counter. Again it was the practiced hand moving over paper that identified its owner. He marked its location before shoving off the bar, making his way around to Sai through the crowd. When he was close enough to see his back through the throng, Sasuke paused to go over his options.

He had doubts about the casually friendly approach. Their work relationship had always been too reserved on both sides for it to be believable. Even the pretext of courtesy might be suspect. He catalogued and discarded several possibilities before shaking his head with a sigh, concluding his best choice to initiate conversation was the story he'd given Yamato, Shikamaru and Chouji. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves and resolutely began to move.

Remembering last time, he decided on a cautious approach, hoping Sai wouldn't notice until it was too late to escape. Slowly he advanced on the ex-ROOT agent, using the crowd to his advantage. Only a few yards away, he paused, fixed on his target. It was a mistake.

"There you are," a girl's voice, alarmingly familiar, whispered cheerfully in his ear.

"We've been looking all over for you, handsome!" a second joined it, as a determined hand grasped his arm, "We're not as fragile as you seem to think. We're fine, fun and up for anything you can dish out… you bad boy."

With a dismal sense of déjà vu, he identifying the relentless fan girls he'd escaped earlier, apparently back for round two. He looked away, unhappily measuring the remaining distance, culminating in a frustrated glare on the oblivious Sai's back. Grimly, he pried the hand off his arm, taking a dogged step forward. They both latched on, tightening their grips and, to his growing horror, began to whisper unbelievably lewd suggestions in his ears.

A disturbance from behind had Sai investigating in the overhead bar mirror. To his amazement, the same girls from earlier were accosting Sasuke again. They'd latched onto the Uchiha like giggling leeches while he discretely struggled to extricate himself from their clutches. As he freed an arm, Sai saw him aim a fierce look toward the bar. Was the wildly blushing Uchiha in such desperate need for a drink, he wondered, or did he have another objective in mind?

He ran a speculative eye over the patrons seated on each side of him, comparing faces against those of the people from his previous location. When he couldn't come up with a match, he sent another searching look into the mirror at Sasuke.

This is unreal, Sasuke thought as he pried one arm free. He couldn't believe these two had so completely misinterpreted what he'd said earlier. He'd plainly told them he wasn't interested and why. Well, maybe he hadn't come right out and said he was gay but he'd definitely implied it. Did they get the hint? No. Instead they thought it'd been a…a sexual challenge. And his mortified blush deepened at their wild suggestions of what that challenge might involve.

They'd run through the gamut from simple costumed role-play to involved scenarios straight out of fetishists' fantasies. There'd been a shockingly long list of sexual aides, along with a variety of implements for 'punishment'. But it'd been the numerous hair-raising proposals featuring food that'd been an eye-opener for Sasuke, giving grocery shopping to a whole new ghastly perspective. He'd heard, who hadn't, about chocolate sauce and whipped cream, but honey…just about every kind of sauce and condiment…noodles (the enticingly sexy image of Naruto, nude, covered in ramen, almost froze him long enough to prove disastrous)…sausage…vegetables?

Oh, god, vegetables.

He'd had no idea of the sheer versatility of vegetables. He was seriously rethinking his fondness for tomatoes. He'd never be able to visit the produce section without wondering if the other shoppers were buying salad ingredients or weird, organically grown sex toys.

And there sat Sai, only a short distance away…again. Attempting to block out his assailants' disturbing chatter, Sasuke grimly focussed on the ex-ROOT agent. Manoeuvring his other arm toward freedom, he managing to gain ground in Sai's direction before another wicked whisper in his ear made him shudder. How the hell was he going to get rid of these two so he could get to him? He glared intently at the man's back, before turning back to his double dose of trouble.

Did Sasuke just glare in his direction? Should he move again? Indecisively, Sai glanced across the bar toward his other three objectives. He couldn't guarantee he'd find another acceptable location if he moved again. In the mirror, he noted Sasuke'd gotten his other arm free. The Uchiha glared hotly in his direction before turning back to the girls. Sai sighed. It seemed he had a decision to make.

"I keep telling you, I'm not interested," Sasuke ground out, all too aware they were gaining an audience. He quickly checked Sai's location with his periphery vision.

"But we want to play," the brunette demurely batted her eyes at him, "Don't we, Kara?" The blonde giggled, leaning to show her cleavage.

"Yeah, we're up for anything," she went for his arm, "And we're not giving up until you say yes." He quickly moved out of her reach, wary of turning his back on them. The brunette smirked at the blonde, and then moved closer to Sasuke. She opened her purse, tilting it to show its contents as she reached in.

"Look what I've got," he could see a pair of fuzzy handcuffs, complete with a key in the lock, "We could have a lot of fun with these."

"We could take turns," the blonde winked, "And do…anything…our wicked little hearts desire." Sasuke hesitated, eyeing the cuffs, an idea forming despite the revulsion roiling in his stomach. He tried to do another discreet periphery check, but a crowd was in the way. He switched his gaze to the mirror, noting Sai, sketchpad in hand, move to stand. He was running out of time. He had to do something…now.

"Alright," he said slowly, smirking at them, "Why don't we go over to the bar and discuss it?" He put an arm around each to usher them over as the two girls grinned triumphantly at each other. Behind them, he caught a glimpse of Sai before the movement of the crowd hid him from view, slipping away along the bar, toward the back of the room.

If he didn't know it was impossible, he groused, he'd swear the guy was doing it on purpose. Damn! This was too much trouble to go through just to get rejected. He turned back to the matter at hand.

As they neared the bar, he lifted the cuffs from the brunette's purse. Before the two were aware, he'd quickly unlocked them, securing one cuff on the brunette's wrist before threading the other cuff through the bar rail, snapping it around the blonde's. Then he stepped back

"Hey," the blonde blinked down at her wrist, "What…?" She instinctively yanked on her wrist, provoking a yelp of protest from her friend. They stared incredulously at him.

"H-hey, why did you do that?" the brunette smiled uneasily. Putting her purse on the bar, she began looking through it, "Where's the key?"

"You mean this key?" he tossed it from hand to hand. Their eyes followed it.

"Good joke," the blonde grinned at him, as the brunette nodded agreement, "Now, come on, hurry up and unlock us, so we can go have fun."

"Hmmm…" he crossed his arms, head tilted, considering, "…nah. Don't think so." Their eyes widened in disbelief.

"What? Why?" the brunette wailed, "Why are you doing this?"

"You're taking a time out for bad behaviour," he smirked, turning away, "Until you learn to take 'no' for an answer." Grinning, he listened to them alternate between pleas and curses as he moved off in pursuit of Sai, casually tossing the key over his shoulder into the crowd.

It was almost over, Sakura realised wistfully. They'd order and eat dessert, then leave soon after. Her evening with Kakashi was almost over and it didn't seem possible. The time had passed too quickly, felt too short. They'd been having so much fun she wasn't ready to leave yet. So she intentionally lingered over the remains of their meal.

Their conversation had come to a natural lull but she didn't feel compelled to fill it. There was nothing discomfiting about their silence, only a mutual, comfortable contentment, of togetherness, like an oasis in the midst of the muted background chatter. And in a quiet inexpressible way it was more powerfully intimate than if they'd loudly bared their souls. She toyed with her fork, regarding the man across the table in quiet contemplation from beneath lowered lashes.

How had her awareness of him changed so much in so little time? Just a week ago, if someone told her she'd have these thoughts, these feelings about him, she'd have called them crazy. She'd have laughed about it and then forgot it. How had her every step, action and word since that night at Ino's led to this? How had she gone from being surprised to learn her friends thought Kakashi was sexy to the emotional rollercoaster of her own attraction to him? How had she gone from the simple feelings of friendship to sexual desire?

It was like…having an old trunk sitting in plain sight for years. Swearing you knew every detail, every worn spot, on occasion idly wondering about the possibly interesting contents but never really taking the time to investigate. Until one day you did…open it…and discovered it'd been Pandora's Box the whole time. That was exactly how she felt. She'd opened Pandora's Box and now could never close it again.

And…in all honesty…she didn't want to. She wanted to explore her new perspective of this astonishing man sitting with her. So she secretly scrutinized his features, now seeing what she'd sworn was so familiar in compelling new ways.

She'd always just described the gravity defying hair as 'silver' and, beyond a vague surprise at it's softness on a few occasions she'd sat vigil at his hospital bedside, never really given thought to it. Now she noticed how each spiky lock continuously shifted in hue as he moved, ranging in the restaurant lighting from bright white to deepest pewter, even the faintest hints of blue grey. It conjured comparisons to moonlight on snow or the soft plush of animal fur, making her yearn to run her fingers through it.

That single dark eye's cleverness at spotting the smallest details without fail, chiefly the ones you wished he wouldn't, was a trait she'd cursed on many occasions. She'd thought herself familiar with its many moods, from his signature eye smile to the lethal coldness he used to stare down the deadliest of opponents, with or without the rarely seen sharingan. Until the moment he'd looked at her, in a way new yet primordial, effortlessly making her shiver with a nameless need she'd never experienced but somehow known. It was frightening. It was exhilarating. Because something hungered deep inside for him to look at her like that again, to make her feel those things again and many other things she'd never known, couldn't name. Her mouth dried at the thought and she reached for her drink to make it possible to swallow her food.

And god help her, if he could do that with a single eye, maybe two, what would happen if she ever did see his entire face? She eyed his mask, visually tracing the subtle movements of his lips, the line of his nose under the fabric, trying and failing to put together a mental picture of what lay beneath. Then she forgot to breathe as she remembered…he wasn't wearing a mask. Kakashi was sitting there with his face hidden only by a genjutsu she could dispel with a single "kai". She knew it was touching proof of his trust and there was no way she was going to break it, but…damn it, for a few seconds the temptation was incredible.

Idly chewing, she inspected his outfit to distract herself. It really did look fantastic on him. The jacket's smoky hue was delicately echoed in the shades of his hair. The dress shirt and pants, both black, as was his 'mask', fit his lean form superbly, complimented by crimson details in his belt, handkerchief and cufflinks. She noticed with interest a couple of buttons had come undone, opening his shirt wider at the neck to reveal the planes of his chest. Her eyes were drawn to the smooth flex of muscle there, unconsciously biting her lip as it stirred memories of what Kakashi's body really looked like under those clothes.

Faint butterfly flutters started in her lower belly. Under the guise of adjusting the napkin on her lap, she pressed a hand to it under the table as she furtively stared, hypnotically drawn to that chest. Her eyes moved downward as her mind supplied explicit details of how the firm pectorals gave way to ridged abdominals, leading to a navel under which a silvery path led even lower to… She swallowed compulsively, becoming aware the butterflies had multiplied substantially and her view was now blocked by the table. Resolutely looking away until the flutters safely died, she discretely checked on Tenten, on Hinata and Naruto, before inspecting the meagre remains on her plate.

Grinning, she poked at a small cherry tomato. Earlier, she'd popped several into Kakashi's mouth, successfully frustrating his attempt to extol the dubious merits of the newest Icha icha. She remembered the teasing brush of lips, smooth, warm and supple against her fingers, accompanied by the elusive hint of wet tongue. Now that she thought about it, she'd felt a small patch of roughness. Was his bottom lip chapped? Strange, how something so ordinary seemed intimate beyond all proportion. She tried to imagine those lips; warm and soft save for that bit of coarseness, on hers. How his tongue might delicately trace her lips before slipping between to slide hotly against hers. She reached for her drink to ease her sudden parched ness.

Glancing across at Kakashi's plate as she sipped, she tried to gauge the time remaining only to realise, with a pang, it was growing ever shorter. Even as she watched, he neatly guided another forkful to those hidden lips. Captivated, she stared until she could swear she felt their ghostly trace on her own. Hastily she sipped to ease her persistent dryness, trying to redirect her attention to somewhere less…stimulating. Not easy, considering her reactions to every part of him so far.

She swiftly decided shoulders were out (wide, strong, naturally led up to faces with lips, or…or down to chests), as were his arms (more muscles and far too well-designed for fascinating things like holding and hugging – obviously dangerous territory). Below the waistline…oh god, no…that was even more dangerous territory. Besides, any body part she'd practically have to crawl under the table to see was clearly out. She firmly squashed her sudden longing for a byakugan. Hands, she thought desperately, hands had to be safe, right?

Tenten had a problem. To put it frankly, she was horny as hell. It was beginning to preoccupy her so much it'd soon be obvious enough to raise comment. And the last thing she wanted Ebisu to know was she was sitting here trying to decide whether or not to go to bed with him.

Well, that wasn't quite accurate. She supposed telling him was an option, just not the one for her. If she let him know, the matter would be on the table, making it as much his decision as hers. That might be secretly relieving but that wasn't what she wanted.

It was the principle of the thing. She refused to be a coward. She'd taken this challenge to seduce him, so the decisions of how, when and even whether she extended the invitation should be hers. She supposed it shouldn't matter so much how she completed the goal, but she wanted a clean victory. She just wasn't sure that was accomplishable tonight. Her gut feeling was if she did, she'd wind up doubting and regretting it. She was fighting an inner battle between her horniness, her practicality and sense of fair play.

Her virginity wasn't an issue. She wasn't the type to wait for love eternal. As far as she was concerned, just wanting to get laid was fine. Truth was she probably would've been sexually active ages ago if not for a perpetually busy schedule and overprotective friends. Maintaining weapons mistress status alone took an astonishing amount of work. And if she did, she'd almost certainly be the first conqueror of the seduction game, unless Ino, despite thirty kids chaperoning, was enjoying amazing luck with Iruka Sensei. Well, maybe she was feeling a bit of natural first time jitters.

But she wasn't sure it was sensible to ignore all that wise instruction from female relatives. She could practically hear her great aunt's voice, telling her never – never – say yes on the first date. The average male ego was big enough without the boost. It wasn't about attraction, she'd told her, but respect, for your self and for each other. Men get caught up in the thrill of the chase. Oh, they enjoy the prize but the more they worked for it, the more they valued it. By resisting, making it harder, it establishes you respect yourself, know your own value. It subliminally gains his respect. It tells him you insist on a higher standard and he has to prove himself worthy, an irresistible challenge. The longer, more intense the chase, the more time you both have to whet your appetites, making the end game much more satisfying.

So, never the first date, not even if it's a mission and you're under orders to seduce him. Take the time to do it right. Well, maybe, if he's hot beyond belief, you could give in on the second date, she'd winked, grinning, but ideally, at least hold out for the third. All in all, sound, practical advice she usually wouldn't have any problems following.

And then there was the main problem. Though she liked Ebisu, she had a feeling her horniness wasn't all due to him. She believed it was fallout from her earlier face-off with Yura, the result of a normal physical/emotional high after a very intense stimulating competition. It wasn't something unheard of in the shinobi world, after some extreme workouts or missions. The mental elation from 'winning' (or sometimes just 'surviving'), could affect your decisions and actions. You wanted to celebrate, to enjoy the rewards, despite its inadvisability. Arousal was just one of many forms it could take.

But in this case the reward she wanted to enjoy was Ebisu. That seemed very unfair and inconsiderate to the man after his gallant defence. He deserved better, to be wanted for himself, not taken advantage of. Inviting him home tonight, knowing she was being influenced by circumstances…wouldn't feel right. It would mar her victory. Unfortunately, that influence was playing merry hell with her decision making skills, so, here she sat, on the fence, horny and indecisive.

She figured what she really needed was someone to talk to, an outside perspective. Wondering what her chances were for a quick, friendly consultation, she peeked at Sakura and Hinata with secret longingly, but unfortunately, both were occupied with their dates.

Damn it, she moaned to herself, what ever happened to mutual all girl bathroom breaks? Should she signal one of them? Or maybe not, she reluctantly decided. Maybe she should just go herself and clear her head a little. At least it was a plan. She'd put it into action in a few minutes. Who knows? Maybe she'd get lucky. At least one of other girls should need the powder room soon.

As the relaxing silence continued, Kakashi let his mind drift while his body carried on the motions of finishing his meal. His mind touched briefly on their act with smug satisfaction. He and Sakura had played their parts with panache and relish. At times their real dialogue, private due to their table's jutsu, had been totally at odds with their actions. It'd only heightened their fun. Meanwhile, the other girls had kept covert tabs on them all night and, from his actions, even Naruto had been fooled. This boded well for their hopes of convincing Ino of their affair. It was regrettable Sai'd suddenly vanished partway through. He'd wondered what his evaluation had been and made a note to check with Tenzou later.

He absently lifted his glass, sipping as he considered his 'date'. He couldn't recall enjoying anyone as much as he had Sakura tonight. Their conversations had flowed with natural, playful ease between them, the effortless familiarity giving credibility to the illusion they'd wanted to create. He couldn't help contrasting it to past romantic pursuits, normally rife with pressures and expectations on both sides. Take their present silence. Usually he'd be pressed to fill such a void with witty conversation, his goal to impress and woo his date. It was a novel sensation to do away with all that, to simply enjoy a woman's company. He was finding himself wishing for more time with her, regretting its inevitable conclusion with the order and consumption of dessert.

Firmly resolving to enjoy the time they had left, he guided another forkful to his mouth, taking rare pleasure in the sense of companionship between them. Across the table, he was vaguely aware of Sakura's meal steadily disappeared. It was like a safe haven amid the low vocal hum around them and he was aware of an incredibly deep sense of peace, of contentment. He paused to examine it, vaguely gazing at his plate.

When was the last time he'd felt like this? It was tempting to say 'never' but that wasn't quite true. It was more like…not in recent memory. He idly adjusted his napkin, hunting for the obscure recall but finding it kept escaping him, hovering on the razor's edge of his memory. It had the hazy feel of something from infinitely long ago and he blinked slowly, wondering if it'd actually been as far back as childhood. But it was the ever so faint overtones, the vague sensation of perfect security and happiness coupled with a ghostly impression of a warm embrace that foiled him. Left him questioning why so distant a memory felt so important.

Surfacing briefly from his contemplation, he examined the remains on his plate, and Sakura's, sorry to note his time with her was running out. But then the puzzle of the elusive memory beckoned. Distracted, he resumed eating, combing the deepest recesses of his mind, grasping at insubstantial threads in his attempt to understand and categorize it.

Why did women go to the bathroom in groups? By contrast, men travelled alone. If they chanced upon an acquaintance there, any discourse lasted only until bladders were relieved before going their separate ways. But even women who were alone would immediately join up with others into a pack which then, talking incessantly, travelled to the ladies' room. Once there, uncalled for amounts of time would pass before the group would reappear. What did they do in there that took so long?

Sai mulled it over as he stood by the dining area steps, watching one such group. He'd originally asked Sakura but it'd resulted in a pummelling for perversion that'd made him question the wisdom of asking other female acquaintances. So he'd taken it to Yamato, but the ANBU captain hadn't known either. It remained one of the great enigmas of the female gender.

One he didn't have time to ponder, he told himself. He shook his head, turning his mind back to business, to wit, working his way around the bar to find another advantage point. The three couples were presently without surveillance. There was no telling what he'd missed while trying to avoid Sasuke. He paused in mid turn, puzzling over the Uchiha's behaviour.

While he wouldn't call their past contact congenial; it also hadn't been hostile. If anything, Sai would've said they routinely maintained a cautious distance, which, to his regret, he'd never managed to breach. Consequently this made Sasuke's open enmity tonight bewildering. Perhaps, irate at losing Naruto to Hinata, Sasuke was taking it out on him? It didn't fit his disposition. Sai thought he'd be more likely to face a problem head on or brood over it, rather than use someone as a scapegoat. He'd chosen to evade the Uchiha rather than chance being part of a public dispute, but doing so had interfered with the task at hand. He needed to return to it.

Sai started to do so, barely moving three steps before the sight of Sasuke scanning the area around the bar stopped him in his tracks. He quickly did his own scan, trying to see a way out. It was clear he couldn't move forward, toward the front of the restaurant. Sasuke would notice him immediately. This left him one option, move to the rear, toward the bathrooms and hope he could work his way around through the dining area and back into the bar crowd. He slipped down the steps, using fellow patrons as cover between him and his pursuer. For a second he thought he'd succeeded, until a discrete glance back showed the other shinobi looking in his direction.

Sasuke finally caught sight of Sai moving casually toward the washrooms. He confessed waylaying the ex-ROOT agent in a men's room wasn't his favourite option but beggars couldn't be choosers. This might be his only chance. He immediately moved in pursuit.

Sakura focussed on the two hands casually going about their business across the table. Had she ever really regarded them in any way other than a vague professionalism? She could name the parts and how they worked, could explain the origin of many of those faintly visible scars. She'd appreciated, and envied, their lethal skill many times. Yet, despite knowing so much, it felt like she'd never really seen them before. Now, watching his hands precisely guiding eating utensils, fiddling with a napkin or pausing, temporarily idle before going on to their next task, she was captivated.

In his usual fingerless gloves they seemed so tough and practical. Freed, they were as lean and strong as the rest of him, with long, wonderfully agile fingers. Her mind catalogued the many descriptive words she could use for them - clever, flexible, quick, nimble, supple, dexterous, skilful, deft, practiced, callused…the list was endless. Those hands performed so many tasks with splendid, sometimes lethal precision, but, absurdly, his favourite use for them was to open an issue of Icha Icha. When things turned bad their touch could be extraordinarily comforting. How many times had they strongly pulled her to safety? Rested kindly, encouragingly, on her shoulder or rubbed reassuringly across her back? Soothingly helped dress her wounds? She'd lost count long ago.

Then, involuntarily, her mind turned to more recent provocative contact. How solidly warm his hand had been in hers and the feel of it lightly gliding across her back to mould to her waist. She recaptured the light stroke of his thumb on the back of her hand and the sensual caress of masked lips on her knuckles during an almost indecent hand massage. She hid the tremble of her lips with her napkin as she recalled how he'd gently brushed back her hair, cupped her cheek, his thumb gliding over her skin and how she'd responded with her lips brushing against his palm. How, as unexpected bliss tore through her, she'd first gasped then moaned into it. And the butterflies returned, fluttering wildly.

It was undeniable. The feelings those hands had stirred in her had helped change her perception of Kakashi. Yet, in actual fact, how much had they touched? A bare fraction of her back and waist, her hand, arm and face? Hardly the stuff of Icha Icha and that was mind-boggling. Their skill hinted at mastery she'd never before associated with him, made her wonder. What would Kakashi's hands be like on a woman's - no, let's be honest - on her body?

She watched them efficiently moving across the table from her. Envisioned them lifting off her dress, running over her body, over places touched by no one else. She suppressed a shiver as she imagined the solid warmth of palms moulding to the curve of her breasts, her hips. Goose bumps chased the phantom sensation of clever fingers tracing hot, smooth patterns across her. Would they be followed by supple lips, the damp glide of tongue, hot breath cooling against her skin? She bit her lip, unconsciously shifting her legs to relieve a pulsing ache. As she visualized callused hands gliding over her collarbone, down through the valley between breasts, past her navel, the roughness catching on her skin, her breath hitched silently. Then she fantasized those fingers sliding lower still, down to quench the growing ache, only to become aware of the very real dampness there. Hastily she looked away, staring almost blindly down at her plate.

Well, damn it. Obviously hands weren't as safe as she'd thought. She was beginning to doubt any part of the infuriating man was. So, now here she was, sitting in a crowded restaurant consumed with a needy hungry that had nothing to do with food and for once the exasperating man seemed completely oblivious. She wavered between gratitude and annoyance, gritting her teeth, unsure if she was suppressing laughter or tears. She couldn't even blame him this time; her condition was wholly due to her own overactive imagination. It wasn't his fault she was sitting here absolutely aching, almost literally insatiable with desire for him.

Her brain stuttered to a halt as it replayed that. Then it restarted, speeding through a process of identification, evaluation and finally to a conclusion that sent her reeling with the soul deep epiphany of a simple truth which resonated through her, echoing in her bones and blossoming to fill her entire being with an indisputable certainty.

"Sakura?" he called and she instinctively responded, lifting green eyes ablaze with everything she was experiencing, meeting Kakashi's single dark eye with a look which spoke her certainty of that simple truth more clearly than any voice.

I want you.

That startled dark eye widened, than responded with a dark, masculine hunger, the predatory heat of it almost tangible, leaving her gasping as it swept over her. Man to woman, spellbound, their locked eyes fed on each other, the hunger escalating with every passing moment. Oblivious to everything but him, Sakura trembled, craving the promises his eye spoke, of the feverish touch of hands and lips, skin sliding on skin and sweat soaked limbs entangled in a passion spiralling into madness. Her breath quickened, body leaning toward him, inviting him to begin that ascent, demanding his touch with everything in her being. Kakashi tilted toward her, eye blazing in agreement, hands beginning to reach…

"Hi, are you ready to…order… dessert…now…?" abruptly reminded of their surroundings, Sakura and Kakashi lurched back into their seats, each fighting for composure as the voice faltered to a halt. The blushing waitress glanced to and fro between them. Those had been hot, hungry looks she'd accidentally interrupted. Call it a hunch, but she didn't think what these two really wanted was on the menu.

"Um…" unwilling to meet Sakura or the waitress' gazes, Kakashi self-consciously glanced around, "Um… dessert?" he winced at how awkward he sounded. "Would…you like dessert now…Sakura?" he warily turned to where she sat, wildly blushing and mortified, eyes on her plate, a hand pressed to her stomach as she tried to slow her breathing. She started.

"I…um…I think…I…reallyhavetovisittheladies'roomnow," grabbing her bag, she shot out of her seat, heading toward the back of the restaurant. He watched her disappear into the crowd before turning to the waitress.

"I…guess we'll order when she gets back?" he rubbed the back of his head, regarding her uncertainly. She smiled, nodding as she turned away. Kakashi, gazing at Sakura's chair, didn't notice her glance back, then fan herself with her order book, mouthing a bemused "Whoa!"

"That was you at the waterfall?" Naruto stared in amazement. Damn, had Kiba and Shino known and not even given him a hint? All these years… He'd assumed it'd been one of those bee people, or maybe some civilian living nearby or travelling through.

"Yes," Hinata blushed, remembering he'd described the 'mystery girl' as beautiful. It'd been one of the highlights of her life.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, "Any of you? I mean, Kiba and Shino knew didn't they?" Oh, he was going to get them for this!

"We were all much younger back then," she temporized, not wanting to get her team mates into trouble, "And I was…very shy about such things. I-I was happy, though," she shyly smiled at him, "That you thought I was pretty, even if you didn't know it was me."

"Hinata," he self-consciously ran a hand through his hair, "I've always thought you were pretty. You're one of the prettiest girls I know. I've just never got around to saying it before." The way her smile grew to light up her entire face didn't make her just pretty, he thought. It made her breathtakingly beautiful. He stared into those incredible shining eyes, caught up in that beauty. Happy in the moment, they stared into each other's eyes, until they finally realised what they were doing and, both blushing, glanced away, trying to regain their composure. In doing so, Hinata's attention was caught by the extraordinary way Kakashi and Sakura were staring at each other.

"Oooh…" she gasped weakly, astonished by their behaviour, "…my." They were staring at each other so passionately. The expression in Kakashi's eye was so sexy and…hungry, like he wanted to jump across the table and devour Sakura. It was so hot; she thought and was surprised at herself. She wondered what was going on tonight. First Tenten, now Sakura…and here she sat, with these thoughts!

"Baka-Sensei…" Naruto's indignant growl caught her attention, "He shouldn't be doing that to Sakura-chan." She glanced back at the other couple.

"Sh-she seems to be doing it too," she observed, adding quickly, "In all fairness, I mean, you can't blame him if she's doing it too. A-and…you don't know which one started it. It could've been her."

"Not in public," he glared at the Jounin, "Sakura-chan would never even think of doing anything like that. That's Baka-Sensei's bad influence. Believe it!" She hid a smile at his vehement certainty. "I should go over there and stop it. Before Baka-Sensei does something even more embarrassing for her." his hand fisted on the table.

"I don't think that'll be necessary," she laid her hand over his fist, gaining his attention long enough to point out the waitress heading toward the other table. As the ensuing byplay commenced, Hinata found herself glancing shyly at the blonde glaring at the other table, imagining that hot, hungry look in his eyes, looking at her. The mental picture easily quickened her breath, made her light-headed and started an entire bevy of butterflies fluttering madly in her lower belly. It also brought to mind an Icha Icha scene involving a dining room table, half-eaten dishes flying to the floor and a 'dessert' consumed to the limits of the lovers' physical endurance. The combination was deadly, making her tremble; biting her napkin to keep from gasping aloud. She blushed, desperately wondering what she was going to do now.

"Now look what he's done," his attention on Sakura's plight, Naruto was still thankfully oblivious, "Poor Sakura-chan! He got her all upset." Hinata, seeing Sakura jump up and head toward the ladies' room, saw her salvation.

"I-I…think I'll go to the ladies, too," she grabbed her own bag, "I-I can see if she's feeling alright while I'm there. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Gee, thanks, Hinata," his look was grateful, "You're a great friend. Take your time, if she needs it, I'll be fine till you get back." She hurried after Sakura, trying not to feel too guilty for using her as an excuse. After all, she'd be making it true.

Score! Tenten thought with elation.

Putting off her visit to the ladies' worked. Both Sakura and Hinata were on their way there now and all she had to do was join them. She'd get her emergency consult and judging from those hot and heavy looks flying between Kakashi and Sakura, there was going to be lots of juicy details to talk about. She couldn't wait to find out how Hinata was doing with Naruto. Now, to make a quick getaway, she thought.

"I think I have to visit the little kunoichi's room," she smiled charmingly at Ebisu, "I hope you don't mind. I'll be back soon and we can have another drink before we leave."

"Of course not," he replied, "I'll be waiting with bated breath until you return." She turned away, still feeling his eyes on her. Glancing up into the bar mirror, she was amused. From the angle, she wasn't sure if they were glued to her back or her butt. Well, either way, it was nice to know she still had his complete attention, so she put a little extra swing in her hips to reward him as she moved off.

It was no good. The Uchiha was following him. Sai had no choice but keep moving toward the restrooms. He supposed it was too much to hope this was coincidence and Sasuke just needed to use the john. His mind worked furiously, trying to find a way out but lamentably running out of time and options. Pretending to use a stall in the men's room facilities had its downside, namely eventually leaving it, but he could think of no other workable option. It seemed, no matter how hard he'd tried, a clash with Sasuke was inevitable.

As he reached the washroom doors, one more of those baffling groups of women, talking amiably together, poured out of one. Moving around them, he paused with his hand on the men's room door, watching as they continued to flow out the other. Looking past the last of them, he could see the other room seemed vacant. His brows creased in quick thought as his eyes searched for his pursuer. Sasuke had stepped aside to let the women pass and wasn't presently looking his way. Swiftly, Sai pushed hard on the men's room door, ducked behind the backs of the last women passing him and dived through the ladies' room door as it began to close. Once inside, he hastily scanned the room, seeing no other occupant, his eyes widening as he took in the details.

True, he hadn't expected rows of urinals, but he had thought it'd be as utilitarian as the men's. Instead it was much more lavishly decorated. Instead of tan tones, it was painted in a rich chocolate with cream trim, including the long line of stalls. Mirrors lined two walls. One had sinks for washing. The second had a long counter with built in drawers, its top interspaced with vases of scented flowers and comfortable chairs lined in front of it. He wandered over to investigate the drawers, finding complimentary samples of cosmetics and perfumes. By contrast, the only things remotely complimentary or nice smelling in the men's were the condom dispenser and random air fresheners. It seemed oddly discriminatory.

He continued to stroll, checking out the vending machines. There was a respectable choice of condoms, several options in female hygiene and simple medications for headache, upset stomach or similar complaints. Strangely, the last vending machine offered a range of underwear, including a questionable option of 'edible' panties and he paused, perusing his choices of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and tutti-frutti. Yes, plainly the girls enjoyed preferential treatment here. He made a mental note to raise the point with Yamato later.

Then the sound of voices outside had his head snapping around. He darted for the stalls, discovering one in the center with an 'out of service' sign. Boosting himself over the top, he landed noiselessly, before hopping up to sit on the water tank with his feet on the toilet bowl rim. Invoking ANBU/ROOT training, he suppressed his chakra, hiding his presence.

As he waited for the women to pass, Sasuke looked up to see the men's room door closing. Not seeing Sai, he surmised it'd been him, on his way inside. He soon followed, pausing to take a breath before pushing his way in. His initial survey didn't reveal his target. As he wandered over to use the urinals, he studied the only area out of sight, the stalls. Only one was occupied, so he concluded Sai was inside. Finishing, he washed his hands, and then moved over to the only vending machine, a condom dispenser, feeling foolish as he pretended to inspect the choices. Keeping the stall in his periphery, he frowned faintly as he went over his plan of approach.

The pretext of needing details from the memories of Sai's clone wasn't the best of plans, but it was the most plausible he could come up with. It would serve the purpose of opening the door to conversation. Sasuke sighed, knowing he'd have to think on his feet from there. Not that he gave himself much chance of success. Realistically, having seen how tactlessly direct Sai could be with others, he fully expected a humiliating rejection. A quick end to his ordeal was the best he could hope for.

A cough broke his concentration and he looked up to see a man impatiently waiting. Quickly selecting at random, he moved out of the way. As he put it in a pocket he saw with amusement it was chocolate flavoured. It reminded him of an early Team Seven incident. He smirked, wondering if Sakura still blushed about it.

Then he heard the stall door finally open. He looked around, ready to put his plan into action only to hit a snag. It wasn't Sai. Somehow, he'd disappeared right from under Sasuke's nose.

What the hell just happened? Kakashi wondered, as the waitress walked away, and he sat, stunned, staring in profound denial at Sakura's empty chair. He'd almost jumped Sakura in a crowded restaurant out of pure sexual arousal. How had she gotten him to respond like that? It was like she'd jumpstarted his crotch. He still felt the lingering ache. It was mind-boggling. 'Little Kakashi' should've been out of commission for days. 'That' was infallible, effective against a wide range of stimulus. This was very much proven firm fact. He thought with a nostalgic pang of the past experiences that established it.

The most outstanding case in point had been during an ANBU mission, when he was eighteen, captured by a legendary trio of kunoichi notorious for interrogation using sexual techniques. Knowing the formidable reputation of the spectacularly beautiful women, Kakashi had doubted his ability to stand firm (or as it were, 'flaccid') against them. It'd been a daunting task and he'd deemed 'that' essential, his best deterrent. So, shortly before interrogation began, he'd released his mental blocks.

On the first day, sure of success, the trio had bragged how no man ever resisted their skills beyond day two. They'd applauded his self-control the next day, still unconcerned. They were sure he'd eventually yield to temptation. Frankly amazed by his indifference on the third, they'd stepped up their efforts. The only thing raised was their doubts. By the fourth day, worried for their reputation, they'd resorted to herculean efforts aided by small doses of aphrodisiacs. Kakashi still failed to rise to the bait. They gradually upped the dosages, using increasingly more powerful and dangerous drugs over the next three days, yet, on the seventh day, they were forced to admit the only thing hard was the truth. They were failing. At that point, professional pride took priority over duty as the trio completely lost it, vowing he'd get an erection or die trying.

Fortunately, later that day ANBU staged a rescue he'd never remembered. Genma swore he was lucky. It hadn't been pretty. Dosed to the gills and hallucinating on enough drugs to kill an elephant, Kakashi'd firmly believed his rescuers were smurfs. He'd happily serenaded them with continual rounds of 'The Smurf Song' until the progressively twitchy medic finally managed to counteract the drugs, apply sedatives and put him out of everyone's misery. A close call, Genma said because by that time the leading consensus was for euthanasia. Meanwhile, ANBU had their hands full with three hysterical kunoichi, who bitterly declared he was abnormal, totally sexless, as no 'functioning' male, straight or gay, could've resisted them.

Kakashi'd begun to gleefully refute that claim when, after 'that' wore off, he discovered how the incident had significantly enhanced his sex life. He'd vastly improved his repertoire by adding many of their techniques, becoming a force to reckon with and, firmly believing 'practice makes perfect', kicked off on a sexual spree during which his only criteria in partners had been 'of age' and 'willing'. He'd been meticulously working his way through Konoha when the Hokage, besieged by irate relatives and jilted lovers, got tired of dealing with the fallout and decided intervention was required. Kakashi's energetic skills had been channelled into a long series of male requisite seduction missions away from the village until he'd gotten it out of his system.

All of which underlined the point. Having invoked 'that' mere hours ago, Kakashi should've been impervious to sexual arousal until it wore off, in several days time. Yet the most reliably powerful personal cockblock he knew had been beaten - with a single look - from Sakura.

It'd never happened to him before. 'That' had inexplicably failed. Kakashi was irrationally upset and disillusioned by this. It was like looking forward to Christmas day only to find your last mission before the holiday was to assassinate Santa. It hurt. He shook his head, trying to regain perspective, then sadly sighed, resigned, forced to admit he really wasn't taking this well.

Of course he wasn't taking it well. Because he also knew, deep down, having 'that' fail wasn't the real issue. If he concentrated on that aspect, he didn't have to face the worst of it yet, wouldn't have to figure out where it all went wrong. Despite his good intentions and assurances, all his attempts to prevent it, he'd inadvertently betrayed Sakura's trust. He'd wound up hurting her and, damn it, that hadn't been what he wanted.

And what terrified him the most was he couldn't figure out why… as he stared into her eyes, stirred soul deep and burning with a hunger that begged to be quenched in the touch, taste, smell, sight and sound of her…why it'd felt so damn right.

Sai listened to the women leave before carefully sticking his head over the stall partition. He eased over the stall door, dropping noiselessly before standing to glance around. Had they been atypical, he wondered. Instead of the usual long visit, the quartet had hurried, discussing their future plans to visit another venue. He mulled it over, looked over the wet spots around the sinks, the miscellaneous streaks of makeup on the counter showing the women's haste. It was possible, but, though interesting, he neither had enough cases to know for sure nor time to spare for investigation. He had a job to do.

And that meant getting out of the ladies' room and back on surveillance. He headed for the door, putting his ear against it to listen with his eyes closed in concentration. Sifting through the muffled noises, he identified the sound of a closing door and dawdling footsteps nearby. He debated cracking the door open to look. Surely Sasuke was either in the men's room or long gone? About to attempt it, he heard the sound of a collision and a recognizable voice saying, "Sakura?" Sai pressed his ear against the door, listening shamelessly.

Sakura was making for the refuge of the ladies' with her head down, preoccupied and oblivious of her surroundings. So naturally just outside, when she bounced hard off an unexpected obstacle, she was literally bowled over. Capable hands caught her. She looked up, surprised to see Sasuke.

"Sakura?" he stared down, concerned, "Are you alright? Even for you, that was a pretty hard hit."

"Um…sure, I'm fine," she wondered what else could go wrong tonight, "I'm sorry I ran into you, Sasuke. I guess I wasn't looking where I was going." After making sure she was steady on her feet, he released her.

"Yeah, well I wasn't paying attention myself," he grudgingly admitted, running a hand through his hair, "So it wasn't just you." She looked too upset for a simple accident to account for. He recalled his impression of her together with Kakashi earlier. Had something happened between them? He frowned, debating how to ask when they were interrupted.

"Hey, Sakura…finally," Tenten joined them with Hinata, "Thanks for slowing her down, Sasuke. We've been coughing on her dust all the way back here," she mimed fanning, faking a cough. Hinata nodded a greeting to him before turning worried eyes on Sakura.

"We came to see if you were alright," she moved to her side, her voice softly soothing. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his suspicions confirmed. He took a final glance around.

"Well, I was going to call it a night," it was obvious he wasn't going to find Sai. He wondered how he'd slipped past him, "But, I can stay if you want," he offered, "Or will you be fine with these two?"

"No, no, I'm fine, really," she smiled gamely, "There's nothing wrong, I just needed the bathroom. It's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, we're just going to freshen up and tell tall tales about our dates," putting her arm around Sakura's shoulder, Tenten grinned, winking, "You know, girl stuff, no boys allowed."

"Yeah, right," he wouldn't put it past them, "I'll be off then. I'll see you later, Sakura. Tenten, Hinata." He watched them, as Tenten, responding to a question from Hinata, began to regale them about her bizarre showdown, until they disappeared into the ladies'. Then his brow quirked as a thought occurred. Nonchalantly looking around, he stepped up to the door. He scanned for chakra, listening for commotion, but found nothing suspicious, just the presence of the three girls.

He turned away, rebuking himself. What had he been thinking? That Sai would go into the ladies' room just to avoid him? Like that would happen. It was more likely he'd used an ANBU trick to get past him. Disappointed, he headed for the front doors and home. Well, he thought, frowning, maybe he'd make a quick stop first. After all, saying hello to Kakashi'd just be polite, wouldn't it?

"So, Baka-Sensei," the reproving voice broke through Kakashi's gloom, "What do you have to say for yourself?" Reluctantly he looked up to see Naruto sitting down opposite in Sakura's vacant chair. And another quarter heard from, he thought sourly.

"You know, Naruto, it's rude to ignore your date for someone else," he glanced over toward the other table, "Shouldn't you be with Hinata?"

"When we saw Sakura-chan run off, she went to check on her," the blonde glared at him, "It's your fault she was so upset, isn't it?" Kakashi winced guiltily, "What the hell were you thinking, Baka-Sensei? Pulling something like that in the middle of a crowded restaurant? You're lucky I don't kick your ass here and now."

"Naruto," Kakashi took a deep breath, "I can honestly say I don't know what happened." It was the simple truth. At what point, he wondered, had it gone wrong?

They'd fallen into a comfortable silence. Lulled by the feeling of quiet camaraderie, he'd let his mind drift loosely on how much he'd been enjoying Sakura's company, on the rare sensation of relaxing and simply enjoying another person's company. He'd felt so peaceful and content and it'd had a quality to it, dimly remembered from far too long ago. He'd been distracted, trying to pigeonhole it as he ate. In consequence, he hadn't been paying attention to Sakura, presuming she was finishing her meal too. He'd looked over, started to ask her about desert. Looked into her eyes and…

"Uh huh," Naruto's look was openly sceptical, "And I'm supposed to believe that? I think you can do better than that, Kaka-Sensei." The unspoken message in his reproachful blue eyes was 'you'd better'. Kakashi blinked, at a loss, unable to make sense of what happened next himself, let alone describe it to someone else, when an annoyed voice broke in.

"Someone want to tell me why Sakura's upset?" Sasuke glanced between them, and then turned, pulling a chair from a nearby vacant table. He straddled it, resting his arms across the back. "I literally ran into her because she wasn't looking where she was going. That's not like her." He gave Kakashi a measuring look, "She said she was fine, but I'm not buying it. So," he sternly tilted his head, "Want to come clean and tell me what happened?"

"You'll have to wait," Kakashi told the new arrival, "Until I figure it out. After that I believe Naruto's first in line." Lovely, he thought glumly, now all I need is Sai to complete the package. I know he's here. Or maybe Tenzou will drop in for a drink right about now. Then I'll have the full set ready to grill me. The Uchiha watched him briefly then turned to the blonde.

"Naruto," he nodded in greeting, "I saw Hinata. She and Tenten showed up after Sakura. I hope your date's going well?"

"I didn't know you were here," Naruto's blue eyes regarded him earnestly, his tone soft, "You could've come over, you know, even joined us. I'm sure Hinata wouldn't have minded." Hearing the undertones, Kakashi glanced back and forth, temporarily distracted from his own problems.

"Come on, Dobe," Sasuke hid a wince, his voice brusque, "The last thing you need on a date is a third wheel. You were having a good time with her. That's the way it's supposed to be. You didn't need me there. Besides," he gave him a reassuring smirk, "I was having a good time alone. I even met up with Shikamaru and Choji a couple of times. And what was up with Tenten and that redhead?" his smirk widened.

"I know, right," Naruto grinned back, eyes dancing, "They put on quite a show. I'll tell you," he scratched a whisker mark thoughtfully, "I didn't expect Tenten to do something like that." The Uchiha gave him a dry look.

"According to Shikamaru it's a girl thing," he glanced over at their silent observer, "So, what went on here, another girl thing?" Kakashi, impaled by two sets of eyes, sighed, knowing his respite was over.

Hearing their footsteps approach, Sai moved quickly, back over the top of the stall and up on the toilet. He leaned carefully back, suppressing his chakra as the door opened and he heard the girls enter.

"…not like I knew it was going to happen," Tenten grinned at the other girls, "It was all heat of the moment. I could tell Ebisu was more embarrassed than interested, so I wasn't worried. And, no lie, at first it was fascinating to watch her work. It was like she had an Icha Icha checklist or something and there were all those kinky little hints. Plus it was a bonus to find out about one of his ex's because I didn't feel comfortable getting so personal on a first date," she waved her handbag in emphasis, "But when she threw in that baby sister crack, well, it was on! Big time! Bitch!" she growled, smacking her bag hard into her other hand. In his hiding place, Sai blinked slowly in interest.

"B-but weren't you nervous?" Hinata was secretly fascinated, "D-doing…that, in public?" Moving ahead, Sakura hid an amused eye roll as Tenten snorted.

"I didn't think about it," she confessed, "All I wanted was to beat her at her own game and maybe score a good right hook while I was at it. I mean," she stopped, gesturing questioningly, "Trying to steal someone's date right in front of them? Only slime does that." Sakura looked back at her, one hand on a stall door.

"Well, congratulations," her mouth quirked, temporarily distracted from her own problems, "You beat Bitch Slime Prime and won the Battle of Ebisu." Hearing the faint door creak and click of a latch, Sai realized her voice was coming from the stall next to him. He watched two pairs of feet pass to the other side of his stall.

"The Battle of Ebisu," Tenten merrily laughed, "I like it! I guess it's true what the song says. 'Love is a battlefield', right?" As he heard the rustle of clothing in the first stall, two more doors on the other side of him faintly creaked open.

"But here's the thing," Tenten continued, as more rustling sounded, "I need your advice." So, Hinata must be on the other side of him and then Tenten, Sai surmised.

"The truth is…I am really horny," she confessed. From Sakura's direction came a faint surprised hum, a muffled gasp from Hinata's. She began to outline her dilemma, with the occasional question from the other two, while a stunned Sai's eyes widened helplessly.

Did all women talk so explicitly when they were alone together? Whenever he was that blunt, he suffered painful consequences, frequently by Sakura's hands. Maybe it was one of those unwritten social rules of etiquette? Frank conversation was only allowed with members of your own sex? That didn't seem consistent with many of his past exchanges with other men. He pondered it as Tenten explained her great-aunt's advice.

He made another mental note for Yamato, reflecting how this evening was creating quite a question list. Admittedly, observing such feminine mysteries unfold was interesting, and pricelessly informative. Then questions from Sakura caused Tenten to vividly detail her physical symptoms and her reasoning why they weren't inspired by Ebisu. Just listening, he discovered, was quite astonishingly uncomfortable. He was experiencing a surprising urge to run away, piteously whimpering, with his ears covered. This caused doubts to surface.

Perhaps he shouldn't be here. Could he sneak out without them noticing? He doubted it. Maybe he should make his presence known. After all, if he did what would they do to him? He was just…

A man, hiding in a stall in the ladies' washroom.

Eavesdropping on a clearly private conversation between an abnormally strong medic Nin, a clan heiress with deadly hand to hand skills and a highly accomplished weapons mistress.

Without their knowledge.

As full realization of his peril sunk in, he blinked rapidly, his mouth bone dry with suppressed panic as he was inundated with visions of their most likely reaction in gut wrenchingly horrific detail. Immediately, his survival instinct kicked in with a vengeance and, using all his skill and will, he ruthlessly suppressed all hint of his presence, becoming more than invisible - a shinobi black hole. Only then, holding back a shudder, did he firmly, noiselessly scold him self for temporary insanity as he grimly settled in to endure.

"From what I saw?" Naruto's eyes narrowed, "Kaka-Sensei was getting waaay too hot and heavy in public. If the waitress hadn't interrupted, I was going to. Sakura ran off after that."

Sasuke rubbed his nose thoughtfully, covertly studying Kakashi as he recalled his earlier impression of the couple. Poorly hidden under the Jounin's casual manner, myriad emotions flickered in that eye, recollection, bewilderment, remorse, apprehension, cogitation. Interesting, it seemed Kakashi wasn't having much luck trying to figure out what happened either. He'd never seen him so… unsettled. It made him wonder. Was Sakura really completely blameless?

"It was one-sided? Last I heard, it takes two to tango," he glanced at the blonde, keeping the Jounin in his periphery, "And what do you mean by 'hot and heavy'? Are we talking just looking, groping, or kissing, what?" Kakashi winced uncomfortably. This was definitely not the time to peruse recent dreams or involuntary urges, he thought guiltily.

"Nah, they were just staring at each other," Naruto reported reluctantly, his voice slow, "And Sakura was doing it too. But you could tell it was going out of control fast. I could feel the heat, over where I was sitting." He shot an accusing look at the Copy Nin, "It's your bad influence, Baka-Sensei, believe it. Of course Sakura-chan was embarrassed. She'd never think of doing that, not in public. That means you started it." He glanced at Sasuke, his blue eyes lighting, "The waitress definitely felt it too. She was blushing and fanning herself with her order book as she walked away." The Jounin rubbed his face wearily. It just got better and better.

"It was mutual…huh," Sasuke frowned thoughtfully at the blonde, "So, you can't really put all the blame on Kakashi. Sakura is responsible too." Kakashi was peculiarly quiet, he thought. He wasn't even trying to defend himself through all this. That felt oddly significant. Knowing him, shouldering all the blame would be second nature.

"Um…yeah," Naruto rubbing his head ruefully, "That's what Hinata said". He aimed another glare at Kakashi, "But he still should've pulled the plug before it went so far." The Jounin felt the load of guilt grow heavier. Sure, go ahead, he glumly sighed, pour it on. I'm doing it, why shouldn't you. The more the merrier. He didn't notice Sasuke's keen look in his direction.

"So," the Uchiha said slowly, "If Sakura is holding half the blame, our hands are tied. We can't take him out and beat him in the alley unless we take her too. And beating up a girl in heels and a dress would get us in trouble. Think of our reputations," he aimed a significant look at the blonde, "And our health. She'd kill us for ruining her outfit." Besides, he got the feeling Kakashi might not put up much of a fight. Kakashi blinked, looking from one to the other as Naruto, mouth quirking, snorted humorously.

"Sure we could," he cheerfully assured Sasuke, "If we're quick, we can do it before the girls get back. I'm game if you are. She'd never know." While Sasuke's head tilted, thinking it over, Kakashi shook his own.

"A quick alley beating is the best you can come up with?" he stared at them in mock disappointment, "No torture or death threats? No boasts about how they'll never find the body? No embarrassing retaliatory public prank or grand scale destruction of personal property? What is this – payback on a shoestring?" he glanced between them, "Where's the imaginative plotting, the careful setup? Where's the subtle anticipatory play on your victim's fears and the pinpoint accuracy of your final revenge?"

"All my years as your sensei…wasted," his sigh was long suffering, "Where'd I go wrong? I thought I taught you better than this."

Ebisu glanced around, patiently chewing a spring roll. It'd been an enjoyable evening, save for Yura's interruption and he hid a wince, thinking about the inevitable questions about the incident. Well, it wasn't the first time his reputation had taken a hit. It was unavoidable. The further one advanced in rank, the closer the scrutiny. It'd eventually blow over.

He'd noted Tenten's friends were also absent. The Hyuuga's date, the Uzumaki boy, along with the Uchiha, was currently talking with Kakashi, who'd been with Sakura. Ebisu admitted the latter was a surprise. He hadn't known the Jounin was interested in the Team Seven medic. He wished the man luck as he'd be in for some of that scrutiny too. It wouldn't be the age difference. Shinobi ranks occasionally suffered enough casualties; a younger spouse might be the only available option. No, it was his past as her genin sensei some would consider as… problematic. Still, it wasn't an insurmountable problem if the two were serious about each other.

If Tenten was with the other two girls, she'd probably be a while yet. A cynical female friend had once told him women went to the bathroom to dissect their dates. If that was the case he hoped he was getting a good review. He sighed, admitting he was torn.

He was finding the young lady a delightful surprise. But, with the Kuniochi Game, the relationship was usually dissolved soon after the young woman had either succeeded or failed. This was a shame, since it meant he might not see Tenten after spending a night with her.

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. She might not choose to extend the invitation and, as a gentleman, it wasn't his place to rush her. He wouldn't mind a longer association, to spend more time with her. Yet, part of him also dearly wanted an invitation to her bed tonight.

"I'm still not sure we should be doing this," Bull's deep voice vibrated through the small pug perched on his head as he walked through the village streets, "Talking over pack business, even with the Boss's friend, just doesn't seem right."

"The pack debate wasn't doing much good either," Pakkun patted the massive dog reassuringly with a paw, "I know we've tried to raise him right, but all the good sense we've managed to cram into him can't change the fact he's still a human, not a dog," he snorted emphatically, "We're not equipped to deal with that. And this is too important to leave to chance. We need help." The big dog kept walking, briefly silent as he considered and, used to his pack mate's ways, the small pug waited patiently.

"Alright," he conceded eventually, "I can see why it'd take one human to understand another," he gave a beseeching whine, "But why can't we go to the school sensei instead. He deals with other humans much more often so I think he'd be a better choice. Plus he's really sneaky," he panted approvingly, "Remember when we used to help the Boss track him down after he'd pulled some of his pranks? Now that's the sort of mind we need on our side."

"Yeah, I know," Pakkun sighed regretfully, "But he's out of the village right now," he forestalled the inevitable suggestion with a unenthusiastic growl, "We could travel way out there, but then we'd have to deal with thirty kids. Not to mention," he shuddered, "They have three Inuzuka pups, plus a couple of nincats with them. I don't know about you," he moaned, "But I'm getting too old for that." The big dog rumbled in agreement, sending faint tremors through him.

"Okay," Bull reluctantly agreed, "But why does it have to be him? The Boss has other friends." The pug snorted in amusement.

"What? You want to go to the Green Menace or the senbon guy about the Boss's courtship of our Alpha bitch?" he shook himself vigorously, "Just think about it," he panted humorously, "Senbon guy's even worse than the Boss when it comes to females. And as for the Green Menace…" he let silence fall eloquently between them before continuing, '…no…just…no. We're trying to get them together, not send her screaming in terror." He could feel Bull's silent laughter, "So, by process of elimination, it has to be the tree guy." As the big dog flinched slightly underneath him, he quickly deduced the cause.

"Don't worry," the small pug patted him with a paw, "I'm sure he's forgiven you for pissing all over his wood clones by now."

"So," Tenten exited her stall with a frustrated sigh, "It's decided. I go with my gut, not my hormones." Sai heard her head toward the sinks.

"Well, you said it," Sakura's voice floated from her stall, "You'd always have doubts. If you don't want to wind up regretting this, it's best to wait until you're sure." A faint sound of agreement was heard from Hinata.

"Oh, I'll regret it," Tenten grumbled, washing her hands "In my lonely bed tonight. Well, guess what? I'm not going to be lonely," she declared rebelliously, "I'm gonna have a threesome, just me, Icha Icha and my favourite hand! We're gonna party, all night long! So there!" Sai blinked involuntarily at her frankness, as muffled snickers sounded on both sides, finding himself oddly intrigued by her evening's plans. First Sakura's door, than Hinata's, opened and the girls moved toward the sinks.

Watching them approach, Tenten smirked with amused triumphant. Hinata's eyes met hers, and then looked away, demurely biting her lip to keep from laughing. Sakura openly matched her smirk, green eyes dancing. Good. Apparently using her problem to distract Sakura had been successful. But, she'd best give her a little more time. Tenten turned to Hinata.

"So, how's it going with Naruto?" her smirk widened at the shy girl's blush, "Is it everything you thought it'd be?" In the stall, Sai's ears perked at the subject change. He forced back a sight of relief.

"I-It's been…he's so…," Sai could hear the blush in her voice, "W-we've talked so much. Its b-been…incredible!" Hinata's smile lit her face and her eyes glowed softly. Her friends grinned at each other, knowing if Naruto hadn't been blown away by that look, there was no hope for him.

"I see you wore the dress," Tenten observed. Sakura took the opportunity to examine her friend's outfit. It was stunning on her. She loved the deceptively simple design around the waist.

"Come on," the weapons mistress was coaxing, "You've got to tell us. What'd he do when he saw you?" She shared a look with Sakura, "What are we talking here? Jaw dropping admiration? Awed silence? What?" Sai wished he could see the girl's reaction. Maybe… it was possible… as long as they didn't notice, in the mirrors? He began to slowly, carefully move, as noiselessly as possible. Meanwhile, the two girls watched in amusement as Hinata held both hands to her face to hide her happy blush.

"H-he went very still. And he s-stopped breathing for a bit," Sai crept both hands to the top of the partitions on either side of him, balancing himself as he carefully moved them forward until he was leaning, his feet still on the toilet, but his head near the door. Outside, the two girls were listening raptly.

"He…stammered a little," Hinata continued, "When he complimented me." Sai cautiously placed each hand on the stall sides, anchoring himself as he moved his head to the door crack, gaining a limited view of the girls. He blinked at the brilliance of the Hyuuga's expression as she spoke, "H-he couldn't keep his eyes off me. So m-much so, he almost walked into the courtyard door as we left."

"Oh, yeah," Through the crack, Sai watched as Tenten pumped a hand in the air and Sakura hugged Hinata in congratulations.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense," Sakura pulled her over to the counter, pulling a chair out, "Tell us everything." As she sat Hinata looked at her hesitantly. Sai carefully moved to the other side of the door, to the opposite crack.

"Sakura," she began uncertainly, "There was something h-he mentioned. I-it got me curious," she hastened to add, "I-if you don't want to tell me, I'll understand." Uncertainly Sakura paused in sitting, hoping it wasn't about Naruto's long-time crush on her.

"Um, what was it?" she asked cautiously. Hinata earnestly looked at her as Tenten pulled out a chair. Sai leaned closer, listening intently.

"H-he said, early on when you were genin, Kakashi taught you a lesson?" Hinata's gaze was openly inquisitive, "S-something about n-never touching his Icha Icha?" Sai's interest was as aroused as Tenten's, as Sakura winced.

"He mentioned that? Really?" could she get out of this, she wondered, "What were you talking about?" Glancing at her friends, she realized she wouldn't.

"Oh, j-just about Jiraiya and Icha Icha," the shy Hyuuga said vaguely, unwilling to give away Naruto's secret about the franchise or the donations, "And how it was a s-shame Kakashi Sensei would be running out of his favourite book series eventually." Sakura winced again. Tenten absently investigated a drawer, one eye on the proceedings. Sai controlled his breathing, watching his sometime team mate closely. He wondered why he hadn't heard this story before.

"Well, as usual, it was Naruto's fault," Sakura sighed reluctantly, "He got it in his head to see why Kakashi-Sensei was so interested in his Icha Icha," she shook her head ruefully, "If either Sasuke or I knew what the punishment would be, believe me, we'd have stopped him but instead…we wound up helping him. The boys pretended to fight and when he came to break it up…well," she sighed, "When his hands were full with them…I sort of…lifted his book out of his back pouch." She glanced at the others, whose mouths had dropped. "I know, right, there was no way he didn't realize I'd done it, but…hey…you're only that dumb once…if you know better." Sai smiled slowly as he waited to hear the Copy Nin's reaction.

"So," Tenten grinned in anticipation, "What happened?" Both she and Hinata leaned forward. Sai, in his stall, also leaned a fraction closer to his crack. Sakura face palmed, shaking her head as she remembered.

"He waited until we thought we'd gotten away with it. Then, just as we opened the book, he 'caught' us," she bit her lip, "And said we needed to be taught a lesson." She paused, reluctant to convey the next part, as her friends waited expectantly. Sai's eye was now firmly glued to the crack. Sakura took a deep breath.

"He tied us up, slathered us with jars and jars of peanut butter," she pinched her nose, "And then he stuck chunks of cheese all over us." Picturing it, Tenten grabbed her mouth with both hands, unsuccessfully smothering a guffaw. Hinata's eyes were wide as she bit her lip. Sai was mesmerized.

"When he was done, he called his ninken. Do you have any idea," she smiled helplessly at them, "How embarrassing it is to spend hours being used by a dog pack like…like…a giant doggie treat? Talking dogs?" She shook her head, "They're so…vocal. If they're not growling over their food, they're discussing it. We're talking connoisseur level assessments on the different tastes, like…like how the Gouda cheese on your ass is better than the Brie in your navel. Or how the crunchy peanut butter on your chest tastes better than the smooth on your crotch. The boys still go pale over how they worked over their 'boy bits' and I don't think it was due to all the growling." The other girls burst out laughing and she covered her face, unable to help joining in. Sai bit his lip, suppressing his own. "It made a very big impression. Like Naruto says, 'believe it!' And it was effective. We never dared try it again."

"So, now that's over, it's your turn," she looked at Hinata, "Come on, spill it. Tell us everything about your date with Naruto."

Neither entirely surprised to have the tables turned on them, Sasuke hid a smirk and Naruto reluctantly snickered while Kakashi sorrowfully shook his head at them. After all, the man had been doing it to them for years.

"What?" the blonde defended, "Sometimes simple is better. There aren't many options in the middle of a crowded restaurant. It's a good idea, just sort of… spur of the moment." Rubbing his lips, the Uchiha waited for the inevitable comeback.

"But it's so… uninspired," the Jounin's voice quivered dramatically, "So… pedestrian. I could jury-rig better with two toothpicks, a fork and this napkin." his lone eye gleamed, amused, as Naruto warily eyed the fabric, "Your old sensei isn't worthy of better, just… least effort? I don't get your best shot?" When Naruto's blue eyes lit with far too much enthusiasm, Sasuke decided to step in before things got out of hand.

"You know, Kakashi," he met the Jounin's lone eye, "I never pegged you for a masochist. Yet except for contesting the method, it almost sounds like you want us to punish you. Even though we've established you aren't fully to blame. This wouldn't be old bad habits kicking in, would it? You're taking all the liability… so Sakura doesn't have to?" They measured each other, as a puzzled Naruto's brows lowered thoughtfully.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kakashi's mild tone was deceptive, his stare steady on Sasuke's. Their team mate winced, his blue eyes widening in belated understanding.

"Um, Kaka-Sensei," he rubbed his whisker marks distractedly; "This isn't one of your 'I'll accept the responsibility for you' things, is it? You've really got to stop doing that. It grew old before the last shinobi war. You can't keep shouldering the consequences of other people's actions. With shinobi, it's hard enough to carry our own load at times. Believe it!" Naruto's unexpected wisdom, so reminiscent of his father, Minato, disconcerted the Copy Nin. It was far too easy for the blonde's true intelligence to be masked by his usual knuckleheaded ness, he reflected.

"All of us are adults," he continued, "We're not little kids you have to look out for anymore. I know you do it because you care, but taking liability like that is unfair to everyone involved. I know Sakura would agree." Candid blue eyes regarded him, "She wouldn't be such a great medic Nin if she avoided responsibility. If there's a problem, she'd rather know so she can fix it, even if it's embarrassing. I'm sure she'll forgive you." Sasuke coughed discretely.

"Or talk to each other. It's likely just miscommunication," he gave Kakashi a pointed look, "On both sides. Which should be dealt with before it becomes a bigger problem, right?" As the Jounin hesitated, he continued, "If Sakura's upset over something you did, that's one thing, but if she's upset over something she's done, that's another. Either way, it's best to find out before you decide to hog all the blame. In the former case, it might be justified, in the latter; it'll just make her feel worse and, likely, dangerously ticked off at you. Or," his brow rose questioningly, "Is your survival instinct that deficient lately? Should we be working on that during team practice? It can be easily arranged, you know. And I'm sure Yamato and Sai would love to help out." Kakashi hid a wince, knowing Tenzou would jump at the chance far too willingly.

"So, I either get you two in the alley," his tone was thoughtful, "Or all of Team Seven on one of the training fields," Sasuke and Naruto looked on, amused by his pretence of mulling it over, "Tough choices," his tone was ironic, "How ever will I pick?"

"Oh, why pick at all, Kaka-Sensei?" blue eyes dancing over an impudent grin, "Do both. We can arrange for a training session later and, since the girls aren't back yet, Sasuke and I can still beat the crap out of you in the alley. Can't we, Teme?" Both ignored Kakashi's cynical mutter of, "Gee, thanks," as Naruto cheerfully grinned at Sasuke, who now pretended to consider.

"Nah," regretfully he shook his head, "Fairs fair. He gets a pass this time," he aimed a significant look in Kakashi's direction, reiterating, "This time. If there's a next time, all bets are off." Sasuke rose, returning his chair to its former place before leaning over the table, "I'm going to head out soon," he looked between them, "Do either of you want a quick drink together before I do?" Kakashi shook his head. Their talk had given him a fresh perspective and he'd need the time before Sakura got back to think. Naruto, after a long look at him, turned to Sasuke.

"Sure," he rose from his chair, "Up at the bar or over at my table? I've got to keep an eye out for Hinata. I wouldn't want her to think I ran out on her." Following the Uchiha's head tilt toward the bar, he turned back, "I guess I'll be going too, Kaka-Sensei. But remember," his eyes narrowed as he pointed a warning finger at him, "I'll be keeping an eye on you. You behave yourself with Sakura-chan." Sasuke met Kakashi's eye, nodding his farewell before moving after the blonde. The Jounin watched them go.

"No Saketinis this time, Teme," slinging an arm around his friend's shoulders, the blonde's cheerfully teasing voice grew fainter as they walked away, "We both know how shit faced they make you."

"Yeah, like you're one to talk, Dobe," the Uchiha smirked back, his reply barely audible to Kakashi as they were lost in the crowd.

"I've always wanted to try this brand," Tenten brandished a lipstick sample, "And this and this..." grinning happily she dug through her drawer, collecting samples. "Where do they get all this stuff? Some of it I haven't seen before. It's fantastic! I love coming here just for this," she chuckled as Sakura looked up from her own drawer.

"I heard one of the owners is a former kunoichi with incredible connections to the cosmetic industry," her eyes sparkled as she chose a collection of her own, "From old missions, apparently. Rumour has it they supply all this and customers like us," she grinned, popping them into her handbag, "Provide the data for a few blind consumer tests. Like popularity demographics and such."

"Oh," with dawning understanding Hinata glanced up from her perusal, "So, that's why I kept thinking some of the newest cosmetics were familiar," she exclaimed, "B-but I couldn't quite place where I'd seen them before," she looked into her drawer, "It was here." In his stall, Sai cocked his head, realizing the information made fascinating sense.

"Well," Tenten shook her head gratefully, "All I can say is, hurray for competitive industrial espionage, especially if it scores us stuff like this!" Satisfied, she assessed Sakura from the corner of her eye as she put away her goodies, deciding it was time.

"So, Sakura," her sly tone caught Hinata's attention, "What's this story I heard?" Also alerted, Sai carefully moved position.

"S-story?" Hinata wondered, unintentionally echoing the silent hidden ANBU's thoughts as the unwary Sakura looked up from her drawer.

"You haven't heard the latest, Hinata," Tenten grinned in anticipation, "It seems Sakura here left out some intriguing details during our group chat." The curious Hyuuga glanced at the girl in question.

"What are you talking about?" a mystified Sakura glanced back and forth between them. What story could she have heard? Team Seven only got back that morning and apart from the girls and Kakashi, she hadn't had time to talk to anyone else.

"Oh, just a little tidbit I heard…yes, just this morning," a smug Tenten leaned on one hand, regarding her, "About you and Kakashi. It seems," she confided to Hinata, "Sakura here's been less than forthcoming. Apparently," her brows arched suggestively, "She's been spending her evenings groping Hatake tush. Now," she grinned appreciatively as, for completely different reasons, both scandalized girls gasped, "What I want to know is: is dat ass really as good as rumour says? As in, grab able, biteable and tight enough to bounce a coin off? Come on, Sakura," she gestured with her other hand, "Inquiring minds really must know here." As Sakura gaped at her, Sai forlornly realized his clone had dissipated far too soon, thus missing interesting details about Sakura and Kakashi's 'act'.

"J-just where d-did you say you h-heard this," she stammered, desperately trying to think. Tenten's 'cat with cream' grin wasn't helping.

"I didn't," Tenten teasingly sang as Hinata and Sai quietly watched the byplay.

"Then you have no idea if it's true or not," Sakura's eyes narrowed in speculation. Morning…she focussed on that detail, feeling it was important.

"Oh, I know it's true," the other girl calmly began touching up her lipstick, "It was a first hand account."

Sakura stared at her, mind whirling. First hand… as in witness? But it'd been just her and Kakashi… she couldn't see him… Her eyes widened as she remembered. Sasuke? No…he wouldn't…would he? And if so, when, because he was with Naruto at Ichiraku's in the morning, right? Rapidly calculating, she glanced at Hinata, seeing it was obviously new to her from her rapt expression. It had to be after Ino's, but not while Hinata was at Ichiraku's. And hadn't Tenten stayed to help clean up, before Ino left for the campout around noon? Morning, she thought, morning… Captivated by her expression flickering in time with her thoughts, Sai wondered what she was thinking.

Sasuke, she thought grimly, if it's true, I'm going to kill you.

"Are you sure?" her tone was carefully doubtful, "You know how gossip works in the village. Not all of it is true."

"The source is totally reliable," the other girl put away her lipstick with a pleased look, "The kind you'd bet your life on. Besides," she grinned at the other girl, "I'm not the only one the little bird told. Ino was there too." Sakura fought to digest that.

"Oh," Hinata sat up, "W-was that when you two spoke to Sasuke alone? I-I mean…" her voice died away as she realised what she'd said. Sakura blinked, horror-struck, remembering Kakashi telling Sasuke he was helping her with Ino's challenge. But…but, if he'd told her and Tenten, Kakashi and her efforts were all for nothing. That meant all she went through last night and…and… Oh, Sasuke, she thought, death is too good. You are going to rue the day!

"Well, that lets the cat out of the bag. I wasn't going to say who out of principle, but it does put things in perspective, doesn't it," Tenten commented to Hinata, as the frozen Sakura looked on, "I mean, just days ago, I'd have sworn she didn't realise Kakashi even had sex appeal. Now suddenly there's a credible witness, and the way they've been acting together all night, not to mention those unbelievably hot sexy looks between them. Talk about fast work!"

"You have to wonder," arms on the counter, chin on her hands, she stared inquisitively at Sakura, "Just how…'well'…things are going with Kakashi. That's how you put it this morning, wasn't it? Along with 'really good' and 'I can honestly say I've done things I never thought I would with him'. Yet, now I think back, there were no details. Think of the opportunity we missed! I know Ino, gossipmonger extraordinaire, was appalled to hear what Sasuke had to say. Me, I just want the full story straight from the horse's mouth. So," she motioned with one hand, "Spill it. What 'things' have you done with Kakashi? Ex-rated, I hope? And are we talking kissing… as in mask less?" As both girls looked eagerly at her, Sai, becoming aware of pain, eased his face slightly away from the door crack where he'd pressed it too tightly, hoping he wouldn't have an unexplainable bruise.

Well, Sakura thought, looking helplessly back and forth between her friends, on the plus side, her alliance with Kakashi appeared to be safe. Unfortunately, she was about to be thoroughly grilled about things that'd never happened. Good thing Ino wasn't there. With their history together, the blonde was nearly impossible to fool. As it was, she'd have to think on her feet to get through this. Maybe surviving all Kakashi's run-arounds were about to pay off. If anyone was a pro at telling all without telling anything, she mused, it was him and right now she needed to copy the Copy Nin. And later…oh, later…

It would be lesson time for Sasuke. Obviously he needed to learn the inadvisability of pissing off a medic Nin. She'd just take her time, she coldly thought, and think carefully about the perfect punishment for him. Oh, so very, very carefully indeed. Watching her from his hiding place, a sense of foreboding forced Sai to suppress a shudder.

As the bartender left their drinks, Sasuke stiffened, glancing around uneasily as he sensed unexpected mortal danger. When nothing revealed itself, he rubbed the stiff hairs still standing on the back of his neck, pondering what he'd felt.

"What's the matter," Naruto glanced curiously at him as they both reached for their respective glasses.

"Um, nothing," he lifted his glass, dismissing the issue as unimportant. As he sipped, he watched Naruto lift his own drink, and gave in to a mischievous impulse.

"So," Sasuke eyed his friend over the rim of his glass, "When can I expect the arrival of little Itachi? By this time next year… maybe a bit longer? Give me a hint here." He smirked as Naruto spit up his drink.

"Damn it, Teme," the blonde blushed, grabbing a napkin to clean the mess, "Are you still on about that? It's just a first date for crying out loud! Why do you keep trying to marry me off?" He dabbed at the few drops on his shirt.

"Well, you're not getting any younger, you know," the Uchiha's tone was deceptively practical.

"We're not even out of our teens yet," Naruto's blue eyes clearly asked if he was crazy, "You talk like we're a pair of old geezers." Sasuke casually sipped his drink before answering.

"Nineteen is almost middle-aged for shinobi," he pointed out, "And you never know when your luck's going to run out. You have to seize the opportunity while you can. You might not get another." The blonde's expression was surprisingly serious as he wiped the bar.

"Yeah," he finally spoke quietly, "I know that. I just... want the time to know if its right, you know. If the person I finally end up with is the right one for me and I'm right for them." He glanced up, blue eyes heartbreakingly frank, "We see enough messed up stuff for a living, a lot of it from carelessness of one type or another. I don't want to screw up my personal life by jumping before I know. It won't be just me I hurt by doing that, but a person, or people, I care about and that's… unacceptable." Sasuke uncertainly cleared his throat.

"You know I was teasing, right?" he gazed into the contents of his glass, "I'm not trying to push you into anything you're not ready for." Naruto smiled earnestly at him.

"I know," he set the used napkin aside, "But… when it came to families, I was always on the outside looking in. Making one of my own… that's something I don't want to fail at. And it's not like I have any experience to fall back on. He rubbed his nose, "I mean, I know my mom and dad loved each other, but I never got the chance to see them together, to see how the marriage thing works from the inside. What if I do it all wrong?" He stared moodily into his own glass.

"Naruto," Sasuke wryly shook his head, "Not having much experience just means you don't have much to unlearn. And I'm pretty sure it's a do as you go thing. Each relationship is unique." He smirked, thinking back to the surprising certainty in Hinata's eyes and voice as she'd spoken that morning, "Somehow, I don't think you have to worry. Remember, it takes two, so it's not like you'd be doing it alone. There'll be someone else to help you along." He had a hunch failure wouldn't be an option for her either.

Yamato sat blinked incredulously at the two dogs staring hopefully back at him. When he'd found them on his doorstep, he'd naturally assumed they were there because of Kakashi, but instead of bringing a message, they'd wanted to talk about their master, the first of many surprises in the ensuing conversation.

"Let me get this straight," he rubbed his forehead, "You want my advice on getting Kakashi into a relationship with Sakura." He briefly wondered how such a mix-up had occurred. Kakashi had an extraordinarily close bond with all eight of his ninken. It was amazing, really, how his Sempai'd found so many startlingly intelligent dogs from so many disparate breeds, unlike the Inuzuka, who carefully bred their own. And, mistake or not, apparently this was an issue of utmost importance to them. He sighed, not looking forward to telling them the truth. Maybe, he thought, it'd be best to get a few more facts before deciding how to do so.

"So," he leaned on his knees toward them, "Tell me why you think Sakura'd be a good…um… Alpha bitch, wasn't it? And why you're sure Kakashi's interested in her." Panting happily, tails wagging, the two dogs complied and he discovered the earlier surprises had merely been the beginning. As he became increasingly intent, questioning his two visitors, he found his own mind slowly shifting, until he came to the belated and startling realization if anyone truly knew Kakashi, it was his ninken. This made it all the more likely there was something to the dogs' tale.

It also reminded him of Sai's current task, making his imminent report, and unique take on things, he reflected, something to look forward to. Finally, the dogs' story ran its course, and silence fell as they intently stared at him. Needing time to think, he decided to make tea, offering to get Pakkun and Bull snacks as he moved into the kitchen. As the water boiled, he idly watched them bolt down leftovers, his mind racing over the questions raised by what they'd said.

Was there real attraction between Kakashi and Sakura? Hearing his kettle whistle, he absently moved to take it off the stove, contemplating his Sempai. It'd be just like the man, he knew, to discount it, afraid of destroying a cherished friendship with one of his precious people. Waiting for the tea to steep, his thoughts turned toward Sakura's end of the equation. Not for the first time, he wondered why such a highly intelligent, talented and beautiful girl wasn't beating the boys off with a stick.

Well, true, she was a temperamental workaholic with a literally rock shattering right cross and had several overly zealous protectors (he admitted to being one of them). It took an extraordinarily brave and patient man to buck the odds. And didn't that coincidently describe Kakashi to a T? The more he got over his initial opposition to the idea, the more he saw the sheer potential in the match. But how could the two be persuaded (and he had no illusions, his Sempai would need industrial strength persuasion) to give it a chance? He poured a mug of tea, carrying it back to his chair, followed by the two dogs.

"Now," he got comfortable, waited as they did the same, "You said you wanted advice. Why don't you tell me what you have in mind?" he sipped his tea, "Then we can brainstorm a bit and see what we can come up with."

With a quiet sigh, Sakura gave her appearance a final check as a softly smiling Hinata sat daydreaming and Tenten checked out the dispensers before leaving. It'd been a baptism by fire, but she'd pulled off it off, convinced them her act with Kakashi was reality. But, as she stared at her reflection, she could see the disappointment in her own eyes.

She'd wanted it to be real. In those moments when they'd stared into each other's eyes, she'd believed it with all her heart. But was it? If there was a consummate actor, it was the Copy Nin. Over the years she'd seen him accomplish the impossible too many times to underestimate him. It was far too probable he'd been 'in character', merely playing off her 'performance', without realizing how far it'd gone until it was too late. She briefly closed her eyes, seeing again his self-consciousness when the waitress interrupted them and feeling pangs of guilt.

She'd definitely gotten too carried away and taken it too far. It reminded her of Chez Kakashi and how the he'd sat with her after he'd done the same thing. But, unlike him, instead of facing up to her mistake, she'd run away, leaving him to suffer alone. Just the thought turned the guilt pangs into raking claws and she turned away from the mirror, unable to look at herself anymore. She needed to apologise to Kakashi, she decided. She had to make it right. He was too important to her to lose because of a few stupid unrequited feelings.

"Alright, this is perfect," Tenten's animated voice broke into her thoughts, "This is the ideal memento for our dates this evening." She headed back to them, hiding something behind her back. "Are you two ready for this?" her eyes sparkled as she handed each of them an item. Sakura looked down, astonished to find she was holding a pair of edible panties, tutti frutti flavour. Hearing Hinata's gasp, she looked over to see her holding a pair extolled as chocolate. Tenten waved her own pair at them.

"And strawberry for me," she winked, adding, "No vanilla. That reminds me of 'vanilla sex' and that's just too… ordinary for this evening." She grinned conspiratorially at them, "Extra points, girls, if you get the chance to use them tonight. Oh hell," she waved her panties, "Extra points if you ever use them at all! That way I can be in the running since we all know this isn't my lucky night." Wildly blushing, Hinata giggled and Sakura bit her lip to keep from laughing. Trust Tenten to lighten the mood when you need it the most, she thought gratefully.

"Okay, do either of you have anything else you need to do," Sakura glanced from one to the other, receiving negative responses, "Then we better get back to our dates. I think we've left them alone long enough, don't you?" Taking a deep breath for courage, she led her friends out of the ladies' room.

Behind them, unnoticed, Sai cautiously looked over his stall's partition after them as the door closed. Then he vaulted over, standing for a second before striding to the dispensers to eye one in particular. Of all the reasons for an underwear dispenser, he admitted, using them as souvenirs hadn't occurred to him. He tilted his head, considering, then on impulse, made a selection and examined it briefly. For some reason it felt fitting to complete the set, he thought, carefully putting the vanilla panties away with his sketchbook. Then, warily checking the door and finding the way clear, he slipped through and was gone.

Naruto watched Sasuke leave the restaurant before returning to his table. He sat for a bit, feeling sad to have missed his chance, as he'd held a secret yearn for the brooding Uchiha since that first accidental kiss. But he also deeply appreciated the hard sacrifice Sasuke'd made in the garden that afternoon. He owed it to him to honour his choice, unable to say it hadn't been the right one. He sighed, knowing he was fortunate to have such a friend.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a familiar soft voice and looked up to see Hinata saying farewell to Tenten and Sakura. Just the sight of her made his face flush and he realized his reaction proved his growing attraction to her. He helped her into her seat with a welcoming grin, which she responded to with a faint blush and shy smile.

"Sakura is feeling better now," she softly informed him, "I-it was just a misunderstanding s-so I hope you weren't too hard on Kakashi-Sensei," her eyes danced mischievously at him.

"Nah," he scratched a whisker mark, admitting with a rueful grin, "I wanted to take him out to the alley, but then Sasuke made a few good points, so we wound up letting him off lightly." She nodded with enlightened understanding. She'd respected the Uchiha's loyalty in the face of Sakura's distress and wasn't surprised he'd followed up on it. It was also nice to know his level headedness had tempered her date's impulsive streak. They both glanced over to the table in question, seeing Sakura leaning toward the Jounin, talking with quiet seriousness. Then Naruto turned to her, with a serious expression of his own.

"Thanks, Hinata, for checking on her," he toyed with a fork, "I appreciate it. I know I can go a little overboard at times…" She held up her hand to forestall him.

"Naruto, she's a friend… to both of us," she smiled shyly, "I-it's not an imposition to care for a friend." The way his blue eyes lit up in agreement made her heart sing and she demurely glanced down. As she did, she saw their depleted plates, and realized her evening with him was almost over. Her throat tightened briefly in sadness.

"W-would you like to order dessert now," she softly suggested, hoping to extend her time with him.

Ebisu looked up to see a vision walking toward him. He immediately rose, pulling her chair out as Tenten reached him. Sitting, she waited until he sat across from her, then reached to put touch his arm in greeting.

"Did you miss me," she asked, smiling demurely at him, "I'm sorry I took so long. I met up with Hinata and Sakura and we got talking. You know how it is when girls get together." He smiled in knowing appreciation.

"Of course," he motioned for the waitress, "Shall we order?" As they waited, chatting together, he found himself hoping it took a long time to finish their final drinks, unable to face the end of a memorable evening with this charming young woman.

Sakura watched her friends move off before turning to where Kakashi sat, obviously lost in thought. She briefly watched, firmly putting away the part of her that'd wished for a reality in which he'd freely return her feelings. After all, she sighed, fantasizing had gotten her in enough trouble for the night. When she'd gathered enough courage, she started determinedly forward.

"Kakashi-Sensei?" Sakura's voice broke into Kakashi's deliberation and he looked up to see her diffidently gazing at him. He stood, moving to pull out her chair.

"I…was beginning to think you'd run out on me, Sakura," he helped her into her seat, with a welcoming eye smile, "I think I need to talk to you." But when he sat down, turned to speak, she forestalled him with a hand gesture.

"No, I…really think this one's mine," she took a deep breath, "Kakashi-Sen… Kakashi," she began firmly, "I want to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I mean," she leaned toward him, her green eyes serious, "Things were going great, then I got carried away, big time. But, at least that was an honest mistake. After that, when I realized what I'd done, instead of sticking around to see it through with you, I chickened out and ran away. And that was inexcusable." She closed her eyes briefly, and then met his gaze again, "I know I can't take back what I did, all I can do is ask and hope for your forgiveness." Touched by her sincerity, he found himself reaching to briefly put his hand over hers.

"Sakura, we're friends, there's nothing to forgive, even though," he wryly scratched a cheek through his mask, "I'm not quite sure what happened there for a second myself, only that," he looked cautiously at her, "Things got rather… intense… for a bit." There was a short pause as both tried to figure out how to broach the clearly sensitive matter. Sakura broke first.

"Um…I, sort of, really overdid it there, didn't I?" she face palmed, hoping to hide the lie, "And then, you played off what I was doing and…yeah, definitely overacting. Let's just leave it at that, shall we?" She looked hopefully at him and smiling in relief, he nodded agreement. He wilfully ignored the pesky little voice saying if that'd been acting he was Monkey King Enma's sainted Uncle Bob.

"So… where are we in terms of our act? Do you want to discontinue it, go on, what?" he toyed with a napkin, giving her the opportunity to back out. She surprised him by snorting irritably.

"Are you kidding?" she spoke with feeling, "I just went through hell being grilled by Hinata and Tenten," Then, she wholeheartedly glared, snarling softly, "And as for Sasuke…" The Jounin blinked, surprised. The Uchiha hadn't mentioned doing anything besides accidentally running into her.

"Sasuke?" he cautiously questioned as the mere mention of his name made her almost quiver with ire.

"He told Tenten and Ino this morning about…" she leaned closer, whispering, scandalized, "…last night…you know…when he caught us practicing," she leaned back with a disgusted huff, "Tenten asked me point blank what your ass felt like. Fortunately, he didn't tell them about our team up, though it took work to make certain. For a while there I thought all our efforts were wasted."

"I…thank you for saving the situation, Sakura," he forced back a snicker, "And I trust you gave my ass a good review." She looked away, biting her lip, and then, with a blushing nod, reluctantly chuckled.

"Therefore, yes, we continue, and," her tone turned slightly sour, "Try not to get carried away with our acting again. Is that all right with you?" When he nodded agreement again, she motioned to catch the waitress' attention.

"So, I was thinking… I could use a sounding board about Sasuke," her smile was predatory, "To come up with the perfect retribution for him, one he'll never forget, you know? Want to get that dessert and help me with it?"

A short time later, he watched as she devoured a chocolate brownie and ice cream drenched in chocolate syrup with gusto, while listing all the potential punishments she had for their errant team mate. Listening with morbid fascination, he felt a lone, sympathetic sweat drop glide down his temple and was heartily glad the man in the proverbial hot seat had talked him out of ticking her off himself. After all, he thought, better Sasuke than him.

Sai gave his vicinity another cautious scan, before turning back to his surveillance of the three couples. He'd found a vacant bar table near the one Sasuke'd originally chased him from and was loathe to lose such a vantage point again. As it was, he'd lost enough valuable observation time while avoiding the Uchiha. He briefly wondered if the other man had left, as, so far, he'd seen no sign of him. Then he returned to his task, sketching vigorously to make up for lost time.

He resolved to bring the puzzling matter of the Uchiha's behaviour up to Yamato. Perhaps he could shed a bit of light on it.

Sasuke slowed, cautiously looking around as he felt the hair rise on the back of his neck again. Still seeing/sensing nothing, he continued on his way, pondering the puzzle. After that initial spell while with Naruto, he'd been fine for a time. Then suddenly, on his walk home, it'd felt like he were being hit by repeating electric shocks, one after another, all with an accompanying sense of grave danger. He sighed, wondering if it was just his imagination, before dismissing it again in favour of his other problem.

He'd lost his chance with Sai. If it hadn't been for those two fan girls, he thought uncharitably and then grunted; admitting he hadn't done much better after he'd gotten rid of them. The ex-ROOT agent had slipped away right from under his nose. Well, the man's competence, he conceded, had never been part of his problem with him. It was just, in this particular situation, incredibly irritating. Would he have another opportunity before Ino's time limit ran out? And when had he become such a glutton for punishment that he'd look for a chance to be rejected? He shook his head over it all.

Perhaps it'd all look better in the morning, after a good night's sleep. He could start fresh tomorrow and see what happened. With that plan in mind he sped his steps, until another of those damn shocks hit.

What the hell was going on, he thought as he glanced irritably around again.

It'd been an entertaining evening, Yamato mused, as he watched Kakashi's ninken leave. He'd always had respect for the intelligence of his Sempai's dogs, but Pakkun and Bull had managed to surprise him several times. Between the three of them, they'd worked out several possibilities to help Sakura… he suppressed a chuckle because it was still a bit mind-boggling, even after discussing it bluntly all evening… become Alpha bitch of a ninken pack, Kakashi's mate. He'd been sad to see them go, but, time had passed and they'd all agreed Kakashi and Sakura's date should be over soon. The dogs wanted to be home before their master got there, to avoid trouble.

He reminded himself his evening wasn't over yet. He still had Sai's report to look forward to. Closing the door, he headed for his kitchen, planning to grab a snack and prepare more refreshments for his fellow ANBU's arrival. He had a feeling it was going to be a long, interesting tale and wanted to be prepared.

As he moved around, humming absently, his mind wandered over what he was most curious about. What had Sai made of Kakashi and Sakura's 'act'? And the other girls, how had their dates gone? Had Sai had any time for surveillance at all, he grinned to himself, with Sasuke after him? Or had the Uchiha failed to show up? So many questions… he was keen to find out the answers. He glanced again at the clock.

Well, he shouldn't have long to wait.

Ebisu looked up from the delightful view of his date, reluctant to accept he was just minutes from ending his time with her. After their last drinks, they'd left the restaurant, talking, laughing, still completely engaged as they enjoyed the evening and each other. The stars shone brilliantly in the sky above, almost hidden by the light of the streetlamps. A light breeze made Tenten's ringlets shift and dance with her movements until, laughing; she had to lift a hand to tame them.

Almost from when he'd first seen her at the training ground entrance, time had seemed suspended, stopped while he was with her. it was a shock to discover it'd marched on at its natural rhythm, waiting to catch them unawares. But here they stood, at her door, faced with saying goodbye. She stepped up to it, turning to face him and he decided it was just fancy, thinking her smile was a bit sad.

"I'd like to see you again," she glanced demurely down then up again, "I hope you want to see me too." Her shawl slipped off one shoulder, the illusion of vulnerability making him feel protective.

"I…I'd love that," he readily confirmed, "As soon as possible, if I may? Tomorrow, I hope?"

"And I'd love that," her vivid smile at his enthusiasm seemed a fine reward. He turned to go, his head the last thing to turn until a hand on his collar stopped him.

"Forgetting something, aren't you," her eyes were teasing as she pulled him back and down. The soft warmth of her lips brushed unhurriedly across his cheek, a series of light kisses leading toward the corner of his mouth, the final kiss, butterfly soft, brushing gently across his lips. He opened eyes he hadn't been aware he'd closed, as their sudden absence distressed him and found he was looking into her eyes. He hesitantly opened his mouth, started to say goodbye, but a finger forestalled him.

"No, not goodbye," she grinned at him, "Just… until we see each other again, right?" He blissfully smiled in agreement. She reached back, opening her door, her soft promise of, "Tomorrow then, Ebisu," and the sparkle of her eyes the last things he saw of her.

For a few seconds, he stood there, unable to take it in, then, with a sigh, he turned to go. No, he thought, regretfully, he didn't get an invitation to her bed tonight. But it was overshadowed by being able to see her again, the extra chance to enjoy her company, maybe earn that desired invitation on another night and that made him almost deliriously happy. His slow footsteps increased to a jaunty pace until he almost skipped down the street. Hands in pockets, humming in brief snatches, he eyed the streetlights, wondering if he'd be thrown in the psych ward if he dared swing around one like he'd seen in an old movie.

Tenten grinned, watching him from her apartment window until he disappeared before turning away. She was glad she'd decided to participate in Ino's game, enjoying it, and the man, far more than she thought she would. Then, practical as always, her thoughts turned to other matters. Yes, she was looking forward to tomorrow, she mused, but that didn't solve her problems tonight, did it?

She smirked recalling Sakura and Hinata's reactions when she'd put forward her evening's plans. At the time, she'd been joking but…what the hell, right? A warm bath first, she decided, and maybe a light snack. Then she could curl up in bed with Icha Icha and her little 'friend'.

Hiashi loitered in the courtyard, enjoying the stars, the night sounds of birds and insects as the light breeze blew refreshingly across him. Or, at least, that was what he told himself he was doing as it was better than admitting he was waiting to see how Hinata's date went. So, he wandered, inspecting the flowers and the layout of the courtyard, any excuse to be there to see her return. It should be any time now, he thought.

In his periphery, he saw a shadow detach and creep toward the courtyard door. He watched its progress for a time, mentally matching what features he could make out before finally identifying the culprit.

"Hanabi," he sighed, moving in intercept her. So intense was her concentration, his hand on her shoulder was a total surprise. She jumped, yelping, swinging around to face him in a defensive crouch until recognition made her straighten self-consciously.

"Oh…um…hello, Father," she gulped, straightening her robe and he noted the pyjamas she wore under it. He sighed again.

"On your way to bed, Hanabi?" he asked dryly, wondering why she wasn't already there.

"I was…just waiting to say goodnight to Hinata," she fiddled nervously with her robe tie, "Like I always do."

"Really… I wasn't aware it was a nightly habit of yours," as he recalled, she usually avoided everything to do with bed, including saying goodnight. He gave her a keen look and she fidgeted but kept her silence. They eyed each other wondering who would break first, until an inadvertent third party broke the deadlock with the sound of rushing footsteps culminating in a startled "Oh," causing father and daughter to turn toward the intruder.

"Ah, good evening, Neji," Hiashi called in greeting, as Hanabi frowned, "Are you here to take in the beauty of the night, or did you come to say goodnight to Hinata too." His nephew looked back and forth between them, and then shook it off to address his uncle.

"Did you know what one of the elders did?" he scowled critically, "I heard he sent some clan members to interfere in Hinata's date." Hiashi's brows lowered as he considered.

"It couldn't have succeeded," he pointed out, "Otherwise Hinata would already be home and upset. But I'll look into the matter, now that I know of it," he promised. And, remembering the elder from earlier, he had a good idea where to start, he mused as Neji sighed in relief.

"I still can't believe you approve of Naruto," Hanabi's expression clearly said they were crazy. The two men looked at her.

"You'd be better off hoping he's as lenient when you start dating," her cousin wryly pointed out. Hiashi hid a smirk at her expression. But, before he could tease her, the sound of laughter floated over the courtyard wall and three sets of byakugan activated to investigate.

"It's them," Neji urgently looked around at them.

"They'll see us," Hanabi yelped, "What'll we do?" Hiashi, inadvertently caught up in their panic, grabbed both and hauled them into a familiar-looking flowering bush, before he realized what he'd done. Too late to reconsider, he sighed, deciding they'd have to make the best of it, giving his two unlikely co-conspirators a terse warning against inadvertently rustled the foliage too loudly this time, as the faint voices continued to drift on the night breeze.

"You've been interested in me for that long?" Naruto was amazed, "Why didn't you say anything? I mean, I never knew," he shook his head as they approached the Hyuuga compound, trying to grasp she'd liked him since their Academy years.

"I know," Hinata glanced down, "I…w-wasn't very confident as a child. I think…I was afraid of being rejected." He felt his heart hurt just thinking about it.

"Hinata, I'd never have done that," she'd been in his corner for years, he mused, secretly rooting for him… and he'd never known, "Hell," he rubbed the back of his neck, "At that age, I would've loved just having a friend." A thought occurred and blue eyes lit up as he grinned at her.

"Does this mean you've always been my fan girl?" she blushed, and then nodded, giggling behind her hand, as he burst out laughing, "I always thought Sasuke was the only one with fan girls in our class. The things you learn when you're not expecting to, right?" As she smiled at his laughter, Hinata felt multiple byakugan quickly activate, then deactivate in the compound. Turning slightly away from Naruto, she did the same as her own, almost stopping in her tracks at what she saw.

Had that really been her father…pulling Neji and Hanabi into one of the flowering bushes? She blinked realizing it was the same bush from earlier. She'd originally thought it'd been only Hanabi in it, but now…Neji and her father? Before she could reflect on it, Naruto's arm distracted her by sliding around her waist as he drew her in to his side in a gentle hug.

"Thanks, Hinata," his blue eyes looked sincerely into hers, "For being there, even if I didn't know it at the time. It really means a lot." Under that gaze, all thoughts of her wayward family and the bush faded away, leaving only him. Even under the poor illumination of the streetlamps, she thought faintly, his eyes were so incredible, so blue, warm and alive with emotion.

"Y-you're w-welcome,' she blushed, still lost in them as they reached the courtyard door. He guided her through and a couple of yards inside before stopping, his other hand sliding around her waist as well as they stood facing each other. She glanced demurely down, surprised to find her hands on his chest, fingers fitfully clenching his shirt. She looked back up, to see if he minded, only to be captured again, as her heart suddenly hammered in her chest.

"S-so," he stammered, blushing, blue eyes intense, "D-do you want to meet tomorrow? For l-lunch…o-or a walk…maybe b-both?"

"I-I'd love that," he was adorable like this, she thought faintly, "A-at Ichiraku's…at n-noon? Is t-that alright?" She couldn't believe he wanted to see her again so soon. It seemed almost otherworldly, she thought, like a dream coming true.

"Yeah," it came out on a relieved gasp, as if he'd been holding his breath, afraid she'd refuse. She smiled, knowing the sincere feeling in those eyes would've been impossible to turn down. For a few more moments they continued to gaze into each other's eyes.

"I-I guess I'd better…" he hesitantly began to slide his hands from her waist, to step back. Only to find his head unexpectedly pulled down by the two hands on his shirt so warm, soft lips could meet his in a kiss. His hands instinctively returned to her waist, pulling her firmly against him as he leaned in to return it.

Time stretched as their lips moved tentatively at first, then more boldly, parting as they were traced by tongue tips that then met delicately, almost shyly. Only lack of breath finally forced them to part and, her forehead against his cheek, they stood dazed and gasping. He could feel her trembling, could feel an answering tremor in his own belly. Gradually, their grips on each other eased until they stepped away, their eyes locking.

"S-so, tomorrow then," blushing, Naruto began to reluctantly back away, toward the courtyard door, eyes flicking away only to return to her. Hinata watched him go, only the promise of seeing him again making the growing distance between them less of a misery.

"Yes," she sighed softly, "T-tomorrow." Reaching the door, his eyes on her, he miscalculated, slammed his back into it, bounced hard off it, and then disappeared as he stumbled through, making her giggle. She waited a few seconds more before turning to go with a sigh, nearly floating along the path, humming dreamily as fingers absently traced her lips, reliving her evening and looked forward to more time with Naruto with faraway eyes.

"Goodnight, Father… Neji…Hanabi," her soft voice absent-mindedly sang as she passed a certain flowering bush.

"No, even with Sasuke's interference, I'd say your surveillance was a success," Yamato reassured Sai. After the last couple left the restaurant, the young ANBU had immediately headed for his place, bringing, as he'd hoped, a report full of surprises. And what surprises! He'd been hard pressed at times, holding back his reactions, not just in the interests of maintaining a little dignity. More like self defence, as rolling on the floor laughing hysterically would elicit a torrent of questions from the curious young agent.

He rubbed his lips, regretting the necessity of following doctor's orders. After all, look what he'd missed. He'd have given anything to be there for Tenten's battle for Ebisu or to see Sai being chased by Sasuke, inadvertently into the ladies' room of all places. And he'd have paid to be the fly on the wall, while Sai listened to the girls. Yes, he was sure Sai's report, accurate as it was, wasn't nearly as entertaining as actually being there to see for himself.

Then there was the matter of Kakashi and Sakura. He knew Sai had problems understanding normal interaction, but he'd noticed it made him question details others, even he himself, would dismiss. This meant, despite knowing beforehand the date was an act, he'd been as diligent with them as he had the other couples. The questions he'd posed about them lent credence to the ninkens' claims. After hearing both, he knew he'd be carefully watching his Sempai when they eventually talked about that portion of the report.

As to the other two girls, beyond the scuffle over Ebisu (started by the civilian, not Tenten) as a whole their dates had gone well, with both girls playing fair. Really, in Tenten's case, he had to give credit where due. She'd been against taking advantage of Ebisu, even though it'd have been to her benefit in the game. As for Hinata, it was obvious this wasn't a game to her. From the sound of it, her pursuit of Naruto had been a dearly held dream for years before this challenge spurred her resolve. All in all, he wished them well, hoping both girls got what they wanted, whether it was simple experience or a lasting relationship.

And that brought him again to the vision of Sai trapped in the ladies' room. He regarded the young man sitting across from him. Of course, he hadn't the advantage of knowing the Uchiha'd been there expressly to look for him. This meant what he'd seen as puzzling behaviour on Sasuke's part, Yamato saw in a vastly different light. He lifted his mug, sipping as he envisioned it.

What a game of cat and mouse! He could almost feel Sasuke's frustration, he mused, when he read between the lines. To have to endure, not one but two, attacks by persistent fan girls, within spitting distance of his true objective. Then to chase his mouse down, only to find he'd escaped from under his very nose. And what a surprisingly entertaining mouse hole Sai'd found to hide in. And on that note…

"The only detail I can criticize is your presumption of Sasuke's reasons for pursuing you," time to put the cat among the pigeons a little, Yamato thought, ignoring the species inconsistency, "How do you know he wanted a confrontation? He was trying to escape the unwanted attentions of two relentless women. Don't you think that might account for his aggravated mood?" Sai tilted his head as he thought it over.

"It's possible," he finally admitted, "Though, considering our histories, I'm probably the last person he'd choose to willingly associate with. You are aware of the continuing… prejudice many of my old compatriots have for him." He sipped from his own mug, his face devoid of expression.

"It's obvious he's aware of it also. I know it's influenced how we deal with each other. And I confess to not being able to find a way to overcome this. I believe this makes the chance of so sudden a reversal," he peered into his mug, "Unlikely, at best, don't you?" Yamato drank, as he considered him.

Most people found ex-ROOT agents strange, not understanding how Danzo's training had forced them to close down their emotions out of sheer survival. They appeared not to have emotions at all, unable at times to understand even their own. As a consequence, their body language tended to be so subtle it was almost non existent. But, after spending ample time with Sai, he'd found, with enough familiarity and patience, it was possible to read him. Where anyone else saw him as a confident, yet eccentric young man, Yamato could plainly see his moments of terrible vulnerability. Like now, when it was clear his young friend was enduring genuine emotional distress over his estrangement with the Uchiha.

He knew what Sai's bonds with the other Team Seven members meant to him. Much like Naruto, they were the closest thing to family he'd known, other than his tie with Shin. Their acceptance, despite his social awkwardness, had given him the strength to weather many hardships, not just those limited to Danzo's legacy. On a very private level, any rift between him and the other team members would be agonizing to him, posing a possible hazard to his wellbeing.

On an entirely different level, it was a potential professional risk. Yes, he could understand how suspicion could exist between him and Sasuke, but in their profession explicit trust in your comrades could be the only thing able to save you. It occurred to him, if this was a chance to remedy the situation between the two young men, it had to be taken, for both their sakes.

"Unlikely isn't the same as impossible," he pointed out, "The fact is: You don't know the facts. You didn't give him the chance to show what his true intentions were. You surmised from what you knew," he lifted a finger to delay the question he could see in Sai's eyes, "And I'm not saying you were wrong. But who's to say an event you've yet to find out about hasn't changed the situation? It wouldn't be the first time that's happened." He gave him time to mull it over as he continued to drink.

"So you believe I was wrong to avoid him," Sai said slowly, "Even though a conflict might've jeopardised my surveillance of the others?"

"Not necessarily. I can see your reasoning," he chose a cheese topped roll from the tray between them, "You chose what you thought was best for the mission objective. But Sasuke is also part of that objective. What you did was probably the right thing, considering you had multiple people under surveillance. It is unfortunate you missed the opportunity Sasuke might've presented, and I think, if you have a second chance, you should take it. If it results in a disagreement, at least you'll find out what's on his mind." He gestured with the roll, "And there's always the chance you might be pleasantly surprised." He bit into it, giving the young agent time to consider.

Despite her firm resolve to ignore that wishful part of her, Sakura found it harder than she'd thought. The close physical contact with Kakashi necessary to keep up appearances was guaranteed to provoke the very longing and fantasies she was trying to avoid. Even now, she savoured the feel of his body against hers as they walked with arms around each other's waists. She found herself glancing up furtively, watching his profile, only to look away before meeting his eye. When she caught herself making vague plans to avoid their eventual parting, she realized it was because she'd find the loss of his presence painful. That she dearly wanted him to stay with her. It left her hiding an indefinable sadness as they walked.

"Sakura," his voice was careful, "Are you alright? You seem… preoccupied." She looked up to meet the concern in his eye, smiling gamely.

"I suppose I am," she glanced around the street with a sigh, "I guess…I was having so much fun tonight, it seems a shame to end it, that's all."

"I enjoyed tonight too," he confessed, quietly clarifying, "I enjoyed being with you, tonight," it was his turn to look away, "Perhaps…we can do it again, sometime…just as friends…if you want?" She gave him a searching look. He'd sounded so tentative, she thought, like he was afraid she'd take offence or refuse.

"I think…I'd like that," love it, long for it, and him, she thought. She caught sight of her apartment ahead and felt her heart clench. Greatly daring, she gently eased her head until it rested against his shoulder, trying to console herself. Feeling its weight, he looked down at the crown of her head, watching the light evening breeze gently tousle her curls, undone by her artlessness and suddenly aware of a subtle pressure in his chest. Reluctant to disturb her, he opened his mouth soundlessly a few times, false starts, before finally speaking.

"You know…we still have to fool Ino," he watched her building loom closer; "I believe Iruka's class is due back tomorrow…um…around the same time school usually gets out. That'd be what…3, 4 pm in the afternoon?" She briefly closed her eyes, not sure if she was thankful or sad at the topic change.

"Yes," she cast her eyes down, watching their feet bring them closer to leave-taking, "I-I think that's about right. I wonder what shape Ino's going to be in by then? Wouldn't it be annoying," her quiet laugh felt at odds with the ache in her heart, "If after all this work, she was too tired to notice?" Did his answering chuckle have a poignant undertone, she wondered, or was it just… imagination?

"I…think we should meet early tomorrow," he cleared his throat, "We'll need to refine our routine before she gets back. Decide what our next performance will be." They paused in front of her building, reluctantly moving apart as Kakashi opened the door and gestured for her to precede him.

"It needs to be good," she turned back to watch him follow her in, "We've known each other for so long, she'll be much harder sell than Tenten or Hinata." Voices heralded the approach of others, and, before they appeared, Kakashi immediately moved to her side, slipping his arm around her. Sakura's face faintly flushed, surprised at how much she'd missed his embrace, even for so brief a time as he ushered her toward the elevator. He pressed her floor number as they entered, waiting for the doors to close before glancing down at her.

"Would meeting here be alright with you?" he studied her closely, "at 9 am, perhaps? That'll give us several hours before Ino gets back." She tilted her head slightly away from him, hiding her reaction to him under the guise of pretending to examine the control panel as she considered.

"That'll be fine," she looked up as the doors opened on her floor, "That should give us plenty of time." He walked her to her door, feeling a faint undertone of melancholy between them as they neared her door. He watched her unlock and open it.

"So," she turned to him, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He couldn't leave like this, not with that sad trace in the atmosphere.

"Why, Sakura," his eye curved into a smile, trying to dispel it with mischievous humour, "Do I rate that badly? I thought we had a great first date. And I know we had a lot of fun together. So, don't I get a kiss goodnight?" Serious green eyes regarded him in silence.

Then, with a soft smile, she stepped up to him, rising on her toes. Grasping a handful of his shirt, she pulled him down to her level. With eyes still on his, she gently pressed her lips to the general area of his lips. He instinctively leaned into it, reminded he hadn't replaced his genjutsu 'mask' by the feel of skin on skin, as pliant warmth minutely adjusted until their lips firmly fit together. Then time stopped, the world condensed to only the two of them and she became his entire reality.

Her soft lips glided wonderfully on his as her alluring scent enveloped him, her beguiling green eyes drifting languorously closed and he thrilled at the sensuality in her expression. He was dimly aware of holding her, pressing her into him as his head tilted to gain more access. The kiss deepened, to the feel of fingers tangled in his hair, the compulsive tightening of her fist in his shirt, her trembling body flush against his. His hands lazily caressed her back and she moaned into his mouth. Tongues gently touched, entwined, then fought desperately to memorize every detail of the other. Shirt buttons popped, flying away in his periphery unnoticed as he eagerly explored a world called Sakura.

A soft gasp further down the hall brought them back to the real world. Back to where he'd pushed her into the door frame as their knees weakened, on the brink of sinking downward together. To where Sakura's 90 year old neighbour was ogling them with amusement from her doorway. He staggered slightly before catching his balance as Sakura, with a faint "eep" pushed him back with overly hasty strength. Blushing hotly, she turned toward the elderly woman with a feeble smile.

"Um… Mrs. Kimchee…we were…we'd… just…" she stammered to a halt, unable to think of any explanation for their behaviour. In the following silence her anxious eyes flicking back and forth between the elderly woman and Kakashi.

"I…think I'd better leave," eye glued on Sakura, he found himself wondering what'd just happened for the second time that night. Mrs. Kimchee's grin widened as she appreciatively looked him up and down.

"Oh, don't do it on my account, dear," she waved a carefree hand, "By all means, go back to what you were doing." She cheerfully leered at them, "After all, you're only young once, you know. So, I'll just say…goodnight," she backed into her apartment, "Sleep tight," began to ease the door slowly closed, "And don't let the bedbugs bite," and with an final wink, smirk and insinuating murmur, "Unless…you want him to," she was gone as Sakura face palmed with a muttered, "Oh, god."

"Retired kunoichi," her explanation was almost a groan. "Well, we wanted to fool Ino with gossip. Mrs. Kimchee will have this all over the marketplace by breakfast tomorrow," she regarded the other door thoughtfully, "I think she's got contacts in the rumour mill ANBU and T&I would envy."

"And you know this, how?" he grasped the opportunity to distance them from what'd happened. She shrugged helplessly, silently acknowledging and following his lead, as she turned back to her own apartment, unable to quite meet his eyes.

"She's come out with things I'd swear no one but Tsunade or other top people would know," she waved off his sudden concern, "Not the 'slit your throat before revealing' stuff. Just…details about people and situations you wouldn't expect. And she doesn't talk to just anyone. I seem to be on her 'approved' list, but even then, I don't think she tells me everything." She absently played with her handbag, and then finally raised her eyes to meet his. "Anyway…if we've got hours of practice tomorrow, I'd better get some rest," she stepped in, turning to close her door, with a quiet, "Goodnight, Kakashi."

"Goodnight, Sakura," he wondered why he felt so bereft. He moved away slowly, reluctantly, looking back several times until the elevator doors closed, shutting off the view of her door. On the way down, he found himself fingering his lips, reliving that kiss and firmly shook himself.

If he went home like this, the pack wouldn't let him hear the end of it. They'd see it as proof of their cockamamie claim he wanted Sakura as his 'mate'. He sighed, knowing he'd need to be calm and collected to deal with their nonsense and, at the moment, he was anything but.

Briefly he considered going to Tenzou's, to talk over Sai's report, but his Kohai would sense his current distraction. He'd be getting enough questions tonight from the dogs. He exited the apartment building, pausing on the sidewalk in front to look around before choosing a direction at random. A good long walk, he decided, and then a good night's rest was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Association brought Sakura to mind again and he firmly put hands in pockets to keep his fingers away from the phantom feel of her kiss. Obviously she'd seen Mrs. Kimchee before he had and quickly taken the opportunity the elderly woman offered vis-à-vis Konoha's gossip grapevine. That was the only explanation, he told himself. He was fourteen years her senior and had over four times her experience, with his thirtieth year as a shinobi looming on the horizon. What would a beautiful, talented girl see in a battered wreck like him, especially one who'd surely seen him at his worst far too many times?

He shook his head glumly, unable to deny the pull she'd had on him three times in one night, still feeling its lingering touch, yet burdened with the fear of losing her. And that's what he'd risk if he dared take it further. He wouldn't betray her like that, by trying to change their friendship into something else, risk one of his precious people over feelings she surely didn't return. When memories of the two incidents replayed in his mind, calling up inconsistencies pointing to a different conclusion, the possibility she might, he firmly dismissed them as wishful thinking. As his own desires skewing his analysis of her actions, her true feelings, making him see what he wished to.

He paused, glancing around him, vaguely surprised by how far he'd travelled. Looking up into the star filled night sky; he was reminded of wishes and shook his head. He thought of the dreams he'd surely have featuring Sakura tonight and grimaced. He shouldn't look forward to them, but the thought of being with her, even if only in a dream…

He had a feeling he'd be walking for a long time tonight. Picking another direction at random, he started off again.

"Okay," Uhei glanced over at his pack mate as they bounded over the rooftops, "This is where we part. You go home and tell the rest the news. I'll shadow him until he heads for home, and then go ahead to beat him there." The long legged ninken panted happily, thinking about the information about to be shared with the others.

"Right," Urushi pealed off, jumping to another roof and angling toward home. Uhei skidded to a halt, briefly watching him, whining softly, wishing he could be there to learn what stage their plans were at.

When Pakkun reported the Boss' notable reaction to Sakura, the whole pack had leapt into planning mode, intent on fulfilling their pack leader's desires. This suffered a hold-up when the problem of human unpredictability was raised. While Pakkun and Bull had sought advice on the matter from one of the Boss' human friends, he and Urushi, as the two fastest ninken, had been sent to keep tabs on the couple in case there were more developments. Uhei was dying to know if the other two had been successful and how it'd affected their strategy.

And talk about developments, the red dog thought, shaking his bandaged head as he dashed off. He'd been undecided, watching the couple returning to Sakura's as their mating aroma had been heavily polluted with sadness and uncertainty. But, just as he'd begun to doubt Pakkun's earlier assertions, he and Urushi'd nearly had their noses blasted off by the pheromones. A few minutes later, the Boss had reappeared, stinking of sexual frustration and bewilderment to begin walking. The two dogs had followed for a time before deciding to split, one to continue on, while the other reported.

The evening breeze brought Kakashi's scent to the dog's busy nose. Yep, he panted happily, the Boss was still hot and bothered. He had a feeling he'd be following him for a long time tonight. Making sure he was downwind and concealed, the big dog continued his assignment.

Sakura finally lifted her head from where her arms had pillowed it on her knees. She'd only waited, with her back against her door, for the sound of elevator doors closing before sliding down to sit shaking on the floor, unable to believe what she'd done.

She'd kissed him. She'd kissed Kakashi. And he'd kissed her back.

And what a kiss! Her fingers shakily caressed where his lips had plundered hers, still able to evoke the ghostly feel of it. She remembered the hardness of his body against hers, felt the paths traced by his hands on her back and released a shuddering breath. She might've been able to dismiss it as a dream, she mused, but from the feel of it, she was going to have bruises from being pressed against the door jam.

She thought back to her tale spinning in the ladies' room and weakly shook her head. Boy, had she got it wrong! The real thing made her best creative efforts look like…like… She shivered, unable to think of a comparison good enough to express the overwhelming difference.

Kami the man could kiss!

Deciding she'd sat on the floor long enough, she tried to lever herself up, taking a couple of tries before succeeding due to the weakness of her knees. She staggered into her kitchen, using chairs, table and counters, even walls as support to reach the sink and a cold drink to wet her parched throat. Then, cup still in hand, she eased herself into a chair, staring in bemusement around her apartment, experiencing a time disparity. It seemed so much different than when she'd left it with Kakashi. It felt like she'd been absent for ages, instead of only a few hours. Of course, a lot had happened in those few hours. A lot had happened right outside her door.

Sweet Kami on a polka dotted mule the man could kiss!

With a groan, she let her head fall onto the table. All those sexy dreams she'd been having lately about Kakashi…they were about to suffer a massive upgrade in content. She wasn't sure if she'd survive the experience. And, hell, if she couldn't survive a mere dream, what would happen if she and Kakashi ever really…

Her brain staggered to a halt as Inner Sakura went into total meltdown, doing a wild striptease while frantically chanting OHGODOHGODOHGODYESYESYESGODYESKAKASHI-SENSEIYESPLEASE! She lifted her head, shaking it hard to dispel the image. Stop it, she told herself, get a grip. It didn't matter what she thought, what her feelings were, there was one indisputable fact she couldn't afford to forget here.

It wasn't real.

No matter how much she wanted it to be, it wasn't reality. He'd likely seen Mrs. Kimchee and played up to their audience, making sure they looked like a couple embarking on a sexual relationship. Just like earlier, at the restaurant, it was all an act, carried out with consummate skill. Her heart, soaring just a moment ago, sank into the ground at her feet at the comprehension.

She sat there for a while, letting it sink in. Then, with a weary sigh, she rose from her chair. Heading tiredly toward a warm bath, she paused in her bedroom doorway, catching the scent of roses. Her eyes were sadly reflective as fingers lightly traced her lips for a final time. Then, firmly putting it away, she went about her business, refusing to think about Kakashi's arrival in the morning…

And how much harder it would be, to act like nothing had changed between them, when she knew to the depths of her heart and soul… everything had.

The deafening silence was broken only by the crackle of the fire behind her and a single distant cricket. Ino stood, rigid in mortification, as everyone, slack jawed and motionless, stared at her. Her eyes involuntarily sought Iruka to find him gazing back, eyes wide and jaw sagging, his clipboard dangling forgotten at his side. The agonizing scene stretched for a few more seconds, then…

"THAT WAS SO AWESOME!"

The camp exploded in a chaos of kids' voices. Iruka started and then blinked, his mouth snapping shut as he winced at the sheer volume. The boys were loudest, laughing and shouting in delight, gesturing wildly at each other and Ino as they excitedly jumped around. The girls gleefully threw appalled glances at her as they giggled and whispered together.

"WHOA!"

"YEAH!"

"Do it again!"

"Did you see that? That was GREAT!"

"Ew…."

"I can't believe she did that…"

Ino, cheeks burning, stood stiffly in the insanity, her agonized eyes locked on Iruka. She watched his face undergo a series of small twitches and wished she knew a jutsu that would let her disappear. Instead, a rapidly growing sensation in her bowels hinted she was in for further humiliation. Surreptitiously, she began to inch carefully away from the fire.

"Iruka-Sensei, can we try it too?"

"No!" the teacher's loud response to the inevitable question was instant and automatic. Tearing his gaze from Ino's, Iruka bit his lip, rubbing his scar as he inspected the mayhem. He didn't turn back to her until he'd regained a fragile control.

"Um…Ino…why don't you check on the sentries? Perhaps run a perimeter check? While I deal with this…" he managed in a reasonably even tone. He turned away, brandishing his clipboard, intent on restoring order, calling out names in a series of instructions and rebukes.

"Hotaru, Miyoko help Souza clear up the mess around the campfire. Daichi, Shinako, secure our food for the night, now. Yasuo, Osamu, if you've got energy to jump around yelling, you can use it to get more firewood. Kenchiro, Isamu …" he continued to call names, motioned several kids over, resolutely scanning his clipboard, carefully not looking in her direction.

"Why's she walking like that?" Isamu's baffled whisper and Guremaru's equally confused whine caught Iruka's attention. Involuntarily he look up, following the young Inuzuka's puzzled gaze to Ino. Astonished, he observed her moving toward the camp's edge, her casual manner at odds with her peculiar walk. Unconscious habit honed by supervising children who routinely used deadly weapons immediately made him evaluate her for the reason. It didn't take long to realize her small, crabbed steps were due to the way she was tightly clenching her buttocks and restricting her knee movements with each stride. He quickly wrenched his eyes back to his clipboard. He took a moment, biting his lip for control, then breathed deeply and continued.

"Isamu, take Guremaru on a run around the camp perimeter. Pay close attention to any new scent, track or other sign that may be suspicious. Start over there on the other side and work your way around," hearing a groan, Iruka aimed a stern look at the boy. "For an Inuzuka, this is a constant mission responsibility. Everyone's safety can rely on your senses. So get used to making it second nature now - before the lives of your future team mates depend on you."

"Yes, Iruka-Sensei. Come on Guremaru," Isamu turned to hike across the camp, his pup eagerly dancing around him. As Iruka continued to give out assignments, he found he was involuntarily keeping track of Ino's strange progress in his periphery vision. Every glimpse was a severe challenge to his control. He dug deep, urgently trying to maintain until she was safely out of camp.

A/N: Well that was a very long one, wasn't it? At least now you know why it took so long. I think we deserve lots of wonderful feedback for this one, lol! So come on people, get reviewing!

P.S – Please ignore Tazicat12's claim on Kakashi. He's mine, you hear me. MINE!

She can have Iruka! :)