CHAPTER THREE

The next morning Sakura woke up before Kakashi, and when she looked down at his unguarded face she couldn't help but giggle. He looked adorable in the morning. His messy silver hair was going in every which way over the pillow and the scar around his sharigan eye gave him a devilishly rake appearance. She was hoping to hear him snore but she wasn't surprised that Kakashi slept like the dead, she wouldn't even have felt he was there if she wasn't looking right at him. A true shinobi even in slumber.

She moved slowly off of him trying not to wake him. She did not want Kakashi to see morning Sakura; she was a messy sleeper and a mess in the morning. She didn't have to look in the mirror to know that her pink hair was in worse condition than Kakashi's, and that her eyes looked like a raccoon since she didn't take off her make-up.

Stealthily she picked up one of her sheets that had winded up on the floor and silently made her way to the bathroom with it wrapped around her. When she was securely inside with the shower door closed, she heaved a sigh of relief. It was short lived when she turned around to turn the water on and a pair of arms slid around her waist.

She screamed and jumped against the wall. "Kakashi," she cried when she seen him, "You almost gave me a heart attack," she glared at him with a hand pressed against her speeding heart. She never even heard the door open much less him come into the shower.

When she noticed that all he had on was his hitai-ai and not his mask she was slightly mollified. Then he pressed against her against the wall, "You left before I could have my early morning fun," he whispered close to her ear.

"Well-uh," she stammered her mind going completely fuzzy. She could get used to this she thought when he took her lobe between his teeth.

"That's okay, it'll be much more fun in here," he chuckled. He pulled back and pulled up his hitai-ai, "Look up Sakura." She looked up into his eyes and with a swirl of red was in complete bliss. It was a shower to remember.

Once he finally let her get dressed, she put on a black skirt and a sleeveless red top. She didn't have any assignments today since it was her shift at the hospital and she liked to wear her skirts when she wasn't leaving the village.

Kakashi must have been mirroring her thoughts because as soon as she pulled it on he came up behind her and grabbed her hips. "I like seeing you in skirts, that means you'll be easily accessible wherever you go."

She swatted at his hands and turned to face him, "I'm not going to be wearing skirts for your perverse pleasure. And don't think just because I'm wearing one I'll let you under them," she reprimanded him.

He merely grinned, "We'll have to see about that, hmm?" Then he reached down and started to pull it up. She quickly evaded his grasp and moved until she stood a good distance away from him.

"Enough, Kakashi, didn't you have enough," she exclaimed then immediately turned red at her words.

He looked considering then replied, "No, it must be because of my amazing stamina," he paused, and she rolled her eyes, "Or perhaps it's because of you." She smiled at him but it quickly turned to a scowl when he continued, "Or then again it could be that I know all I have to do is lift up your skirt."

Sakura grabbed the white jacket that was hanging on a hook near her door. "Nope, not today, I'm wearing underwear." The look of disappointment on his face was priceless. She put the jacket on and said, "Besides anything else and I'll be late, no matter how quick you can be," she added when he opened his mouth to say something.

He was looking like a little ninja who had lost his first kunai. Feeling sorry for him, she walked up to him and pressed a kiss on his exposed mouth. "Maybe after work you can come over and I'll even keep my white jacket on," she winked mischievously.

"I like the sound of that," he growled and then pulled her up firmly against his body and gave her a hard kiss. He let the kiss continue until he heard her moan and then he pulled back. Smirking he said, "Don't want you to be late," and then he performed a hand sign that had him poofing out the room.

Dazed Sakura shook her head, 'That bastard, he did that on purpose,' she thought but she was smiling. After collecting her supplies and ensuring she had everything in her pack she left for the hospital.

Sakura was sorting through some patient information files when a nurse poked her head into the room and said that Tsunade wanted to see her. She placed the papers back into the folders and went to the Hokage.

Since the door was cracked she didn't bother to knock and just walked in. Tsunade was sitting at her desk reading some papers with an absorbed expression on her face. When Sakura walked in she looked up and smiled, "You're here." She shuffled through the papers until she found the one she was looking for.

"I have a new outside mission for you," she announced. Sakura was surprised, Tsunade had her scheduled for so many shifts at the hospital she hadn't been on many missions lately that took her out of Konoha.

She took the paper and quickly read it and deduced why she was given this assignment. "You need me to go heal a neighboring village head," she asked.

"Yes," Tsunade's look turned serious, "But I'm sending you with a jounin escort team of Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi." Sakura blinked her eyes in confusion so she clarified for her, "This is an A class mission. It may be a simple healing assignment but many people want him dead and if word gets out that he's going to be healed many people are going to try and prevent that from happening." She leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands together, "It may not even come to that, but I'm being extremely cautious. I can't have anything happen to one of my best medic-nins, and if this mission is a success it may help you reach your goal quicker."

Sakura digested all that information, "When do you want me to leave?"

"The sooner the better," Tsunade replied. "From what I hear his health is depleting quickly, but that won't be a problem for you. The only way you couldn't heal him Sakura is if he was dead."

Sakura beamed, "All right, I'll go home to take a nap and leave at nightfall."

"Good," Tsunade nodded, but then she got a grin on her face, "There's something different about you Sakura," she said and tapped her chin. "What could it be? Lets see you can't stop smiling, your face is glowing, you're walking slightly different," Sakura flushed red, "And you have a hickey," Tsunade pointed. "I think someone got lucky last night," she exclaimed.

Sakura covered her face in embarrassment, "Tsunade," she groaned.

"So who's the lucky guy," she asked.

Sakura looked around checking for any prying chakra sources and leaned in close to Tsunade and whispered, "I'm not telling you."

Tsunade glared at her and said, "I'm ordering you as your Hokage to tell me."

"I'm not doing no such thing, it's none of your business," Sakura shot back.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at her, "I'll find out who it is," she declared. "Aside from that, I want you and the rest of your team in here after you've rested."

Still smiling and definitely not walking funny Sakura walked out. She wouldn't be surprised not if but when Tsunade found out. She wanted to enjoy her secret for just a little while longer, and she could keep Kakashi all to herself.