If you thought the way I did,
Rolled your eyes the way I did,
Twisted your heart the way I did… We just might've gotten along.
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A resounding crash of glass breaking and old wooden windowsill flying off with it was enough to give any one a jump start to their day; including hers. Sai was cheered with the success he had as her green emerald eyes snapped wide open and alert at the sound as her nimble fingers flew to her thigh in search of a weapon. But as her mind woke and registered the "enemy" smiling mechanically in front of her and the window she had cleaned so carefully to the edges just a few days ago blown to pieces decorating her floor, she froze.
As calm as she could, she managed to whisper a hoarse "What are you doing here?" before coughing clutching her dry throat.
"We were supposed to meet a few hours ago but you didn't turn up. So I thought I'd come in and remind… you… of our… meeting?" His sentence broke off uncertainly as the young woman steadily got to her feet and walked towards him like a lifeless zombie. With her hair knotted and tousled around her face and dark circle rimmed eyes fixed on him, he couldn't help take a tentative step back until his back pressed against the sink. A few slow steps later, she stood directly ahead of him. He stood rooted to the spot unable to make any rational sense out of her behavior- until she wordlessly held out her mug to him. Sai's mind frantically tried to piece together her bizarre actions into making some sense. Was she asking him to give her water? Perfectly plausible- she really did look like a dehydrated hag. So was he supposed to-
Boom!
…Ahh. So she wanted to hit him.
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Sakura surveyed the mug in her had critically. A deep crack had chipped its way through the entire mug and she sighed at the prospect of having to throw it out. She quite liked that mug- it was the 7th one she bought to replace the ones she had punched into intruding friends and seven was a fond number to her. Not to mention the fact that the shop keeper had guaranteed her 10 years with that mug. He's said it with a Gai-like zeal (and a Gai-like thumbs up to which she almost felt obliged to ask whether he was related to the Green Beast or not) she took his word for it. It lasted her barely 2 weeks.
Well it may have lasted the promised 10 years if she could control her temper a little better. …But the sight of her pale teammate cringing on the floor was probably worth the 9 years and 50 weeks the mug just lost.
Still quite pissed by his unbelievable choice of entry, Sakura was unfazed when Sai looked up at her in pain. She would ignore him- how dare he break into a lady's house? He should've knocked on the door or pressed her bell or he should've –
Contrary to her dark mood she was already grinning guiltily and making her way to him.
…Damn her medic instincts.
Sakura stepped gingerly over the stray pieces of glass and wood before kneeling by her fallen comrade. He did not look in pain anymore though he was now noticeably wary of her and her mug. She inwardly sighed at her short temper and quickly treated the skin that was threatening to bloom a bruise. A quick brush of her hand across his exposed abdomen was all she needed- after many years of training under the best medic and the leader of the fire country, a minor injury like this required only minimal chakra and almost no thought. But she healed him slower than she could have; unconsciously feeling a slight flutter in her chest at the touch of solid built muscle under the firm stretch of surprisingly warm skin.
Most of her shinobi patients had bodies as well built as this as could be expected from a lifestyle as rigorous as theirs. The same went with the majority of males who had been forced into surrendering their beer bellies and potato couch lifestyles to turn the interest of the female villagers back onto them. But Sakura couldn't help admire the pale body just that little bit more. Perhaps because the said body belonged to a charcoal haired man and reminded her of another just like him, she never knew. Regardless, Sakura took her time until the skin had (to her disappointment) responded quickly to her chakra and repaired perfectly.
She briefly patted the healed skin as if to test the validity of her work and nodded satisfactorily to herself.
"You're good as new." She smiled at him and he simply smiled back at her.
"Thank you, hag."
A cracking punch quickly followed his reply.
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"So why are we being called into the tower?" Sakura asked cheerfully as her poor teammate trudged along her rather mournfully rubbing his aching head.
"The Hokage-sama requested we come by her office by noon today for a mission briefing. In case your large forehead is useless and incapable of remembering the finer details, you were the one who said we should meet up earlier to catch a late breakfast together before we head up there together since we're both in the mission." He replied smoothly, a constructed smile replacing his initial frown as they passed the bakery. A vein literally popped at the forehead comment, but she decided to let it slide. She wasn't going to waste her strength on him any more than she had to.
Though it would let her touch his beautiful abs again…
Oh Lord. She inwardly slapped herself. She did not just think of groping her teammate's abs.
Exhaling controlled breaths, it must be fatigue from work last night, she told herself. She should see to her roster as soon as she could; these thoughts were rather alarming. It had only been a few years since her teen sweetheart left the village and already her "love" for him was dying and instead fluttering around another. The thought itself disturbed her.
So instead of letting her fist make the point, she cleared her throat threateningly and the man raised his hands in innocent surrender.
Ugh… I should be throwing up my hands at YOU, she scoffed inwardly before scoffing at herself her own thoughts just a few seconds ago. How could she even think of an insufferable emotionless pale thing like this romantically? Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at herself (which would be rather damaging to her image), she shook her head slightly and continued on her way towards the circular tower overlooking the village.
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Sakura smiled politely and waved her hand to the man guarding the entrance to the hokage tower. The old man instantly recognized her and even bothered to wave back casually, throwing her a set of keys from his belt loop. Of course this was against the rules for him- he was supposed to ask her questions to make sure she was not a fraud enemy ninja before even letting her get through the entrance door, let alone gain access of his master keys, but he could probably recognize her by her footsteps even before checking her face.
At some stage of Sakura's training, she had healed him from a bee sting, forging a kind of friendship only a security guy and a medic nin could produce. The security man somehow felt complied to granting her special access to the back door of the tower which led directly to the hokage's room at this and the impressive gesture moved her to bring the old man eye drops on a weekly basis.
Now routinely walking comfortably through the shortcut route to their destination than the long dizzying hike up, Sakura could only think that being under the direct guidance of the Hokage herself had its random advantages at moments like these.
Thanks to her shortcut, Sakura and Sai were able to reach the Hokage tower by ten past 12. They were only ten minutes late; Tsunade couldn't possibly be briefing already. Even if she were she wouldn't be mad yet. Could she? A thoughtful look crossed Sakura's face.
"Why are you pushing me?" Sai looked over his shoulder, a puzzled expression taking over his creepy smile as she pushed his back forcefully towards the Hokage room door first. Was this another one of those irrational things she did? Sai would have to think deeply about this. Sakura had already physically abused him then healed him, and now she was giving up the front lead she quite liked to have when they walked together. Could it be what people call "generosity"? Or was there an ulterior motive? Kakashi-senpai had always said to "look underneath the underneath," but was there an underneath to Sakura's actions?
When Sai continued to look questioningly at her, Sakura nudged him impatiently. Still trying rationalize her behavior, Sai curiously knocked the door and opened it ajar.
A vague sound of something slicing through the air was all the warning he had of a flying tea cup heading accurately through the small gap of the door.
Boom.
…Ahh. So she did have an ulterior motive.
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"Right, so before I was interrupted by the late comers," the Godaime glared at a pained Sai and a meek Sakura
"I was just telling you about the details of the mission. Hyuuga Neji, you're leader- take the mission scroll. You'll find all the necessary details in there." Hyuuga Neji reached over and took the scroll and jerked his head to the others in a gesture to get out of the room. But as Sakura, Sai and Hyuuga Hinata began to shuffle out of the room, Tsunade's voice stopped them.
"Hold on- before I let you go I must make this one thing clear so listen up. This is to be a scouting mission. I can't emphasise that fact enough. Just a scout, a recon mission. There is to be no ambushing or pre-emptive striking on the enemy unless you are forced into battle. Though I would prefer you escape- your lives are our top priority." Tsunade's glance lingered over her pink haired apprentice at the last sentence.
An intense layer of tension quickly enveloped the room. What could the mission be about to cause the Hokage so much worry?
Sakura's brows furred as she thought of all the possible missions to suit a team of a prodigy, a heiress, a painter and a healer. She came up pretty blank and judging by the equally blank expressions on her team's faces, she wasn't alone. But then a thought struck her. Could it possibly be…? It couldn't be- surely if a mission like what she was thinking came in, the Hokage would've called up the energetic blonde boy too. Sakura decided to keep her mouth shut. The tense atmosphere thickened and she could bring herself to clearing it.
So a full minute later, it was Neji who finally broke the silence and the confusion.
"Godaime-sama, what is the mission about?" His voice was a little strained.
Tsunade's eyes locked with the prodigy's pale lavender ones, and he did not dare blink at her intimidating stare. Instead he kept his eyes focused and looking almost disrespectfully back at her. Tsunade finally looked away, cracking a small lopsided smile, before pursing her pink lips tightly as if she was choosing her words carefully.
Sakura pursed her own lips in anxiety and anticipation awaiting the bombshell.
The Godaime's lips finally opened.
"Your mission is to scout the area where Uchiha Sasuke is rumoured to be fighting his blood brother Uchiha Itachi after single handedly destroying Orochimaru and the entire Sound village. Gather information of their whereabouts and the retrieve Uchiha Sasuke."
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Thanks for reading
-Helst
