It all started with that dream...

A/N: It's been a while so I thought I'd leave you with a longer chp than usual... Thanks for everyone who's followed the story and all the great reviews you left =) Glad you like the going-ons so far. Hope u like this chp;)

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Chp 15: In Three Days…

As he walked forward, he wondered if he was doing the right thing in going over to her apartment. He had never been there and after the chemistry he thought he felt between them last night, he wondered if this constituted a move. And he had sworn he wouldn’t make a move on her until she expressed an obvious interest in him by any means possible. Even allowing for that gave him some doubts. Was it too selfish on his part to continue this pursuit of her? He had countless of reasons, numerous protests and a liberal dosage of his instincts warning him no. Telling him to turn away. There were just too many things he could think of telling him to leave her be. That it was better for them to stay friends. But he couldn’t forget her.

He sighed. It was selfish for him to take her for himself, especially since their relationship would more likely than not bring a lot of censure down on them as a couple. Still, he made his way on to her apartment. It was only a short distance away now. He knew all that. He knew all the reasons why he should stay away from her but just like he was now continually moving on towards her, his feelings continually surged on in favour of her, clouding all judgement. It was too late for him to stop. And like a child, his thoughts returned to simpler thoughts each time he was laden with all the complicated issues that existed in relation to a possible relationship between them. Each time, his love for Sakura washed away all doubt. And with that, thoughts of being with her, being happy, came as fresh as the new tide. Once again, he would dare to dream of a future between them. ‘I love her…That’s all it takes. That’s all I really need…’ And he found himself before her door.

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Knock knock. The raps were low and solid against her door, interrupting the silence, startling Sakura from the task of brushing her heavy hair. Somehow, the knocks reminded her of a sexy rumble. With a laugh, she smoothed down the simple black tank top she wore with the silky black lounging pants. The wide flare of her pants swayed gently against her trim ankles as she made her way to the door. For some reason, her heart was doing flip flops. She wondered why that was. “Coming!” she called out to the person at the door as she pulled the drawstrings of her trousers tighter and running a finger through her hair. Why was she suddenly nervous? Shaking away such thoughts with an inward laugh, she prepared to unlatch the door. Her subconscious must be replaying the scenario with Kakashi last night yet again! Click. The door slowly slid open.

“Hey there beautiful,” came the low, husky voice from the man in front of her. There was the literal man of her dreams draped against her doorframe like an early Christmas present, a masculine arm bent at the elbow, resting over her head against the doorframe. He was dressed in a casual long-sleeved black shirt and black pants, his tall frame looming over her smaller one. His face was wreathed in a smile she couldn’t see save for the crinkling of one visible eye. But she could visualize how the smile would look like… 'It’s no wonder!’ she thought with an inward acceptance of her besotted self, 'his face IS kinda imprinted in your head by now!’ Stilling her beating heart, her lips curved upwards happily in an irrepressible smile. “Hiya handsome…,” she said jauntily. “I guess now I know why you wear that mask,” she joked. “Why’s that?” he asked with a teasing smile. “To stop all those women from beating down your doorstep of course,” she teased over her shoulder as she turned around, "why don’t you come in?”

With a laugh, he accepted her invitation, admiring the sexy sway of her hips as he followed her to the living room where she led him. “So now that you’ve seen my face and everything, am I going to be expecting you on my doorstep from now on?” he joked in return. “Oh yeah” she laughed,” of course! I was just heading there before you showed up!” “Well, maybe you should take my example and wear one too,” his visible eye winked,” you probably have tons of guys beating on your doorstep everyday. Look how well my mask worked for me!” Sakura couldn’t help laughing at his comical shrug, nearly spilling the coffee she was pouring for him in the space that constituted her kitchen next to the sofa set where Kakashi was sitting. “I don’t know about that…You’re the first one! Coffee okay I hope?” Kakashi nodded his silent assent, a small smile still playing on his lips. This was nice. He enjoyed this camaraderie they had between them. It was comfortable, yet charged with a degree of sexual chemistry. Although, of course, that was probably mainly coming from him, he thought with a light blush. Sometimes, he was really glad for the mask. His eyes wandered around her apartment as she came over with two steaming mugs of coffee.

The living space where he now was had the comfortable red sofa he was sitting on and a matching, plump armchair ninety degrees next to it. A low coffee table was arranged stylishly exactly the same distance before both seating arrangements. Next to the cozy living area to his right was an L-shaped counter equipped with a stovetop, cabinets and various cooking apparatus. A large window lent an air of bright spaciousness to the room, the white windowsills contrasting cheerfully with the pots of fresh herbs adorning it. To his left and slightly behind was the front door he had come in a few moments before. Between the kitchen area and the living area was a door he presumed led to her bedroom. He wondered how her bedroom looked like. Lots of white and pinks maybe? Stuffed animals here and there? He would have grinned if he wasn’t suddenly assaulted with a seductive image of Sakura in a negligee draped over her bed. He gulped. Suddenly, it felt really hot where he was.

Sakura’s voice interrupted the silence as she handed him a mug of steaming coffee. “Hope you don’t mind cream, no sugar.” He took the warm mug in his hands and took a slow sip. Delicious. Though he’d probably find anything she made delicious, even if it was burnt beyond recognition, he thought wryly. To his pleasant surprise, she took the seat next to him on the sofa instead of on the armchair like he expected. It felt really intimate to be spending the morning with her like this. “You look like the black coffee type,” she thought aloud as she took a sip of her own coffee, “but since it’s the holidays and all, I thought that we wouldn’t need that much of a caffeine rush.” Her green eyes twinkled as they studied him above the rim of her wide mug as she took another refreshing sip of coffee, enjoying the warm feeling as it travelled downwards. It distracted her from another entirely different warm feeling spreading through her due to being so near him…

“Black coffee huh?” he smiled in surprise. ‘Spot on…’ He wasn’t too fussy about his choice of food and he didn’t spend too long creating his meals. He usually enjoyed simple dishes that were more for nutritional purposes rather than pleasuring his palate. He did have the occasional sweet tooth though, of course, he wouldn’t be admitting that to anyone soon, he thought with a little smile. Sometimes, though, he felt like telling her not only that, but everything about himself. Just something about her… Sakura had finished her coffee and placed it on the table in front of her. Now her arms were propped up on her knee as she stared sideways at the man next to her. He had just placed his coffee on the table and turned to look at her. There seemed to be such a strong connection charging like unbreakable threads of electricity between them. It made her want to inch closer to him. With a rueful smile, she began to question the wisdom of choosing to sit so near him, although of course it was too late now. But she had been unable to stop herself…

“So…what brings the most handsome man in Konoha to my humble home?” she asked teasingly, happily. Kakashi looked at her in surprise. She had probably been joking but he was still surprised she hadn’t referred to him at least as the second most handsome male in Konoha next to Uchiha Sasuke. Maybe there was really hope for him yet… “And don’t you tell me that you were in the neighbourhood, you live way on the other end of the street!” she said laughingly. “Isn’t that the customary excuse though?” Kakashi replied mock sheepishly. Sakura just turned laughing sea-green eyes towards him in mock reprimand. “I guess what I should say next is I was part of your fan club and it was my turn to knock on your door?” Kakashi joked. “Don’t try it,” Sakura laughed, “seriously…what brings you here?” His laughter subsiding to form a content happy smile about his lips, he looked at her and said, “Fine…I just came to thank you again for the necklace. It was nice of you. I was quite touched!” He said it lightly, jokingly even, but the look in his eyes seemed to convey to Sakura that he was, in actual fact, touched. He took her hand, “Really…No one’s ever done something like that for me before.” Sakura enjoyed the sensation of his larger hand covering hers. A light caress discovered the roughened texture of his skin, credited to an extensive history of shinobi activities.

“It’s about time…,” Sakura said softly in response, her green eyes lost in his intense one-eyed stare. He squeezed her hand almost affectionately. She felt the cool kiss of metal against her palm. Her gaze turned questioning. Kakashi smiled and opened out the hand holding hers. His free hand uncurled her fisted fingers so that her open hand was resting on his. The hand underneath hers moved away to drop something into her open palm before covering it with his own in a clasp. She could feel the same metal between their intertwined hands. Her puzzled glance stared at their hands before reverting back to his smile. The smile on his face was a mixture of a sheepish and embarrassed one. She wondered what he was going to say. “Listen…I know it’s sentimental on my part,” he began in an awkward tone of voice, his one-eyed gaze shying as his free hand rubbed the back of his head, “but…I was wondering if you would want to put this on for me.” ‘The necklace…’ That’s what they were both now holding. That’s what that metal was.

A wave of emotion rocked Sakura. She was touched that he obviously cared enough for her gift to go to such lengths which were obviously not natural to him. She felt happy. Her hand squeezed his as she smiled. In mutual understanding, he let go of her hand nervously as she prepared to unclasp the necklace to fasten it around his neck. She inched closer to him. Kakashi looked so embarrassed! He was so adorable…She reached her arms around his neck as she kneeled in front of him to accommodate his tall frame. She frowned in concentration as she leaned her head over his left shoulder, her hair falling over it as she observed her fingers clasping the necklace accurately. “All done!” she exclaimed in a soft breath as she prepared to retract her head from over his shoulder. The left side of her face brushed against the soft fabric of the forehead protector skewed over his sharingan.

At once, she realized just how close she was to him. Her face flushed and she tried to delay retracting her head back so he wouldn’t see. Her heartbeat quickened in a furious tempo as her breaths started quickening. She was dangerously close to him, she was sure he could hear! But she could still feel the warm flush colouring her cheeks. To her relief, Kakashi remained still, oblivious to her reactions. Her gaze lowered as she tried to swallow imperceptibly. Her breasts were pressed up against his warm chest, she couldn’t tell where the black fabric of his jounin shirt ended and her tank-top began. They brushed lower as she lowered to a sitting position in the guise of straightening the necklace she had just fastened for him, her knees bent, lowered from the kneeling position she was in a few seconds before. Her hands nervously fingered the necklace, wondering what she could do. She was practically sitting in his lap!

Kakashi willed himself to not move. To not reveal how excited his body was to be so near hers. To not reveal how rapid his breaths actually were that they were burning his throat. He swallowed. She was so near him…But to his relief, she didn’t seem to notice, oblivious to him as she straightened the necklace she had just fastened. He wondered if she would notice if he swallowed again. She was so close to him, practically in his lap, he found it really difficult to breathe. He had to bring some semblance of sanity back into the growing sexual tension he felt sure she could feel him exuding. He looked down, as if studying how the necklace would look on him, relishing the feel of her fingers gliding against it slowly. He could almost swear she was flushed but she was tucked in the shadows under him that he couldn’t really tell. She looked up as he studied the kanji character glittering brightly against the expansive backdrop of black. “It…,” he began, swallowing in an attempt to bring more moisture to his parched throat, “it looks good…” His voice sounded like a whisper! He almost groaned. He was sure she could tell how he felt right then…He really HAD to do something…

He fell back on the old-reliable; casual humour…Steadying his voice, attempting a more normal tone, he tried to tease her, “But I don’t know how this could possibly remind you of me…I’m not that strong…” Damn, his voice still had that husky quality to it. He managed an awkward smile. Sakura tried to do the same, managing a forced casual one for his benefit. It was a wonder she could do it with her senses thoroughly heightened in his presence! “You’re the strongest person I know,“ she said. ‘Great…My voice sounds like a squeak,’ she thought dolefully. She was sure he would be able to tell what she was feeling right then. She had to save the situation! Trying to tease him, she attempted in a louder tone, “But maybe I should have gotten one that said ‘Beautiful’ instead.” She had meant for it to be teasing but her voice had come out in a whisper again! Now, it sounded like some sort of seductive, meaningful double entendre. Even if she did think so, she wasn’t keen on the idea of scaring him off! She could almost weep in misery. Here was her chance to play it cool and slowly, slowly hook him in and she was ruining it!

She turned her face up to him to inspect the damage. With a hopeful expression, she studied his features. His dark eye bore into hers but not in a bad way, she thought in surprise. In fact, it was almost like…Almost like he was going to lean over any minute and…and kiss her. She swallowed, remembering what she liked to think of as their almost kiss. Although that was probably just on her part, she thought ruefully. No doubt he hadn’t thought anything was out of the ordinary. Still, she couldn’t stop the pounding of her heart. She couldn’t stop the fact that her lips were suddenly dry. Self-consciously, she continued to look up at him as she licked her lips slowly. ‘Achingly slowly…,’ Kakashi thought. It was all he could do to not lean down and kiss her. It was all he could do to still his body’s reactions to her. It was all he could do to stop the twisting of his stomach, the steady hum of blood rushing in his ears and his throat from continuing to burn. It was all he could do to will his heart to stop beating so fast he was sure he would soon crack. But he was only a man. He couldn’t do so many things at once…

Slowly, almost in slow motion, he felt like he was surreally watching from far above as he saw himself slowly lowering down to her. She wasn’t running away. She seemed almost receptive. Almost like…Almost like she was going to reach up at any moment and kiss HIM. He was yelling out at himself to stop, reminding him urgently of his promise not to do anything until she did. It was going to be her move! But the words had no voice and helplessly, he felt himself lowering even more towards her, his arms slowly running along her waist and up her back. Why couldn’t he stop? He had to stop…He couldn’t stop. He saw Sakura close her eyes in anticipation as she leaned closer to him. And suddenly, there was a moment of stillness as his masked lips finally met hers. For a moment, it was just the two of them locked in their own private world. And then in the next second, it was like lights exploded at the back of his head as he groaned and kissed her deeply , feeling their weights sinking into her welcoming sofa. His hands ran all over her back, one stopping to rest at the back of her head, entwined among the lustrous locks he had longed to feel since forever.

Sakura felt dazed, lost, confused. She could only feel herself getting excited, responding more and more passionately to the wild kiss. Somehow, the addition of his mask made it all the more erotic. All she could think was ‘finally…’ She had waited so long for this. How long? Maybe two, three days but it had felt like an eternity! She supposed she had always wanted him all those years ago. Slowly, both pulled away from each other. Sakura was in his lap, her arms around his neck, one finger dipped in the top of his hitae-ate while the fingers of her other hand played with the hairs resting on his nape. He had his arms around her tightly, one hand on her bare back, the other resting behind her head, playing with the hair there. Their breaths were quick as they stared at each other, a zillion thoughts running through their minds. Slowly, the hand that had been fingering the forehead protector tugged on it firmly, making it fall forgotten beside them on the couch. His flowing silver locks fell forward over his left eye and she remembered her desire to brush it aside. Her free hand reached up to do just that but it only fell forward again. She almost laughed. This was surreal. Who knew this would finally happen for her. She fought the urge to pinch herself to see if this was just another dream, another fantasy. She prayed that it wasn’t…

Slowly, her hand inched downwards to pull his mask down. Inch by inch, his beautiful, chiselled features came to view. Her eyes rested on his lips. Hers seemed to pulse in response. Kakashi was lost. It was too late to mend anything now. So much for letting her make the first move! Where was his legendary coolness, his self-control when it came to her? Even through these thoughts, his lips were pulsing in anticipation as he felt her push his head down to meet her kiss. His heavy lids were slowly closing as he anticipated the feel of their naked lips dancing against each other. He wondered how she tasted. He couldn’t stop. He fell forward against the sofa, pinning her below him, the hand under her shirt moving forward to caress her sides. Her skin felt so smooth and satiny. Her lips felt so warm, so pliant. He felt her tongue tentatively sliding against the crack of his lips in anticipation. His other hand rested against her cheek as he drew her tongue in his mouth, earning a gasp of pleasure from her. Inserting his own tongue in her mouth, he explored her. ‘So sweet…,’ he thought. ‘Like dark honey…,’ Sakura thought as she moaned. Their tongues duelled for ownership of the other. But inside, Kakashi already knew he belonged to her. And along the same lines of thought, Sakura yielded herself to him, body, heart and soul.

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With a start, Kakashi finally forced a grip on his senses and withdrew his lips from the dazed woman below him. He guiltily withdrew his hands from where they had been underneath her shirt, thumbs caressing her breasts. Sakura’s own hands which had been roaming over his chest and back dropped reluctantly to rest on his arms which were placed on either side of her, supporting his weight as he loomed over her, his eyes closed. She hoped he wasn’t regretting it. “Sakura…,” he whispered, opening his eyes, “I…well, I guess I can’t just say ‘I’m sorry’ now.” He gave a rueful smile as he noted the dark orange glow of the room. He had been making out with her like a starved teenaged boy for hours! It was sunset now… “But I really didn’t mean to take advantage of you like this,” he said torturedly, guiltily, “I know it’s going to sound so trite now but I do have feelings for you and I want to be with you…I was waiting for you to make the first move, I swear, but suddenly…” He looked down at her, his breaths heavy. Where was his coolness, his unflappable-ness now? He sighed, studying the necklace dangling between them. “It really meant a lot to me when you gave me this necklace, I thought maybe it could work out between us,” he continued quietly, “but I guess I wasn’t that strong enough to wait huh?” Managing a rueful smile, he looked down at the silent girl. “I don’t know what came over me…But I want you to know that I really care about you and no matter how long it takes, I’ll wait for you-“

“Shh…,” Sakura interrupted with a smile, placing a finger against his lips. With the same finger, she traced them, still warm from their heated kisses. “I know you care,” she said, before giving a sheepish laugh. Kakashi looked at her questioningly. “Well, I know this is going to sound trite coming from me now,” she smiled in embarrassment, “but I swear, I mean it…I really really like you, and it’s been a while now since I realized I want to be with you so badly…And if you have the same feelings for me that I have for you…Well, I’m glad we finally did something about it!” She covered her blushing face with her hands in embarrassment. Kakashi laughed. In relief, in happiness, and in absolute tender endearment he felt for the woman below him. He smiled. “I’m glad too!” Both laughed in their own embarrassed mirth, each silently glad for the turn of events. He drew her up into his lap and kissed her soundly. “I can’t tell you how glad I am you feel the same way,” he began quietly, absently running a finger through her hair, “but I think I’ll only feel right if I give you some time to think about this…Without me around to distract you.” He turned to her and winked wickedly. “Besides, I don’t think I can take any more kissing for now…,” he said awkwardly, shifting in discomfort.

Sakura’s eyes widened as she felt something hard press against her thigh. She understood only too well… She flushed hotly, remembering her dream. ‘If only he knew…,’ she thought inwardly. She wanted him very badly, ever since that dream, but now that it was so close to actually possibly happening, she owed it to them that they start properly. She more than wanted him. She loved him…She swallowed. “Okay, I’ll think about it,” she said hoarsely. She knew what her answer was going to be but she respected his wishes. This obviously mattered to him. Resting his head against her hair, Kakashi held her close. He was planning to give her two weeks to a month to think about this, he really was. But he didn’t think he could wait so long, wondering whether she loved him enough to want to be with him. There were everyone else’s reactions to think about… He felt like his mask wasn’t enough to hide how much he loved and wanted her from the world! Not for too long anyway… “Three days…,” he whispered, “three days to think about it.” For Sakura who had wanted just a day, this felt like forever! She was ready to protest before hearing his next words.

“I was really going to give you a month but I guess I couldn’t wait that long…,” he said, smiling into her hair. “Seriously, though, I’ll give you as long as you want. There’s a lot to consider…” “No!” Sakura heard herself bursting out in panic, her heart hammering. She had already waited way too long! “No…,” she amended in a calmer, more civilized tone of voice, “three days is plenty of time.” Turning around, she smiled at the silver-haired jounin, moving forward to kiss him. Kakashi regretfully pulled away, instead placing two fingers against his lips and then placing them onto her swollen pair in a poor copy of the real thing they both longed for. Looking at Sakura’s injured expression, he laughed quietly and said, “Don’t tempt me…I told you, I can’t take any more kisses…I’m giving you three days and I’m going to try to stick to that okay?” He tugged on the drawstrings of her pants, pulling her closer to him. He placed his forehead against hers before kissing the top of her head and moving her next to him. “It’s getting late…I’d better get going before anyone comes over,” he said, belatedly picking up his forgotten hitae-ate.

With great reluctance, Sakura got up and took his arm, leading him to the door. “Kakashi, I…,” she began, fully intending to profess her love for him, but thought better of it. She had to make sure he knew she meant it. “Hmm?” he smiled, his arm resting against the doorframe, his dark-clothed figure a shocking contrast to the backdrop of the fiery orange-red sunset behind him. “I…….That necklace looks good on you,” she finally amended with a smile. He winked at her before turning to walk away, jokingly saying, “Remind me to thank the buyer again.” Sakura laughed and said, “I’ll do that!” ‘In three days,’ she added silently.

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A/N: Next chp should be out soon so look out for that...As always, pls R&R=)