I don't own Naruto.

A/N I'm going to go ahead and admit that I didn't expect this much of a response. Thank you all for reviewing, following, and favoriting. Honestly, it's made my entire week! So, my goal is to update this story every week (probably on Thursday). However, I am taking summer classes at my university so I can't guarantee that I won't have busy weeks every now and then. Anyway, please continue to let me know how I'm doing!

Lord, she's the end of days and there's hell to pay.
She's a wildfire.

Wild Fire, Dorothy

—

Kakashi looked at his unconscious charge with weary eyes.

It had been several hours since he had crossed into Konoha with her in his arms. Konohagakure had been their base's designated name — it meant "village hidden in the leaves" and was chosen because the small town was concealed excellently within a spread of camphor trees. Invasions of any kind were rare here and so, despite being part of the base's guard, Kakashi was left in charge of the sleeping girl until such a time as she woke up. He would have preferred to do just about anything else but arguing with Tsunade, the ever-angry woman who ran their little village, was unwise and hardly worth it.

Normally one of the medics they had on hand would be watching her but they'd been dispatched to aid a few guards that had returned from patrol a little worse for wear. Kakashi drummed a few fingers against his knee absently as he wondered just why Izumo, Kotetsu, and Genma had come back to base covered in dirt and in need of medical attention. Judging by the embarrassment on their faces as Tsunade questioned their scrapes and bruises, Kakashi guessed that they had decided to do some sparring while on patrol and had gotten carried away.

His thoughts derailed when he saw the fluttering of eyelashes. She's awake. He got to his feet but stayed at the edge of the small medical tent, allowing her some space to gather her bearings. She sat up and her eyes widened a fraction of a hair, probably realizing that she had no idea where she was. He had expected that much but what came next surprised him. In an instant she had pulled herself from the cot and grabbed the nearest thing that could be used as a weapon. Now the pink-haired girl was wielding a crutch and staring him down, prepared to fight her way out of the tent if necessary.

"Where am I?" she demanded. The tenacity in her voice was as unexpected as her actions. Kakashi almost chuckled as he realized the mistake he'd made in judging her — she was not nearly as delicate as he had first suspected. "And who are you?"

"You're in Konoha." That was true, but not exactly forthcoming. "And I am Hatake Kakashi."

"How did I get here?"

"You ran into me while I was on patrol and then passed out, so I carried you here."

She had the decency to look embarrassed and lower the crutch, dropping her aggressive posture. "Oh, um, thanks." Her eyes lowered to the ground and Kakashi noticed that they were once again a glimmering shade of green. He gave her a moment to absorb that before asking, "And you are?"

She looked up and blushed again, realizing she hadn't introduced herself. "Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

"Well, Sakura, I think our village leader would be interested in hearing you're awake. But first, were you traveling with anyone else?" When she shook her head in answer, Kakashi thought he detected a second of hesitation. The masked man decided to drop the subject for the time being, but eventually he would need to press her for the truth.

Gesturing for Sakura to follow, he stepped out of the tent and into the sunlight.

—

Sakura frowned. She hadn't lied to him, per se: she had been traveling alone for nearly two weeks. She simply neglected to tell him that it hadn't always been that way. She wasn't sure what this Konoha place was all about but until she was certain it wouldn't endanger her friends, she would say nothing of them. Of course, even if she did want to disclose their location she wouldn't be able to because she had lost communication with them some time ago.

"I swear if those two get themselves hurt," she growled quietly.

Sasuke had become very secretive before just disappearing altogether one night about two weeks ago. Naruto had decided to chase him down, leaving Sakura on her own. He had also promised that he'd only be gone for a few days — he'd search for Sasuke and then come back with or without him. But the blonde was tenacious by nature and she hadn't been surprised when he didn't return. She'd decided to push forward, confident that the two of them would be able to take care of themselves. Since then she had wondered if her decision was the right one.

Pushing the troubles from her mind, Sakura began to look around Konoha for the first time. It was actually a rather spacious territory enclosed by incredibly thick trees that kept it hidden from view. She hadn't seen any villages since the detonation nearly thirteen years ago, and while this one was small, the comfort she drew from it was enormous.

Sakura marveled at the wooden buildings, at the people smiling and laughing. It was as if the war had never happened. As if nuclear detonations from multiple countries hadn't destroyed half of the world. She found herself smiling as well.

In front of her, Kakashi slowed to a stop. Sakura swiveled her head to face him and saw that they were standing before a particularly large wooden building. He had said that she needed to meet the woman who ran the village. Tsunade? — yes, that was the name. Sakura chewed on her lower lip, anxiety swirling up inside of her. "So, uh, why does she want to talk to me?"

Kakashi almost missed the question it had come so quietly, he looked at her from the corners of his eyes. "She didn't exactly say but I'd guess she wants to know who you are and where you came from. You were pretty close to the village."

"Oh."

He could almost smell the nervousness on her. A tinge of acridness to her otherwise sweet, blossomy scent. Finally he turned his entire head to face her and gave an encouraging smile, which she could only detect by the way his eyes crinkled. "Relax, she doesn't bite." She doesn't need to. He kept that last bit to himself, not wanting to make Sakura anymore unsure than she already was. Tsunade was a very caring woman — she might shout a lot and be otherwise intimidating, but she cared more about people than anyone he'd ever met.

Sakura stared at him as his warm expression held and found herself returning it. His smile was kind of … cute. She looked over him appraisingly. He had to be ten years older than her but in much better shape. That wasn't to say Sakura wasn't in shape — she was slender and toned, with strong legs and a tight stomach — he was just incredibly built, which she could tell from the strength and dexterity he'd shown.

Sakura felt pink creep into her cheeks and she turned away from him. He didn't seem to notice, but his smile disappeared as she faced the front of the hall once again. He grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, allowing her to move in ahead of him.

The interior of the building was cool and smelled faintly of alcohol which made Sakura's nose scrunch up slightly. As the door swung shut behind them, Kakashi continued forward down a hallway which had two doors. The one at the end was cracked open a bit and Sakura tried to peek in as they paused in front of it. Kakashi knocked and was greeted by a sharp voice from the other side, "Just a minute."

Sakura listened to the ensuing argument with increasing dread. Kakashi stared at her from the corners of his eyes, So much for not terrifying her.

"And what if someone had been injured!" It wasn't really a question, but a meek answer came anyway, "We didn't think—" Sakura cringed as she heard a woman's voice grind back, "Exactly, try to use your head next time! Now go and see the medical staff and get patched up."

Sakura took a step back as the door creaked open to reveal a blonde woman sitting with a few empty glasses in front of her and a bottle of sake on the edge of her desk. She was repositioning herself now, leaning back in her chair and tossing her long legs over the portion of the desk stacked with paperwork. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was massaging her head with one hand while the fingers of her other hand tapped agitatedly. Tsunade.

Sakura redirected her jade gaze to the man who was leaving the office. His head was down but she could see a faint blush across his cheekbones. He also looked a bit worse for wear: his clothing was ruffled and he had cuts all along his exposed arms. His brown eyes shifted upward to look at Kakashi and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Kakashi seemed to be smiling beneath his mask.

"Yo, Genma."

"Hey, Kakashi—" he stopped short as his eyes caught Sakura's. Just like that he had forgotten about Kakashi and was now entirely focused on the woman before him, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."

"My name is Sakura."

"Oh… Sakura," Genma answered, tasting her name. He was seemingly content to stand there in the doorway and stare at her.

Kakashi found himself somewhat irritated and he took Genma by the arm, dragging the notorious playboy away with him. "I'm sure you two can meet later, keeping Tsunade waiting is a bad idea," his words were directed more toward Sakura than the man he had grabbed. Nevertheless, Genma was the one who answered, "That's rich, coming from you."

His chocolatey eyes didn't leave Sakura until they were halfway down the hall when Kakashi paused and looked back at her once more. He gave her a small smile, his eye crinkling once again, and then proceeded out of sight. Sakura heard the front door open and then close as the two men left the building. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then pushed her way inside the office where Tsunade was waiting.