Double Edged

AUTHOR'S GRATITUDE: Wow... thank you to everyone who reviewed, both here and on ff.net! I really wasn't expecting to get so many. Thanks so much! -hugs-
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Song: Next 2 You
Artist:Buckcherry
Lyrics: I've been trying all night long/I put up with your favorite songs all night/Tempted by your tainted love/I surely like for you to come inside my crystal ball, what can I do?/Is it true what they say you won't give it away?/And I don't know what to do to get next to you, next to you/Every night, every day you just push me away/Tell me what should I do to get next to you, next to you?
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"I can't do this. Why am I doing this?" Sakura muttered to her reflection as she adjusted the little flower clips that held her hair back on either side. Her fingers were shaking badly as she fumbled to latch a thin gold chain around her neck. The little charm dangling from the chain was a small cherry blossom her parents had given to her for her sixteenth birthday. They'd told her it would bring her luck. Now, she was desperately hoping that luck would involve her getting out of this stupid date she had.

"It's because your options are either this or a year of midnight shifts," Ino reminded her from the living room.

"Maybe I could say something came up at the hospital... no, that wouldn't work. He'd just try and reschedule. Oh, I could always say I'm... no, that won't work either." Sakura huffed and hunched forward while looking at the miserable gaze in her mirror. "I'll work all your weekend shifts for the next six months if you get me out of this."

"By doing what, taking your place?" the other girl laughed dryly as she came into Sakura's bedroom. "Sorry, sweetie, but I think he'll notice a huge difference." She looked pointedly at Sakura's less-than-full breasts. 'I thought you were gonna wear that push up gel bra we purchased yesterday."

Sakura pouted as she looked down at her own chest. "I am wearing it," she replied miserably before giving a sigh of futility as she grabbed her perfume off the vanity top. She hesitated before adding just a little squirt to her neck. While she really didn't want to do this, there was no solid way out of it either. So... if she was going to go through with the date, then she was going to do it the right way, damn it! Ino didn't think she was seductive enough? Ha! She'd show that Pig once she had Hatake Kakashi's infamous books in her possession.

Rubbing her lips together to make sure the lip gloss was evenly applied, she grabbed the only cute purse she owned and turned around to face Ino. "So... how do I look?" she asked, doing a twirl so she could see the whole show.

The outfit she'd had to buy for the occasion was definitely more racy than everything but her underwear, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Ino's date outfits. The pale yellow dress had a rounded neck line that came right up to her neck and had little traces of gold embroidery throughout to pick up on the faint fan pattern of the fabric. It had long sleeves that were actually too long for her arms, causing her to tuck the hem under so that it looked alright. The only thing she hadn't been too happy about was how short the skirt was and how tight it all fit. If her mother ever saw her wearing something like that...

Ino's eyes narrowed and her lips twisted together thoughtfully as she looked her over. Sakura fidgeted while waiting nervously for Ino's verdict. Finally, the blonde girl grinned and said, "You look good, Forehead, though I still say you should have gone with that strapless one. You definitely could have pulled it off since you're pretty flat."

"Shut up, Ino-Pig!" Sakura snapped, dropping to the floor to dig under her bed for the one pair of dress sandals she had. She was completely unaware of the fact that Ino made a pretend kicking motion at her barely covered ass while she did so. Ino was quick to resume her former position of standing by innocently when Sakura surfaced with the straps dangling from her fingers. They weren't nearly as high as some of Ino's shoes, but at least the muted gold color would match the rest of her accessories... except for her black purse.

"I'm just saying you could have," the blonde girl continued, watching her roommate step into the heals awkwardly. It was obvious Sakura hadn't worn them in a while. "And you're not really gonna wear those ugly sandals of yours, are you?" she added with a smirk. She'd be damned if she was going to make this easy for Forehead!

Sakura froze in wrapping the thin straps up her calves, frowning as she shot a glare at her own feet. She knew Ino wasn't being serious, seeing as the blonde had borrowed those very same shoes several times before. Ino was just trying to mess with her head, that was all. It would be just like her to do. A slow, malicious little smile touched her lips as she finished tying the straps in place, grabbing her bag again as she headed for the door.

"Well, the point of this is to seduce him, not convince him I'm a stripper or a prostitute," she replied as she opened the door. "I don't know what you plan to do on your dates, Ino, but I find guys respond better to a girl who looks decent." She shut the door just as Ino let out an angry snarl and began to stomp after her. Served her right for being so petty!

Tucking her apartment key into her purse, Sakura walked down the two flights of stairs to the main entrance and left, repeating the address over and over in her head so that she wouldn't forget it. Number seventeen Asaihi Lane. That's where she'd be having her date with Kakashi. God... her date. With Kakashi. What were the odds of some natural disaster happening right at that moment?

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Ino continued glaring at the door for a few seconds more, as if she had half a mind to kick down their door and run after her hot-headed roommate. Considering Sakura had never been on a date before, she had some nerve suggesting Ino put out for all of hers! Still grumbling to herself, Ino stomped over to the door, shoved her feet into her sandals and grabbed her key off the hook by the door.

She knew where Sakura was going to be. They'd been talking about it that afternoon after shopping, but they hadn't actually stopped by to check the place out. From the start, she'd planned to secretly tag along in case things weren't going well so that she could try and help out, but now there wasn't a chance in hell of that happening. Now, she was going just to bear witness to Sakura falling flat on her face... and to see what Kakashi looked like without his mask.


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It seemed like the streets of Konoha had gotten much shorter than she remembered... or else she'd just been walking too fast. Either way, she was in front of the address he'd told her in what felt like record time and found herself staring at the building in confusion. It was... a tea shop. And it was closed for the evening. What in the hell was she doing there? Did she have the wrong address? No... she couldn't have. She'd memorized it when he'd given it to her the night before.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered as she crossed her arms over her stomach and tapped her foot impatiently. Should she wait there for him? Maybe she could sneak home and...

"I'll say. They must have changed their hours since the last time I was here."

Sakura yelped and jumped in surprise at the sound of Kakashi's voice so close behind her. "Where did you come from? And what are you doing on time?"

She heard Kakashi chuckle as he shrugged and took a half step closer to her. She had to fight the urge to take a step away from him. The point of this was to seduce him and backing off when he obviously wanted to get closer wasn't an option. "Some things are worth showing up on time for," he replied, speaking low enough that the passersby couldn't hear him.

Sakura's eyes widened and she choked on her next breath in. Was that a compliment? It sure sounded like it was. He'd pretty much insinuated she was worth showing up on time for, so... Maybe this dress wasn't such a bad idea after all. With the idea that maybe her plan would work after all riding high in her mind, Sakura smiled and let her fingertips toy with her necklace coyly. "Wait until I tell Tsunade-sama about that," she teased.

"Oh, please don't. I've got a reputation to maintain. You look very nice, by the way."

"I do?" she feigned, running her hands down the short, tight skirt as if there were a few wrinkles she was trying to smooth out. "Seeing as I had no idea where we were going, I just kinda... threw something together." She took the opportunity then to look him over, frowning when she noticed not much had changed.

He still wore a mask, but this time it was attached to what almost looked like a ribbed, long sleeve black shirt. Black pants that were left unbound at the ankles were the substitute for the usual, as were the closed toed shoes (or boots, she couldn't tell) instead of sandals. He was very carefully keeping the sharingan eye closed in absence of the protector that usually covered it. It was different... but at the same time comfortingly familiar.

"Very monochromatic of you," she commented with a smile to let him know she was only making fun of him.

"Ah, so nice of you to notice," Kakashi replied as his visible eye creased closed into an amused expression. It was a little odd to see that familiar expression mirrored with his other eye as well. "But, considering where we're going I thought it'd be appropriate. Ready to go?"

"Wait... you mean this tea shop wasn't where we were going to have our date?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"Here? It's a tea shop. You can't have dinner in a tea shop."

"Then why did-,"

Kakashi shrugged as he answered, "It's a neutral location that's fairly close to our real destination. Besides, I didn't want you spying out the real place ahead of time. Before we go, however... do you think you can talk our stalker into going home?"

"Our... stalker...?" What was he even talking about? Sakura began to look around as her stomach flip-flopped sickeningly. She'd been followed? Her eyes narrowed and her fingers curled into tight, angry fists as she picked up on a familiar chakra in the area. "Ino... that Pig!"

"Ahh... she's your roommate, right?"

"Not for very much longer she isn't," Sakura growled, pushing her sleeves up her arms as she began storming toward the blonde's location. She'd get rid of her quickly enough. One good punch would do the trick nicely!

"Hold on a second, Sakura," he chuckled, his arm shooting out to catch her before she could march passed him. Sakura struggled a little against his hold, her attention focused solely on beating Ino to a pulp. It took him forcibly maneuvering her around to face him by placing his hands on her shoulders before she stopped and met the amused twinkle in his eye. "There's a better way than maiming her to solve the problem."

"Oh, yeah? Because right now, maiming sounds like a really good idea." She tried twisting away again, only to gasp as he pulled her back once more. "Kakashi! Come on, it'll only take a second!"

"We really don't have a second to spare, Sakura," he chided lightly. "If we don't get there soon, we won't be eating until almost ten o'clock."

Sighing and still glaring as the chakra began to get even closer to them, Sakura muttered, "What do you have in mind?"

"A quick bunshin no jutsu and sprint will work just as well. Are you wearing shoes you can run in?" He peered down at her sandals at the same time she did, his eyebrows rising nearly to his hairline. "Hmm... I guess not."

"Well, I wasn't planning on sprinting from my idiot roommate tonight," she snapped, silently promising herself to get rid of those stupid sandals as soon as she got home.

The chuckle that escaped from him did very little to ease her roiling stomach. "Just do your best to keep up then. Okay, ready?" He released her shoulders and, maintaining eye contact with her, they both worked the hand seals necessary to create their clones. Sakura felt the pull of chakra unspindling from inside her and flowing down her arms shortly before a perfect copy of herself appeared next to her. Damn it, why hadn't she thought of sending a shadow clone on the date instead?

"Right, let's get out of here before she sees us," Kakashi said, waving to his clone as it walked off with her own. People were gaping from them to the pair of clones in surprise, a few of them smiling and shaking their heads.

Sakura gasped when he suddenly grabbed her hand and not only pulled her forward but up. As in, up the side of the building. Geeze... a little warning would have been nice! Thank goodness Tsunade worked her chakra control to the limits, otherwise she would have gone face first into the wall and been dragged up three stories of concrete. As it was, she barely managed to keep from twisting her ankle anyway.

Once on the roof top, Kakashi broke into a full out sprint that had her pushing to keep pace with him, which was harder than usual considering she wasn't wearing very practical shoes for running. All the while they ran and leapt from rooftop to rooftop, Sakura was silently seething and fantasizing all the different ways she'd make him hurt once this whole thing was done and over with. As much as she wanted to send him across Konoha on her fist, she doubted he'd come back for a second date if she did.

"Where are we going?" she called over to him as she struggled to keep the skirt in place as they ran.

"Kuroppoi. Ever hear of it?" he answered, glancing at her briefly before returning his attention to the landscape. Luckily for him, his mask hid the smirk that came when he noticed her trying to keep her short skirt from riding up to her waist.

"No."

"Then you're in for a real treat. Okay, at this next building we're going back to the street. Then it's just two blocks back the way we came."

"Oooh... so we're back tracking to cause her some confusion!"

"Exactly."

Sakura couldn't help grinning despite the fact that she was sweaty, irritated about having to take these steps to avoid being followed and that they were going to a place she hadn't heard of before. Only moments before she'd been ready to knock him the hell out and now... even though the whole date was shaping up to be pretty odd, she had to admit it was kind of funny.

They jumped back down to street level again, startling a couple making out in the alley way into fleeing. Sakura leaned forward with her hands on her knees and took deep, even gulps of air into her lungs to control her breathing. Kakashi was leaning against the wall next to her, and even if she couldn't see it she knew he was grinning. "You've definitely gotten much faster, Sakura," he complimented. "What's even more impressive is that you managed it in those shoes."

She flashed a smile up at him as she stood straight and fixed her dress. "That's two compliments so far. Keep that up and you might get a second date." Was that too forward? It had sounded flirty and playful in her head, but she wasn't sure...

Fortunately, Kakashi gave a low laugh at her joke before startling her once again by taking her hand. Shit, she really hoped he didn't notice her tensing up! "So, flattery's your thing, eh?" he asked. "I'll keep that in mind."

Sakura blushed and remained quiet after that, simply following him as he guided them down unfamiliar side streets and through the busier sections of Konoha she'd not ventured into before. This area was nothing but narrow streets, tall buildings boasting multiple shops and restaurants, various clubs of all sorts, bars... Basically, it was a place where adults would go to have fun. Not sixteen year old girls. Great, what was she going to do when it was her turn to pick a date? Take him to one of her hangouts? He'd be bored to tears!

Her breath caught in her throat when his thumb began to massage the back of her hand gently. "Sorry, is that not okay?" he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

She shook her head quickly and forced out a laugh that didn't sound too nervous, at least to her ears. "No, no! It's fine. It's... nice, actually." And it was, too, which was both surprising and alarming. He had really nice hands, she decided. Calloused, as would be expected from a shinobi, but still very nice. He probably gave really good back massages... Okay, stop! None of that. No massaging thoughts at all. God, what was wrong with her?!

"Hopefully we get there soon. This place gets full pretty fast," Kakashi said, obviously trying to make small talk

"So, it's pretty popular, huh?" she asked back, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd. They'd just come up to a heavily congested portion of the street. Apparently, three different establishments were having events that night, causing customers to cram in wherever they could. She could have sworn she caught sight of Iruka-sensei near one of the buildings, but when she turned back to look the man wasn't there. Huh... While she knew it was silly to think so, she'd never really thought that any of the instructors did anything but teach. To have possibly caught Iruka-sensei out having fun was interesting... and a little weird.

Kakashi's hand tightened on hers as he began maneuvering them through the mess of patrons. "Well, it's certainly unique, I can promise you that," he replied, turning just enough for her to catch his typical winking smile. However, his choice of descriptive words did little to ease her qualms about what sort of place he was taking her to.

They finally made it out of the masses and into a stretch of street that was much less crowded. All Sakura could do was follow him as he took a turn here or there, angling off onto some odd street that seemed to pop up out of nowhere and basically creating a mess out of her sense of direction. There was no way she was going to find her way home from this place now! If he just up and left her afterward, then Tsunade could forget about ever getting those books. She would burn every single Icha Icha Paradise she found while he cried miserably over their charred remains.

She was just beginning to think that perhaps Kakashi was lost when he came to a stop outside an odd establishment and proudly proclaimed, "Here we are!"

The reason the building stood out against its neighbors was because there was nothing to it. Unlike the other shops with bright signs and bold window displays, this building was nondescript. It was simply a concrete square painted white with a solid black door. There was no sign with the establishment's name on it, no windows for her to see inside. It was just... there. And it looked terribly out of place.

"What kind of place is this again?" she asked suspiciously as he reached for the door. She'd heard of strip clubs not advertising themselves before. If this was one of those... Icha Icha wouldn't be the only thing she'd destroy.

"It's a restaurant. A very unique restaurant," was his cheerfully offered reply.

Sakura shook her head and kept her mumbles low enough that he hopefully didn't catch them. The place looked more like a misplaced warehouse than a restaurant. She stepped in when he slid the door open and motioned for her to proceed him, glaring at the mischievous look in his eye. She really hated surprises, especially surprises from him. Dreading the worst, she hesitantly entered the restaurant.

She blinked and came to a complete halt just inside the doorway, her jaw dropping open in shock. This was definitely not a warehouse or a strip club. This was...

"Nice, huh?" Kakashi asked behind her, one hand pressing against her lower back to move her further into the lounge area. Sakura was too stunned by the decor to really pay attention to the fact that he was much closer than she normally would have been comfortable with.

"Nice? Are you crazy? This is amazing! I didn't know Konoha had any place like this," she breathed, her eyes flickering all around the small room eagerly.

Everything about the area screamed luxury, from the intricately woven black rug with bright red and white chrysanthemums on it to the glass crystals cleverly hung in spirals from the lights. It wasn't until she was standing under one of the lights that she realized each piece of glass was actually shaped to look like falling flower petals. Thick black curtains were draped across the back wall, completely hiding the dining room beyond it. Clear vases were placed along shelves on the wall and on the low table, all with lit candles and rose petals floating in water.

A woman wearing a formal white kimono and red obi came out from behind the curtain, smiling as she stepped behind the reception desk. An awed sound left Sakura as she noticed to intricately carved desk. She bent over to examine the delicately formed chrysanthemums and dragons that trailed all over the surface and down the sides. Whoever had carved it had done a really clever thing with the stain to emphasize the texture of the flowers against the harsher scales on the dragons. Amazing!

"Hello, and welcome to Kuroppoi," the woman said softly. If she was"Two of you tonight?"

"Yes, thanks," Kakashi answered, smirking as he watched Sakura's fascinated study of the reception desk. Had she known that her skirt had gone up several inches behind her, revealing a good amount of thigh, she probably would have reconsidered her stance. As it stood... he wasn't about to tell her that. His view was much better than hers.

"And which experience would you like tonight? The group or private dining?"

"Group, please. It's her first time." Sakura stuck her tongue out at him as she straightened up, earning her a little chuckle in response. While it wasn't blatantly stated, she had no doubt the double entendre was meant by his choice of words.

The hostess either didn't notice or passed it off as a couple flirting. Instead, she motioned for them to follow her through the curtain. "If you'd please. I have just the table for you to share. We're fortunate tonight to have another newcomer as well."

As they followed her into the other room, Sakura tugged on Kakashi's sleeve and whispered, "What does she mean by that?"

"She means we'll be at a table with another new person," he replied just as quietly, patting her hand as if to comfort her.

"We're eating with strangers?" she hissed back, suddenly feeling a lot less charitable toward him again. Her fingers curled in even tighter to his shirt, just short of pinching his arm. Just what the hell had she gotten herself into with this?

Kakashi smiled and pried her fingers free from his sleeve. "Trust me, you won't even notice them. And I promise you'll never have an experience like this anywhere else."

Sakura's eyes remained narrow and suspicious as she followed the host down a dark hallway that was lined with black curtained entrances to either side and lit candles. "They could really use some lights in here," she commented idly. Why he found that so amusing, she had no idea but there he was laughing under his breath.

The hostess stopped toward the middle of the hall and pulled back the curtain to the room, her welcoming smile never once faltering as she allowed them to enter. Sakura gasped in awe as she was once again struck by how beautiful it was inside the restaurant. The entire room was done in black, with only a few white and red accents thrown in to keep it from being completely monochromatic. The floor was made of polished black tiles that were completely smooth.

The four large, rectangular tables in the room were covered over in white linen and had the most gorgeous floral arrangements she'd seen outside of the Yamanaka's shop. Deep red roses, the lighter colored cherry blossoms, golden toned chrysanthemums and deep green foliage held in rectangular black containers were just... perfect. Every table was full save the one toward the back corner where the hostess was taking them. The cushions that were for the patrons to sit on had to be made out of silk. It wasn't until they reached their table that she noticed the fine embroidery across the black silk cushions. Whatever this place was, it had to be expensive.

There was an older man and woman sitting at the table across from them. The man looked very much like he'd rather be picking splinters out from under his fingernails while the woman sipped her wine with a very smug expression on her face. Sakura took a seat on one of the floor cushions, glancing quickly at Kakashi as he sat next to her. She smiled nervously at the couple across from them. The woman only arched a brow while the man grunted. Okay... so much for making friends with their table mates.

A waitress wearing a kimono as black as the rest of the room came over to pour them some tea. Apparently, black was the color theme of the place. Normally, she would have complained that it was too morbid, but the accents and decorations were what made it tasteful instead. Sakura sniffed at the tiny porcelain cup curiously as the mixture of floral scents wafted into the air. "What's in this?" she asked the waitress.

"That would be our secret recipe," the girl replied. "It's very good, I can assure you, and is best if you drink it before we serve the dinner to clear the palate."

"You mean we don't get any menus?" The woman on the other side of the table snorted and muttered something to her companion. Sakura glared at them, her hand curling into a fist under the table. So she wasn't used to having a pre-selected dinner? So what? That didn't give them the right to be rude to her.

The waitress shook her head and said, "We have a set menu at Kuroppoi, miss. However, if there are certain dietary needs that you have, we can create something around those."

"No... no, that's fine. Thanks though."

Bowing, the waitress moved off to another table to pour tea for the newly arrived diners. Sighing, Sakura picked up her tea and sniffed it again. Chamomile for sure was in there... possibly some honey. There was something else in there that she couldn't place, but it smelled really good. Turning to her companion for the evening, Sakura asked, "Hey, Kakashi? Do you know what's in the tea?"

Kakashi stared at his empty cup thoughtfully and said, "Mm... no. But it's really good. Are you worried it's drugged?" The last was said as a joke, but it went totally over her head. What had her attention was the empty bit of porcelain he'd just returned to the table.

"When did you... how... did you drink the tea?" she stammered, pointing from the cup to him and back again a couple times.

His eyes crinkled closed as he shrugged his shoulders. "With my mouth, of course. You should really do the same though, before it gets cold. It's not quite the same if it's not hot."

Sakura shook her head, still confused as to when exactly he'd removed his mask to drink. That was when another realization sprang to life in her mind. She was going to see Hatake Kakashi with his mask off! This was an event every ninja waited for upon seeing the masked man! And she, Haruno Sakura, was going to see it! Giggling to herself, Sakura brought her cup to her lips.

"What's so funny?" Kakashi asked, causing he to pause before sipping.

"Oh, nothing. I just realized this is gonna be the first time I've ever seen you with your mask off," she answered with a grin before taking a drink from her cup. Her eyes widened before drifting closed almost dreamily. It really was good! Sort of warm like cinnamon, but light and sweet like an herbal tea.

"And that amuses you?" he continued, chuckling himself as he watched her savor the tea.

"A little. I mean, we've always tried to get it off you, you know. I just think it's really funny, that's all."

She froze when Kakashi leaned closer to her, his masked lips so close to her ear she could feel the brush of cotton as he whispered, "Is that why you wanted to go on a date, Sakura? So you could get under my mask?"

Sakura almost spit her tea across the table at the hidden meaning. He continued laughing softly while she choked and coughed, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. "You... pervert," she rasped. "And no, that's not why I asked you out. If you really thought that, then why did you say yes?"

Whatever Kakashi was about to say was lost when a gong sounded and waitresses came in through the black curtained entryway carrying plates of food. Sakura frowned when she noticed they all had odd looking bands covering their eyes now. The bands had thin slits in them that pulsed with chakra, but what they did she couldn't even begin to guess.

"Get your chopsticks ready, Sakura," Kakash warned. "And did you have time to memorize your place setting?"

"Huh? Why would I need to do that?" Sakura asked as she picked up her chopsticks and settled her napkin in her lap.

If she could have seen his grin, she knew it would have been beyond mischievous. "Because tonight... you're dining in the dark."

"What?" she squawked just as the lights went out completely. Immediately she was thrown into blindness, her eyes trying to adjust quickly to her new surroundings. She could hear Kakashi chuckling next to her, the man across from her grunting irritably while his wife murmured something to him. Elsewhere, people were laughing softly, as if afraid to disturb the shadows that filled the room. Chopsticks clicked against porcelain, the air currents shifted as the waitresses moved around the room to check on guests and begin the service.

"You're being awfully quiet, Sakura," Kakashi teased, his voice sounding strangely unmuffled. Now she knew why he'd picked this place. He could actually have his mask pulled down to eat without her getting a chance to see him. Sneaky bastard!

"Sorry," she muttered while trying to figure out where the food was on her plate. "I've just never had to eat like this before. It's so...weird."

"Well, there is a method to the madness," he explained. "The theory is that most people eat with their eyes and not their mouths. Meaning, if the food is visually appealing then it's automatically going to taste good. By taking away the sense of sight, you have to rely on your other senses to experience the food. Your sense of smell becomes sharper, causing your taste sense to become more alert. You're sense of hearing is more tuned to what's going on around you, thus causing your sense of touch to become heightened. I did promise you this would be unique, didn't I?"

Sakura couldn't help smiling as she shook her head, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "It was kinda dirty to spring this on me without any warning," she commented as she finally managed to snag whatever it was with her chopsticks.

"True... but it wouldn't have been as fun for me."

"Ha ha! You're not allowed to pick a date again."

"...So that means I get a second one? Wow, and here I thought I'd have to pay for the bill first."

Sakura laughed and elbowed him before bringing whatever she'd managed to get off her plate to her mouth. The scent of citrus and salt hit her nose first before she popped the mystery food into her mouth. Soft... warm... it tasted familiar though. Definitely seafood of some kind... "Scallops?" she asked.

The man across from her snorted angrily. 'Thank you for ruining it," he snapped.

Thankfully, it was dark so no one could see her blush. "Sorry," she mumbled, searching her plate for another one. Whatever they did to cook the scallops was really yummy. Too bad for Ino she was still mad at her, otherwise she'd see about bringing some home. Ino loved scallops.

Sakua froze when she felt something warm blow across her ear. It nearly stopped her heart when she realized it was Kakashi's breath and that his bare lips were brushing against her ear now. "Don't worry about it. He probably didn't have a clue what it was anyway," he whispered before pulling back again. The shiver that ran down her spine... had nothing to do with him. It was just a reaction to someone blowing across her neck. Yes, that was it.

A touch came to her shoulder, causing her to jump and whirl around in that direction. "Excuse me, miss, I didn't mean to frighten you," the waitress said. "I was going to offer you a refreshment."

"Oh... sorry. I'm fine with water."

The waitress leaned over her shoulder and toward the table. She heard something liquid being poured in a glass to her left and waited until the woman left before sliding her hand across the table cloth in search of her glass. "So, do you come here a lot, Kakashi?" she asked as her fingertips just made out what felt like the base to her water glass.

"Eh, every so often. It makes for interesting conversation later," he replied.

Sakura smiled as she managed to find the last scallop on her plate just as she felt the brush of the waitress' kimono against her back. Immediately, spice hit her nose as a new plate was set in front of her. Strong and rich and definitely hot. Whatever was on her plate now was sizzling and was probably packing more punch than she was used to. It smelled good though. "I guess this place kinda counts on couples not kissing later," she mused as a whiff of garlic hit her nose.

Kakashi laughed quietly next to her, his knee hitting hers as he shifted position. "Well... that shouldn't worry you too much."

She spit out whatever she'd been about to put into her mouth in alarm, looking in the direction she knew he was sitting in shock. "W-Why would you say that?" Oh, God, please don't let him say something like he'd still want to kiss her anyway!

"I don't know what your dating policies are, but I never kiss on a first date."

Sakura sagged forward in relief at his teasing answer. Thank goodness it was something like that! She wasn't sure what she would do if it turned out he wanted to kiss her tonight. After all, she was still getting used to the fact that they were on an actual date... and that it was turning out to be pretty fun. "Right, because that would require you to pull that mask down," she retorted.

"No, no. It can be done without pulling the mask down."

Sakura arched a disbelieving brow as she took the bite of food she'd been holding in her chopsticks all that time into her mouth. "Oh, yeah?" she challenged around the spiced chicken... or was it pork? No, definitely chicken. And HOT! Sakura nearly toppled her water over as she groped for it quickly. She finished the water off in three large gulps, finally quelling the fire but leaving her unable to eat anymore until the waitress came back around again.

She nearly jumped off of her cushion when Kakashi said in a low voice, "Perhaps, if you're lucky, I'll prove it on a later date."

"Um...," was all she could say to that. Fortunately, the waitress came then to refill her water, thus giving her an excuse not to come up with something in response.

Kakashi's chuckle met her ears before he said, 'I'm only teasing you, Sakura. It's a shame the lights are out. I bet you're a pretty decent shade of red right about now."

"Shut up, I am not! And even if I am, it's all because you're acting like a pervert," she fired back, ignoring the grunting from the man across from them. Honestly, did he know how to do anything but grunt and be insulting?!

"Hey, now, that's a little unfair," he complained. "Just because I happen to enjoy the witty dialogue and plot intrigues of Icha Icha Paradise, that doesn't mean I'm a-,"

"-Yes, it does. Even more so because you read that stuff in public!"

"I'm telling you, it's impossible to put down once you start. The descriptive sexual acts are merely a side part to its charm."

Sakura snorted as she struggled to collect some more food with her chopsticks. "Charm... yeah, okay."

"Have you ever read an Icha Icha novel?" he challenged, his tone just a little harder than before.

"No, and I don't think I ever will either."

"Then don't knock it until you've tried it."

Smirking and beyond pleased the conversation had shifted naturally to the item she was after, Sakura leaned toward him until her chest pressed against his shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat before it began a more wild hammering in her chest, something she really hoped he didn't pay much attention to. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he had muscles. Really, really defined arm muscles. Well, no surprise there, right? After all, he was a shinobi.

Kakashi didn't so much as flinch as she pressed close to him, her stomach twisting so nervously that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to eat anything else for the rest of the night. She knew her palms were sweating a little as she placed them on her cushion for balance. God, she couldn't believe she was doing this! "Are you offering to let me borrow one?" she asked in what she hoped was a seductive whisper.

She nearly yelped in surprise when she felt his fingers trail down her arm lightly, sending a tingle along her skin in the wake. "Is that why you wanted a date so badly?" he asked back, his voice sinking to that low pitch again that made her skin feel warm.

Sakura was quick to draw back as her cheeks began to warm considerably. Damn it, she'd been so close and chickened out at the last second! Damn, damn, DAMN IT! "Why do you think I need a reason to ask you out?" she demanded, the irritation she felt toward herself coming through in her tone.

She caught the quiet edge of Kakashi's weary sigh before he said, "I didn't mean it exactly like that."

"Well, then, how did you mean it?" she pressed, not letting go now that she had him.

"Sorry, but you're asking me out on a date seemed a little too random to be natural."

Shiiiiit! How did he know? Wait... how could he know? There was no way he could know! He was just insanely accurate at reading the situation. But she couldn't let on to that. Thankful once again that the lights were out, Sakura managed a pleasant enough tone as she said, "It's okay. I guess I kinda see how you'd think that. Honestly, Kakashi, I just thought... I don't know. I guess I thought that since I was alone and lonely, maybe you were, too. And that... well... if we were together, we wouldn't be lonely anymore." She laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, does that sound stupid?" She hoped it didn't.

In a way, it was sort of the truth. It was why she had really tried to stay in contact with him over the course of two and a half years. He was the last tie to the happy days for her, when Team Seven was whole and complete and long before anything with Orochimaru came up. Kakashi was a constant in her ever changing world, which was partially why she was finding this so difficult. It felt too much like she was just using him, someone she considered part of her extended family, and that wasn't a good feeling at all.

She stiffened when he said softly, "No, I don't think that sounds stupid."

Sakura smiled at him in the dark as a blush settled to her cheeks again, one that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with how good his words made her feel. For some reason, she had a feeling that if she'd said that to anyone but Kakashi, they probably would have laughed her off. Kakashi hadn't ever done that, not even when she'd been his student. Sure, he'd joked around and poked fun at them, but he'd always listened to what they'd had to say.

Perhaps this wasn't going to be as difficult as she thought. Maybe, instead of taking it from the point of view that she was dating her former teacher, she should look at it as keeping a friend from being lonely... while stealing his books in the process. Actually, when she thought about it like that, it didn't sound so bad at all.

The dinner progressed without much further than some light banter and safe discussion topics. By the end of the meal, Sakura was stuffed and could honestly say that having dinner in the dark was an experience she would probably remember for a long time. After the dessert dishes had been cleared away (a delicious, melt-in-the-mouth chocolate that Kakashi said was making her purr, which she sooo was not!), the gong sounded again followed by the lights coming on at a low dim.

Sakura quickly glanced over at Kakashi in an attempt to see his face, but the Copy Ninja already had his mask perfectly in place. Her lips quirking in disappointment, Sakura stood up with him and followed him out of the dining room. She squinted when they left the dark hall and entered the reception area's much brighter lighting, standing next to him as he pulled some money from his pocket to pay for the bill. While she didn't catch the total amount of their dinner, she knew it was way more than she could have afforded. Either he kept a good stash on him or he'd just gotten paid for a mission. Chances were, it was the latter of the two.

They left the restaurant to find that the sky was now a thick, inky black studded over with a scattering of stars. The moon was at it's slimmest, barely putting off enough light for her to see him in the shadows cast by the buildings around them. Sakura smiled up at him as she rocked back on her heels, suddenly uncertain what to do right then. Kakashi stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets as if waiting for her to do or say something.

"Well... this was really fun," she said after a long pause. "Thank you. It really was an interesting experience, like you said."

His eye creased closed as he shrugged his shoulders. "I did promise you that at least."

"So... I guess this is goodnight?"

"Oh, so you know how to get home from here?" While the question was said innocently enough, the amused glint to his eye said he already knew the answer.

Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed, holding her wrist with the opposite hand in front of her. "No, of course not," she laughed. "But, if you wanna give me directions, I can-,"

"I have a better idea," he interrupted as he reached out and pulled her hand free from her wrist.

No... NO! He was going to suggest going back to his place! Oh, God! Oh, GOD!

"Another reason why I like this place... it gives me an excuse to walk a date home." He gave her another happy look before taking her hand and guiding her back through the maze of streets.

Sakura stared up at his profile for a handful of seconds, her mind still reeling with relief that he hadn't said what she thought he was going to. Of course... there was still the off chance that he'd try for a goodnight kiss... But she would worry about that when and if it came. Right then, she had to admit she genuinely had a good time on her 'date' with him. True, there were those couple times where she could have sworn he was acting like a pervert... but then again, whispering to someone did leave room for breathing on their neck a little, so she couldn't technically say he did it intentionally. It was just more of a gut instinct than anything else.

And besides, wasn't that what she wanted? This whole thing was to make him sort of fall for her, right? So... if he wanted to breathe down her neck and hold her hand, then she'd let him. It was the surest way to get to those damned books!

"So... did I pass?" he asked after several minutes of walking down the now quieting streets of Konoha.

"Hmm?" she asked back, giving him a confused glance.

"Did I pass?" Kakashi repeated, his eye showing that he was laughing at her silently. "Do I get another go or not?"

Oh... he meant another date. Sakura's face screwed up into an expression of mock thoughtfulness, grinning when his visible eye rolled toward skyward as if asking the moon for patience in dealing with her. "Sure, why not? I mean, you weren't that bad I suppose," she joked, her grin turning to a giggle as he gave an irritated grumble.

"So glad I managed to keep my subhuman tendencies at bay," he returned sarcastically.

"Yeah... you weren't too beastly. I think another date is in order. Oh... we're already back at the clinic? How'd we get here so fast?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and she was certain if his mask weren't covering his cheeks he would have been blushing as well. "Well... you see, Kuroppoi actually isn't too far from the clinic. It only felt longer because we'd gone out of our way to lose our tail. Plus, it's in an area not many people tend to know about since it's behind the more populated parts of the village. So, really, we didn't leave the main area too far behind."

Sakura shook her head in disbelief before carefully pulling her hand from his. "I guess this would be goodbye then, since I know my way home from here."

"If you want it to be. There's always the off chance of you getting mugged or some really perverted guy hitting on you mercilessly..."

Laughing, she gave him a playful shove, which made his eyes crinkle closed in amusement. "I think I can handle a mugger, and I know I can deal with any perverts that come along."

"Then how about you walk me home? I'm terrified of the perverts."

She laughed again and shook her head while hugging her arms across her stomach. "Sorry, I don't buy it."

"Damn. Well, that's it from me. Seeing as I don't have a good reason to walk you any further, I guess it's goodnight for real." He walked by her without so much as an attempt at a kiss or anything of the sort, waving over his shoulder as she pivoted around to watch him go. Wow... she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or insulted

"Hey, Kakashi!" she called, smirking as he turned around to face her. He kept moving though, walking backward so that he could still see her.

"What?" he called back.

"I thought you wanted a second date!"

"Oh, that... Ask me tomorrow!" And then... he was gone in a poof of smoke.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she shook her head, her lips pursing in annoyance. "Jerk," she muttered before heading off for her own apartment. It just figured he'd make her go through the same thing again just to get him on a date!

This time though... it would be under her conditions, not his. Whatever those conditions were gonna be.