Shiver: A Collection of Oneshots
Number: 06
Title: Chakra
Words: 581
Rating: T for language
06: Chakra
I counted up my blessings.
Sakura let out a muffled scream into the gloved hand that slammed itself against her mouth. The man attached to it hushed her silently as he peered over the side of the tree trunk they were hiding behind. Sound ninja, and damn, they were strong – strong enough that they had to pull back and wait it out. This was the first time that Kakashi was so extremely careful, hesitant. She thought it might have something to do with her being there, but was it really different than any other previous missions?
His palm pressed harder onto her lips as he scanned their surroundings with both eyes – including the sharingan. He was being serious; there was no point in making any movement unless he told her to. She was better off just being a willing doll for the moment, at least until they are in the clear. A branch cracked just a few feet from them, making Kakashi press her even closer into the harsh trunk. She winced slightly at the pain, wanting nothing better than a chance to yell at her sensei for being so goddamned protective – that'll have to wait until later.
"Sakura," Kakashi whispered sternly in her ear, eyes still scanning. "Can you sense their chakra anymore?" That's right, he did still rely on her for some of her skills. Closing her eyes, Sakura furrowed her brow with concentration. She searched for any sign, any pillar of strength that indicated a large amount of chakra power.
"No." She whispered back, easing the tension in his shoulders slightly. He still had his hands placed tightly on her elbows, and the pressure of him pushing into her had yet to die back. Strange, he was uncharacteristically nervous – even after the enemy appeared to be long gone. "Uh, Kakashi..."
Then, after looking at her for a moment with tired eyes, he rested his forehead on her shoulder with a heavy sigh. Sakura felt her eyes grow wide at the surprising gesture; she stared at the top of his head with pure shock. He was hot and panting, fatigued would be an understatement.
"I used almost all of my chakra, I was afraid that I couldn't..." At this, Sakura felt a smile pick at her lips.
"Silly Kakashi, you know I can look after myself right?" Raising his head, she booped him on the nose sweetly with a smile. His eyes grew in surprise before softening with a chuckle, scratching his head awkwardly. "I'm not a little girl anymore, so you don't have to hold my hand—"
"That's not the reason why I want to hold your hand, Sakura." Fixing his headband back over his left eye, but keeping one of his hands on the girl's arm, he smiled at her. Sakura felt her face immediately boil. W-what?
"Then why?" She was following his own footsteps, having him turn away and start walking on her. There was slight desperation in her voice as she skipped to keep up. A low 'hmm' growled in his throat, a typical trait of pretending to give the current topic deep thought.
"Why what?" He smiled down at her innocently.
"What do you mean 'why what'—Kakashi, we were just talking about it." Feeling like she should tap her food in impatience, the girl dashed in front of him and put her hands offensively on her hips. Kakashi stopped and blinked at her.
"I forgot." He chimed, making Sakura slap a hand to her forehead in defeat.