Cherry Blossom

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters and make no money from this.

Chapter Two:

Playing with fire is dangerous... but what if fire plays with you?

Sakura's body hit the ground unceremoniously as she expelled a long breath. Kakashi was running her into the ground with his training. The guy never went easy on anything. No matter what he did, it seemed that he poured his whole self into it. Training, being lazy, reading those perverted books... It made her wonder if he ever had any fun. Her small hands wiped at her sweaty forehead, panting louder than she meant to all along. A heat wave had hit Konoha and it showed no mercy to anybody.

"Couldn't you have gone easy today? It's so hot." She whined, feeling cranky today.

"If I went easy on you, you'd take the opportunity to smash me to bits." Then again, he might be right. She was a manipulative strategist who wouldn't waste a single chance to win against the aggravating jonin.

The sound of clothes ruffling made her lift her head from the ground to look at the source of the noise. He was in the process of removing his short-sheeved shirt, his jacket already laying on the ground beside him. Immediately, she lowered her head back to its previous position. Ino's words hadn't stopped haunting her poor mind ever since their conversation in the hot spring. Curiosity was nipping at her, trying to convince her to confirm her friend's gossip.

A quick glance his way showed her pale skin, obviously lacking exposure to the sun and... that he was also taking off his pants. A bright blush appeared on her cheeks as her head whipped around to the other side.

"Kakashi-sensei, have some decency for god's sake!" She pratically shouted as her fingers covered her violated eyes.

"Calm down, Sakura." He threw back, his laid-back voice indicating that he found it to be no big deal. The ghost of Ino that wandered in her mind finally pushed her to take a small, innocent look. With a pout on her lips, Sakura turned to lay on her side to watch the famous Copy Ninja, feigning indifference.

She battled with herself to disagree with her best friend on this one. Her sensei was laying in the grass, relaxing as she had just a minute earlier. Sweat covered his body just as generously as hers, courtesy of the fabulous weather. He was definitely no powerhouse like Asuma, but she could still see that he wasn't lacking either. Her eyes lingered on his chest for a while, noting how even if he was lean, this part of him was still broad and wide, supported by a strong ribcage. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she felt her stomach tighten, her breath feeling short all of a sudden.

Her breath hitched when his head turned to her, his lone eye observing her with a careful look and arched eyebrow. Sakura's teeth bit her lower lip as she fought to tear her eyes from her sparring partner. The way he looked at her just now made her cheeks burn. When she finally looked away from him, she was starting to think she would catch on fire if she didn't move. Surely she needed to have some water or something, the heat was getting to her.

Following his example, she unzipped her usual red vest and peeled it from her body hastily, not hesitating. The shorts and sandals were quick to go as well. Even though she was now only in white panties and tank top, she didn't feel like she was cooling down at all. With a loud groan, she got to her hands and knees to crawl to their bags that were against a tree a few meters away.

"What are you doing, Sakura?" He seemed surprised, now in a sitting position and watching her move.

"Huh? Just getting some water, why?" She replied, equally confused by his question.

"No, your clothes. You've always been more of a prude." Her body halted mid-way to its destination, realisation flashing across her pretty face as an even brighter hue of red colored her cheeks. Had she really just stripped down to her undies in front Kakashi?

"I-It's not worse than a bathing suit." She tried to reason, probably arguing more with herself than anything.

"It isn't." Her companion deadpanned, his eye never leaving her. He was really starting to make her self-conscious.

"Why are you starting like that?" Her voice was weak, betraying her. The warmth in her stomach only seemed to spread, as if ignited by his gaze.

"Just appreciating feminine beauty." He threw back cheerfully, giving her an happy eye crease. Sakura almost gasped at the little spark that coursed through her body, making her feel mellow and warm all over. What was going on with her?

"And..." Her eyes were glued to his as she anticipated his next words, her throat drying up. "... wondering what's going through your head to make you so aroused." It was obvious that Kakashi was on the verge of laughing, teasing tone thick in his voice.

Aroused? Aroused?! Emerald eyes were wide open as her jaw almost hit the ground. He had to be joking. The voice in the back of her mind was badgering her about how she was the medic and she couldn't even recognize the signs of arousal. It wasn't her fault that she hadn't ever felt this before...
Forgetting everything about modesty or shyness, Sakura jumped to her feet and dashed to the almost naked man ahead of her. He stared back at her in surprise, narrowly dodging the fist that was aimed for his face. His sharp reflexes didn't give her a chance to recover, he grabbed her wrist and easily flung her to the ground, causing a grunt to come out of her as she landed on her back. She let out a groan of protest when a knee pinned one of her thighs down, her hands caught in one of his above her head while his other held a kunai at her throat.

"Remember who you're up against, cherry." He teased again, but the look in his eye was only warm and gentle. He was smiling under the mask, she was certain.

"You still shouldn't make such comments." She blurted out, embarrassment evident on her face. This had to be the worst day of her life. Not only had she been turned on by her ex-teacher, just by staring at him no less, but he was trapping her down with his body. And they were both nearly naked.

"Why shouldn't I if it's so easy to make you defenseless?" There was a certain edge to his tone that the kunoichi couldn't identify that made her squirm under him.

"Let me go, please." She let out, her tone amost indicating fear and head turned to the side to avoid his eyes. The male jonin did as asked after what seemed like a moment's hesitation. She lost not time in scurrying over to her clothes, grabbing her personal belongings before she left the area in a hurry.

What had just happened?


Chapter Three: Click Here