Summary: It wasn't supposed to happen. She made one simple mistake, and now he's a part of her world.
Mistake
Chapter One: It's Been Awhile
Sakura stacked her paperwork into one nice, neat pile on her work desk, placing her writing utensils back in the pencil holder. Sighing, she rose from her seat, leaving her little workplace after pondering for a couple of short moments. She rummaged through her dresser, searching for her usual ninja attire.
She encountered a white strapless dress that Ino had bought for her for her eighteenth birthday, which was not too long ago. The dress was beautiful, but it seemed a size too small for her. Ino would buy something like this for her. She was always trying to mix and match her up with the 'perfect man'. None of her arrangements, however, were a success. Sakura always either ended up punching the man in his jaw due to perverted actions or ruining her date. She knew she wasn't the smoothest talker out there, not that it mattered to her. She never really focused on her love life anyways. Working was the main priority at the moment.
Finally, she found the rightful clothing and quickly slipped into them. Standing in front of a mirror, she smoothed out the wrinkles on her black shorts, then tightened the medic waistband around her waist. Next, she pulled her hitai-ate over her head like a headband, then tied a knot to keep it in place.
She stared at the image standing before her. She could say that she hadn't exactly changed over the years. Perhaps she had grown a little, height-wise. Her hair grew longer as well, but she kept it shoulder-length. Ever since the Sasuke incident, she had been trying to avoid growing out her hair. It was too much of a painful reminder for her and she did not want to look back at those bittersweet memories.
After applying a light amount of mascara on her eyelashes, she stepped out of her apartment complex, locking the door behind her and stuffing her key into her pocket. When she exited the apartment building, the sunlight shined brightly in her eyes, nearly blinding her. She had not been able to relieve herself of signing paperwork for the past four hours, so the sudden change of her surroundings disoriented her a bit.
She leisurely strolled down the sidewalk, brushing past the huge crowds of Konoha civilians. She kept her gaze focused on the trail lying before her. She was recently notified by an ANBU official that Tsunade-sama wanted to speak to her about crucial things. Knowing that whatever she had to tell her was important, it most likely had to do something with a mission. Why else would Tsunade call her in? The only times she ever needed her was when she was on hospital duty or when she was being assigned a task.
Sakura released a deep breath, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. She had not been on a mission for a while now. She was anxious to finally get down to it. It was a bore to stay in Konoha for a while without doing anything exciting. Doing paperwork was already hellish enough.
It was ten more minutes before she reached her destination. She slowly climbed the stairs of the Hokage's tower, finding her way through the winding hallways. Just when she reached the main office and was about to open the door, she heard a familiar voice that sounded too good to be true.
Trembling slightly, she entered. Her emerald eyes immediately widened at the person standing in front of her.
He looked over his shoulder, then turned around completely to face her with an eye crinkle. "Why, hello Sakura. My, you have grown. How long has it been? Two years, about?"
Her heart raced as she stepped closer to the man. Shock completely consumed her, along with a mixture of indescribable emotions she had never felt in her entire life. "Kakashi-sensei…Y-You're back!" She wrapped him in an embrace when she reached him, her cheek nestling into his flak jacket. She felt him hesitatingly wrap his arms around her, his warmth welcoming and comforting her. She knew he was surprised and confused, but to hell with that! It was Kakashi, for crying out loud, and she hadn't seen him for a very long time.
Kakashi had been absent from Konoha for nearly two years now. He was assigned an S-ranked mission that was highly dangerous, and she hadn't seen him since. His absence left her heart feeling empty. It just wasn't the same without him here in the village. It was awfully calm and silent without him.
She released him from her grasp, then immediately averted her attention to Tsunade, who was watching with a somewhat amused smile. "Tsunade-sama, you never told me Kakashi arrived from his mission," she stated with a slight bow of her head, her heart still leaping across her chest. She had never in her life felt so happy to see someone again. Perhaps knowing the possibility that someone precious might die frightened her.
Tsunade gave a small chuckle, swaying her sake bottle in her hand. "Kakashi, here, arrived from his mission last week. I was going to tell you, but I didn't want to bother you. You were so cooped up in your apartment doing paperwork that I thought you'd go frantic if I pulled you away from your workstation."
Sakura raised a brow. "Are you kidding? I've been wanting to leave that damned place for days! But since I never had anything else interesting to do, I remained there," she harrumphed, folding her arms in front of her chest. "You should have told me about his arrival. His arrival is way more important than those shit paperwork."
Kakashi stared at her oddly. "And why is that, Sakura?"
She directed her attention to the Copy Ninja beside her with a small smile. She murmured, "Well, I was so worried about you. Naruto, Sai, and Yamato as well. We all knew that there was going to be a big possibility of…you know…"
He chuckled heartily, ruffling the top of her head. "Sakura? Worried about me? Well that's rare," he laughed, his lone onyx eye twinkling. "Thanks for the concern anyways, but I'll have you know that I'm old enough to take care of myself."
Sakura paused, remembering his habits of teasing her constantly. Her eyebrows bunched as she took hold of his wrist, pulling his hand away from her head. "You haven't changed at all," she commented. "Still the same old Kakashi-sensei."
"No need to use the honorific, Sakura. Tsunade told me that you progressed into being a jonin during my absence, so we're equals now," he stated, grinning slightly underneath his mask. "Congratulations."
"Oh, well…thank you." She smiled warmly, glad to finally be congratulated by her former sensei after so many years.
Silence shortly consumed the atmosphere before the pink-haired kunoichi redirected her gaze to Tsunade, who was patiently waiting for their little teacher-and-student reunion to end. She bowed her head, feeling slightly embarrassed. She had gotten so excited that she forgotten that she was in the presence of the Hokage, and usually the excitement never got the better of her. She had matured over the years and she developed a strong, calm composure, but after seeing the silver-haired man again, she couldn't help but to let her happiness leak out.
"I apologize, Tsunade-sama, for interrupting you so rudely," apologized the young girl, her cheeks reddening. "I was just so overjoyed with his arrival that I…" Her voice trailed off into a whisper, unable to collect the correct words.
"It's quite alright, Sakura," replied Tsunade amusingly. "I don't mind at all. It warms my heart to see old comrades reunite anyways." She popped the cap off the tip of her sake bottle, immediately sipping it afterward.
Rubbing the back of her neck embarrassingly, she mumbled, "So why did you summon me, Tsunade-sama?"
"Ah, yes." Tsunade folded her hands on her desk after drinking one final sip of her alcohol. "Well, as you know, you haven't been on a mission for quite a while now. I ran into one of the reports some of our finest ninja sent. They failed in capturing an all-time theft that happened to steal one of Konoha's sacred scrolls last week. They were injured along the way and they need back up medics immediately. I thought that you were the perfect one for this task, so this is why I summoned you."
"So my mission is to heal them and allow them to recover, then accompany them on the rest of their mission in case?"
"Exactly."
"Hai," said Sakura, nodding solemnly. She crossed her arms, eyeing the shinobi beside her. "But what about Kakashi? Why does he have to be present during this time?"
Tsunade pointed at him directly as he zoned into the conversation. "Kakashi will be your escort. If you were to get hurt on your journey to the Land of Lightning, no one would be able to save you, and he is our only option at the moment. All other highly-skilled elite jonin are occupied. I was going to assign Sai, but he was just sent off to the Hidden Sand to instruct ANBU training with their trainees."
"But isn't the Land of Lightning a two week trip from Konoha?" Sakura protested silently.
"Correct."
"Then the injured—"
"The squad is currently resting in an Inn in the Land of Lighting. They are unable to continue their search for the theft because their sensory-type ninja is the one that is injured. His leg is badly wounded and may be broken, so their mission is going to be delayed until you two arrive at their position."
"I see…"
Kakashi stepped into the conversation. "I understand our duties, Tsunade-sama, but when exactly are we going to leave the village and head to our destination?" He sounded a tad bit weary and drowsy.
"Three days from now, you two will be departing Konoha at seven a.m. sharp."
Kakashi sheepishly ran his fingers through his hair, taking a step forward. "Aha…but you see, Tsunade-sama…I just got back from a two-year mission last week and I think I'm still a little uncoordinated after so many restless nights…"
Tsunade slammed her hand flat onto her desk. "Kakashi, I understand what you are saying but this is an S-ranked mission. We cannot allow our objective to escape under any circumstances!"
Silence.
"Now, you may go, but I want you to discuss your mission plans and details together sometime today so that you are prepared in the future. I'm giving you three in a half days to prepare, rest, and do other crap," explained the blonde, sighing out of frustration. "And Kakashi, when I mean seven a.m. sharp, I mean it. So, do not leave your former student waiting for you for hours and give her a crappy excuse when you arrive!"
"Hai, Hokage-sama…"
"Good, now go! I have plenty of paperwork to do! Shizune would not be happy when she comes back and sees a whole stack of shit on my desk, so shoo you two. I can't get distracted!"
"Hai, Hokage-sama…"
Sakura exited the office first, followed by Kakashi. As they left the Hokage's tower, a trail of thoughts rampantly ran through Sakura's head. She knew it had been a long time she since she had left the village for a mission, but it also had been a long time since she had left the village for a mission with Kakashi. In fact, she couldn't recall ever having a mission with only herself and him. It was usually always a Team Seven effort — her, Naruto, Sai, Yamato, and Kakashi altogether. Now, it was just her and him.
She looked down at her feet and released a harsh breath. She was going to be on a long-term mission. Alone. With Kakashi. Just thinking about it sent her stomach aflutter. She had to admit, she was nervous. This would be the first time ever doing a mission with just her former sensei. She was not highly intelligent about his tactics and fighting style. If she were to mess up, would he get angry at her?
"Watch out, Sakura."
She blinked confusingly as she was suddenly pulled to Kakashi's side, her shoulder bumping against his broad one. She shuddered as his grip around her wrist tightened, then paused to look up at him. He icily glared down at her, his lone eye piercing right through her.
"You almost ran into the street light," he began calmly, still staring at her with a hardened gaze. "Are you okay? You seem a little…nervous."
"I'm fine," she assured with a fake smile. "I'm sorry about my carelessness. I was just so focused about our mission."
He nodded at her response then continued to walk, reading his so-called romance novel at the same time. Though he had chosen to go along with her excuse, she was sure that he was unconvinced. Kakashi was not the type of man to just 'go with the flow'.
She gazed up at the clear blue sky, watching as a flock of birds soared over her and him. She smiled slightly, enjoying the breeze pouncing against her pale skin. Perhaps for the next few days, she would spend her time recollecting her thoughts, walking around Konoha, and hanging out with friends before she departed. It would be nice to relax outside of her dwelling. It would ease her stress she gained from constant hospital shifts and paperwork.
"It's been awhile, hm?"
Sakura looked at the middle-aged jonin beside her, puzzled from his sudden statement. "Since what?"
"Since we've seen each other," he started silently, "since we've talked…since we ever got close like this again."
He stopped walking, paused for a short second, then urged her to follow him along another path that was unfamiliar to her. He was quickly moving along and she tried her best to keep up with him. He usually did not act like this.
"Wait, I don't understand," she finally replied, falling in step with him.
"You know…I missed Konoha a lot when I was away," he murmured quietly, turning a page in his novel. "I especially missed seeing your little faces. Too bad you guys are all grown up now." He seized his steps in front of a small pond to look at his reflection. "I heard that you turned eighteen three days ago, am I correct?"
"Yeah," she answered in a hushed voice, observing him as he glared at his blurred reflection, his silver hair hanging in front of his forehead. "But I don't understand what your point is here."
Kakashi did not respond. He continued walking the path and she followed him, curious about his sudden change of attitude. It was five minutes before they arrived at a beautiful lake. By now, it was sunset, so the water glimmered brightly beneath the lilac-colored sky. He gently took her by the hand, shocking her, and tugged her along, bringing her in front of the lake. He seated himself on the soft green grass and she mimicked him.
"Why are we here?" she asked curiously when he finally released her from his grasp.
"I went here a lot as a child," he explained, placing his book onto his lap. "The image of the lake always soothed me and relieved me of my concerns."
"Why'd you bring me here then?"
His lone eye cringed, sending a warm feeling into her gut. "I think I deserve some time to spend with my former students after two years."
Her cheeks reddened slightly, and she looked down. "But…what was that whole little speech about earlier?"
"Oh, I almost forgot about that," he chuckled.
He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. She was unable to see what the item was, however, because he had his hand clenched tightly around it. He silently told her to open her hand and she did, then held his above her palm. He dropped a gorgeous necklace onto her palm. There was a jade jewel dangling from the small golden chains and it gleamed when she positioned it against the faint rays of the setting sun.
"It's…wonderful," she breathed. "Is this for me?"
He nodded with a small grin. "Happy belated birthday, Sakura."
A knot tightened in the pit of her stomach. Looking at him with soft eyes, she said, "But…why?"
"I wanted to give it to you for your birthday, but I was unable to because of some rivalry issues I had with Guy," he sighed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "When I was summoned and saw you walk through that door, I knew that it would be the perfect opportunity to give your gift."
She held the necklace in her hand, gazing at mysteriously. "You've never done this for anyone though. Why now?"
He leaned forward until their faces were merely inches apart. He looked down at her hand, observing the jade necklace as it shined faintly in the sunlight. He took hold of it and undid the hook. She stiffened as his arms snaked around her neck to hook the chains together, his lone eye never leaving her. When he finished, he pulled back a little, brushing her bangs away from her forehead.
"I know I left you feeling empty with my absence," he whispered. "I don't want that to happen to my favored student ever again. I want a part of me to be with you forever, so you don't feel lost and forgotten. Don't think I don't understand you, Sakura. I do. I know when you're feeling down and I know when you're feeling unhappy. I understand that you were worried about me, but you don't need to be worried anymore."
He pointed at her necklace resting on her collarbone and continued, "Because I will always be with you, okay?"
"Kakashi, I—"
"Don't protest," he interrupted. "Just…promise me you'll stop worrying about me and the rest of your comrades."
"…I promise."
Silence.
"Can you promise me one more thing?"
"And what is that, Kakashi?"
"Don't ever tell Naruto I gave you a gift. He would bother me like no tomorrow if he found out I didn't get him one."
Sakura laughed softly. "Of course."
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