Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. This one is a bit late because all my time is taken up with my new baby boy. He's going to be 3-weeks-old in a few days. I'm new at this, so still struggling with motherhood, hehe. So I hope you'll understand if the next few chapters are a little delayed. In the meantime, I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter.
The Centerpiece by elle6778 – Chapter 7
Kakashi was leaping from one rooftop to another, making his way home after dinner when he saw two shadowy figures in the distance, perched at the edge of a roof two buildings away. It took seconds for him to identify them. He should have known that this would happen ever since he heard the news about Sakura and the Uchiha heir. It was not the first time those two did something like this, but just how long had Naruto and Sasuke been spying on Sakura?
Sighing, Kakashi halted to consider his next action. Truly, the two of them needed to make better use of their shinobi skills. This was bordering on abuse. Unfortunately, as their sensei, it was his job to guide them to the right path.
With that thought, Kakashi swiftly made his way to his two students. He reached his destination in time to see Naruto and Sasuke tensing in shock. Judging by their position and their line of sight, he could guess just who they were spying on. And from their reaction, it sounded like something interesting had happened.
"Did you see that?!" came an outraged hiss from Naruto. "H-He kissed her!"
Kakashi blinked slowly as he digested those words. Considering the recent news on the grapevine, he supposed that such a thing would happen eventually. Still, this 'relationship' was certainly progressing fast, considering that the news had broken out not so long ago.
"Hm."
Kakashi could see that Sasuke had his attention was fixed to Sakura's apartment. What was the younger Uchiha thinking?
"Damn it, Teme! That's all you're going to say? He KISSED her!"
Still hidden from view, Kakashi tapped his lips thoughtfully. For some inexplicable reason, this whole thing between Sakura and the ANBU captain seemed a little odd to him. When he first heard about it, he had thought that it was rather strange that Uchiha Itachi had suddenly shown interest in Sakura. Still, perhaps the Uchiha had always intended to court Sakura.
Not far from him, Naruto continued to rant, "We have to do something about this!"
"Like what?" Sasuke's tone was curt.
Naruto threw his arms up in the air. "I don't know! Like get her away from him."
"Maybe she wants to be with him," Sasuke murmured thoughtfully.
"Are you out of your mind?! What does she see in him?"
Sasuke responded with silence. Kakashi could guess that the younger Uchiha was not too pleased by this development, but clearly, loyalty to his brother prevented him from saying more.
Deciding to reveal himself, Kakashi unmasked his chakra and then went towards them.
"What are you two doing?"
The two male members of his team jumped slightly before spinning around to face him. Hands in his pockets, Kakashi continued until he reached the parapet. Ignoring Naruto's gasps of protests, he peered over the barrier. He could see Uchiha Itachi walking away from Sakura's apartment.
"Hm. Standing here, spying on Sakura…This is rather familiar, isn't it?" Kakashi mused.
Naruto blinked at him. "Familiar? What do you mean?"
"He means Hyuuga Neji, you Dobe," Sasuke muttered.
Naruto had the grace to look sheepish. Chuckling, he said, "Well. That's a long time ago."
"And yet, you're here right now, doing the exact same thing," Kakashi chided lightly.
They stared at him as if he was out of his mind.
Kakashi shook his head. Truly, these two had to stop it. After all, if he remembered correctly, Sakura would turn nineteen in a few months, more than old enough to take care of her love life. Not that he would not interfere if needed, of course. He had a soft spot for the pink-haired kunoichi, after all. But only if the situation warranted it. And right now, spying on Sakura was certainly unwarranted.
"So, shall we go?" Kakashi asked pointedly.
Naruto and Sasuke peeled off from the edge of the roof, both looking rather disgruntled. Wordlessly, all three of them left the rooftop, jumping down to land on the street below, startling a couple of civilians in the process.
"I still can't believe it," Naruto muttered as they walked down the street.
Knowing fully well what Naruto was referring to, Kakashi arched a brow. "It's her choice, don't you think?"
Naruto slammed one fist into the other palm. "Well, Sakura won't be so stupid as to fall for him. This whole thing will blow over before we know it."
Sasuke gave him an irritated look. "Itachi will not spend time courting her unless he is serious."
"Yeah, but there's nothing he can do if Sakura dumps him like she dumped Neji, right?"
Sasuke did not respond this time, so Naruto turned to him.
"Kakashi-sensei? This whole thing will end soon, right?" the blonde asked again, this time with a slight hint of desperation in his voice.
This time, Kakashi frowned and replied the only way he could. "I don't know, Naruto."
The blonde slumped dejectedly, but there was really nothing else he could say. Considering how persistent Uchiha Itachi could be when he set his mind on something, Kakashi knew that dissuading him would be difficult. If Uchiha Itachi was bent on making Sakura his, Kakashi had to admit that there was little anyone else could do about it.
000
000
It was just a tiny, tiny inconsequential kiss.
At least, that was what Sakura had been telling herself since their date last night. It was not as if she had not been kissed before, either, which made her reaction even more ridiculous. In fact, it could hardly be classified as a proper kiss, considering his lips had just brushed across her cheek in the softest caress, touching only the corner of her mouth. Sure her lips had tingled madly then, and her entire body had frozen in shock.
Gah! So why was she thinking about it STILL?
It must be because she knew that she had to meet the reason behind her befuddlement in a couple of hours. She had to get a grip on herself before she met up with him, or he would see that something was off about her.
Even her teammates were beginning to notice her distraction this morning, Sakura glowered as a small pebble struck the side of her head.
"Pay attention, Sakura."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," she muttered.
Focusing her attention in the middle of the space the four of them was circling, Sakura blinked at the almost ineligible scratches on the ground. She had no idea what they were talking about a while ago. How on earth had she managed to do that?
"What's this?" she blurted out.
"Sakura-chan, weren't you listening?" Naruto whined grumpily.
"Why else would I be asking?" she snapped.
Kakashi patted her on the shoulder. "Now, now, don't take out your irritation on others."
Knowing that he was right, Sakura huffed.
"Okay. Let's go through this again," Kakashi said with an eye crease. "The written examination is made up of several parts, but the two most important ones are strategic planning and psychology."
Naruto's face scrunched. "How are we going to prepare for that?"
"Ah, that's what the library is for," Kakashi remarked pleasantly. "It has quite long opening hours, I believe."
Sakura slammed a palm on her forehead. Kakashi could not be serious about this. "There are thousands of books in there, and you know it," she groaned.
Unperturbed, Kakashi simply waved a dismissive hand. "I know."
"What about the practical examination?" Sasuke asked.
"Ah, now that's a little different."
"Are you telling us or not?" Naruto asked impatiently. "What about the training we're already doing?"
"The training will get more difficult."
That was expected, she supposed. Well, Kakashi should know what he was doing since he had gone through the entire ANBU thing himself. The question was if he could forget being lazy long enough to teach them all they needed to know.
As if sensing her uncertainly, the Copy-nin patted her on her shoulder. "Don't worry. You will all be fine."
"Hm."
"Yeah," Naruto muttered.
Sakura simply sighed.
Eye creasing, Kakashi clapped his hand together. "Well, that's it for today then. I have important business to attend to now."
"Whose cat needs rescuing this time?" she asked dryly.
Kakashi immediately responded, "Oh, it's a tortoise today, not a cat. My new neighbor keeps leaving her door open, so her tortoise escapes quite often."
Sakura groaned out loud, but decided to say nothing more. There was no point in prodding Kakashi further because he would just come up with more inane excuses. So, the three of them simply watched as their sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke, as per his usual method of exit.
"Let's go for lunch!" Naruto called out.
Lunch? Sakura's eyes widened in apprehension.
Oh, how could she have forgotten that she would have to make excuses to Naruto and Sasuke for missing their lunch session? Naruto, especially, would not be too happy to hear that she had decided to forgo lunch with them to go eat with Itachi. Things were bad enough as it was, without adding this to the mix.
A concerned, whiskered face appeared before her, interrupting her train of thought. "Sakura-chan? Are you okay?"
She forced out a laugh. "Of course I am. Why shouldn't I be?"
"So, lunch?" Naruto prompted.
"No ramen today," Sasuke stipulated firmly.
Naruto swung towards him. "What's wrong with having ramen today?"
"We had it for the last three days." Sasuke's tone was flat.
"Fine, then." Turning to face her, the blonde said with a smile, "Sakura can pick a place this time."
Guilt slammed into her at the sight of her friend's expectant face. She hated the fact that she needed to do this to them, but it was too late to do anything about it now. In about five months, she would explain everything to them. Hopefully they would forgive her then.
"I'm sorry, guys. But I'm having lunch with Itachi."
Her declaration was met with silence. Naruto blinked at her in disbelief while Sasuke's brow drew together in obvious disapproval. Sakura swallowed hard as she waited for them to say something.
Then Naruto scowled. "But we always have lunch together."
"I know." She took a deep breath to fortify herself. "You see, Itachi and I don't really see much of each other since we're in different teams and all. So we decided to make lunch a regular thing."
"So you won't be coming with us for lunch anymore?" Naruto asked, his rounded blue eyes displaying his bewilderment. It was as if he could not believe what he was hearing.
She wanted to kick herself for hurting him this way. "We can do dinner instead," she suggested tentatively.
"But it's not the same!" he cried out agitatedly.
"Drop it, Dobe," Sasuke interjected in his bland tone.
Naruto glared at him. "Don't tell me you like the idea of her going off with that bastard everyday like that. It's bad enough that last night-"
"Shut up," Sasuke cut in swiftly.
But she had caught the gist of Naruto's unspoken words. Eyes narrowing slightly, she asked, "What about last night?"
Sasuke averted his eyes, while Naruto took on a guilty expression. That was enough of a confirmation for her. She should have expected this, since they had done the very same thing when she had been dating Neji. Even though she understood the motive behind their action, it was beginning to grate on her nerves. Since they were spying, she was pretty sure that they had seen Itachi kiss her. If it had been a real date, they would have been witnessing an intimate moment between her and her date. Was she not allowed any kind of privacy?
"You were spying on me," she ground out. "Again."
Naruto turned to her. "It's not like that, Sakura-chan," he cried out plaintively. "I just don't trust that Uchiha."
"The way you didn't trust Neji, huh?" She directed a glare at her other teammate. "What about you? You don't trust your own brother, Sasuke?"
Sasuke did not even bother responding to her.
Clenching her fists in annoyance while she subdued the urge to pound her two teammates into the ground, Sakura could only stare at them in silence. After a while, she let out a sigh of exasperation. They meant well, and as irritating as it was, she could not do anything about it.
"Well, I'm heading off now," she declared. "Let me know if you want to do dinner."
"Hm."
"Okay," said a more subdued Naruto.
And with that, she turned around and left the training grounds. It did not take her long to return home, shower and then find herself outside once again. Now that her annoyance at her teammates had subsided, her earlier thoughts about the kiss returned.
Okay, she had to look at this objectively. She had known that they would kiss at some point, and she had to admit that the one he had bestowed on her yesterday was pretty chaste. Her reaction was probably due to the shock of its unexpectedness. If she had been the one to kiss Itachi, she bet that she would not be thinking so much about it.
She gave herself a mental nod. Yes, that was probably the case. With that thought, she brushed back all thoughts about the kiss and then continued on her journey.
It was a few minutes after noon when she finally reached their designated meeting point. Itachi was already waiting there, leaning against the wall of a nearby building. Unlike last night, he was dressed in his usual training outfit.
She paused when she reached him, her hands clasped in front of her.
"Hi, Itachi," she greeted, sounding rather stiff even to her own ears.
000
000
Inclining his head in greeting, Itachi ran his eyes over her. Unlike on mission, he noted that she emanated a faint, pleasant floral scene. She must have been training with her team this morning, and had just showered.
"So…" she began, her eyes darting left and right. "Where are we off to today?"
She seemed somewhat unsettled, he could not help but notice.
"Is something the matter?" he asked.
Her eyes widened slightly, telling him that he had struck upon something. And then, quickly, she shook her head. He noticed that the smile which followed afterwards appeared rather weak.
"No. Of course not."
He continued to regard her silently, not missing the fact that she seemed to find it difficult to meet his eyes. How odd. This had never occurred before. Still, pushing the issue would be unwise, for he knew her well enough to be certain that if it was relevant to him, she would tell him. In the meantime, it was best that they progressed with the plan for the day.
With that thought, he inclined his head towards the dango shop nearby. "Come."
She fell into step beside him. Silently, they made their way across the street until they reached the entrance. Soon, they were both seated in the corner of the establishment. It was still early, and the lunch crowd had not arrived, ensuring them a little bit of privacy. He preferred it this way, even though the purpose of the outing was to publicly validate their relationship further.
The waiter came, leaving them a pot of steaming tea and two teacups before taking their orders. It was only after she had left that Sakura broke the silence.
"I've been here a few times and I like their food. But Sasuke's not keen on all the sweet stuff. Do you often come here?" she asked as she looked around, her earlier awkwardness all but gone.
Pouring the tea for both of them, he replied, "Not often."
"Oh. So where do you normally have lunch then?"
"At home."
She fell silent then, staring down at the teacup as she played with the rim. A wistful look crossed her features, making him wonder what she was thinking about. All of a sudden, he recalled her words last night about conversation being a two-way endeavor. Perhaps he should heed the advice. With that thought, he leaned back to contemplate what he should ask.
"What do you usually do for lunch?" he ventured finally.
She glanced up, a startled look on her face as if she was surprised to hear his question. He wondered if she truly thought that he was incapable of progressing a simple conversation. Perhaps she did, and strangely, that made him wonder what else she thought of him. He vaguely recalled being accused of having social flaws, though he had paid no attention to the specifics. From their outing last night, it was clear that Sakura also felt that he was lacking in those skills.
Discomfited by his stray thought, Itachi frowned inwardly. The opinions of others never concerned him before, therefore, why should it be any different now?
Sakura's measured words drew him out of his contemplations. "Well, normally I'd end up in Ichiraku with Naruto and Sasuke. Or when Sasuke and I manage to persuade him, the Okonomiyaki stall down by the river. Have you tried their special? It's really good."
He took a sip of tea before he replied, "I haven't."
Surprise flashed across her face. "You haven't eaten there? I thought everyone in Konoha had tried it once, at least."
He shook his head, wondering why it was so important to partake in the dish. There were many other stalls and restaurants in Konoha that he had not frequented, after all.
She adopted a resolute look then. "That does it! We'll have to go there one day."
"Aa."
Grinning, she went on, "Trust me. You'll like it."
"Hm."
The waiter returned a moment later with their lunch. Attention now shifted onto their food, the conversation between them paused.
Occasionally, he would look up to find his lunch date fully absorbed by the sweet dish before her. He could hear the little sounds of appreciation she made when she tasted a particularly pleasing mouthful. She did not appear to be aware of her own actions, he thought with a small quirk of his lips.
She only spoke when she finished her lunch.
"You know, I've been busy with training and Team Kakashi missions lately. How about you? Any missions coming up?" she asked as she pushed away her empty plate.
There were a few, but he had only been able to assign her to one. "Some," he replied.
She looked a little disappointed when he said nothing else. She must have noticed that she had not been on any ANBU missions lately. Perhaps he should inform her about the one she would be participating in.
"I've placed you on the squad for a mission. The Godaime approved it."
Her eyes immediately brightened. "Oh? When?"
"In a little more than two weeks."
She blinked, looking surprised this time. The myriad of expressions on her face was nothing short of intriguing. He supposed she had been this way for as long as he knew her, but he did not recall noticing in the past.
Leaning forward, she asked, "You arranged this with Tsunade so far ahead?"
"It is necessary."
"Why?" she asked curiously.
What he had was mere suspicions. However, he was fairly certain that those suspicions were accurate. So, after a brief moment of deliberation, Itachi decided that there was no harm in informing her of his thoughts. "Your team leader tends to arrange his missions and training sessions to coincide with my ANBU missions."
Her jaw dropped in astonishment. "What?" Wearing an incredulous look, she continued to stare at him for a long while before she spoke. "Wait. You're saying Kakashi is purposely accepting missions that clash with yours?"
"It appears so."
Leaning back against the chair, she frowned thoughtfully. "But I don't understand why."
He had thought that she would be perceptive enough to arrive at the obvious conclusion, but it was clear that when it came to her team, this skill of hers was badly impaired. This was a true demonstration of why shinobi should not form emotional links. Still, it would be rather unwise of him to involve himself further in the situation.
"Perhaps you should ask him," he offered.
Her frown deepened. "Yeah, you bet I will." After a short pause, she asked, "How long has this been going on?"
He simply shook his head.
A loud huff left her. "Fine. I'll just have to ask him myself."
"Aa." Casting a brief glance at their empty plates, he said, "We should leave."
She nodded, and then reached for her bag. Comprehending her intention, Itachi frowned slightly. Was it not customary for the male to pay for the meal during dates, or had Sakura forgotten her role? This might not be as 'formal' a date as the one last night had been, but it would not be seemly for him to allow her to pay.
"Stop."
She looked up, blinking at him in puzzlement. "Huh?"
He eyed her hand meaningfully.
A sheepish look came across her features. "Oh." Eyes darting left and right, she then whispered, "Sorry. It's a habit."
"Hm."
When the waitress came over, he paid for their meal. Then, without further ado, they both left the restaurant. Once outside, Sakura turned to face him.
"Thanks for lunch."
He nodded in acknowledgement.
"So, tomorrow again?"
"Aa."
She glanced around them at the approaching lunch crowd. "Good thing we came early, huh?"
"Hm." Inclining his head at the tearoom opposite the dango shop, he said, "We shall eat there tomorrow."
Smiling, she nodded. "Okay. So, I guess you're off to the ANBU headquarters now?"
"There is a mission a few days from now."
She sighed a little wistfully. "Well, good luck with that." Making a face, she went on, "And I really have to have a word with Kakashi about what you said earlier."
Falling silent, they stared at each other. Then, much to Itachi's surprise, Sakura took a small step forward to close the distance between them. There was a purposeful expression on her face, one which he had seen in the past during missions when she was steeling herself for some task ahead.
He remained still even when her hands landed lightly on his shoulders. It was only when she went on her toes and tilted her head up that he comprehended her intention. He felt a short flare of surprise just before her warm breath feathered over his chin.
Then her lips touched the corner of his, much like he had done to hers last night. She lingered momentarily, and in that short while, Itachi felt oddly compelled to turn and return the gesture. And yet, he did nothing of the sort. His entire body remained rigid and unmoving.
When she took a step away from him, he could see a slight blush on her cheeks, telling him that she was not completely unaffected by the kiss. Like last night, she seemed almost shy about it.
A small puff of breath left her before she said, "So, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Hm."
Then, with a small wave, she turned around and walked away from him.
Only then did Itachi allow a small frown to furrow his brows. Whilst his own reaction to the kiss puzzled him, her reaction to it concerned him more. There was something about the way she looked at him which sent a twinge of unease through him. Could it be that he was concerned that she might actually develop some unwanted emotion for him?
He grimaced at the thought. It would certainly be unsettling if that was the case. Still, it was likely that he was mistaken.
After all, Sakura knew that this was simply a mission.
000
000
The greenery sped by as Sakura traversed the eastern section of the Forest of Death, intent on finding that elusive sensei of hers before he found her. A flash of silver caught her attention shortly afterwards. Reacting without hesitation, she directed a kunai straight in that direction.
Her kunai connected with the target, sending up a cloud of smoke.
A bunshin, she realized with a grimace. And not the first one she had encountered over this training session either.
However, now that she had gone and done that, Kakashi would know exactly where she was. With that thought, she dove away from her current position, landing some distance away behind an outcrop of boulders. It was sufficient to provide her with some cover.
Hidden behind the boulders, she waited for Kakashi to make his move.
She had been out there for more than twenty-four hours, but she could not afford to lose focus, however tired she felt. Rest was not an option, even if she had ran the last five miles to reach this spot. This training session was much more strenuous than the ones they had before, but that was to be expected. After all, Kakashi was trying to get them used to prolonged battles. It would be what they would experience in the real ANBU examinations after all. The real thing would be much longer than this.
It felt as if she had been crouched there forever, but there was still no sign of the Copy-nin. She was beginning to wonder if he had called a halt to the prolonged training session, and she just happened to miss the order. The thought itself was enough to make her clench her hands into tight fists. If Kakashi and the other two had actually stopped without her, she would make them pay.
Which reminded her that she had not had a chance to speak to her dear sensei about his sneaky interference in her life. Of course she had wondered why she had been involved in less ANBU missions lately, but with her new mission as Itachi's love interest, she had not thought much about it. However, ever since her conversation with Itachi a few days ago and after her little conversation with Tsunade yesterday, she had been meaning to speak to Kakashi about it. Unfortunately, it was as if her sensei had a sixth sense about these things, which meant that he had managed to elude her questions so far even though they had been training every day.
She grimaced. Yes, she definitely had to corner the Copy-Nin.
But not now. Right now, she had to concentrate on the training. To be safe, she had to assume that the session was still in progress. Biting her bottom lip, her eyes darted left, right, up and down before she slid out of the cover of the boulders to launch herself high into the trees. Once her feet touched the tree limb, she froze, trying to hold her breath as to not give her position away.
"Sakura-chan!"
The loud holler almost made her lose her balance, and Sakura flattened herself against the nearest tree trunk in reaction. Frowning, she tried to spot the owner of the voice. It might sound like Naruto, but it could be a trick. She would not put it pass Kakashi.
"Sakura-chan! Where are you?"
She spied a flash of blonde hair.
"Ne, Teme. I don't think she is here."
"She is," came the bland reply.
Peeking out from her hiding place, she saw her two teammates standing in the small clearing, looking around for her. They were both almost completely covered with dirt and goodness knew what else, much worse for wear compared to the time she had last seen them.
So, it sounded and looked like Naruto and Sasuke. But how confident was she that it was really them?
There was one way to find out.
Bringing her hands together, she formed a series of seals. In a blink of an eye, her clone appeared beside her. After an exchange of nods, her clone leapt to the side, and then down to the ground, deliberately drawing Naruto's and Sasuke's attention.
"About time!" Naruto exclaimed, beaming widely. "Kakashi-sensei asked us to come get you."
"Get me?" her clone queried, striding towards him.
"Training is over," Sasuke supplied evenly.
"Come on, Sakura-chan. Let's go."
Deciding to make sure that it was really Naruto standing there, the clone quickly delivered a punch at her blonde friend. His eyes immediately widened in alarm.
"What the-"
Her fist connected with his jaw with a dull thud, telling her what she needed to know. If he was a clone, he would have disintegrated on impact.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto wailed, rubbing his bruised flesh while Sasuke smirked at him. "What was that for?"
"A test, Dobe," Sasuke informed him impatiently.
Naruto looked bewildered. "What?"
Satisfied that they were genuinely her friends, Sakura dismissed her clone. When it disappeared in a cloud of smoke, she jumped out of her hiding place to land before them. Despite his bruised jaw, Naruto managed to beam at her.
"So that was just a bunshin, huh?"
Stepping up to him, she reached out to touch his jaw. Ignoring his wince, she directed healing chakra to her hand. "Sorry, Naruto. I didn't know if it was really you or just Kakashi-sensei trying to trick me."
As she healed Naruto, Sasuke said, "He ended the training session."
Why was she not surprised that he had sent her two other teammates to fetch her instead? And the more important question was, just how long ago had the training session ended?
"We've been looking for you for two hours," Naruto told her, unwittingly answering her question.
Two hours? Sakura felt a flare of annoyance. "Where is Kakashi?" she asked.
"At the gates."
She nodded, and then removed her hand from Naruto's healed jaw.
"Let's go then," she said.
When they reached the gates of the Forest of Death, she saw Kakashi leaning against a nearby fence, his Icha Icha book held before his face. At their arrival, the book lowered slightly, revealing a creased eye.
"Yo."
She scowled at him. "How long have you been here?"
An absent look appeared in his eye. "Hm… A while."
"And you couldn't tell me you ended the training session two hours ago?" she ground out.
"I sent Naruto and Sasuke." His eye creased further. "Good training for them, trying to locate you."
She felt like strangling him. He knew exactly where she was because she had given away her position to his bunshin, and yet, he left Naruto and Sasuke to find her in that massive forest.
However, before she could voice her displeasure, Naruto piped in, "Sakura-chan is good. It took us forever to find her."
His words made her turn to him, and her heart melted at the pride on his face. Naruto was truly a gem of a friend. Overcome, she reached over to throw her arms around him, giving him a brief but fierce hug.
Pulling back, she smiled at him. "Thanks, Naruto."
He blinked at her, and then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he returned her smile with a wide grin. Its effect was rather diminished, though, by the large smear of mud across his cheek. Sakura cringed inwardly when she realized that she had just hugged her very muddy friend.
"Erm, I think you need a bath," she suggested.
The blonde brightened. "Oh, Sasuke and I are going to the bath. Do you want to join us?"
Sakura sputtered, hardly believing what she was hearing, while Sasuke muttered an irritated, "Baka."
As she boiled at the thought of Naruto's words, seriously considering inflicting bodily harm on her 'gem of a friend', Kakashi interjected calmly, "That's hardly appropriate, Naruto. And it's best that you go now unless you want this team to end up with one less member."
"But-"
Sasuke grabbed the blonde's arm. "Get moving, Dobe."
It took a mere second for both of them to disappear out of sight, even as Sakura continued to fume. She glared at the spot they had been standing in just moments ago. Sometimes, she really did not know what to do with her teammates. One minute, they made her so happy that she could kiss them, and the next, so mad that she contemplated murder.
Then she realized that Kakashi was still there, and that she had a bone to pick with the Copy-nin.
"Kakashi-sensei?"
His single-eyed gaze slid towards her. "Yes?"
For a moment, she mulled over how she should word the question. In the end, she decided that it was probably best that she went straight to the point. "Have you been arranging our missions to clash with Itachi's?" she asked bluntly.
He blinked once. "Now why would I do such a thing?"
She glowered at him, recognizing his move. "Don't avoid the question, Sensei."
"Was I?" he returned innocently.
Eyes narrowing in annoyance, she ground out, "It's too much of a coincidence that each time Itachi's ANBU squad has a mission, Team Kakashi is busy doing something."
"It is?"
She threw her arms up in exasperation. "You're impossible!"
"Ah, I've heard that before."
"Why am I not surprised," she ground out.
He lifted a hand. "So, training the same time, same place tomorrow?"
She frowned. "Don't change the subject. I want to know why you're interfering."
He pinned his single visible eye on her, but this time, there was a sober light in it. "Maybe I prefer to have a fully functional team member than one who is exhausted most of the time."
"Oh." She blinked as his words sank in. That had not occurred to her. A little cautiously, she asked, "So, do you think I'm underperforming?"
Kakashi glanced away from her. His tone was serious when he next spoke. "You are a medic, Sakura. At the rate you were pushing yourself, how long do you think it will be before you break down?"
"But I was handling it," she defended.
"You may think so."
She immediately bristled, but before she could say anything, he turned around to place a hand on her shoulder, effectively stilling her.
"Think about it, Sakura."
She deflated at his calm tone. Like it or not, she knew that Kakashi had a point. She had been feeling exhausted, practically dead on her feet at times. It was only these recent weeks that she had a bit more time to rest.
And it was all thanks to her sensei.
Feeling a little guilty, she looked up at him. "Sensei-"
"Ah." Kakashi's eyes creased. "I'd better go check on the boys. Make sure they don't accidentally end up too close to the women's bath. You better go home to catch some sleep. You look horrible."
Before she could even blink, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She was left gaping at the spot where he had been standing just a second ago, feeling rather insulted by his words.
Then, understanding his reaction, a small smile crossed her lips. Kakashi was being Kakashi. Open display of emotions was not his thing.
With an inward shrug, she began to walk away from the forested training area. It was not long before she reached the centre of Konoha.
As she walked under the late afternoon sun, staring at the shops and restaurants, she belatedly recalled that she had missed her lunch date with Itachi. Groaning inwardly, she glanced at the restaurant where they were supposed to meet a few hours ago, unsurprised to find that he was not there. He had probably waited five minutes before he left to do his own things.
Sakura sighed heavily. She would just have to apologize to him when she next saw him. At the moment, she was too tired to track him down.
As she walked home, it occurred to her that if this had happened months ago, she would probably force herself to find him, no matter how tired she was. But over the last few weeks, she had grown comfortable with Itachi and had come to realize that he was just as human as the rest of them, flaws and all.
She grinned when she recalled the barely veiled expression of surprise on his face when she had initiated that kiss a few days ago. Sure it had not been easy for her to do it, but to know that Itachi was just as discomfited made it seem okay. In fact, their next few goodbye kisses had been instigated by her as well. She wondered if she should be concerned that it was growing increasingly easy to kiss the stoic Uchiha.
Giving herself an inward shake, she chuckled under her breath. She was over-thinking things. It was just a mission, and if anything was growing easier, she should be glad about it.
Right?
000
000
They had settled into a routine about a week ago. Provided that they were both in Konoha, every day after her morning training session with her team, they would meet and then find a place to eat. They had to keep up the appearance of being close, after all.
What surprised him most was that it was a 'comfortable' routine. Little by little, she had stopped attempting to force him to converse, while he remained content to simply listen to her as they ate lunch and sipped tea.
However, she had failed to turn up yesterday.
He had not waited longer than fifteen minutes, after which, he had simply continued with his day until the afternoon. It was then that he had the opportunity to check on her whereabouts. The duty roster had told Itachi that she was still in Konoha, therefore he concluded that she must be training still.
But this noon, he found himself waiting for the kunoichi once again.
This time, he decided that her absence was not to be tolerated. After a quarter of an hour, Itachi proceeded to walk to her house. The chakra signature from within told him that she was at home. Irked by the fact that she had made him wait for the second time in a row, he simply launched himself upwards, and then through her window to land not far from her bed.
She was still sleeping.
Her lips were slightly parted and her cheek squashed against her pillow. In the heat, she must have attempted to dislodge the covers, for her long bare legs were exposed. The covers were bunched up around her hips and her chest, revealing that she wore nothing but shorts and what looked like a tank top. He had seen her in similar positions before, but not so blatantly uncovered. However, this time, her slender, well-toned limbs brought forth certain images that he should not entertain.
Deciding that was rather inappropriate for him to regard her in such a manner, he took another step towards her, deliberately making his footfall heavier.
This time, she stirred, rolling around to land on her back. The cover followed her move, and his eyes were involuntarily drawn to the bare skin of her stomach exposed between her shorts and her top. The stray thought that such a sight would certainly be a familiar one to him had he been truly courting her came to mind.
He frowned inwardly when he realized what he was doing. Averting his eyes from her, he pinned his gaze to one of the pictures sitting on her bedside table before he called out.
"Sakura."
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her shift, but he kept his eyes fixed to the picture of her team when they were still genin. Perhaps she would cover herself better when she realized he was there.
"Itachi?"
His name came more naturally to her now, he noted. As did hers with him. Slowly, he turned in time to see her sitting up, allowing the covers to bunch around her hips, revealing a small tank top. Slightly perturbed that she had seen no need to shield her body from his view, he remained silent.
She blinked at him. "What are you doing here?"
It was not as if he had not seen her dressed thus before. Therefore, it was rather unsettling just how he was paying such undue attention to the material fitted so snugly around her. She seemed unaware of his perusal, however. Instead, she lifted her arms in a stretch and yawned widely.
Once again, Itachi averted his eyes, his lips thinning as he did so. Had Sakura been someone else, he would have suspected her of attempting to seduce him. However, he knew her well enough to be certain that those actions of hers had not been deliberate.
"I'm sure you didn't just wake me up for nothing," she remarked as she left her bed, sounding a little puzzled.
Realizing that he had not responded to her question, he murmured, "You did not turn up yesterday."
She stilled, and then her eyes widened in realization. "Oh! I'm sorry, I should have left you a message or something." Looking guilty, she added, "We were training for the ANBU entrance exams, and Kakashi-sensei decided to do a test on our stamina. What time is it now?"
"Almost one."
She groaned out loud, smacking her head with her palm. "I overslept."
He watched as she strode to her cupboard, seemingly uncaring that he was still in the room. Once she pulled out her clothes, she turned to give him a crooked smile.
"The training was a special one, so it won't happen again. We lasted more than twenty-four hours. Not bad, huh?"
"Hm." Twenty-four hours certainly did not cover the duration of the examination, but it was a reasonable start. Still, the training regime seemed to have a fundamental flaw.
"What is it?" she asked cautiously.
He raised a questioning brow.
"You're thinking something about what I just told you. What is it?"
Deciding that there was no harm in telling her, he replied, "Training with your own team will not be sufficient."
Her brows furrowed. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"You are familiar with the skills within your team, and therefore able to anticipate your teammates' strategies and moves. In the examination, your opponent will be someone unfamiliar."
"I see," she mumbled thoughtfully. "So I should really train with others."
"Hm."
It occurred to him then that perhaps he should offer to assist her in her training. After all, it would be expected if their 'relationship' was a real one, was it not? Although they had been working together in the same squad, they had not trained together as such. Therefore, she had not fought him directly.
"Maybe I should ask Neji to help," she mused thoughtfully. "He's ANBU, after all."
At the mention of the Hyuuga, the conversation he had with Shisui several weeks ago came back to him. As Sakura's love interest, his appropriate response would be to disallow such a thing. He thought that such a response was a little excessive, but to Itachi's surprise, he found that he was not exactly averse to it. In fact, he found himself a little displeased by the notion of Sakura training with the Hyuuga.
"No."
She swung towards him, a baffled look on her face. "What do you mean, no? I thought you just said-"
"You will train with me."
Her eyes rounded. "You?" she squeaked.
"Hm."
She simply stared at him wordlessly. And then, shaking her head as if to clear it, she asked, "What about Naruto and Sasuke?"
The notion of assisting Naruto and Sasuke was not as appealing. "Hatake Kakashi will be offended if I did so."
"What's the difference? You'd be helping me anyway."
"It is expected, considering our relationship," he pointed out. "Your teammates are a different matter."
"You are Sasuke's brother."
He raised a brow at her. "And thus far, I have never assisted him in such a manner."
A puzzled expression adorned her face. "That's just strange. Why not?"
"It was not necessary."
Huffing in exasperation, she planted her hands on her hips. "Fine. If you say so." Then she took on a contemplative look. "You know, I'm more than happy to have your help for obvious reasons. But I'm not sure it is a good idea to train with you instead of my own team. Naruto and the rest are already not too keen on how much time I'm spending with you."
"You have a mission to complete," he informed her evenly.
She waved a hand around. "I know. The mission requires us to spend lots of time together. But can't we do this outside Kakashi-sensei's training time?"
Deciding that it did not matter to him one way or another, Itachi nodded. "Very well." Then, inclining his head at the clothes held in her hand, he said, "Dress."
Clutching her clothes to her chest, she gestured at the bedroom door. "I will, once you allow me some privacy," she responded with a small tilt at the corner of her lips.
Without another word, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. It did not take her long to change, and soon afterwards, she joined him in the living room. When he glanced at her, he noted that she had chosen civilian clothing today.
"Shall we leave?" she asked, stepping towards the door.
"Hm."
They both walked out of the apartment. Once she locked the door, Sakura turned and slid an arm into the crook of his elbow, smiling as she did so. The warmth of her arm against his was comfortable as they walked down the street. She chattered on about inconsequential things, but he only half listened. Instead, there was a single thought that insisted on making itself known.
It told him that her presence by his side felt disturbingly natural.
000
000
A/N: This is a bit of a transitional chapter, I know. Next up will be missions and actions. As always, please review if you could. Thanks!
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