Note: Just a little something that had been brewing after listening to the song So What by Pink. This is implied KakaSaku. May or may not turn it into something more later on -so I decided to put it here in my drabble section. Hope someone enjoys. :)
Never lose That Fighting Spirit!
Shizune eyed her young assistant as the two turned toward the nurses' station in the hospital's main lobby, "I know I've asked you this before, but are you sure you're ok?" Scrutinizing the bags beneath the paler than normal woman's eyes under the florescent lights, the concerned woman pushed, "If you need to talk about it I-"
"While I appreciate your concern, I'm fine." Sakura interjected her situation and her lack of sleep making her irritable, "Just a little tired. Really, that's all."
Her words were the truth…somewhat. She was finally over the emotional hoopla of her breakup with Inuzuka Sukichi five days before. It wasn't like she had been in love with the blonde haired Kiba lookalike. She was only highly pissed off that the sorry bastard had been apparently cheating on her with Hinata's little sister Hinabi for the past month and a half.
But really, so what if the bastard she had dated for an entire year had tossed her aside for a younger model with clan status and a Byakugan? Who cared if the little harlot flaunted their newfound romance in front of her face every chance she got? Sakura didn't. That was for sure. She had only used him to get over a certain someone else in the first place.
Still, she hadn't thought the sorry bastard would end up being the one to break up with her!
Fucker's lucky I didn't let Naruto kill him…
The crack coming from the clipboard in Sakura's trembling hands had Shizune's eyebrows rising.
"W-Well, you do have three days off starting tomorrow, ha-ha-ha!" Turning serious, Shizune informed after unconsciously having woken the woman beside her from the anger filled daze she had let herself slip into, "So I expect you to take it easy for a while."
Picking up her punch card from its place among many others in the box on the counter they briefly paused before, the older kunoichi turned to her refocusing companion with a crease marring her brow.
The woman with whom Sakura spent most of her daytime with wasn't fooled one bit. She was quite aware that the circumstances surrounding her unfortunate breakup were eating away at her little sister of sorts. Anytime the pink haired kunoichi threw herself into her work with no regard to her health, Shizune always knew something was bothering her.
Regrettably, Shizune also knew the headstrong woman had a tendency to keep her ailments to herself –be it mental or otherwise.
Sakura, steadily coming back to herself, irritably scowled as the two familial kunoichi went about clocking out -sliding their cards through the automated system on the wall, "Yes, mother."
Shizune returned their punch cards back to their respective slots; her lips turning downward at the remark, "You know I'm only concerned about your wellbeing. Someone has to since you constantly seem to forget about it yourself. Do I have to recite the many reasons why sleep deficiency can be detrimental to the body?"
A bubble of sarcastic laughter spilled from her lips as Sakura cracked her neck with a hand tiredly massaging the bundles of nerves there, "Eh, sleeps overrated."
"Says the woman not getting any," Shizune countered unamused, turning away from the empty station, "Do you want me to prescribe something for you?"
Sakura shook her head sighing, feeling rather guilty for popping off at the mouth at her boss as the two's feet now headed toward the nearby locker-room to gather their things for the day, "No. That's ok. Sleeping pills always leave me feeling like crap in the morning," Tiredly smiling, she added her thanks, "But I appreciate the offer."
After both crossed into the slightly musky room filled with metal lockers and a single line of wooden benches down the middle, each woman turned the dial on their security locks before stripping and going about their conversation again.
Opening the metal door marked with her name, the kunoichi gave a true laugh, picking up where they had left off, "Besides, I intend to get a little rowdy and drink myself into oblivion tonight since I finally have a few days off."
Shizune frowned, her thoughts turning perturbed.
I kept warning Tsunade-sama that her bad habits would rub off on our little Sakura-chan… But no…
The straight-laced woman, sporting a little grey around her temples, sighed, feeling rather defeated, "I take it all five of you are finally in the village at the same time for once?" Knowing full well just how close the old members of Team Kakashi had gotten, Shizune smirked, "Going to spend a little quality time with your men tonight, eh?"
Over the years, Shizune and everyone else in the village knew exactly the kind of hardships that particular team had to endure. They were always at the heart of the direst of matters, being thrust into the most dangerous of missions. But, she knew it was exactly those harrowing experiences that had woven their red threads of fate together –their own paths in life not being able to sever that connection.
However, Sakura wasn't thinking of the greatness of her friends in that moment. Still in the middle of changing out of their regulatory starched, white uniforms, Sakura snorted, speaking of her aforementioned missed comrades, "What men? Naruto still acts like that irritating, pubescent teen with suction cups for hands and Sai," The kunoichi paused to think that over, donning her clan's customary red tank with white circle on the back, "Well, Sai is just Sai."
Shizune shook her head, knowing full well beneath the woman's blustering lay feelings of similar love for each. She also knew, after the girl having forced a heart to heart about her own lacking personal life, Sakura's not-so-secret open affection for one older team member in particular.
The Hokage's assistant smiled, slipping her arms through her own faded black blouse, "What about Hatake-san and -"
"Yamato-Taichou?" Sakura finished, a cheeky smirk playing at her lips. After zipping up her shirt, the kunoichi closed the locker door –her black shirts having been worn underneath the medical wardrobe. A bit of teeth flashed as she thought of the two older men in question, "They're another matter all together," Rolling her eyes, she added, "Especially when drunk."
Both women shared a few laughs -one knowing the truth of her words and the other just imagining it- as the finished pink haired female headed toward the exit to the room.
"I hope you know that you're the envy of many a kunoichi, Sakura." Shizune quipped as she quickly gathering her own things, intent to head through the door her young companion now held.
"Oh, I know," Sakura's voice held an obvious lilt to it as she jauntily jibed –watching the women pass by her to reenter the main lobby, "And I also know a certain someone that statement applies to as well." Seriously, she advised, the two of them now heading toward the exiting double doors, "You know, you should just tell him." Shaking her head, Sakura grumbled, "Yamato-Taichou isn't a very perceptive man when it comes to matters of the heart." A pink brow quirked, recalling the various painful flirtations her Senpai had timidly showered upon the man over the past two years, "Obviously."
Shizune pushed through the left door leading to the outside, the heat of the night almost immediately bogging both women down as two chuunin came through the right, "Yes, well, unfortunately for us, our men seem to be as dense as Naruto-kun in these type of situations."
Sakura crossly shook her head as the two women stopped to say their final goodbyes for the day on the top steps of the Konoha hospital, "No. Yours is only dense." Speaking of a certain silver haired man that –even during her time with the Inuzuka- Sakura continued to find herself attracted to, she growled, "Mine is stuck on the idea of being an eternal bachelor." Rolling her eyes, she groused, "An egg much harder to crack."
Shizune gave the young woman a rather weak smile, knowing her words to be true, "Well, at least you're free to pursue him again, eh?" A warm, motherly smile was given Sakura's way before the older woman waved her farewell, "At least try not to drink too much tonight and get yourself some rest. I'll see you when you return and not a moment sooner."
"Thanks and I'll try." Sakura waved seconds before Shizune disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
The guilt began to knot her insides as her weary steps led her down the large stone stairs. Taking care of herself was the last thing on her mind. Irritable, all she wanted to do was drink until she passed out.
Naruto and Sai's unexpected arrival that day, during her lunch-break, hadn't been the loud and obnoxious nuisance it usually was –the blonde having a tendency to shout her name down halls instead of actually asking the nurse at the reception desk for her location. On the contrary, his invitation to the gathering tonight had been an absolute godsend to her. Now she had a pretty justifiable excuse to drink herself into a stupor.
But that wasn't the only reason for her elation. His excited words meant that Kakashi and Yamato had returned from their own mission and that in and of itself was enough reason for celebration in her book. She really had missed them all.
Too tired to traverse rooftops herself, Sakura trudged forward into the shadowed main street before her, feeling more than thankful that their favorite watering-hole of sorts lay but a few blocks away. Alone now, the light swish of a moving shinobi here and there above the linked buildings around her, a familiar feeling of butterflies began to flutter in her stomach.
Sakura scowled at the feeling reminiscent of her teens.
Stop it damn you! It's just friggen Kakashi. You know? The man who's already said he didn't want anything to do with you in that way?
Passing by darkened store front windows, whose inhabitants were no doubt home tucked away in their beds at such a late hour, Sakura let herself think on the one who had unwittingly gotten under her skin over the years.
Her infatuation with her ex-team leader had started the moment the man had finally taken the stick out of his ass -eating and drinking around them like a normal person and actually associating with them outside of a mission. They had finally begun to see more sides of the aloof Copy Ninja than just his elusive face.
That face…
Sakura's eyes squinted as the approaching glow of a streetlight assaulted her eyes.
She knew why he wore the mask now and it had absolutely nothing to do with swarms of adoring females like she had first thought. His features could be counted as normal...if you discounted the scars. The one along his left eye was common knowledge, but those two inch horizontal cuts at the corners of his mouth -that made it look like the man's lips were stuck in some morbid, perpetual smile, were not. Nor was the vertical slice that ran through his top and bottom lip on the left side: the top tip under and off to the side of his nose, the bottom just inches shy of his jawbone.
The flesh had healed and melded together over the years of course, but the lines of imperfection were brightly apparent.
However, Sakura didn't care. It wasn't his face that she had fallen in love with. It was his character and all the little idiosyncrasies that came along with it.
After having pinned away for a certain dark haired male for so many years in her youth, it only seemed natural to her that those feelings of yearning would latch onto the next thing that came closest to him. It wasn't just the black and red eye that reminded the kunoichi of her first love. It was Kakashi's demeanor -the almost arrogant way he carried himself and that brilliant brain of his.
In her bias mind, Hatake Kakashi was exactly what Uchiha Sasuke should have been: the sole remainder of his clan who wasn't hell-bent on revenge, but instead chose to channel that overbearing sense of loss into safeguarding those that remained.
He wasn't perfect, but to her, he was damn close. It was only highly unfortunate that the man, much like her first love, knew of her own pinning but didn't rightfully give two shits.
Coming upon an alleyway between two storefronts, Sakura let her mind irritably pondered that particular subject with scorn.
Why are you sexy bastards always the same?
She had thought that taking up the first interested suitor –after being told no from Kakashi- would help in taking her mind off her misplaced desire; hence the blonde dog smelling idiot she had let into her bed after her last drunken binge -with Ino and the girls.
However, sadly, it was not to be and she still stuck with those damn feelings for her old team leader that he adamantly would not return.
Even after she had all but thrown herself at him at Naruto's birthday bash last year. (Nope, Naruto hadn't found it to be the greatest birthday present ever either, but had let things go after Kakashi had given her the big N-O.)
Hunching over, Sakura stopped in her trek with her chin hitting her chest in defeat. Then her anger overshadowed her grief as her fists began to shake. Thinking of her drunken confession that was met with a straightforward, "I'm sorry, but I cannot return your feelings," the pissed off kunoichi thrust a fist into the air, "You don't know what you're missing!"
"What's the matter with you?" Sai, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, asked with a brow raised, her wrist caught in his pale, glowing grasp under the moonlight.
Sakura's shaken and mortified look reflected in those dark orbs of his as her coping mechanism for embarrassment flared brightly in response: anger.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" Shakily yanking her grip out of his touch, the goose-pimple ridden woman bellowed, "Were you trying to give me a heart-attack?"
Sai, taking the woman's animosity as a sign of normality, displayed his usual mask of upturned lips and smiling eyes, "I was just on my way to-"
"What's wrong with your leg?" Sakura interrupted; her anger simmering as she noticed the way the ink-user chose not to lean the entirety of his weight on his left foot.
The half-shirted man continued to smile that faux grin as he simply replied, "Sprained ankle."
"Obviously, but how did it happen?" Sakura, irked at the two worded reply, exasperatingly probed while immediately kneeling down to administer care to the inflamed area.
Sai, smile slipping from his features spoke of the happenings during his and Naruto's last mission –that had ended just that morning, "During our usual bit of reconnaissance, I acquired this wound."
Sakura snorted, hands glowing over his swollen ankle, "You mean, you guys got tossed out on your asses at the baths while gathering stupid research for your books again?"
"Yes," The illustrator for the new Icha-Icha series beamed.
Sakura shook her head while righting herself, "Well, can't say you didn't deserve it then." After the two started walking again, their destinations being the same, Sakura relented, "Well, at least that's better than-" A glare to his profile, "-using me as your stupid cover model."
Sai, unphased, replied mildly, "Yes, well, that was one instance and entirely Naruto's doing."
"You didn't have to draw it!" Sakura scoffed, running her hands through her sweat-dampened hair –it being a byproduct of the previous harrowing events.
The man's lips twisted into an evil smirk –the new expression one of many he had come to acquire over the years being partnered with a certain slightly nomadic Kyuubi-container, "I suppose, but then, as my employer likes to say, where would be the fun in that?"
Sakura wacked the cheeky bastard's arm hard, a smiling mixing with her scowl, "You two are impossible."
Sai's brow raised thoughtful, "So we've been told."
In a more genial mood, Sakura continued on in her trek to the local restaurant and bar, the man beside her exchanging conversation easily –all thoughts of failures of the heart still lingering in the background.
Sakura returned the wave the whiskered blonde gave before she and Sai made their way to the usual booth in the back.
Sliding her rump along the red vinyl material, Sakura sat next to Naruto with Sai sliding in across from her on the other side.
After thanking her considerate companion for already having ordered their drinks -sake and a virgin beverage- Sakura asked with a growl to her voice, "So, I take it we're still waiting on the other two?"
Naruto answered, an arm comfortably going around her shoulders in a friendly, welcomed squeeze, "Yeah, you know it."
Sai nodded from behind his preferred drink -a soda, "Yes, unfortunately it seems that Yamato-Taichou has taken to following after Hatake-san's example."
Sakura extracted the arm that seemed to stay glued to her shoulder, giving its owner a rather annoyed look, "Yeah, well, we all know the poor man has it bad for his precious Senpai."
"Who has what for whom?" Kakashi asked suddenly appearing, abruptly sliding into the seat next to Sai with Yamato taking the one next to her.
Feeling rather frustrated under his aloof gaze, Sakura viciously glared, "You know, Taichou's little man-crush?"
"Oh, that." Kakashi said offhandedly, turning to flag down their preferred waitress with a gloved hand.
Yamato, too used to being poked fun at, rolled his eyes while crossing his arms, "Yeah, yeah. It never gets old does it?" After settling himself more comfortably in his seat, the man added a tinge perturbed, "At least I still hold respect for my elders." Eyeing the other three, he grumbled, "A lot more than I can say for the lot of you."
"Hey! I have nothing but respect for Kakashi," Naruto quipped, his sapphire eyes telling otherwise, "When he actually deserves it."
Kakashi's eye cut Naruto a look as he went to pull out some bills for the expectant waitress waiting at the table's side.
It seemed Sakura, bad mood steadily lingering, wanted in on the ribbing as well as she quickly put her drink down, "Underneath all that other crap we're forced to deal on a daily basis," The kunoichi's lips quirked smugly, adding "He's gotta have some redeeming qualities hiding in there."
A pointed comment of, "Yes, you would think that," fell from Sai's lips before taking a sip from his nonalcoholic drink.
Kakashi, pulling down his mask to hook under his chin, pointedly ignored his interested companions as he felt all eyes zero in on his exposed, scarred mouth.
Sakura pried her gaze from Kakashi's eternally smiling lips to that of Sai's, giving the ever intuitive young man across from her a heavy lidded shut it if you know what's good for you look –regarding his previous suggestive comment.
She didn't need snide musings from the peanut gallery. She was quite aware that the rest of her old team knew all about her obsession. She knew that Sai found it humorous while Yamato thought her past attempts to woo his Senpai had been rather cute.
Cute my pasty ass!
She also knew that someone, other than Kakashi himself, was completely against the idea.
Naruto, choosing to ignore his pale partner's words for his own reasons, finally ripped his stare from the relatively new sight of Kakashi's lips to the baggy-eyed woman beside him, "You know, now that I look at you, Sakura-chan," He paused eyeing her haggard appearance even more, "You look like shit."
Naruto watched Sakura's eyes turn to him with blazing menace. He hastily moved to ward off the bodily harm explaining, "I-I mean you look exhausted!" Speaking of the one who he had already tried to stick a shuriken shaped resengan through, the hopeful blonde added, "Yeah, um, do you want me to kick that bastard Inuzuka's ass for you again?"
Sakura shook her head and smacked her friend's shoulder, the reminder suddenly sapping her energy "No, but thanks for being so honest, you jerk."
"Ok, that didn't even look like it hurt," Yamato grinned from behind his newly arrived cup of hot sake, "Something's obviously wrong with you, Sakura."
There was an agreeing, "Indeed" from the two in the peanut gallery followed by a grunt from the blonde with the surprisingly non-bruised shoulder.
Kakashi, mask back in its rightful place and drink empty, turned to the woman across and diagonal from him, dark eye looking over her obviously exhausted person closely, "Been working yourself into the ground again, eh?"
The kunoichi glared, stamping down the attack of the damn butterflies again, "Tch," Looking away, she groused, "What do you know."
Remembering exactly why she had decided to come out with them in the first place, Sakura downed her drink, "Anyway, I've got tomorrow off!" Flashing her teeth, her nice buzz made the fierceness in her come forward, "So, you bastards better be prepared!"
"To end up carrying you back to your place tonight?" Kakashi alleged, having had the responsibility thrust upon him at least once in the past.
Sakura gave quick nod, "Damn straight."
Kakashi gave her an eye-crease, making her scowl, "Not it."
"Not it," Sai chimed.
Yamato's bland, "Not it" left Naruto, still brightly holding a torch for his Sakura-chan, grinning widely, "I so call it."
"Uh-uh," Sakura drunkenly shook her head in the negative, having proof in the past that her 'virtue' would be in serious jeopardy in the blonde's roaming hands, "I've told you before, you perv. I am not waking up half-naked with you're sorry ass drooling all over me again."
"Aw," Naruto pouted, his excitement dwindling, "That's too harsh, Sakura-chan."
"But true," Sai smiled, having witnessed the events first hand.
Sakura rounded on the pale ninja, remembering that little tidbit, "How come you didn't try to stop him, eh?"
"Because what would be the-"
"-fun in that?" Sakura angrily finished for him, kicking Sai in the shins beneath the table with the hard tips of her black sandals.
With Sai rubbing his abused legs, Naruto purposely commented, taking pleasure in the fact that he knew his words held truth, "Well, if you're gonna go by that logic, that means nobody here is safe with you, but Kakashi."
Yamato, rather affronted, raised a brown brow as Sakura hit the jealous blonde upside the head, "Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?"
Naruto slowly looked the wood-user over, the jury still being out on that one -in his mind, "Hm…"
"Eh!" The wood-user exclaimed, sorely disturbed. "I've never once shown any objectable behavior toward Sakura before."
"Yet," Naruto added, "You've never really been given the chance, so I don't know if you would or not." Tightening the arms crossed over his broad chest, the kyuubi-container absolutely leaked with pomposity, "Its better if the situation never presents its self."
Sakura smacked him upside the head yet again, "Stop talking like you know anything, Idiot! Yamato-Taichou would never touch a hair on my head, nor would Sai for that matter. Not everybody is a little pervert like you, you know."
"Oh yeah?" Naruto disgustedly grumbled, giving the illustrator for his inherited Icha Icha series the stink eye, "I don't know about Yamato-Taichou still, but Sai-bastard would." The blonde turned to the smiling idiot with slitted-eyes, "You don't know him like I do."
Sakura rolled her eyes as Naruto continued to glower, "Sai would never-"
"To be honest, I probably would if given the chance," Sai chimed in as he continued in his usual detached voice, "Of course it would be for research purposes only and not for personal enjoyment."
The two's biggest fan looked up intrigued, "Is that so?"
Sakura kicked Kakashi in the shins under the table rather hard, making sure it hurt.
You'll say not to me, but not to that eh? Bastard!
Naruto, slightly irked at the silver haired man being interested so, abruptly spoke up displeased, "Alright, Kakashi is out too!" Turning to the woman beside him, he informed peevishly, "That means you can't get tanked like the rest of us Sakura-chan, so you better enjoy that last glass."
Sakura, right in front of his face, purposely drained the rest of her drink in one felswoop. Then, signaling for her next round to their usual waitress across the room, she hissed appreciatively, "Ha, think again buddy!"
The already inebriated kunoichi spoke up, flicking her eyes between the man beside her and Sai, "Well, since you two are definitely out of the question from now on, I guess I'm left in the hands of Taichou or his Senpai." Taking her new drink from the waitress, she added, "So there!"
Naruto moped in his place, feeling life was completely unfair. First, the woman, he still held a torch for, had spent her entire early teens obsessing over their teammate -whose whereabouts were still unknown. Now, the kunoichi, forever out of his reach, had fallen for the older version of Uchiha Sasuke –minus the bloody fixation with fraternal revenge of course. She had even went out with that damn Inuzuka just to try to forget about him!
Why couldn't she have taken me up on my offer, huh? Stupid Kakashi…
Naruto absolutely hated the stigma she had forcefully laid upon him -that label of little brother with a penchant for incestuous perversion who she thought was rather cute in a way but would never actually sleep with.
Still, a shinobi known never to back down, Naruto just figured she would ultimately come to her senses someday and left it at that. Besides, all was right with his world as long as their ex-team leader continued to show little to no interest. Blue eyes squinted even more at their seemingly unawares target.
Don't you even think about it Kakashi...
Crossing a leg under the table, Yamato chose to comment on their last bit of conversation, "Well, I nominate Kakashi for accompanying our little Sakura-chan home for the night." Steeling himself for the incoming embarrassment, doing so for the kunoichi's sake, Yamato ignored Kakashi's look of death to add, "Senpai probably is the safest bet among us."
"So you would touch her!" Naruto arrogantly turned and exclaimed, relishing in being right for once –completely forgetting about his previous mournful woe, "I knew it!"
Yamato looked away, a visible heat creeping to his cheeks, mixing with the one already slowly spreading from the consumption of alcohol –not exactly lying, "Well, liquor has been known to make even the strongest man do unexpected things at times."
Sakura, feeling rather unsettled at the topic, turned the conversation to a new direction, one that would embarrass someone other than herself, "Yeah, like getting the two questionably heterosexual males at this table to kiss for a hundred ryo."
Naruto balked, "What do you mean questionable? I'll have you know-"
"You willingly kissed Sai, Naruto." Kakashi deadpanned.
The man in question floundered, his features exceeding Yamato's in its redness, "Yeah, but it was for a lot of money!" Incredulous he added, trying to help his cause, "Do you even know how much ramen a hundred ryo can buy?"
"Enough to wash the disgusting taste of you from my mouth?" Sai asked rather innocently making the others around them chuckle.
"Hey-!" Naruto began, but was quickly interrupted by Sakura.
"Yeah, Naruto, no one said you had to use tongue," the kunoichi snorted rather unladylike, the image of Naruto's fish-lips all but swallowing Sai's face whole dancing in her head.
Naruto, rather sheepish now, looked away, "Yeah, well, when I do something, you know I never half-ass it."
"Apparently," Kakashi's voice portrayed his disdain at having been subjected to such indecency during their last gathering a month before.
Naruto crossed his arms and pouted yet again, turning his ire back on an irritatingly unaffected Sai, "You know you liked it." Turning to the rest of the group, he growled behind his drink, "Besides, you bastards know I don't go around kissing just anybody!"
"No, just other men." Yamato's statement had Sakura snickering and Sai and Kakashi shaking their heads.
Naruto took a deep chug from his drink and then promptly sulked even more than before, if that was even possible, "Hey, why is it always me being made fun of here?"
"Because you make yourself such the easy target," Sai spoke up, voicing the other's sentiments much to Naruto's great displeasure.
"Gee, thanks," the blonde brooded, his shoulders slumping further.
Sai's smile widened, "You're welcome."
Sakura, having fun adding to her friend's list of misery, reminded, "You know, that makes two guys you've kissed so far Naruto. Is there something you're not telling us?"
Naruto hung his head, blanching at her words and the memory of that very first kiss –a forced press of the lips to a certain Uchiha, "Sakura-chan that's a low blow."
The kunoichi pat his shoulder as the three men around her shook their heads with barely suppressed laughter.
Sai's next words, however, had the grin falling from Sakura's face, "Isn't that two people over your own count there, Sakura?"
The kunoichi bristled, "Are you trying to insinuate something there, you smarmy bastard? I'll have you know I've kissed lots of guys in my time!" Hitting Naruto upside his spiky blonde head again, she growled, "And those drunken fish lips of yours while I was passed out don't count!"
The hopeful blonde kindly offered, underneath his protect barrier of crossed limbs, "You know, I could do it for real this time if you-"
"No thanks, Idiot!" Sakura bellowed, stopping Naruto in his tracks.
Her little brother of sorts just shrugged it off, picking up his drink again, figuring at least he had tried.
Yamato, always finding entertainment in the three younger shinobi's amusing antics smirked, "You know, Naruto, I'm surprised you haven't found yourself a girlfriend yet. Or have you too many to count outside the village these days?"
Naruto coyly looked away as Sakura threw Yamato's words right back at him, "Well, I'm surprised you haven't found yourself a nice little kunoichi to settle down with, Taichou," Waggling her eyebrows playfully, she admitted, "I know a certain someone who wouldn't mind helping you with that."
All four men at the table turned to her wide-eyed, making the kunoichi irritably frown, "Come on," The drink making her brazen; Sakura growled while glaring into certain scared features, "You all should know better by now." After tipping back her drink, she hissed, "Geez. I was talking about someone else. You know my mentor."
"You mean Baa-chan? Man, that's just," Naruto's face scrunched up repulsed while turning to an unimpressed Yamato, "Ew!"
Sakura hit him upside the head, explaining, "No, Idiot. I meant Shizune."
This time Yamato's cheeks really did turn a pink hue as he nervously scratched the tip of his nose looking away, "Well, I don't know about that…"
Sakura jut her chin in Kakashi's direction, instructing none-too-quietly, "Eh, he listens to you! Tell him that he needs to finally settle down."
Kakashi turned an eye to his partner, "You need not settle down."
Sakura's foot aimed for the man's shin, but unfortunately the highly alert man moved out of the way.
Legs dangling in the isle off to the side now, turned at the waist to address her, Kakashi said, "He can do as he pleases," Looking away, misshapen lips mumbled behind cloth, "Even though he's spoken along those same lines himself once or twice."
Yamato spit out the drink he had just taken a sip from all over the table, "Damn it, Senpai! You said you would never repeat that!"
Naruto chimed in, wiping the front of his trademark orange and black jacket with a fistful of napkins, "What are you getting all bent out of shape for, eh Taichou? It's kind of obvious."
Sai, agreed, "Yes, even Naruto figured it out."
"Hey!" The blonde fumed.
Sakura ignored Naruto's outburst and spoke up, "Taichou, you should really just come out and tell her. I mean, it's obvious you both like each other." Raising a brow she asked with pursed lips, "What are you waitingfor?"
Sai smirked in his place, "One can only hope he doesn't get rejected the same as you, eh, Sakura?"
"You're dead, fucker!" Sakura roared, reaching across Naruto who immediately moved to block her path while trying to hold her back.
The scuffle lasted for all of a minute before Sakura finally pulled herself together with Naruto a little more worse for wear.
After getting her to settle down, Naruto wiped a bruised brow saying, "Yeah, Sakura-chan's right. I think you should tell her. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"
Surprisingly, Kakashi was the one who spoke up –while whipping out his trademark book, "Marital chains and devil-spawn, do you even need to ask?"
Yamato chuckled as he watched Sakura send a flaming glare his senpai's way that could have burnt lesser shinobi to a crisp. The man's eyes turned sappily doe-eyed as he inwardly sighed.
They would be so cute together…
The young kunoichi's lingering attraction to his partner -even after being refused- was pretty apparent.
Regretfully, Yamato was quite aware that Kakashi knew this as well, and purposely chose not to comment on it for his own reasons. It had become glaringly obvious to all that Kakashi was the type of man who would rather read about romance and relationships than actually start one of his own –the man's cut lips going mum every time Yamato tried to breach the subject with him during missions.
Sakura took a long chug of her drink, its burning liquid steadily giving her courage and adding to the sarcasm, "And here we were wondering why you've never found yourself a woman." Rolling her eyes, she commented perturbed, "Well, there's no questioning that now."
Naruto, feeling somewhat relieved in having Kakashi's ideology repeated aloud for his love to hear, said, "Well, Kakashi is Kakashi. It'd be pretty creepy seeing him all googley-eyed over some chick."
He shivered comically making Sakura bristle.
Both Sai and Yamato voiced their like opinions simultaneously while smiling, "I'd have to agree."
Sakura continued to watch the aloof man voicing her own agreement, but for reasons of her own, "Yeah, well, I guess I'd have to agree there. I mean I'd hate to see him all sparkly-eyed-" Emerald eyes looked away, "over anybody."
But me!
Sai looked like he was about to open his mouth again, but the burning flames in Sakura's gaze as she snapped her neck in his direction silenced any comments he was about to furnish.
Yamato, hummed in his seat, "It's a shame really. I think Senpai would make a good catch."
Naruto blanched, "Please don't say weird stuff like that Taichou, I'll start to lose even more respect for you."
Yamato rebuked, "There's nothing homosexualin that statement. I was clearly stating a personal opinion based on Senpai's talent and ability as a shinobi of the Leaf."
Kakashi spoke up, voice carrying from behind his pages, "Although I appreciate the sentiment, Tenzou, I have to agree with Naruto on this one."
Yamato gave the man his own version of the stink-eye from behind the little orange and black paperback, questioning exactly why he looked up to Hatake Kakashi in the first place.
Sakura shook her head with arrogance, "I have to kind of agree, yet disagree." Smugly she added, "I think there's a kunoichi out there that could make Kakashi change his mind about things and make him feel like the lucky one for a change." A grumbled, "Sorry bastard," followed.
Naruto, not liking where this was going, asked, "Oh really?" Knowing she didn't have the guts to actually say it out loud, he further inquired, "And where might this mysterious kunoichi with the amazing skills be?"
Sakura, in a fighting mood, glared hard at the side of Kakashi's obviously not listening person, "I don't know. But I know she's out there!"
Sai, yet again, moved to say something in return, but Sakura kicked him in the shins before he could even get a word out.
Kakashi finally spoke up -still turned away, voicing his own opinion on the matter, "I highly doubt that."
Yamato shook his head as the kunoichi scowled at the side of the man's face again; her eyes barely slits, "Oh yeah? We'll just see about that."
"Then, I believe you're in for a long wait," Kakashi provoked, still turned away.
Naruto, jealous but not wanting to see the figurative horns and fangs sprout from the woman known to start fights when drunk, tried to diffuse the situation, "Y-You know, you shouldn't riled her up like that, Kakashi. Y-You know how she gets when she's dru-"
Sakura back handed his nose, "Shut it, you!"
Naruto bellowed to Kakashi, rubbing his raw spot, ""See what you did!"
Kakashi pointedly ignored him as he turned to Sakura who was pointedly throwing back another drink in infuriated silence, "Don't you think you should be slowing down a little on that?"
"Don't you think you should mind your own busi-" Sakura's speech cut short as her emerald eyes took in the two familiar figures coming through the double doors to the bar in that moment.
Pearly eyes met her own as a curse fell from her scowling lips, "Bitch."
The entire table turned to the new couple standing at the front of the room who were looking for a place to sit in the crowded area.
Every eye at Sakura's table narrowed on the image of the oblivious blonde Inuzuka clansman.
The moment the woman on his arm nudged his side and boldly pointed at a certain table's direction, the blonde turned pale and began to sweat under the five's heated gazes.
Sakura flipped the frozen male the bird seconds before he began pulling his new other half back out the doorway.
"The nerve of young people these days," Yamato began, shaking his head.
Naruto sighed, a pout on his lips "I should've at least thrown something at him."
Sai, sent a true smile in Sakura's direction, "That was a nice form of hello you sent him, Sakura."
The kunoichi smiled in return, "Think so?" Scrunching her nose playfully she added, "Thanks."
Kakashi's words had her scowl returning, however, "So, that's the one he traded you in for, eh?"
The drink in her hand suddenly shattered as Yamato chastised, "Senpai!"
Naruto was two seconds away from holding the blood-lusting kunoichi back, but the silver haired man's next words completely rectified the situation, "Seems he's either blind or has extremely bad taste."
Sakura's stomach deliciously flipped even as she wiped herself and the table off. Still, her voice did not betray the elation she felt, more like sarcasm. "You certainly know how to sweet talk a lady, don't 'cha?"
Kakashi gave her an eye-crease in return.
By the time the five friends of sorts began to finally wind down, Sakura was three-sheets to the wind and feeling damn good. Her mood had shifted in course as well; taking a more I don't need to know who the hell you are to know I love you approach.
It went without saying that Naruto's not so subtle attempts to get her alone had been foiled countless times by Yamato and a reluctant Kakashi -with Sai just watching mind you.
After the fourth time the kyuubi-container had tried to leave the table when Sakura had wobbly went off to the ladies room, the rest decided it was time to call an end to their night outing. For you see, the two older jounin were equally drunk and feeling their efforts to keep Sakura's –nonexistent- virtue in tact would slip up any time soon.
Besides, the soused kunoichi's attempts to get a little smoochy with whoever she passed by from her many trips to the bathroom were sorely testing their patience as well.
Yes, Haruno Sakura was known to be a handful when drunk. It was highly unfortunate for those left in charge of her and that tonight just happened to be Hatake Kakashi's turn in the gallows.
After having pried her away from yet another innocent bystander she had unfortunately drunkenly lip assaulted on her way back from the bathroom, Kakashi had headed straight for the door with the out of control woman in tow.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the leaving pair, his inward words leaking to outer, "He better not-"
"Now, now Naruto," Yamato gently reprimanded, "Would it be that bad if it did?"
With a huff, the blonde looked away, "It might make her happy, but it won't me."
Surprisingly Sai was the one who put him in his place, reminding him, "A true friend should be happy for their friends' happiness."
Naruto growled back, "You're one to talk. Aren't you always taking cheapshots at her?"
Sai smiled, "Yes, but that is because it is fun, not because I disapprove." Still smiling he admitted, sounding slightly like Lee to the other males, "I think given Hatake-san's age, he is an excellent candidate for Sakura's love match."
Naruto quirked a brow highly confused, "How do you mean?"
"It is simple," Sai explained, "He is too old to play games as they say. So if he indeed decides to reciprocate her feelings, we will have at least piece of mind that he will not purposely hurt her. Besides, having known her for as long as he has, if he does harbor feeling of affection for her, then we will know they are true."
"You like her too, don't you?" Yamato shrewdly asked.
Sai, however, didn't' say a word, but only continued to display the upturned lips and creased eyes that always hid his truths.
Naruto's forehead dropped to the sticky table as he pitifully moaned, "It's not fair…" Moaning still, he questioned pathetically, "Why couldn't it be me?"
Yamato pat the poor guys head consolingly, hoping that the man and woman in question didn't kill each other in their absence, "There, there now."
Kakashi cut a look to rear of the snoring woman currently dangling over his right shoulder -slobbering on his back- as he traversed rooftops to get to her apartment, "You don't ever make things easy for me, do you?"
His only answer was a throaty gurgle as more of the passed out kunoichi's spit saturated the back of his vest.
Shaking his head, he sighed with a smile forming on his scarred lips, "But I wouldn't have you any other way I suppose."