Naruto 1. Chapter 1

Some days she just didn't want to deal with anything. Unfortunately, those were always the days that things seemed to happen.

She had been followed ever since she left work. She knew who it was, even though she couldn't see them, and she really didn't want to deal with them today, that's why Sakura was running on the roof tops of Konoha towards the Hokage mountain.

The sound of her sandals against the tiles of the roofs could barely keep up with her as she sped across town, constantly aware of the presence following her in the streets below. She pushed off a chimney in the residential area, changing her direction multiple times in the chase and even sending doppelgängers off in different directions, but the pursuer kept following her flawlessly through the alley ways and streets, until she came to the base of the Hokage mountain. She gathered the chakra in her feet and leapt off the final roof top onto the vertical slope of the mountain and started running up.

As she made her ascent she could feel the chakra signature being left behind in the street. Breathing a sigh of relief, she quickly approached the summit, passing the face of Lady Tsunade, making sure not to run over the sculpted rock. She leapt over the ledge of the mountain onto the grassy knoll of the summit that overlooked the city and knelt down to catch her breath. That's when she felt a familiar presence in front of her.  
>Looking up, she glared daggers into the figure.<p>

She spoke, keeping her tone even through her breaths.

"What the hell do you want, Kakashi Sensei?"

Kakashi looked up at her from his book as he lounged against a near by tree.

"Sakura, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't think anyone else would be up here at this time of day."

Still panting slightly, Sakura slowed down her breathing while taking the opportunity to glare harder at Kakashi.

"I wasn't expecting to be up here, but circumstances lead me to take a detour on my way home."

Kakashi looked at her unfazed, but spoke with a tone of mild confusion.

"Why would you need to take a detour up a mountain, Sakura?"

Sakura's face twisted for a second before she finally sighed and slumped down on the grass. She ran a hand through her hair and looked out towards the setting sun.

She repeated her question in a much more subdued voice.

"What do you want, Kakashi?"

"What do you mean?"

Sakura glanced back to him briefly before returning her gaze to the sunset.

"Why were you following me?"

Kakashi chuckled "As far as I'm concerned, Sakura, I was here first."

Sakura sighed once again, as she stood up slowly and stretched her arms to the sky as though she were trying to grab a cloud that was drifting by lazily. She let her arms slowly fall to her sides then behind her back to stretch her shoulders, then she let them relax naturally to her sides once she was satisfied. She then turned back to him and smiled sweetly.

"You're right, Kakashi Sensei. I didn't mean to bother you, I'll be on my way now."

Kakashi closed his book and moved from his position against the tree towards Sakura as she headed for the edge of the cliff.

"You know, normal people take the stairs."

Sakura looked back at him with a blank face.

"Normal people don't chase their students up a mountain, Sensei."

With that they stared at each other for several moments as the sun finally set to Sakura's back and a light breeze picked up, rustling their hair and shaking a few leaves loose from the surrounding foliage.  
>Kakashi took another step towards Sakura.<p>

"Have a good night, Sensei."

And she was gone.

* * *

><p>Sakura took in the fresh morning air as she stepped outside. Her forehead protector shone as she walked to the street and she smiled as she saw children chase a ball in front of a local grocer. They giggled with glee when the ball was kicked back to them by a passer by.<br>She watched the citizens walking in the streets and leaving their houses to get ready for their own days. One person kissed their spouse as they walked out the door, and another was fumbling with a set of keys in front of a shop. She was greeted by a few people when they walked by her as she made her way down the street, she gave them a smile or a nod in return, but didn't stop to chat.

The way she took today led her right past Yamanaka Flowers and as she approached the shop she could see Ino setting up the outside display. Sakura made her way through the slowly building crowd and across the street where Ino was currently crouched, arranging a vase with flowers.

Ino addressed Sakura without looking up from her work.

"I could feel your forehead coming from a mile away."

Sakura walked up and playfully pushed on Ino's back with her foot.  
>"I don't even live a mile away, Pig."<p>

Ino turned around and swatted at Sakura's foot before standing and tucking a pair of scissors away in her apron.  
>"What are you up to, Forehead?"<p>

Sakura casually put her hands behind her head and let out a quick breath.  
>"I'm on my way to help Lady Tsunade with her paperwork, but I wanted to stop by since your shop was right here."<p>

"How nice of you." Ino said sarcastically.  
>"Actually, I need to see the Hokage today to pick up a mission. Do you want to wait for a few minutes and let me finish setting up?" Ino smirked "Since you went <em>so<em> far out of your way, you might as well walk with me."

Sakura laughed under her breath and let her hands fall to her hips.  
>"Well, go on then. I don't have all day."<p>

Ino quickly finished setting up and went inside to change. Sakura stood outside and watched as people passed by the shop. She saw some familiar faces that once again smiled to her, but she mostly ignored them as they went. Ino finally came out in her ninja gear as she shouted a farewell to her father in the store and they began their trek down the street.

As they walked, Ino began to chat casually with Sakura.  
>"You know, the last time Lady Tsunade gave me a mission, I barely made it out alive."<p>

Sakura looked to Ino, surprised.  
>"Was the mission really that dangerous?"<p>

Ino scoffed.  
>"No, the mission was a breeze, but Lady Tsunade threw an empty sake bottle at my head before I left."<p>

Sakura started to laugh and Ino soon Joined her. The rest of the walk to the tower was spent discussing work and their team mates. Ino did most of the talking, she told Sakura about how Choji has been making it a weekly routine to get the team together for dinner and how Shikamaru is being pressured to take over the clan. Sakura pitched in about her and Naruto's training sessions and how they often grab a meal at Ichiraku afterwords.

"I just don't know how that boy lives off ramen. I'm pretty sure his blood is made of the stuff."

They approached the tower and Ino looked to Sakura.  
>"Speaking of, why don't you and Naruto stop by the shop today, we can grab Choji and Shika and go out tonight."<p>

Sakura nodded as they entered the building.  
>"I'd really like that. It's been a while since we all got together."<p>

They made their way up the stairs and to the large wooden doors.  
>Sakura knocked.<br>There was a muffled "enter" spoken before they pushed their way inside.

"Sakura! It's about time! You were supposed to be here hours ago!" Tsunade fidgeted with something under her desk before there was a suspicious sound of glass being set on the ground.

"This is the time I always come in Lady Tsunade." Sakura spoke with confusion and ignored the obvious sake bottle under her desk.

Tsunade looked at Sakura.  
>"I sent Kakashi out last night to find you after work and tell you that I have a mission for you. The lazy bastard must have blown it off."<p>

Sakura's face twisted in annoyance.  
>"Well Kakashi Sensei did manage to <em>find<em> me, but he never mentioned a mission."

Tsunade sighed and put her hand to her forehead.  
>"Of course he didn't. Ino, I have your mission waiting for you downstairs in Briefing Room C. I need to speak to Sakura alone."<p>

Ino nodded and bowed respectfully before leaving the room.  
>Sakura stood alone in front of Tsunade's desk and waited for her to sart speaking.<p>

"It's an escort mission to the boarder." Tsunade pulled out a scroll and handed it to Sakura. "Your mission is to simply deliver the client to the check point station and a team from Suna will escort him the rest of the way. This mission shouldn't take you more than two days to get to the boarder and back. All you need to do is wait for Kakashi to show up and you can leave. I need you to be gone as soon as possible because the Suna team will only be at the boarder for a small time frame and the client needs to get there."

Sakura read through the scroll details.  
>"This says it's only me and Kakashi as escorts."<p>

Tsunade nodded and folder her fingers in front of her.  
>"The client was very specific that he wanted a minimal escort; you and Kakashi are the best duo team that both happen to be in the city right now. Your client is waiting down stairs, go meet him while you wait for Kakashi. I told him to be here at sunrise, so he should be here around noon."<p>

Sakura smirked and rolled up the scroll.  
>"Well he shouldn't be too long, considering he followed me and Ino here from the flower shop. I'll be waiting downstairs then, if that's all, Lady Tsunade."<p>

Tsunade nodded and dismissed Sakura.  
>Sakura bowed and left the room while Tsunade stared after her and sighed to herself before reaching under her desk for a drink.<p>

"She doesn't make anything fun." A voice said from the window.

"I need you to get down there, Kakashi. It's a short mission, but it needs to be done, _today._"

Tsunade took a long swig from her bottle as Kakashi made a noise of acknowledgement and jumped from his place on the window.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura left the Hokage's office and was greeted by Ino. They began walking to the lobby while Sakura spoke.  
>"Kind of weird, you just standing outside like that. Why weren't you downstairs grabbing your mission?"<p>

Ino looked down briefly, then flipped her hair out of her face before speaking in an overly confident voice.  
>"I just wanted to make sure you made it out of that office alive! We can't lose Konoha's best medic to a sake bottle in the head."<br>Ino flashed Sakura a cheeky grin and Sakura returned it with a knowing smile.

"It would take more than that to keep me down, pig." They descended the stairs and approached the lobby as Sakura continued. "I'm going to have to cancel dinner plans tonight. I'll be back in tomorrow, though. We can reschedule then."

Ino took a deep breath and nodded slowly while looking at the ground. She shrugged her shoulders and spoke, this time with a little less gusto.  
>"That's okay. I'll just make the boys take me out tonight."<p>

Sakura gave Ino a sad smile, but spoke kindly to her friend.  
>"It must be nice never having a mission outside of the village."<p>

Ino scoffed.  
>"No way! I never get to see any action, and the pay is totally weak. All I do are delivery missions, or escorting lame diplomats around the city. But you know, I still have to help dad with the shop, and I can't do that if I'm gone for weeks at a time."<p>

They stopped at the edge of the lobby, beside the hall that lead to the briefing rooms. Ino flicked Sakura's nose lovingly.  
>"You be careful with what ever you're doing. I expect to go out with you when you get back and I'll be really upset if I don't get to do that."<p>

Sakura smiled and pulled Ino into a firm hug.  
>"I'll be sure to make it back in one piece."<p>

They pulled apart and Ino nodded before turning away down the hall. Sakura watched as Ino brought a quick hand to her face and straightened her posture. Sakura gave a long and quiet sigh to herself as she watched Ino round a corner.

A voice spoke behind her.  
>"Why does it always have to be so bitter sweet?"<p>

Sakura sighed softy again.  
>"It's the life we choose to live. She stays in the village because she knows that every mission is a risk to our lives, she keeps saying it's for her father, but that's not the real reason. It always kills her to see one of us go, even if it's for a small mission like ours."<br>She turned to the man who appeared behind her.  
>"Our client is sitting on the bench at the entrance, are you ready to go?"<p>

Kakashi gazed down at Sakura with his hands in his pockets. She stared at him with an expressionless face while waiting for him to answer. Kakashi said nothing but nodded and held out a hand to gesture for her to lead the way. Sakura strode in front of him and towards the entrance with Kakashi following beside her.

The man was sitting alone, apparently asleep, with a cane in between his legs.  
>Sakura called to him.<br>"Mr. Tsuneki?"

The man jumped slightly and took in a quick snoring breath as he looked for the voice that called to him.  
>"Yes?"<p>

Sakura gave him a smile and waved.  
>"My name is Sakura, and this is my partner Kakashi, we're going to be your escorts today."<p>

She gestured at Kakashi while introducing themselves then bowed in a formal greeting. The man bowed back to them without standing up.

"Lady Hokage told me that you would be here at noon, but you're early! We can leave right away, I have a cart out front with some stuff I'm taking back to the family. It shouldn't be too much trouble, I'm just worried about thieves, and the lot. The path to the checkpoint isn't exactly the safest, you know."  
>Tsuneki stood up without the aid of his cane, but he quickly grabbed the handle, and started walking out the front door.<br>"My cart is just this way."

* * *

><p>Kakashi and Sakura walked behind the horse drawn cart as they made their way down the road.<p>

Kakashi glanced to Sakura as she walked with her hands behind her head.  
>"Naruto is really rubbing off on you lately."<p>

Sakura gave a bored look to Kakashi.  
>"It's just a comfortable way to walk."<p>

Kakashi smirked under his mask.  
>"You leave your sides open for attack when you hold your arms up like that."<p>

Sakura suddenly dropped her arms and looked at the ground, but continued walking. She looked up a moment later and took in her surroundings again.  
>"I'm going to move up to the front for a while."<p>

Kakashi nodded as she slowly jogged beside the cart to walk beside Tsuneki, who was sitting in the front, steering the horse. Tsuneki smiled to Sakura as he saw her approach.  
>"I thought I would have to be up here all by myself the entire time, I'm glad you joined me."<p>

Sakura smiled to him but didn't say anything. They continued on for about a mile in silence before Tsuneki frowned a bit and spoke.  
>"Is there a problem Miss Sakura?"<p>

Sakura looked to him confused.  
>"I don't believe so, sir. Why do you ask?"<p>

"You're just so quiet. I figured I may have done something to upset you."

Sakura chuckled.  
>"Ninja aren't much for conversations, you'll have to forgive me while I'm on duty."<p>

Tsuneki flashed her a grin.  
>"Let's pretend like you're not working, then. I feel like chatting. We have a few more hours before the boarder, I don't want to spend it just staring at the ass of my horse."<p>

Sakura smiled to Tsuneki then looked back to Kakashi who was watching her with an amused crinkle in his eye. She gave a hand signal telling him to switch places with her and Kakashi just shook his head in refusal. She then gave him a less pleasant gesture with her middle finger and looked forward again.

Giving an inner sigh, Sakura addressed the man pleasantly.  
>"Okay, Mr. Tsuneki, tell me about yourself."<p>

Tsuneki almost bounced with joy as he began talking.  
>"Well, I am a farmer and I own my own land. I have a lovely wife and two beautiful daughters. We raise animals, mostly…." Tsuneki continued on about himself and his farm and where he grew up for almost an hour before he finally looked to Sakura, who had been nodding and giving acknowledging noises here and there, but not really paying attention to him.<p>

It took Sakura a moment to realize that he stopped talking and was waiting for her to respond.  
>"That's very interesting Mr. Tsuneki, it seems like you have lived a very wonderful life."<p>

He nodded "Yes, I am very happy to be where I am. Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

Sakura smirked.  
>"I told you Mr. Tsuneki, I'm on duty."<p>

* * *

><p>The sun had set and it was starting to feel very late by the time they reached the checkpoint. The mission was completed without incident. Sakura and Kakashi said good bye to the client and were ready to start their journey back.<p>

They headed out the door and Sakura stretched her arms above her head.  
>"Let's go North and make our way to the town that's up there. We can grab some dinner and a place to stay."<p>

Kakashi stared at her then looked to her exposed ribs before she dropped her arms back down to her sides.  
>"That sounds like a plan. I know that area has a really good place we could gets some food at."<p>

Sakura nodded as they began their journey down the road. Their walk was taken a bit slower than their pace when they arrived. The two walked beside each other for a few minutes before Sakura finally spoke.  
>"I can't believe you left me up there with him that whole time. The man nearly talked my ear off."<p>

Kakashi looked to her and spoke in an amused voice.  
>"You were the one who wanted to be up there."<p>

Sakura quirked an eyebrow.  
>"I only stayed up there because of the tactical advantage."<p>

Kakashi tilted his head slightly towards her.  
>"Not just to get away from me? I was obviously under the wrong impression, Sakura."<p>

Sakura smiled at him and playfully bumped into his shoulder.  
>"Oh, Kakashi Sensei, You know I can't stand you."<p>

Kakashi took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her into him for a quick side hug. They laughed together and were about to pull apart when Kakashi grabbed her body fully and quickly leapt off the road and into a tree.  
>Sakura then felt the presence near them and masked her chakra beside Kakashi. He quietly let go of her and they crouched in the foliage together as three shadowed figures walked quickly underneath them. Sakura quietly nudged Kakashi and gestured for them to move away from the road. They quietly leapt further into the trees and were still moving when Sakura finally spoke.<p>

"They didn't look dangerous, why did we move?"

Kakashi remained silent for a moment. Then he crinkled his eye at Sakura.  
>"They weren't dangerous, I just didn't want to take the roads any more."<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura was the first to land on the road at the entrance to the town with Kakashi quickly following suit. They stood for a moment quietly catching their breath and surveyed their surroundings. On the path was an ornately decorated arch that signified the entrance to the town while down the other side was the quiet road that they followed in the trees. They looked to each other briefly before Sakura nodded and Kakashi took the lead through the arch.

The town was quite large for its location so close to the boarder. The streets were almost as wide as Konoha's with sidewalks for pedestrians and cobbled roads where horses and small cars left their tracks. Sakura walked behind Kakashi as he lead them down the side roads, every once in a while passing a local who was out for an early night stroll, or just heading home.

The two fell into step with each other and Sakura's tired eyes stayed on Kakashi's back as she walked behind him. She took the time to study him starting from his hair that was more disheveled than normal, down to his neck that was covered by his vest and mask, to his shoulders and arms. She paid attention to how they softly swayed as he walked, he had one hand in his pocket and the other rested freely at his side. Moving to his lower back and hips, she saw that he kept both directly under his head as he walked, and noted the front to back pivotal movement they made when he took a step. Her eyes drifted lower to his legs. She couldn't see the definition of them very well through the fabric, but every once in a while he would step just right and she saw a hint of tone in his upper leg area.

"If you stare any harder, you might burn a hole right through me, Sakura."

Sakura quickly glanced away and blushed.  
>"Sorry, I was just lost in thought."<p>

Kakashi made an unconvinced noise as he stopped walking.  
>"I'm sure they were pleasant thoughts, to have you wandering around so intently."<p>

He turned to her and watched as her face twisted with embarrassment. She quickly regained her composure and crossed her arms over her chest while narrowing her eyes at him.

Kakashi placed a gentle hand on her head and ruffled her hair around her headband.  
>"Relax, Sakura. I'm just messing with you."<p>

He smiled when her shoulders dropped and her eyes fell to the ground again.  
>She breathed a deep sigh before making eye contact with him and pushing his hand gently away from her head.<br>"Sorry, I'm just tired, that's all."

Kakashi nodded to her and turned to walk again.  
>"The place is just around the corner. We'll get something to eat and then head to the hotel."<p>

Sakura put a hand to her hair and attempted to straighten out her pink locks as she followed him again. After she was done adjusting, she caught up to his side and walked in tandem with him as they rounded a corner. The smell of cooking meat was overpowering Sakura's stomach as they approached the small joint.

They sat down in the near corner with Kakashi facing the front entrance and Sakura facing the kitchen. Their waitress came and took their orders while leaving a pot of tea for the two of them and they chatted as they waited.

"How did you learn about this place, Sensei?"

"I had an extended mission in this town a couple of years back when you and Naruto were busy training. I got bored and tired of Tsunade harassing me all the time, so I took it hoping to get away for a while. It worked quite well. The people in this town are very friendly and almost nothing happens here, aside from the occasional festival."

Sakura grasped her tea and took a small sip before nodding.  
>"I think I remember when Tsunade gave you that assignment."<p>

Kakashi chuckled slightly.  
>"Yes, you were there. Balancing books on your head, I believe."<p>

Sakura thought for a moment.  
>"No, I think that was a different time when Tsunade was harassing you about something else. I can't remember what though."<p>

They both laughed then smiled at each other and Sakura let out a short sigh before continuing.  
>"Seems like Lady Tsunade never has time for me anymore. After I became a Chunin she became so engrossed in her work that the only times I see her are when I'm helping her with paper work or when she sends me off like she did today."<p>

Kakashi's eye fell to the table for a fraction of a second before looking back at her and crinkling into a smile again.  
>"You know, I may be old, but I still have some things I could teach you."<p>

Sakura gave a breathy laugh.  
>"Oh please, you were always more interested in Naruto and-" Sakura paused, but then caught herself. She shook her head. "Besides, I don't think I'd be able to take on a sensei again. I work full shifts at the hospital when I'm not being the Hokage's bitch or being sent on stupid missions out of the blue."<p>

"Weren't you planning on becoming a jonin?"

Sakura fidgeted with her teacup.  
>"Yes, and I still plan on becoming one... I just- Can we not talk about this right now?"<p>

Kakashi nodded and lightened the subject to the weather as they waited for their food to arrive.  
>Sakura dug in once it finally came, stuffing her face until her mouth couldn't fit any more before chewing and swallowing hard. From the other side of the table, Kakashi watched with an amused grin as Sakura choked on a piece of meat, and he mentioned something about Naruto rubbing off on her again.<p>

When she finished her own meal, Sakura purposefully dropped one of her chopsticks.  
>"Oops."<br>She reached down to get it, deliberately taking her time under the table, and then she came up with it, ignoring Kakashi's mysteriously empty plate.  
>Sakura inspected the utensil.<br>"Gross, there's a hair on it."

* * *

><p>The hotel they were staying at was on the same as the street from the restaurant, so it took almost no time for them to arrive and rent a room. Once paid for, the two made their way into the small abode. After locking the doors and windows and checking all of the closets for potential threats or any squatters, they proceeded to get comfortable. Sakura sat down on her bed and began to take off her clothes down to her spandex and under shirt while Kakashi took off his vest and shirt as well as his headband and shoes. They took their discarded clothes and hung them in the closet to air out.<p>

Sakura turned to Kakashi as he made his way to his bed.  
>"Did you want to take a shower, Sensei?"<p>

Kakashi shook his head.  
>"No, you can go ahead, I'll take one in the morning."<p>

Sakura nodded and proceeded to the bathroom where she stripped the rest of her clothes and brought them with her into the shower. The hot water was a nice relief from the long day's sweat and grime. Using her chakra and some soap that was provided, she began to clean her clothes first. Once she was satisfied that all of the embarrassing stains were gone, she threw them over the shower curtain rail and proceeded to wash her own body with the same mixture of soap and chakra. She let her hands roam over her body, hesitating at certain points that had knots in the muscles, making sure to massage them out before proceeding. After she had washed herself fully, Sakura stood in the shower just enjoying the hot water for a few more minutes before turning off the water.

Stepping out of the shower, Sakura wrapped a fluffy towel around her torso before attending to her wet clothes. She used a similar procedure to that of extracting poison to extract the water from her clothes. Once she was satisfied, she wrapped the towel around her head and put her now clean undergarments on and left the bathroom.

Kakashi was lounging on the bed, still shirtless, reading his book. Sakura paused a moment and let her eyes roam over his figure. Kakashi looked up from his book to her.  
>"Lost in thought again?"<p>

Sakura gave an amused smile to him.  
>"Hardly. Can't really think too clearly with a well toned man sitting shirtless in the same room as me."<p>

Kakashi closed his book and quirked an eyebrow at her boldness. His sharingan was closed and his hair fell loosely without the support of the headband, which was sitting beside him on the night stand, so all that was covered was below his nose by his mask.  
>"One must always keep a sound mind in the presence of distractions, Sakura."<p>

Sakura smiled to her self and shook her head as she made her way to her own bed. Once she sat down facing Kakashi's bed she looked into his eye.  
>"It's kind of funny how we're comfortable enough to go prancing around each other almost naked in the same room, and yet I've never seen your face."<p>

Kakashi sat up in his bed as well and swung his legs over the side to face Sakura.  
>"We've known each other a long time, Sakura. I've watched you grow up, and I've missed a lot as well, but being a team is all about trust and communication."<p>

Sakura sighed.  
>"Thank you Kakashi, but I'm really not looking for a sensei right now."<p>

Kakashi folded his hands in his lap.  
>"Why do you keep calling me Sensei, then?"<p>

Sakura shrugged.  
>"Force of habit, I guess."<p>

Kakashi's eyes crinkled as he smiled to her.  
>"Then I guess being a sensei is also a force of habit."<p>

Sakura took a moment, but then she smiled and looked at him.  
>"I can accept that, Sensei."<p>

With that, Sakura stood and moved to Kakashi's bed and sat beside him. She wrapped her arm around his torso for a side hug, and he returned the gesture. She rested her head gently on his shoulder for a moment and Kakashi quickly turned his head and placed his masked lips on top of her hair. Sakura smiled and quickly rubbed his back before pulling away.

She stood up and made her way back to her bed.  
>Laying down, she gave him one last look before turning off her light.<br>"Good night, Sensei."

Kakashi smiled as he watched Sakura sink into the bed. He then laid down and turned off his own light.  
>"Good night, Sakura."<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

The sun peeked through the curtains as the sound of the shower woke Sakura. She didn't move while letting the sunlight fill her eyes as she slowly opened them. Kakashi's bed was empty on the other side of the room but it was well made. She could see his book sitting on the night stand beside his headband.

The water in the bathroom shut off and Sakura continue to lay unmoving. There was a noise of shuffling before the bathroom opened. Kakashi walked past Sakura's bed with a towel around his hips and holding a hand towel to his face. He moved to his bedside still facing away from Sakura as he grabbed something from off the bed. Bending over slightly, the towel rode up his legs and Sakura blushed slightly as he stood again. Ignoring her still, Kakashi moved to the window and closed the blinds before finally turning and acknowledging the other occupant in the room.

"Sakura! I didn't know you were awake. How embarrassing, I would have put on some clothes."

Sakura made sure to keep eye contact with him from her position under the covers.  
>"An elite ex-Anbu Jounin couldn't tell if the only other person in a confined room was asleep or not?" Sakura finally moved to sit up. She put her legs over the side of the bed and rubbed her face before looking at the floor. "Go put some clothes on before I throw you out the window in that towel."<p>

Kakashi raised the hand that wasn't holding the hand towel to his face in an innocent manner.  
>"Now now. We don't need to resort to that."<p>

Sakura looked to his face and her breath caught as she saw his jaw peek out from behind the cloth. Kakashi smiled at her and relaxed his hand to his side again. Sakura's face began to turn pink as she saw the skin wrinkle teasingly.  
>Maintaining eye contact, she slowly moved out of the bed, and turned to the closet that their clothes resided in. Cringing at the smell that was emitted when she opened the door, she grabbed Kakashi's shirt and vest first and threw them at him. Kakashi caught them easily as she proceeded into the bathroom to find his pants and mask folded neatly on the sink counter. After she walked out and threw them to Kakashi, she grabbed her own clothes from the closet and went into the bathroom.<p>

After she dressed herself and washed her face, Sakura stood in the bathroom until she was satisfied that she gave Kakashi enough time to put his own clothes on. She left the bathroom to find him with his back to her as he pulled up his mask. He then tied his headband on and turned to face her. She nodded as he gave her a bored look and they proceeded to leave the room.

* * *

><p>They quickly made their way out of the village. Taking no time with the roads once they left, they proceeded to tree hop their way through the forest back to Konoha. There was no conversation as Sakura followed Kakashi through the trees, until Kakashi stumbled upon a fruit tree during one of their breaks and they decided to have a mid day break as the sun was reaching it's apex.<p>

Kakashi leapt into the tree to grab some of the circular pink fruits, but was shaken to the ground along with a plethora of fruit when Sakura grabbed the trunk of the tree. Kakashi gave her an annoyed look after landing on his feet beside her and Sakura just smiled and shrugged.

"You were taking too long."  
>She grabbed one of the fruits from the ground and handed it to him before turning to find one for herself.<p>

As she bent down to inspect the various fruits she heard his mask shuffle followed by a small crunching sound. Glancing behind from her crouching position, she saw him now sitting with his back to her on a branch of the fruit tree. She couldn't see any of his face, but she could see him discarding a pit and picking a second fruit from the branch above his head. She returned her focus to the fruits on the ground and grabbed a couple that looked particularly delicious.  
>Looking back to Kakashi, he was using his vest handkerchief to wipe his face before making a motion of pulling his mask back in place.<p>

"May I join you, Sensei?"

Kakashi looked back to Sakura and crinkled his eye before moving closer to the trunk to make room for her.  
>"By all means."<p>

Sakura leapt to the branch, keeping hold of the fruits while carefully sitting and dangling her legs over the branch. Kakashi moved to lounge against the trunk of the tree, placing one foot on the branch and let the other hang freely off the side. Sakura bit into the first fruit and let the juice run down her face and onto her medic skirt. She closed her eyes and let out a small noise before swallowing and looking to Kakashi.

"Kind of lucky for you to stumble on this tree, these are really good."  
>Sakura took another bite.<p>

Kakashi watched her carefully as he rested an arm on his knee.  
>"Actually, I found this place a few months ago while I was out on a mission. I just figured, since we were in the area, you might like to stop and see it."<p>

Sakura looked to him as she sucked on the pit of her first fruit before spitting it to the ground. Smiling at him, she wiped her hands on her skirt.  
>"Maybe you can take me to a river next. I wouldn't mind taking a quick rinse."<p>

Kakashi chuckled at her.  
>"We're not too far away from Konoha. Just a few more hours through the trees and you'll be able to bathe at your own place."<p>

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed lightly.  
>"That'll be nice, but you don't seem to be in much of a hurry to get back."<p>

Kakashi looked into her eyes. What she could see of his face was more serious than usual, but kept a bored tone about him.  
>"Don't underestimate the pleasure of solitude. The sooner we get back, the sooner we will be open to taking more responsibilities. We're getting paid just the same no matter how long we take to return, and as far as I'm concerned, we don't have to be back until tomorrow morning."<p>

Sakura's brows furrowed as Kakashi finished talking.  
>"Is that why you're always so damn late to everything?"<p>

Chuckling, Kakashi smiled and leaned forward to put his hand on Sakura's head. He ruffled her hair a little before jumping off the tree. He started walking away from her as she continued to sit and watch him walk.  
>"The road of life takes many forms, Sakura."<br>He looked back to her.  
>"Sometimes it's very easy to get lost."<p>

Sakura rolled her eyes and gave a deep huff before jumping out of the tree. She began to follow him through the forest.  
>"What ever you say, Sensei."<p>

* * *

><p>They arrived in the village some time later, the sun was still in the sky but it wouldn't be there for long. Sakura entered the gates following Kakashi and they were immediately spotted by Naruto who happened to be walking by.<br>"Sakura! Kakashi! Where the hell have you been? I've been looking for you two all day! Well, mostly you, Sakura, but now that you're here too Kakashi we can all train together!"

Sakura's temper flared at Naruto and she hit him on the shoulder.  
>"Naruto! Shut up! We just got back from a mission, neither of us can do any training until someone reports to Lady Tsunade."<br>Sakura gave a sigh and looked to Kakashi.  
>"Which I guess is going to be me. I really wanted to take a bath, though."<p>

Kakashi look off in the distance, apparently ignoring Sakura and Naruto.  
>Balling his fists, Naruto shouted at kakashi.<br>"Hey! Kakashi Sensei! Why don't you stop being such a lazy fucker and at least go with Sakura! It's like you don't even care!"

Sakura grabbed Naruto's shoulder.  
>"Naruto, relax. He doesn't need to come with me." She smiled to him. "I have you to go with me instead!"<p>

Naruto stopped glaring at Kakashi and beamed at Sakura.  
>"You're right! I'll walk with you, then we can go get ramen!"<p>

Sakura kept her hand on Naruto's shoulder as she turned him towards the Hokage tower. They began to walk and Sakura glanced to Kakashi who was still staring off in the distance.  
>"Have fun on the road of life, Sensei."<p>

Kakashi finally looked to her. He gave her a smile and waved before walking in his own direction.

"What a weirdo. Why did we have to be stuck with such a jerk for a sensei?" Naruto crossed his arms as he huffed.

Sakura's hand was now at her side as they walked.  
>"He's not our sensei any more, Naruto. Any sticking that's done is purely of our own volition."<p>

Naruto looked to her with mild shock.  
>"Don't say that, Sakura. Kakashi will always be our sensei."<p>

They kept walking and Sakura shook her head while smiling at Naruto. They approached the Hokage tower and continued to chat about the happenings in the town. Naruto talked about how Hinata and Neji have come to a clan agreement to join the two branches and how Lee has taken up a part time position at the training academy teaching taijutsu.

They entered the Hokage tower and made their way to Tsunade's office. When they got there, the door was open and Sakura called to her quietly before entering.  
>"Lady Tsunade?"<p>

Not looking from her paper, the Hokage waved them in.  
>"Come in Sakura. I had a feeling that I would be seeing you first." She looked up after writing something on the paper she was studying. "And Naruto. Staying out of trouble?"<p>

Naruto put his hands behind his head and grinned at her but said nothing.

Sakura rolled her eyes at him before she addressed Tsunade in a formal tone.  
>"The mission was a success, the client made it on time and there was no problems making it to the checkpoint."<p>

Tsunade nodded.  
>"Good. I expect a report from you tomorrow before I give you your next mission."<p>

Sakura straightened her posture while giving Tsunade a confused look before bowing respectfully.  
>"Yes, Lady Tsunade."<p>

The blond woman nodded back to her and waved them off. They both exited and quickly left the building while Sakura fumed to Naruto about having another mission.  
>"Tomorrow was supposed to be my day off! I mean, I never go on missions. Why is she suddenly dumping these on me?"<br>She continued for a while more before calming down and stopping in the street.  
>"Hey Naruto." She looked to him.<p>

Naruto also stopped.  
>"Yes Sakura?"<p>

Sakura looked around for a moment at the buildings then quickly smiled back to him.  
>"Let's go visit Ino and see if she wants to train with us."<p>

Naruto gave a concerned look to Sakura.  
>"Didn't you want to go home and shower?"<p>

Sakura shrugged and smiled at him before walking again.  
>"It would be better to shower after training."<p>

Giving an excited whoop, Naruto started running towards Ino's flower shop.  
>"Aww yeah! Hurry Sakura! The the faster we get there the sooner we can get to it! Believe it!"<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto and Sakura made it to the flower shop as the sun had set, there they saw Chouji and Ino talking at the front desk. When they entered, Sakura greeted them as Ino quickly made her way around the counter to give Sakura a hug. They broke apart as Naruto and Chouji greeted eachother and Ino began to speak.  
>"Well, Forehead, you're back sooner than I was expecting."<br>Sakura rubbed the back of her head as she moved beside Naruto.  
>"Yeah, there weren't any problems out there so it was a quick mission. No one got hurt, which is always good." She dropped her hand and addressed Ino and Chouji together. "Listen, I'm going to be assigned another mission tomorrow, so Naruto and I were going to have a training session tonight and we were hoping for a few more people to join us."<p>

Chouji piped up from his spot by the counter.  
>"All right! I was about to take Ino out for dinner, but working up an appetite first will be awesome!"<p>

Ino smiled to Chouji.  
>"Yeah, we're totally in. Shika isn't here, though. He has some clan things to deal with tonight, but the four of us will be fine."<p>

Naruto grinned at the other three.  
>"This is going to be great!"<p>

* * *

><p>Out in the training field, the sun had completely set and the group was warming up. Ino was the one to lay down the rules.<br>"Let's make it two on two. Once you're off your feet then you're out of the game."  
>They all nodded in agreement.<p>

Chouji was bending down to stretch when he spoke.  
>"How should we do teams?"<p>

Sakura looked at the group.  
>"We could do girls against boys."<p>

Naruto pouted.  
>"Aww, Sakura, you don't want to be teamed with me?"<p>

Sakura smiled at him.  
>"Naruto, you and I have been a team since we graduated."<p>

Ino chuckled and moved to stand beside Sakura.  
>"Yeah, Naruto. Let me have a chance with her."<p>

Ino and Sakura giggled with each other as Naruto and Chouji moved to the other side of the training grounds.

Naruto was the one to call out.  
>"Are you guys ready?"<p>

Sakura looked to Ino, then responded.  
>"Ready when you are!"<p>

They all took their stances and someone shouted.  
>"GO!"<p>

Sakura and Ino leapt into the trees as Naruto and Chouji rushed at them. Naruto went after Ino as Sakura leapt from the tree to Chouji's side. She began to throw punches at him that he easily dodged and he tried to counter with a jutsu that kept getting interrupted. He eventually made for a retreat into the trees while Sakura followed him. He didn't make it very far before the ground around him collapsed. Determined to stay on his feet, he pushed chakara into them and leapt off one of the boulders that was threatening to hit him. He managed to land on solid ground, then he ran at her. She jumped, landing on a tree branch before making her way back to the open training grounds.

Chouji kept her pace as she ran through the trees and they came to the field where they saw Ino and Naruto grappling with each other. Naruto had Ino in a head lock before she flipped him over herself. Naruto let go before he hit the ground and landed with a wobble before straightening to dodge Ino's fist. Sakura kept moving away from Chouji towards Naruto and while he had his back to her, she threw a punch at him. It landed directly before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, her momentum was still forward when she felt a hand behind her head that pushed her straight to the ground. She fell with a roll.  
>"Haha Sakura! I got you!"<br>Naruto chanted from where she had tried to hit him before Ino kicked him in the head and he landed less gracefully next to Sakura.

They both sat and looked at each other for a moment before they started laughing at each other. Once they had calmed and Sakura puched at Naruto's arm playfully, they watched as Ino and Chouji continued the fight.

At this point, it was strictly taijutsu as Ino threw punches and Chouji dodged. Finally Ino thought she had landed a punch until Chouji turned himself to allow her to fall past him. He then took the advantage to grab her foot as she stepped forward and she fell with her arms out to break her fall. Chouji stood triumphantly as Ino sank to the ground panting.

Naruto cheered and leapt from his spot next to Sakura.  
>"Yahoo! We win! Believe it!"<p>

Sakura shook her head and slowly stood as well. She made her way to where Ino had rolled after she landed. Her hands were on her stomach and she was breathing hard.  
>"I can't believe he got me, Forehead!"<p>

Sakura held her hand out to Ino.  
>"Don't worry about it, Pig."<p>

Ino grasped Sakura's hand and stood up with a grunt. They gave each other a quick side hug and complimented each other's reining before they made their way to the boys who were having a mini celebration. The four of them thanked each other before they made plans to get dinner together.  
>Naruto was the first to speak.<br>"Let's get ramen!"

Sakura rolled her eyes.  
>"No Naruto, let's let Ino and Chouji decide. We did kind of interrupt their dinner plans."<p>

Naruto looked down.  
>"Oh yeah... I guess we did." He perked back up and looked to them. "Well guys, what will it be?"<p>

Chouji looked to Ino expectantly and she nodded at him before he spoke.  
>"Well, Ino and I were going to get Korean Barbecue, if that sounds good to you guys."<p>

Naruto pouted a little before agreeing.  
>Sakura nodded and adressed Ino.<br>"That sounds great. Are we going to that one place near the square?"

Ino nodded.  
>"It's the same place we went for Shika's birthday a few months ago."<p>

Sakura smiled.  
>"That place is great! Let's get going."<p>

They made their way out of the training grounds and to the restaurant without bothering to clean themselves up. They took their time through the village enjoying each other's company. When they got to the restaurant the servers greeted Chouji and Ino pleasantly, inquiring where Shikamaru was. After they were seated, they bantered about their lives and their teams when Naruto finally asked Sakura about Kakashi.  
>"It seems odd that Tsunade would send you and Kakashi out alone."<p>

Sakura pondered as she finished chewing on a slice of meat.  
>"I've been thinking about that too. I mean, it's normally a four man squad, but it was just an escort mission to the boarder, so of course there wouldn't need to be a lot of reinforcements. But she could have sent you along with me, Naruto. Or literally anyone else." She shrugged. "Who knows. I'm not going to delve too deep into it. It's over and time to move on."<p>

Naruto nodded and grinned at her.  
>"Well, maybe next time she sends you on a short mission, she'll send me instead of Kakashi."<p>

Sakura laughed at him.  
>"Maybe she can just send you and Kakashi and leave me out of it."<p>

Ino giggled at the two as the conversation changed and the four of them finished their meal. They left and proceeded to the town square for a short walk with each other before Sakura finally announced that she needed to get some sleep for tomorrow. They all said their goodbyes to each other, deciding it was a good time for all of them to call it a night.

* * *

><p>Sakura approached her residence and as she made it to the door, she sighed. Turning, she made sure her back was securely covered by the wall before calling out.<br>"Kakashi, why are you here?"

There was no response from the night for a brief moment until she caught him out of her eye sitting in a tree. She frowned and made her way over to him. He was sitting casually with one leg up, much like he was earlier that day in the fruit tree. She stopped under the tree and put her hands on her hips as she looked up to him.  
>"Is this where the road of life lead you today?"<p>

Kakashi was casually watching her with an unreadable face.  
>He was silent.<p>

Sakura sighed and walked up the tree. She sat on a branch near him with her legs dangling as she looked to him. They sat together in silence for a few minutes before Kakashi finally sat up from his lounging position. He faced her and looked into her eyes before smiling at her and standing on his branch.

She looked to him with confusion.  
>"What are you doing?"<p>

He looked away from her and gazed towards her place of residence. Then he looked back to her and spoke in an innocent voice.  
>"It's getting kind of cold out, Sakura. Do you mind if I come in for some tea?"<p>

Sakura let out an indignant noise as she tried to suppress a laugh.  
>"You have your own place. Go make your own tea and warm up on your own time."<p>

Kakashi gave her a hurt look.  
>"Oh, but Sakura. My place is so far away. I might catch hypothermia if I tried to go there all alone."<p>

Sakura calmed her expression.  
>"It's not that cold out, Sensei. I think you could manage." She paused. "Unless you want to tell me the real reason you're here."<p>

Kakashi's eye crinkled.  
>"I just want to visit with my favorite student."<p>

Sakura sighed and hopped off the tree branch.  
>"I'm not your student anymore." She made her way to the door and unlocked it. She looked back to him standing on the tree and gave a defeated sigh before opening the door.<br>"Well, are you coming in, or not?"

Kakashi moved from his place on the tree and casually walked towards her. Once he was at her door he placed a hand on her head as he walked past her.  
>"I knew there was a reason you were my favorite."<p>

Once inside, Sakura locked her door again and took off her shoes. Kakashi had made his way into her kitchen and started to fill up her kettle with water. Sakura found him and watched him from her archway.

She rolled her eyes.  
>"You're over here way too often. You just come in and take advantage of my kettle and tea, next thing you're gonna do is open my fridge and eat me out of house and home."<p>

Kakashi looked to her from the stove.  
>"You're exaggerating. I'm not here that often."<p>

Sakura scoffed and sat at a table in the room.  
>"You came over twice just last week."<p>

Kakashi moved to sit across from her.  
>"I just want to make sure no one's been breaking in, Sakura."<p>

She shot him a glare.  
>"The only one that's come close to breaking in is you, Kakashi."<p>

A small chuckle escaped from his mask as his eye crinkled at her.  
>"Are you complaining?"<p>

Sakura blushed as she looked to the table.  
>"Not really."<p>

Kakashi stood as the kettle started to whistle. He poured the cups of tea and sat back down with Sakura as she sipped away at the scalding liquid. They sat in silence for a while before Sakura spoke again.  
>"I have another mission tomorrow."<p>

Kakashi looked at her as she continued.  
>"I don't really want to do it because tomorrow's supposed to be my day off. All I want to do is lounge around in my bathrobe and drink coca and watch sappy movies, not go out and get dirty helping some sucker from who knows where find their lost dog, or what ever pointless thing Tsunade wants me running around doing." Sakura hit her head against the table while groaning. "I need to go shower."<p>

She stood from her chair without waiting for Kakashi's acknowledgement and put her mug in the sink. Kakashi stood with her and followed suit. He hadn't drank any of his tea but he left it anyways as he followed her out of the kitchen towards her bathroom. She stopped in front of the open door and he stopped behind her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked to his hand before placing her own on top of his. She turned her body towards his and looked into his eye before giving a sigh.  
>"You can stay, if you want. I won't be too long."<p>

She looked around as if thinking of something she misplaced.  
>"You know where everything is. Make yourself comfortable."<p>

Kakashi squeezed her shoulder slightly.  
>"Thank you, Sakura."<p>

She smiled at him and let go of his hand before she disappeared into the shower.


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura emerged from the shower wearing her sleeping pants along with a lose shirt and a towel was wrapped tightly around her head. She walked into her living room where she saw the back of Kakashi's head over her couch. There was a sound of papers closing against each other as he looked back to her and smiled. His eye made a quick motion as he took in her appearance. Making her way around her couch, Sakura sat down next to Kakashi. She rested her back against the arm and put her feet up to face him. Kakashi also relaxed against the other arm as they sat in pleasant silence.

Sakura pulled her knees to her chest and played with one of her toes before Kakashi finally spoke.  
>"Did your training session go alright?"<p>

Sakura rested her chin on one of her knees.  
>"Yeah, it was alright. It didn't last very long, but it was nice to get out with them again. Shikamaru wasn't there, but we managed without him." She looked to him. "Have you eaten?"<p>

Kakashi nodded but said nothing. They sat again in silence with Kakashi staring off at the wall in front of him and Sakura watching him intently. She stretched out her legs and arms before standing from the couch. Kakashi ignored her as Sakura disappeared into her room. There was shuffling and the sound of drawers opening and closing before she reemerged with her hair down, still wet in her face. She carried a bundle of cloth that she handed to him once she reached the couch.

Sakura grabbed Kakashi's shoulder and squeezed gently.  
>"I have to get up early, so I'm going to bed. You can stay the night if you want."<p>

Kakashi looked to her with the bundle in his arms. He smiled as he stood up. Her hand fell off his shoulder at his movement and he made his way around the couch.  
>"Do you mind if I use your shower, Sakura?"<p>

Sakura nodded and gestured towards the bathroom.  
>"By all means."<p>

He walked in front of her towards the bathroom when she noticed something.  
>"Kakashi. What's wrong with your hip?"<p>

Kakashi stopped suddenly and turned his head to her.  
>"Nothing."<p>

Sakura grabbed at him but he moved out of her way.  
>"You're walking with a limp. What's wrong?"<p>

Kakashi turned from her and tried to get to the bathroom.  
>"Nothing, Sakura. Leave it be."<p>

Sakura grabbed at his vest and held him in place as he tried to escape.  
>"Let me see, Kakashi Sensei. You're hurt."<p>

Kakashi turned to her and snapped.  
>"As your sensei, I'm telling you to stop."<p>

She glared at him and held on.  
>"You're not my Sensei. However, I am your Medic, and as such, I am ordering you to let me help you."<p>

Kakashi froze. He inhaled deeply before sighing. Sakura carefully let go of him.  
>"This is why you're here. Isn't it?"<p>

Kakashi looked away.  
>"It's been bothering me since I got back from my last solo mission. It just been getting worse ever since."<p>

Sakura gasped.  
>"Kakashi, your last solo mission was two weeks ago! Why haven't you told anyone?"<p>

Kakashi crossed his arms with the bundle of cloth still in his hand.  
>"You know I don't trust doctors, Sakura."<p>

She gave him a hurt look.  
>"I know. But I thought that you could trust me." She paused and gave him a stern look. "We made an agreement that you would tell me if you didn't want to take anything to the hospital."<p>

Kakashi didn't make eye contact as Sakura stood staring at him. She finally sighed and gestured down the hall.  
>"Come on, we'll go into the bathroom and I'll check it out for you."<p>

Nodding, Kakashi unfolded his arms and turned again to the bathroom. Once they were comfortably inside, Sakura closed the door and addressed him in an official tone.  
>"Please take off your shirt. Were there any punctures to the skin in the area before the irritation started?"<p>

Kakashi stripped off his vest and quickly pulled off his shirt.  
>"No."<p>

Sakura placed her hands on his bare back and sent chakra into his upper hip to try to assess any damage she could find.  
>"Describe the type of pain you experience."<p>

Kakashi kept his posture straight as he watched Sakura grope at his back in the mirror.  
>"It aches if I'm not moving."<p>

Sakura stopped the flow of energy and dug her thumb into his lower back. Kakashi hissed and grabbed the sink counter as she massaged towards his spine and spoke.  
>"And when you are moving?"<p>

Kakashi grimaced.  
>"It feels like a kunai ripping into my leg."<p>

Sakura stopped her administrations.  
>"From what I can tell, you have a small fracture along your hip, probably from a blunt object hitting you. Does that sound about right?"<p>

For a long moment, Kakashi made no movement but he kept watching Sakura in the mirror as she waited for his response.  
>She made eye contact with him in the mirror. He blinked and nodded.<p>

She nodded as well and looked back to his hip.  
>"Well, I'd like to get a closer look at your leg and muscles. I'm going to need you to strip and wrap a towel around you. I'll have you lay down in my bed so I can assess the damage further and decide how to proceed."<p>

Kakashi let out a small laugh.  
>"Couldn't get enough of me this morning?"<p>

Sakura glared at him playfully.  
>"Just do it. I'll wait for you in my bedroom."<p>

She made her way out of the bathroom and made sure to close the door as she left. In her room, she flattened her blankets and moved her pillows as she waited for Kakashi to enter. It wasn't long before a knock was at her door and he walked in with a light green towel around his waist. She nodded to him and told him to lay face down on her bed. He complied and she gently pulled the towel away from his injured hip and ran a chakra infused hand down his hip to his thigh.  
>"It looks like you also have a bruise on the hip joint that's been irritated from your movement." She sighed before removing her hand and looking at him. He had his chest pressed against her bed and he had removed his headband. His face was turned towards her as she addressed him.<br>"I don't need to lecture you about the importance of seeing someone right away when stuff like this happens. The fracture has almost completely healed itself, I can mend that the rest of the way, but that leg ripping feeling is the bruise. I can do some work to lessen the inflammation of the muscles around the ares, but the rest of the healing needs to come from bed rest and ice." She sighed. "Not that you're going to listen, but I'm telling you anyways."

Kakashi nodded to her.  
>"You know, this bed feels much more comfortable than a hospital bed."<p>

Sakura looked to him, but ignored his statement before placing her hand to his hip and proceeded with mending the small fracture. After that was finished she moved her hands to his upper thigh and pressed into his toned muscles as the inflammation slowly faded under her hands. She had finished quickly but noticed that his muscles tensed when she removed her hands from his skin.  
>"Does that feel better?"<p>

Kakashi was still watching her when she looked to him after her question wasn't answered. She spoke again.  
>"Sensei?"<p>

His trance seemed to be broken with that word. He shook his head in a small motion and smiled. He spoke with a cheery tone.  
>"Oh, yes. It already feels much less achy."<br>He grabbed the towel and rolled over on her bed before sitting up.  
>"You're a miracle worker."<p>

Sakura sat down next to him on the bed.  
>"Yeah, and you're a pain in the ass. Can we just go a month without you ending up on my bed with me groping you in some awkward place because you hurt yourself?"<p>

Kakashi's eyebrow quirked.  
>"Would you prefer to do this without an injury?"<p>

Sakura's face turned five shades of red before she kicked him onto her floor.  
>"Go take a shower, dirty old man!"<p>

Kakashi flopped on her floor before sitting on his knees, making sure his towel covered him properly. He scratched behind his head and laughed awkwardly.  
>"It never hurts to try."<p>

Sakura glared at him, still blushing. Kakashi stood in the most decent way he could manage with the towel wrapped around him and moved to her bed. Sakura's glare intensified as well as her blush. Kakashi reached out and put his hand on her head in an innocent manner before he kneeled in front of her. His hand moved to her jaw and his face leaned into hers slowly. He caressed her cheek with his thumb as his face moved a centimeter beside hers, with his mouth at her ear. Stroking her cheek one last time, he whispered gently.  
>"Maybe some other time."<br>Then he pulled away and moved off her bed to her door. He made sure to close the door before making his way back to the bathroom.

Sakura sat in the same position on her bed for a long time as she listened to her shower turn on. She eventually let herself fall to her pillow and let out a shaky breath. Without waiting for the shower to turn off, she reached to her light and let darkness flood her room before she finally fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Sakura was the only occupant in her bed the next morning. She groped at the pillow she was snuggling and squeezed it tight before she sat up and stretched. Moving from her bed, she got dressed and brushed her hair before putting her headband in its place on her pink locks.

She made her way out to the living room where she saw the pile of clothes folded neatly on top of a throw blanket that was pulled from her closet. She smiled to herself before making her way into the kitchen. She was surprised to find a plate of rice balls sitting neatly in the middle of her kitchen table but took no hesitation in eating them. She moved the plate to wash it but paused when she saw a small note stuck to her kitchen table. She picked up the piece of paper that simply read _Thank You._ Smiling again, she put the piece of paper into a drawer along with other small notes of similar nature.

Sakura finally made her way out of the house, satisfied with the morning air she allowed herself to take her time to the Hokage Tower. She saw the familiar scene of children playing infront of a store, and people starting their morning routines. Spouses kissed each other on the threshold once again and passers by waved and nodded to her.

The streets thickened the closer she got to the Hokage Tower and less people paid attention to her as she got lost in the morning crowd. She managed to make her way into the building without confrontation and seeing the door open, she entered Tsunade's office.

Already present were Neji and Shikamaru. She nodded to them and got only a small response form Shikamaru. Tsunade was absent from the room so Sakura decided to take a seat in the back of the office.

Shikamaru was leaning against a wall looking bored and Neji appeared to be in a meditative position from where he stood with his arms crossed. They all sat in silence for several minutes before Tsunade finally strode in, closing the doors forcefully behind her.

She sat down angrily while grabbing three scrolls from a drawer and throwing it at them.  
>"The three of you need to leave for this mission immediately, the fourth member of your team has become incapacitated and I don't have time to find a replacement right now." Tsunade gave a stern look. "This mission is in the Land of Rivers, there is a lord that has requested protection of an unclassified valuable object, that is presumed to be under threat of abduction. You're not to ask what the object is or who is trying to steal it. I will have another shinobi sent when you leave, they will meet you before you arrive with a secret code that only one of you knows from prior missions. They will address you specifically and any fraud needs to be handled with immediate execution. This is an A ranked mission and I expect you to handle it as such." She looked to the three of them with a stern face and nodded. "Dismissed."<p>

The three of them left without a word and quickly made their way into a private briefing room where they sat together and read through the mission details of their scrolls.  
>Sakura finally broke the silence.<br>"How are we supposed to defend this object when we don't know who we're defending it from."

Shikamaru nodded silently.  
>"We can't just walk in and kill anybody who looks at this thing funny."<p>

Neji closed his scroll and spoke.  
>"We will have to get more information from the client when we arrive."<p>

The other two nodded in agreement. They all stood to leave the building and made their way to the city gates via back alleys and roof tops. Once they had left the city they proceeded to the boarder through the trees.

* * *

><p>They had been traveling for over almost three hours when they felt a presence gaining on them from behind. Neji looked back to Sakura who nodded to him silently before stopping and jumping to the ground. She turned to face the direction of the incoming party as Neji and Shikamaru took a tactical advantage in the trees. They waited as the presence approached them and finally became visible.<p>

The person landed in the clearing where Sakura was standing and they eyed each other for a long moment before Sakura finally spoke.  
>"What took you so long?"<p>

The figure stared her down before responding.  
>"I came as soon as I could."<p>

Before the new arrival could blink Sakura was throwing a kunai at him and hell was unleashed upon him from above where the other two stood waiting. The fight was over almost instantly as the man fell dead and in a puff of smoke his true identity was revealed as a rogue shnobi from Suna.

Neji and Shikamaru joined Sakura in the clearing as they observed the body. Shikamaru was the first to break the silence.  
>"We're not even close to the boarder, what ever this lord is protecting sure has a lot of attention."<p>

They continued in their trek with no more disturbances for the most part until it was almost dark. They had felt the second presence approach, once again from behind. They had stopped when Shikamaru spoke quietly.

"This one seems a little more accurate."

Sakura smiled at him as she quietly made her way to the ground again. She straightened her features and waited again. The figure finally approached at a casual walk and waved to Sakura. She showed no emotion as he stopped with his hands in his pockets.  
>"What took you so long?"<p>

He smiled to her.  
>"You wouldn't believe the traffic."<p>

Sakura's face became hard and she put her hand on her hip.  
>"Did you see the black cat?"<p>

He pulled a hand out of his pocket and let it rest on his hip as well.  
>"I had to take the long way."<p>

Sakura's breath became light as her shoulders relaxed and she scratched her nose.  
>"What happened to the girl?"<p>

The man brought the hand he had put on his hip and placed it on his chin as though in thought.  
>"She was pretty, so I danced."<p>

Sakura nodded to him as she signaled to the men in the trees that it was clear. The two jumped from their places and greeted the man with a nod before the four of them took to the trees together.

Sakura looked to the new arrival who was traveling beside her. She spoke, making sure that he was the only one who could hear her.  
>"Lady Tsunade said our fourth member had become 'incapacitated'. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"<p>

The man looked to her.  
>"Why, Sakura, are you suggesting that I had something to do with a mysterious case of food poisoning?"<p>

Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head.  
>"You're the worst, Kakashi."<p>

* * *

><p>Midnight was swiftly approaching when the team arrived at the location. The greeting was less than welcome. Armed guards had cornered them once they arrived in the walls and questions were thrown at them left and right before Kakashi finally presented a scroll written by Tsunade to the leader. He read it over and allowed them to enter the compound still escorted by the guards.<p>

Once inside the four were greeted by servants who offered them food and drinks which they politely refused. After a moment a man walked out and greeted them cautiously.  
>"Konoha Ninja, it is an honor to have you here. As you know recent knowledge of something very precious to me has gotten to the wrong people and now they are trying to take it by force. Rogue ninja, who have formed an alliance to capture it. Needless to say, the attacks have become more intense and frequent. I need you to take these ninja out. Soon." He turned and gestured for them to follow him. "I have prepared two rooms for you, I am sure you are tired or would just like to consolidate on the days events."<p>

They were lead down a hall to a large room that had three doors off every wall.  
>"This is the guest common room, and each of these doors leads to a bedroom. The two I have for you are over here. There will be guards roaming the halls and I will have someone escort you to my office in the morning so we may talk more about the situation." The four of them nodded as the man left with his entourage of guards.<p>

Neji spoke as he looked around the room.  
>"Let's have a brief meeting before we go to bed."<p>

Shikamaru raised his arms above his head.  
>"Man, this is a drag."<p>

Sakura groaned and stretched her shoulders with her arms down.  
>"Do we have any idea how many there are or where their base is?"<p>

Neji crossed his arms.  
>"We'll probably learn all they know in the morning. Right now we should get some sleep. Shikamaru and I will take the room on the left." He addressed Sakura. "You and Kakashi will be more efficient together if something happens."<p>

Sakura nodded to him and they all agreed before making their way into their rooms. Kakashi entered their room first and found the bedrolls in the closet. He pulled them out as Sakura closed the door and began to make herself comfortable.

She watched as Kakashi unfolded one of the bedrolls.  
>"That thing is huge."<p>

Kakashi chuckled as he laid out a blanket. He looked to her as she found some pillows and threw them down.  
>"It's late Sakura, I don't really want to set up another bed."<p>

She looked at him and nodded.  
>"That's fine, I can set up my own."<p>

She moved to the closet but was stopped when Kakashi touched her wrist gently.  
>"Sakura."<p>

She blushed when his hand started to caress her arm gently.  
>"Y-yes?"<p>

He moved his hand to her shoulder.  
>"This bed is big enough for both of us. It would be a waste of energy to set up another one."<p>

Sakura nodded and stepped away from the closet door and Kakashi let go of her arm as he took off his vest and shoes. Sakura also removed the outer layer of her clothes before moving into the bed. She was quickly joined by Kakashi on the other side and neither of them spoke as they fell asleep.


End file.
