AN: I updated the previous chapter, but only with some very minor changes. Let me know what you think of this chapter, curious about your reaction. I hope you enjoy! I do not own the characters.
It was early morning as Sakura walked to Lucky's Adult Emporium for the second time, distinctive hair hidden by her hoodie. Taking a deep, bracing breath did little to alleviate the slight jitteriness and self-consciousness that bounced around within her. She opened the door cautiously, as if merely stepping foot into the store would conjure up the frustrating man plaguing her thoughts.
Seriously, it was as if Kakashi had an alert system that went off every single time she found herself in an awkward situation. Situations that he just had to show up and bear witness to. Like a few days ago, when she had effectively tangled herself up in her own shirt, and the Copy Nin just so happened to be hanging out on her windowsill. Pretty soon she'd have to fine him for loitering.
Heat entered her cheeks, but it wasn't due to the graphic covers of the…recreational DVDs that she found herself surrounded by. It wasn't even the fact that Kakashi had caught her in practically just her underwear. After all, she was the only female on her team, which was the case for most kunoichi. Actually, the female shinobi regularly got together as a support group of sorts to vent about certain struggles that their male colleagues couldn't relate to. More often than not, these gatherings involved copious amounts of alcohol.
She had seen all of her male teammates in various states of undress, and vice versa. Modesty was something that a shinobi could ill afford. As a result, she had the unfortunate first hand knowledge that Sai was indeed incredibly pale all over. Then there had been the incident in her more tender years in which she had glimpsed Naruto stripped completely bare...she had nearly bleached her eyes in order to get over that horror. Additionally, her role as a medical professional had left her jaded to something as trivial as nudity. She'd administered too many injections in patients' butts, along with performing more invasive exams, to be shy about the human body.
No, her embarrassment was all thanks to Kakashi consistently catching her at moments that she would prefer not a single soul knew about. Being held captive by her own clothing, for example.
Faking a nonchalance that she didn't feel, she pretended to browse through the discs. Sakura couldn't help but wince when she came across the description of "erotic rendition of beloved children's stories" on a case. Some things were best left alone. Discreetly brushing the hand that had touched the DVD in question against her pants, as if she could wipe away the memory of that particular disc's existence, she glanced around.
The medic avoided eye contact with the young man that was rummaging through a clearance bin of porn. Green eyes narrowing, she realized that he looked suspiciously like the same guy that had been picking out movies the last time she had visited Lucky's. She hated to think about the kind of strain his hand and wrist went through, if his shopping habits were any indication…
She wasn't in any position to judge, though. Casually strolling, or at least attempting to, she moved towards the garment section. Sakura had decided that it would be easier to buy Jiraiya's second book here, rather than at her preferred bookstore. The thought of buying any of the Icha Icha series from the elderly proprietor made her cringe. She would rest better knowing that the kindly old man was unaware of her recent reading habits.
Fighting the urge to glare at the fishnet stockings after her newfound aversion to the material, she headed over to where the books were kept. At least, that was her plan before something caught her eye. Something that would cause Kakashi to run the risk of dehydration from drooling too much.
Lucky had apparently decided that their store would benefit from an Icha Icha section. Life-sized cutouts of the main characters stared back at the medic. The artistic rendering of Himitsu, the heroine of the first book, seemed to defy all realistic body proportions. Ignoring the urge to glance down at her own—significantly smaller—chest, Sakura focused on the merchandise in front of her.
There were various shirts, none of which had any scenes plastered on the front, thankfully. Konoha's streets were family friendly, after all. Picking up a green tank top, she saw that it had been made to look like the cover of Icha Icha Tactics. She set it down next to a shirt proclaiming that the wearer was in a dedicated relationship with the hero of the series. She passed by the matching couple's t-shirts. While she might be a closet fan of the adult book series, Sakura couldn't see herself publicly declaring it with articles of clothing, let alone in conjunction with someone else. She wouldn't be able to live down the embarrassment.
She quickly decided to pass on the official vibrator of the Icha Icha series. It brought the author to mind, and the mental image of Jiraiya immediately killed any desire to purchase, let alone use the toy. The kunoichi shuddered in a combination of horror and disgust. Shaking off the feeling, she was excited to discover novelty boxers. The fabric featured characters from the series hiding amongst lines from the books.
Despite her current disgruntlement with him, the medic couldn't pass up the opportunity to purchase the perfect gift for Kakashi. He was one of her closest friends, after all, though she didn't want to consider what that said about her. Besides, by the time that she gave it to him, she wouldn't constantly be torn between wanting to drag him into bed or strangle him.
Probably.
Boxers tucked under her arm, she found the actual books. Her eyes scanned the shelf, but couldn't find the red cover that she was searching for. Sakura pulled out a few volumes, thinking that there might be some tucked behind the others. No luck. Mildly frustrated, she made a beeline for the main book section in the store.
Sakura's sudden arrival appeared to startle the middle-aged woman already there, a large stack of books cradled in her arms. The medic smiled apologetically before deciding to ignore the woman. No reason to make either of them any more uncomfortable. Gaze skimming over works by authors far more dubious than Jiraiya, she found the Icha Icha portion of the bookcases. With rising irritation, she fervidly searched for Icha Icha Violence. When she found herself empty-handed, an irksome thought struck her.
Oh, he better not have.
Lips flattening in annoyance, the kunoichi willed her legendary temper to stay in check. She glared at the boxers she was carrying. If what she assumed was true, then she planned on forcing the Copy Nin to take another jaunt down the main street while he wore only them. If the universe decided to smile down upon her, he would be arrested for public indecency that time around.
She roughly shoved aside the thought that the true indecency was Kakashi hiding his body underneath clothes all the time. With determined steps, she strode over to the checkout counter. Slapping the boxers down onto the counter—it was probably best to take her frustration out on inanimate objects rather than people—the medic forced a smile, though it likely came out as more of a grimace.
The blond cashier was the same woman from Sakura's last visit, this time with bright purple eyeshadow. After the fiasco that took place the first time, the kunoichi wasn't sure if she was relieved or mortified that the cashier recognized her. At least she wouldn't be carded…
"You wouldn't happen to have any more Icha Icha Violence copies in stock, would you?" Sakura asked as sweetly as possible, hoping her tone didn't sound as false as it truly was.
The woman shook her head as she rang up the purchase. "Your friend with the mask came by and bought them all."
Fists clenching until her knuckles were white, Sakura struggled to keep her voice even as she said, "thanks, just wondering."
I'm really going to kill him this time. I'm going to shatter every finger in his hand, then strangle—
"Here you go," the employee told the kunoichi as she handed over the bagged item, interrupting Sakura's homicidal train of thought.
Biting out her thanks, she furiously barged out of Lucky's, a sense of déjà vu settling over her. Shoving the bag into the oversized pocket on the front of her hoodie, she made her way to Kakashi's apartment.
By the time that she made it to his windowsill, she was relieved that Mrs. Ito wasn't at home next door. While she adored the elderly woman, Sakura felt her patience reach its limits. She would hate to unintentionally snap at the charming woman.
Shifting the window open, she entered and allowed the framed pane to slam shut behind her. Storming into the living room, she stopped in front of the silver haired shinobi that was lounging on the couch. Her sudden entrance caused him to pause in his reading and look at her.
"Hello, Kakashi," she greeted, a dangerous edge to her voice.
The greatly renowned Copy Nin gulped.
Audibly.
Kakashi had been enjoying a relaxing day between missions, indulging in rereading his favorite scenes written by Jirayia. All of that had come to a crashing halt with Sakura's appearance. Unfortunately, judging by the wrath radiating off of her, he might end up literally crashing. He just hoped that it wouldn't be through a wall.
Sakura's tone, combined with the frightening glint in her eyes, made him rather concerned about the future of his wellbeing. Call him a glutton for punishment, but he couldn't deny the slight thrill he felt upon seeing her. Anger had always resulted in such a delightful flush on her face. And, he had to admit, the sight of her tightly clenched fists resting on her shapely hips certainly appealed to him.
Raising an eyebrow innocently, he swung his legs over to the floor before standing. He had no idea that the fluid grace of his movement simply inflamed the ire of the kunoichi even more. "You," she began heatedly, pointing a finger in his direction. "You, are the sole reason that I'm hooked on those ridiculous books." She gestured wildly at the orange book in his hands. Kakashi clutched the precious volume closer to his chest, concerned that she might threaten to damage it like she had to his poster. "You blatantly read them in inappropriate, public settings, yet deny me the ability to read them in the privacy of my own home?" she finished, voice raising indignantly on the last few words.
Maybe his judgment had been impaired when he decided to purchase all of the books from Lucky's that Sakura had been looking for. He had known from the start that she wouldn't dare buy the volume from the quaint little bookstore she liked to frequent. Therefore, he had known that his current predicament was sure to occur. Then again, due to his career choice, it was clear that he craved the high that came from living dangerously. Spending time with Sakura—not to mention purposely antagonizing her—yielded the same, addictive effects.
Grabbing the back of his neck nervously, he replied with, "huh, I'm afraid that I don't understand what you mean."
His heart rate sped up at the sight of her narrowed, green eyes glaring back at him. He wasn't sure if it was fear or something else that caused the sudden spike in his pulse. He followed her gaze as it shifted to the right of the couch.
Oops.
Forty-two books with red covers that he had painstakingly stacked yesterday still graced his living room. He probably should have moved them somewhere less conspicuous. Sakura's voice caused him to snap his attention back to her. "Unbelievable," she announced, rolling her eyes, "you won't pay for your own meals, but you're willing to shell out a small fortune for more copies of Icha Icha Violence than even you could possibly need? I think you need to reevaluate your priorities, Kakashi."
The silver haired shinobi took it as a good sign that her tone had softened a bit. He ignored the odd warmth that filled him when she said his name with that faintly teasing tone. "I decided to shop for gifts early this year."
And just like the spark that set off a firework, his droll comment lit her frustration anew. A tapping at the window saved him, stopping the kunoichi as soon as her mouth had opened, ready to unleash a new tirade upon him. Making his way to his bedroom, he was greeted by a messenger bird just outside the glass. Sliding the window up, he took the summons from its avian carrier. "What is it?" Sakura asked from where she leaned against the doorframe.
Looking up from the missive, it struck him how colorful the medic was in comparison to her surroundings of the flat's monotonous, white interior. She breathed life into his barren apartment. He told her, "seems that I have a mission."
About an hour later—he felt that his record time was worthy of some sort of acknowledgment—Kakashi found himself on the road leading out of Konoha. He hadn't been expecting Sakura to be walking alongside him, but it was pleasant surprise. What had originally been a solo mission for him had been changed at the last second to include the pink-haired kunoichi. According to Tsunade, it was because he had the tendency to wind up in the hospital for lengthy stays when Sakura wasn't with him. That, and her prized apprentice had grown antsy lately from only having rounds in the hospital.
It would be easy to believe that all was right with the world. The sky was a lovely blue, devoid of clouds, and the sun wasn't beating down on them. An occasional breeze rustled the trees that shaded the road. The singing birds and normal sounds of the forest assured him that danger wasn't lurking nearby, but that didn't mean that he planned to drop his guard. "So," he began, wanting to chat. Sakura was one of the rare, if not only, people that could inspire that urge in him. "How has the—"
"No."
Faintly startled at the abrupt interruption, he peered at the kunoichi. Usually she loved to hold conversations while traveling at an easy pace. However, her face seemed to be buried in a volume of Icha Icha Violence—likely one that she had filched from his apartment. Though, having over forty copies of the novel was excessive, even for him. Contrary to his earlier statement, Jiraiya's books were surprisingly difficult to give as gifts. Few of his companions held an appreciation for the works of art. He was sure that Genma would enjoy a copy, but that still left forty volumes occupying space in his apartment. Kakashi decided that upon his return to Konoha he would review the return policy for Lucky's. Hopefully he had kept the receipt…
He decided to try again. "So, is there anything—"
"You're doing it again," Sakura told him, annoyance coloring her tone.
Genuinely confused, he asked, "doing what?"
"Interrupting my reading."
She had never once moved her eyes from the pages steadily being turned. He was the reclusive, misanthropic one, not the medic with adorable pink hair and a heart-melting smile. Call him a hypocrite, but he found himself slightly annoyed at the reversal of their roles. Kakashi should have been the one delving into smutty novels, purposely ignoring others' attempts at conversation, not Sakura. He let his lower lip jut forward to match his rather petulant mood. She'd never notice, any—
"Stop pouting, it's distracting," came her stern order.
His head slumped a bit in defeat, his lip returning to its previous position. "Fine," he retorted, "I'll just hold private discussions in my head. I don't need your participation, since I'm clearly the superior conversationalist."
He mumbled the last part, hoping that she wouldn't hit him in retaliation. Apparently the kunoichi was too engrossed in the book to care. Now he just needed something to think about as he scanned their surroundings. Unfortunately, the only thing that his mind seemed to focus on was the cozy little scene he had witnessed prior to the departure for the mission.
He had come across Sakura giving Yamato a gift-wrapped bag of the man's favorite roasted walnuts for seemingly no reason. She had handed them over with a smile, and the two of them had laughed over a comment that the Copy Nin had been unable to overhear. Kakashi frowned, thinking of the affectionate way that the medic had touched the dark-haired shinobi's arm. He had intruded at that moment, claiming that Sakura had to head out with him immediately on the mission. He chalked up the uneasy feeling resting in the pit of his stomach to the fact that his colleague might be trying to take advantage of the precious kunoichi.
Looks like I might have to put the fear of god in Yamato soon, he thought, darkly excited by the prospect of roughing up the other shinobi.
Maybe he'd invite Naruto and Sasuke along for that little venture. Sakura was Team Seven's darling kunoichi, after all. The fact that she could bench-press all of her teammates at once without breaking a sweat didn't change that. On second thought, maybe the three of them could dissuade her from dating at all. No one would ever be good enough for her, at least in their opinions. Hence why the trio, and Sai on occasion, had…not so gently persuaded all but the staunchest of potential suitors away from her. The few that continued their pursuit of Sakura eventually experienced rougher deterrent tactics. Naruto was the only one lacking the subtlety necessary to not get caught by her.
Still, what did the medic see in the wood style shinobi, anyway? The calm—yet long-suffering and perpetually exasperated—demeanor of the man was no match for Sakura's passionate personality. It was also clear that Kakashi had superior taste to the other shinobi, based on their reading choices alone. Yamato preferred enjoying books about architecture to indulging in the artistic mastery of the Icha Icha series, for crying out loud.
Why am I thinking about any of this in the first place? Kakashi silently questioned himself.
He was on a mission, and therefore had far more important things to dwell on, like ensuring that he and Sakura returned to Konoha alive. Besides, the medic's dating habits shouldn't concern—
"Kashi?"
Sakura's voice broke through his internal deliberation. She had picked up the absentminded habit of calling him that a few years back, only doing so when she was preoccupied with something. It always managed to bring a hidden smile to life underneath his mask.
So, she preferred his company to Jiraiya's fictional characters after all. With carefully concealed glee, he turned towards her—
Never mind, guess I'm still second rate.
His mood dropped when he realized that Sakura had deigned to talk with him merely because she had finished with the novel. "Yeah?" he responded, taking care to mask any disappointment.
"We're nearing the area that the target was last spotted. Should we depart from the road?"
He nodded his approval, and they veered off towards the trees.
It hadn't taken them long to locate their target. Tsunade had gotten word that a missing-nin had been sighted relatively nearby and wanted him brought back to Konoha for questioning. From Sakura's hidden position it looked as though the defector hadn't spent any time at civilized settlements for a while. Or concerned himself with hygiene for that matter.
The kunoichi watched as their previously devised plan was set into motion. While she concealed her chakra signature and crouched amongst the branches of a tree, Kakashi attempted to make a new friend. Thankfully, the pair fully expected that tactic to fail and had planned accordingly.
"You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?" her teammate asked as he wandered into the clearing that the fugitive had made camp in.
She rolled her eyes when she saw that he was pretending to read Icha Icha Paradise in an effort to look less threatening. Then again, knowing him, he probably wasn't pretending. She was convinced that Kakashi was at his most powerful when he had risqué literature in hand, especially if his opponent threatened the safety of his beloved books. "Who the hell are you?" the missing-nin asked brusquely, holding out a kunai defensively.
"Well," her silver-haired companion explained, shutting his book, "my team has been tasked with bringing you in for questioning. If you're cooperative, they might not even use some of the…messier interrogation tactics."
"What, don't tell me that you're the muscle of the team," the criminal scoffed as he looked at the lean form of the shinobi before him.
Granted, Kakashi was all muscle. Not the bulky kind derived from simply weightlifting, but the wiry type developed from years of honing every inch of himself into an agile, killing machine. His loose fitting pants and the boxy cut of his flak vest hid much of his muscular frame. Combined with his seemingly lazy gaze, she had to admit that he didn't cut the most intimidating figure unless the enemy recognized who he was. The burly rouge shinobi, with his ragged clothing and ambiguously colored hair—it might have been brown, or blond strands that hadn't been washed in a long time—did not seem impressed by the Copy Nin's outward appearance.
"No," Sakura announced. She dropped down from her foliage filled hiding spot, tugging on her leather gloves. The kunoichi snapped the cuffs against her forearms, feeling like the resulting sound and dramatic pause heightened the tension in the camp. She hadn't spent years working with Konoha's group of most melodramatic shinobi without picking up a few tricks, after all. "That would be me."
Striding closer to the criminal, she tried to look as menacing as someone with below average height and pink hair could. While those who knew her—and her equally monstrous strength—would be trembling in fear at the vicious look in her eyes, the rouge ninja merely laughed. She struck the ground, creating a deep crack in the earth that sped towards him as dirt and his camping equipment went flying. Sakura felt a perverse pleasure at the alarmed expression that showed up on the man's face.
Kakashi had wisely stepped out of the immediate vicinity as soon as she had revealed her presence, anticipating the ground being split. She rushed to engage the missing-nin before his shock had worn off. His significantly larger physique meant that she had the advantage when it came to speed. She used that to her advantage, easily dodging hits while landing one of her own. The chakra-enhanced fist that she had struck his side with seemed to have broken some of his ribs. Unlike most opponents, though, this apparently didn't deter the defector. He charged head first at her, hunched over and enraged.
Sakura easily used his larger mass and momentum against him. Turning slightly, she grabbed one of his arms and threw her free arm around his neck, grasping his shoulder. Spinning further around, she leaned forward, forcing his feet off the ground. With a tug on his arm, she sent him off her back and rolled him off her hip. He hit the forest floor with a satisfying thud. Everything had occurred in a matter of seconds.
"Hanzai Teki," she announced as green chakra flared forth from her hand, "you are now being taken into custody."
She pressed her fingers to his temple, causing him to fall into a state of unconsciousness that only a skilled medical-nin could rouse him from. Satisfaction settled within her.
Just another successful day's work.
Kakashi made his way back to where his favorite medic had knocked out the lumbering beast of a rouge shinobi. He knew that Sakura had been missing the rush of battle, since she normally had to avoid engaging in combat to serve as a medic. So, he had given her full rein when it came to the mission's objective of recovering the target. He would have been by her side in an instant if she had needed any help, but he knew that she was fully capable of dealing with matters by herself. In fact, she handled things much more smoothly than he could have. The application of medical ninjutsu outside of healing was truly incredible.
"All done?" he asked, stepping out from the thicket of trees.
Sakura turned to face him, cheerfully claiming, "thanks for letting me have all the fun."
He found himself unable to look away when he saw her jubilant smile and faint flush of exertion. Taking down hardened enemies twice her size had always lightened her mood and given her a breathtaking glow. He cleared his throat, forcing his mouth to form words. "Of course, you were better suited to this, anyway. Much cleaner to induce a coma than to beat him into submission."
She grabbed Teki then, tossing him over her shoulder. The man's powerful biceps alone looked heavier than she did, yet she hefted him up as if the man weighed nothing. Kakashi quickly whipped out his favorite novel and hid his slight blush behind its pages.
Don't you dare swoon, you'll never live it down!
After his silent, self-directed command, he chanced a glace back at Sakura. The incongruous sight of the deceptively delicate looking kunoichi effortlessly carrying the criminal that could have easily been a prizefighter was amusing to say the least. As he felt blood rush down in a southern direction, the Copy Nin had to admit that he found it a bit arousing as well.
Trying to will the evidence away, he focused on unpleasant mental images, like Naruto voraciously consuming ramen. The mold that had once taken over his fridge after a long mission, since he had forgotten to remove his groceries before leaving. His precious Icha Icha volumes being burned.
By the time that he had gotten himself under control, Sakura had already started to head back to the road. "Coming?" she called over her shoulder, "we still need to deliver this package."
It probably wasn't the best time to continue with their bet while she was lugging around an unconscious, drooling missing-nin, but he couldn't resist. "I seem to have acquired a minor injury just below my belt," he leeringly recited. "Could you kiss it better?"
"I can let him kiss it better," she replied, smacking Teki's back.
Faking a look of horror—it wasn't difficult to do—resulted in her laughing. "How cruel," he grumbled. "I should have known that you had a thing for cruel and unusual punishment."
The peals of her laughter that rang out once more were like music to his ears. Apparently, he was the only one that heard their lyrical quality. Most people, at least those lacking the concept of what it meant to be polite, claimed that her laugh was a cross between a donkey's bray and a shrieking ghost. Kakashi thought that it was one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.
Since the pair had not travelled far from Konoha's gates, it didn't take long for them to return and deposit the missing-nin into the care of his new captors. Their debriefing with Tsunade was brief, as well. It was as they were leaving the tower that Sakura, being the crafty kunoichi that she was, struck.
Kakashi found himself abruptly pushed against the wall of the hallway, his wrists pinned to the cool surface by her grasp. The kunoichi leaned in close, her pink hair tickling what little skin was exposed by his mask. He found himself longing to yank the fabric down in order to experience more of the heady sensation. The alluring fragrance of her was nearly drugging. With a breathy whisper in his ear, she asked, "is that a kunai in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"
He silently thanked whatever deities were listening that Sakura wasn't looking directly at him. Kakashi was not sure what he would do if he were to gaze into those captivating green eyes of hers.
Think! How do you get out of this situation?
Frantically trying to devise an exit strategy, one that wouldn't result in utter embarrassment, the silver-haired shinobi decided to ignore everything else. Like how they were in a rather friendly position while in a public building that had quite a bit of foot traffic. Or, more importantly, how one of her legs was dangerously close to slipping between his.
Inspiration struck. "Jiraiya really should have gone with a katana, instead. You know, for flattery purposes."
He hoped that his light, teasing tone was convincing. Judging by the giggle that escaped Sakura, it had been. "I told you," she said, stepping away, "some of the lines he wrote are ridiculous."
"Very," he agreed aloud. Ridiculous in what they're doing to my ability to be sane, he furiously thought.
While Kakashi was still recovering the scattered pieces of his composure, she delivered her finishing blow. "By the way," she started. Sakura was using that sweet tone that instantly made him wary. "I promised Mrs. Ito that you would attend the knitting club meeting being held tomorrow."
The medic—the cruel, sadistic medic—then turned away and left with a bounce in her step, taking what little of his sanity that he had left with her.