That's MY Book!

Disclaimer: No... no Naruto doesn't belong to me. -sighs wearily-

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^

Kakashi wasn't leaping through the trees with his normal vigor. He was trying to keep the weight off his right leg as much as possible. Maybe it was because he favored that leg over his left leg. Then again, it could be because of the gaping, angry red wound that was pouring blood in large amounts at the slightest hint of pressure on it. Or maybe he just favored the leg.

The silver haired jounin paused to catch his breath, letting out a deep sigh at the same time.

'Baka,' he berated himself, 'Why was it so hard to pay attention during the mission?'

In his mind's eye, a certain little orange book floated into view. He was about to smile in recognition and understanding before something unexpected popped into his head as well. The book wasn't by itself. It was being held by someone. Blinking, he focused the image along the ivory and cream colored arm. Soon, they rested on green orbs placed below a short silky mass of pink hair.

"Gah!" He threw himself backwards, momentarily forgetting he was crouching on a tree branch.

It was a long fall to the forest floor. But one name just blared through his head, snatching his focus as it had when he had been fighting the missing nin earlier.

'S-SAKURA?!'

A loud, graceless 'THUNK' and a few breaths later, a groaning Kakashi pushed himself up to a sitting position, waiting for the world to stop spinning. Whether this was due to the fall and his injury or the image that had popped into his head, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that it had been an idiotic thing to do, no matter how surprised he was, and that it wasn't helping his wound any.

With an exasperrated sigh, the silver haired jounin picked himself carefully up from the ground, his teeth gritting against the pain as he breathed out, "Ugh... this can NOT be happening..."

'She's my student for crying out loud!!' His rational train of thought exclaimed.

'And that's stopping us because...?' His more perverted mind questioned slowly.

Kakashi's visible eye widened. What the hell was he thinking?

"Alright...." He grunted as he started off through the trees again, "how 'bout this. No more thinking. Yeah, that's a good plan. Besides she probably doesn't even remember it happening."

A passing scent on the breeze drifted by, gone in the next instant. But it had been long enough for the skilled jounin to identify the smell.

'Mmm, strawberries. Hey, they remind me of- DAMMIT. NO MORE THINKING.'

^-^

When her pink haired friend continued being moody for three days straight, Ino decided maybe it was a good time to talk to her.

'She's got to have calmed down by now, right?' She thought logically to herself.

The sight of Sakura instantly kicked that thought into the cold depths of some black hole somewhere. Ino paused, hesitating for a few moments. But she couldn't quit now. She HAD to find out what was bugging Sakura. If she didn't, the chuunin would start developing the horrible reputation of traumatizing the little kids and making them run home to their mommies. Ino had to admit, it was sort of funny for the first two days. God knows Naruto had been laughing his head off, practically stalking the pink headed chuunin just to watch the brats bawl their eyes out at the mere sight of her. But it just had to STOP.

Sakura sighed in irritation, making the shop's vendor almost leap back to escape her wrath. But she was sort of calm today. After all, Ichiruka's vendor only watched her cautiously every three minutes now.

'Why is this making me so upset?' Her frown deepened, 'Why am I still so... ANGRY?'

A hesitant tap on her shoulder made the chuunin jerk her head around with a stare so cold it rivaled that of the Uchiha's.

"Uh... S-Sakura?"

"What do you want?" Sakura snapped, "I'm busy."

At that, Ino rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah, busy glaring at the menu that you should know by heart. While scaring away good customers, I may add."

As he heard this, the vendor gave Ino a grateful smile.

"Are you saying Naruto's not a good customer?" Sakura growled, jerking her thumb to the blond sitting a few seats away.

"Heeeey, I'm a gu-hd cust'mer." The blue eyed chuunin tried to say around a mouthful of noodles currently trying to escape.

Iruka was too busy staring desolately at his slowly shrinking wallet to join in the conversation. Sure, he had noticed the pink haired chuunin's unusual mood the past few days. But nothing he could say or do would cheer her up. He had actually just reached a dead end to ideas when Ino had showed up.

Ino rolled her eyes again, "Shut up, Naruto." Ignoring his protest to this as well, the long haired chuunin turned backed to Sakura, "Hey, we need to talk."

Sakura's only response was her narrowed eyes and a deepening frown.

"Look, something's been bothering you-"

Sakura interrupted in mock seriousness, "No, really? Why, thank you Ino. I didn't realize that for myself. You're such a good friend."

It was Ino's turn to growl, her fists clenched at her sides, "Sakura. Stop being such a bitch and TALK to me."

Never having been responded with such vehemence of late, the pink haired chuunin actually paused. She thought real hard about. So hard, it took maybe two seconds.

"Okay."

Iruka's jaw dropped, 'Wha?!?!'

"But not here." Sakura said before the two of them disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Aww MAN." Naruto groaned, "NOW its gonna get boring again."

But Iruka just stared at the spot the two females had been before, "...I... what....???" He scratched his head for a few moments before sagging in defeat, "Ugh... women. I don't think I'll ever understand them."

Naruto gave him a weird look, saying in a tone that dripped with disgust, "Why'd you want to do that, Iruka-sensei? It's not like it matters."

It was Iruka's turn to give the blonde a look, 'He's... hopeless.'

^-^

Out in the middle of the forest somewhere, a loud shout could be heard, "He did WHAT?!?!"

Leaning against the trunk of a tree, Sakura crossed her arms, "I know you're not deaf, Ino."

"Of course not. But this... is such a... uh, shock. I mean, this is KAKASHI we're talking about. And YOU of all people."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Ino took a deep breath, realizing she wasn't helping any. She tried to calmly explain herself, "I'm just saying... this is a huge surprise for me. And when I say huge I mean HUG-" She stopped herself at the look Sakura was giving her and quickly changed her approach "-I mean. Look... Sakura? What is it exactly that you're so mad about? Is he a bad kisser?"

"NO!" Sakura's cheeks were tinted a little pink, "I mean-it's not- what I'm trying to say- ARGH!! Of course its because he kissed me. He STOLE my first kiss, Ino."

Ino frowned in thought, before shifting her gaze to the ground as she asked, "But what if... that's not it, Sakura?"

"HUH?!?" Sakura's eyes widened, "How could that NOT be it, INO?!"

Her friend continued, regardless of the bewildered gaze Sakura was giving her, "Maybe... maybe it's because of what happened after the kiss. Sakura... maybe you're mad because he just ruffled your hair like he used to when you were little. Because he wasn't treating the kiss seriously."

Sakura's face deepened a few more shades of red, "EH?!?!?!? What are you saying, INO? It's not like I wanted to be kissed in the first place!"

"But Sakura," Ino reasoned, "technically it wasn't even a kiss. He always wears that mask, so..."

Suddenly the pink haired chuunin felt deflated. The anger that had driven her for so long suddenly rushed out in a frantic gush. What was Ino saying? Could she be right? Sakura sighed deeply. But it had felt so... RIGHT to be angry. It felt good. Better than the unexplainable feelings that kept surfacing every now and then.

Ino jerked at the sudden movement from Sakura. But the green eyed chuunin had only slid to the ground, drawing her knees up as she buried her face, "I don't know what to think anymore, Ino. I don't understand any of this."

Ino frowned at the sudden pain-filled tone Sakura's voice had held. This wasn't the Sakura she knew. Anything was better than this. The fair haired chuunin thought long and hard. What could she say to take Sakura's mind away from it all? Then suddenly, a light clicked in her head.

"Hey, Sa-ku-raaaa." She grinned, which confused Sakura even more, "Did you get a chance to read that book of his...?"

A look of surprise passed Sakura's face, "Oh. No, actually. I didn't. I guess I forgot."

Glad she was out of the her sudden depression, Ino grinned as she turned to walk off, raising her arm in a wave, "Well, then. Have fun Sakura. I'm sure it'll be REAL interesting."

Sakura blinked, watching numbly as her friend walked off in a sudden poof of smoke. What was that all about? Why did Ino want her to read that perverted sensei's book anyway? But she couldn't help the feeling of curiousity that rushed over her. Why WAS it so interesting anyway? Kakashi did seem to have his nose shoved it in every five seconds. What book could possibly get the elite jounin hooked so easily?

'I have to admit,' she thought to herself with a wry grin, 'I wasn't too sure I wanted to read it at first. But now... well, why NOT?'

That decided, she headed off towards her apartment, with every intent to read that book TONIGHT.