It was getting late by the time Kakashi returned home to his flat on the northside of Konoha's remote districts. It was a long commute if he was coming back from the Headquarters but he didn't mind. These days it was almost impossible to find a place to live any closer into the Village's center. Larger clans such as the Hyuuga, had grown over the years and taken up a lot of the inner district housing. Historic sites like the former streets that once occupied the Uchiha clan, had also become pricey but popular real estate. Kakashi supposed people enjoyed the eerie reminants of the powerful clan, the Uchiha Fan still largely painted on many walls and buildings in the area.

But not Kakashi. He liked the peace and quiet of Konoha's outerskirts. But the distance made his guests few, which was perhaps why he was surprised when a certain medical shinobi showed up at his door step.

"Sakura-san, what are you doing here?" Kakashi asked with open curiousity.

The young woman fidgeted with the bag of groceries she had brought along, her head bowed in mild embarrassment. She lifted her gaze and smiled, "Um, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something, sensei. I know it's short notice, but I hope you won't mind too much. I brought some food. . ." She lifted the bag in evidence, shielding herself with it as if in anticipation that Kakashi might simply shut the door on her.

Kakashi didn't have the heart to turn her away, even though he wasn't particularly in a mood to entertain anyone. She had came all this way to talk, after all. That and perhaps the guarantee that he wouldn't have to cook that evening was also nice. He stepped aside with a pleasant smile hidden beneath his mask, "Come right in."

As he shut the door behind her, Kakashi noticed her hesitation to move forward. He quirked a brow at this behavior, peering past her shoulder to see if he had left out anything incriminating. As a matter of principle, Kakashi considered himself a relatively tidy person. So what, then? And why had Sakura come here to begin with?

"Is something wrong?" He eventually asked.

She shook her head furiously, laughing. By now she had placed the food on the counter, removing several containers from the bag. "No, it's just I forgot how bare your place was, sensei. You have even less furniture than me, that's all."

He shrugged, taking a seat on barstool while he watched Sakura prepare the meals. From his vantage point it looked like she had started to make beef curry and some dumplings. "I like to live simply. There isn't anything wrong with that is there?"

"Nope!," she replied. Sakura chatted while she went about opening drawers until she found what she needed. Kakashi was a little amused at how at-home his former student seemed to be. "I never liked having too much clutter either. But then again, my mom had always been a bit of neat freak growing up."

"Not mine," Kakashi said thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "My mother had been very much a packrat. She kept everything and she liked to collect dolls too. I remember because my father used to bring her back ones from his missions."

Sakura simply stared at him, forcing Kakashi to ask "what?"

As though to make up for the fact that she had been staring at him, Sakura immediately diverted her gaze and went about stirring the ingredients violently. "I. . . You. Well, sensei it's just you had never liked to tell us anything about yourself when we were a team. Not even your favorite color."

Kakashi supposed this was a slight exaggeration until he thought about it. He knew he was a private person, this much was true, but Kakashi had not considered the magnitude of the wall he had built to keep others from getting too close over the years. It had been a defense mechanism, created for the sole purpose of keeping his psyche in tact. Only now in his adulthood did he begin to see it has a hinderance.

"Are your parents still married?" Sakura eventually asked and Kakashi began to regret having ever mentioned his family. She gathered several plates from the kitchen and placed them on the dinner table. This required moving a few odds and ends, namely a copy of Make-Out Paradise and Kakashi's shinobi jacket, but Sakura did not seem too concerned with either item.

He shook his head., "They both passed away a long time ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that, sensei," the pink-haired kunoichi said softly. She caught his eye and he could see genuine sympathy reflected in her gaze. Kakashi shrugged it off, eager to change the subject.

"It's fine. Like I said, it was a long time ago," Kakashi got up from the barstool and moved to help her set the table. "Don't think I don't enjoy your company, but I am still curious as to what the ocasison is."

"Well, how about we talk about it after dinner? The food is ready and I don't want it to get cold!" She said happily. "Eat up!"

If Kakashi had known Sakura was such an excellent cook, he would have had her cook for him ages ago. But ontop of being a good cook, Kakashi could plainly see she was also a light-weight when it came to drinking. It had been her idea to open up the bottle of wine, Kakashi himself wasn't much for wine but didn't want to hurt the kunoichi's feelings.

When Sakura finished off her last glass, the evening hours had already waned. Kakashi couldn't believe that he had lost track of time simply talking to her about all sorts of small matters. It was a nice reprieve from his usual routine.

"Mmm, did you like it sensss-ei?" Sakura asked with a mild slur. She looked like she had just spent time out in the cold, her face flushed with a rosey tinge that complimented the pink hue of her short hair. She yawned, pushing her plate away. Something tells me I am going to have my work cut out for me this evening, the former teacher thought in mild exasperation.

"Yes, thank you Sakura-san. It was much better than the bowl of instant ramen that had originally been on tonight's menu," Kakashi replied dryly. He picked up her plate and stacked it on top of his own as he put them in the sink. He would have to wash them later.

At the moment his concern was what to do with the intoxicated kunoichi in front of him. He guessed he could forget finding out what had originally brought her to his door as well. "How am I going to get you home?" Kakashi asked quietly, mostly to himself. He didn't think Sakura could have heard him until she swayed in the direction of the door.

"Don't worry about me, sensei," she said, "I'll just walk home!"

Kakashi was many things, but foolish was not one of them. There was certainly no way he was about to let the kunoichi wander home drunk alone. That could be dangerous for her, as well as anyone who came across Sakura when she was in this state. Even sober, she was a mighty force.

No, I need to think. Maybe I could have Asuma's old student, that Ino girl, come by and take Sakura home. But then Kakashi decided against that idea along with the consideration of having anyone else stop by. It would only raise questions as to why Kakashi would have a drunk Sakura in his home to begin with.

"Sakura, I don't think that is such a good idea," Kakashi said with a frown. Sakura was already standing by the door, trying to get her sandals on. In the process of replying, she spun around to face him and accidently stumbled. "Nonsense--"

"CAREFUL!"

In a flash of movement, Kakashi bolted to stop her from taking a tumble straight into ground. She simply giggled, while the white-haired jounin had a less-than-pleased expression. I don't suppose she would be too happy if her head had been split open on my floor. What a handful . . .Holding her close now, Kakashi could feel the warmth of her body pressed against him. Suddenly her innocent gesture the other night paled in comparison to this intimacy. He wanted to let her go in that instant but feared she would fall again. That, and a part of him actually didn't mind holding her close.

No! He chided himself. This wasn't some girl he picked up from a bar, not that he went to bars much at all or was into picking up random girls. This was his former student, a bright young woman he respected. Cared about. Kakashi refused to let himself follow those thoughts.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're bluuu-shing again!" Sakura laughed, "Kinda like the other night. You know that's why I came over here. I didn't waa-nt things to be awkward between us. I didn't want you to think bad of me."

I'm pretty sure getting plastered was not part of your original plan though, Kakashi thought to himself but did not bother to say aloud. Instead he shook his head, "It's impossible for me to think bad of you, Sakura."

Which was true. She had found a place in his heart where he found himself strangely able to overlook any of her flaws. He felt the same way about Naruto too, but in a different way. With Sakura, Kakashi held a lot of admiration for her progress as a kunoichi. She had come so far over the years, surpassing all of his expectations and more.

"That's nice," she said, leaning against his shoulder. "Because I think you kno--w. You kno-w what it's like to lose someone prec--" Kakashi's heart began to race, despite all his effort to appear calm. Her cheek against his chest, he heard her murmur, "your heart is beating so fast, sensei. Are you nervous--s?"

Luckily, it appeared Kakashi was not going to have to answer that, as Sakura simply passed out in his arms. This was a relief for the older shinobi, who was beginning to feel cornered by drunk-Sakura's comments. "I still don't know what I am going to do with you," he said with a sigh.

Lifting her up in his arms, Kakashi was surprised by how heavy she was. Her lithe appearance was deceiving, Sakura was extremely solid. He carried her over to his futon and placed her gently on top of the sheets. Looks like I am sleeping on the sofa tonight, he said silently while he placed a blanket over her unconscious body.

"Good night, Sakura-san. . ."

He would have to worry about how things were going to turn out in the morning. Chances are if things were awkward before, the situation wasn't about to get better. But in a way Kakashi wasn't entirely unhappy with how things had occured. He didn't realize how much he missed having someone intelligent to talk with over dinner. And Sakura was like him, trying to move on.

Kakashi settled himself on the sofa, removing the head plate that covered his sharingan eye. He closed his eyes as tendrils of sleep crept into his thoughts. Who knows, Kakashi wondered, maybe this would all work out for the better in the end for the both of them.