What the New Year Brings

Thank you for all the reviews, faves, and alerts!

This chapter is dedicated to darkonex852 at the KakaSaku site because it's scary how she knew exactly what I already had planned out for this chapter (the first part anyway) and even recommended "The Results of the Honeymoon" by Durgas Dragon on FanFic to help inspire me. Feel free to check it out, but be warned it's yaoi (KakaIru) just in case you're not into that sort of thing. Seriously, when you guys make guesses as to what I have planned out and get it dead on, I get really freaked out sometimes! But I guess that's a good thing because that just means you're really in tune with this story.

Anyway, I'm warning this chapter as a LIME because there's nothing too explicit in it, but it's getting there.

Chapter 23-The First Morning After

If there's one thing I've learned growing up with Naruto, it's that he's LOUD.

"Oh my God! My eyes! My eyes! What the fuck?!"

Looking up blearily at the door where he's standing, I can see Naruto with one hand covering his eyes and his other hand shaking manically in front of him as if such a movement will make whatever he's avoiding looking at disappear.

"What is wrong with you?" I say irately, letting my eyes drift back close, snuggling the side of my face deeper into my pillow.

"What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with you?! He's our sensei for God's sake!"

My eyes immediately shoot wide open.

Now fully aware of my surroundings I notice that A) I'm completely naked, B) The only thing that's preventing me from completely flashing Naruto with my breasts is somebody's arm wrapped tightly around my chest as he spoons me, and C) The owner of that arm is also completely naked and is none other than, yup, our sensei.

SHIT!

"Shit! Get out now, Naruto!"

"But I'm supposed to tell you that you're late for our escort mission! Well, actually, I was supposed to tell Kakashi-sensei that, but seeing how you're here I might as well tell you that as well. I mean, I guess at least now I know why he's late, but to be honest I'd rather gouge my own eyes out with a spoon than to have found out that you and him are doing i-"

"OUT NOW!"

"Alright already! I'm going!"

Once he's out the door, sliding it close behind him, I bury my face in my hands and wonder how I'm going to live this one down.

"Could've been worse." Kakashi chuckles behind me.

"And how's that?" I ask wearily.

"He could've seen my face."

"What makes you think he didn't and how in the world is that supposed to make me feel better?!"

"Well, I know he didn't because I had my lips pressed against your shoulder the entire time. Besides, I think he was more distracted in now knowing that pink is your natural color after all."

"Oh, God." I groan, pulling (belatedly) the blanket up from down by our feet and pulling it up over my head, wishing that I'd just die.

"And as to how his not seeing my face is supposed to make you feel better, well now you still get to be the only one to have seen my face and you get to rub that fact in his."

I groan again, but then a thought occurs to me.

"Sakura...why are you laughing?"

I pull the covers down from my face.

"Because, Kakashi, you just made me remember that I'm now a very, very rich woman and that makes me feel better!" I say smiling ear to ear.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Naruto and I have had a bet going for the longest time as to who would see your face first and what exactly your face looks like. Naruto betted that not only would he see your face first, but that you have buckteeth and fishlips. But now that I'm the one who's seen your face first and know that you don't have any of those things, like I said, I'm now a very, very rich woman!"

"Geez, how much did you guys bet?!"

"Well, it wasn't much at first, but as the years passed those bets sort of grew in interest."

"How so?"

"Well, let's just say that Naruto owes me the exact pay for his C and D rank missions for the past 10 years!"

"Holy crap!"

"I know!"

"You're rich!"

"I KNOW!" I say elatedly.

"See, I told you his not seeing my face was a good thing!"

"Sure was!"

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"What exactly did you bet my face looked like?"

I turn around in his embrace so that I'm face to face with the very face that's eluded Naruto and I for years.

"I betted that you wore your mask because you didn't want other people to be distracted by how good you looked and wanted them to like you for who you really are in the inside rather than how you look on the outside. And you better be grateful, mister, because I fell for you long before you first kissed me on New Year's and knew what you looked like beneath that mask! For all I knew, you could've looked like a dufus just like Naruto said!"

Kakashi smiles at me.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"I'm happy to see you again."

I slap the palm of my hand to my forehead.

"Well, there's not much we can do about that right now, Kakashi! You heard Naruto - we're already late!"

"I'm really happy to see you." Kakashi smirks at me, grabbing my hips and pressing said "happiness" against me.

Geez, he really is happy to see me!

"Well if we're going to be late anyway..."

"Yup, that's my motto!" Kakashi smiles down at me.

I can only smile back up at him as he rolls both of us over and brings his mouth back down onto mine.

To be continued...

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Next chapter...Lemon, no lemon? Lemon, no lemon? You decide. Let me know 'cuz I can do it either way. The quicker you let me know, the quicker I write. The quicker I write, the quicker I post. Thanks for your input!