AN: Something I came up on the fly after binge-reading a webtoon, haha. I put this up on tumblr before, but I've realized that a lot of things didn't really make that much sense plot-wise, so I'm rewriting most of what I've written so far.

"Are you really, really sure about this?" Ino said, glancing skeptically at the Siberian husky in the cage. "Because this sounds like a terrible idea, and believe me, you have had some pretty bad ones before."

Sakura snorted. "Please, Pig. This is the best idea I've had in ages. I should have thought about this years ago," she said.

Her friend just gave her a look.

"Do you realize how much work goes into taking care of a pet?" Ino asked. "Oh, right, you don't. Because you brutally murdered the last one." She shook her head mournfully. "Poor Mr. Ukki. Your owner doesn't remember you, but you'll always be in my heart."

"Oh my god, Ino, that was one time," Sakura groaned. "So I can't take care of house plants. Big deal."

"Sakura, you killed a cactus," Ino reminded her. "A cactus. Do you know how hard that is?" When Sakura fell into a disgruntled silence, Ino sighed. "Look, I'd feel a lot better if you had a cat instead. At least cats know how to fend for themselves. Why don't you come over to my parents' and pick out one that you like?"

Sakura tried not to make a face. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass," she said. Yamanaka cats gave her the creeps. Ino's family had bred cats for generations, producing litter after litter of purebred felines with bad tempers and insufferable attitudes. They were very visually striking, to be sure, with their bright, sleek coats and eyes that shone like gemstones-a Yamanaka cat always won the Annual Garden State Cat Expo, for as long as anyone could remember, and people flocked from all over the country to catch a glimpse of one-but Sakura had always felt that their beauty was somewhat eerie. She wasn't much of a cat person, anyway.

Ino persisted, however. "Why not? Everyone loves you! Even Fu seems to like you, and he doesn't like anyone." Her eyes suddenly glittered. "How do you feel about cat-sitting Fu for a few days, then? I can ask Daddy to bring him over."

Sakura shuddered. "No," she said emphatically. Fu was a strange, strawberry blond cat that had taken a fancy to her the last time she'd visited the Yamanakas, sticking to her side like glue for the remainder of her stay. It would have been cute, if not for the fact that Sakura began to wake up at odd hours in the night to find Fu on her chest, stiff as a statue, yellow, slitted eyes staring unblinkingly at her. Locked doors and barred windows didn't do much to keep him out of her room; she'd only wake up a few moments later to see him perched on her bed, glittering eyes fixed on her face.

Needless to say, Fu didn't make much of a good impression.

Ino pouted. "Look, I know that he can be a little...difficult," she said delicately.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Calling Fu difficult was an understatement, to say the least. Ino caught her mid-eye roll.

"...Fine, he has some weird habits that take some time to get used to," Ino admitted. "But he's better than a guard dog, I swear."

"Mmm," Sakura said noncommittally, quickly switching gears before Ino could fit in another word. "But a DOG, Ino. I could go out for runs with him, and play fetch, and Frisbee, and cuddle with him on the sofa. I mean, think about all the possibilities!" She looked adoringly at the Siberian husky.

"...Have you seriously thought about how you're going to live with a dog that size?" Ino asked, giving the dog another doubtful look. "I mean, you can't even stand living with other people."

"At least a dog won't borrow my clothes or fight over the utility bill," Sakura argued back. "Or bring back boyfriends that barge into my room drunk and half-naked at 2 in the morning. It'll work out. Gai brings home animals all the time, and his place is even smaller than mine. Besides, he said that he wouldn't tell Hiruzen, as long as I didn't bring back something too out of place."

"Your crazy neighbor said that he wouldn't tell on you as long as you didn't bring back something that wasn't too eye-catching," Ino hissed. "A full-grown Siberian husky is pretty fucking noticeable, don't you think?"

"Then I'll threaten to tell the landlord about all of the animals Gai keeps at his place," Sakura said calmly. "Besides, I've seen one or two huskies around the neighborhood. They're not that unusual."

Ino rolled her eyes. "I think he was referring to the size, not the breed, Sakura. I don't know about you, but big dogs are hard to hide, especially when your apartment is the size of a shoebox." She gestured towards a wall of small cages housing several white balls of yapping fur. "Ugh. I can't believe that I'm saying this, but what about one of those Shih-Tzus over there? Don't you want something small and cute and easy to hide from your landlord, and not some mangy, one-eyed wolf dog?" She grimaced at the Siberian husky in the cage. "God, he smells awful." The dog's ears twitched at Ino's words, but its eyes remained closed.

"I'll pass. Believe me, Ino. I've been here a few times last month and I know that this one's just the dog I want." Sakura turned toward the animal shelter volunteer next to her. "Is he up for adoption? I haven't seen him before."

"Yes, he is!" The boy said eagerly. He was gangly and thin, face pockmarked with old acne scars. "We just got him a few days ago. Did you want to pet him?"

Sakura brightened. "May I?"

"He doesn't bite, does he?" Ino asked, slowly inching away as the boy bent down to unlatch the lock on the cage.

"Oh, no. Kakashi's quite gentle, despite how he looks," the volunteer assured Ino. Ino, now a healthy distance away from the cage, didn't look convinced in the slightest. The dog's pointed ears pricked at the sound of clinking metal and creaking hinges. The dog slowly blinked one bleary blue eye open; the other eye, neatly bisected by a vertical scar, remained closed. He studied them for a moment before closing his eye again and burying his head into the shapeless mass of cloth between his front paws.

"Come outside, Kakashi," the boy cajoled. When Kakashi didn't respond, the volunteer took out a stick of beef jerky from his vest pocket and peeled off the plastic wrapper. He broke off a small piece and placing it a few inches away from the cage, stuffing the rest back into his pocket. At the sound of crinkling plastic, Kakashi shifted his head and cracked one eye open. He licked his chops. His eye darted from the piece of jerky to the volunteer, then back to the jerky.

"Come here, boy," the volunteer repeated. Kakashi narrowed his eye and silently regarded the boy for a moment before. Finally with a soft huff, he languidly stretched before lifting himself up into a a standing position. He paused to drag the sack he was lying on top of to the back of the cage, far out of the boy's arms' reach, before cautiously padding out and poking his head around the bars. After a moment, he seemed to deem it safe to slink out of the cage, narrowly avoiding Sakura's outstretched hand as he skittered behind the boy. "He's a little nervous when it comes to strangers, though."

"Kakashi's an odd name to give to a dog," Sakura commented. She smiled at Kakashi, who eyed her warily behind the boy's legs. "Where's he from?"

The boy laughed sheepishly. "Someone found him wandering around Central Park with a backpack strapped to his back," he said. "They had to call in the bomb squad and everything, but they didn't find anything important in it. It's important to him, though-it took three big guys to hold him down while they went through the bag. They found a wallet with someone's ID in it, so we've just been calling him by that person's name. He answers to it, so…" He shrugged.

Ino stiffened. "Backpack?" She asked, voice tight. "What was he carrying?" At this, the boy cracked a smile.

"Granola bars, beef jerky, a newspaper, a few train tickets and a magazine," he said. "One of the people who reported him to the police claimed that they saw him taking out and reading the newspaper but well, you know." He made a circling motion with his index finger near his head. Sakura laughed, but Ino paled and took a step further back. "You can't be serious," Ino muttered.

"It's a shame that someone left him on the streets," Sakura said, not noticing Ino's reaction. She crouched down. "He's beautiful."

Kakashi ignored her, eyes trained on the human in front of him. As soon the volunteer turned his attention away, Kakashi nosed into the boy's vest pocket and carefully maneuvered the rest of the beef jerky out of its loose plastic wrapping, promptly wolfing it down before dashing back into his cage. Ino and Sakura just watched him, mouths agape.

"Let's go, Forehead," Ino said abruptly. She grabbed Sakura by the arm and began to drag her towards the exit. "Let's face it; in a few days, you'll have patients to look after, long work hours—this one's way too high maintenance for you."

"Oh, Kakashi's very low-maintenance," the boy assured them, not noticing Ino's death glare. "He doesn't do much other than sleep and eat."

"Shut up, you're not helping," Ino snapped. She tugged on Sakura's sweater. "C'mon, Forehead."

Sakura hesitated. "Will he still be here next week?" She asked the boy, looking longingly at Kakashi. The boy shook his head. "If no one comes to adopt him today, Kakashi will be in New Jersey by tomorrow morning," he said. "We just don't have enough room for him here."

From the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Kakashi's ears perk up.

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but she's not interested," Ino said tersely. She tugged on Sakura's arm. "Come on, Sakura—"

"I'll adopt him," Sakura told the volunteer before Ino could stop her. "I just need to sign a few documents, right?"

"Sakura, no," Ino hissed. Sakura ignored her and squatted in front of Kakashi's cage.

"Hey, there," she said softly. Kakashi gave her a distrustful look. "Do you want to come home with me? It's a little cramped, but I promise it'll be a lot of fun. It'll be a lot nicer than a cage in New Jersey, at the very least. What do you say?" At Sakura's words, Kakashi's ears twitched. Then, slowly, he stepped out of the cage and hesitantly sidled over to her. Then, to everyone's surprise, he sat up and offered her his paw.

"Would you look at that!" The volunteer said, amused. "He's never done that to anyone before, let alone a complete stranger."

"It's a deal, then," Sakura said, grinning. She offered her hand, palm facing up. Kakashi gave her a high five and a doggy smile before jumping on her, tail now furiously wagging.

"Oof," Sakura wheezed. "Stop, boy. Stop!" Kakashi ignored her words and commenced to lick her nose, her cheeks, her mouth.

Ino groaned. "I have a really bad feeling about this," she said uneasily.

"What are you talking about, Pig?" Sakura said, arms full of dog. Kakashi licked her cheek. "Awww. Stop that." She scratched the husky under the chin. Kakashi turned his one big, blue eye towards her and whined. "Good boy." He nuzzled her and gave her another sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Okay. That was a little gross."

"Sakura."

"Ino, stop worrying. Look, Kakashi likes me! He's big enough to deter thieves and…well. You know." Sakura glanced to see if the volunteer was around before lowering her voice. "Sasuke hates dogs, but a little Shih-Tzu's not going to stop him from breaking in again." When she saw Ino hesitate, Sakura added, "Besides, I can't ask you to stay with me all the time. Sai would kill me."

"Alright, Forehead," Ino said, finally caving in. She still eyed the dog worriedly.

"Relax, Pig. It'll be fine!" Sakura grinned before wrinkling her nose. "You know what, Ino? You're right. He does smell a little, but it's nothing that a bath can't fix." Kakashi lapped at her teeth. "Ugh, no. DOWN, boy."

Ino wrinkled her nose. "Are you sure he took a bath?" She asked for the umpteenth time. "He smells worse than before, if that's even possible." After Sakura signed all of the paperwork, they had brought Kakashi into Sakura's small one bedroom apartment. Now that Kakashi was here, Sakura had to admit that the place was a little too small for a big dog like him. Kakashi didn't seem to mind, though; he headed straight for the braided rug in the living room and lay down, closing his eyes. Within minutes, they could hear him snoring quietly. The baths must have tired him out.

"I scrubbed him down at least three times. He's probably cleaner than my kitchen," Sakura said, exasperated. It had taken her most of the afternoon to wrestle Kakashi into the tub. Her arms were still sore from holding him down. "What is with you today?"

"...It's nothing," Ino said after a moment, looking at Kakashi contemplatively. "Just thinking about what Daddy used to say about wolves." She looked up at Sakura. "Be careful, Sakura. I don't think it'll be a danger to you, but don't get too attached to it, just to be safe."

"Him, not it," Sakura said, sighing. "Honestly, Ino, I get that you don't like dogs, but just because Kakashi's big and a little aggressive doesn't mean that he's a danger to me."

"Forehead, just...just listen to me for a moment," Ino said. She hesitated, then glanced back at the sleeping dog before lowering her voice. "I don't think that thing is a dog."

"You're kidding, right?" Sakura said, laughing. "What else would he be?"

"I'm being very serious, Forehead," Ino snapped, uncharacteristically serious. "Because if my gut feeling is right, then that thing is going to be more trouble, especially with the whole Sasuke thing going on. Honestly, I should have just brought in Fu when I had the chance."

"...What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, confused. "What does Fu have to do with any of this?"

"It's, just—oh, never mind," Ino sighed. "Don't mind me. It's just nerves and stress."

Sakura patted her friend on the back and gave her a hug.

"Sorry I roped you into my mess. Sai just came back, and you don't even get to spend time with your husband because you're here with me, taking care of my problems."

Ino's arms snaked around her and squeezed her tightly.

"Don't be sorry," Ino said gruffly. "If it's anyone's fault, it's Sasuke's. You shouldn't even be part of this mess." She scowled. "What the hell is he thinking, barging into your life after all these years?"

Sakura didn't respond. Kakashi sleepily thumped his tail against the wooden floorboards.

After a moment of silence, Ino spoke. "I'm sorry if I haven't been giving you much space," she said. "But we've all been worried about you. Especially after that voicemail you left me."

"I know. Thanks, Ino. Really." Sakura hesitated. "I don't know what I would have done if you didn't get here as fast as you did," she said quietly. "I mean, he seemed so different, and his, his eyes, they were-" She gulped, and Ino's arms tightened around her reflexively.

"Hey. It's okay." Ino said gently. "Shhhh. I'm here."

They sat together, Ino still holding her until Sakura managed to get her breathing under control.

"All good?" Ino asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Pig." Sakura disengaged from Ino's embrace and wiped the wetness off her face. She managed a watery smile. "I shouldn't keep you. Go before I get another angry text from Sai demanding his wife." She gave her friend another hug before herding her toward the foyer.

"...Should I call Hinata and see if she can sleep over at your place?" Ino asked. "He might show up tonight, you know."

"Eh, it's fine, since I have Kakashi now," Sakura said, looking over at Kakashi, who was now wide awake. She smirked. "Sasuke'll hightail it out of the neighborhood once he sees him."

"Oookay," Ino said uncertainly. "Well, text me if you need anything." She glared behind Sakura. "Don't you dare let that scumbag of an ex-fiancé get near her, you hear me?"

Sakura laughed. "Don't be silly, Ino. Kakashi doesn't even know what Sasuke looks like."

Ino hesitated before reaching into her bag and pulling out her phone. "He will in a few seconds," she muttered, swiping on the screen. "Here, boy," she called to the dog, "I have something to show you."

Kakashi reluctantly padded over, nosing Sakura's shoes briefly before turning his attention to Ino.

"I don't trust you," Ino told him. "I don't really have much of a choice."

"INO!"

Ino ignored Sakura. She knelt down to show Kakashi the picture on her phone and Kakashi came closer, tail wagging.

"That," Ino said, pointing her finger at the man standing next to Sakura in the picture, "is Uchiha fucking Sasuke."

Unable to help herself, Sakura glanced at Ino's phone and felt her chest tighten. Ino had pulled up the picture from five years ago, the one from Naruto's birthday celebration, and zoomed in on Sasuke's handsome, expressionless face. That would have been the very last picture Ino would have before his disappearance, come to think of it.

He'd vanished right after the party without explanation. Phone calls went unreturned, texts read but unanswered. When Sakura went into his apartment a few days later, she found all of the rooms empty, walls bare and newly whitewashed, the smell of fresh paint lingering in the air.

But she was stupidly optimistic then, convinced that it was just a case of cold feet, and she had decided to give him a few more days. Sasuke had only agreed to the marriage because it meant more to her than to him, she knew. But as the days trickled by with no sign of Sasuke, Sakura had begun to feel uneasy. She redoubled her efforts to search for her missing lover, looking for clues, hunting down acquaintances that she was sure that he kept in contact with.

If he didn't want to marry, they didn't have to, she had thought desperately. She was fine being friends, or just acquaintances. All she wanted to know about was that he was safe.

Soon, the days turned into weeks, then months, and slowly, the years flew by, and still there was no sign of him.

Then, after five years of radio silence, just as she was ready to pick up the fragments of her broken heart and move on with her life, Uchiha Sasuke had reappeared at her doorstep, still as cold and arrogant and beautiful as before, seemingly untouched by the passage of time.

But time had passed, and things had changed. Including Sasuke.

"You can't let this person come in," Ino said, giving Kakashi a hard look. "Don't you dare let him harm her, you get me?"

"Are you done talking to my dog, Pig?" Sakura said, half-exasperatedly. "Sai just sent me a death threat. He wants you home in thirty minutes."

Ino ignored her and continued to talk to the dog. "She saved you," Ino said quietly. "You know what that means, don't you?"

Kakashi whined in response.

"You're so silly, Pig," Sakura chuckled. She reached down and scooped Kakashi up from the floor. Kakashi whined and thrashed in her arms for a few seconds before giving up.

"I'm just looking out for you, Sakura," Ino said, opening the door. "I hope to God that he's just a dog, though, or things are just going to get more complicated."

"Bye, Pig."

"See you later, Forehead. Let me know how that hot date Hinata set up for you goes, okay?" Ino's voice floated from the hallway.

Sakura grinned. "You bet. Stop that, Kakashi, it tickles." Kakashi nosed her neck again before contentedly laying his head against her shoulder.

The front door slammed shut.