So, very well - I've promised the whole time that I'd do my uploads more regularly and realized that it's not really possible. SO - I've decided that I'd simply finish this story by loading it all up and giving it all to you ... so, here we are, this is the 14th chapter.

That wren

or

The Art of losing track

Sakura woke up in the strong arms of Ibiki and grumpily admitted that she just woke from one of her best sleeps. Carefully she slid out of his arms and tiptoed into the bathroom. There she stood in front of the mirror and looked at the only mark she hadn't healed yesterday: his bite into her neck. Somehow she just had refrained from healing it.

Sighing she stepped into the shower and turned the hot water lid open. She was about to take the soap, she was carefully placed against a chest.

"Good morning to you too, Lolly pop."

He took her wrist gently and soaped her carefully. Astounded by his foreign handling she was tempted to turn around, but she resolved in leaning against him and closing her eyes.

When he was done, he switched arms before he took care of her torso, her firm stomach and her rather small breasts. He payed special attention around the area of his bite, as not to hurt her. He then rinsed the suds and before reached for her shampoo he kissed her softly on the base of her neck. She let his unusually cautious hands work the cherry shampoo into her hair. When he had finished rinsing her hair as well, he pecked her on the cheek.

"See you at work, Lolly pop."

And with a silent puff of smoke he vanished. She smiled slightly and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself into a white, fluffy towel before she went back to her room to get dressed. Only then did she realize that there was absolutely no trace of him left.

She entered the hospital in her – now – usual gray coat and a green and white, knitted, wool-scarf. Without hesitation she sauntered to her own office, greeting the medics and assistants on her way there.

In her office she wasn't surprised to see a stack of paperwork piling on her desk. No, that one was an everyday feat, seeing as the Hokage loathed, despised, hated, detested … paperwork. But the hot cup of coffee on her table surprised her. She looked around in her office, only to find it empty.

Next to the cup lay a small, white, discreet post-it: Sugar free … don't have to spill it o'er me – it said.

She smiled and took a sip from the coffee and smiled when she realized that it really was sugar free. Nice for once.

It was twisted, the way he was attracted to her. He really loved the way she never backed down, her enthusiasm, how she put the links together, he loved her for being so colorful. At the same time he really hated her for always talking back, for never backing down. It would get her killed one day or the other…

He was interrupted when his door was blown open. In the doorway stood his second in command: Anko Mitarashi. Something about her aura screamed: TROUBLE!

"She slept tonight…" she acknowledged silently.

He nodded, but the woman wouldn't move. She stared at him with calculating eyes and he looked at her for some moments, before he returned his gaze to the papers.

"Sempai …"

"What is it, Mitarashi?" he growled out.

See, Ibiki could smell insecurity and fear like a dog; he could see it radiating and he used it as his own weapon. And Anko was insecure at this very moment. She knew that it wasn't her business to talk to him about this, but on the other hand she saw it as her duty to talk to him, because she liked Sakura too much.

But he didn't feel like listening to one of her moral speeches. Not only had his day been far too great for this, but also she was his subordinate, his private life was none of her business.

"Nothing, I must have forgotten …" she shook her head and closed the door behind her.

She walked through the snowed-in town and watched the first Christmas trees be sold, she watched mothers buy candy sticks, punch being sold on the streets and smiling children making snow-mans and snow-angels. Sighing she looked at the gray tower at the end of the street, she didn't want to get there just yet.

Grinning she entered a candy shop – a little bit of sugar for the team wouldn't be too bad. Smiling she went through the stock.

"Sakura-chan?" she turned around to look at Naruto. "Since when do you buy sugary things?"

She smiled at him. "I thought a bit sugar would help the team… especially Anko."

"The team …" Naruto mused. "So … what about us?"

Sakura looked up from the candy sticks with wide, green eyes. "W-W-what?" she stammered surprised.

"If they are the team what are we?" Naruto asked again.

"Y-Y-You are …" family – it ran through her head. They were family, the family that she hadn't had for a long time. She took care of them, laughed with them, talked with them, she bonked them when they were stupid … they were family.

"I thought we were your team, Sakura."

She didn't miss the missing chan after her name and the sad look on Naruto's face when he turned around. Sakura knew exactly where this would be going. First he would be sad, because she 'didn't want to be on their team anymore' and after he had gotten over that phase, he would be icy to her. She grabbed his arm when he was about to walk away.

"Naruto-kun. You, Kakashi, Sai and Yamato … you are more than my team." The blond turned around. "You've been around me in the hardest times, you've seen me grow and you've always been encouraging me. You four are my family, do you understand? The team I am in now is because I am with another sensei, and the department took me as a team member."

She smiled a bit shyly and he gave her one of his trademark, cheesy grin. She hugged him close and looked around again.

"So … what do you think could get their spirits up a bit?"

He had never thought he would see his Lolly pop with a pack of sweets – Christmas or not. So when she came into the tower with a pink paper bag filled with candy sticks and sweets he couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow towards her.

"Hey guys!" she beamed at them and shook the snow from her shoulders and out of her hair.

She entered the team room and placed the paper bag on the table.

"I brought you something." She smiled.

His whole team darted towards the bag and fished out candy sticks, chocolate Santa's and other Christmas sweets. She even had brought cupcakes – Naruto had made her buy those. When everyone was munching on something she sat down and looked at Inari.

"So … are all the preparations done?" she asked them.

"We are ready if it that is what you wanted to hear." Kotetsu answered while he chewed on his cupcake.

"Good." She chewed on a slice of ginger.

Hours later she was being dressed into a black dress which should have been Inari's that evening. Sakura had bought her a violet choker that complimented her pale skin and the woman carried it with pride. The pink-haired konoichi didn't exactly fill the dress out and the men around her had to stifle some laughter when she came out and snapped Inari out of the crowd so she could put the genjutsu on them both.

"She's … small." Genma whispered when the two women had exited the room.

"Her mouth sure isn't." he retorted and gulped down his cup of punch.

And small or not, she knows good sex – he smirked, making his subordinates cower in fear of what was to come.

When the two women came out of the room again, Sakura was the living replica of Inari, whereas she was the living replica of Sakura.

"Go and have fun." Inari said and hugged Sakura. "Thank you by the way."

"It's alright." Sakura answered – she turned to the rest of the crew.

Izumo, Anko and Hayate were to go with her and watch her, while Kotetsu, Genma and Ibiki would stay with Inari in the tower.

Subconsciously she looked around and searched for their target. Result: none. She couldn't find him. With a side glance to Anko and a head-shake of said woman she realized that neither her friends had found him.

At midnight Inari stood up from her makeshift bed. Being a human, she had human needs to look after, and one of her needs was about to make itself very remarkable.

Standing up she wobbled towards the toilets.

"Inari." She turned around to see her brother Kotetsu standing in the shadows. "You shouldn't just stand up and walk away without a word."

"Sorry, brother. I just … had to go to the toilets."

"It's alright, I'll accompany you."

She nodded.

He wasn't here. Why wasn't he here? It was Inari who had her birthday today. The village only had that many women who would get twenty tonight. She sighed and leaned back into her booth; Inari's favorite drink in her hand. Around her were sitting Inari's friends chatting and laughing, some of them pulling her to the dance floor now and then where she would dance with them and laugh, but as soon as she returned to their booth she only held conversations halfheartedly, smiled all the time and searched with her eyes for the murderer.

She excused herself and went to the toilet. Anko nodded to her.

Once in the cooler and also quieter room she looked into the mirror and almost jumped. There was a man behind her – not any man.

"W-Who are you?"

"You know damn right who I am konoichi, drop the act."

Kotetsu stood more or less right next to her. There was only a door that separated them. But it was taking some time already.

"Inari?" he asked carefully.

No answer.

The man stared at her by looking at the mirror. Playing frightened she stared back.

"What … do you w-want from me?" she tried it again.

"I said drop it, konoichi." He growled.

Damned, didn't work. Well … might as well give up the act. She turned around and stared directly into his eyes, her voice cold she asked a third time.

"What do you want from me, shithead?"

"Now that's a nice konoichi. We need you, it's as easy as that. And you'll come along nice and quiet, got it?"

"Of course."

"Inari…" he tried again.

No answer. Fearing the worst Kotetsu threw the door out of its angles with one swift kick. The door flew open only to be met with nothing and an open window.

Panicking the man ran to the window and looked out – nothing.

"CODE RED!" he yelled when he ran back and grabbed his weapons.

Anko looked for the woman that had recently left but couldn't find her anywhere. She shot Izumo a quick glance before she left for the toilets.

"What if I don't come?"

The man smirked at her. "You love your friends right?" he didn't wait for a reaction of her. "Well, there is that loudmouth with the annoying dog, he's with his girlfriend and right now, they're in chakra shackles."

"Bluff." Sakura smirked.

Exactly, girl.

"Well … that was right. I'm impressed, you really can read people's intentions."

Reading people's intentions? WTF?

"Then you will also know that I'm not bluffing if I say that we have a close eye on that Anko-thingy outside there, as well as her boyfriend … who is in hospital at the moment. Am I right?"

Damned … this looks a bit worse …

I have to go with him

Are you crazy?

I can't endanger Kakashi-sensei! His lungs are still instable and he's easy prey … I just can't so I can get away healthy – in no way

YOU ARE SO STUPID! DON'T YOU DARE-

"I'll go with you."

AGH! GOD DAMNIT! YOU'RE SUCH A MORON!

You got the message?

Hmph…

Thank you

"Good girl."

He held his arms out and she let her bag drop, slipped out of her shoes and took his hand. She looked at the door one more moment, before she only sees black and knows that she is in a teleportation jutsu.

"CODE RED!"

"DAMN IT!" Ibiki seethed. "WE CALL BACK NOW! TARGETS ARE MISSING!"

Fuck it. Of course it just had to happen. She just had to go missing … both of them. He punched the next wall – growling frustrated and angry. The dark city was silent to his outrage. He sighed frustrated.

That wren-
looking here, looking there.
You lose something?

He could almost hear her voice. God damn it. Let's count what he lost today. Lost apprentice, lost target, lost person he had been ought to protect, lost nerves … and he would lose his sanity soon.

He turned around when he heard his team approaching. Anko held a bag and two shoes in her hand.

"She left these."

"Tower. Now." Her ordered.

He really, really needed to get some things clear, and that as quickly as possible god damn it.

OMG! He lost them! :O what will he do now? Read the next one, to find out :)