Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Devotion
Chapter 4: Deception
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"Sakura..."
Sakura smiled lightly. Finally, a good dream... "Mm...yes?"
Someone cleared their throat and brought her farther out of her reverie as she cracked an eye open. Something was obstructing the light from hitting her eyes...
A blush painted her cheeks when she felt a pair of hands cover her own and delicately move them from where they were resting. She quickly closed her eyes again to fake sleep as Kakashi sat up and looked over at her, realizing that she had moved all the way over to him from her side of the bed. The older man got up stiffly and walked out of the room, followed by the sound of a door shutting quietly down the hall.
Sakura opened her eyes again, suddenly overcome by an uncontrollable fit of giggles. The laughter bubbled out of her chest for the first time in almost a week.
"What's so funny?" Kakashi's voice said from the doorway. She jumped, turning towards him and trying to stifle her laughter.
"I...I really don't know..." she said breathlessly, a grin still on her face.
Kakashi leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms, his visible eye showing that he was pleased with her change of mood. She'd now been out of the hospital for five days, but this was the first time she'd slept through the night, or had any kind of real laughter. It was also the first time she'd been so close to him.
"You slept well?"
Unbelievably, the smile on her face grew. "I didn't have any nightmares!" she said happily, jumping up. Hell yeah! Inner Sakura yelled as the girl continued to celebrate before running up to Kakashi and throwing her arms around him. His eyes widened a little and then he awkwardly returned the embrace. Sakura pulled away quickly. "Does this mean I get to go home?"
Kakashi frowned a little, shaking his head, and her smile faltered. "I don't think so..."
"Hey, it's alright," she said, shrugging. A blush quickly covered her pretty face. "Sorry for..." She gestured back to the bed. "...uh...you know..."
He cleared his throat, "Uh, yes, it's alright. Well." They stood there silently, the joy of the moment having passed. "You feel up to breakfast?"
Sakura made eye contact with him quickly, her green eyes wide. She hadn't left the apartment since being released from the hospital...her incident with Sasuke/Orochimaru had left her nerves on edge, and she didn't want to explain anything to everyone else. But cabin fever was kicking in...
She nodded firmly, smiling. "Yeah. Let's go."
----
Luckily, the small teahouse down the street wasn't very crowded that morning, and the storm that had soaked Konoha the night before had kept a lot of people inside. Kakashi and Sakura made their way quietly down the street and into the little building quickly, Sakura running a hand through her hair to brush out some of the water. Kakashi hastily went to a table and sat down, Sakura following.
"Why so quick?" she asked after getting settled across from him. A yellow light shone down on the wooden table, illuminating the booth in the absence of the sun.
"I just didn't know if you wanted anyone to see you," Kakashi explained, slouching in his seat a bit. Sakura knew that if he'd have sat any taller his hair might've hit the light fixture.
She nodded. "I see...thanks."
A waitress came and took their orders and soon they were both clasping cups of hot tea in front of them. Kakashi raised the cup to his lips and slowly took a sip through his mask. Sakura let out a short laugh at the sight.
"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It seems funny how attached you are to that mask," she responded, rolling her eyes.
"And why does it bother you so much?"
She laughed, and then took a sip of her own tea. "Touché."
He chuckled lightly and then looked at her with an appraising eye. "You know Sakura, you've changed so much."
Instant regret took over the minute he said it. The smile on her face didn't fade, but a trace of confusion founds its way into her eyes, making her crease her brow slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing."
It was obvious that that part of the conversation was over.
A few moments of silence passed between them during which the waitress came back with their food, putting a plate in front of Sakura only. The kunoichi looked at her ex-sensei accusingly. "So you don't eat?"
He shook his head sarcastically, and she thought she heard a quiet laugh. "Sakura...you've seen me eat plenty of times in the past few days, haven't you?"
She thought back on it, but didn't remember seeing his face. "I...well, I guess I wasn't watching..."
"So I do eat, but you just don't pay enough attention to see me take off my mask," he explained gleefully. Sakura glared before beginning to eat her own food.
"This tastes so good after the crap you have at your place..." she muttered between bites.
"Was that supposed to be an insult?"
"Not at all..." she drawled. Kakashi laughed at her again.
"You've grown up, but I see you haven't lost your sense of humor. I guess that's a good thing."
She didn't respond, continuing to eat instead.
Kakashi sat silently as she finished, and then watched as the waitress came back and took Sakura's empty plate from her. It wasn't long before the pink-haired girl looked up at him expectantly. "So what else are we doing today?"
He stared at her with his droopy eye, betraying no emotion whatsoever. "I was thinking we'd go back to the apartment and read some more."
Another moment of silence. And then...
"How about we train?"
He stared at her incredulously. "Sakura, it's raining. Hardly a good day to train."
She looked up at him, pouting and clasping her hands in front of her. "Pleeeeeease Sensei?"
He sighed, giving in. "Fine, Sakura...let's just wait for the bill and then we can go..." Just as he said that, a new bucket of rain fell on Konoha, and the sound of raindrops pattering on the roof filled the teahouse. Kakashi took a breath to ask if she was sure, but Sakura cut him off.
"I'm sure...now let's get going."
----
Drops of water fell from Sakura's hair as she put her hands on her knees to catch her breath after another sparring session with Kakashi, pleased to see that he was leaning against a tree and doing the same. She guessed that they'd been out in the forest training grounds for a couple hours now, and they were both soaked. Kakashi's mask clung to his skin, but still didn't suggest enough of his features to make them out. The April air bit at Sakura's wet skin, making her shiver as she stood up, stretching a little. "Wanna go again?"
He looked at her in awe, his eye wide. "Again?"
"Aw, come on Kakashi...or are you gettin' too old?"
He rolled his eyes at her stab at his age. "You know that I only just turned twenty-six..."
Sakura laughed. "I think you're off by about eight years." She finished her sentence and quickly sent a punch in his direction, which he caught easily.
"I may be older, but I can still handle a little kunoichi."
Realizing that he wasn't releasing his grip on her fist, she kicked her foot out at his stomach, which he deflected with his other hand, throwing her backwards into the squishy, wet grass.
Her laughter filled the small glade as she propped herself up on her elbows. "That wasn't very nice."
"That's what you get for -"
A quick sweep of her foot caught him off guard and brought him onto the ground as well, almost comically swaying and falling into the mud. "Alright Sakura..." he groaned from his place on the ground, "It's called respect for your elders..."
She snorted, looking over at the man slowly sinking into the mud. "You gonna get up?"
"I think you might've broken your old sensei's back..."
Laughing again, she stood and put a hand out to help him, looking down at his still form.
And then he was gone.
"Behind you," she heard before being shoved into the mud again. Laughter exploded out of her lungs while she kept her eyes closed. She knew that Kakashi was back leaning against his tree, probably pulling out one of his little books under the shelter of the tree's branches.
"Now that wasn't fair," she proclaimed. The water on the ground was pressing against her back, but she was already so drenched that she didn't really care.
"I never said we could fight again, and you attacked me anyway," he said. She opened her eyes to see his hand this time, reaching out to help her up. "Now you can praise me."
"You don't get any more praise," she growled playfully, sitting up and taking his hand.
She didn't notice the mud under her foot as she got up.
----
Kakashi automatically held out his arms for the girl to grab onto as she slid forward, holding onto anything that she could.
Unfortunately for him, that something happened to be his mask.
Sakura's fingers still gripped the black cloth as she looked up at him with wide eyes. This certainly wasn't what I was expecting...
The tone of his skin was pale in the most attractive way she'd ever seen, finally out of the shadows of his mask and headband. The two words that came to mind when looking at his features were beautiful and dignified. Look at those lips! Inner Sakura sighed, Brings tears to my eyes!
Sakura absentmindedly brought a hand to his face and touched his smooth skin, as he looked down on her with wide eyes, the Sharingan eye still covered by his headband. Her fingers wandered along his cheek bones and over his nose, and finally to the lips that Inner Sakura was raving about, gingerly caressing them. The scar that slashed across his eye ran all the way along his cheek bone and down to his jaw as well, attracting her attention as well.
Kakashi just stood there, fighting a battle with himself over what he was supposed to do. He wanted so badly to lean forward and kiss the girl, but he didn't know how she would react after being violated so badly with Sasuke.
Feeling won out over reason.
Sakura gasped as the beautiful face moved closer to hers and his lips covered hers lovingly. Meeting with shock, Kakashi pulled away, and Sakura blinked at him in surprise. Come on girl, go for it! Inner Sakura screamed.
She leaned forward, closing her eyes again, but he'd already put a hand on her waist and another around her shoulder, having to bend down for better access to her mouth. Panic surged through her when he started pulling her closer, but it was instantly gone - unlike Sasuke, Kakashi was tender and kind, and she knew that she had the option to stop completely if she wanted to...which she didn't.
Her breath hitched in her throat and she moaned slightly as she put her hands on his chest and he pulled her to where their bodies were almost completely pressed against one another, tilting his head and opening his mouth slightly, questioningly. She responded by opening her own lips and letting his tongue in, giving in to the moment.
Soon he pulled away, and they leaned their foreheads against each other with closed eyes, drawing in deep breaths. Kakashi's hands floated down to her hips and she relaxed after releasing all of the romantic tension of the past five days in close quarters with such a beautiful man.
"I'm sorry..." he muttered. Sakura laughed.
"Why?"
His eyes met hers, frowning. "You don't object to that?"
She blushed as she realized that she had just kissed her former teacher. "Um...we're equals, right...I kinda liked it..."
They stood there for a few more seconds before he reluctantly backed away from her, pulling up his mask and smiling. "Let's go back to the apartment and get cleaned up."
Sakura smiled, feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush. "OK."
----
Kakashi felt lightheaded as he rubbed his hair with a towel and sat down on the couch with an Icha Icha book while Sakura showered. He hadn't meant to do that...the kiss probably wouldn't have happened if she hadn't accidentally pulled down his mask...but he knew that he wouldn't have been nearly as happy as he was now if they hadn't had that moment. Maybe now he could get over that overwhelming feeling he had every time he was around her...
But, no, he knew that it would only get worse. From then on he would want her more and more, and he realized that it would be the same for her. And things couldn't work between them...both were highly qualified jounin, both of them often went out on dangerous missions...not to mention the huge age difference.
Of course, it wasn't unheard of for teacher and student to have a relationship. And he knew of at least two happy couples that were many years apart from each other and had successful marriages...so that would be OK...
Or maybe it was just that he'd never considered himself the type to settle down.
Kakashi had no idea what he was going to do.
----
Sakura quietly hummed to herself as she brushed her clean pink hair and examined her face in the mirror. Kakashi's kiss had completely erased all negative thoughts from her mind, leaving a nice tingly feeling in her abdomen and a smile on her face. Everything's getting better... she thought happily, And the bruises are almost gone...
Was that not phenomenal!
Sakura almost laughed out loud at her alternate personality. I can't believe I'm talking to myself again...
Hey, somebody's got to be the wild one here...next time you should try to pull some other articles of clothing off...
Sakura giggled despite herself, knowing that that really was her thinking. No matter what she referred to that little voice as, the kunoichi knew that Inner Sakura was really her deepest, darkest thoughts.
A chill passed through the room and she rubbed her shoulders slightly, frowning. There shouldn't be a breeze in here...
He was there.
Orochimaru/Sasuke stared at her in the mirror, standing slightly behind her own reflection. She turned to where the evil man should have been in real life, but he wasn't there, and the reflection was the only thing that she could see. "Don't get so comfortable, Sakura..." he said, smiling sinisterly in her ear, placing his hands on her shoulders. The chill was his breath, and she could feel it on her neck now.
"You're not real," she said firmly, although it hadn't worked last time.
"Then what's this...?" He wrapped his hands around her wrists and then proceeded to drag his nails down her forearms, leaving bloody cuts in their wake. She couldn't do anything but stare at the Sharingan in the mirror, her head lulling to the side as she fell into its trance.
"No..." she murmured.
His snake-like tongue flicked out and brushed against her neck. "You can't stop me..."
"No...no...KAKASHI!"
Orochimaru/Sasuke hissed and quickly disappeared, leaving her to fall to the floor.
----
Kakashi jumped up at the sound of her scream, walking to the door hastily and knocking harshly. "Sakura?" No answer. "Sakura!"
He slammed his palm into the door and the flimsy lock quickly gave way, letting him in.
She was lying in a pool of blood.
----
Sakura was in a daze as Kakashi scooped her up and carried her back to the hospital...as Shizune and Tsunade gaped at her for a moment before taking her to the emergency room...
"Who did this, Sakura?"
"Oroch...Oro..."
"Orochimaru," Kakashi's voice said from somewhere else. She couldn't see anymore. Black spots appeared in front of her and she could feel her consciousness oozing out of her with too much of her blood...
----
Kakashi watched the girl worriedly, crossing his arms in front of him and retreating into a corner to get out of the Hokage's way. Tsunade was rushing around and telling the other medics what to do as Sakura just continued to bleed.
His eyes narrowed as she tried to tell them who had hurt her, and he hissed out the name angrily. Tsunade turned towards him, taking him by the arm.
"We need to talk."
She led him out of the emergency room and down the hallways to her office before closing the door and sitting him down in front of her.
"We should send out a team to track him down if he's here..." Kakashi started, but Tsunade held up a hand to stop him, her face marred with a pained expression.
She looked at him, frowning. "These wounds appear to be self-inflicted..."
He mirrored her expression. "What?"
"From now on you'll have to keep her away from razors...she shouldn't be allowed to do anything alone. Obviously she's in danger even when she's in your apartment, Kakashi, and I trust you as one of the finest jounin here. Since she obviously trusts you...and Naruto and Amarante are not as advanced in skill...I've decided that she should stay with only you until Sasuke is found and..." she paused painfully, "...taken care of."
Kakashi nodded, letting it all soak in. "Although Sakura has always been so strong..."
"Rape can push even the strongest people over the edge," Tsunade said sadly, "And you know that it must be worse for Sakura...the person she trusted the most betrayed her in the worst way." She stared at Kakashi edgily. "That's why it's so important for you to be there for her. Be her rock, someone that she can turn to...because we know it's what she needs right now."
He nodded again, precisely aware of what Tsunade was saying. "So when can she be released again?"
"No more than a couple of days," Tsunade answered, sitting back in her chair, "I think that she blacked out due to stress rather than blood loss. But you still need to be extremely careful around her."
"I will, Hokage."
"Good. You can go, Kakashi. Let us take care of her tonight and we'll get you back here in the morning."
"I'd rather stay..."
"I insist," she responded sharply, putting a hand on his arm. He looked at her in surprise. "Everyone knows that you've spent night and day taking care of her, and you've earned a break."
So, not wanting to disobey the Hokage, he went home alone that night.
----
Things seemed abnormally quiet as Kakashi cleaned up the bloody mess in the bathroom, anger at Sakura's attacker getting stronger and stronger as he scrubbed away at the red stains on the tile.
Although she'd only been living with him for five days, he realized that he'd gotten used to it as he climbed into bed, vaguely wondering how things would have been that night, if they would have been different because they'd kissed. Perhaps she would've ended up wrapped in his arms again, intentionally this time.
Was it all a mistake? He didn't know.
For the first time, Kakashi cursed at how clueless he really was.
----
A/N: Well, I don't know if it's really long enough, but I liked this chapter...they finally kissed! I just couldn't hold back any longer...I thought it was time for some fluff, because I realized how fluffless this really has been so far...
Anyway, I was really impressed with all the D words you guys came up with. I've got to thank Sakurablossom 352 for this particular chapter name...and a really nice review to go along with it. So, thanks to all of you, I've now got chapter names for at least 40 or so chapters...but I'm doubtful that there are going to be that many, lol.
In regard to the lapse of time during this chapter, three days have passed since Chapter 3.
Review responses will be PMs. Thanks so much guys, and PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW!
--Kat
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"Sakura..."
Sakura smiled lightly. Finally, a good dream... "Mm...yes?"
Someone cleared their throat and brought her farther out of her reverie as she cracked an eye open. Something was obstructing the light from hitting her eyes...
A blush painted her cheeks when she felt a pair of hands cover her own and delicately move them from where they were resting. She quickly closed her eyes again to fake sleep as Kakashi sat up and looked over at her, realizing that she had moved all the way over to him from her side of the bed. The older man got up stiffly and walked out of the room, followed by the sound of a door shutting quietly down the hall.
Sakura opened her eyes again, suddenly overcome by an uncontrollable fit of giggles. The laughter bubbled out of her chest for the first time in almost a week.
"What's so funny?" Kakashi's voice said from the doorway. She jumped, turning towards him and trying to stifle her laughter.
"I...I really don't know..." she said breathlessly, a grin still on her face.
Kakashi leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms, his visible eye showing that he was pleased with her change of mood. She'd now been out of the hospital for five days, but this was the first time she'd slept through the night, or had any kind of real laughter. It was also the first time she'd been so close to him.
"You slept well?"
Unbelievably, the smile on her face grew. "I didn't have any nightmares!" she said happily, jumping up. Hell yeah! Inner Sakura yelled as the girl continued to celebrate before running up to Kakashi and throwing her arms around him. His eyes widened a little and then he awkwardly returned the embrace. Sakura pulled away quickly. "Does this mean I get to go home?"
Kakashi frowned a little, shaking his head, and her smile faltered. "I don't think so..."
"Hey, it's alright," she said, shrugging. A blush quickly covered her pretty face. "Sorry for..." She gestured back to the bed. "...uh...you know..."
He cleared his throat, "Uh, yes, it's alright. Well." They stood there silently, the joy of the moment having passed. "You feel up to breakfast?"
Sakura made eye contact with him quickly, her green eyes wide. She hadn't left the apartment since being released from the hospital...her incident with Sasuke/Orochimaru had left her nerves on edge, and she didn't want to explain anything to everyone else. But cabin fever was kicking in...
She nodded firmly, smiling. "Yeah. Let's go."
----
Luckily, the small teahouse down the street wasn't very crowded that morning, and the storm that had soaked Konoha the night before had kept a lot of people inside. Kakashi and Sakura made their way quietly down the street and into the little building quickly, Sakura running a hand through her hair to brush out some of the water. Kakashi hastily went to a table and sat down, Sakura following.
"Why so quick?" she asked after getting settled across from him. A yellow light shone down on the wooden table, illuminating the booth in the absence of the sun.
"I just didn't know if you wanted anyone to see you," Kakashi explained, slouching in his seat a bit. Sakura knew that if he'd have sat any taller his hair might've hit the light fixture.
She nodded. "I see...thanks."
A waitress came and took their orders and soon they were both clasping cups of hot tea in front of them. Kakashi raised the cup to his lips and slowly took a sip through his mask. Sakura let out a short laugh at the sight.
"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It seems funny how attached you are to that mask," she responded, rolling her eyes.
"And why does it bother you so much?"
She laughed, and then took a sip of her own tea. "Touché."
He chuckled lightly and then looked at her with an appraising eye. "You know Sakura, you've changed so much."
Instant regret took over the minute he said it. The smile on her face didn't fade, but a trace of confusion founds its way into her eyes, making her crease her brow slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing."
It was obvious that that part of the conversation was over.
A few moments of silence passed between them during which the waitress came back with their food, putting a plate in front of Sakura only. The kunoichi looked at her ex-sensei accusingly. "So you don't eat?"
He shook his head sarcastically, and she thought she heard a quiet laugh. "Sakura...you've seen me eat plenty of times in the past few days, haven't you?"
She thought back on it, but didn't remember seeing his face. "I...well, I guess I wasn't watching..."
"So I do eat, but you just don't pay enough attention to see me take off my mask," he explained gleefully. Sakura glared before beginning to eat her own food.
"This tastes so good after the crap you have at your place..." she muttered between bites.
"Was that supposed to be an insult?"
"Not at all..." she drawled. Kakashi laughed at her again.
"You've grown up, but I see you haven't lost your sense of humor. I guess that's a good thing."
She didn't respond, continuing to eat instead.
Kakashi sat silently as she finished, and then watched as the waitress came back and took Sakura's empty plate from her. It wasn't long before the pink-haired girl looked up at him expectantly. "So what else are we doing today?"
He stared at her with his droopy eye, betraying no emotion whatsoever. "I was thinking we'd go back to the apartment and read some more."
Another moment of silence. And then...
"How about we train?"
He stared at her incredulously. "Sakura, it's raining. Hardly a good day to train."
She looked up at him, pouting and clasping her hands in front of her. "Pleeeeeease Sensei?"
He sighed, giving in. "Fine, Sakura...let's just wait for the bill and then we can go..." Just as he said that, a new bucket of rain fell on Konoha, and the sound of raindrops pattering on the roof filled the teahouse. Kakashi took a breath to ask if she was sure, but Sakura cut him off.
"I'm sure...now let's get going."
----
Drops of water fell from Sakura's hair as she put her hands on her knees to catch her breath after another sparring session with Kakashi, pleased to see that he was leaning against a tree and doing the same. She guessed that they'd been out in the forest training grounds for a couple hours now, and they were both soaked. Kakashi's mask clung to his skin, but still didn't suggest enough of his features to make them out. The April air bit at Sakura's wet skin, making her shiver as she stood up, stretching a little. "Wanna go again?"
He looked at her in awe, his eye wide. "Again?"
"Aw, come on Kakashi...or are you gettin' too old?"
He rolled his eyes at her stab at his age. "You know that I only just turned twenty-six..."
Sakura laughed. "I think you're off by about eight years." She finished her sentence and quickly sent a punch in his direction, which he caught easily.
"I may be older, but I can still handle a little kunoichi."
Realizing that he wasn't releasing his grip on her fist, she kicked her foot out at his stomach, which he deflected with his other hand, throwing her backwards into the squishy, wet grass.
Her laughter filled the small glade as she propped herself up on her elbows. "That wasn't very nice."
"That's what you get for -"
A quick sweep of her foot caught him off guard and brought him onto the ground as well, almost comically swaying and falling into the mud. "Alright Sakura..." he groaned from his place on the ground, "It's called respect for your elders..."
She snorted, looking over at the man slowly sinking into the mud. "You gonna get up?"
"I think you might've broken your old sensei's back..."
Laughing again, she stood and put a hand out to help him, looking down at his still form.
And then he was gone.
"Behind you," she heard before being shoved into the mud again. Laughter exploded out of her lungs while she kept her eyes closed. She knew that Kakashi was back leaning against his tree, probably pulling out one of his little books under the shelter of the tree's branches.
"Now that wasn't fair," she proclaimed. The water on the ground was pressing against her back, but she was already so drenched that she didn't really care.
"I never said we could fight again, and you attacked me anyway," he said. She opened her eyes to see his hand this time, reaching out to help her up. "Now you can praise me."
"You don't get any more praise," she growled playfully, sitting up and taking his hand.
She didn't notice the mud under her foot as she got up.
----
Kakashi automatically held out his arms for the girl to grab onto as she slid forward, holding onto anything that she could.
Unfortunately for him, that something happened to be his mask.
Sakura's fingers still gripped the black cloth as she looked up at him with wide eyes. This certainly wasn't what I was expecting...
The tone of his skin was pale in the most attractive way she'd ever seen, finally out of the shadows of his mask and headband. The two words that came to mind when looking at his features were beautiful and dignified. Look at those lips! Inner Sakura sighed, Brings tears to my eyes!
Sakura absentmindedly brought a hand to his face and touched his smooth skin, as he looked down on her with wide eyes, the Sharingan eye still covered by his headband. Her fingers wandered along his cheek bones and over his nose, and finally to the lips that Inner Sakura was raving about, gingerly caressing them. The scar that slashed across his eye ran all the way along his cheek bone and down to his jaw as well, attracting her attention as well.
Kakashi just stood there, fighting a battle with himself over what he was supposed to do. He wanted so badly to lean forward and kiss the girl, but he didn't know how she would react after being violated so badly with Sasuke.
Feeling won out over reason.
Sakura gasped as the beautiful face moved closer to hers and his lips covered hers lovingly. Meeting with shock, Kakashi pulled away, and Sakura blinked at him in surprise. Come on girl, go for it! Inner Sakura screamed.
She leaned forward, closing her eyes again, but he'd already put a hand on her waist and another around her shoulder, having to bend down for better access to her mouth. Panic surged through her when he started pulling her closer, but it was instantly gone - unlike Sasuke, Kakashi was tender and kind, and she knew that she had the option to stop completely if she wanted to...which she didn't.
Her breath hitched in her throat and she moaned slightly as she put her hands on his chest and he pulled her to where their bodies were almost completely pressed against one another, tilting his head and opening his mouth slightly, questioningly. She responded by opening her own lips and letting his tongue in, giving in to the moment.
Soon he pulled away, and they leaned their foreheads against each other with closed eyes, drawing in deep breaths. Kakashi's hands floated down to her hips and she relaxed after releasing all of the romantic tension of the past five days in close quarters with such a beautiful man.
"I'm sorry..." he muttered. Sakura laughed.
"Why?"
His eyes met hers, frowning. "You don't object to that?"
She blushed as she realized that she had just kissed her former teacher. "Um...we're equals, right...I kinda liked it..."
They stood there for a few more seconds before he reluctantly backed away from her, pulling up his mask and smiling. "Let's go back to the apartment and get cleaned up."
Sakura smiled, feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush. "OK."
----
Kakashi felt lightheaded as he rubbed his hair with a towel and sat down on the couch with an Icha Icha book while Sakura showered. He hadn't meant to do that...the kiss probably wouldn't have happened if she hadn't accidentally pulled down his mask...but he knew that he wouldn't have been nearly as happy as he was now if they hadn't had that moment. Maybe now he could get over that overwhelming feeling he had every time he was around her...
But, no, he knew that it would only get worse. From then on he would want her more and more, and he realized that it would be the same for her. And things couldn't work between them...both were highly qualified jounin, both of them often went out on dangerous missions...not to mention the huge age difference.
Of course, it wasn't unheard of for teacher and student to have a relationship. And he knew of at least two happy couples that were many years apart from each other and had successful marriages...so that would be OK...
Or maybe it was just that he'd never considered himself the type to settle down.
Kakashi had no idea what he was going to do.
----
Sakura quietly hummed to herself as she brushed her clean pink hair and examined her face in the mirror. Kakashi's kiss had completely erased all negative thoughts from her mind, leaving a nice tingly feeling in her abdomen and a smile on her face. Everything's getting better... she thought happily, And the bruises are almost gone...
Was that not phenomenal!
Sakura almost laughed out loud at her alternate personality. I can't believe I'm talking to myself again...
Hey, somebody's got to be the wild one here...next time you should try to pull some other articles of clothing off...
Sakura giggled despite herself, knowing that that really was her thinking. No matter what she referred to that little voice as, the kunoichi knew that Inner Sakura was really her deepest, darkest thoughts.
A chill passed through the room and she rubbed her shoulders slightly, frowning. There shouldn't be a breeze in here...
He was there.
Orochimaru/Sasuke stared at her in the mirror, standing slightly behind her own reflection. She turned to where the evil man should have been in real life, but he wasn't there, and the reflection was the only thing that she could see. "Don't get so comfortable, Sakura..." he said, smiling sinisterly in her ear, placing his hands on her shoulders. The chill was his breath, and she could feel it on her neck now.
"You're not real," she said firmly, although it hadn't worked last time.
"Then what's this...?" He wrapped his hands around her wrists and then proceeded to drag his nails down her forearms, leaving bloody cuts in their wake. She couldn't do anything but stare at the Sharingan in the mirror, her head lulling to the side as she fell into its trance.
"No..." she murmured.
His snake-like tongue flicked out and brushed against her neck. "You can't stop me..."
"No...no...KAKASHI!"
Orochimaru/Sasuke hissed and quickly disappeared, leaving her to fall to the floor.
----
Kakashi jumped up at the sound of her scream, walking to the door hastily and knocking harshly. "Sakura?" No answer. "Sakura!"
He slammed his palm into the door and the flimsy lock quickly gave way, letting him in.
She was lying in a pool of blood.
----
Sakura was in a daze as Kakashi scooped her up and carried her back to the hospital...as Shizune and Tsunade gaped at her for a moment before taking her to the emergency room...
"Who did this, Sakura?"
"Oroch...Oro..."
"Orochimaru," Kakashi's voice said from somewhere else. She couldn't see anymore. Black spots appeared in front of her and she could feel her consciousness oozing out of her with too much of her blood...
----
Kakashi watched the girl worriedly, crossing his arms in front of him and retreating into a corner to get out of the Hokage's way. Tsunade was rushing around and telling the other medics what to do as Sakura just continued to bleed.
His eyes narrowed as she tried to tell them who had hurt her, and he hissed out the name angrily. Tsunade turned towards him, taking him by the arm.
"We need to talk."
She led him out of the emergency room and down the hallways to her office before closing the door and sitting him down in front of her.
"We should send out a team to track him down if he's here..." Kakashi started, but Tsunade held up a hand to stop him, her face marred with a pained expression.
She looked at him, frowning. "These wounds appear to be self-inflicted..."
He mirrored her expression. "What?"
"From now on you'll have to keep her away from razors...she shouldn't be allowed to do anything alone. Obviously she's in danger even when she's in your apartment, Kakashi, and I trust you as one of the finest jounin here. Since she obviously trusts you...and Naruto and Amarante are not as advanced in skill...I've decided that she should stay with only you until Sasuke is found and..." she paused painfully, "...taken care of."
Kakashi nodded, letting it all soak in. "Although Sakura has always been so strong..."
"Rape can push even the strongest people over the edge," Tsunade said sadly, "And you know that it must be worse for Sakura...the person she trusted the most betrayed her in the worst way." She stared at Kakashi edgily. "That's why it's so important for you to be there for her. Be her rock, someone that she can turn to...because we know it's what she needs right now."
He nodded again, precisely aware of what Tsunade was saying. "So when can she be released again?"
"No more than a couple of days," Tsunade answered, sitting back in her chair, "I think that she blacked out due to stress rather than blood loss. But you still need to be extremely careful around her."
"I will, Hokage."
"Good. You can go, Kakashi. Let us take care of her tonight and we'll get you back here in the morning."
"I'd rather stay..."
"I insist," she responded sharply, putting a hand on his arm. He looked at her in surprise. "Everyone knows that you've spent night and day taking care of her, and you've earned a break."
So, not wanting to disobey the Hokage, he went home alone that night.
----
Things seemed abnormally quiet as Kakashi cleaned up the bloody mess in the bathroom, anger at Sakura's attacker getting stronger and stronger as he scrubbed away at the red stains on the tile.
Although she'd only been living with him for five days, he realized that he'd gotten used to it as he climbed into bed, vaguely wondering how things would have been that night, if they would have been different because they'd kissed. Perhaps she would've ended up wrapped in his arms again, intentionally this time.
Was it all a mistake? He didn't know.
For the first time, Kakashi cursed at how clueless he really was.
----
A/N: Well, I don't know if it's really long enough, but I liked this chapter...they finally kissed! I just couldn't hold back any longer...I thought it was time for some fluff, because I realized how fluffless this really has been so far...
Anyway, I was really impressed with all the D words you guys came up with. I've got to thank Sakurablossom 352 for this particular chapter name...and a really nice review to go along with it. So, thanks to all of you, I've now got chapter names for at least 40 or so chapters...but I'm doubtful that there are going to be that many, lol.
In regard to the lapse of time during this chapter, three days have passed since Chapter 3.
Review responses will be PMs. Thanks so much guys, and PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW!
--Kat
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