Kakashi didn't really want to describe what "other things" exactly entailed and he figured that if she didn't already know, that would answer his question anyways. He prayed she already knew.
Well, shit. She thought she had escaped this question but it figured she wouldn't be off the hook that easily. There would be no distractions like falling out of a tree this time. It was time for more embarrassing conversation. Oh goody.
"Well…" she said, tucking her legs underneath her and placing her hands in her lap, her eyes dropping down and apparently finding her upturned palms incredibly interesting as she refused to meet his glance. "I've kissed and stuff."
'And stuff' unfortunately wasn't going to cut it.
"Could you be a little more specific?" Kakashi inquired, wondering if the rosy glow she had acquired was because of the firelight or from a very prominent blush.
Sakura bit her lip nervously. If he was worried about the mission before, he was really going to sweat when he heard this. Sakura closed her eyes as she spoke the next words.
"You know…hugging…and…handholding."
For a moment there was no sound except the chirping of the insects in the woods and the crackling of the fire. Sakura cracked open an eye to see if her sensei had abandoned all hope and fled into the woods but he was just sitting their silently, looking at her with an expression she couldn't decipher thanks to his mask.
"I see," he said after another painfully silent moment, his voice betraying nothing about how he felt, much to Sakura's chagrin.
They continued to stare at each other through the curtain of flames, neither moving even when a piece of wood deep within the pile popped and sent a shower of orange sparks into the air.
"So, you've never…touched a man anywhere that would be considered…intimate?"
Sakura hung her head, suddenly more ashamed of her chastity than proud of it.
"No."
"And no man has ever touched you like that?"
'Like any man would ever want to,' she thought bitterly before answering a simple "No."
"And you have never undressed in front of a man in a sensual manner?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. Did he want to know her blood type while he was at it?
"Kakashi, what do you think?" she said, her words carrying a biting edge as she looked up to meet his one-eyed gaze.
"Just humor me."
"No. I haven't."
He could see anger in those green eyes and perhaps a little sadness as well. Sadness at living nineteen years and never knowing a man's touch, or sadness that when a man finally did touch her, it wouldn't be a loving caress but the rough grab of a dirty stranger's hand?
He didn't know for sure and didn't think he wanted to.
All he knew was that she had confirmed this mission would indeed be just as difficult as he had anticipated. He would have to start at the very bottom of things and he wanted some time to sort out his thoughts a little.
"Thank you for being honest with me Sakura," he said softly as he picked himself off the ground to stand tall…well, as tall as his slouch would allow. "I understand these are not easy questions for you to answer."
He resisted the urge to reach over and ruffle her hair like he used to, the pink strands looking more orange in the glow of the fire. She was not a child anymore and the sooner he stopped thinking of her like one, the better, especially considering what was waiting for her at the club.
Sakura nodded silently and propped her chin on a knee that was drawn up to her chest.
She was staring into the fire silently, her green eyes reflecting the crackling flames and for a moment, he could imagine a similar fire burning deep within her, the flame he had witnessed as a tiny spark when she had first been his student. It had grown under his tutelage and it had raged into a mighty flame as she continued training with Tsunade.
That flame was her burning desire to be strong and capable as a kunoichi and later a medic and above all, a person.
And that blaze was too willful, too passionate to be the ambition of a girl, but was that of a woman. Perhaps Sakura was more grown up than he thought, and he smiled beneath his mask as he watched her stare unseeing into the fire.
"Get some rest Sakura," he said calmly, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I'm going to go check the perimeter and then settle down as well. I don't think we'll have to worry about many threats this close to home."
Her eyes flicked from the fire to his lanky form and she gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Ok, Kakashi-sensei,"
She hadn't even realized she had slipped back into the habit of calling him her teacher but it didn't go by the Jounin unnoticed. He turned and walked away to the edge of the clearly, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.
When Naruto called him "sensei", Kakashi felt quite a bit older than his thirty-five years of age, but for some reason, when Sakura had done the same thing just now, he felt a small amount of pride stir in his chest that yes, she was in fact his student.
It was true the majority of her improvement had come from Tsunade's one-on-one tutelage but he had been her first teacher after the academy and she had turned into quite a capable kunoichi…well…capable in some areas anyways.
As awkward as it may be, he hoped he could coach her into being proficient in other areas as well, for as her teacher, her successes were his successes and her failures were his to share as well.
The entirety of this mission rested on his ability to teach and her ability to apply. In reality, it was quite a lot of pressure, but nothing the former ANBU couldn't handle.
He just hoped she was up for the challenge as well.
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