Double Edged

Song Reference: Is She Really Going Out With Him?
Artist: Da Vinci's Notebook
Lyrics: Is she really going out with him?/Is she really gonna take him home tonight?/Is she really going out with him?/'Cause if my eyes don't deceive me/There's something going wrong around here.
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Sakura's breath left her in a loud, "OOF!" when something heavy landed on top of her. That something refused to move, even when she tried working her elbow free from the blankets to settle it where she thought its gut would be. "Guh... Ino.... dead... PIG! GET! OFF!"

Snickering, Ino got off of her and took a seat at the foot of her bed, grinning at the sleepy glare Sakura flashed at her while fumbling her way into a sitting position. This made two days in one week that her sleep had been interrupted. If this continued, there wouldn't be any room left to hide all the bodies. She glanced at her bedside table when the smell of freshly made rolls and tea caught her attention. Well... if Ino kept making her breakfast, maybe she'd let her live. Maybe.

"So," the blonde girl began in a tone that was far too chipper for morning use. "You were out pretty late last night."

"Mm-hm," Sakura answered noncommittally around a bite of biscuit. Heavenly... almost as good as that chocolate thing from last night. It was a damned good thing Ino could cook, because she was absolutely hopeless in a kitchen. Except for baking cookies. For some reason, she could make some pretty good cookies.

Ino rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated groan. "Come ON, Sakura! I'm dying for details! How'd it go? Where'd he take you? God, please tell me he didn't pull a fast one on the bill! Oh, and what's he look like without the mask? Or did you get so distracted by how good looking he was that you forgot, like Ami from Ichiraku Ramen?"

"Pfig, Ahm eedang," Sakura reprimanded around the biscuit in her mouth. Seriously, she had to learn what Ino's secret was for making those things! Was it the butter? Or the way she kneaded the dough? They were absolutely amazing!

"SAKURA! I've been waiting all morning to hear about this and I've gotta go to the clinic soon. Tell meeeee!"

Sakura shook her head in defeat and washed down her first biscuit with some of the tea. "Fine, I'll tell you," she conceded, wincing when Ino let out an amazingly high pitched squeal. She waited until the other girl had settled down before relating everything about her date with Kakashi to her. From the moment they met up and everything that happened at Kuroppoi to the walk back to the main section of Konoha, all of it was discussed in great detail between them.

When Sakura was finished, Ino flopped back on the mattress and grinned up at the ceiling. "It's too bad you're doing this because Tsunade wants his Icha Icha books," she mused. "It sounds like it was a lot of fun."

"It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be," Sakura admitted, hugging one of the many throw pillows on her bed to her chest. "I mean, it still felt a little awkward and all, but I think I could do it again if I had to."

"What about if you don't have to? Would you do it just because it was a good date?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ino! Kakashi's too old for me."

Ino arched a brow as her lips curved into a slow smile. "So, it's just 'Kakashi' now, huh? What happened to 'sensei'?"

Sakura groaned a smacked a pillow down onto Ino's grinning face. "Grrr... I couldn't exactly call him sensei last night, could I? It just... carried over, that's all. You're reading way too much into this, Ino. This thing here, me dating Kakashi-sensei, is just business. Pure and simple."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Business. Let me tell you, Haruno Sakura, that 'business' doesn't have fun on dates. 'Business' doesn't get all flushed just remembering what it felt like to be so close to his mouth."

"Stop it. I do not get flushed," she muttered grumpily.

Ino laughed and pointed at her face. "Then why are you cheeks as pink as your hair?"

"They are not!"

"Oops... now they're even darker!"

"Pig, I'm warning you!" Sakura threatened as she pulled her fist back.

Ino held her hands up in defeat, her blue eyes sparkling brightly as she continued to giggle. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry. I'm done, I promise. At least one good thing came out of all this."

"What?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

Ino sat upright and smirked at her. "He did say he wanted a second date, right? So... that means you've gotten him interested."

Sakura blinked, pausing with the tea cup frozen half way to her mouth. She hadn't thought about that last night, but now... "Hey, that's right! He did say he wanted another date, didn't he? Ino, I did it! I seduced Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hold up, Forehead! Don't get too far ahead of things here," Ino cautioned. "You've only been on one date. That hardly constitutes seducing him. Now, for your next date, it's all up to you. He made that pretty obvious last night. So, you're gonna have to come up with something that you like to do. Something that opens him up to who you are."

"But... shouldn't he be opening up to me and not the other way around?" Sakura asked. Seeing as he was the one being seduced, why should he have to know her?

Ino rolled her eyes and shook Sakura's feet underneath the covers. "Because, Forehead, you need to build a feeling of trust! Sure, Kakashi-sensei trusts you in a fight, but this is personal now. He won't let you anywhere near those books if he doesn't trust you as more than a fellow ninja! So... open yourself up just a tiny bit.. You don't have to let him in totally, of course, but make sure it's enough to make him feel secure."

Sakura listened to her in awe, amazed at this profound side of Ino she hadn't known existed. "Wow, Ino... you're really good!" she complimented.

The blonde girl preened at the praise, flipping her hair back over her shoulder as she said, "Well, I am the one with the most experience, after all. So... what are you gonna do for your second date?"

"Ino, I just woke up! I haven't even had time to get over the first date yet!"

"He did set a pretty high standard for a first date. There's no way you can afford anything like that." Ino's eyes drifted to the clock and widened in alarm. "Shit, I'm gonna be late! We'll talk more later, Sakura!"

Sakura yawned and made a shooing motion with her hand as she too looked at the alarm clock. She let out a shriek and literally rolled herself out of bed, sheets and all. Kicking herself free from the tangle of blankets around her ankle, Sakura ran frantically around her room, pulling on whatever clothing she happened to pull out of chest of drawers first. Thankfully for her, most of her wardrobe was mix and match so it didn't really matter what she grabbed.

She was tying her head protector in place in her hair as she rain out the door, groaning as she skidded and doubled back to lock the door. It was almost six o'clock! Why had Ino let her sleep in so late?! She was late for her shift by almost two hours! Oh... Tsunade was gonna have her hide for this!

She stumbled through the clinic doors at almost a full sprint, ignoring the bewildered stares from the other medics as she skidded around the turn that led back to the prep area. As she entered the room, she slowed down to a brisk walk, breathing hard and keeping an eye open for anyone who might tattle to Tsunade on her before she was ready to confront the hotheaded blonde.

Her fingers were shaking as she opened the lock on her small cubby space and pulled out the green coat that all junior medic nins wore, throwing it on over her own clothing. Out of habit, she immediately checked her pockets to be certain she had paper, a writing instrument, a small roll of bandages and an energy bar. After being summoned by Tsunade far too many times before breakfast, she always made sure she kept something in her coat pocket.

Sakura made her way into the intensive care ward, and forced a smile on her face as she approached the young woman filing papers at the front desk. "Good morning, Suki! Who's the first one on the list today?"

Suki, their incredibly meticulous daytime desk worker, blinked in surprise as she turned with a stack of charts in her arms. "Oh, hey, Sakura. What are you doing here so early?"

"Early?" the pink haired girl asked, just as confused as the other woman now. "I'm late. Oh, and can you tell me who covered for me so I can apologize to them in person?"

Setting her charts down, Suki grabbed the schedule book and leafed through it until she came to that day's roster. Silently, she flipped the book around and tapped the line she wanted Sakura to reference before returning to her chart sorting. Frowning, Sakura read the line she'd indicated... and immediately wanted to collapse on the ground.

Her schedule had been changed. She was the seven to three shift, not the four to one today. That's right... Tsunade had said she'd be working daytimes for the next six months in exchange for getting Kakashi's Icha Icha Paradise off of him. "Craaaaap," she groaned, dropping her head down onto the desk.

She heard Suki laugh and felt the older woman pat her shoulder consolingly. "Tsunade-sama said you already knew about the schedule shift. I guess word didn't reach you?"

"No... it did. I'm just stupid and forgot all about it." Actually, it was more like she hadn't considered Tsunade would put it into effect so quickly.

"Well, I would normally suggest you bunk down for forty-five minutes in the dorm area, but since Shizune's out on a mission we're down a medic. Sooo... when you're done wallowing, I've got a genin in room three-oh-eight who thought he could fly after someone played a stupid prank on him. Poor kid shattered both his legs."

Sakura, head still on the desk top, stuck her hand out for the chart. When she felt the weight of it settle on her palm, she picked her head up and began reading through the initial impression notes made by the receiving medic. Bone reconstruction was a very tricky thing to do. It took a lot of chakra and a lot of time to make sure everything was knitted accordingly. Afterward, the person wouldn't be able to use that limb for at least another two weeks to ensure that any minute fractions left after the chakra healing didn't widen into another break.

Sighing wearily, Sakura trudged off in preparation for another busy day at the hospital. Oh... and she'd have to try and come up with a non-lame second date. Greeeeeat.

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Kakashi didn't even bother looking up as two figures dropped down silently onto the rooftop next to him. He'd felt them coming almost a mile away and guessed that he was their target. Acknowledging them with a quick wave, he continued reading Icha Icha while the intruders on his rooftop sanctuary hedged him in on either side. He didn't know for certain why they were there, but he could take a guess that it concerned his plans yesterday evening.

"He's still reading Icha Icha, which answers the question of whether or not she went home with him," Genma joked as he stretched out flat on his back next to Kakashi. Gai continued to stand with his arms folded in front of his chest, frowning down at the man reading between them.

"How so?" Kakashi asked, only mildly curious about the other man's reasoning.

Grinning and wiggling his senbon between his teeth in a suggestive fashion that most people did with their eyebrows, the brown haired jounin answered, "Because you wouldn't need porn if you'd just gotten laid."

"Hmm... Not entirely true. The sex could have been awful."

Genma laughed and dropped his arm over his eyes to block out the sunlight burning down from above. "How can you sit out here all the time? I just got here and I feel like I'm melting!"

"Melt more quietly."

"Heartless, that's what you are. Well, seeing as you won't listen any other way..."

Kakashi's eye widened in horror when his book was suddenly snatched from his hand by... Gai? He arched a brow up at his 'rival' and said in an even, steady tone, "You really don't want to do anything rash now, Gai. Not unless you want to be Konoha's Blue Beast."

Smirking, Gai was very careful about marking Kakashi's place, but with the way he closed the book it was obvious he had no intention of giving it back quite yet. "I need to have a word with you, from one man to another," the green clad man insisted. The somber expression on his face didn't bode well at all.

"Okaaay," Kakashi said slowly, standing up and twisting his neck to ease the cramp that had formed from reading all morning. He didn't want to be caught off guard in case this was a rematch. "Is this about our last match? Because I still refuse to say something so ridiculous."

He'd 'lost' the last competition between them, and because of that Gai had given him the choice of acknowledging his superior fashion sense... or picking up his dry cleaning for the rest of the year. Hmm, decisions, decisions... Fortunately, the decision was made easy by the fact that the dry cleaning place was on his way home each evening. So, really, it wasn't too much of a hassle to grab Gai's freshly steam-washed suits, jam them into an inconspicuous bag so no one would see him carrying them and deliver them the next day.

Would it have been easier just to announce that Gai was a better dresser than he was? Yes... but there was no way in heaven or in hell he'd ever acknowledge those one piece monstrosities as being 'fashionable'

Gai jabbed a finger in Kakashi's direction and proclaimed as if he wanted all of Konoha to hear him, "This is the epitome of fighting fashion! The flexibility! The close fit! It's the next best thing to fighting naked!"

"God... bad image," Genma groaned. "I'm gonna stare at the sun now to burn it outta my eyes."

Kakashi had half a heart to join him on that. Gai... fighting naked... Not cool. Not cool at all. Sighing, Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets and said, "You still haven't convinced me on that. Plus... I hate green."

If Gai's mouth were opened any wider, his jaw would have fallen out socket. "Green... is a color of pride! Of strength! Green is the color of newly opened leaves, the time of year when Konoha is in the spring of its beauty and youth!" he argued, his voice rising with his passionate display.

"Yeah, it doesn't look good on me. But did you really interrupt my reading just to discuss your fashion choices?" He had a guess as to the real reason for their invasion of his rooftop, but he wasn't going to bring the subject up directly. All he really cared about at that point was making certain Icha Icha Paradise didn't suffer any damage.

Immediately assuming a posture of challenge (chest out, thick brows furrowing almost together and pointing dramatically while flashing that million dollar grin), Gai stated formally, "I have come to discuss your intentions for the young woman you dined with last night!"

Kakashi's eyebrows (both of them) rose nearly to his hairline. He cast a sidelong glance at Genma as the other man began to snicker. So... Genma had gone and shot off at the mouth about that. How that guy was ever given confidential information was beyond him. "My intentions?" he repeated while running over the different scenarios through which to make Genma suffer.

"Yes. Your intentions."

"For Sakura?"

"Haruno Sakura, the Hokage's apprentice and the delicate blossom of-"

Genma let out a surprised burst of laughter and briefly removed his arm from his face to look at their eccentric associate. "Delicate blossom? Where the hell do you get this stuff from?"

Gai frowned at Genma's comment but maintained firm eye contact with Kakashi in the process. "That isn't important right now! What matters are my rivals intentions toward her!"

Kakashi ran a hand back through his hair as a slow, controlled breath left his lungs that bordered very close on being a sigh. All he'd wanted was to sit back and enjoy his book. It really wasn't such an extraordinary thing to ask, or at least he'd thought so. Apparently, fate felt otherwise. "Why are my intentions toward Sakura your concern, Gai? Are you planning to ask her out?"

"Ha ha! Fortunately for you, my affections don't reside with her," Gai replied with a wide flash of his smile. "However... it seems you have a new rival to contend with now. A rival in love!"

"Oh?" For now, Kakashi wouldn't bother correcting the love portion of Gai's statement. It was usually best to go through things one at a time with the man anyway.

"That's right! My number one student, Rock Lee, has had his eye on the beautiful kunoichi since first seeing her! Are you prepared to deal with the fury of a love-struck youth?"

Kakashi once again glanced at Genma and caught the other man's amused smirk that was just visible underneath his arm. Genma had known all along about Gai's planned confrontation. Retribution would be too kind. It looked like he'd actually have to kill him now. "Well... he's welcomed to date Sakura too if he wants, and if she's willing. I have no objections to that."

Gai's face shifted into one of horror shortly before Kakashi found his shoulders being gripped so hard he knew there would be bruising later in the shape of the other man's fingers. "What?! Does she mean so little to you then that you won't even fight for her?! Or is it that you're intimidated by Lee's incredible skill? I will admit, the boy is remarkably hardworking... but have no fear, my rival, he hasn't quite reached the level of his master yet!"

Kakashi grabbed Gai's wrists and had to strain as he pried the other man's hands free from his shoulders. "Thanks for the reassurance. But the answer is none of the above."

Genma snorted and pushed into a half sitting position as he squinted to keep the sun from getting into his eyes too badly. "I told you, Gai, didn't I?" he stated, the senbon in his mouth catching the light as he twirled it between his teeth. "This is strictly a reconnaissance mission. Lee's not gonna get a competition outta Kakashi over this."

Something close to disappointment flashed across the spandex wearing shinobi's face as he stepped away from his rival. Kakashi waited patiently while the other man looked him over from head to toe as if sizing him up for a new suit. Probably a one piece spandex number that would quickly find its way to the back of his closet... with ten of its equally awful cousins. It had become a tradition for Gai to wrap Kakashi's birthday present in a spandex unitard. In return, Kakashi always wrapped Gai's presents in at least three layers of pages torn from pornography magazines. Fair was fair, after all.

Finally, the taijutsu expert let out a low, vaguely evil sounding laugh as he handed Icha Icha Paradise back to its rightful (and very relieved) owner. "I'll let this stand for now, Kakashi. But be prepared to face the onslaught of a young man in love!"

"Point taken," Kakashi answered, a relieved sigh sneaking out as he fingered the bright orange cover carefully for any tears or possible stresses due to handling by someone other than himself. Satisfied that it was just as pristine as when it had been taken, he tucked it at his back again and sat down next to Genma. Gai took a seat on his other side with a happy look about him. It seemed he was satisfied with their, uh... discussion.

"So... you're hiding from the Hokage, I take it?" Kakashi asked Genma, trying to change the subject as subtly as possible.

Grinning, Genma's brown eyes flickered with wicked amusement as he replied, "Yep. That old hag seems to think that because Shizune works for her, so do I."

"Technically, you do." Gai added a small hum of agreement to Kakashi's response.

Shrugging, Genma removed the senbon from his mouth and began twirling it between his fingertips idly, watching as the light flickered and flashed off the metal with each turn. "Yeah... but I don't do paperwork. I don't fetch her booze. I'm a goddamn jounin, not an errand boy!" He shook his head irritably. "No wonder Shizune gets in those 'I have to get away now' moods. I'd be feeling the need to kill something working for her, too!"

Kakashi chuckled and patted the other man on the shoulder consolingly. "You'd make a terrible errand boy, Genma. I don't think you need to worry about being reassigned."

"Cute, Hatake. Speaking of cute though... how was your date?" He snickered at the slightly annoyed twitch to Kakashi's brow. Usually, it took a lot more effort on his part to get that sort of response from the silver haired man. Then again, he'd never had such fun ammunition to work with before.

"I thought you said it was a reconnaissance mission," Gai interjected sharply, causing Genma to sit up enough to look his way and Kakashi to groan softly before pulling his book out and very pointedly opening it so that he couldn't see either of them. Damn it, his change of subject didn't stick!

"Date, reconnaissance mission... same thing, really." Genma waved his hand as if to brush off the fact that there was a difference between the two words. Gai, though he didn't look fully convinced of the fact, accepted it without much more than a narrow eyed glance. "Did you find out what she was after?"

"Mm... not quite, but I know it's got to be one of two things," Kakashi confirmed.

"Oh? Do enlighten us."

"She's either trying to get me to removing my mask... or she's after Icha Icha Paradise."

Both Gai and Genma stared at him, the first in shock and the other in amusement. "The girl... the keeper of Lee's heart... is reading that book?" Gai demanded in a horror stricken voice. His eyes closed and what looked suspiciously like a tear slid down his cheek. "Ooh, Lee... "

Genma slapped a hand over his eyes and groaned heavily at Gai's misunderstanding. Shaking his head as if to clear it, the brown haired man ignored Gai completely as he continued speaking. "How did you figure that out so quickly?"

"Well, the first is fairly obvious. Everyone and their cousin keeps trying to see underneath the mask," Kakashi began while Gai continued to bemoan the fact that his prized student was in love with a 'woman in the full bloom of her fiery passion'. "So... I took her to Kuroppoi."

"Kuroppoi? Is that the place that makes you pay to eat in the dark?"

"Uh-huh. The plan was to spring that little surprise on her and gauge her reaction. Sakura is a very talented medic and has progressed marvelously in the various jutsus as well... but she's not the most subtle creature when it comes to things like this. If her plan wasn't working out as she'd hoped, it would have been obvious."

Genma nodded thoughtfully, his narrowed gaze slipping off to the side slightly. "And you don't think that's changed at all after training with Tsunade all this time?"

Kakashi laughed under his breath and shook his head. "Tsunade's even worse than Sakura when it comes to a good poker face. Why do you think she loses all the time?"

"Huh. Good point. Okay, so you took her there to test her reaction. Well played, Hatake. What was the outcome?"

Kakashi's response was a smirk as he flipped the page in his book. He had absolutely no intention of sharing any further information about his 'date', especially not to those two. After all, this was sort of bordering into his private life. It didn't matter that there were external reasons for him accepting her invitation to dinner. Last night was still a date, and it involved someone he was rather fond of. There was no need for anyone but the himself and Sakura to know the exact details.

Genma waited for several long seconds for some sort of response, the senbon clicking a little as he twirled it in growing agitation between his teeth. Kakashi continued reading, flipping the pages whenever necessary, and ignoring him. Finally, the brown haired jounin gave an irritated groan and said, "You're seriously not gonna answer that?

"Nope."

"Fine... it's not like I give a damn anyway."

Kakashi smiled and laughed under his breath. "Good to know. Shizune's not back yet, is she?"

"Hmm? No... not yet. Raidou was sent out to meet up with them," muttered Genma dismally. It was part of the reason why he wasn't too happy with the Hokage at that moment. He'd requested to be sent to meet the team himself... and Tsunade had denied him. The only reason he could think of for denying his request was because he'd refused to run across town and get her a special bottle of sake. If he'd done that, Shizune would have had his ass in grass faster than he could apologize. So... he was screwed either way. He hated being screwed like that!

"Ah. That explains why you're so annoying right now. You're bored," Kakashi commented, grinning as the other man scowled at him.

"He's not annoying," Gai interjected with a gentle, knowing smile on his face. "He's pining away right now. Have no fear, Genma! She will return to you!" He understood too well the pains of missing that special someone. It was unfortunately one of the drawbacks of being in love.

"First of all," Genma replied, pinning Gai with a mild glare. "I do not pine. Second of all, I already know she's coming back, so I'm not at all worried about that. It's... other things."

Kakashi chuckled and peered over the edge of his book as Genma shifted uncomfortably. "Sucks when your private life is dissected, doesn't it?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"But it's understandable that you- Oo!" Gai suddenly stopped in the middle of his speech, hi thick brows pulling down closer to his eyes and giving him the look of someone who had been just stumbled across the solution to a problem they had abandoned as being hopeless. "That's it! Yes... that's perfect." Both of the other men blinked and stared at him in confusion, unsure what exactly was 'perfect'.

Without explaining anything further, the man jumped to his feet and over the side of the building. Both Genma and Kakashi leaned forward to watch as he landed on the balcony three floors below, startling some poor woman into screaming, before finishing his descent to the street level and taking off in a green blur of movement.

"Okaaay," Genma drawled, his frown causing his senbon to droop closer to his chest. "Gai's... weird."

Kakashi's breath left him in a low, quiet rush. "You have no idea. But, that's why he's as good as he is. No one, not even his friends, can understand him sometimes."

Snorting, Genma's lips spread into a little smile. "I always wondered how your little rivalry matches always remained so close," he murmured. "You can't get a read on the guy, can you?"

"Nope. His brain works too fast."

"Yeah, like a hyperactive monkey's."

Chuckling, Kakashi pushed to his feet and said, "No, no. The title of 'hyperactive monkey' will always be Naruto's. Gai's mind is more like an army of hyperactive hamsters running in several different wheels at the same time. And yet, somehow all those hamsters make it work."

Genma laughed and watched Kakashi stretch his back before he began walking toward the edge of the roof. "So, what's the plan? Same as before?"

"Pretty much. Is that a problem?"

"With me? I could honestly care less. But Shizune... she'll have some words about it, I'm sure."

"I'm sure she will. However, unless you want to run around blue again..." There was no need to finish the threat. Genma's mocking salute said he understood it perfectly.

"I still, to this day, have no idea what the hell you did to me, you know," Genma commented as Kakashi paused at the edge of the rooftop.

"Don't go telling Shizune that either. She might get jealous," Kakashi tossed back, smirking over his shoulder as Genma took the lazy approach to responding by flicking him off. Laughing as the other man grumbled under his breath, he jumped over the side of the building and bypassed the balcony Gai had invaded entirely. He landed on the street, easily channeling his chakra to his feet to absorb the impact from jumping six floors to the ground.

Smiling at the kids whose game he'd interrupted by his sudden drop, he pulled out his book and began to slowly walk back to the jounin compound to do a little work. Hmm... today, he had to finish that mission report for Tsunade, check to see if his name was on a mission roster and if so probably see about meeting up with whoever was on his team to discuss the assigned mission, follow up with the equipment department to see if they'd managed to fix his ANBU gear after the last mission and then meet up with Asuma for a sparring match. Oh, and he had to find time for his own training routine.

Despite what his former students believed, he really wasn't all that lazy. They just never saw what he did after teaching them. If at times it had looked like he was bored or disinterested... well, he was. It wasn't that he didn't like his Team Seven. It was just that it was yet another thing he had to get done in his day. There was no reprieve from paperwork and personal training for team leaders, that was for sure.

It was because of his typically hectic schedule that he'd learned how to read and walk at the same time. Well, that and he enjoyed the horrified looks on parents' faces whenever they caught site of the restriction label printed in bold on the book cover. Yes, cover the eyes of the little ones and hope like hell they don't become genin under his supervision. The idea of sending a failed class back home with nothing learned except that their teacher read Icha Icha the entire time made him smile.

Of course... there was the off chance that another genin team might pass. Hopefully, his Team Seven students hadn't started a trend. Or passed on the secret of the bell exercise to any future genin. Hmm... after years of using those bells, he might actually have to mix it up the next time around.

As he approached the building, a few people that recognized him called out as he passed, prompting him to wave in their direction or, if he knew them well enough, reply while not stopping to talk further. He entered as a group of laughing kunoichi pushed by him, his nose wrinkling as it caught some perfume that was waaaay too strong. A quick glance over his shoulder made him shake his head irritably. Not only was she wearing perfume but she was wearing her flak vest as well. With the way some ninjas could sniff things out (himself included), wearing any mission gear with such a specific smell was just plain stupid.

Kakashi wandered up to the main reception desk and leaned casually against it to wait. It wasn't that there was a line of jounin or anything waiting to collect the messages in their mail slots. It was more that the jounin manning the desk was Anko, and Anko would do things when she felt like doing them.

Anko had her sandaled feet propped on the desk top as she slouched back in the chair with a magazine of one kind or another propped up to block her view of anyone approaching. So... this was how Tsunade was punishing her, was it? He hadn't heard all the details, but apparently Anko and the Hokage had gotten into a pretty intense argument just a few days back. After five hours of screaming, cussing, and throwing things (both of them participated in this, from what he'd heard), Anko had sent Tsunade's favorite chair through the window before storming off.

"What do you want, Hatake?" the irritated woman demanded, peeking over the top edge of her magazine to level a glare at him.

"Nice to see you, too, Anko," Kakashi answered, not once bothering to lower his own reading material. "I just came to get my mail."

Grumbling, Anko swung her legs down and slapped the magazine onto the desk top, making certain it was marked with the page she'd left off on. She stomped over to the wall behind the desk that housed rows of boxes with the names of their owners taped to the lower edge. No one had a permanent label on their mail box. After all, no one ever really knew when a mission might make receiving mail irrelevant.

Kakashi held his hand out expectantly as Anko returned with a small stack of notes and a scroll for him. When the newly made receptionist proceeded to sort through his mail without handing it to him, Kakashi finally lowered his book to give her a mildly annoyed glance. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like? I'm organizing this stuff for you," Anko shot back. "You don't seem like the typa guy to organize his mail."

"I'm not, and I'm surprised you are."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" she snarled angrily, causing a few people to look their way.

"Nothing, just said you don't seem like the type of person to organize their mail either. Can I please have mine? Without the added service?"

Anko's dark eyes snapped fiercely at him as she purposely ignored his extended hand and slapped the mail onto the counter top. Putting on a blatantly false smile, she added mockingly, "Have a nice day, sempai!" The cheerful facade was quickly replaced with a dramatic eye roll as the irate kunoichi flopped back into her chair and resumed reading her magazine.

Ignoring her antics, Kakashi closed his book once again and picked up his mail, muttering a thanks as he proceeded to the large mission board on the other side of the reception desk to check the mission rosters. The rosters were just listing who was on active duty for the next weel and who wasn't. It made planning life and social activities easier knowing roughly when to expect a mission assignment and when not to. The rosters also broke down those on active duty as to the rank assignments they would be expected to fill should the need arise. Occasionally, the roster was completely ignored and specific ninja were chosen depending on the mission requirements and availability. But other than that, the system was pretty structured.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one checking for missions either. A whole mess of people were there, actually. Really short people who were staring at him with round eyes and mouths hanging open in awe. What... were the Academy students doing at the jounin mission board? It took a second glance over the group before he noticed the reason why.

Iruka was standing in front of the class and was pointing at the board as if to show it off. He’d obviously taken his class on a field trip to the jounin facility. The guy was trying very hard to get the attention of his class again, but it was a failing effort. The kids were still busy staring at Kakashi. Shoulders slumping and head hanging as he realized it was an effort in futility, Iruka walked over to Kakashi and muttered, "Did you have to check the roster now?"

"How was I supposed to know you'd be taking your class here today?" Kakashi muttered back, fidgeting a little under all the close scrutiny. Why were they still staring at him? Had Genma hit him with some weird jutsu that he hadn't noticed?

"Well, your timing, as always, is lousy, Kakashi. We just finished a small discussion about you in class before coming here."

Oh... that explained all the gaping. And it was a little flattering (in a way) that he was the subject of a Ninja Academy class... he supposed. Putting on a cheerful expression, Kakashi waved at the kids and said, "Yo!" Which, awkwardly enough, was met with stone silence. Tough crowd, this group.

Sighing, Iruka rubbed his eyes wearily before turning back to his class and speaking loud enough to be heard, "Okay, kids. As you've probably figured out, this is Hatake Kakashi, the ninja we were talking about earlier. Kakashi-san needs to get through here to check the mission board, just like any responsible shinobi and kunoichi should do, so if you guys could just-, Yes, Amiko?"

The little boy whose hand had shot up from near the back grinned at being called on. His wide, dark eyes gleaming eagerly, he shouted back, "Kakashi-san, do you like ice cream?" A couple of the boys nearest him snickered, which instantly stripped the joy right off his face. Obviously, his peers thought it was a pretty stupid thing to ask.

Kakashi sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets. Great... He really didn't want to do a question and answer session, but what could he do about it? "You owe me, Iruka," he muttered before assuming a happy face once again and saying loud enough to answer the kid, "Yep. Who doesn't?"

That set the kids to buzzing excitedly while the boy in back beamed at his slack jawed tormentors. Iruka shot him a grateful smile before clapping his hands to regain to attention to him. "So, like I was saying, kids, we need to- yes, Amiko?" It was obvious Iruka had to deal with playing twenty questions with that boy on a regular basis by the worn out look on his face. Yet another reason why Kakashi had asked to be put back into active duty. He was a patient guy, but even he had his limits.

The boy's grin looked fit to split his head in half as he asked, "What's your favorite flavor?"

It was at that time that Kakashi looked past the group of kids and caught sight of familiar pale pink hair and laughing green eyes. Sakura was leaning against the corner of the mission board behind the kids and looked ready to burst out laughing at any minute. So, she thought it was funny that he was stuck answering questions about ice cream? Well... he'd fix that right quick.

Holding her gaze the entire time, he answered, "Cherry flavored." It took every scrap of self control not to start laughing when surprise replaced the amusement on her face, followed quickly by a blush so red it rivaled her shirt. The task of making Sakura blush had always been pretty easy before, but now that she was trying to seduce him... it was almost shamelessly easy.

Following his line of sight, Iruka's eyes widened as the meaning of Kakashi's answer sank in. "Right, time to move on, class. Kakashi-san is a very busy man and we're holding him up. Let's go this way, and, Aya, if I catch you making any more hand seals during class you're going to be staying after to clean up the study rooms. All of them!"

As the class slowly moved off, Kakashi approached Sakura, who was busy staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen in her entire life. "Hey, there," he said, leaning against the wall casually, and much closer than he knew she was completely comfortable with. Watching her fight not to fidget while the blush burned a path down her throat was turning into one of his new favorite hobbies.

"I-I didn't know you were busy," Sakura said nervously, her hand rubbing over her arm as if she were cold.

"Oh, that? Actually, that was unplanned. I just came to check the mission roster and got ambushed by Iruka and his class. So, what's up?" He folded his arms across his chest on purpose, knowing the movement would draw her attention upward. Sure enough, it worked and let him catch a flicker of anxiety in her bright green eyes before she managed to swallow most of it down. He couldn't help the little twist that came to his lips as he watched her try and aim for an expression that was more flirtatious than uneasy.

Sakura managed a small smile, one that just barely made it to her eyes. "I was actually just gonna drop this off in your mail box, but Anko-san said you were checking the mission board so I... here."

Kakashi took the slip of paper from her hand, purposely allowing his fingers to brush against hers in the process. Pretending he didn't see the flare of red to her cheeks, he unfolded the little slip and read the message scrawled in neat, precise characters to himself.

"You said you wanted me to ask you today, but I wasn't sure if you were busy or not. I know leaving a note asking you out is kinda... well, silly, but I didn't want to bother you if you were tied up. But, if you still want to and you're available tomorrow night... do you wanna go out again?"

He folded the paper up and tucked it into the pocket of his pants, keeping what she could see of his face carefully blank. Sakura was chewing her lower lip, a habit he'd seen her do a thousand times before that meant she was second guessing the wisdom of her actions. Slowly, the pink tint to her cheeks began to grow darker and darker, spreading up toward her hair line and down her jaw as he watched. It really was proving to be good amusement for him to embarrass her!

Finally, he chuckled and said, "Sorry, I couldn't help making you sweat a bit. Yeah, tomorrow sounds fine as far as I know. I haven't actually checked the rosters yet, so..."

"Oh! Oh, sorry! I thought you already... Well, I guess you never really had the chance to check, seeing as you were attacked by a class of pre-genin," she stammered quickly. "Umm... if you wanna take a rain check or something, that's-,"

Kakashi shook his head and pushed away from the message board. "Nonsense. It'll only take a second to check." Crooking a finger in her direction to indicate he wanted her to follow him, Kakashi moved to the other end of the board with her following hesitantly behind him. When he reached the other end, he scanned the wall for the Unassigned List. It was easier to check that first than go through every single Assigned List to find out if he was off. Running a finger down the small list of names, Kakashi paused when he found his and tapped it, grinning as he said, "Tomorrow's okay. What did you have in mind?"

Sakura smiled coyly at him and said, "It's a secret. Date instructions are on the back of that paper."

Before he could so much as comment on that, she'd turned around and begun to walk off. Kakashi arched a brow and gave a surprised laugh under his breath. Well... that little bit of playfulness was certainly unexpected! It seemed Sakura had a flirty streak that was just itching to come out. How fun!

Still smiling under the mask, Kakashi pulled the piece of paper back out and unfolded it again before flipping it over to read the 'date instructions'... before frowning as he read them again.

Training ground three at six-thirty. And wear something you can get dirty in.

Training ground... wear something he could... What in the world was this girl up to? Returning the paper to his pocket, Kakashi said quietly to himself, "Well... only one way to find out."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was no secret that Rock Lee and Maito Gai had a very unique and close bond for a student and teacher. At times, it seemed as if the two spoke a language only they could understand. It was the type of understanding that almost transcended into the eerie, especially when all Gai had to do was look at Lee and the boy would know exactly what was meant.

This time, however... Lee had no idea what his beloved idol was talking about. The boy simply stared up at his beaming mentor with round eyes and tightly pursed lips, trying desperately to piece together what Gai was getting at. It made his eyes burn with the beginnings of tears that he wasn't able to follow along with the older man for once. Was the maturity of his approaching adulthood really changing him so much? He hadn't noticed it himself... but perhaps it was. Oh, no! What if this extended even further than this conversation?! To lose his close and very dear bond with Gai-sensei would be... would be...

Gai's shoulders curved forward slightly as he took in the bright eyes and faintly trembling lips of his best student. Lee... wasn't getting it. Perhaps he hadn't been clear enough in his eagerness to share his news. Or, more tragically, perhaps his ability to connect and communicate fluently with the youthful of Konoha was fading. It sent a pang through his heart to think that he quite possibly was losing touch with even Lee, but it was to be expected he supposed. The bud of youth always had to flower into the bloom of adulthood, and Lee was no exception to this.

"I'm sorry, Gai-sensei, but I don't...," Lee began, a fine tremor still managing to show through his voice despite his efforts to control it. He couldn't help it though. It was breaking his heart that he had somehow allowed maturity to cause a break in their bond.

Clapping a hand on the boy's shoulder, Gai held back his own tears as he said softly, "No, no, Lee. It is I who must apologize. My ability to transcend the language of youth is... slipping."

"Never, Gai-sensei!"

"No, no... it was bound to happen someday-,"

"But it's my fault, sensei! Mine! It's because of my own maturing that this happened!"

Gai smiled sadly and blinked as a proud tear got caught in his lower lashes. Lee was... quite simply, one heck of a guy. He would never have a student quite as amazing as Rock Lee again, he was certain of it. Even now, the caring boy was trying to spare him the pain of knowing he was reaching that age where youth no longer looked upon him as being 'cool' or 'hip'. Yes... Lee was a man and a mighty fine one at that.

That was why Gai had devised this brilliantly clever plan. Lee was a man now, one that deserved to honor and cherish the woman he desired. It was a cruel fate indeed that the young man's affection had fallen upon the same delicate blossom his rival's had. Ahhh... To think that now, even with the gap in their ability to communicate forming, they would now share the same rivalry with Hatake Kakashi. Well, the Copy Ninja had said that Lee was welcomed to woo her as well. It was the first challenge issued to a new generation of rivalry!

"Let's try this again, Lee," Gai said as he settled his free hand on the shorter man's other shoulder and gazed eye-to-eye. "If you were to honor a woman in this village with your entire affection, who would it be?"

"Um... G-Gai-sensei?" Lee asked, confusion making his eyebrows furrow tightly. Why was Gai-sensei asking about Haruno Sakura?

"Me?! Well... though it is flattering you still find me possessing the beauty of youth, I did say woman," the older man chuckled, completely unaware that he had misunderstood his young student.

Blushing and aware of his sensei's mistake but unwilling to correct him on it, Lee mumbled, "Who would I... Sakura-san. Haruno Sakura."

Gai beamed, sniffling as subtly as he could to maintain his composure. If only the pink haired kunoichi knew the incredible depth of Lee's adoration for her. To admit so freely that he loved her spoke of a type of strength no amount of genius or hard work could ever come close to capturing. And now, with Gai's careful guidance, Lee would finally be able to share those feelings with her!

"If that is how you feel for her... you must fight for her! Right now, her young heart is being pursued by my own rival. Are you ready to stand up to him to win her love?"

Lee's eyebrows scrunched over his eyes, his fists curling into resolute fists at his sides. A look of sheer determination, a drive to succeed, filled his eyes as he gave one decisive nod of his head. "Yes! For Sakura-san, I will even face your rival, Gai-sensei!"

Nodding and satisfied with Lee's resolve, Gai draped an arm over the young man's shoulders and said, "Good. Because I happen to know the one thing that will assure your victory in this battle of love."

"What is it, Gai-sensei? What do I need to do? Should I hang upside down outside the Hokage's window for three days? Should I do an extra thousand push ups every day? Tell me what I need to do!"

Smirking and gazing out over the setting sun with his best student by his side, Gai declared, "You... must obtain a copy of Hatake Kakashi's Icha Icha Paradise to present to your chosen one as a token of your never ending love!" This was the plan that had suddenly occurred to him on the rooftop, and it was all thanks to his rival. There was a fifty-fifty chance that the book was what Lee's love interest wanted. The odds were favorable, and if Lee could obtain the book off of Kakashi through a battle for her heart... she would have no choice but to notice Lee's amazing qualities!

"Yes! Yes, I'll do it! I'll... huh?!" Lee gaped up at his mentor in hopes he'd misunderstood him again. This time, however, he could tell from Gai;s narrowed eyes and eager little smile that he hadn't. But... how did that make any sense? How was getting a book (especially a perverted books) going to show Sakura that he loved her? Still, this was Maito Gai, a man he would trust with his very life without a moment's hesitation. If he said it was necessary... then it was. And he would do it!