#sakura <- kissy face -> kakashi

[no-nic]

kissing practice... all by myself... 🌸💋

top 5 non-canon couple <···vs···> uhhh... double rivalry taken to its logical extreme?

#momo pig au; your average time travel angst on crack, of course there is romance going on: ino self-diagnoses and weeps, sakura is an anti-medic, kakashi suffers as usual, and gai is somehow the normal one 🐢✅

[akatmitsu]

the spying genin | neji hyuga

not requested, just randomly wrote some shiz down and i got this. neji has little to no short stories over him and my neji heart needs it. hope you like it uwu.  

SPOILER WARNING, NOT REALLY BUT IDK

°ʚ(*´꒳`*)ɞ°

pairing: neji hyuga x reader

word count: 2,102

warnings: fluff,,,just fluff

summary: you and neji have been seeing each other in secret. naruto suspects that something is going on between you two, his failed attempt at spying on one of your training sessions gets him caught and questioned. lee invites everyone to go to the bathhouse for a relaxing time off, naruto almost slips out the very secret he had recently discovered soon getting himself in a little trouble.  

“Have you given up?” 

You smile through staggered breathing, you lay flat on the ground with one arm covering your eyes from the sun. The beaming sun accented every bead of sweat that lay on your face and neck. Soon after catching your breath you sat up, a smirk plastered on Neji Hyuga’s structured face. His own face and neck glistened with sweat giving him a glow that was strikingly beautiful.  

“Come on, Neji. That’s not fair!” You leaned back on your hands gazing at the gorgeous jounin standing in front of you. 

“You think your enemy is going to give you time to think and perform your ninjutsu for him? Now up, let’s try again.” He turns around walking back to the mark he drew for himself in the dirt. You sat there watching him, distracted by the slight swing of his long hair as he walked, your eyes trailed down slowly. Stopping at just the right spot.

“I do hope that is not how you gaze at Kakashi while he is training with you.” 

“You want the truth or the lie about that statement?” You teased him, he closed his eyes and shook his head. You bit your lip, tilting your head toward your left shoulder. You were getting on his nerves slowly but surely. 

Growing up with Neji, he never seemed to have any patience for immaturity and sly comments. He’s grown now, recently named a jounin of the leaf village. The more grown, the less patient. All the more reason to aggravate him as a way of passing time. Neji crosses his arms, gazing back at you, “He would be very upset with you right now, your lack of motivation to keep training would be bothersome to someone as busy as him.” 

“Come on, Neji. He’s been my sensai since I was a kid-.” He cuts you off, “You are still a kid in his eyes, especially with this behavior. He left you to me to train.” 

“Well he doesn’t have very much insight on just who he let train with me now does he?” You stood up, brushing the dirt from your pants. You started to walk toward him, his arms stayed crossed over his chest. 

You stood very close to him at this point, you slightly pouted while resting your chin on his firm chest. Keeping his arms crossed over his chest, he leaned down to press a light kiss on your nose. It was short and sweet, the gesture causing you to flush. You stood lightly on your tip toes, just before your lips attempted to meet his, you heard rustling in the bushes. 

“Neji.” You pulled away from him fast, he seemed to notice the rustling too. Grabbing your hand, he pulled you behind him as he focused on one area of the small forest surrounding the training grounds. 

“Byakugan!” 

You rested your hand against his back as he looked around, the strain in his eyes visible as he turned to the side. You looked closely behind the both of you. Straining your own eyes it didn’t take the eyes that held the Byakugan or the Sharingan to spot a bright blonde tuft of hair peeking through the bushes. 

“This chakra.” 

You walked away from Neji and started to make your way over to the bushes. The blonde genin didn’t seem to notice that you had spotted him. You folded your arms over your chest.

“Naruto.” 

He froze at the sound of your voice. Neji stood behind you when the genin sheepishly stood from hiding. Naruto scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, a beaming smile of guilt on his face. 

“Uhh, hey guys!” 

“So you lied about going on a mission,” Naruto nervously giggled, “Spill it, Naruto.” You raised your fist up at him causing his blue eyes to widen.

 “O-Okay, okay! I noticed something...strange. When I returned to the leaf village from my training, you and Neji were oddly close,” You could feel Neji’s eyes on the back of your head, “I asked Sakura and Kakashi-sensei about it and they didn’t have any idea what I was on about. So I uh...I followed both of you here, when I saw that you were just training I figured I’d just leave but then.” He stopped rambling, looking between the both of you. 

You sighed, disappointed was the most simple word to explain your feelings. You and Neji tried to keep your public displays of affection for times when you were alone, it was a surprise nobody noticed him sneaking out of the main house of the Hyuga clan to be with you. It wasn’t the smartest idea to tease Neji like you had today in an open training ground. How were you to know there was a perv spying on you both? 

Neji had stepped closer to you, he noticed how tense you were. Though he wasn’t too happy with the situation either, it was only Naruto that saw. He had just hoped that the loud idiot would keep their secret to himself. Neji gently placed his hand on your lower back as a sign of comfort. 

“Naruto.” 

His big blue eyes had turned to look at Neji’s light lavender ones. Neji’s gaze was stern, he narrowed his eyes at Naruto in warning.

“You are to tell no one about what you saw. For obvious reasons, we have kept this a secret. You will deeply regret telling a soul.” 

There was a pause, Naruto blinked once and smiled real big, “Ah don’t worry, your secret is safe with me!” He gives both of you a thumbs up to which you responded with a facepalm and a sigh from Neji. 

“Oh! Bushy brow wanted me to find you both anyway to tell you that we’re having a get together with everyone at the bathhouse. He rambled on and on about relaxing after endless missions and caring for ourselves...or something like that. It’s been awhile since we’ve all hung out, so come on, let’s go!” 

You started to follow Naruto, Neji had grabbed your hand,”(Y/N), we’re not done training.” 

You groaned, by now Naruto had skipped ahead and left you two by yourselves, “Neji, we’ve been training all day, let’s take a break, we need it. Please, please.” You bounced on the balls of your feet. Neji responded with a huff, he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. You took the opportunity to look around you, straining your eyes yet again to see if you could find a soul nearby. 

Calling it safe, you rested your hands on his arms, leaning up on your tiptoes you gave him a simple peck on the lips. Neji was worrisome after the pure action, panicked, he looked around. You grabbed the sides of his face, pressing his forehead against yours. 

“It’s alright, I promise.” 

-

You and Neji arrived at the bathhouse separately like normal. You arrived at the same time Tenten did, she shared some mission stories as you walked into the area where ladies only stayed and relaxed in the bath. You both undressed and playfully pushed each other to get to the bath. Sakura, Ino and Hinata already getting into the hot water. 

You and the girls made small talk here and there about missions until the subject of boys popped up. This was no surprise, you’ve been to dinner get togethers with just the girls and this is the one topic that pops up. Hinata blushed as usual talking about her very obvious crush on Naruto, Ino and Sakura putting a damper on their mood talking about Sasuke Uchiha, Tenten didn’t really say much about it, she only made a sly comment that boys were stressful.

Then they all looked to you, “I agree with Tenten, boys have cooties.” You pucker your lips and make kissy noises at all of them causing an eruption of laughter. 

On the other side of the wall is a room full of guys relaxing in the water slyly listening in on the girls as they talk. Neji can’t help but smile a little at your comment, he cleared his throat, sinking deeper into the water, hoping nobody had seen him. 

“Those girls sure are noisy,” Shikamaru groans, leaning his head back on the tile surrounding the bath. All six guys murmur in agreement. 

“Hey Neji, how’s training going with (Y/N) anyway?” Kiba scrubs Akamaru’s head as he directs his question to the flushed jounin. 

“Oh, well. She’s quite a handful, she’s incredibly strong but she seems distracted which is causing her actions to be slower. I’m not sure why she is.” 

“Haha, sure you know why she is, Neji!” 

The guys turn to look at the beaming Naruto who sits on top of the tile with his legs in the water. After realizing shortly what he had said, he made immediate eye contact with Neji who was glaring at him. 

“Uh, I mean. Hey, I think I hear bushy brow, I’ll go meet him!” Naruto swiftly jumps up, wraps his towel around his waist and quickly walks out of the bathing area. 

That idiot, Neji thought. 

“What was he on about?” Shikamaru glances from where Naruto had just left and back to Neji. Neji shrugs nonchalantly, “He’s been acting strange. He could be going on about anything.” 

A few minutes of the dropped subject had passed as the boys finally sat back and relaxed. 

A loud crash next door startles them, Neji being the first to jump out of the water, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. He ran next door, shortly followed by everyone else, “Naruto, you perv!” Neji spots a stunned Naruto standing in the doorway of the women’s bathing area, “No, wait, it wasn’t me!”

“Don’t act all innocent Rock Lee!” 

“Rock Lee.” 

Neji and the others scatter into the bathing area, “What the hell is going on here?” A small part of the roof had collapsed, the dust cleared and he sees all of the girls dressed except for you who held a kunai knife in one hand and a towel that barely covered your body in the other. 

“Rock Lee has been peeping on us,” Tenten points over to where Ino has grabbed onto Lee’s collar screaming insults at him, Lee is helpless and panicking as the girl screams in his face about being a pervert. 

“He did what?! How improper!” Neji wanted so bad to run and find your clothes so weren’t so exposed to all of the guys in the room but his focus was on Lee. 

Lee had managed to escape Ino’s grasp, with tears in his eyes he ran as fast as he could away from the angry shinobi. 

‘Don’t let him get away!’

‘That pervert!’

‘He’s gonna pay for this!”

You and Naruto were the only ones left behind as you frantically looked for your clothes but couldn’t find certain items that could be under the rumble that Lee fell through. 

“Naruto, come on.” 

“He didn’t do it,” Naruto mumbled.

“What? What do you mean?” 

“He wasn’t peeping, he was training on the rooftops and he must’ve-.” You cut him off, believing him you grabbed his hand, “Well come on then, we can’t let him get beat up, he’s scared. Come on! Let’s go!”

You and Naruto had made it just in time to break through the forming circle around a frantic Rock Lee who was trying to defend himself. 

“Wait, stop! Bushy brows isn’t that kind of person, so if he says he’s innocent then I believe he’s innocent. Don’t judge him when you don’t have any proof that he’s guilty. Trust in your comrade.” 

You glanced over the guilty faces of your friends, “Maybe you’re right.” 

“Have a big heart and an open mind.” Naruto starts to turn to Lee, Lee seemed nervous as he did.

“Naruto, wait!”

The formed circle of shinobi all gasp as they spot a laced bra hanging out of Naruto’s towel. Neji glared at the provocative item, he thought he recognized it. 

“Hey, that’s mine.” You self consciously wraps your arms around your chest. Naruto had taken your bra? 

“Naruto, you underwear thief!” Sakura, Ino and Tenten all glare at Naruto. You were pulled behind a soaked Neji in only his towel who was fuming with anger. 

“What?” 

Sakura was the first to get her punch on Naruto, her strength idling him enough to where no one else needed to take a hit on him. 

You leaned your forehead on Neji’s bare shoulder.

“Oh, Naruto.” 

[nikkigrand]

Prompt: Fairy prince Kakashi and lost human Sakura in a top that says "heartbreaker" "Do you humans often wear your titles proudly upon your chest?" 'A breaker of hearts' what an absurd thing to be."

Hi! Thank you for the prompt! I hope you like this! <3 @thatbabefiona

Sakura tripped over an overgrown root with a curse, a giggle, and a hiccup. Oh man, she was drunk—very drunk. She stumbled a bit before righting herself with a deep breath.

“Okay, bitch,” she mumbled to herself, sniffing as she tugged on the hem of her favorite low-cut top then pulled on the sleeves of Kiba’s flannel, “Pull yourself together. You’ve gotta win this thing.”

Placing her hands on her hips, Sakura casted a look around to gain her bearings. She stood in a nice little clearing in the middle of the woods, the sounds of emerging nocturnal critters filling the silence. The sun was setting and she knew without a doubt that if she dawdled for just a second more, she’d be absolutely and positively fucked.

In all honesty, Sakura felt that, at 25, she and her group of friends were getting too old to be doing their annual scavenger hunt. It had been fun when they were teens and even in their early twenties, but now they were just running out of ideas and it was getting to be a bit tedious and boring.

This year, they had placed Naruto in charge and Sakura thought that their group of friends would know by now that one could never trust Naruto with anything. He was just so unpredictable, and things always had a way of going wrong when he was at the helm; and to make matters worse, he had made Kiba his “second in command.”

Kiba was like a second Naruto but with facial hair.

Which led to her current predicament: standing alone in the middle of the woods looking for some silly object.

The night had started the same as every other year: they met at the hosts house, had some drinks, then commenced their hunt. This year Shikamaru was the host due to pulling the longest stick twelve years ago.

The Naras had a nice house—it was situated at the border of Konoha’s hiking trails and preserves—and normally Sakura would have loved to hang out on their backyard patio, swinging on Shikamaru’s hammock and enjoying the nice end of summer breeze; but this year that luxury was squashed by Dumb and Dumber’s announcement that their scavenger hunt was in the woods.

Now don’t get Sakura wrong—she had no problems with Konoha’s preserves and trails…during the day. But at night, whenever she was unfortunate enough to linger in the area, it always gave her the heebie-jeebies. There was something just not right with the place. She always felt like she was being watched, like something was following her, or like there was a secret she wasn’t privy too.

In short, she didn’t like being in there after dark.

Which is why, when Kiba announced their arena for the night, Sakura started taking shots of Fireball as if it could magically give her actual balls of fire. In hindsight, it was a bad idea. If maybe she had been a bit more sober, she wouldn’t be in her current predicament.

Sakura was lost.

Wait. She squinted at the base of a tree, making her way towards a small patch of mushrooms she was sure she’d passed on her way into the deeper parts of the woods.

Ah, nope. I’m lost.

Now you must surely be wondering how she’d be lost on her own if she had been with a group of people, and Sakura will gladly tell you how this came to be.

As kids, their game had first started with twelve people, which was great because that was an even number for three teams of four.

But then they (as teenagers were wont to do) discovered hormones and started pairing off. And that was fine because her friends were finding love with each other so that led to solid teams; and some of her friends were single so it wasn’t awkward for those who weren’t all kissy-kissy with their boyfriends and girlfriends.

That was until those who were single started dating people outside their usual group of friends and bringing them to the scavenger hunt. It was always a pain trying to make adjustments to their dynamic and adding them to teams—trying to fit a stranger who didn’t know how things worked.

Flings came and went until they were left with serious relationships. So, in the end, their number went from twelve to eighteen this year.

Or so Sakura thought.

She’d had a bit of a thing with one of her friends for a little over a year, beginning last year ironically during a scavenger hunt. She’d always had a crush on Sasuke, how could she not?

He was everything her little teenage angsty girl heart could ever want. He was like a angry surly cat she wanted to tame and bring home and love forever and ever.

But reality kind of sucks and Sasuke wasn’t a cat—surly and angry, but not a cat—and in the end, things didn’t work out, so they cut it off a little over two months ago. They were still friends—Sakura wouldn’t lie and say she didn’t care for him—but good sex wasn’t enough to make her stay.

Especially not when he admitted to her face that he didn’t think he had the emotional capabilities to “do” relationships.

So, imagine her surprise when he showed up to Shikamaru and Temari’s house with Naruto’s cousin on his arm. Sakura didn’t have a problem with Karin, in fact, she actually quite liked the fiery red head. It just hurt to see him moving on so soon and made her question all the things he’d said to her.

Because of Karin’s presence, the teams went from three groups of six to two groups of six and one group of seven.

In the end, Sakura ended up as the nineteenth wheel. She was the odd man out and the whole thing chafed, so she finished the entire bottle of Fireball Whiskey by herself and tried not to think about the couple exchanging soft words by the coolers.

She was placed on Ino’s team because the blonde, bless her heart, took an instant disliking to Karin on Sakura’s behalf.

“Well, if you won’t hate her, I will,” she’d said haughtily as she started writing their team name down on name tags. “Who does that hussy think she is? Everyone knows you and Sasuke were supposed to end up together, that’s why Lee finally gave up and got himself a girlfriend!”

Ino’s lips had pursed in irritation. “And now look—now we have uneven teams. Sasuke is such a dick.”

Ino had a point, Sasuke was a dick, but not for including Karin.

By the time they had broken off into their teams (theirs being the Heartbreakers), Sakura was too drunk to care about Ol’ Duck Butt and his Ketchup bottle girlfriend. In fact, when they’d started the hunt, she was having a great time! She wasn’t even thinking about how she was the seventh wheel and the only single person in her group of friends.

That was until their team had bumped into Naruto’s team and both sunshine blondes of her life started going at each other’s throats about winning the $475 pool. As soon as they parted ways, things went left.

“Alright!” Ino had stomped her foot, teeth gritting and eyes flashing dangerously, “There is no way we’re losing to that blockhead! We only have four things left. So that means we’re splitting up! Everyone grab a partner, pick a thing, and let’s get moving!”

The couples were quick to take hold of each other’s hands, announce their item and go in different directions—which left Sakura standing awkwardly by herself, alone in the creepy woods she hated being in in the first place.

She’d stood there for a moment, swaying a bit on her feet, before clearing her throat and starting to walk, huffing along as she went, “This is fine. We’re fine. I’m fine.”

Which leads us to where she is now, looking for a green glass bottle to match the color of her eyes.

And no, she wasn’t being vain, that was literally what the list said in Naruto’s photo copied block letters: “Green glass bottle that looks like Sakura’s eyes.”

The sun was setting quicker than she thought possible and even as drunk and uncaring as she was, it still served to make her feel uneasy. Sakura started feeling that sensation of being watched and it made her swallow nervously. But of course, they don’t call alcohol liquid courage without reason, so she trudged on in search of a glass bottle.

She pulled out her phone to check the time and saw a text message from Ino. Swiping her thumb across the screen, she squinted her eyes and tried to make out what in the hell the blonde was trying to say.

•

Peppa-Pig: Hry thr hell up 5 hed! We got our shiiiiizzzz! w8n on u! Wher r u?!

•

She’d just gone to reply when her screen went dark, indicating a dead battery. Sakura cursed at the block of technology in her hand, shaking it as if it would make it turn back on. As such, she didn’t notice the body in front of her until it was too late.

She bumped into what felt like a brick wall and was saved from falling on her butt only by virtue of being steadied by two large hands. Even still, she cursed as she cradled her throbbing nose, tears springing to her eyes and a pounding headache quickly taking the place of that nice cottony buzz she had going on.

“Ow!” She cried. “What the hell?!”

In between her rapid blinking, she could make out a man standing in front of her, tall as hell and super sparkly.

She tried blinking the tears away. Nope, still sparkly. She wiped her eyes, smearing what little bit of makeup she had on, and her jaw slackened.

In front of her stood the most gorgeous man she had ever had the pleasure of setting her eyes upon. Wherever the sun touched his skin, it sparkled like the finest marble. Green eyes drank in his face like a woman starved and by the way she was staring at him, you’d think she’d never seen a man before in her life.

Well, a man like this, at least. Which she sure hasn’t. Not at all.

His eyes shone like they were cut from granite and were framed by a set of finely shaped brows. They stared at her with open curiosity and maybe even a bit of contempt. Sakura’s eyes immediately wandered to his hair, spun out of what could only be pure moonlight. In it sat a crown of ivy and gold, and he only wore a pair of green pants slung low on his hips. No shoes, no shirt.

Sakura shut her mouth with an audible click.

Then she started giggling. Uncontrollably.

“Holy shit, girl,” she gasped in between hysterics, “How much did you drink?! You’re hallucinating! You’re seeing fairies and crap!”

She bent over as full belly giggles took over, her pastel hair falling in curtains around her face, and when she straightened she was alone in the creepy forest of doom once more. Sakura shook her head; that was the absolute last time she was ever drinking Fireball Whiskey.

As soon as she got back to Shikamaru’s house, she was going to find out which one of those assholes slipped something into her drink and make them eat her fist.

“Do you humans often wear your titles proudly upon your chest?”

Sakura screeched, tilting her head back to see the same man from before standing on a branch above her.

“A ‘breaker of hearts,’ what an absurd thing to be,” he scoffed as he crossed his arms.

“Holy shit!” Sakura cried as she openly gaped up at him then scrambled back as he stepped off the branch to gracefully land in front of her like it were totally normal for men to fall out of trees.

He stepped towards her, completely invading her space, eyes narrowed and focused on her chest intently.

So, Sakura did what any woman in her position would do.

She slapped him.

The man reared back in shock and Sakura quickly covered her chest, her finger catching on the name tag Ino had stuck on there.

The man cradled his cheek as he stared back in disbelief.

“You struck me!” He exclaimed, eyes blazing as he took a threatening step towards her.

“You were being a pervert!” Sakura snapped, hands curling into fists.

“What?!”

“You were staring at my chest!”

The man gestured wildly at her torso, his little gold leaf crown sitting askew in his hair. “Only because you proclaim yourself to be a breaker of hearts!”

Sakura’s eyes narrowed in confusion before her lips rounded as she realized he was talking about her team’s name. Then her eyebrow shot to her hairline. Okay, this guy was weird.

“It’s a nickname,” she informed slowly because clearly this guy was missing a few screws. “Nothing special about it.”

The man’s arms crossed over his well sculpted chest, his crown still sitting lopsided in his hair, and Sakura wanted so badly to fix it because it was driving her crazy and he looked absolutely ridiculous.

Speaking of ridiculous….

“Sir—”

“Prince Kakashi.”

Sakura rolled her eyes, deciding to humor him for now.

“Okay, Prince Kakashi,” she saw him grit his teeth at her mocking tone. “Do you not know about nicknames? Why are you wearing a costume?”

Kakashi stared at her blankly to the point she was worried he’d gone brain dead and catatonic right before her eyes.

“A costume?” He repeated, head tilting to the side in a way reminiscent of a puppy. “This is royal attire.”

Sakura’s other eyebrow joined its sister at her hairline. Okay, so the guy was extremely hot, but he was also extremely weird. Now the question was, was he hot enough to overlook the weirdness?

He reached up to finally straighten his tilted crown and Sakura nearly swooned at the sight of his rippling muscles. Okay, so yes, he was hot enough and she was drunk enough.

So, because she hadn’t gotten laid in a while, Sakura took a step towards him and felt a bit of a thrill when he didn’t step back.

“Do you want to know why they call me a ‘Heartbreaker,’ Kakashi?” She teased, hands held tightly behind her back.

Kakashi’s eyes widened then narrowed suspiciously.

“Prince Kakashi,” he corrected, and Sakura nodded her head placatingly.

“Yes, yes, Prince Kakashi,” she cooed. “Do you want to know why?”

He took a closer step towards her and Sakura would be a filthy liar if she said it didn’t exhilarate her to be doing something so unlike her and bold.

His voice was a growl, husky and as electrifying as his eyes as he looked down at her, “Yes.”

“Then kiss me and find out.”

She only had a second to doubt and wonder about her actions before he, surprisingly gentle, curled his hands around her face and lowered his pillow soft lips onto her own.

Immediately, Sakura knew that this kiss would ruin her life. By the way he slanted his lips across her own, quickly taking control and sweeping his tongue along her lower lip and then teasing her tongue, she knew that she’d been kissing amateurs her whole life.

This was a kiss. This was mind blowing and the stuff of dreams.

And she wasn’t saying that because she was drunk.

Kakashi wrapped a corded arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him and pressing her to his chest. The angle made it so that he was too tall to reach, so they parted for a second only so that he could back her into a tree to hoist her up. Sakura’s legs wrapped around him as he buried his hands in her thick locks of hair, tugging on them gently so he could trail kisses down her neck.

Sakura had a fleeting thought that this was escalating quickly and that Hinata would surely be disappointed in her for kissing strange men in darkened woods. But Ino would be cackling madly and would probably be proud of her.

It’s that thought that makes her grind her hips into Kakashi, legs tightening desperately around him. She could feel him and wondered if she had it in her to have sex against this tree with a stranger.

Ino would have, if she were in her shoes and didn’t have Sai.

Kakashi moaned low in his throat as the kiss deepened further, Sakura raking her nails down his back and digging her feet into his lower back to bring him closer to where she wanted him most.

She could hear Ino now: calling her name and cheering her on.

Wait, that was Ino calling her name.

“Sakura!” She heard Ino call from the distance, then some more of her friends. “Where are you!?”

Sakura pulled back from Kakashi’s lips and rested her forehead on his shoulder with a groan, unwrapping her legs from around him and sliding slowly down his body.

He chuckled. “You are certainly a breaker of hearts.”

Fixing up her mussed hair, Sakura couldn’t help but laugh.

“I could say the same about you…” then as an afterthought, she added cheekily, “Prince Kakashi.”

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi adjusted himself before stepping away from her, the marks from her nails glaringly bright against his pale skin. Sakura felt bad but found that she liked that she left her mark on him.

She fidgeted a bit. Now that they weren’t on top of each other and she was sobering up, she had no idea what to say.

“Um—”

“I will find you again, worry not.”

Her shoulders sagged in relief. Kakashi tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers trailing gently over the soft skin of her cheek. She could hear her friends’ footsteps and voices as they got closer to finding her and she sighed. He leaned down to press a soft kiss to her forehead and then her mouth.

“I will visit you soon,” he murmured against her lips as her eyes slipped shut, savoring the moment with this gorgeous and enticing stranger.

“I will see you soon, Heartbreaker.”

And when she opened her eyes, she gasped as she saw him disappear into a tree. Not behind, but inside the tree! He gave her a cheeky wink and then he was gone, vines wrapping around the tree and flowers growing in the space he once stood. And with him went the feeling of being watched and followed.

Sakura felt a tickle near her ear just as Ino came up behind her with an exasperated cry of “Sakura! Where have you been?!”

Reaching up to touch the cherry blossom sprig tucked in her hair, Sakura only had one thought in her head.

Holy crap, I just made out with a fairy prince.

[silverfootstepswrites]

Equinox: Fall [4]

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3  | Chapter 4 (here) | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

The leaves began to turn orange and gold as the temperature dropped. The most brash were the maples, who turned blood red overnight. They stood blazing between the pines who refused to change with the season. 

As the ground disappeared under the falling leaves, the sounds of raking replaced the constant chatter of crickets. Smoke curled into the sky as people burned the piles. Others packed them in big paper bags for the garbage truck to take away. Part of Sakura wished that they would never rake up the leaves. She loved the snap of a crisp leaf under her shoe. The crunching noises stacking together when she stomped on a big pile.

Ino laughed at her when she stepped out of her way to get the crunchiest leaf. But ended up doing the same too. 

As they walked past Kakashi’s house, they heard several different barks. And when they turned the corner, they saw Kakashi past the chain-link fence, rolling in the leaves with his bulldog. A pug pounced on top of the both of them, teeth latching on to Kakashi’s pant leg. They could see the other dogs running around in the yard. Sakura hadn’t believed him when he had told her that he had five dogs.

“See, the sheriff’s issue is kind of like me with shoes. I see. I must have,” Ino had explained. 

If there was a stray dog anywhere in or near town, Kakashi was sure to take it in. 

And Sakura was glad she knew this one night as she drove back to Old Pines from Empire City. It was so dark on the road that she had to use her high beams. One of her worst nightmares was accidentally hitting a deer.

At a particularly steep bend in the road, she spotted a shape. It was too stocky to be a fawn. And definitely not tall enough to be a buck. As she drove closer, she realized that it was a dog, lower half caked in mud. It shied to the side of the road as she approached, but didn’t run off. Sakura turned off her high beams, leaving on the regular lights. Parking the car, she hung out the driver’s side window.

“Hey, baby. You lost?” she asked. Like the dog could respond to her. It stood there, trembling.

“It’s pretty cold outside, huh? Are you hungry?” she inquired. Ducking back into her car, she glanced over at the passenger’s seat. She had leftovers from the taco bowl she had ordered for dinner. She wasn’t sure whether dogs could eat cilantro so she took a second to brush the herb off the chunks of steak she fished out. Sakura opened up the car door. She held out her hand, offering the steak. She could see the dog sniff. But after taking a few steps towards her, it ran off.

Sakura glanced at the clock on her dashboard. It was getting late. But she didn’t feel good just leaving a dog out here. A less observant driver could hit it. And even if that didn’t happen, knowing that a hungry dog roamed the streets didn’t sit well with her either.

She found Kakashi’s number and called him. He answered after several rings, voice thick with sleep.

“Is everything okay?” he asked right away.

“Hey, Sheriff. Sorry. I know it’s really late. But I could use your help,” she said.

She gave him a rough estimate of where she was. After she hung up, she sat staring at the pieces of sliced steak in her hand. She could see the dog pacing back and forth further up the road.

“Come eat, baby. I won’t hurt you,” she called. And while the dog looked at her again, it didn’t try to come any closer. The car chimed when she opened the door. She took slow, careful steps to cross the road. She laid the pieces of steak on the asphalt before getting back in her car. As she wiped her fingers on a paper napkin, she kept her eyes glued to the dog. It stared right back at her.

She began to wonder if the noise of the car’s engine was what was scaring it. And as she debated whether to kill the engine or not, the dog took a few tentative steps towards the steak. When she didn’t move, it took a few more steps. Sakura’s face broke into a grin as she watched the dog gobble down the few pieces of cold steak. The dog lingered where it had found the steak, licking its chops.

Sakura lifted her head when a shadow interrupted the shapes the headlights made on the road. She recognized Kakashi easily. Dark tail swirling with mist. He looped around the other side of the car, careful not to spook the dog, whose ears had already perked up. Kakashi’s silhouette shifts. When he opened up the passenger side door, it was in the shape of a man in grey pajama pants and a t-shirt. He had at least thought to wear his duty jacket over his attire so that he looked slightly less like a lost sleepwalker.

“Is that our friend?” he inquired in a low voice. He put a knee on the seat, ducking his head to get a look at the wary dog.

“He ate a little steak. That’s a good thing, right?” Sakura whispered.

“I’m guessing your charm doesn’t work on dogs,” Kakashi commented. She made a sour face at him. He chuckled.

“You did good. Lucky for us, my charm works on dogs pretty well,” he added. Before she could ask him what he meant, Kakashi picked up one of the bigger chunks of steak before he hopped out of the car. Sakura watched him pass in front of the headlights. The dog growled low in its throat when Kakashi approached. Kakashi lowered the steak down onto the asphalt before walking back to Sakura. They waited for what felt like a million years. Then the dog bent down to sniff at the steak. Gobbled that up too. And then it lifted its head, staring at Kakashi now.

Sakura leaned back to grab the takeout container. She passed it to Kakashi, who sat on the road, his back pressing against Sakura’s car. Kakashi stretched his legs out in front of him as he picked out another piece of steak. He made a kissy noise, holding out the food. The dog sniffed, but stayed in place.

“Come here, sweetheart. We won’t hurt you,” Sakura called.

Kakashi reached out to place the steak just past his foot. After a long while, the dog took cautious steps toward them, hesitating every few paces. It snatched up the food, watching them with huge eyes. It took another step. One more. Closer and closer until it sat between Kakashi’s legs, gobbling down what remained of the taco bowl. Sakura’s hands itched to pet it, but she restrained herself. Instead, she squeezed out of the driver’s seat, crouching down beside Kakashi.

“There’s a cut,” she observed.

“Where?” Kakashi asked.

She used her finger to trace her finger under Kakashi’s eye, right along his cheekbone.

“I can’t tell if it’s old or not,” she added, tilting her head this way and that.

The dog finished its meal. Licking its chops, it lifted its head to regard the both of them.

“Hey there. Do you feel better?” Sakura inquired with a smile. Kakashi reached out, slowly. And when he patted the dog’s neck, it stayed still. He rubbed through the fur, scratching between its ears.

“No collar. Pretty friendly for a street dog,” Kakashi remarked.

“Oh my god Kakashi. I want to hug him so bad. Look at those big, sad eyes,” she whispered. Kakashi chuckled. He gave the dog a few pats on the belly.

“Maybe a little later. After a bath. Because we’ve got a stinky boy or girl on our hands right now,” Kakashi declared, nose scrunching. Sakura hopped back into her car. She contorted and stretched until her fingers grasped the blanket she always kept in the back seat. As she unfolded it, the dog tilted its head to watch her. She crouched beside him, copying the same, slow movements that Kakashi had been using to drape it around the dog..

“Alright, buddy. Let’s get you cleaned up,” Kakashi declared. He lifted the dog in his arms. Sakura leaned across the console to open up the passenger side door for him. Kakashi rested his hand on the dog’s head as he ducked inside the car. He settled into the seat, the dog resting on his lap as he fumbled with the seatbelt.

“Where are we going?” asked Sakura, switching to the high beams. She cranked up the heater before she pulled back onto the road.

“I’ve got room for one more,” replied Kakashi.

“Poor baby. It was must’ve been scary out there alone. Well don’t worry about a thing. We’re going to take good care of you,” Sakura said. And to her surprise, the dog looked right at her. Like it could understand what she was saying.

The winding path led them into Old Pines. She turned off the main road, to the quiet street where Kakashi lived. It was impossible to miss, especially since the steeple of the abandoned church was the tallest thing in town. Ivy had grown up one side of the building, but it was still in great shape. Sakura suspected that Kakashi maintained it in his free time.

Sakura pulled into the driveway. She parked right beside his cruiser. A chorus of barks greeted them. The dog in Kakashi’s lap gave them a bewildered look. Kakashi laughed.

“They’re friendly. Don’t look so scared,” he assured the dog, giving a few more pats. He opened the door and lifted the dog into his arms again. Sakura killed the engine and hurried to close the door for Kakashi. He stepped down path to his home. The grass was perfectly-trimmed. The little lights lining the path lit up when they moved near them.

“Do you mind grabbing my keys? They’re in my pocket,” Kakashi said as they stepped onto the porch. Sakura reached inside his jacket. His keyring was heavy with all sort of keys of different shapes and sizes. With some direction from Kakashi, she managed to find the one for his house. Inserting it into the lock, she turned it and slid the knob to the right. As soon as the door opened, she was greeted by a wet, black nose.

“Bull, give us a little room, buddy,” Kakashi grunted as they stepped inside. The burly bulldog kept close, but took a few steps back. He sniffed, stubby little tail shaking furiously. A pug came scrambling down the hall, colliding with Bull in his hurry. Kakashi chuckled as he kicked off his boots.

“Alright, everyone. We’ve got a guest today. Be good,” Kakashi ordered as he walked into the kitchen. The pug ran after him, but Bull lingered in the foyer with Sakura. Bull eyed Sakura for a moment. She had the feeling that he was an older dog from the way he trundled. Bull looped around Sakura and nudged the back of her legs, as if urging her inside.

“Okay, okay. Give me a second,” she laughed as she stepped out of her shoes. She paused to scratch Bull’s chin, earning a lick on the cheek. She rubbed her face with her sleeve as she straightened. And then followed Bull into the house.

The first thing that struck Sakura about Kakashi’s place was how cozy it was. The walls were crowded with photos. The frames were all mismatched and some of the pictures looked way older. Like black-and-white photo, no-smiles old. Like most homes in Old Pines, there was a fireplace. Kakashi’s was made of brick and there were currently a few logs smoldering inside.

As she followed Bull deeper inside, she entered the kitchen. A kettle sat on the stove with the flame on high under it. Kakashi sat on the floor, the muddy dog sitting between his outstretched legs.

“Huh. You were right,” Kakashi said.

“About what?” Sakura inquired.

Kakashi gestured to the spot below the dog’s right eye. There was a gash there. Skin pink and shiny, like it had just healed over recently.

“It doesn’t look infected. I think it’ll be okay once the fur grows back in,” Kakashi guessed. He picked up the dog’s left paw. Then the right.

“Looks like you were running for a while, bud,” he then observed.

Sakura crouched down in front of the dog. Who regarded her with those big, doe eyes. She patted the top of its head.

“It’s a good thing you picked him up. It’s supposed to rain in the morning. He could’ve caught a cold,” Kakashi told her as he got to his feet. Wrapping a dish towel around the handle of the kettle, he poured the water out into a big washtub. The pug sniffed at it, only backing off when Kakashi flapped the towel.

“It’s water, Pakkun. Quit being so nosey,” he scolded. Sakura laughed as the pug ran over to her instead. She obliged a few pats. But the pug wandered off after discovering that she didn’t have any treats.

Kakashi gave the dog a warm bath, scrubbing the mud from its tangled fur.  He removed a few burrs that had stuck to its back and tail. He covered the dog’s eyes as he poured water over its head, patting it all over with a clean towel.

“Aren’t you a good….” Kakashi paused, peeking under the dog’s belly, “Boy. The best boy.” Pakkun’s ears perked up. Stubby tail wiggling back and forth. He wandered up to Sakura, who patted his butt.

“You’re a good boy too, Pakkun,” she assured him.

“Do you mind holding him for a second?” Kakashi asked, as he walked off.

“Sure,” Sakura replied. She took his place, ruffling the towel over the pooch’s damp fur. She rubbed at his ears too, smiling when she saw his tail wag a little.

“You like that, huh?” she teased, rubbing his ears again. She laughed when the tail wagged even harder.

Kakashi returned with a hairdryer to finish drying the dog off. When Pakkun wandered over with curious eyes again, Kakashi directed the warm air at him a few times. Sakura burst into laughter when Pakkun tried chomping the warmth with his teeth. Stubby little legs stomping all over as he tried to bite the bad air.

By the time the stray was clean and dry, the other dogs had wandered off or gone to sleep. Bull lay on his back in the warm patch of floor in front of the refrigerator. Pakkun lay beside him, curled up into a little ball. But his eyes opened whenever Kakashi walked past.

“I’ll take him to the vet in the morning. But we gotta quarantine him for now. I don’t know if he’s up to date on any of his vaccinations,” Kakashi declared. And as he guided the dog into a cage in the corner of the kitchen, Sakura felt a little sad.

“Won’t he get lonely?” she wondered. Kakashi looked surprised as he closed the door on the cage. The dog took a moment to survey his surroundings. He turned around a few times before settling on the floor of the cage, on top of a faded blue blanket.

“Actually, he’s probably feeling pretty overwhelmed. This’ll give him some space to get used to being here. And he can get used to the other dogs without them going too crazy,” Kakashi told her. He spoke with the confidence of someone who knew a lot about dogs. Which was good. Because Sakura really didn’t know anything about dogs other than she wasn’t supposed to give them chocolate.

She hugged her knees to her chest, cheek resting on her knee as she took this in. Kakashi stood with his hands on his hips. He tilted his head as he looked her over.

“You look like you could use a drink,” he observed.

“Yes, please,” Sakura said without hesitation.

Kakashi offered her hand his hand. He pulled her to her feet with surprising strength.

“Uh. You’ve got a little…” Sakura uttered, gesturing to the front of his shirt. Kakashi looked down. The entire front of his black t-shirt was plastered with golden hairs. He looked over at the cage where the dog still lay, head resting on his paws. Blinking innocently at him. Kakashi sighed.

“There’s no point in wearing black when you own dogs,” he muttered. He put his hands on Sakura’s shoulders, spinning her around. Gave her a light push in the direction of the living room.

“Let me wash up. I’ll be right there,” he said.

Sakura found a light grey dog sitting on the brown leather sectional. As she sank down on the opposite end, the dog stood. He sniffed in her direction, his collar jingling. He hopped right over to her, tail swishing back and forth.

“Hey there. What’s your name?” Sakura asked. She reached for his collar to flip over the tag.

“Shiba? I don’t think you’re a shiba inu though…” Sakura mused as she rubbed his back. Shiba yawned in response, settling down beside her on the sofa. He snuggled up close to her, head resting on her leg.

“Okay. Since you’re cute I forgive your name that makes no sense,” she muttered, leaning her head back. After a while, she heard a door open down the hall. The whir of a bathroom fan droned on before the light went out. She glimpsed Pakkun trot out of the kitchen. There was the swish of fabric, wooden drawers sliding open and then shut. Kakashi strolled down the hall a couple minutes later. She heard several clicks as he turned on the stove.

Sakura didn’t realize that she had dozed off until she blinked. Suddenly Kakashi was hunched in front of the fireplace. He tossed a few logs into the fire box. Dusting off his hands, he turned to look at her.

“This might be the world’s comfiest couch,” she declared. He picked a mug off the coffee table and handed it to her. She could smell the cinnamon as she let the steam bathe her face. Curls of orange peel floated at the top of the drink.

“Mulled apple cider,” Kakashi told her as he sat next to her with his own mug.

Wow,” Sakura sighed after she took a sip.

“I could add a bit of rum if you’d like,” he offered. But Sakura shook her head.

It was quiet. Only the fireplace crackling. Bull snoring in the kitchen. It was a perfect autumn night. Just chilly enough that the fire felt warm and not hot. Sakura held the mug in both her hands. She rested it in her lap, careful not to jostle Shiba.

“So… it’s six dogs now…” Sakura remarked.

“Seven,” Kakashi corrected, pointing at himself.

“Oh. I always forget that,” she confessed. She folded her legs under herself. Shiba rolled onto his back, exposing his pink belly. Sakura rubbed her hand up and down it, watching his little leg twitch. When she looked back at Kakashi, he was smiling too.

“He’s a cutie,” Sakura commented.

“Mm. Ino found him digging through the trash can behind her shop. Scared her half to death,” Kakashi told her.

And then a thought occurred to Sakura. She finished her mug and set it to the side before she broached the topic. Unsure of how Kakashi would take it.

“I did some reading the other day. About church grims,” she confessed. Kakashi’s smile faded. But he didn’t look upset. He leaned back a little, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

“Oh?”

“Please tell me those books are wrong,” she uttered. Kakashi draped his arm over the back of the sofa as he closed his eyes. He drew in a long breath through his nose. And when his eyes opened, he was smiling. But there was something sad about it.

He just shook his head.

Because the books in the library had informed her about a lot of the magical residents of the town. There was so much she didn’t know. And she didn’t want to say something rude out of ignorance. The more she read, the more she learned about the darkness that sometimes lingered in their stories. In particular, the story of the church grim had shocked her. In fact, the lore was so horrific that she had referred several other texts before she understood that it wasn’t a fluke. It was the truth.

“They buried you alive?” Sakura whispered.

“In the foundation of the church. Right under the cornerstone,” Kakashi confirmed.

“That’s horrible.”

“They were scared. They needed someone to guard the churchyard. And it couldn’t be a person,” he said with a shrug.

Sakura said nothing. She looked down at Shiba, who blinked back at her.

“It wasn’t so bad at first. I roamed the church grounds at night. And I would go to sleep in the church rafters during the day. I kept the robbers away. And the humans were happy,” recalled Kakashi. He went on, gaze growing distant now.

“I noticed that the town started getting smaller. People were moving away. And then I was all by myself one day. I still tried to guard the church. But it started to fall apart. I knew that if only I had human hands, I could do something…” Kakashi drifted off.

Very carefully, Sakura touched his forearm. Kakashi’s gaze returned to her. And then he was smiling. The same old sheriff with those sleepy eyes.

“In other words, I’m an old stray dog. Just like him,” he concluded. He reached out to scratch under Shiba’s chin. Shiba’s tongue lolled out, making the both of them laugh. Sakura didn’t press him for anything else after that. She could see that it was like an old wound. Still a little tender under all the layers. She felt a pang of guilt as she wondered whether he had only divulged this much under the influence of her charm.

The conversation flowed a different way after that. They started to talk about the town. Its residents. How the harvest festival was coming up soon. As he spoke, Sakura found her eyelids growing heavy. She snickered.

“What?” Kakashi asked.

“I thought I was supposed to have the magic voice,” she commented.

“Why? Is my voice magically boring you?” Kakashi inquired.

Sakura yawned, shaking her head. “No…. it’s just… really nice. It’s kind of like…”

“Like?” Kakashi prompted.

“A hug,” she decided. She yawned again, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands.

“Sorry. I’m just so sleepy. You’re not boring. Promise,” she added.

Kakashi got off the sofa. She heard the mugs clinking together. His footsteps growing far away. After a while, the floorboards creaked again.

“Get some rest. I think Shiba could use the company,” Kakashi suggested.

“Just a quick power nap. I’ll be out of your hair in a bit,” Sakura sighed. A blanket settled over her.

“Sure,” she heard Kakashi chuckle. With a click, the lights went out. The fire crackled on as she drifted to sleep on the most comfortable couch in town.

When Sakura jolted awake, the sun was out. Birds cheeping by the window. Shiba was gone, but Bull had taken his place. Bull’s eyes opened when Sakura shifted. She twisted to look out the window.

“Where’s Daddy, Bull?” she inquired, turning to the bulldog.

Bull blinked a few times. He placed his paws on the windowsill, staring outside. He looked at Sakura. Then back out the window. So Sakura copied him, trying to follow his line of sight. And she realized that the cruiser was gone. It was just her little red car occupying the driveway.

“Oh,” she said.

Sakura got to her feet, trying to remember whether she had brought her purse into the house. As she wandered into the kitchen, she saw the cage was empty. Pakkun sat on the kitchen floor. He looked up at her with his big, wet eyes. Sakura paused to pet him before she noticed a note on the refrigerator. It was held up with a magnet in the shape of a fish.

Got an emergency call early. Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge. I already fed the dogs. Don’t let them fool you.

Sakura eyed Pakkun sulking by his empty food bowl.

“You sly little thing,” she accused. He yipped in response.

Sakura locked the door to Kakashi’s house before she headed outside. The dogs followed her to the door, including two that she hadn’t seen the night before. She had never seen Bull make such a sad face before. They jumped up on the sofa, lining up at the window to watch her as she got into her car.

On the way home, Sakura paused at the stop sign right by Ino’s cafe. There was plenty of coffee in her cabinets. But that would require actually having to brew it. Which felt like an unnecessary journey to her. So she found an empty spot on the street to park. The bell on the door tinkled as she stepped inside.

“Hey, hun. I knew you’d be by. Give me two seconds,” Ino called from somewhere in the kitchen in the back.

Sakura waved at the other patrons. She knew most people in town by sight now. Especially her fellow caffeine addicts.

“Blueberry scone with lemon drizzle,” Ino announced, emerging with a waxed bag pinched between her fingers. She handed it to Sakura. There was already a cup of ice coffee waiting on the counter with her name written on the side.

“Although I don’t understand why you’d want a cold drink in this weather,” Ino added.

“Hey. I thought this was a judgement-free zone,” Sakura protested.

“No. All the judgement. My house. My rules,” Ino corrected as she punched the numbers into the register. Sakura handed over a few bills, dumping the change into the tip jar.

Ino reached out to grasp Sakura’s hand. Her eyes went wide.

“Why’re you in such a good mood?” she demanded.

“Because you’re here, Ino,” Sakura replied, fluttering her eyelashes. But Ino refused to be distracted. There was a glint in her eye that Sakura was coming to realize. When Ino smelled gossip, she was insatiable.

“Noooo. Something happened. Girl, you gotta dish,” Ino persisted.

Sakura laughed. And as she considered coming clean, the bell attached to the door chimed again. Ino gave her a stern look.

“No running away. You need to tell me,” Ino warned her. Sakura gave a helpless nod, sighing. She took a step to the side to make room for the new customer.

“Hey.”

Turning her head, Sakura automatically replied, “Morning.” She started a little when she saw blue flannel. A heavy tool belt. Her gaze drew up to Kiba’s face. She hadn’t seen him in almost a month. His stubble had grown out into the beginnings of a rather impressive beard.

“It’s been a while. How’ve you been, stranger?” she asked.

But she didn’t get the response she expected. It was just idle small talk. To be polite. But Kiba avoided her eyes. And his discomfort made her uncomfortable too. She wondered what she had done.

Ino came running out. Finger pointing like a weapon.

“Stop! Whatever you’re doing, stop, Kiba! I won’t have you screwing up Sakura’s morning. So if you’re being weird, cut it out!” Ino ordered.

“Relax, Ino. I’m not doing anything,” snorted Kiba. And as he reached into his pocket for his wallet, he angled his head slightly toward her. His eyes widened. Staring straight at Sakura, he took a deep breath through his nostrils.

“Why-?” And then Kiba cut himself off as he looked around at all the other people in the cafe. Shaking his head, he took his change from Ino.

“See? You’re being seriously weird! Cut it out! You’re making Sakura uncomfortable!” Ino continued to scold.

The door to the cafe opened a third time. And a tan-colored dog walked in, followed by Kakashi. Sakura’s face lit up.

“Hey there! Are you feeling better?” Sakura asked, kneeling. The dog ran up to her, tongue hanging out of his mouth. He peppered her face with kisses.

“Kakashi, did you get another dog?” Ino demanded, hanging over the edge of the counter to peek at the dog.

Sakura ruffled her hands through the dog’s fur before she got to her feet.

“Yeah. Found him wandering the road at night,” Kakashi replied. As Sakura turned, she spotted Kiba eyeing Kakashi in the same wary way he had looked at her. The look Kakashi gave in return wasn’t friendly either.

“Good thing you’re here, Kiba. Someone reported hearing shots in the woods last night. I could really use your ears and your nose out there. This is really starting to spook folks,” Kakashi told him.

“Was there blood?” Kiba asked.

Kakashi tapped his nose. “Yeah. Can’t tell from what though.”

“My guess is hunters. Bunch of humans wandering where they shouldn’t be,” sighed Kiba. He reached into his pocket to grab his phone.

“If we don’t have too much work today, I’ll go out there and check it out,” Kiba declared.

“Thanks,” replied Kakashi with a curt nod.

Humans sometimes stumbled into the woods near town, thinking it was part of the territory that their hunting permits allowed them to roam. But they were usually bumbling hobbyists who were easily redirected north where they were supposed to be. Normally a few strangers in the woods wasn’t a big deal. They would shoot at a few deer and be on their way.

The two things that made this dangerous were the following:

It was almost a full moon.

The pups needed to run.

While adult werewolves had no problem suppressing their transformation, the pups always phased during the full moon. Whether they wanted to or not. They normally ran through the woods under the supervision of older weres, learning how to track and how to control their still-growing bodies. Humans had a tendency to shoot whenever they saw wolves.

Overall a bad combination.

Kakashi explained all of this as Kiba made his phone call. All of a sudden, Kiba hung up, cutting his conversation short. He grabbed his coffee.

“I’m gonna get out there while the trail is fresh,” Kiba declared. His eyes rested on Sakura for a moment. Like he wanted to tell her something. But he hurried out of the cafe without saying anything. The door slamming shut as the engine of his pick-up rumbled to life.