Chapter 4
Sakura woke as the morning light streamed across the bed. A soft white mop of hair was resting on her shoulder, and she realized they had both fallen asleep, fully clothed, on the bed after laughing so hard the previous night they lost their breath. "So you're awake," Kakashi's voice rumbled as he shifted to look up at her. "I haven't laughed like that in years," he said. "Did you sleep well?" Sakura looked at him concernedly. "I slept great, but you're not disappearing again?" Kakashi replied hesitantly, "give me a little credit, Sakura. I am trying, and after all, we are supposed to be a couple our young charge can learn from. I am comfortable with this if you are, but right now we both need to clean up and then get some food."
Sakura let Kakashi shower first, since she reasoned she used more hot water than he did. He emerged shortly, bare-chested, in slim black dress jeans and crossed to his pack to pull out a nice dark grey turtleneck. Then he added socks and black short boots. A few quick additional motions and she realized that not only had he pulled on the turtleneck and added a fitted black blazer, but he had changed his mask as well.
"Do you ever think you'll let me see your face, Kakashi?" she asked. Kakashi answered lightly, "Can't. If you see me, I'll have to kill you."
"Ha ha," Sakura laughed. "You've been watching too many Westerns on movie night at the Jonin headquarters."
Kakashi turned to her and deadpanned, "Go ahead. Make my day," at which Sakura smiled mischievously.
"Okay…. Right turn, Clyde!" she quoted.
Kakashi looked at her. "I enjoyed that movie too, and all of the 'Dirty Harry' movies. I didn't know you liked Westerns and Clint Eastwood too."
"There's probably a lot about me you don't know, but as far as I'm concerned, 'this sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship'"
"Sakura, that's amusing, but our relationship isn't like Casablanca at all. In fact, I really hope it isn't," Kakashi said, suddenly serious.
Sakura looked startled, and quickly said, "No, I didn't think it was either. I meant what I said last night. I was only making fun with movie quotes. And I think we've found something we should do together when we get back to Konoha, but right now I think I need a shower."
When Sakura emerged from the shower, she put on a short dark green patterned skirt and caramel colored turtleneck. She completed her outfit with a long skinny scarf shot through with the green, caramel and a bright rust and knee high brown boots. She found Kakashi out on the balcony overlooking the town, casually leaning on the railing and smoking a cigarette. He looked dashing and dangerous at once and her heart surprised her by its sudden flutter, which she decided to firmly ignore.
"I didn't know you smoked," Sakura commented.
"It's a sometime habit," Kakashi replied. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all," Sakura said, "though as your medic…"
"I'd rather hear from the friend right now," Kakashi said wryly.
"Then it's not a problem," she smiled. "Let's get something to eat."
They made a nice picture as they walked down the street, the two striking shinobi in civilian clothes. Passersby couldn't decide whether Kakashi was actually older than the pink-haired beauty, or just prematurely white and obviously handsome and mysterious. They had lunch in a nice little café that just happened to have both Kakashi's and Sakura's favorite dishes. They talked and laughed over their meal, and full and happy, decided to walk around and look at the shops.
After the third shopkeeper sighed over the 'young lovers,' Sakura asked Kakashi, "Do you get this much attention all the time?"
"Sometimes," Kakashi said. "Usually it's not quite this pronounced. It's more because of you, you know."
"Me? You've got to be kidding. Ino always said," and there Sakura's words were stopped short as Kakashi whirled her around to look at her sternly.
"Ino was always jealous of your beauty and took advantage of your natural shyness to bully you about it. You are beautiful, Sakura, and you should never let anyone else tell you differently." Sakura's face flushed lightly as she looked up shyly at Kakashi through her eyelashes. Kakashi shut his mouth quickly as his eyes locked with Sakura's and he tried not to look at her inviting lips. He flushed above his mask, but he was determined to stand his ground and not give in to the desire to disappear.
"Ahem," a voice interrupted. "You have a message, Boss." Both Sakura and Kakashi looked down to find Pakkun regarding them interestedly. "Pakkun, this isn't what you think, it's…" "All for the mission, of course," Pakkun answered wisely to Kakashi, giving a wink to Sakura. "You look nice, and your hair smells good. What kind of shampoo do you use?" "Ah, Pakkun, did Tsunade have a message for us, or did you come here to discuss shampoo?" Kakashi tersely asked.
Pakkun relayed that the timeframe for the arranged marriage of the daimyo's son had been shortened by threat of impending war because he wanted him to be married in peacetime. They needed to leave the next day for the Land of Honey. Kakashi sent Pakkun back to Tsunade with their reply and a short report. Turning and looking down at Sakura, he said, tightly, "Well, now it begins."
Sakura patted his arm. "I think we've made some good headway. We may not have come up with too many specifics to teach the daimyo's son, but we trust each other more, and that's saying something."
Kakashi just looked at her, and squeezed her hand tentatively, saying: "I'd be much more comfortable if we were headed into a whole squad of Iwa nins."
Sakura squeezed it back, and said, "Come on, there's a couple more shops I want to see before the sun goes down." They returned to the room two hours later, with several bags in tow. "Is this what happens every time you go 'looking'?" Kakashi asked, eye crinkling. "Not all the time," Sakura said laughing, as she deposited the bags on the floor. This is mostly," "…for the mission," they both finished simultaneously, laughing. Kakashi broke out a deck of cards and they spent the night trying to outwit each other and telling jokes.
The next day passed without incident as they left the village, and traveled in companionable silence toward the Land of Honey. The land steadily rose as they traversed more hills. As they paused to rest, Sakura said, "You know, neither one of us have trained since we left. We had what amounted to a short practice session with those two runaway ninja, but no real training to speak of. How about we stop early and do a little sparring?
Kakashi looked over at her and grinned. "We're still ahead of time, even with Tsunade's message, and we're not required to travel all night and all day at this point. Sounds like a plan. In fact, right here is a good place to stop." They found a somewhat level clearing a short distance away from where they wanted to camp, and after checking the area, set out the rules. "Okay, Sakura, I can tell you're itching to spar me, but remember, this is a training spar in a different country. We're not in Fire anymore, so we need to be discreet. No earth jutsu, and no knocking me through trees. We don't want anyone knowing we were here."
"Fine," Sakura said. "Just hold that Chidori down. You ready?" Sakura didn't have any time to wait for Kakashi's reply because he disappeared too quickly. But she was ready for him, having anticipated that he would try and appear behind her. As she turned, kunai raised, Kakashi caught the hand with the kunai in it, his Chidori already lit in his other hand. Too late, he realized that Sakura's other hand behind her was charged with chakra.
"Shit," Kakashi thought, his kage bunshin disappearing as it connected with Sakura's fist.
"Smart," Sakura called, but you haven't bested me yet!
"Oh, really?" Kakashi's voice sounded right by her ear and she ducked just in time to feel the buzz as the Chidori passed harmlessly over her head. They kept it up, neither giving the other quarter, until they were almost out of breath and by unspoken agreement, collapsed on the ground together, sitting with their backs together and their knees up for balance.
"I think I got more hits in – I won," Sakura said.
"Your punches certainly pack more of a wallop than they used to," Kakashi growled.
"Admit it," Sakura poked him in the ribs, earning a sharp intake of breath in reply, "I'm just as good as you."
"I'd hate to see you at full killing intent if that was just a spar, true," Kakashi said. "But I think you need to take a look at my ribs. That jab you gave me felt like it had a hot poker attached to it." While Sakura mended Kakashi's broken rib, he carefully watched her chakra control, her hand, her face. And he very carefully looked away once he had searched her face for… something, he didn't know what. He didn't need to get started looking at those green eyes and that pink hair and those slender arms. "Hokay, I think that is good enough, thank you, Sakura." Kakashi rose and limped slightly back to the camp.
"Wait, Kakashi, you still need more healing!"
"Later," Kakashi's gruff voice floated back to her.
Sakura followed Kakashi back, knowing that for some reason, he needed distance just then. She knew he did it as a comfort factor for both of them, but it still bothered her. Maybe, just maybe, someday, he wouldn't feel the need to draw away like that, she thought. He would be able to meet her eyes after looking at her so admiringly, and she would see the unashamed desire… okay, now she was the one that needed distance between herself and the subject. Later that night she was still discomfited by her earlier realization as she snuggled down into her sleeping bag. She honestly had no idea how to deal with those feelings. For now, Sakura supposed, she would keep them unexplored and safely in the back of her mind.
When they changed watch, Kakashi kept taking secretive glances at Sakura. She had called his name in her sleep, twice. The first time there was some alarm in her voice. The second time, it had changed to a wondering, wistful tone. He had been drawn to her side by the first one and stood there, watching her in her sleep. One hand was thrown back over her head and the other one fisted the cover of the sleeping bag. The way she said his name, the second time… oh how he wished he could let himself go and he could begin to acknowledge what she meant to him. This was so new. He hardly even knew what to call it, and he chafed at his nature that wanted to do things he had no business thinking about. If he was concerned about that persona reappearing, what business did he have actually letting his emotions go? There was always the possibility of hurting Sakura as well. "In that case, I will never admit my feelings, whatever they are," Kakashi growled silently to himself.
The next day, Kakashi and Sakura began talking about the subject at hand again: the mission. "So, back to talking about couples," Kakashi started. How about people you've seen who seem to be pretty cool?"
"Well," Sakura began, "there's Chouji's mom and dad… they seem very happy together. She's always cooking for him and Chouji and they're always smiling."
"Yes, that's true," Kakashi said. "It's easy to tell that they seem to like each other."
"Shikamaru's dad is just like him, though," said Sakura. "He thinks everything is troublesome!"
"Don't let that color your opinion though, Sakura. I happen to know that even though he complains a lot, Shikaku really loves Yoshino, Shikamaru's mom."
"Then there's Naruto and Hinata," Sakura said. "Somehow, she's gotten under his skin and been able to tame him – he actually seems like he wants to think things through now and I can actually see him being married to the head of a clan and becoming Hokage."
"No one saw that couple coming, for sure," Kakashi commented. "Her determination finally won out in the end."
Sakura sighed. "Is there any way to know how to encourage someone else that being with the person of the opposite sex is good when you're not sure yourself what to do? This is hard!"
Kakashi smiled in spite of himself. "Perhaps the only way to know what works is to do what works?" he smiled at Sakura.
"Do… what works? What do you mean? As in… me have kind of a relationship… with you?" Sakura's shock betrayed her.
Kakashi looked at Sakura soberly. "I can maintain a transformation jutsu and become someone else, someone younger. Would that help?"
"I… ah….uh…" Sakura began to say. "Whew, that's a lot to take in at once, Kakashi. Let me start by saying that I would love to have a relationship with you but not at the expense of our friendship. That is precious to me and I will not risk it, even for a mission." Here Sakura laid a hand on Kakashi's arm and said gently. "You are perfect to me, Kakashi. I like you the way you are. You don't need to make yourself any younger."
"Not even if I tell you that you can see my face?" Kakashi asked.
"Not even, because that wouldn't really be you," Sakura said. "I like my Kakashi just the way he is." [And boy how much do we like him, her Inner piped up.] "Grrr…" a growl escaped Sakura before she could control it.
"Sakura? Am I making you growl now? It won't work if you summon cats, you know." Kakashi playfully asked.
"No, sorry," Sakura shook her head in irritation. "My, uh, inner self likes to make comments at the most inopportune times and it's hell keeping her in check."
Kakashi studied her for a moment soberly. "I think I might know what you mean," he said, leaning a little closer to her, his face serious and his eye focused. Sakura's last breath stuck somewhere in her throat, and the one before that got lost wherever it was supposed to go. Damn, he was scrambling her brains and if he wasn't careful, he was going to complicate things and ruin their friendship. At that moment, Kakashi's face, so perfect and so close to hers, ducked as he attacked her ribs fiendishly and Sakura found her breath again in a fit of laughter as Kakashi tickled her.
"Ah, ha… hee hee… nope… whoop… hey, cut that out, stop tickling me… I … could (pant) finger flick (pant) you into (pant) next week!" Kakashi stopped, watching with delight as Sakura tried to recover, red highlighting her cheeks.
"You enjoyed that way too much, Kakashi!" Sakura accused, eyes flashing. "But now it's your turn!"
"Hey, what are you talking about, I'm not - hey!" And here Kakashi's voice, rising in laughter, gave the lie to his declaration.
