Chapter Two

There was nothing left but death.

Through the billowing dust and the choking smoke, a figure appeared. The only one to emerge from the destruction of the once impressive compound, the figure carefully made their way through the rubble, stepping over hands still outstretched in supplication and faces locked forever in shocked surprise. But no fear. It had been over too soon for fear. Silently the figure fell into step with the one who had been waiting and watching, always always watching… Together the pair slipped away into the night. Her companion never said a word, his masked face revealing nothing, but she could tell he was pleased.

These days there were few people that Sakura let touch her. There was only one that she herself would touch. Said one was currently stretched out on her couch comfortably, his feet kicked up on the coffee table, a half empty soda can in his hand as they sat watching a movie. He had his arm on the back of the couch, resting behind her but not against her. She was curled up next to him, so close that her head almost lay against his strong shoulder. Almost. Her knees not quite against his hip, his fingertips stopping short of brushing the nape of her neck. That was the thing about Kiba. He knew she would let him touch her, but he never did unless it was on a mission and necessary, or those rare nights that the shelter of his arms was the only thing that kept the nightmares at bay. He was quite content to stay curled up with her like this. It was enough, he didn't push. And he never ever touched.

Maybe that was why Sakura did.

It was never very much, just the lightest of fluttering of her fingertips against his bicep, or the tiniest pressure of her palm on his side. They could spend hours together just watching movies or television without a word being spoken between the two. Tonight Sakura was finding it harder and harder to keep her eyes focused on the show, and she grew sleepier with every passing minute. This last mission had been rough on her, she could tell; neither her mind nor her body had completely recovered. Her eyelids fluttered closed once, then again. When they opened, she shifted groggily, realizing that she had fallen asleep.

And apparently, sleepy Sakura had a lot less problems touching her partner then the conscious version. The movie had long since ended but from the moment Sakura had rolled over and draped herself on him, the surprised Kiba had not moved a muscle. Her arms had wrapped around his waist like she was holding a stuffed animal, and her face was buried in his chest, pink hair splayed over both of their torsos. Her fingers had threaded through his belt loops, and she held him fast. One slender leg had hooked over his right knee, wedging his leg firmly between her thighs.

If it had been any other girl than Sakura, the Inuzuka heir would have long since removed her or placed her more firmly on his lap for better access for both their enjoyment. Instead he held himself perfectly still, finding that his shock of her actions was quickly being replaced by a hazy sense of contentment. Even Kiba's body was behaving itself, unsurprising considering how deeply he had driven his own personal desires down when it came to her. The last thing Sakura needed was to wake up to a hard on. But the best thing for her he thought was contact. The girl had so little of it, at least the good kind. When she awoke after nearly an hour of using him as her pillow, Kiba hoped against hope that she wouldn't immediately pull away.

She didn't.

"S'rry," she mumbled sleepily, rearranging her legs in a more appropriate position. Kiba closed his eyes before she had a chance to see that he had been awake, and he gave a soft grunt to acknowledge that she had spoken. To her it seemed as if he had been asleep too and wasn't in any mood to be roused. Sakura noticed that despite how she was draped on him, Kiba still didn't touch her. She sighed and buried herself in his strong form, allowing in her tiredness to let him see her vulnerable.

"Bed's more comfy," Sakura murmured, wondering if her partner would take the hint. He sighed, the sound of a man pretending to be aggravated at the request, but Kiba was inwardly pleased. Sakura kept her eyes closed as her pillow shifted around her, hands finally coming to rest on her skin as he gathered her in his arms and picked both of them up off the couch. A few moments later her warm soft bed enveloped her, and she smiled a touch into the bedding.

"Hmmm, you're th'best," she praised, smiling more when he merely snorted and dropped in beside her. Out in the living room, Akamaru had already claimed the couch for himself. She wouldn't ask them to leave tonight. She hadn't asked the last three. She didn't have the strength to try and figure out why.

"Good night, Sakura," Kiba told her quietly, settling in and sighing in relaxation, all the while keeping one eye protectively on her. Anytime there was different behavior, it meant he needed to pay attention. Her desire for companionship wasn't necessarily a good thing. But she didn't seem upset tonight: relaxed and quiet as opposed to strung tight and silent. Those nights it took her a long time for her body to accept rest and right now he could tell she was almost asleep already.

"You can… if you want to… feels good when you do…" she mumbled nearly incoherently. Kiba was glad that he knew her well enough to understand what the words meant. She was not asking him to bed her. She was asking for something much more important in her starkly empty and violent world. He had long since given up wondering at how one girl could fill his heart so full with pride just because she wanted him to hold her as she slept. Kiba pulled Sakura in close, spooning her back to his chest and keeping her safely locked in the protection of his arms. Tonight, it was just the three of them, and everything was right in the world. Tonight, no one else could touch her.

Kiba would rip out the throat of anyone that tried.

The boy was there again, and it pissed the hell out of Kakashi. He knew it shouldn't, he knew that his active dislike for the Inuzuka was ridiculous, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Things between Kakashi and his former student were… complex right now. And every time he was almost about to get Sakura where he needed her, how he needed her, the damn kid was in his way. Had he been ever been inclined to explain his actions to the younger shinobi, he was way past that now. With Sakura it was like a constant dance, beautiful but deadly all at once, with Kiba cutting in at the most inappropriate times. Kakashi was so close… he almost had taken her where she needed to be, had almost molded her into the kind of kunoichi she would have to be to get through this alive. He refused to explain this to the Inuzuka, who seemed unable to see past the pain in her eyes and the smells on her skin. He didn't get it and insisted on intervening at every possible chance.

Kakashi was really starting to dislike the kid.

In the past, when the Copy nin had taken a strong disliking to someone, that someone usually got the hint and made themselves scarce. Kiba however seemed to be too dense for that. Kakashi was tempted to walk right into Sakura's bedroom and throw the Inuzuka out by his hair; however there were two very important things that were stopping him. The first being that he respected Sakura, loved her even in his own fashion, and he refused to upset her by intruding in such a way into her personal life. The second being the dog, Akamaru, if he remembered its name correctly. The nin dog would fight to protect his master, and Kakashi detested hurting loyal animals whose only mistake was that their masters were fools. Plus his own pack had a tendency of not waiting to be summoned if they smelled another dog in the fight, and the destruction of his own friends or the Inuzuka heir's companion would not bode well.

Thus far the only politics that they had had to worry about were those between Konoha and the countries that they slipped Sakura into for her missions. Kakashi doubted the Inuzuka was fully aware of just how much weight his clan had with the village elders, and if not carefully handled, Kiba could grow from being an irritant to being a very big problem.

Damn that girl for ever choosing him in the first place.

Hadn't anyone ever told her? A kunoichi picks the shinobi that she works the best with, but that she has the least possible connection with. A kunoichi picks one that is strong enough and fast enough to help her withdraw if she needs help. She picks one that is patient enough to wait for the kunoichi to finish her mission, but smart enough to know when it's time to get in and get her out. One that can keep a cool head in the face of some awful situations. An older shinobi would have been so much better, Shikaku or maybe Gai. Even the younger Aburame would have been acceptable, if she had to pick someone her own age. But you never ever chose an Inuzuka if you need detachment. Kakashi didn't think that the boy could help it; territorialism was part of his genetic makeup. However that didn't make it any easier. Things were strained enough, the lessons he had to teach Sakura harsh enough without having Kiba intervene. Perhaps he should have pressured Tsunade to send the kid away after all.

Through the window Kakashi watched her hand move, watched in her sleep as she reached out to her partner, and how muscled arms tightened around her when she did. He wasn't jealous. He wasn't. He just hated that she used to reach for him like that, her head on his shoulder as he kept watch and she slept trustingly on their way home after a mission. Innocently, she had always trusted him. Sakura still trusted him, but that innocence was gone, carefully and systematically stripped away by his own hands. What a weapon she was, now that she could detach her emotions, and nearly rivaling Itachi Uchiha with her callous simplicity. Cold. Hard. Strong. Soon, very soon, he would not be strong enough to beat her. It would be then that she would be ready. Soon, if he could just teach her one more thing… Then maybe this could all be over, and they could go back to what they used to be.

There was movement and a figure stood in the window, eyes meeting his. Sakura left the curtains open for a reason. She knew he needed to watch, to make sure that she was okay, even when he was the one that had hurt her. Kakashi thought that maybe her attempts at soothing his aching conscious made it even worse. For the hundredth time, he looked at Sakura and hardened himself. This had to be done. He beckoned a finger and slipped back into the shadows, knowing she would follow. She always did.

He had trained her well.

It took Kakashi ten minutes to reach the training grounds where team seven always used to train together. Considering the… delicateness of some of their lessons, usually they trained in more private areas, but it was the middle of the night and there was no one else there. He found Sakura waiting next to the stump he had tied Naruto to so long ago. She was running her fingers over it lightly, almost fondly.

"He has been gone a long time now," Kakashi said quietly. She didn't show any surprise, she had known he was coming for a while now, chakra masked or not.

"Which one?" Sakura said drolly, a touch of sarcasm entering her voice. Kakashi said nothing, simply watching her. Finally she turned and faced him, green eyes dark in the partial moonlight. "What lesson will you teach me tonight, sensei?" she asked in a quiet unassuming tone. Middle of the night or not, she was ready to go to work.

"There is little left for me to teach you, Sakura," Kakashi replied seriously, taking a step forward and placing his hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinch away, but her muscles stayed locked in place. "Relax," he ordered, and she did so immediately. Kakashi wondered if she was purposefully leaning into the touch that she had just stiffened beneath, or if it was unconscious.

"My taijutsu is sloppy," she said, although even Sakura knew that wasn't exactly true.

"Your taijutsu is fine, and the little more it can improve will take years of fine tuning."

"It is too late for ninjutsu, sensei," she decided softly. "The noise will alarm the village. Why are we here?"

"Because I need to talk to you. Sakura, your last mission nearly failed. The jutsu backfired and it could've cost us everything. You need to practice it," Kakashi wasn't asking. But that didn't seem to matter to his student because she tensed up, almost angrily, before forcing her face smooth.

"I'll get better without doing it that way," she insisted quietly. "It'll just take some time."

"Time isn't something we have."

"Then I'll figure out another way."

"There is no other way." He was starting to get frustrated, and she knew it. He never could hide from her, not anymore. She had seen too much of whom he really was.

"Then I will make one!" The harsh snap was out of character for her now, her childhood temper honed as a weapon instead of as an instinctive response. But in this one thing she refused to budge, and her stubbornness was winning out. Thus far there had been nothing Kakashi could do to change her mind. Aware of her break in demeanor, she lowered her eyes and turned to the side.

"You need to use this jutsu, Sakura," Kakashi told her in a hard voice, very nearly pleading with her. "I don't really care if you want to use it or not. You have to."

"I… I can't do that to you, Kakashi sensei," Sakura whispered, keeping her face turned away from him. Kakashi stepped closer and grabbed her chin, turning her and forcing her to look at him.

"Yes, you can, and you will."

"No… I won't hurt you like that. I can't control it, I could kill you."

Kakashi laughed, a deep bitter laugh and then Sakura found her shoulder blades digging into the rough bark of the tree behind her. "And after all I have done to hurt you, Sakura?" he whispered in a darkly dangerous voice. "You still won't do it?"

"I will do anything, Kakashi," she left off the honorific, and he thinks that another pivotal moment in their relationship has now come to pass. "Anything for you, but please do not ask me to do this."

"I'm not asking." And then he kissed her, hard enough to make her gasp at the forcefulness of it. And then he took her, knowing that in that moment he had complete control over her, more than any other time, and maybe just maybe he could force it out of her. But through the blood and the sweat and the tears he brought to their eyes, in the end it didn't change anything. She wouldn't use it; she couldn't forget how close she came to killing him the first time she tried.

She pulled a kunai out, catching even him unawares as she pressed it to his neck, and as she whispered that she killed him anyways without the jutsu, he snarled and grinded into her harder. She moaned and wrapped her legs around him, although the moan might mean anything. She can't completely fool him yet, although she is close, and soon even in this she won't need him anymore. He punished her for her success and for his own fears, and just before it was too late he pulled away, his frustration spilling into his hand because it has never been about his own satisfaction, he cared about her too much for that. Kakashi slumped to the ground and pressed his forehead to her breast, panting as he cursed his own inability to truly protect his team. He was destined to fail.

Sakura stared at the starry sky above them, letting him hold her as long as he needs it even as she pressed the kunai tenderly against his throat.

"We have a mission."

They had found her on the training grounds, long after Kakashi had gone home, two ANBU with a mission scroll. She had known it wouldn't be long; she spent more time out of Konoha these days than in it. When she'd finally got home, she had expected to find Kiba still there but even though it was barely dawn, her apartment was empty. It had taken her nearly an hour to locate him, where he sat on the cliff overlooking the village. The huge white dog lay curled at his feet, and his hands were buried in Akamaru's thick coat. He never looked up at her words, instead staring at the tower that housed the Hokage.

"You were with him again."

Despite the quietness of his voice, Sakura thought that he might be angry. Akamaru wouldn't look at her, so that must mean that his master's anger was probably directed at her this time. Or maybe it was that he didn't like her leaving last night without telling him.

"He's my sensei, of course I train with him," Sakura replied matter of factly. "And I said we have a mission, or at least I do. It is not required that you go."

"Most sensei don't fuck their students until they can't walk straight," Kiba growled. "Most students don't go along with it."

Oh yes, he was angry. But she didn't have time to allow him that. She had a mission and time was of the essence. So Sakura settled her pack more securely on her shoulders and stepped over to Kiba, moving in very close, almost so that they were touching.

"I have a mission. If you can't go, I understand," she said quietly. "But I feel… better when you do."

She thought for a brief moment he would refuse, although he never has before, but he knows that if he does, Kakashi will go in his stead. Wordlessly, Kiba stood up and faced her, locking eyes with her and holding them. Sakura smiled slightly and tossed him a second pack, one that he keeps at her place for last minute missions. She had added his mask and katana to the regular items, and he wondered if she knew already that he is incapable of telling her no. Despite his own feelings in the matter, he will not let her leave by herself or with someone else if she gives him a choice in it.

"I hate that you're in ANBU," he told her coldly, sliding the porcelain over his handsome face and strapping the katana to his shoulders. As he followed her silently out of the village, completely unreadable, Sakura decided that she liked it better when he wore his mask. It made her feel more normal. Her face never shows anything either.

Sometimes as a shinobi, you silently blend into the shadows just because you can, even if there is no need for it. Sometimes as a shinobi, your invisibility unwittingly allows you access to conversations and actions that you weren't supposed to hear, and that you should never have seen. And sometimes, just sometimes, a puzzle falls into your lap when you least expect it.

Puzzles. How troublesome.

The firelight played over her features, making her look younger than she was. Perhaps it was because she was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest, chin resting on crossed arms as she stared at the flames, lost in thought. As he thought back about it, Kiba couldn't remember many of his memories of Sakura where she wasn't lost in thought, at least not after the Uchiha had left. But while Naruto had always tried to pry and bully his way into Sakura's confidence, the young ANBU was content to wait and let her come to him. She would, eventually, given enough time. That's why he had been quiet tonight, watching the sun slip away through the trees and darkness fall over the land. There was a town not too far away, they could have made it easily, but Sakura had wanted to stay here. Well, it wasn't like Kiba wasn't used to the ground, and they were still in safe enough territory that a fire was alright. Being there, just the three of them, was actually quite okay with him.

"You hungry?" Kiba finally asked, feeling slightly obligated even though her answer was usually the same. It took a moment, but green eyes finally focused and rested on him. Sakura shook her head slightly.

"Arigato, Kiba. No."

The dark haired man shifted against the rock that had become his chair, frowning slightly as he crossed his arms.

"Is the nausea normal?" he asked, watching her reactions carefully. Sakura just shrugged.

"I get used to it after a while, but when I increase doses it always makes me queasy. It's okay, though, energy wise I am fine."

Kiba nodded, satisfied. This was her mission, and even though he might disagree vehemently with her at home, while in the field he didn't interfere. Sakura would never back down from a mission, and to ask her was an insult of her character and her honor as a shinobi. The chakra suppression pills were a very bad idea in his mind, but that just meant that he needed to work harder to keep her safe. Sakura had her mission, and Kiba had his. At least he was here, watching her back, instead of her going it alone again.

"You worry too much."

Kiba glanced up and saw Sakura giving him a quirky smile. Unable to stop himself, Kiba winked at her.

"You love it, babe," he told her with a cocky smirk, making Sakura smile a touch more before she seemed to lose herself in thought again. It was a long time before she spoke again, seeming content to sit there, running her fingers through Akamaru's soft coat. But finally she looked up, catching his eye.

"I'm sorry I upset you the other night," Sakura said quietly. Kiba grunted and looked down. He had lost count of the times she had slipped away from him without his knowledge. He had never lost count of the times she had come back with the smell of that asshole burning Kiba's nose. But never once had she acknowledged that it bothered him, because to acknowledge that was to admit there was more to this than just a mutually beneficial partnership.

Somehow, without realizing how it had happened, Sakura had become the central most important thing in his life besides Akamaru. The Kiba of old would never have invested this much time and this much energy into… well, anyone. Especially when he wasn't getting a damn thing out of it. Their entire relationship centered around the fact that in the field they worked flawlessly together, and off the field he was the only person she would let within ten feet of her that wasn't Kakashi. But that was all. He was there, always there, no matter how ridiculously impotent it made him feel. And she merely allowed him to be.

Kiba had wondered how long it would take for her to notice his frustration. She never noticed anything anymore, so lost in her own world as she was, and he did his best to hide it from her. And now she wanted to apologize, but that would mean she knew… she knew how much this screwed with his head. It also meant that even with that knowledge she was still unwilling to stop. Kiba was anything but a fool. If asked to choose between him and Kakashi, Kiba knew he would never win. He was angry at her for that, even as he hated Kakashi for molding her into this shell of who she used to be. But he had no right to be angry over where she chose to be, and she knew it, because even an acknowledgement didn't change the fact she wasn't his to get angry over. Frankly it pissed him off.

"Kiba…"

She knew it too! Fucking hell, she knew how much he was beginning to care…

"Go to sleep Sakura. I'll take the first watch."

He'd take both watches. He always did. Impotent or not, second place or not, he'd always have her back.

"Would she do it?"

"Of course not," Kakashi told the Hokage, flipping idly through his book as he leaned against her office wall. Tsunade hadn't actually seen him read it in a month. "She refuses."

"But… but she has to! There's no other way we can pull this off."

"She won't risk hurting me, Tsunade. Sakura might be pretty fucked up right now, but she's always been protective of those she cares about. I've been in her life too long, she can't bring herself to do it."

"…Then do what you have to do."

He raised an eyebrow at her, a frown hidden beneath his mask. "Don't you think that's going a bit… far?"

Tsunade snorted, looking out her window with tired eyes. "Considering how far it's already gotten, you ask me that now? Do your job, Kakashi, so that she can finally have the strength to do hers. Then this mess will all be over."

The little book snapped shut as the elite shinobi left her office, his eyes a little more dead than when he had come in. For the hundredth time that day, the Hokage felt just as old as she really was.

He thinks that the waiting is the worst part.

Despite his natural tendencies to be impulsive and quick tempered, Kiba was actually pretty patient. Hell, he'd spent nearly a year letting Sakura get herself to the point where she would actually reach out and touch him of her own volition. He was the bloody definition of patient. But he hated waiting because he never knew what he'd have when the waiting was all over. Sakura wasn't like the others of their age group, really she never had been, but the difference showed itself more starkly apparent out here. Out here where no one but Kiba could see what she was turning into. He didn't like it. Hell, it made him pretty damn nervous if he was being honest with himself. Not that he thought that Sakura would ever turn on him, but he knew that he couldn't do a damn thing about it if she did. She was strong now, so very strong, and he had no delusions as to his own ability. He could out track her, he could out smell her, out hear her, but she could…

She could do what she was doing down there and not need a single soul to help her.

He thinks that the waiting is the worst part because the longer it stretches on, the more he worries that this time is the one where she will need help and she won't get it in time. As she said before she left him hidden in the hills beyond her target, she thinks he worries too much. But it doesn't matter what she says because Kiba's never been good at doing what others think he should do, so he'd worried himself sick for the whole week and a half she requested to get the job done. Then, when she didn't appear at the designated meeting spot, he stopped worrying and did what he did best: he went to find Sakura. Although really, it's not that hard anymore. To find Sakura, he just had to find the blood.

When he found her, it shocked even him. Because really, she's a sweet girl and sweet girls don't do this, not even if they are ordered to.

"We should leave," he told her curtly from behind her shoulder, although he was careful not to approach her too closely. She knew he was coming, instinctively and because he's not that good at hiding his chakra, which is why he didn't have her kunai buried in his throat. A low rumbling growl rolled constantly from Akamaru's throat, because the dog knew as well as his owner that this place was going to come crashing down on their heads any moment now.

"Sakura."

"Hmmmm?" She didn't look at him; instead she was mesmerized by her hands. She lifted them up, watching the way freshly wet trailed down dried and flaky, and she wondered if her shower was lonely tonight. Her thought made him flinch, almost as if she'd hit him, and she thought that it might be bad for Kiba if he looked in her head too much. It was dark and squishy in there, and not warm at all.

"I'm going to pick you up now," he warned her, speaking quietly despite the moaning of bending timbers above them. "Please don't kill me when I do, okay?"

She raised her hands up even further, watching the supports start to crack, and wondered how wet got all the way up there too. It was cold today, much too cold to go outside, but Kiba seemed to think it was important so she decided to humor him. Her head lolled against his shoulder as he picked her up, and she blinked when she realized that he was moving so slowly because he was stepping over so many dead people. They should've known better and lined up in rows because Kiba's an important man and had things to do. Lots of very important shinobi things. She thought that maybe she should make them do it, for him, even though the sun was shining brightly down in her eyes.

"It's okay," he murmured in her ear, sounding upset and seeming as if he was trying very hard to hide it. "It's gonna be okay, Sakura."

Of course it would be okay. Didn't he know the stack of white papers in her room never lied?

Purely from coincidence, Shikamaru is waiting on the walls of the village when Inuzuka and Haruno make it back from their mission. He would have recognized them even if they had been wearing their ANBU masks, but neither one seemed to have felt it necessary. Kiba is hurrying, with Sakura only a step behind with that same calmly blank expression she had taken to wearing these days. Neither one seemed injured and the shinobi at the gate let them pass without any alarm. Calmly moving with her partner at her shoulder, the pair weaved their way through the town towards the Hokage's tower to report.

Shikamaru wonders if anyone else notices that behind his normal grimace, Kiba looks scared to death.

"What the hell have you two done to her?!" Kiba roared, slamming his fist so hard into the Hokage's desk that the wood cracked. Even still, the blonde woman did not jump. She did however look him coolly in the eyes.

"Sakura is fine," Tsunade responded. "She's been checked out by the medical staff and judged fit to return to work. Physically she's completely healthy, Kiba."

"Mentally she's a fucking nutcase!" the Inuzuka cried, leaning over and gripping her desk so hard his knuckles were white. "Why the hell am I the ONLY one who sees this?"

"Maybe because you're only seeing what you want to see," Tsunade said flatly. "It's common knowledge you don't like Sakura being in ANBU, but to use your position as her partner to try and undermine her is unprofessional, Kiba."

Kiba's eyes widened as he stared at her in disbelief, then he barked out a harsh laugh.

"Unprofessional. Yeah, I guess you could call me that." He straightened and crossed his arms, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Guess I am overstepping my bounds, trying to get you to stop assigning her missions that leave her babbling incoherently for two days straight."

"Stress," was Tsunade's only reply. "We all deal the way we have to."

"You know, it's funny," Kiba said with a soft growl. "I've seen shinobi pulled from active duty for months for exhibiting a tenth of the stress signs that Sakura's showing. But with her, you keep throwing her out there. What could be so important that you'd be willing to risk your own apprentice this way? Because you're killing her."

"Kiba, leave. Now."

"Don't you even care?"

"Kiba. Leave."

He stared at her angrily, but finally had no choice but to do as she said. She was the Hokage, and it was her right to throw him out of her office. It was her right to keep sending Sakura on missions, even if he disagreed. It was also her right to send him on a three month mission to Suna where he couldn't cause any more trouble. So, of course, she did.

"Kiba's gone."

Kakashi looked over at Sakura, noting the tiniest inflection of discontent in her tone from where she knelt on the training grounds.

"Only for a while," Kakashi assured her. "Besides, we have other things we need to focus on."

Sakura calmly said nothing. Without the lifeline that was Kiba, blood and pain and her sensei are all that she knew and there was no need for words here. The loving caress of her katana against his skin was all she needed to say.