Doppelganger
Chapter Three
-Camp-
"Okay Team, this is where we're going to camp for the night." Kakashi announced, setting down his pack. Naruto let out a groan.
"But Kakashi-sensei, it's not even dark yet! Can't we keep going?" the blonde whined.
Sakura let out a small sigh. "Naruto, stop complaining. This is the perfect place to make camp. It is near a clean source of water, we have an open space to fit everybody, and it will be dark soon, so there's no point in continuing on and blindly searching for a suitable campsite." She explained.
He blinked and nodded slightly in understanding, though it was clear to everyone else he was confused. Sakura just rolled her eyes and took her bag off, beginning to take out her tent and set it up. Then Naruto perked up. "Hey Gaara! You wanna go off and spar? I bet I can totally kick your ass." He challenged with a huge grin.
The redhead glanced up at his friend and then to his already made tent. "Um, I guess...I was going to try and bathe, but I suppose I can do that after." he shrugged, unbuckling his vest and then pulling off his shirt to reveal his toned chest. Sai was the first one to say something.
"I thought you were a defensive and long range fighter."
Gaara gave him an annoyed look, "I am, but since when does that mean I can't know taijutsu?"
Sai just thought for a moment. "Touché."
Sakura looked up from her tent in order to add to the conversation, but stopped when she saw Gaara without a shirt on. It wasn't like she had never seen a shirtless boy before, heck, she'd even seen Sasuke shirtless, but there was something different about the redhead. He was more sculpted and lean, and she had a feeling that if she were to touch his skin not a scar or bump would be found, unless it was put there by the stoic redhead himself. Blushing at her train of thought, she returned to her task with vigor, fumbling slightly with the last stake that had to be put into the ground.
"I'm going to go and get some firewood and see if I can't catch anything for our dinner tonight." Kakashi said, walking off into the woods without waiting for a response.
Finally finished with her tent, Sakura picked up her bag. "Well while you two spar, I'm going to bathe." She announced.
"What should I do?" Sai asked, blinking. His book was unclear as to what should be done when everyone else makes plans that do not need a second or third person.
The pink haired woman rolled her eyes. "Watch Gaara and Naruto spar I suppose. You can presume that the winner is the one who is better endowed, since figuring that out has been your goal for the entire trip." She said sarcastically.
Gaara cleared his throat, holding Naruto at bay with his sand, who was already trying to attack the redhead. "Sakura it isn't safe to go off by yourself. I'll go with you to make sure nothing happens."
"Or I could go." Sai smiled, "I could always use the research."
Her eye twitched. She didn't like being accused of being weak, which was what she felt Gaara was doing through his comment. But, because Gaara was the one who said it, she knew Naruto would hound her if she refused, and she didn't have the energy to beat up and yell at the three men. "Didn't you get plenty of research in the Red Lights District at that village?" she asked tersely.
"Yes, but in the books it says that it is much more intimate when it is with someone you know. And you and I are close, aren't we Ugly?" he said, his stupid grin only growing. Gaara hit him over the head, giving him a small glare.
"Shut up, will you?" he said sharply, walking towards Sakura and looking down at her. "It's not that I think you are weak," he told her, already knowing her train of thought, since she only scolded him every five minutes about how he was underestimating her. Which he didn't understand, because he never said anything of the sort. "It's just that while you are bathing, would it not be more relaxing if you didn't have to worry if five men popped out of nowhere?"
She looked up at him and her gaze narrowed. "So long as you don't get any ideas." She said, pointing an accusing finger at him.
Naruto snickered and put his arm around his teammate's shoulders, shaking her playfully. "Come on Sakura-chan, this is Gaara we're talking about, not me. He'll probably just ignore your presence and impatiently wait for you to finish." This caused her to frown slightly, picturing it in her head. How strange. She didn't want him to look at her while she was bathing, but the thought that he wouldn't even be tempted lowered her self esteem slightly. She had never really thought herself to be extremely attractive or beautiful, but enough so to get a reaction from any red blooded male.
Gaara gave Naruto a glance before focusing on Sakura's emerald gaze. "I assure you that I will give you the fullest amount of privacy. I have no hidden motive."
"Which means, in fact, you are ugly." Sai interjected.
Hurt flashed across Sakura's face, until Gaara spoke up. "I didn't say that." He glared at the other man. "Is it so unrealistic that I would respect a woman's privacy?"
"Fine, whatever." She said, shoving Naruto's arm off of her. She was tired of the conversation already and wanted it to be dropped. "You and Naruto can spar first, if you want though. There are other things I can do to occupy my time."
"You're not going to write in that book with that alien language are you?" Naruto asked, giving her a look of suspicion mixed with dislike.
She rolled her eyes. "It's my medical journal, and it's not alien language, it's cursive. Everyone uses it."
"Do not." The blonde said, crossing his arms.
"I use it." Gaara said simply.
"Me too." Sai nodded.
Naruto grew slightly red in embarrassment. So he opted to try and insult them in an attempt to cover up his ignorance. "Oh yeah? Well, the people who use this so called 'cursive' are freaks. You three are perfect examples. Sai, you can't really show emotion and have a strange obsession with body parts. Gaara, well, you're psychotic and don't show emotion either. And Sakura-chan, you have anger problems and pink hair! I mean look at it! Who has pink hair? It's…just…weird…" his rant died down and he began to back away as Sakura advanced slowly towards him, a sadistic look in her eyes.
"Naruto…" she said in a sickeningly sweet voice, placing her hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch. "I will not deny that occasionally my temper gets out of hand, but nobody, and I mean nobody, talks about my hair." She gripped his shoulder painfully then, an audible crack being heard.
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry Sakura-chan! I take it back, you have lovely hair!" Naruto whined, desperate to get her to release his now throbbing shoulder.
She released the blonde and crossed her arms in a huff. "And don't you forget it."
"Well, not that this isn't going anywhere good or anything, but Sakura, why don't we leave?" he gestured towards a small path.
"Oh no!" Naruto pointed a finger at Gaara. "We are sparring first!"
The redhead sighed. "Fine." He looked back to Sakura, "This will only take a moment." He said walking toward his friend. Naruto charged at him, pulling his fist back. When he attempted a hit, Gaara dodged to the side and grabbed the blonde's wrist, twisting it skillfully and successfully locking his arm and forcing him to the ground. "There. I win. Spar over." He released Naruto, who was now holding his pained wrist.
"OW! What the hell Gaara?"
"Let's go." He said with a sigh, gesturing for Sakura to follow him.
"Nice one." She snickered, picking up her pack and walking with him towards the river.
He just smirked and crossed his arms. "I know."
They reached the river, and before she even had to say anything Gaara walked off towards a large boulder somewhat near the river but not too close, and faced away from her as he sat down. Pushing down the feeling of awkwardness, since she'd never had anyone watch over her while she bathed before, she glanced around the area before quickly undressing and submerging herself in the flowing water. She gasped slightly at the feeling of the cold water washing over her skin, but quickly grew used to it and ducked under the water to wet her hair. Grabbing her bottle of shampoo from her pack that was on the riverbank, she massaged it into her scalp. Peeking up at the redhead to make sure he was still facing in the same direction, she began to hum, something she did when silence was just too much. And talking to him would be kind of weird.
Not too much longer she was done bathing, and she quickly got out and dried herself off. She pulled out her spare change of clothes, having washed the ones she was wearing while she was bathing. "I'm finished." She announced, shoving her toiletries back in her bag. He stood without a word and glanced back slowly, as if she still might be indecent.
He dropped down from the boulder and gave her a tiny hint of a smile. "See, now was that so bad?"
"Yeah, yeah." she said with an easy smile and a roll of her eyes, throwing her pack over her shoulder.
"Well you can go ahead and head back, and tell Naruto and the freak they can come. I think I'm going to try and get at least a minute with myself." He said, waving her off.
She nodded and turned back into the forest, successfully hiding her smirk. She had a feeling that Gaara would regret telling her to inform the other two that they could join him in the river. Because if he thought Sai was weird now, just wait until you bathe with the guy. She had heard plenty of stories from Naruto on the matter, and had witnessed one herself, on the other side of a shoji screen at a hot spring when their impromptu team had first gotten together with Captain Yamato all those years ago. Oh well, part of her felt no remorse for the torture the redhead was sure to go through.
She entered the campsite and began to put up a clothesline to hang her wet garments on. "You two can head over to the river to bathe now. That's what Gaara's doing." She said, hanging up her clothes. "And wash your clothes so that I don't have to smell you on the way back. I'll even dry them for you."
"Aw, I hate doing laundry!" Naruto whined, picking up his things and heading off.
Sai did the same, following the blonde. "Now I will finally be able to see if the Kazekage does in fact have a small dick."
"No penis looking!" Naruto yelled back at him as they disappeared through the brush.
Sakura chuckled to herself, finished with her clothes. Kakashi came back shortly after, quickly making a fire and skinning a few rabbits he had caught, intending on making a stew. She took out her medical book from her pack and began to make notes in it on Gaara's sleeping disorder, and the things she knew about it. Even thought he hadn't asked or given her permission, she wanted to help him. Unbeknownst to the redhead, she was waiting for an opportunity for him to actually fall asleep, so that she could observe him. The two worked in silence, enjoying the absence of the other two members of their team for once.
It wasn't long after that that loud, obnoxious laughter could be heard, and both Sakura and Kakashi looked up from their tasks, confusion and curiosity marring their brows. When the three emerged it was Gaara who came first. He had a scowl on his face, and his hair was still wet from the river. Sakura was about to mutter a retort, but when Sai entered the clearing, it was he who was laughing, causing her to silence herself. Naruto just growled angrily, his arms crossed over his chest.
"My goodness Gaara, I just cannot believe it!"
"Will you please shut up." The redhead said, almost sounding as if he were begging.
"Sakura, Sakura." Sai called out to her, stopping and smiling. "Now you see I thought all Jinchuuriki were small like Naruto here, but our Kazekage has a very nice package."
"Sai!" Gaara actually shouted, a slight hint of a blush on his face. "Shut up!"
Taking pity on the redhead, Sakura raised a brow and shut her book. "You know Sai, one would think your unusual interest in male genitalia was a clear sign of homosexuality." She commented.
Sai simply shrugged, "Maybe."
Naruto scratched his head, looking confused. "What is genitalia?" he asked, causing everyone to look at him, except Kakashi, who idly stirred the stew, his gaze trained on his orange book.
"Private parts Naruto. Private parts." The silver haired man said.
"I'm going to bed." Gaara growled, walking over to his tent and throwing his things inside. He glared back at Sai. "And stop talking about my dick you queer, it's disturbing and slightly alarming." He pointed threateningly and then disappeared into the folds.
Sakura's brow furrowed slightly. If Gaara slept in a tent, she wouldn't be able to completely observe him. The only knowledge she would gain would be changes in his chakra or any noises he might make. Oh well, she thought with a shrug, getting up and pouring herself a bowl of stew. Anything was better than nothing.
The other members of Team Kakashi did the same, and the group chatted about everything and nothing, as they usually did. To any outsider, the camaraderie between the group was clearly tangible, despite the occasional quarrels. Sakura volunteered to take the first watch, and situated herself on a branch that over looked the entire camp. She began to scrawl in her medical journal, humming softly to herself. It was something she usually did when on watch, and none of her teammates complained of it, for in actuality it helped lull them to sleep. She paused in her writings, looking up to the stars. They would reach Waterfall soon, and their mission would be over. She was glad, because being around so many strange, irritating males for so long began to wear on her, but a small part of her was sad. Not wanting to explore the feeling, she returned to her book. Facts, after all, were easier to understand than feelings.
