Kakashi sat down in the easy chair, allowing Sakura to sit on the couch. She curled up into a ball, looking somewhat like a content kitten, as she sipped on the tea. Amazed that it was delicious, she asked, "What kind of tea is this?"

Smiling underneath his mask, he replied, "It is Ceylon tea, with summer cherries. I thought you might like it." Such irony; the "cherry blossom" enjoys cherry-flavored tea. "Are you surprised that it tastes good, or are you surprised that I know how to prepare tea?"

Chuckling, Sakura said, "Both, actually. You don't really strike me as the kind of guy who works well in the kitchen. I must say, it is a pleasant surprise." Taking another small sip, she sighed contentedly and said, "So… what should we talk about? Maybe we could just ask each other random questions. Is there anything that you'd like to know about me?"

Kakashi recalled Sakura's chakra signature, and wondered if as a medical ninja she would understand. "What does your chakra signature mean?" Seeing the puzzled look on her face, he hastily added, "When you were healing me earlier, I couldn't help but sense it."

Sakura began to explain, a hint of a smile on her face. "A person's chakra signature means several things. It depends on the particular energies which constitute that person's makeup, the overall health of the energy field, and the current life issues and transitions occurring at a particular time. This also implies that a person's chakra signature can change." Pausing for a moment, she asked, "What did my signature look like?"

Kakashi thought for a second. "Well, it was… light red, almost pink on the surface, and a deep, pure shade of red in the center." He tried to understand what that might mean, but drew a blank. "What do the colors signify?"

"Well… light red usually reflects sensitivity, friendship, and joy. The deeper red… most commonly reflects strong willpower, courage, leadership…" Her voice grew rather soft as she said, "longing." Shaking her head, she continued. "Red can also reflect anger, vigor, and stability." Her head tilted in a curious pose, and asked, "Would you like to know about your own signature?"

Kakashi looked slightly surprised. "How do you know what my signature looks like?"

Looking slightly embarrassed, Sakura said, "It's usually better to use some of the patient's own chakra when healing, so that the body won't reject the new chakra as easily. Naturally, I couldn't help but sense your signature."

"Oh. Well, you can tell me about it. What color is it?"

"Midnight blue…" Sakura remembered her description earlier and blushed slightly. Why don't you tell him that you could drown in his signature? Yeah, that'd be great. "Darker blues usually represent trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, and truth. Usually a sign of… masculinity." Her face became a slightly darker shade of pink.

Kakashi found her embarrassment amusing. Then, reflecting on her explanation, he couldn't help but find the whole thing fascinating. It makes sense… He found himself analyzing the person sitting across from him. Sakura is full of strength, courage, sensitivity, and… he chuckled inwardly. She certainly has an angry side. Flashes of her angrily jabbing Naruto and her other friends went through his mind. Seeing that she was watching him, he quickly stopped his thoughts and said, "Well, I've asked you about yourself. What would you like to know about me?"

They continued talking, enjoying each other's company, and relaxing- not paying attention to the lateness of the hour.

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Unbeknownst to anyone, Tsunade was also awake in her office. She had finished working hours ago, but couldn't rest until she sorted a few things out. Her mind eventually fell on what had happened earlier between Kakashi and Sakura. She jumped in to help him from getting into trouble. And then that brush of the arm… She tapped her pen on her chin, thinking. Then, she was struck with the answer as she remembered what Gai said. "I was just telling him about Haruno Sakura's mission, and then he just took off!"

That's it! All the pieces were coming together. Tsunade chuckled slightly, realizing that neither of the two understood what was going on. Kakashi, being somewhat of a pervert at times, is used to feeling lust, not love. Of course he wouldn't understand. Frowning somewhat at his reading tendencies, she realized that Icha Icha would have to go if he was to have a relationship with her little apprentice. And Sakura… well, after Sasuke, of course she would doubt herself in any area of affection.

Another thought hit her. Am I the reason why this happened? No, she couldn't be. She only told Kakashi to watch over Sakura for a couple of days.

Rubbing her hands together mischievously, she said to no one, "I know exactly what to do." Opening one of her files, she pulled out a set of new missions that haven't been assigned yet. "Let's see… aha! A new mission from a village in the Earth Country." Scanning the list, she continued to read aloud to herself. "The annual festival celebrating the Day of Life… presentation of the rare Tourmaline gem… need protection… two qualified ninja… good!" Closing the scroll, she smirked at her plan. Naruto is having a bad effect on me. I'm becoming childish. She felt better by justifying her actions with Sakura. She needs someone… and if Kakashi is that someone, then it's a good thing for me to help things along. Thinking of Dan, she grabbed a bottle of sake, determined not to become sad. It's time to put things in motion.

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Kakashi looked over at Sakura, smiling slightly as she dozed off into a peaceful sleep. He picked up her tea cup, putting it carefully in the sink so it wouldn't make noise. He then went to the hall closet and pulled out a small blanket. Draping it over her, he was struck once again by how much she had changed over the years.

She stirred in her sleep slightly, a small strand of hair falling in her face. Brushing it aside, he couldn't help but notice how soft her hair was. Leaning over slightly, his breath tickled her ear as he whispered, "Goodnight Sakura."

As he walked back into his room to get the hour or so of sleep that was left of the night, he heard a tiny whisper as he closed his door.

"Goodnight Kakashi."

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Sakura woke up as the sun was coming in. I fell asleep here?! She tried to remember the last thing that happened before she dozed off. I was listening to Kakashi talk about his favorite food… then… She recalled something about a blanket being put on her. And saying goodnight to Kakashi. He didn't have to let me sleep here- he should've let me go home! Sighing, she folded the blanket. "He shouldn't have worried about my needs."

A sudden rapping came on the door. Sakura, recognizing how this might look to anyone who didn't understand their relationship, cursed under her breath. I can't answer the door! She quietly slipped down the hallway, knocking gently on the bedroom door. "Kakashi! Are you awake?" Hearing no response, she was forced to open the door.

Kakashi was lying peacefully in the middle of the bed, the blankets covering his face slightly. Sakura couldn't help but wonder if he wore a mask, and very carefully tried to lift the blanket so she could see. Damn…of course he would wear a mask. She leaned over and whispered, "Kakashi! You have to wake up!"

It took all of her power not to let out a small shriek of surprise as a hand instantly came to her mouth. Kakashi opened his eyes with a fierce look in them, only to see that it was Sakura. He closed his Sharingan eye, his normal one returning to a look of confusion and laced with concern. "What's the matter, Sakura?"

"Someone is at the door, and I can't answer it!!"

"Why not?"

One look from her and he realized how something completely innocent would be taken negatively. "Oh. Right." Motioning for Sakura to move over a little, he got out of bed. Opening the window, he breathed in the morning air and pulled Sakura over to stand next to him. "You can either stay here and wait for a moment, or climb out the window. The neighbors might still be asleep."

Her brow furrowed as she considered the circumstances. "Might be isn't good enough." Sighing, she sat down on his bed. "I'll stay here until you're done. If that's alright with you. I'll be gone as soon as the coast is clear. I'm really sorry about this. But… you should have told me to go home!"

Kakashi replied as he was walking down the hallway, saying "You were comfortably asleep. Besides, it's not really that much of a bother." He opened the door of his apartment to see a slightly hung-over Tsunade. This, on the other hand…

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Tsunade was irritated, since she still had a small headache from all the sake she drank last night. "Why did it take you so long to answer the door?" Waving her hand slightly, she said, "Whatever. I've got something to tell you. You have a new assignment."

Kakashi's eye clearly showed the surprise he felt. "Tsunade-sama… I thought I was suspended from missions? Or is this something serious?"

Trying to make this sound as important as possible, Tsunade decided to make up a couple of lies to get him into the idea of the mission. "A village in the Earth country is having an important festival, where they are going to present a rare gem. This gem contains a great amount of power, and, if used in the wrong hands, would definitely cause a severe amount of damage. Since this mission is so important, I have decided to reinstate you, if only for this one mission."

A rare gem infused with a lot of power? Why haven't I heard of it? Knowing that he should agree with her in order to avoid increasing her agitation, he nodded. "If you insist. Am I going on this mission alone, or with my usual team?"

Tsunade answered him, trying to keep a smile off her face. "This mission is important; however, I can only afford to send two ninja. You will be traveling with my apprentice, Sakura. Since you work well together, and because she has learned almost everything she can from me, I find that she would be the best ninja to accompany you. Is that alright?" She asked this question knowing that he could not, would not, say no.

Something is up. Although he knew that Tsunade was right, and that Sakura had become a ninja of great power and was well known, he was suspicious. Why would she come over so early in the morning to tell me this? "That's fine. What time will we be leaving? Have you already informed Sakura?"

"No. But I have a splitting headache and a bunch of paperwork to do. You'd be catching up with her anyway, so you can just go over to her apartment and tell her." She began to walk away, then turned back slightly and added, "You'll be leaving at 1:00, so you'd better get everything packed and ready. You're going to need to be there by tomorrow evening at the latest." With that, she left.

Kakashi shut the door, not surprised to see Sakura standing at the edge of the hallway. "I guess I don't need to tell you what's happening." Noticing that she had folded up the blanket, he proceeded to put it away. "You should probably get going now. I'm sure that you'll want to shower, pack, and do whatever you need to. We'll meet at the village gates, alright?"

Nodding, she was about to head out the door when she gave Kakashi a quick hug. He looked down with a bit of shock on his face, looking at her flushed face as she said, "I just wanted to say thanks for, well… letting me in."

She left him to wonder at the hidden meaning behind her words.