Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the series. I just like to borrow them to make them do my bidding is all.

A/N: I've been wanting to post this fanfic for a while. I'm really excited about it. It's a combination of things-- humor, romance, adventure, drama, whatever.

Rated for adult themes and circumstances to come.

Stranger than Friction

Chapter One: Just Kakashi

"Sakura! Oh, Sakura!"

"…"

"Ooooh, just like that, Sakura-chan! Just like that!"

"…"

"Here, if you'll just toss your leg right over my shoulder…"

"…"

How I refrained from smashing his teeth in I do not know. I must've had the patience of a saint. Especially considering my incredible tolerance to bare the come-ons and moans by certain unconscious idiots with nary an eye twitch.

"Oh, Sakura… are you sure you haven't done this before?"

If I had not been presently carrying the blonde bridal style, I'd have most definitely smacked my palm into my forehead. Or his. Whatever would have made hearing this less humiliating.

"Sakura, has anyone ever told you that you've got lungs made for screaming?"

It was cruel and unusual punishment.

"I wont… forget this," I hissed between my teeth, my face blazing like a fireball.

Of course, it was a fair combination of things that had me flushing like I was. The lewd compliments. The squeals of imagined pleasure. The persistent gropes. The sun that seemed to be following me with a magnifying glass.

"Oh, Sasuke… you want a turn, too?" Naruto was next saying, his words almost slurring together as he twisted in my arms. I tilted my chin away when his face neared mine. Call me paranoid, but I had every right to be at this point. Last time, he 'accidentally' bumped his lips over my cheek. I think he missed.

Naruto continued. "Well, sure, Sasuke. There's enough of me to go around…"

This time, for the first time in hours, I could feel my dry lips twitch into a grin. "I definitely wont forget this," I felt the need to add.

An hour later, after more grunts, moans, and groans( not inspired by my name for a change ), the anticipated picture of Konoha's gates overwhelmed my case of homesickness with a wave a relief. The urge to just dump the deadweight that was Naruto at the entrance and book it to my apartment was maddeningly tempting.

A cold, cold shower sounded fabulous to me. Not to mention, I was starving. Suna food was good, sure, when you could pick most of the sand out of it, but just the thought of a traditional bowl of ramen made my mouth water and my stomach do all kinds of back flips. And my bed-- I didn't even want to get started on how much I missed it. It wasn't only the fact that I was exhausted that made me miss it, but I missed it because it was mine. Not some stale cot on the hard floor or a sleeping bag laid out in the middle of the desert, but it was my own real, soft, cushioned mattress of peaceful bliss.

Alas, I was too responsible to ditch Naruto when he was like this. I liked to think he wouldn't if it were me. That he would go through the trouble to make sure that I received proper medical attention even if he were running on little more than chakra… I liked to think that, anyway.

So, swallowing my personal wants and needs, I set out for the hospital like a good, concerned friend would. It never ceased to amaze me how glorious chakra-control was when one was running on an empty tank and their limbs felt like jelly. Indefinitely, my chakra had been very useful for the past hours. I couldn't imagine a life without it.

In no time, courtesy of good food, a bath, and bed as my incentive, I reached the hospital-- the same hospital I was usually cooped up in a million hours a day treating patients with kunai protruding from all kinds of places.

When I stepped inside, a rush of cool air greeted me and I sighed-- pure heaven. I leaned into it, but trudged on.

"Haruno-san!" I turned to face a duo of nurses flocking my way. Like they usually did. Like I usually went out of my way to avoid. "Is he…?"

"He's fine, Chiyo-san," I assured the brunette as I swiftly marched down the hall, "just an accident."

"What happened, Sakura?" the other nurse inquired( the kid who I had been saying hi to for the passed three years but have been too embarrassed to actually ask his name at this point ).

"Typical Naruto screw-up. Nothing serious," I answered, not caring to stick around for long. A cold shower was love right now. The young nurse eyed Naruto as he let out a moan and raised her eyebrows, doing her best to scramble after me as I cut through the department.

"Are you sure he's..?"

"Uh-huh," I said quickly as I took up the first flight of stairs in one measured jump. They couldn't hope to keep after me. Which, obviously, I'd no intention of letting them do. But, for the sake of their noses, I offered them a "sure am. He'll be okay, I guarantee it" before moving on.

After the second flight, I wheeled around the first corner, narrowly missed mashing Naruto's head into said corner, and was greeted by the exact motherly face I had meant to see. "Shizune-san," I breathed, "could you take care of this?" I shrugged the limp boy in my arms. His head rolled.

Shizune took one glance at Naruto and sighed disapprovingly as she led me through the corridor and into Room C12 six doors down. The room Naruto always frequented.

"What happened to him this time?"

-

Home. Home. Home.

The word ran over and over in my mind as I scuttled through the hospital, flying down to ground level. The mission debriefing could wait a little while. Right now I was dirty, tired, and hungry. A girl had her priorities. We'd returned a little bit early, anyway. No one would be looking for me.

Not to mention, there was sand lodged up in all kinds of places I didn't even want to think about.

"Um, Sakura… Sakura!"

I froze mid-stride and set my teeth. I talked through them. "Yes?"

Who was it? Who was it that could possibly want me now?

"The Hokage requests an audience of you," said that man-nurse that I had long ago determined too lispy to like girls.

"When?" I stared despairingly at the doors. Not even ten feet away. I could make it if I ran…

"Now, I believe."

"Of course she does," I growled, my tone laced with all kinds of sarcasm. I wanted to scream.

-

"Shishou? You wanted to see me?" I called through the door, deciding it was best if I didn't knock if Tsunade was to keep said door.

"Come in."

I opened the door a fraction and reluctantly peered inside, not quite in the mood to hear the Hokage point out my massive pit stains and tell me that my hair looked disgusting. This I already knew.

Through the crack I could see Tsunade, swamped with papers at her desk. Which might have explained her narked grimace now. "Yes, shishou?" I deeply hoped that the look on Tsunade's face didn't forecast a storm.

"Sakura, I said come in," Tsunade replied shortly, by the look of it, forcing her tone to be remotely civil.

"Okay," I sighed, and veered the door open. I was correct. She was pissed. I paused, mid-entry.

"Good afternoon, Sakura."

"Oh…" I gingerly closed the door behind me and pressed my back to it for just a moment. "Afternoon… Kakashi-sensei," I countered as I examined the silver-haired man leaning against the wall. He seemed to be particularly fascinated with the cobweb presently dangling from the air vent.

I didn't want to ask. Everyone knew that his practices were to never be questioned.

"Sakura," Tsunade said, snapping my attention to her in an instant. "How was the mission?" She was obviously forcing her lips into the most pleasant smile she could manage as she studied her perfect red nails.

"It was fine," I answered slowly as I approached her desk, suspicious now due to Kakashi's involvement and Tsunade's unusual beating around the bush. "Successful, anyway."

"Excellent. How's Naruto? I hope he wasn't too much of a pain?" Tsunade asked. I didn't know why she bothered asking. I already knew she knew everything. Shizune practically lived in her ear.

"He's downstairs… Fine. Possibly foaming at the mouth. But fine," I replied, wary still.

"Good, good," she hummed. Finally, the hokage looked up, her eyes seeming to home in on me. I squared my jaw and braced for the comment that would inevitably make me fluster. "Ugh," Tsunade hissed, her nose wrinkling. I grimaced.

"I-I know, Tsunade-shishou, but I was meaning to go and take a sh--"

"Kakashi-- you're making me nauseous-- get out. Uuugh. You're going to make a mess all over my carpet," Tsunade growled, her eyes shutting as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Gods, the smell of it is disgusting!"

I blinked at her, relieved and alarmed at the same time. Then I followed Tsunade's eyes to Kakashi.

"I'll be sure to ask the nice Mist ninja to try not to split skin next time they feel like sharing a friendly game of face-fist," he murmured evenly, his eye still absorbed on that one cobweb. "It might make a mess on the Hokage's carpet, I'll tell them."

"Watch it, boy," Tsunade snapped. "I'm already in a bad mood because of this potential war crap." And the tenfold paper heaps that it naturally strung along with it I guessed. "I don't need your sarcasm. Don't try me, Hatake. Get out! Go and get that looked at or something before you go into shock or something! Ew, get out, get out-- you're starting to leak!"

"...Yes, Hokage-sama," I heard him sigh.

"Kakashi-sensei, what--"

"Just Kakashi, Sakura," Kakashi corrected me. He didn't give me a chance to finish my question as he just offered me a two-fingered salute and exited Tsunade's office, the door clicking shut behind him. I could only stare at the door in his wake.

"What happened…?" I asked Tsunade instead, disgusted, but not nearly as much as my teacher seemed to be, given how she was breathing deeply and fanning her face with a packet that she'd seized from her desktop.

I watched Tsunade stride quickly over to the southern window and stick her head out of it. The scent of blood was never kind on her stomach. I was surprised she didn't hurl then and there. "Ask him," Tsunade murmured after a moment, nose still wrinkled as she faced me, but her eyes now opening to regard me curiously. "You'll have plenty of time."

My mind went in circles for a second. I could feel my eyebrow arch dubiously. "Shishou?" Tsunade interlaced her fingers together and crossed them over her stomach, all business now. Which I appreciated. I was never a fan of suspense. I tried to pay close attention.

"A while ago, we sent a team down to Mist to discuss negotiation. From what I understand, they were to return ASAP. You see, that's the problem. It takes only eight days to get there. The negotiation was scheduled for the day after they arrived. They've been gone for four weeks. Kiba Inuzuka. Shikamaru Nara. Neji Hyuga. Each are important assets to the village's forces. If they are alive, then there isn't anything to worry about. If they are not… this will not be taken lightly. The threat of war between Mist and Leaf has been hanging over this village for years now. If things turn out how I'm anticipating, it will be high time for Konoha to take the next step."

My eyes widened in horror. "You mean…"

"Yes, Sakura, that's where you and Kakashi come in." My jaw dropped. "Well, Naruto and Sasuke, too, but Sasuke's already involved with his ANBU mission and Naruto's making out with his pillow in the firm."

"Are you serious?" I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

"Well, sure. Shizune told me right before you showed up. Said he was practically sucking the stuffing out of it," Tsunade explained, shaking her head.

"Not that... I mean, you're going to send me and Kakashi-sensei there? To Mist? No back-up? No anything?" I said, hearing my voice climb a few octaves toward the end.

"No, Sakura, you aren't listening," Tsunade said sharply, making me bite my lip. I sincerely hoped that I wasn't listening and that I'd missed something here. "Naruto and Sasuke will catch up… in a week or so. It depends on how fast Naruto recovers and how soon Sasuke returns from his assignment," Tsunade smiled, as if what she'd said made a world of difference.

"But you said it yourself-- it takes eight days to get to Mist. Can't we wait for Naruto to snap out of it at least? You know him, shishou, he'll be on his feet in no time!"

"Sakura, Sakura," Tsunade sighed. "This can't afford to be put off any longer. This mission will tell us if the shinobi we sent are alive." She directed her eyes out of the window. "This mission will determine the next course of action for both Konoha and Suna, Sakura. This mission will decide if we go to war."

I honestly didn't know what to say. I didn't know if there was even anything I could say.

"Believe me when I say this. If there was any other practical alternative than sending your team down there, I would do it. But there is no one else. I wouldn't have assigned this to you if I didn't think you could do it. We're running low on first class shinobi. And I haven't been training you for seven years for nothing," she said, casting me a meaningful look at this last part. "Sakura, you are the only one I can trust to get this done. I would go myself, but…" Tsunade shot a nasty glare to a particularly large stack of papers invading her desk space. "…Well, so Shizune never forgets to remind me, I have other priorities. Sakura, there isn't anybody else. Only you can do this."

The argument was over. The feeling of there being nothing to say remained. Only… "Y-Yes, shishou."

"Good. That's just what I wanted to hear!" She clapped her hands together and folded them beneath her chin. "I gave the scroll regarding the details of the mission to Kakashi." She nodded at the door. "It's been ages since you all have been on a mission together, hasn't it? It should be like old times." Tsunade flashed me another smile that was supposed to make everything be okay. I didn't return it. "Alright, Sakura. You're leaving in exactly one hour." I felt my lower jaw promptly unhinge from the upper for the second time.

"But--"

"Prepare your things and set out. The potential for war depends on this. Depends on you and Kakashi both. However, there's zero pressure. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Y... yes, shishou," I answered, barely able to say anything passed the lump clogging my throat.

"Well, good luck and good bye."

I turned around and trudged out of the office, Tsunade's final words of "you look like hell-- go and take a shower" the icing to the pretty little cake I called My Life. My face was the picture of terrified, I knew, even as I started down the hall. Not even a chakra boost now could hope to lift my spirits.

"You're taking this rather well."

I groaned. "You think so?"

"Not really," the nonchalant voice told me, and I could hear Kakashi trailing along somewhere beside me. I didn't look.

"Thanks. That makes me feel a little better…" I drawled as I descended the stairs.

We were in front of the building before either one of us said another word-- both obviously speechless with the joy of it all. And, it was me who was first to break that silence. Of course. "Only one hour…" I murmured glumly. "That's hardly even enough time for me to shower and get ready… let alone eat and pack for another mission."

"Yeah, well," Kakashi shrugged, obviously not as bothered as I was. "You take what you can get."

"I suppose you're right," I admitted. "Where do you want to…" Kakashi tossed me a questioning glance when I abruptly trailed off and he turned to face me fully now. A part of me wished he hadn't. "Oh, that's sick," I mumbled as I stared at him narrowly. "Aren't you supposed to go and get your face looked at, Kakashi-sensei?" I accused, my tone threatening to tattle on him. His eyebrow arched and his lone eye narrowed to match mine.

I watched in horror as a thread of blood bubbled through his mask and seeped onto the concrete with a sickening splat.

"Well, you can't just be dripping all over the place all day long! For one it's disgusting to look at, and two, that cannot be sanitary. I'm sure they could find a way to fix it-- whatever it is-- without removing your mask, if that's what you're worried about," I said to him, putting out the arguement that was most likely to win him over.

When I thought about it, I didn't really think that it was very practical. Not without fixing his skin to his mask. But I'd rather that than have to see this all day. And all tomorrow. And all the day after. And all the day after that…

Kakashi in turn shrugged. "The few medicnin that are here are busy enough with the shinobi with real injuries," he told me, playing the 'it isn't a big deal' card on me like I knew he would. "Besides, it'll clot up sooner or later. Don't worry about it. If it bothers you, I'll just put my hand over it. See? Problem solved."

Problem not solved. I was not convinced. Another string of blood oozed as though it wanted to contradict him.

"Kakashi-sensei… What if it gets infected?"

"It won't." Drip.

"How do you know?"

"I thought that you were already aware of the fact that I know everything." Drip.

"Kakashi-sensei, if you don't do anything at all, it'll get all irritated when you talk…"

"That's easy enough. I just wont talk." Drip drip.

"As tempting an argument as that is, it might swell with pus and in addition to the blood that is already leaking through, there will also be a yellow fluid discharge." Yes. What better way to persuade him than to gross him out?

"Then I reckon that I wont ever get thirsty."

I frowned, displeased with his making no effort to cooperate. I'd had more patients more willing to amputate their finger. "And then, when and if it does coagulate like you say, when the wound scabs over, it'll glue to your mask and hurt even worse than it probably does right now. That is, before your skin grows to it. Then you wont ever have to remove the mask because it'll be attached to you."

"Why, that'd be fantastic."

"Sensei! Would you at least let me do it? I wont look, I swear." So he wouldn't stand to reason? I was always a good beggar.

"Sakura…"

"Kakashi-sense-ei," I whined, tilting my eyebrows in the way no one could resist-- my trademark. I felt a glimmer of hope when he went quiet for a long moment, probably running through his options. Though I think I made it clear that there was no other option.

Finally, he glanced at me from the very corner of his eye, sizing me up. "… You wont look?"

"Kunoichi's promise." I held up three fingers and put my hand over my heart. When he sighed, I smiled triumphantly, knowing that I had finally won. "Okay, sensei, we'll do it at the infirmary." I turned and started for the hospital door. When there was no footsteps behind me, I paused, and looked over my shoulder.

He was still standing there. He hadn't moved an inch.

"What is it?" I asked, confused. Kakashi raised his eyebrows. He was probably frowning at me, too, though I couldn't see it.

"Not where everyone can see, Sakura," he told me.

"But no one'll look," I argued.

"Not where everyone can see," he repeated, this time more sternly.

"You're so paranoid…" I grumbled. "Where then? I could do it behind a screen-- or go and find an empty hospital room?"

I frowned when he shook his head. "Your apartment?" He shook his head. "My apartment?" He shook his head. "Kakashi-sensei! You've got to work with me here! You're rejecting all my ideas. You think of somewhere where you'd be comfortable!"

He went silent. And then he sighed. "Fine."

-

"Okay, sensei. This wont take but a moment. And try not to mess anything up when you go inside, please."

"Oh, then you wont want me going in," he said dryly, "I might mess up your carpet." He gestured to his mouth and I narrowed my eyes at him but smirked all the same.

"Good thing I have wooden flooring." I led him into my apartment and gestured for him to follow me to the bathroom. I entertained the idea of making a u-turn that second and kicking him out for the sole reason of flinging myself face first onto my bed. I often entertained ideas. Never actions, sadly.

"You've got a nice place," Kakashi commented out of propriety as I held the bathroom door open for him as though I were welcoming a patient back at the hospital. A habit.

I smiled a 'yeah-I-know' smile and shuffled over to the closet to take out a rag. All that was left was white. I hadn't had the chance to do laundry in while. I hadn't been home in a week. And even before then, the hospital was always demanding my time. A vacation is what I needed. Not another mission.

"Alright," I murmured as I peered up at my teacher, not quite appreciating the height he had on me even as he slouched. "How are we going to do this? Oh, I know! Sit on the counter." I patted the countertop as though I were trying to get a dog to jump onto it. Kakashi didn't seem to mind.

"You're the doctor," he said and obediently perched upon the spot I'd indicated for him. Turning on the water faucet and pressing the rag under it, I aimed Kakashi a pointed glance.

"Right, well, I'm not going to look like I promised you… but if I poke out your last good eye by accident, it's on you," I mumbled as I squeezed the excess water from the cloth.

I saw him shrug in the corner of my eye. "It wouldn't be a terribly foreign experience," he replied evenly, "I should think I'd manage." I sighed, but nevertheless, proceeded to dutifully ring out my cloth. His next words caught me off guard.

"I don't trust you."

"Huh?"

"I don't trust you not to look."

"I told you-- I wont," I piped hotly, indignant now that he didn't believe me. Kuniochi's promise! Hello-o! "After all these years, you still don't trust me?" I hissed.

"Of course I do," Kakashi answered plainly. "I trust you to be a good little Kunoichi and do what your elder bids of you. Now, cover your eyes. You can use your headband. Or you can even use mine if you'd prefer it?"

"Tch!"

"Come on, Sasuke. Quit huffing and let's get this done already. We've a mission, you know."

"I am aware," I rejoined.

Ultimately, I did do what I was told, sourly, but come two minutes, I'd managed to tie the headband-- my own headband-- about my eyes with it knotted at my temple as he instructed me.

"All I need now is a stick to beat you with," I grumbled. I didn't like not being able to see. I felt paranoid.

I situated myself just in front of where I imagined his knees were and pressed my hand against his shoulder so I'd have at least a vague idea of where he was. So that I wouldn't brain myself all over the counter. I sneered when I felt my teacher quiver with some silent laugh, undoubtedly because of how I looked now.

"Yeah, yeah, giggle at me all you want," I chuckled, also smiling. "I imagine that people who wear their headbands over their eyes do look a hell ova' bit foolish." I laughed when he promptly went still, and I entertained the idea of him scowling. "Now hold still." I slowly reached my hand up and blindly played my fingertips along the feathery contour of his hairline. I stretched the pads of my fingers down his temple and paused when I felt him subtly blink his eye closed when my thumb passed over it. "Whoops," I murmured. "See, I'm already out to get you."

"Are you?" he grunted. His eyelashes tickled my thumb.

"Mm," I hummed.

When my fingers hooked beneath the stretchy mask material, I couldn't help but worry my lip. I slowly began to peel the mask downward and I could feel my fingernails graze along the upper portion of one very human feeling cheek. And, even without thinking, I hesitated.

"Anything wrong?" I heard my sensei say, felt the vibrations of him enunciating through his mask.

"No," I told him quickly.

"I think there is. Your face looks like a tomato," he accused. His tone caused me to shake my head with a bit of vigor, and my face grew even hotter when I realized that he most probably had been observing me the whole time.

"It's a sun burn. Suna does that to you-- especially when you're as white as I am," I explained.

"Does it?" he hummed, and my nose wrinkled to hear the slight undertone of humor threading his words.

"Yes," I said in a growl, forcing my fingers along with determination.

"Okay then." For whatever reason, my fingers froze. Again. I could have kicked myself in the head for it. But I couldn't help it. "I take it that it's the sun burn?" Kakashi guessed, sarcastic.

"No," I admitted.

"Maybe there's another condition that I don't know about?" he said and I pursed my lips.

Finally, I gave him an answer. If it could even be called that. "...It's just unreal."

"How so?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his usually disinterested timbre.

Now that I knew he was listening and not contemplating how many different ways he could rearrange the letters in his name, I felt a bit stilted. Another lame answer was in store. "Well… this is you."

Kakashi let out a quiet gasp of mock astonishment, "Me? I had no idea."

I flicked him in the forehead and growled. It was difficult enough to say it without his unwarranted sarcasm. "You know what I mean! It's just odd that after eight years of nothing at all…that right now… eh." I suddenly cut myself off before I further embarrassed myself. "Never mind," I finished, "it's actually quite silly now that I say it."

It unnerved me when Kakashi didn't say a word. No sarcasm, no anything. I imagined him burning black holes into my face with his stare and though I had no way of possibly knowing, I suddenly found myself wanting to shrink behind my headband. But, as there was no way to do so that didn't consist of bending some scientific law or something, I was condemned to sizzle in the hot soup of my own musings.

I jolted when I felt a warm something curl over my fingers and unattach my hand from the mask. This lasted for a second before, with what I quickly discerned his fingers-- fingers that made mine feel like little pigmies-- he steered my hand to where I figured his chin was. If, indeed, he had a chin. For all I knew, he had a mutant elbow that he was deeply ashamed of.

"We need to get a move on, Sakura," Kakashi said and moved my hand to his mouth-- a normal, two-lipped mouth. I felt the raw warmth of his chuckle when I tensed. "Relax, Sakura," he said to me, "I'm not going to eat them. At least, not without any salt."

I would have said something like 'eat as much salt as you want. That's just what your gash needs'-- I would have had I not felt as though I was about to suffocate for lack of breathing. After having achieved the feat of directing my finger to the wound, I felt his hand draw away.

"That feels horrible," I finally commented, gently touching my thumb to the jagged and fair bit slippery rift in the corner of his lower lip.

"But let me tell you, it feels fantastic," he murmured against my probing digit, "especially when you poke it."

My lips twitched into a sneer. "Well, you wont let me see it. I need to determine how big it is so that I can know what kind of thing I'm working with here," I explained before gasping. "Oh my… it's huge!"

I didn't realize why at the time, but Kakashi's lips twisted infinitesimally when I said this. Probably at what I said and how I said it. But I was too absorbed into my work now to fully notice.

"I can't work when your lips are moving," I told him next. "So don't talk anymore."

Plus it was distracting.

I felt his mouth part to emit a Shikamaru-esque sigh before pressing into a taut line. I couldn't help but smirk at his compliance and lightly touched the damp corner of the cloth to his lips.

"So how'd you get this thing anyway?" I asked in order to occupy my patient in the way I'd learnt to do as a medicnin. When I felt his mouth open to answer, I quickly cut him off, "oh, don't answer that." I chuckled. "Stop frowning. You'll make it bleed more. And no, that doesn't mean to say you can grimace either."

I'm sure I was grinning. There was nothing like bossing Kakashi around. Something I could have definitely gotten used to.

It took longer than I thought it would to finish cleaning the gash. Of course, if I wasn't smearing the cloth across his cheek every time I came back from rinsing the thing, it might have gone along alot quicker. When I was sure that I'd gotten most, if not all, of the blood from his chin, I put my hand on his shoulder again and patted to let him know I was done.

"Alright, face the mirror and see if I got all the blood, okay?" I said. He twisted around slowly before turning back to me.

"I guess," he said, my hand shifting with his shrug.

"Good." I tossed the rag over to the sink. I heard it splat against the mirror. "Now for the finishing touches…" I reached for his face. My palm smacked into it. "Sorry."

I lied. It was his fault.

"Lovely," his muffled voice spoke into my hand. I laughed.

Maybe I was out to get him.

I next lightly pressed my index and middle finger to his lips. "Alright. This might twinge a bit," I warned him. He hummed his consent against my fingers in response. I released a measured breath, concentrating.

Like a flick of a switch, the chakra eddying in my belly redirected in an instant, flowing down my bicep, through my forearm, and into my fingertips like an electric pulse. These days, it wasn't hard to control it. However, presently, it took all my effort to focus it. But I was managing. Without even realizing, I had moved my hand from his shoulder and propped it on the counter. My arm felt too heavy to support for some reason.

Before I was anywhere near finished, I felt Kakashi's hand grab my wrist and pull it away from his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused.

"I could ask you the same thing," was the answer I got.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your hand's shaking," Kakashi pointed out, and I felt him tap the center of my palm with his finger as if half expecting my hand to fall off. "That's never happened before."

"I'm running a little low on chakra, maybe, but really, it's fine," I reassured him, moving to put my hand to his lips again. It didn't move. His hand had tightened around my wrist to prevent it. I frowned.

"We're done here. Save your energy," he told me, and all too quickly, it seemed, he pressed my hand to the surface of the countertop-- where he was supposed to have been sitting-- and his voice was coming from somewhere behind me. "I told the Hokage that it was a bad idea to ship you out when you'd be this worn."

"Wait-- Kakashi-sensei!" I wheeled around so fast that I face planted into something that had me stumbling back. Fortunately, that same something caught me by the arm right before I scattered the contents of my skull across the mirror.

"Just Kakashi," his voice was correcting me, and suddenly I could see again. I cringed against the light, and saw his hand draw back to lodge itself into his pocket. To my dismay, his mask was up, and his eye was peering at me over the top. This made me grimace.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" I said, taking a few hasty steps toward him.

He stopped me when he held up his hand. With his other arm, he reached into the closet and procured a towel, which he tossed to me. "Then take a shower. We'll be leaving in forty-five minutes." In answer to my expression, he added, "Don't worry. You stopped the bleeding. I'll be good for now."

"Come on," I tried. "It wont take a second. Let me finish what I started."

"You are finished," Kakashi said flatly. "Now, if you've got the energy to argue with me, you have enough energy to get ready." He turned around and strolled out of the bathroom. "I'll meet you at the Eastern Gates in forty-five. If you want to help me, eat something. That'll make me feel loads better."

I sighed in defeat. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

"Just Kakashi."

"Hmph," I huffed, closing my bathroom door. I could already see it. This was going to be a long, long mission.