Chapter 11: Slipping Away
"Just as a snake
sheds its skin, we
must shed our past
over and over again."
-Buddha
When the large hand clamped down on the last trailing flame atop her shoulder, Sakura screamed once again. Not out of pain- though she was in a considerable amount of that, but in panicked terror. She quickly grabbed a kunai out of her weapons pouch and whirled around to meet her attacker.
"Whoa, easy there little lady," the man drawled, retracting his hand from her shoulder and raising both hands in a placating 'surrender' position.
Sakura's eyes darted up from the senbon he was chewing on, to the Konoha forehead protector that was wrapped around shaggy brown hair. Dark eyes that looked strangely familiar were lit up in what Sakura suspected was amusement.
She lowered her kunai, but made no move to put it back in her pouch. Green eyes remained fixed on the man in front of her incase he made any sudden movements.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
A confident smirk tugged at his lips, "My name is Shiranui Genma, and who might you be?"
Her grip on her kunai loosened a little more, especially when she noted that he was wearing the jounin uniform that was standard to Konoha.
"Haruno Sakura," she answered, voice more polite than her original demand.
"Well Sakura-chan, I'm guessing that those burns are throbbing pretty badly. How about I escort you to the hospital?"
His eyes lingered on her burnt clothing and blistered shoulders. But the gaze was one of clinical detachment- no dark excitement blatant in their depths.
Sakura found herself relaxing a bit more. Surely she could trust a Konoha nin…
And now that she wasn't afraid of him attacking, the pain in her system was making itself more known. The burns that trailed from her fingers to the round curvature of her shoulders was throbbing in agony. From the bits of skin she could see through her ruined shirt, they was puckered in angry red blotches, or blistered white.
But as kind as Genma-san was in assisting her, she didn't want him taking her to the hospital.
She didn't want to go to the hospital at all.
It was embarrassing enough that a jounin had witnessed her failed attempt at ninjutsu. It would be even more embarrassing having him shuffle her to the hospital like a clumsy child.
She had some medical scrolls stockpiled in her room, and Sakura was sure she could manage to figure them out. That way she could heal her wounds in private. As long as her chakra didn't act up again...
"No thank you Shiranui-san."
The man paused, and tilted his head as he studied her. Sakura grew more nervous the longer the inspection took.
"I'm afraid I must insist. What kind of gentleman would I be if I left an injured lady out here on her own? Especially when I'm unsure of whether or not she will seek the proper help," Genma said, senbon moving from the right side of his mouth to the left as he spoke.
His words were perfectly polite, but from the roguish smirk on his face, Sakura had the feeling that Genma-san wasn't much of a gentleman at all.
"I don't want to waste your time. I'm sure you're very busy," she explained, widening her eyes imploringly.
"I'm not too busy to take you to the hospital… You know if you wait too long with burn wounds they will easily become infected. And once wounds are infected, they usually have to be amputated."
Sakura's rebuttal paused on her lips. She hadn't heard of that before… Usually infected wounds just needed antibiotics, unless the infection had caused mass tissue disintegration. But she wasn't sure about burn wounds in particular… And surely, Genma-san wouldn't lie to her.
"I suppose you are right," Sakura said with a sigh.
She bent over and gathered her belongings, wincing as the rough handle of her whip bit into the burnt flesh on her palm. At least the whip hadn't been damaged…
As the two made their way over to the hospital, Sakura could feel Genma studying her out of the corner of his eye. She made sure not to tense up at his scrutiny, but still felt wholly uncomfortable under it.
"If you are a genin Sakura-chan, than who is your sensei?" Genma questioned, his voice light and carefree.
It was Sakura's turn to discreetly study the man, wondering if he was just making small talk, or he was interested for another reason.
"Hatake Kakashi is my sensei."
Genma's footsteps paused, and Sakura was shocked when a sharp bark of laughter rang out of him.
"Oh you poor kid. I wouldn't wish that lazy old man on anyone!"
Sakura idly wondered if she was supposed to defend her sensei's virtues to this man. But then she remembered how he had been punishing her in their missions, and how the man wasn't exactly wrong in calling Kakashi-sensei 'lazy.' So she remained silent.
As the large hospital building loomed closer in the distance, Sakura wasn't sure whether or not she felt grateful at the upcoming loss of Genma-san's company. He was nice enough, but as with most strange men, Sakura couldn't help but keep her guard up. And having to be extra vigilant while in immense pain was not fun.
Once they neared the hospital entrance, Sakura felt embarrassment heat her cheeks. It was time to lose her chaperone.
"Well thank you for taking me to the hospital Shiranui-san. Your gentlemanly reputation is safe," Sakura said, the thinly veiled dig softened by her innocent tone.
Genma raised an eyebrow at her cheekiness. "Actually Sakura-chan, I think we should take a detour-"
Sakura's heart stopped for a moment. Her posture tensed, and eyes sharpened on the man.
"-to your sensei's place."
Her pace skidded to a halt and what little colour she had in her face drained.
"He should have plenty of burn salve on hand, and this way you don't have to fill out an accident report," Genma explained.
And though his words should have been comforting, her heart rate promptly pick up to a race. The fact that Genma-san's detour was not some sort of sick ploy was reassuring, but the fact he was delivering her to Kakashi-sensei's doorstep had panic whirling through her system. To have Kakashi, the brilliant S-ranked nin heal her should have been a comforting gesture. But she knew that her sharp sensei would pick up on her reluctance to expose her skin if he were to treat her. She didn't want any red flags to go up in his mind.
"I really don't think-" she began, but Genma continued on speaking.
"When we visit your sensei," Genma smirked at the word, "I'll let him know about your injuries. He'll fix you up. He should lighten up the work load as he knows you're recovering too."
"N-no, no, that's not necessary! I don't want to bother Kakashi-sensei. I'll just go in the hospital. We're already here anyways…"
Her statement came out like a jumbled demand. Sakura felt like cursing at her transparency. And even though she was loath to go to the hospital, it would be the lesser of two evils.
Genma's smirk fell as he looked at her in confusion. "I know Kakashi can be a bit harsh, but he's a good man kid. He'll fix you up good as new. And he isn't big on lecturing either, so that's always a plus."
Sakura's feet remained rooted to the ground, but her expression morphed into one of defeat. There was literally no possible way of getting out of this without coming off as even more suspicious as she already was for refusing treatment. Even if she lied and said her mother could heal her, Sakura knew that her mother's healing chakra wouldn't help burns. She needed salve…
Genma-san's eyes remained fix on her hesitant form, as her mind raced through her options. But as she processed all possible scenarios, her options whittled down to one.
"A-alright. I just don't want to disappoint him…" Sakura slowly said, trying to justify her vacillation.
Genma's senbon lifted with his half-smirk, "I wouldn't worry about that. Now, come on, his place isn't far."
As they walked over to Kakashi-sensei's residence, Sakura's pace slowed. She knew Genma wouldn't question her sluggishness as she was in a considerable amount of pain, but she was also trying to put off the inevitable. If only Naruto were here to cause some grand distraction…
While they crossed into the residential district, Genma-san questioned her about her teammates and if Kakashi made them complete the bell test. Sakura was aware her answers were half hearted, but she was too preoccupied to care. Genma-san either didn't notice (which was highly unlikely), or didn't mind, as he continued asking her questions about her training.
Five minutes later they arrived at an old, but obviously well maintained apartment complex. Genma climbed the stairs, Sakura trailing behind, until they reached the third floor. He stopped in front of a pale blue door at the end of the hallway.
Nerves scuttled down her spine, and her stomach felt slightly nauseous as Genma's large fist knocked against the wood.
"I hope you're not here about that poker game…" Kakashi-sensei's voice drawled as he opened the door. "Because I-" his words were lost as he spotted her small form hiding behind Genma.
Sakura was so nervous that she didn't even think to be surprised at the fact that Kakashi-sensei apparently donned his mask even while home alone.
Genma's eyebrow lifted in amusement, "Actually I'm here about one of your students. Mind if we come in?"
Kakashi sighed, as he swung the door open wider, "You know, out of the three of you, you were the last one I expected to be at my doorstep in trouble, Sakura-chan."
Sakura swallowed through the lump in her throat as she followed Genma-san inside, aware of Kakashi-sensei's disapproving eye.
"Now, now Kakashi, Sakura-chan isn't in trouble. She just had a little accident," Genma explained, throwing himself down on Kakashi's couch.
Sakura ignored Genma's statement, as her eyes flittered around the apartment, absently taking in how clean and well maintained it was, as she looked for the exits.
"She just happened to burn herself while practice ninjutsu, and I spotted her. I was taking her to the hospital when I asked who her sensei was. You didn't tell me you were teaching," Genma continued. His eyes were fixed on the way Kakashi stared down at his nearly trembling student.
Sakura forced herself to remain motionless as Kakashi approached.
"What jutsu were you practicing?" Kakashi questioned as he crouched in front of her. His eyes roamed over her small form, taking in her burnt clothing and irritated skin.
Sakura had to clear her throat before she could get any words out; "I was trying to combine different fire ninjutsus with my whip. The first one worked, but the second one made my chakra go haywire. The flames went the wrong way…"
Kakashi remained silent, and his steady gaze made her avert her eyes like a naughty child who had just been caught misbehaving.
"Well," he said after a moment, "you're in luck. I have some burn salve."
He stood up and disappeared into the small kitchen.
"See, I told you kid. He's willing to help and will skip the lecture," Genma-san's voice piped up from behind her.
Sakura softly nodded, but remained silent. She couldn't fight off the dread that was still trudging through her system. Something told her that while Kakashi-sensei may not have lectured her, something much worse was coming.
Kakashi returned from his kitchen, holding a small white jar. He handed the little jar to her. "The bathroom is straight down the hall. Are you able to apply the salve yourself or do you need some help?"
"Myself!" Sakura instantly replied, and flushed as Kakashi furrowed his brow.
She retreated down the hallway, and ducked into the bathroom, closing the door with a firm thud.
"Geez Hatake, what the hell have you been doing to those kids?" Genma harshly whispered the moment the door closed.
Kakashi just tilted his head at the dark haired man sprawled across his couch.
Genma scowled at Kakashi's usual tightlipped demeanor.
"I found her at Training Ground Three on fire. And when I went to help put out the flames, she pulled a kunai out on me, and was ready to go for the jugular if need be… Want to explain why a twelve year old that should be chasing cats was ready to take my head off?"
"Did you touch her?" Kakashi asked, voice oddly expectant.
"Of course I did," Genma hotly replied, "like I said, she was on fire!" His eyes then widened, "you don't think-"
"I have my suspicions…"
"She's so young," Genma whispered, a frowned settled on his face as he looked to the hallway Sakura had disappeared down.
"All we have done is training exercises. I was holding out on missions until they improved their teamwork, but she blackmailed me into accepting a mission," Kakashi slowly recounted.
Genma arched a brow; "The tiny pink haired genin blackmailed you into accepting a mission…"
Kakashi scowled, "Despite her appearance, or perhaps because of it, Sakura is uncharacteristically excellent when it comes to manipulation. I pity the day when Sasuke and Naruto realize just how good she is at it."
"That may explain why she looked like she would rather be buried alive than visit here when I suggested it," Genma said, before chuckling, "…blackmailing the great Copy-Cat nin…"
"She was afraid to come here?"
"I don't know if 'afraid' is the right word, but she was definitely hesitant. I felt like I was trying to reason with a skittish animal. It looked like she was about to bolt at any moment."
"Thanks for bringing her here, but I think it's best that Sakura and I have a little privacy for the talk we are about to have," Kakashi said, foreboding heavy in his gut as he thought about the questions he was going to have to confront his littlest student with.
"Do you think that's a good idea? I mean if you're right, I doubt she will be comfortable being alone with you…" Genma questioned.
"I don't think she will feel any less vulnerable being alone with two men than one." Kakashi drolly answered. "Besides, she at least knows me."
"Alright," Genma said, rising from the couch. "Tell her that I hope she feels better. And good luck."
Kakashi watched as Genma exited out the front door, before returning his attention to the bathroom door where his female student remained.
For the past two weeks of being a team he had taken note of her odd idiosyncrasies. And despite his hopeful wishing, the symptoms that she was presenting were all pointing in the direction he dreaded… She was such a contradiction though- shy and hesitant- she completely avoided touch, and most peer interaction. And yet she was sly, cunning, and had a knack for manipulation- all traits that went against her somewhat meek nature.
And yet her vivid green eyes never held an ounce of true meekness. Just cold intelligence that had initially shocked him. She was supposed to be the mediocre one. The last surviving Uchiha (at least loyal one), and the Nine Tailed Fox container- those two were where he was supposed to direct his attention- Hokages' orders. And yet something about the little Haruno girl made him study her just as intently- for just like her two teammates, she was not normal.
But he was hoping that the reasons for her abnormality were just prodigy like intelligence, not anything that attributed to her upbringing…
"Kakashi-sensei?" a small hesitant voice called from behind his bathroom door.
"Yes, Sakura-chan?"
"D-do you maybe have a shirt I could borrow?" Sakura asked. And Kakashi could tell by the catch in her voice that she was nervous. His heart plummeted.
"Of course."
Silently slipping into his bedroom, Kakashi went straight to his closet and grabbed the smallest shirt he could find. As he left the room, he closed the door, not wanting to make his student any more uncomfortable than she already was. It was strange how he was surrendering his privacy and comfort, and yet he knew he his student was feeling much more unnerved being in his home.
Knocking gently on the bathroom door, Kakashi waited patiently. The door opened a crack and he could scarcely see Sakura's small torso dwarfed by one of his towels- the cotton material covering every inch of her from waist to neck.
"Thank you," she muttered, before quickly grabbing the shirt and closing the door with a snap.
Kakashi leaned against the opposite wall as he waited for her to emerge. When the door finally opened, he instantly noticed the fear she was trying so hard to mask. It unsettled him to his core that one of his own students was afraid of him- even if it was not truly his fault.
"Did you have enough salve?" he asked, voice uncharacteristically gentle.
She nodded; pink hair swaying with the motion.
He wanted to ask if she was able to cover all of her burns, but knew that was a bad idea. He needed to be extra cautious with her right now. And any mention of her body was not a good idea…
He led her out to the living room and watched as she perched on the edge of his couch, looking as if she was ready to flee at any moment.
"Thank you for the salve sensei, but I should be going. It's late and my mother is probably wondering where I am," Sakura said, her eyes fixed on the door.
"Not your father?"
"What?" Sakura asked, her head snapping over to her silver haired sensei.
"Will your father not be worried about your whereabouts?"
Sakura met her sensei's eye with a casual sort of detachedness that spoke of her experience in dealing with prying people. "My father often stays late at his shop. I doubt he will be home yet to notice my absence."
Kakashi nodded, and let out a quiet hum.
And just as Sakura was ready to head straight for the door, politeness be damned, her sensei's words stopped her in her tracks.
"Sakura, if someone is hurting you, you know you can tell me."
Kakashi's eye was solemnly intense as they gazed at her. She wondered if the sharingan that was underneath his eye patch could see straight into her soul…
How else could Kakashi-sensei possible know? She had always been so careful! Only one slip up had occurred and that was with Sasuke- he shouldn't have even known about that!
Her teeth bit into her lip- it was a nervous tick that she usually fought so hard to suppress. But she couldn't help herself from tearing at the plump flesh as she was confronted with her deepest fear.
"I don't know what you mean sensei…" She uttered, voice barely above a whisper.
She would lie under torture if she had too. Because even though she hated the Harunos- hated them with a fierce sort of passion that rarely sparked within her soul, she loved her mother.
Sure Mebuki was not an outstanding parent- one would even say she was a neglectful. And even though Sakura had long about been taught that a person who remains the silent onlooker is just as bad as the abuser, she knew her mother had her reasons. Reasons that would make her stay captive in a family that hated her just as much as her mongrel daughter- and so Sakura would protect her mother's secrets with her life. Because her very life could depend on it.
"If someone in your home is violent- is abusing you, I can help you," Kakashi continued on.
The Harunos had never exactly hurt her- not physically at least, like Kakashi-sensei probably suspected. There was only that one time in the basement where her father had threatened her with his belt, but never followed through with it. And Sakura knew there were other sorts of hurts that her family grievously lavished upon her, but those sorts of injuries were easier to conceal. Especially when one had years of experience…
"No one at home is hurting me sensei," she explained, meeting his eye directly.
Kakashi tilted his head. His gut told him not to believe her- something more was clearly going on. He had always been taught to look underneath the underneath, but he wasn't exactly sure what to do when the exposed wound didn't want to be healed. And especially when any injuries she could have could be explained away by some of his own training regime… And yet something within her eyes, made him pause. Made him question her authenticity.
He cleared his throat beneath his mask, "Well if you ever feel uncomfortable at home and you need a place to stay, you can always come here."
And the way she stiffened at his offer, confirmed the fact in his mind that an older man must have been abusive towards her.
"Thank you for your offer sensei, and for the salve," Sakura murmured, eager to flee the scene. She could practically smell the suspicion radiating off the man. If she stayed any longer, she didn't want to know what he would find.
She jumped to her feet and headed to the door.
"I meant what I said Sakura-chan. Team Seven is your family- if you need help, we are always here for you." Her hand gripped the doorknob, and Kakashi got one last word in, "Oh, and next time you attempt a new jutsu, run it by me first. I don't want to think of what could have happened to you if Genma wasn't there."
And Sakura could only thank Kami that her head was facing the door as Kakashi uttered the same nonsense about family before reminding her of her embarrassing screw up.
Uttering one last thank you, she slipped out his apartment and into the dimming evening.
She thought about Kakashi's offer on her walk home. She was grateful for it, but she knew she would never take him up on it. Because if she did, she would expose a vulnerability- and every good nin knew that vulnerabilities were to be exploited. She had been exploited enough by one family, she wouldn't put herself in a position to be by another 'family.'
And though her sensei's intentions may have been good, Sakura knew the old adage about the road to hell… She wasn't going to be a disastrous product of her sensei's awkward guilt-ridden compassion.
A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
I had a lot of fun with manipulative Sakura in the last chapter (I adore cunning characters!), and this chapter I wanted to address some of the more serious issues. Kakashi and Sakura's relationship will be very different here (but not romance).
Normally I won't do other character's POV in this story. I might do a version of this with alternate POVs, but that will be in the much distant future. But I really wanted to go into Kakashi's thoughts concerning some of Sakura's behaviour.
And as nice as it would be for her to confess, she has only known Kakashi for roughly two weeks. She is not going to spill years worth of secrets to an almost stranger!
Anywho, please review and let me know your thoughts! I love hearing your feedback and theories!
-Nyx!
