Author's Note: Hello, and Welcome to Everything but the Kitchen Sink. Obviously, it is a soulmate fanfic, but I have a few more surprises in store.
As you may have noticed, this story is rated M. FFN has weird guidelines, so the rating comes from innuendo, violence, and Hidan. If you are looking for sexy times, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. *sad trombone* I suggest you take a look at bluefurcape's rendition of Kakashi in thigh high socks on tumblr. OH! LA! LA!
Now, if you are looking for a dumb story, that is like every other story, THIS IS IT! All of it is recycled! NOTHING ORIGINAL! HAHAHAHAHAHA
CHAPTER ONE
HATAKE KAKASHI, THE COFFEE NINJA
Sakura met her soulmate after a grueling assignment.
Her target had been a repulsive man who was suspected of kidnapping minors to pawn off his drugs. Orochimaru's profile failed to mention his foot fetish, and Sakura had been unprepared for her target's aggressive removal of her knee high socks. She had a mere moment to gather her thoughts as the soulmark on her ankle was exposed.
A soulmark which revealed she was older than the sixteen years she claimed to be.
The assignment went sideways immediately; Sakura had been assigned to gather intelligence, but ended up in a bloody fight which left a handful of dead and the building burning. A quick survey of Orochimaru's office had netted his laptop and a change of clothes. The school uniform smelled musty but it was better than the blood-stained clothes she had been wearing. She changed quickly, departing for the railway before anyone reported the fire.
Sakura met her soulmate when her post-fight adrenaline had begun to fade, and she longed for a shower to wipe off the wrongness of the night.
As such, Sakura made a terrible first impression.
Seats on the rail were hard to come by even at that time of night. Sakura boarded with a firm grip on her bag, mindful of the stolen laptop and her ruined clothes. She could see a vacant spot next to an older man near the back. Sakura made her way towards him, only to have her progress stopped by an outstretched arm.
"You don't want to sit there," said the woman with a sniff. "That man is a regular during this time. A young girl such as you shouldn't be too close to someone like him. The man's a pervert."
"What?" Sakura blinked as she willed herself to focus. She gave another look towards the man in the back. He had silver hair, a surgical face mask, and was reading a book. He reminded Sakura of a few teachers she had in high school, perhaps a librarian.
The woman gave her a pitying look. "If you need a seat, you are welcome to mine." The woman gathered her things from her seat and slowly stood up, revealing the pregnant belly that had been hidden by her large purse.
Sakura's eyes widened. There was no way she could take the seat of a pregnant woman. Why break a social taboo when there was a perfectly good seat open? Besides, Sakura had been able to handle creepy, old men for ten years. She had expertly handled one just a few hours before, although that method was a little extreme. She could knock Professor Perv down a peg or two if it really got down to it.
Waving the woman off, Sakura scurried to the back. She gave a small apology as she barreled across the man to throw herself in the chair. Her right foot stopped throbbing as soon as she sat down, and she gave a happy sigh of relief. Sakura could see the strange man shift next to her out of the corner of her eye. Ignoring him, she closed her eyes and gave her best imitation of a squid by making herself as boneless as possible.
Tsunade was going to eat her alive when she found out Sakura's quiet investigation ended up as a warehouse cover-up.
A few minutes later, she heard the stranger give a small huff as he shifted once more. Sakura kept her face expressionless, wiggling her toes in the pair of boots she had found in the back of a closet. It was a shame they were a bit too small; she would have kept them otherwise. Sakura tried not to think about the girl who had own them before. She was mostly successful.
Her moment of zen was interrupted by a low voice at her left.
"Do you mind?"
"Mmm?" Sakura opened her eyes to see the annoyance on the man's face. At least, she thought it was annoyance; it was rather hard to tell with the surgical mask and whatever hair situation he had going on. Now that she was closer to him, Sakura could see he was a lot younger that she thought; the wrinkles in the corner of his eyes were barely visible.
"You're in my space"—the stranger pointed to an imaginary barrier that Sakura had breached—"and I am trying to stay in mine." He pointed to his crossed legs. "Don't be rude."
Sakura thought the stranger's first comment would be about her short skirt. Instead, he was ruffled by her lack of manners! How terribly polite; maybe the pregnant woman was wrong about him being a pervert.
"Sorry," Sakura sighed, and willed herself from an invertebrate and back into a human being, "I'm just a bit tired." The man only response was to bury his face behind the garish, orange cover again.
HOLY FUCK
The fight from earlier must have made her more tired that she thought if she failed to notice that particular detail.
"Put away your porn," Sakura hissed as she stared at the ONLY EIGHTEEN symbol centimeters away from her eyeballs. "Who read's that stuff in public, next to a high schooler? It's lewd."
"Not I," replied the man from behind his book. "I'm not certain who you are trying to fool, but I'd place you at twenty-two or so."
Sakura gaped at him in shock. She had been ordered by Tsunade to grow out her hair to give her a more youthful look. There was a wardrobe full of school uniforms at her home, even though she had been out of school for years. Her disguise as a high-schooler had fooled dozens of targets, and this weirdo pervert had seen right through it. She was grateful that her hair was dyed brown; she was feeling a bit exposed.
Irritated by the man's observation skills, she retaliated by yanking the book at his hands and hitting him on the right side of his face with it.
"Ewww… I can't believe you!" Sakura screeched in her most irritating voice. A bit juvenile, but that was what she was going for. The stranger was caught off guard by her swift attack, and didn't even raise his hands to block her.
Sakura stopped when she managed to dislodge the string that held his surgical mask in place. The victorious smile slid from her face when she saw the soulmark curved along his jaw.
Sakura
It didn't mean much; Sakura was a common name. It didn't mean that he was her soulmate. But the revelation still caused her heart to stutter in her chest. Feeling terribly rude by exposing something so personal, she tore her eyes from the tattoo and settled her eyes on the book in her hand. For the tenth time that day, Sakura was hit in the face with another surprise as she looked at pages of Icha Icha.
It should have been nudity. Instead, she was looking at a rather beautiful illustration of foxglove.
In the space of five seconds, the man next to her became infinitely more interesting. It was a stroke of luck that the rail doors opened at the time; Sakura had had a hell of a day, and her mind was at its limit. The last thing she needed was do something else stupid, like ask his name. She beat a hasty exist, taking the stranger's book with her.
Sakura walked the rest of the way home with throbbing feet. She tried not to think about how her name looked across his jaw. She tried not to think about how clever the stranger was. She tried to remember what the rest of his face looked like. She failed in all regards.
It didn't help that she still had his book in her hands; the proof that there was more to people that just the trash she took out every day in her line of work. Being a covert operative was hard, and Sakura had always been proud to rise to the challenge. Lately though, it was getting tougher, as she realized there was no end to the depths people would sink to. It was nice to have a pleasant surprise.
Sakura waited until she was in the comfort of her own home before she did a full perusal of her stolen merchandise. Beneath the slipcover of an infamous porn book was a copy of The Art of the Garden: Collecting Antique Botanical Prints. The stranger wanted extra space on the rail, but was too polite to be rude. Instead, he let the passengers come to their own conclusions of his morals. No wonder he acted so annoyed when she invaded his space. She had seen right through his disguise too.
Sakura took a sip of her tea as she reveled in the small satisfaction. She paused when she saw an inscription by the table of contents.
Sakumo,
This book is in gratitude for your guidance. Your strength is my inspiration, and I will endeavor to reach my goals with as much gusto as you live.
It wasn't signed, but it didn't matter. The stranger, Sakumo, was just another man who crossed her path. She made a note to not travel on that rail during that time of night again if she could avoid it. Sakumo was too good at seeing underneath her disguise and she couldn't risk a civilian recognizing her.
She had exposed his soulmark too. Sakumo was right; she was rude. Sakura groaned into a pillow as she felt her face flush. Did that mean she was turning into Naruto?
The phone next to her rang, and Sakura winced when she saw Tsuande's name on the caller id.
"Hello," she answered.
"You are to report tomorrow morning bright and early. You have a lot to explain."
"I understand. It ended up being more complicated than I thought." Sakura's voice even sounded weak to her own ears.
"I don't care. What I do care about is the massive investigation that will happen because of your failure. You are supposed to be my reliable one! Not compared to the knuckle-head."
Sakura felt her face twist in unhappiness, and was grateful that Tsunade couldn't see her face from the other end of the line.
"I can hear you pouting," Tsunade said. "This man was high profile and we operate with the highest standards at all times. Consider this a failure."
"I understand."
"We will see you tomorrow."
Sakura sighed when the she heard the call disconnect. She stood up to stretch, popping her back with twist. Grabbing the stolen book, she tucked it next to her medical texts on her bookshelf. In the dark, Sakura ignored the disappointment in her belly, and the warmth that radiated from the tattoo on her ankle.
~O~
Two months later, their paths crossed again.
Konoha was a premier covert ops organization which was known for its stealth and discretion. Sakura's assignments had largely focused on information extraction. Her youth was a huge asset, and she was able to get close to targets without arousing suspicion. The warehouse fire was an exception, a rather large one. She had only killed one other man before that night, but the warehouse incident raised her statistic to five. Sakura had argued that her soulmark was the reason for her failure; perhaps she sounded too bitter, because Tsunade merely raised an eyebrow at her excuse.
Tsunade had determined Sakura had reached her breaking point, and pulled her from field assignments. Since then, Sakura had enrolled in medical school, Konoha footing the bill for her tuition. It was a nice change of pace, and as much as Sakura had prided in her skills as a covert op, she thought she might be done with it.
It was Ino who brought Sakura to the coffee shop. She had begged Sakura to accompany her for the better part of a month, going on and on about one of the attractive employees.
"Great coffee and eye candy, you can't ask for anything more!" Ino tugged a reluctant Sakura into shop. "They have an opening available for a part-time employee; I'm thinking of applying."
"You already have a job." Sakura gave a sweep of the room, because some skills died hard. There were a few comfortable chairs, and a row of stools along a wall where several college students tapped away at their laptops. There was a series of paintings along the walls of some adorable dogs. The smell of caffeine was heavy in the air. Sakura could see the appeal.
Ino smiled at the red-head behind the counter. "Hi Karin, I'll have a medium Pakkun today."
"And you?" The employee said in a bored voice.
"I'll take a large latte." Sakura didn't even glance at the board, reaching into her purse to pull out some money.
"No."
"What?" Sakura blinked at the rude employee.
"We don't make lattes," Karin replied with a bored voice as she pointed to the chalkboard above her head. "The Coffee Ninja only sells black drip coffee. There's eight blends, all named after the dogs on the wall. We have milk and sugar along the wall if you need it, but we don't do food or coffee full of corn syrup. If you want a dessert, there is a pastry shop across the street."
Ino rolled her eyes. "Serve her a cup of Pakkun too. Is that position for part-time still open?"
Karin shrugged as she handed two cups of coffee to them. "Give me a moment and I'll go ask the boss. He's in the back."
"Thanks," Ino gave her most winning smile to Karin. She tugged Sakura to a pair of seats by the window.
"I can't believe they don't serve lattes," Sakura said as she took a sip of her coffee. The bitter taste hit her first, followed by the high notes of citrus underneath. "Why would you want to work here? You don't even need the money!" It was true. Ino and the rest of her family had deep roots in the Konoha organization, and some of her more ambitious relatives were now affiliated with the government.
Ino laughed. "Only the hardcore coffee junkies come here. Nobody cares much about customer service, they just want caffeine. You should see it in the morning rush. It's a mad house. You see all sorts here, and my father was telling me that I needed to work on some of my observational skills."
"Well, I guess this is as good a place as any," Sakura replied as she took another drink. There was a complexity to the coffee that Sakura could appreciate; layers of flavor underneath each other that couldn't be found in a standard coffee shop. She was still trying to peg if the citrus flavor was lemongrass or orange.
Ino's eyes lit up as she looked over Sakura's shoulder to an approaching figure. "Good morning! I wanted—"
"No." A smooth baritone behind Sakura cut Ino off. "I recognize you, and I'm not hiring you so you can flirt with my employees." The voice niggled at Sakura's memory, and she turned to the side to catch a glimpse of unmistakable silver hair.
Fuck.
It was Sakumo.
"I do not flirt with your employees." For being in a secret spy organization, Ino was a terrible liar.
"Don't make me ban you," Sakumo warned. "Sasuke has already threatened to quit a handful of times. The only reason the morning rush goes as smooth as it does is because he knows half of the regular orders by heart."
Ino sighed. "Fine. I hate to ruin what a good thing we have going on." She gave her coffee cup an affectionate pat.
"What about your friend?" Sakumo asked. "She seems well-mannered."
Sakura took a hasty gulp of coffee and burned her tongue. She shook her head in response as she sputtered into her hand. In the two months since Sakura last saw him, she had cut her hair and it was back to her natural pink shade. But, Sakura was wary to use her voice in front of man whose observation skills surpassed her own. She made hasty eye contact, and was pleased to see he didn't seem to recognize her. Sakura felt the tension leave her body.
"Ah, too bad," he said. "I'll have Kiba man the counter again in the morning." He gave a short nod in goodbye. "Ladies." It was his polite tone that finally broke Sakura; she turned to watch him walk away. Every time Sakura took another look at Sakumo she learned something new about him.
Apparently, Sakumo liked to work out, because his ass was incredible.
Ino stood up from her seat and grabbed Sakura by the wrist. Sakura followed without protest, ignoring the twinge in her ankle.
~O~
It took Sakura a few days to summon up the nerve to return to The Coffee Ninja. She would never admit it to Ino, but she was going for more than the coffee. It's not like Ino would understand anyway; she didn't have a soulmark. Konoha was Ino's family business, and she had always had known she was going to work there.
Sakura was an outsider, recruited by Tsunade when Sakura finished high school three years ahead of her peers at the age of fifteen. Sakura had been shocked when the soulmark appeared on her eighteenth birthday. Spies weren't afforded the luxury of soulmates, and Tsunade revealed that Sakura was the only one in the organization who had one. Mortified, Sakura had tried to banish its existence by sheer stubbornness. Five years later, the mark had not budged from her ankle.
Sakura headed toward the coffee shop because she felt she needed a good start for the day. Tsunade had called her in for a meeting and those always had a fifty-percent chance of carrying bad news. Sakura was half a block away when she realized that the crowd in front of her was the line for The Coffee Ninja. She backtracked, relieved that the line moved quickly enough. A few minutes later, she found herself near the entrance. A large man was to her left, his auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail.
"Good morning, good morning," said the large man. "Let's keep the line moving and the coffee flowing!"
"I need some change, Chouji," said a customer as he handed a bill over. The employee reached into his apron, expertly counting out small bills and swapping them with the customer. Sakura pulled the bills from her wallet as she approached the counter, observing the organized chaos. Most of the employees were her age, displaying a sense of teamwork that would make Tsunade seethe in jealousy. The man in front of Sakura moved to pick up his order, and Sakura was suddenly in front of the prettiest face she had ever seen. Her eyes darted down to the name tag and she smirked. He was so Ino's type.
"You're new," said Sasuke, a small frown on his face which did nothing to deter from his good looks. "Please move to the table on the right for special attention." He jingled a bell that was hidden under the counter.
"Welcome!" cried the staff in unison.
Bewildered, Sakura did as she was told, perching on a stool next to a chalkboard sign.
The Coffee Ninja
We serve coffee as black as our souls.
Sakura snorted. One of the employees approached, a broad smile on his face
"Good morning, I'm Kiba," he said. The barista's wild hair was sticking out from underneath his cap. "I'm going to help you pick the right coffee blend. Are you new, or is this your first time during morning rush?"
"Ah, both? I only came here once with my friend and she picked the blend for me."
Kiba nodded. "Yeah, that's how we get most of our regulars. Word of mouth is crazy here. Well, here's how it works at The Coffee Ninja. We give you all sorts of attention during your first proper visit. After that, you have to follow our exact rules or the boss will ban you." He gave a wild laugh that rose above the noise in the coffee shop. "We have a perp wall in the back for those who don't follow the rules. So are you ready to start?"
"Okay," said Sakura. There was an easy going nature in Kiba's attitude that reminded her of Naruto. "I think I had the… uh…Pakum blend?"
"Ah, Pakkun! It's our most popular coffee blend and a good one to start out with, since it's mild and clean. We always have four pots of it brewing during the morning rush. So what did you think about it?"
"I liked it a lot! I'm not really a fan of bold coffee, I don't like that way it lingers."
Kiba nodded. "Okay, so I'm going to have you try two more. One is Guruko and the other is a seasonal called Akamaru. I think both of them are in your wheel house." Kiba made his way to the coffee pots and poured a couple of small cups. When he came back, he leaned forward as if he was sharing a secret.
"Personally, I'm a huge fan of Akamaru. The fact that the boss named the seasonal blend after my dog is purely coincidental."
"Oh, I'm certain," Sakura said, as she tried both cups.
"Right, here are the rules. The Coffee Ninja makes everything simple so everyone can get what they want as quickly as possible. Sasuke has been working here for years, and that jerk has photographic memory. If you don't try to follow the rules he will remember you and stick you on the perp wall. Morning rush is between the hours of six in the morning to ten. When entering, you must have exact change for your coffee. If you don't, you need to get change from the man by the door, or go somewhere else.
"Everything is evenly priced on purpose, to get people in and out. When you approach the counter, you are only allowed two words: the size of the drink and the blend of coffee. During this time, the cashier will ring you up, hand you a receipt and you go to the left to the far end to pick up your brew. Creamer and sugar are over by the table there, but I should warn you, most of the regulars call it 'the walk of shame.'" He gave Sakura a flirty wink that made her eyes roll.
"We close at ten for an hour to clean house, and open again at eleven. That's when the wifi is turned on, full sentences are allowed, and laptops are welcome. The coffee shop closes at three in the afternoon every day. Got it all?"
"Yeah, I think so." She looked down at the two cups of coffee and offered her money. "Medium Guruko."
Kiba pouted as he reached for her cash. "Ah, I thought for certain you would pick Akamaru. I'll go get your coffee, my lady."
Sakura smiled as she watched him enter the organized chaos. She jolted when the owner emerged from the back. Sakumo was as disheveled as always, silver hair falling in his eyes, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was wearing an apron like the rest of his employees, and he carried two large carafes of coffee. Sakura noticed his surgical mask firmly in place, hiding the name of his soulmate from public eyes. His team dutifully made room by carrying the spent containers to the back. Sakumo arched his eyebrow when he saw her, and Sakura felt her face bloom with a blush as she gave him a shy wave. He responded with his own salutation before vanishing to the back.
Sakura raised her hands to touch her burning cheeks. Dear lord, what was that?
Thankfully, Kiba returned to save her from wallowing in shame. "Coffee and receipt," he said.
"Thanks for your help," said Sakura with a smile. "You'll probably see me again soon."
Kiba gave her another wink. "I look forward to it."
Sakura laughed in response and followed the crowd out the exit door and into the street.
~O~
The Coffee Ninja became one of her regular stops. She enjoyed going there for several reasons. One was for its prime location; it was situated near some popular rail lines. The company wasn't too shabby either. Sakura had graduated from high school ahead of her peers, and she didn't have much contact with people her age. Before coming to The Coffee Ninja, the only people close to her were Ino and Naruto.
As much as she loved Naruto to bits, he was a bit oblivious when it came to normal social etiquette. He barreled right over what was considered polite with his forceful personality. Strangely, it made him ideal in Konoha's covert assignments. He was so cheerful that he was never regarded as a suspicious individual. Though Konoha issued mostly solo assignments, Sakura had partnered with Naruto a handful of times.
Once, they had infiltrated a resort town full of yakuza, who had arrived to spend the money they had swindled from a charity. Naruto had taken the assignment with a sort of cheerful ruthlessness that Sakura found unsettling. She delivered Tsuande's award winning drugs to keep their targets asleep. Naruto used the opportunity to rob their targets blind, taking everything from wallets to clothing. The next morning, their targets woke up poor, naked, and with a terrible headache they attributed to a hangover.
Sakura found the whole thing convoluted and ridiculous. But the mission ended up being five times more lucrative than any of the solo missions that Sakura had ever been assigned. Naruto's methods were right on the line between genius and madness. It was exhausting.
The Coffee Ninja was full of normal people; she was next to students close to her age, who shared her studious nature of quiet intensity. She found kindred spirits in the employees who treated everyone with dry exasperation. Kiba had even introduced her to a couple of his friends. And on a really good day, she was treated to the sight of Sakumo working the front.
Two months after being introduced to The Coffee Ninja, Sakura found out it stretched way farther than a little crush and a taste for caffeine.
"Hello," said Sakura, as she waved to Karin who was behind the counter. The red-head barely gave her a glance, even as she handed Sakura a cup of her preferred blend. Sakura didn't take it personally. The only person Karin liked was Sasuke, and Sakumo never scheduled them together.
The Coffee Ninja was a bit quiet today. Sakura knew that most of the students had a break from school and were spending time with their families. There was only one person in the shop, a large man she recognized as Karin's friend. Sakura took a seat at a table that gave her a view of the counter.
Her heartbeat fluttered when she saw Sakumo emerge from the back. He gave her a nod in greeting. Sakura gave a flighty wave that he didn't see, thankfully, as he focused on his attention on Karin.
"You can go ahead and go. It looks like there isn't much going on today."
Karin didn't need any more coaxing than that. She was out the door of the coffee shop no less than two minutes later, taking her friend with her.
"It looks like it's just us," Sakumo said with an amused voice as he watched the Karin fly out the door. "Do you need anything back here?"
Sakura shook her head in the negative. She felt her heart rate accelerate as he untied his apron and hung it on hook on the back wall. Sakumo came from behind the counter with a laptop under his arm, making his way to one of seats. He picked the table over; close enough to be social, far enough to be polite.
Sakura was a highly trained operated that specialized in breaking kneecaps. It was silly to be acting as if she had never spoken to a man. Yet, there was something about Sakumo that set Sakura's body on high alert. Her mind reminded her once more of the stolen book in her apartment. She really ought to return it. Maybe her nerves were misplaced guilt?
"I can leave if you want," Sakura offered. She watched Sakumo open up the laptop he brought with him.
Sakumo shrugged. "I'm going to be here anyway. I can't delegate my own work to anyone else when I'm the owner."
"What made you decide to open a coffee shop?" Sakura was curious. Sakumo was a smattering of interests that made no sense to her analytical mind. He liked porn, but then again, he didn't. He was interested in botany, and had an obsession with puppies? She couldn't help but be fascinated.
"I had enough money to open a business, and I wanted something simple that had a high guarantee of being successful." Sakumo had his eyes trained on the screen in front of him. "Everyone loves coffee."
Sakura leaned forward in interest. "You had the money?"
"Ah, yes. Years of winnings in the sumo business."
Sakura snorted into her coffee and ended up coughing as it went down the wrong way. Sakumo was muscular, lean, and tall; sumo wrestler he was not. She dabbed at her blouse with a napkin.
"Liar." Much to Sakura's horror, there was just a tad too much affection in her delivery.
"Maaa... is it so hard to believe?" He looked up from his laptop at Sakura. She compensated for her earlier for her friendliness by giving him a hard glare. "I used to fly in Japan's Air Force. I was very good." Sakumo returned his attention to his laptop. "Maybe too good."
Sakura imagined him in a flight suit, next to a plane. His hair blowing gently from the wind, and a helmet tucked under his arm. He gave a salute to a faceless man next to him, and turned to climb into his plane. It was an awfully appealing image.
"Why did you leave?"
"Rumor was they wanted to promote me to General. It wasn't really my thing. I had to leave before it was a serious concern."
"General?" Sakura gaped at him. Was this another lie, like the sumo wrestler thing?
Sakumo shrugged at her. His fingers were flying across the keyboard. He clearly had most of his attention on his work, so Sakura took a moment to think it over. Would Sakumo be a good General? He was rather young to be considered for such a position. But, Sakumo had a successful business, and employees who adored him. He certainly had an even temperament. Sakura nodded to herself as she took another drink of her coffee. He would have made a good General.
Oh, who was she kidding? She just knew that he would look good as a General. Sakura loved a man in a uniform.
"And what about you?" Sakumo asked. "I can't be the only sharing today."
"I am a med student. I'm using this time to work on my residency."
Sakumo lifted his eyes from the laptop for the first time in their conversation to give her an appraising glance. "So young?"
She felt a stab of irritation. There he was again, evaluating her age with just a glance. "I graduated early."
"Ahhh... clever girl."
"I'm not a girl."
He crooked an eyebrow her direction.
"I'm a young woman," she said in a firm voice.
"My apologies."
The conversation died on the spot. Sakura knew it was her own fault; she was far too defensive about her age. Sakumo seemed the sort to only have conversation out of politeness. She struggled to find something to say. Her eyes drifted to the surgical mask and she thought of the soulmark hidden from view.
'Hey, my name is Sakura. It sucks that we aren't soulmates because I think you're pretty hot.'
On second thought, silence was great.
Luckily, she was saved a minute later by a text. Tsunade demanded her presence immediately.
"Thank you for the coffee. It's really good. Not that I should thank you. I paid for it. Uh... yeah." She nodded to herself as she picked up her purse.
"Enjoy your day," he responded. Sakumo didn't look up from his screen. Sakura cursed herself as she reached outside. As much as she like to judge Naruto for his mediocre social skills, hers weren't much better. She had a hard time having conversations when Ino wasn't around.
Sakura arrived at headquarters an hour later. She was ushered into Tsunade's office as soon she arrived.
"We have a problem." Tsunade turned on the screen to Sakura's right and pulled up a headshot of a man with red hair. "I took you off active duty, but this debriefing is necessary. We have received intel that you are being targeted."
"What?" Sakura felt her skin erupt in goosebumps.
"It turns out your assignment from a few months ago was part of a larger scheme. Orochimaru was actually a part of Akatsuki, a criminal organization that is trying to take control of the country's infrastructure. They are extremely dangerous, high profile, and wanted by more than one government agency. The man to your right is the one we are most concerned about." Tsunade slid the remote Sakura so she could look through the profile at her own pace.
"Sasori? No last name?"
"It's an alias that we haven't been able to link to anyone. There isn't even any information on his age; we have reports of him being in his early forties to a teenager."
Sakura flipped through the available photos. There were only two defining details: his hair was a striking red color, and his height. Sakura estimated that he wasn't much taller than her, which probably contributed to the assumptions of his young age. There were a few more faces besides Sasori; half a dozen in total. The information was sparse, nothing more than she would find on a passport. Konoha kept careful track of the information they provided their operatives. Sakura didn't have the full clearance for a profile, unlike Ino.
"Sasori is a hacker that specializes in computer programming. His debut was creating a virus which was unleashed on the internet, and had the ability to deleted unwanted bloatware. The general public downloaded the virus, and their devices were used to target corporations. Many people were happy with the virus, and they refused to have it patched.
"Akatsuki discovered that Orochimaru was last seen with a young woman dressed as a high school teenager. Rumor has it they want Sasori to create a facial recognition program so they can find you in the city."
Sakura blanched. "If they do that, there won't be any place for me to hide."
Tsunade's face was grim. "Hopefully, they won't be able to find a good camera angle of your face. We want to have you take up your doctor residency in another country as a precaution. Gather the essentials you need and make your way to the Yamanaka household. We will send someone to pack your non-essentials tomorrow to be placed into storage. Their home is large enough that you won't feel like an intruder. You will remain there for the week while we make suitable accommodations for you overseas."
"I understand."
"I'm sorry, Sakura."
Sakura left the office with her head swimming. She had been part of Konoha Covert Ops for almost eight years, five of them as an active operative. Somehow, she was still shocked that she might be someone's target. Even worse, she was supposed to be a civilian now. Sakura paused when she stepped outside, raising her phone to look at the screen. There was a text from one of Kiba's friends, a quiet girl by the name of Hinata. Sakura was a bit envious of Hinata's social graces.
"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!"
Sakura's heart sank as she began to text back.
"Sorry. Something big came up. Tell you soon!"
She jammed her phone in her pocket and headed to the next rail connection. First thing she needed to do was pack a suitcase and then head to her old high school on the outskirts of the city. Sakura had stuffed an emergency kit in the theater, complete with a burner phone and change of clothes. It was in a great hiding spot, but Sakura shouldn't leave it there for years. She arrived at her apartment and headed straight for the closet to pull out her smallest suitcase. She was careful to mind which clothes she picked, choosing outfits that would be good for multiple situations.
Sakura went to her bookshelf and paused; she had space for one or two books. As her fingers ran over the spines, she caught sight of Sakumo's book. Gnawing at her lip, she pulled it off the shelf and read the inscription again. Sakumo's book had sentimental value. Shit.
She needed to return it to him, or else he wouldn't get it back for years. Sakura tossed the Icha Icha jacket cover in the trash and placed the book in her satchel. She would just have to have Ino return it to Sakumo at The Coffee Ninja, with an excuse. Glancing at the clock, she saw she still had enough time to head to her high school to retrieve her emergency kit before it became too late.
It was when she boarded the second connection that the problems began.
Her phone gave a beep as a text came in. She pulled it out to see it was from Hinata, telling her that she understood and would talk to her soon. Sakura sighed in disappointment. They were just getting to be real friends too. She went place her phone in her purse when someone pushed her from behind. The phone tumbled from her hand, and as soon as hit the ground, a foot bumped it, sending it skittering across the platform and into the gap below.
"Asshole!" Sakura said as she clutched her satchel. She whirled around to end up face-to-chest with a jacket. She only needed that phone for twenty-four more hours and she would have been in the clear. Looking up, Sakura felt her blood run cold as she recognized a face from the Akatsuki profile she saw hours ago.
The man was easily the tallest one on the platform. His spiked hair gave him additional height. Sakura felt her neck break out in a cold sweat. Kisame barely gave her a second glance before entering the railway compartment.
Sakura spent a brief moment deliberating. She could either follow or leave the platform. But she didn't have her phone anymore, and she had no way of calling anyone at Konoha to help her. If she followed her original plan of going to her old high school, she would be able to reach her emergency kit and call Tsunade. There was no way Akatsuki knew where she was going, so she wouldn't be heading into a trap.
She hoped.
Sakura made her way down the platform to a different rail car, in hopes of giving her some distance from Kisame. She gave a sweep of the cabin, looking at the passenger faces to see if there were any more threats. Her eyes paused on the familiar face of a woman, and Sakura crinkled her brow as she tried to place her face. It clicked into place when the baby in the woman's arms gave a whimper. It was the pregnant woman from a couple months ago that had accused Sakumo of being a pervert.
The rail gave a lurch as it departed the platform. Sakura twisted to look around another passenger to take stock of the rail car. She could see Sakumo's familiar silver hair peeking out from behind another book near the back of the cabin. Sakura felt her entire body grow warm with relief. She never found out if he really had been in the Air Force, but maybe, just maybe, he'd be willing to help her out a little bit if she needed it.
She took a deep breath to tamp down the butterflies in her belly before she approached him.
"Were you really in the Air Force?" Sakura demanded when she reached his seat. Sakumo lowered his book.
"Yo. Long time no see."
"I need an answer," insisted Sakura.
"Manners," Sakumo chided.
"What the fuck is with you and manners on the train?"
A look of irritation crossed Sakumo's face and he went back to his book. It appeared whatever polite manner he had disappeared in the evening. Perhaps, he was a morning person?
"Please. I need help." She gave one of his feet a nudge, her ankle brushing slightly against his.
"Clearly."
Sakumo had to have heard of Konoha if he truly had been up for General. Maybe he still had a contact or two. According to the information Tsunade had given her this morning, Akatsuki wasn't even supposed to be in the city. The only person whose presence was confirmed was Sasori.
The platform slowed. Sakura heard the doors open and she watched the people climb onto the rail out of the corner of her eye.
Shit.
She recognized one of them. He was a blond man with a careless smirk who was suspected of infiltrating the art community. He had managed to secure a grant, and rumor had it that he actually molded his sculptures with C4. First Kisame, and now Deidara?
Not good.
Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Sakura slipped into operative mode. She looked at Sakumo once more and eyed the surgical mask which hid his soulmark. Sakura hated to exploit him, but she had to use all available resources. Sakura stubbornly squashed down her guilt.
"My name is Sakura. I have two men chasing me. Can you help me?"
A/N: I am so fucking proud of that chapter title. What other tropes will I cram in here? You are more than welcome to guess. ;D
NEXT CHAPTER: Fisticuffs and Handcuffs
"You want compliments? Fine! Your tea is delicious, and I think you are too!"