Chapter Two
The Art of Making Bets
Sakura woke to the smell of hot tea and… was that miso soup and steamed rice? Blinking away the sleep from her heavy eyelids, Sakura pushed herself up on her elbows and found the warn fabric of her couch cushion rubbing against her skin. Her favorite plush scarlet blanket was tangled around her in a heap, and there was a pillow beneath her head. Strange… the last thing Sakura remembered was being outside with– "Kakashi," she said aloud.
The man in question was standing in her kitchen with his back to her and appeared to be preparing a meal. He was wearing his sleeveless training shirt and the standard tactical pants issued to the jonin. As usual, his mask was pulled up to hide everything from his nose down. He'd abandoned his forehead protector and his clean and freshly combed hair artfully framed his face. Sakura would probably never tell him, but with his hair that way, she thought he could pass for a man in his early twenties instead of a man of thirty-three.
Without turning to face her, he said, "Tea?"
Sakura pushed herself up in a sitting position, drawing her knees to her chest as she fixed the blanket like a cape around her shoulders. She was still wearing the clothes that were covered in Naruto's blood and she felt unusually groggy. She answered him with another question as she turned her head to gaze out the window. "What time is it?"
"A little after ten in the morning," Kakashi told her, walking into the living room with a steaming mug. He sat on the edge of her coffee table, leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees and extended the warm drink.
"Thank you." Sakura smiled at him, cradling the mug between her small palms. "I fell asleep on your shoulder last night, didn't I?" Sakura felt a rush of heat dusting her cheeks with color when she realized that Kakashi more than likely had carried her back into her house and tucked her into bed–well, her couch, but the nuance was still the same.
With total nonchalance, Kakashi replied, "You were snoring."
Sakura openly scoffed at him. "I don't snore!"
"You did last night," he insisted. The corner of his eye creased and Sakura could only assume he was smiling. She just prayed he was also teasing, because there wasn't much else she could think of that would be more embarrassing than snoring in front of her ex sensei. Okay… so there were a few things but she wasn't going there.
"Where's Naruto?" She opted to change the subject.
"Naruto was awake at the crack of dawn, entirely healed thanks to you, and was on his way home to shower so he could go visit with the Hokage," Kakashi informed her. He cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck to the side, popping more vertebrae.
Sakura hummed. She must have really been out of it to have slept through Naruto leaving her house. It wasn't like the guy was naturally quiet or light-footed. "I see." She sipped her tea, noting that her mouth felt a little like sandpaper and the warm liquid helped ease the dryness in her esophagus. Perhaps she had snored… "When did you get in?"
Kakashi rubbed a hand up the back of his neck, dropping eye contact and found a scuff mark on his boot that was far more fascinating. "I slept on the recliner," he admitted with some reluctance. "Hope you don't mind."
"I don't mind." It wasn't like it was a first for any of her teammates. When they were injured, Sakura preferred it that way so she could keep an eye on them. Besides, it wasn't like they did a very good job of taking care of themselves.
"I did go home to shower and change after speaking with the Hokage, but I wanted to check on you and Naruto. It was late and I was tired, and you had an empty recliner…"
Sakura felt her lips slowly turning up at the corners. "You don't need an excuse, Kakashi. You guys know you're always welcome here." Sakura dropped the blanket cape from her shoulders and stood up to see what smelled so good in her kitchen. Her stomach was growling, and having slept for close to twelve hours had made her famished. She sat her mug down on the counter, and stood on the tips of her toes to pull down a couple of bowls. "You didn't eat yet, did you?"
"No." He was suddenly behind her, casually leaning against her counter top with his ankles crossed. Sakura scooped out two healthy portions of miso and handed the first bowl to Kakashi since he had been kind enough to make her breakfast. Naruto and Sai usually waited for Sakura to make them breakfast, and she had to admit, Kakashi's gesture had been sort of endearing.
She climbed up on her counter, bouncing her heels off the cupboard as she spooned in the first mouthful. "You know," she began, "I don't think I realized you could actually cook."
Kakashi laughed lightly. "I have managed to keep myself properly fed for a number of years, Sakura-chan."
Sakura grinned. She kept her eyes on her meal because she knew that was the only way Kakashi would eat in front of her. He was incredibly stealthy with that damn mask of his, and Sakura had long since given up the effort to try and snatch it off his face, or catch a glimpse of him without in on. In fact, as genin, 'Snatch the Mask' was one of Team Seven's favorite pastimes. They'd only come close to succeeding once, but at the last second, Kakashi–or rather his shadow clone–had disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
They all had bets going about what Kakashi was hiding under his mask. Sasuke, though not an active part of their team anymore, believed that Kakashi was missing teeth. Naruto was sold on the idea that his face was covered in craters from scarring of teenage acne, and Sai believed he had a huge gap between his front teeth. Sakura was under the impression that there was nothing wrong with his face and his reasons for hiding it were simply personal. Whatever the real reason, the group more or less respected his wishes to remain private–more where Sakura was concerned, and less when the boys decided a night of drinking gave them the right to make a go of it in their inebriated states–to which, never ended well for them.
"So," Sakura prompted, "do you have anything you'd like to share with me?" She'd been dying to ask him what the Hokage might have spilled since she'd woken up to find him in her kitchen.
"Maybe." Kakashi sat his empty bowl in her sink. "After you tell me how you depleted most of your chakra reserve yesterday."
Sakura met his one visible onyx colored eye and wondered how a man who kept the majority of his face hidden still managed to look cross. Really, it was mind-boggling. "I pulled a double shift at the hospital yesterday," she admitted. "Everyone has been wrapped up in missions and I was bored." Sakura scraped her spoon across the bottom of her bowl, aimlessly stirring the contents. "Saving Naruto took every ounce I had left."
"And healing my shoulder pushed you over the edge." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You could have told me Sakura, I would have gone to Tsunade or Shizune."
A small spark of anger briefly ignited in her chest. "I know my limits," she said a little more sharply than she'd intended. Sakura knew Kakashi was only looking out for his team but he just didn't get that Sakura felt responsible for their well-being. She'd rather exhaust herself taking care of them than have them wallowing around in pain.
"You and I both know that one day of overexertion wouldn't have caused you to deplete that much chakra. I think you've been pulling more than a few doubles at the hospital. I'm guessing they've been back to back, too."
Sakura squeezed the spoon in her hand until she felt the metal start to bend. Why did he have to be so damn perceptive? She knew better–she really did, so she didn't bother with making an excuse. She sat her bowl down and folded her hands in her lap. "You're still babying your shoulder today so I must not have finished the job." She held up her hand, waving him over with her index finger. For a moment, she wasn't sure if Kakashi was going to give in, but then he ambled over, sighing. She felt his breath on her face.
"I won't tell you what you already know, but you should really–"
"–Then don't," she interrupted. She knew what he would say–that she should take better care of herself. Truthfully, it was just nice that he cared. Sakura summoned healing chakra into her hands and pressed her glowing fingertips into the round of Kakashi's shoulder. His skin was bruised from where she'd slammed his bones back in position but hadn't been able to fully heal. She noticed a few other pale lines etched into his taut skin from wounds he'd received over the years; scars that had all but entirely faded. Kakashi had nice, strong arms that complimented the rest of his figure. She'd always admired the look of him; tall and lean, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Sometimes that admiration would sneak into the foreground of her mind unbidden, at the worst possible times–like right now for example–when he was close enough that Sakura could smell the light woody aroma of his aftershave.
"So what did you find out from our beloved Hokage?" Sakura prompted again.
"Tsunade sent out a backup team of Anbu initiatives to scout the area outside the gates. They were instructed to kill those who were left, and to bring in their leader for questioning."
"So Gaara didn't send them back with anything the rogues might have wanted?"
"I think," Kakashi said, "Naruto would have told you that much." His eyebrows rose to drive the point and Sakura sighed.
"Who's leading the team of Anbu?"
Kakashi didn't reply. He held Sakura's gaze and the drawn out silence was answer enough.
"You can say his name you know. I'm not going to break." Sakura finished healing Kakashi's shoulder and dropped her hands to the counter, squeezing the edges with her palms.
"I wasn't trying to imply you were fragile, Sakura." Kakashi faced the counter beside her, bracing his palms against the flat surface as the muscles in his triceps split into a rather defined V. "Sasuke is rather touchy topic with you and Naruto. I was trying to be subjective."
Sakura took interest in her hands, picking at a hangnail that she'd subconsciously been working at for the last couple of days. "Anbu suits him," Sakura said dismally. "His emotions–or lack thereof, are befitting for the type of work that's required of Anbu Black Ops." Sakura's green eyes were drawn to the red spiral tattoo on Kakashi's bicep–the mark of the Anbu. Sakura knew that Kakashi had belonged to Anbu in his younger years, though he never talked about it. Shinobi selected for that line of work were chosen because they possessed a certain darkness… Sakura had heard rumors of Kakashi's past and knew that he'd been through a great ordeal of trauma at a very young age, but looking at him now it was hard for her to associate him with darkness. She sensed a deep sadness in his soul, but no darkness.
Not like Sasuke.
"He's trying, Sakura," Kakashi's voice had gone unnaturally soft. "He knows that he put you and Naruto through a lot and in his own way, he's trying to atone."
Sakura snickered humorlessly. Even after all this time, after everything that Sasuke had put the whole team through–not to mention the village, Kakashi was actually still defending him. The man was an anomaly and though he was one of the most feared and respected shinobi in all of Konoha–if not in all the five great shinobi lands, Sakura still couldn't glimpse that pearl of darkness within him. She looked at him, impetuously covering the back of his hand with her palm she said, "You don't have to pretend like what he did didn't hurt you, too."
Kakashi's eyes were lucent when they met Sakura's. She felt him stiffen beneath her touch, and when his eyes shifted to her hand on top of his, Sakura realized what she had done. A knot gathered in the center of her chest but she didn't dare move her hand. Sakura wondered if Kakashi's own pain on the matter of Sasuke had ever been recognized. The man was the mere definition of stoicism; he shouldered so many burdens and never once complained. She thought he was the strongest man she knew, but even the strongest needed comforted every now and then. Determined to get her point across, Sakura squeezed Kakashi's hand.
Kakashi didn't look up. He kept staring at her hand on his, a soft crease forming between his brows. Sakura would have traded ten-thousand Ryo to know what sort of thoughts were bouncing around his head. The pink-haired nin was stubborn and refused to release him from her grip. Vaguely, she wondered if Kakashi knew just how important he was to her–to his whole team. She determined that they would just have to get better at finding ways to let him know.
A moment passed before Kakashi seemed to relax, and in a motion that surprised Sakura, he covered the back of her hand with his.
~/~
Kakashi stayed to help Sakura clean up the small mess he'd created from making their breakfast, and even helped scrub her kitchen table clean. Ninja were well acquainted with bloodstains, and knew a couple of tricks to remove all evidence that a mess had been made. Unfortunately for Sakura's table, that also meant the top layer had practically been sanded off, and needed re-stained with a proper coat of varnish. As far as her white T-shirt was concerned, it would need to be soaked in bleach if she had any hopes of reviving its brightness.
After Kakashi left, Sakura took a shower and dressed in a pair of black shorts and a quarter-sleeved crimson colored top that showed off the delicate curves of her physique. At the door, she slipped into her shoes and headed out into the sunshine.
Sakura had barely rounded the first corner at the end of her street before almost bumping (literally) into her second favorite loud-mouthed blond. "Hey Forehead!"
"Ino-Pig," Sakura greeted the girl with a smile. Ino was dressed in a slim-fitting pair of black leggings and a purple top that showed several inches of her toned abdomen. "What are you doing on this side of town?"
The blond flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder. "I was coming to find you, actually. Shizune stopped by the shop this morning and said you had the day off and mentioned you were supposed to be taking it easy. I know how hard that is for you, so I thought I would check in and see if you wanted to grab a late lunch or something?"
"Sure, but, I was on my way to Sai's place. I wanted to check on him after what happened yesterday." Sakura had complete and total faith in Shizune's healing abilities (as they both were trained by the legendary Tsunade herself) but Sai had a tendency to keep to himself and Sakura liked to check on him from time to time to make sure he hadn't been swallowed up by a black hole or something of an equally unlikely caliber.
"What happened yesterday?" Ino frowned, lightly brushing her manicured fingertips across Sakura's forearm in concern.
Sakura drew a breath before reiterating the tale of Naruto and Sai's mission to Suna, and told her about the condition in which they'd returned.
"I swear," the blond said, "it's like your men just don't know how to stay out of trouble."
"Oh, like yours are any better." Sakura scoffed.
Ino laughed at that. "That is odd though. Hopefully it won't take long for the Anbu to catch up to the squad and apprehend the leader. I mean, Tsunade is grooming Naruto to take her position, right? Maybe they were just trying to stop him from becoming the future Hokage."
"That just doesn't make any sense. Why would a group of rogue nins care if Naruto is the Hokage? They're not Leaf citizens." Sakura reached up to press her index finger to the throbbing vein in her temple. Not having the answers to this little mystery was driving her crazy. Working in the hospital full-time had put a near-stop to her going on missions; perhaps Sakura was just itching for some field work. She'd have to bring that up to Tsunade next time she saw her.
"Guess you'll just have to wait to hear from–" Ino stopped mid-sentence, biting her bottom lip and contorting her pale eyebrows as she glanced over at Sakura. "Oops. Sorry Forehead."
Sakura rolled her eyes to the heavens. "Oh for the love of the First–why does everyone think I can't tolerate hearing Sasuke's name?"
"Oh, I dunno. Maybe because you haven't dated a soul since the two of you broke up, not to mention the fact that anytime someone says his name you get this little tick in your brow, right here." Ino reached over and jabbed Sakura in the forehead just above her right brow.
Grimacing, Sakura reached up to massage the spot Ino had thumped. "I do not!"
"How long has it been, anyway?"
"Since what?"
"Since you and Sasuke broke up."
Sakura cringed. She'd tried to forgive him, really she had, and for the sake of the torch that she'd been carrying for the guy since she was a genin, she decided to give their relationship a second try after the war. A part of her would always care for Sasuke, but they had both changed so much from the people they used to be. For one thing, Sakura was a lot more mature and no longer the whiny, insecure girl who'd been walking around the streets of Konoha with Sasuke-shaped stars in her eyes. She'd grown up, and she knew what she wanted: A man who was strong and noble; a man who would respect her strength and not undermine her abilities. She wanted someone that wasn't afraid to show her their soul and share their life with her. She wanted a man like–
"You're drifting, Forehead," Ino interrupted her inner monologue.
"Sorry," Sakura said, thinking back to Ino's original question. "I think it's been seven or eight months."
Ino made a sound of sympathy. "Oh gods Forehead, that's incredibly depressing. You know what you need?" Ino paused, glancing at her friend as they headed deeper into the city. Obviously she'd wanted Sakura to take a guess at what it was she thought she 'needed' but Sakura was afraid she didn't want to know where Ino's mind was venturing. When Sakura didn't answer, Ino continued, "A night out on the town with the girls."
Sakura pursed her lips together. It had been a while since she'd gone out with the girls, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea… "That could be fun," Sakura agreed.
"Perfect. I'll swing by your place at eight to pick you up. We can meet the girls at Shushu-ya's." Ino squeezed Sakura's arm and blew her a kiss before heading across the opposite end of the street.
"Hey! What about lunch?" Sakura called.
"That offer was standing prior to the decision being made about tonight," Ino informed her. "If we're going out on the town, I need the appropriate amount of time to tell the girls and pamper myself." The blond looked down at her nails and grimaced.
Sakura snorted. "Fine. I'll catch you later Ino-Pig."
"Later Forehead!"
~/~
Sakura knocked on Sai's apartment door, and bent to straighten the welcome mat she'd bought him as a house-warming gift. She'd been a little worried about Sai living by himself, but he insisted on his independence.
"Good afternoon, Sakura-chan," Sai greeted her when he opened the door.
"You didn't stop by to see me after you visited the Hokage." Sakura caught his chin in her hand, turning his head just-so so that she could examine the invisible mark on the right side of his temple that Shizune had healed flawlessly.
"I wasn't aware I needed to." The dark-haired boy frowned.
"I was worried about you." Sakura stepped past him and entered his living room. The beige carpet was stained with dark spots that Sakura hoped was just mud and dirt from him not removing his shoes before he entered. His apartment was fairly empty, furnished only by a hand-me-down couch that had been given to him by Kakashi, a coffee table that Naruto had donated, and a mix-matched set of dishes and silverware that Sakura had given him. The walls, however, were covered in elaborate drawings and paintings that Sai had created; they transformed the living quarters into a small-scale fine art museum.
"I didn't intend to worry you, Sakura," Sai told her before closing the door. "I suppose I should have known it was in your nature."
Sakura inspected the plants in his windowsill. The leafy green herbs needed watered, so Sakura filled a glass with water and gingerly applied nourishment to the thirsty roots. "How are you feeling?" she asked him.
"Much better." Sai flopped down on his couch and picked up his sketchpad, flipping to a clean page. "Have you talked to Naruto today?"
"Not yet. Kakashi told me that he was visiting with Tsunade-sama this morning."
Sai nodded. "So I take it you've heard about the Anbu mission?"
Sakura plopped down next to Sai on the couch, wrapping her arms around one of the decorative green pillows that almost matched her eyes and squeezed it to her chest. "I've heard."
"Sasuke will find whoever attacked us. You have nothing to worry about Sakura." Sai reached for the mesh bag of charcoal pencils on the end table and began drawing.
Sakura didn't quite know how to reply. She glanced over at her teammate, studying his profile. When he'd first been assigned to Team Kakashi, neither she nor Naruto were quite thrilled with Sasuke's replacement. For one thing, they were both bitter about having a new teammate, and for another, Sakura saw one too many similarities between Sasuke and Sai. That was until Sai opened his mouth, anyway. Whatever physical similarities the two shared died with the use of his tongue when he told Sakura she was ugly. Thinking about it now made her laugh.
The ex-Root member had come a long way since then, she thought. He knew the convoluted history between her and Sasuke, yet he seemed to be the only one that treated her like she could handle hearing his name without crumbling to bits.
After a moment, Sai sat aside his pencil and glanced over at Sakura. "Did I say something wrong?" A small line creased his forehead.
"Not at all," Sakura told him. "Why do you ask?"
"You got quiet on me all the sudden. I mean this with absolute respect Sakura, but you're not innately a quiet person."
Sakura had to laugh. "I was just thinking," she said. "You're the only one who isn't afraid to say Sasuke's name around me and I'm just… appreciative, I guess."
"Who's afraid to say his name around you?"
Sakura heaved her shoulders up into a shrug. "Kakashi, Ino–even Naruto sometimes." Naruto was such a solid guy–he'd never really given up faith in Sasuke, but she knew the topic was one of a sensitive kind even for him. After all, Naruto regarded him as something akin to a brother. His betrayal still wounded them deeply.
"They just want to protect you," Sai said, glancing down at his sketchpad as he retrieved his pencil. "What they don't know is that you don't need protecting when it comes to him."
An upturn of her lips showcased a small smile that warmed her. Sai really was observant. Sakura wasn't sure she gave the guy enough credit sometimes. "Thank you, Sai." Sakura tipped her head back against the cushions. "What'cha drawing there?"
Sai tilted the sketchpad so that Sakura could see, and after a short beat, Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Is that… Ino?" She recognized the shape of the girl's slender face and the ample bosom Sakura surmised was a fairly accurate representation as well.
"The likeness is off a little."
"No, I think you're pretty on point." He'd softened her features some, making her appear a little more delicate than she really was, but perhaps this was how Sai saw her. "I think someone has a crush." She winked at him.
The lightest shade of pink found its way to Sai's cheeks, dusting the blades of his cheekbones. "She's pretty."
"Do you like her?"
Sakura wasn't sure it was possible for the boy to turn another shade darker, but sure enough, the flush deepened to match the petals of a red camellia. "We're very opposite, her and I."
Sakura grinned. "Well, you know what they say about opposites attracting…"
"What do they say?" Sai blinked up at her.
Sakura opened her mouth to reply and then realized that she didn't quite know the origin of the adage. She frowned as she contemplated. "Well," she said, "I don't know exactly; just that they attract."
"Hmph," Sai replied.
"Oh it doesn't matter anyway. You should tell her if you like her," Sakura encouraged. Sai was positively adorable and even in his awkwardness he could be downright charming. Ino would be lucky to have such a man–though Sakura knew the girl's first selections weren't always for the intellectual type. Maybe she would need convincing. "I could talk to her if you want."
"I'll think about it," Sai replied.
"Oh come on, what could it hurt?" Sakura hopped up from the couch and stretched her arms above her head as a yawn escaped her. "I'm being roped into a night on the town with the girls anyway. Ino is picking me up at eight."
"I'll let you talk to her on one condition."
Oh this ought to be good. "And what condition is that?" Sakura rested her hands on her hips.
"You have to go on a date."
Sakura blinked at Sai–waiting for him to say more because he'd obviously lost his mind. When he didn't elaborate further Sakura replied, "It's girls' night."
"So."
"So what's me going out on a date have to do with you agreeing for me to put in a good word for you with Ino?" she grumbled at him. Wow, that sentence was a mouthful.
"We'd both be out of our comfort zones," Sai explained. "I'm leveling the playing field this way. Plus," he pointed out, "you haven't been on a date in a long time."
"Yeah thanks for reminding me." Sakura sighed.
"We're helping each other," he insisted with a shrug. "I'm helping you get over Sasuke once and for all, and you're helping me get a date."
"I am over Sasuke!"
"So why aren't you dating?"
"Because I've been busy!" Oh the boy could be so infuriating with his pesky observational skills. She thought he was a bit like Kakashi in that regard. Then again–no one knew her better than her teammates. "I don't have time to date."
"You have time to go out with the girls," Sai countered.
So, so pesky… She narrowed her eyes at him and ground out the monosyllable through clenched teeth, "Fine."
Sai grinned at her. "You have one week, Sakura."
"Oh there's a time limit now?" Sakura said exasperatedly, eyes widening.
"Think of it as a mission," Sai paused. "We'll call it: Operation Date Me."
"That," she confessed, "is a terrible name for a mission."
"Just the same," Sai said with a grin, "your countdown begins now. You better get to it."
Sakura couldn't believe it. Sai actually had the audacity to wink at her. Wordlessly, she spun on her heel and headed for his apartment door. When she let herself out, she thought she heard Sai's muffled laughter through the walls.
Well, she thought, that's one way to get back out there.
Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned for Chapter 3 - it's one of my favorites!
~Sparrow
