Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ From Friends to More ❯ Chapter 1

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

From Friends to More
Summary:  One night of passion can change the dynamic of a friendship, either by destroying it or opening doors for something even better.  How do Kakashi and Sakura deal with things after they cross that fine line?
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Fa lse dawn showed through the village Hidden in the Leaves bringing forth a new beginning for those who lived there.Half-formed buildings stood next to completed structures, while empty areas that had been cleared of debris were being prepared for foundations to be poured. It was a sign that Konaha was returning back to normal after the horrific battle with Pein and the Akatsuki.Recovery was slow but it was coming at a decent pace. Since the removal of Danzo and his Root agents, and with the awakening of Lady Tsunade, things were beginning to improve for the village and its people.Unfortunately, as with all great battles, lives were lost; families torn apart by those losses and burials were commemorated.Shinobi that had been killed in action who had not been healed by Tsunade’s magnificent chakra were memorialized and names added to the great stone.It was this morning that one person was not at his typical place at the great obelisk, visiting the names of his former teammates and loved ones from the past, reliving their deaths and mourning their losses.Instead, he could be found somewhere no one would ever think to find him:in bed with Haruno Sakura.Never say that Hatake Kakashi was an uncomplicated man.The elusive mask-wearing, porn-reading, eternally late ex-Anbu kept his emotions and his personal life to himself.The only show of emotion was when he would participate in one of Gai’s challenges against his ‘Eternal Rival’ and that was usually in the form of boredom.  
It was too early in the morning to be awake, but he was.  The sun had barely begun to show its first rays yet, he noted looking towards the nearby window.  Sitting on his futon with his back up against the wall in his sparsely furnished studio apartment, the Copy Nin pondered the barrage of emotions that welled up within him.Certain events led up to his current situation and he was trying to make heads or tales of the feelings he was being overwhelmed by.
What was it that he was feeling?  
Remorse?No, he was not feeling remorse for what had transpired.Staring down at the body laying next to him, pink hair dusting the pillow in an ethereal halo, he knew that he could not feel remorse for what had happened over the last number of hours.
Shame?Definitely not.They were two consenting adults now.He was no longer her sensei and hadn’t been for over 8 years now.Sure he was 14 years her senior, but during times of war you had to take what you could get.One never knew if they would live to see another day and you had to enjoy the time you had while you could. _
What did it mean?That was the question.Would it mean they were a couple now?Or was this just two shinobi taking advantage of the opportunity for release?
‘This could be complicated if we don’t come to a consensus about this,’ he thought to himself.Of course they weren’t thinking about the potential after-effects last night when it all started.
What did it mean to him?What did she mean to him?
The girl had always been easy to read, her emotions worn on her sleeve.Even when she was a 12-year old genin striving for attention from the Uchiha, he could read her.She was emotional to a fault, but extremely intelligent.Even at an early age, he was impressed by her chakra control, having perfected tree-walking way before her teammates.
He didn’t feel guilty for having spent more of his energy on the boys.Honestly, he didn’t know how to deal with her or any females and knew that she was strong enough and smart enough to find someone who could teach her properly. And she had found a teacher in one of the Legendary Sannin, the Hokage herself.
Even now, the Kunoichi was still emotional, but knew when to put those emotions under control when it was necessary. He had been impressed by her growth over the years and had partnered with her on many missions finding her to be a welcome addition to any one of his teams.She was strong in body and in mind and her ability to make him smile made his heart warm; breaking through the shield he had built up over the years.
Over time, they had become good friends, sharing details about each other on missions and off, sometimes meeting for lunch or training at one of the fields. But it never progressed to anything else until last night.What did he feel for her?  A lot of things.  He just hoped she felt the same.
He once again glanced at the sleeping Sakura and sighed inaudibly.His eyes ran over the visible bare shoulder and arm, noting the firmness and strength that those limbs carried.Her pink hair draped across her neck and face as she slept serenely on her side. He noted that her skin, unblemished by scars or anything else, was sun-kissed giving her a glow of health.He noticed the gentle dusting of freckles over the bridge of her nose for the first time, and the usually observant Copy Nin was surprised he had never picked up on at before.
One hand lay in front of her on the bedding and he recalled what those hands could do.They held unimaginable power when they were infused with chakra. They could destroy buildings one minute and heal potentially lethal wounds the next.Paired with her fury or her passion, she was a lethal female. _
But what he recalled what they could do when those hands touched his bodyÉ_Kakashi held back a groan when his mind took a ride in the gutter, replaying some of the things that they had done during the night and into the morning and his body responded in kind. Not sure that she would be a willing participant to repeat the prior nights’ activities, he decided a shower was in order to cool off. Grunting, Kakashi pushed the blanket off of his lower half and rose from the futon while trying not to disturb his bed partner.Completely naked, the Copy Nin made his way into the bathroom to take a cold shower.
***_Green eyes blinked open when the telltale sound of a door closing and a shower starting was heard.Sakura stretched like a cat causing joints to pop, yawning as she did so.She had never felt so good after a night’s sleep and felt oddly rested.Although she did recall there hadn’t been much sleep after all.She giggled lightly and looked around to find a clock and saw the digital reading 6:20 on a desk across the room. _‘Ugh, it’s early,’ she though inwardly as she continued to relish in the languor of the early morning.She hoped Kakashi wouldn’t mind her remaining there for a while. __Would he be upset that she was still there?Should she dress and leave? Sakura was having second thoughts about what had transpired and she wondered if he was too.Would it affect their friendship?God she hoped not.She really enjoyed Kakashi’s company and would hate for things to get strange because they had sex. Granted, they had been friends for a long time and she probably knew more about him than Genma, but there had been an invisible line that they never crossed.Sure she had thought about it on many occasions, dreamed about it actually, but neither of them ever initiated anything until last night.She wondered if they had crossed that line prematurely. __She recalled the events of the night and morning, how patient Kakashi had been as he slowly introduced her to the pleasures of the flesh. Sakura had been a virgin, though the evidence was long gone due to her active lifestyle, but he still treated her with a reverence that made her swoon. __It had not been the first time she had seen his beautiful face, but he still wore the mask for reasons still unknown to her.His strong, angular jaw and sharp cheekbones were what made for strong frame for what was a handsome face. His skin was clear except for a small scar on the center of his chin, most likely from a childhood accident, and then the vertical scar running in the middle of his left eye from when he had lost it in battle and had taken the Sharingan from his friend Uchiha Obito.__There were feelings, emotions that welled within her during their coupling and it left her slightly disturbed. Was what she felt and currently feeling love for the Copy Nin?It was hard to tell since her experience had been limited to her strong infatuation for the Uchiha.But what she felt for Kakashi made her feel something so much more different than what she had with Sasuke. _
Sakura laid in the futon pondering those thoughts. right arm lay over her eyes blocking out the dim light that made its way into the room through the sheer of the curtains of the small window. She knew they needed to talk things out and running away to her apartment was not the most effective way of dealing with conflict.Dealing with it head on was for the best.
Hearing the shower turn off, she made her decision.They would talk it out.Kakashi felt better after taking a shower having managed to cool his libido in the process of getting clean. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he opened the door to the bedroom and stepped in.ÒGood morning,Ó Sakura greeted as her ex-sensei stepped into the space.Her eyes roved his body and felt her own arousal build in response.‘Oh gods, this is not going to be easy,’ she thought.ÒMorning,Ó Kakashi replied back as he hesitantly made his way to the edge of the futon where Sakura still lay.She sat up, pulling the blanket up to cover her chest modestly and patted the side of the bed signaling for him to take a seat. Sakura watched as he gently sat on the bedding next to her.His shoulders were still damp as well as his hair, the silver locks laid almost flat against his head, bangs hanging in his eyes instead of standing on end as usual. It made him look almost boyish in Sakura’s opinion.Her hand tried to brush aside the bangs from his eyes but to no avail.ÒI think we should talk,Ó the both said at the same time.While it was funny that they both thought the same thing, neither of them was laughing.ÒSakura,Ó Kakashi began, taking the lead. ÒHow do you feel about what happened between us?ÓTempted to hide her eyes by staring at her hands in her lap that were nervously fidgeting, Sakura looked up into his miss-match ones.From what she could see he looked nervous?She smiled.Ah, so the infamous copy ninja Hatake Kakashi was nervous.ÒI have no regrets, Kakashi,Ó she told him firmly. ÒWhat about you?ÓÒI have not regrets,Ó he replied.ÒButÉÓ Sakura hedged.ÒI don’t know if you expect more from this,Ó Kakashi explained.ÒAh,Ó her eyes dropped then. ÒSo this was just a one-time thing to you.ÓShe wanted to run away now.He didn’t want her after all.Kakashi picked up on the sound of remorse this time and it made something in his chest tighten.There was hurt in her response and that was not what he wanted. He edged closer to her and took her face in the palms of his hands.Bringing her face up and her eyes to meet his own he spoke, ÒSakura, what is it that you want?I can’t read minds and unless you tell me what is on it, I won’t know what you expect from me.ÓTears welled up as her head spun with questions.Could she tell him that she might be in love with him? Could she handle it if he said he didn’t feel something for her?ÒSakura,Ó he called to her, seeing the frantic look in her eyes. ÒTalk to me.ÓÒI-IÉÓ she stuttered. ÒI might be in love with you and I want to continue this and see if it works out,Ó she whispered hoarsely, the tears having gathered in her throat.Kakashi sighed happily.Life had thrown him many bad curves over the years and it made him ridiculously pessimistic with regards to relationships.He had prepared himself for the worst while going over things in the shower.Hearing her affirmation to having a relationship with him coming from her own lips, though, was better than he had thought it would be.His heart soared.He rested his forehead on hers as he whispered; ÒI would love nothing more than to have a long relationship with you, Haruno Sakura.And I can’t promise you that we won’t have our disagreements or that things will be smooth sailing, but know that I will work at it just as hard as you will to keep our relationship going strong.Because I believe that I am falling in love with you,too.ÓNever had Sakura heard anything more beautiful than those words out of Kakashi’s mouth.