Title: Cheater
Genre: Humor/General
Rating: T
Word Count:
Summary: Next time, Kakashi could just go as a ninja for Halloween.

A/N: Don't think my hiatus is done yet. I still have a long way to go with college apps (I only finished my senior fact sheet yesterday). It's just that I typed this up during the end of summer and it's Halloween. Designs for their costumes will be linked on my profile/on my deviantart account.

Warning: Contains gratuitous amounts of Labyrinth references. Those not familiar with the movie should go watch it or have an extra tab open. Done for my own sick fangirling wishes. Do not own the awesomeness that is Labyrinth or Jareth’s tight pants.

It was a dark, starry night. Only a few clouds shrouded the sky, slinking milky-grey trails over the moon. The streets of Konoha were quiet, the markets having closed for the night, and in the darkness, a black cat slinked through the streets.

“Hurry up, Kakashi-sensei! We’re going to be late!” Sakura shouted as she hurried her steps. Kakashi, a few paces behind her, merely sighed and scratched his cheek as he wondered if she understood what she had just said. After all, when one’s traveling companion was Hatake Kakashi, it was expected that they’d be a few minutes late.

“Sensei!”

“Hai, hai,” he replied as the small pug at his foot grumbled comments of his master being “whipped.” In response, the silver-haired man let his toe catch Pakkun in his hind leg, causing the canine to stumble a bit. Pakkun turned to look back with a slight glare in his gaze; Kakashi looked away innocently.

“I’m serious, sensei! I don’t want to be late to Tsunade-shishou’s party!”

The party Sakura was referring to was the annual Halloween party Tsunade held. What had started as a party for the leaders of the neighboring countries, was now a party for the entire village. It was a chance for the shinobi to relax; the civilians to have fun; and to celebrate their village in general. If memory served right, this would be the fourth year it was being held.

Kakashi sighed. “Sakura, the party isn’t going to suddenly move,” he reasoned, referring to how it was always held in the large building next to the Hokage Tower reserved for such occasions.

“That’s not the point!” she cried. “If I’m late, I can’t enter the costume contest, and like hell am I letting Ino-pig win again this year!” she said, recalling how her rival won dressed as Cammy from Street Fighter.

“I’ve worked too hard on this costume to let her win again!” she declared as she picked up her pace, her strides matched the firm resolution in her voice.

“…Right…what are you supposed to be again?”

At this, Sakura turned and stared at him with exasperation. “I’m Little Red Riding Hood, sensei. Didn’t they ever teach you fairytales in the Academy?” she sighed.

Focusing his gaze a little more, Kakashi looked over her costume. It looked simple enough: a white short pouf-sleeve shirt, a black bodice, and a knee-length red skirt with white knee-socks and a pair of Mary-Jane shoes. However, upon closer inspection, it was evident that her costume was not something to be easily dismissed. A black ribbon was threaded around her shirt collar, topped by a small black bow while the lantern lights caught in the embroidery of the black bodice she wore. A passing breeze ruffled the layers of the petticoat under her skirt and rippled her red hood, causing it to flutter as beautifully and strikingly as the red ribbon in her hair. A small basket rested gently on her arm, no doubt carrying some type of food item; she stared at him expectantly.

Kakashi smiled. “Not really. They were too busy teaching me how to blow people up,” he explained.

Sakura merely frowned before stepping out of the lantern light, her clothing changing back from orange to red. They were only three blocks away from the party venue, but she had only gone three steps before stopping with a look of realization on her face.

“Sensei…where’s your costume?” she asked, scanning over him with a disapproving frown as she stared at his shinobi uniform.

He raised a finger and poised his mouth for a reply.

“No, you cannot say you’re going as a ninja,” she said flatly, watching as his body deflated a little. She sighed. “Honestly Kakashi-sensei, it’s not going to kill you to be out of uniform for one night, and we are not going anywhere until you dress up. I refuse to be escorted by a party-pooper.”

Watching as she tapped her foot impatiently, it became clear to Kakashi he was not worming out of it this year. With a sigh, he surrendered to his fate and raised his hands in defeat before moving his hands to do the appropriate hand signs and disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Sakura coughed as she waved away the smoky clouds, aggravation already on her lips—he better not have run away—only to spy a figure through the smoke. And what was more, he was…

“You’re blonde!” Sakura shouted, half in surprise, half in disbelief. Kakashi’s response was to flip away some stray strands that had fallen over his eye.

“Yes, I am blonde, Sakura,” he replied patiently before dusting over his costume, oblivious to Sakura’s stunned stare as she dragged her eyes over his costume, taking in his teased blonde hair, shimmering eye-makeup, the high collar of his dark cape, and the perfectly-fitted shirt he wore underneath; and it took all of Sakura’s willpower not to let her eyes stray to the tight-fitting pants she knew would follow.

Leave it to Kakashi to dress up as Jareth from Labyrinth.

As Sakura peered through the gap in the hands covering her face—why did she have to show Kakashi that movie?—she looked over his (stunning) costume and quickly felt her shock melt into indignation.

“You CHEATER!” she screeched, causing Pakkun to whimper slightly at the tone of her voice; curse his sensitive hearing. Kakashi stared at her blandly.

“What is it now?” he asked tonelessly.

“You—your costume—It isn’t FAIR! I sewed my costume—by hand!—and all you did was do a bunch of fancy hand movements and poof! You get an absolutely stunning costume. It just. Isn’t. Fair!”

Chest heaving and face flushed by the sheer exertion of her tirade, Sakura continued to glare at Kakashi who merely shrugged off her complaint in favor of stepping around her before pausing. Turning his head, he smiled in a way that was as infuriating and breath-taking as the character he was trying to portray. “It’s not my fault you forgot about using genjutsu.”

Turning back towards the venue, he prodded Pakkun (who was now dressed as Hoggle) to come along, and with a sweep of his cape, headed towards the party, leaving a stunned Sakura behind.