Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Icha Icha Sakura ❯ Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kakashi awoke slowly, trying to figure out his surroundings. It wasn't the usual way he woke up. It was slower. It was… different. It was from a forced sleep. That little… She knocked him out with a jutsu! He never thought she would do such a thing, so he hadn't been ready for it. He had thought he could trust her.

"I know you're awake." Sakura's voice spoke softly. Eyes still closed, he could hear her pacing back and forth somewhere in front of him, feel the air move, smell her faint scent. He flexed his muscles, ensuring everything was still in working order and that he could feel his entire body. It was at this point that he realized he was bound hand and foot, struggling momentarily with the ropes. He finally opened his eye to watch the pink-haired woman who'd captured him. They were in his apartment and he was on his couch, stuck lying on his side. He couldn't help but stare at the long beautiful legs that carried her back and forth across his floor, her hips swaying gently and the fabric of her skirt lifting slightly with each step, giving him flashes of her well formed rear in those extremely tight black shorts.

"Don't bother struggling, I used chakra reinforced rope. Got some from Ibiki. I had to tell him some lie about wanting it for revenge on Naruto, because, after all, if I told him I wanted to tie up my former teacher so I can talk him into screwing me, I would have gotten some very strange looks, and I really don't want to deal with that kind of rumor right now. Do you?" She bent over in front of him so she was even with his face and could look him in the eye. She also gave him a nice flash of her cleavage in the process, more visible because the zipper on her shirt was lower than he ever remembered seeing it.

"Untie me, Sakura." His voice was strong, but it didn't have the commanding tone it should have held, although it was strong for a man who had just woken from a jutsu enforced sleep. Damn, she really did have some impressive medical skills.

"No. If I do, you'll disappear on me again." She smiled sweetly, lowering herself onto her knees. "And I want you here while we talk. Now, did you mean what you said? Do you love me?"

"At least sit me up. My arms are falling asleep."

"Fine, but answer my question." She lowered his feet down to the floor and tipped his torso up until he was sitting on the couch. She then crawled up on the cushion next to him and turned his face to look at her. "Well, do you love me?"

"Yes, but… we can't." Why did she have to lean against him like that? She was practically in his lap and her whole body was just so soft and warm. Why couldn't she just let this go?

"Why not? I love you and you love me." She said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Don't say that." His voice was soft but she could hear the pain in his voice. "You can't love me. Don't ask that of me."

"Kakashi, I'm 22 years old for god's sake! It isn't like I'm too young or impressionable to know what I want. I want you. I love you."

"Don't say that! It isn't just the age difference that makes it wrong. Can't you understand that it just won't work?!" He sighed and tried to pull away from her but she wouldn't let him. "I was never going to say anything to you about this. You were never supposed to find out. It's just… Why would you want an old man like me, Sakura? I'm damaged, I'm scarred, I'm old, I…"

"You're none of those things…Well, ok, maybe you have a few scars." She conceded, her hand reaching up to touch his scarred face. He couldn't help the sigh that escaped his lips and it took all his willpower not to give into her caress.

She stared at his face, really liking the way he looked without his mask. Sure, the skin where the cloth usually covered it was paler than the rest of his face, but he was still quite handsome and she really liked the emotions he showed unintentionally with his mouth. Maybe that was why he wore the mask in the first place.

"I know about all about scars." She continued. "Every ninja has been injured in one way or another, physically or mentally. It's just part of the job." Stretching up, she placed a kiss on his jaw line, her tongue darting out to lap gently at his skin. His eye closed and a shuddering sigh escaped his lips. Oh god, her mouth on his skin felt so much better than he ever thought it would. He should be struggling to escape those ropes, but she had bound his hands tight enough he couldn't make any signs.

"…and age isn't important." She continued between the loving brushes of her lips on his neck. "If you're lucky enough to love someone and they love you, too, you have to go for it. A shinobi's life is too short to worry about such inconsequential things as the number of years the individual's lived." Stretching further, she placed another kiss under his ear this time. "I do love you. I want to be with you. Just give us a try. Please." She begged, her breath hot in his ear.

"How can you be so sure?" His voice was soft.

"I'm not… completely. But I want a chance to find out."

"Why me?" Kakashi asked, still a little surprised by her words. He looked down at the pink-haired woman with the smile on her face, her emerald green eyes filled with an expression that took his breath away.

"You've been with me through so much. You helped me, taught me, supported me, saved me so many times. We work well together and I like being with you. Every time I am, you make me feel better and when you're not, I miss you."

"That's what friends are for, Sakura. They support each other. They care about each other."

"No, you mean more to me than just a friend does. When you look at me, like you're looking at me now, you make me feel… special. Like I'm important to you. Like I'm the only thing on your mind right now and I can't tell you how much I enjoy that feeling."

She hesitated before continuing, her head lowered and her face turned away from him, but curling closer to him. "The afternoon when you stopped by the hospital, you kind of flirted with Suki and I… I was jealous." She said softly, still embarrassed at her reaction to a simple goodbye. It hadn't even been blatant flirting, just a few words exchanged, yet she had still been jealous. Her cheeks flushed lightly, giving her a charming look that Kakashi rather liked. He also liked hearing he wasn't the only one that had overreacted when faced with a potential rival.

"I wanted it to be me you gave your attention to. I wanted to be the one you flirted with. The thought of you with another woman bothered me a lot more than it should if we are only friends. And I can't do that. Please don't make me watch while you flirt with another woman." The pain on her face and in her eyes hurt him. "I don't want to know you are going to be with a woman other than me."

She looked so miserable and ashamed of herself. Things he never wanted her to feel because of him. At this moment, he wanted nothing other than to wrap her tightly in his arms and tell her she was the only one he wanted, he would ever want, and that he would do whatever she wanted to make her happy. But there was the little problem of the ropes. And the bigger problem of how wrong it was. It was wrong, wasn't it? Why was it wrong again?

"And, after I talked to Genma, I think you feel the same way about me." She said softly. "Do you really want to see me with another man? If you won't be with me, you can't keep hurting anyone I decide to date."

He turned away, shamefaced and unable to look her in the eye. "I didn't intend to injure him, but I didn't want him to treat you badly. He just couldn't take a hint and refused to stay away. He doesn't deserve you. You spend one night together, he'll put another notch in his headboard and he'll cast you aside. You deserve so much more than that."

"You mean someone who loves me… like you do?" She looked up at him with such hope, it tore at his heart.

He was silent for a few moments before speaking. "You deserve more than Genma can give you."

"You're right. I deserve more. I deserve you. I want you." She ran the flat of her hand down his chest, stopping at his waist and enjoying how she could feel his muscles tense with her movement, enjoying his soft groan when her hand stopped. "I need you. Don't tell me this doesn't feel good, that you don't like how this feels." She gave a tug at the waistband of his pants.

"You should have someone your own age-" He protested feebly, ignoring the stirring in his groin. He looked down at the bright green eyes staring up at him, unknowingly allowing a tender look to show on his maskless face.

"We've been through that. I want you." She moved her head so her mouth could press gentle kisses against his neck, tasting the light sweat from his skin and running her tongue along his pulse point. She had the fabric of his mask pulled aside to give her better access to his bare skin. The scent of him was intoxicating, a wonderful blend of pine and his own light sweat. "When I kissed Genma, and it was me who initiated it, there was something that just didn't feel right. It was good, but not like this." She raised her mouth to his and kissed him again.

He gave no resistance and this time his tongue was the aggressor, pushing between her lips and diving deep into her mouth, tangling and swirling around with hers. Her sweet taste was overpowering and the movements of her tongue brought him closer and closer to losing what little control he had left. He pulled back with a moan and took deep breaths, gasping, trying to restrain himself from taking her suddenly and completely right there on the couch. Of course, this would have been made somewhat difficult by the ropes binding his hands and feet, but at this moment he felt like he could break through them even if they were chakra reinforced.

He thought he had control. He had spent the last 35 years learning to control his emotions, repressing them, keeping himself an arms-length away from everyone and now this girl, this woman, this wonderful woman had managed to slip closer to him than anyone else ever had. And he had let it happen. He had been so sure he could repress these feelings, certain that he could deny all emotions he had for her, until she had curled up against his chest, warm and soft and real. Thirty-five years down the drain. When faced with this opportunity, with her begging to be given a chance with him, to make whatever they felt real, the chance to change all those lonely moments into time spent with the woman he'd been dreaming of… Could he possibly have found someone he could trust? Could she actually love him as he did her?

He would never know unless he took a chance with the woman leaning against him. It was a big chance and there was an even bigger chance for failure. Would everything he felt make her worth it? There was no going back, even now. Even if she were to untie him, things between them had changed. There were emotions that they had both acknowledged and now, no matter how they tried, things could never go back to the way they'd been. Being just teammates would no longer be an option. Especially when he was having so much trouble controlling his body and mind when around her.

Noticing his reaction, she stayed silently curled up against his chest, allowing him time to regain control. "I don't suppose you could untie me yet?"

"Promise you won't run?"

He hesitated before replying. "Promise."

Pulling a kunai from her pouch, she worked the ends of the rope free. After all, she didn't want to waste the rope because one never knew when chakra-reinforced rope would come in handy.

"I don't really know if I can love another person, Sakura." He moved his arms around, flexing them to regain the circulation. Assured he hadn't lost any mobility, he wrapped his arms around her and he looked down at the pink-haired woman who could stir his emotions more than anyone he could ever remember. "I don't want you to get hurt and I'm afraid that's all I could ever do to you. Everyone I've ever loved has been taken from me. I don't want that to happen to you. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me." But he kept his arm wrapped around her, his other hand reaching for her waist, not wanting her to leave the circle of his arms. She felt so good, the warmth of her body so close, her heated breaths heavy on his chest. This is where he dreamed of being so often the past few days, his arms holding her close while she whispered how she really wanted to be with him. His rational mind knew how unlikely any relationship they had would work, but it was hard to convince his heart otherwise.

"I'm not going anywhere and you'll hurt me more if you won't even try. I'm a jounin and I can protect myself." She said softly.

"People will talk, not everyone will be accepting of… us." Yet another fear of his. Being in a relationship with him could ruin her reputation, turn her from being a respected kunoichi into a woman scorned by all of her peers, a woman seen as a seductress or a slut, a girl who may have slept with her teacher and may have done so for years. And what would Tsunade-sama really think of this - of them? If she disliked the idea, would she go so far as to refuse to continue instructing Sakura? No longer allow her to be a medic-nin? Would the shinobi of Konoha be understanding of their relationship?

"Fuck 'em." She said simply, turning her face to nuzzle at his neck. She wriggled against his body until she was sitting on his lap, straddling his legs and rubbing the length of her body against him.

He gave a soft snort as his hands wrapped comfortably around her waist. "And where did you learn that language, little girl?"

"Sasuke and Naruto. They're such bad influences on me." Lifting his shirt, she ran her hand up under it, stroking his bare chest, pleased at the tensing of his muscles at her touch. "And pulling another page from their book, I am willing to fight until I wear you down."

"I'm not going to win, am I?"

"You never even had a chance." She smiled sweetly.

"And what happens when Sasuke and Naruto find out?" His thumbs at her waist idly circled the bare skin between her shirt and skirt. Until that moment, he hadn't even considered what their teammates would think, but it probably wouldn't be good, at least at first.

"We'll each take one of them and beat them into submission." She leaned over and rubbed her cheek against his, her words warm in his ear and the day's light growth of stubble scratching her skin.

"Hm, sounds like fun."

"I thought so. I beat Sasuke yesterday for talking about sex during the sparring match. Finding out about our sex life will probably take him down without me having to lay a finger on him."

"Our sex life?"

"Mmmm-hmmm…" She purred in his ear, her lips parting to suck on his earlobe and her tongue playing gently over the delicate skin. Her hand moved lower, stroking him firmly through his pants. His eyes closed with a helpless groan. "Yours and mine… ours."

"I don't want this to be a one-time thing." He said, once he could finally speak again.

"Good. Me neither."

"And Genma?"

"Who?" She asked. "My memory seems a little fuzzy about him. Tall guy? Brown hair? Always got something in his mouth? You're much better suited for the position I had in mind for him. He only filled a few requirements while you have them all."

"And what would those requirements be?"

"Let's see… you're male, and… not married, and… handsome, and, um… have silver hair, and… you're definitely well endowed." Once again, her hand closed over the growing bulge in his pants, drawing a sharp breath from him.

"Ah… that's quite a list." His hands slid up under her skirt to caress her bottom, immediately realizing she wore nothing under those tight shorts.

"There's one more and it's the most important: you love me. I'm sure there's a few more, but those are the main ones. I'll let you know when I think of any others." She smiled up at him, loving the feeling of his hands on her body.

He opened his mouth to reply but she stopped him by placing a finger against his lips, shaking her head back and forth. "No, no, no. I think we've talked enough. Now it's time to stop thinking and just start feeling." His eyes locked with hers and he opened his mouth to draw in her finger, sucking softly on the digit before releasing it with a soft pop, her soft mew of delight making him smile.

"Good idea. Enough talking. Let's take this to the bedroom." He batted at her hands that were tugging at the waist of his shirt, ignoring her complaining whimper. With his hands on her bottom, he held her body close to his as he stood up and walked to the bedroom, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist and lips again pressing at his neck.

Kakashi couldn't help but wonder how this had all happened so quickly. A week ago, if asked, he would have denied any romantic feelings at all for the woman in his arms, and she probably would have said the same about him. One week ago, the latest Icha Icha book was released, the catalyst that made this an absolutely insane week for them both. A week that forced them to acknowledge emotions neither thought they could even feel. A week that brought them together, right here and now in his apartment. And hopefully, this week was just the beginning.

TBC…