Disobedient Desires (KakaSaku)

Class in Session

Sakura stood at her locker, carefully applying a layer of strawberry lip gloss as she checked her reflection in a small mirror. The familiar sound of Ino's laughter echoed through the hallway before she appeared beside her, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Forehead! Did you hear? Professor Hatake starts today, and I hear he's totally hot!"

Too absorbed in perfecting her lips, Sakura waved a dismissive hand at her friend. "School hasn't even started and you're already drooling over a man you've never met? Typical." She chuckled, glancing at Ino, who was now pouting. "So, who do you have first period? I've got Shizune for health."

Sakura glanced down at her own schedule, sighing as her eyes landed on her first class. "I've got P.E. with Gai-sensei, unfortunately."

Ino groaned dramatically. "Ugh, do we even have any classes together?" She scanned Sakura's schedule with a hopeful pout.

"Well..." Sakura trailed a finger down her list of classes. "I have Hatake last period. How about you?"

Ino eagerly looked over her own schedule. "I don't have him except every other day, right before lunch," she grumbled. Her pout deepened as she realized they wouldn't be sharing any classes until later in the day.

Sakura nudged her lightly. "Hey, we still have lunch together. No need to get all mopey on me. This is our senior year—let's make the most of it before college steals us away."

Ino grinned and clapped a hand on Sakura's shoulder just as the bell rang, signaling the start of the day. "You're right! This year's gonna be amazing!"

The two parted ways, heading to their first classes.

Sakura didn't mind her schedule much—P.E., history, English, and math took up the first half of her day. After lunch, she had a study period and, finally, creative writing with the mysterious new professor. Ino's gossip lingered in her thoughts as she wondered if Professor Hatake really was as attractive as rumored.

Fifth period was uneventful—mostly gossiping with her friends since the first day was just orientation and an overview of the year. But as the day wore on, Sakura found herself growing more curious about the last period. Was the new teacher really worth the hype?

As the final bell rang, she made her way downstairs toward the creative writing classroom. Her heart raced a little, though she couldn't say why. Upon entering, she chose a seat in the third row, settling in as more students trickled in. The usual chatter filled the room, but it quickly died down when the bell rang and their teacher walked in.

Sakura's breath caught.

A tall man with unruly white hair and a medical mask covering his face strode to the front of the class. His shirt sleeves were casually rolled up to reveal muscular forearms as he wrote his name on the whiteboard in bold, black letters: Professor Hatake.

Ino hadn't been exaggerating. He was drop-dead gorgeous.

Suddenly, creative writing was her favorite subject.

Sakura fiddled nervously with the hem of her skirt as he began roll call. His deep voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"Sakura Haruno?"

She raised her hand, her heart skipping when his gaze landed on her. His eyes crinkled slightly above the mask in what she assumed was a smile. A pink flush crept up her cheeks, and she quickly looked down, biting her lip.

Oh yeah, this year was going to be interesting.

Sakura sat at her desk, her pulse still racing from that brief exchange during roll call. Professor Hatake was a distraction, the kind that lingered in the air long after his gaze moved on to the next name. She fidgeted, her eyes darting back to him as he finished reading the attendance sheet.