“Hey Kakashi-kun,” she greeted him with a sweet lilt in her voice. He turned to give her a brief glance before resuming his current occupation. Her footsteps were light and graceful, he noted as he absent-mindedly flipped the page, and her voice had a dulcet ring in it that was easy on the ear – his ears, to be exact. Her footsteps grew louder and he could feel her approaching.

“It’s so dark out here, and you’re reading?” She glanced back and forth incredulously between his book and his masked face.

She had come looking for him after realizing that he had gone missing from the party that was being held not so far from the lake. After much teasing and ribbing received for her earlier and accidental ‘misconduct’, she was able to enjoy herself enough while entertaining her friends who brought her birthday party to life. The jounin friends of the companion that she was seeking now were merciless to both of them as they spat out innuendo after innuendo, causing her to go beet red that she felt sure it would combust in flames anytime soon.

“Aa…”

It was not the right time to read, since it was too dark, but he had had just about enough repartee with his friends about Sakura. It had come to the point where he decided that he had to get away before his already perverted mind became even contaminated with Genma’s corrupted and imaginative narrative of Sakura’s assets. Besides, he knew that she would have come looking for him sooner or later – though he would much prefer it to be later, when the crowd would have dwindled in number by then – and that notion led him to his current spot.

He let his visible eye, now that his tired Sharingan was covered with the hitai-ate, follow the curves of his companion’s body subtly. She had filled out rather pleasantly, he observed, and displayed some sense of maturity and practicality in her dressing. Her short red skirt that overlapped a pair of short black pants had slits up her hips provided her flexibility of movement. He could not help but let an appreciative smile sneak unto his lips as he felt her leaning against his side – she exuded warmth that he welcomed very much after enduring a few chilly breezes.

She leaned closer and he understood. He pulled her closer to him, putting his free arm around her shoulders. She smiled gratefully at him, letting her gaze settle comfortably on his twinkling eye.

The first time he had pulled her into a half-embrace was when they were caught in a horrible gale during their return from a simple mission. She was reluctant at first, but then submitted when she realized that she had not enough strength to pull away from his embrace. The experience, needless to say, was uncomfortable initially, but their inhibitions soon melted away when he caressed her upper arm lightly, as though to reassure her that he could be trusted. That was the second line they had crossed, since relinquishing their formalities as student and teacher. They were friends now.

“Sakura-chan?” His little book was now on the ground.

“Hmm?” She broke away from her inner musings to refocus on him.

“Where are our two wonderful friends?” A devilish smirk appeared on his face, his eye gleaming roguishly as he pulled her closer until she could rest her head in the crook of his neck. She would have objected, considering the fact that they were not alone and such a move on their part would invoke the glee of gossipmongers and perhaps the wrath of her well-meaning friends and teacher. But she did not, and that put his apprehension at ease, though the need to know the reason behind this unusual acquiescence on her behalf nagged at his conscience. He brushed away the thought, preferring to relish the moment while he had the opportunity.

As for the two troublemakers, Sakura had insisted earlier that he should not bother to deal with them or even knock some sense into their stubborn, conniving minds. He, as she put it, deserved to relax and enjoy his time at her surprise party while she took care of the matter. He had probably made his doubts obvious that she beamed at him with uncommon cheerfulness that made him suspect certain underhanded and perhaps, entertaining business that would be dealt onto them. He would not put it past her to make use of her new found subtlety that she had gained from him on the duo that were now, he mused, enjoying their last scraps of dinner and sake before the culminating moment. At least she was kind enough to wait.

“Oh, hanging around,” she replied nonchalantly as she snuggled closer, inhaling his pleasing masculine scent that she enjoyed very much. His smell was very distinct and very, very easy on her nose. She could not quite put a finger on it, but felt almost sure that he used a similar soap that she did. Perhaps he preferred grapes to strawberry but the hint of jasmine blended nicely together with the scent of the familiar cherry blossom. Though the fragrance was feminine, his cologne certainly added a nice masculine touch.

He lifted an eyebrow, showing his disbelief. Sakura had learnt the art of understatement after being in his company for a while. It amused him to hear her sometimes, and he often chuckled at her understated comments for she pulled it off rather charmingly and with the right amount of nonchalance. “Whereabouts?”
She gestured lazily towards the trees not far from where they were. He turned his gaze and focused his eye on two very familiar figures wrapped in their own cocoons, hanging from a very high branch of a tall, sturdy tree. The said figures swung around as much as they could, hoping to crash into the trunk of the tree and perhaps fall off like an acorn. He chuckled, softly. If they were much nearer, he would no doubt hear their strings of curses flowing with ease off their tongue. From his distance, he could see only glimpses of blond and gray bangs sticking out of their cocoons, only certifying the assumption that they could not make louder noises than muffled yells.

“Was it your idea?” He cast his eyes towards her.

“I had Sasuke and Tsunade pitching in,” she replied softly. His voice had a nice, deep rumbling to it, she thought, and it was mellow enough to be a soothing lullaby for her. She snuck her hands into his jounin vest, trying to catch some of his warmth. She rested her right hand on his chest as the other hand clutched his vest from the inside. His eyes widened in surprise in her apparent lack of reservations. It was only for a while though, and he lifted her quickly to move her between his legs. It would be more comfortable for the both of them now.

“Oh?”

“Mm.”

She closed her eyes, too lost in the coziness and security that he had wrapped her in. She cast all her worries and cares to the wind, opting instead to savor the moment as it was. She longed to be wrapped up like this for as long as she could, even forever if time would allow her. Unbeknownst to her, her protector was currently swimming in a torrent flooding of emotions. He was unsure of his stand, now that the second line they crossed had evolved into something much more intimate such as this. He too, though he did not know it himself, was feeling the realization of his longing to embrace her with such intimacy and familiarity and security that he knew she needed. She stirred slightly, distracting him from his inner musings.

“Kakashi-kun?” Her gentle voice crooned his name with affection.

“Yes?”

“Sing for me?”

The door creaked loudly as it swung open violently. The doorknob hung out of its socket. She stepped in, numbing fear clenching her heart. It was dark and cold inside, as a foreign hollow aura hung about the room. A single flicker from the flame of a candle lit a far off room. The rest of the apartment was left in darkness, though it took a few moments before her eyes adjusted themselves to the dimness. As her eyes made use of the dim light, the occasional lightning lit up the room – revealing clothes strewn messily on the floor, books scattered on the table and bed, used plates and glasses shattered and the furniture askew haphazardly – showing varying degrees of struggle that seemed to have taken place not so long ago. The wailing wind and raindrops pelting heavily on the glass windows seemed to cry out her intense trepidation. Her eyes scanned erratically around the room, looking for a familiar figure that had graced her with its calming presence on so many times.

Her eyes finally rested on a slumped figure by the bed, its limbs at awkward angles. The headband was in its hand, clutched weakly – as though trying to tell her it had fought to the point of no return. Hot angry tears trickled down her pale cheeks as she rushed forward to the figure. She held his head fondly, in an arm as her lips trembled and struggled to form coherent talk. He moaned softly, finally realizing that she was there. Finally there – where he needed her.

“Sakura…” Her name was like an energizer that spurred his body to regain its strength as it rolled off his tongue with ease. His faint heartbeat now grew stronger in her embrace. He had rarely the opportunity to be in such close proximity to her before and now felt that it would soon become his new and perhaps, permanent addiction. Besides his Icha Icha books, he would not mind such anew addiction.

“No, don’t speak… please, Kakashi, just don’t…” Her shoulders heaved violently as she tried to restrain her sobs. She did not want to agitate him, though it became apparent that he was just as agitated at the sight of her. She bit her lip, anxiously trying to recollect her thoughts though it was very difficult to do when confronted with a situation like this. Especially when it came to Kakashi. Everything she did or know would come undone when her thoughts came to him. It was getting unreasonable.

“Trap…” He had to warn her, before it would become too late. She had to go. He would die just to save her. He could not afford to waste more time than he already had with her, seeing now that her life was in grave danger as long as she was distracted by his condition.

“What?” She spun around immediately, but it was too late. She felt something sharp and very thin, perhaps a senbon pierce her neck. The drug was efficient in its reaction time, coursing through her veins speedily. Her lids became heavy, her limbs weakened and she slumped forward with her head on his chest. Her hearing was the last to go, though her drug-addled mind could not comprehend the exchange between Kakashi and the strangers.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His hard tone belying the anger he fought back within him. His Sharingan was deactivated as a result of being shot with some very powerful bloodline limiter drug.

“Ne, Kakashi-sempai. Do not deny that you enjoy having your lovely,” the speaker paused to lick his lips as his lecherous eyes strayed towards her legs, “friend all over you like this.”

He would have blushed and hoped fervently that Sakura in her unconsciousness did not hear his heart beating wildly if the situation was not as life threatening. He admonished himself almost immediately. It certainly was ill-timing to think of such thoughts. He would rather save it for another day to revel in his private and perverted thoughts of her.

“What do you want?” He growled.

There was no reply this time. He watched Sakura being blindfolded and slung over the shoulder of the speaker. Another figure emerged from the shadows and proceeded to blindfold him as well. He felt himself being lifted up and hauled over the shoulder as well, noting the fact that his kidnappers were very strong physically, besides having such sly and conniving intelligence that rivaled Kakashi’s own.

“Where are we going?”

His question was merely met with cackles of laughter. He slowly slipped into unconsciousness again, feeling the raindrops on his skin as the chilly wind sent him shivers. The drug had been slow in reacting with his bodily fluids in the beginning, but had now begun to surge within him. It was taking effect rather well. He shivered involuntarily.

“Cold much?” It was the last thing he heard before passing out into a black world.

Her eyes fluttered open, brushing against a rough texture that stung her. She shut her eyes again, realizing that she was blindfolded. Her hands were tied to the back. She wrenched her binds roughly, hoping against hope it would come undone but it was too tight. Her hands began feeling around, trying to feel their way through the darkness that gripped her at the moment. They groped around until one of her hands rested on a very warm and soft spot. Warmth meant there was somebody with her. She squeezed harder, eliciting a sharp intake of breath and a low moan from her ‘companion’.

“Who is it?” She whispered hoarsely, her hand still holding the ‘spot’.

“Sakura,” she heard her name called in a familiar voice, though it sounded as though Kakashi was speaking through gritted teeth, “get your hands off my privates.”

Her hands withdrew in a split second, as blood rushed up to her neck and cheeks furiously. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. My pleasure,” he added with a tinge of cheekiness. He had long ago awakened from his drug-induced slumber and had come to the conclusion that they were alone. He could not feel any chakra nearby, nor had he heard any sounds that would betray the enemies to them. At least it was safe enough to lighten the tension between the two of them.

She decided to ignore him on that remark, as the situation did not seem to favor them. “What’s going on, Kakashi?”

“I have no idea,” he answered gruffly, still trying to fight off the blush that threatened to color his pale cheeks. He was still a little bewildered at Sakura’s earlier actions and was going through the denial phase that he actually enjoyed the sensations she sent into him. He struggled with his ropes before realizing that it was only in vain. “Somebody had better take these binds off me before I cut them with chakra.”

Something clicked. They looked up, though unsure of where the sound had come from. Someone giggled, then another, and another before it seemed as though the whole place erupted in wholesome laughter. Kakashi and Sakura frowned, suspecting the worst to come. The laughter died down eventually before the atmosphere stilled once again. There was a rustle of leaves and some snapping of twigs before they both felt a presence in front of them. They struggled harder against their bindings, itching to get into battle mode and strangle whomever it was that stood near them now.

They felt the ropes loosened and they yanked down their blindfolds. Their eyes widened in bewilderment at the sight before their eyes. It was as though everyone that they knew was there, even the Sand siblings were joining in the ‘fun’. Their friends were thoroughly amused, especially at the groping
episode and could not contain their glee at the expense of the two almost fearsome and untouchable ninjas. They were well known for what damage their tempers could dispense out at times, especially at times like this.

“Ne, Kakashi… Sakura’s got a fine touch, doesn’t she?” Their heads turned swiftly, almost mechanically to the brown-haired jounin, the blush on their faces now evident. Their eyes fastened on him, narrowing into tiny slits as they did so.

“Genma…” Kakashi drawled menacingly as he stood up. He offered a hand to Sakura and pulled her up as she took it. She gave his hand a brief squeeze as a sign of gratitude, and perhaps encouragement to proceed with his very transparent plan of teaching Genma a lesson or two on subtlety. He squeezed back before releasing, albeit reluctantly.

“What?” The senbon-wielder grinned in amusement before pointing an accusing finger to a certain blonde that now cowered behind Sasuke. “It was his idea.” His eyebrows shot up in emphasis.

A pair of beryl eyes and a pair of mismatched eyes attempted to burn fiery holes into Sasuke, oblivious to everyone else’s maniacal grins plastered on their faces. If looks could kill, Naruto would have been cremated after dropping dead from the glowering scowls they dished out to him. Sasuke would be dead as well, from unwittingly shielding the mischievous blonde.

Sensing that it was the perfect opportunity to escape before all hell was unleashed, a certain gray-haired toad Sannin tried to slink off into the crowd, only to be obstructed by a strong grip on his arm. The fingers were very, very familiar though he knew that it had never, ever touched him before. He turned.

“Jiraiya-sama! I know you’re his partner too!” Sakura jerked a finger at said blonde’s direction, now helplessly clutched in a death-grip of Kakashi’s.

The Sannin and his apprentice exchanged knowing looks and gulped. They heaved a sigh of relief, however, as the chokeholds slackened when Genma cleared his throat. The two would-be murderers cast their death-glares in his direction, momentarily stopping his thinking. After regaining his composure, he snapped his fingers in signal.

“Happy birthday, Sakura,” The crowd chorused.

“Kakashi!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, her arms held stiffly to her sides with her fist clenched tight. It was lunchtime, and he was not being much of a help either – with his mischievous ways of getting her attention.

“Yes, Sakura-chan?” She could almost hear the laughter in his voice. How dare he?

She whirled round, her balled-up fist swinging in his direction. But it merely punched the air as he avoided her attack swiftly.

“Come. Back. Here. NOW!” She yelled at him despite her lack of food.

But he was nowhere to be seen. She could not sense his chakra at all within her vicinity. He would not have left her that way, she knew that. At worst, he was probably blocking her from sensing his chakra, and was now sitting up on a tree branch. She took a deep breath. Perhaps it was good training for her anger management – though her rumbling stomach disagreed strongly. She needed food. And fast. If he knew what was best for himself, he would be leaving her bento box somewhere nearby and speed to the nearest village and not come back for a week.

She decided to just make a deal with him. After all, the overgrown child probably wanted to have his revenge after she had been too busy to tend to him last week. She sighed. He certainly was being childish now. Perhaps she should not have forfeited his afternoon trainings for patching up a certain womanizing ninja. His pride was probably dented.

She sat on the soft grass, her voice had gone soft now.

“Kakashi-kun, let’s play tag, shall we? If I tag you, you’ll give me back my bento box. Ok?”

Not a reply. She heaved a soft sigh. “I’ll share with you too…? Please…?” She added pleadingly.

Still, there was no reply. She began to doubt that he was there. Nevertheless, she continued bargaining even though she was more confident now that he was not there.

“I’ll feed you even… I just want to eat.” She was near tears now, though she fought hard to keep them at bay. She was not going to win this with her tears. No way.

“Hm? Feed me?” Her downcast eyes saw his familiar legs, but did not look up at him. She merely nodded.

“Are you crying, Sakura?” His voice lowered, almost whispering as he knelt down to her height. He swallowed his saliva quietly. Had he gone too far?

“No, I’m not. I’m fine… just hungry,” she finished meekly. Her large, innocent eyes finally looked up at him – almost pleading him to surrender her lunch. He seemed hesitant.

He was beginning to think it would be a good idea to surrender the bento box right then and just keep quiet. After all, he could not bear the thought or even the sight of her hot tears trickling down those smooth cheeks. He sighed. Perhaps he should have surrendered earlier? A sudden tap on his head startled him out of his thoughts.

“Hn?”

“You’re tagged!” She grinned happily. “Can I have my lunch now?”

“That was downright cheating Sakura-chan!” He chuckled, handing her the box. As she made a grab for it, he withdrew his hand. “You did remember the deal, didn’t you?”

“Deal? What deal, Kaka-kun?” Her eyes shone with amusement now.

“Feeding me?”

“There was no deal, as I recall, Kaka-kun…” She drawled.

“Don’t do that Saku-chan… as I recall as well, you too have no deal.” He grinned wickedly. Two can play the same game.

“Oh. That… deal…” She acquiesced reluctantly – he noticed. “Okay… are you sure you want me to feed you?”

“Of course. What could be more romantic?” He chortled, knowing how embarrassing such a comment would be for her. As he looked at her, he knew he was right. Her cheeks were of a pinkish hue now, her eyes gazing at his feet in an unusual interest – completely embarrassed to silence. He too could not believe such a comment would escape his lips, but he simply could not resist. The timing was screaming for it.

“Ne… Sakura-chan, you want your lunch back, right? I’m hungry too, you know…” He chuckled some more.

Her viridian eyes looked up at him with innocence, staring at him. He handed her the box and wasted no time in sitting across her. “Are you ready Sakura-chan?”

“Of course, Kakashi-kun. Here you go!” She had quickly opened the cover and scooped some of her rice and vegetable after he handed her the box.

His eyes widened in delight as he savored her home-cooked dish. “Delicious!”

“Really?”

“Yes, of course. You’re a wonderful cook, Sakura-chan!”

Another appreciative blush. “Thank you, Kakashi.”

“Here, let me feed you.”

Before she could protest, he had taken the box and spoon away from her swiftly and the chicken-meat-and-rice-filled spoon awaited her patiently. She opened her mouth and felt the food pushed gently into her mouth. He was very gentle, she noted subconsciously, and considerate too. It felt good just to sit there in front of him, feeding him and also being fed. In fact, it went beyond feeling good. It gave her an adrenaline rush, and filled her with such warmth that she was sorely tempted to reach out and kiss him. She blushed when she realized what she was thinking.

He peered lazily at her, secretly wondering why she was blushing. “Are you all right, Sakura?”

“Yes… I’m fine,” she replied softly.

It was the first time they had shared a lunch together and it was the first time for both to have fed each other. To both, it was a very much welcomed and warmly accepted first time experience. Both were considering provoking each other in a not-so-subtle manner to subtly have the other surrender to another feeding time. They kept the silence, both turning the scheming cog wheels relentlessly in their minds.

She took out the short, red dress she had bought. Her viridian eyes took in the delicate flowers printed on the dress, wistfully rubbing the fabric between her fingers as her mind wandered off to the event that would require her to wear it. She had bought the dress upon the subtle suggestions of her well-meaning gray-haired sensei. She bit her lip. Somehow, the word ‘sensei’ did not seem suitable for him anymore. Kakashi-sensei, or should it just be Kakashi? She bit her bottom lip. Her mind was drifting off dangerously close to him. They were no longer connected by the student-teacher relationship anymore. In fact, she pondered further, it was more of a senior-junior relationship. Her intensive training with Tsunade-shishou had been very fruitful when she became a chuunin. She merely had to train harder and take the next level’s examinations to be jounin – the same rank as Kakashi. Perhaps she should just call him Kakashi-kun? It sounded just right. With that finally settled in her ever busy mind, she turned her thoughts back to the problem at hand.

It was Ino’s idea – to get herself a date and going to the party. She would rather go with Naruto or Sasuke, that is, if they were available in the first place. Unfortunately for her, they would rather date each other. It was that obvious. Funnily enough, years of being a missing-nin had certainly changed Sasuke’s view regarding his friendship with Naruto. Naruto was only too happy to accept Sasuke back into the fold to notice the former’s changed attitude towards him. It was amazing how dense Naruto could be when it came to reading body language and the signals one can exude. Her own childish infatuations for Sasuke had somewhat watered down to love meant for friends, perhaps to only love him as a brother.

She sighed. Her problem was still there. She had no date. Well, it was no one she knew. Her friend’s attempts at setting her up with Lee were infuriating, though it provided much amusement to her friends. At least Kakashi was on her side. He had helped her escape several of Lee’s more persuasive advances, though it meant that she was again and again stuck at footing the bill for her sensei. No, he wasn’t her sensei anymore, she told herself as she shook her head gently. She certainly hoped that Ino was not being her usual humorless pig-self by setting her up with Lee. If she did… Sakura grinned wickedly. She would pay dearly.

She glanced at the clock. It was late. Great, now Kakashi’s habit was growing on her. With a flurry of movement, she dressed up as fast as she could. Her make up was minimal, as she did not want to draw unwanted attention upon herself with thick make up. Without another glance towards the clock, she rushed off to the Inuzukas’. Her hair had been done up in a tight bun, but now loose strains strayed down her cheeks. At least it wouldn’t look like she had put too much effort into looking good. If Ino’s taste in men for her were any indication, she did not want to let him on with thinking she was looking especially nice for him.

She stopped at the front door. The music was loud but did not drown out the noise of the festivities going on inside. Her heart beat faster and she now half-wished that she had not agreed to come.

“Hello there, Sakura-chan.” A deep, masculine voice greeted her from behind.

She turned swiftly, her fingers nervously adjusting the hem of the skirt. It was him. He looked especially amused now, watching her staring at him in a stunned manner. He chuckled.

“Ne… Sakura-chan, are you really going to wear that?”

“Kakashi-sensei! You’re early!” She exclaimed softly, her voice clearly showing her ill-disguised shock.

“Aa? Early?” He scratched the back of his head. “I thought I was late… Didn’t you say to come at 7? It’s already 7.30 my dear Sakura-chan.” He let out a nervous chuckle.

He had found it very amusing, exhilarating and also touched to see her wearing the dress he had chosen for her. He never would have thought that she would buy it, let alone wear it when he had suggested it about two days ago. She had practically dragged him to the boutique to get herself a dress to Kiba’s birthday party. He found out it was Ino’s brilliant idea of getting her friend laid, he frowned at the reminder, and perhaps see her friend occupied with someone instead of her medic nin duties. He himself would love to see her happy with a special somebody, if it weren’t for his sudden streaks of possessiveness that usually crept up when he saw her with a date. Tonight was no different. Ino was setting her up with someone, and he did not protest although he had tried coaxing Sakura to get someone she knew as an escort – namely, him. She didn’t take the hint though.

He sighed softly.

“Kakashi-sensei, you think this looks horrible on me, don’t you?” A timid voice broke his chain of thoughts.

Well, she looked ethereal in her sakura-patterned dress. It ended just a few inches above her knees, exposing her flawless and endless legs. His lone eye moved up slowly, savoring the view before him. The dress clung close to her womanly curves, though it was not too tight for comfort. Her bare shoulders were tempting him to touch and he forced himself to stop there. Tempting? Sakura? He swallowed his saliva, hoping dearly he had not drooled.

“Ne… Sakura-chan… I thought I told you to call me Kakashi?” His eye crinkled.

“Kakashi, what do you think? Did I just ruin it?” She asked nervously.

“No…” He shook his head. “You look…” He scratched the back of his head. Should he say it? “Sexy.”

Her eyes widened in shock as her blush crept up to her cheeks. It was embarrassing enough for her to wear such a revealing dress, without Kakashi making it worse by calling her sexy. Was he making fun of her? She gazed at him intently. He seemed sincere, amidst the nervous chuckle. Somehow, she could not shake off the feeling of nervousness around him in that dress. There was also the unmistakable tingly feeling she got from seeing him in that marvelous suit. He looked… delicious. The door flew open, timely stopping her thoughts from marveling silently at her sensei.

“There you are Sakura! What made you so late??” Ino yelled above the noise as she opened the door.

“I well… I …” She was at lost for words, though that did not stop Ino from shoving a tall, tanned man towards her.

“Here, this is Kaneshi. He’s a family friend traveling from another village.” Ino beamed at him and turned to Sakura.

“Enjoy yourselves you two… Oh!” Apparently she had caught sight of Kakashi, who was faking another smile – though only Sakura knew it. Sakura smiled apologetically at him, but was unable to wish him luck with Ino when a large hand encircled itself around her delicate wrist.

Kaneshi wasted no time in pulling Sakura by the hand into the party scene. He smelled … Atrocious. She would even prefer one of Kakashi’s sake-and-sweat-and-blood-combo smells to THIS. She fought hard not to scrunch up her nose at him. That was one point down for Kaneshi. Another point down for his breath to stink heavily of sake. She turned back to see Kakashi pushing past Ino lazily with a dismissive wave at the furious blonde. He sat within her viewing range and took out his offending, little orange book.

She rolled her eyes. Great. There goes her guardian. She turned her eyes to
wards Kaneshi, who was now pushing through the crowd to get to the dance floor. Oh no. The evening was indeed getting worst.

“Let’s dance,” he slurred.

She smiled forcefully and painfully as his hand gripped her waist tightly. As the song wore on, their uncomfortable distance grew even more disconcerting – for both Sakura and the man in the corner who was watching her albeit his feigned reading. Kaneshi seemed to have a lot of nerve to pull her closer. He was a good head taller than her and was unabashedly staring down her cleavage as he kept on stepping on her toes. Her well pedicure toes. His points had reduced by a demeaning five points by now.

“Ahem.” The two dancers turned to the person. “Hello, Sakura, would you like to dance with me?” It was Kakashi. She looked relieved, delighted and positively ready to throw her arms around his neck when her date spoke up.

“She’s my date, old man. Get your own.” He growled and pushed Kakashi roughly in the chest. She bit her lip. It was one thing to call him an old man, and another to manhandle him when he had been very courteous. With just a blink of an eye, Kaneshi shot through the roof – clutching his bottom, screaming in pain and his eyes bulging. One Thousand Years Of Pain. That was his and her favorite technique when it came to warding off unwanted suitors.

Everyone’s eyes riveted swiftly to the smiling duo, some were rolling their eyes and some were giggling. Apparently, no one thought much of Kaneshi – thanks to his very courteous manners tonight.

“So, Sakura-chan, shall we now?” He turned to her, smiling warmly under his mask.

“Of course, Kakashi-sensei. My pleasure,” she added sincerely.

“Ah… Didn’t I tell you not to call me sensei? Kakashi is absolutely fine.”

“Kakashi-kun?”

“Perfect.”