The Circle

Chapter 4: Kakashi's Hint


After a long day, Rouri liked to take a walk by herself outside of town. It was a good way to clear her mind after being filled with the muddle of a day's worth of thoughts. For today, she kept it short, moving just far enough out so that she could be truly alone. No one's thoughts but her own. It was refreshing. Being a Yamanaka wasn't so unusual, but as far as she knew, Rouri was the only person in her whole clan with her ability. She had yet to determine whether it was a gift or a curse.

When the sun had finally set and the light was quickly fading into night, Rouri made her way back to town. She did her best to ignore the hustle and bustle, but that didn't stop it from coming through.

wonder what's going to happen to her if I…swore I put it in here somewhere. If Mom blames me…beautiful evening. Oh, look at that girl. I'd like to see her sitting on my…

The thoughts of her town blared in her mind like white noise, constantly. She wished her father had never tried to teach her his jutsu. Rouri had been the guinea pig for his self-created technique, and it had failed miserably. Now, the thoughts of others were unstoppable. The sense was on par with her hearing, in that she could listen in specifically on some thoughts or hear bits of all of them, and after a certain distance she could no longer hear a person's mind. Unlike hearing, no one had yet to invent ear plugs for the mind.

There were days when it helped. Everyone at the hospital had become used to Rouri's eerie ability to pick up on things that no one said aloud. Most chalked it up to a strong intuition, seeing as being able to hear their thoughts allowed her to go just as far as she could without raising suspicion.

For some reason though, she couldn't hear that girl's thoughts. Sayuri, the watchful medic from Suna, with those wide green eyes of her that seemed strangely empty without the noise of her thoughts behind them. For the first time in a long time, Rouri had looked into the eyes of a person and heard only the words she had chosen to say. It was refreshing, though slightly terrifying. So, naturally, Rouri was driven to befriend the apparently thoughtless girl.

As she approached the apartments, the thoughts of the people from the street faded as newer thoughts popped in.

black pepper should do the trick…window is so thin I can feel the wind blowing through it. Damn landlord…wish Ino would just relax. It's not going to help to fight…

As usual, Rouri tuned them out. Every now and then a particularly fierce or loud thought might pull her out of it, but she usually did her best to ignore them. She knocked quietly on the door of the apartment Sayuri had told her about, not bothering to listen for any approaching thoughts.

Gio had alerted her that Rouri was coming, so the knock on the door soon after was no surprise. Sakura was just smoothing her hair in the mirror one last time. She had pieced together a casual outfit the best she could from her limited wardrobe. There had been one suitable piece in her whole bag - a red tank top with a characteristically Suna collar that was perfectly round and high up on her neck. It was either a long shirt or a very short dress, so Sakura chose to wore some black spandex shorts for modesty's sake.

When she answered the door, Rouri smiled.

"You look nice," she said.

"Thanks, so do you," Sakura said. Rouri was wearing fitting, dark blue pants and a nice pea coat. "Let me grab a coat and we can go." She flitted to her room, quietly searching through her bag again as Ino snored lightly on her bed. Eventually she found a dark brown jacket that had a few too many pockets for her taste, but she grabbed it anyways and ran out to the front door.

"Okay, where to?" Sakura asked as she closed the door behind her quietly.

"I'll show you downtown first," Rouri chirped, skipping down the stairs into the courtyard.

So Sakura acted as if she were receiving her first tour of the town, when in reality she'd grown up here. Mostly it was the same, but was surprised to find that many of her favorite shops had yet to be opened. Sakura insisted they stopped when she saw a food cart she recognized. She ordered three of the long sticks with vegetables slathered in a mystery sauce skewered on them, wolfing them down ravenously. Rouri watched her like she'd just grown a second head as she ordered herself a small one.

"There's a grocery store a couple of blocks down this street that has the best produce in all of Konoha," Rouri was saying, pointing behind her as they headed deeper downtown. Where Sakura expected to see large, lit-up banners and an endless amount of carts and people, she found it lacking. A Saturday night in Konoha was sure not what it used to be… or would be, rather.

"My favorite bar is this one," Rouri said, pointing to the one with the painting of a drunk-looking crescent moon on the front with an impish grin. "Thirsty?"

"Sure," Sakura said, following Rouri inside as the girl swished her long hair back and forth. They took a seat at the bar. A cute bartender walked up, waiting patiently for their orders.

"The usual," Rouri chirped. Sakura bit her lip and looked around for a menu, but found the walls to be covered in nothing but abstract art. What a weird bar.

"I'll have what she's having," Sakura said. The bartender nodded and walked off.

It wasn't long before both girls were appropriately sozzled. Sakura, for all her noise when she was mad, actually tended to become very quiet and giggly when drunk. Rouri was quite the opposite. The shorter girl began to babble endlessly, and Sakura found it harder and harder to follow along as the alcohol began to taste better and better.

"- and you wouldn't believe what a bitch Nan actually is! She acts all nice but she has the most critical thoughts of anyone in the whole hospital," Rouri said loudly, slamming her not-quite-empty cup on the bar every now and then to stress certain words. Sakura watched her drink slosh over the edges, thinking there was probably something wrong with that but not really able to figure out what.

"Ahhh yeah, that lady took forever to find me someone to shadow. Everybody kept saying they were 'busy!' Pleeeaase! She just didn't want to order anyone around," Sakura moaned.

"Oh, she does want to, she just doesn't tell anyone," Rouri slurred.

"But she tells you?"

"Well, not really. She doesn't mean to, but she does."

"What?" Sakura said, trying to clear her mind to figure that out.

"Uh, forget I said that," Rouri rushed, turning away to hide her face. Sakura frowned. What was this medic trying to hide? Sakura tried to remember what they'd just been talking about, but she couldn't. Crap.

"Ugh, I really did forget. I didn't mean to drink this much," Sakura mumbled, pressing her forehead into her hands as if to push the alcohol right out the back of her head. She drunkenly wondered if with her healing chakra she could do that. Drunk as she was though, she still knew better than to blow her cover. Mostly.

As Sakura reached for her glass only to pick up a red jar with a tiny candle in it and stare at it dumbly, Rouri let out a peal of laughter that sounded like a beautiful wind chime in a mountain breeze. She could have punched her new friend for being so adorable even when inebriated.

"Alright, I'll walk home with you," Rouri said, pushing her empty glass away as she hopped off the barstool.

"Oh, you don't have to, it's really okay," Sakura said, waving her hands in front of her.

"Ah, it's on my way anyways," Rouri insisted, patting Sakura on the shoulder.

Together they walked down the cool night streets. The air was refreshing, and Sakura found her thoughts began to clear some as she walked alongside Rouri. She remembered their conversation then.

"Wait, what was that you were saying about Nan? She doesn't mean to tell you stuff, but she does?" Sakura wondered. Rouri was looking away now, but Sakura could see the worry on her face. This must be a big secret to make her look like that. "Hey, it's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just a little curious."

"Well, it's part of the reason why I liked you so much right off the bat, Sayuri," Rouri started hesitantly. There was a long pause, and she stopped to look up at Sakura.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to," Sakura said with a reassuring smile, resting a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. Rouri smiled a little.

"Okay, well… I can hear people's thoughts," Rouri said. There was a long pause as Sakura drunkenly comprehended that, but her gut told her first. She felt like she'd been stabbed with an icicle.

"What?" Sakura said dumbly.

"Yeah… Remember my clan, Yamanaka? They have a lot of mind-related jutsu. My father tried to create a new one on me. It worked, but reversing it is as impossible as trying to control it. I always hear people's thoughts. Now that he's dead, I know I can't ever stop it," Rouri said, and her voice started to waver. "Except yours, Sayuri. I don't know why, but I can't hear any of your thoughts. You're the only person I feel normal around, and I've only known you f-for a day!" At that, Rouri burst into tears, throwing her arms around Sakura and wiping her snot and tears into Sakura's only nice shirt. That was okay though, because it gave her a chance to figure out how to piece her face together into the right expression.

This girl could read thoughts. One of the very few ways their cover could be blown, and here it was. Sakura was not surprised to hear that Rouri couldn't read her thoughts. Ino's mind-transfer technique didn't work on her either, so there must be something special about her brain that kept the Yamanaka clan out. Thank goodness, Sakura sighed inwardly. Now she was beginning to see the wisdom in Hinata's words. The farther Rouri stayed from her team members, the better.

"Well hey, that's pretty cool. I've always been kinda curious about what others think of me," Sakura said, patting Rouri on the back. The girl's sobs quieted with a little sniffle.

"Mostly they don't think much of you," Rouri explained. "You're the girl from Suna - that's all. They tend to think you're a little slow and quiet. Kakashi had some weird thoughts about you, though. That's why I rushed in like that. You looked surprised to see me." Sakura stiffened at that, and Rouri pulled out of her hug, rubbing her eyes before she looked up at Sakura.

"He was wondering if you could possibly be an assassin!" Rouri laughed. "That thought only crossed his mind for a second, though. A real assassin wouldn't have waited for him to wake up. Still, I didn't hear what happened before that. What did you do to him?" Sakura forced her jaw to unclench.

"I hit him in the face with my book," Sakura laughed nervously. Rouri put her hand over her mouth and let out a shocked laugh.

"No way! You nailed the copy ninja! That's amazing. No wonder he was so impressed by you," Rouri said, grinning. Sakura smiled back, wondering if he didn't let people hit him these days. What had changed in his personality to make him let that eraser land on his head on her first day of class?

"Impressed?" Sakura questioned hesitantly. She couldn't help but feel her ego swell a little.

"Oh yeah. He kept trying to figure out how he missed that book coming. That's saying something, too. I think he's pretty interested in you, Sayuri. Kakashi is usually half-asleep with boredom most of the time, but he was thinking on overdrive that day. Then again, I usually only run into him in the hospital, so that could be why…" Rouri trailed off sleepily. At that, she continued walking with her new friend leaning on her heavily.

Sakura cursed her own dumb luck. Her first friend here could hear people's thoughts, and now she had also caught the interest of the young copy ninja. She would need to do some serious backtracking and be very cautious in order to keep her cover.

She and Rouri eventually reached her apartments. Sakura waved goodbye, and Rouri walked on steady enough not to worry her. As Sakura made her way up to the apartment, she realized she'd forgotten her key inside. She checked the doorknob just in case. Locked. She was sure she could break in with nothing more than a little burst of chakra, but she didn't really want to have to deal with explaining a broken door later. Ino and Hinata were both probably asleep, and drunkenly Sakura felt bad at the thought of waking them up. There was an easier way, after all.

Going back to the outside of the building, she gauged the distance between the ground and her second story kitchen window, which was just slightly cracked open. It wasn't the distance that was a problem - it was how to jump up and catch a hand on the window sill without making a loud noise. It didn't help that the world still spun to catch up each time she turned her head.

"Damn it, you idiot," Sakura muttered under her breath. Just then, she got the feeling she was being watched - and not just by a talking bird. The presence loomed more heavily than that.

"You're the Suna girl, aren't you?" a voice asked, and she turned to face Kakashi. In the moonlight his hair took on a blue twinge. He was wearing a long-sleeve shirt now, but she could still see the wondrous shapes of his arms and shoulders beneath it. Sakura forced her drunken eyes not to look, but she found they wandered anyways.

She turned the rest of her body to face him, but folded her arms over her chest. Even her jacket couldn't ward off the chill she was feeling now after she'd been standing still for a while.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked, a little frustrated now. If he would just go she could hop up into her apartment, climb into the bed already warmed by Ino, and let her mind rest.

"You look a little lost," Kakashi said, taking a couple of steps closer, hands in his pockets. He looked around casually as if he were just making small talk, but Sakura could tell from the few quick glances in her direction that he was more invested in this than just casually. Kakashi had something more pressing on his mind to ask her. She wasn't sure she wanted to find out what it was.

"I'm not lost," Sakura said, sticking her chin out and doing her best sober talk possible.

"Is that so?" he said simply, standing just a couple paces in front of her now. It was hard not to feel sucked into his dark gaze when she met it.

"Yes," she retorted quickly, but still found herself unable to look away. She gripped her arms tighter around herself.

"Well, are you waiting for someone then?" Kakashi said in a low voice that made her wonder what it sounded like with her ear pressed up against her chest. Sakura bit her cheek to scold her inner drunken women for being so openly attracted to him, but she really couldn't blame herself. Kakashi was somewhat irresistible, and the way he looked at her as they stood in the moonlight should have been illegal.

"No," Sakura replied after a slight beat. She wasn't sure what lie she could say to get him to leave, and her mind wasn't exactly quick to come up with brilliant ideas now.

"Hm," he said simply. "What are you doing then?"

"Uh, just looking at the stars," she ventured. As if to make her point, she looked up at the sky. The stars swam before her unsteadily. Especially frustrated now, Sakura turned to him with newfound vigor. "Can I help you in any way, Kakashi Hatake?" She spoke in a sweet enough tone, but there was a bitterness beneath it to show her impatience. He just quirked an eyebrow lazily.

"Sayuri, right?" he asked. "What are you here for, anyways?"

"My home-town, Suna, has a very small medical team. I'm here to shadow medics at your hospital in order to pass the knowledge on to my colleagues," Sakura said simply. She'd practically memorized that line now.

"Hm," Kakashi said again, still seeming unsatisfied. There was a long moment of silence as he considered her with one dark eye. Sakura tried to stifle the shivers that were racking her body now. "You're cold," he observed.

"Thank you, Dr. Obvious," Sakura mumbled, looking away and sending her strongest 'get the fuck away' vibes possible. She needed to be alone so she could jump up onto the window sill and fall into bed. Kakashi stepped just a shade closer, and she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. Sakura clenched her teeth and angled her body away slightly, resisting the urge to curl up into his chest and warm her hands under his shirt. He certainly didn't look as if he would mind, what with the way his eyes roamed down the lines of her shirt. She blamed the alcohol on that. She had to be imagining it.

"Why don't you go home? I don't understand why you're still standing here," Kakashi said, taking one hand out of a pocket to gesture to the apartments. Sakura eyed him critically. Did he know she lived there or was he just guessing?

"I guess it is a little cold to look at the stars now," Sakura ammended through her teeth. It looked like she'd have to pretend to go into a building so he would leave her alone before she was rid of this stalker. Maybe she would go over to Makoto's. Maybe she would just wake Ino up and bear the angry onslaught. It was too cold and she was too tired to care anymore - she wanted to go home. "Well, I'll be going then." She turned to go, but Kakashi grabbed her arm.

"Wait -" he said.

"Really? What do you want, Kakashi?" Sakura snapped. He wanted her to go, then he didn't want her to.

"I was just thinking…" Kakashi spoke slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. She couldn't help but be highly conscious of the hand still holding her arm, and how it felt warm even through the jacket. "You should also be learning some defensive techniques, for battle. A dead medic is a useless medic, so if you really want to be of any help to Suna, you should be able to defend yourself. I know you have that potential in you. You were pretty quick with your porno today." Sakura blinked at his serious expression, too stunned to be pissed at him mentioning her porn again. That's all he came to tell me?

"Duly noted," Sakura said a little less sharply, pulling at his hold on her arm as if she were nothing but a weak Suna girl. The copy ninja didn't let go. He looked away for a moment before looking back with an odd expression on his face. She had to bite her lip to hold back her smirk, because it was probably the first time she had ever seen anything close to shy cross her teacher's face.

"I… You can always ask me for help, you know. I appreciate what you did for me in the hospital," Kakashi said lowly.

"What, did I actually smack some sense into you today?" Sakura teased.

"No," he said, "I know there was no one in the hospital that day with the ability to heal my internal injuries. I was waiting for a medic with the skill to return, as all are on missions currently… That's why I'd avoided the hospital. I don't need to sit there for days only to be poked by overconfident healers with needles. But you healed me."

Sakura closed her gaping mouth. Her relief from his seemingly petty concern he'd expressed earlier vanished. Kakashi Hatake knew she was a better healer than she acted to be. She'd blown their cover within the first week. -

"You might not think so, but you have potential," Kakashi interrupted her thoughts. "So, if you ever want to learn a little about how to fight… just ask me. Off the record. Okay?" Sakura blinked a couple of times.

"Okay," she said, still baffled. He didn't seem to question that she was a skilled medic here to receive training. At least, not yet. Sakura felt as if her mind was skipping like a broken record. She needed to get away and think about this.

Kakashi watched her for a moment. He looked like he was going to say something else, then he put his hand back in his pocket and seemed to change his mind. At that, he disappeared in a blur. Sakura was able enough now to track his dash, but for the sake of whatever frail cover she had left, she kept her eyes glued straight ahead when he disappeared. Then she turned and ran.

Makoto's apartment wasn't difficult to find. She wasn't completely sure about the number, but she hardly cared anymore as she knocked on the door.

The door opened after only a short while, and Makoto stood on the other side, holding a glass of ice water in one hand. Warmth and light flooded into the hall, reminding Sakura that she was cold.

"Oh, Sayuri," he said. "Are you okay?" Sakura shoved herself in, and closed the door behind her. She refused to look at him until she had taken a seat on his deep brown couch and allowed herself three long breaths. Makoto said nothing, just swirled the ice in his water and contemplated the room as if he really was interested in his own cheap wallpaper. He seemed to sense that she needed a moment.

"I think I've blown it all, Makoto," Sakura said once she trusted her voice to be steady. Saying it aloud only made her feel worse, and she chewed her bottom lip. He simply waited, seeming to sense that she had more to say. "On my first day as a shadow, not only did I heal a ninja beyond what I'm supposed to be capable of, but I've befriended the only person in all of Konoha who could ruin us. She can hear thoughts."

The ice clinked on his glass as he took a sip of his water. Sakura chanced a look up at him to see his eyes on her. If she'd been in the state of mind to care, she might have been surprised to see that they were a very intricate hazel, with green, brown, and blue all dashing together.

"Who's this ninja you healed? Does he know?" He asked simply.

"Yes, he figured it out. His name's Kakashi Hatake. In the future, he's actually my teacher…" Sakura said lamely.

"Interesting," Makoto said, and he sounded like he meant it. "What about this mind reader? Has she heard any of your thoughts about the mission?"

"Well, no. I'm actually the exception to the rule. I think it has to do with the fact that she's from the Yamanaka clan. I'm immune to Ino's mind techniques as well," Sakura explained, feeling a little less worried. Makoto seemed like this was hardly at the top of his list of worries, and Tsunade had said to trust him.

"Ah, well, I think this has actually worked out much to the better," he said simply, taking another drink of his water.

"Really?" Sakura gaped at him.

"Think about it. You have the only medic who could spoil our cover under your thumb. Just warn your friends about her, and keep her away from them as much as you can," Makoto explained. "As for Kakashi, I have a good feeling. A really good feeling, actually. He grabbed your arm, didn't he?"

"What?" Sakura said abruptly. "Yes, he did… How did you -"

"It's an ability thing. His 'color' feels good to me. I would definitely advise you befriend him. This may be a lead towards Denna. It's certainly a better one than lurking around in the hospital," he said. Sakura reminded herself to close her mouth, and she looked out the window as she considered that. Kakashi was a good lead? It did make sense. He was ANBU, and as Rouri had said, he was already quite interested in her. It wouldn't be hard to take up his training offer and keep an ear out for suspicious things. Sakura hummed to herself in approval.

"Thank you, Makoto. I feel much better now," Sakura said, looking towards him with an appreciative smile. Whether he had meant to do it or it had just happened that way, he had certainly comforted her. Makoto gave a lopsided smile in response.

"Sure thing," he said warmly. Then his warm smile faltered a bit, and he swished the ice in his glass a little more somberly. "Did Izumi say anything about me? I assume she's sleeping at your house tonight." Sakura sighed at that, leaning back into his couch more. It wasn't as comfortable as hers at home, but it still made her limbs feel heavy with exhaustion to sink into it.

"She was upset you tried to kiss her," she said sleepily, letting her eyes slide shut. The noise of the ice clinking in his glass suddenly stopped, and if he wasn't such a mouth breather Sakura might have thought Makoto was gone.

"Was that what she said?"

"Mhm… I know you have your reasons for trying to look like a couple, but you really have to take it slow with her. She acts all boisterous and tough, but really she just does that to hide the feelings that are really important to her," Sakura droned, feeling her consciousness slip even as she just sat on the couch. Somewhere in the back of her head she realized she should get back home, to her bed, with Ino and Hinata. She would do that… in a couple of minutes.

She didn't realize how long Makoto had been silent until he suddenly spoke again.

"I didn't try to kiss her," he mumbled quietly. Sakura frowned at the sound of his voice, which had lost its usual carefree tone. She wanted to open her eyes and ask him what that meant, but she seemed to have forgotten how.

The next morning, Sakura woke up in a bed. After a long moment, she remembered the night before. She had fallen asleep on Makoto's… couch. Sitting up, she could hear the soft noises of someone in the kitchen. The blankets had been drawn up around her and someone had taken her shoes off. As far as she could tell, he hadn't joined her in the bed, so Sakura's rising outrage was suddenly diminished.

Pushing out of the bed, she walked flat-footed into the kitchen, where Makoto was wearing new clothes and looking freshly showered. He seemed amused to see her.

"Sleep well?" he said, back to his playful self, making Sakura wonder if she'd imagined the last thing he'd said last night.

"Yeah, thanks. I should have asked if I could stay, but I guess I just ended up leaving myself in your living room. Sorry about that," Sakura chuckled sleepily, rubbing the crust out of her eyes.

"I made some coffee," Makoto said with a shrug, gesturing to a steaming cup. Eagerly, she grabbed it off the counter and clasped it against her chest, savoring the smell and warmth.

"Thank you," Sakura said. "I don't know what Izumi was on about your sleeping for. I didn't hear a peep."

"Well, you were pretty much dead to the world," he said into his cup. Makoto took a long drink before speaking again. "Besides, I don't think my snoring was even the real problem." Sakura looked at him closely, and she could see now a hint of the less carefree version of Makoto she had thought she'd imagined last night.

"What does that mean?" She asked casually. There was a long pause before he spoke again.

"She kissed me, on our first night here. Then the next morning she was cold as could be, as if nothing at all had happened. I mean, not much happened in the first place, but…" he trailed off, obviously at a loss. Sakura sighed, patting him on the shoulder.

"She's testing you, Makoto. Izumi just does that occasionally. If she's testing you, you know she really does like you," Sakura explained. "I usually just call her out on her bullshit right off the bat, so she doesn't do it to me anymore. Just be yourself and ignore it, but don't ignore her. She'll come around, probably sooner than you think." Makoto nodded, seeming a little comforted by that.

Just then, there was a quiet knock on the door. Sakura began to grab her things as Makoto opened the door for Hinata. She hardly took two steps in, still wearing her pajamas, though by the smoothness of her hair you wouldn't have guessed she'd laid her head down a single second all night. Sakura wondered what it took to mess up that girl's hair.

"Sayuri, you should come back now. Izumi will wake up soon, and it seems to me like this might be tricky to explain," Hinata said, nodding to where Sakura and Makoto were standing. Sakura clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"There isn't anything that needs explaining. You're probably right though," she amended. It would probably be impossible to convince Ino of a good reason that she'd spent the night here, so it would be easier just to be there when she woke up. Maybe she wouldn't notice. Just as Sakura turned to go, Makoto touched her shoulder lightly to stop her. At least he was respectful in that way. People didn't have to go man-handling her to get her attention, but they usually did. Just because she was tough didn't mean she couldn't feel anything.

"Remember, be careful about butterflies with Kakashi," Makoto said. "I know I said I had a good feeling, but it's still a risk. You know him, so use that to your advantage." Sakura wanted to remind him that the Kakashi she knew was thirteen years older, but he still had a point, so she simply nodded.

"Thanks again, Makoto," Sakura said as she walked out the door with Hinata. She must have been watching for Sakura to wake up so she could rush over and get her before Ino woke up. It struck her then why Hinata was so good for their mission, and knew it wouldn't be the last time she felt indebted to the quiet kunoichi.

When they got back to the apartment, Sakura brewed some coffee there. She hadn't been able to finish her cup at Makoto's. Hinata quietly walked back to her room, apparently content to leave Sakura without any further questioning.

The rest of the day went normally. The girls were told to shadow the same people today, and that pleased Sakura. Rouri was even more friendly now, making the day actually kind of fun. Nan told the team they were all doing quite well, and that after the weekend they would receive a seminar on healing using their chakra from an experienced medic who was to be returning from his mission.

Sakura wasn't sure she should look forward to the slightly greater challenge or dread being bored to death. At least when she was with Rouri she didn't have to do very much acting-out of her poor skills. Rouri seemed more than happy to give her the menial, tedious tasks, and Sakura was more than happy to do them. She learned to take pride in the small things she could, like her ability to stack suture kits more neatly than anyone else.

That day, Nan was kind enough to give the shadows a lunch break. The three girls walked down to a nearby sandwich house for some good food. The money that Sakura had brought was actually worth much more in the past than it had been in the present, so she found herself newly rich.

"Ugh, I loathe the woman I have to shadow," Ino was saying as they chose an outdoor table in the sun to eat at. "She talks endlessly about nothing and then quizzes me on the nothing she mentioned all day! As if I'm waiting with baited breath on her every word." She lifted her medic skirt and pushed her legs out in the sun in some sort of attempt to tan as she spoke. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"At least she can't hear thoughts," she replied. Ino and Hinata didn't react much, so it was probably safe to say they didn't understand. "Seriously," Sakura continued, "Rouri can hear thoughts. Remember the Yamanaka I was telling you about before? She got the ability from some failed jutsu her father tried." Ino sat up suddenly, forgetting about trying to get a tan.

"We need to tell Makoto right away," Hinata said, suddenly alarmed. For once, Sakura didn't think she was over-reacting.

"Don't worry, I did," Sakura said, stuffing her mouth with a large bite of her sandwich. She put her bag onto her lap, pulling some things out to get to her water bottle underneath.

"You know, I feel like I remembered hearing about that… I thought she went crazy and died right after the event though," Ino said thoughtfully.

"Well, her dad did die," Sakura said after swallowing her large bite with some effort. There was a moment of silence; none of them really knew what to say after that.

Just then, a large crowd of kids came around the street corner. This wasn't an unusual sight, as most of the schools in Konoha went on frequent field trips to learn, but what was unusual was a girl in the middle of the crowd. Her hair was a pale pink, not overly bright in hue but still standing out like a sore thumb.

Sakura had to focus on not dropping her sandwich all over her uniform as she watched herself walk by. Next to her younger self was a younger Ino as well. The two girls were talking animatedly, twirling their hair and jumping up and down every now and then. Sakura noticed she was still wearing the red bow in her hair that Ino had given her.

"Holy shit… This is weird," Ino muttered under her breath. Sakura and Ino sat with dumbfound expressions as they watched themselves. Hinata was still the only Hinata on this street, but she seemed extremely shocked nonetheless. Sakura realized why when she caught sight of a little yellow head dashing through the students.

"Hey, Sakura! Hey! Check this out! When I put my goggles on like this - no, look, like this! - I can look into the sun and it only hurts a little bit!" Naruto said as he ran up to the much-younger Sakura. As she watched, Sakura was horrified to see her younger self cross her arms and look down her nose at him.

"That's dumb," she said, with all the false superiority that she had learned from Ino at that age.

"It's not!" Naruto insisted, jumping in place. He snapped the goggles over his eyes and looked up as if it would convince her. "See? I bet you can't do that without these! I'd let you try them on, but I'm going to be Hokage one day, and so I always have to -"

"Uzumaki! Single file, or I'm sending you home!" A younger Iruka yelled from the back of the procession. Sakura was surprised to see that he looked almost the same, except that his ponytail was a bit shorter than usual and a couple pieces of hair refused to be caught, hanging stray by his face. Even as he scolded Naruto, Iruka had a little smile and clearly enjoyed watching after his herd of kids.

"Oooooohh," Younger Ino and Sakura chorused in the typical response when someone got in trouble in class.

"You know, when I'm Hokage one day…" Naruto mumbled as he ran back to his spot in line, kicking the ground and punching the air when he did so. Ino and Sakura were collapsing in a fit of giggles at the front of the line, mocking the way he had run.

For a brief moment, the teacher's gaze landed on where the three time-travelers sat, and Sakura smiled reflexively. He hardly noticed her though, as a child pulled on his arm for his attention. She sighed for having thought things would have been otherwise. Friendly as Iruka always was, Sakura was not herself now - she was Sayuri from Suna. He did not know or care for her.

Ino nudged her then, nodding subtly towards something. Sakura's eyes followed her direction to see Sasuke. He walked stiffly as always, hands in his pockets and his face so stoic he looked like a man caught in a child's body. Sakura didn't even notice as a tomato slice slid from her sandwich to the ground with a wet noise, simply watching the children go.

She had always remembered him as so cool, but now as she watched him walk along in line alone, all she could see was how vulnerable he seemed. It struck her how wrong they had all been about him. Sasuke acted like he didn't care, but now she was wise enough to see the immature envy in his dark eyes as he watched the rest of his class jostle and jump about without any cares in the world.

Eventually the class disappeared down the street, around another corner. The three girls were silent for a long moment after that. Sakura couldn't shake the strong sense of deja-vu she felt.

"We really were the queen bees," Ino finally broke the silence.

"You mean queen bitches," Sakura said lowly.

"I don't remember either of you being so rude. I think you grew out of that pretty quickly," Hinata said kindly. Sakura and Ino both looked at her then, still constantly surprised by how polite she was, even now on their lunch break when no one was there to expect that of her. Sakura realized then why Hinata had a boyfriend and they both didn't. Even if it was Naruto.

"What field trip was that?" Sakura asked, trying to remember.

"I don't know," Ino shrugged. "Do you think we would suddenly remember this day better if I ran after those kids and yelled something?" Sakura tried to imagine how that would work. After a moment, she shook her head, now utterly confused.

"I'm pretty sure that's some serious butterfly slaughter, either way," she said.

"It makes my head hurt to think about it," Hinata mumbled, still looking where the class had gone.

"Mine too," Ino laughed.

Soon after that, the girls had finished lunch and were heading back to the hospital. Sakura, upon putting her water bottle back into her bag, realized halfway there that she was missing Icha Icha.

"Oh, crap," Sakura said, stopping in her tracks and digging in her bag a little more frantically, as if it would appear suddenly. "I forgot something, you guys. Go ahead. I'll catch up." Ino rolled her eyes, but the two girls continued on without any event.

Sakura ran back to the sandwich house as fast as she could without using her chakra, which she found was a bit disappointing of a pace. Even worse was how, when she slid to a stop by their bench, she was huffing and puffing as if she'd actually run here from Suna. Being a normal person was more tedious than she had imagined. It had only been a couple days without training, and she was already losing stamina.

The book was nowhere to be seen, even when she fell to her knees and reached around under the bench and the bush next to it. Sakura searched for a while before standing up with a groan. She'd lost it. There was no way future-Kakashi would let her live it down if she lost that damn book.

Brushing the dust off of her knees, she got the feeling she was being watched again. Sakura turned to see Kakashi himself, holding the book open. His silver hair shone in the sunlight, and the way he slouched just slightly in those slack black pants of his made them look like designer clothes. As his eyes crinkled from a smile hidden beneath his mask, he looked like the cat who ate the canary. Sakura wanted to smack that smile off of his face.

Oh, she looks pissed now, Kakashi thought to himself as the Suna girl's face transformed when she caught sight of him holding her book. Her cheeks were flushed red from running, which he'd watched her do while he'd lazily jumped along the rooftops, reading a page here and there out of her book. Kakashi found the story rather intriguing, not to mention the explicit scenes were very well-done. Now he was regretting having to give it back to her. Well, it wasn't like she'd be able to catch him if he really wanted to keep it.

Besides, her angry face was quite cute.

She was stomping towards him now, one hand in a tight fist and the other opened to him, palm upward. What was she going to do if he didn't give it to her, punch him? He could have laughed.

"I'll be taking that now, thank you," she said curtly.

"Now? I was just getting to the good part," he said truthfully. Kakashi's smile widened as she stomped a foot. Her anger was so kitten-like. If only he really knew…

"Kakashi! I have to go. My lunch break is almost over," Sayuri said venomously, lunging forward to snatch the book from him. Kakashi pulled it out of her reach at the last moment easily. She gritted her teeth and tried again, a little more quickly. A piece of her odd almost-brown hair fell into her face as she continued to try. Kakashi continued to back away and snap it just out of reach. It was far too amusing to quit now, though she had backed him against a wall.

"Seriously! How old are you, two?" She said, glaring up at him as he changed his strategy to holding it up above his head, well out of her reach.

"In decades," Kakashi said simply. Something about that made her look thoughtful for a moment. There was a moment of silence as she seemed to gage the distance to the book. Maybe if she had any training, she could get it, but no normal girl like herself could jump this high.

She would have to climb him to get it. Not a bad idea… Kakashi's smile widened as he imagined it. Even in that stifling medic uniform, he could see the narrow slant of her waist that blossomed into shapely hips. Plus, being this close he couldn't help but smell her. It was a sweet, woodsy scent - like a forest of cherry blossom trees in bloom. There were undertones of the smell of another man, as well. It wasn't surprising to him that she would have a boyfriend here already. Kakashi wasn't sure why it bothered him, but it did. He didn't know the guy, but he already got the feeling she could do better. Whoever he was -

Suddenly, Kakashi's thoughts were cut short. Sayuri's fingers had found a very specific spot on his right side. He was only just able to hold back the temptation to kick her as the insane sensation of being tickled wracked his body, until he was doubled over and pushing her back with his one free hand weakly. The copy ninja couldn't remember the last time he'd been tickled.

"St - stop it! Ah - stop! You cr-cruel woman! P-please!" Kakashi pleaded between laughs. In the back of his mind, he was thankful that the side-street they were on was fairly quiet. It was humiliating; he'd been bested by some foreign girl who probably wasn't even a genin. She seemed to be enjoying this, based on the triumphant grin on her face as she tickled him relentlessly.

"Give me the book!" Sayuri said with laughter in her voice. He had slid down against the wall somewhat, but that didn't stop her from pressing up against him as she strained to make the last inch to reach the book without losing her tickle-hold on his side.

"N-never!" He giggled. Unfortunately, he found his body rebelling against him as it buckled under her unyielding fingers, and then she snatched the book out of his hand. She didn't stop tickling him though. The horror. Kakashi closed his eyes as if to block it out.

"Promise me you will never steal my things again," she said in a voice that might have been deadly intimidating if her form of torture hadn't been tickling.

"Pleease, st-stop!"

"Promise!" Sayuri insisted. He tried to squirm out of her grasp, but found she had him pinned in with her free arm and legs. If this inability to stop laughing wasn't possibly one of the worst feelings in the world, he might have found it slightly erotic. Okay, he still did find it slightly erotic.

"I promise!" Kakashi said finally, and the release was immediate. He could always go back on that promise. Well, maybe.