A Lively Surprise

A Kakashi/Sakura Pairing Oneshot

Happy Valentine's Day!

"….Its so quiet here…," Sakura commented softly as she glanced around her. She saw patches of bright snow everywhere, covering tree branches, sidewalks, and any other type of solid around, with a trace of faintly built footsteps earlier formed from her.

It was early morning when she came to take a walk. The sky was bright as day, with the possible exception of the endless sea of periwinkle. Not a cloud was sighted and Sakura sighed as she sat down on a nearby wooden bench.

It was the day before Valentine's Day.

Sweeping the fresh and furry snow off the bench, she sat down onto the cold wood. She looked out into the huge pond ahead of her, frozen throughout the surface. She glimpsed at her clear reflection as she looked down.

Her short and pink bubblegum colored hair framed perfectly around her creamy skin, and the jade-green orbs in the reflection stared back at her, blinked.

She found it that she felt ugly, despite her outside dolly looks. Waking up each morning, peering into the mirror, she felt as if she was out of place. Her eyes and her unnatural hair color seemed like a too unique combination for such a boring type of person like her.

' Ino-Piggy's words really are getting to me…' Sakura looked down in defeat.

She continued to stare into the pond, only to realize that her bare hands were now numb.

Closing her hands into fists, she brought them up to her face and began breathing out warm air to sink into her pale skin. Her breath made a form into the cold and Sakura felt silly doing this every morning. Every morning was always the same. She would wake up to the bright sky, and take a stroll outside to clear her thoughts. It was a morning routine. But why exactly?

'…Its because its so peaceful out here..' She mentally answered as she ducked her head deeper into her furry, lavender scarf.

'..Or maybe its because you're in a lonely mood.' Her inner side couldn't help but comment.

Sakura bit into her bottom lip to hold in annoyance with herself.

"Geez, can't you at least let me have a peaceful morning without drowning yourself in your own cold remarks?" Sakura whispered, irritated at herself.

Sakura thought to herself for a moment. The surroundings around her really did help her calm down. But not enough to stop her worries.

"I really don't know how I'll continue doing this…I don't feel like dating anyone anytime soon, either..." Sakura whispered softly, with a slight frown on her face.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by our ever-famous and annoying friend, Naruto.

"HEY, SAKURA-CHAN!!!! HEY!!!" Naruto's shouts echoed into the blank meadow.

Sakura shut her eyes and a vein popped.

'Its way too early in the morning for me to have to hear him shout like there's.no.tomorrow!' Sakura thought angrily.

"Sakura-Chan!!!! Hey, Sakura-oh! There you are!!!" Naruto rushed over to her. His grin grew wider in curiousity as he saw her twitch.

But what awaited him was a fist.

"Ooow..! Sakura-chan…Ow...And I wanted to tell you something important..."

Naruto whined in agony, while dropping down into the snow.

Sakura rolled her eyes and said, "Naruto, what was it?"

Naruto stopped rolling around in the snow and muttered quickly, "Kakashi-sensei's in the Pea room. And he needs you right now!"

Sakura blinked a couple of times and blushed.

"Naruto, why would I need to know that Kakashi-sensei is in the Restrooms..needing me? Besides, isn't he on a ANBU mission?"

Now it was Naruto's turn to blush. "No! Not like that. He's in the P.E.A room! " He drooled out each of the letters carefully.

Sakura's sea-foam eyes widened in surprise. 'Shit. The ANBU emergency room.'

This room was only for ANBU mission carriers who came back almost dead than alive.

"But that's not like Kakashi-sensei! To get hurt...oh god. Was he reading that Come, Come Paradise book again?" Sakura asked in a weird tone. She knew that when Kakashi dug his nose into one of those pervy books, nothing could tear him away from them. Sure, she was worried about Kakashi, but then, she felt as if he deserved to be wounded too, if that was the case.

Naruto gulped and noticed Sakura's face darkening. He didn't dare nod. Instead, he said, "Let's go, Sakura-chan. The nurses and doctors need a pair of expertise hands to heal him."

Shaking her head lightly in annoyance, Sakura stood up and took a last glance at the icy pond, staring right back with her reflection.

AT THE HOSPITAL

"Hello Sakura-san!" The Kohona nurse at the front desk greeted her.

But now wasn't the time for polite greetings.

"Oh, Sakura-san, Kakashi-san's hallway is-" The nurse warned in a high-pitched voice.

Sakura cut her off with a, " I know! I know! He's in the P.E.A. Room!"

With Naruto following close behind, Sakura rushed straight into the hallway. What she didn't know, was that earlier, the nurse was trying to warn her that the wood floors were just cleaned and still slippery. The caution signs were yet to be put up in warning.

We can all imagine what happened next. Sakura stopped suddenly when her right foot nearly slipped. But when Naruto, who was following right beside her hurried footsteps collided into her, she wasn't so lucky.

"Sakura-ch-Oomph!" As he collided into her, his hands reached out to soften the landing for both of them, but when his hands glided to land on her butt, Sakura's eyes widened and the next thing he knew as he landed on her ass, was a huge bump on his head.

"Naruto! You dirty, sick minded perv!!!" Sakura shrieked; with an additional add of fume coming out of her ears. Glaring at Naruto for a bit, who was continuingly apologizing, she remembered about Kakashi. Bolting back up, she quickly ran and slid open the door. The sight of him lying there unmoving made Sakura's heart stop.

"What the-" Naruto started from behind, looking over her shoulder, but then he stopped. The doctors and nurses around Kakashi had a certain face on that made both his and Sakura's blood run cold.

Immediately, she ran over to his side and held his bandaged hand to check for a pulse. It was faint, but it was still there. Breathing a sigh of relief, she asked the nurses around him what had happened to her sensei to cause him to be in such a state. Some stuttered while answering meekly, but the point got across; they claimed that they were simply just checking up on him, as they do with all returning ANBUs, but here they were detecting a huge amount of poison throughout his system.

"Wha- Why didn't you tell me this sooner? Where's Tsunade??!" Sakura shouted. When no one answered, she immediately took off her coat and scarf in frustration and threw them into a nearby chair. Quickly, she went and got plastic gloves and other materials to aid help. All this was done in a blur.

"Sakura-chan, calm down. I'll go look for that old woman." Naruto said soothingly, though he himself, was just as frustrated as Sakura.

One of the quiet nurses and doctors in the background spoke up timidly. "Tsunade-sama is in another country, making a treaty. Sorry, Sakura-san. Looking at this man, I mean your sensei, it may be too.."

"NO." The person stopped and immediately quieted. Everyone knew of Sakura's monsterous strength.

Calming down, Sakura took a deep breath. Kakashi-sensei was a big part of her past memories of helping shape back Team 7 of what it used to be. In a even tone, she sighed, "Please, could you get out? I'll try and do things."

The nurses scampered out, startled by her bipolar-ness.

The room was peaceful now and Sakura could finally relax. She stood by the side of where Kakashi lay and she reached for his hand, yet again. This time was just to hold it.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you there? Could you wake up? This is Sakura."

There was no reply but the continuing beeping of the heart rate machine. Slowly, Sakura looped her fingers in with his, and their hands slowly intertwined. She began to send in her chakra to heal the parts where he was wounded. But there were several times when Sakura would stop and hesitate when she felt the sensation of poisoning still coursing though his blood veins. In huge amounts, they were starting to work into his organs.

'I have to take all the poison out…how'd it get into his body? There must be a infected wound somewhere.' Sakura slightly raised her right eyebrow in suspicion.

Now a big question hit her mind. "Kakashi's weak spot...Where was it?"

'Heh. Let's go find out, shall we? Start from the bottom up!' The inner side of Sakura popped up and cheered.

Sakura flushed as she imagined herself really examining.

"God, this is Kakashi-sensei! That's so wrong!" Sakura whispered to herself. But then again, there was a part of her that really did want to see the ever famous copy-nin's body.

'Besides, naughty Sakura, no one's around…hm?' Sakura shook her head, but she couldn't hide the crimson flush that was shown on her face.

Staring out the window across the blank room for a second, Sakura pondered on what to do.

'C'mon. You know you want to.' Sakura twitched. Slowly, she lifted the sheet that covered him. But that was unnecessary; His arm was the reason he was infected with poison. Sakura sighed in relief, and all the taboo images fled from her mind. She thought she heard her inner side yell in disappointment. With a smirk on her face, she unbandaged his arm. The sight was disgusting. Pus was oozing everywhere from the wound and the unmistakable stink and stench filled the air. His skin was slowly peeling off, bit by bit, and the dry blood stained the bandage wraps.

Despite Sakura resisting the urge to wrap back the bandages and never see that horrid sight again, she held in her near scream and moved her hand over the wound. It was a sad sight to see her idol sensei, who she could always look to protect her, in this state.

Sudden fury came to her. As she wondered who in the seven hells could do this, she unconsciously felt Kakashi shake. A lone tear was coming down her cheek and it dripped passed her fingers…into this wound. The automatic pain that followed was a funny sight to behold.

Or so she thought. Kakashi didn't move an inch. Sakura turned to the heart rate machine and her mouth gaped wide open when she observed that his heartbeat was starting to grow faint..

Instead of listening to her brain, she, for the first time of her life, went by instinct. She sent a burst of healing chakra into him, despite the early lesson teachings by Tsunade, lecturing that she would only waste all her energy before the patient would even wake up.

But Sakura didn't seem to care anymore. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't die like this. Sure, it was a ninja's way to die in battle, but it just didn't seem right to Sakura that she would have to watch her sensei die helpless in front of her.

The heart rate machine started to beep. Steadily louder and louder each time.

"NO." Sakura shouted as she continued to pour all of her chakra in. His wound was healed, but the poison still lurked. She would have to draw it out. Quick memory flashes flooded her mind and weaved right through her eyes.

Kakashi comforting Sakura during when team 7 was broken and shambled.

The times when he would suddenly pop up with his trademarked puff of smoke and say "Boo" just to tick Sakura off.

The times he would dislevel her hair to annoy her, yet sometimes to approve her on something.

His mischeivious, yet bored looks when he was reading one of his Come,Come Paradise books.

His famous and unbelieably irritating excuses for being late.

Using her other hand, she grasped for his hand, once again intertwining their fingers. She gripped his unmoving hand, which was still warm.

Sakura felt like she was draining out. But looking at Kakashi, her determination outstood her fatigue. The poison was slowly coming out of what was left of his disgusting looking wound. Being desperate, Sakura clamped her eyes closed and tried to get a reaction from him with her dripping tears that were rolling down her rosy cheeks. The nurses's words echoed in her skull.

"Sorry, Sakura-kun, It may be too…" Sakura sat there in silence. Little beads of sweat were dripping down the sides of her face and even her inner side agreed with the nurses.

'Hey…you tried. That's something.' For the first time, the inner side understood.

For a few moments, Sakura desperately continued, with her visions blurry. She felt so tired and her body was close to draining out and shutting down.

The day ended as Sakura's arms fell in exhaustion onto the empty mattress space beside her sensei and her head unconsiously fell along with them, landing on the soft bedsheet. She drooped her eyes once more and landed in darkness.

Oneshot begins-

Sakura woke up the next morning, followed with an immediate pounding headache. She felt her hair being ruffled about and a deep voice besides her head spoke up.

"Ah. You're awake." Kakashi exclaimed as he felt Sakura twitch. Her head rised slowly and her eyes pranced around him and fell to his face. His mask covered his mouth as usual, but his skin was a bit lighter and unheathly looking. Ignoring that, Sakura's heart gave a leap in joy.

Trying her best to think a bit optimisticly, Sakura mentally cursed herself for not taking off his mask while he was unconsious.

Sakura blinked and stared. "Ah. You're alive," She replied with sarcasm; but she really was surprised. Looking at him smiling, made her stomach lurch, over the fact that she suddenly gave up yesterday evening.

"Yes, Sakura. I really got lost on the road of life." His face crinkled from his goofy grin from the fact of his corny excuse. Even through his mask, she could see his smile. Sakura gave a deep sigh and asked how he was doing. She stared out into the room's window in front of her and remembered yesterday's reflection at the pond.

'Oh geez, I must look like a freak right now.' Sakura thought as she rushed out of the room, shouting that she would be back soon. Kakashi arched a brow and inspected his arm. Sakura did a good job. It didn't even look like there had even been a wound. He had to find a way to thank her. A thank you gift. Now that he thought about it, he realized that he had actually never given anyone a thank you gift; or any other kind of gift, in fact. It wasn't that he was rude or unthoughtful or anything, but he was always the one to leave the bill to someone.

And then he remembered today's date. It was Valentine's day. Geez. But the copy nin was thankful, for now his choices for a gift to Sakura were limitless, as long as there were hearts mingled in the meaning. Once Kakashi gave it one more thought, he gently felt around his bandaged arm. It felt perfectly fine, thanks to Sakura. And off he went.

Sneaking out of a room was what Kakashi was famous for. In a puff of smoke.

Sakura glanced into the mirror of one of the hospital bathrooms, and had a slight frown on her face. She actually didn't look that bad as she thought she would, like every morning.

After a 15 minute refreshment, she decided to head back to her apartment to change.

For some reason, she felt like wearing tons of pink and white. So she chose an outfit that both outlined her curves and matched her taste for the day. She went to the kitchen and noticed the heart boxes she bought to hold in her homemade chocolate. Deciding to bring a box in to celebrate Kakashi-sensei's fast and speedy recovery, Sakura reached for one and hurried back to the hospital again.

When Sakura entered the hospital, the nurse from yesterday was still sitting in the front desk, checking people in and out. The nurse looked at Sakura and grinned, remembering yesterday's hallway slip incident. The nurse stood up, and asked politely, "Hello Sakura-san. How was the hand grabbing Naruto-san gave you?" She giggled a bit and sat back down, returning to her work. Sakura glared at her and swore to herself that she would have that person fired.

As Sakura walked down the hallway, Kakashi was just returning from his visit to the shops. He tucked in the items he bought under the bed, where Someone couldn't see. He then swiftly tucked himself back into the bedsheets and feigned sickness. He took a deep breath and sighed. Why did he feel so strange?

Sakura stood face to face with the door and sighed. She couldn't help but feel dissappointed in herself on how she had nearly let Kakashi-sensei go with all that poison still swirling inside of him yesterday. Glancing away, her depressing thoughts stopped when she heard a huge sound in the closed room in front of her and then Kakashi sighing.

Suspiciously, she knocked on the door, and when she heard a muffled "Come in", she slid the door open and saw Kakashi exactly where she left him. She arched her left eyebrow in suspicion. It looked as if he hadn't moved an inch. The bedsheets were perfectly in place, tucked in nicely as it fell over her elite sensei's lower body. Who knew her sensei could stay so peaceful in postion and patient that long?

Kakashi's eye widened at her outfit. Even Come, Come Paradise couldn't even begin to describe the feelings that arose in him. But due to realization that the scene was wrong for a teacher to look at his student that way, he regained himself. Quickly as the surprise had come, it left. He turned his head to the left and tried to find something else to look at besides Sakura's curvy body. He had hoped she didn't see his eyes widening. But Sakura's constantly alert jade-green eyes hadn't missed a thing. To the least, she felt awkward when she found him checking her out.

She too, looked out the window, but she summoned up the courage to speak up, and her voice rang through the room.

"Kakashi-sensei. How are you feeling right now?"

Kakashi gave a light smile, somehow knowing her uneasiness. "I'm fine, Sakura. Just fine…And I want to thank you…"

Sakura stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"...which brings to me the point of saying Happy Valentine's Day."

He swung his arm under his bed and over in one quick motion and brought up a huge basket of multiflavored and typed chocolate, with a bouquet of red roses and other complimenting flowers. The large basket was decorated pretty, ribbons and lace were intertwined with the same tint of white and pink Sakura was wearing. Everything matched adorably.

Sakura nearly fainted at the sight. The whole woman population of Kohona would kill to see a glimpse of the great Kakashi giving flowers and chocolate.

'So that's what the sound was.' Sakura thought. She couldn't help but smile at her "sneaky" sensei. Going through all that trouble.

'Now that its Valentine's day, there's no holding back, oh naughty Sakura.' Sakura's inner side cackled.

Still wide-eyed and shocked, Sakura slowly made her way to his side once more. Quietly, he reached for her free hand nearest to him and softly touched her hand with his fingertips. Giving a hidden smile, which was covered by his mask, he remembered when he was consious while their fingers interwined just the day before.

'How did he manage to ever get thi-' Her thoughts was interrupted when she felt his fingers fit into place with hers, once again weaved and together.

A flush rose to her face and she quickly handed him her box of homemade chocolate.

"Thanks…" They both said in unison. Silence broke the room until Sakura depressingly admitted, "You know, I-I nearly let you down. I'm sorry about yesterday. I know I was tired, but I-" A tear rolled from her green orbs down her cheek.

Understandingly, Kakashi sat up and gently cupped her cheek. His low and calming voice spoke, "But I'm here now..."

And in reassurance, he gave her a quick peck on the lips, making her blush even more deeper. He finished his sentence with a whisper, "...Thanks to you, Sakura."

Suddenly, their moment was ruined as Naruto bursted into the room and shouted, "EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT. C'MON, LETS PULL TOGETHER!"

He looked to Kakashi, and a blank stare awaited him. He turned to face Sakura (who had a dangerous look upon her face), and a fist welcomed him.

. Happy Valentine's day, Everyone! .