TWELVE

YUREGAKURE


Sakura and Sasuke arrived in Yuregakure a day later than planned. Sakura's pleasant travel companion had disappeared after the incident with the ninken. She hadn't said anything of it during their travel, but she had reached her limit by the time they reached the village. The innkeeper had commented on what an attractive couple they were, but Sasuke hadn't responded; Sakura accepted the compliment with a strained smile.

Sakura took advantage of Sasuke's silence by splurging on a room with a large double bed. She wasn't certain when the next time they would be in a proper inn was, and she had no desire to sleep on a futon if she could avoid it.

They went to eat at a small restaurant around the corner form the inn. Sakura ordered for the both of them, while Sasuke stared mulishly out the window.

Sakura clenched her fist under the table and gave her sunniest smile. "What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura would have missed the clench of his jaw if she wasn't' staring at his face.

"There's nothing wrong."

"You've been really quiet for the past two days. I said I'm sorry I ran off with the ninken. I didn't know I had run off that far." Sakura took a shaky breath, worried she had already messed up so soon on their journey.

Sasuke set his chopsticks on the table and took a drink of ice water. "It's not that. It's..." He pressed his lips together.

Sakura pouted. "What?"

"What were you doing with the Hokage's dogs?"

"They are ninken," Sakura corrected. "They like to play fetch with me since I can through the ball farther than anyone else in the village."

"But they belong to Kakashi," Sasuke stressed. There was something unfamiliar about his tone that prickled underneath Sakura's skin.

"And what is wrong with Kakashi?"

Sasuke scowled and picked up his chopsticks once more. "He doesn't deserve to be Hokage."

What?

Sakura stopped chewing, her mouth full of rice.

Sasuke must have seen the irritation on her face because he elaborated. "The Hokage is supposed to be the strongest person in the village and that is not Kakashi. Naruto should be Hokage."

Sakura swallowed, the food jamming in her throat in her haste. She took a quick drink of water and then slammed the cup down on the table. "Don't be ridiculous Sasuke-kun. Naruto still has some growing up to do before he's ready for the position. Kakashi has as much leadership experience as anyone else in the village and he's intelligent. He's establishing the necessary infrastructure the village needs to be successful in peacetime so Konoha won't have to rely on missions in the future. There's politics involved in being Hokage and Naruto is not there yet."

"Kakashi is overrated. He only became famous because he had a Sharingan and now he doesn't even have that anymore." Sasuke's nostrils flared. "He may have been able to create a Susanoo, but that's all the credit I'll give him."

Sakura's anger faded away as she took a look at Sasuke's expression. She tilted her head to the right.

Sasuke was pouting.

Sakura raised a napkin to her lips to stifle her giggle. When Sasuke's snapped in her direction, she burst out in a chortle. "Oh! You're still mad his Susanoo was better than yours."

"It was not better than mine," Sasuke ground out.

"I don't know about that. Kakashi only had the ability for a few minutes and he made a critical hit." Sakura tapped her finger to her chin in thought. "Now that I think about it, Naruto thought Kakashi's Susanoo was better too."

Sasuke's face turned into a thundercloud.

The expression was too much for Sakura, causing her to burst out in laughter. Everyone in the dining room turned their direction; Sakura raised a napkin against her lips to muffle her laughter. It was a fruitless effort; one look on Sasuke's scowling face was enough to set her in another fit.

"I can't believe you're jealous!" Sakura chortled, reaching across the table to give Sasuke a pat on the hand. "It's okay Sasuke-kun. Kakashi's eyes are both the same now, so you don't have worry about him stealing your thunder anymore."

Sasuke withdrew his hand from table. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going back to our room at the inn."

Sakura felt a little guilty as Sasuke walked away, worried that she had pushed him too far. Sighing, she finished her food quickly and went out to explore the village.

The shopping district was just a few blocks away, and Sakura made use of her time to stock up on necessary items. She purchased more scrolls and ink for recordkeeping. She also bought a proper set of pajamas for the evening. Walking back to the inn, Sakura contemplated sending Kakashi's shirt back to Konoha, but decided against it in the end. It's not like Kakashi would need the shirt since the village had changed the uniforms.

Sakura returned to their room to find Sasuke reading on the bed. He had showered while she was gone, his hair was still damp and the smell of soap hung pleasantly in the air. He gave her a smile when she walked in, causing her stomach to fill with butterflies. Instantly, she knew that things between them were back to normal.

Pleased, Sakura retrieved the goodbye letters she had received during their travel to Yuregakure. She flipped through them, surprised how many people had signed their name at the bottom. She recognized her neighbors, some patients, and even some shopkeepers. A lump rose to her throat, astonished by their kindness.

Sasuke cleared his throat; Sakura turned to find him holding a box of tissues her tissues in her direction. She gave him a shaky smile, gratefully accepting his offering. She pressed a tissue against her eyes to wipe away the tears that were forming. Then, she reached for ink, determined to respond to everyone who wished her well.

After a couple of hours, she had a neat stack of letters on the table ready to be mailed out in the morning. The only scroll left unopened was from Kakashi which she tucked in a pouch in her travelling pack.

"I'm going to get ready for the night." Sakura pulled out her new nightclothes and her toiletries. "I'm going to take a long soak since I don't know when we will be able to do this again."

Sasuke chuckled. "There are many caves, but not many rivers where we are headed."

"That's what I was afraid you would say," Sakura mumbled as she headed out the door.

When Sakura returned from the baths, Sasuke had already laid out his sleeping bag. She looked at him in confusion as she set her toiletries down. "There's plenty of room on the bed, so you don't have to sleep on the floor."

Sasuke's cheeks turned slightly pink. "That's... inappropriate."

Sakura blinked in surprise.

Oh, that's right.

She had forgotten about that small detail.

Determined to save face, Sakura plowed on. "Don't be ridiculous Sasuke. The only thing we are going to do is sleep." She placed her hand on her hip and leveled him with the same look she gave her misbehaving staff at the hospital.

Sasuke stared at a spot on his sleeping bag before sighing. "Fine. As long as you don't hog the covers."

"I'm told I'm very good company." She squished the pillow on the bed, trying to fluff it up. The pillow resisted.

"Who told you?"

"Hmmm?" Sakura gave a small punch to the pillow, causing the seam to rip and the stuffing shoot out and hit the wall.

"Who told you were good company in bed?" Sasuke asked in a strained voice.

Sakura turned to him.

Kakashi

"Ino," Sakura lied, her brain catching up with the conversation and Sasuke's train of thought. "We have movie nights sometimes with Hinata and Tenten."

Sakura gave him a smile and then turned her back to him to march across the room. She jammed the stuffing back into the ruined pillow case. She retrieved her own meager pillow from her pack and tucked it under her arm.

When she turned back to Sasuke, he looked abashed. "I thought… never mind." He lifted the covers and settled on the right side of the bed, facing up to look at the ceiling.

Sakura bit her bottom lip, trying to quash her grin. Sasuke looked so stiff and uncomfortable. She turned off the lamp on the table sinking the room into darkness, save for the light streaming from the window. Sakura settled into her side of the bed, shoving her own inadequate pillow under her head, and then pulled the blankets up to her chin.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered back.

Sakura wriggled, trying to get into a comfortable position without disturbing her bedmate. One of the springs on the bed was worn, and she could feel it pressing against her back. She rolled over to the left side to avoid it. Her breathing evened out, and soon she could feel herself drifting to sleep.

What felt like moments later, she was startled awake as she landed on the floor with a thud.

"What the hell?!" Sakura rubbed at the back of her head as she glared up at Sasuke who was peering down at her. "Did you just push me out of the bed?"

Sasuke huffed, tossing the covers off of him. "I had to! As soon as you fell asleep you rolled over to my side of the bed and you…you…" Sasuke's voice died out.

"What?" Sakura crossed her arms, her bottom still smarting from the expected wake-up call.

"You…you…you cuddled me," Sasuke sputtered. "I tried to free myself, but you hugged tighter and throwing you over the bed was my only option."

"I wouldn't cuddle you," Sakura argued, trying to convince herself as much as Sasuke.

"Whatever," Sasuke replied as he ran a hand through his hair. He stood and walked back to his sleeping bag. "You can have the bed all to yourself. I'm sleeping on the floor."

Sakura opened her mouth to argue some more, and the closed it with a snap. She could avoid that irritating spring which had poked her back if the bed was all hers. Sighing, she climbed back into bed, yanking the blankets around her closer since she was now deprived of company.

Kakashi had never tossed her out of bed before.

Mortified by her thoughts, Sakura rolled to her side and hugged her pillow close to her chest.

Her stomach churned with guilt, and Sakura tried to ignore the feeling.

Sleep was a harder to find the second time around.