Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Strawberry Secrets ❯ Chapter 5

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Thankfully, she had the week off. Maki had somehow gotten to Tsunade and appealed to her. His change of heart had come when he found her nodding off over her lunch in the staffroom. He had dismissed her as soon as he realized her state, ignoring her protests. She would never have mentioned it, but she strangely wanted to be there to make sure that everything was fine with Kakashi. She had taken a specific interest in his case, dismissing it as mere curiosity and slight pride for healing him. This had nothing to do with the weird ideas of how attractive Kakashi really was. Nope. Not at all.

She stretched in her bed, arching her back until it lifted completely off the mattress and her weight was balanced on the crown of her head. Hearing the vertebrae pop back into place, she slumped back down beneath her covers. The next task was opening her eyes, which was tougher than it appeared with a huge amount of hair to deal with. Keeping it in a bun at the top of her head, pinning it, braiding it and even wearing a hat never really helped her. It kept falling out, threatening to either suffocate her or strangle her. She contemplated cutting it but hadn’t the heart to get rid of it. It’s mass was a comforting warm weight on her head and shoulders.

With her eyes open, Sakura was one step closer to getting out of bed. She pushed away her hair and glanced out the window, groaning as she caught sight of pewter skies and big fluffy snowflakes. “God hates me.” She grumbled, burrowing deeper in her bed to escape the cold she was suddenly aware of.

There was a steady rap at the door. She sat up and listened again, thinking it was just her imagination or the wintery gales rattling the windowpane. There it was again. She dragged herself out of bed and through the house, growling for patience from her visitor.

“What?” She growled, flinging open the door.

“Yo.” A muffled greeting said, accompanied with a chilly blast of air.

“Come in! Come in!” She said, dancing from one foot to the other to fight off the cold.

Kakashi sauntered in, his heel catching the door and pushing it closed. “The doctor said you’d be here.”

She silently cursed Maki for telling him where she was. Kakashi was here. In her home. While she probably looked hideous in her jogging pants that she had turned into shorts with a pair of scissors and an old sweater with the collar torn out, causing it to hang over one shoulder. She patted at her hair self-consciously, trying her hardest to ignore his stare. “Oh? What would you like, Kakashi-san?”

“I haven’t seen you for a few days.” He smiled, the corner of his visible eye crinkling with amusement. “I think I embarrassed you?” A subtle lilt to his voice indicated a question rather than a statement but the smile was still there.

“A little bit. It seems that they all think that you picked me up that night.” After she had learned the innuendo from Akiko and Tami, who had been giggling behind their hands when she had asked.

“Well, I did pick you up that night. You passed out. I couldn’t have just left you on the barroom floor. You would have upset the other patrons.” His smile grew, if that were possible.

“Yes, they all think that you brought me to your house and we-we-we had-had...!” She couldn’t even say it, she was so mortified. All the frustration from the assumptions of her colleagues, mentors and teachers caused her to start shaking. It was a deep, furious shivering that started at the pit of her belly and vibrated up her spine. She felt helplessness surge over her as the pictures of Tsunade’s face, Shizune’s face, Iruka’s and Hana’s as they had assumed something had happened, floated in her mind’s eye, taunting her. She sat heavily on the bottom step and felt the urge to start hyperventilating.

“It doesn’t matter what they think, Naoru-san. No matter how much convincing you try to do, you can’t stop them from thinking what they want.” Kakashi shrugged, leaning against the stair’s bannister.

“It does matter, though!” She said furiously, tears welling in her green eyes. How could she explain that these people were people she had grown up with all her life, without implicating herself? “I know you don’t care what they think, but I do! Their opinions matter to me, more than anything.”

“Why?”

“Because no matter what you say, other peoples’ opinions will always matter. Maybe not now, but later on it will always come back and it can determine your fate. Peoples' opinions can stop you from getting into schools, stop you from getting a job, keep you from things that you want... from having relationships with other people that you care about.”

“In that case, we’ll just have to set them right.” Kakashi said softly, squatting down on his haunches in front of the emotional woman. He laid his free hand on her arm, the other one was still bound in a sling, and he squeezed encouragingly. “There was a reason why I came by. My intentions weren’t to make you cry.”

She rubbed at her puffy eyes with her sleeve. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately. With... working at the hospital and my studies and all...” Sakura chuckled, “I’m sure I’m quite a sight right now.” She set her hands on her knees, suddenly aware of her bare thighs.

“You are quite a sight.” Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, the hand that lingered on her arm reached up and teased a lock of silky hair.

Sakura found herself wanting Kakashi to erase the yawning gap between them. She found herself wanting his warmth. Wanting his hands. Wanting his mouth. She was so fixated on the subtle folds of his mask and where his mouth was that she hadn’t heard what he had said. She blinked and drew her eyes to his, caught up in the intelligent, inky stare. Her breath stilled in her throat, and for a moment it was like she was floating, weightless, and the only thing that kept her from flying off was his fingers still pinching the soft, thick tendril of hair. “Wha...?”

“Are you paying attention, Naoru-san?” His voice was soft and low, muffled slightly in his mask.

“I am...” She whispered, slowly gravitating towards him.

Their breaths mingled as she leaned in closer. Her heart thumped in her chest, the blood rushed everywhere all at once causing her to feel heated and flushed. Kakashi obliterated the inches between their faces, his cheek rubbing against hers. The cloth was surprisingly soft, slightly damp from his breath but it felt like heaven against her overheated flesh. “I wanted to say...” His voice sounded husky against the delicate shell of her ear, causing her to bite back another shudder as the heat surged through her body again. “I’ll fix this between us.”

Not what she wanted him to say, and slightly perturbed by her own disappointment Sakura wondered idly what she had expected him to say? Her anger and hurt couldn’t pierce the fog that had wrapped itself around her brain. She sat still, deathly still and prayed her wouldn’t pull away as she soaked up his close proximity. “A-alright...” Sakura whispered softly, unsure of what else to say. Kakashi pulled away slightly, dragging his cheek across hers. The fabric of his mask was thin but Sakura was painfully aware of its presence as his mouth opened enough to accomodate her bottom lip. He nipped gently and despite the material, she could still feel his teeth as the pinched. It wasn't painful, in fact her singing nerves had reached a higher octave and now, her skin shivered with anticipation. She needed him- wanted him- had to have him! But her mind held her hands at bay, trapped in tiny, useless fists on her knees.

He withdrew and she felt disappointment stab at her daze. The pink-haired woman blinked away the fog and watched him as he stood to his full height and cram his free hand in his pocket. “Bye for now, Naoru-saaan!” Kakashi said, his visible eye closing as he grinned beneath his mask.

“Bye, Kakashi-san.” Sakura mumbled, watching him leave.

When he had left and she was sure he was far enough away that he wouldn’t hear her frustrated yell, she stomped up to her room and slammed the door. “What the hell was that?” Sakura stomped her foot on the hardwood floor, punching the air in front of her. He didn’t have to invade her space like that— but he did. He didn’t have to grab her hair— but he had. He didn’t have to taunt her— but he was.

The after-affects of her run-in with Kakashi left a warm, heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She shifted from foot to foot, wondering what had gotten into her the last few days. Blaming it on her body and maybe the woman hormones running rampant through her system, she opted to take a shower instead of investigating further.

When she got out of her shower and had finished with her hair, Sakura found her answering machine blinking. Pressing the button, she let the message run through. It was Ino, wondering where she was. She sighed. What was she going to do? Her best friend was getting suspicious and Sakura couldn’t help but admit that she missed her dear pig-girl. Hesitantly, she picked up the phone and dialled the Yamanaka residence.

“Moshimoshi!” Ino said happily.

“Uhm... Yamanaka-san... you just called Sakura... she would like to see you.” Sakura stuttered, feeling awkward as she talked to her oblivious friend.

“Who is this?”

“You best come over to Sakura’s home... and please, come alone.”

“Okay, but this better not be some kind of prank.” The blonde said promptly before hanging up the phone.

Sakura paced from her living room to the kitchen and back. Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang and she jumped, alarmed by the noise. Laughing at her foolishness, she walked to the door and opened it. “Come in, Ino-chan.”

Ino eyed her as she walked through the doorway. She stepped out of her shoes and followed Sakura into the livingroom. “What’s this about? Where’s Sakura-chan?”

“Ino... you aren’t going to believe this but I am Sakura.” Sakura grabbed her braid and began twisting it nervously, a habit she had developed recently.

“This is some kind of joke. Where the hell is she. If she put you up to this, I’ll kick her ass.” The kunoichi said, shifting her weight on one leg causing her hip to jut out. In one movement, she put her fist on her hip and glared at the nervous woman.

“It is me, honestly, Ino-chan!”

“If it’s really you then, tell me something that only the two of us know.”

“Remember the time when I caught you kissing Shikamaru and you told me that if I told anyone, you’d gouge my eyes out? We fought because I thought that you were betraying Sasuke, since the two of us have had crushes on him forever.”

Ino huffed, “Shikamaru probably told you that.”

“What about the time you put your mom’s newest batch of magnolias in fridge but left the door open and you killed them all? You blamed the guy who had delivered them from the greenhouse, claiming they were faulty. Only you and I knew.”

Her blue eyes grew wide in amazement. She stepped within arm’s reach of her friend and pinched Sakura’s cheek, yanking on the flesh painfully. Sakura slapped the hand away with a yelp. “Sakura? Is it really you?”

“Yes it’s me!” She snapped, nursing her abused face. “Why’d you pinch me, stupid pig-girl?”

“You’re old!”

“Shut up!” Sakura huffed, crossing her arms over her chest..

Blue eyes locked on her breasts and hands reached out, painfully poking. “Are those real?” She exclaimed as she stabbed another finger at Sakura.

Slapping Ino’s hand away for the second time, Sakura yelled, “Of course they are, stupid! And poking at them does hurt!”

“Heh heh. Looks like I can’t call you forehead girl anymore. I’ll just call you hooters instead!” The blonde crowed.

“I didn’t call you over here to poke fun at me!” The pink haired girl cried, “I need your help. I-I have a problem!”

“Obviously! You’re an old woman now. Sakura-baa-san!” Ino laughed.

Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. With a frustrated noise, Sakura sat on her couch and huddled in over her developed body. “Ino-chan, I’m serious.”

The blonde stopped laughing and sat beside her friend. “What’s going on, Sakura? What have you been doing for the past few months? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“They think that I slept with Kakashi-sensei!” She blurted suddenly, unable to meet Ino’s started gaze.

“Whhaaaat?” Ino cried, shocked.

“And Kakashi-sensei has been, like, egging them all on!”

“Whhaaaat?” She repeated.

“And-and he came over and... almost-kissed-me-but-I-really-wanted-him-to!” Sakura blurted the sentence, making it sound like one big word.

Ino sat back on the couch, watching her friend’s shoulders heave as she started panicking. “You really wanted... Kakashi-sensei to kiss you? Kakashi-sensei? The same Kakashi-sensei that wears a mask, has silver hair, scar over one eye. Sharingan User? That Kakashi-sensei? Like, the Hatake Kakashi, infamous copy-nin? The one that reads Icha Icha Paradise in public? That Kakashi-sensei?”

“Yes that...that... one!” His name had been said all too many times for Sakura’s liking.

“Whoa, slow down. What have you been up to these past few months, Sakura-chan?” Ino said, grasping Sakura’s heaving shoulders and giving her a small shake.

The entire escapade, starting from her first experiments with the forbidden jutsu and ending with when Kakashi had left just a few hours ago took a couple hours to explain. She included Tsunade’s explicit instructions to keep her true identity a secret and even her new jutsu that she was learning from the Hokage to get her body back to normal. “You can’t tell anyone, Ino. I’m Naoru to everyone but a few people.”

“Does Kakashi-sensei know?”

“Mou! Stop using his name!” Sakura cried. “And no, of course he doesn’t know!”

“So what are you going to do about him?”

“I don’t know. I just want the last few months to go away. This isn’t natural– none of it!”

Ino snorted derisively, “Now, what part of our lives is normal, Sakura-chan? We know a guy who has bugs living inside of his body! And another that has normal conversations with his dog! What part of that is normal?”

“I just want to have a normal relationship. One that’s completely reciprocated and consensual! With a man who isn’t legendary something-or-other and certainly not with someone fourteen years my senior.” She wrapped her arms around her knees.

“If only things were that easy.” Ino scoffed. “I don’t know what to tell you, Sakura. But, don’t be an idiot and ignore him. I wouldn’t if I were you. He’s hot, for an old guy.” She wrinkled her nose distastefully.

“He’s not hot, he’s my teacher.”

“No, he’s your ex-teacher.”

“It’s still wrong.” Sakura said weakly.

Ino shook her head, “No, wrong is clinging to a silly crush on a boy that is too lazy to even admit that he likes me too!”

Sakura gasped and stared at Ino, who blanched at her slip of the tongue. There was only one Shinobi in Konoha that was that lazy. “You and Shikamaru! Still?”

“What do you mean, still?”

“I saw you kissing him when we were fifteen!” Sakura laughed, relieved that they had turned the focus from her life to someone else’s. “I thought that you were over that, Ino-chan?”

The blonde sighed, looking glum. “No. Stupid idiot won’t even confess.”

The talk turned to lighter things and soon, the house rang with laughter. Sakura leaned back from her perch on the edge of the couch and stretched her long legs. Ino eyed the line of her friend's body, a fine eyebrow arching upwards.

“Ya know, you could go to the bar.” Ino grinned.

“And that’s probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say— and I’ve heard a lot of stupid things come out of your mouth.” Sakura grumped, tugging at her braid. “And besides, even if I went... if Shizune was there, I’d be in deep trouble.”

“Shizune went on a mission two days ago. They aren’t expecting her back for another two weeks.”

“How do you know that?”

“Shikamaru’s mom and dad went with her.”

“Oh.”

“You have to go!”

“But what if he’s there?”

“So what! Go and have fun, Sakura-chan. You know, that thing where you laugh and feel good with other people— I’m sure you’ve forgotten but that’s what fun is.” Ino rolled her eyes at her friend’s pained expression, “I think Tsunade-sama took that from you and locked it up. Go get it back!”

TBC