Chapter Text
Sakura slept soundly until Kakashi gently pressed his hand to her shoulder and roused her around 2 AM. It was the first time in nine weeks that Sakura had slumbered without a nightmare. The silver-haired man suspected she would have, but hadn’t gotten far enough into deep sleep for her mind to unlock the terrors she rarely spoke about. She had smiled so peacefully up at him with those big, glassy green eyes as she rubbed the sleep away that he had almost told her to go back to sleep; that he was fine, he could handle not sleeping.
His heavy eyelids had won over, though, and they’d switched roles as Kakashi rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head to block out the light coming from the bedside table. Sakura had been more awake by that point and before he’d drifted off, the shinobi had felt her lips against his shoulder, leaving a spattering of kisses before she’d nestled in to read her own book, allowing her sensei to sleep without distraction from that point.
He woke up with the sun the next morning to find the other side of the tatami empty, the smell of a fresh pot of coffee wafting into him enticingly from the kitchen as though it were beckoning him to start his day. It wasn’t until he was in the kitchen and pouring his first mug that Kakashi realized he couldn’t sense Sakura’s chakra signature anywhere in the vicinity. He saw a flash of white sitting on the granite countertop from the corner of his eye and reached for it, reading it quickly.
Went to spend the day with chichi-san and haha-san. Be back tonight.
Before the lagoon and her parents’ trip, it hadn’t been uncommon for Sakura to spend the rest of her day with friends or her parents after sleeping in his bed. It had been more awkward then than it was now; Sakura fumbling and pulling away from him as soon as she realized she’d been snuggling with him, Kakashi stoic and uncomfortable with the sudden addition of a half-roommate in his otherwise exceedingly private off-duty life.
It had taken a month just to get used to the close proximity that was palpably different than their missions. Kakashi had slept in the same room as her, sure. But before she’d started her nightly sleepovers, they’d never actually shared the same bed. Kakashi had always made sure that he either slept next to the boys while they were roughing it, or in the corner of a room on the rare night spent in a building with a bed. Sakura had usually had her own sleeping bag, too tired by the end of a day full of fighting and defending and blood to interject herself into the boys’ argument about who was getting the best spot. On the rare occasion that they stayed somewhere with more than one bed in the room, Kakashi had still taken the floor, insisting that the boys share so that Sakura could for once rest her stiff back.
A smile came over the shinobi’s face as he remembered those early days. She’d been a different person back then than the capable and talented young kunoichi that he knew now. She didn’t cower anymore, but instead bravely faced any enemy head on. She had spent hours on the training fields either training alone or with whichever of the Rookie 9 was out there with her on any given day, honing her skills and toning her body. He had watched sometimes, perched on a high tree limb as he watched her improve day after day; month after month; year after year until she stood before him the intelligent, deadly force that she was slowly becoming.
Kakashi had never underestimated Sakura. He just knew she could do it on her own - that she needed to do it on her own if she was ever going to gain confidence in her abilities. Looking at her now, he smiled in admiration as he recalled her beautiful face to his mind’s eye, he knew had made the right decision.
He spent a few hours lazing about before getting dressed to take a stroll to the Hokage’s Tower. He hadn’t received mission orders yet, and wasn’t really looking for any either. As far as Kakashi was concerned, his only mission right now was to get Sakura sleeping through the night again without waking up in terror halfway through.
He chose to walk today, casually nodding at passersby who said hello and waving to acquaintances and friends as he saw them going about their day. By the time he was walking through the gates of the large red complex, the sun told him it was already noon. He made his way inside and walked up the spiral slope slowly, his heels clicking in time with each breath. Finally he made it to Lady Tsunade’s office, knocking twice before entering at her command.
“Kakashi.”
The Fifth Hokage’s fingers were pressed together in front of her as always, her impractical red nail polish catching the sun’s mid-day rays. Her chin was pressed to them and she hadn’t bothered opening her hazel eyes to meet his sharp gaze. Kakashi took the silence after her curt greeting as an invitation to address her.
“May I ask what Haruno Hizashi’s mission objectives are?”
Sakura hadn’t needed to ask him to find out; he wanted to know himself what Tsunade was thinking. Hizashi was nearly twenty years retired and permanently injured to boot. He understood his student’s worry because in his own way, Kakashi was worried too. He knew what losing her father would do to Sakura, and she didn’t need any more trauma right now. Surely the woman sitting in front of him knew that too.
Tsunade opened her eyes, meeting his gaze for a moment before reaching down to pet Tonton, who nudged her leg for attention underneath the desk. She sighed, turning to look out over her village.
“Espionage, and that’s all you’re going to get,” Tsunade finally replied, still facing the window. “Tell me, how is Sakura doing? Is she sleeping any better?”
“We slept in shifts last night, and she didn’t have a nightmare. I think that’s progress,” Kakashi answered her.
There was a silence between them again for a few moments before Tsunade turned to face him. For a moment, he wondered if she somehow knew about their tryst in the lagoon; the stolen kisses, the affection that was starting to grow between the two of them that blurred the lines more than he wanted to admit to the Hokage right now.
“Kurenai tells me she has an apparent knack for genjutsu and that the Will of Fire burns strong within her soul. I believe she’s going to come to me for guidance. Will that be a problem for you, Kakashi?” Tsunade spoke slowly, causing the tension to ease just a bit in the silver-haired man’s body. She didn’t know. He could breathe again; at least, for the moment.
“No,” he answered without hesitation. He’d been thinking along the same lines. He knew that if Sakura went to Tsunade that Team 7 would likely be officially disbanded. Naruto was consumed with bringing Sasuke back. He and Sakura were the only ones left and it wouldn’t make sense to keep a team that had been torn so far from one another on the roster.
But the death of Team 7 would give rise to something the shinobi thought was worth it - a stronger Sakura. A Sakura who would be completely confident in her abilities, who could channel that rage into her chakra and who could be taught how to harness that as a lethal weapon. Kakashi wanted to see that Sakura blossom, and he knew Tsunade was the only person capable of bringing it out of his bright, beautiful student.
“Alright then. If that’s everything...” Tsunade spoke, trailing off as she ushered him out the door. “I’ve got far too much to do to be sat around talking all day.”
Kakashi didn’t say a word as he left the office, and then the building before he jumped up and began bounding over the rooftops towards the city gates, where he nodded at Kotetsu and Izumo before making his way into the forest. He pricked his thumb with the tip of a kunai before pulling out his summoning scroll.
Pakkun appeared in front of him in a cloud of smoke. “What’s up, boss?” The brown pug asked, lifting his deadpan eyes up to meet his master’s. “Are we on a mission?”
“No, but you’re about to be,” Kakashi told the ninja hound. “Haruno Hizashi is leaving on a mission to the Land of Waves tomorrow morning. I want you to tail along. Discreetly.”
“Sure, boss,” Pakkun agreed before adding, “Is that it?”
“Yes, Pakkun. Thank you.”
That hadn’t been the only reason Kakashi had come out of the village. Sakura wasn’t going to be back until tonight, and that left him half a day to kill. He planned on spending it doing what any Leaf shinobi would do - training.
He was a mess by the time he finished working himself out seven hours later as the sun set over Konoha once more. He groaned, realizing that Saturday was tomorrow - which meant that damned humidity was going to be back. He allowed himself to rest for a moment, breathing hard as sweat slicked his body and dirty hair clung to the exposed parts of his face. He had accidentally torn his uniform’s blue sleeve on a branch which had also scratched the surface of his skin and left behind a crusted trail of dry blood. His feet were dirty and his crotch was sweaty and suddenly his skin was crawling to be clean again.
Knowing that Sakura would likely be back to the apartment by now, Kakashi decided to pick some strawberry daif*cku up for her, hoping that it would help ease her anxiety about her father’s upcoming mission. He didn’t plan on telling her he was having Pakkun shadow her father because that would expose his own worry.
She was sitting on the sofa when he walked into the apartment, and she’d brought the radio into the living room so that she could listen to music while she jotted away in the notebook she had on her lap. Her tongue was sticking out the corner of her mouth in focus, and she hadn’t even looked up when he had entered. Kakashi didn’t mind though, and he sat the bag with the sweet pastries in front of her wordlessly before turning his back to her as he walked towards the bathroom, stripping off his flak jacket as he walked.
“I’m gonna take a shower,” he called to her from the closet he was now standing in front of. He felt a smile tugging at his lips when he realized he’d hung his flak jacket up automatically tonight and wondered if the young kunoichi realized she was rubbing off on him. He stripped down to his boxers, tossing the uniform into the basket. Kakashi grabbed a fresh pairs of boxers and had just stepped into the bathroom when he heard the shoji screen sliding open behind him.
The older shinobi didn’t say a word as Sakura’s arms wrapped around him, her fingers lacing around his waist as she rested her cheek against his shoulder blade before turning her head slightly so that she could kiss the sweaty skin she found there. He stiffened at the touch, and she responded by moving so that she was standing in front of him. Her eyes were hungry; but not for dessert, he realized with a smirk as her lips moved towards his.
He met her halfway, his hand scrambling behind her for the knob to the water. He turned it halfway before turning his full attention to the woman in front of him. She had already stripped out of the loose shirt she’d been wearing - his, he noticed with a grin - and his hands moved up her sides to fondle her, squeezing her breasts beneath his hands a few times before he tweaked both of her nipples at the same time, eliciting a shaky moan.
“Make me forget,” she pleaded before her mouth was back on his, cutting off any reply he might have had. The rest of the village might see him as one of the strongest ninja the Leaf had to offer but right now Kakashi was a weak man, and he gripped the younger woman to his body, letting his fingers dig into her ass now before he moved them back into the shower. He could multitask, he told himself as she took her hands to his arms, running them up and down, sending the dirt and blood to the drain as she leaned in, teasing a kiss but pulling away at the last second to nip playfully at his neck.
Kakashi growled and Sakura smirked, knowing she’d released his inner wolf for the second time in as many days. He pushed her up against the wall, her ass molding into the recessed shelf and knocking the soap and bottles to the ground with a loud series of thumps. She giggled, but then gasped as he pushed her legs apart at the knees, his mouth leaving a hot trail of kisses down her neck. He lapped at the hollow of her throat before leaning his head lower, taunting her by ghosting his tongue through the narrow valley between her breasts. Her hands moved to push his head where she really wanted to feel that tongue, but he stopped her, using his hands to pin hers against the tile.
“Ah, ah,” he murmured against her wet skin, grinning as he slowly kissed and licked his way up to her right nipple. She inhaled sharply when she felt him blow against the sensitive nub, bringing it to alert just as his mouth enveloped it, sucking hard for a moment before bit down firmly.
It seemed he was getting his revenge for her earlier playful nip. Sakura had heard of people who enjoyed pain; she’d read about it in books, too. But it hadn’t really been a concept she could grasp as a curious, excited teenager snooping under her parents’ bed for anything that might help her understand the tingly feeling she’d get sometimes when she’d catch a glimpse of Sasuke’s bare chest during training. Nothing had prepared her for the way pain signals could become so crossed with pleasure that they became one. She whimpered, signalling to him that it was time to give her oversensitive nipple a break.
Not one to play favorites, Kakashi gave the same treatment to her left nipple, freeing one of her hands so that his could move between her legs. He didn’t tease her this time as he pushed one finger in completely, his lips now at her neck while she writhed against him, her free hand leaving indents in his upper arm.
“Kakashiiiiiiit,” she slurred the two words as he added a second finger. He grinned against her neck, lifting his head and meeting her gaze. Her green eyes were half-lidded and so dark they looked like emeralds now. Kakashi’s co*ck throbbed, and he gave her little warning as he pulled his fingers out, gripping and turning her so that she was facing the wall. She turned her face so that her cheek was flush with the white tile, and moaned as he smacked each of her ass cheeks once before replacing his fingers inside of her; both at once, both crooking against her spot and making the pink-haired woman see stars.
He always did have talented hands, she thought to herself as he brought her so close to the edge she could nearly feel herself falling before he stopped suddenly. She opened her mouth to protest but only a loud moan came out as he plunged inside of her with his co*ck. She still hadn’t seen it, didn’t know how long it was or how wide. But she did know it was the best she’d had, and that it was hitting all the spots the few other men boys she’d slept with didn’t even know existed inside a woman. She pushed herself back against him, eager for them to find the same rhythm they’d had the day before.
Kakashi responded by holding her hips firm, smirking against her neck as he silently told her he was in control of their speed; of the whole thing, and that he’d take her so high she’d never want to come down if she would just let him.
And let him she did. Sakura felt her body give in to his demands, and allowed him to take her at a slow, steady pace at first, always stopping once fully sheathed and giving an extra little push just to make sure she felt all of him before he’d pull back out again and repeat the whole, arousing process all over again.
He moved like that for awhile, until the water began running cold and he just turned it off, no longer concerned with cleanliness because being dirty felt so damn good right now. He pulled out long enough to turn her so that she was facing him again, his lips crashing against hers at the same moment of penetration, his co*ck like a well-aimed kunai finding its target. It sliced through Sakura and at this angle it felt so much bigger, and she felt so much fuller, and she never wanted it to stop.
Kakashi moved faster now, his fingers roaming her body in wonder as he listened to her pant and moan, her body squirming against his as her fingers gripped his shoulders, legs now tightly wrapped around his center as he f*cked her.
“I’m gonna--” She started, her vision going black and her body screaming for release. He shook his head, pressing his hand against her stomach and pushing her back so that he was hovering just outside of her folds, the head of his co*ck teasing her.
“Wait.”
She whined and opened her eyes to meet his. “Please.”
“I said wait,” he repeated, his voice more firm this time as he squeezed her thigh. She groaned, head falling back and he grinned, at last filling her again. “Now,” he finally told her, moving his fingers to her cl*t, rubbing hard as he thrust with equal vigor.
The combination was too much for Sakura, and she felt his hand clasp around her mouth as she screamed out his name. She panted hard against his hand, her hips thrashing as though they’d become possessed as he f*cked her through the org*sm, not stopping until he felt her legs go weak and slump down the wall. He held her up by the hips and pulled out, using his hand to jerk himself to completion. This time he aimed for the drain. His abdomen sharply sucked in and released several times with each burst of cum.
It took him nearly five minutes to recover, and one look at Sakura told him it would still be awhile before she recovered. He chuckled, reaching onto the rack outside of the shower for a fresh towel to wrap her in before he picked her up, carrying the wobbly kunoichi over to the tatami.
He laid her down gently and kissed her cheek before returning to the bathroom for a towel of his own as well as his shirt, bringing it back to her and handing it to her before he pulled the clean boxers on. Her breath was still shaky when she reached up to him, her fingers interlacing with his.
“Again,” she whispered, reaching to turn off the bedside lamp. “All night, Kakashi-sensei. I don’t want to remember all night.”
